#its for an art consultancy so what this is really about is a not illegal way to check if you have 'the look'

[keirametzbrassknuckles]

Applied for this job and they're asking me to do a pre-recorded video answering some questions and upload it to YouTube before I actually speak to a person and like I'm fucking sorry that's beneath me. I thought this was a serious job. I didn't realize we were operating on the wavelength of a fucking "interpretive project" high school assignment set by the "fun" teacher.

[mister-eames]

I love these ideas! There's just something so tasty about them being apart of the original project, and of them meeting so young and at such a formative time, I never tire of it!

Funny you should ask -- I've had this idea brewing in my head for a solid week and wont let me go. When I write fic for them, I tend to imagine them having one foot in either pond - straddling the line of the legal and the not-so-legal, and this runs along those lines. The idea is: After their long sabbatical, and after trying different jobs, successfully, maybe 5-10 years after Inception Arthur and Eames buy a dilapidated, run-down, piece of crap pub/roadhouse out in the middle of nowhere.

They fix it up. They get customers, regulars and passers-by. It becomes both a hub and a haven. You need info? Whereabouts? Go to Arthur and Eames' roadhouse. You need safe passage? Roadhouse. Guns, weapons -- a really good game of poker with a decent beer? Roadhouse. Place looks like a shack but is defended better than a fortress. There's an element of danger, but it's controlled, they have a criminal and moral code - they don't do business with just anybody, and there aint no room for grudges - take it outside, boys. Maybe they own a little house nearby and make jams, idk. I just like the idea of them behind a bar, serving customers, bitching and moaning at each other (lovingly) - half of their patrons are just passing through and want food, the other half are about to assassinate someone, all of them wondering what Arthur and Eames are to each other as they trade verbal volleys back and forth. And if there is any trouble at all, well there is a loaded shotgun and a napping dog behind the bar that doesn't take kindly to threats to its owners. The idea just tickles me. But it's one of many options I can imagine for them.

I have entertained the idea of them doing real life heists while settling down (ala settling down into a rich community and robbing all of their neighbours). Or consulting with governments for a high cost. Maybe Arthur was an engineer before and he goes back to that. Maybe they use dreamshare in helpful ways - i.e. in therapy.

My preferred option is where the 'new and exciting' thing they try is just living a straight up normal life. (Eames: how do taxes work??) I think dreamshare is like anything you once find exciting that no longer is, that turns out to be more poisonous than it's worth. You learn to live without it and find the feeling you once got from it, elsewhere. If they ever dream again, it's out of necessity, not love. There's a fic I love that encapsulates it perfectly. Idk - I don't see them as men incapable of being slow, still and quiet - I think that's what they're chasing. Or how I like to interpret them anyway haha. But I do think there is at least a fingertip in the pie of illegality - a forged certificate or little art theft never hurt anyone - right??

Hello Ash! So, we know that Dom got into dreamsharing because of professor Miles, but how do you think Arthur and Eames got into the industry? And why did they stay, what attracted them to it?

(this is especially true for Arthur, who seems to not have side gigs apart from it, from what we know at least)

And do you think they'll stay after inception?

Hello lovely!!! Oh I love this question and I'd love to know your thoughts/theories as well!!

For Arthur, I love the fandom fave military backstory, and having been a part of the original project. Or maybe Miles used to work in the US and it was Arthur that was one of his 'best and brightest' that Cobb corrupted. Mostly, I gravitate towards the idea that Arthur was never a student or in the military - that he worked himself up into a position as a research assistant through sheer hard work and happenstance, met Cobb through this position and got roped into dreamshare when Cobb went off the rails.

Arthur, to me, seems to be one of the most grounded in having a life outside of dreamshare/criminal activity. I think he was deeply attracted to the exploration of it - to the knowledge, the learning. A whole new world of ideas, notions and theory that he couldn't extract from any book. His thrill was the unspooling of it all. If Arthur wanted to know about dreamshare, its mechanics, its history, then he had to work for it, experience it. Dreamshare, to Arthur, was a challenge, it was the chance to dream up the life for himself that he always wanted - to make the money everyone said he never would.

But then, I think, once Arthur had learned and experienced as much as he could... it stopped being a challenge. It stopped being fun, something he enjoyed. It stopped being the thing that lit the fire under him. That, and what happened to Mal. Maybe he just wants to do something else, go back to a semblance of normality. I truly think he got a big dose of 'play stupid games, win stupid prizes' with Mals death, amongst other things to where it just wasn't worth it anymore. He stayed to get Cobb out of his mess, and didn't return to it, after Inception, except potentially for a handful of times when someone really needed him.

For Eames.... also love the military backstory. Solid. Works for me, love it. I'm also fond of the idea that he was just a young man down on his luck at one point, got into stealing, forging, cat burglary, whatever, and was tasked - either by fee or by blackmail - to steal a PASIV. Of course, seeing what a high price it fetched for, he kept it for himself. The rest is history.

I have a headcanon that Eames was actually retired from dreamshare at the time of Inception, and that he couldn't help but have one last chance at succeeding where he had failed before (and one last chance to dream with Arthur again). I don't know if he ever goes back after. Maybe on very rare occasions, to see if he's 'still got it'. My feeling is that his heart hasn't been in it for a long time, and that the detriments truly outweighed the benefits for him.

I like to think they were both on the path of different things in life besides dreamshare at the time of the movie. Neither of them seem particularly invested in the work itself for the reasons I mention before - especially Arthur, he didn't even want to take on the job, had no professional interest whatsoever. Eames barely kept a toe in the door prior to his recruiting. That, and I think they're at a transitional point in life - thirty-ish/thirty-something - where your priorities are just...changing. Your drives are different, your goals. You look back at your twenty-something version of yourself and say see, you survived, it's time to take a deep breath now. With all of the imagination, influence and investments they must have, I don't know if they would want to spend their time moving forward the same way they did the decade before when they were young and careless, after all they've been through.

[fannish-karmiya]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/20/longest-single-volume-book-in-the-world-goes-on-sale-and-is-impossible-to-read

This is really...wow. And not in a good way.

So this limited edition ‘book’ sold 50 copies, at 1900 Euros each, and no credit went to the original author of One Piece? He isn’t credited, he definitely isn’t being paid, and while this book is apparently impossible to properly read due to its size (realistically you’d probably break the spine and send it all flying apart if you tried- even after about the 600-800 page range a lot of books don’t hold up well), it’s still his art in that door stopper.

It’s a real shame in a way? I think a project like this could be a real statement, highlighting just how long many manga series (especially in the break-neck world of shounen serialisation) really are, and the staggering amount of pages these artists have drawn for just a single series. But it just...isn’t that.

From the publisher’s website:

🌍 The largest book in the world is an artist book

ONEPIECE by Ilan Manouach consists of all the volumes of the worldwide bestseller One Piece, assembled into a single book of 21.540 pages. With a spine width of more than 80cm (31.5 inches), this sculptural object cannot be read or displayed in bookstores. It is literally the largest book in the world by far and can be admired as the materialization of an ecosystem saturated by media. ONEPIECE exists as an object of pure speculation.

I’m all for transformative works, but how transformative is this, really? What sort of a statement about the commodification of art are you really making when you’re not only participating in it but doing so without any proper credit or royalties to the original artist?

It seems that Ilan Manouach specialises in this sort of thing. From the publisher’s press release:

...

Well, all right then.

I think he was trying to make a statement about how most long-running comics are actually the result of the main artist along with a team of dedicated assistants, who often don’t get credited (this is a huge issue in manga publishing, actually, to come back to One Piece). But...may I be blunt and say that some of this seems more like pretentious waffle?

I actually fall somewhere in the middle when it comes to copyright; I think that it’s far too restrictive and long-lasting at the moment, and there’s no requirement for rights-holders to actually keep circulating their work in some form to keep it copyrighted, meaning that many works of art can be out of print for decades but still illegal to archive for preservation purposes. On the other hand, I’m very much not in favour of abolishing copyright altogether; estimations that very short-term copyrights like 7 years would be sufficient because ‘most of the money from a work is made in those early years’ are naive and ignore the needs of independent artists/writers and, well, anyone who isn’t a giant mega-corporation like Disney.

But this is...well, something about this definitely sticks in my craw. Oda Eiichiro is a very successful manga artist (apparently his net worth is some $200m!), so maybe the lost royalties on this won’t hurt him, but the idea that if you throw enough ‘meaningful’ statements about the transformative nature of your work, without it actually being a parody or transformative in any way, then that makes it OK...well, I’m not too pleased by that, either.

This is definitely not something the publisher approved of, and I’m wondering if they have any plans to take legal action?

When asked if Eiichiro Oda had been involved or consulted about the creation of ONEPIECE, and if there were any copyright considerations, JBE’s spokesperson said: “This piece is about Manouach’s work around ecosystems of comics, here as a sculptor who uses online dissemination as source material, not reading copyrighted content.” There could be no infringement of copyright, the publisher believes, because it is physically impossible to read the book.

Keita Murano, a member of the international rights staff at Shueisha, the Japanese publisher of Oda’s manga, confirmed that his company had not been consulted about the JBE book. He said: “The product you mentioned is not official. We don’t give permission to them. Our licensee in France which publishes One Piece is the publisher Glénat.”

[hedgewitchgarden]

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Federal penalties have increased under a newly signed law intended to protect the cultural patrimony of Native American tribes, immediately making some crimes a felony and doubling the prison time for anyone convicted of multiple offenses.

President Joe Biden signed the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act on Dec. 21, a bill that had been introduced since 2016. Along with stiffer penalties, it prohibits the export of sacred Native American items from the U.S. and creates a certification process to distinguish art from sacred items.

The effort largely was inspired by pueblo tribes in New Mexico and Arizona who repeatedly saw sacred objects up for auction in France. Tribal leaders issued passionate pleas for the return of the items but were met with resistance and the reality that the U.S. had no mechanism to prevent the items from leaving the country.

“The STOP Act is really born out of that problem and hearing it over and over,” said attorney Katie Klass, who represents Acoma Pueblo on the matter and is a citizen of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. “It's really designed to link existing domestic laws that protect tribal cultural heritage with an existing international mechanism.”

The law creates an export certification system that would help clarify whether items were created as art and provides a path for the voluntary return of items that are part of a tribe's cultural heritage. Federal agencies would work with Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians to outline what items should not leave the U.S. and to seek items back.

Information provided by tribes about those items would be shielded from public records laws.

While dealers and collectors often see the items as art to be displayed and preserved, tribes view the objects as living beings held in community, said Brian Vallo, a consultant on repatriation.

“These items remain sacred, they will never lose their significance,” said Vallo, a former governor of Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. “They will never lose their power and place as a cultural item. And it is for this reason that we are so concerned."

Tribes have seen some wins over the years:

— In 2019, Finland agreed to return ancestral remains of Native American tribes that once called the cliffs of Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado home. The remains and artifacts were unearthed by a Swedish researcher in 1891 and held in the collection of the national Museum of Finland.

— That same year, a ceremonial shield that vanished from Acoma Pueblo in the 1970s was returned to the tribe after a nearly four-year campaign involving U.S. senators, diplomats and prosecutors. The circular, colorful shield featuring the face of a Kachina, or ancestral spirit, had been held at a Paris auction house.

— In 2014, the Navajo Nation sent its vice president to Paris to bid on items believed to be used in wintertime healing ceremonies after diplomacy and a plea to return the items failed. The tribe secured several items, spending $9,000.

—In 2013, the Annenberg Foundation quietly bought nearly two dozen ceremonial items at an auction in Paris and later returned them to the Hopi, the San Carlos Apache and the White Mountain Apache tribes in Arizona. The tribes said the items invoke the spirit of their ancestors and were taken in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

The STOP Act ties in with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act that requires museums and universities that receive federal funds to disclose Native American items in their possession, inventory them, and notify and transfer those items to affiliated tribes and Native Hawaiians or descendants.

The Interior Department has proposed a number of changes to strengthen NAGPRA and is taking public comment on them until mid-January.

The STOP Act increases penalties for illegally trafficking Native American human remains from one year to a year and a day, thus making it a felony on the first offense. Trafficking cultural items as outlined in NAGPRA remains a misdemeanor on the first offense. Penalties for subsequent offenses for both increase from five years to 10 years.

New Mexico U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, who introduced the House bill, said time will tell whether the penalties are adequate.

[...]

[dancedance-resolution]

for andi mack week, i made this uquiz: who are you in the andi mack cinematic universe?

an anon asked me to post all the possible answers (sorry that i lost your ask haha), so ive included screenshots and image IDs of all the answers below the cut! :)

Image IDs of the answer possibilities:

in jonah's band - when you see jonah beck drawing band logo ideas during study hall, you feel like it's fate: you've always wanted to be friends with jonah, and you've also always wanted to be a part of a band! so you introduce yourself to him at your shared lunch block, and soon, you're the bassist in Otter Galaxy, a five-person band consisting of you, jonah (guitarist), buffy (singer), walker (drummer), and kira (trumpter). you all collaborate to write songs from all sorts of genres, and you develop close friendships with all of your bandmates. fourteen great songs later, jonah introduces you to a man named bowie, and he helps Otter Galaxy record their first whole album. buffy's girlfriend andi designs the album cover art, and kira's girlfriend libby runs the band's social media and marketing. Otter Galaxy reaches its career peak--so far, at least--when they perform a setlist of originals and covers at shadyside high school's homecoming dance. you're glowing the whole night, so happy to have made these connections and produced such amazing art with all these humans you love so deeply.

attending an olivia rodrigo concert with amber - you've always made fun of your friend amber for calling into every single radio station ticket giveaway, but when she manages to win ten tickets to olivia rodrigo's sour tour, you immediately rescind all teasing comments. you can't begin to thank amber enough when she announces that she's taking you, andi, buffy, cyrus, iris, kira, maria from the basketball team, and (reluctantly) her brother tj to the concert. the afternoon of the concert, everyone heads over to the kippen household to dress up and prepare for the concert. ms. kippen drives everyone, herself taking the tenth ticket, and everyone manages to fit into her minivan in a mostly legal seating arrangement (andi may be on buffy's lap, and iris may be crouching in the center section of the car, but hey, at least no one's in the trunk!). the concert itself is electric. despite never having endured heartbreak, cyrus sobs at every single song (but, not to worry, tj's there to supportively hold his hand the whole time). andi and iris sing along so passionately that it's a miracle they haven't lost their voices; you and kira share a pink cotton candy that's bigger than your face! by the end of the concert, everyone's exhausted from the rush of adrenaline and joy, and the car ride home is pretty quiet as everyone basks in the sated feeling. you all sleepover at the kippen house, constructing an elaborate maze of pillow forts in the living room before dozing off. you and your friends end up sleeping in 'til noon, when ms. kippen finally wakes everyone up with the smell of homemade pancakes.

gardening with cece - when andi invites you over to help with the gardening, she fails to mention what a serious matter you've just agreed to undertake. with a cold pitcher of lemonade as your sustenance, you and andi join cece in her meticulous plant upkeep duties. cece is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about the various flowers spread about the garden, and she offers you her gardening cap when she notices how you're squinting under the hot sun. but don't let her kindness fool you: when cece somehow ends up in a passive-aggressive conversation with the neighbor about the location of some plumerias, cece swiftly dons her weapon of choice--the garden hose--and mercilessly discharges its cold water. the hose fight quickly turns into a fun opportunity to cool off, and soon, you and andi are collapsed in a muddy heap of laughter as cece chastises you for wasting water.

andi's lab partner in chemistry class - despite being an art-focused school, saava also has incredibly strong academic programs. alas, this is very unfortunate for you, as you aren't the best at science classes--so you're relieved when you're paired with a really kind and bright girl, andi, for this semester's chemistry labs. andi always manages to bring a certain magic to the routine and rule-based chemistry class, turning graphs of hydrogen levels into colorful maps that remind you of the astrology posters your friend libby likes to paint. and it's like andi's creativity unlocks your own imagination--with andi's help, you turn your simple coffee-decaffeination lab into a rube goldberg machine that creates splatter art! soon, your formerly most dreaded block becomes an exciting opportunity to collaborate with your new friend to make increasingly complex machines, sculptures, paintings, and other forms of art. your final chemistry lab of the year--an exercise in pH measurement that you and andi turn into a mixed-media installation that comments on the shift of identity many students experience when coming to a new school like saava--even gets featured in the "best of saava" monthly magazine! chemistry still may not be your best subject grade-wise, but thanks to andi's friendship and support, you find that you've learned a lot this year, and you really value the time you spent in this class.

psycholanalyzing beloved fictional characters with cyrus - on the first day of highschool, your first block class is the one you're looking forward to most--psychology. there's only one other freshman in the class, so you make sure to sit next to him. his name is cyrus, and soon, you and cyrus are bonding over your shared interest in the "childish" tv shows that your older brother teases you for liking. "if your brother teases you for watching them, why don't you come over to my place, and we can watch them together?" cyrus offers one day, so that afternoon, you head over to his dad's house. he introduces you to his dad and his step-mom sharon, both of whom are therapists (no wonder he knows so many answers in psychology class!), and you're super excited when they let you and cyrus flip through their paper copy of the dsm. sharon makes a bowl of popcorn for you and cyrus to share, and then you start watching pbs kids shows together, consulting cyrus's online copy of the dsm to jokingly psychoanalyze some of the characters from "arthur." ("technically it's a pirated copy of the dsm," cyrus explains bashfully, "but i was too scared to click on the illegal pdf, so i had my friend buffy save it for me.") after a few episodes of gleefully pathologizing fictional characters together, you hear cyrus's boyfriend tj knock on the front door. tj joins you for two more episodes of "wordgirl" (you find out that his favorite character is chuck the sandwich-making guy), and then the three of you eat dinner with cyrus's dad and step-mom before both you and tj have to head home. cyrus hugs you both, thanking you for coming over, and as you wave "bye," you feel so grateful for your two new friends.

[hrtiu]

Worthy of Devotion Chapter 6

Yeah so... obviously I didn’t stick to my weekly update schedule 😅 But hey, Chapter 7 is already halfway done!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28259979/chapters/72995721

Kaminoan breakfast was not to Riyo’s taste. It was all raw fish, squid, and shellfish chopped up and mixed together with some kind of acidic syrup and, as a native of a marshy moon with no oceans, Riyo found it disagreeable. Still, she dutifully slurped down the food and nodded along to Prime Minister Lama Su’s unhurried conversation.

“As you can see, our facilities are state-of-the-art, and the Republic is reaping the benefits of our skilled army,” he said.

Riyo nodded and picked up the last spoonful of her breakfast, hesitating only a moment before putting the tentacled mystery in her mouth. The food they fed the clones at the cafeteria had looked different, like a nutritional paste or some kind of fortified starch. This seafood hash was no doubt a delicacy meant to honor her visit, but she’d honestly prefer the paste.

“This is quite an impressive operation you have here, Prime Minister,” she said. “I look forward to discussing the future of the Republic’s relationship with Kamino at the summit.”

She set her spoon down and left her napkin on top of her plate, signalling that she was done with the meal—finally. She’d spent most of the previous night making last-minute preparations with Maja, and she didn’t think she could handle another moment of small talk and crustaceans.

Lama Su inclined his long neck. “Shall we?”

He rose to his feet and Riyo, flanked by Maja, Captain Rex, and Commander Fox, followed him out of the dining hall and into a spare, white conference room. Nala Se, Senator Burtoni and several other Kaminoan dignitaries were already seated inside, and the Prime Minister showed Riyo to her seat at the head of the table. Rex and Maja found their own spots at the far end of the group, and Fox stationed himself at the door.

Lama Su took the chair next to Riyo and cleared his throat, drawing the eyes of all the attendees to him. “I want to thank Chancellor Chuchi for visiting with us today. I am eager to discuss Kamino’s role in the Republic’s military moving forward, and to build upon the foundation of goodwill and trust that we have already established.”

“Thank you for having me, Prime Minister,” Riyo said. She waited for him to extend his welcome to Rex and Maja, too, but he moved right on to business.

“I’ll begin with the basics. As we on Kamino have provided the Republic with an excellent military in the past, no doubt contributing  greatly to the Republic’s victory in the war, we believe the Republic would be amenable to extending our contracts. Perhaps the Republic no longer has need of such a large army, but surely some standing military force is necessary for the defense of our systems, and we are also in the process of developing new technologies and personnel specializing in peacekeeping and violence deterrence.”

Riyo’s mouth twisted. The phrase “peacekeeping” had been too-often used throughout the war to justify acts of aggression, and was he really going to completely ignore the clone legislation the Senate had just passed? Senator Burtoni had to have told him. 

“The Republic does indeed owe a large debt of gratitude to its clone army,” she said, gesturing to Rex, “who protected citizens and defended our sovereignty at the risk and often expense of their own lives. However, you must understand that, given recent legislation involving the legality of pressing clones into military service, we cannot continue to use your services in the same way.”

Lama Su leaned over the table and laced his long fingers together. “Yes, Senator Burtoni informed us of this legislation. I fail to see why a practice that ensured the Republic’s victory in the war could so conveniently be deemed illegal after the fact.”

“The criticism is valid, Prime Minister, but unfortunately we cannot change the past. We can only try to move forward in a way that is consistent with our values, and creating sentient life only for it to be forced into military service is not consistent with our values.”

Lama Su’s giant eyes narrowed ‘til only a thin slice of grey iris peeked through. “What are you proposing, Chancellor?”

Riyo inclined her head towards Rex.

“All production of clone soldiers needs to end immediately,” Rex said. “The Republic has already paid, so it’s no harm to you. The Republic won’t commission any clone soldiers in the future, either.”

“This is outrageous!” Senator Burtoni said, addressing Riyo and ignoring Rex. “It is an insult to our relationship with the Republic!”

“The Senate’s vote is final,” Rex said. “Kamino is free to do what they wish, but all member systems of the Republic have to abide by Republic laws, which now prohibit the enslavement of any sentient beings for any reason.”

“Where was all this talk of slavery when the Republic ordered the army?” Senator Burtoni demanded. “I must say, Chancellor, this law feels rather pointed. If Kamino is to be singled out like this, perhaps we would not wish to remain-”

Lama Su held up a hand and Senator Burtoni closed her mouth, nodding in deference to the Prime Minister. “Chancellor Chuchi, we of course would wish to remain in the Republic, but you must understand how much our economy is tied to the cloning industry. We have invested decades of education, technology, and infrastructure into this endeavor. What you are asking is not so simple as turning a switch from on to off.”

Riyo nodded sympathetically, though it irked her to no end the way they continued to ignore Rex. “I understand your concern, Prime Minister, which is why I have already negotiated several agricultural contracts on your behalf. The nerf industry is very interested in your work isolating desirable genetic traits. Etrat Industries is also willing to hire Kaminoan geneticists to develop more drought-resistant grains.” Riyo passed a datapad to Lama Su and gave him a moment to look it over. “The current value of these contracts is about 75% of what the clone army generated for Kamino, but I believe these contracts can grow into a sustained economy that does not rely on one product, and no longer requires widespread war to be profitable.”

Lama Su’s dark eyes darted across the screen and he nodded thoughtfully. “We will need time to consider and speak with these contacts of yours before formally agreeing, but I find your proposal to be a compelling one, Chancellor.”

Riyo held back a sigh of relief. Maja had insisted that Kamino valued membership in the Republic enough to play hardball, but Riyo still hadn’t been sure the agricultural contracts would be tempting enough to soothe any hurt feelings. And as abhorrent as she found the Human factory here on Kamino, Riyo still didn’t want the Kaminoans to leave the Republic. For one thing, leaving the Republic would leave them free to create clone armies for other people. 

The summit moved on and they first went through the new clone legislation and what exactly it meant. No, cloning wasn’t entirely illegal. Yes, cloning sentient beings for servitude was illegal. Then they went through each of the agricultural contracts line by line and Lama Su and his advisors discussed which ones they could easily take on with minimal capital expense. Lama Su was difficult to read, but Riyo thought she could see a pleased glimmer in his eye as he examined the proposed quotes for each contract. She made a mental note to throw a party for Maja later for pulling so much of that together.

“Well,” Lama Su said after several hours of debate, “You are our customer, so of course we will halt production as you requested. We are tentatively willing to commit to never producing clone soldiers again, but it will take some time before we can formalize the agreement. This was, as you know, the foundation of our economy for some time. We wish to remain in the Republic, but leaving is an option if we feel we are not being treated fairly.”

“I can assure you, Prime Minister, we will do everything we can to ensure that all citizens of the Republic—Kaminoan and Clone alike—will be treated fairly,” Riyo said.

“Excellent. That brings our summit to a close-”

“One more thing, if I may,” Riyo interjected. 

Lama Su looked up at her, a frown of mild indifference on his face. “Yes, Chancellor Chuchi?”

Riyo’s eyes darted quickly to Rex at the end of the table, then over to Fox. She hadn’t had a chance to consult them about this part, but she was reasonably sure they’d approve. “As the price for the clones’ production and cultivation until adulthood has already been paid for, the Republic is willing to assume responsibility for the care and raising of all clones aged zero to three effective immediately, and for only half the cost the Kaminoan facility would have spent on their training.”

The grey brows above Lama Su’s eyes rose. “What do you mean, for only half the cost?”

“Your people would pay the Republic to take over the raising of these clones half of the estimated cost of training them here on Kamino. You would still come out ahead, financially.”

Lama Su’s nostril slits flared slightly and his eyes turned over to Senator Burtoni.

“They were created for the Republic. I suppose the Republic can claim them at any time,” Senator Burtoni said.

Lama Su’s expression remained impassive, but years of experience in politics told Riyo what he was thinking. He didn’t like the idea of capitulating to yet another Republic demand, but he was counting credits, and she knew the calculus would end up in her favor.

“If you insist, then of course we are willing to oblige our loyal customer,” he said. “It will take time to sort out logistics, so let’s say tentatively the handover will take place in six months-”

“I’ve already worked out most of the logistics on my end. We should be able to pick up the children in one month.”

A brief silence filled the conference room at her words, and Lama Su stared down at her. “As you wish, Chancellor.”

They closed the summit with all the necessary formalities, and Riyo walked from the room, her shoulders tucked back and her chin held high all the way until they reached the safety of her rooms. Then she let the tension of the negotiations go and her placid expression dropped.

“Oh my goodness, I wasn’t at all sure that was going to work, Maja.”

Maja patted her shoulder. “I told you they’re desperate to stay in the Republic. As an extragalactic planet, the Republic is vital in connecting them to trade and the political life of the rest of the galaxy.”

“Yes, but I really thought demanding all that, plus the younger clones—I was worried they’d reject us just out of spite.”

Maja smirked. “Pride is one thing, but credits are king.”

“You, my friend, are a genius.”

“Who am I to contradict the Chancellor?”

Riyo laughed, but her laugh quickly morphed into a sigh. “And now the work begins. Can you call back our contact with the Child Services Agency on Coruscant? And get in touch with those other agricultural conglomerates we haven’t heard back from yet.”

“On it, boss.”

Riyo started for the office near the back of her quarters, but a low cough turned her attention behind her. Commander Fox was standing there, helmet on and blaster still in hand, his posture stiff and formal. Next to him was Rex, helmetless, with a warm smile on his face.

“Yes, Commander? Captain? I’m sorry, I probably should have asked your opinion on this, first. I just had so many holo calls to make to work things out, and I couldn’t find either of you anywhere-”

“It’s not a problem, Madam Chancellor,” Rex said. “Thank you for caring. I know it means a lot to the boys.”

Riyo smiled at him. “Of course, Captain,” she said, then her smile fell. “After coming here, I couldn’t do nothing. I… I had some idea what it would be like here, but nothing prepared me for actually seeing it.”

“We’re clones. How else do you think we were raised?” Rex said.

“I know, it’s just… different when you actually see the trichbasa stuffed.”

“The what?”

“Oh, it’s a Pantoran phrase. Sometimes you don’t want to see the messy details of how something gets made. It’s… easier not knowing.”

“I’m glad you were willing to stomach it for us, ma’am,” Rex said.

“Ma’am?” Maja said, poking her head back into the hallway from the study. “The Chief Administrator of the Child Services Agency is on the holo.”

“I’ll be right there!”

She bade the two clones a hasty farewell and threw herself right into work. Committing to finding safe and nurturing permanent homes for thousands of young clones had meant taking on a huge amount of logistics in a short time, but she was determined to succeed. The clones deserved nothing less.

---

Riyo and Maja toiled late into the night and hardly slept before their scheduled departure the next morning. Riyo spent almost the entire flight back to Coruscant drafting up letters looking for donations and support for the child clones. She’d found enough backers the night before the summit to make the ask, but there were still so many more details to work out and more funding never hurt.

About halfway through composing a letter to a wealthy philanthropist from Bespin, Riyo’s eyes began to droop. She was so tired, if she just rested her eyes a moment she could finish this up. Yes… Just a moment was all she needed...

“Ma’am?” A gloved hand gently tapped Riyo on the shoulder, and she opened her eyes only to find her face smooshed up against the transparisteel of the observation window. She blinked blearily up at Fox, identifying him as the tapper.

“Yes, Fox?”

“We’re starting the landing sequence, Madam Chancellor.”

“Oh…” She sat up and rubbed at her eyes, then hastily swiped at the puddle of drool that had collected on her datapad. “Why didn’t anyone wake me!”

“We were informed that it would be unwise…” Rex said.

“I told them if they did I’d murder them,” Maja said from where she sat in the corner, her gaze never budging from the datapad in her hand.

Riyo laughed, then buckled herself in for landing. “And that’s why I picked you as my assistant.”

Maja raised the stylus she was holding and tipped it in Riyo’s direction. “Exactly.”

They landed and Rex offered to escort Maja to her apartment, which Riyo appreciated. Maja didn’t get the same security detail that Riyo did, but she could just as easily be targeted by political enemies. 

Fox and Riyo took the high-speed lift up to Riyo’s secure apartment in Coruscant’s upper levels, and Riyo’s focus wavered as the lights of the city blurred by through the lift’s transparisteel windows.

“...Madam Chancellor?”

Riyo shook her head to rouse herself and looked to Fox, concentrating hard to make sure she wasn’t dreaming up his sudden desire to talk. “Yes?”

Fox’s helmet was clipped to his belt, but his expression was as opaque as ever. “Thank you,” he said. Then he spread his arms to the side, letting them hover awkwardly away from his hips.

Riyo furrowed her brow at him. She’d had way too little sleep in the past 48 hours to believe she was interpreting this correctly. “Fox?”

Fox cleared his throat, a ruddy flush spreading across his cheeks. “You can hug me, if you want.”

“Oh. Oh!” 

That certainly woke Riyo up. She stood dumbfounded for a moment, then saw in the twitch under Fox’s eye that if she didn’t do something quick he might break the lift open and jump out. She fell forward into what she now recognized as open arms and wrapped herself around his torso. Her fingers barely met around the bulky backplate, but she would not be deterred.

Fox’s gloved hands rested uncertainly on Riyo’s shoulders, and she smiled into his chestplate. Not too long ago Fox had been alone and untouched in one of those awful nurseries on Kamino, just like all of his other brothers. She wasn’t about to let that travesty continue.

“I only wish I could have done more,” she said, her voice muffled by his chest.

He didn’t respond for a beat. Riyo was glad he didn’t lie to her, didn’t tell her that she’d done more than enough. There was still so much to do, so many wrongs to right. And she’d only been able to rescue the youngest clones.

“There’s still time,” he said eventually.

She squeezed him tight, her arms full of unyielding plastoid. Through all the armor, though, she thought she could feel a beating heart. 

---

“But where are we going to get the money? This is the question nobody seems interested in but me,” Senator Taam said.

“Maybe because we are more concerned with sentient lives than with credits,” Senator Organa snapped.

Fox suppressed a sigh behind his helmet. These Armed Services Committee meetings got things done, but the process was painfully slow. Palpatine had been one evil piece of Sithspit, but at least he’d been able to move quickly. If he’d wanted a fully-funded clone retirement program he’d have just called a meeting, made a few benevolent threats, and been done with it.

“Concern doesn’t pay for programs! The budget does, and I want to get this bill funded as much as any of you. So we can actually provide something to these clones.”

“Whenever we needed new flagships we managed to find the money from somewhere-” Senator Organa said.

“Ok, ok, we’re not getting anywhere arguing,” Chancellor Chuchi said. “Senator Taam is right—it doesn’t matter how great our ideas are if we can’t fund them.”

“Exactly-” Senator Taam said.

“But Senator Organa is right that we can’t use that as an excuse for inaction. This is going to cost major credits, and the budget is going to feel it. So we need to make sure that the public sees it as the necessity it is.”

The table fell silent and the committee exchanged apologetic glances. The corner of Fox’s mouth turned up. Palpatine may have been more efficient, but moments like these reminded him of why he preferred Chancellor Chuchi’s methods. Aside from the obvious fact that she didn’t abuse his brothers and send them to their deaths.

“In my experience, the more civilians know about us the more they’re willing to support us,” Rex said. 

Senator Organa nodded. “That’s an excellent point. Up until now the GAR has been used for propaganda, but soldiers have mostly been portrayed as distant, heroic figures. We can run a publicity campaign that highlights your individuality.”

“As well as your practical skills,” Senator Paulness said. “Clones should find more employers willing to hire them and invest in their training if they understand the clones’ unique qualifications.”

Chancellor Chuchi tapped her stylus in her assistant’s direction. “Maja, have Talia Tantipani draw up preliminary ideas for a publicity campaign, would you?”

“On it, ma’am.”

“That’s all well and good, but publicity alone won’t be enough,” said Senator Taam.

“You’re right. We need to also demonstrate the ways in which a retired clone army can benefit the populace,” Senator Paulness said.

“Plenty of the systems we fought on are in desperate need of reconstruction. The locals already know us and most are friendly to us—they might be open to clone workers coming to help rebuild,” Rex said.

“Hmm…” Senator Taam said. “We could expand the Relief and Recovery Agency and have it give hiring precedence to former clone soldiers.”

“I can work on incorporating more job training into the Relief and Recovery Agency, too,” said Senator Organa.

The senators began talking excitedly amongst themself and the energy in the room lifted. Fox recognized a breakthrough when he saw it, and he found himself tuning the chatter out. A twinge of guilt nudged at his conscience, that he wasn’t paying more attention to legislation that would affect the livelihoods of so many of his brothers, but there was only so much of this endless talk he could force himself to focus through. Besides, he had other things to worry about.

Like Daw Saetang. He was an agricultural lobbyist, and though he’d attended several meetings with the Chancellor already, he was slated for a one-on-one right after the Armed Services Committee finished up. One-on-one meetings called for more thorough background checks, and though Saetang’s check hadn’t raised any red flags, something about him still bugged Fox. Was it his smarmy smile? Or maybe the way he didn’t have face tattoos like all the other Pantorans Fox had met. Not that he’d met that many…

“Ok then, Senator Taam will reach out to the Relief and Recovery Agency, Senator Organa will focus on the publicity campaign, and Senator Paulness will head up our contacts in various employment and job training organizations.” Captain Rex said.

The senators all nodded their agreement, and Chancellor Chuchi started gathering up her datapads. “Excellent. I know progress can seem slow, but we need to give our veterans support as soon as possible.”

The meeting adjourned and Fox waited while Maja and Chancellor Chuchi chatted and collected their supplies together. The Chancellor was close enough to her assistant that Maja must be able to smell her perfume—a citrusy scent that Fox only knew because his damned helmet filter didn’t work very well any more. He’d have to request a new one, which would be a royal pain now that his position fell outside of typical command structures.

Yes, he’d have to get it replaced. That way, if the Chancellor ever wanted to hug him again, he wouldn’t be cursed with the memory of her perfume following him around all day. Though, who was he kidding? Why on earth would she ever want to hug him again? He’d been as stiff as a clanker. He’d heard the Kaminoans describe the clones as “droids but better,” before, and thinking back to his painfully awkward hug, he believed there might be some truth to it.

Maja and the Chancellor left the conference room and Fox trailed them a few steps behind. They followed the well-trod path to the Chancellor’s office, where Saetang was already waiting outside for them.

“Madam Chancellor! An honor to see you again,” the tall Pantoran man said, holding his hand out towards Chancellor Chuchi with confidence.

“It’s good to see you, too, Mr. Saetang,” the Chancellor said.

“Please, it’s Daw. And Ms. Joyo, always a pleasure,” he said to Maja.

“Likewise,” Maja said.

Saetang ignored Fox, which suited Fox just fine.

They stepped into the Chancellor’s office and Fox stationed himself by the door. He prepared himself to tune out yet another circular policy argument, but Saetang and his skeezy smile drew his attention. He kept his eyes locked on the Pantoran man and scanned for unusual traits that might signal some sinister motive.

Saetang’s eyes flitted to Fox, and for a moment Fox could swear the man could see his gaze through the tinted visor. But that was impossible.

The negotiations continued, and Saetang had a way of getting what he wanted while making it seem like he was losing that got under Fox’s skin. Still, he trusted Chancellor Chuchi to be able to deal with snakes like Saetang. She’d been around the Senate long enough to recognize the type.

“I’ll be sure to communicate your terms to my colleagues,” Saetang said smoothly. “We’ve had our eyes on that Kaminoan gene selection technology for some time now, and I’m sure we can strike a mutually beneficial deal with them.”

“Thank you, Daw. I very much appreciate your time,” Chancellor Chuchi said, rising to her feet to signal the end of the meeting.

“The pleasure was all mine,” he said. He stood, but made no move towards the door.

“...Is there something else, Mr. Saetang?” Chancellor Chuchi said.

“My apologies, Madam Chancellor, I was working up the nerve to ask you… I nabbed a reservation at Pantiat Ichi for tomorrow and was hoping you might accompany me.”

Fox’s hands held his blaster a little too tightly, and he had to make a conscious effort to loosen his grip. It was just an invitation. Why did it feel like a threat?

Chancellor Chuchi’s eyebrows rose. “Oh! I’m afraid I’ll be busy tomorrow evening. It’s such a shame, I’ve heard they have the best Pantoran food on the planet.”

Saetang offered her a rueful smile. “I understand, it’s so last minute. If your evening frees up, though, please let me know.”

“Of course.”

She walked him to the door of her office and he bowed over her hand before he left, bringing a bluish blush to her cheeks. Then he left and the door finally shut on the bastard.

When the Chancellor turned back to her desk, Maja was grinning at her like a tooka with a convor. 

“Stop it!” Chancellor Chuchi said, and she shoved Maja playfully.

“Stop what?” Maja asked, eyes wide with innocence.

“He’s just a smooth-talking lobbyist. It’s not a big deal.”

“You know I actually could carve out time for dinner for you tomorrow night.”

The Chancellor eyed her friend doubtfully. “Are you serious?”

“Why not? He seems nice enough, and I’ve heard Pantiat Ichi is to die for.”

“He’s a lobbyist!”

“Yes, there are rules you’d have to follow, but I can make sure everything is square. Really, Riyo, why not get out and have a little fun? You haven’t taken a single personal day since taking office.”

“I… I suppose I could…”

Maja’s smile grew. “You want me to send him a message?”

Chancellor Chuchi threw up her hands. “Fine. Why not?”

“That’s the spirit!” Maja said, rushing the Chancellor for a surprise hug. 

Chancellor Chuchi laughed and pushed at her friend, and soon Fox could no longer make out exactly what they were saying. He sighed and commed Thorn through his helmet’s built-in system. His helmet might be old and falling apart, but at least it was still soundproof with the dampers on.

“Thorn? Can we get another background check on Daw Saetang? Dig a bit deeper this time.”

---

The first human Bacara ever killed couldn’t have been much older than he was. At least, biologically. If he just went by years then Bacara was likely at least a decade younger. Regardless, the Twi’lek man Bacara shot in the chest was too thinking, too breathing, too sentient for comfort.

Bacara had never before thought to be grateful to be fighting droids, but he had to admit it was much easier to blow a clanker’s head off than a Twi’lek’s.

“Sir, the remaining Separatists have been cleared out,” Solus told him over the comms.

“Do a thorough sweep of the area. I don’t want any stragglers to catch us off guard,” Bacara said.

General Mundi joined Bacara at the top of the ridge overlooking the wooded battlefield. “Excellent work, Commander.”

“Just doing our jobs, sir.”

“Still, I know fighting against sentients isn’t quite that same. You’ve adapted well.”

Bacara nodded and put his hands behind his back. “What’s our next move, sir?”

“Once everything’s sorted here, we only have one more assignment before returning to Coruscant.”

Bacara smiled. He’d get to see his batchmates for the first time in months. And more importantly, he’d be able to tell them what he’d learned about their inhibitor chips.

“It is difficult to be away from the ones we love, isn’t it?” General Mundi said.

Bacara’s smile faded. He didn’t like when the General said things that seemed to respond to the thoughts in his head, especially not when his thoughts strayed too close to the inhibitor chips. “Captain Peke’s waiting to report in the command center,” he said, ignoring the General’s question. It had been rhetorical, anyway.

“Excellent,” General Mundi said, and together they headed for the command center, a collapsible durasteel bunker that had seen plenty of wear in all different kinds of terrain and atmospheres.

They stepped through the automatic doors and Bacara immediately sensed something was wrong. The doors slammed shut behind them and the lights extinguished. When they turned on again the General was surrounded by insurgents, one of them with a blaster held to his head.

“Don’t move! Or the Jedi gets it!” the man said, dirt and blood on his face and desperation in his eyes.

“Let’s just stay calm…” Bacara said, slowly setting his blaster on the ground.

“I tried to warn you, sir!” Captain Peke said from across the room. He was tied up to a chair, and another one of the insurgents held him at blaster-point.

“Everybody quiet!” the man with his blaster to Mundi’s head said.

Peke shut his mouth and Bacara slowly rose from his crouch, his hands held high with his palms open.

“We don’t want trouble with the Republic,” the lead insurgent said. “And we aren’t with the Separatists, either. We just want our planet to be in peace, we just want to live free without Republic interference.”

Bacara’s eyes darted to General Mundi’s, but the General seemed unconcerned. “This is not something you want to do, son.”

“Shut up!” the man shouted. “I know all about your Jedi tricks, and that won’t work on us!”

“This is not going to end well for you. If you leave now we won’t follow you,” Mundi said.

“We’re not leaving until you order all Republic forces out of this system!”

“This is your last warning.”

“Kriff you and your warnings! I’m the one with the blaster!”

With a sudden whoosh of power, General Mundi pushed outward from himself, knocking everything away from him in a perfect wave of energy. Bacara fell backwards and scrambled to grab his blaster before any of the rebels could get to it first. He grabbed the grip and rolled onto his back, aiming up at whoever might have followed his movements. But there was no one there.

General Mundi stood in the middle of the room, the blue glow of his lightsaber illuminating the carnage around him. The insurgents were dead. All of them. Eight bodies lay scattered around the room, burning wounds bearing testament to their singular cause of death. General Mundi looked down at their prone bodies, his mouth turned downwards and his eyes sad.

“...General? Are you alright?” Bacara asked.

General Mundi turned yellow eyes to Bacara. “Yes, Bacara, thank you. It’s just a shame.”

“...Yes, sir.”

“Well then. Let’s free Captain Peke, shall we?”

Bacara got to his feet and he and General Mundi untied Captain Peke from the chair. Bacara called for help with cleanup through his comm, and in only a half hour they were debriefing in that very same command center as if nothing had happened. All throughout the debrief, though, Bacara could see the shadows of the bodies around the room.

[doctorsense7-blog]

What Does CBD Feel Like?

Cannabis is no longer limited to tapestry-laden basements or shag-carpeted VW buses. It's quickly becoming a respectable industry with scientists recognizing verifiable health benefits of this unique chemical compound known as CBD.

With so much hype sweeping across North America, you may well be wondering, “Well, so how exactly does CBD make you feel?” We realize why you may be cautious about a compound based on the cannabis plant. All things considered, we're not all teenagers anymore. Some people might not wish to feel high.

Fortunately, cannabidiol (CBD) is really a compound in hemp and marijuana plants that, on its own, does not make you are feeling high. Instead, CBD is just a non-intoxicating cannabis compound that offers anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and anti-anxiety effects, in addition to other beneficial properties.

If you're interested but wary of trying CBD oil, let's replace your fears with details about how CBD feels. This way you may make a well-informed decision.

Does CBD Oil Make You Feel High? Let's make this superior: hemp-derived CBD oil will not make you are feeling high or produce an intoxicating effect. Actually, it's among over 100 non-psychoactive (or non-intoxicating) chemical compounds found in cannabis. Instead to getting you stoned, CBD feels relaxing and calming without producing any mind-altering effects.

You might be surprised to find out that the human body produces cannabinoids on its own. The human body has an endocannabinoid system in charge of creating and receiving cannabinoids. This system uses two receptors: the CB1 and CB2 receptors.

The psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly called THC. This intoxicating compound alters normal brain communication by affecting neurotransmitters directly. This influence affects the pleasure, memory, concentration, movement, sensory and time perception centers of the brain by attaching to the CB1 receptor.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, on the other hand, doesn't act in your receptors in the same way. Evidence indicates that CBD does not attach directly to these receptors at all. Instead, it works through the endocannabinoid system indirectly to relax the body and reduce pain and inflammation.

To put it differently, CBD doesn't affect the mind just how THC does. It does not make you feel high, disoriented or forgetful.

Benefits of CBD Oil

CBD oil has many benefits, minus the negative side effects of the THC high.

CBD is useful for:

treatment reducing anxiety and depression relieving nausea and vomiting fighting acne reducing spasticity in people who have multiple sclerosis treating epilepsy lowering blood pressure reducing inflammation If you have problems with a number of of these diagnoses, talk to your doctor to see if CBD oil is right for you.

How Does CBD Make You Feel? It Depends on the Product Type Ultimately, just how CBD can make you feel depends upon the type of extraction you choose. You can even obtain CBD with minimal THC, other cannabis compounds, or completely isolated from other cannabinoids. CBD oils

Each kind of CBD has pros and cons. We'll go over your choices below.

Hemp-Derived vs. Marijuana-Derived CBD The 2 classifications for the plant that creates CBD are hemp and marijuana.

Hemp

Hemp is normally grown industrially for its fiber. It's a hardy plant that can be used to make rope, paper and even clothing. Hemp contains CBD, but U.S. law requires so it contains no more than 0.3% THC. Hemp-derived CBD is legal in all 50 states. Remember that products branded as “hemp oil” are not the same as CBD oil, and typically don't contain any CBD at all.

Marijuana

Marijuana, on the other hand, is grown primarily for the intoxicating ingredient, THC. Though some strains contain CBD, they normally have a higher THC content as well. Therefore, unlike hemp-derived CBD oil products, marijuana-derived CBD oil products could make you feel intoxicated.

Marijuana-derived CBD oil remains illegal at the federal level. In many states with medical or recreational cannabis legalization, you can legally purchase CBD with an increase of than 0.3% THC if you have a medical marijuana card or you're 21+, respectively.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) posseses an excellent map of state laws regarding the legalization of marijuana.

Full Spectrum vs. Broad Spectrum Both full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD are produced from the hemp plant. The main difference between both of these forms of CBD could be the THC content.

Full Spectrum

Full spectrum CBD contains a range of cannabinoids, terpenes and, legally speaking, may have as much as 0.3% THC. Broad spectrum starts as a full spectrum extract, but undergoes a supplementary process to remove the intoxicating compound.

So why would you would like that negligible number of THC? After all, 0.3% is inadequate to get you high.

Experts now believe that CBD is most effective when combined with hemp's other natural compounds: terpenes, flavonoids and other compounds. A 2005 study revealed that patients experienced more rest from pain and anxiety from full spectrum CBD than isolated CBD.

Called the “entourage effect,” it is believed that the full spectral range of cannabinoids found in the hemp plant encourage the required results a lot better than CBD alone.

Sarah Polansky, founder and developer of the CBD oil brand Prismatic Plants, takes a strong stance and only full spectrum CBD oil.

“Always, always, always [choose] full spectrum extracts when buying health-positive CBD product,” she advised. “Beyond just cannabinoids, full spectrum means that the a huge selection of other beneficial compounds in cannabis like terpenes and phenolics haven't been removed.”

Broad Spectrum

However, some people don't want any THC inside their CBD oil at all. That's where broad spectrum CBD comes in.

Broad spectrum CBD contains terpenes, flavonoids, and other non-intoxicating compounds from the cannabis plant. With broad spectrum CBD, you are able to go through the entourage effect without the danger of consuming THC.

CBD Isolate CBD isolate starts as a CBD oil and is refined right into a fine, white powder. Other the terpenes, flavonoids and other cannabinoids are removed.

CBD isolate is decreasing in popularity as the advantages of the entourage effect are further supported with scientific evidence. It's still employed by people who would like to be certain they're getting nothing but CBD.

Forms of CBD No matter which type of CBD you select, there is a product to match your needs.

Oil

The most typical form, of course, is CBD oil or tincture. CBD oil is available in an amber or blue glass bottle with a dropper. Take anywhere from a couple of drops to a dropperful and place the oil under your tongue. Leave it there for 30 to 90 seconds. You should feel its effects within minutes.

Topical

CBD may also be used topically. You will find CBD-infused lotions, creams and soaps.

Beverages

You can even find CBD-infused beverages. However, adding CBD to a drink is much less simple as placing CBD oil in water. It must undergo a special infusing process to become effective. Ensure your CBD beverage is from a business that has perfected the art.

What Are the Negative Side Effects of CBD? Much like any supplement, CBD is not without its side effects. According to the Mayo Clinic, some users may experience:

dry mouth diarrhea reduced appetite drowsiness and fatigue In regard to drowsiness and fatigue, Polansky noted that “CBD is not just a sedative, however it does create a sense of relaxation by counteracting the quantity of stress-hormones our anatomies produce (like cortisol), which gives us that feeling of go-go-go — also called the fight-or-flight response.”

She added that, as time passes, our anatomies adjust to this feeling. Rather than feeling fatigued, you could experience a sense of balance.

CBD can also talk with other medications you're taking, such as for example blood thinners, calcium channel blockers, steroids, antihistamines, benzodiazepines, antiarrhythmics, antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-epileptics, beta blockers, NSAIDs and more.

CBD is processed by the same enzymes in the liver as the drugs listed above. For exactly the same reason, excessive consumption of alcohol must certanly be avoided when utilizing CBD.

If you're taking medication, consult along with your doctor before trying CBD.

Impurities and Dosage Irregularities in CBD Products Another cause for concern may be the unreliability of the purity and dosage of CBD in products. A recently available study of 84 CBD products bought online revealed that greater than a quarter of the products contained less CBD than labeled. Additionally, THC was within 18 products.

Some CBD producers go above and beyond to prove their purity by testing every batch. You'll find data concerning the percentage of CBD, THC and other cannabis-derived compounds on the websites. Always make sure you fully research your producer.

Is CBD Safe? Yes. While more research is needed to understand the entire aftereffects of CBD, it's widely regarded as safe to consume. Polansky advocates for the safety of CBD.

“We've yet to have years of conclusive human studies to point out to be able to answer this question with absolute certainty, but the prominent studies done to date really show no negative unwanted effects for CBD (especially full spectrum CBD),” she argued.

Compared to THC, and even many over-the-counter medicines, CBD has far fewer side effects. While each individual's needs are unique, CBD is an incredibly safe option.

Feel Good With CBD CBD relaxes your system by reducing cortisol levels, pain and inflammation, all without making you are feeling high.

If you're new to CBD, Polansky recommended beginning with a low dose of 5 drops of 10 mg/ml CBD oil. Place the drops under your tongue for 1 minute, then wait 30 minutes to see the manner in which you feel. Repeat as needed.

This regimen enables you to gradually build as much as 30 drops (1 ml), which is a common dose.

[badgeshovel1-blog]

What Does CBD Feel Like?

Cannabis is no further restricted to tapestry-laden basements or shag-carpeted VW buses. It's quickly being a respectable industry with scientists recognizing verifiable health advantages of this excellent chemical compound known as CBD.

With so much hype sweeping across North America, maybe you are wondering, “Well, how does CBD make you feel?” We understand why you might be cautious in regards to a compound derived from the cannabis plant. After all, we're not totally all teenagers anymore. Some of us mightn't want to feel high.

Fortunately, cannabidiol (CBD) is really a compound in hemp and marijuana plants that, alone, does not make you're feeling high. Instead, CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabis compound that provides anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving and anti-anxiety effects, along with other beneficial properties.

If you're interested but wary of trying CBD oil, let's replace your fears with factual statements about how CBD feels. Like that you possibly can make a well-informed decision.

Does CBD Oil Make You Feel High? Let's get this to crystal clear: hemp-derived CBD oil will not make you're feeling high or produce an intoxicating effect. In reality, it's certainly one of over 100 non-psychoactive (or non-intoxicating) chemical compounds within cannabis. Instead to getting you stoned, CBD feels relaxing and calming without producing any mind-altering effects.

You may well be surprised to learn that your system produces cannabinoids on its own. The human body has an endocannabinoid system accountable for creating and receiving cannabinoids. This method uses two receptors: the CB1 and CB2 receptors.

The psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly called THC. This intoxicating compound alters normal brain communication by affecting neurotransmitters directly. etc This influence affects the pleasure, memory, concentration, movement, sensory and time perception centers of the mind by attaching to the CB1 receptor.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, on the other hand, does not act on your receptors in exactly the same way. Evidence indicates that CBD does not attach straight to these receptors at all. Instead, it works through the endocannabinoid system indirectly to relax your body and reduce pain and inflammation.

Put simply, CBD doesn't affect the brain the way THC does. It does not make you're feeling high, disoriented or forgetful.

Benefits of CBD Oil

CBD oil has many benefits, without the negative side ramifications of the THC high.

CBD is useful for:

pain relief reducing anxiety and depression relieving nausea and vomiting fighting acne reducing spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis treating epilepsy lowering blood pressure reducing inflammation If you suffer from more than one of the diagnoses, speak to your doctor to see if CBD oil is right for you.

How Does CBD Make You Feel? It Depends on the Product Type Ultimately, the way CBD will make you feel is dependent upon the sort of extraction you choose. You may also obtain CBD with minimal THC, other cannabis compounds, or completely isolated from other cannabinoids.

Each form of CBD has pros and cons. We'll review your options below.

Hemp-Derived vs. Marijuana-Derived CBD The two classifications for the plant that produces CBD are hemp and marijuana.

Hemp

Hemp is normally grown industrially because of its fiber. It's a hardy plant that may be used to make rope, paper and even clothing. Hemp contains CBD, but U.S. law requires so it contains no more than 0.3% THC. Hemp-derived CBD is legal in most 50 states. Remember that products branded as “hemp oil” are different as CBD oil, and typically don't contain any CBD at all.

Marijuana

Marijuana, on another hand, is grown primarily for the intoxicating ingredient, THC. Although some strains contain CBD, they normally have a top THC content as well. Therefore, unlike hemp-derived CBD oil products, marijuana-derived CBD oil products could make you're feeling intoxicated.

Marijuana-derived CBD oil remains illegal at the federal level. In many states with medical or recreational cannabis legalization, you are able to legally purchase CBD with an increase of than 0.3% THC when you yourself have a medical marijuana card or you're 21+, respectively.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has an excellent map of state laws concerning the legalization of marijuana.

Full Spectrum vs. Broad Spectrum Both full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD are produced from the hemp plant. The key difference between these two kinds of CBD may be the THC content.

Full Spectrum

Full spectrum CBD contains a selection of cannabinoids, terpenes and, legally speaking, might have up to 0.3% THC. Broad spectrum starts as the full spectrum extract, but undergoes an additional process to eliminate the intoxicating compound.

So just why would you need that negligible level of THC? In the end, 0.3% is not enough to have you high.

Experts now believe that CBD is best suited when along with hemp's other natural compounds: terpenes, flavonoids and other compounds. A 2005 study revealed that patients experienced more rest from pain and anxiety from full spectrum CBD than isolated CBD.

Called the “entourage effect,” it's thought that the total spectrum of cannabinoids within the hemp plant encourage the required results much better than CBD alone.

Sarah Polansky, founder and developer of the CBD oil brand Prismatic Plants, takes a strong stance in favor of full spectrum CBD oil.

“Always, always, always [choose] full spectrum extracts when looking for a health-positive CBD product,” she advised. “Beyond just cannabinoids, full spectrum means that the hundreds of other beneficial compounds in cannabis like terpenes and phenolics haven't been removed.”

Broad Spectrum

However, some individuals don't want any THC inside their CBD oil at all. That's where broad spectrum CBD comes in.

Broad spectrum CBD contains terpenes, flavonoids, and other non-intoxicating compounds from the cannabis plant. With broad spectrum CBD, you can experience the entourage effect without the chance of consuming THC.

CBD Isolate CBD isolate starts as a CBD oil and is refined in to a fine, white powder. Other the terpenes, flavonoids and other cannabinoids are removed.

CBD isolate is decreasing in popularity as the advantages of the entourage effect are further supported with scientific evidence. It's still utilized by people who want to be sure they're getting nothing but CBD.

Forms of CBD No matter which type of CBD you decide on, there's a product to suit your needs.

Oil

The most typical form, needless to say, is CBD oil or tincture. CBD oil is available in an amber or blue glass bottle with a dropper. Take anywhere from a couple of drops to a dropperful and place the oil under your tongue. Leave it there for 30 to 90 seconds. You should feel its effects within minutes.

Topical

CBD can also be used topically. You can find CBD-infused lotions, creams and soaps.

Beverages

You can also find CBD-infused beverages. However, adding CBD to a drink is never as simple as placing CBD oil in water. It must undergo a special infusing process to become effective. Ensure your CBD beverage is from a business that has perfected the art.

What Are the Negative Side Effects of CBD? Just like any supplement, CBD is not without its side effects. Based on the Mayo Clinic, some users may experience:

dry mouth diarrhea reduced appetite drowsiness and fatigue In regard to drowsiness and fatigue, Polansky noted that “CBD is not really a sedative, however it will produce a sense of relaxation by counteracting the total amount of stress-hormones our anatomies produce (like cortisol), which gives us that feeling of go-go-go — also known as the fight-or-flight response.”

She added that, with time, our anatomies adjust to this feeling. As opposed to feeling fatigued, you could experience an expression of balance.

CBD can also interact with other medications you're taking, such as for example blood thinners, calcium channel blockers, steroids, antihistamines, benzodiazepines, antiarrhythmics, antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-epileptics, beta blockers, NSAIDs and more.

CBD is processed by the exact same enzymes in the liver whilst the drugs listed above. For the exact same reason, excessive consumption of alcohol should be avoided when utilizing CBD.

If you're taking medication, consult with your doctor before trying CBD.

Impurities and Dosage Irregularities in CBD Products Another reason for concern may be the unreliability of the purity and dosage of CBD in products. A recent study of 84 CBD products bought online showed that more than a quarter of the merchandise contained less CBD than labeled. In addition, THC was present in 18 products.

Some CBD producers go above and beyond to prove their purity by testing every batch. You'll find data regarding the percentage of CBD, THC and other cannabis-derived compounds on their websites. Always make sure to fully research your producer.

Is CBD Safe? Yes. While more research is required to understand the total effects of CBD, it's widely regarded as safe to consume. Polansky advocates for the safety of CBD.

“We've yet to own years of conclusive human studies to indicate in order to answer this question with absolute certainty, however the prominent studies done currently really show no negative side effects for CBD (especially full spectrum CBD),” she argued.

In comparison to THC, and even many over-the-counter medicines, CBD has far fewer side effects. While each individual's needs are unique, CBD is an incredibly safe option.

Feel Good With CBD CBD relaxes your body by reducing cortisol levels, pain and inflammation, all without making you're feeling high.

If you're a new comer to CBD, Polansky recommended beginning with a low dose of 5 drops of 10 mg/ml CBD oil. Place the drops under your tongue for 1 minute, then wait 30 minutes to see the way you feel. Repeat as needed.

This regimen enables you to gradually build around 30 drops (1 ml), which is really a common dose.

[severusdefender]

Excerpt from my fic!

Hi! Love your Tumblr, and love the Snapedom. I've a newcomer, and really going through a phase, so I wrote a fic. This is an excerpt from it. I am always working on it and making improvements because I want it to be as perfect as its main character. The complete story is here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18874543/chapters/44800099

This is dedicated with love to Marauder stans.

*****

In Severus’s fifth year, Sirius Black told Severus how to enter the Shrieking Shack, and Severus did something - another thing he was to regret forever - and swallowed the bait.

Did he expect a werewolf? He suspected it, but Lily said he was mad. Did he expect a full-grown werewolf, unchained and hungry? Lupin, the tamest, most timid of the four? Were lycanthropes not supposed to be feral even in their human form? Even as an adult, Severus did not know how to answer that. It did not matter what he expected at 16, because a raging werewolf was what he got. To be more accurate, a raging werewolf almost got him.

The predator’s head turned at an impossible speed in the direction of the entrance to the shack. Its yellow eyes focused on Severus, its nose sniffed the victim that walked into its cage alone… a string of saliva stretched between its fangs, and it let out a low, horrible growl. The bites it uncontrollably inflicted on itself left parts of its body bloodied and furless, and it was sure to inflict just such a bite on Severus, the frozen prey that stood there stupidly, thinking God knows what, but definitely not “I was right”. Just before the dark creature attacked, James Potter shouted: “Move, Idiot!”, and shot spell after spell, and dragged Severus, who was still blinking stupidly, away.

“I’m going to Dumbledore,” Severus announced, panting. That was his second mistake, as he would tell himself for months after the fact - he should have pretended to be grateful and gone straight to Lily. But he did not. It might have been the stupidest decision of his life thus far - stupider even than going into the Shrieking Shack in the first place.

James tried to stop him, but without his gang, without his many admirers, he could not. “Then I am coming too!” James cried. Together, they waited for Dumbledore to let them into his office, neither one letting the other out of his sight.

“Tell me what happened,'' the Headmaster asked calmly. James started talking first. When he talked to teachers, “Snivellus” became “Severus”, and there was no mention of his nose or of shampoo to be found for miles. “Professor,” he said with just the right blend of alarm and confidence, “I learned that he was going to try to enter the Shrieking Shack, and I got worried, and ran after him.” James Potter’s disregard for the truth was equal to his disregard for rules.

“And who do you think told me how to get there?! And, and, what did I find there, do you imagine?” Severus, the outraged teenager who foolishly assumed murder was still illegal, shrieked, bug-eyed and scandalized.

Dumbledore sighed. “I know what you encountered there, Master Snape. Master Potter, how did you know he was going down there?”

Potter did not answer this one so quickly. He weighed his options. Most of them were not good. “It was Black!” Severus shouted, before James could come up with another half-truth. 

Dumbledore replied, looking at both of them: “You must appreciate that this is very severe. Only Mr. Lupin was meant to know how to calm down the Whomping Willow. I suppose it is natural that he trusted his friends”. Then, he said nothing for a while. “Return to your beds,” he instructed them, finally. “I will consult with Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn and we will reach a decision tomorrow morning, when we have had a chance to calm down. I must demand that you both be discrete, until then.”

Outside Dumbledore’s office, James said: “You disgusting tattle-tale, no wonder no one likes you. This is how you repay me for saving your life? I already regret it. Tell anyone, and I will feed you to him myself.”

A speechless Severus ran to his dorm, whispered the password, and covered himself up to his eyes. A sleepless Severus stared at the ceiling and thought to himself - I have to tell Lily. They made it a prefect, a prefect!

He washed his terrified face hours later, and marched to the Headmaster’s office. Potter and Black were already there - on time, for the first time in their lives, as were Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn.

Was that the moment he was condemned? They got away with it. McGonagall promised to handle the punishment. Slughorn, his own head of house, was occupied first and foremost with the welfare of students he wanted to welcome to his precious Slug Club.

They were above the rules, and Severus was beneath them. So far beneath them, in fact, that he was punished, despite “almost being murdered” not being expressly prohibited anywhere that he knew of. Dumbledore forbade him to talk about it, and whether or not he actually put a silencing charm on him made no difference - he was in his O.W.L. year, and he was not going to get himself expelled for anything before he was fully qualified. He knew full well what life was like for the wandless. Ultimately, Severus blamed himself - how could he have been stupid enough to trust Black not to try to murder him?

Soon enough, Severus found out that Potter was not held up to the same standard of discretion - he was free to blab to his heart’s content. He did not implicate Black or Lupin, but he made himself out to be the hero, Snape's noble savior. Naturally, he neglected to mention that he could not beat Severus one on one.

It was proof. He was born to be hated. He was less, less wealthy, less popular, less attractive, less than a werewolf. He was nobody. Nothing. Whether he lived or died mattered so little he could not even talk about it, not even with Lily,  and Sirius did not even get suspended, never apologized (Not even when Dumbledore forced us to shake hands last year, 36 year old Severus thought bitterly). He wondered who would have cared if he had actually died. He wondered if Dumbledore would have reacted differently if the roles were reversed – if the victim had been Gryffindor and the assailant, a Slytherin. Dumbledore drove the second wedge between Severus and Lily. Lucius, his mentor and role model, was gone. Severus felt more alone than he ever did before.

But Lily was still his friend, even though he was growing increasingly paranoid and jumpy, even though he was suddenly secretive around her and inexplicably rancorous. Through all that, she was still his friend. When she took the hexes that were meant for him, she wore her boils and her bizarrely long toenails and her other various temporary disfigurements with pride – a privilege that he felt was exclusive to those who were naturally beautiful, to those no one actually intended to curse. She was beautiful and brave, and he was an ugly coward who let his friend get hurt for him. As he could not share the full extent of what he was going through with her, he worried that she too was growing to think him a coward, and his resentment continued to swell. That she indeed thought that was confirmed when he tried, desperately, to warn her, and she said she heard that James saved him from “whatever is down there.” But she is still your friend, he used to remind himself in those days. And she still hates James.

In their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L., they were required to list five signs that identify werewolves. Severus could think of fifty, at the top of his head, including: They are friends with murderers who defy discipline. They will not remember it if they almost kill you. They are more important than the lives of impoverished Slytherin half-bloods.

Severus was not sure if this was the universe itself playing a joke on him or an easy O. He knew the answer less than an hour later.

James attacked him, unprovoked. He disarmed him, immobilized him, choked him with soap… Lily’s voice cut through the air. “Leave him ALONE!” she shouted at James. Severus tried to take advantage of the respite, and crawled toward his wand while Potter, ever the paragon of virtue and fine manners, pestered her to go out with him. Severus needed much less than that to be inspired to try out his Sectumsempra. He was rewarded with being attacked with another of his own spells. He was hanging in the air by his ankle. Did Lily smile at his humiliation before she demanded James to let him down? Maybe this was why James agreed, and Severus collapsed in a heap on the floor… and Black did not even give him a chance to untangle his robes before petrifying him. Lily’s wand was out, now, and evidently, a chance to look good in front of her was worth releasing “Snivellus” from the full body bind to James. “There you go. You’re lucky Evans was here, Snivellus -”

Severus could not take it anymore –  his emotions got the better of him, and, preferring to be petrified by James Potter forever than to owe his Gryffindor Muggle-born friend one more debt she was too beautiful, blissful, and beloved to bother to collect, he said the terrible word that drove the third and final wedge between them. He could have ran away. Did he stick around for a chance to apologize to present itself? Was it because he felt like he had just Sectumsemptra-ed his own heart? Whatever the reason, It made no difference. He found himself suspended in the air and exposed moments later. Stupid.

fanfic rec

[troutpopulation]

It Becomes A Chain (Sigma x reader) pt.2

A/N: pardon the terrible Dutch I used 100% Google translate for that. Also yay! Siebren is actually in the story now!

Present day

  "Alright! So, do we have any requests? Roses, bonsai, squash, anything you see." Your students were deep in thought, until one of them raised her hand.

"Yes, Darcy, go for it." The girl put her hand down.

"Can we do sunflowers today?" She asked. You nodded, smiled, and opened the drawer from the plastic shelf that sat on your countertop. It was labeled with a small card of a sunflower and the name printed in swooping ink. You plucked from it a single seed and pressed it between your palms. It took barely a moment but you felt a sprout. A small plant grew from your hands, rapidly unfurling into a full grown flower in your grasp. You gave it an approving smile before you plucked it from your hands and dropped it into the vase. The students watched with smiles. No matter how many times people saw you do this, it was always something to marvel at, like a magic trick. An incredibly practical magic trick that had its uses in feeding yourself, others, selling flowers, and in this case, drawing a still-life of a sunflower.

"Alright, we're going to draw for mm... Lets go for thirty minutes before we move on to water color." Despite all the jobs your powers have gotten you, you never abandoned teaching art workshops in your home. In fact, you found this was the perfect way to integrate them both. Shortly after your first encounter with your newfound abilities, you were rushed to the hospital by your neighbors. You were sent from facility to facility until someone who could actually help you manage your fate did so. Over the span of several months you learned control and tested the limits of your power. You could grow anything from trees to moss and soon decided that this was in fact a blessing rather than a curse. You began getting accustomed to replicating plants, and it quickly became a normal part of your daily life. Although, to this day you still had no idea how they came to be. Everybody including you and every scientists you'd consulted with were in the dark about the strange projectile that had exploded near your greenhouse. The question was a constant tug in the back of your mind.

You complimented your students' work as you opened your tablet and got to emails from commissioners and scientists alike. By now, the novelty of attention had worn off and you were quicker to say "no thank you" to researchers looking to build partnerships with you to utilize your powers. You had a few art commissions you bookmarked to get to later, and plenty of agricultural companies who wanted to negotiate prices for your services. One however, caught your attention. A laboratory studying outer space in The Hague wanted to pay for your flight and visit. They were interested in your status in the scientific community as a "self sustaining organism".

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. What a pretentious way to say 'hey, we know you can feed yourself and they want to know how to get astronauts to do that'. But then again, you could use a vacation. (Of course you knew this was professional but... Come on. They weren't going to keep you in the lab all day, right? You'd have the chance to go out and enjoy some light tourism. Plus it's a free flight and lodging.)

You decided to respond, going through all the usual formalities stating in the most corporate way possible that you were willing an excited to work with them in The Hague. You closed your laptop, twirling your pencil before tapping it to the paper. You felt like you owed science something, but science also owed something to you. You participated in countless research efforts, but not once could anyone replicate what happened to you. They couldn't even pinpoint how exactly it happened. You were beginning to believe that your willingness to contribute wasn't all because you cared about the advancements of science, but out of the sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, while they're doing blood samples and having you grow things for them, they'll be able to find out what it was that did this to you.

You made a face. It's not like you're asking to reverse it! You loved your powers. You spent far less on groceries, you felt great being able to feed people and plant trees. Life was great! You had no complaints! It's just... You really wanted to know. How did this happen? Why you?

You open the email back up and quickly send a follow up.

You ask if they can, at all, try to find out the origins of your mutation.

----------------------

  Siebren sipped his coffee, narrowing his grey eyes. What had he written there? Whatever it was, it was scrawled so quickly and carelessly in the heat of a breakthrough that it was almost completely illegible.

He squinted hard, but the word became no clearer. He was jolted from his thoughts as a brisk knock sounded on the white door of his workspace.

"Ja?" He called, turning towards the entrance.

Yes?

"Jouwe koffie, professor." An intern shuffled inside, bringing him the extra caffeine he'd requested.

Your coffee, professor.

He thanked them and asked them for the latest happenings. He was partial to gossip, for otherwise, he'd probably be completely oblivious to anything going on. He stayed almost exclusively in his lab and couldn't resist rambling on any time somebody came in the ask him a question. A quiet moment like this was rare, and an excellent opportunity to catch up with his surroundings.

"We hebben een gast. Zijn naam is (y/n) (l/n), en hij komt uit Amerika." The intern, knowing this, was happy to comply. They informed him of their guest, and Siebren nodded along, sipping his drink.

We have a guest. His name is (y/n) (l/n) and he's from America.

"Iz dat zo? Om welke reden is hij hier?" Interested, the scientist raised an eyebrow.  The intern looked excited. They grinned, looking around, and leaned in to stage whisper.

Is that so? For what reason is he here?

"Dit klinkt vergezocht, maar ik hoor dat hij op commando en snel planten uit zijn lichaam kan laten groeien.." This bit made the astrophysicist choke a bit on his drink. He gave the intern a puzzled look.

This sounds far-fetched, but I hear he can grow plants from his body at will, and very quickly too.

His look of disbelief melted as he rationalized it in his brain. That sounded a little more than far fetched, it sounded like a flat out joke, but who was he to say anything? Here he was trying to harness the power of a black hole. In this facility, anything was possible. He still took it with a grain of salt, though. Perhaps this was a rumor. This place was prestigious and of good renown, but not immune to tall tales and stories being passed around. No place ever really was. He thanked the intern for the coffee and the update and they were quickly on their way to deliver a paper to another professor's office, leaving Siebren alone with his thoughts and research.

If that was a rumor, that was a very creative one. If not... well, then it'd be definitely something worth seeing.

He chuckled to himself. Oh, who was he kidding? That was silly.

He stared harder at his scrawled notes. Suddenly it hit him.

Ah, it had been a variable he's written. Sigma. He somehow got his wires crossed and wrote out its name rather than the symbol itself.

  ----------------------------

     You had touched down at the airport and went straight to work. You did the usual, live demonstrations, samples of every kind, etc. But between all the activity and the jet lag, you were exhausted. Too much to to do much more than admire the view from the hotel room. It was beautiful, and there were people walking about on the sidewalk below. You felt tempted by the cool breeze that rushed in from your open window.

Alright, just one walk and you'll head to bed.

  Elsewhere, Dr. Siebren de Kuiper had embarked on a similar path: a walk from the lab to his car parked all the way down the block.

Today had been long. It turns out that the rumors about the foreign man with the powers of botanical replication were true, and he had spent most of the day indisposed in the labs. Siebren strolled out and took a deep breath of the nighttime air. The sunset must have been lovely, if the dim wisps of fading sunlight behind buildings were anything to go off of. He kind of wished he'd hurried out of his office, as then he might have been able to watch it. That was one of the reasons he preferred to park so far away. The walks along the boulevard in the evening were exquisite.

On the downside, though, he had important papers with him to stuff into the back of his car and forget about, and the wind apparently decided it felt like picking up tonight. After it died down, he loosened his vice grip on his files, only for a sneaky breeze to take him by surprise and blow half the stack out of his grasp.

Siebren gasped and darted after them, pouncing on them and plucking them up from the pavement, muttering to himself. He turned to grab another before his hand touched not a paper, but another person.

He recoiled with a startled "oh" and his widened gray eyes attempted to make out the person in front of him.

"Ah, sorry," You handed his papers back to him. "You dropped these."

"Right, yes, thank y-" His smiled dropped as he spotted over your shoulder the last o his files. He tensed to make his way towards it, but the wind picked up before he could, and it whirled into the air, directly towards a channel of water that cut through the city.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as he stared horrified at his work about to be swallowed by the water.

He raised his arm, whispering a hapless "no" as it descended towards the rippling surface.

You lifted your hand, and in a second the paper was fluttering stagnant in the air.

Siebren couldn't register what just happened. There was a long, smooth stem protruding all the way from your palm, impaling his paper and keeping it in place. Slowly, the vine retracted into your skin, away from the water. When it got only a few feet long, you snapped it from your hand, turning it over to free the paper. You paused as you looked at it.

"Oh my God," You sputtered. "I'm so, so sorry I just- there's a hole in it now and I- I'm so sorry Oh God I really hope that wasn't important I'm so sorry."

"How did you do that?"

"I'm really really sorry, uh, I'm new here."

"How did you do that?"

"Ok not that we usually break people's stuff in America but- I- whatever, anyways I'm sorry."

You and Siebren stared at one another for many moments.

"Uh..." You panicked, holding out a hand to him. He tensed up, not quite recoiling but he did seem wary of the gesture after seeing how you'd just skewered his research paper. "Hi. I'm (y/n). I make plants."

Siebren could barely believe his luck.

[kathrynethegreat]

@random-emerald-thoughts: said In response to this post. Now I’m hella curious about your thoughts on the other seasons.

Totally!  I will post the notes I have for season 2 below. Notes for season 3 will follow in another week, and season 4 a week after that most likely.

Like with season 1, I didn’t write full episodes, just some general details, and the notes assume you’ve read the novels to some extent. Have questions, just ask! Also, not that it matters, but season 2 is my personal favorite of the four seasons.

To those of you who have written to me about this project, thanks for all of the kind words and PMs. It really means a lot. 

To those seeing this for the first time and have no idea what this is, the original posts are here:

OVERVIEW

SEASON 1 SUMMARY | SEASON 1 DETAILS

SEASON 2 SUMMARY | SEASON 2 DETAILS

SEASON 3 SUMMARY | SEASON 3 DETAILS

SEASON 4 SUMMARY | SEASON 4 DETAILS

Below the cut is the following information for Season 2 of The Rape of Europa:

Additional Information about each episode and the real crimes that inspired some of the stories

Artwork featured in each episode

A couple pieces of Fan Art that didn’t make the cut for the Season Rundowns.

Flashbacks featured in each episode

General Season Arcs / Information / Themes

General Clannibal info (Last season saw the Doctor and the Agent on rocky ground after a moment of passion and ultimately rejection.)

A full summary of the third to last episode of the second season -  episode 2:13 Whoso List to Hunt. Heavily inspired by Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.

Season 2 General Notes / Arcs / Themes:

The second season deals heavily in the father/daughter bond or lack thereof. Clarice’s relationship with her father - one she remembers fondly and talks about with Lecter frequently, and Molson Verger’s terrible and loveless relationship with his daughter Margot, which Clarice struggles to understand.

A major theme in the season is forgery. This is shown both in actual art forgeries but is also repeated with the duel identities of Clarice Starling / Elizabeth Chase and Hannibal Lecter / Dr.Fell, with Dr.Fell and Elizabeth Chase being “Forgeries.” of their real selves.

This season further explores Hannibal Lecter's Background. Last season we learned that Hannibal Lecter’s sister was eaten - but this season we learn that he also ate her.  The first season dealt with the parts of Hannibal Rising that deal with the war - and while this season still has some flashbacks to what happened, this season deals with the second half of Rising, which focuses more on the murders and the search for lost art from Lecter Castle.

The two Johns. Clarice’s relationship between both Lecter and Brigham deepens in this season. Brigham is shown to very clearly be in love with her. She is not in love with him, though she is great friends with him. There is a “will they or won’t they?” surrounding both Clarice and Lecter AND Clarice and Johnny.  Since Lecter is still undercover as Dr.Fell, she is essentially stuck between Dr.John Fell and Johnny Brigham. Two very different people, Johnny is all that is good and honest and Lecter is...obviously not. Clarice knows she should be happy with Johnny and not be drawn to Lecter, but cannot find her way around it. She struggles with this in each episode this season.

Please note that Clarice doesn't reveal Hannibal because she's been properly threatened by Chiyoh. She knows Chiyoh, now head of a Japanese Yakuza absolutely has the capability to kill her - as well as Johnny and Ardelia.

Hannibal helps Clarice because he needs her help in return- he needs access to the stolen paintings records she has as a member of the Art Crime Team. He also needs help tracking down someone who has changed their name - someone he has been hunting for years. Clarice insists she won’t help him find someone just so he can kill them.

Hannibal is living in France this season, traveling across Europe as needed depending on where his own investigations into his family paintings take him. He runs into Clarice here and there. While both characters are shown in each episode, they do not spend every single episode together.

The Memory Palace. We see this concept come up, and frequently we see Lecter think, reason and remember via his mind palace, via art pieces in his internal “Gallery.”

SEASON 2, EPISODE 1 : Chiaroscuro

DATE: January 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Clarice - Discussing Lecter's file with Crawford, discussing the Victim who is still alive "On a ventilator"

Hannibal  - When Hannibal Looks at Leda and the Swan, he has a quick flash of kissing Clarice in season 1, immediately followed by a flash of him telling her Typhoid and Swans come from the same place, immediately followed by an unwanted image of Micha being chased by a Swan and Hannibal chasing it away.

Hannibal - Hannibal studying with Jakov. Jakov asks if Hannibal Lecter wants to remember everything. Jakov teaches him about the concept of the Memory Palace.

Clarice - Clarice speaks with Chiyoh (this flashback is meant to take place in between season 1 and season 2 - it is not something we saw happen in season 1)

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Leda and the Swan by Rubens, Louvre museum, Paris, France

Kouros - Artists Unknown / Possible Forgery, owned by the Getty Museum in real life, but owned by Molson Verger for this narrative

NOTES:

M.J. Verger is heavily, heavily inspired by the real-life John Paul Getty, his museum, its fraudulent background, and the Getty kidnapping. 

Iraq will be invaded soon (Desert Storm), and several Art Historians and archaeologists did, in real life, consult with the U.S. Military about what areas they should avoid bombing, as they did not want to destroy any major historical heritage. In this story, it is Clarice who is consulting with the Government.

Clarice remembers a discussion she had with Chiyoh just before she left Japan (this scene was intentionally not shown in season 1 - it is meant to have happened in between the seasons.). Chiyoh is calm but serious, and she tells Clarice that she cannot hurt Hannibal Lecter. Chiyoh has bribed the Japanese government. The Japanese government holds Dr.Fell in bad taste...and are bitter to not get to indict him against his art crimes, but they have no idea the real story they are inadvertently covering up - they have no idea they are granting immunity to Hannibal Lecter.  Dr.Fell’s books are clean...there is no reason for anyone to investigate him. Dr.Fell has nothing on paper that anyone can prove. And only Clarice and Chiyoh know his true identity.  She threatens Clarice with her life - and the life of her friends, that she does not reveal Lecter’s identity. Clarice knows enough to know that Chiyoh will make good on her promise. Clarice manages to convince herself continuing to keep his identity a secret is okay - after all, Dr.Fell helped her with many cases. He’s been more help to her than a hindrance. Maybe even Soah might not have been taken down without the important information he gave to her. She uses his helpfulness over the past year to try to convince herself she is okay with not turning him in - for the time being. She also knows if she turns him in, she’ll be ignored.  She tried to turn him into the FBI several times and was rebuffed (thanks to Paul Krendler). Clarice also knows that if she reveals Dr.Fell’s identity, that she will have to stop using Elizabeth Chase as her own identity. Elizabeth already has heavy contacts around the world that know about what happened with Hiroshi Soah...to take down Hannibal Lecter, is to reveal Elizabeth Chase and undo a lot of important work she has done and is still working on (especially with the Gardner case). Clarice acknowledges she will not reveal his identity, and Chiyoh continues on. “I won’t let you hurt him,” Clarice again says she will not reveal Fell’s identity.  “No.” Chiyoh says again, “I won’t let you hurt him.”  Clarice suddenly understands. Chiyoh doesn’t want Clarice hurting him emotionally either. Chiyoh is well aware of Lecter’s growing affection for Clarice, but it is the first time Clarice has been confronted by another person with the fact that Lecter likes her.  Chiyoh does say that if Lecter chooses to reveal HIMSELF, that she will consider their deal null and void.

Despite his dislike of Clarice personally, Paul Krendler finds himself attracted to her. He calls rather drunk and asks her out on a date. She knows he is married and turns him down. He is not pleased. (The novel says that Krendler called to ask her out during the first week of Desert Storm, so I’ve tried to keep the timeline the same when I can). She is worried that her rejection of Krendler is only going to make her life worse.

An anonymous tip comes in about some forgeries for the Verger Museum. (The Kouros, specifically) Once it is investigated, Clarice very quickly finds that it’s the tip of the iceberg...the museum has TONS of problems. Some pieces may have been forged. Some pieces may have been stolen outright. Some may have been purchased through not entirely illegal means. There may be some tax fraud going on...but the amount of investigation each piece takes, the amount of paperwork involved is monstrous.  Clarice - though still on the Gardner case - will be on the Verger case for almost the entirety of Season 2 - with information leading her into the path of other smaller cases along the way.

We do not yet know where the anonymous tip came from. We will find out later in the season. 

Clarice realizes that the man she is investigating is the father of Mason Verger - a name she recognized from the Lecter case.

Hannibal Lecter is shown to be living in Paris, but traveling around as Europe as needed while he searches for what he is looking for. At one point in this episode, he makes his way down to the basement of the Louvre (dressed as an art conservator) and casually snags a few small, lesser pieces for his home. (The basement of the Louvre is indeed filled with hundreds of items not on general display).

While in the Louvre, Hannibal sees Titian’s Leda and the Swan, which causes him to remember his time with Clarice. He remembers kissing her, and then he remembers a moment in which he scared away a swan that had frightened his sister, Mischa.

Chiaroscuro, the title of the episode is the use of strong lights and darks to contrast a composition. This, of course, is shown in art but is also represented in the two sides of our story - in the honest people on Clarice’s team, and the dishonest ones of Verger’s.

January 12 – Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. January 13 – Singing Revolution: Soviet forces storm Vilnius to stop Lithuanian independence. This may be briefly mentioned as news in the background. It’s, of course, relevant to Hannibal Lecter’s interests...

January 15 - The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm

January 16 - U.S. serial killer Aileen Wuornos confesses to the murders of six men. Clarice is interested in this and frustrated that she doesn’t get to be involved in this case.

January 17: Operation Desert Storm is launched and the first air attacks are launched on Iraq and Kuwait. 

SEASON 2, EPISODE 2: Wiedergutmachung

DATE: February 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Painting of the upstairs bedroom, hiding with Micha and drawing her hand, Hannibal sings quietly Ein Männlein Steht Im Walde to her

Hannibal - Painting being wrapped by Simonetta and put in the wine cellar with the other paintings.

Hannibal - Family abandoning their castle to go to the lodge in the woods

Hannibal - A Flash of the deserters and their dog tags as they call each other by name over the fire. Emphasis on Grentz.

ARTWORK FEATURED:

The Grand Canal in Venice - Canaletto, Getty Collection

The Bridge of Sighs Bernardo Bellotto,  Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon

Grand Canal in Venice - Francesco Guardi - Frick Art Museum

Various other assorted paintings from the Lecter Castle collection. No others are specifically mentioned in the book, though it is mentioned there are others. Just shown as an assortment of beautiful pieces.

NOTES:

The word Wiedergutmachung means restitution from crimes committed by the Nazis.

The Art Loss Register is Begun in 1991 in London (In real life). Clarice is closely consulted and involved in this (for this story’s purposes)

Clarice meets Verger's Curator for the first time. There is a lot of build-up. The viewer might feel it's going to be Hannibal Lecter, since last year he was curating for Hiroshi Soah, but it is revealed to be Trebelaux.

Pierre Trebelaux is one of two characters from Hannibal Rising who gets a reprieve from being killed (in the novel he has no first name given). He only lives a few brief pages in Hannibal Rising before being killed- in this instance, I’ve let him live a long healthy life...for now. We will see him in flashbacks and get a better idea of why he is important.

Trebelaux’s character (who again, barely appears in Rising before dying, and thus we don’t know much about his personality) is heavily influenced by Jiri Frel, a curator at the Getty Museum. Frel is credited with the expansion of the collection of antiquities for the Getty, and he was involved in a number of controversies including a tax manipulation scheme to buy artifacts of dubious provenance. He also had a tendency to purchase items that were fake. Frel studied in Paris (like Trebelaux). Following the Soviet invasion, Frel emigrated to the U.S. He expanded the Getty collection heavily. He designed a tax evasion scheme where fictitious donors paid to an intermediary to get tax reductions for donations of artifacts they’ve never seen. 

This episode marks the first time Hannibal Lecter actually reaches out to Clarice asking for her help (beyond just keeping quiet about his identity). He has seen her work for the Art Loss Register, and he wants to access it. It’s Government only at this time, and she cannot grant it. He is looking for some of his family’s lost artwork and gives her some of the specifics. She says she will keep her eyes open.  He gives her the name Grentz and says his last known whereabouts was Canada, and she takes note.

Clarice goes to visit Verger at his English country home in Kent after her trip to London regarding the Art Loss Register. There she meets Trebelaux, as well as Margot. Clarice notices there is a lot of tension with Margot and Verger and witnesses small instances of verbal and even physical abuse directed at her by her father.

Clarice eventually learns that Margot has let her father know that she is a lesbian, and he has written her out of his will. It should be noted that re-writing his will was a favorite pastime of John Paul Getty in real life.

When discussing the Verger collection with Verger and Trebelaux, Clarice sees The Grand Canal by Canaletto and realizes it is from Lecter Castle. She doesn’t say anything but begins to dig into things. She lets Lecter know but asks him to let her handle it.  In real life, this painting is, in fact, a part of the John Paul Getty collection.

The character of Grentz is the second character from Hannibal Rising that gets a reprieve. The novel ends with Hannibal going to his taxidermy shop. For our purposes, I am going to propose that when Hannibal went to kill him, he simply wasn’t there. He’d already moved away. Hannibal has been searching for him ever since. He is the last one of the deserters from the lodge that he has not managed to track down and kill. 

So Hannibal Lecter’s goals are 1: reclaim paintings, which he’s done a little bit already (in Japan) and 2: find and kill Grentz. 

February 9 – Singing Revolution: Voters in Lithuania support independence.

February 17-  Operation Desert Storm is launched and the first air attacks are launched on Iraq and Kuwait.

February 27- Victory Declared in Iraq

SEASON 2, EPISODE 3:The Spoils of War

DATE: March 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Quick shot of Hannibal's dead parents (which we saw last season) followed by a shot of Hannibal reaching for Mischa to keep her from going out to their mother and the wolves.

Hannibal - Hannibal is thrown into the barn with his sister and a young Albanian boy

Hannibal - The Albanian boy is taken away, and there is suddenly food...

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Terracotta lion from Shaduppum

NOTES:

March 15 - Four Los Angeles, California, police officers are indicted for the videotaped March 3 beating of Rodney King during an arrest. This is not relevant to the story, but would be big news for the F.B.I in general, and would be mentioned in the background.

March 15 - Germany formally regains complete independence after the four post-World War II occupying powers (France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union) relinquish all remaining rights. This event would also be HEAVILY mentioned in this episode.

We see Verger and Trebelaux speaking with Clarice, being kind and charming. Later we see them talking alone, arguing. From the conversation, it is clear that both men are very guilty, but Verger is angry “You said it was all foolproof.” They discuss how they are going to figure out the problem of the museum being investigated. They begin hiding some paperwork and agree that once they’ve secured everything, that the best thing to do is to play along with Clarice, to act as if they are as cooperative as possible and deny as much as possible.

Miranda Pilcher is offered a sculpture by an art dealer. It is from Iraq, and Miranda immediately has her guard up. Before calling Clarice, she does a little bit of digging. She calls some curators from other museums. She finds several museums have purchased similar items recently - all from different dealers.  Miranda is concerned and calls Clarice Starling. Together they discuss each piece, each museum that purchased something, etc. 

Hannibal Lecter is present in this episode, but he is back in France and is not interacting with Clarice. We see more of his life in France and more of his flashbacks.

The pieces are all too alike...the timing is strange. Miranda wonders - could these be pieces pilfered from Iraq during the recent Desert Storm? Clarice agrees that it is indeed very suspicious. 

Clarice interviews the art dealer, who insists that he is above board and has done nothing wrong. Clarice finally uncovers several layers of buyers and must travel around the world to interview them, hoping to find a common denominator.

Johnny travels around the world with Clarice to help with the interviews. It eventually comes out that Jack asked him to be by her side for her protection. She is a little piqued at this but glad that Jack is thinking about her. She confides to Johnny how much she wishes she could be working for Behavioral Science. None the less, Clarice assures Johnny that she doesn’t need any protection. He lets it slip that he cares deeply for her, and she does not know how to respond.

This episode flows heavily into the next episode....

SEASON 2, EPISODE 4: The Director of Idolatry

DATE: March 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Mischa is ill. Hannibal feeds her like a bird. Hannibal holds her and sings Ein Männlein Steht Im Walde

Hannibal - Mischa is taken away, Hannibal's arm is broken

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Human Headed Winged Bulls and Reliefs from Dur-Sharrukin

Terracotta lion from Shaduppum 

Statue of Sanatruq, king of Hatra

Plaster with boar relief

Wall relief from Ninevah featuring an Assyrian soldier

NOTES:

This episode is heavily influenced by Khaled al-Asaad. He was an archaeologist and head of antiquities in the ancient city of Palmyra, a position he held for 40 years. Though he was active during the second Iraq war, I’ve placed him earlier - with Desert Storm instead.  In real life, he helped to evacuate the city’s museum. He was captured and tortured in an attempt for to get him to reveal the locations of some important pieces that he had hidden.  He was beheaded, and his body was hung from a traffic light, with a placard on his body declaring him the “Director of Idolatry.”

There is a discussion about the Curator of the Iraqi museum, the fictional Kasim Amari (based on Khaled al-Asaad) and his death in the newspapers. The art world is horrified. He was killed some months before.

Clarice receives a letter from Kasim - it is dirty and battered and clearly has been in the mail for a while before reaching her, having been written before his death.  She opens it and it begins with “If you’re reading this, then I am no longer on this earth...”  He goes on to give her clues to the whereabouts of the artifacts that he has hidden.  Of course, he has coded the message with clues - lest the letter falls into the hands of the wrong people.

Clarice and her team journey to Iraq, uncovering clues, decoding messages, interviewing people all in the hopes of finding where the various pieces have been hidden.

Johnny and Clarice grow increasingly close in this episode, looking at art, admiring the culture and food, etc.

Tensions are high in the region, and though the war is officially over, it is dangerous. Clarice separates from her team for a moment in a city square, and when a bomb goes off, Johnny struggles to find her. After a frantic search, he finds her shaken but unharmed. In a moment of relief, he kisses her and she does not pull away, but when they finally part, it is clear she is unsure.  She tells him she needs some time.

Ultimately the different paths each piece of art has taken are uncovered. Each one went through a series of art dealers, etc in an attempt to put anyone who wanted to steal or destroy the pieces off the scent. In the end, they discover many of the pieces were, in fact, offered to the museums at the request of the curator - in hopes that the pieces would remain protected for years to come. The pieces Miranda feared were looted weren’t looted at all, leading to complicated questions about the role of Museums.

SEASON 2, EPISODE 5: Nécessaire

DATE:  Early April 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - One of the deserters tries to get Hannibal to eat, he is shown only as a hand and a voice. We do not see his face.

Hannibal - Bombing and abandonment of men in the lodge.

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Ein Männlein steht im Waldem - a song by Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben

The Stolen Kiss - Fragonard, Hermitage Museum, St.Petersburg, Russia

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, Antonio Canova, Hermitage, Russia

Nécessaire by Peter Carl Faberge (Missing, but found by our characters)

Twelve Monograms by Peter Carl Faberge, Hillwood Museum, Washington D.C.

Rose Trellis by Peter Carl Faberge, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Gatchina Palace by Peter Carl Faberge, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Pelican by Peter Carl Faberge, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia

Rock Crystal by Peter Carl Faberge, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia

Czarevich by Peter Carl Faberge, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia

Red Cross with Imperial Portraits by Peter Carl Faberge, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia

Lilies of the Valley by Peter Cal Faberge, owned by Viktor Vekselberg in real life, owned by Aleksander Sokolov in this narrative

Hen by Peter Carl Faberge, owned by Viktor Vekselberg in real life, owned by Aleksander Sokolov in this narrative

Renaissance by Peter Carl Faberge, owned by Viktor Vekselberg in real life, owned by Aleksander Sokolov in this narrative

 Rosebud by Peter Carl Faberge, owned by Viktor Vekselberg in real life, owned by Aleksander Sokolov in this narrative

 Imperial Coronation by Peter Carl Faberge, owned by Viktor Vekselberg in real life, owned by Aleksander Sokolov in this narrative

NOTES:

The character of Aleksander Sokolov is heavily influenced by the real-life Russian Viktor Vekselberg, who owns several Faberge eggs. 

This episode takes place around Easter for the Russian Orthodox Church (A week after Clarice would recognize Easter).

 There is a discussion of the Imperial Eggs and the fall of the Czar. There is some discussion about the great love between Niki and Alex and the love between Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna.

Aleksander wants to purchase every Faberge egg in the world. He owns several already, but he wants them all to be displayed in the Hermitage in hopes of bolstering Russia’s place in the art world and world in general.

Not all of the Imperial Eggs are in existence. Some were destroyed, but the Nécessaire made it through the revolution and was seen at an exhibit in 1949 at Wartski’s. In June 1952 it was sold to “A Stranger.” No one knows who purchased it, and Aleksander wants Clarice to find out...

Along the way, we learn a bit more about the other eggs, as well as additional Russian history.

SEASON 2, EPISODE 6: Still Life

DATE: April 14, 1991

FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Hannibal comes out of the woods in chains

Hannibal - Hannibal is taken back to his castle - now an orphanage

Hannibal - Hannibal wakes from the night screaming. The next morning he stands by the moat - it is devoid of swans.

Hannibal - Hannibal sneaks into the wine cellar and sees his paintings are all gone

ARTWORK FEATURED:

The Burghers of Calais by Rodin, France

The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Wheat Field with Crows by Vincent Van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Still Life with Bible by Vincent Van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Still Life with Fruit by Vincent Van Gogh, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

NOTES:

In April 14, 1991, twenty paintings were stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This episode doesn’t merely take the event as inspiration - it puts our characters directly into the event itself. Since the paintings were found a little more than 30 minutes after the theft, the episode will show the theft and recovery in real-time.

This episode is also heavily inspired by the opening scene of the remake of The Italian Job. A good heist, a good chase on foot and by boat through Amsterdam rather than Venice...

Hannibal is in France attending the opera, visiting galleries, eating good food, drinking good wine.  When looking at the Burghers of Calais, he has a flashback to his time in chains. When drinking wine he flashes back to seeing his wine cellar emptied of its hidden paintings, etc. This attempts to show that though he is trying to live a quiet life, he stands on shifting sands due to his background. 

SEASON 2, EPISODE 7: The Forgery

DATE: May 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Hannibal forges a letter from an allergist saying he is allergic to chalk dust.

Hannibal - Hannibal gives the forged letter to his professor.

Hannibal - Hannibal is allowed to be seated at the back of his classroom where he draws all day.

ARTWORK FEATURED:

The Forgery in question is this episode is not a real piece but is a similar piece to Frans Hals Portrait of a Gentleman.

NOTES:

This episode is heavily inspired by a 2018 case in which Sotheby’s sold Portrait of a Gentleman by Frans Hals for eleven million dollars to real estate investor Richard Hedreen. Ultimately it was determined that the painting could be a fake and Hedreen sued. There are also other similar cases that involve both Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

For the purposes of our story, the buyer is a French Billionaire. He sues Christie’s, and the F.B.I. Art Crime Team is brought onto the case to determine if the painting is a fake, and if so where it came from- the fear being that the original collection it came from could contain additional fakes. Clarice wants Ardelia to come onto this case for the legal red tape, but Ardelia lets Clarice know that Christie’s has hired her as their lawyer, so a serious conflict of interest arises.

If the painting is a fake, the other question is - where is the real one? Digging through the provenance, Clarice tries to answer that question and ultimately comes upon an entire collection that was painted as a forgery.

In order to gain information into some people’s private Collections, Clarice must continue to pose as art dealer Elizabeth chase. Playing a fake person, while investigating fake art makes her wonder about the nature of forgery within herself. On one hand, she must lie and pretend to be Elizabeth Chase for her job, but on the other hand, it comes very easily and often times she finds out she’s NOT lying about things, but actually being more herself when she is Elizabeth Chase than when she is Clarice Starling. Is she a forgery? Is Elizabeth the forgery? 

Clarice only continues to question herself when a letter from Hannibal Lecter arrives, asking many of the same questions.  If she finds that she wants what Elizabeth Chase wants, then maybe she is Elizabeth Chase. Maybe Elizabeth is who she would be without constraints, without worrying about what other people thought, etc.

SEASON 2, EPISODE 8: The Plunder

DATE: July 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Hannibal is selling his paintings to get through medical school and sees the Guardi at a Gallery

Info Flashback - The Gallery owner goes to Trebelaux and tells him the Guardi is "Hot."

Info Flashback - Trebelaux goes to Milko, asks if he has any more paintings from Lecter Castle. We see a quick shot of him looting them all from Lecter Castle, before he says he can't get them into the country, but that he has a plan...they have to wait until his ailing father dies.

Hannibal - In Medical School, Hannibal's professor tells him what to sketch. He stays up late sketching a flayed cadaver - the face in the sketch is that of Milko

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume

Adoration of the Shepherds, Giorgione - the National Gallery

Grand Canal in Venice - Francesco Guardi - Frick Art Museum

Other various stolen pieces of artwork from WWII adorn the walls of the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume

NOTES:

July 1 - Telephone service goes down in the cities of Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and San Francisco due to a software bug. About twelve million customers are affected. 

I have used the above-mentioned event as the basis of this episode. In this episode, it is a full power outage - not just telephones.

During the power outage, there are reports of a theft at the National Gallery. Several people saw suspicious activity and others saw someone remove a painting from the wall. The museum was emptied when the electricity went out, so only a few people outside, and some staff inside witnessed anything.  Since the power was out, nobody could call the police, and all sensors for the artwork did not work without electricity, nor did the security cameras. There is no evidence of the theft, beyond a few people claiming it happened...though none of them can confirm just what painting was taken...

The other problem is that there doesn’t seem to be any painting missing from any of the galleries.  Clarice must determine if there really was a theft, or if perhaps a fake was put into the real paintings place.

Investigating the museum’s security to try to determine where the thief may have entered, how the museum’s software works, when it does actually work, etc, Clarice reaches out to Margot Verger who owns and operates a software company. (in the novel she writes software for exercise equipment) since she has been disowned by her father.

Margot is a computer wizard. and Clarice ultimately winds up discovering the fact that it was, in fact, Margot who plotted the theft at the request of her father, who plans to hold it in his private collection.  Hoping to get back into his good graces, she agreed.

Instead of just taking down the Museum’s system, Margot figured it would be less suspicious to take down the power for the entire city. Having written the software the city uses for traffic lights, etc, she was easily able to hack into the grid and take it down for a short time.

This episode draws parallels to the plunder of Lecter Castle with the theft of the National Gallery.

Clarice threatens to turn Margot in, but Margot convinces her she will help Clarice get the evidence she needs to convict her father, despite all evidence leading to Trebelaux. We learn it was Margot who made the original anonymous call about her father’s museum.  They agree to work together if Margot will steal the painting back again. Put the real painting back and give her father the fake, as well as give Clarice information on the forger so she can arrest him.

We see flashbacks of Lecter in medical school, drawing the faces of the men in the lodge. 

SEASON 2, EPISODE 9: Craquelure

DATE: July 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Hannibal closely observes the Guardi painting in a gallery as a young boy. He looks at the stains. He flashes then to a memory of his mother telling him the marks are called “Foxing.”

Info Flashback - Trebelaux speaks to a man (we see only his back) about several paintings. He offers a great deal for the Italian ones.

Hannibal - Hannibal goes to visit the stolen paintings. He asks about the painting with Mischa's handprint

InfoFlashback - Trebelaux removes Mischa's handprint

InfoFlashback - Trebelaux sells the painting to the mysterious man. They strike up a conversation, and he says he could use him to help him start his museum. The man thanks Trebelaux, gives him his card, and Trebelaux replies "My pleasure Mr.Verger."

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Caves at Lascaux, emphasis on the handprints

NOTES:

In this episode, we learn that Trebelaux sold one of Lecter’s paintings to  Verger years ago, and that is how Verger and Trebelaux met.

Clarice dons her alter ego once again, befriending thieves she knows have likely stolen a piece of art. She attempts to become friendly enough with them that they ultimately want to show it to her to impress her. This takes several weeks. Ultimately they want to show it to her, and she must determine if it is a fake before she can get a warrant.

In order to determine if a painting is a fake, she has been studying photos of the original piece and memorizing its Craquelure - it’s a distinct pattern of cracks. By memorizing this - or a small portion (often a corner) - a painting can be identified as the real thing.  

We see flashbacks to Hannibal Lecter identifying his artwork by the foxing on the matte surrounding the painting. Another identifying feature is Mischa’s handprint, which is on the back. All of these elements authenticate his piece, but Trebelaux removes Mischa’s handprint, making the piece more difficult to claim. 

SEASON 2, EPISODE 10: The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb

DATE: August 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Hannibal goes to visit his painting and is told he's been removed from the list, the painting was claimed by someone else

Info Flashback - Trebeleaux and Milko discuss Hannibal Lecter and agree he needs to be taken care of

 Hannibal - Hannibal works late in the lab, sketching. Milko comes in, there is a fight. We do not see all of it, nor do we hear all of their conversations.  Milko says something that clearly upsets Hannibal greatly, but we see this from afar.. (We will find out what he is told in the season 2 finale)  Milko is placed in the cadaver tank and drowns.

 Hannibal - Milko's father dies in Lithuania. The remaining paintings from Lecter Castle are placed into his casket. (In the novel it’s Dortlitch’s father)

ARTWORK FEATURED:

The Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyck in Saint Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium

Mammelokker, seen above the Belfry in Saint Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium

Assorted paintings from Lecter Castle put into the casket of Milko’s father.

NOTES:

This episode about the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van Eyck, which is an absolutely stunning piece. Its secondary name is “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.” for which we get the title of the episode, because who am I to pass over lamb imagery for this series?

The Altarpiece has been a part of THIRTEEN crimes and has been stolen SIX times over the years. It is the most stolen piece of artwork in the world. Each time it was found or returned (in one instance by the Monuments Men in WWII), except for once...in 1934 the panel entitled “The Just Judges” or “The Righteous Judges” which has never been found. Jef Van der Veken (an art forger) painted a replacement for the piece, which is what you will see if you visit it today. 

 The thief of “The Just Judges” tried to negotiate its ransom via letters, but was unsuccessful. 

Comically,  A witness spotted two people leaving the cathedral that night with a panel-sized package wrapped in a black sheet tucked under an arm. This witness ALSO happened to be participating in a completely different robbery - of a cheese shop across the street from the Cathedral.

The investigator on the case back in 1934 also did not seem terribly concerned...he himself covering the theft of the art AND the theft of the cheese shop - reports say the officer seemed to be more interested in the Cheese shop theft.

The thief of the altarpiece panel was almost certainly Arsène Goedertier, a stockbroker heavily active in the church.  No one really knows the motive, as he didn’t need the money (he was wealthy). In his desk, on his death were found carbon copies of the 12 ransom letters, and a 13th letter that was never sent. The 13th note indicated that the panel was safe - but that it was hidden somewhere that nobody could access without attracting the notice of the public. 

Obviously the above is insane, completely true and too good to pass up and not use. So...for our story The Bishop of Ghent has heard much about Clarice Starling and the works she has managed to recover with her team. He reaches out hoping that she might be able to help solve this long-forgotten case.

Hannibal Lecter, of course, is prying around being his own annoying self. At one point he pulls Clarice into a confessional in the cathedral to tell her some information. A tight and intimate space and a lot of sexual tension.  Again, she is not amused. He, on the other hand, is constantly amused by her.

At one point they are in the cathedral talking about the case, about the artwork, and Clarice mentions the original officer in the ‘30s did a shoddy job because he was distracted with the cheese shop, to which Hannibal Lecter replies “In his defense, it is an excellent cheese shop.”

Johnny sees Clarice and Dr.Fell speaking and approaches Clarice, confused. He knows that she has worked with Dr.Fell before, but the last time was in Japan - when Dr.Fell knew her as Elizabeth Chase. Clarice explains that Dr.Fell now knows her real identity, and has been very helpful in helping her navigate the art world.  Johnny is unnerved. He cannot prove Dr.Fell was involved in any of the crimes in Japan alongside Soah...but he heavily suspects that he was. 

I had two problems to solve with this episode.  1. We don’t really know where the painting is, but I need to “Solve” this case somehow - at least fictionally.  2. Hannibal Lecter’s paintings are hidden in the coffin of Milko’s father...his casket taken over the border of Lithuania and buried (above ground) in a crypt in Sweden. How the HECK will Hannibal figure THAT out?  It is not ever resolved in Hannibal Rising.

Both of these issues are solved with the same case.  Ultimately, Clarice and Lecter are having a discussion about her father, and she mentions he was buried with his hat, but not his star. She pauses for a moment.  “Wait...wait!”  Clarice realizes what has happened. She checks with the church, and finds that Goedertier is buried in the crypt beneath the church...they have him exhumed, and sure enough, he has been buried with the stolen panel. The case is solved...but now Hannibal Lecter is spurred onward. Clarice’s discovery makes him wonder...could the same thing have happened to his paintings? He begins to do some digging into the families of the men he has killed.

The episode ends with Hannibal Lecter going to Sweden and entering the crypt of Milko’s father...he opens the coffin, and sure enough - his paintings are there. He is pleased. He writes Clarice a lovely letter. It doesn’t go into specifics of how she helped him - but he indicates that she’s been instrumental in helping him find something that belonged to him.

August 19 – Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is put under house arrest while vacationing in the Crimea during a coup. The attempted coup, led by Vice President Gennady Yanayev and seven hard-liners attempting to usurp control, collapses in less than 72 hours.

August 20 - Dissolution of the Soviet Union: More than 100,000 people rally outside the Soviet Union's parliament building protesting the coup that deposed President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The Mammelokker sculpture is shown in this episode and is meant to be foreshadowing to Clarice offering her breast to Hannibal Lecter like at the end of the novel (Spoilers - eventually!)

SEASON 2, EPISODE 11: Operation Atilla

DATE: September 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Mischa in her bathtub, among the cabbage roses and bubbles. Hannibal watches over her.

Hannibal - The Lodge, Hannibal is ill. A quick flash of Mischa's bathtub, water boiling in it

InfoFlashback - Trebelaux removes Mischa's handprint

Hannibal - Hannibal goes to visit his painting and is told he's been removed from the list, the painting was claimed by someone else

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Kanakaria Mosaics

NOTES:

Please note that Operation Atilla in this instance DOES NOT refer to the Nazi occupation of Vichy, France, but instead the actions of the  Turkish armed forces during the invasion of Cyprus in the 1970s.  What followed was looting of Cypriot Orthodox Churches on a level not seen since WWII.  Most notable, some Kanakaria Mosaics and frescoes were sold to museums around the world.  People like Aydin Dikman and others have managed to get rich off of the looting of old churches and selling pieces to museums. 

When a church collapses in Cyprus due to a terrible earthquake, Clarice Starling knows that Hannibal Lecter will not be able to resist going. In the past, during times of war, earthquake, other acts of God, looting often becomes a problem. Clarice journeys to visit with government and church officials in an attempt to figure out a wide-scale plan to keep items from leaving the island.

When visiting one of the churches late in the evening after some official discussions with the government and local police, she runs into Hannibal Lecter. She is not surprised or caught off guard. She figured he would get there eventually. They banter a bit about his collection of church collapses and walk around the rubble. She asks him if he’s at all upset over the loss of art? He seems unphased but admits that the events of Operation Atilla in the 70s were unfortunate. 

As the sun sets we hear a noise in the rubble. At first, they think it’s an animal of some kind and continue their discussion, Lecter pointing out a mosaic at her feet that intrigues her. After another moment he pulls her behind a tree - someone is walking in the rubble of the church.  She peeks her head around the trunk of the tree and is shocked to see it’s Pierre Trebelaux and two of his workmen. Her eyes narrow, and she tells Lecter “It’s one of the men I’m investigating. Verger’s curator - Pierre Trebelaux.”  Lecter pauses and asks her to repeat the name. As she does so he peeks around, immediately recognizing the man. We have quick flashbacks of scenes we’re already previously seen - Trebelaux letting a young Hannibal know his painting has been claimed by someone else, and the removal of Mischa’s handprint from his artwork.

Clarice is immediately aware of the change in Lecter’s demeanor. “What is it?” He tells her that’s the man who sold several of his family’s paintings away, despite him already having a previous claim on them. He makes a move to step out from behind their hiding place.  Clarice grabs him and begs him to stop - to please not kill Trebelaux. She’s been working on the case for months. This incident is just the thing she needs to put him away. 

Lecter grabs her by the wrists, angry, hissing at her. He tells her she’s made the grave mistake of becoming complacent, of forgetting who he is and what he is capable of. Clarice stares him in the eyes, not afraid. He cools after a moment and releases her. She then asks him to promise to let her handle Trebelaux - and she promises him that she WILL take care of him. She won’t let him get away with any of it. Not the issues with the Verger Museum, nor any of the crimes committed against his family. Lecter reluctantly agrees. Clarice doesn’t speak her hesitation, but ultimately she isn’t sure if the Doctor will be able to keep his promise.

September 2 – The United States re-recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the US government reopens the embassies there.

 September 6 - Singing Revolution: The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic states.

September 17 – North Korea, South Korea, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations.

SEASON 2, EPISODE 12: Ein Männlein steht im Walde

DATE: December 1991 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - The orphanage - A child taunts a smaller child. Young Hannibal retaliates.

Hannibal - Hannibal is punished for his misbehavior, and is told he is "No longer the Lord of the Manor."

 Hannibal - Hannibal shares his candy with a smaller child.

Hannibal - Simonetta stashing her jewelry in a boar's head and declaring "Pearls before swine."

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Ein Männlein steht im Waldem - a song by Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben

The painting that was destroyed is not real in this episode but would be a portrait painted by the real-life Russian painter Vasily Ivanovich Surikov.

NOTES:

Ein Männlein steht im Walde refers to the song that Hannibal would sing to his sister. It literally means “The Little Man in the Woods.” In this episode, we see Hannibal in the woods walking towards the lodge.

December 23 - Clarice's Birthday

December 25 - Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as president of the Soviet Union, from which most republics have already seceded, anticipating the dissolution of the 74-year-old state.

December 26 – The Supreme Soviet meets for a final time, formally dissolves the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War. All remaining Soviet institutions eventually cease operation on December 31.

We see Lecter visiting his Ancestral home. He cannot go inside as it is an orphanage, but he walks around the grounds at night and has memories of living there as a child, as well as memories as an orphan.

Hannibal visits the lodge in the woods. He finds the boars head in the rubble on the floor, removes its false back and pulls out a handful of his mother’s jewelry.

This is Ardelia’s first appearance in an official capacity on Clarice’s Art Crime Team. Having a background as a lawyer, she will be brought in to deal with legal issues - she is not generally on the ground with the rest of her team, and thus does not run into Dr.Fell like the rest of her team occasionally does.  Ardelia, obviously, would know him, because she’s the smartest person in this story.

This episode is heavily inspired by a plane crash off the coast of Nova Scotia, which took place on Sept 2, 1998. Onboard was a priceless Picasso, which was ultimately lost at sea.

Germany and Russia argue over the ownership of the painting. The events dissolving the Soviet Union make the case less than cut and dry. Ardelia is shown to not be intimidated AT ALL by Government authorities of Russia or Germany. She is actually...kind of more of a badass than Clarice.

This episode explores the idea of ownership. Does anyone ever really own artwork? And if so, who owns it? What happens when its country of origin is no longer a country? What happens when governments change, laws change, when the ower dies, etc?

Lecter writes Clarice a letter wishing her a happy birthday as he travels to his ancestral home. He doesn't tell her where he is specifically, but he references the events happening with the fall of the USSR and says that for many the war was not over until this day as the cold war followed so swiftly on the heels of WWII and that for some the war may never be over -  that its ramifications can and still be seen through history. 

Along with the letter, Hannibal Lecter has included an extraordinary gift for Clarice - a beautiful necklace. Clarice does not yet know, but the necklace belonged to Simonetta Lecter. The stones from the necklace have been in Simonetta’s family for hundreds of years - once owned by Caterina Sforza.

SEASON 2, EPISODE 13: Whoso List to Hunt

DATE: January 1992 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - Simonetta Lecter stashing her jewelry in a boar's head and declaring "Pearls before swine." (We’ve seen this flashback before. It is repeated in this episode to re-establish where Clarice’s necklace came from)

Hannibal - An Injured deer with an arrow in its side, Mischa being taken away

ARTWORK FEATURED:

Whoso List to Hunt, a Poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt

The Swing by Fragonard, The Wallace Collection in London

The Halt During the Chase, by Jean-Antoine Watteau, The Wallace Collection in London

The Grand Canal in Venice - Canaletto, Getty Collection

Anne Boleyn by Hans Holbein the Younger, owned by the Royal Trust, in the collection of Molson Verger for this narrative

Greensleeves, a song by Henry VIII

Wound Man by Hans von Gersdorff

The Allegory of Passion by Hans Holbein, owned by the John Paul Getty Museum. 

NOTES:

This episode is HEAVILY influenced by the poem Whoso List to Hunt by Sir Thomas Wyatt. The poem uses the metaphor of a hunter perusing a deer. The deer is hard to catch. The hunter is lagging - and the king has claimed the deer, putting a necklace around its neck. The poem is typically believed to depict the relationship between Sir Thomas Wyatt, Anne Boleyn, and Henry VIII, with Henry staking his claim on Anne, and Wyatt knowing he must give up.  The poem will be recited in the episode, and it will become clear that Johnny = Wyatt, Clarice = Anne, and Henry VIII = Lecter.

This episode also features a piece by Hans Holbien entitled The Allegory of Passion. A little bit of info about this piece - it shows rider upon a horse. Notes on the painting are as follows: Being carried away by love is one thing. But being absorbed with animal-like passion is quite another. It’s the latter kind that was, and frequently still is, frowned upon. The rider looks us in the eye and clings himself to the manes of the horse. He rather seems to enjoy himself. The panicked look of the animal tell us that this ride is not going to stop anytime soon. Wild animal passion is set loose. From the motto at the bottom of the painting, we can tell that this really is an allegory of love and not just a depiction of a horse ride gone wrong. ‘E cosi desio me mena’ (‘And so desire carries me along’) is a line rather similar to one of the poet Petrarch’s (1304-74) Canzoniere.  Of course, this represents Lecter - who throughout the entire series is depicted as an animal seducing a human (Dream of a Fisherman’s Wife, Leda and the Swan, The Rape of Europa, The Allegory of Passion)

Though John Paul Getty lived in America, he had an English country home where he kept his mistresses.  Once again I am taking inspiration from Getty - Molson Verger, an American who also has an English country home for the same purpose.  It’s also a great place for hunting. In this story, it is located in Kent - not far from Hever Castle - the childhood home of Anne Boleyn.

FULL EPISODE SUMMARY:

Clarice officially turns over her information to the F.B.I regarding seeing Trebelaux looting a church in Cyprus. Molson Verger, outraged that Trebelaux has been caught, fires him. Threbelaux doesn’t take it well - knowing full well that Molson is firing him to make it look as if he is the only one who is guilty - and not both of them. Trebelaux yells, screams and threatens revenge, and ultimately is removed from the premises - though not before snagging a recently acquired Holbein, The Allegory of Passion, as well as Lecter’s Canaletto. 

Trebelaux settles in a small cottage nearby the estate, anxiously awaiting an impending trial where his guilt will no doubt be assured.  We watch him begin to formulate a plan, making calls, writing letters...

Molson Verger, in an attempt to do his best to continue to look like he is being supportive of the investigation against his museum calls Clarice Starling and asks if she would like to visit his English Country home for an old fashioned English Country House Party - interesting guests in the art community, some deer hunting, lots of food and alcohol, and of course...what would a house party be without the occasional dalliance? And of course, Verger would be happy to discuss any further information about Trebelaux over the weekend as well...he wants transparency, after all...

Clarice doesn’t think this would be very professional, but when she talks to Johnny about it, he thinks it might be a good opportunity to look at the situation a little closer. Up until now, they have met with Verger in an official capacity, and only briefly. Maybe if they are with him for a long weekend, he or one of his art friends might drop interesting information - or maybe they might have time to search through the house for any incriminating records.  Clarice agrees that there is merit to this and agrees to join the House Party.

Clarice and Johnny arrive and are shown to their separate rooms. When Clarice comes downstairs, she runs into Margot Verger. The last time she saw Margot was in Washington D.C. when they made an agreement. Margot tells Clarice she knows why Clarice is there, and that she wants to help in whatever way that she can. She knows Trebelaux was guilty, but she thinks her father is using Trebelaux to take the fall - she firmly believes that her father is also guilty. Clarice says a good opportunity will present itself, and that she appreciates Margot’s help. 

Most of the guests have already arrived and are in the billiard room drinking before dinner.  Molson Verger takes Clarice into the room and begins to introduce her to people. She is shocked when she finds that Dr.Fell has somehow made the guest list. He smiles at her, and she is incredulous. After some small talk with a few other people, she heads over to a corner and motions for him to come to her, which he does, offering her a glass of wine, which she takes.

She asks Lecter if he is there to kill Trebelaux - if he is, he’s too late - Trebelaux is no longer in Verger’s employ. He tells her he’s well aware of their agreement and shrugs her question away. He says he is here looking for the Canaletto, but it seems Trebelaux ran away with it when he was fired. She then asks him, despite his cosmetic changes over the years, how on earth he managed to not be recognized by Molson - after all, Lecter attacked his son Mason years ago.  Lecter mentions that Molson spent the majority of Margot and Mason’s childhood in England enjoying the company of his mistresses and his art collection while his children lived in America. He never attended the Lecter trial.

Margot walks into the room, and Clarice is concerned.  “How does Margot not know it’s you?” she asks.  Dr. Lecter takes a sip of his wine and leans against the window. “Oh, she knows,” he says.  Clarice raises her eyebrow. She confesses Margot is helping her, and that even if Margot hadn’t known Lecter’s identity, she had some leverage she could have used.  Lecter shakes his head. “Tsk, tsk.”

Later in the evening, Clarice speaks with Margot. Margot admits that she rather likes Dr.Lecter. He was a good therapist to her during a terrible, terrible time in her life. She reveals some of the things Lecter told her to comfort her, and Clarice is oddly moved, looking across the room, locking eyes with Lecter as she continues to speak to Margot. Clarice knows how badly Margot was treated by her brother, and she has witnessed first hand the cruelty her father subjects her to, and she is glad to know that someone was kind and honest with her when she needed it most. 

The next day, preparing for the hunt, Clarice and Lecter manage to speak to one another again.  Clarice mentions that Margot shared some information from her therapy sessions with him. Lecter says that if Margot has chosen to share, that is her right, but as her doctor, he would never reveal anything about their sessions without her permission.  Clarice is further moved and asks if he would ever reveal the things they’ve discussed about her father, the lambs, etc. He says he would not, that it is all stored in her medical files - he points to his head.

Johnny comes downstairs and interrupts Clarice and Dr.Fell. He is rather short and impolite with Dr.Fell. He had been watching them the night previous. He is not Dr.Fell’s biggest fan. He doesn’t think he’s honest. He also has to admit he doesn’t like the way Clarice and Dr.Fell act when they are together.

Everyone heads out to the hunt - some on foot and some on horseback. Clarice canters up to Dr.Fell’s horse and they begin talking about Hannah. Dr.Lecter tells her about his own horse from his childhood - Caesar. The Doctor has not confided much to her about his personal life beyond the fact that his family was killed and his estate pillaged, she doesn’t know the details. She is curious to learn something about him.

During the deer hunt, Hannibal Lecter suffers a flashback to the wounded deer in the snow. Clarice only notices that he seems to be breathing a bit heavily. He excuses himself from the hunt early. The rest of the hunting party doesn’t seem concerned. The hunt - after all - is not for everyone. She sees the body of the deer, and she herself is unsettled and turns back to the house. Brigham watches Clarice depart, knowing she’s going in search of Dr.Fell.

Back at the house, she goes in search of Lecter. When she finds him, she cannot quite bear asking him if he is alright, but dances around the subject, hoping her presence will be enough to convey her concern.  

Lecter is seated in one of the drawing rooms at a harpsichord playing Greensleeves. He tells her a bit about the composition, saying it was said to have been composed by Henry VIII for Anne Boleyn, but this more than likely not true. Anne Boleyn’s home, Hever Castle, however, is only a couple miles away - he thinks perhaps Verger has a Holbein sketch of Anne Boleyn at the house - perhaps they could find it?  He tells her a bit about Holbein and Anne Boleyn as they walk through the various drawing rooms looking at Verger’s art. He tells her of Thomas Wyatt, of the poem Whoso List to Hunt. “A very different kind of hunt.” he says, referencing the hunt from earlier in the day. They then discuss the Holbein The Allegory of Passion, which Trebelaux supposedly nabbed before being fired. “Being carried away by love is one thing. But being absorbed with animal-like passion is quite another.”

That night is another formal evening. Clarice is beautifully dressed with an emerald necklace around her neck. Dr.Lecter is thrilled to see her wearing the necklace he had given her. Clarice is comfortable in formal wear, and ultimately very happy hobnobbing with all of the rich people of the art world who are at the party. She is laughing and having a delightful time.

Johnny stands in the corner in black tie, but fuming. He finds himself jealous and disgusted. He goes to Clarice and pulls her aside and tells her this isn’t like her - that despite not being undercover, she’s acting more like her other identity, the haughty, snobby Elizabeth Chase. Of course, this is not the first time Clarice has considered this - a letter from Lecter months before essentially confirming the same thing. Angry, she tries to deny Johnny’s accusations, despite knowing them to be true. When he asks her where her necklace came from, she is silent and Johnny understands. He understands that Dr.Fell has given it to her and that the necklace is Dr.Fell’s way of declaring that Clarice belongs to him - at least as much as Clarice can ever belong to anyone or be tamed  (There is written her fair neck round about,'Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am, And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.)  He realizes that Clarice also has feelings for Dr.Fell, something she denies, though privately is conflicted.

The next morning when Clarice and Lecter bow out of the second Deer Hunt, Johnny is angry and heads out, annoyed that she is choosing to stay behind with Fell.  As soon as everyone is gone, Margot comes downstairs and the three of them break into Verger’s office. Margot stands guard outside of the office in case someone comes back.

Clarice and Lecter go into the office and begin to rifle through things. As they work,  Clarice tells Lecter of her discussion with Johnny about Elizabeth Chase and that Johnny believes Dr.Fell to be in love with her. Lecter looks across the desk at her. Clarice looks away nervously.  Lecter then says that Johnny is jealous - that Johnny is in love with her. Clarice says that’s absurd.  He looks at her again, serious - “Surely you know when a man is in love with you?” he asks. Again she looks away nervously. He asks if she loves Johnny.  She does not respond. He asks if she wished she did love Johnny.

Verger’s desk is a beautiful 18th-century piece with many hidden drawers and compartments. Clarice mentions a similar one sold at Sotheby’s recently, and she had the opportunity to observe it in person. Lecter is pleased with her knowledge. His impression grows when she finds a secret compartment. Unfortunate it is locked, but Clarice uses a hairpin to break the lock. Lecter is delighted. Clarice grabs the paperwork inside, but they do not have time to look through it before Margot whispers that her father is coming back.

There is no time for them to exit, and Lecter pulls Clarice into a 16th-century Armoire. In such cramped quarters, they are very aware of one another physically, their bodies pressed close to one another. Clarice is very much aware she is sexually attracted to the Doctor - something she’s been trying to deny.

Margot goes into the office and tries to distract her father. Eventually, after some discussion, she is successful and he leaves the room with Margot in tow.  Lecter and Clarice hold back in the Armoire for a while to make sure the coast is really and truly clear. She whispers what an odd house party this has been. He says it seems pretty typical - a house party often finds people stealing moments in dark corners. He kisses her.  When they part he tells her house parties also often see people bed-hopping and knocking on people’s doors at night- the question is, whose door will she knock on tonight? He is, of course, referencing both Johnny and himself.  He kisses her again, and when they part a second time he asks her to “Come to me tonight.” She is silent for a long time. “He’s better than you.” She says, about Johnny, trying to convince herself. “He’s good, and honest and kind.”  Lecter agrees, Johnny is all of those things, and he himself is none of those things.  “You and he have nothing in common.” She says. “Ah,” he says, kissing her again, “That’s where you’re wrong.” She pulls away after a moment, overcome, and rather than respond, she opens the door of the armoire and leaves.

That night at dinner, Clarice finds herself very much tempted. She cannot stop thinking about Lecter and she’s angry at him for seeing through her so easily. She’s also angry with Johnny for confronting her about her behavior. She watches Lecter over the burning tapers across the dinner table and he looks at her hungrily. Johnny notices and is still jealous.  

Later that evening, after much wine, discussion, and singing, people begin to make excuses to leave the room in pairs and go upstairs. It is clear that most people at the party have paired up with someone. 

Pacing around her bedroom in the evening, Clarice finally goes out into the hall and stands in front of the bedroom doors of Dr.Lecter and Johnny, eventually knocking on one of them.  We see the inside of the room and the back of its occupant - but we cannot quite see who it is.  Clarice goes to him and kisses him passionately.

After a moment, we ultimately see that it is Johnny. He is confused at first, but she asks him “Isn’t this what you wanted?” and he admits that yes, of course, he wants her.  Clarice, unable to bring herself to go to Lecter, instead sleeps with Johnny while thinking of Lecter.

The next morning when Clarice goes downstairs, one of the servants tells her that Dr.Fell departed early that morning for the continent, but that he left a package for her. She is handed the small package, unwraps it, and discovers it is The Allegory of Passion. She knows something horrible has happened to Trebelaux.

Pierre Trebelaux’s body is found in the woods where the deer hunts have taken place the past couple of days. He is pinned to a tree and displayed like Wound Man.  Clarice immediately knows that it was Hannibal Lecter’s doing - and that he must have killed the man late in the night - just after she chose to go to Johnny’s bed instead of his.

SEASON 2, EPISODE 14: The Sacrifice of Iphigenia

DATE: February 1992 FLASHBACKS:

Clarice - Watching TV with Ardelia, and seeing Senator Martin, desperate to get her daughter back 

Hannibal - Young Hannibal goes to a Canadian Taxidermist (Grentz) with the intention of killing him. He is too late - Grentz has already moved elsewhere.

InfoFlashback - We see Trebeleaux, some time between being fired and being killed by Lecter. He is speaking to a man and discusses kidnapping Margot.

ARTWORK FEATURED:

The Mask of Agamemnon

The Sacrifice of Iphigenia,  François Perrier

NOTES:

This episode is heavily inspired by the Getty kidnapping of 1973, in which John Paul Getty’s grandson was kidnapped and held for ransom. Getty, cheap and uncaring did not want to pay the ransom, despite being incredibly wealthy and easily able to do so.

Margot Verger, despite being disowned by her father, despite trying to help Clarice plot her father’s downfall, is none the less always trying to find ways into her father’s good graces in an attempt to be written back into his will (see episode 2:8 The Plunder). Her father has recently purchased a couple of expensive pieces from Greece, and she agrees to be the one to escort the art to America to the Verger museum now that Trebelaux is no longer in his employ to oversee the transfer.

While heading back from Greece, Margot is captured by several Sardinian criminals (Carlo, Mateo, Tommaso, and Piero, who appear in this storyline earlier than they do in the novel Hannibal.) At first it is believed that kidnapping had to do with the artwork, but in reality, it had to do with Margot. It is soon uncovered that Pierre Trebelaux, before being killed, hired the Sardinians to kidnap Margot in an effort to get revenge upon Verger.

Clarice - and really the world - are horrified by the kidnapping. It is major world news. Clarice is still talking with Verger every now and then, as his case is ongoing. She wonders if there is anything the F.B.I. can do to help - even if her Art Crime Team Division obviously would not be able to help with a kidnapping- maybe another section of the F.B.I could?  Of course, she quickly is reminded by the F.B.I. that the United States doesn’t negotiate with kidnappers, terrorists, etc, so the fact that Margot is an American Citizen doesn’t really help them - there isn’t much that they can do, unless Verger is willing to pay the ransom privately, which he is legally at liberty to do.

Clarice is aghast when Verger receives a ransom note and refuses to pay it. She thinks of her own relationship with her father. She also thinks back on the Buffalo Bill Case - of how desperate Senator Martin had been to get her daughter back, and she just doesn’t understand how Verger wouldn't simply write a check when he has plenty of money to do so. This causes her a lot feelings about her own father, and she finds herself very close emotionally to this case. Dangerously close. 

Clarice paces back and forth, talking to Johnny, furious at Verger, but unable to confront him. Eventually, she comes upon the idea of manipulating Verger into letting her go after Margot by making him believe that she is going after the artwork. After all...that’s what her division of the F.B.I does, isn’t it?   Would he be willing to pay the ransom for the art and not his daughter? Though there isn’t really a ransom out for the paintings - Clarice convinces Verger she can get the pieces back with his cash.

 She manages to convince herself that if she rescues both Margot AND the paintings, then she is still essentially doing her job and not stepping on any boundary issues. However, she knows she cannot drag her other agents into this. What she is doing would be frowned upon and she will not let them take the heat for it. She’s hoping that it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission - after all, if she’s successful on both fronts, clearly no one will complain?

Hannibal Lecter has been moving throughout Europe, perusing some leads on some artwork from Lecter Castle. Knowing the Trebelaux stole a good deal of his art has helped him gain a few leads in where some of his pieces might be.

Trebelaux, upon being fired, stole several pieces from the Verger Collection - Among them, the Canaletto from Lecter Castle, which he sold to Verger years before back in France, and Lecter had been looking for in Whoso List to Hunt.

Trebelaux went on to sell the Canaletto to another dealer in the hopes of getting enough money to disappear without a trace.. Obviously, he was not successful, having been killed by Hannibal Lecter before he could get anywhere.  Still, Lecter was able to track down to whom the Canaletto was sold..

Tracking down the Canaletto, Lecter is about to kill the dealer who purchased it from Trebelaux, but the dealer begins to beg and spill all kinds of information in the hopes that Lecter will spare his life.  Did he know this Trebelaux fellow was being investigated? Lecter wants to know. Yes, but he needed the Money - he figured he could sell the Canaletto for a lot more than he gave Trebelaux for it. Plenty of museums would be interested in.  Then Lecter wants to know if Trebelaux told him anything about any other paintings from Lecter Castle?  The dealer isn’t sure -  Trebeleaux had mentioned the Verger case, had mentioned wanting to get even, and had mentioned the kidnapping of Margot while transporting artwork into the U.S. What artwork, Lecter wants to know.  The Dealer says he isn’t sure about that - it had something to do with a mask?

Lecter politely thanks the dealer for this helpful information and walks away with a pleasant smile. The dealer breaths a sigh of relief at having gotten away alive.  After a moment he looks down and finds he’s been stabbed and is bleeding out. He didn’t even feel the knife go in.

Lecter has been mildly disturbed by the kidnapping. He likes Margot well enough. But now that he knows that stolen artwork is involved - he knows Clarice will not be far behind. Due to her background and need to save the lambs, he also knows that she will be trying to save Margot, and in order to do this, she will have to essentially pretend to be going in for the paintings. He decides to look in on Clarice and Margot...

Margot is shown putting up quite a fight with the kidnappers. She’s frightened, but she is smart and strong and not easily broken. She gives them the artwork and asks if they will let her go. The episode ends when they let her know that they didn’t kidnap her for the artwork - they kidnapped HER. Piero has a quiet moment with her and tells her not to worry - they mean her no harm as long as her father pays the ransom in a timely manner.  They lock her in a room and she cries alone, knowing her father doesn’t love her and that she’s doomed - her father will never pay the ransom. 

Despite being heavy-handed, Verger is meant to represent Agamemnon, and Margo represents his daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon offends the Goddess Artemis and she retaliates by preventing Greek Troops from reaching Troy unless Agamemnon kills Iphigenia as a human sacrifice. Obviously, the beautiful Greek Mask of Agamemnon and the painting The Sacrifice of Iphigenia re-assert this.

SEASON 2, EPISODE 15: The Persistence of Memory

DATE: March 1992 FLASHBACKS:

Hannibal - While drugged, Hannibal experiences quick flashes of everything we've previously seen. Parents being killed. Mischa screaming. Hannibal's arm is broken. Hannibal in chains. Hannibal mocked by other children in the orphanage. Him killing Mischa's murderers. Grutas telling him Mischa was eaten - but we add to this a new flashback, we've not yet seen - We see Milko urging Hannibal to eat, and then we see Hannibal and Milko squaring off and Milko declaring that Hannibal also ate his sister.

ARTWORK FEATURED:

The Death of Marat by David

Abraham and Isaac by Rembrandt

The Persistence of Memory  by Salvador Dali

The Mask of Agamemnon

The Sacrifice of Iphigenia,  François Perrier

NOTES:

While Dali’s The Persistence of Memory is seen briefly in the episode, the title mainly refers, quite literally, to the persistence of Memory - Hannibal Lecter’s memories.

After some globetrotting and investigating, Lecter and Clarice both manage to find out where Margot is being held a prisoner in Sardinia.

Clarice finds out that both The Mask of Agamemnon and The Sacrifice of Iphigenia are for sale on the black market. Unfortunately, they are for sale through different dealers. She assumes this means that the Sardinians have already sold them. However, if they interview both people and find they have a common seller, she can trace back the location of the Sards. Johnny agrees to go undercover to get information on The Mask of Agamemnon with another agent, while Clarice once again poses as Elizabeth Chase alongside one of her agents, and meets a different dealer in another town regarding The Sacrifice of Iphigenia.

Clarice’s questions quickly anger the people she is speaking to, and it becomes obvious that the kidnappers have already sold The Mask of Agamemnon, but they have not yet managed to sell The Sacrifice of Iphigenia. Thinking she was speaking to a buyer - she quickly finds she’s talking to the original kidnappers.  Clarice goes for her gun, but it is too late - they grab her and place her in the locked room with Margot Verger. 

The kidnappers don’t know Clarice’s real name. They have Elizabeth Chase’s ID.

There is a bit of an argument amongst the kidnappers about the use of the gun. Clarice’s gun went off while they fought with her, and it could have alerted someone with the noise. 

The kidnappers, unsure if Elizabeth Chase came with anyone else, send a man to sit outside the building with a dart gun and keep watch. The dart gun makes less noise and takes someone down without killing them.

Margot is defeated and surprised to find Clarice having come to her rescue, even if she failed spectacularly in that rescue. Clarice says not to worry - that Johnny will come to their aid. He’s in another town, but he has a flight to meet up with her the next evening. Once she doesn’t show up, he’ll know something has gone wrong. 

Hannibal Lecter has figured out where Margot was taken through similar, but less honest avenues than Clarice, speaking to thieves and forgers and seeing if anyone knows anything. Nearby, he heard Clarice’s gun go off and was alerted to her location.

Clarice and Margot work to assess their surroundings and see what, if anything, they can use in order to aide their escape. They have a little food and water, a plate for the food, a single bed, sheets, the clothes on their back and not much else...the building doesn’t seem to be very big, and the door seems to have a fairly normal lock, but they don’t have much they can use to pick it. Clarice comes upon the idea of using the metal underwire from her bra both to pick the lock and possibly use it as a weapon. But they need to know how many men there are, what the patrolling issue is - has she taken notice of the times they come to give her food, march by her door, change shifts, etc?  They quickly begin to formulate a plan but are interrupted when they hear some commotion outside.  They race to the barred window but are unable to tell what happened.

A few minutes later Hannibal Lecter is brought in.  Piero notes that he will not tell anyone who he is. They have not figured out his identity. They throw Lecter into the room, and it is obvious that he is not well. He only manages a few words before losing consciousness. He has been shot with a tranquilizer dart.

Margot and Clarice had been close to formulating an exit strategy during a shift change, but now that Hannibal Lecter is with them, Clarice says she cannot leave him here alone.  Without Clarice’s help, there is no use for Margot to try to escape - they need the manpower.  Clarice hopes if Lecter can survive the tranquilizer, he can add to their manpower and help them.

Clarice worries - what if Johnny finds out she’s missing and comes alone, without reinforcements?  Johnny could be killed.  What if Johnny does rescue them and Lecter is still there - Lecter will be put into jail. She finds suddenly she isn’t sure she wants that either. What if Hannibal Lecter does not live?

Suddenly, we see a scene of Lecter standing in a gallery looking at a large painting of the Sacrifice of Issac. We hear footsteps coming down the hallway. He turns as Clarice approaches him. They both look at the painting together. “Do you think..” he asks, “That God wanted to eat Isaac?” Clarice is puzzled by the question, “No.” She replies, “The angel intervened in time.”  Hannibal Lecter turns to her. “Not always.” Suddenly the painting falls to the floor - other paintings on the walls begin to tremble. The walls suddenly fall away, the floor beneath them crumbling. It suddenly becomes evident that we are inside of Lecter’s Mind Palace, and its walls are crumbling. As they are pulled in opposite directions, Clarice reaches out to him, calling out to him, but the memory rips in half.

We cut back to their secured room, where Clarice is still calling out to Dr.Lecter. He is only half-conscious and whatever he has been given is clearly causing him to hallucinate. Clarice tries to calm him, grabs his hand, lays him down, but still, he writhes and screams. Sometimes he calls out names she does not know - Mischa, Jakov, etc. Margot mentions she was given the same thing Lecter was when she tried to fight her captors once - and that she had had terrible nightmares about Mason hurting her again.  As time goes on, Clarice realizes he’s not just hallucinating - he’s reliving memories. She’s panic-stricken - she is not afraid of him, but she is afraid for him as she tries to hold him back from accidentally hurting himself, as he screams about things she doesn’t understand.  Eventually, she begins to make connections about the things that happened to him, which only causes her more anguish. She has only seen the Doctor composed. The most un-composed she’s ever really witnessed were times he was angry. She’s never seen him afraid. She begins to understand how their pasts are alike.

The Doctor eventually recovers and the three prisoners plan their escape. Clarice picks the lock with her underwire metal, and with shards of glass from a plate of food, Lecter manages to cut Mateo. Carlo runs in and the sheets from the bed are thrown over his head. Carlo escapes with his life, but Mateo dies. Tomasso and Piero were a different shift and Carlo runs to find them on the other side of town, but it is too late.

Lecter, Clarice, and Margot manage to find the painting on the premises. Hannibal Lecter flees before the F.B.I. arrives. When Johnny arrives, he has The Mask of Agamemnon. Both pieces of art are safe and given back to Margot.

Margot returns safely home to give her father his artwork. He is in his bathtub and is pleased to see his art, but does not particularly care that his daughter is home safe. As her father leans back in his bath and closes his eyes, Margot Verger slits his throat.

Clarice, having rescued two paintings, as well as Margot Verger is a hero. Paul Krendler is furious at her conduct, furious that she manipulated Verger and the FBI into letting her take this case and rescue Margot when it was not her place to do so...but much to his dismay, he cannot do anything with her career. She is too well-liked with the press at this moment to strike her down...

[spnfanficpond]

May 2019Pond LiveChat Recap

We learned so much chatting with @consulting-cannibal @neven-ebrez @kittenofdoomage and @thecleverdame today! Thank you all so much for joining us and sharing your experiences!

Our topic this month was monetizing fan works, both fiction and art. A rundown of the chat, as well as links to some relevant sites are below the cut!

Links: 

Wikipedia: Legal issues with fan fiction

Standout Books Publishing Services: Make Sure Your Fan Fiction Is Legal (Or Regret It Later)

Nolo.com: Fair Use: What Is Transformative?

Short recap of the above links, as it pertains to SPN and SPN fan fiction writers, specifically:

Under U.S. Copyright law, the legality of a given work of fan fiction will depend principally on three legal doctrines: (1) copyrightability of the underlying source work; (2) the derivative work right; and (3) fair use. Of these three things, the one that affects us the most is fair use.

There are four factors to fair use:

The purpose and character of the use, whether it’s for commercial, nonprofit, or educational purposes

The nature of the copyrighted work

The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole

The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work

Legally, fair use is decided on a case-by-case basis when a suit is filed by the owner of a copyrighted work. Parody and criticism are presumptively fair use, but fan fiction does not fall exactly inside or outside either of these. Relating to the four items above, fan fiction is more likely to constitute fair use if they are:

Transformative with respect to the original work (Has the material taken from the original work been transformed by adding new expression or meaning? Was value added to the original by creating new information, new aesthetics, new insights, and understandings?)

Non-commercial (not sold for profit)

Use very little of the original work

Do not detract from the potential market or value of the original work

Trademark law is also a factor, but less so in fan fiction than fan art. The Wiki link above has more information on this.

Side note: RPF fan fiction also deals with a celebrity’s right of publicity. Famous people have the right to control the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness, sometimes even their broader identity or persona. Most states’ laws on this only apply to uses for commercial gain.

Read the links above for further explanation of the above notes, and some examples that help to clarify some of the points.

Chat recap:

@emilyshurley offered this link to a YouTube video about Fan art and copyright: Addressing Game Theory’s Biggest Problem. There is also a related link from the same creator that is even more interesting: Game Theory: The FNAF 7 Oopsie

The above info was recapped saying, “To put it simply, as long as you're not selling it, your fan fiction is probably okay, unless the author of the original work has made objections to it, like Anne Rice. If you are selling it, then you need to get into the other parts of fair use.” Zerbe mentioned that Anne Rice has recently reversed her previous anti-fan fiction stance, possibly because of the negative backlash from fans, but more about how she just didn’t want to see it.

The one exception mentioned in the sites linked above was fanzines, where you are paying for the zine, not the stories, themselves, and that’s the legal loophole. Patreon also falls under this loophole, as it is a donation site from one person to another, and what the person donating gets in return is irrelevant. 

Q: Artists have to worry about trademarks more than writers. Can you guys tell us about that?

Scout: I often avoid symbols for just that reason. Zerbe: Well with Supernatural they are already borrowing from a lot of symbols and sigils that are already out there. And then there’s some of the stuff that the art department creates they don’t actually register as copyright or trademark with Warner Bros. Like for example the Mark of Cain was never registered as an official piece of art from Supernatural. The anti-possession symbol is just about the only thing that is not allowed at creation entertainment cons. But even then, a fan showed me one time the art for what they based the anti-possession symbol on dating back to the 1700′s. Scout: Yeah, the WB has gotten themselves into a tricky situation with trademarking and copyrighting, because a lot of SPN is based on things that're already fair use. You can't copyright or trademark most religious-anything, for the most part. Zerbe: When you go to actual cons, though, and you sign up as an artist, there are all these disclaimers telling you what is and is not allowed. But ultimately, a lot of the shows do not have representatives that enforce any of these rules which is why a lot of fanart can get sold. Basically all fan art is illegal if it is not done under the permission of the copyright holders. I do know of some instances where artists have been hired by the copyright holders and those artists are invited as guests to the conventions. Fan fest hosts the Walker stalker conventions and they do this with at least two artists.

Q: So fan artists are in the same boat as fan writers, for the most part, yet more fan art is sold than fan fiction.

Zerbe: Supernatural’s fan art community has been really blessed with a lot of stuff being allowed under public domain and symbols that have existed for hundreds if not thousands of years. Scout: Yeah, with faces and characters, you can't sell prints unless it's under parody, which mine is. Or I sell the original works. Cons don't want you selling prints with faces, because they sell mountains of prints for fans to get signed. Zerbe: A lot of shows will allow you to sell 70% original art and 30% fanart. That’s the current trend amongst convention places. There are some times, however, where representatives from either the copyright holders or trademark people will come through conventions and they will issue cease and desist for some artists. I know of one instance where AMC went through a Walker stalker con when it was in Atlanta and they basically shut every single artist down that violated any of their copyright. The Walking Dead is filmed in Atlanta, so their representatives are more particular about that convention. It’s the same with Supernatural any time they do a convention in the Los Angeles area. Representatives from the WB will attend the convention and they will pull your artist stuff if it is in violation of any of their licensing. I mean honestly, people could print out things of their fan fiction and you could go to certain cons and you could sell printed books of your fan fiction and it would fall under the same basic rules as fan art. You just don’t have a lot of people that do that. For me as a fan artist, I am in a different boat though. The Winchester company wants absolutely nothing to do with Supernatural. And that is why you see Winchester Brothers on things instead of just Winchester. And the things I do to indicate Dean merchandise for example has to do with colors and things that are so basic that I cannot be gone after for copyright infringement.

Q: If a writer were to do that, though, they might want to get into the nitty gritty of the copyright laws before they chose what stories they’d want to sell. Make sure it’s truly transformative, etc.

Zerbe: Honestly, it just boils down to what you’re willing to risk as a seller at a convention. It is harder to shut people down at conventions because they have to send representatives than it is to shut someone down online. The people hosting the conventions all they do is put up their disclaimers in most of the time to them they consider their job done. All convention hosts care about is selling the vendor floor space. That is how they make their money. Creation entertainment is slightly different, though.

Q: Sites like redbubble and CafePress seem to have a lot of fan art for sale that seems illegal to the uneducated eye. Is this simply a case of things slipping through the cracks, and they actually are illegal, or is there something else going on?

Scout: A lot of art slips through the cracks on redbubble. I will get permissions from those who own their likenesses to sell, which can be difficult and time-consuming, but there are times it's been verbal and on a trust-based system. Redbubble is doing its best to help fan artists by getting blanket permissions from several shows to allow fan art to be sold. It's essentially free advertising, and not enough income for Big Names to pay much mind to. Text that explicitly states what you're representing in the work is almost always a big no-no, no matter who you're working with. That's a lot more permissions and paperwork.

Q: That sounds like Kindle Worlds, which I keep hearing about, but when I try to get into it, the sites are all gone.

Zerbe: Yeah that got shut down. It was very open though you are correct.

Q: So, Zerbe, it sounds like your rules are a little different than Scout's rules, simply because you're dealing with less SPN-specific things when you make your jewelry.

Zerbe: Correct. If the Winchester company did want something to do with Supernatural I might be in a different boat. But at this point it’s not gonna happen. Chevrolet also wants nothing to do with Supernatural. The only thing that they care about is the small metal car toys which they already have Chevy’s licensing, it is merely them getting the additional Supernatural license there.

Q: So Scout, your God N Gabe series, that falls under parody, right?

Scout: Parody is correct! And i have permissions from faces in the books to use them. How I've gone about an art career as a fan artist has been really unconventional, unfortunately. Which is why I wasn't sure I would have the strongest advice to give. I work under or closely with most of the people i draw now, which isn't common and more luck.

Q: Rhi and George - Do you know of any controversy or legal challenges or anything revolving around fan fiction on Patreon?

Rhi: Only with regards to Wincest fics. They don't like the more taboo subjects on there. Otherwise, I've not encountered any legal issues. Because I earn in a different currency to what I get in my country, I fill in a form that means I pay tax via Patreon. And I can't be taxed again on it in the UK. George: Not that I know of, because I can also imagine that someone would very easily make it an issue. I just have a hard time believing the CW ever would.  Zerbe: From what I understand and I know I’m not a fanfic writer but it’s one of those things where you can gift certain things in exchange for donations. It’s kinda like how you can get around prostitution by not actually paying someone but instead giving them a gift. You just have to be very cautious with how you word things. George: They call Patreon a "glorified tip jar". I actually just read something that send never to mention commission on Patreon as a creator because that crosses a line.  Rhi: Exactly like George said - if the CW came after a disabled mum trying to feed her kid? It wouldn't look good on them. Zerbe: I don’t think they really care as much about that. It’s just there are so many people that do it that you legally would just drown yourself in fees and you would end up with no money.

George: I feel that fanfic creates hype for television shows. And now, with SPN ending, they’ll depend on it more than ever. They’re still want to sell merchandise and keep money coming in, having a healthy, engaged online community is an important part of that and fanfic is vital. We’re going to be the only ones creating new content and that’s huge. 

Rhi: Ao3 doesn't allow any mention of profiting from fan works. If you put any links to your Patreon or so much as mention commissions, they'll restrict your profile from what I heard. But that's a caution on their end, which I understand. Zerbe: Correct. Because then their lawyers can’t protect you. 

Zerbe: For the convention scene, this stuff kind of goes in trends. Sometimes, they are really accepting of fan artists and encourage fan art as one of the selling points of attending the convention. Other times, they are ruthless with it and will shut it all down. As fan artist, or if you did make books of your fan fic and sold hard copies, we are all really just at the mercy of the industry. Scout: Yeah, it's all incredibly gray in the public space. I've been to a genre convention that one year, completely kicked all fan art out. Anything they saw, shut it down. If it even resembled a show, done. Out. The next year, not a peep. They didn't give a single damn.

Zerbe: Sometimes they go after people when they think you are tarnishing their brand in someway but with Supernatural I mean they have an episode called Fan Fiction and it deals with adding extremely derivative Items to the original work. So much of copyright and fair use really just boils down to if you were taken to court what that particular judge would determine to the best of their ability as to if there’s been a violation or not. Sometimes, things that are even extremely in the realm of parody have gotten taken down for copyright infringement based on the judge’s judgment. 

Q: I did read that with RPF, it gets into Rights of Publicity that each person has.

Zerbe: Yes, the closer something looks like someone’s face especially when it’s Jared Jensen or Misha the faster it’s going to get shut down. Because those guys even with licensing the reason you see the same images over and over is because they do not give permission to use but a certain amount of images. Creation, though, I don’t know what kind of deal they worked out. Creation Entertainment is also a licensee and so they sell licensed products at their conventions. Right now, the current thing that they allow is original works, and yes it can be Jared Jensen or Misha for those, as long as it is an original work. Scout: Yeah, that's why you won't see much of J2M from me. I feel like even with permission you'll get a cease & desist. Those guys do not mess around with their top earners. I've done a handful, but I've been conditioned to believe it's Very Bad And Wrong. George: There was a discussion on NPR about RPF and their legal expert (Stacey Lantagne Assistant professor of law, University of Mississippi) determined that it’s actually not a copyright issue. Because what’s being written it generally understood to be a work of fiction and not defamatory, there’s not infringement. (You can listen to the whole thing here.) In that episode they talk about how it's unique to fan fiction because it the one area where it's understood that this complete fiction, not gossip or brand infringement. But because it's known to be fictional, the writers are in the clear. You should listen! It was really interesting. 

Q: Since we’re an international group, does anyone have anything to add regarding non-US countries and their laws? (The Wiki link above does have a section on laws in other countries, but it’s short.)

EmilyShurley: In India fan fiction is in the clear. (Click here to learn more.)  [From @littlegreenplasticsoldier, who couldn’t attend: Click here and here for info on copyright and fan fiction in Australia.]

Scout: Oof, i imagine it's an even bigger headache in other countries. Zerbe: I know places like Russia don’t have the long copyright laws that the US updated in the 70s. Even when something does not violate copyright law in Russia for example. It still would not be able to be imported and sold in the US because it violates that country’s copyright laws. So, like, after an artist dies and 50 years has passed you can make something in Russia but the copyright laws are longer in the US so no one from the US would be able to buy it.

Q: US law says for works produced after 1978, protection persists for the life of the author plus 70 years. If the work is anonymous, pseudonymous, or made for hire, the copyright endures for 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever expires first. So, we can all freely write and art about SPN in the year... 2115, I think!

George: There will have been a reboot by then. Scout: Fire up the cryochamber! Zerbe: Yeah Disney was a big push for redoing the law as that. And it all comes down to Mickey Mouse. Which will enter public domain in five years I think. So we can expect them as the time approaches for that to become public domain that they may push for longer copyright laws. It wouldn’t matter if there is a reboot, George, because it is the specific depiction of the characters that matters. Copyright will then be applied to the reboot characters upon creation. Because it is about the visual. Sherlock Homes, for example. The original is in the public domain, but the current BBC reboot is not. It’s only if you were specifically describing Benedict Cumberbatch in your fanfic that it would be illegal.

We ended on a comment about companies making fan works of fan works and then being upset about fan works and thank yous all around for all of our guests!! We’re looking for a topic for next month, so if you have something you want us to discuss, let us know!!

Want to support Scout Villegas? Check out this tweet for links to her sites! Want to support Zerbe Hunter? Check out her Etsy shop here! Want to support Rhi’s Patreon? Click here! Want to support George’s Patreon? Click here!

General Pond Updates and Reminders

NOTE: Due to asks getting lost, please send a private chat message to either @mrswhozeewhatsis​ or @manawhaat​ whenever you send an ask or make a submission. We will be keeping track of the details around each lost ask or submission, just in case there’s a common element that can do something about!

Angel Fish Award nominations are accepted all month long! No need to wait to tell us how much you liked a fellow Fish’s work!  IF YOU HAVE SENT IN A NOMINATION, BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A PRIVATE MESSAGE CONFIRMING WE RECEIVED IT, WE DIDN’T GET IT. Be sure to use Submit instead of Ask!

Don’t forget to submit your stories to be posted to the blog! When your stories are on the blog, then they are easier to nominate for Angel Fish Awards!

SPNFanFicPond Season 14 Weekly Episode Challenge - Now that the season is over, we will be reposting each prompt list through the summer months! Remember, there’s no deadline for submissions!

Say hi to April’s New Members!

Check the Pond CALENDAR to see when Big Fish will be in the chat room and other Pond and SPN events are happening! Know of something that’s not on the calendar, send us an ask or submission with the deets info details!  The calendar offers a lot of features, such as showing you when things are in your own timezone! Since we’re an international group, that’s a definite plus!!

We don’t have a topic or speaker set up for June’s event, yet, so if there’s something you want to talk about, or someone you want to talk to, LET US KNOW!

[thechildoflightning]

What’s in a Name?

Part 1- Calendrical Consequences

My Sander Sides series “just keep stumbling forward (baby im waiting for you)” has grown a lot recently. I just hit the tenth work in the series, and as such, I wanted to create something special for the occasion.

First, for anyone who doesn’t know “just keep stumbling forward (baby im waiting for you)” is a Human AU following each of the sides through life, focusing mainly on college and afterwards. Some key points it hits are relationships (romantic and otherwise) and how to cope with trauma. I you haven’t read it and are in any way interested, you can read it here.

Now, as for the special occasion post.

Names have a lot of meaning to me. A lot.

And because of this, everything I have given a name in this series (titles, chapter titles, character names, etc.) has a lot of meaning. So I thought I’d take the time to explain each one. Please note that if you haven’t read the series and are planning on it, this will contain spoilers.

I’ll start with this post just including the largest story “Calendrical Consequences.”

If you would like to read the story, it can be found on ao3 here.

Now, on with the post.

Calendrical Consequences 

The title of the current longest multi chapter fic of the series can be broken down into two easy words- calendar and consequences. This story is chaptered month by month, and so having something do with calendars or months just made sense in my mind. On the other hand, a consequence is any result from an action. Consequences generally have a bad connotation, but they are not strictly bad at all. This story is all about consequences from past situations. The term “calendrical consequences” seemed to fit perfectly, as all of the multiple issues, or consequences, that appear in the story have been building up since time has passed.

Seasonal Equivalent (August)

The North and Southern hemispheres have flip-flopped seasons. The term “seasonal equivalent” is just a fancy term to say which months in the north hemisphere line up with those in the south in terms of season. They are always exact opposites, yet they have the same season. August and March are seasonal equivalents, and in both of these chapters they show the beginning of the rising action. Yet, at the same time, they are completely different. August is laid back and just an intro to the story, while March shows events in full swing, just before the trial. As such, I felt the paradoxical term “seasonal equivalent” fit the chapter perfectly.

Meteorological (September)

The term “meteorological” relates to a branch of science that studies the atmosphere. This chapter, being the second, is still very much introducing the characters and the beginning of the plot, allowing the reader to get a sense of the future atmosphere of the story. I really wanted this chapter title to relate to the fact that you are learning about this story’s atmosphere, but I also didn’t want to be direct and just name it “Atmosphere”. That was much to bland for me. Hence, “Meteorological.”

Collision Course (October)

“Collision Course” was probably the easiest chapter to name. The name evokes a strong sense of urgency, panic, and pain, which is exactly what this chapter is about. Virgil is hit with some very hard news in this chapter, and is therefore stuck right in the collision course of events.

Penultimate (November)

“Penultimate,” simply put, means second to last. November is the second to last month of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. But, the chapter title has a deeper meaning. The thing is, the word “penultimate” is often misused. Many people think that adding the prefix of “pen” to the word ultimate is making a thing or item more ultimate, when in fact it is making it less. This chapter fits this perfectly. It falls right after Virgil’s phone call, what one would think to be the worst news of the story. This chapter helps continue that belief by being more calmly paced. But really, it’s just a lead into the news of the case being made public, the real heavy hitter. Thus, “Penultimate.”

Remembrance (December)

“Remembrance” is pretty much a fancy word for remembering something, especially remembering the deceased. December is the month when the trial is made public, causing a lot of memories of Virgil’s past to flood his mind. It’s a simple name for a chapter, but I like to think it’s poetic, especially when one considers that in a way, Virgil is remembering someone who is dead; his past self.

Two Consults (January)

This title comes strictly from the myth of Janus, who the month of January has been named after. Janus is a god with two heads, one looking forawrd, and the other back. He represents both beginning and endings, because truthfully, don’t the two go hand in hand? Therefore, “Two Consuls” refers to Janus’ two heads and their differing perspectives. This chapter in many ways, introduces new beginnings in the form of Virgil considering reconnecting with his mom. But, it also represents endings. Virgil has a fight with Roman- a fight that was truthfully long overdue- ending their current relationship. Of course, once they make up, a stronger, better relationship rises in its place.

Quadrennial (February)

Something that happens every four years is considered “quadrennial.” Nothing in this chapter is really related to a length of four years, but I still think it works. In the chapter we see Virgil planning to meet his mother for the first time in years. We also see four different conversations between four different characters. With the intense references to fours, and February being the month with an extra day every four years, I felt it fit in nicely.

Late Antiquity (March)

This title is a history term. It refers to the transition period from the classical antiquity ages to the middle ages. It was an upheaval of change in many different areas, but specifically within politics, religion, and art. The “Late Antiquity” chapter is very much a transition period. It shows a changing relationship between Roman and Virgil, as well as Virgil’s first meeting with his mom in years. It is also the lead up to the trial. The chapter is full of transitions and changes, and what fits it better than a historical term meaning exactly that?

Etymology (April)

“Etymology” is the study and origin of words. This chapter is defining for Virgil, as it’s the first time he has faced his abuser since he has been free of his abuser’s control. Virgil is stripped to his very core and is obviously very emotional. I felt that a chapter title relating to one’s origins therefore fit this chapter quite well.

Proletarian Mayovka (May)

In ancient terms, a “Mayovka” was just a picnic, but eventually it grew to have intense political ties. The more modern, but still ancient term “Proletarian Mayovka” became a term for an illegal celebration, while being presented as a perfectly innocent picnic. I picked the term because I felt like it defined the polyamorous relationship in this story quite well. Logan, Patton, Roman, and Virgil are just happy to be themselves and together by the end of this story. But, even if they don’t wish it, four men in a committed relationship together causes a lot of controversy in today’s political climate.

[skeletonpunching]

Vatican Miracle Examiner sidestory - The Wonderful Boss’s Celebration (part 10)

In this sidestory update, in the immortal words of dril:

Actually, no, it’s still terrible.

[Parts 1 and 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, parts 7 and 8, part 9]

“Is it really alright to go without explaining the wine and dishes?” Julia persisted.

“Yeah, it’s fine. While waiting for the main course, how about a little game? Julia, didn’t you say that I was half right about the amuse-bouches just now? That portion was small, and the taste was dense, so I was just a little confused. I’ll get it next time,” Ruggieri replied, evidently fired up. His temperament was such that, when anything was framed as a contest, he couldn’t rest unless he won.

Like a little child...

Julia gazed coolly at Ruggieri’s serious expression.

“Is that so? The course has only just begun.”

Ruggieri nodded.

An hors d'oeuvre - a salad - was quietly set before them. Ruggieri tucked into this, thoroughly savouring it.

“Hmm. This is premium blue lobster tartar. The texture is elastic, and the taste clings; the sharp and crunchy shallots, the tang of lime, and the rock salt all shine through. Spice with a hint of saltiness, and the aroma of the meat-smoking wood chips… It really is a complex flavour. And the oil drizzled over it… Right, this scent - is it argan oil?”

Ruggieri looked at Julia with an expression of how’s that?

Julia applauded.

“Bravo. Argan oil has long been used among the Berbers in Morocco, for food, medicine, and cosmetic purposes. In recent years, it has been recognised for its level of Vitamin E and unsaturated fat, and so production has been trending upwards. But this was expressly prepared using the traditional method - by cracking the hard kernels of the argan tree, and grinding them into a paste to extract the oil. It’s a highly laborious process. So, Ruggieri, you’re almost correct.”

“That again? Well, it’s fine. I’ll definitely be spot-on next time.”

Ruggieri took a swig of wine, scowling.

The waiter brought them a soup; its colour was a deep, clear gold.

Ruggieri tasted a mouthful and sighed, “Delicious.”

“As soon as it entered my mouth, there was a steadily unfurling taste of umami. A complex flavour with an elegant finish, and a rich fragrance that fills the nose… Hmm. It’s like I’ve tasted this somewhere…”

Ruggieri pondered briefly, and then struck his hand.

“Got it - it’s Yezo sika deer. Isn’t it?”

“As expected of a gourmet. The ingredient for the soup’s unadulterated umami flavour is condensed consommé - the soup known as the highest distillation of the French culinary arts. Yezo sika consommé is especially difficult to clarify, and this poivrade is my chefs’ rare specialty. The deer bone and sinew are first cooked in the oven, and then placed in a pot with red wine, red wine vinegar, tarragon, thyme, and water. This is simmered for about eight hours, with the scum carefully skimmed off. The soup produced from this is added, bit by bit, to a mixture of minced deer meat, finely sliced vegetables, and egg whites. After another eight hours of boiling and delicate adjustments to the fire, it is strained through a cloth containing coarsely ground black pepper. Through this filtering and the infusion of the aroma, the poivrade is completed.”

“In short, I’m right this time?” Ruggieri asked, leaning forward. Julia parried him with a bewitching smile.

“Please wait just a little for that answer. The next dish will be along shortly.”

Ruggieri huffed a petulant sigh at Julia’s words.

“I don’t enjoy being kept on edge. Time is money, after all. But anyway, since I’m being kept waiting, how about I ask about the progress on the AI development project that you’re directing? However the presidential election turns out, intelligence operations are the key. We can’t have Robert Mercer’s methods getting ahead of ours.”

“Robert Mercer, is it? An early developer of artificial intelligence, and the co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies - a quant fund with investments of over a trillion yen, which has gathered the world’s top AI researchers. He is one of the largest donors to the Republican Party, after the Koch family, and is another leading figure in the Tea Party movement. He’s also known as an advocate of global warming denial.

“These days, there’s no discussing the world of investment without mentioning AI… More than that, you could say AI completely dominates the field. It monitors global economic indicators 24 hours a day, and through its overwhelming research prowess and automatic learning capability, it can discern the signs and conduct trades quickly and calmly.”

“Yes, and Robert made huge sums of money that way to spend freely on the election, becoming the single greatest backer of the current president. But what’s important is the method. He funded the election consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which launched a massive smear campaign against the opposing candidate. They used Facebook to illegally collect large amounts of personal data, analysed this data, and posted extensively on Twitter using numerous chatbots. That’s how they masterfully gained control over public opinion, and won the battle by a fractional margin.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. Our intelligence-gathering network extends into every corner of the American political arena, and besides, Galdoune’s lower division makes use of high-performance bots that are equipped with faces, fictitious addresses, even human existences. Their responses are so smooth that they are indistinguishable from living humans. They already number over sixty thousand, and calculations show that a full thirty million ordinary citizens have come into contact with them, directly or indirectly.”

“Sixty thousand isn’t enough. Prepare two hundred thousand.”

“Understood. We’ll increase it to two hundred thousand within half a year. As for the especially powerful influencer AI, it’s also in the implementation stage.”

“Right. AI bots which pose as humans to spread information are becoming strategically indispensable... We’re in a strange time. But this is a world where wealth, and even human hearts and behaviour, can be manipulated using data. That’s the true nature of the world we live in now.

“We’ll outwit our opponents more skilfully than Robert, without revealing our identity. That’s work you’re familiar with, isn’t it?”

As Ruggieri spoke, his gaze fell to the dish of poisson that had arrived.

[to be continued 10th October]

[ask-de-writer]

WARRIOR CLAN : 1 part : Science Fiction in the Lezon saga.

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Science Fiction

WARRIOR CLAN

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

4874 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

writing begun 2004

All   rights reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed on or   to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the   express  written consent of the author.

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Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users  of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.   They may  reblog the story.  They may use the characters or original characters in  my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical  compositions, provided that such things are done without charge.  I will  allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.  

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fictions is actively encouraged.

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Dramatis Personae:

Lezon Treh K’lass: Long time slave of Clan D’ancer. During the events of Lezon found to be the long missing M'cratt War Leader.

T’cass: one surviving sister wife of the Clan D’ancer triad. Injured as a result of happenings in Lezon

K’ress: the second surviving sister wife of the Clan D'ancer triad.

T’lass: youngest kit of Clan D’ancer.

K’sere: middle kit of Clan D’ancer.

T’cill: oldest kit of Clan D’ancer.

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Lezon sat alone in the control compartment of the small Clan starship, D’ancer. The tachyonic screens showed a rich system falling astern. M’rel was back there, murdered by a M’cratt Talon carrier, the Hand of Claws. All that the Talons’ disruptors had left of M’rel’s unarmed lighter was a cloud of vapor.

They had lost their other lighter to those same Talons but T’cass had successfully put down on the second planet before her lighter was hit and managed to escape the fate of her ship. Unfortunately the planet was a rocky giant and far too close to its blue giant star for long term safety.

Before the attack on M’rel made it necessary for Lezon to reveal her identity to the other members of the Clan, only T’cass knew that Lezon was the nearly legendary M’cratt War Leader, Lezon Treh K’lass, believed to have been lost from an assassination attempt in the battle at M’onafar. The regeneration of the nearly dead Lezon had produced a nearly impenetrable disguise.

In the engagement that followed the M’cratt attacks on their lighters, they were far out gunned. Lezon had succeeded in damaging the Talon carrier enough to make a running battle of it by hitting one of its returning Talons just at the big ship’s shield boundary.

Even in ships that outpace light itself, stars remain immense distances and long travel times apart. The running battle covered several light years. Lezon’s legendary cunning in combat finally succeeded in destroying the Hand of Claws along with an entire triple sun system. It took eight months to return for T’cass.

Now, two months after being picked up, T’cass was still in the MediBed. The reports from that expensive piece of hardware were encouraging. T’cass’ joints and back were regenerating nicely from her eight months in the crushing gravity of the planet where she was marooned.

Speaking of the rest of Clan D’ancer, Lezon keyed the in-ship screens and saw that the D’ancer Clan’s three kits were in the fabrication shop learning metal smithing and machine work along with an obvious lesson in composite plastics. K’ress, one of the kit’s two surviving biological mothers, was teaching the lesson. Lezon appreciated that. Mostly, teaching the kits what they needed to know was Lezon’s job. K’ress had taken up much of the work of the Clan’s slave. With one of the clan’s Triad in sickbay and the other dead, the D’ancer was seriously understaffed.

Lezon consulted her schedule and signaled to K’ress. “It is time for the kits to study their history lessons. Pick up with the treaty of 0947 Treaty Commission Standard. I’ll be down to take the lesson shortly.”

There were predictable cries of, “History! That’s dull!” and, “We want to stay in the shop!”

K’ress looked at the comm panel and echoed the kits. “Look, Lezon! They’ve almost got this pattern welded steel right, see?” She held a blank for a blade to the panel for Lezon to inspect. It wasn’t finished yet but a quick acid wipe brought out the pattern of stars worked into the swirls of the multitude of thin layers of forge welded steel that made up the blade.

With honest admiration, Lezon said, “You’re teaching them very well, K’ress. I could not do better. Another hour, then. It will have to be made up, though.”

K’sere looked up from her screen of history lessons and saw Lezon lounged carelessly by her own console, working on some sort of mathematical problem. K’sere knew that appearances were deceiving. Lezon was working on her problem, no doubt, but she was also alert to everything happening aboard the D’ancer. A little screen split showed the ship condition at all times and, K’sere was aware, Lezon had already noticed that she was looking away from her screen.

She asked cautiously, “Lezon, why do the M’cratt always break their treaties?”

That brought an instant reaction from her M’cratt teacher. Lezon locked her green eyes on K’sere and her pupils narrowed to almost invisible vertical slits. In a totally level tone she stated, “I was not aware that the M’cratt have ever broken a single treaty. Please support your assertion. Snack points if you can.”

Having known her teacher all of her life, K’sere was suddenly far less sure of herself. She forged ahead, now certain that some sort of unexpected thing lurked in what seemed so obvious to her. Where Lezon was involved, the unforeseen was the norm.

“Right here, it says that the M’cratt signed a peace treaty after the War of T.C. 0947 and then made the opening attack of the next war in T.C. 0986.”

Lezon nodded briskly in agreement. The other two kits of Clan D’ancer were watching with interest. History might often be dull but having it taught by one of the true living legends of the last War tended to make things more than a bit interesting at times. It was only recently, since the battle with the Hand of Claws, that they had learned who Lezon really was. She had been a unique War Leader even among the Warriors of the M’cratt. Besides, T’cill and T’lass weren’t the ones having to watch out for their snack points.

Lezon seriously asked, “So, in what particular was the treaty broken? What did the Treaty Commission do about it? If the treaty were broken by the M’cratt, they would have intervened on the side of the Clan. Did they?”

K’sere could see her snack points retreating in disarray, even if she could not yet see the cause of the stampede. “The Treaty Commission didn’t do anything! There was a War!”

“And?” Lezon interposed, “Why did the Treaty Commission do nothing?”

Almost contemptuously, K’sere spouted the common excuse, “Because the T.C. doesn’t interfere in wars. They just protect habitable planets from illegal attacks!”

Lezon frowned, laying her ears so flat to her skull that they were almost hidden in her mane. “K’sere! I know that you have studied the Treaty Commission Charter! They are required to stop treaty violations! Who was it that they stopped?” Lezon purred, “Clan or M’cratt?”

K’sere paged through her information, using all the search keys that she could think of. Perplexed, she looked up and saw her teacher’s tail twitching in amusement. “It doesn’t say.”

Sardonically amused, whiskered lip pulled slightly up from her right fang, Lezon said, “I know. This is a Clan written history prepared for the young by Clan historians. I do need the permission of T’cass and K’ress both to go beyond it. They are the remaining two of your mothers and your Clan’s leaders.”

She keyed the console and spoke briefly to the surviving parents of her charges. In only moments, the little room got smaller. K’ress came in and sat with the kits. “I would like to hear your answer to K’sere’s question too, Lezon. Back before we got married, both you and T’cass did drill it into us that the M’cratt didn’t break the Treaty. I will help with part of the answer.” Thinking of M’rel’s death brought another tear. Would she ever stop mourning her triad wife?

K’ress turned in her seat to face her kits, wiping away the tear, and pointed her ears frankly forward as she said, “The T.C. interfered only three times during the last War. Each time, it was to save a M’cratt world from space-borne bombardment by biosphere destructive weapons.

“The last time, it was M’cratt itself, saved from complete destruction as a planet.” She hung her head in shame. “Our leaders were ready to bombard the Imperial Planet into an asteroid field. That is why there is a Treaty Commission. They stopped us from doing a great evil.

“I know that the M’cratt did not break the treaty. If they had broken the treaty, it would have violated the Warrior’s Way. That is something that they will not do. The Empress Triad ordered the executions of three M’cratt commanders WHO WON engagements because they violated the Warrior’s Way to do it.”

Little T’lass diplomatically put her claws into the discussion and batted it onto a new path. “Maybe we are asking the question the wrong way about. What did the M’cratt sign if it wasn’t a peace treaty?”

Lezon beamed. “Excellent logic, T’lass. Snack points! What did the Imperial Triad sign? Everybody get the treaty on screen in both Clan and M’cratt.” There was a small flurry of activity as screens flickered and keys clicked.

“Got it, Lezon,” a ragged chorus said.

“There it is!” said K’sere, pointing in triumph. “The title is, Treaty of Peace!”

Almost sadly, Lezon pointed out, “In Clan, it does say that. What does the M’cratt translation of the treaty say? Remember, that translation is the only version that was signed by the Imperial Triad.”

K’ress had already pulled up a M’cratt lexicon and was puzzling out the unfamiliar and therefore difficult characters. “It says, Treaty for a Time of No Conflict. Doesn’t that mean peace?”

“No,” said a mellow voice from the doorway. “You can’t say peace in M’cratt. The language doesn’t even have the concept. To say ‘no conflict’ is a contradiction in terms like ‘I can’t stand sitting.’ It negates itself.”

“Mommy T’cass!” the kits called out in excitement. “You’re up!”

“Only for an hour, children. The MediBed is most insistent that I return.” T’cass ruffled their ears and scratched juvenile manes. “Now get back to your desks and I will answer K’sere’s question.”

She seated herself at Lezon’s teaching desk and asked the room, “Does anybody in this room know where I was born?”

At the blank looks from the rest, Lezon replied, “Your mothers were ambassadors to M’cratt for Clan interests. I don’t know where you were born. Is it important?”

T’cass cocked her head at Lezon and said, “You must all decide that for yourselves. I was born on M’cratt, in the Imperial City. My mothers put me into K’lass’s School of All Conflict.”

Lezon interrupted to ask, “How is my old teacher? I have been unable to check, myself, due to remaining in concealment.”

T’cass smiled, showing many teeth, “She not only survived the war, the last that I checked, her school remains the most respected one in the Empire. I was just a kit but I did well and learned the Warrior’s Way along with all the others. By the time that I was half grown, I was translating for my Mothers. My story begins with that.

“Nobody was willing to listen to what I tried to tell them about the treaty that we had with the Empire. When I tried to tell other Embassy staff about the flaws in the treaty, I learned a hard lesson. Some of them had written and translated that treaty. They were not receptive to a juvenile saying that the highest point of their careers was a mistake. They got my mothers recalled and replaced by others less competent.

“The next few years were the most awful time in my life. It was spent as a young adult in Clan Space. I spoke Clan perfectly but had trouble understanding some parts of it. I had been raised as a Warrior and I was now in a place that hated war and failed entirely to understand the nature of conflict. Only Lezon can understand what that means.”

Lezon nodded understanding, saying, “Now I know why you were so patient with me at first. I wasn’t a very good slave back then.”

T’cass smiled softly and pointed her ears directly as she replied, “No, you weren’t. You still aren’t, for that matter, but this Clan would be far worse for not having you in it. You were, and still are, a Warrior. A Battle Friend. I needed someone around who actually understood me.

“The War changed everything. My training allowed me to predict the nature and location of the M’cratt attacks. I spoke perfect M’cratt and could interrogate prisoners. I was the best fighter pilot and tactician in all of Clan Space. I was promoted to the Tactical and Strategic Board.

“I remained unpopular. I was constantly telling off anybody who tried to say that the M’cratt had broken the treaty. It is not the fault of the M’cratt that the Clan’s translation failed to convey what they meant.

“K’ress, the lexicon that you just used to translate the treaty title is the same one the Clan translators used to make the treaty. It is worse than merely wrong, it is almost right. The correct reading of the title would be something like Treaty Governing the Time of Preparation for New Conflict.”

There was a soft hiss of indrawn breath all about the room as the kits and K’ress realized the implications of the mistake.

T’cass went on, “The M’cratt language is built around three fundamental states of conflict, each related to one of the Goddess’ Triad.

“There is preparation for Conflict, represented by Lezon, keeper of the Cave of Life. She prepares the souls of the dead to return to the Conflict of Life. She represents the memory of Conflict won or lost, as lessons to be learned. She is also the bridge from the past to the future.

“There is Conflict itself, in all of its forms. It is represented by Treh, Huntress of the Stars, whose battles bring Light to the world. She also represents Life itself. Life and Conflict are the same word. Conflict is inherent in the present as it is in all tenses.

The last state is death, usually but not precisely translated as the future tense. It is not freedom from Conflict. K’lass is the guide whose wisdom, if followed, leads the souls of the dead through difficult battles. They have to relive every conflict that they ever experienced and learn the best response to each one. Then K’lass leads the souls to Lezon in the Cave of Life. K’lass represents Wisdom in the Management of Conflict which is the source of all perfection.”

T’cill raised a hand. “I thought that Lezon lit candles to light the way of the dead to the Cave of Life,” she said earnestly.

Lezon smiled, “I tried to keep my explanation simple before. The candle is a beacon for K’lass. It assists her in finding the souls of the fallen. Once she finds them, she is their guide. Only she knows where the Cave of Life is.”

T’cass looked directly at Lezon and added, “You risked your life to give me a Warrior’s Return to Clan territory at the battle of K’stall when I ran out of firepower while we were dog-fighting. Someone with that sort of honor could never allow the treaty to be broken in the war she planned and was carrying out … the war that the Clans nearly lost.

“K’sere’s question must be stated as T’lass did it. How could the treaty be kept and still allow a war? Now, you know. It was our own translation error. The Combined Clans only thought that it was a peace treaty.”

Lezon smiled and the world was full of friendly teeth. “When I planned that war, the terms of the treaty were kept carefully. The honor of the Empire and the Imperial Triad were at stake. The war was only possible because it was not a peace treaty. Neither is the current one, by the way. The Clan translators have made the same errors all over again.

“The Treaty Commission does know the correct reading of the treaty and that is why they did not intervene. Their job is strictly limited by their Charter. They can not assist in the making of treaties. They only enforce the treaties that others have made and protect habitable planets from illegal, biosphere destructive attacks.”

“T’cass, when I fought you at K’stall, I met and tested a Warrior. The Warrior’s Way required that I give you the Return. That placed you under an Obligation of Conflict. You balanced the Obligation when you saved my life after M’onafar.”

All of the D’ancer’s Clan listened intently. This was about the foundation of their family, not just history. T’lass asked, “Can you tell us why nobody knew who you were? I know that they searched for some proof besides your wrecked Talon that you died at M’onafar. We’ve all read about that.”

It was T’cass who answered. “Nobody else knew who she was because I knew who she was. This was before I met M’rel and you, K’ress. I had never found anybody who understood me and was willing to accept me. I didn’t know that it was possible for anyone from the Clans to love me.

“Besides the Obligations of the Warrior’s Way, I had my own reason. She was a Battle Friend and wounded seriously. She needed to be shielded from her enemies. They were not only in the Clans. In fact, Lezon was safer with me, among the Clans, than among her own.”

T’cass paused and clicked up a picture that was now famous. It was Lezon’s battle damaged Talon fighter. She rotated the image to show the damaged driver array. “What I am telling you now has been a secret kept between me and Lezon. I shot up the drivers and the life system myself, after I took Lezon out of the wreck.”

Using a pointer, T’cass indicated a section. “Look closely at this area,” she directed.

K’sere wrinkled her brow as she looked at the picture under high magnification. She stated, “That looks like a M’cratt disruptor hit.”

Lezon said quietly, “It is. My Talon was hit from behind by a low powered attack when my vector would carry me away from the M’cratt battle formation. It destroyed the superconducting cables to my drive, wounded me slightly and caused some other damage. Even injured and losing air, I almost got my Talon back home.

“I was only about three inches of superconducting cable short of getting power up. I tried to bridge the gap with copper. It almost worked. The saturation blast from the failure of the superconducting drive circuit is what nearly killed me.”

Puzzled, T’cill, oldest of the kits, asked, “Why did they try to assassinate you? You were winning the war for them.”

Dryly, Lezon answered, “Precisely. And the only reason that the admirals and other leaders took directions from a mere combat pilot was that the Empress Triad ordered them to. The youngest wife of the Empress Triad, S'tand, just happened to go to K’lass’ School of All Conflict at the same time that I did. The Imperial Triad knew that every conflict that I planned or participated in at the School of All Conflict came out the way that I wanted it to.”

T’cill’s snout wrinkled skeptically along one side. “Why were you a fighter pilot then? Why weren’t you one of those admirals?”

T’cass picked that one up. “They couldn’t keep her from fighting. It’s a guiding principle of the Warrior’s Way. A Warrior must be allowed to fight. Those high officers took it poorly when the Empress Triad’s chosen War Leader refused their company and the safety of their positions aboard fortress ships. I think that they felt that it reflected on their courage.”

Lezon said dryly, “As a matter of fact, that was pointed out to them by the Empress Triad in person. It may have had something to do with the assassination attempt.”

A gentle bonging began to sound. T’cass wrinkled her snout at her kits affectionately and said, “Now you know how the M’cratt see those issues that the Clans think of as treaty violations. In fact, the only ones who have violated the treaties are the Clans. They are also the ones who bungled the translations.

“Now, the MediBed is calling and I do have to go. Be as good as you can be and still be the D’ancer’s kits.” She reached over and ruffled juvenile manes, then raised her claws in farewell and left the room. In moments, the bonging ceased.

Lezon turned to the kits and asked, “Does everybody understand the situation that K’sere brought up?”

They all made noises of agreement.

“Enough to take a test on the subject?” Lezon asked looking aslant at them. The agreement was complete but nowhere near as enthusiastic.

Suddenly, Lezon’s tail twitched and her ears shot up jauntily, “Good, because we’re not going to put that test on the computer for the Educational Combine to find! T’lass, for your suggestion, Snack Points! K’sere, for bringing up the topic, Snack Points, after all!

“Let’s go to the galley and get lunch!” Lezon said cheerfully. “Will you kits kill T’cass’ lunch and take it to her? The MediBed will allow her real food now but she still can’t pounce her own.”

A delighted tumble of kits charged out of the compartment. Lezon shook her head in wonderment. Smiling she said, “Kits! Such simple things can make them so happy.”

K’ress smiled fondly after her Clan’s progeny and agreed, “I wish that life was that simple for us.”

Suddenly serious, she said, “I fear that it may get complicated for us all over again, Lezon. I tried to discuss this matter once before. We … were interrupted. It is about manumission. T’cass and I both want to free you. The kits do too. In fact, what we need to ask was first proposed by them.

“Our problem is simply this. We want to ask something of you and by Clan law, the question can only be asked of a free person.”

Lezon was actually afraid. For one who followed the Way of the Warrior there was only one way to deal with fear. It had to be faced. Voice shaking, she replied, “Then let me have you all there and do as you feel you must.” Bleakly, she added, “I did tell you, there is no place for me, if I am freed. Where will I go?”

Sympathetically, K’ress laid her hand on Lezon’s arm said gently, “Come up to T’cass’ bedside and take your freedom from her claws. You know that she wishes you no ill. I hope that you will trust the rest of us, too.”

Bracing herself, Lezon nodded, saying, “I will have to.”

They came in just in time to hear the kits say with pride, “We checked the MediBed computer and chose one exactly the right size for you!” K’sere reached into the serving cage and neatly caught and killed the snack, giving the still quivering creature to her birth Mother.

Smiling in delight, T’cass accepted it and bit into her lunch. Chewing and swallowing, she said, “Thank you, children. I love you all. It was loving you that kept me going while I was stranded.”

Looking past the kits to the door, she said, “I see that it is time for something else. Is everything ready?”

“It sure is!” T’cill exclaimed, practically hopping in excitement. “We finished it just in time, too! Can I go get it?”

“Please,” requested T’cass. “I think that we will have a good use for the things that you made. I also need you to stop by my cabin and get me the item from the locked cabinet as well.”

T’cill fairly flew out of the compartment. Shortly the kit returned with a long bulky bundle and an object carefully wrapped in oiled silk. She carefully laid everything on the MediBed beside T’cass.

T’cass looked sympathetically at Lezon and said, “Lezon Treh K’lass, within this Clan you have never been a slave, no matter what the law might have said. I took your submission and refused the notion of surrender. The time has come to take care of the matter of Clan law. Please come here to my side.”

Lezon stepped up to the bedside of the only M’cratt Warrior that had ever been born of Clan parents and said, “Battle Friend, if you free me, where shall I go? The Clans will try me for the last War. The M’cratt have no place for me either. The new Treaty forbids me from my home if I am ever found. There is no place for me.”

T’cass smiled and replied, “Lezon, trust me in this. It is to discuss your place that it is necessary to free you. Take this from my hands. I saved it from your Talon to give it back to you some day. This is that day.”

She unwrapped the oiled silk and held out to Lezon a pattern welded steel knife. The unique pattern of this knife was perhaps the most famous in either Clan or M’cratt spaces. Against a fall of the finest maidenhair pattern, worked into the form of the Great M’cratt nebula, small star and eye shapes revealed the faces of the Triple Goddess. It was the Warrior’s knife made by Lezon Treh K’lass. T’cass held it out handle first, free of the plain M’cratt fast draw sheath.

T’cass intoned formally, “Lezon Treh K’lass, your service to the Clan D’ancer has been honorably acquitted. By returning your Knife, I arm you as a free Warrior. I hope that you will continue to fight by my side and that of my Clan. I can no longer compel you by either Clan law or M’cratt submission. Take back your Soul Knife and free choices.”

Lezon took the big blade and carefully strapped the sheath to her leg. Placing the knife flat on her palm she offered it to T’cass’ touch.

T’cass responded, “I cannot, in Warrior’s Honor, accept the gift of a favor yet. There is more to do and speak of first. The kits made these. I hope that you find them worthy for the rest of us to bear.” She held to Lezon the long package.

Unwrapped, it proved to be six ceremonial spears. Their blades were of elegantly worked pattern welded steel mounted on hafts of tough composite plastic inlaid with the signs of the Triple Goddess of the M’cratt. Lezon examined them each carefully, with the critical eye of a true expert. The kits held their breath until Lezon smiled.

“These are as well done as any spears that I have ever handled,” she pronounced. Knowing what was needed now, Lezon handed the first spear to T’cass, saying, “Battle Friend, accept this gift of arms and fight by my side.”

Solemnly T’cass nodded and took the weapon. In turn, K’ress, T’cill, K’sere, and T’lass took theirs. Lezon took the last spear and choked slightly as she stated, “As you will stand at my side, so shall I be at yours.” She turned to T’cass and added, “So this is my place? Here with you all? What of the Clans?”

K’ress smiled almost wickedly as she spoke. “They don’t need to know any more about you than they already do. Of course, if they even think about getting uppity, there’s a few practical details that they will need to consider.

“This vessel will fight for your safety and life. They will know that it has just destroyed a powerful M’cratt Talon Carrier single handed. As the cream on that snack, there’s the pesky detail that we also inadvertently destroyed a triple sun system while discharging the weapon that finished the Hand of Claws. Three stars splatted so hard that there is only one is left. Oops!”

“What of my knife?”

T’cass nodded, acknowledging a potential difficulty, and said, “I am known to possess that war souvenir. I have given it to you as a freely given gift after your help in saving our lives.”

Lezon accepted that and asked, “The Clans will believe that, even if no M’cratt would. Now, what was so important that you had to free me to ask it?”

Suddenly very serious, T’cass replied, “First, know that your place with us is secure no matter what your answer to our question. What we need to ask does go against the Warrior’s Way but you have done so already, in a way that gives us hope that you will accept our offer.”

K’ress moved over to where she could hold T’cass’s hand and each of them held out her free hand to Lezon. “Will you marry us, Lezon? Will you make our Clan triad whole and become a true mother to our kits? Please?”

Lezon looked carefully about her, at all of these people that she had known and served for so long. She could see the fear that she would reject them written plainly on the faces of the kits. She loved them. She already knew that. How to show it though? The Warrior’s Way had given her a lifetime of training in repressing such expressions.

Lezon smiled, swept her arms about the kits, gathering them together, and enclosed them in the grip that she gave to T’cass and K’ress. Holding all of them at once, Lezon said, “I would be honored. Knowing you has showed me that there is a truth that goes beyond the Warrior’s Way. It has also showed me that the truth of the Clans is not complete either. I think that we are about to create something new.”

Slightly dryly, T’cass snorted, “Life should be interesting around here from now on. I am glad that you accepted us, Lezon. We do love you. All of us. The D’ancer Clan is going to be a unique one, with two who were raised as M’cratt Warriors in it.”

“It will be strange indeed,” responded Lezon. “After all, how many Warrior Clans are there? Just this one, I think.”

–THE END–

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Science Fiction

This completes Warrior Clan . If you enjoyed what you just read, please go to the Master Story Index for links to all of the stories that I have posted on Tumblr.

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[yoiotdfics]

Fic Rec List August 2017

The Complexities of Eros

FullBladderLemons (orphan_account)

Summary:

Yuuri has to pee and can’t get out of his Eros costume…Victor helps. That’s about it. Pre-relationship/pre-canon.

Red As Carnations

v_larr

Summary:

“You made flowers grow in my lungs, and although they are beautiful, I can’t breathe.” ~~Unknown

Pillow Case

Creep

Summary:

He checked that he has all his stuff and he was about to leave when his eyes caught the pillow on the bed. It still had the imprint of Yuri’s head. On impulse, Otabek grabbed the pillow and took the pillow case, putting it on his bag.

He left his room and wondered what the fuck he had just done

sweet citrus scented sin

Yasuo_Karada

Summary:

Yuuri’s first mistake was consulting Chris for advice.

Yuuri’s second mistake was clicking on the link that was sent his way.

His third mistake was allowing the ‘Well…’ to pop into his head, as if that was enough to justify things, and before he knew it he was packing up two grapefruits into the cart, tossing in some oranges and a handful of random other fruit to make it less conspicuous. Viktor didn’t even bat an eye at the checkout.

Promises, Promises

mousapelli

Summary:

They really shouldn’t, but that never stops Yuuri and Victor.

Bachelor Party

justrae2010

Summary:

It’s not every bachelor party that you’re treated to a strip tease from your fiancee.

set my heart on fire

FunnyLittleOwl

Summary:

In a world where a broken heart was a literal condition, it was unbelievable to think any owner could be so careless with their own beating organs.

Victor Nikiforov was.

So it wasn’t the least surprising when his Heart decided to take matters into its hands.

(Inspired by the short In a Hearbeat.)

Jokes

kiazareni

Summary:

“Beka,” he says his name again and plays with the longer strands of black hair, strokes his nails against the bristles of his undercut, “you’re the worst best friend ever. Pay attention to me!”

Based on the tumblr prompt: things you said when you thought I was asleep

St. Petersburg is for Layers

Perpetual Motion (perpetfic)

Summary:

Otabek vs. the Russian Winter goes exactly how you’d expect.

he took me to my knees (and now he’s got me prayin’)

orphan_account

Summary:

Viktor and Yuuri try out something new: cockwarming.

your warmth is home

DefiantDreams

Summary:

Viktor Nikiforov would give Katsuki Yuuri the world, whether he asks for it or not. He wants to love Yuuri, and this is simply just one of the ways he knows how.

aka:

Viktor the service sub, ft. cock warming

in which otabek is a (dog loving) criminal

sshibal

Summary:

“I can’t believe you were getting dicked and didn’t tell me,” JJ says when he catches Otabek sneaking out of Seung-gil’s hotel room.

Seung-gil kind of/sort of runs illegal dog cuddling sessions during competitions; Otabek is his unlikely partner in crime. Or three times Otabek introduced people to Seung-gil’s dog on accident and one time he does it on purpose.

But Sometimes Family Picks You (goodbyes)

FyreFaerie

Summary:

He hadn’t been stupid. He’d known that his grandfather was getting old and worked too much for his age. He just hadn’t been ready to say goodbye

Warning: Character death (I feel like the summary kind of explains it though…)

Social Network Cinderella

Lanerose

Summary:

Yuuri calls Phichit the morning after the Sochi Grand Prix Final to let him know that he has found (and lost?) his soulmate.

Phichit comes to the rescue the only way he knows how.

The Perils of Praises

WinterSky101

Summary:

Mari and Minako were Not To Be Trusted.

call me!

its_nochillforov

Summary:

There’s a beautiful stranger on Yuuri’s train so of course the only practical course of action is reading over this beautiful stranger’s shoulder. In Yuuri’s defense, it’s actually a really good book. And the stranger’s cologne smells really good.

And in that moment, Yuri realized: he fucked up.

SparkleMeow

Summary:

{{inspired by}}

“At the hospital:

*Viktor wakes up from an accident*

Viktor: Where’s Yuuri?

Yurio: Who do you think gave you this heart?

Viktor: *starts tearing up* no…

Yurio: JK he went to the bathroom”

Honey, Bee Mine

emeraldonyxdragon

Summary:

Inspired by a silly discord chat. Yuri loves going back to visit Gramps’ farm over the summer, but not so much when his indoor cat Potya decides she likes life outside better. After some fruitless chasing, Yuri decides that he might have to let Potya out more often if it means getting to talk to the young beekeeper next door. Also includes art!

[Art] Honey, Bee Mine - An Otayuri Beekeeper AU

thisiseclair

Boys & Their Toys

orphan_account

Summary:

“Yūri!” Phichit exclaims, picking up the phone on the third ring.

“What does it mean when your neighbor gives you a dildo?” Yūri asks without preamble.

On the other end of the line, he hears something that sounds like choking, followed by a series of violent coughs.

Idol Eyes

Sotakura

Summary:

Yuuri begins packing up his life in Japan, preparing for his upcoming journey to St. Petersburg.

Victor offers to help, but finds some surprises buried in Yuuri’s closet.

(or: Victor finds some hidden merch with his face on it.)

Intoxication

Zetal (Rodinia)

Summary:

After the short program in China, Chris goes out to dinner with a group of friends. Masumi, after spending months avoiding Chris, goes with them.

Katsuki “PDA Monster” Yuuri

Adrianners

Summary:

When he kissed Yuuri for the first time, Viktor assumed that would be the end of any public romantic gestures between them. Yuuri, however, had other plans.

Five times Viktor was surprised by Yuuri’s penchant for public displays of affection, and one time he wasn’t surprised at all.

Late-Night Drive-Thru

domokunrainbowkinz

Summary:

Victor gets hungry at 3 am and goes to McDonalds

Late-Night Drive-Thru (Cursed Version)

domokunrainbowkinz

Summary:

Victor gets hungry at 3am and goes to McDonalds. Yuuri is also hungry, and works at McDonalds. What happens next will blow your mind.

Mint Chocolate Chip

CrystalizedCherry

Summary:

Yuri’s never had ice cream before. Otabek remedies that.

Those Deadly Creatures

ilien

Summary:

Their human is moving in with Christophe. He should have warned them that Christophe lives with a monster.

As A Rule of Thumb

agroovymutation

Summary:

As a rule of thumb… good Catholic boys don’t try and summon demons. As a rule of thumb… 700 year old demons don’t entertain the summons of a 19 year old.

Otabek is a demon, summoned by good boy JJ.

burning in her firelight

TheCookieMonster77

Summary:

Sara likes dresses. She likes them vintage or off the runway, sleek or flowy. Mila’s seen the inside of Sara’s closet, bursting at its seams with endless colorful skirts and lacy necklines. Mila loves Sara in dresses, loves the way Sara loves herself in dresses, but never has Sara in a dress knocked the air out of Mila’s lungs like this.

Because this is Sara, wrapped up in a suit that’s all pinstripes and crisp lines.

“Surprise~”

two gay gals do some shopping

ItadakimASSu

Yuripaws

Summary:

Viktor has a special request involving sushi. Yuuri just rolls with it.

Ways to Love

Viktuurious (Sourwoif)

Summary:

Based on the writing prompt: “different ways to say I love you”

“Hey,” Yuuri returned, unaware of his interruption. He balanced two plates in his hands, smiling up at Viktor, “I got you some samosas and those shrimp wraps that you like.”

Viktor grinned and pressed a kiss to Yuuri’s temple.

“There’s more than one way to say it,” Viktor offered.

Yuri watched them, unsure how to respond. He settled with scoffing and walking off to find someone who made more sense.

call of the wild

thishasbeencary

Summary:

After his failure at the Grand Prix Final in Sochi, Yuuri goes home, but home isn’t back to Hasetsu. Home is the sea, where Yuuri lives as a siren, who feels as though he’s a failure to his family because he’s yet to place a successful Call on a mortal. It reaches Yuuri that Viktor Nikiforov has shown up in Hasetsu to coach Yuuri, and Yuuri doesn’t understand why, and doesn’t feel worthy. He’s not even human, but for some reason, Viktor has chosen to coach him. Nonetheless he goes back to shore.

For some strange reason, Viktor Nikiforov seems unbelievably attracted to Yuuri.

(Or: The canon divergent au where Yuuri is a siren.)