#or specifically in relation to Boe i mean

[skeletalheartattack]

...am I just losing my mind or did yer icon become evil? I don't remember that BeAst behind Boe

yuuuump always been behind me

[katakaluptastrophy]

Hi! I really love your metas and they’ve cleared up a lot of what I missed when I read the books. I was wondering if I could ask you a question. (Totally fine if not!)

So we know that John killed the entire Solar System because he was angry the trillionaires got to escape a dying Earth and leave of the rest of its inhabitants behind. He details killing Earth, the Sun, the other planets. My question is, what happened to the moons? Did he overlook them? Did the Lyctors get to them later?

I ask because I’m wondering if the moons have anything to do with the Resurrection Beasts and/or their Heralds. Frankly, I’m just curious about what happened to them.

I get that killing a planet and everyone and everything on it would create a Resurrection Beast. But I’m wondering if size matters. Pluto is a dwarf planet. I’m sure there are moons that are larger. I’m not sure whether life-supporting environments mattered either. I can’t recall if any of the planets had stations that could maintain human life before the Resurrection.

John mentioned killing the Sun and later resurrecting it into Dominicus. I thought that was interesting because there is no way humans could have lived near or on the surface of the Sun, so its thalergenic potential would be incredibly limited if not zero, right? But it is now a thanergetic celestial body. Dominicus is remarked upon in the books and seems to have some significance because it is tied to John’s life. (Or was that a lie he told the Lyctors? I don’t remember.)

In comparison, moons get almost no mention. I’m wondering if that’s a choice or if there are just some thalergenic moons in the Dominican System. That seems unlikely to me and I’m wondering at the significance.

Perhaps I’m overthinking it lol. What are your thoughts?

I'm honestly so confused about moons.

There's only two references to moons that I can think of:

Mercymorn says to Harrow "I'm going to go do the moonlet next door. It'll be covered in reflected thalergy." But what is a moonlet, and is this a real phenomenon, or just one she made up as an excuse for Harrow to encounter the BoE crew?

And of course, there's Pyrra's "half-flipped moon", which is again rather confusing - what does it mean to be 'half-flipped'?

John doesn't mention them in his Very Hungry Caterpillar adventures, and there's no direct references to moons from any of the other Housers we meet - with the exception of Gideon using 'moonspeak' to mean something like technobabble or nonsense. There's no specifically moon-based pre-res stations mentioned that I can recall - there's some kind of city on Mars, the Kuiper Platform (perhaps near Neptune), and the shell being built around Uranus. So we can't assume RBs for Jupiter and Saturn came solely from humans living near them.

The Glossary in GTN goes out of its way to specify that "planets and gaseous bodies in space usually produce thalergenic radiation." It further says, "thalergy is produced by cellular growth and reproduction. Most planets, even ones without a biological mass of life, are thalergenic." So that's clear... The waters are further muddied by the explanation we get in HTN, where Harrow says thalergy "comes from the accumulation of microbial life" and John talks about how this produces a "communal soul". From the way John describes it, a revenant seems to the result from any swift planetary murder.

So thalergy is caused by an accumulation of microbial life which creates a communal planetary soul...but gaseous bodies also radiate thalergy?

I think there's two possibilities here.

The first is that we try to treat this as a properly sci fi endeavour to create a fantastical yet scientifically cohesive system, and we assume that perhaps that radiated thalergy Mercymorn describes relates to the idea that anything within the planet's gravitational orbit is part of its communal self. Perhaps the gas giants draw their thalergy from as-yet-undiscovered microbial life on their moons? Perhaps the sun is the sum of the solar system in some way?

The second is to assume that while this story is fiction that portrays scientific understandings in its fictional world, it is fundamentally a story about metaphysics. So the value of a moon is not determined by having a particular amount of microbial life or a specific relationship with another planet, but some mythological or metaphysical purpose - for the most part, moons aren't symbolically important to the story as it's being told.

So perhaps the moons of the solar system are part and parcel with the RBs of their planets.

[abigail-pent]

So here's a question. What does it mean that the Message has two parts left?

When I first read this, my mind seized on "The name for this part of the message was 'Aim' when the message was passed to us through ny forebear Emma Sen." From this I inferred two things. One, the message is passed from generation to generation; a human chain, stretching back millennia, like Wake says about her name. I also am very convinced that the Message is meant to function like aboriginal Australian oral history, which has remained accurate for millennia. Two, that tazmuir is very funny ("Emma Sen"/MSN, get it, ha ha).

But if the Message is only carried by one person in a generation -- if there's only one Messenger -- then what does it mean that there are only two parts left? Does this mean the Message is only meant to last for one more generation? And if so, why is it that we are reaching the end of BOE's notion of history?

Alternatively, it could be that there used to be many keepers of the Message in any given generation, but now there are only a few. Specifically, now there are only two keepers, or two parts, at a time: the Messenger, and Noodle.

We have a lot of hints that Noodle is extremely important in his own right. In the dramatis personae, he is described as "king of dogs in secret". In chapter 20, We Suffer describes the Messenger by saying, "All you need to know is that they are the one with the little arboreal dog who is elderly" -- implying the Messenger is defined by the dog in some way. In chapter 18, the second Palamedes asks Aim about the implant, "Noodle had gotten up from the basket and the hair right at his flanks was standing up as though it had been electrocuted, and he was growling. Nona had never heard Noodle growl before." In this interview, tazmuir says Noodle is "the most important dog in the universe."

I don't think Aim is the next-to-last Messenger; I think Emma Sen passed a task related to the caretaking of Noodle, and Noodle's message, on to Aim, and they're currently the two remaining pieces of the Message. I think it's possible that the implant connects Aim and Noodle, rendering them "they," the last two parts of the Message.

[liesmyth]

could you help explain something? when alecto surfaces in nona and scolds pyrrha for "playing mother and father" and insists that she should have eaten them - "i would have respected you much more for it" - what did she mean? as in, she shouldn't have gotten caught up in the sixth's business, and instead abandoned them to boe and go to the half-flipped moon by herself? or am i missing something??

OH I LOVE THAT PART. I also have no clue! It's such a punchy passage, but I have no idea of what it could possibly mean. "Eating someone" in TLT is mostly associated with Lyctorhood, in the sense of consumption, but I doubt that's what Alecto is referring to, since she's talking specifically to Pyrrha.

Or, like you suggest, she could simply be using "eating" as a shorthand for 'take advantage of' — it fits with whatever little we get of Alecto's vocabulary and thought patterns — and saying that she should've just looked after herself and left, instead of dedicating herself to a lost cause.

I also have no clue if when she says "US" she means Nona + Cam and Pal, or she means herself (Alecto + Nona and all her disjointed memories) or she means Alecto and whatever soul fragment is inside her (personally, I believe that a bit of Gideon's soul is inside Harrow's body.) Or she could even be saying "US" to mean herself and Varun as Resurrection Beasts, though that's less likely.

I think you're probably right and she's just using a very carnal metaphor to say that Pyrrha should have left, but like... I'm not ruling out that there's a more literal explanation that will introduce a new worldbuilding / "magical system" related element in AtN, just because I never know what to expect from this series. I'm once again so fascinated by the glimpses that we get of Alecto's personality because she's such an enigma.

For context, this is the full passage

(It also comes right after Nona telling Pyrrha that she shouldn't make Nona remember who she is, because Pyrrha "wouldn't like" what happens)

[paradoxcase]

@mayasaura:

Regarding "thanergetic conversion", this comes up in Harrow the Ninth. For necromancy to be performed on planets outside the system, they have to wound the planet so that it slowly dies over the course of centuries. The thanergetic radiation slowly mutates the native fauna, and the planet ultimately becomes unable to support life. Why the Nine Houses are stable and populated is unknown, but may be related to why necromancers can only be born in the Dominicas system

Ok, I don't remember if they said that specifically, they definitely said that that happens, but I don't remember if they said why they were doing that. If they are really out there colonizing these other planets and killing them slowly just so they can do necromancy there, I see what Corona means by saying that they are being wasteful. It's not super clear to me what they actually gain by having planets where they can do necromancy outside of the Nine Houses. Supposedly this war is based on ideological beef that John has with BOE and vice versa, and is not being fought for the purpose of gaining territory, and it doesn't sound like anyone in the Nine Houses has frequent contact with colonized planets outside the Nine Houses, and they've even said at some point that necromancers prefer to return to the Nine Houses to get a better chance of their children being born necromancers, and based on numbers we get for the population of some of the Houses in the first chapter of Nona, it doesn't sound like they're hurting for actual space to live in, so it doesn't seem like there's a lot of material gain for them here

[usafphantom2]

Finland acquires JDAM and SDB I weapon systems for its F-35 fighters

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 03/01/2024 - 13:00 in Military

The Patria and the Finnish Defense Forces signed a service agreement to develop the capabilities of Finland's F-35 program, specifically purchases of JDAM and SDB I ammunition.

Major General Jari Mikkonen, Head of the Logistics Command of the Finnish Defense Forces (FDFLOGCOM) signed the contract for the acquisition of JDAM and SDB I ammunition for the F-35 multifunctional fighters on February 29, 2024. The Finnish Minister of Defense authorized the Logistics of the Defence Forces Command to conduct the acquisition.

The object of the acquisition is the JDAM and SDB I systems with related equipment and services in the years 2024–2030. The acquisition is referred to as the Total Package Approach (TPA), which means that, in addition to the JDAM and SDB I pumps, the acquisition includes transport sets of BRU-61 ammunition, training material, manuals, spare parts, accessories, transport services and manufacturer instructions, as well as training services and supplier support. Contains spare parts and support services for manufacturers and suppliers by 2030.

The acquisition contract is in dollars and its indexed maximum price is US$ 96.1 million. Purchase payments will take place during the years 2024-2030.

The acquisition will be carried out in accordance with the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procedure between the authorities of the USA and Finland, in which the Defense Forces Logistics Command will conclude the acquisition contract with the United States administration.

The JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) is a modular guidance kit for 500, 1,000 or 2,000 pound bombs of the Mark 80 series. In addition to a guidance kit, a fuse or sensor is installed in the pump, depending on the intended use. A bomb equipped with JDAM can perform precision attacks on fixed or mobile targets at short range.

The SDB I (Small Diameter Bomb I) is a glider pump capable of accurately hitting medium-range targets. Thanks to the relatively small size of the pump, a fighter is able to carry a larger number of SDB I bombs at a time.

Guided bombs and glider bombs are part of the weapons acquisition package that allows the Finnish Air Force to have the ability to support other Forces in combat activities. The weapons of the F-35 fighters from Finland will be acquired in stages until the year 2035. The phased implementation of the acquisition of weapons will make it possible to optimize the composition of weapons as the Finnish F-35 program progresses.

"Some of the types of weapons to be purchased can also be used with our current fleet of F/A-18 Hornet. Therefore, when we make the transition to the F-35, we will be able to profit from the skills and experience in systems acquired so far," said the Director of the F-35 Program, Colonel (retired), Henrik Elo.

Tags: Military AviationF-35 Lightning IIIlmavoimat/Finnland Air Force

Sharing

tweet

Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

Related news

The U.S. Navy award includes 14 new P-8s for Canada, three for Germany.

MILITARY

Boeing receives contract for 17 P-8A Poseidon aircraft, for Canada and Germany

01/03/2024 - 11:00

MILITARY

Czech Republic will modernize its JAS39 Gripen fighters

01/03/2024 - 09:00

INCIDENTS

German frigate fires missiles by mistake at USAF's Reaper drone in the Red Sea

01/03/2024 - 08:00

MILITARY

Ukraine shoots down 13 military jets in 11 days, bringing the Russian Air Force closer to the deadly organizational spiral

01/03/2024 - 00:39

MILITARY

Russia intends to restore the production of A-50 AWACS aircraft

29/02/2024 - 21:22

A U.S. Marine Corps XQ-58A Valkyrie, a highly autonomous and low-cost tactical unmanned aerial vehicle, conducts its second test flight with two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft designated for the 33ª Fighter Wing, 96ª Test Wing at Eglin Air Base, Florida, on February 23, 2023. (Photo: U.S. Air Force / Master Sgt. John McRell)

MILITARY

USMC Valkyrie completes second test flight

29/02/2024 - 19:28

O

[thatgirl4815]

I really hope that the lyrics of the song Ray was singing in the record store is not foreshadowing for the finale. I'm a bit scared though because the song lyrics they picked in this series seems to be pretty literal as far. I read somewhere on twitter that the director said no one dies, but there is still the possibility of a metaphorical death if Ray decides to give up on a healthy mental state and just stop caring about being alive in case his relationship with Sand doesn't work. If the creators decide to put in this dramatic turn I would accept if it's executed well and the scenes are coherent and logical, but I would still be sad. Don't have big hopes right now though.

I know that scene with Ray singing at the record store is played for laughs, but I agree that the specific lyrics he sings are actually quite reflective of SandRay's situation...

"If today I have your love to refuel me

I might have enough energy to move forward

If only my heart had been filled with love

I wouldn't have died"

It's also sad because I imagine Ray listening to this song by himself and really relating to those lyrics, especially in the wake of the therapy scene in Ep10.

I'm feeling fairly certain that things will work out alright between Sand and Ray because of the emotional investment that the series has very intentionally built up. Again, if BOEING of all people is the one who breaks them apart and leads to Ray being alone, that would feel like an incredibly cheap ending. Not to mention, I think it would also lessen the impact of that beautiful scene to end Ep10. That's yet another reason why I wish we would've had Boeing enter the conflict earlier--Ep10 feels like peak conflict for Sand and Ray given the weight of Ray's addiction and his acknowledgment of his feelings for Sand. This conflict feels lesser by comparison, which doesn't mean it isn't a valid conflict per se, but in my mind it does not compare to the sheer impact of the apartment fight, the imaginary Sand scene, and the apology scene to follow at the beginning of Ep11.

Also, for me personally, if Top and Mew end up together but Sand and Ray don't make it, I think that would be the biggest punch to the face. Sand and Ray's storyline is, in my opinion, so much more poignant; for it to end on a hopeless note would almost feel like a betrayal atp.

[doeblossom]

What was it like for Doe Whispers growing up with Raine as a parent?

this is an excellent question! ive been wanting to write all of this down so this is an excellent opportunity :D (please excuse how long it took for me to answer this, i spent a long time writing and double checking things to ensure they align with canon haha)

all of the following is headcanon about raine too. because theyre so cool and swag and i love them. warning: this is kinda long, but i wanna be thorough! but TL;DR, they try their best and are very loving, but being a busy single parent doesnt leave much room for quality time

Pre-Parenthood Raine wanted to be a parent; not only to start a family with Eda, but also just to experience raising a kid of their own and being a parent. After breaking up with Eda, they joined the Bard coven and started their teaching career. Rather than staying in Bonesborough and starting a career at Hexside (which is apparently located on the right arm), they moved closer to the castle. I imagine this is somewhere around Latissa, if not exactly in Latissa. Once their career was stable, they had Boe. Boe wasn't conceived through traditional means. Her conception was magical, and while there was outside input for her genetic makeup, Raine is the only involved parent. (Side note: Doe and Boe are both very similar, and it's debatable which one is her real name. "Boe" is fun because "Raine" + "Boe" = "RaineBoe", but this is still an insert character. For the sake of consistency through the post, I'll be calling her "Boe", but either works.)

Early Life Boe was raised with as much love as a parent could provide for their child. Up until she was about 4, Raine gave her all of their attention. Based on this post quoting Avi Roque, Raine's voice actor, there are two specific headcanons I have about them as a parent: 1) They would go by "Papa" (I wanted to match the term "Mama Eda", and feel like they would be more comfortable with masculine terms.) 2) There would be a lot of holding, handling, hugging, etc (Raine's love language is touch, so there's a lot of physical affection) Around when she was 4-5, Raine was offered a teaching position directly under the Emperor himself. And at this point is where things get VERY busy and difficult.

As a teacher, Raine wanted to be the primary one with a hand in Boe's upbringing and education. That, along with Bards having a less-than-stellar reputation, And Boe being one of those kids to easily get sick, led to her being homeschooled in bard magic. Unfortunately, a single teacher's salary can definitely not afford daycare (Belos is cruel and unjust) so Boe spent a lot of time in the faculty lounge, doing her homework, drawing, reading, etc. However, the flow of new people and students allowed her at least a little bit of interaction with others.

While Raine climbed the ladder, and learned more about Belos's corruption, Boe was left mostly to her own devices. Unfortunately, their busy life led to their relationship stunting. Yes, they still love each other as family, and they know each other very well, but from around 10-14, Boe started keeping a lot of things to herself. Throughout all of this, Raine's been busy starting a rebellion. And does Boe know? No. A lot of things rebellion related, she simply assumes is part of Raine's "Work".

Joining Canon Once Raine is elevated to a high enough status where they are set as Scooter Crane's replacement as Head Witch of the Bard coven (a couple of months before the show begins; Boe is just under, or has recently turned 16), they move into the castle permanently. The Emperor, in all his grace, provides Boe boarding as well, provided she follows in Raine's footsteps or studies to become a part of the Emperor's Coven. With all of her schooling, it's fine, but she doesn't really know if she wants to be a Bard. Sure, it's what she's most proficient in and trained to do, but there's a million different options out there to explore. Raine is very good at their job, and vocal about the need for Bards to be respected, so imagine how awfully disappointing it would be for their own, only child to pursue something else. So she just says nothing.

During Canon Working at the castle is so incredibly busy. Obviously. Raine tries to see their kid at least daily, but it's still a difficult thing. Most often, it's a wordless hug or a passing pat on the head as they rush off to another meeting (coven related or otherwise). Around this time, Boe finds out there are TWO (count 'em: two) other kids in the castle. And she wants to be friends with them SO bad. But that's a story for another time; let's just say it eventually happens.

Yes, Boe realizes something's happened after Eda's Requiem. It's subtle, and weird, but a lot of Raine's mannerisms on the surface had changed. But when they interact, nothing's different, so she brushes it off again.

Hollow Mind Heart There's a reattempt of the mind spell. But through some shenanigans, rather than Hunter and Luz going into the Emperor's mind, Sol and Boe end up in Raine's. And they see everything. And it goes about as well as you expect. Sol, understandably, runs away from the coven much like Hunter did, but in less of a "my life will end if I stay" manner; more of a "I cannot work for this man anymore" way. Boe, however, stays. She's quiet about it all, and the rift between her and Raine widens even more. She does stay at the castle, if only for a sense of stability. But best you believe she's doomsday prepping in there. Packing all of her important things in a single bag, hoarding whatever snacks she can snag, and not talking to anyone.

aaaand that's about where we are right now! i'm currently writing stuff for post hollow mind + human realm era. but in the epilogue, i imagine they become close again! but being isolated from them right after finally being ready to talk again is difficult.

[forcebookish]

Hi! i’m sorry🙇🏻‍♀️for bringing up frustrations in my topmew breakdown 😅. I didn’t intend to do so and I completely understand them. I know this will sound like I’m trying to patch up things but I agree with you on several points that you’ve made. 

I also do find it frustrating when a lot of viewers straight away jump to conclusions about top and mew without trying to understand their perspective or when they try to fit them into their own personalised choices. I’ve also seen a lot of rancid takes on topmew that disgusted me so much and I’m sorry if my post was very similar (sending virtual hugs, FORCEBOOK ARE AMAZING PERIOD ❤️❤️!!). 

I just think that there are some many details put into this show in terms of the wardrobe choices, the directing, narrative frameworks, etc. because p’Jojo and his team are very known being very detailed about their shows like how they insert in a lot of underlying commentaries. idk i tend to be the overthinking type but there’re a lot of visual cues with mew especially, e.g. his READ ME bag and the whole visual and sense perception thing. it’s already difficult enough to find meta posts that would talk about topmew and not turn them into 24/7 manipulative a*holes/players.

Don’t get me wrong, I also do enjoy seeing how their dates play out. I really enjoyed the pool date, laser tag, even the silent disco…I can honestly go on😂. It’s very clear to me as well that they developed feelings of love over time. I was just wondering because so many people were like “when is mew going to confront top?”, “when will he know?”. there was already a waiting game and uneasiness about it and when for mew to “go to his dark side” for many episodes (impatience?). mainly because one of most important turning points and conflicts of the storyline is when mew confronts top about boston. I mean every character would have their own conflicts but the whole mew-top-boston confrontation? That’s what affected every character and one of the main reasons is that mew is the central character. regardless, that scene had so much anticipation from when it happened to when mew finds out. (I’ll insert in some positivity here - that topmew scene in EP6 is no doubt one of if not the most iconic scene of the show👌🏼 - FORCEBOOK DELIVERED ON THAT. PERIOD).

I’m aware that topmew have done other dates like the bookstore, pool date, cafe, etc. but I only brought up those 3 specific dates because it’s interesting how there’s a sense deprived, which I don’t think it’s a coincidence? That was just me branching out to a possible thought process behind these specific dates if they had some sort of underlying significance. at the same time, there’s no denying that these experiences are what mew can never properly experience through books - that I agree 100%. 

in my mind while I wrote the last post, I was thinking about the whole idea of topmew’s growth and how their relationship dynamic could change now that they’re really starting over. talking about it, they no doubt had miscommunication and insecurities in the past. Boeing being present obviously will challenge that and it’s actually a good thing before they properly reconcile. I’m also curious, after the whole Boeing with topmew thing is over (let’s be fr, the more severe “Boeing related” issue is going to be with sand), how do you think topmew will move forward from there and what might realistically happen to them in terms of the storyline? we obviously have our wants for what fluffy things topmew to do (gosh it’s so painful to see sad fanedits and them being as such from EP 6-9😭) but realistically within 3 EPs, I can’t fully trust that the showrunners will leave us 100% no topmew drama within the remaining episodes. One thing I’m definitely awaiting to see is if we get a much more fiery passionate Mew😝 (oh I’ll likely have a mental breakdown). And actually I want to see topmew properly talk about top’s insomnia or maybe have a convo sitting opposite each other. 

After writing all of this, I strongly feel like topmew is the true definition of “us against the world” ah 😂😂. thank you so much  again for reading this, sending more virtual warm hugs❤️. (Sidenote: forcebook going to Rome for a fanmeet, my heart is still beaming with a lot of pride)

nah, you're good, anon!🫂 i totally got where you were coming from. and tbh, i love being given an excuse to talk meta and symbolism!

my biggest issue with those kinds of interpretations is that they clearly come from, similar to what you said, a place of anxiety about something that the audience technically is not supposed to know about yet. it's not a feeling that comes organically from the text. it comes from that waiting game you mentioned, not what the drama is actually presenting.

i have it on good authority that people who hadn't seen the trailer or queue/behind the scenes do not get any "off" vibes from any of topmew's scenes before episode three, see the public shower scene for what it actually is (assault), and understand that top's feelings for mew are genuine. it's a seeing ghosts type thing, if you're not anticipating a blowup you don't see signs of it everywhere. because they're not there! what is actually "wrong" about their relationship is mew's unwillingness to fall fully and actually open up to top and, you know, top lying (about something that he knew would make him lose mew - and, honestly, boston is one of mew's closest friends, who would he believe?).

i agree there are a lot of visual details that enhance or tell a greater story! i just thought the antlers might be reaching a little😅 but you're absolutely right about the wardrobe choices and the "read me" bag.

i think the thing with boeing is going to be similar to mew paying attention to how top interacts with/ignores other guys who are obviously attracted to him in episode five. he's going to see, again, that top only has eyes for mew and that's what's going to help strengthen the relationship. boston was a one-time thing, because he manipulated top's feelings for mew. it is unfortunate that the drama seems to be ignoring the assaults and boston coercing top, but i'm hoping after this initial shock that mew will finally see that it came from a place of insecurity rather than outright mistrust. or if the video really is a sex tape like i thought it was 😭 but maybe all that was on me for not assuming there wouldn't be at least one or two drama contrivances 🤡

i do think it's pretty likely they'll talk about top's insomnia more in depth since it seems like he's been inviting boeing over for the sole purpose of being able to sleep - especially now that we know there was a cut scene where top tried to have a one-night stand and couldn't go through with it. he wouldn't have just changed his mind for an ex-boyfriend lol

and yeah! topmew are "us against the world," they even have their own little world. it bums me out that this should have stuck to inside the drama, and it wasn't also "us against the fandom," but i'll always be right beside them, against the world together😭

thanks for stopping by again, anon!

[eirian-houpe]

TMI Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

So, in the spirit of optimism, I’m giving this another try.  I will be brutally honest here and say that I mostly didn’t do it before because I became disheartened, and felt a little bit like the poor relation, when week after week my inbox remained empty, and it was hard not to compare myself with others in the fandom who seemed unable to keep up with the number of asks they always received. However, it is what it is, and here I am, putting the invitation out again.

Anyway, go on and drop me an ask and let me know what you’d like to see updated next.  If you drop me an ask like that, I’ll give you a tidbit for the named fic.  How’s that for a fair exchange?

Otherwise, here are some other suggestions for you…

Ask suggestions

Ask something about any of my fics (full list is below the cut). If you want specifics from some fics that are already outlined, you can ask about:

Disparate Pathways, Chapters 48 through 56 All Our Past Mistakes, Chapters 11 through 44 Lover’s Leap Series, Stories 15 through 31 Time’s Curse, Chapters 4 through 10 Laer o Faen, Chapter 27 & 28 Stargate: Atlantis, Harms Way or any of the 20 fics in the series.

Ask something of any of my characters in general or you can get really specific if you like - for example you might want to ask Gold from Pawn Shop a question about a chapter, a thought, a feeling… (the world is your oyster really)

Ask about my process as a writer, what makes me tick,, or even ask about me personally. Almost nothing is off limits.

Also, if you want to see a specific character or fic featured in Three Things Thursday, or Saturday Secret, feel free to send in prompts, if no one does, then either the choice will be random or they just won’t happen at all. I made an analogy for why that might be in a different post about a car stuck in the mud with spinning wheels. Those wheels are still spinning!

Please remember: if you read a fic you enjoyed on AO3 or on Tumblr (not just mine), please take the time to comment and/or leave kudos, and to reach out on TMI Tuesday. It means a lot to the writers and artists.

You can find all my fics currently on AO3 here, and there is a full list under this cut.

Storybrooke’s Best Kept Secret - Rumbelle

Darkness In Hyperion Heights - Woven Beauty au

Seven Tastes - Rumbelle

Tuesday - Rushbelle AU

The Language of Flowers Series - Rumbelle

Disparate Pathways - Rumbelle AU

Scattered - Rumbelle AU

All Our Past Mistakes - Rumbelle AU

What the Actual Fuck! - Sutherelle

Breathe - Rushbelle

The Lover’s Leap Series - Rumbelle

Awakening - Rumbelle

War Is Coming To Storybrooke - Rumbelle

Given No Choice - Rush

Thoughts On A Happy Ending Series - Rumbelle

Darker Hearts Series - Wish!Rumbelle

Modern Wonders - a OUAT/Alice crossover

Time’s Curse - Rumbelle

The Pawn Shop On Main Street - Rumbelle

The Mansion On the Edge of Town - Rumbelle with a side of Jefferson

Cobra: In Your Prayers - Cobra/FatWS/UC:Undercover et al

To See Series - Rumbelle

Nobody Knew (Bingo) - Rumbelle

Secret of the Seas - Rumbelle AU

Butterfly and Phoenix - ST:DSC

Laer o Faen - Tolkien

Ship’s Rats - ST: DCS

I Amar Boe Men Heb - Tolkien

Coming Down - Halt and Catch Fire

Armor of Ice - Halt and Catch Fire

Duath i-Achas Eriol - Tolkien

Balance of Terror - Sleeper Cell

What To Believe - UC: Undercover

If: In The End - UC Undercover

Precious - The Mummy Series

Forbidden - The Mummy Series

Power Is - The Mummy Series

Angel of the Heart - The Mummy Series

Star of the Morning - The Mummy Series

Not Yours To Keep - Foundation (TV)

No Saving Throw - Stranger Things

Here are fics that haven’t yet been started, but are in the Muse’s bucket.

The Miner’s Day Festival - Rumbelle

Aftermath - Rumbelle (with a side of madness)

Saving The Dark One (WT) A twist on a twist of Rumplestiltskin.

Brought To You By The Color… (Red)

Calcul(us)

(In)consistent equation

The Boston Storybrooke Line

Breaking the Waves (Movie AU)

ILP (or IEP) for Rumple.

One Last Wish

In Service to My Son

Playground Games

Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

“Only Remembered For What We Have Done.”

Librarian: UC

Exquisite Harmonies

[toughtink]

some post-nona thoughts and questions in no particular order:

and this will be long and full of spoilers, sorry

so is silas coming back next time? because i have questions about wtf took over his cav especially seeing as those tongue eye things showed up on the ninth house. biblically, silas traveled with paul, so maybe paul will be related to his comeback? idk

what’s with the tower? “kironia” and ianthe are referred to as “tower princes,” the RB was yelling about a tower to nona via judith, and we got a big tower coming out of the river now?? and the whole “the tower has reactivated” cipher or whatever it said, too. the only tower that’s been story relevant thus far is canaan house + the facility beneath it. harrow estimated they only saw ~30% of that tower with the rest going deep under the ocean, which i always took to mean that it was originally a sky scraper that they built a temple/church/palace on top of. OH YEAh! and a tower is in the jod chapters maybe??? it was confusing. (gasp! what! confusing??? in this series?!)

so is nona translating a ton of people’s names when she hears them, and that’s why she calls corona “crown” and has that exchange with hot sauce where she gets corrected on born in the morning’s name? and this is a separate thing from the multi-sentence long names that seem to be BoE tradition?

speaking of weird name stuff, the jod chapters have him using intials to refer to his friends! that was annoying but implies that they didn’t all used to have their fancy mouthful names which makes some sense, especially since jod specifically mentions changing U— and T— to ulysseys and titania. however, i’ve seen a lot of folks under the assumption that he wiped his friend’s memories after rezzing them, but is there evidence for that? i gotta reread htn, but i know that mercy didn’t seem to realize that gideon’s gold eye color was jod’s before it was alecto’s and only put it together near the end—point in memory loss’s favor (tho i don’t think we can officially say it’s purposeful on jod’s part yet.) HOWEVER!! when nona & the gang are approaching the tomb near the end of ntn, pyrrha mentions gideon (the first) and after saying his name a couple times says “G—” like jod does in his chapters!! implying that pyrrha might just know gideon’s pre-resurrection name! so either jod’s friends did retain their pre-res memories OR that memory loss thing happened later, probably post lyctorhood if it could affect the lyctors but not the cav secretly residing inside still??? idk. EDIT: my frand ginny pointed out that on pg 433 jod talks about how his friends “won’t have to remember anything,” because he knows where remembrance lives in the brain, and this sort of mirrors harrow own attempt to alter her memories. i think with pyrrha remembering g1deon’s name, we can say these are likely altered memories rather than a complete clean slate.

i need people to realize that when nona describes “teeth” coming out of gideon’s speed holes, it’s most likely ribs and not literal teeth. also—the speed holes joke is maybe one of my favorites in this book and incontrovertible proof that kironia is indeed our gideon.

i want to know more about anastasiaaaaa! was she another married/romantically involved pair with her cav? did pyrrha mention something about painting a nursery on the ninth?? what if anastasia was pregnant when her lyctorhood went wrong????

what’s this with cassiopeia and the sixth house in communication? that was her house, right? also, cass is the C— mentioned in jod chapters that marries the artist N— (nigella) and has teeth flowers at their wedding. also, she had the tooth trial at canaan house. and the tooth secret message in the corresponding study. what’s with all the teeth? lol

that tooth secret message was about doing soul melanges to power the canaan house staff, including teacher! 6th house theorm was soul melange related, so paul makes sense!!! ;v; (it should be noted that everything with cam, pal, and paul had me in tears and i’m never getting over their recorded conversation.)

gideon is clearly missing pieces figuratively and literally (her heart!! 🥺). TM said that if gideon’s soul was a happy meal, harrow ate the cheeseburger, but that leaves the fries, sauce packets, and toy. so where’s the cheeseburger now? attached to harrow’s soul? or attached to her body? completely absorbed and essentially gone? something has to be powering nona’s lyctoral regeneration powers so i’m kinda team body. that and the fact that she’s wearing the cheeseburger shirt and that feels like TM trying to give us a giant neon sign of a hint?

as for harrow…i saw the icy tomb she climbed into at the end of htn as a metaphorical tomb in her mind, between the lobotomy slits i guess where she was keeping gideon’s soul, thus the nonexistent sexy magazine. ntn makes me think she was also in the actual tomb, aka fully swapped places with alecto? but i suppose either could be true. the jod chapters feel like she’s tapping into alecto’s memories and subbing in herself maybe? that doesn’t really say much about the literal placement of harrow’s soul, tho, just that she has a connection with alecto.

anyways, it looks like she woke up long enough for the epilogue and then promptly passed out again (woo go girl! give us nothing!). and we know that she’s going to be harrowing hell at the start of atn?? good luck have fun i guess???

oh yeah is part of the reason nona’s not all there because not only is she in the wrong body, but she’s dealing with harrow’s lobotomy brain???

gonna come back and add more laterrr—edit: i’ve come back SEVERAL times to add more. maybe i should just reblog or make a new post for more. 🙈 i’m at the end of my gtn reread so htn will be next. oof that one will take a while methinks! and then i can reread nona…which will be my first Proper read through for the final version since i’ve only read the ARC months ago and some random passages since it came out.

[boeing747]

what is the meaning of the numbers on plane models, like a Boeing 747 vs 737? figured you would have a more interesting answer than google :3

Well I mean generally plane models are differentiated by numbers ummm bc it's cool and as basically they're just like car models lmfao so with civilian aircraft the numbers don't mean much beyond differentiation and marketing. with Boeing specifically it's bc they made all sorts of different planes and the 300 and 400 were for military stuff and the 500 for turbines I think and idk what 600 is for but the 700 was for jets and they put the 7 at the end bc its sexier? Afaik? So like 747 and 727 etc and not 740 because it sounds more awesome.

As for what they are uh 707 was Boeings first jet and they're super sexy and retired. 717 is a smaller single isle guy and I think it's sort of related to the dc9. 727 are those super sexy ones with the three rear engines famous for umm DB Cooper highjacked this one and jumped out of its epic aft stairs. 737 is the just some guy of airplanes I think every single jet plane is basically a 737 you can't convince me otherwise. It's your bog standard fucking plane. 747 is my beloved and it's the big fucking four engine woman with the hump (also modified to be the dreamlifter or the funniest plane in the world)

757 I think is a spiritual successor to 727 but with less engines I guess they go a bit farther and its a narrow body jet but to be quite honest i only see UPS fly them here as cargo planes so idk. 767 is a wide body two engine jet which is a bit older and also only basically used here by package guys like DHL and they all life in Leipzig they go there every night to sleep😴✈️

777 is like the previous one but even bigger. absolutely massive twin jet I think it might be the biggest?? Don't quote me. They are so big the emirates one that flies here rattles the shit out of my windows. Also you can tell one bc they have 12 main landing gear in 4 sets of three fun fact. Also the newest model has folding wings bc they're too wide for airports which is fucking awesome hope they don't break off ❤️. 787 is also the newest model in the lineup and it's meant to be like very efficient and it's like 80% composite or something and replace uhhh the 767 I think? Whatever theyre very sexy airplanes in my personal opinion that wing flex. That aerodynamics. So cool.

Sorry aside from that rant that's what they mean. The bjg families also have subcategories bc there's different kinds of them. You may have heard of the 737 max❤️

But tbh that's just boeing. Airbus has vaguely similar naming for some reason like their a380 being the biggest airplane ever forever (rest in peace mriya) the a320 being the just some guy of jets part two but from Europe (including a319 which is smaller and a321 which is a bit bigger) etc.

The other guys who make smaller jets I'm not as aware of personally. Anyway the general idea is bigger number equals bigger airplane or sexier engine or newer airplane or more engines or different kind of engine. You know how it is

[thewhitefluffyhat]

Day Three

[This is the fourth part of a collected liveblog/analysis of Nona the Ninth!  See here for the other parts.]

In this section, the pieces start falling into place as more familiar faces finally show up!

Chapter 11

-p134 I’m amused at how Muir predicted just how much the fandom would obsess over the Pool Scene that we wouldn’t mind repeated clumsy re-enactments of it to tear apart for more specific details haha. Gideon and Harrow’s arms were where and where, you say?

On the other hand, the link to a beloved scene almost makes me think this is a feint - that it’s not the scene from GtN, but something else entirely. I can’t imagine what, though. John sealing away Alecto? The water being liquid rather than ice means it can’t be Harrow seeing Alecto for the first time or anything like that.

-p134 lmao Nona specifically saying the feelings in the Pool Scene were not sexy. *raises eyebrow at piles and piles of post-Pool Scene explicit fic*

Although honestly, Nona’s was always my interpretation of that scene - I’ve read a few of those fics, but they’re not really my cup of tea. In canon, there were so many new and conflicting and difficult emotions going on in that scene for both characters that it always feels jarring to transition it to straightforward horniness. I could see it happening later, perhaps. But not then.

-p135 So Muir wasn’t kidding in that interview about Nona wanting to talk about things that make her horny!

Nona finding flowers sexy is yet another one of those things that makes zero sense as Gideon or Harrow, but all the sense if you assume she’s Alecto/Earth. From a planet’s perspective, the shampoo ad is just another giant picture of sex organs, after all! Why wouldn’t it be extremely sexy?

[Later me: Given that Nona is indeed Alecto/Earth, I hope someone somewhere writes a fic of Nona getting off to like… watching bees pollinate flowers or other utterly nonhuman reproductive methods. Nature and sex are weird! Run with it! XD]

-p135 If Nona does end up being Gideon or Harrow, I imagine the fandom is going to spend a lot of time analyzing this scene of Nona insisting she has a deep need to know what Pal finds sexy.

After all, we did know Gideon was jealous of Pal/Harrow… plenty of ways to take that.

-p138 Oh. Hot Sauce has burns. Hot Sauce has burns and goes to the cages. She can’t be a necro because Herald madness, but hm. Hmhm. She has something to do with them.

Also, on the subject of the cages - my take on the implications here is that Pyrrha went to the cages not to rescue the people, but for info gathering and possibly to shoot them to give them quick deaths.

-p139 And now we’ve got a conversation about Pyrrha’s type. Which we kind of already knew from Wake’s notes! Woman likes to live dangerously, apparently.

-p139 I continue to enjoy how this series describes very pale white skin tones. (See also: descriptions of Ianthe and Cytherea.) I have that skin tone myself, and I hate how it’s usually romanticized and seen as the pinnacle of beauty. In reality, it is seriously gross!

Ooh, and Nona saying she doesn’t like redheads when Gideon is one… very hm. Even if Nona was very much not thinking about Gideon in her reply here, because Gideon has darker skin!

-p140 Welp, I see we’re going to have a bunch of nurse!Cam and nurse!Dulcie art and fanfic now given Pal’s answer…

I’m amused at how Nona immediately assumes Cam lied and not that she didn’t know. Which, tbf, is my read of it too.

-p140 Okay, Nona wishing she had someone else to eat food for her is both very #relatable and also something that I’ve seen in a few Gideon and Harrow fics!

-p140 end - WELP THEN

Chapter 12

-Describing Crown’s golden hair - oh. OH. Ha, how did I not figure it out before? She’s Coronabeth, isn’t she? Charismatic and beautiful and committed to BOE’s cause.

Judith isn’t We Suffer, is she? Or more likely, “The Captain” from the guest list?

p144 Yup, “The Captain” is Judith!

-p148 Ah, our first look at true BOE! Apparently, they’re really into the mask aesthetic,

Which is an interesting choice isn’t it? Usually it’s the evil empire and their Stormtrooper-esque grunts  who wear the humanity and empathy-removing masks!

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic also puts another meaning/implication on the table…

-p148 Ha! We get Corona’s full BOE name! No obvious other languages in the middle, so I’m not sure where the component pieces begin and end. Looking forward to seeing analysis of it on tumblr.

-The term Ctesiphon for the BOE cells has come up several times. Another thing I’ll have to read analysis of to understand the reference.

-p149 Oh boy, writing a character (We Suffer) with an accent can be… tricky… to pull off respectfully. Is We Suffer’s just a generic accent, or is the awkward grammar meant to be similar to another real language?

-p150 Heh, a good bit of humanizing here. Despite the mask and the voice changer, this BOE bodyguard is still spoiling for a fight.

-p153 As Ianthe coined “Harry,” Corona coined “Millie.” The twins really do think alike in some ways…

-p153 So Corona is bi! *briefly considers the shippable male characters in this series* yeah no, that’s still not happening

-p154 As I thought, Varun is the BOE name for the RB. Ooh, and later we get the BOE names (codenames?) for the Lyctors too!

If I ever do make that giant character names spreadsheet, should I add a column for these names… hm… probably...

-p156 Ooh, so Cytherea was working with BOE! Good to have that confirmed. It was speculated, but unclear how much she was working with Augustine and Mercymorn or BOE.

But yeah, seems like her deal on Canaan House was personal revenge, not a BOE plot in any way

-You know I’ve been assuming zombies = necros, but I think it might be closer to just anyone from the Nine Houses? Since they were all resurrected, after all.

-p159 Ah, so Juno Zeta is part of the hostage sixteen. Expected, but that continues to make the situation even more fraught.

Chapter 13

-p162 “Our Lady of the Passion” aka Pash was the bodyguard, and Nona knew her name all along. Huh. Also, nepotism? Is she related to We Suffer or Unjust Hope, or even Wake?

-p163 Yup, we’re visiting Judith. Who is probably completely Herald-mad at this point. Man, poor girl cannot catch a break, can she?

-p165 Hmhm! Is that the RB speaking through Judith to Nona? I’m pretty sure it is! Which suggests the other RBs are probably sapient too…

-p171 Heh, of course the RB wouldn’t speak in a human tongue. And of course, Nona understands anyway!

Chapter 14

-p174 That’s pretty much confirming Jodybeth is canon, isn’t it! (Now if only they would both stop being idiots…)

At the same time wiping out Corona x Cam. (And Corona x Harrow, but does anyone ship that on its own?) Sad trombone.

-p175 I wonder who Corona was reminded of here? Perhaps more of Ianthe, but perhaps Gideon? Harrow? Someone else? >p177 Ah, I think here she’s reminded of Gideon, and previously it was Harrow.

-p177 Hm, what does Corona think Nona is? I’m imagining it’s that she’s Harrow as a full Lyctor, but that also doesn’t seem quite right….

Chapter 15

-p184 Born in the Morning is a he and his name is in a different language, I’m guessing? Because Nona doesn’t realize when she translates, so she seems to have said it in the wrong language at first here.

[Later me: It will turn out that Born in the Morning really does have ties to BOE, but if Nona is translating without realizing it, then do all names sound like that to her? Maybe Honesty is actually, idk, Veronica or Kurt or something like that, and Nona just autotranslates it to be the root meaning.]

-p184 Seems like Hot Sauce is in a group that’s even more anti-necro than BOE. Perhaps one of the anarchist factions briefly mentioned?

-p185 Ohh, was Hot Sauce an original inhabitant of the planet? And her brothers died fighting the Cohort invasion. (The explosive bodies is a specifically Fourth trick, iirc.)

Man, the subtle tragedy of the 14 year olds in this series both being soldiers on the opposite sides of a genocidal war. If Hot Sauce ever met Isaac or Jeannemary, they would literally kill each other, and not in a funny way at all…

-p186 Hm, what is the Secret that Nona has? Have we been shown this yet

Yeah I don’t think we’re supposed to know the Secret. A clinic and organ markets - does Nona think her heart or brain will give out?

John 8:1

-p189 It was pretty obvious that if the “present” of the dream was ever reality, it was Alecto and John post-perfect lyctorhood. But if there were any doubt, John is now described to have the weird, inhuman eyes.

-p189 There’s a Mars installation and still Flat Earthers exist. Of course.

-p190 I have a feeling this section, with the references to YouTube and streaming, may be one of the aspects of these books that ages the quickest.

-p191 So Alfred was a hedge fund manager in a past life. Some cavs do deserve Lyctorhood lol.

-p193 We’re doing a lot to make John sympathetic here. My called shot in my HtN thoughts was that if John ends up “redeemed” or portrayed too sympathetically, it will cause a lot of furor within the fandom (based on my experiences in another fandom). *grimace intensifies*

[Later me: I shouldn’t have worried, this was one bullet NtN dodged! Even with these earlier sections, John is still the Worst!]

-Also, everyone was so sure necromancy came from John killing the ten billion, but it really seems like it didn’t? Unless all of John’s story is a convenient lie… And we do know that John lies…

Chapter 16

-Come to think of it, I’m surprised “necromancer” is a banned word for Nona. Pal called it “superstition.” But that’s what they’re called in the Nine Houses??

-p197 And now we see the House propaganda tactics. Apparently they have videos and projector tech too!

-p198 Noodle was bred to have an “arboreal” pair of legs? Wild. But at least the extra legs don’t seem to be hurting him, unlike poor pugs who were bred to barely be able to breathe.

-p203 When you’re in, you’re in. Given the mention of Hokey Pokey, this was almost certainly Nona remembering John teaching Alecto. No one on the Ninth would reference that lol.

-As a reader, of course I want to see more worldbuilding of the House overtures, but in-character - the contrivances to get Nona to go to the broadcast seem a bit awkward and forced.

-p205 Huh. So House projector tech involves silvery hexagons that light up. No idea what’s going on there, if it’s meant to evoke any real tech at all.

-I’m 50/50 on whether this is genuine overtures or as the people suspect, just getting a big crowd to kill them all. Actually going up to angry people and thinking that showing a nice, happy movie would help does seem like John being his funny doofus self - but underneath the “just some guy”-isms, John’s empire is also a terrifyingly functional fascist war machine, so it’s always hard to predict which way he will swing…

-...The unrehearsed and snippy nature of the speaker of the broadcast initially makes me think Mercy. But Mercy is dead. Ianthe, then?

-p207 Brown hair, but very pale skin, hm? Oh, and the blue-brown eyes are a giveaway. Did Ianthe get Babs’s hair color because of her dip in the River at the end of HtN?

Outside chance that this is Babs somehow (if Ianthe didn’t survive the trip back from the River at all?), though in theory he should have Ianthe’s eyes if that were the case.

-p207 New Rho! We finally have a name for this planet they’re on!

-208 Ah. So this is an ultimatum directed at Corona and the rest, isn’t it.  But mostly Corona I suspect.

-Prince Ianthe Naberius the First, eh? Seems like some level of Ianthe-Babs fusion went down... now that is something I wasn’t expecting!

Also, Saint of Awe? Hmhm, I’ve seen that as a possible title for Ianthe in fics before! Did someone leak ARC details, or just a good guess?

-p209 Oh, so THAT’S where Gideon’s body went!

Is… is she even alive at all, or just being puppeted by Ianthe’s necromancy?

And hey! Now we have a name for Divine Highness Gideon! “Crown Prince Kiriona Gaia” huh.

Also looks like I was right that the dream girl was Gideon.

Also also, I guess Gideon’s body was the precious thing that was lost in the attack mentioned way earlier!

-p210 Okay yeah Gideon’s still a corpse. Is anyone inhabiting the corpse?

-”Anyway!” Ianthe is still hilariously casual at these official proclamations, you’d think she wasn’t raised from birth to become a political leader. :P

-pfff OF COURSE this would end in a “is this still on?” joke. OF COURSE

-p216 I haven’t done much speculating about Angel (Aim?). But with the driver speaking good House - could they be another runaway House member? Even a Lyctor, perhaps?

-p218 Oh dear, Pyrrha is missing! But it’s Pyrrha, she can take care of herself, at least… right? Right??

-Huh, another John dream? Did Nona faint?

John 19:18

-p220 Ulysses and Titania were Fourth, weren’t they? Some historical rhyming going on with the Fourth representatives always being seen as kids compared to the others.

-p222-223 Ah, and as long predicted, here’s the disappeared trillionaires who abandoned the Earth. And presumably, John is still searching for them.

But it wasn’t even clear if the FTL travel would work. Maybe they all just phased out into a planet and died. And this whole quest for revenge is meaningless.

But then, where did BOE and the human population on other planets come from, if not from the trillionaires? So who/what is John searching for?

Or was Augustine wrong about the searching part? Maybe this is more of a [uh, FFXIV spoilers I guess?] Dragonsong War situation. Just an endless meat grinder of vengeance where the continuing suffering is the entire point.

Day Four >>

[paradoxcase]

John 19:18

THE TOWER HAS R

Since normal humans can't do anything like this anyway and it doesn't seem like John has at this point in the story actually consumed anyone's soul, I guess by "the old difficult way" he's referring to his power level from before that happened, during the part of the story that we're reading now?

This is a piece of land that John just raised from the bottom of the ocean, but it already has a building and a car on it. I guess some flooding happened when the world ended? Also, I think that car is probably all dead, insert Miracle Max reference here

So, it's not like surprising or a revelation at this point, but here is positive evidence that a body can be physically alive and even healthy, but if it doesn't have a soul in it, it's not really living. I think if BOE had observed Gideon's body to be physically alive in some way but lacking a soul they would have described it differently; Gideon's body probably has some big holes in it because of the fence at this point, or at least it probably did at the time that BOE had it, so it wouldn't have been like Ulysses and Titania here, but it's not clear what the extent of Gideon's immortality is, exactly, if it means inconvenient holes get repaired or if she can be alive in spite of inconvenient holes, or what

Also, here we have that true resurrection doesn't just involve the physical act of repairing someone's body and starting it up again in some way, there has to be some element of retrieving a soul, presumably from the River

So whatever this is, I don't think anyone is using it 10,000 years later. The Nine Houses uses this stele system, which seems to be related to radio somehow, but you can't use it to go somewhere that's far away from a stele and they do know where they wind up. And BOE went out of their way to steal a ship with a stele just so they could use FTL travel, so they obviously don't have another means. I wonder what happened with this idea that caused it to be abandoned? Like, obviously the trillionaires who went off in their FTL ships did survive and I guess maybe became some of these other civilizations that John's fighting against, so it must have at least worked a little bit. But the stuff about "oscillating to a prearranged spectrum" makes me wonder if it isn't actually related to the steles at all? Or Augustine was right and there was no FTL at all

Also, I wonder if John does understand the math now after 10,000 years

This seems like such a weird argument to make? Like, I'm not sure if this interaction is happening in public or not. If it's a public thing, I can see them being like, this guy killed a bunch of poor innocent cows, how can we trust him??? but it sounds like a lot of this was private negotiations between John and the trillionaires, I think in those circumstances they wouldn't be talking about the poor innocent cows and would instead be saying things about how it's not a good investment, I don't think any trillionaires are going to be pretending to care about cows for just John's sake. And I mean, one of those guys is probably Elon Musk, right, can you see Elon Musk making this argument to anyone in any context? I really cannot

So again, it's sort of framed as being about the Earth, specifically, and not about the people and animals living on it... although, if this is Alecto's memory of John telling this story to her maybe he is phrasing everything that way for her benefit? Like obviously the greater injustice was leaving all of the people behind. The only real difference between what the trillionaires did and what John was planning to do was in how many people escaped, right? Like, John wasn't out there fighting oil companies and pollution either. Maybe when someone takes the ships you were planning to use to leave instead it's just easier to say "you abandoned the Earth, you cowards!" instead of "you left us behind, you bastards!" because then it's easier to claim the moral high ground, but I think they already could do that, since they were planning to take everyone and that was the whole point?

[capri-ramblings]

Idk if anyone still remembers this but I actually forgot I finished chapter 3 about a week ago and didn't even posted it 🙂 still kinda confusing I think? But I promise, It'll come together soon 😤💖

[ R a p t u r e d ]

Chapter Three

The walls encasing your freedom began to simmer your frustration, and when a spiral staircase immerged from the wooden floorboards right across the room, your hands reflexively balled into fists.

Though when an unfamiliar face greeted you, they uncurled and from where you sat on the chaise beside your only window, your figure hunched over to pull your knees closer to your body. You'd been reacting so defensively lately, it almost felt natural now.

"Did they send you up to finally get rid of me?" Your words were harsh, a deep grating rage lacing each enunciation you spat out and yet the girl seemed unfazed as her lips curled into a small smile.

"I don't think they're that merciful, but Prince Leona has stated multiple times he'd rather you be dead."

"Who are you then?"

"An ally" She answered then rather hastily added, "If you'd allow it."

You scoffed,bitter and dry you almost sounded gruff and nasally.

"Like I allowed to be imprisoned and kept like an animal?"

The girl's expression softened and she gave what seemed to be an understanding nod before she placed both hands behind her back and stood poised before you.

"Boe" She said, "My name is Boe. As in the kind you'd use to hunt with but with an 'E' at the end because my nan felt it was creative." She sounded pleasant, to be honest,she looked decent as well, like a very familiar face you'd seen somewhere and yet nowhere at the same time. She wore her hair in two loose twin braids,her simple beige coloured tunic and short khakis gave her overall soft, feminine looks a rather boyish touch. And when she smiled it was genuinely given.

Despite yourself, Boe's appearance had you feeling a little less hostile and perhaps even a bit more hopeful.

"I made them an offer" You told her and again she nodded her head.

"To kill your brother in exchange for your freedom. Why?"

"Isn't that what they wanted? That bastard killed their beast and the only reason I'm here is because he's traded me off for his glory."

Boe seemed surprised at how you caught onto the situation at hand but you could see how calculative her eyes were. She may have looked pleasant but you weren't foolish enough to trust her, and if she knew your captives then chances are she wasn't just some typical servant running errands. They sent her up to you to talk, which meant they trusted her. And they didn't look like the trusting type.

"He and I aren't related by blood" You told her, scornfully. "It doesn't take much to piece up my being here, and I'll tell you now that he's not coming to save me. Not when he has every village folk singing his glory and the King welcoming him in his halls."

You sounded so dejected, Boe practically felt the heat of rage circulating through the room, but she also sensed sorrow. A sort of grief from the way you hunched yourself over. You've been through a lot, she could see that much.

"Tell me, did you ever believe the story your land has? It's history with the Faefolk and magic?"

You knew little. Simply enough to have your mind wander, but every child was like that, and when it was time to face the world and grow up, the stories you used to cling to before sleeping became just that; Stories.

So, you told Boe you didn't. You told her you knew the land has always been lavish, that it had always been easy to farm and make produce because it's forests were endless and green. It was because it was placed right in the centre of a growing land, wasn't it? Magic felt too foreign to have been a part of it all.

But then she told you of the story of a man planting a seed given to him by a generous Fae, and that the seed grew into a tree and another and another, until it formed a forest so lush and rich with life, people came to the land as a place of salvation. She told you that the Fae was the Mother Goddess Gaia and that she had made a pact with the humans who stayed in her grounds. They were allowed to grow and live as they wanted as long as her generosity was remembered. Thus the human built shrine after shrine in her name, and the land never once withered. Until weeks after your brother slayed the beast.

You sat there facing her,baffled and refused to believe in such a tale so easily, told yourself that no such thing could be possible...

Yet, the tower that kept you had nothing but a single window and a door that only seemed to appear when called. You remember how you tried climbing down through the window and how your makeshift rope snapped and you thought you'd fall to your death but instead you stayed in the air. Frozen.

As your hardened gaze looked to Boe and the faint light of the sun peeked through the window and into the room, you noticed the slight point of her ears and how in that specific lighting her features looked ethereal,as if she was carved out from a completely different mold.

You've seen those features before. A long,long time ago. The brief memory tucked behind the grains of your mind.

You must've laughed because Boe's expression shifted into confusion, and you ran your hands through your hair as a slight colour flickered to life in your eyes.

"You must think I've gone crazy. Wanting to kill my own brother but I've never seen him as family, and I'm sure he feels the same. It's the only thing we have in common."

"You'd really kill him for your freedom?" Boe asked, almost quietly.

You lifted your gaze,heavy and dark but driven with determination.

"Wouldn't you? It sounds selfish and maybe it is but hasn't he done the same to me? Ever since mother died, I was left under his care which meant he'd been shackled to me against his will and now I'm here and he's drinking in the castle." Your voice shifted, breathless and worn. You wanted to stand, to show to her that you weren't as weak as your captives had force you to be. That you meant what you said.

"I don't care about being kind and understanding anymore. I want to be released. I want to take back what I've lost and if that means killing Cyril and appeasing your Princes, so be it."

***

"You could be their Champion" Boe said as she stared you up and down,her gaze flickering with something you couldn't quite put a finger on. But she smiled when her eyes landed on your face, and a slight shade of pink dusted your cheeks. Though you felt it was because she had been nothing but open in her discussion and all you ever did was scowl and kept your distance.

And perhaps,you couldn't really be blamed for any of it given your own situation, but maybe it wasn't too harmful to act a bit more cooperative...

"A champion?" You repeated the words with your brows furrowed and lips down-curled.

Boe nodded her head.

"Faes often keep champions in order to settle certain affairs,like a representative or a tribute on their part without having to physically attend said affairs themselves, and unlike most dealings, this one has the exceptional perk of not being entirely enslaved by the Fae you serve under"

"...You mean if I agreed to being their... Champion? I wouldn't owe them anything?"

You know the tales of giving your thanks to the Gentry, and how such unfortunate humans fell to the mercy of the cunning creatures. A slight shiver ran up the length of your arm, but you fought the urge to look disgruntled, and simply crossed your arms.

Boe's smile widened a fraction.

"Yes, and I can't tell you why such a thing is possible in the first place, not because I don't want to but because I also do not know the reason behind it. It's said that this pact Faes have created with humans is a rare thing and a ritual they hold with great respect. If you so desire to kill your brother and gain your freedom, being the Princes' Champion is perhaps the best and only way."

"But how can I trust them to hold onto their end of the bargain? I might not have full belief in all your fae nonsense, but I know that whatever you are, your kind are known to be cunning and slippery!"

You felt like jabbing an accusing finger to her chest then,but you bit back the venom on your tongue and swallowed your carousing temper from erupting. Anger did no good in discussions after all. You learned that from years living with your step brother.

Despite it all however,Boe didn't seem to mind your frustration or hostility. In fact, she remained informative and calm, you began understanding why she had been sent up in the first place.

Unlike the Princes themselves, Boe didn't have any intimidation oozing from her demeanor. She came as a neutral party, neither to nurse nor make you submit.

Perhaps her words were the most trustworthy you'd have here.

Perhaps being a Champion was your only way out.

[freebooter4ever]

Ref anon: I hope you can get help for that pain. Maybe a nerve is pinched? I'm really not sure about my future. I have a lot of hobbies but just work a shit customer service job. Getting motivation to do drawing at all is difficult let alone animate. Which is a great mental state to be in when my only plan for my whole life since childhood was animation. 🤷‍♀️

its tendonitis and im pretty sure the only way to get rid of it is to take a break from working which is obviously not possible so just gonna ignore it till i die i guess \o/

so yeah you struck a cord with me, this got long...

i cant help with motivation, i have too much of it. i lived with my grandparents for a year while grandpa was sick, and it was the first time they'd ever really seen me /work/ and even they were shocked. it really is constant - if i have twenty minutes and im not using it to draw its wasted time, you know? my first roommate here in LA was concerned too - she kept trying to get me to stop working and go out and back then my excuse was i didnt have a job and no money for going out, but really im just like that all the time. i try to balance it with seeing friends and social media and everyday shit like eating food, but its hard, my favorite people are the ones who will just sit and work with me lol! (or going out and working in places im not alone and quiet). i guess what im saying is...if its really your passion, is it not there all the time? i only ask because it took me a long time to realize that although i loved to analyze animation and watch it - the way i process art doesnt quite have what it takes to do that. we all love the end product, but just because the animation part is the most front facing part...doesn't mean that's necessarily where your actual passion might lie...if that makes sense? there's SO MUCH to do in the animation industry, its crazy. for me, i finally realized that all my obsessive energy revolved around character and especially faces, and i just started focusing on that. i would much rather be concepting a wide variety of characters than spending a whole year animating about one minute of a two hour movie.

that said there's also the sad reality that some people have had doors open more easily than others. i feel you about being stuck in a retail job you feel wasted in :( im sorry you are in that position. i hope you are able to make a change, but i understand just how fucking /trapped/ that can be. watching life slip by into nothingness while the tiny snatches of meaning only happen during off hours and scraped together seconds of free time. one of the biggest ironies though is that this is how a lot of original animators felt about dsn*y. i mentioned that on my road trip i stayed with the son of an animator who worked on snow wh*te - he wasnt one of the 9 old men but he was their contemporary and friend, and the animator took the job just to make money off his art. animation just wasnt his full passion and he eventually quit, moved up north, and started experimenting with helicopters and boe*ng lol. 

and in reverse of that, as i grew up with a father and a grandfather who worked for boe*ng and the US space program, ALL my open doors were flight and space related - my cousin currently works for N A S A and my other cousin for boe*ng - they took the doors but i didnt want anything to do with it. it took years for my grandpa to finally come to terms with the fact that my passion for art was as strong as his passion for airplanes. he grew up a farm boy daydreaming about flying, and had to take a circuitous route to finally get there - army, college, mechanical engineering, finally rockets. he gave my dad and me all the chances grandpa would have wanted as a kid - my dad took them - i didnt want any of it. i would much rather have had those chances that the animator got.

and then of course there are the institutionalized gates - barriers against entry for women, minorities, LGBQT, people without money...its a LOT to fight against. which is of course why we celebrate the exceptional people who DO break through those barriers and succeed despite it all. but it can be demoralizing to be on the other side of those barriers. demoralizing is too soft a word. i dont think there is a word for how much it can hurt.

some wisdom that might help: randy pa*usch's last lecture - he is a white male who definitely does not understand the race/sex 'walls', but he makes good points, and also he came at the animation industry sideways for very similar reasons - through education and research rather than the traditional job promotion route. and then someone closer to my own age/time: justin scar*ed - i dont mean his road trip videos, i mean the old vlogs from 3-6 years ago when he was 31 divorced and depressed and realizing he had to release himself from his own pressure of his music career. his quest for positivity is an interesting concept, and i sympathized with that feeling of your life taking a direction you didnt chase after but somehow ends up being the thing you were actually looking for the entire time. if you want a success story there’s always my favorite: steve aok*. he went against everything that was set up for him in life and still made it work ^_^ (of course of these three, guess who also grew up the rich kid lol). or norman re*dus who quite literally accidentally became a model and successful actor. im paraphrasing this horribly, but my impression was that as a teenager he was selling shitty cat paintings on the streets of paris - which sounds romantic but miserable at the same time - and then followed a girl to california, got a crappy job in a motorcycle shop, went to a party and yelled at some people from a balcony, landed his first stage role...and eventually created the character of daryl and finally got the chance to have his genius really shine. (sometimes i wonder though, if it was frustrating to end up being famous for acting rather than art which was arguably his true passion?)

i hope any of this helps, i am pretty exhausted lately so apologies if my sentences are incomprehensible in some parts. and you know, my DMs on here are open if you want to talk more specifically off anon <3