#soc chapter by chapter analysis

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Analysing my favourite lines from Six of Crows chapter by chapter: Chapter 3

As before, if there are any famous/popular lines missing it’s not because I don’t like them it’s just because I have nothing more to add to the analyses/ideas already present about them in the fandom. And if there are quotes that I haven’t analysed that’s just because I wanted to include it as a favourite quote but didn’t have anything to say explanation-wise.

This is a long chapter, so I’ll see how this goes and maybe split it into two parts.

“It would have been easy to make peace. Kaz could have told Jesper that he knew he wasn’t dirty, reminded him that he'd trusted him enough to make him his only real second in a fight that could have gone badly wrong tonight."

- this is really important for me because it tells us so much about Kaz and Jesper’s relationship in so few words, as well as telling us about the characters individually as well. Kaz trusts Jesper but he can’t tell him that and keeps him at arms length: we understand that Kaz has intimacy and/or commitment issues in both platonic and romantic relationships (since at this point in time the nature of their relationship hasn’t been explored but is presented as platonic, and Kaz had not been specifically stated to have a romantic interest this early on we as the reader make early assumptions). The specificity of the verb “knew” is SO important to me as well, because we have just seen Kaz have Big Bolliger shot in the stomach on the suspicion he was dirty based on a hunch about him going to a different cafe for breakfast but he ‘knows’ with complete certainty that Jesper is absolutely trustworthy. So within barely a paragraph of Kaz’s first POV chapter we understand that Jesper, even if their relationship is complex or rocky, is incredibly important to him and that he has considerable faith in him. The choice to not “make peace”, however, even though “it would have been easy” tells us that Kaz either feels the active need to keep Jesper at a distance or is incapable of expressing the closeness he feels in their friendship. Obviously later we’re able to learn that these are both true in their own way, but the importance of it in this moment is that we are immediately tuned in to Kaz’s fear of emotional connection and invested in understanding why this is, or exactly what he struggled with. Six of Crows is a novel I’d consider to be well balanced between plot-driven and character-driven, but I definitely think that these opening chapters are very character driven so this kind of set up is what pulls us into the book and makes us desperate to keep reading.

“ ‘Another bribe?’

‘I’m a creature of habit’

‘Lucky for you, I am too’ ”

“If you couldn’t walk out by yourself through Ketterdam after dark, then you might as well hang a sign around your neck that read “soft” and lie down for a beating” - I don’t know that I can coherently explain this I just love it; the worldbuilding??? the start of this brilliant presentation of the city as effectively it’s own character, which is one of my favourite things Bardugo does in her descriptions of Ketterdam?? The character implications about Kaz??? The way it ties into his initial judgements of Wylan!???? Perfection

“He realised he felt… Saints, he almost felt hopeful. Maybe he should see a medik” - I just love this so much, it’s so funny and it’s so quintessentially Kaz, I absolutely adore it

“Usually, he liked the quiet. In fact, he would’ve happily sewn most people’s lips shut” - we should talk about this quote more as a fandom, you know, because it’s brilliant and it’s so funny and again it’s just so brilliantly Kaz in the opening pages of his perspective we get so much information about his worldview and understand him to be quite a humorous character despite the initial appearance of him from Inej’s POV. As the novels go on we see the others notice his jokes more often, but in that introductory chapter it was incredibly important that the reader received the same image of Kaz that the Black Tips did, so now we get to be introduced to the closest thing to a real version of Kaz. I think there’s still a prevalent understanding that we’re seeing a mask, but this feels more real than Dirtyhands does… if that makes sense? I could be rambling about nonsense

"He'd heard other members of the gang say she moved like a cat, but he suspected cats would sit attentively at her feet to learn her methods" - this is just such a brilliant description of what Inej can do, it gives us such a clear image without having to overexplain anything and it also introduces us to this idea of Kaz putting her on a pedestal.

' "And what god do you serve, then?"

"Whichever will grant me good fortune"

"I don't think gods work that way,"

"I don't think I care," '

"He didn't see her go, only sensed her absence" - I can't explain it but something about this is so achingly romantic to me.

"But the fact that she could simply erase herself bothered him. She didn't even have a scent. All people carried scents, and those scents told stories -" - It wasn't until someone asked me to make a post about this quote that I really thought about it and realised why it has always stuck out to me. You can see the post on my page if you're interested, but in essence I think it's really important that Kaz struggles with any sense of permanence, so the idea that the one person he cares about more than anything else in the world could vanish so completely, as though she never even existed in the first place, is genuinely frightening - especially to a boy who several times in these novels fears that he has begun to hallucinate. Kaz seems very aware that he's on the edge of something he identifies as going mad, and the concept of visual and auditory hallucinations - Jordie's voice in his head, the panic at thinking he must have hallucinated when he first sees a Tidemaker walk through a wall, the immediate fear of being attacked by a ghost, etc - is something that constantly chases him. Kaz has also spent the last 8 years of his life living in a world that continued on as though his brother never existed, the salt in the wound being that not even Rollins remembers them, so the awareness of that happening to Inej, someone he has come to care for in a way that is entirely new and incredibly overwhelming for him - "there would be no grand funerals for them, no marble markers to remember their names" "What will you leave behind, but corpses to be burned on the Reaper's Barge?" "Out to the Reaper's Barge for burning, like all paupers go" - is a deeply upsetting. This then becomes a parallel with Kaz specifically noting that he can smell soap on her in the Crooked Kingdom Bathroom Scene; in this moment she us cemented so strongly in view and becomes the tether between Kaz and his sanity by continuing to so obstinately exist in a world that doesn't seem to want her to.

"Ghosts, Kaz thought. A boy's fear, but it came with absolute surety. Jordie had come for his vengeance at last" - oh my goodness there's so much to unpack here. I have talked about this a bit before, I think it was in my (very long) post about the potential for Wylan and Kaz to become each other, but it is SO important to look at this quote and remember that when we first read it we haven't the faintest idea who Jordie is or what happened to him. With the ousting of Big Bolliger and all the talk about your gang being your family and that even if you're a liar and a thief, you don't lie to or steal from your own gang, my initial assumption upon reading this was that Jordie had once been in a gang with Kaz, one of them had betrayed the other, and it had ended with Kaz murdering him. But, of course, this is very far from the truth and this tells us so much heart-breaking information about the fact that Kaz blames himself for what happened to them. He wonders later what might have happened to them if he hadn't insisted they go and find the magician that was the first step leading them to Rollins and to Jordie's death, but we never get anything about Kaz blaming himself quite as outrightly as this, the rest of it is usually just implied. So why show us this now? I would argue because this is how Kaz genuinely feels and in the moment he thinks it he is too terrified, confused, and to some extent concerned for his sanity to push the feeling away. Everything we see beyond this point id the construct that he has convinced himself is how he feels: that it's Rollins' fault. Obviously Rollins is at least partially to blame for Jordie's death, but if I may quote myself from a previous post It's the city that kills him, Rollins is just the weapon it chooses. Jordie even says it himself - "The city's winning now, but you'll see who wins in the end". Kaz's genuine belief is that Jordie's death is his fault, but he is in far too fragile a mental state to cope with that truth (and when I say truth I mean the that it's the truth he believes that, not that it;s the truth it's his fualt because he was jsut a nine-year-old who wanted to see a magician that's a more than innocent act and, again, he was nine) so he instead exists within a façade that he has built for himself - even on top of the one he's built for everyone else. We also see a hatred of the feeling towards blaming Jordie later on in the novels, and this is incredibly important. It's almost as if the idea that it's his fault isn't even the truth, but that's a façade to overcome the ultimate horror of seeing Jordie as accountable for it all - "What do you think my forgiveness looks like Jordie?". But ultimately, this is still the warped view of the world instilled in Kaz and so many of the other citizens of Ketterdam, possibly Kerch as a whole, arguably placing the city and its infrastructure as the ultimate villain rather than the tools of it. (Wherein the tools are Rollins and Van Eck).

"The phantom was upon him, and he felt the sharp jab of a needle in his neck. A ghost with a syringe?" - This is just so funny I love it so much I think I've read SOC and CK near to twenty times each now and this still makes me laugh every damn time.

I'm going to split this into two parts from here because this is the splitting point in the chapter and this is already a pretty long post. Thanks so much for reading this, sorry it's been a while for me to post it. I'm loving this line-by-line analysis series already (I know this is only the second post but I'm still excited) but they do take a long time to put together, particularly because at this time I don't currently have an annotated version of either book. Although I am planning to buy fresh copies for the purposes of annotating them when I get the opportunity, I currently don't have my ideas recorded anywhere except this account so whenever I write a post I'm working entirely from memory beyond the actual quotes themselves (and sometimes including them too haha) or even coming up with new ideas as I write. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any questions please keep sending them in I know I haven't responded to any for a little while but I love getting them and I am working through my inbox, if a bit slowly :)

[fortheunsungheros]

This is an analysis of a small detail I’ve never heard anyone talk about.

Ponyboy describes himself as having greenish-grey eyes.

At the end of chapter 8 he realizes that Cherry has green eyes.

It’s revealed in such a way that had me interested. (I might be overthinking this but stay with me) I think the fact Ponyboy has greenish-grey eyes that he wishes were more grey shows him wanting to be a greaser, but he has some Soc like qualities to him. This is symbolic of him not being a full on greaser no matter how hard he tries, it’s not who he is. He will always lean towards the Soc side of life.

[incorrect-soc]

Godly Parents: SoC edition

(Lil disclaimer: This is not necessarily PJO's meaning of Godly Parent. It's just basically a "Which God is your godly parent" buzzfeed quiz but with actual information-)

Kaz: Nemesis, Goddess of indignation against, and retribution for, evil deeds and undeserved good fortune. Kaz spent the entire two books and the bigger part of his life holding grudges and planning his revenge on an arrogant man who got away with destroying a bunch of people's lives. He makes it his life mission to make him pay for his crimes.

Inej: Hermes, Messenger of the gods; god of travel, commerce, communication, borders, eloquence, diplomacy and thieves. First of all, Inej is Suli. Suli people are known to be "nomads", travelling from place to place. Second, Kaz hired her to be his spider, to collect and deliver important information, a messenger of some kind. And a detail I particularly liked is the whole thing with the shoes. Hermes most characteristic item are his flying sandals; and Inej is also particularly fond of her climbing leather slippers.

Jesper: Hephaestus, God of the forge, craftsmanship, invention, fire, metallurgy and volcanoes, craftsman of the gods. Yeah, yeah. The obvious reason is in fact because Jesper is a Fabrikator. He literally controls metal. If it's parental issues we're talking about, well, we all know how that went for both of them.

Wylan: Apollo, God of Sun, light, prophecy, philosophy, archery, truth, inspiration, poetry, music, arts, manly beauty, medicine, healing, and plague. "Because of Wylan Van Suns-?" *slap* Shut up, that was literally sarcasm. Wylan's story and latter fate begins because of a music conservatory, and music really played such a big part in his own story as well as his story with Jesper (ehem, piano incident). Also, bit of a fun fact, Apollo is supposedly the creator of the flute so there you go. Another literal thing is that he created a fake plague to help Kaz.

Nina: Hecate, Goddess of the dead's souls, witchcraft and divination. (Matthias would be so happy for the whole witchcraft thing). I don't think I have to elaborate on this one, but just a reminder that Nina can in fact control dead bodies.

Matthias: Hestia, Goddess of the hearth, fire and of the right ordering of domesticity and the family. *Introduces really gut-wrenching line from chapter 40 of Crooked Kingdom about how he finally could go back home*. I know it's kinda ironic that Matthias is from an icy country and Hestia is the Goddess of the fire, but no one said this was a perfect analysis (do I look like Rick Riordan to you?). Matthias was all about family values and homeland really, even if they meant different things at the beginning and at the end of Matthias' story. First it was his bio family, whose death ignited his hatred for the Grisha and his home was Fjerda. But in the end, the Crows became his family, the family he gave his life for, the same way Nina became his home.

[tiiyapoyoo]

hi!!! I love ur quotes on where the sun met the storm! I always look for them! I was wondering if u had any predictions or analysis or anything for the fic?? I eat up ur quotes every time!

omg thank you so much!! this is so sweet 💗 i’m so glad other people like my quotes (and have the patience to read all that…)

predictions?? hmm… for next chapter, i know pony and johnny are gonna get jumped by socs, but compared to other people’s predictions, i’m not so sure if johnny’s gonna kill bob/they go to windrixville. it just feels too predictable for legends_never_die to do that. don’t get me wrong, i’d love to see it, and especially see how it plays with our current pb&j dynamic (the tension is gonna go crazy), but i just don’t think it’ll happen like canon. the author’s gonna twist it somehow.

i’ve got a lot of future predictions/theories now that i think about it. to start, a theory i’ve got on why dallas left pony is because he made a deal with his father. not very original of me, i know. it’s a popular theory, but it’s popular for a reason. it just makes the most sense right now.

ex: quote from chapter eleven: “Dad…does he hurt…” “Yeah.” Pony nodded. “Course.” “But he said…”

^^ whatever their dad said to dally HAD to have been part of their deal. i’m thinking something along the lines of this: if dallas leaves new york, then their dad promises not to abuse ponyboy. something like that maybe…? i’m not sure, but that’s what i’ve got.

asking me for my analysis on WSMS is a question you should NOT have asked because i have way too much to say. this post is already long enough bro 😭😭

anyway thanks for the ask!! it was nice to yap for a bit :P

[jackwolfes]

dgb's 2023 fic wrap up (to be finalised)

@inexplicablymine tagged me to do a 2023 fic round-up but i frankly cannot list every single fic i wrote, posted or started this year because that would be a bit unruly 😅 but i am a sucker for data analysis so here are some numbers

stats

40 fics updated or posted in 2023 (6 of which were started prior to 2023*)

10 anonymous fics (8 of which are in my "anon but not" collection, 2 of which are just hidden in the ether)

5 in-progress fics on ao3

452,842 words posted to ao3 (* roughly)

20,754 kudos (* roughly) 

691,480 words written (** roughly) 

* because i've updated some existing long fics (e.g. silly little love notes) the ao3 word count and kudos are i think slightly higher to what i got in this year alone, probably +20k words and +1k kudos

** i haven't been religious tracking my WC this year so i think i've undershot and the total is more accurately ~710k

top five most popular ao3 fics

hours (RWRB/FirstPrince, M, 28.6k) alex hostage fic

you owe me for blowing up my bed (SAB/Wesper, E, 3.1k) sab!verse missing scene (S2Ep5)

a choice of two locked doors (SOC/Wesper, M, 109k) wesper arranged marriage au

the bed we loved in (SOC/Wesper, M, 6.9k) immediately post-CK hurt/comfort

you yearn to feel no hunger (SAB/Wesper, T, 5.3k) sab!verse wylan character study/missing scene (S2Ep1)

WIPs I'm hoping to share by end of Dec

mystery kazper fic for the annual BOTB discord server winter exchange 👀❄️

2x more chapters of a shadow in the rising sun

And what's hopefully coming early next year

the final 2x chapters of wedding vows

the final 10 or so chapters of a shadow in the rising sun 

the start of regency wesper AU 🤞 

inevitably some PWPs thrown in there somewhere

and hopefully wesper sugar baby AU will be in a postable state by mid next year 👀

respectfully not going to tag anyone in case folks don't want someone else's fic stats in their inbox but would love to join in celebrating folks' achievements if anyone wants to share them!

[stromuprisahat]

Is there anyone doing analysis specifically on the shorts that LB wrote. The stories at the end of the books are just so good. Even the POV changed chapters are amazing. I think those little bits are where the writer shines because she writes such fucked up little things without tangling her plot and it's just great. Does anyone do analysis on those specifically?

I read the SaB trilogy and the SoC duology, just started the last duology. I don't know if her stories are at the end of the books are there at every print. My books had them.

I've read ebooks, and there's only a teaser from Shadow and Bone in Six of Crows or something, so I don't know which shorts do you mean. The only short stories from Grishaverse I know about are Demon in the Wood and The Tailor, but as far as I know they're supposed to be available just online.

[waldensblog]

Reading King of Scars and Rule of Wolves

So I’m all caught up on the Grishaverse novels now! What a ride! I’m a bit late to the fandom but happy to be here and absolutely ready to tell you all about my love of this duology in particular. 

Most will be below the cut, but the TL;DR of it is: -I am still a Darknikolina, so I absolutely lived for every Darkolai moment, and loved the small Darklina and Nikolina scraps I got. 

-I love the Darkling’s arc and see it as an anti-villain to anti-hero one.

-Nina is now my favourite crow, and also I loved the crows cameo. 

In the original trilogy, we only have Alina’s POV, and as much as I love the intimacy of being in a single character’s head, alternating POVs is a big strength of both the Soc Dulogy and the KoS Duology because it gives us a wider scope, and helps alleviate the “unreliable narrator” syndrome that a single POV can have (I touch on this briefly at the end with my “extra” section). Being able to go into Nikolai’s head, Zoya’s head, Nina’s head, the Darkling’s head, Isaak’s head, and Mayu’s head gave a lot of depth to the story because it let us see how different character’s perceived the same events. 

Nikolai I adored being in Nikolai’s head, because I loved seeing what he actually thinks. He always plays a charming, roguish prince/king, so seeing his own worries and insecurities that he never voices is great. I loved his diplomacy with the Starless Saint Cult, because it really shows what a great leader he actually is - he doesn’t have to agree with a perspective to listen to it, and he knows he won’t change anyone’s mind by shutting them down and making them feel unheard or dismissed. I loved the cameo with the Crows in Ketterdam too. In terms of ships with him? I’m still a Darknikolina, so I liked when he mentioned Alina and how the rejection still kind stung, and how he had maybe started to love her. It was nice to see him move on from her, though I’m not fully on board with him and Zoya - I don’t dislike it, but it didn’t eat holes in my brain as it did for others, so I suppose I’m just neutral on those 2. I was, however, absolutely obsessed with every Darkolai moment. More on that below. The way he got pulled into a bit of a tether with the tea scene, seeing Alina from the Darkling’s POV? Rent free in my head as a Darknikolina.

The Darkling and my continued Darknikolina obsession The Darkling, oh yes, oh YES. I LOVED being in his head. He is still absolutely unhinged and it is excellent. The way he occasionally trails off in his mind when he approaches an uncomfortable thought, the way Alina lives rent-free in his mind. I really really wish we had one last POV chapter with him near the end - either his sacrifice from his POV, something right before that (maybe his escape/capture or sitting in the war room like a Drama QueenTM waiting for them to notice him), but since we didn’t - I’m extremely happy it was in Nikolai’s POV. I ADORE his arc. In the original trilogy, he is the anti-villain. He has noble goals, but his methods are not. He is tired, and willing to do anything - very much any-means-necessary the-ends-justify-the-means and it is fascinating from a philosophical POV, character analysis, etc. I am obsessed with how he absolutely haunts the narrative in King of Scars, and then in Rule of Wolves, he comes back, we have his POV, and he takes on an anti-hero role, showing how the anti-villain and anti-hero are really 2 sides of the same coin - again, from an character analysis POV, it’s fantastic. His sacrifice at the end for Ravka... I wish he wasn’t being tortured for eternity, but I LOVE that he gets a redemption arc and the way the protagonists end with “he doesn’t deserve this” even if they can’t forgive everything he did (and he isn’t asking them to). I love it so, so much.  Ship-wise? As I said, still a Darknikolina.  “Bring me Alina Starkov”, wanting to see what became of the girl who (literally and figuratively) drove a blade through his heart, “where is she?” Elizaveta wouldn’t tell him, implying he asked a bunch, the effect her very voice had on him, the ENTIRE tea-with-your-ex scene (you can’t convince me either of them is really over the other. Alina could have just said no to tea, she didn’t. She grieved him at the end of the trilogy, she wanted to see him too I NEED this fanfic from her POV like right now), the way she absolutely lived rent-free in his head in his POV chapters, Yes. YES!!!!!!  But also. Also. The banter with Nikolai, the way neither of them has entirely pure “you are enemy” thoughts towards the other and cringes at the thought of the other being hurt - Darkling actively HELPING “the boy king” against the Fjerdans by giving a power boost to their shadow demon they have a shared link to (almost like shared custody lol) and then thinking “hmm, I could do more” before ultimately going “nah”. When “the bastard actually winked at him” YEEEEEEEEEEEEES. When the Darkling tells Nikolai he can’t be the sacrifice and does it himself and then Nikolai and the Demon feel the pain and Nikolai can’t stay because it’s become a place of MOURNING. YES. YESYESYESYES. The books did NOT dissuade my Darkolai-ness and only amplified it.  

Zoya I never thought much of Zoya in the original trilogy - neither good or bad, she was just there. Now, as a main character, we had her POV. I will say, I didn’t love her or dislike her - she was probably my least fave of the main characters, but  that isn’t a strike against her but rather as a comment to how much I loved these books and characters. Given how many people love her, I expected to love her too, but I didn’t. I enjoyed being in her head okay, and I do like her arc - especially because at the beginning, I kept thinking she was a bit too hot-headed to make a good General, but near the end she seems to be more in control of her temper, so I think she’ll have some bumps in the road but manage. 

Nina Nina, oh Nina my beloved. I love this bisexual waffle loving crow. I loved her POV chapters, though they seemed entirely disconnected from the main Ravka story for the majority of the novels - they only link up at the very end. It isn’t an entirely bad thing, but from a reader POV, it would be nice if they were more clearly connected from the start. I never really vibed with her and Mathias, but I like her with Hanne. The idea of Grisha spies on the Fjerdan throne is hilarious, though I’m not sure how long they can really pull that off - even with Nina’s necromancer abilities.

Extra Also, one more thing. Because we spent the trilogy in Alina’s head, she kept going on and on about how everyone loved Mal, how he fit in everywhere, how handsome he was, etc. but then in these books... sure, he popped up, but he was not described that way by other characters. He was very much “the tracker”, and kinda just trailing along as Alina’s plus one. Which is hilarious to me because it confirms for me that Alina had serious Mal-goggles on the entirely trilogy, so everyone else was kinda like “Who? Oh right that guy”. The man did not live rent-free in ANYONE else’s head like Alina seems to think he does (this is not Mal hate. It’s just funny to me). 

Overall I absolutely LOVED these books and I think they are my fave of the Grishaverse novels. I am extremely excited to see how they will adapt these for season 3 of the show, even though I know they’re going a different direction with the show in general, I am hopeful they keep my fave elements (bring back Ben Barnes!!!!!! Don’t even bother with the in-Yuri’s-body-shifting-face thing, just bring back Ben!!!!!! Give him this arc and keep the Darkolai!!!) and add some things that weren’t there (MORE Darknikolina!!!!!), the Crows are already in this story, so I’m sure they can weave the Ice Court Heist in, and maybe more of their RoW role in S4. If we do get another Crows book with Sankt Felix heart and the thornwood, I hope it’s as good as RoW at least, and it could make a good S5. 

[crows-and-cookies]

SPOILERS ABOUT ALL GRISHVERSE BOOKS

What strike me when you read the Grishaverse books in order is how much Leigh Bardugo grew while writing them. Don’t get me wrong with this bit of analysis—I love all of them, and they’re all good. It’s just occurring to me as I read them how her style improves as we go on.

The shadow and bone series is a bit clunky, moving in fits and starts, with a tiny bit of a gap between each story. Personally, I don’t think the Mal/Alina relationship is as well developed as others to come. And there’s some things that Alina doesn’t explain, but not in the mystery way of the crows, but in like the way that she’s describing the action with not as much emotional depth as she could (think in the second book in the church with the Darkling). Also, it’s purely Alina’s POV (with the exception of the first and last chapters).

In SOC, we start to get that alternating POV, which gives us more insight into other characters, fully fleshing out the issues and events. Even with Kaz, who doesn’t think he likes to show emotions (which he does show emotions, just under the guise of Dirtyhands’ violence), we have his internal dialogue of what he’s feeling, fully giving us the scene/scene reaction.

Additionally, the diction is more poetic than the glimpses of poetry we saw in Shadow and Bone. ‘Her heart was a river that ran towards the sea’, ‘I will have you with armor, Kaz Brekker, or I will not have you at all’, and don’t even get me started on the sheer magnitude of metaphors packed into SOC.

Not to mention the way Kanej grow towards each other in SOC, how they do the same things but for different reasons. Malina is growing, but it’s Alina growing and Mal chasing her, and he ‘grows’ in the sense of dedicating himself to her, but not in the sense of himself as much as Alina does. Kaz grows from wanting revenge to wanting to build something, to wanting Inej. He finally wants something for himself, but not under the guise of money, for the reality that he loves her. He has growth outside of her, but she helps it along. Inej moves from wanting forgiveness for the sins forced upon her (I think) to wanting to change the system. Inej gave Kaz the space and want to build something, and Kaz gave her the strength and skills to want to fight not just for herself, but for others.

Additionally, the scale of everything is increased in SOC. The violence and stakes seem greater, even though the Shadow and Bone was about a war, and SOC was about criminals. Alina does eventually kill people and works through that emotionally and notes how it conflicts with her image as a martyr—the crows kill people and it’s a backdrop for other problems. Kaz kills Oomen (after ripping out his eye) for what he did to Inej, for risking the safety of his people. It’s him ‘making him pay’ and keeping his reputation on the surface, but underneath it’s about him having feelings that he doesn’t understand about Inej and about protecting what he’s built. Inej kills Dunashya as a way of killing her ‘shadow’ and moving forward with the idea of doing harm to do good (killing slavers to stop slavery). While the setting is smaller (just Ketterdam and the Ice Court, mostly), the stakes feel much more fleshed out and higher. It’s something they all want, for a variety of reasons. Alina didn’t get that until halfway through the series at least, as she was fighting herself. Also, Alina’s want is mostly Mal, which is strengthen by the fact that he’s an amplifier, but for me that doesn’t feel as deep as the crows wants and needs. Finally, Shadow and Bone is about someone learning to become Grisha—Six of Crows says fuck that, we’re all equal here, and makes a fulfilling story and plot with several Grisha and non-Grisha, challenging the world view that was presented in Shadow and Bone.

And now for King of Scars and Rule of Wolves. We're focused on two people who need each other to survive logistically (for ruling the country), but romantically it has to be pushed into the background of their lives. It's not the one sided pining of Alina for Mal, nor the denial we see with all three of the relationships in SOC. There is denial, but their positions of power add depth to their reasons why they can't be together, with logistical issues (Nikolai having to marry a princess) getting in the way, instead of just feelings. We see a little bit of that logistical issue for Mal and Alina in the first book (the letters never sent) and are introduced to Matthias and Nina as being separated due to Nina, but the fact that Zoya and Nikolia literally use the rumors about them to protect Nikolai but actually can't be together? Ouch. And again, we're hit with the Grisha and non-Grisha being on equal footing, but not just as criminals--as royalty. The circumstances for their relationship have been elevated.

I will say I don't find KoS and RoW as poetic as SOC, but that doesn't mean it's not well written. Her dialogue was always good, and it continues to be great as the books go. Where Bardugo really shines is in being able to play with characters we've already met, and really dig deep into them. We've seen Zoya grow from the sidelines, and then she makes her literally more badass that Alina was. Nikolai accepts his darkenss and monster. The Darkling actually has an ending that feels more satisfying than if he was just killed, because we thought we already got that! And Nina? Her relationship with Matthias actually grows in the reader's eyes postmortem. Even minor characters, like Adrik and Leoni, Tamar and Tolya, and David and Genya! She really gave herself the space to flesh out these characters and let them grow as people who've survived one war and don't want another.

I will say I loved that Zoya accepted queenhood as a Suli queen, but it could have been gone into more, instead of hinted at a few times. (Also, I'm a mixed, white passing brown woman, so I identified with her in those few moments.) And Nikolai's choice to step down and do what we're introduced to him as (an adventurer) is perfect. This book shines because the ending speaks for itself and ties up a lot of loose ends.

In all, SOC and CK are my favorite. I'm sure I could find other things, but I wrote most of this at work in early December and then found it again in the new year and added the part about RoW and KoS. Bardugo's growth through the series is evident, and I wholly recommend rereading them all in order if you haven't.

[trialbystory]

Since I didn't get SoC updated this week (21 is finally in progress though), I wanna talk about a few things from Arcade Spirits that I didn't put in The Spirit of Competition for one reason or another.

1)The character whose role Penny is filling, Jynx, has a cat named Mynx. He is adorable but in every scene he shows up in he has the unsettling habit of staring directly through the fourth wall at the player. They even comment on it the first time he appears. He's not in SoC mostly because the first time Ruby goes to Penny's apartment is under different circumstances, and I feel like 'surprise, cute kitty!' might've distracted from the important things happening in that scene.

2)Blake's character Rhapsody, in addition to being nonbinary, has the same knack for analysis and strategy Blake does in SoC, but after parting ways with P2W they didn't leave the competitive scene, winding up as a broadcaster/commentator for third-party tournaments. The reason that's not a thing in SoC is because, frankly, I forgot about it when I was writing Chapter 5.

3)Locksley, Jaune's character, has the ridiculous (I say it with love) affectation of talking in fantasy/medieval/chivalric terms. All thees and thous and knave! and my lady. It's an extension of his whole hero of justice schtick, which is more explicitly framed as being a Robin Hood fantasy in AS, to the point that his gamer-name is a reference to one of the folk hero's common aliases, Robin of Locksley. As for why I dropped the affect for SoC it's quite simple really: it would have been too tedious to write Jaune that way.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed those funfacts, and hey, Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers is currently on a 33% discount as part of Steam's LudoNarraCon. As for SoC, we'll be seeing the next chapter arrive hopefully as scheduled on Wednesday.

[themarketresearchreportnsight]

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[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Analysing my favourite lines from Six of Crows chapter by chapter: Chapter 4

Same as usual: famous or popular quotes being missed doesn't mean I don't like them it just means I don't have anything new to say, and some quotes will not have explanations because I just like them I don't really have anything to analyse

“Inej knew the moment Kaz entered the Slat” - first of all I think it’s relevant that this is our second chapter from Inej’s POV and both of them have begun with the focus entirely on Kaz, the first one being the infamous “Kaz Brekker didn’t need a reason”, which she immediately disproves to be factual and instead shows as something created by the opinion of the many who don’t really know Kaz and disputed by the few, herself included, who do. To some extent it’s possible that the same action is being completed with this introduction, since it’s actually less about Inej being aware of Kaz’s presence than it is about her being aware of the Dregs’ acknowledgment of him. Secondly I find it an interesting parallel between the pair, that Kaz recognises Inej’s presence despite no-one else knowing she’s there whilst Inej recognises Ka’s presence because everyone knows he’s there. This not only summarises their drives, for Inej to melt into the background and stop being noticed for her physical appearance and instead valued for her skills, and for Kaz to be seen, to rise to prominence, and to be noticed by Pekka Rollins, but also tells us about their particular gifts for reading people. Kaz reads individuals incredibly well, he explains this in many of his quotes about lock picking and blackmail and we also get the brilliant idea of the way he notices everything about a person down to their scent and the story that their scent tells (I’ve written before about the relevance of him being bothered by the fact that Inej doesn’t have a scent but in the Bathroom Scene he comments on how he can smell soap on her), he sees small details, tells, and nervous ticks and these things give him a massive advantage in the control he exercises over individuals. Inej reads crowds, she sees collective responses to people, events, or objects and uses that response to evaluate the thing that caused it, she doesn’t notice tells until Kaz suggests she looks out for them but she is able to very quickly assess Kaz’s chances of success, and how quickly those chances change, when he faces the Dregs at the Slat and leads a coup against Per Haskell in Crooked Kingdom.

“The worst part of the Barrel […] Most of the buildings in this part of the city had been built without foundations, many on swampy land where the canals were haphazardly dug. They leaned against each other like tipsy friends gathering at a bar, tilting at drowsy angles” - I love the description, I love the imagery, I have a deep obsession with worldbuilding… this is just great, like I don’t really know that’s there’s anything to say it’s just great

“Inej’s room was on the third floor, a skinny slice if space, barely big enough for a cot and a trunk. But with a window that looked out over the leaked roofs and jumbled chimneys of the Barrel. When the wind came through and cleared away the haze of coal smoke that hung over the city, she could even make out a blue pocket of harbour” - ok first of all I’m obsessed with the imagery and the description, and second of all I’m actually just going to copy and paste a post I made a while ago about the window because I find it an incredibly important detail for Inej and I think this is worth saying again:

‘I find it really interesting that Inej’s favourite part about her room at the Slat, despite it being “barely big enough to fit a cot”, is that she has her own window. I think this is important not only because all the windows at the Menagerie were barred, but also because the whole idea of a window is representative of the difference between her life in Ravka and her life in Kerch. Travelling through Ravka, she had no need or want of a window because she was part of and at one with the outdoor world, free to explore it and enjoy it as she saw fit, but in Ketterdam windows and rooftops are her way of travelling the city. They bring her a source of hope and connection to the life she lost whilst simultaneously being her method of completing jobs for the Dregs to slowly claw her back to that very life. So in a way, the window has become a physical manifestation of both a veil of separation between her and everything she’s ever loved or cared for, a literal sheet of glass between her and her world, and of a hope for salvation to return to that love and care.’

“If you had a gripe, you settled it outside where you didn’t risk interrupting the hallowed practice of separating pigeons from their money” - I love this quote so much but I also think it could be interpreted as quite sarcastic on Inej’s part; she talks a lot about how “nothing [is] sacred to the Kerch except trade” and finds a lot of their traditions baffling since their cultural attitude and religious attitude are both so different to the ones she was raised in. This could be seen as a subtle undermining of the culture that abused her whilst appropriating her own culture of peace, which is of course deeply ironic of them, and also reflective of the battle constantly waging inside her over the morality of her surroundings and the core moral code she knows she has broken and will continue to break because circumstance has left her no other choices - possibly linking to the way she specifically considers more fear of her parents not forgiving the actions she’s taken since leaving the Menagerie than what she was forced to do whilst imprisoned there

“I didn’t hurt you none. It was just words” - this is Rojax’s response to Inej punching him in the face whilst wearing brass knuckles after he insulted her, demanded money that neither she nor the gang owed him, and then tried to grab her collar. Now ignoring the money since to be fair we don’t know how much he stole and how much his pay cheque should have been so we don’t know if it evens out or not, the important thing here is that Rojax fails to identify his ability to do Inej damage by calling her “little girl” (words Tante Heleen weaponised against her), referring to her as though she’s Kaz’s property, and threatening violence towards her. I don’t think Rojax meant to affect Inej in the way he surely did, but I do think it shows so well that there’s a massive lack of understanding in the Barrel for the kind of pain that people like Inej have experienced and carry with them, especially since she herself comments on the way even though she hid the scar from her Menagerie tattoo “they all knew it was there”. I how this makes sense I’m not sure if I’ve articulated it quite right

“People were watching now, so she hit him again”

“It would’ve been easy enough to turn away when they called her names or sidled up and asked for a cuddle, but do that and soon it was a hand up your blouse or a try at you against a wall” - this again emphasises that there’s no real acknowledgment of Inej’s experience as traumatic but almost as intriguing or even erotic, and it reminds the reader of the rampant misogyny that travels through the Barrel not only in the dehumanising treatment of women and children in the pleasure houses but also in the cultural attitude as a whole. Although no-one sees Inej as a less threatening force because of her sex, it’s undeniable that the Barrel sees women as something to be conquered or won, and we also see this reflected by the upper classes in the attitudes of merchants and in Van Eck’s marriages.

“Nothing was sacred to the Kerch except trade” - laughing at myself because when I talked about it earlier I didn’t realise this quote was in this chapter

“Inej like Rojax, but right now he was just a frightened man looking to feel bigger than someone”

“Still clutching his cheek like a stunned toddler”

‘ “You look exhausted. Will you sleep at all tonight?”

Jesper just winked.

“Not while the cards are hot. Stay and play a bit, Kaz will stake you”

“Really, Jesper?” she’d said, pulling up her hood, “If I wanna watch men dig holes to fall into I’ll find myself a cemetery”

“Come on, Inej!” He’d called after her as she passed through the big double doors onto the street, “You’re good luck!”

Saints, she’d thought, if he believe that he really must be desperate. She’d left her luck behind in a Suli camp on the shores of West Ravka. She doubted she’d see either again” ’ - this conversation is so important in developing the reader’s baseline understanding for Jesper’s situation and addiction, and it’s not something I see people talk about a lot. Other than Kaz staking him and Jesper calling himself “a creature of habit”, this is the first concession to Jesper’s gambling “habit” being a genuine and debilitating addiction, and I think it’s important for us as the reader to so early on see that Inej, someone whose opinion Jesper so highly valued and someone he is evidently so close to, is unable to talk Jesper out of the card game - in fact the entire conversation to me gives the air of there having been many previous conversations where she tried and this one being one of many following where she’s all but given up. She expresses her opinion on the situation with the beautiful cemetery line, she directly confronts him in the issue by asking if he’s going to sleep tonight, and doesn’t hold back on pointing out that the addiction is having a physical impact on his health by saying that he looks exhausted, but she doesn’t make active strides to pull him away from the game. I think Inej has reached a point where she accepts that it isn’t her job to try and fix the people she cares about, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to. She desperately needs Jesper to hear what she means through what she’s saying, and if he isn’t going to then she cannot stand by and helplessly watch his self-destruction. Jesper on the other hand seems to seek support in her and her presence because of his fears surrounding failure and not being cared for by others as much as he cares for them; he knows Inej leaves because she can’t help him and can’t watch him, and he knows that her trying to help him would make little long term difference as he explains in Crooked Kingdom when talking directly about his addiction, but that doesn’t mean that the cruel, self-destructive, disparaging part of him isn’t taunting him with the idea that she’s leaving because she doesn’t care about him and because she doesn’t want to help him, and that fear/pain only makes him feel more hollow and only makes him need to play more. Again I hope this makes sense it’s starting to feel like I’m just rambling

“Inej moved aside a bucketful of cleaning supplies that she’d placed there precisely because she knew no-one in the Slat would ever touch it” - I couldn’t cope in the Barrel. There’s no way I could cope with the fighting anyway, but if I by some miracle survived it would only be for the general lack of cleanliness to finish me off

' "This place is like anything in Ketterdam. It leaks,"

Inej could've sworn he looked directly at the vent when he said it. ' - I love this so much because Kaz never mentions anything about this himself but it just so fluidly becomes part of the way he's always aware of her presence. There's also never any surprise at meeting her right outside the closet she's hiding in immediately after the conversation with Haskell so I think we get the idea that's quite routine, and it begins more and more to introduce us to this quiet dependence Kaz and Inej have on each other without addressing it; there are so many things that they each know the others does but never mention, and I think generally speaking they both know that the other knows as well but their ease with one another doesn't require voicing it aloud - if anything it may even rely on keeping it silent, since neither of them are in a position yet where they can admit to themselves the need to rely on someone/the care they feel towards each other.

"You're smart Brekker, but you need to learn patience," - this line always catches me out a little, but I think it's actually just giving us another hint to the extent of disconnect Haskell has from the real experiences of his gang members. We already know Kaz to be a patient character at least in some of the situations we've seen so far, and he goes on to prove himself as immensely and genius-ly (I have no idea what the real word for that is, work with me) patient in his processes and his plans - particularly in Crooked Kingdom when he explains that "you don't win by playing one game". Remember it's in chapter TWO of Crooked Kingdom the Kaz puts the plan to hand Wylan his father's fortune into motion, we just don't know it until after the auction for Kuwei's indenture. Kaz does have a quote somewhere about how too many people aren't patient enough in committing crimes and that's how they end up making mistakes but I can't remember it exactly (I'm working off my audiobook at the minute so I can't flick through and find it), if any one knows it feel free to comment it because it's a great quote and a really interesting reference for this! My point here is that we know Kaz is a very patient person yet Haskell, someone who would appear on the surface to work so closely with him, is accusing him for a lack of it. Because realistically, Haskell has no idea of the everyday workings of the gang or anything of the scope of work Kaz puts into it, and I htink this is just another of the many unsavoury characters building hints we have to encourage the reader to develop an immediate disliking for Per Haskell in this scene.

"But you'll get your twenty percent" - it took me a while to actually think about the money and why the total is 30 million but the main six characters are only getting 4 million kruge each because honestly I won't lie it just didn't occur to me to actually think about the maths. Like I was vaguely aware that didn't add up but I didn't really think about it. But let's talk, because 30 million kruge split between 6 crew members should have meant each character receiving 5 million kruge each (30/6=5). But Per Haskell is owed 20% of any money that the Dregs earn, so he's taking some of the money. On the surface, does 20% seem like an unfair margin? Probably not, considering that theoretically the Dregs members owe him money, live at the Slat seemingly rent free, and are his employees in a business taht has to make money somehow. Personally I odn't think it's a great business model, but I literally know noting about business and also that's not really the point right now. The point is that on the surface 20% doesn't sound wholly unreasonable, and it doesn't sound unreasonable in this conversation. It's not until later, when Kaz offers Inej and Nina 4 million kruge to join the Ice Court Heist that it really occurs to us that they're kind of getting screwed over. Because 20% of 30 million kruge is 6 million kruge. SIX. This man is about to make 2 million more kruge by sitting around in Ketterdam playing with a ship in a bottle than any of our main characters are about to make for nearly dying a thousand times over and successfully infiltrating the Ice Court. What is interesting to me is how the decision of the money is made, because it seems that we're regarding it as if the income is solely Kaz's so he's paying Haskell is twenty percent then choosing to split the remainder between his crew, which seems to make sense since he was the one who was approached for the deal and the one who was offered the money. But if the money had been offered to hte six of them, the financial implications could have been far more complex. Wylan and Matthias aren't members of the dregs, so they would have no need to lose 20% of their income. They would each take 5 million, whilst the other four took 4 million and gave Haskell 1 million from each of their hauls. SO HASKELL WOULD STILL MAKE EQUAL TO THEM. Wylan and Matthias would come out marginally richer than the others, which neither of them were particularly bothered about anyway, and Haskell would still have done nothing and successfully screwed over Kaz and the other Dregs members. And I'm not saying they would've gone for that, because I don't doubt that Wylan and Matthias would have suggested splitting the income the way they do in the book anyway, but I'm saying it's so important that ultimately the person winning here is always Per Haskell. But what's really interesting about Kaz is that not only does he never question the suggestion of splitting the money evenly when he could have easily claimed more for himself as the person who made the deal nad hired on the others, effectively putting himself in Haskell's position except with more involvement, but even when he cuts Haskell out of the business he keeps none of the 6 million kruge for himself, instead splitting it between Rotty and Specht for their smaller roles in the Ice Court Heist. Kaz represents so many things that Per Haskell doesn't, and in that way he comes to represent key things that Pekka Rollins isn't as well, since the book makes strides to show Haskell and Rollins as effectively representative for all the gang leaders. Even though Rollins appears far more involved and on the ball than Haskell, when Inej attacks him in the final chapter of Crooked Kingdom he is forced to question the last time he "felt real pain" since no-one dared to actually fight him any more. I really hope this makes sense because it's very rambly and I'm starting to think I just explained fairly straight forward maths for no real reason.

"Rich as Saints in crowns of gold" - ok I love this because it shows us so much of what Kaz, or if we assume this is a common saying then the Kerch or just citizens of the Barrel, think of the Saints and of religious iconography. We know from the King of Scars duology, the Lives of Saints, and probably to some extent Shadow and Bone that the Saints' lives were not ones of riches, fame, or power, but Kaz exercises this idea of people turning themselves into religious icons for crude, financial purposes. I actually wonder if the way he views them is a kin to the way I've talked about viewing Jarl Brum as a reader, and I think that it's really important to hear this from Inej's perspective because we're already heightened to such an opposite idea by the overall style and tone of the chapter.

"And why Pim? The thought shamed her a bit. She could almost hear her father's voice: So eager to be the queen of thieves, Inej. It was one thing to do her job and do it well, it was quite another to want to succeed at it. She didn't want a permanent place with the Dregs, she wanted to pay off her debts and be free of Ketterdam forever, so why should she care if Kaz chose Pim to run the gang in his absence? Because I'm smarter than Pim," - First of all shout out to the Inej narrator of the soc audiobook because she nailed the intonation of "I'm smarter than Pim" I love it. Second of all we get this really interesting implication of Inej's moral code here, because as I've talked about before her morality is incredibly important to her and the necessity of crossing that line to survive has wreaked havoc on her emotional and probably mental states. She sees a clear distinction between doing what she has to in order to survive and enjoying what she does and I think this is possibly her 'new' moral code to cope with the inability to control her life and stick to what she considers her core moral values.

' "What would you say to 4 million kruge?"

"Money like that is more curse than gift,"

"My little Suli idealist. All you need is a full belly and an open road," he said, the mockery clear in his voice.

"And an easy heart, Kaz"

That was the difficult part. '

"We'll be kings and queen, Inej. Kings and queens,"

"Kaz was not a giddy boy smiling and making future plans her. He was a dangerous player who was always working an angle. Always."

' "I'll need Wylan waiting at the Crow Club tomorrow night,"

"Wylan? If this is for a big job..."

"Just do it," ' - Inej throws so much shade on Wylan early in six of crows and I always seem to forget and then be caught off guard when she's just complaining to Kaz that he's useless and Wylan's like '... I'm right here,'

"One moment he made her blush and the next he made her want to commit murder,"

' "Fence it,"

"Whose is it?"

"Ours now," ' - I shouldn't find this romantic, should I?

"Move the DeKappel we lifted from Van Eck's house into the vault. I think it's rolled up under my bed," - pleaseeeeee he doesn't even have the painting up, the audacity in this boy know no bounds. I talked a lot about the DeKappel when I was writing about the last chapter so I'm not going to detail it here, but everything about it makes me so happy

"Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won't you do me the honour of acquiring me a new hat?" - first of yesssssssssss we love, and secondly I wrote a whole thing about Kaz using sarcasm as a defence mechanism and the complexity of his inability to express emotions a while ago with particular focus on this quote and a few others so if you want to you can find that on my page or I might be able to tag people on it or whatever if you can't find it because it was some time ago now

' Inej cast a meaningful glance at his cane.

"Have a long trip down," she siad, then leapt onto the bannister sliding from one floor to the next, slick as butter in a pan. '

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed and that my scattered thoughts made at least some sense <3

[socly]

Unlocking Trust and Security: Achieving SOC 2 Certification in New York with SOCLY.io

In today’s digital landscape, where data is the lifeblood of businesses and the protection of sensitive information is paramount, SOC 2 certification has become a gold standard for demonstrating a commitment to data security, privacy, and compliance. For organizations operating in New York, a state known for its bustling economic activity and rigorous regulatory environment, achieving SOC 2 certification is not just a best practice — it’s a competitive advantage.

Enter SOCLY.io, your trusted partner on the journey to SOC 2 certification in New York. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the significance of SOC 2 certification, the challenges and benefits it presents, and how SOCLY.io can pave the way for your organization to achieve this prestigious certification.

Chapter 1: Understanding SOC 2 Certification

1.1 What is SOC 2 Certification?

SOC 2, which stands for Service Organization Control 2, is a widely recognized auditing standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). It focuses on the controls and safeguards in place to protect customer data, ensuring it is secure, available, and processed with integrity.

1.2 Why is SOC 2 Certification Important?

In an age of data breaches and privacy concerns, SOC 2 certification is a badge of honor. It instills trust in your customers, partners, and stakeholders by demonstrating your commitment to data security and privacy.

Chapter 2: The Landscape of Data Security in New York

2.1 New York’s Regulatory Environment

New York is home to a diverse range of businesses, from financial institutions on Wall Street to tech startups in Brooklyn. As a result, the state has stringent data security regulations, such as the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Cybersecurity Regulation and the Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act. Achieving SOC 2 certification in New York is often a necessary step to meet these regulatory requirements.

2.2 Data Breach Landscape

New York has seen its fair share of high-profile data breaches, underscoring the importance of robust data security measures. From healthcare organizations to financial institutions, businesses of all sizes are susceptible to cyberattacks.

Chapter 3: Challenges and Benefits of SOC 2 Certification

3.1 Challenges of SOC 2 Certification

Obtaining SOC 2 certification is not without its challenges. It requires a significant investment of time and resources, as well as a thorough understanding of the AICPA’s Trust Services Criteria. Common hurdles include:

Complexity: The SOC 2 framework can be complex and daunting, especially for organizations new to compliance standards.

Resource Allocation: Achieving compliance may require reallocating internal resources, which can strain operations.

Ongoing Maintenance: Maintaining compliance is an ongoing effort, not a one-time achievement.

3.2 Benefits of SOC 2 Certification

Despite the challenges, the benefits of SOC 2 certification are substantial:

Competitive Advantage: Certification can set your organization apart in a crowded marketplace.

Enhanced Trust: Customers and partners are more likely to trust a certified organization with their data.

Risk Mitigation: Compliance reduces the risk of data breaches and regulatory fines.

Operational Improvements: The certification process often leads to improved processes and security practices.

Chapter 4: SOCLY.io — Your SOC 2 Certification Partner

4.1 Who is SOCLY.io?

SOCLY.io is a leading provider of cybersecurity and compliance solutions, headquartered right here in New York. Our team of experts understands the unique challenges businesses in the state face and is dedicated to helping you navigate the path to SOC 2 certification.

4.2 How SOCLY.io Supports SOC 2 Certification

Our comprehensive approach to SOC 2 certification includes:

Assessment and Gap Analysis: We assess your current security controls and identify gaps.

Policy and Procedure Development: We help you develop the necessary policies and procedures to meet SOC 2 requirements.

Security Awareness Training: We ensure your staff is well-informed about security best practices.

Audit Preparation: We prepare you for the SOC 2 audit and assist with audit coordination.

Ongoing Support: We offer ongoing support to maintain compliance.

4.3 Case Studies: Successful SOC 2 Certification with SOCLY.io

Learn from the experiences of businesses like yours that have achieved SOC 2 certification with SOCLY.io’s guidance. Their success stories demonstrate the tangible benefits of certification.

Chapter 5: The Road to SOC 2 Certification

5.1 Preparing for Certification

Before embarking on the certification journey, it’s essential to understand your organization’s current state and identify areas that require improvement. SOCLY.io’s experts can perform a thorough assessment and gap analysis to provide a clear roadmap.

5.2 The Certification Process

The SOC 2 certification process involves the following key steps:

Selecting Trust Services Criteria: Determine which of the five criteria (Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy) are relevant to your organization.

Gap Analysis: Identify gaps in your current controls and security measures compared to the chosen criteria.

Policy and Procedure Development: Develop, implement, and document policies and procedures to address identified gaps.

Security Awareness Training: Ensure that your staff understands and follows security best practices.

Audit Preparation: SOCLY.io works closely with a certified auditing firm to prepare for the SOC 2 audit.

SOC 2 Audit: The auditing firm conducts an assessment to verify compliance with the selected criteria.

Reporting: Upon successful completion of the audit, a SOC 2 report is issued, demonstrating your compliance to stakeholders.

5.3 Ongoing Compliance

Achieving SOC 2 certification is a significant milestone, but it doesn’t end there. Continuous monitoring, maintenance, and improvement of security controls are essential to maintain compliance and address emerging threats.

Chapter 6: SOC 2 Certification in Action

6.1 Real-World Examples

Explore real-world scenarios where SOC 2 certification has made a difference, from gaining the trust of clients to preventing costly data breaches.

6.2 The Impact on New York Businesses

Learn how SOC 2 certification has helped New York businesses thrive in a competitive and regulated environment.

Chapter 7: Making the Decision

7.1 Is SOC 2 Certification Right for You?

Assess whether SOC 2 certification aligns with your organization’s goals and needs.

7.2 Contact SOCLY.io

Ready to take the next step toward SOC 2 certification in New York? Contact SOCLY.io for a consultation and start your journey toward a more secure and compliant future.

In conclusion, SOC 2 certification in New York is not just a checkbox but a strategic move that can bolster your organization’s security posture, enhance trust, and position you as a leader in data protection. SOCLY.io stands ready to guide you through the process, helping you achieve this prestigious certification and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of data security and compliance in the Empire State.

[ihugmarcy]

fellowship of the ring and six of crows critical study.

hello friends, just wondering if anyone can recall any specific excerpts or scenes (dense with techniques though i doubt that needs to be scavenged for) in either LOTR: FotR or SOC- particularly the former b/c i haven't read it yet 😭😭 that explore the ideas of war, its psychological, social and far-reaching effects?? The idea I have in mind is a bit complex, things to do with the timelines of war (with LOTR being a lot of pre- and during whereas SoC is post-) as well as the protagonist perspective (LOTR: heroes, SoC: imperative criminals) BUT just i think war and its dynamics in general would assist in my critical analysis. thank youuu!!! page markers and chapters would be life-saving but even scenes and general outlines will be treasured dearly!!

[marketresearch-articles]

Ammunition Market Size, Scope, Growth, Competitive Analysis

Ammunition Market is grow at a CAGR 3.80% in the forecast 2022 to 2029.

Ammunition Market Scope and Size

The ammunition market is segmented on the basis of product, component, caliber, guidance, lethality and application. The growth amongst these segments will help you analyze meager growth segments in the industries and provide the users with a valuable market overview and market insights to help them make strategic decisions for identifying core market applications.

Product

·        Bullets

·        Aerial Bombs

·        Grenades

·        Artillery Shells

·        Mortars

Component

·        Fuzes and Primers

·        Propellants

·        Bases

·        Projectiles and Warheads

·        Others

 Get the sample copy of Report here https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-ammunition-market

Ammunition Market Country Level Analysis

The ammunition market is analysed and market size insights and trends are provided by country, product, component, caliber, guidance, lethality and application as referred above.

 The countries covered in the ammunition market report are U.S., Canada and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Rest of Europe in Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, Israel, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Brazil, Argentina and Rest of South America as part of South America.

Competitive Landscape and Ammunition Market Share Analysis

The ammunition market competitive landscape provides details by competitor. Details included are company overview, company financials, revenue generated, market potential, investment in research and development, new market initiatives, global presence, production sites and facilities, production capacities, company strengths and weaknesses, product launch, product width and breadth, application dominance. The above data points provided are only related to the companies' focus related to ammunition market.

MAJOR TOC OF THE REPORT

Chapter One : Ammunition Market Overview

Chapter Two: Manufacturers Profiles

Chapter Three : Ammunition Market Competition, by Players

Chapter Four: Global Ammunition Market Size by Regions

Chapter Five: North Ammunition Market  by Countries

Chapter Six: Europe Ammunition Market Revenue by Countries

Chapter Seven: Asia-Pacific Ammunition Market Revenue by Countries

Chapter Eight: South Ammunition Market Revenue by Countries

Chapter Nine: Middle East and Ammunition Market Revenue Equipment by Countries

Chapter Ten: Global Ammunition Market Segment by Type

Chapter Eleven: Global Ammunition Market Segment by Application

Get TOC Details https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-ammunition-market

The major players operating in the Ammunition Market are AMMO Inc (US), Arsenal 2000 JSCo (Bulgaria), BAE Systems (UK), CBC Global Ammunition (Brazil), Denel SOC Ltd (South Africa), Chemring Group PLC (UK), Elbit Systems Ltd. (Isreal), FIOCCHI MUNIZIONI SPA (Italy), etc.

Access Full Report   https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-ammunition-market

About Us:

Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market

Contact:

Data Bridge Market Research

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Email: Sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com

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[itsbrilliantjustlikeyou]

currently crying over the fact that the chapters with wylan’s pov up until the end of crooked kingdom consistently characterized him as weak and talentless and unworthy of the dregs, even though almost none of the other characters seemed to think of him that way

[tarobytez]

disability in the Six Of Crows Duology; an analysis of Kaz Brekker, Wylan Van Eck, and the fandom’s treatment of them.

****Note: I originally wrote this for a tiktok series, which im still going to do, but i wanted to post here as well bc tumblr is major contributor to what im going to talk about

CW: ableism, filicide, abuse

In the Six of Crows duology, Leigh Bardugo delicately subverts and melds harmful disability tropes into her narrative, unpacking them in a way that I, as a disabled person, found immensely refreshing and…. just brilliant. 

But what did you all do with that? Well, you fucked it up. Instead of critically looking at the characters, y’all just chose to be ableist. 

For the next few videos paragraphs im going to unpack disability theory (largely the stuff surrounding media, for obvious reasons) and how it relates to Six Of Crows and the characterization of Kaz Brekker and Wylan Van Eck, then how, despite their brilliant writing, y’all completely overlooked the actual text and continuously revert them to ableist cariactures.

Disclaimer: 1. Shocker - i am disabled. I have also extensively researched disability theory and am very active in the disabled community. Basically, I know my shit. 2. im going to be mad in these videos this analysis. Because the way y’all have been acting has been going on for a long ass time and im fuckin sick of it. I don’t give a shit about non-disabled feelings, die mad

Firstly, I’m going to discuss Kaz, his play on the stereotypical “mean cripple” trope and how Bardugo subverts it, his cane, and disabled rage. Then, I am going to discuss Wylan, the “inspiration porn” stereotype, caregivers / parents, and the social model of disability. Finally, I will then explain the problems in the fandom from my perspective as a disabled person, largely when it comes to wylan, bc yall cant leave that boy tf alone.

Kaz Brekker

Think of a character who uses a cane (obviously not Kaz). Now, are they evil, dubiously moral, or just an asshole in general? Because nearly example I can think of is: whether it be Lots’O from Toy Story, Lucius Malfoy, or even Scrooge and Mr.Gold from Once Upon A Time all have canes (the last two even having their canes appear less and less as they become better people)

The mean/evil cripple trope is far more common than you would think. Villains with different bodies are confined to the role of “evil”. To quote TV Tropes, who I think did a brilliant job on explaining it “The first is rooted in eugenics-based ideas linking disability or other physical deformities with a "natural" predisposition towards madness, criminality, vice, etc. The Rule of Symbolism is often at work here, since a "crippled" body can be used to represent a "crippled" soul — and indeed, a disabled villain is usually put in contrast to a morally upright and physically "perfect" hero. Whether consciously on the part of the writer or not, this can reinforce cultural ideas of disability making a person inherently inferior or negative, much in the same way the Sissy Villain or Depraved Homosexual trope associate sexual and gender nonconformity with evil. ”

Our introduction to Kaz affirms this notion of him being bad or morally bankrupt, with “Kaz Brekker didn’t need a reason”, etc. This mythologized version of himself, the “bastard of the barrel” actively fed into this misconception. But, as we the audience are privy to his inner thoughts, know that he is just a teenager like every other Crow. He is complex, his disability isn’t this tragic backstory, he just fell off a roof. It’s not his main motivation, nor does he curse revenge for making him a cripple - it is just another part of who he is. 

His cane (though the shows version fills me with rage but-) is an extension of Kaz - he fights with it, but it has a purpose. Another common thing in media is for canes to be simply accessories, but while Kaz’ cane is fashionable, it has purpose.

The quote “There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken.” is so fucking powerful. Kaz does not want nor need a cure - its said in Crooked Kingdom that his leg could most likely be healed, but he chooses not to. Abled-bodied people tend to dismiss this thought as Kaz being stubborn but it shows a reality of acceptance of his disability that is just, so refreshing.

In chapter 22 of SOC, we see disabled rage done right - when he is called a cripple by the Fjerdan inmate, Kaz is pissed - the important detail being that he is pissed at the Fjerdan, at society for ableism, not blaming it on being disabled or wishing he could be normal. He takes action, dislocating the asshole’s shoulder and proving to him, and to a lesser extent, himself, that he is just as capable as anyone else, not in spite of, but because he is disabled. And that is the point of Kaz, harking back to the line that “there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken”. 

I cried on numerous occasions while reading the SOC duology, but the parts I highlighted in this section especially so. I, as many other disabled people do, have had a long and tumultuous relationship with our disability/es, and for many still struggle. But Kaz Brekker gave me an empowered disabled character who accepts themselves, and that means the world to me. 

Keeping that in mind, I hope you can understand why it hurts so much to disabled people when you either erase Kaz’s disability (whether through cosplay or fanfiction), or portray him as a “broken boy uwu”, especially implying that he would want a cure. That flies in the face of canon and is inherently fucking ableist. (if u think im mad wait until the next section)

Next, we have Wylan.  

Oh fucking boy. 

I love Wylan so fucking much, and y’all just do not seem to understand his character? Like at all? Since this is disability-centric, I’m not going to discuss how the intersection of his queerness also contributes to these issues, but trust me when I say it’s a contributing factor to what i'm going to say.

Wylan, motherfucking Van Eck. If you ableist pricks don’t take ur fucking hands off him right now im going to fight you. I see Wylan as a subversion another, and in my opinion more insidious stereotype pf disabled people - inspiration porn.

Cara Liebowitz in a 2015 article on the blog The Body Is Not An Apology explains in greater detail how inspiration porn is impactful in real life, but media is a major contributing factor to this reality. The technical definition is “the portrayal of people with disabilities as inspirational solely or in part on the basis of their disability” - but that does not cover it fully. 

Inspiration porn does lasting damage on the disabled community as it implies that disability is a negative that you need to “overcome” or “triumph” instead of something one can feel proud of. It exploits disabled people for the development of non-disabled people, and in media often the white male protagonist. Framing disability as inherently negative perpetuates ideals of eugenics and cures - see Autism $peaks’ “I Am Autism” ad. Inspiration porn is also incredibly patronizing as it implies that we cannot take care of ourselves, or do things like non-disabled people do. Because i stg some of you tend to think that we just sit around all day wishing we weren’t disabled. 

Another important theory ideal that is necessary when thinking about Wylan is the experience of feeling like a burden simply for needing help or accommodations. This is especially true when it comes to familial relationships, and internalized ableism.

The rhetoric that Wylan’s father drilled into his head, that he is “defective”, “a mistake”, and “needs to be corrected”, that he (Jan) was “cursed with a moron for a child” is a long held belief that disabled people hear relentlessly. And while many see Van Eck’s attempted murder of Wylan as “preposturous” and overall something that you would never think happens today - filicide (a parent murdering their child) is more common than you would like to believe. Without even mentioning the countless and often unreported deaths of disabled people due to lack of / insufficient / neglectful medical care, in a study on children who died from the result of household abuse, 40 of 42 of them (95%) were diagnosed with disabilities. Van Eck is not some caricature of ableist ideals - he is a real reflection on how many people and family members view disability. 

Circling back to how Wylan unpacks the inspiration porn trope - he is 3 dimensional, he is not only used to develop the other characters, he is just *chefs kiss* Leigh, imo, put so much love and care into the creation of Wylan and his story and character growth that is representative of a larger feeling in the disabled community. 

That being said, what you non-disabled motherfuckers have done to him.

The “haha Wylan can’t read” jokes aren’t and were not funny. Y’all literally boiled down everything Wylan is to him being dyslexic. And it’s like,,,, the only thing you can say about him. You ignore every other part of him other than his disability, and then mock him for it. There’s so much you can say about Wylan - simping for Jesper, being band kid and playing the fuckin flute, literally anything else. But no, you just chose to mock his disability, excellent fucking job!

Next up on “ableds stfu” - infantilization! y’all are so fucking condescending to Wylan, and treat him like a fucking toddler. And while partly it is due to his sexuality i think a larger portion is him being disabled. Its in the same vein of people who think that Wylan and Jesper are romantically one sided, and that Jesper only kind of liked Wylan, despite the canon evidence of him loving Wylan just as much. You all view him as a “smol bean”, who needs protecting, and care, when Wylan is the opposite of that. He is a fucking demolitions expert who suggested waking up sleeping men to kill them - what about that says “uwu”. You are treating Wylan as a burden to Jesper and the other Crows when he is an immensely valuable, fully autonomous disabled person - you all just view him as damaged. 

And before I get a comment saying that “uhhh Wylan isn’t real why do you care” while Wylan may not be real, how you all view him and treat him has real fucking impacts and informs how you treat people like me. If someone called me an “uwu baby boy” they’d get a fist square in the fucking jaw. Fiction informs how we perceive the world and y’all are making it super fucking clear how you see disabled people. 

Finally, I wanted to talk about how the social model of disability is portrayed through Wylan. For those who are unaware, the social model of disability contrasts the medical model, that views the disability itself as the problem, that needs to be cured, whereas the social model essentially boils down to creating an accommodating society, where disability acceptance and pride is the goal. And we see this with Wylan - he is able to manage his father’s estate, with Jesper’s assistance to help him read documents. And this is not out of pity or charity, but an act of love. It is not portrayed as this almighty act for Jesper to play saviour, just a given, which is incredibly important to show, especially for someone who has been abused by family for his disability like Wylan, that he is accepted. 

Yet, I still see people hold up Jesper on a pedestal for “putting up with” Wylan, as if loving a disabled person deserves a fucking pat on the back. It’s genuinely exhausting trying to engage with a work I love so much with a fandom that thinks so little of me and my community. It fucking shows. 

Overall, Leigh Bardugo as a disabled person wrote two incredibly meticulous and empowered disabled characters, and due to either lack of reading comprehension, ableism, or a quirky mix of both, the fandom has ignored canon and the experiences of disabled people for…. shits and giggles i guess. And yes, there are issues with the Grishaverse and disability representation - while I haven’t finished them yet so I do not have an opinion on it, people have been discussing issues in the KOS duology with ableist ideals. This mini series was no way indicative of the entire disabled experience, nor does it represent my entire view on the representation as a whole. These things need to be met critically in our community, and talked about with disabled voices at the forefront. For example, the limited perspective we get of Wylan and Kaz being both white men, does not account for a large portion of the disabled community and the intersection of multiple identities.

All-in-all, Critique media, but do not forget to also critique fandom spaces. Alternatively, just shut the fuck up :)

happy fucking disability pride month, ig