#via claudius

[nekohooch]

DnD left me with a lot of feelings last night so have a snippet i couldnt sleep because of:

"you have eternity"

the phrase echos in Niennas head as her companions, her friends, her family ask Melora more questions.

questions she was sure were important but she only barely heard them, the phrases of a god repeating over and over in her head like a drumbeat.

"you may still be killed but you will not die. Age will not touch you"

what?

the incredulity was slowly morphing into despair

"your humility is endearing but you are the most capable to do these tasks"

she nods as the plans to get Virxinias mother are solidified, an automatic response, her mind racing as Melora teleports them back to the outskirts of Valinya with a snap.

She distractedly answers Shaes well meaning questions, Kadirs concerned looks vaguely registering on the emotional scale as she realizes she is not holding together very well.

Ah, a walk. Melora was still there, creating a seat for herself as she waits for them to be ready to continue their journey.

She has to get away. Needs to think. She cant process, the Gods presence a blanket, slowly suffocating her.

she starts walking, getting some fresh air, not caring which way she was going as long as it was away.

what would happen if she said no?

Melora was a forgiving goddess, maybe she would understand that Nienna wasnt strong enough to carry this weight.

Not strong enough to watch friends and family grow old and pass on while she remained.

Not strong enough to see her mirror, the other half of her heart, her Nuri, change and morph into someone who she would never be.

To watch as generation after generation of Kitskaethers be born and die while she stagnated, seeing her familys legacy grow and be forgotten to the eons of time.

"You have eternity"

She is a twin, the minuscule details of their faces is only known to them and those who know them best, but they are known.

Her mother and father could always tell them apart. Vestor could always tell them apart. The kits, Esteo, Olorin, Suilan arent consistent but they, like her older brother Nestor, can see them when they look.

She doesnt want to explain why Nuri is getting older as she stays the same.

If by some chance her companions, her second family, the people she had fought and cared for through countless trials, are granted the same then at least she would have them.

But what of-

a presence.

Perhaps it is Shae, such a wonderfully kind and worryful soul, a newer addition but no less dear.

She doesnt stop walking as her senses are attuned to who is walking behind her, trying not to be seen.

Its not Shae.

Nienna is in no mood to suffer someone who thinks they can follow her, a stranger even, in her woods, her home, her territory.

She gathers her magic around her and disappears.

an instant, only long enough to breathe in and breathe out and she is back, hidden and silent watching this stranger who thinks that they can intrude without her noticing.

she watches as they shuffle and write something in the dirt before heading back the way they came.

She leans back and relaxes slightly against the tree. taking in the birdsong and the wind as it blows steadily through the forest.

But she has a destination in mind and needs to leave enough time to get back before her friends start to worry.

She swings down from the tree and lightly lands on her feet, continuing up the mountainside.

"Age will not touch you"

"you have eternity"

the phrases play steadily in her mind as Nienna follows the path she knows so well.

She reaches a small hole in the rock and in a blink becomes feline, squeezing into the crevice that opens into ruins.

A small waterfall to the side that drips into a creek, the sunlight dappling the structures that have been lost to time and the elements.

She and Nuri came here long ago, as kits, accidentally falling from a cliff above, waking to the sight of a large figure made of quartz, a small creature by his side talking to them incessantly, reassuring that they would be ok.

She curls up on some moss next to the water and allows herself to fall into the between, relaxing into her most natural state.

After-all, cats cant cry.

she strokes her tail in a self soothing gesture as she lets the tears fall and allows herself to think on feelings she has hidden for so long.

What of Vestor?

Her brave, foolish, fiercely intelligent Vestor. The one who made the duo a trio and came up with all their most ridiculous schemes and pranks.

The man who traveled across the ocean to fight in a battle for a continent not his own because it was the right thing to do.

Nienna loves so strongly, and fiercely, and silently. Overt displays of affection were always Nuris wheelhouse, Nienna primarily along for the ride.

"you have eternity"

Nienna sobs for her family, her friends, her lost love, and herself.

The weather turns dark, clouds gathering, winds whipping and thunder rumbling as her sobs turn to screams of anger and anguish.

She slowly collapses back to the moss the energy leaving as suddenly as it arrived.

"you have eternity"

there isnt anyone else.

She knows her powers, she was shocked to be called the most capable but if she is honest with herself she knows the truth.

No one else is handling the Great Spirits.

Hell most people dont even know they exist.

She has asked person after person for knowledge, help, anything they might know and time after time come to the realization that she knows more than any of them.

to be a Gods chosen wont be so bad will it?

"Age shall not touch you"

A heavy hiccuping sigh and she sits up, looking to the sky, judging the passage of the sun.

Its been too long, her friends will be worrying.

almost right on time she feels the tingle of magic as she hears Virxinias voice in her head.

"Ill be back soon. Fuck. Sorry, ill be back soon"

another deep breath and she looks around.

"thanks buddy" she chokes out through the lump in her throat "I miss you"

a blink and shes feline again leaving this place of solace and memories.

She makes good time back to the city, familiarity speeding her way.

She ponders on what Shae encouraged, saying goodbye to her family (well the family that is here) but she did that right before they left for Meloras temple.

It has only been a few days and THEY havent gone though a literal earthshattering trial, best not to worry them.

"Nienna!"

Kadirs familiar voice startles her as he waves her down bringing her focus back to the present.

His concerned face makes her stomach drop.

She thought she would be ok but when he asks if theres anything she needs she cant help but bitterly say through her tears "I need to not watch my sister die"

His eyes are full of sympathy and compassion as he tries to reason through the same thoughts she did and she chuckles a little bit inside.

Her friends are amazing.

"theres no one else Kadir"

"yeah but maybe you can do this and then say I dont want to be your chosen" his mouth is in a stubborn line and she cant help but smile a bit

"yeah maybe" a big hug and she sighs into it, putting the emotions away for now.

"Shae got us bonbons, here" a small offering, but delicious as they continue back to Melora and back to her new future.

[hayatheauthor]

Assassination Methods Through the Decades: A Writer’s Handbook

When it comes to writing about assassination, historical accuracy and understanding the evolution of methods can significantly enhance the authenticity and impact of your narrative. This guide is designed to help writers explore the diverse and often brutal methods of assassination that have been used throughout the centuries. From the poisonings of ancient times to the covert killings of medieval assassins, here’s a comprehensive guide bound to give you the perfect inspiration for your assassination scenes. 

Ancient and Medieval Assassination Methods

Poisoning

Poisoning is one of the oldest methods of assassination, dating back to ancient civilizations such as Greece, Rome, and Egypt. The allure of poison lies in its ability to kill without physical confrontation, often leaving little trace of the perpetrator.

Common Poisons:

Hemlock: Famously used in the execution of Socrates, hemlock was a slow-acting poison that caused paralysis, leading to death by respiratory failure.

Arsenic: Known as the "inheritance powder," arsenic was a favorite among those seeking to kill discreetly. Its symptoms could be mistaken for natural illness, making it a popular choice in political and familial power struggles.

Belladonna: Also known as deadly nightshade, belladonna was used in both small and large doses to incapacitate or kill. The poison caused hallucinations, dilated pupils, and eventually death.

Historical Examples:

Socrates (399 BC): The Greek philosopher was sentenced to death by drinking a concoction containing hemlock, a method chosen for its relative humanity compared to other executions.

Emperor Claudius (54 AD): It is widely believed that the Roman Emperor Claudius was poisoned by his wife, Agrippina, using a dish of poisoned mushrooms to secure her son Nero's place on the throne.

Administration Methods:

Poisons were often mixed into food or drink, applied to the skin via ointments, or even introduced into the body through small, concealed needles. Assassins needed to be knowledgeable in the art of dosage to ensure a successful kill without immediate detection.

Symptoms:

Victims of poisoning would often suffer a range of symptoms depending on the poison used. These could include severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, and eventually, death. The slow progression of symptoms allowed the assassin time to escape, and in many cases, the cause of death was not immediately apparent, lending an air of mystery to the assassination.

Bladed Weapons

Before the advent of firearms, blades were the primary tools of assassins. Daggers, swords, and other sharp instruments were favored for their portability and effectiveness in close combat situations.

Types of Blades:

Daggers: Small, easily concealed, and lethal at close range, daggers were the weapon of choice for many assassins. The Roman pugio and the medieval stiletto were particularly popular.

Swords: Larger and more visible, swords were often used in assassinations where the element of surprise was not necessary, such as in the heat of battle or a public execution.

Kris: A wavy-edged dagger used in Southeast Asia, the kris was known for its spiritual significance as well as its lethality.

Famous Assassinations:

Julius Caesar (44 BC): Perhaps the most famous assassination in history, Caesar was stabbed 23 times by a group of Roman senators led by Brutus and Cassius. The attack was swift and brutal, demonstrating the effectiveness of a well-coordinated knife attack.

King Duncan (11th century): The assassination of King Duncan by Macbeth (as famously dramatized by Shakespeare) is an example of a stealthy, intimate kill using a blade, where the act was both personal and symbolic.

Techniques:

Assassins using bladed weapons often relied on stealth, speed, and precision. A well-placed stab to the heart, throat, or kidneys could kill instantly or within moments, leaving the assassin time to escape. In some cultures, assassins were trained in martial arts that emphasized quick, lethal strikes.

Weapon Concealment:

Blades were often concealed in clothing, boots, or even within the folds of long hair or turbans. The art of hiding a weapon until the crucial moment was key to the success of many assassinations.

Strangulation and Garroting

Strangulation was another favored method of assassination in ancient and medieval times, especially for those who sought to avoid bloodshed or noise. The garrote, a weapon used to strangle a victim, was particularly effective in this regard.

Tools Used:

Garrote: A length of wire, cord, or fabric used to strangle a victim from behind. The garrote was silent, deadly, and could be easily concealed, making it a popular choice for assassins throughout history.

Hands: In cases where no weapon was available, assassins might rely on their own hands to strangle a victim. This method required physical strength and proximity but could be effective in the right circumstances.

Historical Examples:

Sicarii (1st century AD): A group of Jewish zealots who used short daggers to stab Roman collaborators in crowded places. The Sicarii were also known for strangling their enemies with garrotes.

Medieval Europe: Strangulation was sometimes used as a method of execution for nobles, where a public beheading or hanging might be considered dishonorable.

Execution:

The assassin would typically approach the victim from behind, loop the garrote around their neck, and tighten it quickly and forcefully, cutting off the victim's air supply. Death would occur within minutes due to asphyxiation or a broken neck.

Advantages and Risks:

The main advantage of strangulation was its silence. Unlike a stabbing or poisoning, strangulation could be done without alerting others nearby. However, it required physical strength and a certain level of risk, as the victim might struggle or fight back.

Renaissance and Early Modern Era

Firearms

The Renaissance and early modern era marked a significant turning point in the history of assassination methods with the introduction of firearms. Gunpowder, first developed in China, made its way to Europe and fundamentally changed the dynamics of warfare and personal combat, including assassination.

Introduction of Gunpowder and Early Firearms in Assassinations:

The development of gunpowder-based weapons provided assassins with a new tool that could kill from a distance, reducing the risk of capture. Early firearms such as matchlock and flintlock pistols were bulky and required significant skill to use effectively, but their lethality made them a preferred choice for assassins by the 16th century.

Firearms allowed for quick, deadly strikes that were difficult to defend against, making them ideal for assassinations where the element of surprise was crucial. The loud noise and smoke, however, meant that escape required careful planning.

How Accuracy and Concealability Impacted Methods:

Early firearms were not known for their accuracy, which necessitated close-range attacks. Assassins often had to be within a few feet of their target to ensure a successful hit. As a result, these weapons were usually concealed under cloaks or in specially designed holsters that allowed for a quick draw.

Over time, improvements in gun design, such as rifling and better gunpowder, increased accuracy and allowed for slightly longer-range assassinations. Despite these advancements, concealability remained a critical factor, as firearms were often large and unwieldy compared to daggers or poison.

Key Assassinations Involving Firearms:

Assassination of King Henry IV of France (1610): King Henry IV was assassinated by François Ravaillac, a Catholic fanatic who stabbed the king while his carriage was stopped in traffic. While this was a stabbing, the period saw a rise in the use of firearms for such purposes. Henry IV's era was marked by religious turmoil, where firearms began to play a role in political assassinations.

Assassination of William the Silent (1584): William I of Orange, also known as William the Silent, was assassinated by Balthasar Gérard using a handgun. This marked one of the first successful assassinations of a prominent figure using a firearm, demonstrating the growing popularity of this method during the Renaissance.

Poison Rings and Needles

The Renaissance period also saw the refinement of more discreet methods of assassination, particularly the use of poison rings and needles. These tools allowed for covert poisoning, often in social settings where other weapons might not be feasible.

Discreet Poisoning Techniques:

Poison Rings: These rings contained a small hidden compartment that could hold a lethal dose of poison. The wearer could discreetly slip poison into a drink or onto food with a simple flick of the ring’s lid. Poison rings were popular among nobility and were often used in court intrigues where open violence would have been impossible.

Poison Needles: These were small, sharp needles often coated with a fast-acting poison. They could be hidden in clothing or other objects and used to deliver a quick, often unnoticed prick that would introduce the poison into the victim’s bloodstream. Needles were ideal for use in crowded settings, such as royal courts or banquets, where the assassin could blend into the crowd after delivering the fatal dose.

Notable Instances of Usage:

Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519): While the extent of her involvement in poisoning is debated, Lucrezia Borgia, a member of the infamous Borgia family, is often associated with the use of poison rings to eliminate her political enemies. The Borgia family’s reputation for cunning and ruthlessness made poison one of their favored tools for securing power.

Catherine de' Medici (1519-1589): The French queen consort and mother to several kings of France, Catherine de' Medici, was rumored to have employed poison rings and needles to remove rivals and control court politics during the Wars of Religion in France.

Explosives

The early use of explosives in assassination attempts represented a shift towards more destructive and indiscriminate methods of killing, often targeting not just the primary victim but also anyone nearby. Explosives became a favored tool in situations where a dramatic statement was intended, or where traditional methods of assassination were not feasible.

The Early Use of Explosives in Assassination Attempts:

Explosives were first used in assassination attempts during the Renaissance and early modern periods, although their use was limited by the difficulty of creating and handling reliable explosive devices. Gunpowder was the primary explosive material, and it required careful handling to avoid premature detonation.

The use of explosives was often tied to larger political or religious motivations, as the collateral damage caused by an explosion could have a significant psychological impact on the population or ruling class.

The Effectiveness and Risks Involved:

Explosives were highly effective in causing mass casualties and instilling fear, but they also carried significant risks for the assassin. Improper handling could result in accidental detonation, and the use of explosives often made it difficult for the assassin to escape unnoticed.

The unpredictability of early explosives also meant that they could fail to detonate or cause less damage than intended, leaving the assassin vulnerable to capture and execution.

Historical Example:

The Gunpowder Plot (1605): One of the most famous early uses of explosives in an assassination attempt was the Gunpowder Plot, in which a group of Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, with the aim of killing King James I and much of the Protestant aristocracy. The plot was foiled, but it demonstrated the potential of explosives as a tool for political assassination.

The Industrial Revolution and Early 20th Century

Sniper Rifles

The Industrial Revolution brought about significant advancements in weaponry, including the development of sniper rifles. These long-range firearms allowed assassins to strike from a distance, often without being seen or heard.

The Rise of Long-Range Assassinations:

Sniper rifles were designed for accuracy over long distances, enabling assassins to kill targets from hundreds of meters away. This development allowed for greater safety and discretion, as the assassin could remain hidden while observing the target through a scope.

The advent of rifling, which gave bullets a stable, spinning motion, greatly improved accuracy and range. Coupled with telescopic sights, these rifles became the preferred tool for military and political assassinations during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Famous Cases:

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914): Although Archduke Franz Ferdinand was ultimately killed by a handgun, the era in which he was assassinated saw the rise of snipers as a significant threat. The tensions and technologies of the time set the stage for future political assassinations using sniper rifles.

Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1963): Although beyond the early 20th century, the assassination of JFK by a sniper is a prominent example of how sniper rifles became synonymous with political killings. This event marked a turning point in the history of assassination, highlighting the lethal effectiveness of long-range firearms.

Car Bombs

The introduction and evolution of vehicular explosives, particularly car bombs, added a new dimension to assassination tactics in the 20th century. Car bombs became a favored method due to their potential for mass destruction and the ability to target individuals in transit.

Introduction and Evolution of Vehicular Explosives:

The use of car bombs began in earnest during the early 20th century, particularly in conflicts where traditional methods of assassination were either too risky or ineffective. These bombs could be planted in vehicles and detonated remotely, offering a high degree of control over the timing and impact of the explosion.

Over time, car bombs became more sophisticated, with the addition of remote triggers, time delays, and increased explosive power. They were used not only in targeted assassinations but also in acts of terrorism aimed at destabilizing governments or instilling fear in the populace.

Techniques for Planting and Detonating:

Planting a car bomb required detailed planning, as the vehicle needed to be accessed and rigged with explosives without arousing suspicion. Detonation methods varied from simple timed fuses to complex remote-controlled devices, allowing the assassin to maintain distance from the blast.

The challenge for assassins was ensuring the target was inside or near the vehicle at the moment of detonation. This often involved careful observation of the target’s routines and the use of decoys or distractions to ensure the bomb’s effectiveness.

Chemical and Biological Agents

The 20th century saw the development and use of more advanced chemical and biological agents in assassinations. These methods, often invisible and insidious, allowed for killings that were difficult to trace and could be disguised as natural causes.

Use of More Advanced Poisons and Toxins:

With advancements in chemistry and biology, assassins gained access to a range of deadly substances that could kill quickly or slowly, depending on the agent used. Toxins like ricin, cyanide, and various nerve agents became tools of state-sponsored assassinations, particularly during the Cold War.

Chemical agents could be introduced through food, drink, or even via contact with the skin or inhalation, making them versatile and deadly. Biological agents, on the other hand, could cause diseases that mimicked natural illnesses, allowing assassins to kill without immediate suspicion.

Historical Examples:

Ricin: Ricin, a highly potent toxin derived from castor beans, was famously used in the assassination of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in 1978. Markov was attacked with a modified umbrella that injected a tiny pellet containing ricin into his leg, leading to his death a few days later.

Cyanide: Cyanide has been used in various assassinations due to its rapid action and high lethality. One of the most notorious uses of cyanide was in the mass suicide-murder in Jonestown in 1978, where members of the Peoples Temple ingested cyanide-laced punch, although this was not an assassination in the traditional sense, it demonstrated the deadly effectiveness of the poison.

These innovations in assassination methods during the Industrial Revolution and early 20th century reflected the growing complexity of warfare and espionage, as well as the increasing role of technology in shaping the tactics of assassins.

Modern and Contemporary Assassination Methods

Silenced Firearms

In the modern era, the evolution of silenced firearms, or firearms equipped with suppressors, has played a significant role in covert assassinations. The suppressor, commonly known as a silencer, reduces the noise and muzzle flash of a firearm, allowing assassins to operate with a higher degree of stealth.

The Evolution of Suppressors and Their Use in Covert Assassinations:

Suppressors were first developed in the early 20th century and have since become a staple in the arsenal of assassins. Initially, suppressors were bulky and limited to specific firearms, but advancements in technology have made them more compact, effective, and adaptable to a wide range of weapons.

Silenced firearms are ideal for close-quarters assassinations where discretion is paramount. The reduced noise levels prevent immediate detection, giving the assassin time to escape or even carry out multiple hits without alerting nearby individuals.

High-Profile Cases:

Cold War Assassinations: During the Cold War, silenced firearms were frequently used by intelligence agencies on both sides of the Iron Curtain. The KGB, CIA, and MI6, among others, employed suppressors in various covert operations to eliminate targets without drawing attention.

Georgi Markov (1978): Although Markov’s assassination in London involved a poison-tipped umbrella, the use of suppressors was prevalent in the same period for similar covert operations. This era exemplified the silent, precise methods preferred by state-sponsored assassins.

Remote-Controlled Devices

The rise of remote-controlled devices, including drones and other modern technologies, has introduced a new dimension to assassination methods. These devices allow assassins to strike from a distance, often from thousands of miles away, with precision and minimal risk.

Drones and Other Modern Technologies in Assassination:

Drones, equipped with cameras and weapons, have revolutionized modern warfare and assassination. These unmanned aerial vehicles can be operated remotely, providing real-time surveillance and the ability to deliver lethal force with pinpoint accuracy. Drones are particularly effective in targeting individuals in difficult-to-reach or heavily guarded locations.

Other remote-controlled devices, such as bombs or cars rigged to detonate via remote, offer similar advantages. These methods allow the assassin to maintain a safe distance from the target, reducing the likelihood of capture or identification.

Notable Instances in Recent History:

Qasem Soleimani (2020): One of the most high-profile drone assassinations in recent history was the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. This event highlighted the capabilities of drone technology in executing precise, targeted killings with global political implications.

The Killing of Anwar al-Awlaki (2011): The American-born cleric and al-Qaeda leader was targeted and killed by a drone strike in Yemen, marking a significant moment in the use of remote-controlled devices in the War on Terror.

Cyber-Assassination

As technology continues to advance, the concept of cyber-assassination has emerged as a new frontier in covert operations. This method involves using cyber means to assassinate individuals, such as hacking into medical devices or other critical systems.

The Concept of Assassination Through Cyber Means:

Cyber-assassination leverages the vulnerabilities in modern technology, particularly medical devices like pacemakers or insulin pumps, which can be hacked to deliver a fatal outcome. This method represents a shift from physical to digital assassination, where the target can be killed without the assassin ever being in the same country, let alone the same room.

Cyber-attacks can also target critical infrastructure, leading to deaths through indirect means such as causing traffic accidents by hacking self-driving cars or disrupting life support systems in hospitals.

Ethical and Legal Implications:

The rise of cyber-assassination raises significant ethical and legal questions. Unlike traditional assassination methods, which can be physically traced, cyber-attacks are often difficult to attribute, making accountability a major issue. This anonymity can lead to increased use of such methods by state and non-state actors alike.

Legal frameworks have yet to fully catch up with the technological realities of cyber-assassination. As a result, there is a grey area regarding the legality of such actions, particularly in the context of international law and the rules of engagement in warfare.

Assassination Methods by Region

Europe

Throughout history, Europe has seen a variety of assassination methods, each influenced by the region’s diverse cultures, political climates, and technological advancements.

Specific Methods Popular in Different European Countries Across Various Eras:

In medieval Europe, poison was a favored method, particularly among the Italian nobility. The use of poisoned food, drink, and even clothing was common in the courts of Italy, where political intrigue and betrayal were rife.

During the French Revolution, the guillotine became the symbol of state-sanctioned assassination, used to eliminate political enemies swiftly and publicly. The Reign of Terror saw the use of this method to instill fear and maintain control.

In more recent history, Eastern Europe, under Soviet influence, saw the use of more covert methods, such as radioactive poisoning, exemplified by the assassination of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 in London.

Asia

Asia's vast and diverse history has given rise to a wide range of assassination techniques, each influenced by the unique cultural, political, and historical contexts of its various regions.

South Asia (India, Pakistan, and Surrounding Areas):

In ancient and medieval India, assassination was often a tool used in dynastic struggles. One notable method was the use of Vishkanya—young women supposedly trained from childhood to tolerate and deliver poison. These women were allegedly used to assassinate powerful enemies by poisoning them through intimate contact.

During the Mughal Empire, political intrigue often involved the use of poisoning and covert killings to eliminate rivals. The struggle for succession in royal courts frequently led to the use of assassination as a means to secure power.

East Asia (China, Korea, Japan):

Ninja Tactics (Japan): In feudal Japan, ninjas were often employed as assassins due to their skills in stealth, espionage, and the use of a variety of weapons. Techniques such as silent killing with swords, blow darts, and the use of shuriken (throwing stars) were common. Ninjas were masters of disguise and could infiltrate enemy strongholds to eliminate targets without detection.

While ninja tactics are widely known, East Asia’s history of assassination is much broader. In ancient China, assassins were sometimes employed by rival states or within the imperial court to eliminate threats. Famous historical accounts like the attempted assassination of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, highlight the role of assassins in shaping the region’s history.

Korea’s history also includes instances of political assassinations, particularly during the Joseon Dynasty, where court intrigue and power struggles often resulted in the discreet elimination of rivals.

East Asia (China, Korea, Japan):

Poison Darts: In regions like Borneo and the Philippines, blowguns with poison-tipped darts were used by indigenous tribes to silently kill enemies. These weapons were effective for their stealth and the ability to deliver deadly toxins without the need for close combat.

Central Asia:

In Central Asia, particularly during the time of the Silk Road, assassins were sometimes employed by powerful khans and warlords to secure trade routes and eliminate threats. Assassination was a strategic tool in maintaining control over vast and often unruly territories.

Middle East

The Middle East has a rich and complex history where assassination has played a role in political and dynastic power struggles, often tied to the region’s diverse empires and cultural traditions.

Historical Assassinations Involving Political Power Struggles:

The Middle East, home to some of the world’s oldest civilizations, has seen assassinations employed as a tool of political maneuvering for millennia. In ancient Mesopotamia, assassinations were sometimes used to secure thrones and eliminate rivals within royal families.

During the time of the Ottoman Empire, the practice of fratricide—where newly crowned sultans would eliminate their brothers to prevent future challenges to their rule—was a brutal form of state-sanctioned assassination.

The Byzantine Empire, centered in what is now modern-day Turkey, also witnessed political assassinations as a common method for securing power, with emperors and high-ranking officials often falling victim to their rivals.

The Americas

The Americas, particularly the United States and Latin America, have experienced a range of political assassinations, often with far-reaching consequences.

Political Assassinations in the U.S. and Latin America:

In the United States, the assassinations of presidents like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. have left indelible marks on the nation’s history. These high-profile killings were often carried out by lone gunmen or small conspiracies and had profound impacts on the country’s political landscape.

Latin America has seen numerous political assassinations, often linked to dictatorial regimes, revolutionary movements, and drug cartels. Figures like Che Guevara and Salvador Allende were assassinated or killed under controversial circumstances, reflecting the volatile political environments in many Latin American countries during the 20th century.

This overview of assassination methods by region highlights the diverse and evolving tactics used across different parts of the world, shaped by the cultural, political, and technological contexts of each region.

Common Misconceptions About Assassination

The Myth of the Clean Kill

In fiction, assassinations are often depicted as clean and precise, with the target silently slumping over after a single blow or shot. However, in reality, even well-planned assassinations can go awry. Bodies don’t always react predictably to trauma, and factors like adrenaline, the environment, and unexpected movements can complicate even the most meticulously planned kill. A supposedly lethal blow may not immediately incapacitate the target, leading to prolonged struggles, noise, and potential witnesses.

Silencers and Stealth

In movies and TV shows, silencers (or suppressors) are often shown completely muffling the sound of a gunshot, reducing it to a mere whisper. In reality, while suppressors do reduce the noise, they don’t make it silent. The sound of a suppressed gunshot can still be quite loud, akin to a clap or the popping of a balloon, and depending on the environment, it may still attract attention. Additionally, the sound of the bullet impact and mechanical noise from the firearm are not silenced, further dispelling the myth of a completely stealthy kill.

Poison Timing

Popular media often portrays poisons as acting instantaneously, with victims collapsing mere seconds after ingestion or injection. In truth, the effects of poisons vary widely depending on the substance, dose, and the victim’s physiology. Some poisons, like cyanide, can act within minutes, but others might take hours or even days to fully incapacitate or kill. Symptoms might develop gradually, and in some cases, the victim might not even realize they’ve been poisoned until it’s too late. This misconception can lead to unrealistic portrayals of poisoning in fiction.

Resources

Books

Recommended Reading for Research on Assassination Techniques:

"Assassination Generation" by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman – This book explores the psychology of killing and its portrayal in the media, providing insight into both real-life and fictional assassinations.

"Hitmen: The True Stories of Assassins, Contract Killers, and Political Hired Guns" by Nigel Cawthorne – A collection of real-life accounts detailing the methods and motives of professional assassins throughout history.

"The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?" by Francisco Goldman – A detailed investigation into the assassination of Bishop Juan Gerardi in Guatemala, offering a deep dive into the intersection of politics and murder.

Documentaries

Visual Resources That Depict Historical Assassinations:

"Killing Oswald" – A documentary that explores the conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, delving into the methods and motives behind one of the most famous assassinations in history.

"The Men Who Killed Kennedy" – A controversial documentary series that investigates various theories about the assassination of JFK, offering insights into different assassination methods and their implications.

"Assassins: The Story of Medieval Hitmen" – This documentary provides an in-depth look at the history of assassins in the medieval period, focusing on their training, methods, and the political impact of their actions.

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Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Quillology with Haya Sameer; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors! While you’re at it, don’t forget to head over to my TikTok and Instagram profiles @hayatheauthor to learn more about my WIP and writing journey! 

[catilinas]

top 5 roman court cases!

THIS IS HARD JUDITH :( from memory because i cannot make the mistake of opening the trials in the late roman republic page rn. and in no particular order. the time cicero was prosecuting calvus’ dad who was so convinced that he would win (via bribery iirc?) that he dressed up all nicely for it :-) and was then condemned. and then just went home and died. thanks cicero 👴👍 2. the pro caelio. you understand. 3. caelius / appius claudius mutually accusing one another under the lex scantinia. it never went to court but it was funny. 4. scipio africanus being prosecuted for whatever and going hey guys it’s literally the anniversary of zama today. would you really convict me on the day of my victory over hannibal. let’s all go virtuously and piously sacrifice at the temple of jupiter optimus maximus. and it WORKED 5. in verrem cicero hortensius lawyer yuri. iure. or something

[scanzen]

Hotel Claudius, Szombathely, 1976. (Bartók Béla körút 39.) Photographer: Tibor Inkey.

via Fortepan 120808 / Inkey Tibor

[mariacallous]

Defying all predictions, populist Russia-friendly politician Calin Georgescu won the first round of Romania’s presidential elections on Sunday – signalling that the EU member state has joined the growing trend towards the far-right in the region.

Georgescu, 62, who has no party of his own, got around 23 per cent of the votes, with more than 99 per cent of ballots counted.

At midnight on Sunday, Georgescu hailed the first-round vote as a victory for the “Romanian people”.

In another big surprise, centre-right Elena Lasconi, the leader of the reformist Union for Saving Romania, came second, just a few hundred votes ahead of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who leads the Social Democratic Party.

George Simion, leader of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians, came fourth.

Experts’ pre-poll predictions had put Ciolacu and Simion as the favourites.

“This vote is the biggest surprise in all the elections held so far in Romania,” said journalist Dan Tapalaga.

The second-round run-off will be held on December 8, but before that, Romania has parliamentary elections on December 1, with its political scene thrown into in turmoil by Georgescu’s unexpected success.

Under the Romanian constitution, the president wields considerable power – including oversight of foreign and defence policy and responsibility for appointing the prime minister.

‘TikTok candidate’

Georgescu, a religious nationalist, conducted a low-profile campaign, focusing primarily on social media platform TikTok and making in-person appearances only in selected rural areas. He received no coverage in the mainstream media.

In his campaign messages, he advocated reducing imports, strongly supporting farmers, and boosting food and energy production. He also criticised the EU, claiming it does not adequately represent Romania’s interests.

Georgescu questioned military aid to neighbouring Ukraine and called for an end to the war. In a 2020 interview, he described Vladimir Putin as one of the world’s few genuine leaders, stating that the Russian president loves his country, regardless of the methods he employs.

Speaking late Sunday in front of his home near Bucharest, as he did not even have a campaign headquarters, Georgescu congratulated the Romanian voters for backing him.

“By rekindling the flame of hope, the Romanian people have chosen to no longer kneel, to no longer be invaded, to no longer be humiliated,” he declared.

“Tonight the Romanian people shouted ‘peace’ and they were very loud ,” he added.

Experts struggled to explain the election’s outcome.

“The result of the vote was made possible because there is a significant demand in Romanian society for a politician like Georgescu. Why? I could give a more precise answer if there were high-quality sociological data on what Romanians want. Unfortunately, we lack such data,” said political analyst Claudiu Tufis.

Journalist Tapalaga said he believes that Georgescu’s success, after largely conducting his campaign via social media, also marks a shift in the way political communication is conducted in Romania.

Tapalaga said it was “the first election where social media has been more influential than television. We have seen how TikTok can defeat mainstream media,” he added.

The Romanian diaspora played a crucial role in the first round of the presidential elections. Over 800,000 Romanians living abroad cast their votes – a record turnout.

[diiwata]

thg/tbosas ocs on wattpad

I don't think I ever showed you guys my ocs on wattpad... lmao! aka, my main writing platform. find me @ disk4rte!

I wanna write shorter stuff and aus on ao3, hence the creation of diiwata <3

they're character x oc fics... SUE ME. these are ocs I made for tbosas and one for thg! their moodboards are not cohesive b/c they're different fics (with the exception of 2 ocs)!

CAN'T REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU -> finnick odair

nerissa hong: victor from district 4 (66th games). l/i: finnick odair (current), davy kumar (prev). fc: kim yongji.

probably my most devastating tbh... after a terrible earthquake (known as the big one) devastates district four, they haven't had careers OR a victor in a hot minute (with the exception of finnick). after her best friend gets reaped, nerissa bravely volunteers... but the boy she's loved quietly -- davy kumar -- gets reaped alongside her, and no one volunteers for him. she ends up killing him (without meaning to) after a devastating confession on the last day of the games. the capitol has a way of warping her story, making her out to be a capitol sympathizer. in the end, the entire district grows a hatred for her because of this, and because she killed their "favored victor". she learns to put on a performance to keep her loved ones safe, and finnick acts along with her.

this fic plays around with propaganda as it explores district four unlearning what the capitol taught them, but also forming such a hatred for the capitol that they turn on a teenage girl (aka her). this is so where I got the idea of an asian d4! while this fic is a finnick/oc fic, it mostly focuses on nerissa's navigation of victor-hood. I'm especially proud of the worldbuilding I did here since it's inspired by my cultural experiences as an asian-american.

about nerissa:

her name means "sea nymph". she also shares a name with a shakespeare side character from "merchant of venice" who tricks her lover and taunts him about it. it mirrors her reputation with her home district.

her left foot was amputated as a result of her final battle with her district partner.

was a middle child (until snow made an example out of her father and brother after she tried to defend herself on live television). and she has a younger sister, coralie. her mother died during the big one.

she's in the merchant class and was a dancer that performed for d4 festivals. her father owned a repair shop, where she and her older brother worked.

her "talent" is cooking. every hunger games, she's forced to do a cooking segment with claudius templesmith.

she's two-ish years older than finnick odair (technically 14 months), and he was her mentor. she gets bitter about this fact sometimes because... what does a freshman know about winning a death match?!?

"O CHILDREN" -> reaper and treech (2 protags)

chassis harbin: exporter and boxer from district 6. l/i: reaper. fc: courtney eaton.

her biological mother was a rebel, but was killed after finding out the betrayer in the district 6 rebellion group. now, she lives in neglect as her father builds a family of his own with a woman she'd never consider her stepmother. she only worked as an exporter that sent goods to the eastern districts of panem, but after a physical (and bloody) altercation in an alleyway, the peacekeepers who capture her give her two options: get thrown in prison and executed, or join an illegal boxing ring for their entertainment... you can guess which one she chose. her job as an exporter led her to find the secret love of her life: a tame, shy delivery boy named reaper ash. the boxing ring is more sinister than they make it out to be, which is something that she finds out after her name gets called in the 10th hunger games.

she is one of the two protagonists of the fic!!! she and cariad are best friends that keep in touch via letters and phone calls. she's on the poorer side while cariad had always been better off than her. I call the poorer side of d6 "farren heights", while the wealthy neighborhood is "peregrine court"!

about chassis:

her name is a part of a car/train. it's essentially the metal framework of the car/train.

she has half siblings, twin boys named coupler and cams. they're named after train parts. although they're not entirely blood related to her, chassis thinks of them as her own sons sometimes.

she became an exporter at the age of 13, which was also the age she met reaper. love at first sight things.

chassis is friends with two exporters: ginnee, who's her neighbor and co-worker, and trek, an oc that's the son of their boss.

cariad landas: capitol transplant from district 6. l/i: treech. fc: melizza jimenez.

cariad moves to the capitol after her mother stole the plans of a new type of fuel from her own district rebellion group, and sold them to the capitol. when found out by chassis' mother, mrs. landas kills her. she goes to the capitol academy, but instead of being outspoken like her sejanus, she becomes a ditzy airhead sort of character that she named "caroline winters". with this persona, she is able to make it into their inner circle and learn all sorts of secrets. but because of this, cariad doesn't feel that she forms very authentic or personal relationships and flits between friend groups (and significant others) to feel fulfilled. going on vacation in d7 is quite fulfilling, especially when she meets a worker named treech.

the other protagonist!! in this fic, I try to explore class differences as well as privileges that not only chassis lacks, but also cariad in the capitol. I also couldn't decide if I wanted to write for reaper or treech, so I made it both.

about cariad:

her name means "love" in welsh (allegedly), but I also like that it includes the word "car".

cariad absolutely loves photography. she is gifted one upon her arrival to the capitol by her father.

although she moves around friend groups, cariad's main friends are clemmie, lyssie, persephone, sejanus, and dennis. they're all in different friend groups, though.

she's a year older than treech. they meet because she paid him to help her escape her mother. cutesy!

MÁGOA

asclepius gaul: academy student and nephew of volumnia gaul. l/i: clemensia dovecote. fc: han hyunmin.

asclepius is orphaned by the war after his parents, according to his auntie vee, were assassinated by rebels. he's lived with her ever since, but he also spent time with the family on his mother's side (he prefers their company). his aunt is terrible, and he considered his avox, avelot, to be more of a mother. asclepius was dating clemensia dovecote, but after he himself had an encounter with dr. gaul's snakes, his change of demeanor showed clemmie a violent version of him that scared her into breaking up with him. with his aunt growing desperate, the 10th hunger games brings about the concept of mentors and the idea of spectacle. while he enjoys seeing his aunt scramble around to revive her games, asclepius doesn't enjoy the fact that his ex had suddenly missed out on the action.

this is a second chance romance that's centered around acceptance and learning how to let people into your heart. asclepius is a child prodigy trying to find out the cure to his snake scales, and with clemmie sick b/c of the same reasons, it motivates him to find his cure faster.

about asclepius:

asclepius is the greek god of medicine and is often portrayed with a serpent coiled around his staff. people call him "clee" for short!

because he didn't die from the earlier prototypes of the rainbow snakes, gaul used his blood to formulate the antidote that saved clemmie from dying.

before the venom, he was geeky, timid, and accepted the ab*se from his aunt. after, he became bolder, and feared his aunt less.

he and clemmie remain civil in front of their classmates, but their friends always seem to catch on that they miss each other.

[baileyondemand]

modern gertrude would be that karen mom who stops coming to pta meetings after she’s widowed but still mocks the other parents’ baked goods and also children behind their backs at every opportunity while be a flatterer to their faces. she gets offended when she finds out they replaced her as president because she never shows up. she goes back because she can’t stand the slight only to find out the others’ baked goods have surpassed hers. hamlet and laertes have a bakeoff instead of a duel. laertes gives himself food poisoning on accident, hamlet gives claudius and polonius food poisoning on purpose, gertrude drinks herself to unconsciousness, ophelia skips the meetings for a swim meet or something, hamlet “dies” via being banned from pta meetings, and horatio has to relay all this to fortinbras, who arrived late. do you understand what i’m saying here.

[camisoledadparis]

THIS DAY IN GAY HISTORY

based on: The White Crane Institute's 'Gay Wisdom', Gay Birthdays, Gay For Today, Famous GLBT, glbt-Gay Encylopedia, Today in Gay History, Wikipedia, and more … November 16

42 BC – Tiberius, Roman emperor, born (d.37 AD); second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in CE 14 until his own death in 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced his father and was remarried to Octavian Augustus in 39 BC. Tiberius would later marry Augustus' daughter Julia the Elder (from an earlier marriage) and even later be adopted by Augustus and by this act he became a Julian. The subsequent emperors after Tiberius would continue this blended dynasty of both families for the next forty years; historians have named it the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Tiberius was the predecessor to Caligula and he was certainly the appropriate curtain-raiser. His sexual excesses were widely known, especially when he "retired" to Capri, governing Rome via correspondence, and becoming the patron saint of that future gay mecca. Suetonius reported that Tiberius trained young boys, whom he called his "minnows," to stay between his legs while he was swimming so they could lick and nibble him until he came. Suetonius reports that Tiberius can be credited with the "daisy chain" or spintriae - a conga line of people joined front and back in sexual congress.

1502 – Sandro Botticelli (c.1445- 1510) is accused of sodomy but the charges were dropped. The summary of the charge reads: "Botticelli keeps a boy." Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. He belonged to the Florentine School under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici. Botticelli’s posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century; since then, his work has been seen to represent the linear grace of Early Renaissance painting.

1942 – Barton Lidice Beneš, born in Hackensack, New Jersey (d.2012), was an artist who lived and worked in New York City. He studied at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York and Beaux-Arts, Avignon, France.

His father, the son of Czech immigrants gave him his middle name in memory of Lidice, the Czech town destroyed by the Nazis that year. He grew up in Queens with Czech-born grandparents, who instilled in him a dedication to the Roman Catholic traditions of reliquaries and memorials to the dead.

Barton Beneš' art incorporated shadow boxes filled with bits and pieces that revealed the myths and ironies of life. The fragments in Beneš' work often involved famous people and events, from a piece of Elizabeth Taylor's shoe to a crumb from the wedding cake of the Prince of Wales. His travelling exhibition series about AIDS, "Lethal Weapons," was the focus of an independent documentary film released in 1997. "Lethal Weapons" consisted of 30 vessels such as a water pistol, an atomizer, and hollow darts, all filled with the artist's or other people's HIV-infected blood.

Another work, "Brenda," was a wall relief carpeted with red AIDS-awareness ribbons and slathered with a coat of gray paste made from the cremated remains of a woman who had died of AIDS. "I absolutely hate those [AIDS] ribbons," he said, contending that wearing them did nothing more than assuage people's consciences.

Although galleries and museums refused to show this work, they were displayed without incident at the North Dakota Museum of Art in 1993. Beneš did not forget the courage and commitment to art of this prairie institution. When he died he left instructions to be cremated and have his remains placed in a pillowcase on his bed. The bed was the central part Beneš last completed and most personal work, his 850-square-foot home in Greenwich Village containing thousands of objects including masks and religious relics and the mementoes and remains of his loved ones. This enormous piece with its thousands of contents will be moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where they will be exhibited in a replica of the apartment

Among the museums that have acquired his works are the Chicago Art Institute, the National Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Australia, and most importantly the North Dakota Museum of Art.

Scott Wittman (L) with Marc Shaiman

1955 – Born: Lyricist and director Scott Wittman, who, with composer Marc Shaiman, his partner in life and collaborator in theater, film, and television projects, has a long list of credits in the entertainment industry. Their work on the musical version of John Waters' Hairspray earned Tony and Grammy awards in 2003.

Both Shaiman and Wittman grew up in the vicinity of New York City, the former in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and the latter in Nyack, New York. Both were fascinated with musical theater from an early age and dreamed of careers on Broadway. Shaiman played piano with local community theater groups from the time that he was twelve, and Wittman apprenticed in summer stock in his hometown. Such was their love for the stage that they both cut high school classes to travel into New York for matinees.

Wittman attended Emerson College in Boston but left after two years to pursue a career as a writer and director in musical theater in New York. In the city's East Village he crossed paths with Shaiman, who had quit high school at sixteen to join the New York musical scene. Wittman was directing a show at a club in Greenwich Village when Shaiman came in and started playing the piano. Wittman promptly hired him. They subsequently fell in love and have been a couple since 1979.

The two soon began collaborating professionally, writing songs that Shaiman describes as "full of anarchy and joy."

Since 1997 Shaiman and Wittman have contributed and directed music for the Academy Awards presentation show. At the same time Wittman, who humorously calls himself "a great diva wrangler," has directed concerts. In addition to working with Bette Midler, he has had a long association with Patti LuPone and has worked with Christine Ebersole, Raquel Welch, Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries), and Lypsinka among many others.

Shaiman and Wittman's greatest triumph thus far is Hairspray, an adaptation of the 1988 John Waters movie for the musical stage. Shaiman and Wittman wrote the music, and Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan the book for the play.

The show dominated the 2003 Tony Awards, winning eight, including best musical and best score. At the end of their acceptance speeches Shaiman declared to Wittman, "I love you, and I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you." The couple then embraced and shared a long and tender kiss. News outlets around the world took note of this affecting moment.

1964 – Waheed Alli, Baron Alli is a British multimillionaire media entrepreneur and politician. He was co-founder and managing director of Planet 24, a TV production company, and managing director at Carlton Television Productions. He was, until November 2012, chairman of ASOS.com. He is the chairman of Silvergate Media, which purchased two of the media rights previously held by Chorion Ltd, where Alli was former chairman. He is a Labour life peer and is described as one of only a few openly gay Muslim politicians in the world.

In British political terms he is considered Asian, though both of his parents are from the Caribbean. His mother, a nurse, is from Trinidad, and his estranged father, a mechanic, is from British Guiana (now Guyana). His mother was Hindu and his father Muslim; he has two brothers, one of each faith. He was named one of the 20 most important Asians in British media in 2005. At the same time, he maintains ties with his Caribbean roots, both with other British-Guyanese politicians such as Valerie Amos and Trevor Phillips, and with President Bharrat Jagdeo.

Alli joined the Labour Party at the persuasion of his neighbour Emily Thornberry, to whom he remains close. He is also close to Anji Hunter, Director of Government Relations in Tony Blair's first government. Prime Minister Blair used him for years as a means to help him reach out to a younger generation (aka "yoof culture"), and as such he is considered one of "Tony's Cronies". He was made a life peer as Baron Alli, of Norbury in the London Borough of Croydon, on 18 July 1998 at the age of 34, becoming the youngest and the first openly gay peer in Parliament. He sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords. The BBC summarised his appointment as "the antithesis of the stereotypical 'establishment' peer – young, Asian and from the world of media and entertainment".

Alli has used his political position to argue for gay rights. He spearheaded the campaign to repeal Section 28. He advocated lowering the age of consent for homosexuals from 18 to 16, equal to heterosexuals; this eventually became law as the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000. It was during a heated exchange with conservative opponents, led by Baroness Young, that he informed his fellow peers that he was gay. In April 1999, he said in a speech, "I have never been confused about my sexuality. I have been confused about the way I am treated as a result of it. The only confusion lies in the prejudice shown, some of it tonight [i.e. in the House], and much of it enshrined in the law."

In 2009, he spearheaded an effort to repeal clauses in the Civil Partnership Act 2004 which prohibited religious institutions from conducting the ceremonies on their premises. This campaign culminated in a bipartisan amendment, which became part of the Equality Act 2010.

2007 – Breakfast With Scot - In 2006, straight Canadian actor Tom Cavanagh began filming Breakfast with Scot, in which he plays a gay retired hockey player who becomes an adoptive father to a young boy. The film, released on this day in 2007, drew attention as the first gay-themed film ever to win approval from a major league sports franchise to use its real name and logo; Cavanagh's character formerly played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[toastofthetrashfire]

Shadow the Series and Hamlet

Okay so after finishing the first half of Shadow there’s so much to unpack. So instead of doing the research I should be doing for my dissertation, let’s dig into some connections between literature and BL once again!

This won’t be a fully formed meta, and I’ll probably have to make a whole other post once the whole series is out. But I wanted to start thinking about how the show is dialoguing with and speaking to similar themes as Hamlet within a queer framework.

I thought I’d work my way through some different interpretations of Hamlet and connect back to Shadow. To be clear, I’m working with scholarship on Hamlet rather than any personal interpretation of Hamlet itself (which I unfortunately haven’t read or watched in many a years).

A quick summary

Hamlet and Shadow via Freud's Oedipal Complex

Hamlet and Shadow via Lee Edelman's work on queerness, the death drive, and queer time

Hamlet and Shadow via self-recognition and resistant readings

A few other directions

Hamlet and the Oedipal Complex

Back in 1897, Freud wrote about Hamlet in a letter to a friend noting that “falling in love with the mother and jealousy of the father…[was] a universal event of early childhood.” So Hamlet was one of the texts that Freud was thinking about when he came up with the Oedipal complex as a concept.

You may be asking, as I often do, who gives a fuck what Freud thought? Well over time, Freudian interpretations of the play highly influenced how it was performed and the ways that themes about subjectivity and sexuality were portrayed.

The 1948 and 1990 film adaptations in particular put stress on a sexually charged dynamic between Hamlet and his mother Gertrude. The later film has Hamlet lying on top of and wrestling with his mother before they kiss. More recent adaptations tend to move away from this, but, overall, it’s been extremely influential in terms of how the play has been interpreted and adapted.

So how does this come up in Shadow? 

Dan’s role as Hamlet is closely framed around his relationship with his father who he beats up in the dream world right before his death. We’re introduced to Dan’s dad during his audition for Hamlet. Perhaps in the most obvious parallel, Dan recites Hamlet’s lines as he goes to find his father’s ghost. And of course, this is when Dan’s dad appears as a ghost as well.

Yet, Dan’s narrative with his father seems to buck the expected relationship between father and son. Throughout the play, Hamlet struggles between a desire to fulfill his filial duty and avenge his father and the increasing violence and tragedy this brings. But Dan? In the face of abuse, he chooses to defiantly reject his father and filial piety, accepting and even wishing for his death. In many ways, Dan’s dad is more analogous to Claudius, the usurper and man trying to kill Hamlet. Through his abuse he loses the right to be Dan’s father. 

A shallow oedipal reading of Hamlet, frames Claudius as the father Hamlet is trying to kill, but ignores that this dynamic is born from Claudius’ cruelty. By acknowledging abuse, power, and violence Shadow perhaps takes an interesting step away from a pure Freudian reading. Because ultimately Dan doesn’t want to be his father! In fact, as he speaks with him and beats him up, we can see the way Dan is shaken, not by the act of harming or killing his father, but by the idea of becoming him. His father makes clear that “becoming him” is aligned with ideas about what it means to be a man, to be “the father” within a straight patriarchal society. And in a beautiful moment of clarity and defiance as they discuss what love looks like, Dan clarifies that his mom left his father not him. 

Okay so he "kills" his dad, what about his mom?

To be honest, when I was wrapping up my watch of the episodes, my head went towards the oedipal theory as a crack theory. What if the ghost is his mom, that’d be pretty effed up lol...But now that I’ve seen that the connection isn’t just one I made, it doesn’t seem as far fetched. The scenes between Hamlet and Gertrude in the 1990s film certainly could be an influence on the shadow getting sexual if they went that route. But to be honest I don’t really think they’ll go this way. Or at least I hope not. They’re already doing more nuanced things with the oedipal dynamic. Plus I think there’s more going on if we turn to queerer interpretations anyway.

The Death Drive, Queering Freud, and Queer Time

In Freud’s work, he talked about two opposing forces. The first was the death drive (later termed Thanatos by later psychoanalysts). This was a drive toward destruction that stood opposite to eros or life-producing drives such as sex, survival, and reproduction. 

Now, in 2004, queer theorist Lee Edelman would come in and queer the heck out of these concepts. I’ll be over simplifying Edelman’s points a lot here, but hopefully the core will remain. 

Edelman would point out that the life-drive was often weaponized rhetorically, politically, and socially as a way to reproduce cultural norms. Edelman often writes about "the Child"--that is the mythical idea of a child that we should be building society and the future for. Think of how often the “think of the children” rhetoric gets used in anti-queer politics, for example. In fact, Edelman points to oedipal readings of Hamlet as one way that dominant straight society has attempted to manage a narrative where reproduction and futurity are foreclosed. Oedipal readings of Hamlet, then, could be seen as an attempt to suppress the death drive, to put it out of sight where it can’t cause disruption or anxiety.

Of course, Edelman also notes that the death drive is inherently tied to and projected onto queerness and queer people–onto “those abjected as non-reproductive, anti-social, opposed to viability, and so as threats to the Child who assures and embodies collective survival”. And so, Edelman argues that queer people should embrace the death drive and queer time–that is non-futurity and non-linear, non-productive time. 

So how might these ideas be showing up in Shadow so far?

I might think of even more later, but here’s a short list:

1. All three of our main characters are abjected. Nai is gay, Trin is gay and mentally ill, and Dan is potentially both. I think we could argue that the connection all three of them have to death also quite literally marks them as abjected. And perhaps we could consider how the supernatural elements thematically and symbolically connect to their alterity and the way this is in conflict with social norms. In fact, I’d argue that, unlike Nai and Trin who are explicitly stated to be queer and/or mentally ill, Dan’s alterity is playing out through this more allegorical channel so far. 

2. Literal death as a central focus. 

3. Haunting as a limbo between past and present. This liminality feels very queer here.

4. The idea of vengeful ghosts makes the death drive perpetually present in a way that haunts futurity. Interestingly Edelman describes the death drive as a “negativity that haunts the social order” and which is “projected onto those who occupy the position of the queer.” Haunting has very queer thematic possibilities. 

5. Think of the ghost story told in the market in episode seven. The homophobia on display clearly ties queerness to death in a way that speaks to straight norms and anxieties. 

6. Dan is told by the monk that what is happening has to do with overlapping time frames: past, present, and future

7. Dan often loses his sense of what is real or a dream, but he also has moments where he loses his sense of time and temporality. Notice how when the art statue fell and he saw his classmates dead we jump back to before he even spoke with Nai. It’s not just losing time but jumping back and forth. 

8. Sexy times with a shadow monster are certainly non-(re)productive 

9. We learn that Trin has been trying to change things, disrupt the social norms, but he is shut down and told the school needs to hold onto tradition. While we often think of tradition as referring to the past, it is very much about continuing and reproducing this into the future. School director: "But think of the future Children who won’t get to experience the epic highs and lows of high school hazing”

10. There seems to be a tension at play between Brother Anurak who is trying to get Dan to just stop believing in the shadow (not sure if that's his actual motive but still) and Dan who is slowly starting to embrace the shadow (literally and figuratively). Perhaps this could be read as embracing the death drive and queerness. 

Hamlet, Self-Recognition, and Resistant Reading

Another theme that has often been explored by folks interested in Hamlet is that of self-recognition. The play focuses so very much on Hamlet struggling with his sense of self. And this speaks well to contemporary western ideas of the individual. One scholar, Marjorie Garbor, has noted that “the experience of Hamlet is almost always that of recognition.” While another, John Gouws remarks that Hamlet and Shakespeare’s sonnets both “seem capable of functioning like Rorschach inkblots, by making us reveal (increasingly) more about ourselves the more we try saying something about them.”

It’s interesting to me then that Hamlet and Rorschach tests are both used in Shadow, but they don’t seem to say all that much about Dan. The blot is simply a tool to test if Dan is still seeing the shadow. It isn’t used to psychoanalyze him further. And when Cha-aim asks Dan to compare himself to Hamlet he hilariously just says both their dads are dead. Of course we know that Hamlet’s dad and Dan’s aren’t exactly analogous either. Dan rejects this sort of self-identification. Or perhaps, the play rejects him? At the very least we know that he can’t perform the type of filial love that Hamlet has for his own father.

But perhaps this rejection has queer implications as well. There’s a really lovely article from the perspective of a queer South African director, Thys Heydenrych. He talks about reading and staging Hamlet through a queer and decolonial lens. In his piece he quotes Hanna Kubowitz who discusses queer readers' relationship with texts. She notes that “[b]eing heterosexual has several benefits…One can enter into most cultural narratives…on the basis of simple and satisfying identification.” This of course made me think of the moment when Cha-aim asks Dan to identify with Hamlet.

Whether we read this as an active refusal on Dan’s part or as the play being inhospitable to Dan’s identification, Cha-aim is asking Dan to express and perform identity here. Perhaps this could be read as her asking Dan to narratively self-identify with straight culture and values. It makes sense in the context of her having feelings for him and ties well into the scene where she tries to pick his costume. While Dan isn’t yet identifying as queer, he seems to be dis-identifying from straightness just as he dis-identifies from his father’s version of manhood. 

Still, motifs of self-recognition or the struggle to understand oneself seem to abound. The use of mirrors in episodes 6 and 7 speak to this theme well with the blurring of self and other, while also tying into both horror motifs and the Greek mythology being referenced (Orpheus and Eurydice, narcissus perhaps). Is the shadow a part of him?   

What I’ll be curious to see is how the show chooses to engage with this theme. Will Hamlet continue to serve as a narrative that is inhospitable to identification or will it be queered. There’s a tradition of scholarship that thinks about resistant reading. This is when a reader engages with a text that wasn’t designed with them in mind, but finds potential despite this. Certainly Shakespeare’s work and Hamlet in particular have been interpreted as queer at times, and Hamlet is definitely open to these readings.

When it comes to Shadow, however, I’m interested in what one scholar, Lois Tyson, has asked about resistant reading: “How might the works of heterosexual writers be reread to reveal an unspoken or unconscious lesbian, gay, or queer presence?” This idea of a hidden queer presence speaks well to the idea of haunting. I’m really interested to see how the use of Hamlet as a narrative might speak to the idea of queerness as hidden presence and whether this continues to play out in the second half.  

A few other connections that I want to wait to think on more:

-Madness seems to be a shared theme but I want to see how Shadow handles this as a whole before commenting, but you can check out my post on queer and crip time in The Eighth Sense if you're interested in that element at all

-Power and oppression. Heydenrych’s article mentions a 2010 production that focuses on Denmark’s repressive political system and themes of surveillance, control, and abuse of power. These seem like themes working their way into Shadow but I’d want to be more familiar with the topic in Hamlet

-Suicide. There are versions of Hamlet that heighten this theme further with Gertrude and Ophelia in particular being framed as making attempts. 

-Play within a play and the blurring of fiction and reality

-Decolonial and religious elements

Sources:

Heydenrych, Thys. “‘To tell our Storie’: Reflections on a Queer Adaptation of Hamlet in Twenty-first Century South Africa” Shakespeare in Southern Africa vol 30, 2017. pp. 43-55

Edelman, Lee. “Against Survival: Queerness in a Time That’s Out of Joint” Shakespeare Quarterly, 62.2, 2011. pp. 148-169.

Edelman, Lee. No Future: Queer Theory and The Death Drive. Duke University Press, 2004.

Note: Most other sources were mentioned in the Heydenrych piece

[theofficialpresidentofmars]

lrt been thinking again about a Hamlet Swap AU, this time about the logistics of Laertes and Ophelia sharing the Hamlet and Horatio roles of the original play. Slightly more emphasis on an Ophelia/Hamlet parallel, but both get to play the part.

Haven’t really worked things out, but the basic gist is that it’s likelier to be set in a more modern era, with both having lost their mother at a young age and having varying relationships with Polonius. But one day, Polonius dies of seemingly natural causes, and both are left in shock and grief.

Ophelia finds out, somehow, and quite probably in a non-ghost more actual-evidence manner that Polonius’s death was murder, more specifically murder via Claudius (that might have actually been an attempt to murder Hamlet Sr that went wrong). However, the evidence she finds is possibly coincidental and not conclusive enough to immediately jump to capital vengeance, so after telling Laertes of her discovery, the two agree that they must find some way to properly prove it.

Ophelia hasn’t been in a particularly good state of mind after the death of her father, but she decides she’s going to pretend to be perfectly fine and that she doesn’t need help in order to get people off her back so she can explore her theories further.

All the while, Ophelia’s boyfriend Hamlet notices that she’s putting up an emotional wall and tries to talk to her. His dad’s alive and well, and besides the fact that his girlfriend’s been in a spot of misery lately and he’s only just gotten back from Wittenberg to be able to comfort her, he’s doing otherwise just fine. He’d come prepared, having asked his good friend Horatio for advice on how to empathise with those who’d lost loved ones, and Horatio had warned him that she might act different and could counter-intuitively, possibly need space. Also Horatio is totally in love with Hamlet. So Hamlet does give her some space eventually, but he’s really concerned.

Gertrude also tries to talk to Ophelia, but she brushes her off. Laertes, who’s been less present in the story so far because he’s been off trying to figure out how to gather evidence, comes back with news of something new that might help them.

This is where I start to have less details figured out.

Hamlet eventually confronts Ophelia, desperate to try and help her, and she’s alllllmost contemplating telling him the truth and asking for his help when she realises they’re being watched, by she assumes either Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet Sr, or some combination, and so she decides not to. Instead, she yells at him, accusing him of being a terrible person and not being there for her and then not leaving her alone when she asks, for only wanting to get in her pants (i’ll totally explore her objectification in this one too and this will be relevant even if it’s not really true I prommy), and almost insinuating that she’s seeing someone else in order to break his heart and get him to move on, hopefully leave, because she knows things are about to get messy. It looks like it might work, and he’s super sad about it.

Blah blah blah, equivalent of the Mousetrap, Ophelia and someone else (possibly Laertes, probably Hamlet, possibly someone else from around the castle) talk, and Hamlet Sr, hiding in the curtains, gets stabbed. Hamlet finds the body (if he wasn’t the one to talk to Ophelia in the previous scene) with Ophelia, freaks out, goes to find someone to tell them about it and walks in on his mother and his uncles totes having an affair (yikes). It’s no wonder he goes mad.

Ophelia is sent away, and Hamlet is forced to stay. He does sort of lose his marbles a little bit, but instead of singing and giving out flowers like Ophelia, he rambles about death and talks nonsensically to himself in the court. And by ‘talks nonsensically’, I mean reverts to speaking in only direct quotes from the original Shakespearean play in this modern adaptation. see Gertrude or someone remarking on how he’s clearly lost his mind and is speaking nonsense all while Hamlet is clearly and obviously reciting the ‘to be or not to be’ speech to himself.

Horatio comes quickly from England, but the very night he gets there, he’s pulled aside by Marcellus to deal with something on the roof. That something is Hamlet, shivering and wide-eyed, talking about the ghost of his father. Horatio can’t stop the prince as he follows, slips, and falls off to his death.

Meanwhile Ophelia doesn’t have a Royal Sigil on her, but she does have a brother, and Laertes comes and helps bust her out during her transport, takes care of the messengers, and brings her back to the castle. The two seal their fates together, and vow revenge.

That’s pretty much where I’ve thought up to (there WILL be a fistfight in the grave between Horatio and Ophelia about who loved Hamlet more) but yeah it’s just for the sillies

[lorata]

I don't know when you wrote it originally so i can't work out via dates if this is possible, but is that a Squid Game reference that I spy in Tribute Fantastic? When Claudius thinks about how fucked up it'd be to have an arena made up to look like a giant playground? Because the soup of intertwining mental images from both media pieces in my head at that moment was So disturbing.

ha! it's not a squid games reference, it was just meant to be Claudius having a fun lil spiral, but yeah that whole scene is definitely Evil Arena Vibes for sure

[omaegorverse]

could you give us a timeline for the omaegorverse? i've been studying the family tree for a solid 3 days now (genuinely a few hours a day it's becoming a problem) and i need to know more. oh beloved oracle satisfy my craving for insane asoiaf aus tell me moreeee

OK listing the history below seperated by kings

have maegor era from the 40s to 66 AC, peak omegafication dark evil era everyone's a little scared. several harsh long winters. jaehaerys viserra daenys born. getting raised poorly. jaehaerys is beaing beat, viserra is the golden child, daenys is viserys' comfort doll. maegor has cemented his rule and has rhaena on his side through hostages.

jaehaerys i era 66 through 92. got leadership beat into him by maegor. viserra is gotten herself kicked out of the westerlands (married into the lannisters, killed her husband and his mother to have blood magic twins, pissed everyone off) and is now girlbossing through the riverlands married into harrenhal. in 77AC viserys and daenys do a dragon dream murder suicide at the god's eye. jaehaerys has six kids with his wife maris hightower. she kills him cos his dick led him to hole (a hightower bastard) which led to their daughter dying (the bastard convinced him to wed their daughter maegelle to lord hightower).

aegon ii 92 AC through 99 AC. in his mid-twenties when he ascends to the throne. his reign is mostly marked by a civil war between him and his twin brother aerion, mostly over their sister helaena who aerion kidnapped (helen of troy.) they both die fighting above dragonstone.

viserys i 99AC through 120AC. DYNASTIC CRISIS after aegon dies because one of aegon's wives (daenaera velaryon) locks herself and her children (including aegon's heir) in dragonstone and a great council decides on aegon's brother viserys inheriting as king regent. marked by aegon's other wife jocasta lannister's consolidation of power to back the inheritance of her sons with aegon over daenaera's. also marked by viserys' insane wife alyssa arryn going ham with a priestess of r'hllor

120-128 PRINCESS REGENT DAENERYS TARGARYEN. she swoops into power as regent for aegon's descendants via daenaera in order to curb jocasta lannister. pretty good queen. more jocasta power-grabbing, + her son jaehaerys

128-136 aegon's grandson daeron i turns 14 and asks his great-auntie dany for the throne back please. he's a bit sheltered and is here for glory doesnt care much for rule or power. does a dorne conquest, assassinated by jaehaerys who, while daeron was doing war, had been consolidating allies at court. jaehaerys killed daeron while daeron was at his peace wedding with the princess of dorne. red wedding teehee. all secret of course, officially it was dornish rebels who wanted to stay independent but like everybody knows it was jaehaerys

136-144 jaehaerys ii son of aegon ii finally gets his throne. has like two dozen kids. originally his faith wife was alysanne tully and his blood wife was aerea bastard daughter of helaena and aerion, but aerea died and he remarried to viserys i's blood magic baby alysanne targaryen. has several concubines. his kids are a powder keg and he gets JFK'd by his daughter elaena, whom aerea died birthing

144-147 short reign of aegon iii. his elder brothers viserys and maegor were also JFK'd and he was stuck with the throne. hamlet if his dad was claudius. his younger brothers aemond and aerys cause problems for him. dies of over-exhaustion trying to solve the JFK mystery and also rule the seven kingdoms and deal with his horrible little brothers

147-184 reign of aerys i targaryen. religious fanatic groomed by the faith in love with his half-sister. his reign is marked by sharp shift towards faith of the seven. in 168 the faith pretty much fully wrest control from him (aerys' bastard nephew hugor via prince aemond siezes power and becomes high septon) and convince him to set up the 'faith protectorate' which makes him something like a constitutional monarch and puts the faith devout in control. his reign is marked by civil war. the north secedes in 161 AC, dorne is ruled by daeron i's sister daena who is masterminding rebellion, and the hightower declares war on the high septon and aerys which yes sounds insane but theres reasons. aerys ends up deposed by his son daeron. also the faith protectorate and aerys actually do a lot of pro-peasant stuff and removing power from nobles and thats a lot of the reason why they rebel.

184-204 reign of daeron ii. daeron is the third son of aerys and after an attempt to rescue his sisters from the maidenvault (yeah i had aerys make a maidenvault. aeyrs i baelor on steroids) got sent to a septry in the stormlands but his mother snuck him out and into dorne where daeron i's sister daena is wed to the prince of dorne. goes to war with his father and wins, forces him to abdicate. reign marked by fixing his father's mistakes and getting beat up by remnants of the protectorate loyalists. his wife gets merked and he gets domed but survives with some brain damage. his son baelor mercy kills him

204- reign of baelor the bloody. son of daeron who gets his epithet when aged 9 he kills some assassins/rebels when they attack the red keep. doing his reign and family now so its iffy, but he's married to rohanne martell the rosy dawn epic queen. cheats on her with a twink and she kills the twink. not sure on his death

im gonna keep the family tree going till 300AC when turbo-long night hits and everyone gets blowed up. anyway hope this helped lmfao im sure its VERY confusing 😭

[seraphtrevs]

My goodnight stories are so funny because I never have any idea what they're going to be. It has to be something I've listened to before (otherwise I get too interested and end up staying awake to listen), but it also has to be something that entertains me. Listening to things that are meant to be boring to put you to sleep actually makes my insomnia worse.

But there really is no rhyme or reason to what ends up as a goodnight story. Here's a list of things I have in rotation:

- the Jenny Nicholson video where she ranks all of the Land Before Time movies

- the entire "I, Podius" podcast series, in which John Hodgeman and Elliot Kalen recap and discuss "I, Claudius" (they managed to get an interview with Patrick Stewart - impressive!)

- the episode of "The Allusionist" in which Helen Zalztman explains things about the planet and god Uranus via song and a pretend prank telephone call

- the episode of Blank Check with Griffin and David recapping the batshit movie The Book of Henry, which I should probably watch at some point (they are hysterical with anger, it's so funny)

- and my current goodnight story, also a Blank Check episode, about the movie Abduction, which is apparently very boring, so most of the episode is a deep discussion exploring the mystery of why Taylor Lautner did not get a big career post-Twilight the way kstew and rpattz did

[inspofromancientworld]

Lays of Ancient Rome and its Ancient Origins

By Photograph by MichaelMaggs; original artist unknown. - Own photo of original book cover, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2198606

Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) 1st Baron Macaulay was a British poet and historian who also served as the Secretary at War and Paymaster General. He was born in Scotland, England, India, then returned to Scotland at the end of his life via Rome.He started the Lays of Ancient Rome, a collection of poems that he started while in India and continued as he went through Rome before publishing them in 1842. He wrote an introduction to each Lay, identifying the myths, legends, and history that he addresses in the poem.

By John Reinhard Weguelin - Scan of Illustration from book "The Lays of Ancient Rome", Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2711627

The first Lay, Horatius, talks about how Publius Horatius Cocles, Spurius Larcius, and Titus Herminius held the Sublican bridge, which crossed the Tiber at Rome, against Lars Porsena, the King of Clusium, a Etruscan city, who were at war with the Romans. The bridge was the only crossing the Tiber into Rome and Rome itself was poorly defended.

By John Reinhard Weguelin - Scan of Illustration from book "The Lays of Ancient Rome", Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2711862

The second Lay, The Battle of Lake Regillus, is about the titular battle which takes place after the retreat of King Lars, when Rome was under threat of the Latin League, a confederation of villages around the Latium area near Rome and led by Lucius Tarquinius Supberbus, the deposed king of Rome, and his son and son-in-law. It imitates Homer's style from the Iliad as it describes battles, which only is ended by the descent of Castor and Pollux, the twin gods of sailors and horsemanship, who were later set up as Gemini in the night sky.

By Giovanni Folo after Vincenzo Camuccini - Department of Image Collections, National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC•Catalog: https://library.nga.gov/permalink/01NGA_INST/1p5jkvq/alma991742963804896, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108018319

The third lay, Virginia, tells the story of Virginius' only daughter, Virginia. He was a poor farmer and Appius Claudius, a member of Rome's upper class (the patrician class) and member of the ruling body, the decemvirs, who lusted after Virginia, who is portrayed as 'beautiful and virtuous'. He claims she is a run away slave, knowing the judge is in his purse (pockets weren't quite a thing yet as they appeared in approximately the 13th century). Her father is determined to save her by any means, even death. The result is a change to laws.

The next is the Prophecy of Capys, which tells the story of Romulus and Remus returning to their grandfather, Capys. Capys is a blind man who then has a prophetic vision of Romulus' descendants victories in the Pyrrhic and Punic wars, making them great.

You can read the Lays here.

[angelasscribbles]

One Night in Cordonia Chapter 1: Anton Severus

Series: One Night in Cordonia, a @choicesprompts Round Robin Event.

Fandom: TRR so far, but others could be added in

Pairings: Remains to be seen

Word Count: 1,027

Rating: MA

Warnings: language, plots of violence

NEXT WRITER: @aussiegurl1234

The night was still on the hilltop overlooking the rolling vineyards of the Beaumont estate in the heart of Ramsford near the eastern border of the small Mediterranean county of Cordonia.

Anton Severus stood in the warm night air directing troop movements. The soldiers under his command were a mix of those loyal to Sons of the Earth and those that sold their guns, and their loyalty, to the highest bidder. Mercenaries. Not the most savory thing, but a necessary evil. The ends would justify the means. And he had those ends in sight.

“You have the gas?” He asked his second in command.

Claudius Pinkernickle, his right-hand man, nodded, “Yes, sir.”

“Good, good. Deploy it through the air vents. Everyone who’s anyone in Cordonian society is in there tonight. It’s imperative we take out not only the members of the royal family but any Rys loyalists as well.”

It was the night of the annual Beaumont Bash and Anton was ready to take his place as the rightful ruler of Cordonia….by any means necessary.

“What does the gas do, exactly?” Claudius inquired.

“Well, it’s never been tested before,” Anton explained, “Which is why we got such a good deal on it! But it’s a nerve agent, it should shut down the central nervous system…or did he say the limbic system? At any rate, people should die, or at least become incapacitated and then we can swoop in and do clean up.”

“All our troops have been supplied with gas masks,” Claudius told him, “So we’ll deploy the gas, wait about twenty to thirty minutes then breach.”

“Sounds good. Tonight will go down in the history books, Claude and you were here to see it, to participate in it! Something to tell your children and grandchildren about!” Anton puffed his chest out, pride coloring his words.

“Yeah, sure, boss,” Claudius hoped his reply was convincing. He was never planning to have children, but more importantly, he had his own personal agenda for being here tonight that had nothing to do with politics. He could give a rat’s ass less who was king. He had a personal matter to attend to that was long overdue and he intended to rectify that tonight.

“Just remember,” Anton reminded him, “The only member of the nobility that makes it out alive is Duchess Olivia Nevrakis. She must not be harmed in any way! She’s the key to this whole thing. Everything hinges on her. Bring her directly to me.”

Anton wondered if Olivia remembered him. It had been many years since their last encounter. It would certainly make things easier if she cooperated.

“I’ll lead the advanced team myself,” Claudius assured him, “We’ll go in ten minutes after deployment and bring the duchess out.” Hopefully by subterfuge, but he wasn’t above physical coercion.

Anton checked his watch. “T-minus fifteen minutes to deployment.”

Claudius checked in with his team via earpiece, “All troops are in position.”

“Excellent!” Anton rubbed his hands together, exactly like a villain in a melodrama, “Almost there. Nothing can stop me now!”

Meanwhile, down the hill and inside the sprawling Beaumont estate, the party was in full swing.

“I’m just saying,” mumbled a drunk Penelope, “how do we know we’re not lesbians if we don’t try?”

“You make a valid point,” her companion replied, “let me take that bottle of champagne, I think you’ve had enough.”

The crown prince of Cordonia stood near the chocolate fountain nervously adjusting his tie. The object of his affection was within his sight yet he was still hesitant to make his move. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, other than a crippling fear of rejection. Which seemed preposterous given his position in the social order. But then, he had gone and fallen for someone who didn’t care about any of that.

A horse trotted through the grand ballroom and peacocks ran freely up and down the grand staircase.

Bertrand Beaumont smiled broadly at the sight. It was going to be a night to remember. All of Cordonia would be talking about for months to come, he was sure of it. The reputation of House Beaumont was safe, despite the disastrous news story Ana De Luca had published last month. He shook his head sourly at the memory. None of it had been true.

He blamed Maxwell.

Upstairs, Olivia laughed as she lifted a crystal champagne flute to her lips.

“Liv!” A familiar voice interrupted her conversation, “What are you doing up here? And with him?”

She opened her mouth to respond then closed it as several soft thumps sounded above their heads. As if several people had just landed on the roof. Which was utterly absurd. Wasn’t it?

She turned back to her companion, “Please tell me security hasn’t been skimped on for this event.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean what do I mean? Did you not hear that noise? And what….what’s that smell?”

They all three looked up as a low hissing sound drew their attention to the air vents, tendrils of smoke curling out of them and spreading through the room.

“What the hell?”

The hissing sound grew louder, along with a metallic groaning before all the air vents in the estate blew outward and the smoke rolled heavily through the rooms and hallways.

People ran screaming and gasping for air, looking for exits but the smoke obscured their visibility and the inebriated state of many of the guests served to further turn them around and send them wandering in the wrong direction.

Olivia was halfway down the grand staircase, breathing into her skirt to filter the air when the smoke parted and three men with gas masks approached her.

“It’s her!”

“We need you to come with us.”

“We’re here to help.”

Olivia’s eyes grew big as she saw a gloved hand reaching out toward her at the same time she heard footsteps pounding down the stairs behind her.

Her head swiveled back and forth taking in the scene in front of her and the one behind her.

A slow smile spread across her face as a course of action presented itself to her.

[theantonian]

Emperor Claudius died on this day in 54 AD.

He was 63 and had reigned for 13 years and 9 months. He was allegedly murdered by poison, either via mushrooms he ate or on a feather. His wife and niece, Agrippina the Younger, was the chief suspect.

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, commonly known as Claudius, was the fourth Roman emperor, reigning from AD 41 to 54. He was born on August 1, 10 BC in Lugdunum, Gaul (modern-day Lyon, France). Claudius was the grandson of Triumvir Marcus Antonius through his daughter, Antonia minor. He was the first Roman emperor to be born outside of Italy. He was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and was declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard after Caligula’s assassination. Despite his lack of experience, Claudius was an able and efficient administrator. He expanded the imperial bureaucracy to include freedmen and helped restore the empire’s finances after the excesses of Caligula’s reign. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire. During his reign, the Empire started its successful conquest of Britain.