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Between 1&2 đ Album Review
2023.06.03 22:56 smolcrackheadenergy Between 1&2 đ Album Review
And yes, this is 9 months late đ I'm not sorry â when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in Talk that Talk and Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary going over the song, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICEâs best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths â the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like⌠Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if theyâre some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyunâs voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the Yes or Yes, Push & Pull, and 1 to 10 references â these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
During Sana's Talk that Talk~ lines thereâs this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling L-O-V-E, concluding with the deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the deullyeojweo oohâŚ
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoungâs part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely â although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON⌠Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, enunciating and holding that now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect â the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man, Jihyo powered through that first chorus, but the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable âpopâ voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that stands out and shouts this is THE chorus. I think this is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [Tell me] WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. She also highlights âmalhaebwaâ in a similar way later in the chorus.
Another deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
The word âloveâ is said for the first time in the song. Thereâs a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoungâs part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-rĂŠsistance: this final double chorus is exceptional â 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery âTalk that Talkâ, Momo comes out of nowhere with âoh yeah it sounds so good!â â youâre damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
Nayeon outright shouts âTell me what you needâ and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second line descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final deullyeojweo ooh! What a party. What a song.
THE GOOD
Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICEâs last comeback, theyâve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This songâs chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering âWhat is love?â and imagining their crush responding with âyesâ when asking them out â and now concluding with the phrase âTalk that talk, [talk that] L-O-V-Eâ, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults â to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonetâs vocals and the production. This is the third draft Iâm writing about Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICEâs roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger thatâs easy to listen to, TTT is an easy 10/10.
WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO
RULE THE WORLD
If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always, always, gives me goosebumps â it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line "And itâs all because of you." But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
It sounds really lovely â in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should â the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. Itâs meant to be loud. Itâs meant to be unapologetic. Itâs meant to be sappy. And itâs all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centrepiece in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
I still canât believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
THE GOOD
I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I donât love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyoâs final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICEâs other rock songs â itâs a 9/10 for me.
I WANNA WANNA WANNA
TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself â an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020âs silky Handle It â Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "ah" sound, flirty lines in English â this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoungâs bag. Also, the line "rainbow bubblegum" is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: the âwannaâ, âweonhaeâ, and âppeonhaeâ all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very Boy With Luv-sounding âah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeahâ comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
Translating to:
The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesnât let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, itâs just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
THE GOOD
This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. Itâs dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning âspaceshipâ post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, itâs an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic â it's just a nice vibe. Songs like Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and Iâm happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
BABY WEâRE IN
TROUBLE TROUBLE
Background vocals: Jihyo
Lead composer credit: Jihyo
Vocal director credit: Jihyo (an assumption given her contributions in First Time)
One of the most enjoyable songs Iâve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces âLetâs goâ, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasted with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat with sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
This chorus is perfect. Torontoâs residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to SNAP this hard afterwards:
Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, Iâm not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where itâs:
Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isnât groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice â if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, itâs this. The addition of that first quadruplet for âcannot miss thisâ in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG âź
Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words theyâre saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And. AND. That's not all â with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
Like, come on, Nayeonâs imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
THE GOOD
Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place Talk that Talk above Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best âinternationalâ sounds theyâve put out. Actually, I havenât listened to Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work theyâve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019âs Fancy You and Feel Special mini albums, but Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well youâd think that this is TWICEâs bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyoâs magnum opus. What a song.
BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE
FOR YOU
I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic oohs from the members â this song is PRETTY.
Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely and that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet â I was not expecting the song to be this emotional. Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them 'brave' that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added â thereâs even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of this chorus acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
THE GOOD
Iâm actually spoiled with the TWICE membersâ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases donât do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but Brave is so mellow and smooth that I canât help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart â we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with Young & Wild, Rainbow, Queen, Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's Queen of Hearts, and, of course, Feel Special. Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:
I SEE THE LIES
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
Itâs getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt, theyâve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020âs Go Hard is. So itâs surprising to see theyâve still got tricks up their sleeves and Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing whatâs yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build but â it doesnât. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then, Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, untilâŚ
The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort theyâve put in since the beginning, but their âpartnerâ is so unconcerned that theyâve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyunâs thing since 2020âs Bring It Back, 2021âs Cruel, 2022âs Thatâs all Iâm saying, and even 2023's Don't Blame It On Me â emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if sheâs gone through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do your job better, or don't.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus â a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, itâs Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
Continuing the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that sheâs finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that thereâs no point salvaging what was once there for all of it is long gone. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that thereâs no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and thereâs no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoungâs rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the âgoneâ in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, thereâs no way Iâm not going to talk about Momoâs vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeonâs belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
THE GOOD
Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me â see TWICE's Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyunâs light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, Iâm happy theyâre still finding new ways to explore what theyâre capable of. And for that alone, even though Iâm not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding âbigâ, Dahyunâs lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song when I listen to it for the first time in a while elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
INVINCIBLE
SUPERHEROES
Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. Iâm totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I donât know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song â this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, itâs one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in,
The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies come in,
Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production â if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeonâs â this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so clean, stable, and projected â but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus â this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs donât want to end, and When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeonâs high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize â a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
THE GOOD
I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didnât want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me â I didnât want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing lifeâs obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICEâs original marketing was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-popâs all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers â it was always about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICEâs 7th anniversary, I donât think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. Itâs these nine women or none â 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable â Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey. Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of TTT to the anthemic euphoria of QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of Trouble and Brave to the blissful glee of Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of WWWK to the thundering anger that is Gone. Like Eyes wide open, I liken Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter â there's such an eclectic mix of pop, music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close â it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs â I also felt that way towards Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July. QoH was as glorious as expected, Brave was a delightful surprise, and WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and this is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.
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Intro
To preface this review, I just need to say that this is going to be a very, long read. Going through it myself just for the fun of it takes around 30 minutes â it's almost 7k words of text, including lyrical references. So for the best experience, listen to the album beforehand to understand what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this review, play the album while reading, and set a good amount of time aside.And yes, this is 9 months late đ I'm not sorry â when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in Talk that Talk and Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary going over the song, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
Between 1&2 đ
Album Review
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
Talk that Talk đ
Lead producer: collapsedone
One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICEâs best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths â the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like⌠Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if theyâre some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyunâs voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the Yes or Yes, Push & Pull, and 1 to 10 references â these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
A to Z da malhaebwa
But shijageun ireoke have
Talk that talk ttak han madi
Talk that talk L-O-V-E
deullyeojweo ooh
Now now now now now yeah~
During Sana's Talk that Talk~ lines thereâs this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling L-O-V-E, concluding with the deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the deullyeojweo oohâŚ
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoungâs part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely â although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON⌠Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, enunciating and holding that now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect â the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man, Jihyo powered through that first chorus, but the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable âpopâ voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that stands out and shouts this is THE chorus. I think this is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [Tell me] WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. She also highlights âmalhaebwaâ in a similar way later in the chorus.
Another deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
The simple words âI love youâ
Thatâs all I wanna hear
Without hesitation, Iâll go up to you
Iâll make it simple
And just tell you I love you
The word âloveâ is said for the first time in the song. Thereâs a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoungâs part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-rĂŠsistance: this final double chorus is exceptional â 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery âTalk that Talkâ, Momo comes out of nowhere with âoh yeah it sounds so good!â â youâre damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
han beon deo~ haejweo
geurae banggeum geu mal~
Nayeon outright shouts âTell me what you needâ and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second line descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final deullyeojweo ooh! What a party. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The synths of all time
- The chimes during Talk-that-talk~
- Jeongyeonâs pre-chorus going into Nayeonâs chorus
- The entirety of that magical, final chorus and outro
- The opening hook (Tell me what you want) and accompanying choreography could be âcatchierâ
- Singing (and dancing) my heart out when this song played at a K-pop club
Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICEâs last comeback, theyâve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This songâs chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering âWhat is love?â and imagining their crush responding with âyesâ when asking them out â and now concluding with the phrase âTalk that talk, [talk that] L-O-V-Eâ, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults â to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonetâs vocals and the production. This is the third draft Iâm writing about Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICEâs roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger thatâs easy to listen to, TTT is an easy 10/10.
WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO
RULE THE WORLD
Queen of Hearts đ
Lead producer: LDN Noise of SM
If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
You ainât ready for it
Watch me go~ watch me go~
Rule the world
Know you never doubted baby
Iâmma go run the whole universe~
Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
Baby I was born to rule~~
Yeah Iâm the queen, Iâm the queen
And itâs all because of you~~
That Iâm the Queen of Hearts
These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always, always, gives me goosebumps â it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line "And itâs all because of you." But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
And now that Iâm surrounded by all my girls
We be shining bright like diamonds and pearls
It sounds really lovely â in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should â the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
Screaming out my name
See it in the stage lights
Feel so lucky just to have ya
Cause I know deep down I was meant for something bigger! Greater!
I know youâre seeing what I see
Yeah Iâll be everything you need
I know Iâm gonna walk the walk
And talk the talk to be~ [the Queen of Hearts]
This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. Itâs meant to be loud. Itâs meant to be unapologetic. Itâs meant to be sappy. And itâs all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centrepiece in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
So thank you for the memories
Youâre all the ones who made me~
So thank you for the memories
That Iâm the Queen of Hearts
I still canât believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
THE GOOD
- Adorable fucking lyrics
- Unrelenting, roaring chorus
- English and vocal flex
- Addicting guitar riffs
- Chaeyoung rapping in English in their Korean songs somehow slaps harder than her English rapping in their English songs, nonetheless, in QoH, it fits with the sound of the song
- Walking home from a K-pop festival with this song playing, felt like a Queen of Hearts
I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I donât love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyoâs final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICEâs other rock songs â itâs a 9/10 for me.
I WANNA WANNA WANNA
TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
Basics đ
Sole lyricist credit: Chaeyoung
Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself â an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020âs silky Handle It â Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
dareun aedeulgwaneun dalla
Ainât begginâ for love
nappeun geon anijana ige naraseo
eodiro twilji molla
Like rainbow bubble gum
geureoni nal kkwak butjabadweo
Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "ah" sound, flirty lines in English â this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoungâs bag. Also, the line "rainbow bubblegum" is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
I wanna wanna wanna take it to the basics
da weonhae weonhae weonhae? seodureuji ma Baby
ppeonhae ppeonhae malhae mweohae da al tende
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: the âwannaâ, âweonhaeâ, and âppeonhaeâ all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very Boy With Luv-sounding âah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeahâ comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
taneun deut tteugeoun samak wie
yeppeuge pieonan jangmi gata
joshimseure naege dagaol ttae
nado moreuge jjilleobeoril tende
Translating to:
Above the hot, burning desert
Itâs like a rose that bloomed beautifully
When you come to me slowly
I will prick you unconsciously
The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesnât let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, itâs just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
THE GOOD
- That sweet summer vibe of a chorus
- The âspaceshipâ post-chorus is killer
- Chaeyoung devoured this song
- Sure-footed, confident lyrics
- Perhaps an alteration of that ah yeah ah yeah line
- The way Jihyo did her pre-chorus line is good, but Minaâs is great
- After donating my hair, walking down the rainbow-coloured areas of downtown Toronto with this song playing was very⌠fitting
This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. Itâs dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning âspaceshipâ post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, itâs an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic â it's just a nice vibe. Songs like Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and Iâm happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
BABY WEâRE IN
TROUBLE TROUBLE
Trouble đ
Sole lyricist credit: JihyoBackground vocals: Jihyo
Lead composer credit: Jihyo
Vocal director credit: Jihyo (an assumption given her contributions in First Time)
One of the most enjoyable songs Iâve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces âLetâs goâ, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasted with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat with sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
- Nayeon opens it using a breathy tone, with vocal chops serving as harmonies
- The blooming of the house piano takes centre stage and the song ascends into euphoria
- A random drum roll capped off by a cymbal crash
- Jeongyeonâs pronunciation of the word âtroubleâ almost being a growl
- Chaeyoung slyly admitting âI like this troubleâ
- The entirety of Tzuyuâs tro~oh~oh~ouble yeah~
- Sana using her deep voice for the na~na~na~na
- Jihyo leading the vocals during the synchronized T W I C E chant
This chorus is perfect. Torontoâs residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
gamchweo bwatja geugeon Fake
ppajin hamjeongeun Sweet cake
During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to SNAP this hard afterwards:
You cannot resist this
Cannot miss this, such a bliss
Ima put it down down
Oh yeah, better kiss kiss
Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, Iâm not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where itâs:
Triplet-triplet
Quadruplet-triplet
Quadruplet-doublet
Doublet-quadruplet
Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isnât groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice â if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, itâs this. The addition of that first quadruplet for âcannot miss thisâ in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG âź
Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words theyâre saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And. AND. That's not all â with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble be-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-beh
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trou-ble
Like, come on, Nayeonâs imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The theme of relishing in an uncontrolled love
- Sana and Minaâs melody in the pre-chorus
- Chorus
- Rap
- Outro
- Wees and woos
- Minaâs line of âfalling down, falling down, falling down lowâ in verse 2 feels a bit too abrupt of a change
- While writing Trouble's review I had this song on repeat for my whole subway commute and I must've been so distracting, just head-bopping and being so invested in enjoying a song
Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place Talk that Talk above Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best âinternationalâ sounds theyâve put out. Actually, I havenât listened to Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work theyâve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019âs Fancy You and Feel Special mini albums, but Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well youâd think that this is TWICEâs bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyoâs magnum opus. What a song.
BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE
FOR YOU
Brave đ
Main producer: Slow Rabbit of HYBE
I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic oohs from the members â this song is PRETTY.
The night that was unusually dark
Above this terrifying world, felt so lonely
The world has grown in the time of wandering
So hard to breathe
Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely and that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet â I was not expecting the song to be this emotional. Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them 'brave' that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added â thereâs even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of this chorus acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
Oh na na na neon nal naige hae [Momo, then Tzuyu, then Momo]
On and on and on
Brave brave brave for ya [Dahyun, then Chaeyoung, then Mina]
Oh na na na neon nal sum shwige hae [Sana, then Momo, then Sana]
On and on and on oh trust me babe
Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
THE GOOD
- Special lyrics
- Pleasant sound to vibe out to
- That gentle break after the first chorus
- Jihyoâs high note at the end
- A Nayeon Jeongyeon joint high note âď¸
- Just pretty vocals throughout
- Potentially hard to comprehend without translating the Korean lyrics
- Form of Therapyâs life motto revolves around the word âbraveâ. I donât know where I got that from, but I remembered it right before watching his album reaction
Iâm actually spoiled with the TWICE membersâ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases donât do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but Brave is so mellow and smooth that I canât help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart â we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with Young & Wild, Rainbow, Queen, Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's Queen of Hearts, and, of course, Feel Special. Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:
- 7/10s are songs are ones that are simply good throughout or great songs with apparent flaws
- 8/10s are great songs with standout characteristics
- 9/10s are borderline perfect songs where I sometimes can't comprehend how great they are
- And 10/10s are the best of an artist's discography, songs that encapsulate their ethos perfectly or expand upon them in a meaningful way
I SEE THE LIES
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
Gone đ¨
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
Itâs getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt, theyâve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020âs Go Hard is. So itâs surprising to see theyâve still got tricks up their sleeves and Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing whatâs yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build but â it doesnât. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then, Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, untilâŚ
I see the LIES on the top of your tongue
The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
All the fate I had towards you
Fades like a fog, gone, gone
Your flipping mind of doing this and that
Iâm tired of it, itâs meaningless
In the beginning, it was hard to believe
With that, hatred increases
The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort theyâve put in since the beginning, but their âpartnerâ is so unconcerned that theyâve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyunâs thing since 2020âs Bring It Back, 2021âs Cruel, 2022âs Thatâs all Iâm saying, and even 2023's Don't Blame It On Me â emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if sheâs gone through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do your job better, or don't.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus â a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, itâs Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
I canât stand it anymore [Dahyun]
My patience, invisible
I canât find it, itâs all gone
Even if I try to turn back, itâs too late [Chaeyoung]
Thereâs no use anymore
It has left, itâs long gone
You, with flipping mind, you are out [Momo]
I know that you know what Iâm talking about [Dahyun]
Nothing you could say that could turn this around
Iâm gone
Continuing the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that sheâs finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that thereâs no point salvaging what was once there for all of it is long gone. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that thereâs no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and thereâs no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoungâs rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the âgoneâ in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, thereâs no way Iâm not going to talk about Momoâs vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeonâs belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
THE GOOD
- Theyâve still got their surprises
- Thundering chorus
- 2nd rap and bridge combo
- A bitter, crumbling relationship theme
- Iâm not a huge fan of the mixing during the first post-chorus, where Momo's vocals were fighting with the production, which is disappointing because Momo is capable of an insane flow
- The post-chorus in general, specifically the first one, can be a bit tiring on repeat listens
- Actually, I think this song sounds like a mix between GOT7's Not By The Moon, BLACKPINKâs Love To Hate Me, and Dahyunâs Bring It Back. I donât know where I got this thought came from, but it stuck
Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me â see TWICE's Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyunâs light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, Iâm happy theyâre still finding new ways to explore what theyâre capable of. And for that alone, even though Iâm not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding âbigâ, Dahyunâs lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song when I listen to it for the first time in a while elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
INVINCIBLE
SUPERHEROES
When We Were Kids đ§¸
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. Iâm totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I donât know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song â this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, itâs one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in,
Invincible superheroes, we wanted to be adults
To the higher, clearer world
The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies come in,
Remember when we were kids
When we were kids, we didnât know
If we could go back
I will love it even more
Remember when we were kids
Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production â if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeonâs â this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so clean, stable, and projected â but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
I wish that I could meet
Could meet the younger me
Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus â this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs donât want to end, and When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeonâs high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize â a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
Oh, we were kids
Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
THE GOOD
- Heavenly vocals throughout
- Relatable, heartfelt lyrics
- Euphoric chorus
- Great closer to the album
- Refrain after the last chorus, "Back when we were kids," couldâve been executed better
- For an album titled Between 1&2, I donât think anything hits harder than finishing the song reviews, with this song in particular, during your 21st birthday
I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didnât want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me â I didnât want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing lifeâs obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICEâs original marketing was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-popâs all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers â it was always about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICEâs 7th anniversary, I donât think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. Itâs these nine women or none â 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable â Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
Epilogue
And finally here is the end. If you made it in one sitting then I commend you, because I could not write this mess in one sitting. As alluded to, I started writing this album review sometime in October, after a series of edits the first draft was finished in March, and now here's the final draft in June.I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey. Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of TTT to the anthemic euphoria of QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of Trouble and Brave to the blissful glee of Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of WWWK to the thundering anger that is Gone. Like Eyes wide open, I liken Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter â there's such an eclectic mix of pop, music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close â it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs â I also felt that way towards Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July. QoH was as glorious as expected, Brave was a delightful surprise, and WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and this is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.
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2023.06.02 23:47 smolcrackheadenergy TWICE Between 1&2 Album Review
And yes, this is 9 months late đ I'm not sorry â when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in Talk that Talk and Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary going over the song, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICEâs best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths â the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like⌠Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if theyâre some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyunâs voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the Yes or Yes, Push & Pull, and 1 to 10 references â these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
During Sana's Talk that Talk~ lines thereâs this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling L-O-V-E, concluding with the deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the deullyeojweo oohâŚ
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoungâs part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely â although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON⌠Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, enunciating and holding that now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect â the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man, Jihyo powered through that first chorus, but the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable âpopâ voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that stands out and shouts this is THE chorus. I think this is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [Tell me] WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. She also highlights âmalhaebwaâ in a similar way later in the chorus.
Another deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
The word âloveâ is said for the first time in the song. Thereâs a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoungâs part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-rĂŠsistance: this final double chorus is exceptional â 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery âTalk that Talkâ, Momo comes out of nowhere with âoh yeah it sounds so good!â â youâre damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
Nayeon outright shouts âTell me what you needâ and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second line descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final deullyeojweo ooh! What a party. What a song.
THE GOOD
Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICEâs last comeback, theyâve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This songâs chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering âWhat is love?â and imagining their crush responding with âyesâ when asking them out â and now concluding with the phrase âTalk that talk, [talk that] L-O-V-Eâ, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults â to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonetâs vocals and the production. This is the third draft Iâm writing about Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICEâs roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger thatâs easy to listen to, TTT is an easy 10/10.
WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO
RULE THE WORLD
If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always, always, gives me goosebumps â it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line "And itâs all because of you." But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
It sounds really lovely â in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should â the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. Itâs meant to be loud. Itâs meant to be unapologetic. Itâs meant to be sappy. And itâs all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centrepiece in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
I still canât believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
THE GOOD
I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I donât love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyoâs final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICEâs other rock songs â itâs a 9/10 for me.
I WANNA WANNA WANNA
TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself â an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020âs silky Handle It â Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "ah" sound, flirty lines in English â this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoungâs bag. Also, the line "rainbow bubblegum" is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: the âwannaâ, âweonhaeâ, and âppeonhaeâ all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very Boy With Luv-sounding âah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeahâ comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
Translating to:
The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesnât let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, itâs just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
THE GOOD
This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. Itâs dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning âspaceshipâ post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, itâs an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic â it's just a nice vibe. Songs like Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and Iâm happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
BABY WEâRE IN
TROUBLE TROUBLE
Background vocals: Jihyo
Lead composer credit: Jihyo
Vocal director credit: Jihyo (an assumption given her contributions in First Time)
One of the most enjoyable songs Iâve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces âLetâs goâ, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasted with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat with sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
This chorus is perfect. Torontoâs residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to SNAP this hard afterwards:
Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, Iâm not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where itâs:
Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isnât groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice â if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, itâs this. The addition of that first quadruplet for âcannot miss thisâ in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG âź
Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words theyâre saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And. AND. That's not all â with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
Like, come on, Nayeonâs imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
THE GOOD
Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place Talk that Talk above Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best âinternationalâ sounds theyâve put out. Actually, I havenât listened to Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work theyâve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019âs Fancy You and Feel Special mini albums, but Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well youâd think that this is TWICEâs bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyoâs magnum opus. What a song.
BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE
FOR YOU
I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic oohs from the members â this song is PRETTY.
Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely and that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet â I was not expecting the song to be this emotional. Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them 'brave' that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added â thereâs even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of this chorus acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
THE GOOD
Iâm actually spoiled with the TWICE membersâ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases donât do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but Brave is so mellow and smooth that I canât help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart â we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with Young & Wild, Rainbow, Queen, Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's Queen of Hearts, and, of course, Feel Special. Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:
I SEE THE LIES
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
Itâs getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt, theyâve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020âs Go Hard is. So itâs surprising to see theyâve still got tricks up their sleeves and Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing whatâs yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build but â it doesnât. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then, Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, untilâŚ
The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort theyâve put in since the beginning, but their âpartnerâ is so unconcerned that theyâve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyunâs thing since 2020âs Bring It Back, 2021âs Cruel, 2022âs Thatâs all Iâm saying, and even 2023's Don't Blame It On Me â emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if sheâs gone through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do your job better, or don't.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus â a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, itâs Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
Continuing the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that sheâs finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that thereâs no point salvaging what was once there for all of it is long gone. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that thereâs no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and thereâs no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoungâs rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the âgoneâ in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, thereâs no way Iâm not going to talk about Momoâs vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeonâs belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
THE GOOD
Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me â see TWICE's Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyunâs light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, Iâm happy theyâre still finding new ways to explore what theyâre capable of. And for that alone, even though Iâm not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding âbigâ, Dahyunâs lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song when I listen to it for the first time in a while elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
INVINCIBLE
SUPERHEROES
Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. Iâm totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I donât know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song â this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, itâs one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in,
The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies come in,
Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production â if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeonâs â this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so clean, stable, and projected â but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus â this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs donât want to end, and When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeonâs high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize â a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
THE GOOD
I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didnât want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me â I didnât want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing lifeâs obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICEâs original marketing was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-popâs all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers â it was always about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICEâs 7th anniversary, I donât think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. Itâs these nine women or none â 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable â Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey. Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of TTT to the anthemic euphoria of QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of Trouble and Brave to the blissful glee of Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of WWWK to the thundering anger that is Gone. Like Eyes wide open, I liken Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter â there's such an eclectic mix of pop, music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close â it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs â I also felt that way towards Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July. QoH was as glorious as expected, Brave was a delightful surprise, and WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and this is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.
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Intro
To preface this review, I just need to say that this is going to be a very, long read. Going through it myself just for the fun of it takes around 30 minutes â it's almost 7k words of text, including lyrical references. So for the best experience, listen to the album beforehand to understand what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this review, play the album while reading, and set a good amount of time aside.And yes, this is 9 months late đ I'm not sorry â when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in Talk that Talk and Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary going over the song, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
Between 1&2 đ
Album Review
TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
Talk that Talk đ
Lead producer: collapsedone
One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICEâs best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths â the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like⌠Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if theyâre some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyunâs voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the Yes or Yes, Push & Pull, and 1 to 10 references â these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
A to Z da malhaebwa
But shijageun ireoke have
Talk that talk ttak han madi
Talk that talk L-O-V-E
deullyeojweo ooh
Now now now now now yeah~
During Sana's Talk that Talk~ lines thereâs this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling L-O-V-E, concluding with the deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the deullyeojweo oohâŚ
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoungâs part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely â although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON⌠Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, enunciating and holding that now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect â the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man, Jihyo powered through that first chorus, but the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable âpopâ voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that stands out and shouts this is THE chorus. I think this is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [Tell me] WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. She also highlights âmalhaebwaâ in a similar way later in the chorus.
Another deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
The simple words âI love youâ
Thatâs all I wanna hear
Without hesitation, Iâll go up to you
Iâll make it simple
And just tell you I love you
The word âloveâ is said for the first time in the song. Thereâs a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoungâs part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-rĂŠsistance: this final double chorus is exceptional â 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery âTalk that Talkâ, Momo comes out of nowhere with âoh yeah it sounds so good!â â youâre damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
han beon deo~ haejweo
geurae banggeum geu mal~
Nayeon outright shouts âTell me what you needâ and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second line descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final deullyeojweo ooh! What a party. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The synths of all time
- The chimes during Talk-that-talk~
- Jeongyeonâs pre-chorus going into Nayeonâs chorus
- The entirety of that magical, final chorus and outro
- The opening hook (Tell me what you want) and accompanying choreography could be âcatchierâ
- Singing (and dancing) my heart out when this song played at a K-pop club
Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICEâs last comeback, theyâve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This songâs chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering âWhat is love?â and imagining their crush responding with âyesâ when asking them out â and now concluding with the phrase âTalk that talk, [talk that] L-O-V-Eâ, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults â to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonetâs vocals and the production. This is the third draft Iâm writing about Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICEâs roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger thatâs easy to listen to, TTT is an easy 10/10.
WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO
RULE THE WORLD
Queen of Hearts đ
Lead producer: LDN Noise of SM
If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
You ainât ready for it
Watch me go~ watch me go~
Rule the world
Know you never doubted baby
Iâmma go run the whole universe~
Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
Baby I was born to rule~~
Yeah Iâm the queen, Iâm the queen
And itâs all because of you~~
That Iâm the Queen of Hearts
These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always, always, gives me goosebumps â it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line "And itâs all because of you." But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
And now that Iâm surrounded by all my girls
We be shining bright like diamonds and pearls
It sounds really lovely â in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should â the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
Screaming out my name
See it in the stage lights
Feel so lucky just to have ya
Cause I know deep down I was meant for something bigger! Greater!
I know youâre seeing what I see
Yeah Iâll be everything you need
I know Iâm gonna walk the walk
And talk the talk to be~ [the Queen of Hearts]
This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. Itâs meant to be loud. Itâs meant to be unapologetic. Itâs meant to be sappy. And itâs all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centrepiece in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
So thank you for the memories
Youâre all the ones who made me~
So thank you for the memories
That Iâm the Queen of Hearts
I still canât believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
THE GOOD
- Adorable fucking lyrics
- Unrelenting, roaring chorus
- English and vocal flex
- Addicting guitar riffs
- Chaeyoung rapping in English in their Korean songs somehow slaps harder than her English rapping in their English songs, nonetheless, in QoH, it fits with the sound of the song
- Walking home from a K-pop festival with this song playing, felt like a Queen of Hearts
I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I donât love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyoâs final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICEâs other rock songs â itâs a 9/10 for me.
I WANNA WANNA WANNA
TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
Basics đ
Sole lyricist credit: Chaeyoung
Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself â an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020âs silky Handle It â Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
dareun aedeulgwaneun dalla
Ainât begginâ for love
nappeun geon anijana ige naraseo
eodiro twilji molla
Like rainbow bubble gum
geureoni nal kkwak butjabadweo
Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "ah" sound, flirty lines in English â this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoungâs bag. Also, the line "rainbow bubblegum" is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
I wanna wanna wanna take it to the basics
da weonhae weonhae weonhae? seodureuji ma Baby
ppeonhae ppeonhae malhae mweohae da al tende
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: the âwannaâ, âweonhaeâ, and âppeonhaeâ all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very Boy With Luv-sounding âah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeahâ comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
taneun deut tteugeoun samak wie
yeppeuge pieonan jangmi gata
joshimseure naege dagaol ttae
nado moreuge jjilleobeoril tende
Translating to:
Above the hot, burning desert
Itâs like a rose that bloomed beautifully
When you come to me slowly
I will prick you unconsciously
The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesnât let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, itâs just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
THE GOOD
- That sweet summer vibe of a chorus
- The âspaceshipâ post-chorus is killer
- Chaeyoung devoured this song
- Sure-footed, confident lyrics
- Perhaps an alteration of that ah yeah ah yeah line
- The way Jihyo did her pre-chorus line is good, but Minaâs is great
- After donating my hair, walking down the rainbow-coloured areas of downtown Toronto with this song playing was very⌠fitting
This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. Itâs dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning âspaceshipâ post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, itâs an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic â it's just a nice vibe. Songs like Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and Iâm happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
BABY WEâRE IN
TROUBLE TROUBLE
Trouble đ
Sole lyricist credit: JihyoBackground vocals: Jihyo
Lead composer credit: Jihyo
Vocal director credit: Jihyo (an assumption given her contributions in First Time)
One of the most enjoyable songs Iâve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces âLetâs goâ, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasted with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat with sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
- Nayeon opens it using a breathy tone, with vocal chops serving as harmonies
- The blooming of the house piano takes centre stage and the song ascends into euphoria
- A random drum roll capped off by a cymbal crash
- Jeongyeonâs pronunciation of the word âtroubleâ almost being a growl
- Chaeyoung slyly admitting âI like this troubleâ
- The entirety of Tzuyuâs tro~oh~oh~ouble yeah~
- Sana using her deep voice for the na~na~na~na
- Jihyo leading the vocals during the synchronized T W I C E chant
This chorus is perfect. Torontoâs residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
gamchweo bwatja geugeon Fake
ppajin hamjeongeun Sweet cake
During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to SNAP this hard afterwards:
You cannot resist this
Cannot miss this, such a bliss
Ima put it down down
Oh yeah, better kiss kiss
Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, Iâm not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where itâs:
Triplet-triplet
Quadruplet-triplet
Quadruplet-doublet
Doublet-quadruplet
Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isnât groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice â if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, itâs this. The addition of that first quadruplet for âcannot miss thisâ in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG âź
Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words theyâre saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And. AND. That's not all â with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble be-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trouble bay-beh
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this trou-ble
Like, come on, Nayeonâs imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
THE GOOD
- The theme of relishing in an uncontrolled love
- Sana and Minaâs melody in the pre-chorus
- Chorus
- Rap
- Outro
- Wees and woos
- Minaâs line of âfalling down, falling down, falling down lowâ in verse 2 feels a bit too abrupt of a change
- While writing Trouble's review I had this song on repeat for my whole subway commute and I must've been so distracting, just head-bopping and being so invested in enjoying a song
Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place Talk that Talk above Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best âinternationalâ sounds theyâve put out. Actually, I havenât listened to Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work theyâve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019âs Fancy You and Feel Special mini albums, but Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well youâd think that this is TWICEâs bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyoâs magnum opus. What a song.
BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE
FOR YOU
Brave đ
Main producer: Slow Rabbit of HYBE
I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic oohs from the members â this song is PRETTY.
The night that was unusually dark
Above this terrifying world, felt so lonely
The world has grown in the time of wandering
So hard to breathe
Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely and that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet â I was not expecting the song to be this emotional. Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them 'brave' that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added â thereâs even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of this chorus acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
Oh na na na neon nal naige hae [Momo, then Tzuyu, then Momo]
On and on and on
Brave brave brave for ya [Dahyun, then Chaeyoung, then Mina]
Oh na na na neon nal sum shwige hae [Sana, then Momo, then Sana]
On and on and on oh trust me babe
Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
THE GOOD
- Special lyrics
- Pleasant sound to vibe out to
- That gentle break after the first chorus
- Jihyoâs high note at the end
- A Nayeon Jeongyeon joint high note âď¸
- Just pretty vocals throughout
- Potentially hard to comprehend without translating the Korean lyrics
- Form of Therapyâs life motto revolves around the word âbraveâ. I donât know where I got that from, but I remembered it right before watching his album reaction
Iâm actually spoiled with the TWICE membersâ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases donât do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but Brave is so mellow and smooth that I canât help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart â we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with Young & Wild, Rainbow, Queen, Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's Queen of Hearts, and, of course, Feel Special. Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:
- 7/10s are songs are ones that are simply good throughout or great songs with apparent flaws
- 8/10s are great songs with standout characteristics
- 9/10s are borderline perfect songs where I sometimes can't comprehend how great they are
- And 10/10s are the best of an artist's discography, songs that encapsulate their ethos perfectly or expand upon them in a meaningful way
I SEE THE LIES
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
Gone đ¨
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
Itâs getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt, theyâve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020âs Go Hard is. So itâs surprising to see theyâve still got tricks up their sleeves and Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing whatâs yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build but â it doesnât. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then, Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, untilâŚ
I see the LIES on the top of your tongue
The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
All the fate I had towards you
Fades like a fog, gone, gone
Your flipping mind of doing this and that
Iâm tired of it, itâs meaningless
In the beginning, it was hard to believe
With that, hatred increases
The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort theyâve put in since the beginning, but their âpartnerâ is so unconcerned that theyâve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyunâs thing since 2020âs Bring It Back, 2021âs Cruel, 2022âs Thatâs all Iâm saying, and even 2023's Don't Blame It On Me â emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if sheâs gone through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do your job better, or don't.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus â a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, itâs Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
I canât stand it anymore [Dahyun]
My patience, invisible
I canât find it, itâs all gone
Even if I try to turn back, itâs too late [Chaeyoung]
Thereâs no use anymore
It has left, itâs long gone
You, with flipping mind, you are out [Momo]
I know that you know what Iâm talking about [Dahyun]
Nothing you could say that could turn this around
Iâm gone
Continuing the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that sheâs finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that thereâs no point salvaging what was once there for all of it is long gone. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that thereâs no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and thereâs no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoungâs rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the âgoneâ in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, thereâs no way Iâm not going to talk about Momoâs vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeonâs belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
THE GOOD
- Theyâve still got their surprises
- Thundering chorus
- 2nd rap and bridge combo
- A bitter, crumbling relationship theme
- Iâm not a huge fan of the mixing during the first post-chorus, where Momo's vocals were fighting with the production, which is disappointing because Momo is capable of an insane flow
- The post-chorus in general, specifically the first one, can be a bit tiring on repeat listens
- Actually, I think this song sounds like a mix between GOT7's Not By The Moon, BLACKPINKâs Love To Hate Me, and Dahyunâs Bring It Back. I donât know where I got this thought came from, but it stuck
Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me â see TWICE's Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyunâs light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, Iâm happy theyâre still finding new ways to explore what theyâre capable of. And for that alone, even though Iâm not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding âbigâ, Dahyunâs lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song when I listen to it for the first time in a while elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
INVINCIBLE
SUPERHEROES
When We Were Kids đ§¸
Sole lyricist credit: Dahyun
Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. Iâm totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I donât know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song â this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, itâs one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in,
Invincible superheroes, we wanted to be adults
To the higher, clearer world
The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies come in,
Remember when we were kids
When we were kids, we didnât know
If we could go back
I will love it even more
Remember when we were kids
Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production â if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeonâs â this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so clean, stable, and projected â but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
I wish that I could meet
Could meet the younger me
Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus â this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs donât want to end, and When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeonâs high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize â a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
Oh, we were kids
Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
THE GOOD
- Heavenly vocals throughout
- Relatable, heartfelt lyrics
- Euphoric chorus
- Great closer to the album
- Refrain after the last chorus, "Back when we were kids," couldâve been executed better
- For an album titled Between 1&2, I donât think anything hits harder than finishing the song reviews, with this song in particular, during your 21st birthday
I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didnât want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me â I didnât want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing lifeâs obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICEâs original marketing was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-popâs all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers â it was always about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICEâs 7th anniversary, I donât think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. Itâs these nine women or none â 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable â Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
Epilogue
And finally here is the end. If you made it in one sitting then I commend you, because I could not write this mess in one sitting. As alluded to, I started writing this album review sometime in October, after a series of edits the first draft was finished in March, and now here's the final draft in June.I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey. Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of TTT to the anthemic euphoria of QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of Trouble and Brave to the blissful glee of Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of WWWK to the thundering anger that is Gone. Like Eyes wide open, I liken Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter â there's such an eclectic mix of pop, music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close â it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs â I also felt that way towards Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July. QoH was as glorious as expected, Brave was a delightful surprise, and WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and this is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.
2023.06.02 23:24 TerrinX8 How to use NoVa/DMV public transport (Bus and DC Metro Guide)
First step, get a 'SmarTrip' card from your closest local metro station. (The cost is only $2 for the card itself and load any amount of money you want, it defaults at 10 but you can lower that, but 6 minimum is best)
You don't need to, but you can log it on the WMATA (DC Metro) website to track how much is on it at home. The card will work on ANY and ALL metro stations and public busses.
I typically use the Fairfax Connector bus service but if you're for example in Falls Church, which is technically independent and outside Fairfax County so it doesn't use the Fairfax Connector, instead the local DC/MD bus system, which is fine because they're all under the WMATA system which is insanely convenient. This also includes Loudoun County, Southern Maryland, etc, so just remember; SmarTrip cards are your friend.
Most WMATA bus fairs are $2 for 2 hours of unlimited rides/transfers between busses. So for example I got on a buss on weds to get home at 12:18 PM, using the 2$ left on my card. So I now had $0.00 on it but I was able to transfer to the bus home without issue, I got home at 1:20-ish.
Then my mom wanted me to drive her home for practice, and it was only 1:40 so I still had a good 35ish left and I caught the bus over to her work free, even though had no money on it, because of the 2 hour grace period. A round trip by bus is typically on $4. (Having a container of change is god tier, lemme tell you, I have fuck tons of quarters just in case. If I'm going to a station where I can use my debit card to load onto my metro card, I sometimes just slap 8 quarters in so I don't have to worry about money being on my card or not and I can add when I get to the station)
Rule of thumb, always be at a bus stop 5 minutes early, because while google maps and the bus schedule text line can be scary accurate, it's always better safe then sorry. Don't let dice rolls hold you back. Same for the metro, always try to go a bit early, just to give yourself more time for stuff like adding money but I'll get into that in a bit.
When on the bus, use google maps and the LED strip that reads out the stop names, once it gets to the stop right before yours, wait till the bus begins moving and then pull the stop cord. The bus driver will stop at the next stop, and not just in the middle of the street. So pulling the cord early just guarantees your stop is selected or they will keep going to save time.
On the metro, it's pretty ez, though prices can be confusing for non-frequent riders. Basically, from 5 am to 9 AM , and 3 PM to 7PM on weekdays, a one way trip can be anywhere from $2.25 - $6.00 depending on how far you go. No idea what "far" is, but usually most trips aren't long enough to reach the 6$ amount. Typically it can be around $3 - $4.25 ish for the average trip distance. 5 or less stops and you'll probably get the $2.25 minimum. - These are "peak" fares.
That leaves 9 AM through 3 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends as "Off Peak" fares, which are $2.00 - $3.85 based on distance. Any time AFTER 9:30 PM specifically are $2 flat.
Also, once you get off the metro after a ride, you still have the 2 hour free bus grace period which hecking dope as hell, so getting around after arriving isn't that bad.
Though I typically walk a lot in DC but I'm spry and full of energy lol, it's tortuous but I don't mind.
When you use your card on the bus and then get on the metro you get like, a 25 cent discount which is negligible but it's just a nice little bonus.
Extra bus tip, if you don'[t have quarters, not enough money on your card, and only like, a $5 bill, you can put in the $5 and then touch your card to the pad, and it will load the remaining $3 dollars onto your card. Hella nifty in a pinch.
Typically my rule of thumb is to have 6 dollars minimum on your card when getting on the metro on weekends and 12 dollars on weekdays. That will be enough to cover you round trip (because the bus fair will be free). Typically this way you often end up with some left over occasionally for bus rides and stuff for when you don't the extra quarters.
Also also if you only have like $1 - 1.75 on you, the bus drivers almost always let you on anyway. So while it's embarrassing, you'll still get where you're going with less issue than you'd realize.
Here's a good resolution map of the DC Metro for convenience too.
Big Circles are stations which allow for transfer between all overlapping lines
Be careful and ride safe! (Please add any extra tips or corrections in the comments!)
submitted by TerrinX8 to nova [link] [comments]
You don't need to, but you can log it on the WMATA (DC Metro) website to track how much is on it at home. The card will work on ANY and ALL metro stations and public busses.
I typically use the Fairfax Connector bus service but if you're for example in Falls Church, which is technically independent and outside Fairfax County so it doesn't use the Fairfax Connector, instead the local DC/MD bus system, which is fine because they're all under the WMATA system which is insanely convenient. This also includes Loudoun County, Southern Maryland, etc, so just remember; SmarTrip cards are your friend.
Most WMATA bus fairs are $2 for 2 hours of unlimited rides/transfers between busses. So for example I got on a buss on weds to get home at 12:18 PM, using the 2$ left on my card. So I now had $0.00 on it but I was able to transfer to the bus home without issue, I got home at 1:20-ish.
Then my mom wanted me to drive her home for practice, and it was only 1:40 so I still had a good 35ish left and I caught the bus over to her work free, even though had no money on it, because of the 2 hour grace period. A round trip by bus is typically on $4. (Having a container of change is god tier, lemme tell you, I have fuck tons of quarters just in case. If I'm going to a station where I can use my debit card to load onto my metro card, I sometimes just slap 8 quarters in so I don't have to worry about money being on my card or not and I can add when I get to the station)
Rule of thumb, always be at a bus stop 5 minutes early, because while google maps and the bus schedule text line can be scary accurate, it's always better safe then sorry. Don't let dice rolls hold you back. Same for the metro, always try to go a bit early, just to give yourself more time for stuff like adding money but I'll get into that in a bit.
When on the bus, use google maps and the LED strip that reads out the stop names, once it gets to the stop right before yours, wait till the bus begins moving and then pull the stop cord. The bus driver will stop at the next stop, and not just in the middle of the street. So pulling the cord early just guarantees your stop is selected or they will keep going to save time.
On the metro, it's pretty ez, though prices can be confusing for non-frequent riders. Basically, from 5 am to 9 AM , and 3 PM to 7PM on weekdays, a one way trip can be anywhere from $2.25 - $6.00 depending on how far you go. No idea what "far" is, but usually most trips aren't long enough to reach the 6$ amount. Typically it can be around $3 - $4.25 ish for the average trip distance. 5 or less stops and you'll probably get the $2.25 minimum. - These are "peak" fares.
That leaves 9 AM through 3 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends as "Off Peak" fares, which are $2.00 - $3.85 based on distance. Any time AFTER 9:30 PM specifically are $2 flat.
Also, once you get off the metro after a ride, you still have the 2 hour free bus grace period which hecking dope as hell, so getting around after arriving isn't that bad.
Though I typically walk a lot in DC but I'm spry and full of energy lol, it's tortuous but I don't mind.
When you use your card on the bus and then get on the metro you get like, a 25 cent discount which is negligible but it's just a nice little bonus.
Extra bus tip, if you don'[t have quarters, not enough money on your card, and only like, a $5 bill, you can put in the $5 and then touch your card to the pad, and it will load the remaining $3 dollars onto your card. Hella nifty in a pinch.
Typically my rule of thumb is to have 6 dollars minimum on your card when getting on the metro on weekends and 12 dollars on weekdays. That will be enough to cover you round trip (because the bus fair will be free). Typically this way you often end up with some left over occasionally for bus rides and stuff for when you don't the extra quarters.
Also also if you only have like $1 - 1.75 on you, the bus drivers almost always let you on anyway. So while it's embarrassing, you'll still get where you're going with less issue than you'd realize.
Here's a good resolution map of the DC Metro for convenience too.
Big Circles are stations which allow for transfer between all overlapping lines
Be careful and ride safe! (Please add any extra tips or corrections in the comments!)
2023.06.02 21:26 Bard_of_Light [Spoilers Extended] LBJ: The Horned Demon of the Trident
Robert's Rebellion Theme Song: The Czar Mastodon
This part aims to provide additional evidence that Robert lived up to his moniker, the Demon of the Trident, casting him as close to black as grey can get. King Robert is an avatar for all the worst flaws of Westerosi culture, a man enabled to wield massive power who yet skirted any sense of responsibility and chose to commit a mountain of moral transgressions in service to his personal desires.
tenor.com/view/gaston-antlers-gif-23720815
Robert Baratheon bears a striking resemblance to Gaston from Beauty & the Beast, who imprisons his romantic interest and lies to incite violence against a rival. Gaston is driven by jealousy of the Beast and humiliation over Belle's rejection. Disneyâs adaptation of Beauty & the Beast was released in 1991, just five years before A Game of Thrones was published.
Video: Gaston Beauty & the Beast
Video: George RR Martin on Writing for Beauty and the Beast
Martin has shown keen interest in Beauty & the Beast; adapting the tale for TV in the late 80s was a high point of his career. He even named his bookstore in Santa Fe Beastly Books, and named the cinema next door for Jean Cocteau, who also adapted the tale and created an earlier version of Gaston). This concept of kidnapping oneâs romantic interest and blaming it on a rival to incite violence also crops up in The Princess Bride, which Martin has stated is his favorite fantasy film after the Lord of the Rings series.
Behaving like Prince Humperdinck from The Princess Bride or Gaston from Beauty & the Beast, driven by rage over the incident at Harrenhal and a family history of Targaryen betrayal, Robert lied about his queen of love and beauty and made Rhaegar out to be a beast, having them both kidnapped (with the help of his allies) but pretending otherwise as a pretext to win the throne. He then had to bury this secret, as he would lose support if it was known that the rebellion was built on such a malicious lie.
Martin is obviously inspired by Disney. In the last part, we showed how the torture of the Blue Bard, ordered by Cersei to extract a confession to undermine Margaery, is meant to reflect the story of Snow White, in which her vain and wicked step-mother is told by a magic mirror that the princess is more beautiful, leading her to send a huntsman to kill her. The huntsman takes Snow White into the deep of the wood but lets her flee, presenting a boarâs heart to the evil queen instead. Similarly, Robert is a huntsman who is killed by a boar, with the aid of strongwine supplied by his evil queen. Additional elements of Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs can be seen in parallels between Robert's only loss at Ashford and Dunk's trial at the Ashford Tourney in The Hedge Knight.
When Dunk travels to the Ashford Tourney, he recites lyrics from the Seven Dwarf's song Heigh-ho.
Like Snow White had Seven Dwarfs to defend her, Dunk defended himself in a Trial by Seven at the Ashford Tourney, and Rhaegar was accompanied by half a dozen companions when he went missing, enough to defend himself in a Trial by Seven. A troupe of a half dozen comic dwarfs also appear in The Mystery Knight, using pig bladders, like Robert was piss-drunk when he was killed by a pig. Dunk was championed by Robert's grandfather, Lyonel Baratheon, who defeated Robert Ashford during the tourney. Lord Lyonel later rebelled against the Iron Throne, after Duncan the Small betrayed the Laughing Storm by breaking off a betrothal to his daughter, similar to how Rhaegar betrayed Robert by crowning his betrothed at the Harrenhal Tourney. Duncan the Small's betrayal led Egg to arrange a marriage between his daughter Rhaelle and Lyonel's heir, which put Robert Baratheon in the line of succession; this family history would color Robert's perception of Rhaegar's betrayal, driving him to improve upon his grandfather's revenge.
Steffon was the name given to Robert Baratheon's father; Dunk was betrayed by red-apple Steffon Fossoway at Ashford, which led his cousin Raymun to create an offshoot branch, the green-apple Fossoways. A tender, protective Fossoway husband is used at the Purple Wedding to demonstrate how callous it would have been for Rhaegar to intentionally crown another women with his pregnant, delicate wife Princess Elia present. A poison apple brings down Snow White, after the evil queen discovers the huntsman replaced her heart with a boar's heart, conjuring up Robert's death scene which reminds Ned of his promise to Lyanna:
"The quarrel between Green and Red Apple Fossoway in the Hedge Knight story is another example of 'discordant apples'... At a tournament of all places." - The Blue Rose of Discord by u/Bronze_Age_472
In the last part, we used the evil queen's magic mirror from Snow White to provide insight into Robert through Cersei. Like he projected Lyanna onto Cersei on their wedding night, Robert projects his own actions onto Rhaegar, while caressing the cheek of Lyanna's statue and secretly lamenting to himself that he was with her sexually just once:
This subtext is mirrored by Jon Connington's love for Rhaegar, as he laments that Rhaegar ass-ended his tower only once. Connington then states that all the women cried to Rhaegar's music, like Lyanna cried at Harrenhal, reinforcing the link between this passage and the scene in the crypts.
Robert's false accusation of rape mirrors Lord Mathis Rowan's daughter's lie which landed Dareon, a singer and harpist, like Rhaegar, on the Wall.
Jon Snow ends up at the Wall as an indirect consequence of Rhaegar being falsely accused of the rape of Lyanna. Jon later betrays the Watch to save (fake) Arya and is murdered as a result, like Arya murders Dareon for desertion; if she understood why Dareon took the black, maybe she'd be more forgiving of his betrayal. She might not be, because of the same conditioning that prevents Ned from showing mercy to Gared after he was chased south of the Wall by a direwolf. Likewise, if Rhaegar told Robert that he crowned Lyanna by mistake, Robert would still be unable to forgive the public humiliation he suffered as a result. And so despite Rhaegar's willingness to defend himself in a Trial by Seven, Robert went along with the rebel's plot to overthrow the Targaryen dynasty, which involved abducting both Rhaegar and Lyanna, and stashing her in a tower for the duration of the rebellion.
Horny as ever and near the tower of joy, travelling alone to maintain his secrets, Robert sought out his lady love after his only defeat at Ashford; fear of death has a way of driving men back into the womb. Robert claimed Lyanna at the tower she was imprisoned in, and she used his hunting knife, the one given to him as a gift from Jon Arryn, to defend herself.
Remember what Ygritte told Jon Snow, outside of the tower Queenscrown?
https://preview.redd.it/eu2s4590dn3b1.jpg?width=953&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccfb8d31abe50ef2b7c5201a7dd3addc95a2f02f
â King Robert sent the Catspaw by u/M_Tootles:
Sometime after his loss at Ashford, Robert appeared at Stoney Sept wounded and alone, while waiting for Ned to bring reinforcements from the North.
Robert fathered his bastard Bella in a brothel before the Battle of the Bells, a nod to Belle from Beauty & the Beast. This is just one of many acts that depicts his bestial nature; despite being in the midst of a war he claims to be fighting for Lyanna, Robert still found time to fuck all the whores at the Peach:
This bestial nature and Ned's willingness to enable it is put on full display when Robert returns to the Trident in A Game of Thrones. Robert allows Lady and Mycah to be killed as vengeance for Joffreyâs injury, despite later admitting he knew his heir was lying. Joffrey sustained this injury at the Trident because he drunkenly misperceived the fight between Arya and the butcherâs boy, and cruelly acted on his âchivalric dutyâ to defend noble ladies. Likewise, Robert (and everyone else) misperceived Rhaegarâs intent when he crowned Lyanna, and his fervor for vengeance led him to go along with a plot to abduct her and pin the blame on Rhaegar, like Joffrey lied about what transpired during the fight. Both Lady the direwolf and wolf-blooded Lyanna were held accountable for crimes they were innocent of; Lyannaâs crowning may have suggested to Robert that she actively enticed Rhaegar, like rape victims are routinely scrutinized for their attire and other non-sexual behaviors to suggest they somehow invited their rapes. Ned went along with these obviously unjust actions, out of loyalty to his friend and king, and to prevent further harm to his family.
Most assume Gregor Clegane is the giant in armor made of stone in Branâs vision of the Trident⌠yet he wasnât present during the events Bran envisions. This dark shadow is a better fit for Robert, a veritable giant who won the throne at the Trident, who is first introduced as having gained eight stone, with a girth to match his height (like a mountain), and whose blood turns black when he is mortally wounded by a boar.
It would not be unusual for Bran to see both a personâs physical form and their shadow at the same time; this is how shadows work. Ned undoubtedly experiences inner turmoil in this scene, going along with injustice in service to a cowardly king despite the pain it causes his daughters. So, it's easy to see how the shadow with the face of the hound and the golden shadow are both cast by Ned, depicting a light and dark side at war within himself, representing his competing duties to his king and children which led him to execute Lady and accept Mycah's unjust death. It's not unusual that Ned would have multiple shadows, a dark and a light side making him grey as the direwolf on his sigil; recall, Stannis tells us that some lights cast more than one shadow:
https://preview.redd.it/g7kdw91ycn3b1.png?width=602&format=png&auto=webp&s=a654ddd47e8089aba8f5955974a7080102aee922
Alfie Allen: You know, I asked him about who Jon Snowâs real parents were, and he told me. I canât say who, but I can tell you that it involves a bit of a Luke Skywalker situation. It will all come to fruition eventually.
This series will conclude next time with a foray into Ned's inner turmoil, examining thoughts and actions which indict his friend and king. To preview where this series is headed, in its full audio/visual glory with greater detail, look here.
submitted by Bard_of_Light to asoiaf [link] [comments]
Don't stay; run away He has ordered assassination Don't stay; run away The henchmen are gathered and waiting Don't stay; run away Your role as usurper is found outThis is part of a series exploring the hidden motives and actions of the main players during Robert's Rebellion, named LBJ in reference to the influence of Lyndon B. Johnson and the Vietnam War on GRRM's views and writings on war. LBJ also indicates considerations over whether Lyanna + Bobby B = Jon Snow. Previous installments include:
- Rhaegar Had To Be A Warrior
- Why Did Rhaegar Crown Lyanna?
- The Forging of Lightbringer: Blue Flowers & Narrow Visors
- Rhaegar Mistakenly Crowned Lyanna
- I am not fond of fish, but when fish is served, I eat it.
- All is fair in love and war...
- Kingsguard Loyalty
- Southron Ambitions & Lies
- The Return of the Prince: Ăowyn at the Trident
- Mirror on the Wall: King Robert vs. Queen Cersei
This part aims to provide additional evidence that Robert lived up to his moniker, the Demon of the Trident, casting him as close to black as grey can get. King Robert is an avatar for all the worst flaws of Westerosi culture, a man enabled to wield massive power who yet skirted any sense of responsibility and chose to commit a mountain of moral transgressions in service to his personal desires.
Robert's face was dark with anger. "How many times must I tell you to hold your tongue, woman?"- A Game of Thrones Eddard X
Cersei's face was a study in contempt. "What a jape the gods have made of us two," she said. "By all rights, you ought to be in skirts and me in mail."
Purple with rage, the king lashed out, a vicious backhand blow to the side of the head. She stumbled against the table and fell hard, yet Cersei Lannister did not cry out. Her slender fingers brushed her cheek, where the pale smooth skin was already reddening. On the morrow the bruise would cover half her face. "I shall wear this as a badge of honor," she announced.
The Horned Demon of the Trident
Next had come King Robert himself, with Lady Stark on his arm. The king was a great disappointment to Jon. His father had talked of him often: the peerless Robert Baratheon, demon of the Trident, the fiercest warrior of the realm, a giant among princes. Jon saw only a fat man, red-faced under his beard, sweating through his silks. He walked like a man half in his cups.- A Game of Thrones Jon I
tenor.com/view/gaston-antlers-gif-23720815
Robert Baratheon bears a striking resemblance to Gaston from Beauty & the Beast, who imprisons his romantic interest and lies to incite violence against a rival. Gaston is driven by jealousy of the Beast and humiliation over Belle's rejection. Disneyâs adaptation of Beauty & the Beast was released in 1991, just five years before A Game of Thrones was published.
Video: Gaston Beauty & the Beast
Video: George RR Martin on Writing for Beauty and the Beast
Martin has shown keen interest in Beauty & the Beast; adapting the tale for TV in the late 80s was a high point of his career. He even named his bookstore in Santa Fe Beastly Books, and named the cinema next door for Jean Cocteau, who also adapted the tale and created an earlier version of Gaston). This concept of kidnapping oneâs romantic interest and blaming it on a rival to incite violence also crops up in The Princess Bride, which Martin has stated is his favorite fantasy film after the Lord of the Rings series.
Behaving like Prince Humperdinck from The Princess Bride or Gaston from Beauty & the Beast, driven by rage over the incident at Harrenhal and a family history of Targaryen betrayal, Robert lied about his queen of love and beauty and made Rhaegar out to be a beast, having them both kidnapped (with the help of his allies) but pretending otherwise as a pretext to win the throne. He then had to bury this secret, as he would lose support if it was known that the rebellion was built on such a malicious lie.
Martin is obviously inspired by Disney. In the last part, we showed how the torture of the Blue Bard, ordered by Cersei to extract a confession to undermine Margaery, is meant to reflect the story of Snow White, in which her vain and wicked step-mother is told by a magic mirror that the princess is more beautiful, leading her to send a huntsman to kill her. The huntsman takes Snow White into the deep of the wood but lets her flee, presenting a boarâs heart to the evil queen instead. Similarly, Robert is a huntsman who is killed by a boar, with the aid of strongwine supplied by his evil queen. Additional elements of Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs can be seen in parallels between Robert's only loss at Ashford and Dunk's trial at the Ashford Tourney in The Hedge Knight.
When Dunk travels to the Ashford Tourney, he recites lyrics from the Seven Dwarf's song Heigh-ho.
Off to Ashford to see the fair maid, heigh-ho, heigh-ho, Dunk thought miserably as he dug.- The Hedge Knight
Like Snow White had Seven Dwarfs to defend her, Dunk defended himself in a Trial by Seven at the Ashford Tourney, and Rhaegar was accompanied by half a dozen companions when he went missing, enough to defend himself in a Trial by Seven. A troupe of a half dozen comic dwarfs also appear in The Mystery Knight, using pig bladders, like Robert was piss-drunk when he was killed by a pig. Dunk was championed by Robert's grandfather, Lyonel Baratheon, who defeated Robert Ashford during the tourney. Lord Lyonel later rebelled against the Iron Throne, after Duncan the Small betrayed the Laughing Storm by breaking off a betrothal to his daughter, similar to how Rhaegar betrayed Robert by crowning his betrothed at the Harrenhal Tourney. Duncan the Small's betrayal led Egg to arrange a marriage between his daughter Rhaelle and Lyonel's heir, which put Robert Baratheon in the line of succession; this family history would color Robert's perception of Rhaegar's betrayal, driving him to improve upon his grandfather's revenge.
Steffon was the name given to Robert Baratheon's father; Dunk was betrayed by red-apple Steffon Fossoway at Ashford, which led his cousin Raymun to create an offshoot branch, the green-apple Fossoways. A tender, protective Fossoway husband is used at the Purple Wedding to demonstrate how callous it would have been for Rhaegar to intentionally crown another women with his pregnant, delicate wife Princess Elia present. A poison apple brings down Snow White, after the evil queen discovers the huntsman replaced her heart with a boar's heart, conjuring up Robert's death scene which reminds Ned of his promise to Lyanna:
âServe the boar at my funeral feast,â Robert rasped. âApple in its mouth, skin seared crisp. Eat the bastard. Donât care if you choke on him. Promise me, Ned.â- A Game of Thrones Eddard XIII
âI promise.â Promise me, Ned, Lyannaâs voice echoed.
"The quarrel between Green and Red Apple Fossoway in the Hedge Knight story is another example of 'discordant apples'... At a tournament of all places." - The Blue Rose of Discord by u/Bronze_Age_472
The reason for the Trojan War according to myth, was a beauty contest. Three contestants were seeking someone to judge their beauty; Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Aphrodite won the contest, but only after she bribed Paris with Helen wife of Menelaus. Paris the judge, votes for Aphrodite by giving her an Apple. The other goddesses were furious and the conflict escalated out of control. The Greeks rallied around Menelaus and went to war with Troy.Like Rhaegar and Lyanna are often compared to Paris and Helen, figures of the mythical Trojan War, Robert is clearly meant to be considered relative to a maiden's fantasy, such as Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs or Beauty & the Beast:
The Blue Rose is a metaphorical "apple of discord". Like the apple of discord, it is nothing by itself, but in the right context leads to a larger conflict. It symbolizes how small things can create huge conflicts, how things quickly spin out of control. When Rhaegar gave the crown to Lyanna, nobody was happy... Just like the Judgement of Paris right before the Trojan War.
Would that Ned had been able to say the same. Fifteen years past, when they had ridden forth to win a throne, the Lord of Stormâs End had been clean-shaven, clear-eyed, and muscled like a maidenâs fantasy. Six and a half feet tall, he towered over lesser men, and when he donned his armor and the great antlered helmet of his House, he became a veritable giant. Heâd had a giantâs strength too, his weapon of choice a spiked iron warhammer that Ned could scarcely lift. In those days, the smell of leather and blood had clung to him like perfume.- A Game of Thrones Eddard I
In the last part, we used the evil queen's magic mirror from Snow White to provide insight into Robert through Cersei. Like he projected Lyanna onto Cersei on their wedding night, Robert projects his own actions onto Rhaegar, while caressing the cheek of Lyanna's statue and secretly lamenting to himself that he was with her sexually just once:
The king touched her cheek, his fingers brushing across the rough stone as gently as if it were living flesh. âI vowed to kill Rhaegar for what he did to her.â- A Game of Thrones Eddard I
âYou did,â Ned reminded him.
âOnly once,â Robert said bitterly.
This subtext is mirrored by Jon Connington's love for Rhaegar, as he laments that Rhaegar ass-ended his tower only once. Connington then states that all the women cried to Rhaegar's music, like Lyanna cried at Harrenhal, reinforcing the link between this passage and the scene in the crypts.
Yet when they parted, Jon Connington did not go to the sept. Instead his steps led him up to the roof of the east tower, the tallest at Griffin's Roost. As he climbed he remembered past ascentsâa hundred with his lord father, who liked to stand and look out over woods and crags and sea and know that all he saw belonged to House Connington, and one (only one!) with Rhaegar Targaryen. Prince Rhaegar was returning from Dorne, and he and his escort had lingered here a fortnight. He was so young then, and I was younger. Boys, the both of us. At the welcoming feast, the prince had taken up his silver-stringed harp and played for them. A song of love and doom, Jon Connington recalled, and every woman in the hall was weeping when he put down the harp. Not the men, of course. Particularly not his own father, whose only love was land. Lord Armond Connington spent the entire evening trying to win the prince to his side in his dispute with Lord Morrigen.- A Dance with Dragons The Griffon Reborn
Robert's false accusation of rape mirrors Lord Mathis Rowan's daughter's lie which landed Dareon, a singer and harpist, like Rhaegar, on the Wall.
It made her angry to see Dareon sitting there so brazen, making eyes at Lanna as his fingers danced across the harp strings._
He is a man of the Night's Watch, she thought, as he sang about some stupid lady throwing herself off some stupid tower because her stupid prince was dead. The lady should go kill the ones who killed her prince. And the singer should be on the Wall.- A Feast for Crows Cat of the Canals
Jon Snow ends up at the Wall as an indirect consequence of Rhaegar being falsely accused of the rape of Lyanna. Jon later betrays the Watch to save (fake) Arya and is murdered as a result, like Arya murders Dareon for desertion; if she understood why Dareon took the black, maybe she'd be more forgiving of his betrayal. She might not be, because of the same conditioning that prevents Ned from showing mercy to Gared after he was chased south of the Wall by a direwolf. Likewise, if Rhaegar told Robert that he crowned Lyanna by mistake, Robert would still be unable to forgive the public humiliation he suffered as a result. And so despite Rhaegar's willingness to defend himself in a Trial by Seven, Robert went along with the rebel's plot to overthrow the Targaryen dynasty, which involved abducting both Rhaegar and Lyanna, and stashing her in a tower for the duration of the rebellion.
He found himself thinking of Robert more and more. He saw the king as he had been in the flower of his youth, tall and handsome, his great antlered helm on his head, his warhammer in hand, sitting his horse like a horned god. He heard his laughter in the dark, saw his eyes, blue and clear as mountain lakes. âLook at us, Ned,â Robert said. âGods, how did we come to this? You here, and me killed by a pig. We won a throne together âŚâ- A Game of Thrones Eddard XV
Horny as ever and near the tower of joy, travelling alone to maintain his secrets, Robert sought out his lady love after his only defeat at Ashford; fear of death has a way of driving men back into the womb. Robert claimed Lyanna at the tower she was imprisoned in, and she used his hunting knife, the one given to him as a gift from Jon Arryn, to defend herself.
Remember what Ygritte told Jon Snow, outside of the tower Queenscrown?
âA man can own a woman or a man can own a knife,â Ygritte told him, âbut no man can own both. Every little girl learns that from her mother.â- A Storm of Swords Jon V
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A teenage human trafficking victim who was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her accused rapist to death was sentenced Tuesday in an Iowa court to five years of closely supervised probation and ordered to pay $150,000 restitution to the manâs family.Speaking of knives...
â King Robert sent the Catspaw by u/M_Tootles:
- In this scenario, Robertâs âmadâ, wine-soaked âmaster planâ was to arm his mercy-dealing catspaw with a Valyrian steel and dragonbone dagger for which he personally had no use but which he decided in his pie-eyed state would, when intentionally left at the scene of Branâs unfortunate but ultimately justifiable end, look like the âsignatureâ of a retribution-seeking Targaryen sympathizer, for It Was Known that the Targaryens hated not just Robert, but also Ned Stark, one of âthe Usurperâs Dogsâ whom they held personally responsible for the murder of Rhaegarâs children.
- And then there is the tourney he throws in honor of Ned, whose prizes just so happen to add up to exactly one thousand gold dragons for every silver stag the catspaw was paid, which looks an awful lot like the act of a man suffering from a guilty conscience. As does Robert drinking and hunting himself to death.
This was something else: poison in the dark, a knife thrust to the soul. This he could never forgive, no more than he had forgiven Rhaegar. He will kill them all, Ned realized.- A Game of Thrones Eddard XII
Sometime after his loss at Ashford, Robert appeared at Stoney Sept wounded and alone, while waiting for Ned to bring reinforcements from the North.
He had lost it all at Stoney Sept, in his arrogance.- A Dance with Dragons The Griffin Reborn
Robert Baratheon had been hiding somewhere in the town, wounded and alone. Jon Connington had known that, and he had also known that Robert's head upon a spear would have put an end to the rebellion, then and there. He was young and full of pride. How not? King Aerys had named him Hand and given him an army, and he meant to prove himself worthy of that trust, of Rhaegar's love. He would slay the rebel lord himself and carve a place out for himself in all the histories of the Seven Kingdoms.
Robert fathered his bastard Bella in a brothel before the Battle of the Bells, a nod to Belle from Beauty & the Beast. This is just one of many acts that depicts his bestial nature; despite being in the midst of a war he claims to be fighting for Lyanna, Robert still found time to fuck all the whores at the Peach:
As she sat in the common room in her stupid girl clothes, Arya remembered what Syrio Forel had told her, the trick of looking and seeing what was there. When she looked, she saw more serving wenches than any inn could want, and most of them young and comely. And come evenfall, lots of men started coming and going at the Peach. They did not linger long in the common room, not even when Tom took out his woodharp and began to sing âSix Maids in a Pool.â The wooden steps were old and steep, and creaked something fierce whenever one of the men took a girl upstairs. âI bet this is a brothel,â she whispered to Gendry.- A Storm of Swords Arya V
âYou donât even know what a brothel is.â
âI do so,â she insisted. âItâs like an inn, with girls.â
He was turning red again. âWhat are you doing here, then?â he demanded. âA brothelâs no fit place for no bloody highborn lady, everybody knows that.â
One of the girls sat down on the bench beside him. âWhoâs a highborn lady? The little skinny one?â She looked at Arya and laughed. âIâm a kingâs daughter myself.â
Arya knew she was being mocked. âYou are not.â
âWell, I might be.â When the girl shrugged, her gown slipped off one shoulder. âThey say King Robert fucked my mother when he hid here, back before the battle. Not that he didnât have all the other girls too, but Leslyn says he liked my ma the best.â
The girl did have hair like the old kingâs, Arya thought; a great thick mop of it, as black as coal. That doesnât mean anything, though. Gendry has the same kind of hair too. Lots of people have black hair.
âIâm named Bella,â the girl told Gendry. âFor the battle. I bet I could ring your bell, too. You want to?â
This bestial nature and Ned's willingness to enable it is put on full display when Robert returns to the Trident in A Game of Thrones. Robert allows Lady and Mycah to be killed as vengeance for Joffreyâs injury, despite later admitting he knew his heir was lying. Joffrey sustained this injury at the Trident because he drunkenly misperceived the fight between Arya and the butcherâs boy, and cruelly acted on his âchivalric dutyâ to defend noble ladies. Likewise, Robert (and everyone else) misperceived Rhaegarâs intent when he crowned Lyanna, and his fervor for vengeance led him to go along with a plot to abduct her and pin the blame on Rhaegar, like Joffrey lied about what transpired during the fight. Both Lady the direwolf and wolf-blooded Lyanna were held accountable for crimes they were innocent of; Lyannaâs crowning may have suggested to Robert that she actively enticed Rhaegar, like rape victims are routinely scrutinized for their attire and other non-sexual behaviors to suggest they somehow invited their rapes. Ned went along with these obviously unjust actions, out of loyalty to his friend and king, and to prevent further harm to his family.
All Ned could do was take her in his arms and hold her while she wept. He looked across the room at Robert. His old friend, closer than any brother. âPlease, Robert. For the love you bear me. For the love you bore my sister. Please.â- A Game of Thrones Eddard III
The king looked at them for a long moment, then turned his eyes on his wife.
âDamn you, Cersei,â he said with loathing.
Ned stood, gently disengaging himself from Sansaâs grasp. All the weariness of the past four days had returned to him. âDo it yourself then, Robert,â he said in a voice cold and sharp as steel. âAt least have the courage to do it yourself.â
Robert looked at Ned with flat, dead eyes and left without a word, his footsteps heavy as lead. Silence filled the hall.
âWhere is the direwolf?â Cersei Lannister asked when her husband was gone. Beside her, Prince Joffrey was smiling.
âThe beast is chained up outside the gatehouse, Your Grace,â Ser Barristan Selmy answered reluctantly.
âSend for Ilyn Payne.â
âNo,â Ned said. âJory, take the girls back to their rooms and bring me Ice.â The words tasted of bile in his throat, but he forced them out. âIf it must be done, I will do it.â
Cersei Lannister regarded him suspiciously. âYou, Stark? Is this some trick? Why would you do such a thing?â
They were all staring at him, but it was Sansaâs look that cut. âShe is of the north. She deserves better than a butcher.â
He left the room with his eyes burning and his daughterâs wails echoing in his ears, and found the direwolf pup where they chained her. Ned sat beside her for a while. âLady,â he said, tasting the name. He had never paid much attention to the names the children had picked, but looking at her now, he knew that Sansa had chosen well. She was the smallest of the litter, the prettiest, the most gentle and trusting. She looked at him with bright golden eyes, and he ruffled her thick grey fur.
Shortly, Jory brought him Ice.
When it was over, he said, âChoose four men and have them take the body north. Bury her at Winterfell.â
âAll that way?â Jory said, astonished.
âAll that way,â Ned affirmed. âThe Lannister woman shall never have this skin.â
He was walking back to the tower to give himself up to sleep at last when Sandor Clegane and his riders came pounding through the castle gate, back from their hunt.
There was something slung over the back of his destrier, a heavy shape wrapped in a bloody cloak. âNo sign of your daughter, Hand,â the Hound rasped down, âbut the day was not wholly wasted. We got her little pet.â He reached back and shoved the burden off, and it fell with a thump in front of Ned.
Bending, Ned pulled back the cloak, dreading the words he would have to find for Arya, but it was not Nymeria after all. It was the butcherâs boy, Mycah, his body covered in dried blood. He had been cut almost in half from shoulder to waist by some terrible blow struck from above.
âYou rode him down,â Ned said.
The Houndâs eyes seemed to glitter through the steel of that hideous dogâs-head helm. âHe ran.â He looked at Nedâs face and laughed. âBut not very fast.â
Most assume Gregor Clegane is the giant in armor made of stone in Branâs vision of the Trident⌠yet he wasnât present during the events Bran envisions. This dark shadow is a better fit for Robert, a veritable giant who won the throne at the Trident, who is first introduced as having gained eight stone, with a girth to match his height (like a mountain), and whose blood turns black when he is mortally wounded by a boar.
He looked south, and saw the great blue-green rush of the Trident. He saw his father pleading with the king, his face etched with grief. He saw Sansa crying herself to sleep at night, and he saw Arya watching in silence and holding her secrets hard in her heart. There were shadows all around them. One shadow was dark as ash, with the terrible face of a hound. Another was armored like the sun, golden and beautiful. Over them both loomed a giant in armor made of stone, but when he opened his visor, there was nothing inside but darkness and thick black blood.- A Game of Thrones Bran III
It would not be unusual for Bran to see both a personâs physical form and their shadow at the same time; this is how shadows work. Ned undoubtedly experiences inner turmoil in this scene, going along with injustice in service to a cowardly king despite the pain it causes his daughters. So, it's easy to see how the shadow with the face of the hound and the golden shadow are both cast by Ned, depicting a light and dark side at war within himself, representing his competing duties to his king and children which led him to execute Lady and accept Mycah's unjust death. It's not unusual that Ned would have multiple shadows, a dark and a light side making him grey as the direwolf on his sigil; recall, Stannis tells us that some lights cast more than one shadow:
King Stannis pointed a finger. âThere you err, Onion Knight. Some lights cast more than one shadow. Stand before the nightfire and youâll see for yourself. The flames shift and dance, never still. The shadows grow tall and short, and every man casts a dozen. Some are fainter than others, thatâs all. Well, men cast their shadows across the future as well. One shadow or many. Melisandre sees them all.â- A Clash of Kings Davos II
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Alfie Allen: You know, I asked him about who Jon Snowâs real parents were, and he told me. I canât say who, but I can tell you that it involves a bit of a Luke Skywalker situation. It will all come to fruition eventually.
This series will conclude next time with a foray into Ned's inner turmoil, examining thoughts and actions which indict his friend and king. To preview where this series is headed, in its full audio/visual glory with greater detail, look here.
2023.06.02 18:49 Forgetxclosure The Eras Tour: Cardinal Version
 | submitted by Forgetxclosure to SwiftieMerch [link] [comments] |
2023.06.02 16:17 kittehgoesmeow What A Day: Put THAT In Your Pipeline by Julia Claire & Crooked Media (06/01/23)
"I hear the term 'woke woke woke,'... Half the people can't define it, they don't know what it is." - Disgraced former president Trump taking a shot at Meatball Ronâs favorite boogeyman
Thatâs why Vote Save America has launched their Fuck Bans: Leave Queer Kids Alone fund. This Pride month, Crooked is working to help fundraise $50,000 to support groups on the ground in states that are banning care and targeting trans families including organizations like the Transgender Law Center, the Trans Justice Funding Project, and the Trans Youth Equality Foundation. If youâre interested in chipping in, head to https://votesaveamerica.com/fuckbans to donate!
Pissing off some of the GOPâs biggest creeps is just an added bonus.
The Supreme Court dealt another blow to organized labor on Thursday in a ruling that will make it easier for employers to sue over strikes that cause property destruction. The (yikes) 8-1 decision sided with a Washington state concrete business, which sued the union representing its truck drivers when they were on strike.
President Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell onstage after delivering an address at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony (but he got right back up!). Surprisingly agile for an octogenarian.
Speaking of the Air Force, a new report shows that it tested a drone enabled by artificial intelligence to destroy specific targets, but when a human operator tried to override the droneâs mission, the A.I. ordered the drone to attack the human operator so the mission could be completed. Hasta la vista, baby?
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is reportedly planning to give January 6 security footage to far-right conspiracy theorist and avowed election denier Julie Kelly. Man, this guy is a non-stop great-decision machine.
Sen. Tommy Tubervilleâs (R-AL) national security adviser has resigned after the Washington Post reported that he was behind the senator's, ahem, controversial strategy of stalling military nominations in an attempt to stop a new DOD policy that helps ensure abortion access for service members.
The stock market ticked up on Thursday as the bill to avert a GOP-imposed global financial crisis advanced through Congress.
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Nine Democratic governors have sent a letter to leading textbook companies expressing opposition to GOP-demanded changes to textbooks and to warn them that they will be watching for the âinappropriate censor[ship]â of âcomprehensive and accurate educational information.â
Happy first day of Pride Month to all of our LGBTQ+ pals out there!
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Clown To The Wire
Weâre all sick of the fucking debt limit. But weâre also less than four days away from a global economic meltdown courtesy of the GOP, so we gotta talk about it. I donât make the rules.- On Wednesday night, a bipartisan coalition in the House of Representatives passed the
ransom notebill to raise the debt ceiling 314-117. Members on both ends of the political spectrum comprised much of the billâs opposition. The bill faces possible changes, stiffer competition, and more procedural chokepoints in the Senate, all while lawmakers race against the clock to get it passed before June 5, the date the Treasury has projected the U.S. will run out of borrowing authority. Without that: sorry nana, sorry bond holders in China, not enough money to pay what we owe. - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday that the upper chamber will remain in session until President Biden gets the bill for signature. He urged members of his caucus not to offer amendments, which, if passed, would send the bill back to the House. That plan is already out the window. In some rare productive infighting, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced an amendment to the debt-limit bill that would rescind its approval of the controversial Mountain Valley pipeline backed by Fossil-Fuel King Sen. Joe Manchin (W-VA).
- The 300-mile pipeline would stretch between northwest West Virginia and southern Virginia, and the delegation of Virginia Democrats in Congress has vocally opposed it from the beginning. Kaine rightly pointed out that the pipeline has nothing to do with the debt limit and had already announced that he would file this amendment earlier in the week. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ed Markey (D-MA), our very good boys, both cited the provisions on the pipeline and fossil-fuel development in their statements announcing that they would vote against the bill.
- Under the Biden-McCarthy agreement, non-defense spending will remain mostly flat, while the military will, you guessed it, get a big fat increase. But that simply isnât enough for the war hawks in the GOP who are very scared that Chinaâs military will overpower Americaâs. Do they care that 11 million children in the United States live in poverty that could be alleviated by what would amount to a rounding error in the defense budget? They do not! Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) went on Fox News Wednesday night to claim the deal (which again, will increase an already-staggering $886 billion defense budget by 3.3 percent) is âa disaster for the United States military.â
- A number of senators want to force votes on amendments to the bill that will retard the process. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) says he will agree to an expedited agreement but only if his amendment gets a vote, and he estimated that there would be between 10 and 12 amendments total. ThatâsâŚnot great, given how ponderous our blubbering senators can be! Nevertheless, most of them seem confident that the bill will pass by Thursday night. Hard-right Senators like Lee, Graham, and Rand Paul (R-KY) have all but promised to gum up the works unless the bill adopts more aggressive spending cuts to all non-defense programs.
Look No Further Than Crooked Media
The Trans community has been under attack by right-wing politicians across the country. But donât let their noisy stunts fool you. Theyâre a loud, wrong minority, like John Mayer fans, or people who blame flight attendants for the delay. In reality, thereâs never been more support for gay, trans and queer youth than right now, and itâs up to us to make that true, today and every day.Thatâs why Vote Save America has launched their Fuck Bans: Leave Queer Kids Alone fund. This Pride month, Crooked is working to help fundraise $50,000 to support groups on the ground in states that are banning care and targeting trans families including organizations like the Transgender Law Center, the Trans Justice Funding Project, and the Trans Youth Equality Foundation. If youâre interested in chipping in, head to https://votesaveamerica.com/fuckbans to donate!
Pissing off some of the GOPâs biggest creeps is just an added bonus.
Under The Radar
In a frightening harbinger of the climate crisis to come, state lawmakers in Arizona have decided to halt housing construction that has already been approved in the Phoenix area, as well prohibit developers from building some new subdivisions, due to the dwindling water supply. Phoenix and its suburbs reside in Maricopa County, which receives more than half of its water supply from groundwater, while the rest comes from rivers, aqueducts, and recycled wastewater. But unlike some of the latter sources, groundwater is a finite resource, and can take thousands of years or longer to replenish. This halt in housing development will increase real-estate prices, and is likely to continue across the American southwest if climate change continues to go unaddressed and the 23-year drought in the region persists. But yeah, give another trillion dollars in federal funding to the military!What Else?
The Federal Trade Commission disclosed in a Wednesday court filing that a former employee of Amazonâs Ring doorbell-camera unit spied on female customers for months in 2017 using cameras placed in bedrooms and bathrooms. The company will pay a $5.8 million settlement for privacy violations.The Supreme Court dealt another blow to organized labor on Thursday in a ruling that will make it easier for employers to sue over strikes that cause property destruction. The (yikes) 8-1 decision sided with a Washington state concrete business, which sued the union representing its truck drivers when they were on strike.
President Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell onstage after delivering an address at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony (but he got right back up!). Surprisingly agile for an octogenarian.
Speaking of the Air Force, a new report shows that it tested a drone enabled by artificial intelligence to destroy specific targets, but when a human operator tried to override the droneâs mission, the A.I. ordered the drone to attack the human operator so the mission could be completed. Hasta la vista, baby?
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is reportedly planning to give January 6 security footage to far-right conspiracy theorist and avowed election denier Julie Kelly. Man, this guy is a non-stop great-decision machine.
Sen. Tommy Tubervilleâs (R-AL) national security adviser has resigned after the Washington Post reported that he was behind the senator's, ahem, controversial strategy of stalling military nominations in an attempt to stop a new DOD policy that helps ensure abortion access for service members.
The stock market ticked up on Thursday as the bill to avert a GOP-imposed global financial crisis advanced through Congress.
Be Smarter
Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly threatened to retaliate against the United States if it crossed an ambiguous âred lineâ of excessive interference in defense of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the White House persisted. Last month, President Biden announced that the United States would help Ukraine obtain F-16 fighter jets, on top of the missiles, rocket launchers, advanced missile defense systems, drones, helicopters, and tanks it has already supplied or helped Kyiv obtain. So why are our national security officials ignoring Putinâs threats? Because of a general consensus since the war began that Putinâs threats have been all hot air. As Maxim Samorukov, a Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, observed, the Kremlin âhas devalued its red lines so many times by saying certain things would be unacceptable and then doing nothing when they happen.â Russiaâs demonstrated reluctance to retaliate has been the driving force behind Secretary of State Antony Blinkenâs decision to encourage the White House and Western allies to do more. But Western officials know that Putinâs hesitancy is not fixed, and could easily change if the war persists. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley estimated in a recent interview with Foreign Affairs that Russia has suffered as many as 250,000 casualties since it invaded Ukraine.What A Sponsor
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Billionaire troll and Twitter CEO Elon Musk is accused of insider trading in a class-action lawsuit, which alleges he intentionally manipulated the price of Dogecoin when he replaced Twitterâs bird logo with the Dogecoin logo, leading to a 30 percent jump in the coinâs price. In a hilarious coincidence, he did that riiigghttt before he sold $124 million worth of the currency.Nine Democratic governors have sent a letter to leading textbook companies expressing opposition to GOP-demanded changes to textbooks and to warn them that they will be watching for the âinappropriate censor[ship]â of âcomprehensive and accurate educational information.â
Happy first day of Pride Month to all of our LGBTQ+ pals out there!
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jamie loftus đ on Twitter: "the fancier the hotel⌠the less free waffle in the morningâŚ"
2023.06.02 12:25 Rhion-618 Just One Drop - Ch 88
Chapter 88 - From All I Believed
Morning, Two days before Shel
Captain Setar suppressed a smile as she watched the Ops door close. âWell, that was interesting⌠Ceâlani is a little cranky.â The last vestiges of sleep clung to her as she settled down into the command chair. She felt worn out, but it was the cusp of dawn, and Pod Seven had only just turned over control. âReport on station?â
âThe perimeterâs secure,â Jelki replied crisply, pulling up the map of the campus on the main screen. âPod One is on station and reports twelve by twelve. Sgt Maâreis is already complaining about janitor duty.â
âAh, first pod problems.â Setar shook her head, rubbing her eyes and blowing gently on her mug of tea. âWhat about the objective?â
âThe objectiveâs secure,â Reâlan piped up, already sounding chipper. The woman could have been priestess of Jrafell. Her unwavering cheeriness would have been a character fault if she werenât so devoted. As it was, it was a damned penance for everyone else at this time of day.
Jelke finished running the obligatory shift change checks and stretched. Things wouldn't get interesting until breakfast, but watching the perimeter was a given. It didn't keep the curiosity out of her voice, as she cocked her head and glanced over. âWhat was interesting with Captain Tonâis, Maâam?â
âMm! Well⌠it appears sheâs expecting a call from Professor Warrick today,â Setar drawled out, taking a moment to savor their reaction. âShe felt a need to remind me sheâs devoted to Hele, and that if Beâona or I let her sleep through the call, sheâs going to âfuck us up the ass with a lasrifle and pull the triggerâ.â
Reâlan was probably blushing like a cadet, but Jelke shook her head ruefully. âI expect there's a âbutâ in there somewhere, Captain?â
âWell, yeah, she said thatâs where the rifle would goâŚâ Setar sniggered before taking a long sip from her tea, and slid a bit lower in the command couch. Her eyes wandered to the traffic on the board. âShe also made it clear whatâll happen if anybody listens in.â
Thoughtful silence descended. Setar almost counted to twelve before-
âWeâre going to anyway, right Captain?â Jelke asked nonchalantly. âYou know, for securityâs sake?â
âSergeant, that would be a base infringement of Captain Tonâisâ privacy, which is in fucking short supply for everyone in this bunker.â She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, watching the steam rise from her mug. âDeeps right we are.â
_ _ _
Lady Wicama regarded her guest with interest as their autocab plied its way about the outskirts of Prelitauri. While sheâd been free and cheerfully able to accommodate Kheliraâs request, Monsignor Santino Barcio, or Friar Barcio, as he preferred, was not at all what sheâd been expecting. She supposed it was a matter of exposureâŚ
The Palace had never quite been the same since Princess Ynâdaraâs wedding. Ynâdara was one of those odd Royals who, though well-regarded, was seldom in the public eye. A perennial favorite of the Empress, indulging her unexplained absences passed as a matter of course for the Court. Widely known to be estranged from her mother, Princess Arduina, no one enquired either deeply or often, so when she suddenly resurfaced, her return would have equally passed without comment⌠if not for the wedding.
Ynâdara had shocked the entire Nobility.
While it was common for any woman to marry into an established family and become a kho, the wedding should have been singular for a Princess. Princesses didnât marry into families, Princesses formed them. And while Ynâdara technically had done so, sheâd taken on three unmarried women at the same time as her husband, who was a Human! Favorite or no, the wags in the court were agog that the Empress accepted Adam so readily! The Empress, however, had been adamant; Ynâdara and her family had her blessings, and were to be left alone.
However, time had proven to be on Ynâdaraâs side as well as the Empress.
After a wedding seen across the galaxy, Ynâdaraâs family settled into a life of public duty. They spent long trips away from Shil, and while quietly dismissed as âpleasure excursionsâ, her trips often showed the throne to the outer provinces. Although her public engagements were few, sheâd become a vocal advocate of the Empressâ reforms against graft and corruption, and, gradually, the jealous mutters about scandalous excess and Human debauchery faded away. Her marriage remained an unusual footnote, but time had demonstrated the value of Ynâdara and her wives to the throne.
Then there was Prince Adam.
Rumor held the Prince had made a favorable impression on the Empress years before, at an event hosted by Ynâdaraâs mother. While details had never been forthcoming, a more significant story about Adam wafted briefly through the ranks of the Golden Glaives.
Both stories had been effectively silenced, but Wicama knew who to talk to, and being Kheliraâs guardian carried a certain clout all its own. Though that influence waxed and waned over the years, raising Khelira required being aware of events that could shape her future, and sheâd proven herself to be discreet. Over time, doors had opened and words had flowed.
Time had been on Prince Adamâs side, as well.
As the years passed, sheâd had an exposure to Prince Adam that few of the court and none of the public enjoyed. Sheâd been wary at first, but heâd been a good friend and mentor to Princess Khelandri before she joined the Marines, and however infrequent his presence, he always displayed a keen mind, a loving heart, and a steadfast duty to his wives. Privately, he absolutely doted on young Khelira and possessed a loyalty to the Empress that you could bend battlesteel around. The two got along famously - after all, he was a veteran.
Not Navy, mind you, but you couldnât have everything.
And so, as Humanity began making forays upon the galactic stage, her first impression of the species had been favorable. Sheâd witnessed Adam mature into his role with the court, and while the issue of children remained unspoken, that faded as well. At the time, Ynâdara had been sixth in the line of succession. A year after the wedding, Kamaudâre became an adult, followed a year later by Khelandri, and the matter became largely moot.
As for a second impression on Humans, Khelira had provided enthusiastic reports about Thomas Warrick. While the Princess thrived at the Academy, Warrick seemed to be something special.
The absence of a father in her life had been a void that no woman could properly fill, but sheâd done her best. Although sheâd entertained a few qualms, as the months passed by, Warrick remained a positive influence. Kheliraâs messages were infrequent by necessity, but sheâd written about her distress over Warrickâs family and clearly been moved. Prince Adam carried his own scars, but what veteran didnât? He hid them carefully around Khelli, and if Warrick had chosen not to, heâd provided a useful sense of perspective, instead. It was time for Khelira to grow up, and that meant facing the grist of differing opinions and ugly realities. That was what education was actually for, and Warrick seemed to be doing admirably well as a grindstone.
All of that was before the library incident, which settled her opinion once and for all. While erratic, irreverent, and capable of violence, Humans clearly could be a positive influence when channeled in the right direction. Ynâdara had shown what a good Shilâvati woman was capable of with Prince Adam, and Lady Pelâavon was following suit.
And at least the wags at the Palace wouldnât speak of Ynâdaraâs state wedding again. As a subject for spectacle, Mivâeire Pelâavonâs had put it to shame.
Still, it was good to see Warrick married. While Professor Haâmeres scandalous exploits had faded from the public eye, older wo⌠more mature women didnât forget such things. The man had been a daring adventurer - and an inveterate gadabout - and an unmarried man around that many young women was too tempting for some girls. A wife or two⌠preferably more⌠resolved such idle fancies. If the Pelâavon ceremony had been somewhat⌠questionable in taste, compared to Adamâs, it remained legally binding. Warrick was willing to settle down, and by all reports his wife had a proper sense of decorum.
Human men seemed to be a trial from the Goddess, but hopefully she and her kho-wife could sort him with time, love, and kindness.
While exposure to only two Humans was not what sheâd call a comprehensive sample, in both cases her impressions had been quite positive. And so, when Khelli asked her to escort a Human Priest about the city, sheâd been entirely willing.
Thus far, it had been an enjoyable morning. While there had been occasional missteps, their conversation had been delightful as they traveled from property to property. Even so, she hadnât expected to meet such a kindred spirit.
Admittedly sheâd stammered a bit when he mentioned eating the flesh and drinking the blood of his redeemer. On the other hand, she compared it to the first time sheâd bled into the ocean, mingling salt in her blood with the seas. Heâd turned shockingly pale, so she changed the subject. It was a purely symbolic act to Drepna - just a cut on the thumb, for goddess sake...
Sheâd taken extra care afterwards. Barcio could be clearly a sensitive male, but diplomacy was part of her work. Even calling her role âworkâ was deceptive. Sheâd raised Khelira in every way an Empress could not.
It was easy for other women to appreciate the prestige of her position, but few understood the depth of it - or the satisfaction.
During her career in the Navy, her flotilla had provided direct support for the Empress, and theyâd come to work closely over three tours. After Kheliraâs birth years later, the invitation came from the Royal Household to act as her guardian, and sheâd never looked back. Competition had been fierce for the prestigious position, but applying had been the best move of her life.
Empress Kamilesh loved all her children and had spent as much time with each of them as she could, but her work was all-consuming, and after her husbandâs act of⌠Well, the Empress had been there, but sheâd born her pain privately. She had lost herself in her work for many years before recovering a semblance of her former self, and her absence had taken a toll on her children. Kamaudâre had taken it the worst. Khelandri had bounced back, while everyone doted on Luâral. Barely more than an infant, Khelira had been far too young to remember. Wicama had been there through all of it.
It was a good life, and the princess was a delightful girl. For Wicama, the absence of a man in her life was something sheâd felt now and then, but she invested her life in Khelira. The Empress treated her as a member of the family in all but name⌠and in a very real sense, the child you raised was your child.
Looking back, some women might insinuate sheâd given up her personal life to raise another womanâs daughter. They couldnât have been more wrong.
She had her calling - just as Friar Barcio had his.
Yes, he was a priest, and his religious strictures were very unusual. A male priest in any of the Shilâvati faiths would never be placed under such restraints, and for a man to go unmarried was noteworthyâŚ
But she understood having a calling. Oh yes, she understood that as few others could.
After discussing his needs, theyâd set out to examine three properties around Prelitauri. The Friarâs individual requirements were deceptively difficult when taken as a whole. A complex coupling a generous auditorium, ample administrative space, and he clearly needed substantial grounds to properly convey a sense of aura. Such accommodations were seldom on the market, and since he expected his colleagues to arrive in weeks, his need was immediate.
Thankfully, urban renewal moved in waves. The tides of such fashions meant Prelitauri was once again an up-and-coming area. While difficult to find, three older structures had the potential to be suitable, and so it was that sheâd enjoyed learning about her guest as they explored the tiny district.
The Monsignor spoke four other Earth languages fluently. He tended to break into his native tongue and hadnât mastered contractions yet, but his Vatikre was passable and he listened carefully, seldom needing to ask about a word. After limiting her contractions when she spoke, their conversation flowed easily.
Barcio had shown little enthusiasm for the first two properties, but their conversation regarding other matters never waned. She expanded on her devotion to Drepna, Shil and the roles of each goddess while asking careful questions of his faith. His own inquiries proved thoughtful, and he was as avid in politely asking after her beliefs as explaining his faith.
After their second hour together, sheâd taken the liberty of calling Prelate Hiâmeta Merlamiss. As a priestess of Drepnaâs second circle, Merlamiss had proven a valuable contact over the years. Well connected, she enjoyed a good relationship with many other prelates of the Divine Halls; she also got on well with Xinfess, the Rakiriâs Speaker of the Dark Mother on Shil. A meeting with Barcio would readily open doors for his group that might otherwise prove difficult to attain, and while Barcioâs accent strained now and then, it was clear the Monsignor and the Prelate shared a questionably low sense of humor.
Given a chance, theyâd probably get on famously.
Certainly, that would be a blessing. Their hunt for a suitable facility had not gone nearly so well, and while Barcio had been conciliatory toward the first two facilities, she could tell he wasnât taken with either. The last property wasnât high in her expectations, so she found herself casting her head to the side when it swept into view and he clasped his hands in excitement.
â*Ă bella!* This is beautiful,â he exclaimed. âIt reminds me a bit of my childhood home in Sacile!â
She looked out at the complex with its low gabled roofs, as their cab wound up from the entrance. Beside the drive, a small river meandered through the campus past the main buildings. She tapped the console to slow their ride and considered the place in a new light. âIâm⌠well, a bit surprised to be honest, Friar.â
âPlease! We have been traveling for hours now, and I am not holding a service.â The Friar spared her a warm smile, before gazing back at the premises. âI would take it as a great kindness if you would call me Santino.â
âVery well - on the condition you call me Wicama.â It had been some time since anyone called her by anything but title or rank, and the informality was pleasant. Still, as their autocab closed on the end of the lane, she let such thoughts go and considered the location properly.
The buildings were low, sensible cubes, but that was largely an end to it. The architect had made some unusual choices in Helkam motifs that strained understanding. A long colonnade bordered the river, and that seemed nice enough, but the buildings! Forgoing purple was one thing, but they were beige! With unusual elements and the repressively bland color scheme, it was small wonder the clerk handling the property confessed that the space had lain vacant. Its original owners went into foreclosure. The exotic design had proven unable to attract interest, laying dormant ever since.
Barcio⌠Santino⌠seemed delighted, however, and she pulled up the specifications on her omni-pad. âThis site has two smaller auditoriums besides the main one, while the central building has four floors. One is underground, but all the floors face an interior atrium.â
As the cab gently halted in the car park, she climbed out to hold the door but Santino had already scrambled out and was examining the gardens with evident interest. Tall stands of parago trees were losing the last of their fronds for the year, but she had to admit the grounds were substantial. Yesterdayâs storm had left the morning air cold and crisp, lending the gardens an appealing aspect. Untended since the last owners, much could be done with them.
She had given up trying to escort the Friar anywhere after their first two stops, and now they fell into an easy pace side by side as they strolled toward the main building. She turned back to the property itself. âSo, this reminds you of your home?â
It wasnât exactly Helkam architecture - domes werenât covering every possible surface - but the builder had clearly been nodding in that direction. A promenade wound to the entry, supporting white chevrons that arced into the sky. The bright morning sky shone through clever cutouts, making the unusual design at least look light, rather than oppressive and unappealing. With a decent renovation, the facility had possibilities, and the price was comparatively low.
â*Si!* Oh, not so much like home, but there is the sense of it. I was born near the sea, and this feels⌠similar.â He gave her a depreciating smile before rolling his eyes. âIt may not please everyone who is coming, but âeveryoneâ is not here, so I am allowed some indulgence! Better to have something waiting than nothing at all. I confess, some of my colleagues thought weâd only manage when the bridge to Messina is finished.â
âYou should not have been sent ahead alone! Surely your colleagues were not that worried about a poor reception,â she tutted. Priest or no, there were decencies about a man traveling alone to be observed. âYou shouldn't need a bridge to find a place for your mission. I donât know where Messina is, but Iâm certain Prelate Marlemis wouldnât stand for it!â
âTch! Excuse my poor efforts! The older I get, the more I remember things like yesterday. Unfortunately, the yesterdays I remember so well were thirty years ago!â Barcio smiled wryly up at her as they walked. âThe âbridge to Messinaâ used to be a saying⌠People dreamed of building a bridge to Sicily, and it became something that never happened. My English friends would instead say âwhen hell freezes overâ. *Un'espressione volgare*, but very much to the point.â
âAh⌠Iâm sure we can manage something, and this could be made presentable. Maybe change the beige to a pale violet?â she offered helpfully as she made it to the door first, holding it open. âThe aura inside isnât so bad.â
âYouâve said that several times, but I do not know what you mean?â He paused in looking around the entry, which had an open foyer exposing the two floors above and led out to the atrium beyond. âWhat is âauraâ? I do not think I know the word as you mean it.â
âAura is⌠HmmâŚâ Wicama paused thoughtfully and gestured at the atrium. The interior was in better shape than the grounds, and the architect had done something clever. Not yet noon, a bevel along the top edge filled the space with sunlight. âHave you ever walked along a beach and wanted to save a shell? When you are there, that is aura⌠When you take the shell home and think of the beach, that is aura, but⌠less focused. Diminished. You sense the beach because of the shell, but you are not at the beach. Places can have aura, but it is more than character. If you move through a place and find yourself experiencing it? That is aura.â
âMhm! *lodevole!* I like this idea very much. It would be right at home in the Vatican. Not everyone understands a space can move the spirit, or lend power to a message.â He nodded thoughtfully as he cast his eye about the open space. âWith the right advice, perhaps we can lead others to these halls.â
âPerhaps. If you tour the Palace, I hope youâll allow me to show you about? A lot of the real gems are hidden from the public.â She watched as he wandered toward the double-helixed stairways bordering the room. Those were definitely Helkam; walking up one side without meeting someone coming down the other was an interesting experience⌠once. After that, they could be an absolute nuisance. Spotting the elevators, she called him back. âThe nice thing is this place is inexpensive! That will pad out your funds for a good remodel.â
Wicama quietly thanked the Goddesses that the builderâs had the good sense to install normal Shilâvati-style elevators. The sides were open, granting a wide view out over the atrium. The grounds were terraced to create a small park; that could make the underground space bearable, and the plans made them seem spacious enough. Not to everyoneâs taste, but pretty. âI feel bad for asking, but can you afford the building? If the price of the first two bothered you, we can find others.â
âI would not hear of it! Thank you for your concern, but we are economical with our funds, and were sent with a generous sum. This is an important venture to everyone involved,â Barcio clasped a hand over his chest, as he shook his head. âI can not thank you enough for your help! You have surely spared me weeks, and I might not have found something half so suitable. As it is, the grounds are enough to gain me converts. Father Roscio and Pastor Weber will surely plant a vineyard before the inside is half done!â
âItâs not a problem. I have plenty of time,â she replied, dismissing the matter as inconsequential. âI work at the Palace, but with the Court away and my daughter at school, Iâm a bit at loose ends just now. At the very least, I insist on helping you through the paperwork. I wouldnât put it past some realty clerks to try and overcharge you⌠Someone from outside Shil, that is. Iâll ensure they stick to the listing.â
âTo someone not from Shil⌠or someone who is not Shilâvati, perhaps?â His head canted slightly to one side, but he smiled as he said it. â*Certamente!* I would not dream of preventing you, though Rabbi Kleinbaum will be bitterly disappointed she has nothing to moan about.â
âI hope you won't take this badly, as Iâve only met one Human.â Wicama gave him a smile. She was long past girlish uncertainty, and the Navy had taught her a generous measure of professional poise to go with her skills as a markswoman. âYou arenât what I expected.â
âYou know the professore, then?â He sucked in a breath and pursed his lips. âI am still deciding what sort of man he is.â
âNo, actually, I know another Human but Iâve not⌠I have not⌠met Professor Warrick.â
âSo. You mean that I am not *un barbaro*? I am here to make sure that we are seen as something more than savage warriors, *capisci*?â He studied her expectantly. âWhile the Imperium is doing good work on Earth, some still live in want. The Imperium provides enough for all to survive, but not all live in plenty. We need to present ourselves well.â
âThat seems like a very secular outlook.â She offered, as they rode up to the third floor. Barcio asked for an explanation of the word, and by the time theyâd made their way through the first offices he had the idea.
âMy church has not always troubled itself with such things, but our holy father is greatly concerned with such inequalities. He takes it upon himself to address such matters with the Governess, when their time allows.â
âYour church has a good relationship with her?â
âĂ straordinario! The Governess adores our food, and while she was adamant about taking quarters in the Vatican, she has taken pains not to disturb us.â He shrugged dismissively. â*Cosa sai fare?* It seemed a small price, and we have endured far worse.â
âI used to hear terrible stories about red zones on Earth, though the Humans Iâve met don't seem the sort. It is good that your⌠pulp?â She tried the word and was rewarded with kind laughter and a gentle correction. âIt is good that your pope concerns himself with the full welfare of the people and works with your governess. Our prelates share the same concerns.â
âI thought the Empress was the head of your church? Now, I find you have manyâŚâ he groped for a word, frowning, and gave up. â*Questo accento è una prova di fede!* âDenominationsâ is not the right word, but she is the one revered, yes?â
âOf course! The Empress has to show all of our virtues and none of our faults, but thatâs part of her role. To favor any divinity over the others could cause divisions. She has her personal preferences, of course, but never lets them be known.â Wicama explained carefully. âIt would be in poor taste.â
âAnd poor politics, I think?â Santino gave her a long look. At his height it was difficult, but he managed. âThis makes sense to me now, that the Imperium leaves matters of faith alone. *Una benedizione inaspettata.*â
Despite the serious topic, his fervent reply brought a smile back to her lips. âIt seems your pope considers politics as well as economics.â
âPeople will always defend economic theories which assume that growth will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice. This has never been confirmed by the facts, and expresses a crude trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.â He said, stopping to clasp a hand over his cross. âMeanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.â
âThat doesn't sound like scripture.â She offered cautiously, as they made their way into a wider suite of offices on the second floor.
â*Esattamente.* The words of Pope Francis, a good and blessed man who appointed me to my position. His successor, his holiness John Paul the Third, is much of the same mind,â Santino said quietly. âOur savior washed the feet of others and urged all to do the same. The hardest step is to be involved. To work together for change, as well as to pray. That is why I am here.
â*I pigri di cuore trovano sempre una scusa* Some Humans, they are yet angry with the Imperium. Now they have enough, they are bitter not to have plenty. For some there is never enough - the true poverty lies within their hearts,â Santino said a bit testily. âOur faith teaches us to find salvation in eternal life, but others? *Pigrizia!* They see it as an excuse from taking agency in themselves. Jesus washed the feet of others - he did not lay down and wait for someone to wash his!â
Wicama turned the unfamiliar metaphor over in her mind but decided she had the sense of it. âSham teaches us that helping our families and one another is the same as helping ourselves. âThe rising tide bares us all from the reefsâ.â It was a matter of faith⌠but that was why it was faith in the first place. On the whole, it seemed like a mature perspective that explained the changes sheâd seen in Prince Adam over the years. âYouâre here to meet with others, but this seems as much about knowing yourselves.â
â*SĂŹ, non è una brutta cosa avere umiltĂ davanti a Dio.* Human beings, while we are capable of the worst, we are also capable of choosing the good. Of rising up to make a new start. We are entering the galaxy.â He gestured out the window at the world beyond. âIf not now⌠when?â
_ _ _ âSo, when are you going to explain this masterpiece you four have been cooking up?â Marin asked. Sammi and Sam were barely awake but the twins had already arrived, bright-eyed and enthusiastic, and Marin cursed the resilience of youth. The room was acceptably warm, but Ayen had complained about the cold and used the excuse to slip back into bed. She was considering her options for joining him.
Somewhere, somehow, Sammi had found their rabbit pajamas again. âSam, explain it to her? You do it better.â Sammi yawned, but Marin suspected it was an act. Once something got their attention, sleep was usually an afterthought.
âWhat, now?â Sam had barely stumbled into the room and blinked. Bleary-eyed and barely awake, he looked like heâd been ambushed, which was exactly the case.
âPllllllleeeeaseâŚ?â They sat back pulling the ears, giving their best Roger Rabbit impression. Luminous green eyes peered out at Sam, imploringly.
âAlright⌠I need coffee, but fine.â Sam trudged over to the kitchenette and poked listlessly at the instant coffee. It was getting perilously low, but Marin was sure heâd brought more on the ship. Eventually Sam gestured at the Kâherbhal sisters with his mug. âSo the girls want to create an artificial topological soliton. It's like a black hole, except where it isn't⌠It's sort of a kink in space-time.â
âMade you say kink!â Sammi grinned impishly and the girls blushed. Marin shook her head but paid attention. It felt far too early after another late night, but once everyone was up you had to hang on for whatever came next.
âSo, what's that got to do with this⌠hole you want to use for power?â Marin raised her voice just enough to drag the conversation back on track.
âItâs more like a side effect. If it cuts the right angle, it goes into a realm of space-time we can tap for power. Think of it as an obverse of an energy drain, so it's like a white hole.â
âLet me guess.â Marin shook her head and grinned, holding up a hand to forestall the inevitable. âExcept where it isnât?â
âUmmm⌠pretty much.â Sam grumbled, blowing at his coffee. Marin glanced back at the twins. With Sam busy, the twins had gravitated to either side of Sammi. There was room left on the couch, and she wandered over to settle in beside one of them.
The Sams had been complaining for years about a lack of âfocal powerâ for their mass compression technologies, and while a rubber duck inside a diamond was impressive, theyâd wanted to do something more - a lot more. She suspected if the twins were providing the means, then they already had something about to surface from the depths of their imaginations. Over the years sheâd learned to pick a bit, rather than take their answers at straight value. âAnd if things donât cut at the right angle? You remember how long it took to get rid of the Navy, when you started talking about making black holes?â
âIt's not our fault they didnât understand,â Sammi said defensively, crossing their arms and pouting at her before the rabbit ears fell over their face.
âWho didnât understand what?â Akeimei yawned at the door. She cast a wink her way before wrapping her arms around Sam and gave him a quick hug. âWhat did I miss?â
âUmm⌠a parallel universe, if the math is right,â Sam mumbled from the depths of his coffee cup.
âWhat? Like identical versions of us?â Marin watched Akimeiâs nose wrinkled at the smell before she slipped away from Sam. Slipped down beside her, they rubbed shoulders a moment. âTell me, is there one where I get more sleep?â
âMore or less identical⌠though it's not like you need to go into a parallel universe for that sort of thing. Thereâs already a âyouâ out there somewhere right now, to say nothing of past and future âyouâ.â Sam scratched his cheek idly for a moment âIt's just the math. The universe is so vast that there are exact physical cosmic twins of us out there somewhere, not to mention even more almost-twins.â
âSamâs right!â Sammi perked up excitedly, bouncing on the sofa. âThen there are quantum cosmic twins - which gets weird because particles exist in multiple states and youâd sort of overlap⌠but the easiest one is probably just another us elsewhere in the universe right now! That's sort of the point where the universe is bigger than you can imagine!â
âSo exactly the same⌠or almost.â One of the twins giggled. âJust like us!â
âPretty much,â Sam nodded, slowly emerging from the depths of his coffee. âAnother you out there on another Shil, or another me on a whole Earth, even - just a little bit different.â
âWhat? Like an Earth that never met the Imperium?â Marin canted her head, tossing out the obvious. It was hard to remember her life before, and she didnât want to contemplate the alternative.
âOh, I don't like that idea.â One of the twins stuck out her lip. âWe want to come to Earth!â
âYeah,â her sister nodded, though she suddenly looked glum. âI donât know if Professor Warrick would mind though. Heâd be with his wife and daughter, there.â
âOhâŚâ her sister's face crumpled. âI didnât think of it that way.â
âWell, donâtâŚâ Sammi hugged them both a moment, though they held the first twin a bit tighter. âThe point is, somewhere heâs with them right now!â
âWow, I guess so.â she brightened. âJust imagine! A whole Earth that never met the Shilâvati!â
âI wouldnât worry, sis.â her twin nodded. âI think Professor Warrick is pretty happy right now.â
_ _ _
âI am not happy about this!â Tom glared at his omni-pad before tossing it down in frustration.
Miv looked up at her husband.
âItâs an honor!â She tucked her chin in and gave him a long, considered look, âWhat is it thatâs bothering you - really? It wasn't Monsignor Barcio. Are you certain this isn't the same sort of thing?â
âYes, Iâm sure!â he growled, looking away like a guilty child. âAlright, maybe⌠but this uniform is the silliest thing Iâve ever seen. Iâll look like a mushroom, and the hat only makes it worse!" Tom grimaced at the omni-pad accusingly, "They wonât take ânoâ for an answer, so now Iâm on the rolls as a Warden Captain - whatever that is - and this ceremony is ridiculous!â
âThe ceremony is traditional. Very symbolic... Besides, they don't make wardens out of anyone below the rank of captain - I looked it up. You were one before, so it's appropriate to make you one instead of a Warden Major or Warden Colonel.â She smiled at him serenely. âSurely, it canât be the worst thing youâve ever done.â
He turned to wag a finger her way. âIâll take that bet!â
âWorse than our wedding receptionâŚ?â She crooned, teasing him. âOr maybe pre-term night? I swear by the Goddess no one will pinch your ass, except for Lea and I.â
âFineâŚâ Her smile grew wider as he grumbled, but he was calming down already and there wasn't heat in it. Still, he stubbornly clung on to the point a while longer. "Itâs in my top five.â
âIâm sure youâll survive, husband. Now then, I have meetings all afternoon, so why don't you finish reviewing the menu? Youâll feel better when all this is over and you can go back to cooking, chess, or starting that eeeyiy club⌠You might even give Ceâlani a call or message her?â She gathered her coat and smiled demurely, though it harbored nothing innocent. âIf Iâm not here youâll have perfect privacy⌠Just don't promise anything you wouldn't promise to me.â
âItâs iai-doâŚâ Tom groused, but he was already picking up his omni-pad.
She blew him a kiss and made her way toward the commons. Tom would probably stew a while, but heâd make the call.
There would be time to meet with Ceâlani on the common, before she had to come home for dinner.
_ _ _
Tom looked over the banquet menu as if it might reach out and bite him. The words stared up at him with perfect innocence.
Appetizer: Fruit and Cheese Platter - Slices of various cheeses and fruits on a platter providing a delicate mix of sweet, tangy and creamy to invigorate the dining experience. Serve with a selection of sweet and semi-sweet wines.
Soup: Choice of Tomato or French Onion Soup - Served with a piece of baguette and cheese.
Salad: Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing -- an assortment of greens and fruit with a balsamic grain dressing to cleanse the palate.
Entree: Cornish Pasty - This herb-infused meat and pastry dish provides a counterpoint to the tangy taste of the salad and soup. Served with a creamy buttered mashed potato (a vegetable, humanely prepared!) with chives (also a vegetable). Served with a selection of wines or ales.
Dessert: Chefâs Sorbet Surprise - A sweet treat complemented by a palate cleanser, ending the meal on a piquant note.
His last call with Bherdin had been a trial and a half. Omni-pads were the definition of âhigh fidelityâ, and hearing the little Shilâvati hyperventilate for ten minutes over the plan was pointless. At least Melondi had easier going with Vedeem on her side... one way or another this was happening.
As a final consolation, he relented on wearing matching suits. Bherdin frequently bemoaned Tomâs 'lamentable' fashion sense, and he perked up at that, promising to get him some appropriate formalwear for the occasion.
Privately, he suspected his Shilâvati friend was looking for a convenient alibi if a riot started.
In fairness, it probably wasn't a bad idea.
âToo late to use it myselfâŚâ he muttered. It wasnât quite noon, and Miv was probably right. Instead of Chess Club or starting Iai-do practice or just cooking out at Human Food, he was stuck here at home. Mivâs place was bigger, but most of his stuff was still in boxes; it left him listless and climbing the walls. If this worked, at least things could get back to normal.
âŚMostly normalâŚ
He flipped back to the picture of the Warden uniform on his omni-pad. It was bad enough, but the hat made the whole thing look like a blue toadstool in silver filigree.
He swiped the picture away like an act of revenge, but didnât toss the pad back on the table.
âŚMiv was right... and I promised to call CeâlaniâŚ
Tom centered himself, pulling up the number. The universe was always in motion and a good Taoist accepted their part in what came. That was the lesson of âthe Vinegar Tastersâ, and it held true⌠The painting showed three men standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and tasted it. The expression on each man's face showed his individual reaction.
The painting was an allegory for Confucius, Buddha, and Lao-tse. Confucius wore a sour look on his face. He believed life was out of harmony with the universe. As the second figure in the painting, Buddha had a bitter expression. Like the vinegar, life was painful and filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The last man, Lao-tse, was smiling at the taste. To him, harmony existed naturally and could be found by anyone at any time in any experience.
He thought about his buddy Dave. The old Marine would probably shake his head and tell him to âembrace the suck.â It pretty much boiled down to the same thing.
Not that he was against calling. Miv and Lea had practically taken turns urging him on and giving their views on why it was a good idea. They hadn't harped about it, but he knew which way the wind was blowing. And Ceâlaniâs message had been short, sweet in the literal sense, and the sound file sheâd offered up had beenâŚ
âŚPretty nice, reallyâŚ
If he still said no, or decided he didn't like where this was going, theyâd back his choice, of course. He didn't have a doubt in his mind⌠But with everything else in his life turned upside down, calling Ceâlani seemed like a calm in the eye of a storm.
âŚIt's just a phone call. Leave the chaos at the gateâŚ
He settled down on the couch to check his messages before giving her a call. It was nearly lunchâŚ
submitted by Rhion-618 to Sexyspacebabes [link] [comments]
Morning, Two days before Shel
Captain Setar suppressed a smile as she watched the Ops door close. âWell, that was interesting⌠Ceâlani is a little cranky.â The last vestiges of sleep clung to her as she settled down into the command chair. She felt worn out, but it was the cusp of dawn, and Pod Seven had only just turned over control. âReport on station?â
âThe perimeterâs secure,â Jelki replied crisply, pulling up the map of the campus on the main screen. âPod One is on station and reports twelve by twelve. Sgt Maâreis is already complaining about janitor duty.â
âAh, first pod problems.â Setar shook her head, rubbing her eyes and blowing gently on her mug of tea. âWhat about the objective?â
âThe objectiveâs secure,â Reâlan piped up, already sounding chipper. The woman could have been priestess of Jrafell. Her unwavering cheeriness would have been a character fault if she werenât so devoted. As it was, it was a damned penance for everyone else at this time of day.
Jelke finished running the obligatory shift change checks and stretched. Things wouldn't get interesting until breakfast, but watching the perimeter was a given. It didn't keep the curiosity out of her voice, as she cocked her head and glanced over. âWhat was interesting with Captain Tonâis, Maâam?â
âMm! Well⌠it appears sheâs expecting a call from Professor Warrick today,â Setar drawled out, taking a moment to savor their reaction. âShe felt a need to remind me sheâs devoted to Hele, and that if Beâona or I let her sleep through the call, sheâs going to âfuck us up the ass with a lasrifle and pull the triggerâ.â
Reâlan was probably blushing like a cadet, but Jelke shook her head ruefully. âI expect there's a âbutâ in there somewhere, Captain?â
âWell, yeah, she said thatâs where the rifle would goâŚâ Setar sniggered before taking a long sip from her tea, and slid a bit lower in the command couch. Her eyes wandered to the traffic on the board. âShe also made it clear whatâll happen if anybody listens in.â
Thoughtful silence descended. Setar almost counted to twelve before-
âWeâre going to anyway, right Captain?â Jelke asked nonchalantly. âYou know, for securityâs sake?â
âSergeant, that would be a base infringement of Captain Tonâisâ privacy, which is in fucking short supply for everyone in this bunker.â She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, watching the steam rise from her mug. âDeeps right we are.â
_ _ _
Lady Wicama regarded her guest with interest as their autocab plied its way about the outskirts of Prelitauri. While sheâd been free and cheerfully able to accommodate Kheliraâs request, Monsignor Santino Barcio, or Friar Barcio, as he preferred, was not at all what sheâd been expecting. She supposed it was a matter of exposureâŚ
The Palace had never quite been the same since Princess Ynâdaraâs wedding. Ynâdara was one of those odd Royals who, though well-regarded, was seldom in the public eye. A perennial favorite of the Empress, indulging her unexplained absences passed as a matter of course for the Court. Widely known to be estranged from her mother, Princess Arduina, no one enquired either deeply or often, so when she suddenly resurfaced, her return would have equally passed without comment⌠if not for the wedding.
Ynâdara had shocked the entire Nobility.
While it was common for any woman to marry into an established family and become a kho, the wedding should have been singular for a Princess. Princesses didnât marry into families, Princesses formed them. And while Ynâdara technically had done so, sheâd taken on three unmarried women at the same time as her husband, who was a Human! Favorite or no, the wags in the court were agog that the Empress accepted Adam so readily! The Empress, however, had been adamant; Ynâdara and her family had her blessings, and were to be left alone.
However, time had proven to be on Ynâdaraâs side as well as the Empress.
After a wedding seen across the galaxy, Ynâdaraâs family settled into a life of public duty. They spent long trips away from Shil, and while quietly dismissed as âpleasure excursionsâ, her trips often showed the throne to the outer provinces. Although her public engagements were few, sheâd become a vocal advocate of the Empressâ reforms against graft and corruption, and, gradually, the jealous mutters about scandalous excess and Human debauchery faded away. Her marriage remained an unusual footnote, but time had demonstrated the value of Ynâdara and her wives to the throne.
Then there was Prince Adam.
Rumor held the Prince had made a favorable impression on the Empress years before, at an event hosted by Ynâdaraâs mother. While details had never been forthcoming, a more significant story about Adam wafted briefly through the ranks of the Golden Glaives.
Both stories had been effectively silenced, but Wicama knew who to talk to, and being Kheliraâs guardian carried a certain clout all its own. Though that influence waxed and waned over the years, raising Khelira required being aware of events that could shape her future, and sheâd proven herself to be discreet. Over time, doors had opened and words had flowed.
Time had been on Prince Adamâs side, as well.
As the years passed, sheâd had an exposure to Prince Adam that few of the court and none of the public enjoyed. Sheâd been wary at first, but heâd been a good friend and mentor to Princess Khelandri before she joined the Marines, and however infrequent his presence, he always displayed a keen mind, a loving heart, and a steadfast duty to his wives. Privately, he absolutely doted on young Khelira and possessed a loyalty to the Empress that you could bend battlesteel around. The two got along famously - after all, he was a veteran.
Not Navy, mind you, but you couldnât have everything.
And so, as Humanity began making forays upon the galactic stage, her first impression of the species had been favorable. Sheâd witnessed Adam mature into his role with the court, and while the issue of children remained unspoken, that faded as well. At the time, Ynâdara had been sixth in the line of succession. A year after the wedding, Kamaudâre became an adult, followed a year later by Khelandri, and the matter became largely moot.
As for a second impression on Humans, Khelira had provided enthusiastic reports about Thomas Warrick. While the Princess thrived at the Academy, Warrick seemed to be something special.
The absence of a father in her life had been a void that no woman could properly fill, but sheâd done her best. Although sheâd entertained a few qualms, as the months passed by, Warrick remained a positive influence. Kheliraâs messages were infrequent by necessity, but sheâd written about her distress over Warrickâs family and clearly been moved. Prince Adam carried his own scars, but what veteran didnât? He hid them carefully around Khelli, and if Warrick had chosen not to, heâd provided a useful sense of perspective, instead. It was time for Khelira to grow up, and that meant facing the grist of differing opinions and ugly realities. That was what education was actually for, and Warrick seemed to be doing admirably well as a grindstone.
All of that was before the library incident, which settled her opinion once and for all. While erratic, irreverent, and capable of violence, Humans clearly could be a positive influence when channeled in the right direction. Ynâdara had shown what a good Shilâvati woman was capable of with Prince Adam, and Lady Pelâavon was following suit.
And at least the wags at the Palace wouldnât speak of Ynâdaraâs state wedding again. As a subject for spectacle, Mivâeire Pelâavonâs had put it to shame.
Still, it was good to see Warrick married. While Professor Haâmeres scandalous exploits had faded from the public eye, older wo⌠more mature women didnât forget such things. The man had been a daring adventurer - and an inveterate gadabout - and an unmarried man around that many young women was too tempting for some girls. A wife or two⌠preferably more⌠resolved such idle fancies. If the Pelâavon ceremony had been somewhat⌠questionable in taste, compared to Adamâs, it remained legally binding. Warrick was willing to settle down, and by all reports his wife had a proper sense of decorum.
Human men seemed to be a trial from the Goddess, but hopefully she and her kho-wife could sort him with time, love, and kindness.
While exposure to only two Humans was not what sheâd call a comprehensive sample, in both cases her impressions had been quite positive. And so, when Khelli asked her to escort a Human Priest about the city, sheâd been entirely willing.
Thus far, it had been an enjoyable morning. While there had been occasional missteps, their conversation had been delightful as they traveled from property to property. Even so, she hadnât expected to meet such a kindred spirit.
Admittedly sheâd stammered a bit when he mentioned eating the flesh and drinking the blood of his redeemer. On the other hand, she compared it to the first time sheâd bled into the ocean, mingling salt in her blood with the seas. Heâd turned shockingly pale, so she changed the subject. It was a purely symbolic act to Drepna - just a cut on the thumb, for goddess sake...
Sheâd taken extra care afterwards. Barcio could be clearly a sensitive male, but diplomacy was part of her work. Even calling her role âworkâ was deceptive. Sheâd raised Khelira in every way an Empress could not.
It was easy for other women to appreciate the prestige of her position, but few understood the depth of it - or the satisfaction.
During her career in the Navy, her flotilla had provided direct support for the Empress, and theyâd come to work closely over three tours. After Kheliraâs birth years later, the invitation came from the Royal Household to act as her guardian, and sheâd never looked back. Competition had been fierce for the prestigious position, but applying had been the best move of her life.
Empress Kamilesh loved all her children and had spent as much time with each of them as she could, but her work was all-consuming, and after her husbandâs act of⌠Well, the Empress had been there, but sheâd born her pain privately. She had lost herself in her work for many years before recovering a semblance of her former self, and her absence had taken a toll on her children. Kamaudâre had taken it the worst. Khelandri had bounced back, while everyone doted on Luâral. Barely more than an infant, Khelira had been far too young to remember. Wicama had been there through all of it.
It was a good life, and the princess was a delightful girl. For Wicama, the absence of a man in her life was something sheâd felt now and then, but she invested her life in Khelira. The Empress treated her as a member of the family in all but name⌠and in a very real sense, the child you raised was your child.
Looking back, some women might insinuate sheâd given up her personal life to raise another womanâs daughter. They couldnât have been more wrong.
She had her calling - just as Friar Barcio had his.
Yes, he was a priest, and his religious strictures were very unusual. A male priest in any of the Shilâvati faiths would never be placed under such restraints, and for a man to go unmarried was noteworthyâŚ
But she understood having a calling. Oh yes, she understood that as few others could.
After discussing his needs, theyâd set out to examine three properties around Prelitauri. The Friarâs individual requirements were deceptively difficult when taken as a whole. A complex coupling a generous auditorium, ample administrative space, and he clearly needed substantial grounds to properly convey a sense of aura. Such accommodations were seldom on the market, and since he expected his colleagues to arrive in weeks, his need was immediate.
Thankfully, urban renewal moved in waves. The tides of such fashions meant Prelitauri was once again an up-and-coming area. While difficult to find, three older structures had the potential to be suitable, and so it was that sheâd enjoyed learning about her guest as they explored the tiny district.
The Monsignor spoke four other Earth languages fluently. He tended to break into his native tongue and hadnât mastered contractions yet, but his Vatikre was passable and he listened carefully, seldom needing to ask about a word. After limiting her contractions when she spoke, their conversation flowed easily.
Barcio had shown little enthusiasm for the first two properties, but their conversation regarding other matters never waned. She expanded on her devotion to Drepna, Shil and the roles of each goddess while asking careful questions of his faith. His own inquiries proved thoughtful, and he was as avid in politely asking after her beliefs as explaining his faith.
After their second hour together, sheâd taken the liberty of calling Prelate Hiâmeta Merlamiss. As a priestess of Drepnaâs second circle, Merlamiss had proven a valuable contact over the years. Well connected, she enjoyed a good relationship with many other prelates of the Divine Halls; she also got on well with Xinfess, the Rakiriâs Speaker of the Dark Mother on Shil. A meeting with Barcio would readily open doors for his group that might otherwise prove difficult to attain, and while Barcioâs accent strained now and then, it was clear the Monsignor and the Prelate shared a questionably low sense of humor.
Given a chance, theyâd probably get on famously.
Certainly, that would be a blessing. Their hunt for a suitable facility had not gone nearly so well, and while Barcio had been conciliatory toward the first two facilities, she could tell he wasnât taken with either. The last property wasnât high in her expectations, so she found herself casting her head to the side when it swept into view and he clasped his hands in excitement.
â*Ă bella!* This is beautiful,â he exclaimed. âIt reminds me a bit of my childhood home in Sacile!â
She looked out at the complex with its low gabled roofs, as their cab wound up from the entrance. Beside the drive, a small river meandered through the campus past the main buildings. She tapped the console to slow their ride and considered the place in a new light. âIâm⌠well, a bit surprised to be honest, Friar.â
âPlease! We have been traveling for hours now, and I am not holding a service.â The Friar spared her a warm smile, before gazing back at the premises. âI would take it as a great kindness if you would call me Santino.â
âVery well - on the condition you call me Wicama.â It had been some time since anyone called her by anything but title or rank, and the informality was pleasant. Still, as their autocab closed on the end of the lane, she let such thoughts go and considered the location properly.
The buildings were low, sensible cubes, but that was largely an end to it. The architect had made some unusual choices in Helkam motifs that strained understanding. A long colonnade bordered the river, and that seemed nice enough, but the buildings! Forgoing purple was one thing, but they were beige! With unusual elements and the repressively bland color scheme, it was small wonder the clerk handling the property confessed that the space had lain vacant. Its original owners went into foreclosure. The exotic design had proven unable to attract interest, laying dormant ever since.
Barcio⌠Santino⌠seemed delighted, however, and she pulled up the specifications on her omni-pad. âThis site has two smaller auditoriums besides the main one, while the central building has four floors. One is underground, but all the floors face an interior atrium.â
As the cab gently halted in the car park, she climbed out to hold the door but Santino had already scrambled out and was examining the gardens with evident interest. Tall stands of parago trees were losing the last of their fronds for the year, but she had to admit the grounds were substantial. Yesterdayâs storm had left the morning air cold and crisp, lending the gardens an appealing aspect. Untended since the last owners, much could be done with them.
She had given up trying to escort the Friar anywhere after their first two stops, and now they fell into an easy pace side by side as they strolled toward the main building. She turned back to the property itself. âSo, this reminds you of your home?â
It wasnât exactly Helkam architecture - domes werenât covering every possible surface - but the builder had clearly been nodding in that direction. A promenade wound to the entry, supporting white chevrons that arced into the sky. The bright morning sky shone through clever cutouts, making the unusual design at least look light, rather than oppressive and unappealing. With a decent renovation, the facility had possibilities, and the price was comparatively low.
â*Si!* Oh, not so much like home, but there is the sense of it. I was born near the sea, and this feels⌠similar.â He gave her a depreciating smile before rolling his eyes. âIt may not please everyone who is coming, but âeveryoneâ is not here, so I am allowed some indulgence! Better to have something waiting than nothing at all. I confess, some of my colleagues thought weâd only manage when the bridge to Messina is finished.â
âYou should not have been sent ahead alone! Surely your colleagues were not that worried about a poor reception,â she tutted. Priest or no, there were decencies about a man traveling alone to be observed. âYou shouldn't need a bridge to find a place for your mission. I donât know where Messina is, but Iâm certain Prelate Marlemis wouldnât stand for it!â
âTch! Excuse my poor efforts! The older I get, the more I remember things like yesterday. Unfortunately, the yesterdays I remember so well were thirty years ago!â Barcio smiled wryly up at her as they walked. âThe âbridge to Messinaâ used to be a saying⌠People dreamed of building a bridge to Sicily, and it became something that never happened. My English friends would instead say âwhen hell freezes overâ. *Un'espressione volgare*, but very much to the point.â
âAh⌠Iâm sure we can manage something, and this could be made presentable. Maybe change the beige to a pale violet?â she offered helpfully as she made it to the door first, holding it open. âThe aura inside isnât so bad.â
âYouâve said that several times, but I do not know what you mean?â He paused in looking around the entry, which had an open foyer exposing the two floors above and led out to the atrium beyond. âWhat is âauraâ? I do not think I know the word as you mean it.â
âAura is⌠HmmâŚâ Wicama paused thoughtfully and gestured at the atrium. The interior was in better shape than the grounds, and the architect had done something clever. Not yet noon, a bevel along the top edge filled the space with sunlight. âHave you ever walked along a beach and wanted to save a shell? When you are there, that is aura⌠When you take the shell home and think of the beach, that is aura, but⌠less focused. Diminished. You sense the beach because of the shell, but you are not at the beach. Places can have aura, but it is more than character. If you move through a place and find yourself experiencing it? That is aura.â
âMhm! *lodevole!* I like this idea very much. It would be right at home in the Vatican. Not everyone understands a space can move the spirit, or lend power to a message.â He nodded thoughtfully as he cast his eye about the open space. âWith the right advice, perhaps we can lead others to these halls.â
âPerhaps. If you tour the Palace, I hope youâll allow me to show you about? A lot of the real gems are hidden from the public.â She watched as he wandered toward the double-helixed stairways bordering the room. Those were definitely Helkam; walking up one side without meeting someone coming down the other was an interesting experience⌠once. After that, they could be an absolute nuisance. Spotting the elevators, she called him back. âThe nice thing is this place is inexpensive! That will pad out your funds for a good remodel.â
Wicama quietly thanked the Goddesses that the builderâs had the good sense to install normal Shilâvati-style elevators. The sides were open, granting a wide view out over the atrium. The grounds were terraced to create a small park; that could make the underground space bearable, and the plans made them seem spacious enough. Not to everyoneâs taste, but pretty. âI feel bad for asking, but can you afford the building? If the price of the first two bothered you, we can find others.â
âI would not hear of it! Thank you for your concern, but we are economical with our funds, and were sent with a generous sum. This is an important venture to everyone involved,â Barcio clasped a hand over his chest, as he shook his head. âI can not thank you enough for your help! You have surely spared me weeks, and I might not have found something half so suitable. As it is, the grounds are enough to gain me converts. Father Roscio and Pastor Weber will surely plant a vineyard before the inside is half done!â
âItâs not a problem. I have plenty of time,â she replied, dismissing the matter as inconsequential. âI work at the Palace, but with the Court away and my daughter at school, Iâm a bit at loose ends just now. At the very least, I insist on helping you through the paperwork. I wouldnât put it past some realty clerks to try and overcharge you⌠Someone from outside Shil, that is. Iâll ensure they stick to the listing.â
âTo someone not from Shil⌠or someone who is not Shilâvati, perhaps?â His head canted slightly to one side, but he smiled as he said it. â*Certamente!* I would not dream of preventing you, though Rabbi Kleinbaum will be bitterly disappointed she has nothing to moan about.â
âI hope you won't take this badly, as Iâve only met one Human.â Wicama gave him a smile. She was long past girlish uncertainty, and the Navy had taught her a generous measure of professional poise to go with her skills as a markswoman. âYou arenât what I expected.â
âYou know the professore, then?â He sucked in a breath and pursed his lips. âI am still deciding what sort of man he is.â
âNo, actually, I know another Human but Iâve not⌠I have not⌠met Professor Warrick.â
âSo. You mean that I am not *un barbaro*? I am here to make sure that we are seen as something more than savage warriors, *capisci*?â He studied her expectantly. âWhile the Imperium is doing good work on Earth, some still live in want. The Imperium provides enough for all to survive, but not all live in plenty. We need to present ourselves well.â
âThat seems like a very secular outlook.â She offered, as they rode up to the third floor. Barcio asked for an explanation of the word, and by the time theyâd made their way through the first offices he had the idea.
âMy church has not always troubled itself with such things, but our holy father is greatly concerned with such inequalities. He takes it upon himself to address such matters with the Governess, when their time allows.â
âYour church has a good relationship with her?â
âĂ straordinario! The Governess adores our food, and while she was adamant about taking quarters in the Vatican, she has taken pains not to disturb us.â He shrugged dismissively. â*Cosa sai fare?* It seemed a small price, and we have endured far worse.â
âI used to hear terrible stories about red zones on Earth, though the Humans Iâve met don't seem the sort. It is good that your⌠pulp?â She tried the word and was rewarded with kind laughter and a gentle correction. âIt is good that your pope concerns himself with the full welfare of the people and works with your governess. Our prelates share the same concerns.â
âI thought the Empress was the head of your church? Now, I find you have manyâŚâ he groped for a word, frowning, and gave up. â*Questo accento è una prova di fede!* âDenominationsâ is not the right word, but she is the one revered, yes?â
âOf course! The Empress has to show all of our virtues and none of our faults, but thatâs part of her role. To favor any divinity over the others could cause divisions. She has her personal preferences, of course, but never lets them be known.â Wicama explained carefully. âIt would be in poor taste.â
âAnd poor politics, I think?â Santino gave her a long look. At his height it was difficult, but he managed. âThis makes sense to me now, that the Imperium leaves matters of faith alone. *Una benedizione inaspettata.*â
Despite the serious topic, his fervent reply brought a smile back to her lips. âIt seems your pope considers politics as well as economics.â
âPeople will always defend economic theories which assume that growth will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice. This has never been confirmed by the facts, and expresses a crude trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.â He said, stopping to clasp a hand over his cross. âMeanwhile, the excluded are still waiting.â
âThat doesn't sound like scripture.â She offered cautiously, as they made their way into a wider suite of offices on the second floor.
â*Esattamente.* The words of Pope Francis, a good and blessed man who appointed me to my position. His successor, his holiness John Paul the Third, is much of the same mind,â Santino said quietly. âOur savior washed the feet of others and urged all to do the same. The hardest step is to be involved. To work together for change, as well as to pray. That is why I am here.
â*I pigri di cuore trovano sempre una scusa* Some Humans, they are yet angry with the Imperium. Now they have enough, they are bitter not to have plenty. For some there is never enough - the true poverty lies within their hearts,â Santino said a bit testily. âOur faith teaches us to find salvation in eternal life, but others? *Pigrizia!* They see it as an excuse from taking agency in themselves. Jesus washed the feet of others - he did not lay down and wait for someone to wash his!â
Wicama turned the unfamiliar metaphor over in her mind but decided she had the sense of it. âSham teaches us that helping our families and one another is the same as helping ourselves. âThe rising tide bares us all from the reefsâ.â It was a matter of faith⌠but that was why it was faith in the first place. On the whole, it seemed like a mature perspective that explained the changes sheâd seen in Prince Adam over the years. âYouâre here to meet with others, but this seems as much about knowing yourselves.â
â*SĂŹ, non è una brutta cosa avere umiltĂ davanti a Dio.* Human beings, while we are capable of the worst, we are also capable of choosing the good. Of rising up to make a new start. We are entering the galaxy.â He gestured out the window at the world beyond. âIf not now⌠when?â
_ _ _ âSo, when are you going to explain this masterpiece you four have been cooking up?â Marin asked. Sammi and Sam were barely awake but the twins had already arrived, bright-eyed and enthusiastic, and Marin cursed the resilience of youth. The room was acceptably warm, but Ayen had complained about the cold and used the excuse to slip back into bed. She was considering her options for joining him.
Somewhere, somehow, Sammi had found their rabbit pajamas again. âSam, explain it to her? You do it better.â Sammi yawned, but Marin suspected it was an act. Once something got their attention, sleep was usually an afterthought.
âWhat, now?â Sam had barely stumbled into the room and blinked. Bleary-eyed and barely awake, he looked like heâd been ambushed, which was exactly the case.
âPllllllleeeeaseâŚ?â They sat back pulling the ears, giving their best Roger Rabbit impression. Luminous green eyes peered out at Sam, imploringly.
âAlright⌠I need coffee, but fine.â Sam trudged over to the kitchenette and poked listlessly at the instant coffee. It was getting perilously low, but Marin was sure heâd brought more on the ship. Eventually Sam gestured at the Kâherbhal sisters with his mug. âSo the girls want to create an artificial topological soliton. It's like a black hole, except where it isn't⌠It's sort of a kink in space-time.â
âMade you say kink!â Sammi grinned impishly and the girls blushed. Marin shook her head but paid attention. It felt far too early after another late night, but once everyone was up you had to hang on for whatever came next.
âSo, what's that got to do with this⌠hole you want to use for power?â Marin raised her voice just enough to drag the conversation back on track.
âItâs more like a side effect. If it cuts the right angle, it goes into a realm of space-time we can tap for power. Think of it as an obverse of an energy drain, so it's like a white hole.â
âLet me guess.â Marin shook her head and grinned, holding up a hand to forestall the inevitable. âExcept where it isnât?â
âUmmm⌠pretty much.â Sam grumbled, blowing at his coffee. Marin glanced back at the twins. With Sam busy, the twins had gravitated to either side of Sammi. There was room left on the couch, and she wandered over to settle in beside one of them.
The Sams had been complaining for years about a lack of âfocal powerâ for their mass compression technologies, and while a rubber duck inside a diamond was impressive, theyâd wanted to do something more - a lot more. She suspected if the twins were providing the means, then they already had something about to surface from the depths of their imaginations. Over the years sheâd learned to pick a bit, rather than take their answers at straight value. âAnd if things donât cut at the right angle? You remember how long it took to get rid of the Navy, when you started talking about making black holes?â
âIt's not our fault they didnât understand,â Sammi said defensively, crossing their arms and pouting at her before the rabbit ears fell over their face.
âWho didnât understand what?â Akeimei yawned at the door. She cast a wink her way before wrapping her arms around Sam and gave him a quick hug. âWhat did I miss?â
âUmm⌠a parallel universe, if the math is right,â Sam mumbled from the depths of his coffee cup.
âWhat? Like identical versions of us?â Marin watched Akimeiâs nose wrinkled at the smell before she slipped away from Sam. Slipped down beside her, they rubbed shoulders a moment. âTell me, is there one where I get more sleep?â
âMore or less identical⌠though it's not like you need to go into a parallel universe for that sort of thing. Thereâs already a âyouâ out there somewhere right now, to say nothing of past and future âyouâ.â Sam scratched his cheek idly for a moment âIt's just the math. The universe is so vast that there are exact physical cosmic twins of us out there somewhere, not to mention even more almost-twins.â
âSamâs right!â Sammi perked up excitedly, bouncing on the sofa. âThen there are quantum cosmic twins - which gets weird because particles exist in multiple states and youâd sort of overlap⌠but the easiest one is probably just another us elsewhere in the universe right now! That's sort of the point where the universe is bigger than you can imagine!â
âSo exactly the same⌠or almost.â One of the twins giggled. âJust like us!â
âPretty much,â Sam nodded, slowly emerging from the depths of his coffee. âAnother you out there on another Shil, or another me on a whole Earth, even - just a little bit different.â
âWhat? Like an Earth that never met the Imperium?â Marin canted her head, tossing out the obvious. It was hard to remember her life before, and she didnât want to contemplate the alternative.
âOh, I don't like that idea.â One of the twins stuck out her lip. âWe want to come to Earth!â
âYeah,â her sister nodded, though she suddenly looked glum. âI donât know if Professor Warrick would mind though. Heâd be with his wife and daughter, there.â
âOhâŚâ her sister's face crumpled. âI didnât think of it that way.â
âWell, donâtâŚâ Sammi hugged them both a moment, though they held the first twin a bit tighter. âThe point is, somewhere heâs with them right now!â
âWow, I guess so.â she brightened. âJust imagine! A whole Earth that never met the Shilâvati!â
âI wouldnât worry, sis.â her twin nodded. âI think Professor Warrick is pretty happy right now.â
_ _ _
âI am not happy about this!â Tom glared at his omni-pad before tossing it down in frustration.
Miv looked up at her husband.
âItâs an honor!â She tucked her chin in and gave him a long, considered look, âWhat is it thatâs bothering you - really? It wasn't Monsignor Barcio. Are you certain this isn't the same sort of thing?â
âYes, Iâm sure!â he growled, looking away like a guilty child. âAlright, maybe⌠but this uniform is the silliest thing Iâve ever seen. Iâll look like a mushroom, and the hat only makes it worse!" Tom grimaced at the omni-pad accusingly, "They wonât take ânoâ for an answer, so now Iâm on the rolls as a Warden Captain - whatever that is - and this ceremony is ridiculous!â
âThe ceremony is traditional. Very symbolic... Besides, they don't make wardens out of anyone below the rank of captain - I looked it up. You were one before, so it's appropriate to make you one instead of a Warden Major or Warden Colonel.â She smiled at him serenely. âSurely, it canât be the worst thing youâve ever done.â
He turned to wag a finger her way. âIâll take that bet!â
âWorse than our wedding receptionâŚ?â She crooned, teasing him. âOr maybe pre-term night? I swear by the Goddess no one will pinch your ass, except for Lea and I.â
âFineâŚâ Her smile grew wider as he grumbled, but he was calming down already and there wasn't heat in it. Still, he stubbornly clung on to the point a while longer. "Itâs in my top five.â
âIâm sure youâll survive, husband. Now then, I have meetings all afternoon, so why don't you finish reviewing the menu? Youâll feel better when all this is over and you can go back to cooking, chess, or starting that eeeyiy club⌠You might even give Ceâlani a call or message her?â She gathered her coat and smiled demurely, though it harbored nothing innocent. âIf Iâm not here youâll have perfect privacy⌠Just don't promise anything you wouldn't promise to me.â
âItâs iai-doâŚâ Tom groused, but he was already picking up his omni-pad.
She blew him a kiss and made her way toward the commons. Tom would probably stew a while, but heâd make the call.
There would be time to meet with Ceâlani on the common, before she had to come home for dinner.
_ _ _
Tom looked over the banquet menu as if it might reach out and bite him. The words stared up at him with perfect innocence.
Appetizer: Fruit and Cheese Platter - Slices of various cheeses and fruits on a platter providing a delicate mix of sweet, tangy and creamy to invigorate the dining experience. Serve with a selection of sweet and semi-sweet wines.
Soup: Choice of Tomato or French Onion Soup - Served with a piece of baguette and cheese.
Salad: Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing -- an assortment of greens and fruit with a balsamic grain dressing to cleanse the palate.
Entree: Cornish Pasty - This herb-infused meat and pastry dish provides a counterpoint to the tangy taste of the salad and soup. Served with a creamy buttered mashed potato (a vegetable, humanely prepared!) with chives (also a vegetable). Served with a selection of wines or ales.
Dessert: Chefâs Sorbet Surprise - A sweet treat complemented by a palate cleanser, ending the meal on a piquant note.
His last call with Bherdin had been a trial and a half. Omni-pads were the definition of âhigh fidelityâ, and hearing the little Shilâvati hyperventilate for ten minutes over the plan was pointless. At least Melondi had easier going with Vedeem on her side... one way or another this was happening.
As a final consolation, he relented on wearing matching suits. Bherdin frequently bemoaned Tomâs 'lamentable' fashion sense, and he perked up at that, promising to get him some appropriate formalwear for the occasion.
Privately, he suspected his Shilâvati friend was looking for a convenient alibi if a riot started.
In fairness, it probably wasn't a bad idea.
âToo late to use it myselfâŚâ he muttered. It wasnât quite noon, and Miv was probably right. Instead of Chess Club or starting Iai-do practice or just cooking out at Human Food, he was stuck here at home. Mivâs place was bigger, but most of his stuff was still in boxes; it left him listless and climbing the walls. If this worked, at least things could get back to normal.
âŚMostly normalâŚ
He flipped back to the picture of the Warden uniform on his omni-pad. It was bad enough, but the hat made the whole thing look like a blue toadstool in silver filigree.
He swiped the picture away like an act of revenge, but didnât toss the pad back on the table.
âŚMiv was right... and I promised to call CeâlaniâŚ
Tom centered himself, pulling up the number. The universe was always in motion and a good Taoist accepted their part in what came. That was the lesson of âthe Vinegar Tastersâ, and it held true⌠The painting showed three men standing around a vat of vinegar. Each has dipped his finger into the vinegar and tasted it. The expression on each man's face showed his individual reaction.
The painting was an allegory for Confucius, Buddha, and Lao-tse. Confucius wore a sour look on his face. He believed life was out of harmony with the universe. As the second figure in the painting, Buddha had a bitter expression. Like the vinegar, life was painful and filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The last man, Lao-tse, was smiling at the taste. To him, harmony existed naturally and could be found by anyone at any time in any experience.
He thought about his buddy Dave. The old Marine would probably shake his head and tell him to âembrace the suck.â It pretty much boiled down to the same thing.
Not that he was against calling. Miv and Lea had practically taken turns urging him on and giving their views on why it was a good idea. They hadn't harped about it, but he knew which way the wind was blowing. And Ceâlaniâs message had been short, sweet in the literal sense, and the sound file sheâd offered up had beenâŚ
âŚPretty nice, reallyâŚ
If he still said no, or decided he didn't like where this was going, theyâd back his choice, of course. He didn't have a doubt in his mind⌠But with everything else in his life turned upside down, calling Ceâlani seemed like a calm in the eye of a storm.
âŚIt's just a phone call. Leave the chaos at the gateâŚ
He settled down on the couch to check his messages before giving her a call. It was nearly lunchâŚ
2023.06.01 20:30 TXRattlesnake89 #KMSDozen
Kirk announces a contest to attend a Watch Party for Team Minihane's next matchup in The Dozen Tournament. To enter use the hashtag "#KMSDozen" on Twitter. Winners will be selected on tomorrow's show by Trivia Jesus himself. Jeff D Lowe checks in to discuss the tournament & Mut runs away from answering the tough questions about the Anywhere in the World raffle. The Dozen - Watch Party đ Capitol Theatre - Arlington, MA đď¸ June 5th, 2023 from 7-9pm
submitted by TXRattlesnake89 to kirkminihaneshow [link] [comments]
2023.06.01 12:49 GreaterBlueEvil [Event] Mountain Home Open RP, Year 6 of the Rule of King Artys VIII. Arryn
Starting 1st Month 7114 AL (After the Landing)/Year 6 of the rule of King Artys VIII. Arryn
Various additional information, including the Eyrie residents
The Eyrie is a unique castle, built of white stone on top of the mountain Giant's Lance. It is quite small, especially compared to seats of other Great Houses, and considered impregnable due to its location. The castle consists of seven main towers, each with a different purpose.
Summons and Petitions Thread
Previous Eyrie Open RP Thread
Dragonstone Open RP Thread
The Vale Calendar
To get to the Eyrie, one must pass first the older castle, Gates of the Moon, and then navigate along a narrow mountain path through the three Waycastles, Stone, Snow and Sky, before finally arriving to the castle of House Arryn.
The journey can be RP'd, or doesn't have to be, but the appropriate people must be tagged.
Gates of the Moon: GreaterBlueEvil & t3m3rair3
Waycastles:
Stone: [WAYNWOOD]
Snow: GreaterBlueEvil
Sky: [WINGED KNIGHTS]
Eyrie (Crescent Chamber in Warrior's Tower): GreaterBlueEvil & lagiacrus2012
Only 10 MaA can be allowed into GoTM, no MaA can be allowed into the Eyrie. This doesn't apply if specifically given exception.
Access to Moon Tower, Smith's Tower and Maiden Tower is restricted to those actually residing in these towers. The Mountain Below is generally not accessible to visitors.
Arryn household guards (wearing sky blue cloaks) and Winged Knights (wearing white cloaks with stripes in the colour corresponding with their rank, and winged helmets) man the castle and protect the residents.
Rookery use is possible, but requires Arryn permission.
The monarch of the Vale, more comfortable on the throne as years go by. He had learned to rely on his advisors and his closest family in managing the affairs of the Kingdom, and once again found time for some more entertaining pursuits.
The heir to the Kingdom. Quiet and pensive boy, Aladore prefers books to people, and does not enjoy the attention that comes with his prominent position.
Young girl, first daughter of the King. Feels a little forgotten amongst her siblings, and often wonders whether she is invisible. Likes to paint.
Little girl, second daughter of the King. Cheerful and attention-seeking, and the favourite of her father. Collects crowns, or aspires to.
Little boy, second son of the King. Named after Queen Myranda's father, he has a big legacy to live up to.
The King's younger brother, raised to follow and aid the eldest. Doing what he can for the Kingdom, taking up some of the duties of his brother and still hoping for a family of his own one day. Helping teach the Crown Prince.
The only daughter of the late Queen Myranda, Arwen is a beautiful woman, stubborn and intelligent, ambitious, even ruthless if need be. Enjoying married life, Arwen is still most smitten with her husband, the charming Lord Criston Coldwater, and adores the pair's two children with all her heart.
Youngest of Myranda's children, Albar felt the loss of their mother the most. The boy focuses on playing his lute and taking care of his pet, a little red shoulder-bear called Scarlett. A squire to his cousin, the Lord Corbray, he is slowly learning how to be a knight, but his future plans include more dancing with bears than swordfighting.
Adventurous, rebellious and rainbow-haired, Alyssa lives in Tyrosh, having refused to return to Westeros to a life at court she hated and husband she felt no love for. Instead, she lives with her lover, Lucas Ruthermont, and the only thing she regrets is the time away from her elder children, Shiera and Friedrich.
Or perhaps at some point, a mysterious woman by the name of Nalyssa could be found in Westeros, for whatever occasion that might happen. She is, however, most definitely Not Alyssa.
Dragonstone
Daughter of Alyssa and Monfryd Durrandon. Adventurous and free like her mother, Shiera dreads growing old or having to act her age. Currently spending time on Dragonstone along with her best friend Meera Grandison. Shiera loves animals and bright colours and despises the very idea of marriage. The only relationship worth keeping is friendship... even if it feels like something more. She has a very grumpy cat named Barracuda and a brightly coloured parrot she taught to say "Help, I was turned into a bird!"
The only son of Osric Arryn, Alfrid is deeply religious, and strives to prove himself in the eyes of Gods and men, as a knight, and as man of the Seven. He had married lady Lorra Templeton, though still couldn't rid himself of thoughts of another... Which led to some rather curious consequences.
SCC'd by garintheadequate
Daughter of Alfrid Arryn and his wife Lorra. Little girl, talkative and bright.
Child of Alfrid Arryn and his lover, Cassandra Bracken. The girl was passed off as a trueborn daughter of Alfrid and his wife, as a twin to Mylenda. She is the gloomier of the twins, with a more negative attitude and a fear of animals.
Married to her complicated love, Royland Royce, and fiercely protective of her young Royce sisters, Alicent is doing what she can to help Lady Ayla with rulership, and lady Eugenie with courtship - one appearing significantly more problematic than the other. Raising her little daughters Roslin and Rowena, she wishes that Royland would stay in Runestone with them, or at least accept her choices that led to the pair leading their lives apart.
Once wild and rebellious, Amallia seems to have settled down with her marriage to Lord Lyonel Corbray, content to protect and raise their two sons and little daughter. After the loss of her first child, she is ultimately grateful that her children are safe and healthy.
Beautiful and kind-hearted, Aveline might not be the brightest, but she does her utmost to bring light and cheer wherever she goes. Married to Beric Grandison, she couldn't be any happier - what more could she ever want for than having a loving husband and two wonderful children? A part of her little family is also her dog, Socks, named for a fondness of chewing people's clothes, and Periwinkle, the stubborn and finicky cat.
Feeling the effects his advanced age is taking, not even his wife and children seem to make Garrick feel any better. His children were all grown now, soon to be married and gone from his life, and what then? He spends more time with his sister Cynthea, reminiscing of the old times and people long gone.
The only child of Garrick from his first marriage, Cynthea the Younger was sent to the Starry Sept in Oldtown when she was ten, and had since taken her vows upon the Seven-Pointed Star as a Septa of the Faith.
Eldest daughter of Garrick and his second wife, Helena is a confident young woman, stubborn and determined. Married to Triston Prester - a man she chose against the wishes of her family - she struggles between the girl she used to be, and the woman she is now, or at least that she feels she should be. The duties of a wife and a mother don't sit so well with her, even though she loves her two small children dearly.
Daughter of Garrick Arryn and Andrea Talon. Beautiful and curiously still unmarried.
Borrowed by banterisdrunk
Son of Garrick Arryn and Andrea Talon, doted on by both his parents. Squire to Ser Jayce Manderly, and perhaps visiting a certain island off the Vale's coast?
The Dowager Lady of Harroway's Town is a kind, loving woman, who enjoys baking sweets and playing the harp. She cares dearly about her children and her grandchildren and various other kin, family always being the light of her life.
Winterfell
Waltyr travelled around the world only to find that what he desired most was home and family, which he found with the Princess Sylvia Stark. He couldn't be happier, married and with twin children.
Waltyr and Sylvia's son, twin of Lily. Training with a sword, though he is still letting his blond locks grow long, and diligently shaving the few whiskers sprouting on his upper lip. It is getting harder to look like his twin sister (and best friend), but that doesn't stop him from trying.
White Harbour
A beautiful woman in her youth, Anastasia finds it difficult to make peace with the fact that she is getting older, and her children are growing up so fast. She is content with her husband, Ser Jayce Manderly, and most of all wishes for more time with her family.
The youngest child of Cynthea Arryn and Howland Harroway had never known her father, growing up in the Eyrie after her mother and siblings escaped from Lord Harroway's Town. She is raised as a noble lady of the Vale, serving as lady in waiting to the royal Princess Arwen Arryn.
SCC'd by dbone256
The life of Meredyth Arryn was never short of dramatic twists and turns. After eloping with the love of her life who also happened to be the Crown Prince of Dorne, Meredyth gave birth in secret to his daughter. Forced to fake her death to escape the arrangements her family had planned for her, Meredyth watched over young Alarra under the guise of a mysterious Septa Marissa. When terrible news came about the death of Nymor, she had to suffer in silence. But when the time was right, Princess Meredyth Arryn re-emerged triumphantly from the shadows as she appeared at the court of Sunspear in the company of the heiress to Dorne, Alarra 'Silverdove' - or, as she is now known, Her Radiance Nymeria Nymeros Martell.
The only legitimate child of Prince Benedict Arryn, Sharra keeps many secrets, involved in an elaborate life-long scheme by her aunt Alerie. Former regent to her daughter, the convenient rightful ruler of Dragonstone, Sharra spends much time with her close companion and secret lover, Alayne Hunter, in their new home in the far South of Westeros.
The Princess of Dragonstone took over her lands after the Vale's conquest. Presumed daughter of Sharra Arryn and Jaerys Targaryen, she rules the Island as her father's rightful heir. Married to her love, Nymos Dayne, who provides invaluable support as the young woman tries to balance the tasks of a ruler and a mother.
Daughter of Rhea and Nymos, heiress to Dragonstone. Owner of a blue-and-silver dragon egg that used to belong to her mother, and to her grandfather before that. Bright and inquisitive little girl. Staying in the Eyrie to learn about life at the Arryn court.
Daughter of Rhea and Nymos. Owner of a violet-and-gold dragon egg.
Played by House Dayne of High Hermitage, ranger_from_th_north
A promising tourney knight in his youth, Marq's life was marked by misfortune and tragedy. He loves his wife and sons deeply, seeing them as his anchor in the storm of circumstances, but he still feels a crushing amount of guilt for the pain he caused, especially since his wife almost died giving birth to their second son. An excellent warrior - one of the best on the entire Continent - though he takes little pride or comfort in that skill, and rarely ever enters tournaments anymore.
Marq's firstborn son, struggling to live up to the shining example of his sire and eager for his approval. Rupert had already proven himself capable in melees and jousts, and recently he was knighted and bestowed the right to bear the Valyrian sword Iridescence, and take his father's mantle as the famed Iridescent Knight.
Second son of Marq Arryn and Ysilla Royce. Somewhat socially inept, but close with his elder brother.
Borrowed by thinkbrigger
Identical twin of Alerie, she was always the wilder, more adventurous of the sisters. Alannys was knighted at her wedding (by her husband, no less), and with Loras by her side she had gone through a multitude of adventures. She holds a resentment for her brother Marq for being respected for his prowess where she needs to hide. However, after her husband's death in the battle of Dragonstone, she had not quite been herself, her strong spirit nearly broken with the love of her life lost forever.
Identical twin of Alannys, Alerie is the more delicate of the sisters. Deaf, but sharp of mind, Alerie was able to find her niche, prospering in the shadows and manipulating events of the world without being seen behind the schemes. She is married to Willam Waxley, Keeper of the Gates of the Moon, and cares for their son, whom she considers the perfect little boy, though she worries he will grow apart from her as he grows older. In addition to manipulating the events of the world, she also found herself able to control animals to a certain degree, and works to gain more control of this ability.
Eldest son of Luceon Arryn and his second wife. Functioning alcoholic and once a child soldier, Harold is maybe a little disappointed he didn't die in any war. Married to lady Jowenna Egen, Harold might be starting to find a place for himself in the world with the help of his wife and children.
A knight in service to House Hunter, Alaric had forgone his royal title to marry a girl by the name of Sybell, a commonborn daughter of a merchant, whom he had loved dearly ever since he saved her from some bandits many years ago. Serving as a Marshal in Longbow Hall, he is determined to earn his place.
Formerly warded in the Stormlands, Matthos returned to the Eyrie to marry lady Alyssa Azure. He was not happy with the arranged match and the control the head of House Arryn exerts over his life, but he does genuinely care for his wife and their little daughters.
Daughter of Matthos and Alyssa, little girl.
Lonely, stubborn and somewhat spiteful towards his family. Married to Mya Finch, but in love with her brother, Ser Mychel.
The youngest of Luceon's many children, he is perhaps the only one to have truly loved and respected their father. Squire to a western knight, he is not quite sure where his home lays and where he would feel at peace.
Former squire to Prince Marq Arryn, who tried to remedy his older brother's misdeeds, now a promising warrior and a knight in his own right. Petyr serves as the Captain of Guards on Dragonstone.
SCC'd by klrpizza
Daughter of Prince Benedict Arryn and Gwen Storm. Sent to Strongsong to be raised and tutored by lady Ursula Belmore, along with her half-sister Deidre. Astonishingly beautiful and appropriately arrogant. Occasionally following around her aunt Alerie.
Played by House Toyne, principality_of_pan
Son of Prince Benedict Arryn and Gwen Storm. Benedict was unaware of his existence, as Gwynevere left him before he could learn she was pregnant. The boy lived in Braavos with his mother, terrified of her drunken excesses, before lady Lucinda Grandison saved him and took him with her.
SCC'd by ranger_from_th_north
Daughter of Benedict Arryn and Olivia Prester. Utterly disappointed by her mother, she and her brother Edrick had ran away from their family, and found refuge on Bear Isle in service to Queen Talia Stark. They followed Talia to Winterfell, only to be kept there for reasons they don't quite understand. What is even happening in her life these days, where is she heading?
Daughter of Benedict Arryn and Margret Snow, a Woolfield bastard, though legitimised through the kindness of House Grandison. Celene stays in Grandview and learns from her aunt what it means to be a proper lady. Close friends with Edmund Prester, a person who shows her kindness not usually seen towards one of illegitimate birth.
Son of Benedict Arryn and Ella Ryston, along with his cousin Alec Stone sent to Gates of the Moon to be raised after his mother joined the Silent Sisters. Formerly squire to Ser Petyr Stone, whom he admires greatly, Nathan was recently knighted for his service.
Son of Benedict Arryn and Cissy Blackstone. Staying in Gulltown with his mother.
Played by lagiacrus2012
Daughter of Benedict Arryn and Cissy Blackstone. Somewhat rude and blunt, Myranda is taking after her mother in many ways.
Last of Benedict's bastards, son of the Stormlander lady Joy Redaxe. Staying in Grandview with his mother.
submitted by GreaterBlueEvil to crimsoncentury [link] [comments]
The Eyrie
Floorplan of the Eyrie and the mountain belowVarious additional information, including the Eyrie residents
The Eyrie is a unique castle, built of white stone on top of the mountain Giant's Lance. It is quite small, especially compared to seats of other Great Houses, and considered impregnable due to its location. The castle consists of seven main towers, each with a different purpose.
Summons and Petitions Thread
Previous Eyrie Open RP Thread
Dragonstone Open RP Thread
The Vale Calendar
Meta
Teleportation is currently allowed in the Vale, so feel free to stop by - but make sure to come in properly:To get to the Eyrie, one must pass first the older castle, Gates of the Moon, and then navigate along a narrow mountain path through the three Waycastles, Stone, Snow and Sky, before finally arriving to the castle of House Arryn.
The journey can be RP'd, or doesn't have to be, but the appropriate people must be tagged.
Gates of the Moon: GreaterBlueEvil & t3m3rair3
Waycastles:
Stone: [WAYNWOOD]
Snow: GreaterBlueEvil
Sky: [WINGED KNIGHTS]
Eyrie (Crescent Chamber in Warrior's Tower): GreaterBlueEvil & lagiacrus2012
Only 10 MaA can be allowed into GoTM, no MaA can be allowed into the Eyrie. This doesn't apply if specifically given exception.
Arryn household guards (wearing sky blue cloaks) and Winged Knights (wearing white cloaks with stripes in the colour corresponding with their rank, and winged helmets) man the castle and protect the residents.
Rookery use is possible, but requires Arryn permission.
Arryn PCs
King Artys VIII. Arryn (36)
The EyrieThe monarch of the Vale, more comfortable on the throne as years go by. He had learned to rely on his advisors and his closest family in managing the affairs of the Kingdom, and once again found time for some more entertaining pursuits.
Crown Prince Aladore Arryn (16)
The EyrieThe heir to the Kingdom. Quiet and pensive boy, Aladore prefers books to people, and does not enjoy the attention that comes with his prominent position.
Alisabeth Arryn (13)
The EyrieYoung girl, first daughter of the King. Feels a little forgotten amongst her siblings, and often wonders whether she is invisible. Likes to paint.
Alysanne Arryn (10)
The EyrieLittle girl, second daughter of the King. Cheerful and attention-seeking, and the favourite of her father. Collects crowns, or aspires to.
Oswell Arryn (6)
The EyrieLittle boy, second son of the King. Named after Queen Myranda's father, he has a big legacy to live up to.
Ambrose Arryn (34)
The EyrieThe King's younger brother, raised to follow and aid the eldest. Doing what he can for the Kingdom, taking up some of the duties of his brother and still hoping for a family of his own one day. Helping teach the Crown Prince.
Arwen Coldwater nĂŠe Arryn (31)
Coldwater BurnThe only daughter of the late Queen Myranda, Arwen is a beautiful woman, stubborn and intelligent, ambitious, even ruthless if need be. Enjoying married life, Arwen is still most smitten with her husband, the charming Lord Criston Coldwater, and adores the pair's two children with all her heart.
Albar Arryn (21)
Heart's HomeYoungest of Myranda's children, Albar felt the loss of their mother the most. The boy focuses on playing his lute and taking care of his pet, a little red shoulder-bear called Scarlett. A squire to his cousin, the Lord Corbray, he is slowly learning how to be a knight, but his future plans include more dancing with bears than swordfighting.
Alyssa Arryn (54)
TyroshAdventurous, rebellious and rainbow-haired, Alyssa lives in Tyrosh, having refused to return to Westeros to a life at court she hated and husband she felt no love for. Instead, she lives with her lover, Lucas Ruthermont, and the only thing she regrets is the time away from her elder children, Shiera and Friedrich.
Or perhaps at some point, a mysterious woman by the name of Nalyssa could be found in Westeros, for whatever occasion that might happen. She is, however, most definitely Not Alyssa.
Shiera Durrandon (34)
Borrowed characterDragonstone
Daughter of Alyssa and Monfryd Durrandon. Adventurous and free like her mother, Shiera dreads growing old or having to act her age. Currently spending time on Dragonstone along with her best friend Meera Grandison. Shiera loves animals and bright colours and despises the very idea of marriage. The only relationship worth keeping is friendship... even if it feels like something more. She has a very grumpy cat named Barracuda and a brightly coloured parrot she taught to say "Help, I was turned into a bird!"
Alfrid Arryn (40)
The EyrieThe only son of Osric Arryn, Alfrid is deeply religious, and strives to prove himself in the eyes of Gods and men, as a knight, and as man of the Seven. He had married lady Lorra Templeton, though still couldn't rid himself of thoughts of another... Which led to some rather curious consequences.
SCC'd by garintheadequate
Mylenda Arryn (10)
The EyrieDaughter of Alfrid Arryn and his wife Lorra. Little girl, talkative and bright.
Myrielle Arryn (10)
The EyrieChild of Alfrid Arryn and his lover, Cassandra Bracken. The girl was passed off as a trueborn daughter of Alfrid and his wife, as a twin to Mylenda. She is the gloomier of the twins, with a more negative attitude and a fear of animals.
Alicent Royce nĂŠe Arryn (36)
RunestoneMarried to her complicated love, Royland Royce, and fiercely protective of her young Royce sisters, Alicent is doing what she can to help Lady Ayla with rulership, and lady Eugenie with courtship - one appearing significantly more problematic than the other. Raising her little daughters Roslin and Rowena, she wishes that Royland would stay in Runestone with them, or at least accept her choices that led to the pair leading their lives apart.
Amallia Corbray nĂŠe Arryn (34)
Heart's HomeOnce wild and rebellious, Amallia seems to have settled down with her marriage to Lord Lyonel Corbray, content to protect and raise their two sons and little daughter. After the loss of her first child, she is ultimately grateful that her children are safe and healthy.
Aveline Grandison nĂŠe Arryn (31)
GrandviewBeautiful and kind-hearted, Aveline might not be the brightest, but she does her utmost to bring light and cheer wherever she goes. Married to Beric Grandison, she couldn't be any happier - what more could she ever want for than having a loving husband and two wonderful children? A part of her little family is also her dog, Socks, named for a fondness of chewing people's clothes, and Periwinkle, the stubborn and finicky cat.
Garrick Arryn (70)
The EyrieFeeling the effects his advanced age is taking, not even his wife and children seem to make Garrick feel any better. His children were all grown now, soon to be married and gone from his life, and what then? He spends more time with his sister Cynthea, reminiscing of the old times and people long gone.
Septa Cynthea (34)
Oldtown?The only child of Garrick from his first marriage, Cynthea the Younger was sent to the Starry Sept in Oldtown when she was ten, and had since taken her vows upon the Seven-Pointed Star as a Septa of the Faith.
Helena Prester nĂŠe Arryn (28)
FeastfiresEldest daughter of Garrick and his second wife, Helena is a confident young woman, stubborn and determined. Married to Triston Prester - a man she chose against the wishes of her family - she struggles between the girl she used to be, and the woman she is now, or at least that she feels she should be. The duties of a wife and a mother don't sit so well with her, even though she loves her two small children dearly.
Jeyne Arryn (27)
The EyrieDaughter of Garrick Arryn and Andrea Talon. Beautiful and curiously still unmarried.
Borrowed by banterisdrunk
Andrew Arryn (24)
White HarbouThe Paps?Son of Garrick Arryn and Andrea Talon, doted on by both his parents. Squire to Ser Jayce Manderly, and perhaps visiting a certain island off the Vale's coast?
Cynthea Harroway nĂŠe Arryn (69)
The EyrieThe Dowager Lady of Harroway's Town is a kind, loving woman, who enjoys baking sweets and playing the harp. She cares dearly about her children and her grandchildren and various other kin, family always being the light of her life.
Waltyr Harroway (50)
Borrowed characterWinterfell
Waltyr travelled around the world only to find that what he desired most was home and family, which he found with the Princess Sylvia Stark. He couldn't be happier, married and with twin children.
Lucas Stark (Harroway) (15)
WinterfellWaltyr and Sylvia's son, twin of Lily. Training with a sword, though he is still letting his blond locks grow long, and diligently shaving the few whiskers sprouting on his upper lip. It is getting harder to look like his twin sister (and best friend), but that doesn't stop him from trying.
Anastasia Manderly nĂŠe Harroway (49)
Borrowed characterWhite Harbour
A beautiful woman in her youth, Anastasia finds it difficult to make peace with the fact that she is getting older, and her children are growing up so fast. She is content with her husband, Ser Jayce Manderly, and most of all wishes for more time with her family.
Alysia Harroway (31)
The EyrieThe youngest child of Cynthea Arryn and Howland Harroway had never known her father, growing up in the Eyrie after her mother and siblings escaped from Lord Harroway's Town. She is raised as a noble lady of the Vale, serving as lady in waiting to the royal Princess Arwen Arryn.
SCC'd by dbone256
Meredyth Arryn (61)
SunspearThe life of Meredyth Arryn was never short of dramatic twists and turns. After eloping with the love of her life who also happened to be the Crown Prince of Dorne, Meredyth gave birth in secret to his daughter. Forced to fake her death to escape the arrangements her family had planned for her, Meredyth watched over young Alarra under the guise of a mysterious Septa Marissa. When terrible news came about the death of Nymor, she had to suffer in silence. But when the time was right, Princess Meredyth Arryn re-emerged triumphantly from the shadows as she appeared at the court of Sunspear in the company of the heiress to Dorne, Alarra 'Silverdove' - or, as she is now known, Her Radiance Nymeria Nymeros Martell.
Sharra Arryn (49)
StarfallThe only legitimate child of Prince Benedict Arryn, Sharra keeps many secrets, involved in an elaborate life-long scheme by her aunt Alerie. Former regent to her daughter, the convenient rightful ruler of Dragonstone, Sharra spends much time with her close companion and secret lover, Alayne Hunter, in their new home in the far South of Westeros.
Rhea Targaryen (30)
DragonstoneThe Princess of Dragonstone took over her lands after the Vale's conquest. Presumed daughter of Sharra Arryn and Jaerys Targaryen, she rules the Island as her father's rightful heir. Married to her love, Nymos Dayne, who provides invaluable support as the young woman tries to balance the tasks of a ruler and a mother.
Jaenara Targaryen (10)
Dragonstone/EyrieDaughter of Rhea and Nymos, heiress to Dragonstone. Owner of a blue-and-silver dragon egg that used to belong to her mother, and to her grandfather before that. Bright and inquisitive little girl. Staying in the Eyrie to learn about life at the Arryn court.
Daenys Targaryen (8)
DragonstoneDaughter of Rhea and Nymos. Owner of a violet-and-gold dragon egg.
Played by House Dayne of High Hermitage, ranger_from_th_north
Marq Arryn (55)
The EyrieA promising tourney knight in his youth, Marq's life was marked by misfortune and tragedy. He loves his wife and sons deeply, seeing them as his anchor in the storm of circumstances, but he still feels a crushing amount of guilt for the pain he caused, especially since his wife almost died giving birth to their second son. An excellent warrior - one of the best on the entire Continent - though he takes little pride or comfort in that skill, and rarely ever enters tournaments anymore.
Rupert Arryn (28)
The EyrieMarq's firstborn son, struggling to live up to the shining example of his sire and eager for his approval. Rupert had already proven himself capable in melees and jousts, and recently he was knighted and bestowed the right to bear the Valyrian sword Iridescence, and take his father's mantle as the famed Iridescent Knight.
Yoel Arryn (24)
The EyrieSecond son of Marq Arryn and Ysilla Royce. Somewhat socially inept, but close with his elder brother.
Borrowed by thinkbrigger
Alannys Manderly nĂŠe Arryn (54)
The Eyrie/White HarbourIdentical twin of Alerie, she was always the wilder, more adventurous of the sisters. Alannys was knighted at her wedding (by her husband, no less), and with Loras by her side she had gone through a multitude of adventures. She holds a resentment for her brother Marq for being respected for his prowess where she needs to hide. However, after her husband's death in the battle of Dragonstone, she had not quite been herself, her strong spirit nearly broken with the love of her life lost forever.
Alerie Waxley nĂŠe Arryn (54)
The EyrieIdentical twin of Alannys, Alerie is the more delicate of the sisters. Deaf, but sharp of mind, Alerie was able to find her niche, prospering in the shadows and manipulating events of the world without being seen behind the schemes. She is married to Willam Waxley, Keeper of the Gates of the Moon, and cares for their son, whom she considers the perfect little boy, though she worries he will grow apart from her as he grows older. In addition to manipulating the events of the world, she also found herself able to control animals to a certain degree, and works to gain more control of this ability.
Harold Arryn (40)
The EyrieEldest son of Luceon Arryn and his second wife. Functioning alcoholic and once a child soldier, Harold is maybe a little disappointed he didn't die in any war. Married to lady Jowenna Egen, Harold might be starting to find a place for himself in the world with the help of his wife and children.
Alaric Arryn (38)
Longbow HallA knight in service to House Hunter, Alaric had forgone his royal title to marry a girl by the name of Sybell, a commonborn daughter of a merchant, whom he had loved dearly ever since he saved her from some bandits many years ago. Serving as a Marshal in Longbow Hall, he is determined to earn his place.
Matthos Arryn (33)
EyrieFormerly warded in the Stormlands, Matthos returned to the Eyrie to marry lady Alyssa Azure. He was not happy with the arranged match and the control the head of House Arryn exerts over his life, but he does genuinely care for his wife and their little daughters.
Argella Arryn (4)
EyrieDaughter of Matthos and Alyssa, little girl.
Aemma Arryn (1)
Daughter of Matthos and Alyssa, little girl.Alester Arryn (32)
The EyrieLonely, stubborn and somewhat spiteful towards his family. Married to Mya Finch, but in love with her brother, Ser Mychel.
Martyn Arryn (28)
FeastfiresThe youngest of Luceon's many children, he is perhaps the only one to have truly loved and respected their father. Squire to a western knight, he is not quite sure where his home lays and where he would feel at peace.
Petyr Stone (38)
DragonstoneFormer squire to Prince Marq Arryn, who tried to remedy his older brother's misdeeds, now a promising warrior and a knight in his own right. Petyr serves as the Captain of Guards on Dragonstone.
SCC'd by klrpizza
Arielle Stone (35)
Eyrie?Daughter of Prince Benedict Arryn and Gwen Storm. Sent to Strongsong to be raised and tutored by lady Ursula Belmore, along with her half-sister Deidre. Astonishingly beautiful and appropriately arrogant. Occasionally following around her aunt Alerie.
Played by House Toyne, principality_of_pan
Beric 'Blackmoon' Storm (33)
GrandviewSon of Prince Benedict Arryn and Gwen Storm. Benedict was unaware of his existence, as Gwynevere left him before he could learn she was pregnant. The boy lived in Braavos with his mother, terrified of her drunken excesses, before lady Lucinda Grandison saved him and took him with her.
SCC'd by ranger_from_th_north
Elyse Greywing (29)
WinterfellDaughter of Benedict Arryn and Olivia Prester. Utterly disappointed by her mother, she and her brother Edrick had ran away from their family, and found refuge on Bear Isle in service to Queen Talia Stark. They followed Talia to Winterfell, only to be kept there for reasons they don't quite understand. What is even happening in her life these days, where is she heading?
Celene Featherfield (29)
GrandviewDaughter of Benedict Arryn and Margret Snow, a Woolfield bastard, though legitimised through the kindness of House Grandison. Celene stays in Grandview and learns from her aunt what it means to be a proper lady. Close friends with Edmund Prester, a person who shows her kindness not usually seen towards one of illegitimate birth.
Nathaniel Stone (26)
DragonstoneSon of Benedict Arryn and Ella Ryston, along with his cousin Alec Stone sent to Gates of the Moon to be raised after his mother joined the Silent Sisters. Formerly squire to Ser Petyr Stone, whom he admires greatly, Nathan was recently knighted for his service.
Vorian Blackstone (26)
GulltownSon of Benedict Arryn and Cissy Blackstone. Staying in Gulltown with his mother.
Played by lagiacrus2012
Myranda Blackstone (24)
GulltownDaughter of Benedict Arryn and Cissy Blackstone. Somewhat rude and blunt, Myranda is taking after her mother in many ways.
Steffon Storm (18)
GrandviewLast of Benedict's bastards, son of the Stormlander lady Joy Redaxe. Staying in Grandview with his mother.
2023.06.01 10:37 nameless7982 Hailee Steinfeld
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2023.06.01 06:00 Analypiss Respect Juggernaut! (Marvel, 616)
Respect Juggernaut
This wonât hurt me! Nothing can!Key and explanation of periods where Juggernaut was stronger or weaker than normal
- [50%] Briefly lost half of his power after Black Tom absorbed it
- [X] Was made weaker by Cyttorak after deciding not to do his bidding anymore
- [T] Was made weaker by Cyttorak after he was angered by Juggernaut temporarily becoming Captain Universe
- [Kuurth] Became possessed by one of the Serpent's Asgardian Worthy named Kuurth after picking up his hammer
- [Once and Future] Had his power completely removed by Cyttorak but regained it after taking the place of an alternate universe Cain Marko, though it began to fade
- [Unstoppable] Was given more power by Cyttorak than he had given anyone else
Strength
Unabridged Force Field and Advancing Sections
Force Field
- Needs his helmet to use his force field - Uncanny X-Men #32
- Transforms a metal gauntlet into a new helmet - Amazing Spider-Man #628
- Can summon his helmet and armor out of thin air - Venom: The Madness #1
- Pushes Professor X's wheelchair back with a wave of force - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Stops a 10 ton rolling steel barrel with a current of energy and rolls it back through a wall and into Beast hard enough to knock him out - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Shoots globules of sheer energy, with a single one powerful enough to break a tree in half - Uncanny X-Men #46
Advancing
- Exerts enough pressure to buckle and shatter a metal wall that had 50 times the tensile strength of battleship steel - Uncanny X-Men #12
- [Limits] Loses his footing after some stairs he was climbing are turned to ice by Iceman - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Shatters a concrete power station by running through it - Amazing Adventures #16
- His powers let him swim in water even though he should be heavy enough to sink - Amazing Adventures #16
- [Limits] Sinks in water after Colossus knocks him into it unexpectedly - Spider-Woman (1978) #38
- Knocks Hulk over a hill and shatters it with a single charge - Hulk #172
- Walks through a building while Spider-Man was trying to pull him back - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- [Limits] Sinks to bottom of a 40 foot foundation of wet cement - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- Walks through miles of bedrock and fractures the tectonic plates under Manhattan, which results in a catastrophic earthquake months later - Amazing Spider-Man #629, 628-629
- Holds onto Thor's hammer as itâs returning to him and tackles him through five boxcars and into a building hard enough to shatter part of it and knock him out - Thor #411
- Knocks down a uh... certain skyscraper by charging into it - Spider-Man (1990) #16
- Literally walks over Thunderstrike when he tries to push him back - Thunderstrike (1993) #2
- Makes footprints in concrete - Professor Xavier and the X-Men (1995) #13
- Charges into War Hulk and pushes him through hundreds of meters of rock, though Hulk is eventually able to stop his advance - Hulk #457
- Rams his fellow Exemplar Stonecutter through a stone staircase - Juggernaut (1999) #1
- [X] Him and Sasquatch collide into each other hard enough to create a large crater in the ground, with Juggernaut being the first to recover - Uncanny X-Men #422
- [X] Climbs through a pile of wreckage and causes the ground the shake and knock cars into the air - New Excalibur (2006) #6-7
- Fights evenly with World War Hulk and pushes him back, undermining the foundation of the X-Mansion, though Hulk is able to knock him away by sidestepping him and adding to his momentum - World War Hulk: X-Men 3
- [T] A Raft scientist says he has endless kinetic energy and is unstoppable once he begins charging - Thunderbolts #144
- [T] Charges downwards through 1.3 kilometers of bedrock - Thunderbolts #149
- [Kuurth] The X-Men try at least 42 plans to stop him from walking towards San Francisco that all prove ineffective, including:
- Face shooting him with a unique energy annihilation beam
- Teleporting him to the bottom of the sea and the heart of the sun
- Siryn combining her sound energy with Dazzler's sound-to-light powers to generate an extreme intensity laser
- Gambit and Rockslide combining their explosion powers to create a detonation that nearly exhausted Cecilia Reyes from the effort of protecting civilians with her force shield
- Magneto throwing an aircraft carrier into him - Uncanny X-Men #542
- Charges through a force wall government scientists couldn't find a way to penetrate - Dark Avengers #181-182
- D-Cel, a mutant that can slow down kinetic motion to the point objects stop falling, can't stop Juggernaut from advancing towards her - Juggernaut (2020) #1
Unabridged Striking and Lifting Sections
Striking
- Creates an earthquake across a valley that causes a cliff to collapse by slamming the ground - Uncanny X-Men #33
- Stuns Hulk with his blows - Hulk #172
- Backhands a 3 ton steel ball thrown at him by Spider-Man through a building, causing its side to collapse - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- Incapacitates the Thing in three hits - Secret Wars II #7
- Backhands Rogue across Edinburgh and through a stone wall - Uncanny X-Men #218
- Punches Captain Britain through hundreds of meters of ground and incapacitates him with two more strikes - Excalibur (1988) #3
- Knocks out Professor Hulk after a prolonged fight while not wearing his armor or helmet - Hulk #402
- Levels a building with a punch - Deadpool: The Circle Chase #2
- Splinters apart the God Machine and the glacier it was on top of in an exchange of blows with Stonecutter and overpowers him - Juggernaut (1999) #1
- [X] Punches Rhino into a concrete wall hard enough to shatter it - Uncanny X-Men #435
- [X] Causes World War Hulk spit blood with a punch - World War Hulk: X-Men #2
- Punches a force field hard enough to create earthquakes registered at magnitude 4.6 and 8.0 - Hulk #602
- [Kuurth] Destroys more than half of the Raft island prison with a strike - Fear Itself #2, Thunderbolts #158
- [Kuurth] Punches Moonstone miles away - Thunderbolts #160-161
- [Kuurth] Strikes the ground hard enough to create a massive crater and a tremor registered at magnitude 0.6 - Thunderbolts #160-161
- [Kuurth] Levels Salem Missouri with a strike - Fear Itself: The Home Front #3, Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #3
- [Once and Future] Makes Colossus spit blood with his punches and overpowers him - Amazing X-Men (2014) #17
- [Unstoppable] Slams the ground hard enough to create a massive crater - Amazing X-Men (2014) #19
- Knocks out Immortal Hulk after a prolonged fight with the help of D-Cel and a gamma radiation siphon - Juggernaut (2020) #1
- Shatters a metal vault door - Juggernaut (2020) #4
Lifting, pushing, pulling, throwing, grip, etc.
- Snaps a steel cable as if it were paper - Uncanny X-Men #12
- Sweeps the O5 X-Men aside - Uncanny X-Men #12
- Pulls Hulk's head from behind and starts to break his neck, though he overpowers him due to getting angry - Hulk #172
- Tears apart a solid concrete wall reinforced with steel - Spider-Woman (1978) #37
- Rips off and lifts the corner of a building - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- Lifts a tank by its turret and swings it onto another tank hard enough to wreck both of them - Marvel Team-Up #150
- [50%] Black Tom with half of his power suplexes a building - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Throws the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak into orbit - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Throws a boxcar into a weakened Thor hard enough to hurt him before lifting another one and ramming it into him - Thor #411
- Sends a pile of debris created from two boxcars getting thrown into him flying with a shrug - Thor #412
- Shatters a steel cocoon encasing him - Thor #412
- Sends tanks flying with a swipe of his arm - The All New Exiles (1995) #1
- Holds up a collapsing building - The All New Exiles (1995) #3
- Rips up a massive chunk of the street and throws it into a SWAT van hard enough to crumple it - Spider-Man (1990) #84
- Throws a truck through a building while weakened - Uncanny X-Men #361
- Rips off and swings the corner of a building while weakened - Uncanny X-Men #361
- Starts crushing Thor with a bear hug - Thor (1998) #17
- [X] Pushes a tank onto its back - X-Men (1991) #160
- [X] Flexes out of ice that was covering him - New Excalibur (2006) #2-3
- [X] Holds onto a metal beam with his fingers while being dragged underground until it snaps in half - New Excalibur (2006) #7
- [T] Pins down Luke Cage - Thunderbolts #150
- [Kuurth] Magneto can't stop his hammer after he throws it despite it being made of metal - Uncanny X-Men #541
- Rips off an icicle the size of a person and throws it through a Frost Giant - Punisher Kill Krew #3
- Swings an Asgardian dragon by the tail and into the ground hard enough to crater it - Savage Avengers (2019) #14
Unabridged Durability Section
Durability w/ Force Field/Armor
Blunt
- Only slowed down slightly by a continuous optic blast from Cyclops and a punch and kick from Angel - Uncanny X-Men #13
- [Limits] Angel is able to rip off his helmet after Beast loosens it - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Fine after Hulk strikes him in the back and tears up the rock under him - Hulk #172
- Fine after Colossus kicks him into a stone wall hard enough to make it collapse on them and knock Colossus out - Uncanny X-Men #102
- Started welding his helmet on with a laser torch, making it hard for Spider-Man to pull it off - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- [50%] Fine after Spider-Man yanks out a manhole cover he was standing on while he was stretching his webbing, so that it slingshots him into Black Tom hard enough to make a building collapse - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Started bolting on his helmet, making it hard for Colossus to rip it off - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Unharmed after getting struck with 1.37 kilotons of steel by Nimrod - Uncanny X-Men #194
- No-sells a punch from Rogue that shattered every window on a street - Uncanny X-Men #218
- His force field kills all of the momentum of Thor's hammer after he threw it at him - Thor #411
- Unharmed from Nova and Namorita throwing two boxcars into him - Thor #412
- No-sells a full force hammer strike from Thor - Thor #429
- Hurt but mostly unharmed after getting punched by Post-Crisis Superman - DC Versus Marvel #1
- Knocked out but quickly recovers after getting hurled from Canada to Hoboken by Onslaught - Uncanny X-Men #322
- Fine after War Hulk throws him from Giza to Cairo - Hulk #457
- Fine after getting punched through a concrete wall by War Hulk, though he's able to remove his helmet before he can get up - Hulk #457
- No-sells Spider-Man punching him with everything he had - Spider-Man (1990) #84
- Unharmed by a rain of blows from Thor that shatter the street around them - Thor (1998) #17
- Unharmed by a optic blast from Cyclops that he says had enough force to rip a small planet in half - Cyclops (2001) #1
- Fine after getting punched from Earth to Mars by Skaar - Hulk #602
- [T] Still able to fight after taking several attacks from Thor, Luke Cage, and Iron Man that make a large crater and shatter a cliff - Thunderbolts #150
- [Kuurth] Unharmed after Hope Summers with the powers of the X-Men flies into him hard enough to shatter a highway - Uncanny X-Men #541
- A non-Mjolnir Uru hammer shatters when Thor hits him with it - Thor (2018) #1
- [Limits] Thor makes him spit teeth by hitting him with a bigger Uru hammer, though Thor broke it and dozens more to knock him out - Thor (2018) #1
- Fine after getting punched into the sewers through part of a building and the street by Venom - Venom (2018) Annual #1
- Fine after getting punched through six stories of a building by Quicksand - Juggernaut (2020) #3
- His force field stops Swarm's bees from touching him - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #19
Piercing/Cutting
- No-sells a bazooka shell - Uncanny X-Men #33
- A spinning helicopter blade breaks upon hitting him - Uncanny X-Men #33
- Isn't cut by Wolverine's claws - Uncanny X-Men #102
- No-sells a concentrated barrage from assault rifles and rocket launchers that would reduce a house to splinters - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- No-sells a point blank tank round - Marvel Team-Up #150
- [Limits] Shatterstar's swords that were forged in a dimension of magic and science are able to cut through his flesh and helmet - Spider-Man (1990) #16, X-Force (1991) #4
- No-sells several tank rounds - The All New Exiles (1995) #1
- [X] No-sells assault rifle rounds - X-Men (1991) #160
- [X] Sabretooth's claws gouge but don't cut through his helmet - X-Men (1991) #162
- [X] No-sells bullets while a knife shatters upon hitting him - New Excalibur (2006) #14
- [X] Still able to fight after getting slashed across the chest and back with a sword by another Juggernaut, and catches the sword in his hand - New Excalibur (2006) #15
- [X] Fine after getting blasted through a concrete wall by some firearm - New Excalibur (2006) #16
- Unharmed from Skaar hitting him with his sword - Hulk #602
- Survives but is knocked out after getting hit by a giant Asgardian rocket launcher - Punisher Kill Krew #4
Sound
- Unharmed by a sonic scream from Banshee that shatters the stone floor under him - Uncanny X-Men #103
- Unharmed by a sonic scream from Siryn - X-Force (1991) #3
- Fine after getting hit by a sonic scream from Siryn that causes a building to collapse - Deadpool (1994) #3-4
Heat
- Unharmed by jets of chemical flame - Uncanny X-Men #13
- The Human Torchâs flames can't penetrate his force field - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Unharmed from a speeding tanker truck crashing into him and exploding - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- No-sells a microwave blast from Firestar that caused his armor to glow white hot - Thor #412
- Unharmed by Firestar melting a pile of steel girders surrounding him - Thor #412
- Unharmed from a vat of molten metal being poured on him - Deadpool (1994) #2
- Hurt but mostly unharmed after falling into molten steel while weakened - Juggernaut (1997) #1
- Rocked but doesn't fall after Inferno blasts him with enough sheer energy to vaporize countless tons of titanium steel in a split second - Avengers (1998) #24
- [X] Was supposedly fatally burned but still able to move briefly after taking the brunt of a flammable liquid explosion that destroyed part of a building - Uncanny X-Men #420
- [Kuurth] Unaffected by Adam-X igniting his blood - Uncanny X-Men #542
- Unharmed by Pyro's flames - Uncanny X-Men (2019) #16
Cold
- Unharmed after falling into a frozen lake - Cyclops (2001) #1
- [X] Fine after getting knocked through a stone wall by a stream of ice from Iceman - Uncanny X-Men #411
- [Kuurth] His helmet is only slightly cracked after Iceman lowers its temperature to absolute zero and Colossus punches it - Uncanny X-Men #541
Electricity
- Unharmed by a 20,000 volt electric fence - Amazing Adventures #16
- No-sells a lightning bolt from Storm - Uncanny X-Men #102
- No-sells a full strength venom blast from Spider-Woman - Spider-Woman (1978) #37
- Hurt but mostly fine after Storm and Spider-Woman blast him with enough electricity to cause a ship to explode - Spider-Woman (1978) #38, Amazing Spider-Man #229
- Unharmed from a million volts arcing over him - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- No-sells Thor calling down a lightning bolt on him - Thor #412
- Still conscious after Bishop channels enough volts of electricity to maintain the city of Hoboken through him while weakened - Uncanny X-Men #322
- Unharmed by electrical blasts from the Max Dillon and Francine Frye Electros - Sinister War #4
Light
- Recovers in minutes from a strobe effect created by Dazzler that she thought would stun him for an hour - Uncanny X-Men #217
- No-sells a photon blast from Dazzler that used all her power and that she says would've punched a hole through a mountain - Uncanny X-Men #217-218
Energy
- Fine after Nimrod knocks him through a concrete wall and into a construction site hard enough to make a crater with an energy blast - Uncanny X-Men #194
- A God-Blast from Thor that crumbles the concrete foundation he was standing on only pushes him back - Thor #412
- Tanks an energy blast from Frankie Raye Nova while weakened - Doctor Strange (1988) #44
- Unharmed after getting hit by an energy blast from Stellaris that created a massive hole in the road - Thunderstrike (1993) #2
- Walks through a continuous bio-energy blast from Chamber, though he's a hurt a little - Generation X (1994) #61
- No-sells an energy blast from Black Tom - Generation X (1994) #61
- Black Tom's energy blasts can wreck a tank - Spider-Woman (1978) #38
- [X] Survives getting hit by a plasma blast from Havok that created a trench in the ground - X-Men (1991) #162-163
- [Kuurth] Unharmed after Hardball blasts him with a sphere of energy that destroys part of Las Vegas and helps cause an earthquake that collapses skyscrapers - Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #3-5
- Tanks a blast of the power cosmic from Cosmic Ghost Rider - Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #3
Chemical
- Unharmed by Night Thrasher's acid bombs - Thor #412
Adhesive
- His force field prevents Spider-Man's webbing from sticking to him - Amazing Spider-Man #229, Marvel Team-Up #150
Biological
- Still able to fight after his fellow Exemplar Conquest hits his pressure points - Juggernaut (1999) #1
- [T] Resists being mutated by the Terrigen Mists - Thunderbolts #146
- [Kuurth] Burns out nanites in his body designed to knock him out - Thunderbolts #145, 160
- [Kuurth] Starts dissolving Mercury after she fills his lungs with his internal fauna and antibodies - Uncanny X-Men #542
- Survives but is knocked out by a plant manipulator growing valerian inside of his body - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #17
Matter Manipulation
- Nimrod's disintegrator beam affects a steel I-beam he was holding but not him - Uncanny X-Men #194
Phasing
- Hurt but still able to fight after Vision briefly phases his hand into his head before increasing his density - Hulk #403
- Unharmed by Viv Vision phasing into him and becoming tangible - Deadpool (2018) #2
Magic
- [Limits] Thor is able to create a cone that negates all mystical energy and removes Juggernaut's force field by making his hammer spin around them - Thor #429
- Unharmed after hurling Stonecutter into the core of God Machine, causing it to explode and release enough mystical energy to destroy a glacier - Juggernaut (1999) #1, Avengers (1998) #24
- [T] Still able to fight after getting hit by cannon shot that had poltergeists smelted into it that emerge out of his shoulder - Thunderbolts #156-157
- Unharmed by the Scarlet Witch's hexes - Uncanny Avengers (2015) #29
Soul/Life Force
- Only has a headache after D'Spayre consumes enough of his soul/life essence to give most mortals a coronary rupture - Juggernaut (1997) #1
- [T] Quickly recovers after running through a human mutated by the Terrigen Mists that could drain life force with a touch - Thunderbolts #146-147
- [Kuurth] Casts out Ghost and Satana after the former combines his intangibility with the latter's magic to try and free his soul from Kuurth/the Serpent's control - Thunderbolts #160
Power Absorption/Nullification
- Rogue can only absorb a portion of his power - Uncanny X-Men #218
- [Kuurth] Rogue trying to absorb his powers incapacitates her - Uncanny X-Men #542
- Cut off his link to Cyttorak while keeping his powers by using the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to make a new armor - Juggernaut (2020) #3-4
- A power dampener doesn't work on him - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #14, 18
- The Human-Adaptoid can't use the Absorbing Man's powers to absorb Juggernaut's powers - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #17
Mental
- His helmet protects him from any mental attack - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Unaffected by Professor X's telepathy - Uncanny X-Men #12
- Unaffected by Rachel Summers telepathy - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Eventually made a smaller helmet from scraps of the original that also protects him from mental attack, which he wears underneath it - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Resists Dazzler using light to hypnotize him - Uncanny X-Men #217
- Psylocke manages to hurt him through his helmet with a psycho blast, though it only stuns him for a moment - Uncanny X-Men #218
- Fine after getting stabbed with Psylocke's psychic knife while weakened - Uncanny X-Men #322
- Resists his fellow Exemplar Bedlam's telepathy - Juggernaut (1999) #1
- Captain Universe can't read his mind - Amazing Spider-Man #629
Durability w/o Force Field/Armor
Blunt
- Fine after Hulk swings him around hard enough to rip off his helmet and send him flying into a cliff - Hulk #172
- Fine after getting tackled from behind and through a wall by Colossus - Uncanny X-Men #183
- Unharmed from a building collapsing on him - Uncanny X-Men #183
- Fine after Rogue absorbs some of his power and throws and flies into him hard enough to create a massive crater in a rail line - Uncanny X-Men #218
- Still able to fight after getting pummeled for nearly a minute by Thor - Thor #429
- [X] Fine after getting tackled through a house by Sasquatch - Uncanny X-Men #432-433
- [X] Unharmed from a double-decker bus crashing into him hard enough to total itself - New Excalibur (2006) #3
- [X] A continuous optic blast from Earth 6141 Cyclops doesn't even slow him down - New Excalibur (2006) #3
- Survives getting thrown to Earth from orbit by Captain Universe - Amazing Spider-Man #629, 627
- [T] King Hyperion hurts his hand punching Juggernaut in the head repeatedly - Thunderbolts #153
- [Kuurth] Tanks getting tackled through the deck of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge by Colossusnaut - Uncanny X-Men #543
- [Kuurth] Still able to fight after getting pummeled by Colossusnaut hard enough to collapse a building - Uncanny X-Men #543
Piercing/Cutting
- No-sells a tank round - Excalibur (1988) #3
- [X] Unharmed by minigun rounds - Uncanny X-Men #433
- [X] Still able to fight after getting stabbed in the abdomen by Rhino's horn - Uncanny X-Men #435
Sound
- [Limits] Incapacitated by tight beam ultra high frequency sonics from Nimrod - Uncanny X-Men #194
- [T] Still able to stand after Iron Man blasts him with enough localized sound to put down a whole regiment - Thunderbolts #150
Cold
- Unharmed from getting encased in ice by Iceman - Uncanny X-Men #33
- [X] Unharmed from getting covered in ice by Earth 6141 Iceman - New Excalibur (2006) #2-3
- [Once and Future] Tanks getting launched into the air by a stream of ice from Iceman - Amazing X-Men (2014) #17
Heat
- [T] Hurt but mostly fine after getting hit by King Hyperionâs atomic vision - Thunderbolts #153
Gravity
- [X] Survives getting sucked in by Xorn's black hole along with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and ending up in the Mojoverse, though they survived as well - X-Men (1991) #164, Uncanny X-Men #460
Light
Energy
- No-sells a continuous energy blast from Nimrod right after he used one to create a large hole in a concrete wall - Uncanny X-Men #194
- [X] Fine after getting knocked through a thick stone wall by an energy blast from the Shadow King - New Excalibur (2006) #3
- Unharmed after getting knocked through a concrete wall and from Upper Manhattan to the New Jersey Palisades by an energy blast from Captain Universe - Amazing Spider-Man #627-628
Chemical
- [X] Unharmed by Mammomax's stomach acid - X-Men (1991) #164
Biological
- [X] Possibly unaffected by Polaris trying to reverse his blood flow with magnetism to knock him out - Uncanny X-Men #426
Mental
- Manages to keep moving out of hatred after Professor X attacks him telepathically, though he's knocked out with a second attack - Uncanny X-Men #13
- [Kuurth] Emma Frost is incapacitated from trying to affect his mind - Uncanny X-Men #541-542
- [Unstoppable] Rachel Summers can't read his mind - Amazing X-Men (2014) #19
Unabridged Endurance, Speed, Skill, and Temporary Powers Sections
Endurance and Regeneration
- Barely slowed down by enough sleeping gas to stop a herd of elephants and a gas that causes loss of balance - Uncanny X-Men #12
- Doesn't get tired - Amazing Adventures #16
- Starts to age rapidly due to strange forces in a dimension Eternity cast him into, but is able to remain young as long as he feels hate - Doctor Strange #182, Amazing Adventures #16, Hulk #172
- Doesn't need air, food, or water - Amazing Spider-Man #230, 629
- Quickly regenerates after getting stabbed in the eye and cut several times by Shatterstar's swords - Spider-Man (1990) #16, X-Force (1991) #4
- Still able to move after D'Spayre absorbs most of his power and uses it to reduce him to a skeleton, and quickly regenerates after getting it restored - Juggernaut (1997) #1
- [X] Seems like he needed air after being weakened - Uncanny X-Men #412
- [X] Later walked from somewhere in the Yellow Sea to South Korea however - New Excalibur (2006) #13-14
- [T] Needs air - Thunderbolts #145
- [T] Still able to fight after King Hyperion breaks his knee - Thunderbolts #153
Speed
- Grabs Angel and shoves him into the path of Cyclops optic blast before he can redirect it - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Nearly as fast as Beast and ducks under a tree swung by him - Amazing Adventures #16
- Catches a girder slingshot at him by Spider-Man - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- Slaps Speedball out of the air - Thor #412
- Tags Spider-Man with a backhand after tearing off some webbing he sprayed in his eyes - X-Force (1991) #4
- Smashes through a wall to catch two people falling - The All New Exiles (1995) #2
- Fights evenly with Conquest, who was fast enough to grab Quicksilver on the run - Juggernaut (1999) #1, Avengers (1998) #25
- Dodges energy blasts from two Sentinels using some kind of hovercraft - X-Men Forever (2001) #5
- [Kuurth] Catches up to a speedster called Nonstop - Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #3
- [Kuurth] Colossusnaut says he's faster than him even as he runs into Kuurth and accelerates to 600 miles per hour - Uncanny X-Men #543
- [Once and Future] Tags Nightcrawler and Rachel Summers with backhands and knocks the former into Northstar despite Rachel warning them he would attack with her telepathy - Amazing X-Men (2014) #17
Skill
- [X] Fights well against someone with the full power of the Juggernaut using his skill and experience - Uncanny X-Men #436
- [X] Catches Dazzler after she blinded him by listening for her position - New Excalibur (2006) #19
- [T] Lets a Hand ninja get in close so he can grab him - Thunderbolts #148-149
Temporary Powers
Telepathy
- Somehow absorbed Professor X's telepathy after he tried to drain his powers with a machine - Uncanny X-Men #32
- Reads the O5 X-Men's minds to anticipate their moves - Uncanny X-Men #32
- Knocks out Jean Grey with a mental bolt - Uncanny X-Men #32
- Never used telepathy after this
Mystic Abilities
- Gained mystic abilities while trapped in the Crimson Cosmos - Uncanny X-Men #33, Doctor Strange #182
- Casts mystic spells that shrink Nightmare to his size and makes him collide into him when Nightmare was large enough to hold the Earth in his hands - Doctor Strange #182
- Him and Nightmare cast spells that shatter a chunk of rock and destroy bonds of cosmic force that held Eternity - Doctor Strange #180, 182
- Gave up his mystic abilities in exchange for having his youth restored - Hulk #172
Trion
- Became more powerful than ever after getting possessed by an evil spirit - X-Men (1991) #88
- Grows to giant size - X-Men (1991) #88, Uncanny X-Men #369
- Punches through the fabric of spacetime - X-Men (1991) #88
Captain Universe
- Became Captain Universe after being chosen by the Enigma Force - Amazing Spider-Man #629
- Traps Spider-Man in a force sphere and repairs fractures to the tectonic plates under Manhattan to prevent a catastrophic earthquake - Amazing Spider-Man #629
Kuurth
- Can fly - Thunderbolts #160-161
- Calls down lightning - Thunderbolts #158
- Colossus says his lightning could incinerate armies - Uncanny X-Men #543
- Possesses a man by touching him with his hammer - Uncanny X-Men #540
- Teleports back after Pixie teleports him to the bottom of sea, low Earth orbit, and the heart of the sun - Uncanny X-Men #542
2023.06.01 05:12 RegalLegalEagle Made of Mud
Based on a Dream
FDF Resolute, Sanctum Class Battlecruiser, en route to NT-2125 deep Fringe.
Mary had been rather intrigued by the concept of an observation deck on a ship. Curator ship designs didnât even have windows let alone a whole deck. Yet, deck seemed a bit of a grand exaggeration now that she was standing in the room with the large window dominating one wall. The room was empty aside from herself. Though there were tables and chairs enough to fit a few dozen people easily. No doubt it was more in use if the ship should be hosting dignitaries over some important planet, or picturesque astronomical feature. En route to NT-2125 however they were instead enveloped in the Ink, a sight no one seemed keen on viewing.
Her education had of course touched on the existence of the Ink, but that was about it. She had no idea how it really was used to facilitate FTL travel. What she did know, now that she was looking at it, was that it was rather unpleasant to look at. She had seen purest black. The concept of looking at entirely nothing but a void was fine with her.
The Ink however⌠While she watched it slowly move around before her eyes it was like a vast ocean of some kind. An ocean of⌠incredible depth. When she had first stepped into the room and seen it dominating the large window she had thought it to be a mixture of blues, purples, and blacks. But the longer she watched the bubbles and lines slowly moving around she wasnât sure if she were seeing color at all. Maybe she was seeing not the absence of light, but something opposite to it. As if the Ink gave off⌠anti-light.
She had no basis for this thought of course. No training, education, or experience to make her believe it was a real thing. Yet, if matter had anti-matter why couldnât light have anti-light? After all the longer she looked the more if felt like she wasnât really seeing anything. Nothing real anyway. More like⌠if she closed her eyes and rubbed against the eyelids and saw the attempts of her brain understand the shadows. Then there was the thought maybe she really was seeing something. Something just under the waves of its vast deep ocean of anti-light. After all, what was causing it to move? Were the waves, ripples, and bubbles purely random? Or was there something making it move?
As unpleasant as her line of thinking was, at least watching it gave her some small alone time on the otherwise crowded vessel. It also gave her an excuse to keep her headset muted. She would much rather deal with staring out at a vast ocean of anti-light than listen to the ship around her at this point. Yet, the moment she began to consider that she saw a flash in the bottom of her vision. Door opening. With a flick she started the program to let her headset gradually increase volume as her ears began to work again.
First sound, click of hard heel on metallic decking. Second sound, sharp intake of breath likely indicating surprise, anxiety, unease, or combination. Third sound, a tongue flicking against teeth before making a disapproving sucking sound. Fourth sound, fabric on fabric rubbing was very low and soft indicating luxury stitching and material. âHello Director Obli.â
âTranslator.â Came the curt reply, though said at a perfectly reasonable volume for normal speaking Mary winced a bit. Going from total silence to even the muted sounds she was getting now was rough at times. Especially as more just kept building. Even at this low level the sound of the ships began to return to her. The groan of metal, the hum of electricity, the distant murmur of people going about their tasks. She had no idea what sheâd do without the headset to at least partially mute the world around her.
âYour bodyguards arenât joining us?â Mary glanced over at the HuulâRav in his custom suit. She couldnât see his guards, but she could hear them just outside. She recognized Hrue from his breathing pattern, as smoking had done a number on his lungs. Based on the jingle of grenade tabs the other was Juul.
âIf the Curators wanted me dead I highly doubt theyâd create you just for the task. Theyâre more than powerful enough to have no need for subtlety or subterfuge.â Even though the director was talking to her he was looking out the window at the Ink. She could see the disdain on his face rather obviously. A hand moving up to nervously brush his furry chin, even as he tilted his horns side to side.
While he seemed focused on the Ink her mind returned to his curious comment. Did the Curators need to employ subterfuge? Of course they were powerful, but surely there was also use in subterfuge. Regardless, she had not been sent to kill the Director. Or anyone for that matter. She had no training in combat or related topics. He seemed to also be thinking about this though as he looked at her. âYou arenât here to kill me right?â
âNo. Iâm not here to kill you or anyone else.â She assured him. âIâm just here to facilitate communications during the negotiations.â
âIt is curious though. Why the Custodians sent anyone at allâŚâ He trailed off and while she was about to answer he turned and spoke first. âActually do you mind if we talk somewhere else?â At the end his eyes darted to the window and the swirl of the Ink beyond.
âCertainly.â She nodded, and gestured to the door letting him go first.
âI appreciate it.â He commented and even as he stepped through the door Hrue stepped in front of him to lead, while Juul stepped up behind Mary to follow. âI will admit it spoils my plans a bit. I wanted to talk with you in private a little. But uh⌠I do not particularly enjoy looking at the Ink.â She could hear his breathing pattern change just being in the hallway, out of sight of the swirling anti-light.
âIâm sure we can find privacy elsewhere. Though I am unsure what kind of private chat you would like. Iâm here strictly as a neutral party to facilitate negotiations.â She reminded him.
âAs youâve said many times.â Obli waved off her remark. âAnyway, since youâre new to this sort of thing I just want to introduce you to my underling since youâll be working for him during the start of the talks.â
Mary frowned at this sudden revelation. âFirst, I donât work for you, or your subordinate. I-â
âAre a neutral translator provided by the Curators.â He waved her off again as they walked. All around her she could hear the ship and its crew going about keeping the ship alive as it were. It was an older vessel and every creak and groan of stressed metal, or electrical spark continued to heighten her anxiety. She could not wait to get off this vessel and onto a planet. âI meant work for him in a more metaphorical sense. I know you likely expected to work with me throughout these talks but itâs just not how labor talks to management. They donât get to start by talking to a Director. Theyâll start with someone just important enough to garner attention but with no real power. If he fails, I swoop in and save things. If he succeeds I get to take credit in the end and talk about how I knew he was the man for the job.â
The further they walked from the observation deck and the Ink the more confident and in fact arrogant Obli got. She wasnât particularly keen on his behavior but she had at least grown accustomed to it on the trip so far. âWhy then did you spend most of this trip testing my abilities as a translator?â
âBecause I was trying to figure out your angle.â He replied with a glance back over his shoulder as they reached a lift. The four of them filtered into it before Juul hit the button for the hangar deck.
âI donât have an angle. I was instructed to come here and facilitate-â She began but he yet again waved her off.
âNeutral yes yes. But why? Weâve never needed nor requested Curator assistance for anything like this. We have a proven history of successfully ending labor disputes and organization efforts. So why have the curators bothered to send you? Shouldnât you be trying to help keep the FDF from falling apart? Or spreading the word of the Curators to the masses or something? That is something they do right? Proselytize?â Mary was fairly confident Obli tried to be dismissive about the Curators just to make himself more comfortable. It was a minor enough annoyance to overlook. Though she wondered if it actually helped ease his fragile ego.
âThe Curators do not proselytize no. They have no need. They exist. They act. They do not need the approval of others, nor belief in their correctness. I am here because I have been ordered to be here. I was told I must assist in negotiating between the belligerent parties on NT-2125 and observe the outcome. That is all. If the Curators have a deeper reason for sending me here I do not know it.â While she spoke she could already hear Obli clicking his tongue in disapproval. Hrue was trying, and failing, to breathe quietly. Juul was running her hand over a smooth metallic object in her right pocket, slowly turning it over.
âI know you are flesh and blood, but youâre more like your creators than I find comforting.â Obli very bluntly commented.
âI do not exist for your comfort.â Mary pointedly replied, which made Obli click his tongue in disapproval once more. By that point the lift stopped and the doors opened. The rush of sound from the hangar deck made her wince a moment as she had to deal with the sudden volume as she lowered her headset sensitivity.
âI donât think you exist for your own comfort either.â Obli remarked, now smirking a little at her obvious discomfort. There was little she could do but cast a glare in his direction as the pain subsided and the sounds took on a more muted level. Looking out across the hangar she could see dozens of people moving around and working on the shipâs complement of shuttles, and fighters. No one was expecting combat, but that didnât stop the captain from preparing anyway. While she was told most of the machinery operated at frequencies most species couldnât hear it always gave her a headache to be around so many buzzing, grinding, churning machines.
âRegardless.â Obli continued. âI want to make it clear I have been authorized to extend to the Curators our most sincere intent to be friends. If there is anything we can do to make your job more comfortable let me know. And if you see fit to pass on anything you hear from the labor organizers direct compensation is on offer.â
âI am here as a neutral party.â She reminded him yet again. But he just spread his hands and smiled.
âWeâre willing to pay for even what you would consider banter and gossip. Anything you hear. My subordinate is also authorized to compensate you but Iâd prefer a direct copy.â He held out an encryption cylinder. While she had no intention of passing along anything she did take it. It might be useful for other reasons.
âI donât have a bank account, you know. Or any credits.â When she told him this he looked entirely confused. âI am not paid for my efforts. Curators do not use currency of any kind. Resources are simply provided as needed.â
Director Obliâs look of pure disgust was even more obvious than when heâd been in the observation deck. âAnd here I thought they were civilized⌠But itâs then all the more important for you to start building up your own nest egg!â He began to pull a credit chip from his pocket but she waved him off.
âIâm not chipped nor do I have a slate.â This time he scoffed and looked confused even as he held it out.
âYou can take the whole thing. How do you expect to pay for anything on the planet without credits?â He seemed genuinely baffled.
âI donât expect to pay for anything on the planet. Your company has extended their most sincere intent to be friends after all.â As she tilted her head a little while looking at him Obli just snorted.
âAh⌠This is why my assistant was babbling about an expense waiver. Yes⌠There are limits to it, you know. Food, drink, necessities only.â Mary just stared at him until he finally sighed and tucked the credit chip back into his pocket. âFine. Itâs best for you to go change now then, the shuttle will be leaving as soon as we hit real space.â
She was wondering why heâd brought her here directly. âAnd why am I changing?â
âWell, you can go as you are if you like. But this isnât a Curator ship. The Resolute has to drop further away from the planet so the shuttle will be in space to close the gap to the planet. And, I mean clearly Curator tech never breaks or has any accidents but our poor mortal hands make poor mortal vessels.â Obli spread his hands as if to highlight his own soft, well manicured hands.
âFine.â While her suit wasnât as comfortable as her normal clothes she didnât intend on being the only one killed by some sort of accident on the way to the planet. It would set a terrible precedent. So she walked away from Obli and his guards then towards the hangarâs locker room.
As she strode across the deck, stepping over fuel and coolant lines she tried to make some sense of the mass of sound around her. Obli no doubt thought she was beyond earshot when he spoke to his guards. âStrange bird. Easy on the eyes though.â
Hrue cleared his throat a moment to reply in a gravely, raspy voice. âThink the Curators made her to be attractive to most species somehow? Robot magic or something?â
âI donât know. Maybe. I still donât know why they sent anyone at all. I donât trust those damned machines.â Obli replied. She had expected this sort of reaction. It was in line with their comments during the trip.
Other than that most of the technicians, mechanics, and pilots moving around the hangar seemed much more focused on their work than anything else. Grumblings about the captainâs standards, and an apparent lack of spare parts. Based on the overall comments it seemed to be more about not wanting to do so much work rather than serious concerns over abilities to keep ships functional. Or so she hoped.
Once in the locker room she made her way to the back where a special case had been installed for her suit. While she would have preferred to travel on a Curator vessel she was glad to at least get a Curator suit. They didnât have many organics, but the suits they made for her and the other Lifted were absolutely the best in terms of survivability, durability, and protection. Just not⌠comfort.
Since the locker room seemed to be empty she quickly stripped down, setting aside the encryption cylinder Obli had given her. For a moment she examined herself, along the deep red feathers of her head and neck, gradually turning to a sunburst yellow down her torso, and finally a rich deep blue along her legs and tail. Did species find her attractive? If the Curators had intended for this they likely would have included it in her training surely. Must just be Obli and his guards.
Stepping up to the Curator case she hit the activation button and then held perfectly still as the case opened, arms moving out to begin affixing the suit to her body. First she felt the snap of metal rings around her ankles, wrists, neck, hips, and ribs before the rest of the exoskeleton was built up around it. Then came the cool mesh of the inner suit pulled up underneath it and against her feathers. Next was the composites slotted into the outside, layered and overlapped for maximum coverage. Finally she prepared herself for the final step as two hoses connected to the metal collar around her neck. She hated this part.
When the liquid began to pump into the lining between the mesh and the composite layer it was ice cold and caused her to gasp and shudder as it filled in. It took a few minutes while she tried to carefully control her breathing and push past the cold. Once it was finally full the suit activated and the liquid turned solid, controlled by the sophisticated Curator chip in her skull. Her temperature quickly began to return to normal now and she took a slow deep breath in relief before taking the helmet the case offered last.
She refrained from putting the helmet on yet though, it wasnât quite big enough for her taste and always rubbed her eartips. Walking back out into the hangar she could feel the suit somewhat flowing around her movements. It would turn liquid to move, then solid when it didnât need to. She was also told it would go selectively rigid to deflect projectiles. A feature she hoped to never test.
Looking around a moment she saw Obli near the closest shuttle, speaking to someone wearing an executive pattern suit. Luxurious and comfortable, but sheâd prefer the Curator suit in an emergency. Next to him was a human in a deep blue armored suit with steel accents. As she watched he draped a travel cloak over the shoulders of the suit. An interesting touch. Walking towards them she had to stop a moment to let a rumbling hangar tug pass. Several technicians rode in the back, carried to their next task.
Judging on the whine of the back left wheel she figured their next task might be to fix the tug itself. Either way she continued on up to Director Obli. âTranslator. Iâd like you to meet Kingus.â Obli gestured to the figure in the executive suit. Up close she could see through his helmetâs faceplate and examine the Nikvic inside. Rather stubby bone ridges. Rather young then for an executive.
âTranslator.â He nodded to her.
âKingus, itâs nice to meet you. My name is Mary, though translator is just fine as well.â She took an amicable approach for now.
âYes. This is my bodyguard, Eli.â He gestured to the human next to him, who made for an imposing figure in his armor. With his helmet in place the steel visor reflected a distorted reflection of herself back at her.
âMaâam.â He nodded and extended a hand out from under his cloak. Shifting her helmet to her left hand she carefully reached out to shake his hand in return.
âEli, itâs nice to meet you.â The first human sheâd found in the employ of the company. Though she knew most of the problems on the planet were related to their human miners. Allegedly at least.
âNice to meet you as well maâam.â His shake was firm but not aggressive. âWe should be ready shortly. Theyâre loading the last of some food supplies and then weâre waiting on the marines.â
âFood supplies⌠I donât even know what weâre taking down there. Argyle is a full fledged city. The problems its facing are related to labor terrorists. Not famine.â Kingus mentioned with a huff.
âItâs likely my food.â Mary answered. âThe Curators were unsure how long I would be here and sent me with a full complement of prepared meals.â
âOh.â Kingus coughed lightly. âWell⌠thatâs fine then. I wasnât aware you had special dietary needs. But the marines at least should be here. Whatâs taking them so long?â He tried to deflect a little and looked around.
As if summoned by his complaint she saw a group of human soldiers approaching the shuttle. The few times she had seen soldiers so far theyâd been in smart uniforms and moving with purpose and sharp specific gestures. These⌠did not look nearly so impressive. Or poised. Instead the group just walked casually towards them, in a mixture of armor sets. Most had a haphazard drab olive green coat of paint but much of it was chipped and worn. Not to mention much of it was also covered in writing, drawings, and decals that she doubted were officially sanctioned.
Only the man in the lead looked to be in a truly official uniform set of armor. âIâm Lieutenant Barrow. I assume this is the shuttle we want?â
âBarrow, this is Kingus our Executive Labor Liason.â Director Obli introduced them. âThis is our translator Mary.â
âNever seen one of you before. What species are you?â Mary turned to look at the soldier whoâd spoken to her. He was just next to the officer, and his armor looked particularly beat up. She also noticed signs of scorch marks in several places. Unlike the single smooth faceplate of Eliâs armor his helmet looked more like a scowling face with golden lenses in the eyes.
âI am not an official species. I was Lifted by the Curators to act as a translator.â She informed him directly.
âInteresting. So youâre a bird. But youâve got ears. Whatâs with the headset?â He gestured up at it as she reflexively reached up with her free hand to touch the side.
âThere was a slight miscalculation in my creation and I find most settings to be⌠uncomfortably loud. The headset is to regulate the volume of my surroundings to prevent damage and discomfort.â She explained.
âWhat⌠wait. The Curators made a translator who gets hurt by sound? Am I understanding that right?â Mary frowned at his comment.
âThatâs somewhat reductive.â She tried to deflect.
âIs it wrong?â He pressed.
âItâs not entirely inaccurate.â Disparaging on the work of the Curators wasnât something she was comfortable with.
âThatâs a fancy way of saying Iâm right. So your job, which is listening to things, actively hurts you. Man⌠sucks to be you.â A few of the other marines snickered and giggled behind him as Mary frowned.
âGunny, thatâs enough.â Barrow finally waved off the other marine.
âWhereâs the rest of your company? And the Major?â Obli asked now, thankfully moving things along.
âElsewhere. He said if youâre not going to the planet yet he doesnât see a reason to go either. My platoon and I are sufficient at this time. Once youâre ready to head down then the rest of the company will deploy.â Barrow shrugged. âYou send your flunkey first he sends his flunkey too.â
âWe have concerns about possible terrorist strikes on civilians during the labor talks. Are you sure a platoon is really sufficient?â Kingus asked.
The officer sucked in a breath, likely about to answer but Gunny cut him off. âIsnât it interesting. All across the fringe you corporate types like to talk about how safe and secure your mining colonies are. Biding everyone to bring their families and get to work. Yet, the moment a union starts to form you start screaming about terrorists and how you need the military to keep order.â
âGunny.â The officer hissed at him. Gunny waved it off a moment as the officer cleared his throat. âYour own reports suggest corporate security is robust enough to secure the city. We have no intel to suggest any threats of terrorist strikes by the miners are really valid. A platoon will suffice for now. If the situation changes the rest of the company can deploy very quickly I assure you.â
âFine. But remember just because the miners in question are human doesnât mean you can give them free reign. The FDF and by extension the marines rely on our funding to keep functioning.â Kingus replied.
âYou never let us fucking forget.â Gunny muttered that barely under his breath. Neither Kingus or Obli seemed to pick up on this but Mary did.
âMany species across the Fringe have been generous enough to accept many human refugees. We obviously seek a future of cooperation and mutual success. This is not about humans being singled out. They have been given the same rights and contracts as all other species who join our corporate family.â Director Obli smiled and spread his hands in a friendly gesture. âWe ask only that you protect the talks because theyâre so important to our continued wellbeing as united front here on the Fringe. The Tide comes for us all and we must be ready. Together.â
âWell said Director.â Kingus nodded in support.
âFucking pleaseâŚâ Gunny muttered and made some sort of gesture with his fist making a pumping motion in front of his hips. From the reports the Curators had given her, really what it seemed like was the humans massively increased their productivity, but in exchange wanted better treatment from the various industrial consortiums. The executives like Obli enjoyed the productivity but felt treating them better would set a bad precedent.
Across the fringe however humans had been getting their way more often than not. NT-2125 was by far the biggest, most high profile case, but she didnât imagine it would be anything special. âYes, well, we are here to keep you safe and make sure no one kills anyone. On either side.â The officer assured them and then gestured at the shuttle. âShall we?â
âHave a nice flight Translator. Remember to call me.â Obli smiled and nodded at her.
âIâm sure weâll be in touch, Director.â She finally pulled her helmet up and on, feeling it settle into place with a click and a soft hiss at it pressurized. The very tips of her ears were lightly pressed in by the sides which was why sheâd waited this long to put it on. The marines began to board the shuttle first, shuffling along rows in the center to get into seats with metal shoulder restraints that would help hold them in place.
âHey, so youâre a Lifted? What do the Curators want you here for? Whatâs the deal?â Gunny asked as he waited near the back for the others to shuffle in.
âI am not at liberty at this time to discuss the Curators or their work.â Maryâs forehead felt slightly warm as she answered him.
âOh come on. Thereâs got to be something special the Curators want you here for.â Gunny insisted.
âI am not at liberty at this time to discuss the Curators or their work.â Maryâs forehead felt a bit warmer still.
âGunny leave her alone.â Barrow instructed.
âCâmon why a translator at all? Weâve got earpieces! Iâve never seen a translator before, let alone a Curator one!â By now the other marines were seated and Mary began to shuffle up the row looking for a free seat.
âMaâam youâll need to take one of the jumpseats up front. These harnesses arenât made for your Curator suit.â Barrow tapped one of the set of shoulder restraints. So she kept shuffling past the row of marines towards the front.
âI donât rely on machine translation. I am fluent in over six hundred languages and forms of communication. I listen to all parties and ensure nothing is lost in translation.â She assured them.
âOnly six hundred? I knew of a guy who was fluent in over six million forms of communication.â Gunnyâs voice had a slightly different tone to it. Was he joking?
âSix million seems excessive. I assure you I am well trained for my job.â Now at the front of the shuttle she found the jumpseat in question. Yet, when she went to pull the seat down the dangerous whine and groan of the metal hinged did not inspire her with confidence. Still it was her mission so she settled into the seat and went about trying to figure out the harness.
Barrow approached her and pointed to the straps in order to help her out. âYouâll be fine. This is really just a precaution.â The Lieutenant nodded and gave her shoulder a pat. She smiled up at him then, her faceplate clear unlike their armor. It was thought to be better for non-verbal communication cues if people she spoke to could see her face. Kingus and Eli were the last to settle in seats nearby.
âHey! Corpse!â Gunny called out as Eli settled into his seat and set the shoulder restraints with practiced ease.
âExcuse me?â Eli looked across the aisle at Gunny.
âYouâre corporate security right? Corp-sec.â Gunny more carefully pronounced. But Mary was positive he hadnât made a mistake earlier.
âIâm a private bodyguard. I work on contract.â Eli corrected him.
âOh well anyway the fuck is with the cloak?â Gunny gestured at the deep blue cloak draped over Eliâs shoulders and body. âYouâre in a suit right? Kind of the point of a space suit to be waterproof and somewhat heat proof and shit yeah? Kind of defeats the point of a cloak right? So what gives?â
âItâs about looking stylish. Something you clearly have no concept of Gunnery Sergeant.â Eliâs response seemed to take Gunny by surprise. The Gunny? Was Gunny a nickname or a title? Either way the marines around snickered and chuckled a bit though she could hear Gunny snort.
Barrow took the jumpseat next to her instead of one of the more secure seats. Possibly to help set her at ease. Which she appreciated. âSo, Lieutenant. Do you expect this mission to be dangerous?â
âWhat? Protecting the talks? No. Weâve done this a few times so far. Itâs pretty boring. No one has actually done anything. Usually there are some protests. Corp-sec shove people around. Both sides are upset. But no one dies. The talks advance. The miners get a bit more pay and benefits. Both sides are mutually annoyed with the other. And Iâm sure in a few years itâll all happen again.â Barrow shrugged and seemed entirely unconcerned.
âDonât be so flippant.â Kingus said even as Barrow seemed to dismiss any concerns. âWeâve had some communications troubles from NT-2125. The work of labor agitators no doubt.â
âCommunications troubles? Why are you telling us that now?â Barrow asked, showing some concern.
âI thought it was common knowledge?â Kingus sounded genuinely confused that Barrow was unaware of this. âIs it not? Executives on the ground have spoken of damaged communications systems, and delayed reports from outlying facilities.â
âHave there been delays in ore shipments? Or minerals or whatever?â Barrow asked.
âNo. In fact due to our exemplary corporate structure weâre seeing increases across the board.â Kingus nodded, clearly proud of this fact.
âSo⌠in your mind the labor agitators are breaking lines of communication. But not⌠the ore shipments which you find significantly more valuable?â Barrow asked, clearly not buying the idea.
âDonât be complacent! Just because labor organizers have been rarely violent in the past doesnât mean it will always be the case! I want your men on their highest alertness lieutenant!â Kingus stressed.
âYes sir, Iâll be sure to pass that along.â Barrow assured him, even though Mary could tell by his tone that he had no intention of doing anything.
âWhatâs the planet like?â She asked next.
âThe locals have called it Argyle.â Kingus answered. âItâs our largest mining operation and a highlight of our terraforming technology. A dozen zones have been established across the surface and ten of them are already fully habitable without a suit. We expect work to be done on six zones within the solar cycle, and shall open up another dozen to be finished within the next three solar cycles. Mineral and ore outputs are quadruple expectations. Mostly thanks to our unequaled refinery efficiency.â
âOr maybe cause youâre exploiting the shit out of your workers.â Again Gunny muttered this quietly enough to be missed by the others. Mary was settling into her seat as best she could when she heard the engines spool up. Inside the armored cockpit behind her she could hear the pilots flipping switches.
âSystems check complete. Echo shuttle requesting clearance for departure.â She wasnât sure if that was the pilot or co-pilot. Deeper, possibly male.
âWe got a flight plan?â Lighter possible female. Maybe that was the pilot?
âYeah.â Navigator. Younger, more youthful. Not clear if male or female. âNot much to it. Follow the automated beacons. Their spaceport is big enough for Tagmax freighters so it should be easy peasy lemon squeezy.â Human definitely.
âWeâre clear.â Co-pilot.
âOkay.â There was a moment where Maryâs hearing seemed to echo as she heard both the pilot in the cockpit and over the speakers in the hold at the same time. âWeâre in real space and disembarking now. Remember to keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times until we come to a full and complete stop. We know youâve got no choice in airlines today so suck it up because weâre all you got.â Also definitely human.
Gunny seemed to wiggle and settle in his seat, as if to take a nap. In general the marine chatter in the hold seemed very relaxed and calm. A good sign. The most nervous person was likely Kingus whose breathing she could tell was getting a bit quicker and more nervous. After another few seconds she heard the engine spooling get more intense and the shuttle picked up off the deck. Kingus tensed at this as his hands gripped the seatâs armrests more tightly.
While Mary wished she was in a superior Curator craft she was relatively relaxed. Sheâd flown many times, especially in her training to make sure she could translate even in stressful situations. Part of her wanted to mute her headset for now, to free herself of the need to listen to every jostle of the shuttle and the people within it, but she knew it was more important to maintain her ability to listen to the flight crew.
For several minutes however she mostly had to fight her growing desire to take a nap. Gunnyâs breathing shifted into a soft and consistent snore so he already fell asleep. The gentle rumble of the ship around her and her secure nature also lent itself to a desire to nap⌠âHey did we check the sensor calibration before we left?â Navigator.
âYeah, total systems check. Everything cleared. Iâm not seeing any problems.â Pilot.
âUuuhhh⌠Okay.â Their tone implied things were not okay. She turned her head a little, and began to dial up her headset, ignoring the other sounds and focusing on the cockpit. Another minute went by as she just had the hum of the engines and marine chatter around her. âWeâre sure the sensors were checked?â
âYeah. Why whatâs wrong?â Pilot.
âItâs just⌠uh⌠doesnât make sense. Iâm reading like⌠aaa lot of different atmospheres?â Navigator.
âYeah. Theyâre terraforming it. So, a lot of different atmospheric readings.â Co-pilot.
âSure but⌠some of these are⌠bizarre.. Like a⌠nitrogen? Maybe? And uh⌠ammonia.â She frowned as the Navigator said this.
âMaybe those are the natural planetary atmosphere. Listen, everything else Iâve got is reading fine.â Pilot.
âAsk ground maybe? Terraforming⌠accidents?â Navigator.
âResolute this is Echo Two. Do we have any direct communication with Ground? Over.â Co-pilot. Pause. âNo direct comms at this time. But the nav beacons are loud and clear.â
âProbably just some interference. I mean if theyâve had a terraforming accident itâs probably hell on comms.â Pilot.
âYeah⌠probably.â Navigator, entirely unconvinced. As she listened she realized Barrow was staring straight at her. Did he suspect something? Was he on their channel?
âSomething up?â He asked.
âThe navigator thinks there might have been a terraforming accident on the planet.â She explained.
âWhat? How do you know that?â Barrows looked from her towards the armored door between them.
âI can hear them.â She explained simply.
âDid you say a terraforming accident?â Kinugs looked her way now.
âThey say thereâs strange atmospherics on the planet.â She revealed.
âI knew it! Labor agitators!â He huffed. âTell your men to be ready for all manner of terrorism Lieutenant!â
âMmhhâŚâ Barrow's answer was noncommittal but seemed worried as he focused on Mary. She was still focused on the cockpit however.
âWas there a cruiser in orbit somewhere?â Co-pilot.
âThe uh⌠Tartar or something. At least on the mission brief. We tracking it anywhere?â Pilot.
âI⌠no. Iâve got us, the orbital refinery platform, and the Resolute.â Navigator.
âFreighters? Shuttles? Corporate Yachts? Anything?â Pilot.
âNnnnno.â Navigator.
âThey arenât seeing any other traffic in orbit.â She relayed to Barrow.
Barrow cleared his throat and seemed to trigger a mic in his helmet. âGuys, shut the fuck up. Gunny wake up.â A marine besides gunny slapped the manâs shoulder causing him to jerk in his seat and a knife seemed to appear in his hand.
âWah?â He looked around.
âSomethingâs up.â Barrow mentioned. âNo traffic, planetary comms are down, and terraformers are fucked up.â
Mary expected some smart comment but Gunny tucked his knife away and just listened. âWait. A⌠freighter is taking off.â Navigator. âAnd Iâve got one leaving the orbital platform.â
âPing them?â Co-pilot. Pilot must have nodded because he continued. âPinging.â Pause. âBoth are automated. Both report⌠systems are fine. No issues.â
âNothing from ground? Emergency beacons? Distress? Nothing?â Pilot.
âNothing.â Co-pilot confirmed.
âI mean⌠theyâd be loath to stop shipping ore. Maybe itâs just really comms trouble and they arenât flying anything right now. Cruiser might be on the far side assisting with some kind of⌠recovery effort? I donât know.â Pilot.
âThat might be the caseâŚâ The co-pilot did not in fact think that was the case. âResolute, this is Echo two. Uh⌠do we have any further⌠mission details? Are we still go on landing? Over.â He sounded nervous. âWeâre still go⌠they think itâs just comms trouble. But theyâre prepping more shuttles now for possible rescue or support efforts.â
âI mean everything Iâm seeing is clear. Not even rain clouds.â Pilot.
âTheyâre saying thereâs comms failure on the planet. Theyâve found automated traffic only. No distress calls.â Mary relayed. A moment later the pilot keyed in a direct channel and she heard the voice through Barrowâs helmet comm.
âHey eltea. Just a heads up. We think thereâs some kind of comms failure on the planet. And maybe a terraforming accident. No signs of hostile action though. Still prepped to land shortly. But uh giving you a heads up.â So they could talk to him but hadnât.
âAppreciated. Iâll relay.â He acknowledged. Then she had to try and focus a bit harder as Barrow began to speak to his marines about the situation but the flight crew was still chatting.
âEntering atmo now. Any change in sensor reading?â Pilot.
âNo. Area around Argyle looks⌠okay. Wait, that's the city right?â Navigator.
âYeah. Uh. Maybe.â Pilot. The shuttle began to shake a bit harder though from what she had experienced before this was just normal for entering atmosphere. They were quiet as the shuttle rumbled. But after another minute the rumbling seemed to get worse instead of better. She was much more acutely aware of the groaning of the metal and just shuddering of everything around her. Kingusâ teeth were rattling and clicking especially. âOkay what the fuck.â
âYeah⌠Yeah⌠Uh⌠fuck.â Co-pilot. What were they seeing? Just describe it outloud!
âI canât turn it off. Ground has us locked into our corridor.â Navigator.
âOverride!â Pilot.
âI canât! Iâm trying!â Navigator. The shuddering of the shuttle intensified further as it seemed to be moving around, like the pilot was trying to shake them out of whatever their path was and kept getting pulled in. âItâs not using any normal code! Iâve got no fucking clue what this is!â
âWHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!â Mary winced at how loudly the Co-pilot yelled that. So far their voices had been full of stress and anxiety, but not fear, nor had they been loud.
âJesus!â Pilot. What? What was it? âLook at it fucking move! Chaff! Flares! Dump everything!â
âBrace!â Mary cried out as she clutched her harness. She could hear the deployment of flares and chaff in a rapid series of bops and clanks. Then she could hear something hit the shuttle⌠But it wasnât an explosion? Just a meaty metal crunch. Her body jerked hard in the harness as the shuttle around her began to spin, or jerk, or she had no idea but it was twisting violently!
âFuck!â Pilot
âWatch it!â Co-pilot. Red lights immediately came on in the hold of the shuttle, she could hear as well as feel the violent collision as the port wing slammed into something. For a brief instant she could hear the shattering of glass before her hearing was just overwhelmed by the rest of the crash and the screaming around her. The force yanked her hard against the harness as she heard the terrifying screech of metal being pried apart as the hold and the cockpit sections of the shuttle seemed to detach.
Strapped to the jumpseat she could only watch in horror as the marines before her were suddenly spun in a different direction while Barrow and her were tumbling on the now suddenly exposed outside of the cockpit section. She was screaming as loud as her lungs could bear, but he was oddly quiet. As if resigned to their fate. She could see the city spinning around her, and the straps holding her began to give way as they were never intended for this. Barrow reached out and for a moment she reached towards him but then they hit something hard and her body was sent flying free of the seat.
[Continued in Comments]
submitted by RegalLegalEagle to HFY [link] [comments]
Mary had been rather intrigued by the concept of an observation deck on a ship. Curator ship designs didnât even have windows let alone a whole deck. Yet, deck seemed a bit of a grand exaggeration now that she was standing in the room with the large window dominating one wall. The room was empty aside from herself. Though there were tables and chairs enough to fit a few dozen people easily. No doubt it was more in use if the ship should be hosting dignitaries over some important planet, or picturesque astronomical feature. En route to NT-2125 however they were instead enveloped in the Ink, a sight no one seemed keen on viewing.
Her education had of course touched on the existence of the Ink, but that was about it. She had no idea how it really was used to facilitate FTL travel. What she did know, now that she was looking at it, was that it was rather unpleasant to look at. She had seen purest black. The concept of looking at entirely nothing but a void was fine with her.
The Ink however⌠While she watched it slowly move around before her eyes it was like a vast ocean of some kind. An ocean of⌠incredible depth. When she had first stepped into the room and seen it dominating the large window she had thought it to be a mixture of blues, purples, and blacks. But the longer she watched the bubbles and lines slowly moving around she wasnât sure if she were seeing color at all. Maybe she was seeing not the absence of light, but something opposite to it. As if the Ink gave off⌠anti-light.
She had no basis for this thought of course. No training, education, or experience to make her believe it was a real thing. Yet, if matter had anti-matter why couldnât light have anti-light? After all the longer she looked the more if felt like she wasnât really seeing anything. Nothing real anyway. More like⌠if she closed her eyes and rubbed against the eyelids and saw the attempts of her brain understand the shadows. Then there was the thought maybe she really was seeing something. Something just under the waves of its vast deep ocean of anti-light. After all, what was causing it to move? Were the waves, ripples, and bubbles purely random? Or was there something making it move?
As unpleasant as her line of thinking was, at least watching it gave her some small alone time on the otherwise crowded vessel. It also gave her an excuse to keep her headset muted. She would much rather deal with staring out at a vast ocean of anti-light than listen to the ship around her at this point. Yet, the moment she began to consider that she saw a flash in the bottom of her vision. Door opening. With a flick she started the program to let her headset gradually increase volume as her ears began to work again.
First sound, click of hard heel on metallic decking. Second sound, sharp intake of breath likely indicating surprise, anxiety, unease, or combination. Third sound, a tongue flicking against teeth before making a disapproving sucking sound. Fourth sound, fabric on fabric rubbing was very low and soft indicating luxury stitching and material. âHello Director Obli.â
âTranslator.â Came the curt reply, though said at a perfectly reasonable volume for normal speaking Mary winced a bit. Going from total silence to even the muted sounds she was getting now was rough at times. Especially as more just kept building. Even at this low level the sound of the ships began to return to her. The groan of metal, the hum of electricity, the distant murmur of people going about their tasks. She had no idea what sheâd do without the headset to at least partially mute the world around her.
âYour bodyguards arenât joining us?â Mary glanced over at the HuulâRav in his custom suit. She couldnât see his guards, but she could hear them just outside. She recognized Hrue from his breathing pattern, as smoking had done a number on his lungs. Based on the jingle of grenade tabs the other was Juul.
âIf the Curators wanted me dead I highly doubt theyâd create you just for the task. Theyâre more than powerful enough to have no need for subtlety or subterfuge.â Even though the director was talking to her he was looking out the window at the Ink. She could see the disdain on his face rather obviously. A hand moving up to nervously brush his furry chin, even as he tilted his horns side to side.
While he seemed focused on the Ink her mind returned to his curious comment. Did the Curators need to employ subterfuge? Of course they were powerful, but surely there was also use in subterfuge. Regardless, she had not been sent to kill the Director. Or anyone for that matter. She had no training in combat or related topics. He seemed to also be thinking about this though as he looked at her. âYou arenât here to kill me right?â
âNo. Iâm not here to kill you or anyone else.â She assured him. âIâm just here to facilitate communications during the negotiations.â
âIt is curious though. Why the Custodians sent anyone at allâŚâ He trailed off and while she was about to answer he turned and spoke first. âActually do you mind if we talk somewhere else?â At the end his eyes darted to the window and the swirl of the Ink beyond.
âCertainly.â She nodded, and gestured to the door letting him go first.
âI appreciate it.â He commented and even as he stepped through the door Hrue stepped in front of him to lead, while Juul stepped up behind Mary to follow. âI will admit it spoils my plans a bit. I wanted to talk with you in private a little. But uh⌠I do not particularly enjoy looking at the Ink.â She could hear his breathing pattern change just being in the hallway, out of sight of the swirling anti-light.
âIâm sure we can find privacy elsewhere. Though I am unsure what kind of private chat you would like. Iâm here strictly as a neutral party to facilitate negotiations.â She reminded him.
âAs youâve said many times.â Obli waved off her remark. âAnyway, since youâre new to this sort of thing I just want to introduce you to my underling since youâll be working for him during the start of the talks.â
Mary frowned at this sudden revelation. âFirst, I donât work for you, or your subordinate. I-â
âAre a neutral translator provided by the Curators.â He waved her off again as they walked. All around her she could hear the ship and its crew going about keeping the ship alive as it were. It was an older vessel and every creak and groan of stressed metal, or electrical spark continued to heighten her anxiety. She could not wait to get off this vessel and onto a planet. âI meant work for him in a more metaphorical sense. I know you likely expected to work with me throughout these talks but itâs just not how labor talks to management. They donât get to start by talking to a Director. Theyâll start with someone just important enough to garner attention but with no real power. If he fails, I swoop in and save things. If he succeeds I get to take credit in the end and talk about how I knew he was the man for the job.â
The further they walked from the observation deck and the Ink the more confident and in fact arrogant Obli got. She wasnât particularly keen on his behavior but she had at least grown accustomed to it on the trip so far. âWhy then did you spend most of this trip testing my abilities as a translator?â
âBecause I was trying to figure out your angle.â He replied with a glance back over his shoulder as they reached a lift. The four of them filtered into it before Juul hit the button for the hangar deck.
âI donât have an angle. I was instructed to come here and facilitate-â She began but he yet again waved her off.
âNeutral yes yes. But why? Weâve never needed nor requested Curator assistance for anything like this. We have a proven history of successfully ending labor disputes and organization efforts. So why have the curators bothered to send you? Shouldnât you be trying to help keep the FDF from falling apart? Or spreading the word of the Curators to the masses or something? That is something they do right? Proselytize?â Mary was fairly confident Obli tried to be dismissive about the Curators just to make himself more comfortable. It was a minor enough annoyance to overlook. Though she wondered if it actually helped ease his fragile ego.
âThe Curators do not proselytize no. They have no need. They exist. They act. They do not need the approval of others, nor belief in their correctness. I am here because I have been ordered to be here. I was told I must assist in negotiating between the belligerent parties on NT-2125 and observe the outcome. That is all. If the Curators have a deeper reason for sending me here I do not know it.â While she spoke she could already hear Obli clicking his tongue in disapproval. Hrue was trying, and failing, to breathe quietly. Juul was running her hand over a smooth metallic object in her right pocket, slowly turning it over.
âI know you are flesh and blood, but youâre more like your creators than I find comforting.â Obli very bluntly commented.
âI do not exist for your comfort.â Mary pointedly replied, which made Obli click his tongue in disapproval once more. By that point the lift stopped and the doors opened. The rush of sound from the hangar deck made her wince a moment as she had to deal with the sudden volume as she lowered her headset sensitivity.
âI donât think you exist for your own comfort either.â Obli remarked, now smirking a little at her obvious discomfort. There was little she could do but cast a glare in his direction as the pain subsided and the sounds took on a more muted level. Looking out across the hangar she could see dozens of people moving around and working on the shipâs complement of shuttles, and fighters. No one was expecting combat, but that didnât stop the captain from preparing anyway. While she was told most of the machinery operated at frequencies most species couldnât hear it always gave her a headache to be around so many buzzing, grinding, churning machines.
âRegardless.â Obli continued. âI want to make it clear I have been authorized to extend to the Curators our most sincere intent to be friends. If there is anything we can do to make your job more comfortable let me know. And if you see fit to pass on anything you hear from the labor organizers direct compensation is on offer.â
âI am here as a neutral party.â She reminded him yet again. But he just spread his hands and smiled.
âWeâre willing to pay for even what you would consider banter and gossip. Anything you hear. My subordinate is also authorized to compensate you but Iâd prefer a direct copy.â He held out an encryption cylinder. While she had no intention of passing along anything she did take it. It might be useful for other reasons.
âI donât have a bank account, you know. Or any credits.â When she told him this he looked entirely confused. âI am not paid for my efforts. Curators do not use currency of any kind. Resources are simply provided as needed.â
Director Obliâs look of pure disgust was even more obvious than when heâd been in the observation deck. âAnd here I thought they were civilized⌠But itâs then all the more important for you to start building up your own nest egg!â He began to pull a credit chip from his pocket but she waved him off.
âIâm not chipped nor do I have a slate.â This time he scoffed and looked confused even as he held it out.
âYou can take the whole thing. How do you expect to pay for anything on the planet without credits?â He seemed genuinely baffled.
âI donât expect to pay for anything on the planet. Your company has extended their most sincere intent to be friends after all.â As she tilted her head a little while looking at him Obli just snorted.
âAh⌠This is why my assistant was babbling about an expense waiver. Yes⌠There are limits to it, you know. Food, drink, necessities only.â Mary just stared at him until he finally sighed and tucked the credit chip back into his pocket. âFine. Itâs best for you to go change now then, the shuttle will be leaving as soon as we hit real space.â
She was wondering why heâd brought her here directly. âAnd why am I changing?â
âWell, you can go as you are if you like. But this isnât a Curator ship. The Resolute has to drop further away from the planet so the shuttle will be in space to close the gap to the planet. And, I mean clearly Curator tech never breaks or has any accidents but our poor mortal hands make poor mortal vessels.â Obli spread his hands as if to highlight his own soft, well manicured hands.
âFine.â While her suit wasnât as comfortable as her normal clothes she didnât intend on being the only one killed by some sort of accident on the way to the planet. It would set a terrible precedent. So she walked away from Obli and his guards then towards the hangarâs locker room.
As she strode across the deck, stepping over fuel and coolant lines she tried to make some sense of the mass of sound around her. Obli no doubt thought she was beyond earshot when he spoke to his guards. âStrange bird. Easy on the eyes though.â
Hrue cleared his throat a moment to reply in a gravely, raspy voice. âThink the Curators made her to be attractive to most species somehow? Robot magic or something?â
âI donât know. Maybe. I still donât know why they sent anyone at all. I donât trust those damned machines.â Obli replied. She had expected this sort of reaction. It was in line with their comments during the trip.
Other than that most of the technicians, mechanics, and pilots moving around the hangar seemed much more focused on their work than anything else. Grumblings about the captainâs standards, and an apparent lack of spare parts. Based on the overall comments it seemed to be more about not wanting to do so much work rather than serious concerns over abilities to keep ships functional. Or so she hoped.
Once in the locker room she made her way to the back where a special case had been installed for her suit. While she would have preferred to travel on a Curator vessel she was glad to at least get a Curator suit. They didnât have many organics, but the suits they made for her and the other Lifted were absolutely the best in terms of survivability, durability, and protection. Just not⌠comfort.
Since the locker room seemed to be empty she quickly stripped down, setting aside the encryption cylinder Obli had given her. For a moment she examined herself, along the deep red feathers of her head and neck, gradually turning to a sunburst yellow down her torso, and finally a rich deep blue along her legs and tail. Did species find her attractive? If the Curators had intended for this they likely would have included it in her training surely. Must just be Obli and his guards.
Stepping up to the Curator case she hit the activation button and then held perfectly still as the case opened, arms moving out to begin affixing the suit to her body. First she felt the snap of metal rings around her ankles, wrists, neck, hips, and ribs before the rest of the exoskeleton was built up around it. Then came the cool mesh of the inner suit pulled up underneath it and against her feathers. Next was the composites slotted into the outside, layered and overlapped for maximum coverage. Finally she prepared herself for the final step as two hoses connected to the metal collar around her neck. She hated this part.
When the liquid began to pump into the lining between the mesh and the composite layer it was ice cold and caused her to gasp and shudder as it filled in. It took a few minutes while she tried to carefully control her breathing and push past the cold. Once it was finally full the suit activated and the liquid turned solid, controlled by the sophisticated Curator chip in her skull. Her temperature quickly began to return to normal now and she took a slow deep breath in relief before taking the helmet the case offered last.
She refrained from putting the helmet on yet though, it wasnât quite big enough for her taste and always rubbed her eartips. Walking back out into the hangar she could feel the suit somewhat flowing around her movements. It would turn liquid to move, then solid when it didnât need to. She was also told it would go selectively rigid to deflect projectiles. A feature she hoped to never test.
Looking around a moment she saw Obli near the closest shuttle, speaking to someone wearing an executive pattern suit. Luxurious and comfortable, but sheâd prefer the Curator suit in an emergency. Next to him was a human in a deep blue armored suit with steel accents. As she watched he draped a travel cloak over the shoulders of the suit. An interesting touch. Walking towards them she had to stop a moment to let a rumbling hangar tug pass. Several technicians rode in the back, carried to their next task.
Judging on the whine of the back left wheel she figured their next task might be to fix the tug itself. Either way she continued on up to Director Obli. âTranslator. Iâd like you to meet Kingus.â Obli gestured to the figure in the executive suit. Up close she could see through his helmetâs faceplate and examine the Nikvic inside. Rather stubby bone ridges. Rather young then for an executive.
âTranslator.â He nodded to her.
âKingus, itâs nice to meet you. My name is Mary, though translator is just fine as well.â She took an amicable approach for now.
âYes. This is my bodyguard, Eli.â He gestured to the human next to him, who made for an imposing figure in his armor. With his helmet in place the steel visor reflected a distorted reflection of herself back at her.
âMaâam.â He nodded and extended a hand out from under his cloak. Shifting her helmet to her left hand she carefully reached out to shake his hand in return.
âEli, itâs nice to meet you.â The first human sheâd found in the employ of the company. Though she knew most of the problems on the planet were related to their human miners. Allegedly at least.
âNice to meet you as well maâam.â His shake was firm but not aggressive. âWe should be ready shortly. Theyâre loading the last of some food supplies and then weâre waiting on the marines.â
âFood supplies⌠I donât even know what weâre taking down there. Argyle is a full fledged city. The problems its facing are related to labor terrorists. Not famine.â Kingus mentioned with a huff.
âItâs likely my food.â Mary answered. âThe Curators were unsure how long I would be here and sent me with a full complement of prepared meals.â
âOh.â Kingus coughed lightly. âWell⌠thatâs fine then. I wasnât aware you had special dietary needs. But the marines at least should be here. Whatâs taking them so long?â He tried to deflect a little and looked around.
As if summoned by his complaint she saw a group of human soldiers approaching the shuttle. The few times she had seen soldiers so far theyâd been in smart uniforms and moving with purpose and sharp specific gestures. These⌠did not look nearly so impressive. Or poised. Instead the group just walked casually towards them, in a mixture of armor sets. Most had a haphazard drab olive green coat of paint but much of it was chipped and worn. Not to mention much of it was also covered in writing, drawings, and decals that she doubted were officially sanctioned.
Only the man in the lead looked to be in a truly official uniform set of armor. âIâm Lieutenant Barrow. I assume this is the shuttle we want?â
âBarrow, this is Kingus our Executive Labor Liason.â Director Obli introduced them. âThis is our translator Mary.â
âNever seen one of you before. What species are you?â Mary turned to look at the soldier whoâd spoken to her. He was just next to the officer, and his armor looked particularly beat up. She also noticed signs of scorch marks in several places. Unlike the single smooth faceplate of Eliâs armor his helmet looked more like a scowling face with golden lenses in the eyes.
âI am not an official species. I was Lifted by the Curators to act as a translator.â She informed him directly.
âInteresting. So youâre a bird. But youâve got ears. Whatâs with the headset?â He gestured up at it as she reflexively reached up with her free hand to touch the side.
âThere was a slight miscalculation in my creation and I find most settings to be⌠uncomfortably loud. The headset is to regulate the volume of my surroundings to prevent damage and discomfort.â She explained.
âWhat⌠wait. The Curators made a translator who gets hurt by sound? Am I understanding that right?â Mary frowned at his comment.
âThatâs somewhat reductive.â She tried to deflect.
âIs it wrong?â He pressed.
âItâs not entirely inaccurate.â Disparaging on the work of the Curators wasnât something she was comfortable with.
âThatâs a fancy way of saying Iâm right. So your job, which is listening to things, actively hurts you. Man⌠sucks to be you.â A few of the other marines snickered and giggled behind him as Mary frowned.
âGunny, thatâs enough.â Barrow finally waved off the other marine.
âWhereâs the rest of your company? And the Major?â Obli asked now, thankfully moving things along.
âElsewhere. He said if youâre not going to the planet yet he doesnât see a reason to go either. My platoon and I are sufficient at this time. Once youâre ready to head down then the rest of the company will deploy.â Barrow shrugged. âYou send your flunkey first he sends his flunkey too.â
âWe have concerns about possible terrorist strikes on civilians during the labor talks. Are you sure a platoon is really sufficient?â Kingus asked.
The officer sucked in a breath, likely about to answer but Gunny cut him off. âIsnât it interesting. All across the fringe you corporate types like to talk about how safe and secure your mining colonies are. Biding everyone to bring their families and get to work. Yet, the moment a union starts to form you start screaming about terrorists and how you need the military to keep order.â
âGunny.â The officer hissed at him. Gunny waved it off a moment as the officer cleared his throat. âYour own reports suggest corporate security is robust enough to secure the city. We have no intel to suggest any threats of terrorist strikes by the miners are really valid. A platoon will suffice for now. If the situation changes the rest of the company can deploy very quickly I assure you.â
âFine. But remember just because the miners in question are human doesnât mean you can give them free reign. The FDF and by extension the marines rely on our funding to keep functioning.â Kingus replied.
âYou never let us fucking forget.â Gunny muttered that barely under his breath. Neither Kingus or Obli seemed to pick up on this but Mary did.
âMany species across the Fringe have been generous enough to accept many human refugees. We obviously seek a future of cooperation and mutual success. This is not about humans being singled out. They have been given the same rights and contracts as all other species who join our corporate family.â Director Obli smiled and spread his hands in a friendly gesture. âWe ask only that you protect the talks because theyâre so important to our continued wellbeing as united front here on the Fringe. The Tide comes for us all and we must be ready. Together.â
âWell said Director.â Kingus nodded in support.
âFucking pleaseâŚâ Gunny muttered and made some sort of gesture with his fist making a pumping motion in front of his hips. From the reports the Curators had given her, really what it seemed like was the humans massively increased their productivity, but in exchange wanted better treatment from the various industrial consortiums. The executives like Obli enjoyed the productivity but felt treating them better would set a bad precedent.
Across the fringe however humans had been getting their way more often than not. NT-2125 was by far the biggest, most high profile case, but she didnât imagine it would be anything special. âYes, well, we are here to keep you safe and make sure no one kills anyone. On either side.â The officer assured them and then gestured at the shuttle. âShall we?â
âHave a nice flight Translator. Remember to call me.â Obli smiled and nodded at her.
âIâm sure weâll be in touch, Director.â She finally pulled her helmet up and on, feeling it settle into place with a click and a soft hiss at it pressurized. The very tips of her ears were lightly pressed in by the sides which was why sheâd waited this long to put it on. The marines began to board the shuttle first, shuffling along rows in the center to get into seats with metal shoulder restraints that would help hold them in place.
âHey, so youâre a Lifted? What do the Curators want you here for? Whatâs the deal?â Gunny asked as he waited near the back for the others to shuffle in.
âI am not at liberty at this time to discuss the Curators or their work.â Maryâs forehead felt slightly warm as she answered him.
âOh come on. Thereâs got to be something special the Curators want you here for.â Gunny insisted.
âI am not at liberty at this time to discuss the Curators or their work.â Maryâs forehead felt a bit warmer still.
âGunny leave her alone.â Barrow instructed.
âCâmon why a translator at all? Weâve got earpieces! Iâve never seen a translator before, let alone a Curator one!â By now the other marines were seated and Mary began to shuffle up the row looking for a free seat.
âMaâam youâll need to take one of the jumpseats up front. These harnesses arenât made for your Curator suit.â Barrow tapped one of the set of shoulder restraints. So she kept shuffling past the row of marines towards the front.
âI donât rely on machine translation. I am fluent in over six hundred languages and forms of communication. I listen to all parties and ensure nothing is lost in translation.â She assured them.
âOnly six hundred? I knew of a guy who was fluent in over six million forms of communication.â Gunnyâs voice had a slightly different tone to it. Was he joking?
âSix million seems excessive. I assure you I am well trained for my job.â Now at the front of the shuttle she found the jumpseat in question. Yet, when she went to pull the seat down the dangerous whine and groan of the metal hinged did not inspire her with confidence. Still it was her mission so she settled into the seat and went about trying to figure out the harness.
Barrow approached her and pointed to the straps in order to help her out. âYouâll be fine. This is really just a precaution.â The Lieutenant nodded and gave her shoulder a pat. She smiled up at him then, her faceplate clear unlike their armor. It was thought to be better for non-verbal communication cues if people she spoke to could see her face. Kingus and Eli were the last to settle in seats nearby.
âHey! Corpse!â Gunny called out as Eli settled into his seat and set the shoulder restraints with practiced ease.
âExcuse me?â Eli looked across the aisle at Gunny.
âYouâre corporate security right? Corp-sec.â Gunny more carefully pronounced. But Mary was positive he hadnât made a mistake earlier.
âIâm a private bodyguard. I work on contract.â Eli corrected him.
âOh well anyway the fuck is with the cloak?â Gunny gestured at the deep blue cloak draped over Eliâs shoulders and body. âYouâre in a suit right? Kind of the point of a space suit to be waterproof and somewhat heat proof and shit yeah? Kind of defeats the point of a cloak right? So what gives?â
âItâs about looking stylish. Something you clearly have no concept of Gunnery Sergeant.â Eliâs response seemed to take Gunny by surprise. The Gunny? Was Gunny a nickname or a title? Either way the marines around snickered and chuckled a bit though she could hear Gunny snort.
Barrow took the jumpseat next to her instead of one of the more secure seats. Possibly to help set her at ease. Which she appreciated. âSo, Lieutenant. Do you expect this mission to be dangerous?â
âWhat? Protecting the talks? No. Weâve done this a few times so far. Itâs pretty boring. No one has actually done anything. Usually there are some protests. Corp-sec shove people around. Both sides are upset. But no one dies. The talks advance. The miners get a bit more pay and benefits. Both sides are mutually annoyed with the other. And Iâm sure in a few years itâll all happen again.â Barrow shrugged and seemed entirely unconcerned.
âDonât be so flippant.â Kingus said even as Barrow seemed to dismiss any concerns. âWeâve had some communications troubles from NT-2125. The work of labor agitators no doubt.â
âCommunications troubles? Why are you telling us that now?â Barrow asked, showing some concern.
âI thought it was common knowledge?â Kingus sounded genuinely confused that Barrow was unaware of this. âIs it not? Executives on the ground have spoken of damaged communications systems, and delayed reports from outlying facilities.â
âHave there been delays in ore shipments? Or minerals or whatever?â Barrow asked.
âNo. In fact due to our exemplary corporate structure weâre seeing increases across the board.â Kingus nodded, clearly proud of this fact.
âSo⌠in your mind the labor agitators are breaking lines of communication. But not⌠the ore shipments which you find significantly more valuable?â Barrow asked, clearly not buying the idea.
âDonât be complacent! Just because labor organizers have been rarely violent in the past doesnât mean it will always be the case! I want your men on their highest alertness lieutenant!â Kingus stressed.
âYes sir, Iâll be sure to pass that along.â Barrow assured him, even though Mary could tell by his tone that he had no intention of doing anything.
âWhatâs the planet like?â She asked next.
âThe locals have called it Argyle.â Kingus answered. âItâs our largest mining operation and a highlight of our terraforming technology. A dozen zones have been established across the surface and ten of them are already fully habitable without a suit. We expect work to be done on six zones within the solar cycle, and shall open up another dozen to be finished within the next three solar cycles. Mineral and ore outputs are quadruple expectations. Mostly thanks to our unequaled refinery efficiency.â
âOr maybe cause youâre exploiting the shit out of your workers.â Again Gunny muttered this quietly enough to be missed by the others. Mary was settling into her seat as best she could when she heard the engines spool up. Inside the armored cockpit behind her she could hear the pilots flipping switches.
âSystems check complete. Echo shuttle requesting clearance for departure.â She wasnât sure if that was the pilot or co-pilot. Deeper, possibly male.
âWe got a flight plan?â Lighter possible female. Maybe that was the pilot?
âYeah.â Navigator. Younger, more youthful. Not clear if male or female. âNot much to it. Follow the automated beacons. Their spaceport is big enough for Tagmax freighters so it should be easy peasy lemon squeezy.â Human definitely.
âWeâre clear.â Co-pilot.
âOkay.â There was a moment where Maryâs hearing seemed to echo as she heard both the pilot in the cockpit and over the speakers in the hold at the same time. âWeâre in real space and disembarking now. Remember to keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times until we come to a full and complete stop. We know youâve got no choice in airlines today so suck it up because weâre all you got.â Also definitely human.
Gunny seemed to wiggle and settle in his seat, as if to take a nap. In general the marine chatter in the hold seemed very relaxed and calm. A good sign. The most nervous person was likely Kingus whose breathing she could tell was getting a bit quicker and more nervous. After another few seconds she heard the engine spooling get more intense and the shuttle picked up off the deck. Kingus tensed at this as his hands gripped the seatâs armrests more tightly.
While Mary wished she was in a superior Curator craft she was relatively relaxed. Sheâd flown many times, especially in her training to make sure she could translate even in stressful situations. Part of her wanted to mute her headset for now, to free herself of the need to listen to every jostle of the shuttle and the people within it, but she knew it was more important to maintain her ability to listen to the flight crew.
For several minutes however she mostly had to fight her growing desire to take a nap. Gunnyâs breathing shifted into a soft and consistent snore so he already fell asleep. The gentle rumble of the ship around her and her secure nature also lent itself to a desire to nap⌠âHey did we check the sensor calibration before we left?â Navigator.
âYeah, total systems check. Everything cleared. Iâm not seeing any problems.â Pilot.
âUuuhhh⌠Okay.â Their tone implied things were not okay. She turned her head a little, and began to dial up her headset, ignoring the other sounds and focusing on the cockpit. Another minute went by as she just had the hum of the engines and marine chatter around her. âWeâre sure the sensors were checked?â
âYeah. Why whatâs wrong?â Pilot.
âItâs just⌠uh⌠doesnât make sense. Iâm reading like⌠aaa lot of different atmospheres?â Navigator.
âYeah. Theyâre terraforming it. So, a lot of different atmospheric readings.â Co-pilot.
âSure but⌠some of these are⌠bizarre.. Like a⌠nitrogen? Maybe? And uh⌠ammonia.â She frowned as the Navigator said this.
âMaybe those are the natural planetary atmosphere. Listen, everything else Iâve got is reading fine.â Pilot.
âAsk ground maybe? Terraforming⌠accidents?â Navigator.
âResolute this is Echo Two. Do we have any direct communication with Ground? Over.â Co-pilot. Pause. âNo direct comms at this time. But the nav beacons are loud and clear.â
âProbably just some interference. I mean if theyâve had a terraforming accident itâs probably hell on comms.â Pilot.
âYeah⌠probably.â Navigator, entirely unconvinced. As she listened she realized Barrow was staring straight at her. Did he suspect something? Was he on their channel?
âSomething up?â He asked.
âThe navigator thinks there might have been a terraforming accident on the planet.â She explained.
âWhat? How do you know that?â Barrows looked from her towards the armored door between them.
âI can hear them.â She explained simply.
âDid you say a terraforming accident?â Kinugs looked her way now.
âThey say thereâs strange atmospherics on the planet.â She revealed.
âI knew it! Labor agitators!â He huffed. âTell your men to be ready for all manner of terrorism Lieutenant!â
âMmhhâŚâ Barrow's answer was noncommittal but seemed worried as he focused on Mary. She was still focused on the cockpit however.
âWas there a cruiser in orbit somewhere?â Co-pilot.
âThe uh⌠Tartar or something. At least on the mission brief. We tracking it anywhere?â Pilot.
âI⌠no. Iâve got us, the orbital refinery platform, and the Resolute.â Navigator.
âFreighters? Shuttles? Corporate Yachts? Anything?â Pilot.
âNnnnno.â Navigator.
âThey arenât seeing any other traffic in orbit.â She relayed to Barrow.
Barrow cleared his throat and seemed to trigger a mic in his helmet. âGuys, shut the fuck up. Gunny wake up.â A marine besides gunny slapped the manâs shoulder causing him to jerk in his seat and a knife seemed to appear in his hand.
âWah?â He looked around.
âSomethingâs up.â Barrow mentioned. âNo traffic, planetary comms are down, and terraformers are fucked up.â
Mary expected some smart comment but Gunny tucked his knife away and just listened. âWait. A⌠freighter is taking off.â Navigator. âAnd Iâve got one leaving the orbital platform.â
âPing them?â Co-pilot. Pilot must have nodded because he continued. âPinging.â Pause. âBoth are automated. Both report⌠systems are fine. No issues.â
âNothing from ground? Emergency beacons? Distress? Nothing?â Pilot.
âNothing.â Co-pilot confirmed.
âI mean⌠theyâd be loath to stop shipping ore. Maybe itâs just really comms trouble and they arenât flying anything right now. Cruiser might be on the far side assisting with some kind of⌠recovery effort? I donât know.â Pilot.
âThat might be the caseâŚâ The co-pilot did not in fact think that was the case. âResolute, this is Echo two. Uh⌠do we have any further⌠mission details? Are we still go on landing? Over.â He sounded nervous. âWeâre still go⌠they think itâs just comms trouble. But theyâre prepping more shuttles now for possible rescue or support efforts.â
âI mean everything Iâm seeing is clear. Not even rain clouds.â Pilot.
âTheyâre saying thereâs comms failure on the planet. Theyâve found automated traffic only. No distress calls.â Mary relayed. A moment later the pilot keyed in a direct channel and she heard the voice through Barrowâs helmet comm.
âHey eltea. Just a heads up. We think thereâs some kind of comms failure on the planet. And maybe a terraforming accident. No signs of hostile action though. Still prepped to land shortly. But uh giving you a heads up.â So they could talk to him but hadnât.
âAppreciated. Iâll relay.â He acknowledged. Then she had to try and focus a bit harder as Barrow began to speak to his marines about the situation but the flight crew was still chatting.
âEntering atmo now. Any change in sensor reading?â Pilot.
âNo. Area around Argyle looks⌠okay. Wait, that's the city right?â Navigator.
âYeah. Uh. Maybe.â Pilot. The shuttle began to shake a bit harder though from what she had experienced before this was just normal for entering atmosphere. They were quiet as the shuttle rumbled. But after another minute the rumbling seemed to get worse instead of better. She was much more acutely aware of the groaning of the metal and just shuddering of everything around her. Kingusâ teeth were rattling and clicking especially. âOkay what the fuck.â
âYeah⌠Yeah⌠Uh⌠fuck.â Co-pilot. What were they seeing? Just describe it outloud!
âI canât turn it off. Ground has us locked into our corridor.â Navigator.
âOverride!â Pilot.
âI canât! Iâm trying!â Navigator. The shuddering of the shuttle intensified further as it seemed to be moving around, like the pilot was trying to shake them out of whatever their path was and kept getting pulled in. âItâs not using any normal code! Iâve got no fucking clue what this is!â
âWHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!â Mary winced at how loudly the Co-pilot yelled that. So far their voices had been full of stress and anxiety, but not fear, nor had they been loud.
âJesus!â Pilot. What? What was it? âLook at it fucking move! Chaff! Flares! Dump everything!â
âBrace!â Mary cried out as she clutched her harness. She could hear the deployment of flares and chaff in a rapid series of bops and clanks. Then she could hear something hit the shuttle⌠But it wasnât an explosion? Just a meaty metal crunch. Her body jerked hard in the harness as the shuttle around her began to spin, or jerk, or she had no idea but it was twisting violently!
âFuck!â Pilot
âWatch it!â Co-pilot. Red lights immediately came on in the hold of the shuttle, she could hear as well as feel the violent collision as the port wing slammed into something. For a brief instant she could hear the shattering of glass before her hearing was just overwhelmed by the rest of the crash and the screaming around her. The force yanked her hard against the harness as she heard the terrifying screech of metal being pried apart as the hold and the cockpit sections of the shuttle seemed to detach.
Strapped to the jumpseat she could only watch in horror as the marines before her were suddenly spun in a different direction while Barrow and her were tumbling on the now suddenly exposed outside of the cockpit section. She was screaming as loud as her lungs could bear, but he was oddly quiet. As if resigned to their fate. She could see the city spinning around her, and the straps holding her began to give way as they were never intended for this. Barrow reached out and for a moment she reached towards him but then they hit something hard and her body was sent flying free of the seat.
[Continued in Comments]
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2023.06.01 04:14 Betty-Adams Flying Sparks Volume 1 - A Novel of a boy, a dragon, and an alien. Avaliable for preorder on Indiegogo Now.
 | Flying SparksPre Order Nowhttps://i.redd.it/vvxa5zxkfb3b1.gif Chapter 2âHazardous? Iâll show that manipulative, misanthropic, anti-establishment cretin just what hazardous means if he thinks Iâm going to fold on this!âThe sound of vigorous guitar riffs made a fitting accompaniment to the angry tirade despite originating on opposite sides of the communal area. Ama was glaring at a laptop that sat on a stained oak desk shoved against the large table near the kitchen. She tapped a fingernail on the wood as she read through the alert. âAnd what violation of basic human dignity has her royal prudishnessâs undies in a bunch?â Em demanded with an affected sneer without looking up from his guitar scales. âOh youâll agree with this one tree-hugger,â Drake muttered from where he sat oiling his work boots. âYeah,â Donny piped up, âFinney is trying to kill a perfectly healthy fir.â âWhat!â Em demanded, carefully placing his battered old acoustic guitar down in its case and darting over to look at the computer screen. âYou mean apark tree?â Despite her simmering frustration Ama allowed a small smile to flicker across her face as she continued to type. âGet out of your pajamas and Iâll tell you,â Drake ordered pointing towards the bathroom door with a stained rag. âSchool starts in forty-five minutes and you still have breakfast and chores. That goes for you too Pip-squirt.â âI hope you washed your hands before you touched our food,â Em said with a frown. âBoot grease makes a great source of fatty acids.â Drake retorted. âNow go!â The two smaller boys muttered in annoyance but stumbled off to follow orders. âSo what is up?â the youth asked as he bent his head back over the smooth leather of his boots. âMrs. Finney wants that tree down thatâs blocking her perfect view of Crescent Lake.â Ama replied in a dry tone. âOne thatâs clearly on park property?â Drake asked. âIndeedy-do.â Ama replied giving the paper in front of her a glare. âSo howâs she justifying it?â Drake asked. âAs a safety hazard to her house.â Ama replied. âAnd?â The biologist groaned and rubbed her face. âAs far as I can tell the trunk is perfectly healthy. There is an old trash can lid grown into the trunk and a little discolored sap is leaking out there.â âFrass?â âWatch your language!â Donny interjected as he darted up to the table. âFrass is not a bad word,â Drake stated. âHave you let the chickens out?â âYes, what does frass mean?â Donny asked as he started piling stir-fry onto his plate. âLook it up.â Drake ordered him. âEmerald! Breakfast ends in ten minutes! Get your tukus down here!â âItâs bad health to rush meals,â Em snapped out as he came down a narrow stairway with deliberate slowness. âItâs even worse for your health to skip meals altogether,â Drake growled threateningly. âShut it and give me some eggs.â Em snapped back. âEmerald Waters Undersun,â Drake hissed out through gritted teeth. âYou are going to get your own eggs.â The boy threw himself into a chair and glared at Drake with challenge in every line of his body. âEmerald,â Ama said in a calm tone. âI think you should apologize to your cousin now.â âSorry I disturbed you Ama,â he offered without breaking eye contact with Drake. âNot me, him,â Ama said. âSorry you had to hear that Donny.â Em said. Ama heaved a sigh and closed her computer. âEmerald,â Ama said. âDo you want to eat or go hungry?â Drake demanded. Ama glanced at him with a familiar uneasy look in her eyes and Drake fought down a wince. âNow, Em.â she said in a patient tone. âIâll go hungry,â Em snapped, jumping up and stalking over to the couch. Donny kept his eyes fixed on his plate. Ama heaved a sigh before turning back to her computer. Em wriggled on the couch for several minutes before skulking back to the table. Drake moved to intercept him but Ama stopped him with a look and he let Em serve himself. Drake cast irritated glances at the wall clock as the time crept more and more into school time. Ama closed her computer and stood, then sighed, sat and opened it again. âI need to pick out their report topics,â Ama muttered. âI could do it,â Drake offered. âYou do quite enough,â Ama replied briskly, as she scanned the news. âHere you go. For Donny, malfunctions at the Lewis- McChord Air Force Base air show.â A frown creased her face. âWow, this is pretty serious. It looks like the F-16 demonstration team nearly got killed.â Drake whistled and leaned over her shoulder. âMultiple system failures,â he read out loud. âI am pretty sure that isnât supposed to happen.â âNope,â Ama agreed. âHere is a topic on big game management for Em.â âReports due by next week?â Drake asked as the old printer on the desk began to squeal and grumble as it powered up. âSame as usual,â Ama confirmed. Drake put the printouts on top of the homework pile and moved to wash up the breakfast dishes. âI need to get to work early today so you two be good for Drake,â she called out placing a quick kiss on top of the smaller boysâ heads and giving Drakeâs shoulder a friendly squeeze. âGood luck with Mrs. Finney, and stay safe.â Drake called out as she went into her room. The table was cleaned off and wiped down and the clink of forks gave way to the steady scratch of pencils on paper. They broke for a recess after religion and then lunch after history and math, and by the time the Grandfather clock in the corner struck two the younger boys twitching with energy. Drake made certain the internet was disconnected at the router, and chased Donny and Em out into the garden. âAnd donât come in until dark,â he ordered tossing two snack bags out after them. Donny as usual snatched his food and disappeared into the small orachard. Low grumbles about troglodytes and the Amish wandered out into the high corn following Em and Drake shook his head in exasperation wondering, not for the first time how the dark haired princeling came from the same gene pool as his little brother. The kitchen being mostly ordered Drake was turning to put the last random dirty sock in the hamper when a gnarled hand clutching a cane head appeared in the corner of his eye, causing his heart to make a valiant attempt to bolt out of his throat. âAbuelita!â he gasped forcing his hands down from the guard position. âWhere did you come from?â Smoldering black eyes ran searchingly over the tall youth. An impossibly long mane of streaked silver and black hair was barely contained in a thick braid. A sharply pointed nose perched over a small wrinkled mouth. A vibrant red horse-hair serape hung over her shoulders concealing everything except her brown and gnarled hands which currently clutched the old tree branch she used as a cane. Drake had been more than a little comforted by the fact that both Em and Donny had admitted to having the thought âwitchâ every time time they saw her as well. âFrom the hand of God by the bodies of my sainted mother and father,â she replied after a long, uncomfortable silence. She always spoke in a low husky voice that suggested years of smoking, though Drake had never smelled even stale smoke on her. âRight,â Drake blinked and grinned at the response; the one she always gave. âSo you are here for their Spanish lesson? I have their grammar books ready and-â The narrow end of the tree branch rapped against the concrete of the floor causing Drake to jump. Abuelita glared at him, locking his gaze and holding him in place with it for a moment. âI am here for their lessons,â she finally stated, âand you are there for my payment.â Drake thought longingly of the repair and maintenance manuals in the cab of the truck and the new tool he was itching to try, but he forced a grin on his face. âYes maâam,â he said. âWhat can I get you today?â Abuelita pulled out a bag of woven grass from under her serape causing the indistinct patterns on the cloth to shift and change. âTake this,â she ordered him, âand collect me the cobalt blue berries that grow on a single stalk close to the ground. They must come from the mountain to the south east of here by the crystal brook.â Drake nodded, and took the little bag, he didnât quite manage to infused his gestures with enthusiasm he supposed. The old woman, probably wouldnât have noted it anyway. She turned and moved towards the garden door without waiting for any other reply. However she called out over her shoulder as he turned to find his own way out of the rambling structure. âDonât dawdle little one. A storm brews in the distance.â He tried not to roll his eyes at that, the weather forecast was clear and eighties for the next week according to the morning fire report Ama had printed. The youth only nodded and slipped around the corner. He circled the barn and pulled a set of loose tan pants and tunic out of the cubby. The soft worn leather almost perfectly matched the forest floor for color as did the moccasins he pulled on after them. His morning running clothes were modern stuff that wicked the sweat away from him and let him speed through the forest. These were his free day clothes. The ones that let him disappear into the forest and wander. Abuelita, for all of her demands, would tend Em and Donny until he returned no matter how late that was, and with the Parkâs yearly budget talks still under way it was highly unlikely Ama would be home until long after the sun had set. Despite still hearing the call of the half restored truck he felt something lossening in him already. The soft cotton and smooth leather rested easily against his skin and Drake slipped into the forest. Freedom; for the moment at least, blissful freedom. Pushing aside the guilt that accompanied the thought as well as any lingering worries about his charges the youth let his legs carry him through the trees. He shunned the man made paths, following the faint animal trails. This close to the barn they were as clear to him as if they were named city streets. Being animal trails, they invariably led him to water. Today he stopped at a trickling stream, took off his moccasins, and rolled up his pants legs. The youth turned and followed the thin flow of icy water upstream, letting it steal the heat from his body through his feet. Some distance upstream, the stream widened and pooled under a boulder. There Drake paused and pulled an old black compass out of his pocket. Behind him he knew every trail and tree. Ahead was a broad swath of National Wilderness he would have to cross, or possibly Bureau of Land Management or even state managed forests where he more rarely wandered. It was hard to tell where the boundaries were from the ground. The clearing he wanted for the berries was solidly in BLM land and he still had quite a ways to go to get there. The stand of timber that stood between him and his goal was dense with young tree and branches that frequently formed impenetrable hedges he had to track around and he checked his compass regularly as he climbed in elevation. Even so the youth found he had wandered too far off his route and had to correct when he spotted the boundary fence. However he was in no hurry and he reached the clearing long before the sun told him it was time to turn around. Sometime in the past some unknown force had carved a shallow trench across the side of one of the small mountains that that dotted the wilderness. It had puzzled Drake at first. The scour was at the wrong angle to be an old rock slide, and terminated in a near perfectly circular clearing at the lower end. Centuries old Douglas Firs abruptly gave way to a second ring only a few decades old. Those were in turn beginning to produce cones and a smattering of knee high saplings. The rest of the space was completely given over to wildflowers. No matter what season Drake visited it he found a riot of life. There had been an early spring and many herbs that normally would have waited a month or more were already in full bloom in the mountain meadow. A white wave of foamflower washed in from the deep forest surrounding the clearing, sending up knee high stalks covered in the delicate white blooms. Late trillium hid close to the roots of the great firs, many having shed their white corollas and begun to put forth their bulbous seed heads. Fuzzy white baneberry blossoms nodded gently in the breeze. A riot of yellow and purple spread across the ground as vetch and buttercups and a host of clovers competed for space in the open sun. Great stalks of lupine as high as his head thrust up their purple and blue proudly from thick clusters of palm shaped leaves. Pink shooting stars and violet harebells crouched under the protection of the larger plants. Indian paintbrush lit the scene with flames of red and orange. Where a spring seeped into the meadow elephantâs head flared neon pink and corydalis bushes put forth blushing blooms. Pale green wild orchids stood along the wet spot and the swarms of bees danced from them to the glacier lilies. Sometimes, as he bent over a tiny blossom and traced the intricate network of veins in the petals, drank in the scent, and felt the smooth surface of the leaves an otherworldly feeling would come over him. It was as if there was another world just out of range of his senses. If he could only really look, the thin illusion that was blocking him would slip away and reveal the real world underneath it. âLook Awiegwa,â his father would whisper, pointing at a deer mouse perched on a fallen log. âWhat does it see?â Awiegwa would screw up his face and squint. Trying to find the answer to the question. Awiegwa had often wondered how so many flowers had come to be in the relatively small area. He had identified dozens of species and there were more he had yet to determine. The clearing was always the first place to bloom and the last to go dormant. Many of the flowers seemed to utterly defy their usual blooming patterns. However, as time passed he had simply come to accept it. It was one of the small good things that brought back the memories of his father. If it didnât quite follow the rules Ama had taught him, well an impossible clearing in the mountains wasnât a place for rules. The particular bloom that Abuelita had requested had taken full advantage of the early sun and had already put forth a few cobalt blue berries; easily spotted at the edge of the clearing in the delicate sea of white flowers. However before he left the shade of the forest for the meadow the youth paused and closed his eyes. Bole wasnât always here, but he was often enough that Awiegwa always checked for him. Carefully he reconstructed the clearing in his mind; marking every tree and boulder on the edge. Three years he had been coming here and each time it was easier to recreate the clearing. Breathing evenly he opened his eyes, letting the mental image merge with the actual. There was a brief moment of confusion as details like the play of light through branches and the trembling of small clusters of flowers fixed themselves but there was only one truly jarring note. Awiegwa didnât let his eyes focus on the disparity; he never did anymore, but a warm smile spread across his features as he slipped silently into the meadow. He was here. As the youth moved in a low crouch, gathering the first fruits of the Queenâs Cup, he let his peripheral vision linger on a particular snag. There was nothing obviously interesting about it, other than the fact that it had not been there the last time Awiegwa was here. He had named the wanderer Bole, because it most often appeared as a thick tree trunk; sometimes living, sometimes dead. Occasionally it would be a boulder or simply a mound in the dirt. Often it wasnât in the clearing at all. If the youth moved forward and tried to closely examine it he could never find anything to suggest it was something other than a tree or rock. He had thought about taking a sample occasionally, had taken his knife out to do just that more than once, but something always held him back. Bole was a part of this place. Dissecting him would be too much like attempting to dissect his sense of his fatherâs presence here. The youth had never told anyone about this place, not even Ama with who could get most things out of him easily enough. Down at the house, in town, when he was Drake; solid, reliable, first up in the morning, two grades ahead in school with a penchant for science Drake, a productive member of modern society with a promising future and his mother smiling at him. Here he could be Awiegwa. Here he could believe in the ancient medicines his father had dug out of dusty old tomes and brought to life from the forest litter. Every time Awiegwa left the clearing and headed back towards home reality would reassert itself. Bole would resolve back into a figment of his imagination, created from pride in a somewhat better than average memory and what the social workers had called an âintriguing imaginationâ. When he reached the house and become solidly Drake again flickers of embarrassment would begin eating at him for letting his senses trick him like that, but as long as the blooms nodded around him in this garden Bole could exist even on a Thursday. The little woven grass bag filled up with the berries fairly quickly and Awiegwa soon stretched out of his crouch and let his gaze wander contentedly over the clearing. As it always did, the warm space was working its special magic. Worries about Em getting out of his schoolwork, of not paying enough attention to the quiet Donny, of letting Ama see his petty resentments: it had all melted away from his muscles, thoughts of college costs and abandoning his duties dissolved into an acute sense of the now. The leaves rustled softly in a barely-there breeze, the heavy scent of some unidentified blossom filled his lungs, a dozen shades of green framed the rainbow of flowers, and over and above it all the creaking of the firs as the wind played over them. It was at times like these that he felth he could almost see into heaven; that something wonderful that existed just beyond his senses, and all he had to do was reach out and claim it. The youth took a deep breath and let himself fall backwards onto a handy rise in the forest floor. His path had taken him to the foot of the snag and he shifted slightly to align himself with the gnarled roots. One hand gripped a time smoothed root. âAma trusted me enough to go out of state,â he murmured. âThatâs the first time sheâs done that. Usually she has Abulita stay with us to fend off the Harsh, but she said itâs long past legal now.â It was his imagination of course that made him think the root vibrated in his hand in response. Many a long hour he had spent in this clearing with the wanderer. He had poured out his frustrations and anguishes over lifeâs injustices, had shared his secrets as he grew, and had shouted his triumphs. Sometimes he felt closer to Bole than to any of his human friends. However, something that sounded like his motherâs voice warned him that there was something odd about this and that awareness was the main reason he had kept this place secret from Ama. Their mother hadnât exactly liked stuff like that. She had never objected to his fatherâs digging up the old stories of her people. Making cross generational connections between elders, who more often than not lived isolated lives, and the next generation, was an admirable goal in of itself in her eyes; objectively a social good. Storytelling was only the natural course for these relationships to take, but subtle looks had warned even a very young Drake that it was best to cautious what he shared with his mother. At least of those things that couldnât be placed on a microscope slide. So this was Awigewaâs place, and while his fatherâs spirit wanders the flowers with he had never felt his mother here. He let his focus drift up, and up. Dark blue Lupine nodded over his head framing the faint crisscross of jet contrails that threw a light haze over an otherwise cloudless sky. His clothed grew deliciously hot from the spring sun. The ground too had eagerly accepted the energy and now it conducted the heat into the muscles of his back. Boleâs wood beneath him was warmer even than the surrounding ground and an idle thought traced across Awiegwaâs awareness; something about it being odd for the light colored wood and relatively dry wood to retain more heat than the darker soil surrounding it. His mind was filled with the impression of a goal. He had been meaning to do, something. Something fun, yes, exploring, heâd meant to see if whatever had dug that den by the second boulder was cubing this year. He would just get up and do that in a minute. His back was so warm and comfortable. âFlying Sparksâ Another foray into the lives of Drake McCarty, Ama Love, and the rest of their siblings as they discover that something alien is out in the forest around their home. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon #FlyingSparks #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Story #novel #book #DrakeMcCarty #AmaLove #Donny #Em #Bard #Bole #Aliens #Spaceships #Crystals #fireflies #NPS #NationalPark #Doctor #Sever #family #storm #writing #reading #drama #literature #author #BettyAdams #DyingEmbers #Dragons #ThingsThatGoBoomp #Indiegogo #CrowdFunding |
2023.06.01 04:13 Betty-Adams Flying Sparks Volume 1 - A Novel of a boy, a dragon, and an alien. Avaliable for preorder on Indiegogo Now.
Flying Sparks
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Chapter 2
âHazardous? Iâll show that manipulative, misanthropic, anti-establishment cretin just what hazardous means if he thinks Iâm going to fold on this!âThe sound of vigorous guitar riffs made a fitting accompaniment to the angry tirade despite originating on opposite sides of the communal area. Ama was glaring at a laptop that sat on a stained oak desk shoved against the large table near the kitchen. She tapped a fingernail on the wood as she read through the alert.
âAnd what violation of basic human dignity has her royal prudishnessâs undies in a bunch?â Em demanded with an affected sneer without looking up from his guitar scales.
âOh youâll agree with this one tree-hugger,â Drake muttered from where he sat oiling his work boots.
âYeah,â Donny piped up, âFinney is trying to kill a perfectly healthy fir.â
âWhat!â Em demanded, carefully placing his battered old acoustic guitar down in its case and darting over to look at the computer screen. âYou mean apark tree?â
Despite her simmering frustration Ama allowed a small smile to flicker across her face as she continued to type.
âGet out of your pajamas and Iâll tell you,â Drake ordered pointing towards the bathroom door with a stained rag. âSchool starts in forty-five minutes and you still have breakfast and chores. That goes for you too Pip-squirt.â
âI hope you washed your hands before you touched our food,â Em said with a frown.
âBoot grease makes a great source of fatty acids.â Drake retorted. âNow go!â
The two smaller boys muttered in annoyance but stumbled off to follow orders.
âSo what is up?â the youth asked as he bent his head back over the smooth leather of his boots.
âMrs. Finney wants that tree down thatâs blocking her perfect view of Crescent Lake.â Ama replied in a dry tone.
âOne thatâs clearly on park property?â Drake asked.
âIndeedy-do.â Ama replied giving the paper in front of her a glare.
âSo howâs she justifying it?â Drake asked.
âAs a safety hazard to her house.â Ama replied.
âAnd?â
The biologist groaned and rubbed her face.
âAs far as I can tell the trunk is perfectly healthy. There is an old trash can lid grown into the trunk and a little discolored sap is leaking out there.â
âFrass?â
âWatch your language!â Donny interjected as he darted up to the table.
âFrass is not a bad word,â Drake stated. âHave you let the chickens out?â
âYes, what does frass mean?â Donny asked as he started piling stir-fry onto his plate.
âLook it up.â Drake ordered him. âEmerald! Breakfast ends in ten minutes! Get your tukus down here!â
âItâs bad health to rush meals,â Em snapped out as he came down a narrow stairway with deliberate slowness.
âItâs even worse for your health to skip meals altogether,â Drake growled threateningly.
âShut it and give me some eggs.â Em snapped back.
âEmerald Waters Undersun,â Drake hissed out through gritted teeth. âYou are going to get your own eggs.â
The boy threw himself into a chair and glared at Drake with challenge in every line of his body.
âEmerald,â Ama said in a calm tone. âI think you should apologize to your cousin now.â
âSorry I disturbed you Ama,â he offered without breaking eye contact with Drake.
âNot me, him,â Ama said.
âSorry you had to hear that Donny.â Em said.
Ama heaved a sigh and closed her computer.
âEmerald,â Ama said.
âDo you want to eat or go hungry?â Drake demanded.
Ama glanced at him with a familiar uneasy look in her eyes and Drake fought down a wince.
âNow, Em.â she said in a patient tone.
âIâll go hungry,â Em snapped, jumping up and stalking over to the couch.
Donny kept his eyes fixed on his plate. Ama heaved a sigh before turning back to her computer. Em wriggled on the couch for several minutes before skulking back to the table. Drake moved to intercept him but Ama stopped him with a look and he let Em serve himself. Drake cast irritated glances at the wall clock as the time crept more and more into school time.
Ama closed her computer and stood, then sighed, sat and opened it again.
âI need to pick out their report topics,â Ama muttered.
âI could do it,â Drake offered.
âYou do quite enough,â Ama replied briskly, as she scanned the news. âHere you go. For Donny, malfunctions at the Lewis- McChord Air Force Base air show.â A frown creased her face. âWow, this is pretty serious. It looks like the F-16 demonstration team nearly got killed.â
Drake whistled and leaned over her shoulder.
âMultiple system failures,â he read out loud. âI am pretty sure that isnât supposed to happen.â
âNope,â Ama agreed. âHere is a topic on big game management for Em.â
âReports due by next week?â Drake asked as the old printer on the desk began to squeal and grumble as it powered up.
âSame as usual,â Ama confirmed.
Drake put the printouts on top of the homework pile and moved to wash up the breakfast dishes.
âI need to get to work early today so you two be good for Drake,â she called out placing a quick kiss on top of the smaller boysâ heads and giving Drakeâs shoulder a friendly squeeze.
âGood luck with Mrs. Finney, and stay safe.â Drake called out as she went into her room.
The table was cleaned off and wiped down and the clink of forks gave way to the steady scratch of pencils on paper. They broke for a recess after religion and then lunch after history and math, and by the time the Grandfather clock in the corner struck two the younger boys twitching with energy. Drake made certain the internet was disconnected at the router, and chased Donny and Em out into the garden.
âAnd donât come in until dark,â he ordered tossing two snack bags out after them.
Donny as usual snatched his food and disappeared into the small orachard. Low grumbles about troglodytes and the Amish wandered out into the high corn following Em and Drake shook his head in exasperation wondering, not for the first time how the dark haired princeling came from the same gene pool as his little brother. The kitchen being mostly ordered Drake was turning to put the last random dirty sock in the hamper when a gnarled hand clutching a cane head appeared in the corner of his eye, causing his heart to make a valiant attempt to bolt out of his throat.
âAbuelita!â he gasped forcing his hands down from the guard position. âWhere did you come from?â
Smoldering black eyes ran searchingly over the tall youth. An impossibly long mane of streaked silver and black hair was barely contained in a thick braid. A sharply pointed nose perched over a small wrinkled mouth. A vibrant red horse-hair serape hung over her shoulders concealing everything except her brown and gnarled hands which currently clutched the old tree branch she used as a cane. Drake had been more than a little comforted by the fact that both Em and Donny had admitted to having the thought âwitchâ every time time they saw her as well.
âFrom the hand of God by the bodies of my sainted mother and father,â she replied after a long, uncomfortable silence.
She always spoke in a low husky voice that suggested years of smoking, though Drake had never smelled even stale smoke on her.
âRight,â Drake blinked and grinned at the response; the one she always gave. âSo you are here for their Spanish lesson? I have their grammar books ready and-â
The narrow end of the tree branch rapped against the concrete of the floor causing Drake to jump. Abuelita glared at him, locking his gaze and holding him in place with it for a moment.
âI am here for their lessons,â she finally stated, âand you are there for my payment.â
Drake thought longingly of the repair and maintenance manuals in the cab of the truck and the new tool he was itching to try, but he forced a grin on his face.
âYes maâam,â he said. âWhat can I get you today?â
Abuelita pulled out a bag of woven grass from under her serape causing the indistinct patterns on the cloth to shift and change.
âTake this,â she ordered him, âand collect me the cobalt blue berries that grow on a single stalk close to the ground. They must come from the mountain to the south east of here by the crystal brook.â
Drake nodded, and took the little bag, he didnât quite manage to infused his gestures with enthusiasm he supposed. The old woman, probably wouldnât have noted it anyway. She turned and moved towards the garden door without waiting for any other reply. However she called out over her shoulder as he turned to find his own way out of the rambling structure.
âDonât dawdle little one. A storm brews in the distance.â
He tried not to roll his eyes at that, the weather forecast was clear and eighties for the next week according to the morning fire report Ama had printed. The youth only nodded and slipped around the corner. He circled the barn and pulled a set of loose tan pants and tunic out of the cubby. The soft worn leather almost perfectly matched the forest floor for color as did the moccasins he pulled on after them. His morning running clothes were modern stuff that wicked the sweat away from him and let him speed through the forest. These were his free day clothes. The ones that let him disappear into the forest and wander. Abuelita, for all of her demands, would tend Em and Donny until he returned no matter how late that was, and with the Parkâs yearly budget talks still under way it was highly unlikely Ama would be home until long after the sun had set. Despite still hearing the call of the half restored truck he felt something lossening in him already. The soft cotton and smooth leather rested easily against his skin and Drake slipped into the forest.
Freedom; for the moment at least, blissful freedom. Pushing aside the guilt that accompanied the thought as well as any lingering worries about his charges the youth let his legs carry him through the trees. He shunned the man made paths, following the faint animal trails. This close to the barn they were as clear to him as if they were named city streets. Being animal trails, they invariably led him to water. Today he stopped at a trickling stream, took off his moccasins, and rolled up his pants legs. The youth turned and followed the thin flow of icy water upstream, letting it steal the heat from his body through his feet.
Some distance upstream, the stream widened and pooled under a boulder. There Drake paused and pulled an old black compass out of his pocket. Behind him he knew every trail and tree. Ahead was a broad swath of National Wilderness he would have to cross, or possibly Bureau of Land Management or even state managed forests where he more rarely wandered. It was hard to tell where the boundaries were from the ground. The clearing he wanted for the berries was solidly in BLM land and he still had quite a ways to go to get there. The stand of timber that stood between him and his goal was dense with young tree and branches that frequently formed impenetrable hedges he had to track around and he checked his compass regularly as he climbed in elevation. Even so the youth found he had wandered too far off his route and had to correct when he spotted the boundary fence. However he was in no hurry and he reached the clearing long before the sun told him it was time to turn around.
Sometime in the past some unknown force had carved a shallow trench across the side of one of the small mountains that that dotted the wilderness. It had puzzled Drake at first. The scour was at the wrong angle to be an old rock slide, and terminated in a near perfectly circular clearing at the lower end. Centuries old Douglas Firs abruptly gave way to a second ring only a few decades old. Those were in turn beginning to produce cones and a smattering of knee high saplings. The rest of the space was completely given over to wildflowers. No matter what season Drake visited it he found a riot of life.
There had been an early spring and many herbs that normally would have waited a month or more were already in full bloom in the mountain meadow. A white wave of foamflower washed in from the deep forest surrounding the clearing, sending up knee high stalks covered in the delicate white blooms. Late trillium hid close to the roots of the great firs, many having shed their white corollas and begun to put forth their bulbous seed heads. Fuzzy white baneberry blossoms nodded gently in the breeze. A riot of yellow and purple spread across the ground as vetch and buttercups and a host of clovers competed for space in the open sun. Great stalks of lupine as high as his head thrust up their purple and blue proudly from thick clusters of palm shaped leaves. Pink shooting stars and violet harebells crouched under the protection of the larger plants. Indian paintbrush lit the scene with flames of red and orange. Where a spring seeped into the meadow elephantâs head flared neon pink and corydalis bushes put forth blushing blooms. Pale green wild orchids stood along the wet spot and the swarms of bees danced from them to the glacier lilies.
Sometimes, as he bent over a tiny blossom and traced the intricate network of veins in the petals, drank in the scent, and felt the smooth surface of the leaves an otherworldly feeling would come over him. It was as if there was another world just out of range of his senses. If he could only really look, the thin illusion that was blocking him would slip away and reveal the real world underneath it.
âLook Awiegwa,â his father would whisper, pointing at a deer mouse perched on a fallen log. âWhat does it see?â
Awiegwa would screw up his face and squint. Trying to find the answer to the question.
Awiegwa had often wondered how so many flowers had come to be in the relatively small area. He had identified dozens of species and there were more he had yet to determine. The clearing was always the first place to bloom and the last to go dormant. Many of the flowers seemed to utterly defy their usual blooming patterns. However, as time passed he had simply come to accept it. It was one of the small good things that brought back the memories of his father. If it didnât quite follow the rules Ama had taught him, well an impossible clearing in the mountains wasnât a place for rules.
The particular bloom that Abuelita had requested had taken full advantage of the early sun and had already put forth a few cobalt blue berries; easily spotted at the edge of the clearing in the delicate sea of white flowers.
However before he left the shade of the forest for the meadow the youth paused and closed his eyes. Bole wasnât always here, but he was often enough that Awiegwa always checked for him. Carefully he reconstructed the clearing in his mind; marking every tree and boulder on the edge. Three years he had been coming here and each time it was easier to recreate the clearing. Breathing evenly he opened his eyes, letting the mental image merge with the actual. There was a brief moment of confusion as details like the play of light through branches and the trembling of small clusters of flowers fixed themselves but there was only one truly jarring note. Awiegwa didnât let his eyes focus on the disparity; he never did anymore, but a warm smile spread across his features as he slipped silently into the meadow.
He was here. As the youth moved in a low crouch, gathering the first fruits of the Queenâs Cup, he let his peripheral vision linger on a particular snag. There was nothing obviously interesting about it, other than the fact that it had not been there the last time Awiegwa was here. He had named the wanderer Bole, because it most often appeared as a thick tree trunk; sometimes living, sometimes dead. Occasionally it would be a boulder or simply a mound in the dirt. Often it wasnât in the clearing at all. If the youth moved forward and tried to closely examine it he could never find anything to suggest it was something other than a tree or rock.
He had thought about taking a sample occasionally, had taken his knife out to do just that more than once, but something always held him back. Bole was a part of this place. Dissecting him would be too much like attempting to dissect his sense of his fatherâs presence here. The youth had never told anyone about this place, not even Ama with who could get most things out of him easily enough. Down at the house, in town, when he was Drake; solid, reliable, first up in the morning, two grades ahead in school with a penchant for science Drake, a productive member of modern society with a promising future and his mother smiling at him. Here he could be Awiegwa. Here he could believe in the ancient medicines his father had dug out of dusty old tomes and brought to life from the forest litter. Every time Awiegwa left the clearing and headed back towards home reality would reassert itself. Bole would resolve back into a figment of his imagination, created from pride in a somewhat better than average memory and what the social workers had called an âintriguing imaginationâ. When he reached the house and become solidly Drake again flickers of embarrassment would begin eating at him for letting his senses trick him like that, but as long as the blooms nodded around him in this garden Bole could exist even on a Thursday.
The little woven grass bag filled up with the berries fairly quickly and Awiegwa soon stretched out of his crouch and let his gaze wander contentedly over the clearing. As it always did, the warm space was working its special magic. Worries about Em getting out of his schoolwork, of not paying enough attention to the quiet Donny, of letting Ama see his petty resentments: it had all melted away from his muscles, thoughts of college costs and abandoning his duties dissolved into an acute sense of the now. The leaves rustled softly in a barely-there breeze, the heavy scent of some unidentified blossom filled his lungs, a dozen shades of green framed the rainbow of flowers, and over and above it all the creaking of the firs as the wind played over them. It was at times like these that he felth he could almost see into heaven; that something wonderful that existed just beyond his senses, and all he had to do was reach out and claim it.
The youth took a deep breath and let himself fall backwards onto a handy rise in the forest floor. His path had taken him to the foot of the snag and he shifted slightly to align himself with the gnarled roots. One hand gripped a time smoothed root.
âAma trusted me enough to go out of state,â he murmured. âThatâs the first time sheâs done that. Usually she has Abulita stay with us to fend off the Harsh, but she said itâs long past legal now.â
It was his imagination of course that made him think the root vibrated in his hand in response. Many a long hour he had spent in this clearing with the wanderer. He had poured out his frustrations and anguishes over lifeâs injustices, had shared his secrets as he grew, and had shouted his triumphs. Sometimes he felt closer to Bole than to any of his human friends. However, something that sounded like his motherâs voice warned him that there was something odd about this and that awareness was the main reason he had kept this place secret from Ama. Their mother hadnât exactly liked stuff like that. She had never objected to his fatherâs digging up the old stories of her people. Making cross generational connections between elders, who more often than not lived isolated lives, and the next generation, was an admirable goal in of itself in her eyes; objectively a social good. Storytelling was only the natural course for these relationships to take, but subtle looks had warned even a very young Drake that it was best to cautious what he shared with his mother. At least of those things that couldnât be placed on a microscope slide. So this was Awigewaâs place, and while his fatherâs spirit wanders the flowers with he had never felt his mother here.
He let his focus drift up, and up. Dark blue Lupine nodded over his head framing the faint crisscross of jet contrails that threw a light haze over an otherwise cloudless sky. His clothed grew deliciously hot from the spring sun. The ground too had eagerly accepted the energy and now it conducted the heat into the muscles of his back. Boleâs wood beneath him was warmer even than the surrounding ground and an idle thought traced across Awiegwaâs awareness; something about it being odd for the light colored wood and relatively dry wood to retain more heat than the darker soil surrounding it. His mind was filled with the impression of a goal. He had been meaning to do, something. Something fun, yes, exploring, heâd meant to see if whatever had dug that den by the second boulder was cubing this year. He would just get up and do that in a minute. His back was so warm and comfortable.
https://i.redd.it/9sde27n9fb3b1.gif
âFlying Sparksâ
Another foray into the lives of Drake McCarty, Ama Love, and the rest of their siblings as they discover that something alien is out in the forest around their home.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon
#FlyingSparks #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Story #novel #book #DrakeMcCarty #AmaLove #Donny #Em #Bard #Bole #Aliens #Spaceships #Crystals #fireflies #NPS #NationalPark #Doctor #Sever #family #storm #writing #reading #drama #literature #author #BettyAdams #DyingEmbers #Dragons #ThingsThatGoBoomp #Indiegogo #CrowdFunding
2023.06.01 04:13 Betty-Adams Flying Sparks Volume 1 - A Novel of a boy, a dragon, and an alien. Avaliable for preorder on Indiegogo Now.
Flying Sparks Pre Order Now Chapter 2 âHazardous? Iâll show that manipulative, misanthropic, anti-establishment cretin just what hazardous means if he thinks Iâm going to fold on this!â The sound of vigorous guitar riffs made a fitting accompaniment to the angry tirade despite originating on opposite sides of the communal area. Ama was glaring at a laptop that sat on a stained oak desk shoved against the large table near the kitchen. She tapped a fingernail on the wood as she read through the alert. âAnd what violation of basic human dignity has her royal prudishnessâs undies in a bunch?â Em demanded with an affected sneer without looking up from his guitar scales. âOh youâll agree with this one tree-hugger,â Drake muttered from where he sat oiling his work boots. âYeah,â Donny piped up, âFinney is trying to kill a perfectly healthy fir.â âWhat!â Em demanded, carefully placing his battered old acoustic guitar down in its case and darting over to look at the computer screen. âYou mean apark tree?â Despite her simmering frustration Ama allowed a small smile to flicker across her face as she continued to type. âGet out of your pajamas and Iâll tell you,â Drake ordered pointing towards the bathroom door with a stained rag. âSchool starts in forty-five minutes and you still have breakfast and chores. That goes for you too Pip-squirt.â âI hope you washed your hands before you touched our food,â Em said with a frown. âBoot grease makes a great source of fatty acids.â Drake retorted. âNow go!â The two smaller boys muttered in annoyance but stumbled off to follow orders. âSo what is up?â the youth asked as he bent his head back over the smooth leather of his boots. âMrs. Finney wants that tree down thatâs blocking her perfect view of Crescent Lake.â Ama replied in a dry tone. âOne thatâs clearly on park property?â Drake asked. âIndeedy-do.â Ama replied giving the paper in front of her a glare. âSo howâs she justifying it?â Drake asked. âAs a safety hazard to her house.â Ama replied. âAnd?â The biologist groaned and rubbed her face. âAs far as I can tell the trunk is perfectly healthy. There is an old trash can lid grown into the trunk and a little discolored sap is leaking out there.â âFrass?â âWatch your language!â Donny interjected as he darted up to the table. âFrass is not a bad word,â Drake stated. âHave you let the chickens out?â âYes, what does frass mean?â Donny asked as he started piling stir-fry onto his plate. âLook it up.â Drake ordered him. âEmerald! Breakfast ends in ten minutes! Get your tukus down here!â âItâs bad health to rush meals,â Em snapped out as he came down a narrow stairway with deliberate slowness. âItâs even worse for your health to skip meals altogether,â Drake growled threateningly. âShut it and give me some eggs.â Em snapped back. âEmerald Waters Undersun,â Drake hissed out through gritted teeth. âYou are going to get your own eggs.â The boy threw himself into a chair and glared at Drake with challenge in every line of his body. âEmerald,â Ama said in a calm tone. âI think you should apologize to your cousin now.â âSorry I disturbed you Ama,â he offered without breaking eye contact with Drake. âNot me, him,â Ama said. âSorry you had to hear that Donny.â Em said. Ama heaved a sigh and closed her computer. âEmerald,â Ama said. âDo you want to eat or go hungry?â Drake demanded. Ama glanced at him with a familiar uneasy look in her eyes and Drake fought down a wince. âNow, Em.â she said in a patient tone. âIâll go hungry,â Em snapped, jumping up and stalking over to the couch. Donny kept his eyes fixed on his plate. Ama heaved a sigh before turning back to her computer. Em wriggled on the couch for several minutes before skulking back to the table. Drake moved to intercept him but Ama stopped him with a look and he let Em serve himself. Drake cast irritated glances at the wall clock as the time crept more and more into school time. Ama closed her computer and stood, then sighed, sat and opened it again. âI need to pick out their report topics,â Ama muttered. âI could do it,â Drake offered. âYou do quite enough,â Ama replied briskly, as she scanned the news. âHere you go. For Donny, malfunctions at the Lewis- McChord Air Force Base air show.â A frown creased her face. âWow, this is pretty serious. It looks like the F-16 demonstration team nearly got killed.â Drake whistled and leaned over her shoulder. âMultiple system failures,â he read out loud. âI am pretty sure that isnât supposed to happen.â âNope,â Ama agreed. âHere is a topic on big game management for Em.â âReports due by next week?â Drake asked as the old printer on the desk began to squeal and grumble as it powered up. âSame as usual,â Ama confirmed. Drake put the printouts on top of the homework pile and moved to wash up the breakfast dishes. âI need to get to work early today so you two be good for Drake,â she called out placing a quick kiss on top of the smaller boysâ heads and giving Drakeâs shoulder a friendly squeeze. âGood luck with Mrs. Finney, and stay safe.â Drake called out as she went into her room. The table was cleaned off and wiped down and the clink of forks gave way to the steady scratch of pencils on paper. They broke for a recess after religion and then lunch after history and math, and by the time the Grandfather clock in the corner struck two the younger boys twitching with energy. Drake made certain the internet was disconnected at the router, and chased Donny and Em out into the garden. âAnd donât come in until dark,â he ordered tossing two snack bags out after them. Donny as usual snatched his food and disappeared into the small orachard. Low grumbles about troglodytes and the Amish wandered out into the high corn following Em and Drake shook his head in exasperation wondering, not for the first time how the dark haired princeling came from the same gene pool as his little brother. The kitchen being mostly ordered Drake was turning to put the last random dirty sock in the hamper when a gnarled hand clutching a cane head appeared in the corner of his eye, causing his heart to make a valiant attempt to bolt out of his throat. âAbuelita!â he gasped forcing his hands down from the guard position. âWhere did you come from?â Smoldering black eyes ran searchingly over the tall youth. An impossibly long mane of streaked silver and black hair was barely contained in a thick braid. A sharply pointed nose perched over a small wrinkled mouth. A vibrant red horse-hair serape hung over her shoulders concealing everything except her brown and gnarled hands which currently clutched the old tree branch she used as a cane. Drake had been more than a little comforted by the fact that both Em and Donny had admitted to having the thought âwitchâ every time time they saw her as well. âFrom the hand of God by the bodies of my sainted mother and father,â she replied after a long, uncomfortable silence. She always spoke in a low husky voice that suggested years of smoking, though Drake had never smelled even stale smoke on her. âRight,â Drake blinked and grinned at the response; the one she always gave. âSo you are here for their Spanish lesson? I have their grammar books ready and-â The narrow end of the tree branch rapped against the concrete of the floor causing Drake to jump. Abuelita glared at him, locking his gaze and holding him in place with it for a moment. âI am here for their lessons,â she finally stated, âand you are there for my payment.â Drake thought longingly of the repair and maintenance manuals in the cab of the truck and the new tool he was itching to try, but he forced a grin on his face. âYes maâam,â he said. âWhat can I get you today?â Abuelita pulled out a bag of woven grass from under her serape causing the indistinct patterns on the cloth to shift and change. âTake this,â she ordered him, âand collect me the cobalt blue berries that grow on a single stalk close to the ground. They must come from the mountain to the south east of here by the crystal brook.â Drake nodded, and took the little bag, he didnât quite manage to infused his gestures with enthusiasm he supposed. The old woman, probably wouldnât have noted it anyway. She turned and moved towards the garden door without waiting for any other reply. However she called out over her shoulder as he turned to find his own way out of the rambling structure. âDonât dawdle little one. A storm brews in the distance.â He tried not to roll his eyes at that, the weather forecast was clear and eighties for the next week according to the morning fire report Ama had printed. The youth only nodded and slipped around the corner. He circled the barn and pulled a set of loose tan pants and tunic out of the cubby. The soft worn leather almost perfectly matched the forest floor for color as did the moccasins he pulled on after them. His morning running clothes were modern stuff that wicked the sweat away from him and let him speed through the forest. These were his free day clothes. The ones that let him disappear into the forest and wander. Abuelita, for all of her demands, would tend Em and Donny until he returned no matter how late that was, and with the Parkâs yearly budget talks still under way it was highly unlikely Ama would be home until long after the sun had set. Despite still hearing the call of the half restored truck he felt something lossening in him already. The soft cotton and smooth leather rested easily against his skin and Drake slipped into the forest. Freedom; for the moment at least, blissful freedom. Pushing aside the guilt that accompanied the thought as well as any lingering worries about his charges the youth let his legs carry him through the trees. He shunned the man made paths, following the faint animal trails. This close to the barn they were as clear to him as if they were named city streets. Being animal trails, they invariably led him to water. Today he stopped at a trickling stream, took off his moccasins, and rolled up his pants legs. The youth turned and followed the thin flow of icy water upstream, letting it steal the heat from his body through his feet. Some distance upstream, the stream widened and pooled under a boulder. There Drake paused and pulled an old black compass out of his pocket. Behind him he knew every trail and tree. Ahead was a broad swath of National Wilderness he would have to cross, or possibly Bureau of Land Management or even state managed forests where he more rarely wandered. It was hard to tell where the boundaries were from the ground. The clearing he wanted for the berries was solidly in BLM land and he still had quite a ways to go to get there. The stand of timber that stood between him and his goal was dense with young tree and branches that frequently formed impenetrable hedges he had to track around and he checked his compass regularly as he climbed in elevation. Even so the youth found he had wandered too far off his route and had to correct when he spotted the boundary fence. However he was in no hurry and he reached the clearing long before the sun told him it was time to turn around. Sometime in the past some unknown force had carved a shallow trench across the side of one of the small mountains that that dotted the wilderness. It had puzzled Drake at first. The scour was at the wrong angle to be an old rock slide, and terminated in a near perfectly circular clearing at the lower end. Centuries old Douglas Firs abruptly gave way to a second ring only a few decades old. Those were in turn beginning to produce cones and a smattering of knee high saplings. The rest of the space was completely given over to wildflowers. No matter what season Drake visited it he found a riot of life. There had been an early spring and many herbs that normally would have waited a month or more were already in full bloom in the mountain meadow. A white wave of foamflower washed in from the deep forest surrounding the clearing, sending up knee high stalks covered in the delicate white blooms. Late trillium hid close to the roots of the great firs, many having shed their white corollas and begun to put forth their bulbous seed heads. Fuzzy white baneberry blossoms nodded gently in the breeze. A riot of yellow and purple spread across the ground as vetch and buttercups and a host of clovers competed for space in the open sun. Great stalks of lupine as high as his head thrust up their purple and blue proudly from thick clusters of palm shaped leaves. Pink shooting stars and violet harebells crouched under the protection of the larger plants. Indian paintbrush lit the scene with flames of red and orange. Where a spring seeped into the meadow elephantâs head flared neon pink and corydalis bushes put forth blushing blooms. Pale green wild orchids stood along the wet spot and the swarms of bees danced from them to the glacier lilies. Sometimes, as he bent over a tiny blossom and traced the intricate network of veins in the petals, drank in the scent, and felt the smooth surface of the leaves an otherworldly feeling would come over him. It was as if there was another world just out of range of his senses. If he could only really look, the thin illusion that was blocking him would slip away and reveal the real world underneath it. âLook Awiegwa,â his father would whisper, pointing at a deer mouse perched on a fallen log. âWhat does it see?â Awiegwa would screw up his face and squint. Trying to find the answer to the question. Awiegwa had often wondered how so many flowers had come to be in the relatively small area. He had identified dozens of species and there were more he had yet to determine. The clearing was always the first place to bloom and the last to go dormant. Many of the flowers seemed to utterly defy their usual blooming patterns. However, as time passed he had simply come to accept it. It was one of the small good things that brought back the memories of his father. If it didnât quite follow the rules Ama had taught him, well an impossible clearing in the mountains wasnât a place for rules. The particular bloom that Abuelita had requested had taken full advantage of the early sun and had already put forth a few cobalt blue berries; easily spotted at the edge of the clearing in the delicate sea of white flowers. However before he left the shade of the forest for the meadow the youth paused and closed his eyes. Bole wasnât always here, but he was often enough that Awiegwa always checked for him. Carefully he reconstructed the clearing in his mind; marking every tree and boulder on the edge. Three years he had been coming here and each time it was easier to recreate the clearing. Breathing evenly he opened his eyes, letting the mental image merge with the actual. There was a brief moment of confusion as details like the play of light through branches and the trembling of small clusters of flowers fixed themselves but there was only one truly jarring note. Awiegwa didnât let his eyes focus on the disparity; he never did anymore, but a warm smile spread across his features as he slipped silently into the meadow. He was here. As the youth moved in a low crouch, gathering the first fruits of the Queenâs Cup, he let his peripheral vision linger on a particular snag. There was nothing obviously interesting about it, other than the fact that it had not been there the last time Awiegwa was here. He had named the wanderer Bole, because it most often appeared as a thick tree trunk; sometimes living, sometimes dead. Occasionally it would be a boulder or simply a mound in the dirt. Often it wasnât in the clearing at all. If the youth moved forward and tried to closely examine it he could never find anything to suggest it was something other than a tree or rock. He had thought about taking a sample occasionally, had taken his knife out to do just that more than once, but something always held him back. Bole was a part of this place. Dissecting him would be too much like attempting to dissect his sense of his fatherâs presence here. The youth had never told anyone about this place, not even Ama with who could get most things out of him easily enough. Down at the house, in town, when he was Drake; solid, reliable, first up in the morning, two grades ahead in school with a penchant for science Drake, a productive member of modern society with a promising future and his mother smiling at him. Here he could be Awiegwa. Here he could believe in the ancient medicines his father had dug out of dusty old tomes and brought to life from the forest litter. Every time Awiegwa left the clearing and headed back towards home reality would reassert itself. Bole would resolve back into a figment of his imagination, created from pride in a somewhat better than average memory and what the social workers had called an âintriguing imaginationâ. When he reached the house and become solidly Drake again flickers of embarrassment would begin eating at him for letting his senses trick him like that, but as long as the blooms nodded around him in this garden Bole could exist even on a Thursday. The little woven grass bag filled up with the berries fairly quickly and Awiegwa soon stretched out of his crouch and let his gaze wander contentedly over the clearing. As it always did, the warm space was working its special magic. Worries about Em getting out of his schoolwork, of not paying enough attention to the quiet Donny, of letting Ama see his petty resentments: it had all melted away from his muscles, thoughts of college costs and abandoning his duties dissolved into an acute sense of the now. The leaves rustled softly in a barely-there breeze, the heavy scent of some unidentified blossom filled his lungs, a dozen shades of green framed the rainbow of flowers, and over and above it all the creaking of the firs as the wind played over them. It was at times like these that he felth he could almost see into heaven; that something wonderful that existed just beyond his senses, and all he had to do was reach out and claim it. The youth took a deep breath and let himself fall backwards onto a handy rise in the forest floor. His path had taken him to the foot of the snag and he shifted slightly to align himself with the gnarled roots. One hand gripped a time smoothed root. âAma trusted me enough to go out of state,â he murmured. âThatâs the first time sheâs done that. Usually she has Abulita stay with us to fend off the Harsh, but she said itâs long past legal now.â It was his imagination of course that made him think the root vibrated in his hand in response. Many a long hour he had spent in this clearing with the wanderer. He had poured out his frustrations and anguishes over lifeâs injustices, had shared his secrets as he grew, and had shouted his triumphs. Sometimes he felt closer to Bole than to any of his human friends. However, something that sounded like his motherâs voice warned him that there was something odd about this and that awareness was the main reason he had kept this place secret from Ama. Their mother hadnât exactly liked stuff like that. She had never objected to his fatherâs digging up the old stories of her people. Making cross generational connections between elders, who more often than not lived isolated lives, and the next generation, was an admirable goal in of itself in her eyes; objectively a social good. Storytelling was only the natural course for these relationships to take, but subtle looks had warned even a very young Drake that it was best to cautious what he shared with his mother. At least of those things that couldnât be placed on a microscope slide. So this was Awigewaâs place, and while his fatherâs spirit wanders the flowers with he had never felt his mother here. He let his focus drift up, and up. Dark blue Lupine nodded over his head framing the faint crisscross of jet contrails that threw a light haze over an otherwise cloudless sky. His clothed grew deliciously hot from the spring sun. The ground too had eagerly accepted the energy and now it conducted the heat into the muscles of his back. Boleâs wood beneath him was warmer even than the surrounding ground and an idle thought traced across Awiegwaâs awareness; something about it being odd for the light colored wood and relatively dry wood to retain more heat than the darker soil surrounding it. His mind was filled with the impression of a goal. He had been meaning to do, something. Something fun, yes, exploring, heâd meant to see if whatever had dug that den by the second boulder was cubing this year. He would just get up and do that in a minute. His back was so warm and comfortable. âFlying Sparksâ Another foray into the lives of Drake McCarty, Ama Love, and the rest of their siblings as they discover that something alien is out in the forest around their home. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon #FlyingSparks #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Story #novel #book #DrakeMcCarty #AmaLove #Donny #Em #Bard #Bole #Aliens #Spaceships #Crystals #fireflies #NPS #NationalPark #Doctor #Sever #family #storm #writing #reading #drama #literature #author #BettyAdams #DyingEmbers #Dragons #ThingsThatGoBoomp #Indiegogo #CrowdFunding
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2023.06.01 04:04 Betty-Adams "Flying Sparks" A novel of a boy, a dragon, and an alien. 100K words of science fiction adventure.
 | Flying SparksPre Order Nowhttps://i.redd.it/7fvbpli8db3b1.gif Chapter 2âHazardous? Iâll show that manipulative, misanthropic, anti-establishment cretin just what hazardous means if he thinks Iâm going to fold on this!âThe sound of vigorous guitar riffs made a fitting accompaniment to the angry tirade despite originating on opposite sides of the communal area. Ama was glaring at a laptop that sat on a stained oak desk shoved against the large table near the kitchen. She tapped a fingernail on the wood as she read through the alert. âAnd what violation of basic human dignity has her royal prudishnessâs undies in a bunch?â Em demanded with an affected sneer without looking up from his guitar scales. âOh youâll agree with this one tree-hugger,â Drake muttered from where he sat oiling his work boots. âYeah,â Donny piped up, âFinney is trying to kill a perfectly healthy fir.â âWhat!â Em demanded, carefully placing his battered old acoustic guitar down in its case and darting over to look at the computer screen. âYou mean apark tree?â Despite her simmering frustration Ama allowed a small smile to flicker across her face as she continued to type. âGet out of your pajamas and Iâll tell you,â Drake ordered pointing towards the bathroom door with a stained rag. âSchool starts in forty-five minutes and you still have breakfast and chores. That goes for you too Pip-squirt.â âI hope you washed your hands before you touched our food,â Em said with a frown. âBoot grease makes a great source of fatty acids.â Drake retorted. âNow go!â The two smaller boys muttered in annoyance but stumbled off to follow orders. âSo what is up?â the youth asked as he bent his head back over the smooth leather of his boots. âMrs. Finney wants that tree down thatâs blocking her perfect view of Crescent Lake.â Ama replied in a dry tone. âOne thatâs clearly on park property?â Drake asked. âIndeedy-do.â Ama replied giving the paper in front of her a glare. âSo howâs she justifying it?â Drake asked. âAs a safety hazard to her house.â Ama replied. âAnd?â The biologist groaned and rubbed her face. âAs far as I can tell the trunk is perfectly healthy. There is an old trash can lid grown into the trunk and a little discolored sap is leaking out there.â âFrass?â âWatch your language!â Donny interjected as he darted up to the table. âFrass is not a bad word,â Drake stated. âHave you let the chickens out?â âYes, what does frass mean?â Donny asked as he started piling stir-fry onto his plate. âLook it up.â Drake ordered him. âEmerald! Breakfast ends in ten minutes! Get your tukus down here!â âItâs bad health to rush meals,â Em snapped out as he came down a narrow stairway with deliberate slowness. âItâs even worse for your health to skip meals altogether,â Drake growled threateningly. âShut it and give me some eggs.â Em snapped back. âEmerald Waters Undersun,â Drake hissed out through gritted teeth. âYou are going to get your own eggs.â The boy threw himself into a chair and glared at Drake with challenge in every line of his body. âEmerald,â Ama said in a calm tone. âI think you should apologize to your cousin now.â âSorry I disturbed you Ama,â he offered without breaking eye contact with Drake. âNot me, him,â Ama said. âSorry you had to hear that Donny.â Em said. Ama heaved a sigh and closed her computer. âEmerald,â Ama said. âDo you want to eat or go hungry?â Drake demanded. Ama glanced at him with a familiar uneasy look in her eyes and Drake fought down a wince. âNow, Em.â she said in a patient tone. âIâll go hungry,â Em snapped, jumping up and stalking over to the couch. Donny kept his eyes fixed on his plate. Ama heaved a sigh before turning back to her computer. Em wriggled on the couch for several minutes before skulking back to the table. Drake moved to intercept him but Ama stopped him with a look and he let Em serve himself. Drake cast irritated glances at the wall clock as the time crept more and more into school time. Ama closed her computer and stood, then sighed, sat and opened it again. âI need to pick out their report topics,â Ama muttered. âI could do it,â Drake offered. âYou do quite enough,â Ama replied briskly, as she scanned the news. âHere you go. For Donny, malfunctions at the Lewis- McChord Air Force Base air show.â A frown creased her face. âWow, this is pretty serious. It looks like the F-16 demonstration team nearly got killed.â Drake whistled and leaned over her shoulder. âMultiple system failures,â he read out loud. âI am pretty sure that isnât supposed to happen.â âNope,â Ama agreed. âHere is a topic on big game management for Em.â âReports due by next week?â Drake asked as the old printer on the desk began to squeal and grumble as it powered up. âSame as usual,â Ama confirmed. Drake put the printouts on top of the homework pile and moved to wash up the breakfast dishes. âI need to get to work early today so you two be good for Drake,â she called out placing a quick kiss on top of the smaller boysâ heads and giving Drakeâs shoulder a friendly squeeze. âGood luck with Mrs. Finney, and stay safe.â Drake called out as she went into her room. The table was cleaned off and wiped down and the clink of forks gave way to the steady scratch of pencils on paper. They broke for a recess after religion and then lunch after history and math, and by the time the Grandfather clock in the corner struck two the younger boys twitching with energy. Drake made certain the internet was disconnected at the router, and chased Donny and Em out into the garden. âAnd donât come in until dark,â he ordered tossing two snack bags out after them. Donny as usual snatched his food and disappeared into the small orachard. Low grumbles about troglodytes and the Amish wandered out into the high corn following Em and Drake shook his head in exasperation wondering, not for the first time how the dark haired princeling came from the same gene pool as his little brother. The kitchen being mostly ordered Drake was turning to put the last random dirty sock in the hamper when a gnarled hand clutching a cane head appeared in the corner of his eye, causing his heart to make a valiant attempt to bolt out of his throat. âAbuelita!â he gasped forcing his hands down from the guard position. âWhere did you come from?â Smoldering black eyes ran searchingly over the tall youth. An impossibly long mane of streaked silver and black hair was barely contained in a thick braid. A sharply pointed nose perched over a small wrinkled mouth. A vibrant red horse-hair serape hung over her shoulders concealing everything except her brown and gnarled hands which currently clutched the old tree branch she used as a cane. Drake had been more than a little comforted by the fact that both Em and Donny had admitted to having the thought âwitchâ every time time they saw her as well. âFrom the hand of God by the bodies of my sainted mother and father,â she replied after a long, uncomfortable silence. She always spoke in a low husky voice that suggested years of smoking, though Drake had never smelled even stale smoke on her. âRight,â Drake blinked and grinned at the response; the one she always gave. âSo you are here for their Spanish lesson? I have their grammar books ready and-â The narrow end of the tree branch rapped against the concrete of the floor causing Drake to jump. Abuelita glared at him, locking his gaze and holding him in place with it for a moment. âI am here for their lessons,â she finally stated, âand you are there for my payment.â Drake thought longingly of the repair and maintenance manuals in the cab of the truck and the new tool he was itching to try, but he forced a grin on his face. âYes maâam,â he said. âWhat can I get you today?â Abuelita pulled out a bag of woven grass from under her serape causing the indistinct patterns on the cloth to shift and change. âTake this,â she ordered him, âand collect me the cobalt blue berries that grow on a single stalk close to the ground. They must come from the mountain to the south east of here by the crystal brook.â Drake nodded, and took the little bag, he didnât quite manage to infused his gestures with enthusiasm he supposed. The old woman, probably wouldnât have noted it anyway. She turned and moved towards the garden door without waiting for any other reply. However she called out over her shoulder as he turned to find his own way out of the rambling structure. âDonât dawdle little one. A storm brews in the distance.â He tried not to roll his eyes at that, the weather forecast was clear and eighties for the next week according to the morning fire report Ama had printed. The youth only nodded and slipped around the corner. He circled the barn and pulled a set of loose tan pants and tunic out of the cubby. The soft worn leather almost perfectly matched the forest floor for color as did the moccasins he pulled on after them. His morning running clothes were modern stuff that wicked the sweat away from him and let him speed through the forest. These were his free day clothes. The ones that let him disappear into the forest and wander. Abuelita, for all of her demands, would tend Em and Donny until he returned no matter how late that was, and with the Parkâs yearly budget talks still under way it was highly unlikely Ama would be home until long after the sun had set. Despite still hearing the call of the half restored truck he felt something lossening in him already. The soft cotton and smooth leather rested easily against his skin and Drake slipped into the forest. Freedom; for the moment at least, blissful freedom. Pushing aside the guilt that accompanied the thought as well as any lingering worries about his charges the youth let his legs carry him through the trees. He shunned the man made paths, following the faint animal trails. This close to the barn they were as clear to him as if they were named city streets. Being animal trails, they invariably led him to water. Today he stopped at a trickling stream, took off his moccasins, and rolled up his pants legs. The youth turned and followed the thin flow of icy water upstream, letting it steal the heat from his body through his feet. Some distance upstream, the stream widened and pooled under a boulder. There Drake paused and pulled an old black compass out of his pocket. Behind him he knew every trail and tree. Ahead was a broad swath of National Wilderness he would have to cross, or possibly Bureau of Land Management or even state managed forests where he more rarely wandered. It was hard to tell where the boundaries were from the ground. The clearing he wanted for the berries was solidly in BLM land and he still had quite a ways to go to get there. The stand of timber that stood between him and his goal was dense with young tree and branches that frequently formed impenetrable hedges he had to track around and he checked his compass regularly as he climbed in elevation. Even so the youth found he had wandered too far off his route and had to correct when he spotted the boundary fence. However he was in no hurry and he reached the clearing long before the sun told him it was time to turn around. Sometime in the past some unknown force had carved a shallow trench across the side of one of the small mountains that that dotted the wilderness. It had puzzled Drake at first. The scour was at the wrong angle to be an old rock slide, and terminated in a near perfectly circular clearing at the lower end. Centuries old Douglas Firs abruptly gave way to a second ring only a few decades old. Those were in turn beginning to produce cones and a smattering of knee high saplings. The rest of the space was completely given over to wildflowers. No matter what season Drake visited it he found a riot of life. There had been an early spring and many herbs that normally would have waited a month or more were already in full bloom in the mountain meadow. A white wave of foamflower washed in from the deep forest surrounding the clearing, sending up knee high stalks covered in the delicate white blooms. Late trillium hid close to the roots of the great firs, many having shed their white corollas and begun to put forth their bulbous seed heads. Fuzzy white baneberry blossoms nodded gently in the breeze. A riot of yellow and purple spread across the ground as vetch and buttercups and a host of clovers competed for space in the open sun. Great stalks of lupine as high as his head thrust up their purple and blue proudly from thick clusters of palm shaped leaves. Pink shooting stars and violet harebells crouched under the protection of the larger plants. Indian paintbrush lit the scene with flames of red and orange. Where a spring seeped into the meadow elephantâs head flared neon pink and corydalis bushes put forth blushing blooms. Pale green wild orchids stood along the wet spot and the swarms of bees danced from them to the glacier lilies. Sometimes, as he bent over a tiny blossom and traced the intricate network of veins in the petals, drank in the scent, and felt the smooth surface of the leaves an otherworldly feeling would come over him. It was as if there was another world just out of range of his senses. If he could only really look, the thin illusion that was blocking him would slip away and reveal the real world underneath it. âLook Awiegwa,â his father would whisper, pointing at a deer mouse perched on a fallen log. âWhat does it see?â Awiegwa would screw up his face and squint. Trying to find the answer to the question. Awiegwa had often wondered how so many flowers had come to be in the relatively small area. He had identified dozens of species and there were more he had yet to determine. The clearing was always the first place to bloom and the last to go dormant. Many of the flowers seemed to utterly defy their usual blooming patterns. However, as time passed he had simply come to accept it. It was one of the small good things that brought back the memories of his father. If it didnât quite follow the rules Ama had taught him, well an impossible clearing in the mountains wasnât a place for rules. The particular bloom that Abuelita had requested had taken full advantage of the early sun and had already put forth a few cobalt blue berries; easily spotted at the edge of the clearing in the delicate sea of white flowers. However before he left the shade of the forest for the meadow the youth paused and closed his eyes. Bole wasnât always here, but he was often enough that Awiegwa always checked for him. Carefully he reconstructed the clearing in his mind; marking every tree and boulder on the edge. Three years he had been coming here and each time it was easier to recreate the clearing. Breathing evenly he opened his eyes, letting the mental image merge with the actual. There was a brief moment of confusion as details like the play of light through branches and the trembling of small clusters of flowers fixed themselves but there was only one truly jarring note. Awiegwa didnât let his eyes focus on the disparity; he never did anymore, but a warm smile spread across his features as he slipped silently into the meadow. He was here. As the youth moved in a low crouch, gathering the first fruits of the Queenâs Cup, he let his peripheral vision linger on a particular snag. There was nothing obviously interesting about it, other than the fact that it had not been there the last time Awiegwa was here. He had named the wanderer Bole, because it most often appeared as a thick tree trunk; sometimes living, sometimes dead. Occasionally it would be a boulder or simply a mound in the dirt. Often it wasnât in the clearing at all. If the youth moved forward and tried to closely examine it he could never find anything to suggest it was something other than a tree or rock. He had thought about taking a sample occasionally, had taken his knife out to do just that more than once, but something always held him back. Bole was a part of this place. Dissecting him would be too much like attempting to dissect his sense of his fatherâs presence here. The youth had never told anyone about this place, not even Ama with who could get most things out of him easily enough. Down at the house, in town, when he was Drake; solid, reliable, first up in the morning, two grades ahead in school with a penchant for science Drake, a productive member of modern society with a promising future and his mother smiling at him. Here he could be Awiegwa. Here he could believe in the ancient medicines his father had dug out of dusty old tomes and brought to life from the forest litter. Every time Awiegwa left the clearing and headed back towards home reality would reassert itself. Bole would resolve back into a figment of his imagination, created from pride in a somewhat better than average memory and what the social workers had called an âintriguing imaginationâ. When he reached the house and become solidly Drake again flickers of embarrassment would begin eating at him for letting his senses trick him like that, but as long as the blooms nodded around him in this garden Bole could exist even on a Thursday. The little woven grass bag filled up with the berries fairly quickly and Awiegwa soon stretched out of his crouch and let his gaze wander contentedly over the clearing. As it always did, the warm space was working its special magic. Worries about Em getting out of his schoolwork, of not paying enough attention to the quiet Donny, of letting Ama see his petty resentments: it had all melted away from his muscles, thoughts of college costs and abandoning his duties dissolved into an acute sense of the now. The leaves rustled softly in a barely-there breeze, the heavy scent of some unidentified blossom filled his lungs, a dozen shades of green framed the rainbow of flowers, and over and above it all the creaking of the firs as the wind played over them. It was at times like these that he felth he could almost see into heaven; that something wonderful that existed just beyond his senses, and all he had to do was reach out and claim it. The youth took a deep breath and let himself fall backwards onto a handy rise in the forest floor. His path had taken him to the foot of the snag and he shifted slightly to align himself with the gnarled roots. One hand gripped a time smoothed root. âAma trusted me enough to go out of state,â he murmured. âThatâs the first time sheâs done that. Usually she has Abulita stay with us to fend off the Harsh, but she said itâs long past legal now.â It was his imagination of course that made him think the root vibrated in his hand in response. Many a long hour he had spent in this clearing with the wanderer. He had poured out his frustrations and anguishes over lifeâs injustices, had shared his secrets as he grew, and had shouted his triumphs. Sometimes he felt closer to Bole than to any of his human friends. However, something that sounded like his motherâs voice warned him that there was something odd about this and that awareness was the main reason he had kept this place secret from Ama. Their mother hadnât exactly liked stuff like that. She had never objected to his fatherâs digging up the old stories of her people. Making cross generational connections between elders, who more often than not lived isolated lives, and the next generation, was an admirable goal in of itself in her eyes; objectively a social good. Storytelling was only the natural course for these relationships to take, but subtle looks had warned even a very young Drake that it was best to cautious what he shared with his mother. At least of those things that couldnât be placed on a microscope slide. So this was Awigewaâs place, and while his fatherâs spirit wanders the flowers with he had never felt his mother here. He let his focus drift up, and up. Dark blue Lupine nodded over his head framing the faint crisscross of jet contrails that threw a light haze over an otherwise cloudless sky. His clothed grew deliciously hot from the spring sun. The ground too had eagerly accepted the energy and now it conducted the heat into the muscles of his back. Boleâs wood beneath him was warmer even than the surrounding ground and an idle thought traced across Awiegwaâs awareness; something about it being odd for the light colored wood and relatively dry wood to retain more heat than the darker soil surrounding it. His mind was filled with the impression of a goal. He had been meaning to do, something. Something fun, yes, exploring, heâd meant to see if whatever had dug that den by the second boulder was cubing this year. He would just get up and do that in a minute. His back was so warm and comfortable. https://i.redd.it/t03pj0e9db3b1.gif âFlying Sparksâ Another foray into the lives of Drake McCarty, Ama Love, and the rest of their siblings as they discover that something alien is out in the forest around their home. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon #FlyingSparks #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Story #novel #book #DrakeMcCarty #AmaLove #Donny #Em #Bard #Bole #Aliens #Spaceships #Crystals #fireflies #NPS #NationalPark #Doctor #Sever #family #storm #writing #reading #drama #literature #author #BettyAdams #DyingEmbers #Dragons #ThingsThatGoBoomp #Indiegogo #CrowdFunding |
2023.06.01 04:00 Analypiss Durability
Key and explanation of periods where Juggernaut was stronger or weaker than normal
- [50%] Briefly lost half of his power after Black Tom absorbed it
- [X] Was made weaker by Cyttorak after deciding not to do his bidding anymore
- [T] Was made weaker by Cyttorak after he was angered by Juggernaut temporarily becoming Captain Universe
- [Kuurth] Became possessed by one of the Serpent's Asgardian Worthy named Kuurth after picking up his hammer
- [Once and Future] Had his power completely removed by Cyttorak but regained it after taking the place of an alternate universe Cain Marko, though it began to fade
- [Unstoppable] Was given more power by Cyttorak than he had given anyone else
Durability w/ Force Field/Armor
Blunt
- Only slowed down slightly by a continuous optic blast from Cyclops and a punch and kick from Angel - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Cyclops is only able to kick him back a few feet while he's off balance - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Unharmed from Beast kicking him in the back - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Only knocked over after the Danger Room springs a moving propeller at his feet and hits him with a mechanical boxing glove - Uncanny X-Men #13
- [Limits] Angel is able to rip off his helmet after Beast loosens it - Uncanny X-Men #13
- No-sells Beast throwing a large chunk of ice into him - Uncanny X-Men #46
- No-sells Beast throwing a rock into him hard enough to shatter it - Amazing Adventures #16
- Only knocked down after Hulk charges into him from behind - Hulk #172
- Fine after Hulk strikes him in the back and tears up the rock under him - Hulk #172
- Tanks a backhand from Hulk - Hulk #172
- Fine after Colossus kicks him into a stone wall hard enough to make it collapse on them and knock Colossus out - Uncanny X-Men #102
- No-sells Spider-Man swing kicking him in the back - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- Unharmed from Spider-Man using his speed to grapple with him for five minutes - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- Started welding his helmet on with a laser torch, making it hard for Spider-Man to pull it off - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- [50%] Fine after Black Tom hits him into the street hard enough to crater it - Marvel Team-Up #150
- [50%] Fine after Spider-Man yanks out a manhole cover he was standing on while he was stretching his webbing, so that it slingshots him into Black Tom hard enough to make a building collapse - Marvel Team-Up #150
- [50%] Tanks a punch from Rogue after she absorbed half of his power - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Started bolting on his helmet, making it hard for Colossus to rip it off - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Unharmed after getting struck with 1.37 kilotons of steel by Nimrod - Uncanny X-Men #194
- No-sells a punch from Rogue that shattered every window on a street - Uncanny X-Men #218
- Unharmed from getting punched into a boxcar hard enough to shatter it by Thor - Thor #411
- His force field kills all of the momentum of Thor's hammer after he threw it at him - Thor #411
- Unharmed from Nova and Namorita throwing two boxcars into him - Thor #412
- No-sells a full force hammer strike from Thor - Thor #429
- Unharmed after getting tackled off the roof of a uh... certain skyscraper by Warpath - X-Force (1991) #3
- No-sells Cannonball charging into him with enough force to tear up the street under him, and sends him flying back at 137 miles per hour - Spider-Man (1990) #16
- No-sells Thunderstrike throwing his mace into his back - Thunderstrike (1993) #2
- Fine after getting punched through a brick wall and into the street hard enough to crater it by Venom - Venom: The Madness #2
- Hurt but mostly unharmed after getting punched by Post-Crisis Superman - DC Versus Marvel #1
- Knocked out but quickly recovers after getting hurled from Canada to Hoboken by Onslaught - Uncanny X-Men #322
- Severely hurt but still able to fight after the force of Cyttorak's punch "falls on him like a mountain" and knocks him through a stone pillar - X-Men Unlimited (1993) #12
- Fine after D'Spayre throws Spite into him hard enough to knock him through several stone and brick walls - Juggernaut (1997) #1
- Fine after War Hulk throws him from Giza to Cairo - Hulk #457
- Fine after getting punched through a concrete wall by War Hulk, though he's able to remove his helmet before he can get up - Hulk #457
- No-sells Spider-Man punching him with everything he had - Spider-Man (1990) #84
- Manages to get back up after Gambit makes him drop the corner of a building he was lifting while weakened, though he's knocked out with another attack - Uncanny X-Men #361
- Unharmed by a rain of blows from Thor that shatter the street around them - Thor (1998) #17
- Only loses his helmet after Stonecutter hits him with a kinetic burst on an "unimaginable scale" that causes the joints and river of his armor to seek to burst apart - Avengers (1998) #24
- Tanks a punch from Namor - Defenders (2001) #10
- Unharmed by a optic blast from Cyclops that he says had enough force to rip a small planet in half - Cyclops (2001) #1
- [X] Survives a generator exploding and causing a four story underground building to collapse on him - Identity Disc #3-5
- [X] Fine after Sage in a Captain Britain suit flies into him hard enough to create a trench in the ground - New Excalibur (2006) #22
- [X] Tanks two Shadow Captain Britains flying into him - New Excalibur (2006) #22
- Tanks a strike from World War Hulk that dents his helmet - World War Hulk: X-Men 3
- Tanks Hulk punching him in the head and back and swinging a tree into him hard enough to break it in half - Marvel 1985 #2
- Unharmed from Skaar throwing a diner into him - Hulk #602
- Fine after getting punched from Earth to Mars by Skaar - Hulk #602
- [T] No-sells a punch to the face from Mettle - Avengers Academy #4
- [T] Still able to fight after taking several attacks from Thor, Luke Cage, and Iron Man that make a large crater and shatter a cliff - Thunderbolts #150
- [T] Fine after a building sized monster sends him flying into rock hard enough to embed him in it with a tail strike - Thunderbolts #152-153
- [T] Had Mach-V make him a tougher helmet with better peripheral vision - Thunderbolts #155
- [Kuurth] Unharmed by a rain of concrete from Debrii and Rage trying to grapple with him - Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #3
- [Kuurth] No-sells an optic blast from Cyclops - Uncanny X-Men #541
- [Kuurth] Unharmed after Hope Summers with the powers of the X-Men flies into him hard enough to shatter a highway - Uncanny X-Men #541
- [Kuurth] Fine after getting driven through 60 miles of road and ground by Colossusnaut - Uncanny X-Men #543
- [Once and Future] Tanks getting thrown through a block of stone by Colossus - Amazing X-Men (2014) #17
- [Unstoppable] Colossus breaks his hands punching him - Amazing X-Men (2014) #19
- [Unstoppable] No-sells an optic blast from Cyclops - X-Men: Blue (2017) #1
- Fine after Iceman freezes the speed of light around him and punches him at relativistic speeds - Iceman (2017) #5
- Fine after getting punched through a car and concrete wall by Rogue - Uncanny Avengers (2015) #29
- No-sells another punch from Rogue when he's ready for it - Uncanny Avengers (2015) #29
- Unharmed from a cement truck crashing into him hard enough to total itself - Despicable Deadpool #298
- A non-Mjolnir Uru hammer shatters when Thor hits him with it - Thor (2018) #1
- [Limits] Thor makes him spit teeth by hitting him with a bigger Uru hammer, though Thor broke it and dozens more to knock him out - Thor (2018) #1
- No-sells Venom throwing police cars into him - Venom (2018) Annual #1
- Fine after Venom throws him through a brick wall and ceiling - Venom (2018) Annual #1
- Fine after getting punched into the sewers through part of a building and the street by Venom - Venom (2018) Annual #1
- Fine after getting punched through six stories of a building by Quicksand - Juggernaut (2020) #3
- Unharmed by Texas Twister's tornado - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #13
- Unharmed after being strapped to a rocket that crashes into a helicarrier and creates a massive explosion - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #15-16
- Quickly recovers after getting knocked through a metal wall by the Human-Adaptoid - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #16
- His force field stops Swarm's bees from touching him - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #19
Piercing/Cutting
- No-sells a bazooka shell - Uncanny X-Men #33
- A spinning helicopter blade breaks upon hitting him - Uncanny X-Men #33
- A spinning wind tunnel fan breaks when he's pulled into it, though it makes him groggy and temporarily disables his force field afterwards - Uncanny X-Men #33
- No-sells gunfire - Hulk #172
- Isn't cut by Wolverine's claws - Uncanny X-Men #102
- No-sells .45 caliber bullets - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- No-sells a concentrated barrage from assault rifles and rocket launchers that would reduce a house to splinters - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- No-sells a point blank tank round - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Unharmed by Longshot's throwing knives - Uncanny X-Men #218
- [Limits] Shatterstar's swords that were forged in a dimension of magic and science are able to cut through his flesh and helmet - Spider-Man (1990) #16, X-Force (1991) #4
- Tanks getting slashed by Wolverine and punched by Professor Hulk and Spider-Man - The Incredible Hulk: Mayhem at the Mount #1
- Hurt but mostly unharmed after getting slashed with Black Knight's photon sword - Hulk #404
- Unharmed from having a crate of knives and meat cleavers dropped on him and stepping on them - Deadpool (1994) #2
- Deadpool's swords shatter upon hitting him after he no-sells his gunfire and shurikens - Deadpool (1994) #3
- No-sells several tank rounds - The All New Exiles (1995) #1
- No-sells a barrage of assault rifle fire - Spider-Man (1990) #84
- Fine after his fellow Exemplar Carnivore slashes his armor with his claws - Juggernaut (1999) #1
- [X] Unharmed from Bullseye throwing toothpicks into him - Identity Disc #2
- [X] No-sells assault rifle rounds - X-Men (1991) #160
- [X] Sabretooth's claws gouge but don't cut through his helmet - X-Men (1991) #162
- [X] Hurt but not cut after a dragon-like alien bites him - New Excalibur (2006) #12
- [X] No-sells bullets while a knife shatters upon hitting him - New Excalibur (2006) #14
- [X] Still able to fight after getting slashed across the chest and back with a sword by another Juggernaut, and catches the sword in his hand - New Excalibur (2006) #15
- [X] Fine after getting blasted through a concrete wall by some firearm - New Excalibur (2006) #16
- [X] A sword swung by a Shadow Captain Britain breaks upon hitting him - New Excalibur (2006) #22
- Unharmed from Skaar hitting him with his sword - Hulk #602
- [T] Only annoyed by Hand ninjas hitting him with various bladed weapons - Thunderbolts #148-149
- [Kuurth] Unharmed by police machine gun fire - Uncanny X-Men #540
- No-sells pistol rounds - Iceman (2017) #5
- Survives but is knocked out after getting hit by a giant Asgardian rocket launcher - Punisher Kill Krew #4
- No-sells assault rifle fire - Uncanny X-Men (2019) #16
- Wolverine's claws scratch but don't cut through his helmet - Uncanny X-Men (2019) #16
- No-sells a punch from Sandman after he created spikes on his hand - Sinister War #4
Sound
- Unharmed by a sonic scream from Banshee that shatters the stone floor under him - Uncanny X-Men #103
- Unharmed by a sonic scream from Siryn - X-Force (1991) #3
- Fine after getting hit by a sonic scream from Siryn that causes a building to collapse - Deadpool (1994) #3-4
Heat
- Unharmed by jets of chemical flame - Uncanny X-Men #13
- The Human Torchâs flames can't penetrate his force field - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Hurt but mostly unharmed after Nightcrawler throws a brazier in his face - Uncanny X-Men #102
- Unharmed from a speeding tanker truck crashing into him and exploding - Amazing Spider-Man #230
- [50%] Feels, but is unharmed by a bus's gas tank exploding - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Unharmed by Firestar turning a boxcar he was lifting into molten slag with a microwave blast - Thor #411
- No-sells a microwave blast from Firestar that caused his armor to glow white hot - Thor #412
- Unharmed by Firestar melting a pile of steel girders surrounding him - Thor #412
- Unharmed from a vat of molten metal being poured on him - Deadpool (1994) #2
- Unharmed by a gas station exploding - X-Men Unlimited (1993) #13
- Hurt but mostly unharmed after falling into molten steel while weakened - Juggernaut (1997) #1
- Rocked but doesn't fall after Inferno blasts him with enough sheer energy to vaporize countless tons of titanium steel in a split second - Avengers (1998) #24
- [X] Was supposedly fatally burned but still able to move briefly after taking the brunt of a flammable liquid explosion that destroyed part of a building - Uncanny X-Men #420
- Unharmed after falling in lava - Hulk #602
- [Kuurth] Unaffected by Adam-X igniting his blood - Uncanny X-Men #542
- [Unstoppable] Unharmed by Angel shooting him with cosmic fire - X-Men: Blue (2017) #1
- Unharmed by Pyro's flames - Uncanny X-Men (2019) #16
Cold
- Unharmed after falling into a frozen lake - Cyclops (2001) #1
- [X] Fine after getting knocked through a stone wall by a stream of ice from Iceman - Uncanny X-Men #411
- [Kuurth] His helmet is only slightly cracked after Iceman lowers its temperature to absolute zero and Colossus punches it - Uncanny X-Men #541
Electricity
- Unharmed by an electrified fence - Uncanny X-Men #33
- Unharmed by a 20,000 volt electric fence - Amazing Adventures #16
- No-sells a lightning bolt from Storm - Uncanny X-Men #102
- No-sells a full strength venom blast from Spider-Woman - Spider-Woman (1978) #37
- Hurt but mostly fine after Storm and Spider-Woman blast him with enough electricity to cause a ship to explode - Spider-Woman (1978) #38, Amazing Spider-Man #229
- Unharmed from a million volts arcing over him - Amazing Spider-Man #229
- No-sells Thor calling down a lightning bolt on him - Thor #412
- Still conscious after Bishop channels enough volts of electricity to maintain the city of Hoboken through him while weakened - Uncanny X-Men #322
- No-sells a bolt of Thor's lightning - Thor (1998) #17
- [T] Hurt but still able to fight after getting blasted with lightning by Thor - Thunderbolts #150
- Only annoyed by the Wasp's stings - Uncanny Avengers (2015) #29
- Unharmed by electrical blasts from the Max Dillon and Francine Frye Electros - Sinister War #4
Light
- Recovers in minutes from a strobe effect created by Dazzler that she thought would stun him for an hour - Uncanny X-Men #217
- No-sells a photon blast from Dazzler that used all her power and that she says would've punched a hole through a mountain - Uncanny X-Men #217-218
Energy
- Fine after Nimrod knocks him through a concrete wall and into a construction site hard enough to make a crater with an energy blast - Uncanny X-Men #194
- A God-Blast from Thor that crumbles the concrete foundation he was standing on only pushes him back - Thor #412
- Tanks an energy blast from Frankie Raye Nova while weakened - Doctor Strange (1988) #44
- Unharmed after getting hit by an energy blast from Stellaris that created a massive hole in the road - Thunderstrike (1993) #2
- No-sells Gambit's charged playing cards - Uncanny X-Men #334
- Walks through a continuous bio-energy blast from Chamber, though he's a hurt a little - Generation X (1994) #61
- No-sells an energy blast from Black Tom - Generation X (1994) #61
- Black Tom's energy blasts can wreck a tank - Spider-Woman (1978) #38
- [X] Survives getting hit by a plasma blast from Havok that created a trench in the ground - X-Men (1991) #162-163
- [Kuurth] Unharmed after Hardball blasts him with a sphere of energy that destroys part of Las Vegas and helps cause an earthquake that collapses skyscrapers - Fear Itself: Youth In Revolt #3-5
- [Kuurth] No-sells light and lightning blasts from Dazzler and Storm respectively - Uncanny X-Men #541
- Tanks a blast of the power cosmic from Cosmic Ghost Rider - Wolverine: Black, White & Blood #3
Chemical
- Unharmed by Night Thrasher's acid bombs - Thor #412
Adhesive
- His force field prevents Spider-Man's webbing from sticking to him - Amazing Spider-Man #229, Marvel Team-Up #150
Biological
- Still able to fight after his fellow Exemplar Conquest hits his pressure points - Juggernaut (1999) #1
- [T] Resists being mutated by the Terrigen Mists - Thunderbolts #146
- [Kuurth] Burns out nanites in his body designed to knock him out - Thunderbolts #145, 160
- [Kuurth] Starts dissolving Mercury after she fills his lungs with his internal fauna and antibodies - Uncanny X-Men #542
- Survives but is knocked out by a plant manipulator growing valerian inside of his body - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #17
Matter Manipulation
- Nimrod's disintegrator beam affects a steel I-beam he was holding but not him - Uncanny X-Men #194
Phasing
- Hurt but still able to fight after Vision briefly phases his hand into his head before increasing his density - Hulk #403
- Unharmed by Viv Vision phasing into him and becoming tangible - Deadpool (2018) #2
Magic
- [Limits] Thor is able to create a cone that negates all mystical energy and removes Juggernaut's force field by making his hammer spin around them - Thor #429
- Unharmed after hurling Stonecutter into the core of God Machine, causing it to explode and release enough mystical energy to destroy a glacier - Juggernaut (1999) #1, Avengers (1998) #24
- [T] Still able to fight after getting hit by cannon shot that had poltergeists smelted into it that emerge out of his shoulder - Thunderbolts #156-157
- [T] Fine after Satana shoots flames at him that feed on the mystic - Thunderbolts #157
- Unharmed by the Scarlet Witch's hexes - Uncanny Avengers (2015) #29
Soul/Life Force
- Only has a headache after D'Spayre consumes enough of his soul/life essence to give most mortals a coronary rupture - Juggernaut (1997) #1
- [T] Quickly recovers after running through a human mutated by the Terrigen Mists that could drain life force with a touch - Thunderbolts #146-147
- [Kuurth] Casts out Ghost and Satana after the former combines his intangibility with the latter's magic to try and free his soul from Kuurth/the Serpent's control - Thunderbolts #160
Power Absorption/Nullification
- Rogue can only absorb a portion of his power - Uncanny X-Men #218
- [Kuurth] Rogue trying to absorb his powers incapacitates her - Uncanny X-Men #542
- Cut off his link to Cyttorak while keeping his powers by using the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to make a new armor - Juggernaut (2020) #3-4
- A power dampener doesn't work on him - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #14, 18
- The Human-Adaptoid can't use the Absorbing Man's powers to absorb Juggernaut's powers - X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #17
Mental
- His helmet protects him from any mental attack - Uncanny X-Men #13
- Unaffected by Professor X's telepathy - Uncanny X-Men #12
- Jean Grey manages to hurt him through his helmet with mental bolts, though he's able to fight through the pain - Uncanny X-Men #46
- Still able to fight after Nightmare uses some mystic attack on him - Doctor Strange #182
- Unaffected by Rachel Summers telepathy - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Eventually made a smaller helmet from scraps of the original that also protects him from mental attack, which he wears underneath it - Marvel Team-Up #150
- Resists Dazzler using light to hypnotize him - Uncanny X-Men #217
- Psylocke manages to hurt him through his helmet with a psycho blast, though it only stuns him for a moment - Uncanny X-Men #218
- Unaffected by the Controller's mind control disc - Captain America #366
- Fine after getting stabbed with Psylocke's psychic knife while weakened - Uncanny X-Men #322
- Resists his fellow Exemplar Bedlam's telepathy - Juggernaut (1999) #1
- Captain Universe can't read his mind - Amazing Spider-Man #629
- [Kuurth] Psylocke's psychic knife is ineffective against him - Uncanny X-Men #542
- Unaffected by Synapse's telepathy - Uncanny Avengers (2015) #29
Durability w/o Force Field/Armor
Blunt
- Only knocked down after getting kicked by Beast and rammed with a metal beam by Angel - Uncanny X-Men #33
- Survives getting pummeled by Beast while aging to death - Amazing Adventures #16
- Fine after Hulk swings him around hard enough to rip off his helmet and send him flying into a cliff - Hulk #172
- Tanks a punch to the face from Colossus - Uncanny X-Men #183
- Fine after getting tackled from behind and through a wall by Colossus - Uncanny X-Men #183
- Unharmed from a building collapsing on him - Uncanny X-Men #183
- Fine after Rogue absorbs some of his power and throws and flies into him hard enough to create a massive crater in a rail line - Uncanny X-Men #218
- Unharmed after getting punched in the face by Captain Britain and hit several more times by him - Excalibur (1988) #3
- Still able to fight after getting pummeled for nearly a minute by Thor - Thor #429
- Tanks a punch to the back of the head from Venom - Venom: The Madness #1
- [X] Quickly recovers after getting punched into the ground hard enough to embed him in it by a golem made from the earth - Uncanny X-Men #422
- [X] Tanks a punch to the face and chest from Sasquatch - Uncanny X-Men #422
- [X] Fine after Sasquatch swings a tree into him hard enough to splinter it - Uncanny X-Men #422
- [X] Fine after getting tackled through a house by Sasquatch - Uncanny X-Men #432-433
- [X] Tanks several punches from Guardian, though they draw blood - Uncanny X-Men #434
- [X] Still conscious after letting Sasquatch pummel him - Uncanny X-Men #434
- [X] Unharmed from a double-decker bus crashing into him hard enough to total itself - New Excalibur (2006) #3
- [X] A continuous optic blast from Earth 6141 Cyclops doesn't even slow him down - New Excalibur (2006) #3
- [X] Quickly recovers after getting punched into a rock wall hard enough to shatter it by Albion - New Excalibur (2006) #5
- [X] Gets back up after being pummeled by the Wrecking Crew - New Excalibur (2006) #13
- [X] Recovers after the Wrecking Crew pummel him some more and throw a bus into him - New Excalibur (2006) #13
- [X] Survives getting pummeled into a stone courtyard hard enough to shatter it by World War Hulk - World War Hulk: X-Men #2-3
- Survives getting thrown to Earth from orbit by Captain Universe - Amazing Spider-Man #629, 627
- [T] King Hyperion hurts his hand punching Juggernaut in the head repeatedly - Thunderbolts #153
- [Kuurth] Tanks getting tackled through the deck of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge by Colossusnaut - Uncanny X-Men #543
- [Kuurth] Still able to fight after getting pummeled by Colossusnaut hard enough to collapse a building - Uncanny X-Men #543
Piercing/Cutting
- No-sells a tank round - Excalibur (1988) #3
- [X] Unharmed by minigun rounds - Uncanny X-Men #433
- [X] Still able to fight after getting stabbed in the abdomen by Rhino's horn - Uncanny X-Men #435
Sound
- [Limits] Incapacitated by tight beam ultra high frequency sonics from Nimrod - Uncanny X-Men #194
- [T] Still able to stand after Iron Man blasts him with enough localized sound to put down a whole regiment - Thunderbolts #150
Cold
- Unharmed from getting encased in ice by Iceman - Uncanny X-Men #33
- [X] Unharmed from getting covered in ice by Earth 6141 Iceman - New Excalibur (2006) #2-3
- [Once and Future] Tanks getting launched into the air by a stream of ice from Iceman - Amazing X-Men (2014) #17
Heat
- [T] Hurt but mostly fine after getting hit by King Hyperionâs atomic vision - Thunderbolts #153
Gravity
- [X] Survives getting sucked in by Xorn's black hole along with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and ending up in the Mojoverse, though they survived as well - X-Men (1991) #164, Uncanny X-Men #460
Light
Energy
- No-sells a continuous energy blast from Nimrod right after he used one to create a large hole in a concrete wall - Uncanny X-Men #194
- Tanks an energy blast from the Stranger - X-Men Forever (2001) #6
- [X] Fine after getting knocked through a thick stone wall by an energy blast from the Shadow King - New Excalibur (2006) #3
- Unharmed after getting knocked through a concrete wall and from Upper Manhattan to the New Jersey Palisades by an energy blast from Captain Universe - Amazing Spider-Man #627-628
Chemical
- [X] Unharmed by Mammomax's stomach acid - X-Men (1991) #164
Biological
- [X] Possibly unaffected by Polaris trying to reverse his blood flow with magnetism to knock him out - Uncanny X-Men #426
Mental
- Manages to keep moving out of hatred after Professor X attacks him telepathically, though he's knocked out with a second attack - Uncanny X-Men #13
- [Kuurth] Emma Frost is incapacitated from trying to affect his mind - Uncanny X-Men #541-542
- [Unstoppable] Rachel Summers can't read his mind - Amazing X-Men (2014) #19
- Breaks free of a dream illusion Cyttorak put him in - X-Men: Black - Juggernaut #1
2023.06.01 03:58 Betty-Adams "Flying Sparks" A novel of a boy, a dragon, and an alien. 100K words of science fiction adventure.
Flying Sparks
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Chapter 2
âHazardous? Iâll show that manipulative, misanthropic, anti-establishment cretin just what hazardous means if he thinks Iâm going to fold on this!âThe sound of vigorous guitar riffs made a fitting accompaniment to the angry tirade despite originating on opposite sides of the communal area. Ama was glaring at a laptop that sat on a stained oak desk shoved against the large table near the kitchen. She tapped a fingernail on the wood as she read through the alert.
âAnd what violation of basic human dignity has her royal prudishnessâs undies in a bunch?â Em demanded with an affected sneer without looking up from his guitar scales.
âOh youâll agree with this one tree-hugger,â Drake muttered from where he sat oiling his work boots.
âYeah,â Donny piped up, âFinney is trying to kill a perfectly healthy fir.â
âWhat!â Em demanded, carefully placing his battered old acoustic guitar down in its case and darting over to look at the computer screen. âYou mean apark tree?â
Despite her simmering frustration Ama allowed a small smile to flicker across her face as she continued to type.
âGet out of your pajamas and Iâll tell you,â Drake ordered pointing towards the bathroom door with a stained rag. âSchool starts in forty-five minutes and you still have breakfast and chores. That goes for you too Pip-squirt.â
âI hope you washed your hands before you touched our food,â Em said with a frown.
âBoot grease makes a great source of fatty acids.â Drake retorted. âNow go!â
The two smaller boys muttered in annoyance but stumbled off to follow orders.
âSo what is up?â the youth asked as he bent his head back over the smooth leather of his boots.
âMrs. Finney wants that tree down thatâs blocking her perfect view of Crescent Lake.â Ama replied in a dry tone.
âOne thatâs clearly on park property?â Drake asked.
âIndeedy-do.â Ama replied giving the paper in front of her a glare.
âSo howâs she justifying it?â Drake asked.
âAs a safety hazard to her house.â Ama replied.
âAnd?â
The biologist groaned and rubbed her face.
âAs far as I can tell the trunk is perfectly healthy. There is an old trash can lid grown into the trunk and a little discolored sap is leaking out there.â
âFrass?â
âWatch your language!â Donny interjected as he darted up to the table.
âFrass is not a bad word,â Drake stated. âHave you let the chickens out?â
âYes, what does frass mean?â Donny asked as he started piling stir-fry onto his plate.
âLook it up.â Drake ordered him. âEmerald! Breakfast ends in ten minutes! Get your tukus down here!â
âItâs bad health to rush meals,â Em snapped out as he came down a narrow stairway with deliberate slowness.
âItâs even worse for your health to skip meals altogether,â Drake growled threateningly.
âShut it and give me some eggs.â Em snapped back.
âEmerald Waters Undersun,â Drake hissed out through gritted teeth. âYou are going to get your own eggs.â
The boy threw himself into a chair and glared at Drake with challenge in every line of his body.
âEmerald,â Ama said in a calm tone. âI think you should apologize to your cousin now.â
âSorry I disturbed you Ama,â he offered without breaking eye contact with Drake.
âNot me, him,â Ama said.
âSorry you had to hear that Donny.â Em said.
Ama heaved a sigh and closed her computer.
âEmerald,â Ama said.
âDo you want to eat or go hungry?â Drake demanded.
Ama glanced at him with a familiar uneasy look in her eyes and Drake fought down a wince.
âNow, Em.â she said in a patient tone.
âIâll go hungry,â Em snapped, jumping up and stalking over to the couch.
Donny kept his eyes fixed on his plate. Ama heaved a sigh before turning back to her computer. Em wriggled on the couch for several minutes before skulking back to the table. Drake moved to intercept him but Ama stopped him with a look and he let Em serve himself. Drake cast irritated glances at the wall clock as the time crept more and more into school time.
Ama closed her computer and stood, then sighed, sat and opened it again.
âI need to pick out their report topics,â Ama muttered.
âI could do it,â Drake offered.
âYou do quite enough,â Ama replied briskly, as she scanned the news. âHere you go. For Donny, malfunctions at the Lewis- McChord Air Force Base air show.â A frown creased her face. âWow, this is pretty serious. It looks like the F-16 demonstration team nearly got killed.â
Drake whistled and leaned over her shoulder.
âMultiple system failures,â he read out loud. âI am pretty sure that isnât supposed to happen.â
âNope,â Ama agreed. âHere is a topic on big game management for Em.â
âReports due by next week?â Drake asked as the old printer on the desk began to squeal and grumble as it powered up.
âSame as usual,â Ama confirmed.
Drake put the printouts on top of the homework pile and moved to wash up the breakfast dishes.
âI need to get to work early today so you two be good for Drake,â she called out placing a quick kiss on top of the smaller boysâ heads and giving Drakeâs shoulder a friendly squeeze.
âGood luck with Mrs. Finney, and stay safe.â Drake called out as she went into her room.
The table was cleaned off and wiped down and the clink of forks gave way to the steady scratch of pencils on paper. They broke for a recess after religion and then lunch after history and math, and by the time the Grandfather clock in the corner struck two the younger boys twitching with energy. Drake made certain the internet was disconnected at the router, and chased Donny and Em out into the garden.
âAnd donât come in until dark,â he ordered tossing two snack bags out after them.
Donny as usual snatched his food and disappeared into the small orachard. Low grumbles about troglodytes and the Amish wandered out into the high corn following Em and Drake shook his head in exasperation wondering, not for the first time how the dark haired princeling came from the same gene pool as his little brother. The kitchen being mostly ordered Drake was turning to put the last random dirty sock in the hamper when a gnarled hand clutching a cane head appeared in the corner of his eye, causing his heart to make a valiant attempt to bolt out of his throat.
âAbuelita!â he gasped forcing his hands down from the guard position. âWhere did you come from?â
Smoldering black eyes ran searchingly over the tall youth. An impossibly long mane of streaked silver and black hair was barely contained in a thick braid. A sharply pointed nose perched over a small wrinkled mouth. A vibrant red horse-hair serape hung over her shoulders concealing everything except her brown and gnarled hands which currently clutched the old tree branch she used as a cane. Drake had been more than a little comforted by the fact that both Em and Donny had admitted to having the thought âwitchâ every time time they saw her as well.
âFrom the hand of God by the bodies of my sainted mother and father,â she replied after a long, uncomfortable silence.
She always spoke in a low husky voice that suggested years of smoking, though Drake had never smelled even stale smoke on her.
âRight,â Drake blinked and grinned at the response; the one she always gave. âSo you are here for their Spanish lesson? I have their grammar books ready and-â
The narrow end of the tree branch rapped against the concrete of the floor causing Drake to jump. Abuelita glared at him, locking his gaze and holding him in place with it for a moment.
âI am here for their lessons,â she finally stated, âand you are there for my payment.â
Drake thought longingly of the repair and maintenance manuals in the cab of the truck and the new tool he was itching to try, but he forced a grin on his face.
âYes maâam,â he said. âWhat can I get you today?â
Abuelita pulled out a bag of woven grass from under her serape causing the indistinct patterns on the cloth to shift and change.
âTake this,â she ordered him, âand collect me the cobalt blue berries that grow on a single stalk close to the ground. They must come from the mountain to the south east of here by the crystal brook.â
Drake nodded, and took the little bag, he didnât quite manage to infused his gestures with enthusiasm he supposed. The old woman, probably wouldnât have noted it anyway. She turned and moved towards the garden door without waiting for any other reply. However she called out over her shoulder as he turned to find his own way out of the rambling structure.
âDonât dawdle little one. A storm brews in the distance.â
He tried not to roll his eyes at that, the weather forecast was clear and eighties for the next week according to the morning fire report Ama had printed. The youth only nodded and slipped around the corner. He circled the barn and pulled a set of loose tan pants and tunic out of the cubby. The soft worn leather almost perfectly matched the forest floor for color as did the moccasins he pulled on after them. His morning running clothes were modern stuff that wicked the sweat away from him and let him speed through the forest. These were his free day clothes. The ones that let him disappear into the forest and wander. Abuelita, for all of her demands, would tend Em and Donny until he returned no matter how late that was, and with the Parkâs yearly budget talks still under way it was highly unlikely Ama would be home until long after the sun had set. Despite still hearing the call of the half restored truck he felt something lossening in him already. The soft cotton and smooth leather rested easily against his skin and Drake slipped into the forest.
Freedom; for the moment at least, blissful freedom. Pushing aside the guilt that accompanied the thought as well as any lingering worries about his charges the youth let his legs carry him through the trees. He shunned the man made paths, following the faint animal trails. This close to the barn they were as clear to him as if they were named city streets. Being animal trails, they invariably led him to water. Today he stopped at a trickling stream, took off his moccasins, and rolled up his pants legs. The youth turned and followed the thin flow of icy water upstream, letting it steal the heat from his body through his feet.
Some distance upstream, the stream widened and pooled under a boulder. There Drake paused and pulled an old black compass out of his pocket. Behind him he knew every trail and tree. Ahead was a broad swath of National Wilderness he would have to cross, or possibly Bureau of Land Management or even state managed forests where he more rarely wandered. It was hard to tell where the boundaries were from the ground. The clearing he wanted for the berries was solidly in BLM land and he still had quite a ways to go to get there. The stand of timber that stood between him and his goal was dense with young tree and branches that frequently formed impenetrable hedges he had to track around and he checked his compass regularly as he climbed in elevation. Even so the youth found he had wandered too far off his route and had to correct when he spotted the boundary fence. However he was in no hurry and he reached the clearing long before the sun told him it was time to turn around.
Sometime in the past some unknown force had carved a shallow trench across the side of one of the small mountains that that dotted the wilderness. It had puzzled Drake at first. The scour was at the wrong angle to be an old rock slide, and terminated in a near perfectly circular clearing at the lower end. Centuries old Douglas Firs abruptly gave way to a second ring only a few decades old. Those were in turn beginning to produce cones and a smattering of knee high saplings. The rest of the space was completely given over to wildflowers. No matter what season Drake visited it he found a riot of life.
There had been an early spring and many herbs that normally would have waited a month or more were already in full bloom in the mountain meadow. A white wave of foamflower washed in from the deep forest surrounding the clearing, sending up knee high stalks covered in the delicate white blooms. Late trillium hid close to the roots of the great firs, many having shed their white corollas and begun to put forth their bulbous seed heads. Fuzzy white baneberry blossoms nodded gently in the breeze. A riot of yellow and purple spread across the ground as vetch and buttercups and a host of clovers competed for space in the open sun. Great stalks of lupine as high as his head thrust up their purple and blue proudly from thick clusters of palm shaped leaves. Pink shooting stars and violet harebells crouched under the protection of the larger plants. Indian paintbrush lit the scene with flames of red and orange. Where a spring seeped into the meadow elephantâs head flared neon pink and corydalis bushes put forth blushing blooms. Pale green wild orchids stood along the wet spot and the swarms of bees danced from them to the glacier lilies.
Sometimes, as he bent over a tiny blossom and traced the intricate network of veins in the petals, drank in the scent, and felt the smooth surface of the leaves an otherworldly feeling would come over him. It was as if there was another world just out of range of his senses. If he could only really look, the thin illusion that was blocking him would slip away and reveal the real world underneath it.
âLook Awiegwa,â his father would whisper, pointing at a deer mouse perched on a fallen log. âWhat does it see?â
Awiegwa would screw up his face and squint. Trying to find the answer to the question.
Awiegwa had often wondered how so many flowers had come to be in the relatively small area. He had identified dozens of species and there were more he had yet to determine. The clearing was always the first place to bloom and the last to go dormant. Many of the flowers seemed to utterly defy their usual blooming patterns. However, as time passed he had simply come to accept it. It was one of the small good things that brought back the memories of his father. If it didnât quite follow the rules Ama had taught him, well an impossible clearing in the mountains wasnât a place for rules.
The particular bloom that Abuelita had requested had taken full advantage of the early sun and had already put forth a few cobalt blue berries; easily spotted at the edge of the clearing in the delicate sea of white flowers.
However before he left the shade of the forest for the meadow the youth paused and closed his eyes. Bole wasnât always here, but he was often enough that Awiegwa always checked for him. Carefully he reconstructed the clearing in his mind; marking every tree and boulder on the edge. Three years he had been coming here and each time it was easier to recreate the clearing. Breathing evenly he opened his eyes, letting the mental image merge with the actual. There was a brief moment of confusion as details like the play of light through branches and the trembling of small clusters of flowers fixed themselves but there was only one truly jarring note. Awiegwa didnât let his eyes focus on the disparity; he never did anymore, but a warm smile spread across his features as he slipped silently into the meadow.
He was here. As the youth moved in a low crouch, gathering the first fruits of the Queenâs Cup, he let his peripheral vision linger on a particular snag. There was nothing obviously interesting about it, other than the fact that it had not been there the last time Awiegwa was here. He had named the wanderer Bole, because it most often appeared as a thick tree trunk; sometimes living, sometimes dead. Occasionally it would be a boulder or simply a mound in the dirt. Often it wasnât in the clearing at all. If the youth moved forward and tried to closely examine it he could never find anything to suggest it was something other than a tree or rock.
He had thought about taking a sample occasionally, had taken his knife out to do just that more than once, but something always held him back. Bole was a part of this place. Dissecting him would be too much like attempting to dissect his sense of his fatherâs presence here. The youth had never told anyone about this place, not even Ama with who could get most things out of him easily enough. Down at the house, in town, when he was Drake; solid, reliable, first up in the morning, two grades ahead in school with a penchant for science Drake, a productive member of modern society with a promising future and his mother smiling at him. Here he could be Awiegwa. Here he could believe in the ancient medicines his father had dug out of dusty old tomes and brought to life from the forest litter. Every time Awiegwa left the clearing and headed back towards home reality would reassert itself. Bole would resolve back into a figment of his imagination, created from pride in a somewhat better than average memory and what the social workers had called an âintriguing imaginationâ. When he reached the house and become solidly Drake again flickers of embarrassment would begin eating at him for letting his senses trick him like that, but as long as the blooms nodded around him in this garden Bole could exist even on a Thursday.
The little woven grass bag filled up with the berries fairly quickly and Awiegwa soon stretched out of his crouch and let his gaze wander contentedly over the clearing. As it always did, the warm space was working its special magic. Worries about Em getting out of his schoolwork, of not paying enough attention to the quiet Donny, of letting Ama see his petty resentments: it had all melted away from his muscles, thoughts of college costs and abandoning his duties dissolved into an acute sense of the now. The leaves rustled softly in a barely-there breeze, the heavy scent of some unidentified blossom filled his lungs, a dozen shades of green framed the rainbow of flowers, and over and above it all the creaking of the firs as the wind played over them. It was at times like these that he felth he could almost see into heaven; that something wonderful that existed just beyond his senses, and all he had to do was reach out and claim it.
The youth took a deep breath and let himself fall backwards onto a handy rise in the forest floor. His path had taken him to the foot of the snag and he shifted slightly to align himself with the gnarled roots. One hand gripped a time smoothed root.
âAma trusted me enough to go out of state,â he murmured. âThatâs the first time sheâs done that. Usually she has Abulita stay with us to fend off the Harsh, but she said itâs long past legal now.â
It was his imagination of course that made him think the root vibrated in his hand in response. Many a long hour he had spent in this clearing with the wanderer. He had poured out his frustrations and anguishes over lifeâs injustices, had shared his secrets as he grew, and had shouted his triumphs. Sometimes he felt closer to Bole than to any of his human friends. However, something that sounded like his motherâs voice warned him that there was something odd about this and that awareness was the main reason he had kept this place secret from Ama. Their mother hadnât exactly liked stuff like that. She had never objected to his fatherâs digging up the old stories of her people. Making cross generational connections between elders, who more often than not lived isolated lives, and the next generation, was an admirable goal in of itself in her eyes; objectively a social good. Storytelling was only the natural course for these relationships to take, but subtle looks had warned even a very young Drake that it was best to cautious what he shared with his mother. At least of those things that couldnât be placed on a microscope slide. So this was Awigewaâs place, and while his fatherâs spirit wanders the flowers with he had never felt his mother here.
He let his focus drift up, and up. Dark blue Lupine nodded over his head framing the faint crisscross of jet contrails that threw a light haze over an otherwise cloudless sky. His clothed grew deliciously hot from the spring sun. The ground too had eagerly accepted the energy and now it conducted the heat into the muscles of his back. Boleâs wood beneath him was warmer even than the surrounding ground and an idle thought traced across Awiegwaâs awareness; something about it being odd for the light colored wood and relatively dry wood to retain more heat than the darker soil surrounding it. His mind was filled with the impression of a goal. He had been meaning to do, something. Something fun, yes, exploring, heâd meant to see if whatever had dug that den by the second boulder was cubing this year. He would just get up and do that in a minute. His back was so warm and comfortable.
https://i.redd.it/zafjty1qcb3b1.gif
âFlying Sparksâ
Another foray into the lives of Drake McCarty, Ama Love, and the rest of their siblings as they discover that something alien is out in the forest around their home.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flying-sparks-a-novel-of-dragon-bear-and-boy/coming_soon
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