Okay so I'm doing this series on tumblr but I've decided to also share it on here, I am comparing acotar courts to respective A Song of Ice and Fire houses. So first off the bat (hehe) is the night court.
I feel like this one is pretty straight forward but the night court reminds me the most of the targaryens. The Targaryens have always been regarded as the most powerful house, and the night court has been known to be the same. The existence of Illyrians kind of reminds me of dragons. The Targaryen's have Lilac eyes and Rhysand has violet-ish eyes. Also, the Mor-Azriel-Cassian debacle reminds me of visenya, aegon, and rhaenys (with mor being aegon in this scenario).
Now, this one might be controversial but I think that the current autumn court is a combination of the Lannisters and the Starks. A lot of fics I've read and even Feyre's internal monologue regards Beron as an idiot but remember he's currently longest standing High Lord and I don't think he's gotten to this point because of pure luck. His court is known to be ruthless, I think there are other families in autumn that covet power but Beron has been able to remain in power despite it all. Also Beron was never a central antagonist in major Prythian conflicts, Tywin Lannister was hand of the king for three different kings, but he was never really a central hero in villain in many of the early ASOIF conflicts. I think like Tywin Lannister, Beron is a tactician.
Note: I still think Beron is incredibly abusive and a bigot but I think his abilities as a politician and business man has been underemphasized. I might just be projecting on this one, but I think the Vanserra family also resembles the Starks. I think the Vanserra brothers are what the Starks would be if they had Tywin as a father. I think Rob would be Eris and Jon Snow would be Lucien, I think maybe one or two of the Vanserra brother's might also be a Ceresi. But the Starks had imperfect relationships and most of them had very different personalties from one another, I could imagine them being more lethal and wounded versions of themselves if Tywin/Beron was their father.
(I think in canon the Vanserra's behave more like Ceresi vs. Tyrion, but it's cool to theorize otherwise)
Anyways, let me know your thoughts x

Okay so I'm doing this series on tumblr but I've decided to also share it on here, despite my fear of getting mobbed but I am comparing acotar courts to respective A Song of Ice and Fire houses. So first off the bat (hehe) is the night court.
I feel like this one is pretty straight forward but the night court reminds me the most of the targaryens. The Targaryens have always been regarded as the most powerful house, and the night court has been known to be the same. The existence of Illyrians kind of reminds me of dragons. The Targaryen's have Lilac eyes and Rhysand has violet-ish eyes. Also, the Mor-Azriel-Cassian debacle reminds me of visenya, aegon, and rhaenys (with mor being aegon in this scenario).
Now, this one might be controversial but I think that the current autumn court is a combination of the Lannisters and the Starks. A lot of fics I've read and even Feyre's internal monologue regards Beron as an idiot but remember he's currently longest standing High Lord and I don't think he's gotten to this point because of pure luck. His court is known to be ruthless, I think there are other families in autumn that covet power but Beron has been able to remain in power despite it all. Also Beron was never a central antagonist in major Prythian conflicts, Tywin Lannister was hand of the king for three different kings, but he was never really a central hero in villain in many of the early ASOIF conflicts. I think like Tywin Lannister, Beron is a tactician.
Note: I still think Beron is incredibly abusive and a bigot but I think his abilities as a politician and business man has been underemphasized.
I might just be projecting on this one, but I think the Vanserra family also resembles the Starks. I think the Vanserra brothers are what the Starks would be if they had Tywin as a father. I think Rob would be Eris and Jon Snow would be Lucien, I think maybe one or two of the Vanserra brother's might also be a Ceresi. But the Starks had imperfect relationships and most of them had very different personalties from one another, I could imagine them being more lethal and wounded versions of themselves if Tywin/Beron was their father.
(I think in canon the Vanserra's behave more like Ceresi vs. Tyrion, but it's cool to theorize otherwise)
Anyways, let me know your thoughts x

Discord: lurksponge Or message me through reddit.
Still have a 150th ranger, 154th empath, and 200th necro for sale if anyone is interested. Exp penalties have incentivized my departure from DR. There's a few limited treasures items in there, including the altered ridiculous mask. Also have roughly 60k in plat to liquidate. Would love to just get rid of all this at once if anyone's super interested...
Anyways, rough list of some items I figured would be worth selling, many of which I never thought I'd be willing to part with:

• a sophisticated glitvire tea basket festooned with whiskey-tinged ribbons
• an intricately woven berry picking basket with polished glitvire handles
• a sinister loimic knife set in a whorled glitvire hilt formed of agonized faces - LOOK: Juxtaposed against elegant craftsmanship, the instrument chronicles an alternate future reality. The hilt has been tortuously sculpted into various faces petrified in disparate agonized expressions. Faceted lilac diamond phofe flowers are interspersed within the faces as a beautiful tribute to each, reflecting off crystalized green and purple burls forming gnarled shesegri patterns. Etched in painstaking detail along the blade is a thorough depiction of the end of the Plane of Abiding.
• a purple gold phofe flower (Person who is encircled by ethereal phofe flowers.)
• an immaculate cameo trailed by alabaster faces increasingly desiccated by khor'vela
• Lots of glass orbs
• goldwood nisha short bow
• copperwood battle bow
• goldwood battle longbow
• copperwood latchbow
• maps
• a dusky purple phofe flower
• a large glass pumpkin set with a wide cambrinth grin
• Tons of scrolls in stackers, including SIF
• Complete 11/11 speed alchemy tools set
• 2x shimmer outfits
• a hexagonal cambrinth prism suspended from a long electrum chain
• multi-strapped carryall (bound to a previous alt, transferrable)
• a dark watersilk bag bearing a detailed cambrinth medallion
• 3x embiggened dark encompassing shadows of twilight dreamweave
• an encircled aldamdin mask sculpted into an array of chromatically scarred faces - LOOK: Formed of non-reflective metal, the encompassing mask is designed to cover the head completely. Bits of khor'vela, stura atulave, and gloomglass are arrayed in ribbons of color, extruding from each chiseled facial feature in a fractal pattern, radiating outward into an array of starbursts, spirals, and geometric abstractions. WORN: XYZ features are hidden behind an eerily muted aldamdin mask of merged faces with shared features. Gloomglass-filled fissures arch like eyebrows in odd places, gashes of khor'vela stippled with corrupt bone form noses and chins. Stura atulave etched with warped chromatic fractals create lips and eyes in a medley of blended features, casting unearthly reflections.
• a particolored silveress and marquisette mask - WORN: A dark jaspe-veiled silveress mask casts the left half of her face in mercurial shadows. The harmoniously mixed materials shift to a pale, diamond-patterned mesh across the bridge of her nose, veiling the opposite side in a harlequin design enhanced by angular beading. Curved animite lip plates give her mouth a strangely smooth, liquid sheen. Dark, silvery-grey metal outlines the piece, flush-set with midnight onyx to form a frame that resembles delicately inked abstract artwork.

Vault: a polished ebony pillbox with a fine silver chain, some childrens' toys, a soul reaver's headdress with thunder ram horns wrapped in barb wire, a glazed clay mask sculpted to resemble a stylized face frozen in mid-scream, an ethereal naga composed of gloomglass, an ethereal naga composed of gloomglass, an ethereal naga composed of gloomglass, a prismatic stura atulave pilgrim's badge strung from a wildlace ribbon, a prismatic stura atulave pilgrim's badge strung from a wildlace ribbon, a soaring vulture carved from khor'vela, a soaring vulture carved from khor'vela, a soaring vulture carved from khor'vela, a soaring vulture carved from khor'vela, a distressed purple gloomwood tea hamper fit with a demonbone handle, an aldamdin mirror, an aldamdin mirror, an aldamdin mirror, an aldamdin mirror, an aldamdin mirror, some dusky dewberry glitter, a solitary carnivorous sundew, a pair of ovoid quad-hued gloomglass-rimmed spectacles, a slim animite septum ring threaded through an amaranth riftstone, a small Seed of Entropy wrought from purple gold, a large shelf, a purplewood mixing stick inlaid with ivory, a pair of bodacious red leather boots with tall slender heels, a fringed blood-red sash embroidered with Death's Shadow lillies, a sleek nightstalker silk gown embellished with sanguine wildlace, a wasp-waisted black satin corset adorned with crimson lace, a wide leather war belt with an agonite-inlaid gargoyle buckle, a pile of clay limbs, a black leather choker adorned with hanging tiers of tiny electrum chain, an intricately whorled glitvire trident flecked with variegated greens and violets, a tiny icesteel bar, an onyx-hide enchanter's toolbelt covered in asini symbols, a twisted cambrinth ring set with a small lilac diamond, a twisted cambrinth ring set with a small lilac diamond, a twisted cambrinth ring set with a small lilac diamond, a sanowret crystal, a curved silver earcuff tipped with an orchid alexandrite, a modest silver choker accented with a trillion-cut orchid alexandrite, a shrunken orc head, a thin steel blade reinforced with glaes, a rough leather war belt with a razaksel-crow's head belt buckle, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a caliginous glass orb containing a model of Red Spiral, a cambrinth pilonu inlaid with a viperscale alexandrite, a sharply honed angiswaerd tooth affixed to a green jade hilt, a star-streaked midnight black sack fastened with an obsidian murder crow, a chakrel toe-ring wrought like a tiny spider, a faded bandana, a thin steel blade reinforced with glaes, a faded bandana, a liquid-filled crystal rose displayed upon braided faesilk, a prismatic lightning amethyst flask engraved with the words "Liquid Courage", a chakrel amulet carved to resemble a bonfire, a lollipop-shaped imbuement rod capped with a massive amber stone, a gnarled imbuement rod resembling a tree limb, a sickly green verdant heart, a rough leather war belt with a razaksel-crow's head belt buckle, a rough leather war belt with a razaksel-crow's head belt buckle and a heavy cauldron with twisted Dwarven iron handles.

Hi y'all! First time post on here - this is an excerpt of a much longer novel I'm working on - as most of us are, I'm sure, I'm worried about the introduction to the story and ensuring there's a proper amount of questions answered vs. unanswered, and that it's just genuinely fun to read! Lmk what y'all think, and please be as harsh as you want - I'm a playwright by trade, so the world of prose is still newer to me! Thank you :)
​
Prologue - Ara’al The Heretical
Ara’al the Heretical had a particularly cruel grin on her face the day she summited Halo’s Crest. After a six month exodus from her homeland, Ara’al and the pack of vagrant that followed her had finally arrived at their new home, lengths above humanity’s most populated commercial city: Alabaster. At the moment, the queen was perched on an overhang far above the human city, her skin bristling with anticipation of the revenge she had sacrificed everything for. Crouched down at the end of a rock that had grown over the open air below, she looked a bit like one of the gargoyles that had watched over her when she lived in her mother’s castle. Only they never smiled, and in this moment, that was all she could do.
Behind her proudly stood her four pillars - the advisors she trusted more than anybody else. Just months ago, she had called them friends. Now, they were her pillars. Part of her resented that, and longed for a simpler life, but that was a small segment of her being. The rest of her delighted in it. That sort of order was what it would take to exact her revenge on the humans. That sort of order was what it would take to make her dream a reality.
“Atal’aka - my field. See that the troops are attended to. See that the castle is built. Mara’pulk - my shield. Have a small group of soldiers secure the perimeter. Tomak’aka - my plow - take one or two of your more refined farmers and scour the area for fertile land. Food will quickly become scarce more rapidly than our other resources, and as such should be our priority. Eki’ura, my sword… you are to lead in my absence. I have introductions to make.”
Joy was palpable in her voice - for the last months she had marched across forests, deserts, and mountains with her soldiers in tow. She was hesitant to call them her subjects - that was what her mother had called the people of Iwe’Shahan. From a young age, she had resented that habit. It placed her above them, and anybody that knew her mother knew her to be something sub-living. Something horrible.
Why was she thinking of her mother now? This was her moment. Everything she had been planning culminated in this moment. So forget her mother. Exact revenge. From the jutty, she leaped to a lower outcropping, absorbing the brunt of the impact with the wooden brace that carapaced itself around her leg before leaping lower and lower, descending the mountain at a rapid pace. As she fell through the air faster and faster, only taking brief respite on the rocky protrusions, the smile on her face grew wider and wider, so much so that you could see her toothy grin through the moss that grew over her mouth. In her descent, she resembled a twig in running water - letting the current decide its path. Slowing but never stopping.
This was joyous! A feeling like joy is foreign to a woman such as Ara’al - it is rare for someone to dedicate themselves to a cause entirely, and most of them never make it half as far as she has, which is only halfway to her destination. In pursuit of revenge, the former princess of the vagrant cast away everything else in her life - all her once passions seemed frivolous to her when those who ravaged her city roamed free. Racing towards their home, picturing the fear on their faces when she returned the sorrows they had inflicted on her people back on them, all that went through her mind was joy. Pure joy, and nothing else. What a magnificent feeling. She wanted nothing more than to prolong the feeling - she wasn’t ready to let it go.
Finally, she reached the base of the mountain. Only a vagrant body could scale a mountain in minutes like that - perhaps a Carrion warrior, with their wings, could do the same, but the air was their domain. In terms of pure strength and agility, the slender wood and flesh that composed vagrant’s towering frames was unrivaled. She took a moment to take in her surroundings - she had seen the lightless forest on maps, and read about it in the books from the castle library, but standing, actually engulfed in it, it was far beyond anything she had ever expected. The ringlet mountains towered over the trees, Halo’s crest standing a few hundred heads above the rest. As such, since the mountain range encircled Alabaster and the forest around it, for most hours of the day no sunlight made it to the canopy. The flora in the ecosystem were starved of light, but despite that the land was surprisingly lush. The trees were full of leaves, almost in defiance of Nature and the poor hand they had been dealt. Again, her smile widened. Everything was precisely as she had studied. Everything was exactly as she had dreamed.
Walking through the forest, she could not help but marvel at how strange the scenery was - her whole life had been spent in Iwe’Shahan, so her journey to Alabaster had been filled with new sights. All the pebblings and lakelets she grew up watching scuttle across the streets were no more - the lands outside of the granite mountains were far more lush, and the creatures that inhabited them fit their surroundings. On the other side of the ringlet mountains, everything just got stranger. On the other side of the mountains, every few lengths Tomak’aka would alert her to hellraiser tracks, or something of the like, which was familiar to her people. Here, nothing was familiar. On her way to the outskirts of the city of Alabaster, she saw deer and ground-eagles sparring with each other, a phenomenon she had only read about - both of them were apparently quite territorial, and got into land disputes often. She saw light-singers, the peculiar species of bird only found in the lightless forest - they got their name from the bioluminescent saliva that lined their mouths, meaning that when they opened their mouths to sing, they lit up the forest around them. Fascinating creatures, she thought to herself. Seeing all these creatures outside the pages of a book kept the joyful fire in her stoked - she wanted more of this. More to make her smile - only now did she realize just how little she had smiled in the past months.
Underneath her feet, the grass felt soft - it was strange how spongy the earth here was. There was soil in Ahar’bahol, of course, but it was different - more coarse. Looser. Here, it was dense, but it had a freeness to it. Like the very earth she stood on was alive. Under different circumstances, she might have found this part of the world beautiful. But that was not to be - everything in this corner of the continent reminded her of humans. Dirty, disgraceful humanity and the ruin they carried with them. The books she read put their names next to the ground-eagles and the deer, the lightless forest and the ringlet mountains that surrounded it, and the soil and the grass. So in her mind, they were all one. One great, overwhelming evil.
Her thoughts came to a halt when she came to a break in the trees, The forest began to thin, and she caught her first glimpse of a human city. The strange wood and stone buildings that they shuffled in and out of mindlessly. The strange patterns they paved their roads in. And their startling lack of a wall. Ara’al always found that particularly confounding about humans - they were so trusting. Only their capital was fortified with a wall. It was as if they were saying to all the other kingdoms “you are welcome in our homes, and should you choose to attack us, we know we are stronger than you.” Many that she had spoken to called it hospitality, and cited it as their most endearing trait. Ara’al called it arrogance. And she despised human arrogance.
All that guarded the border of their city were two men with crude stone spears, leaned against wooden posts. They seemed half asleep, standing there with relaxed postures. Was this really it? The great city of Alabaster? How revolting. This was the den where the humans who ransacked her people had taken their precious artifacts to. This was what the money stolen from her Eaokal had gone to. This was the temple to humans' supposed greatness. Everything was gray - where was the color? Back in Iwe’Shahan, the very city glimmered at all times of day - lightless or no.
Alabaster did anything but glimmer. Where she had seen such life in the forest, Ara’al now saw nothing but death - not in the literal sense, but rather in the feeling Alabaster imparted on her soul. Deep within, she knew that an extended stay here would suck the life from anybody. A perfect prison for her enemies. She would confine them here, and watch the life leave them, just as she had been forced to watch the life leave her people. The thought kept her smile alight.
She emerged from the forest, marching herself towards the city. It didn’t take long for one of the guards to see her - he made a series of sounds foreign to her, and gestured to her with his makeshift spear. There was no fear detectable in his voice, but rather confusion. Admiration. Wonder. She knew most humans were like her - never having left their home cities, meaning they had never seen a vagrant before - especially not a royal. Some of the smaller humans in her eyesight were only as long as her forearm - she was as tall as some of their buildings. What a horrible thing she must have been to them.
And yet, despite her grotesque appearance, she detected no fear in the hearts of the humans gazing at her. Once she came near enough the border of the city, the guards crossed their spears, making it clear she was not welcome. All the while, words were being shouted at her - none of them meant anything to her. She did not speak the language of the humans - in the coming months she would learn - Tomak’aka was fluent, and had promised to teach her. To hold her over, however, he had taught her just this one phrase. Translated from Kirlak, the vagrant’s language, it loses some meaning, but Ara’al’s dear pillar had assured her it carried the weight she desired.
“Humans! I am Ara’al, the heretical. Ara’al, the eldest daughter of the vagrant! That which you have done to me, I will see done back to you. My advisors tell me you have a saying. An eye for an eye, no? I have lamented the eye you took for long enough! I come seeking revenge! Raleth Iltari Raleth!” The last phrase is a vagrant saying, meaning “justice in the name of justice.”
Her cry left the crowd of humans that had gathered silent. As she preferred them. And then, the guards acted - a foolish mistake. They both drove their spears at her, but their lack of training was apparent. She caught the shafts of their weapons, and squeezed tightly. The shoddy craftsmanship shone through, and the weapons splintered, cracked, and fell apart, shards of wood flying in every direction. Without missing a step, Ara’al launched herself at them, digging her feet into the peculiar, spongy earth, and pouncing at the men with poor posture, no mercy on her mind. She drove her hand through the right one’s chest, feeling him go limp near instantaneously. As for the left one, she wrapped her spindle-like fingers around his skull, lifting him to her eye-level. She could see the fear in his eyes - that was the fuel her fire required. Her smile grew the widest it had been all day. As she smiled, she lost track of her own strength, and found herself squeezing ever so slightly tighter that she had meant to - human anatomy was still foreign to her, and she didn’t know the meaning of her own strength. Her thumb pressed into the man’s skull too forcefully, and she felt her finger slip past his skin and bones, and deep into the fleshy interior. Like that, he was dead - what a fragile thing the human body was. Why was her mother ever scared of them?
No matter. The message was sent. She dropped the man’s corpse, looking at the blood on her finger, studying it. He bled red, the same as her. Something about that upset her. The crowd had dispersed by now, the civilians running for their lives, shrieking and hollering. Ara’al found that amusing - she would never dream of killing civilians unprompted. Not unless they tested her. Not unless…
No, princess. Vengeance is to be exacted with time. Not a quick wound, but a deep, slow cut.
The voice of her Goddess was right. This was still just the beginning - she had a long way to go before revenge was truly hers. She had a long way to go before she could smile for smiling’s sake. For now, she ran her bloody thumb over her face, from her right eye to the corner of her mouth. She felt the man’s blood on her barky skin, and could feel it start to solidify. And that was enough. The fire burned. The woman smiled.
​
I - Seven Years Later - Reed
​
Last night, Reed Thomas had a dream that he was wearing a dress. He was standing in a field of flowers he didn’t recognize - they looked like lilacs, but they weren’t exactly right. The petals were a few shades darker, and they dropped down at the top, like hands gone limp. They certainly weren’t native to Alabaster. For the first few moments, as he studied their blooms, he thought it was raining - water was pooling up around his feet, and the ground felt freshly wet. After a moment more of observation, however, things became slightly more peculiar. Rather than falling from the sky, the water seemed to be seeping up through the ground, pooling around the grass, weeds, and stalks of the not-quite-lilacs.
That was what commanded his attention for the first few moments - his bare feet pressing into the newly wet soil, the grass creeping up between his toes, and the clean air flowing into his lungs. Big gusts of clean air. All his life, he had only known air that was polluted by city-folk - the smoke of hundreds of fires burning at once on his face, the dust from the royal guards' horses kicked up from the untended cobblestone streets, and the stench of other people permeating every corner of the city, entirely unescapable. Here, none of that was a worry. With every breath, he felt his body lighten a little bit more. For a fleeting moment, he was calm. Once the water level started rising a little faster, however, the tranquility vanished as quickly as it came. He looked down, and saw the frills of a dress splayed out around his ankles - it was forest green, in stark contrast to the flowers around him, but as the water overtook it, the color got darker, and seemed to swallow up his body. He disappeared into it. He lost himself.
Moment by moment, the water kept rising - by no means should it have. It was a field - there were no walls to keep the water contained. But that didn’t seem to bother the force of nature. It was like the whole earth was crying at once. Slowly, it crept up his body: from his ankles to his knees, from his knees to his waist, and from his waist it made its way to his chest. Before he knew it, it was at his chin. Just before his mouth went under, he took a deep breath, and then he was floating.
Underwater he could see himself everywhere - no matter which way he looked, there he was. A scrawny kid who couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag and couldn’t talk his way into a single cent off a loaf of bread in the market. His messy brown hair almost seemed black soaked through with water, and, floating up around his ears, all the matts and tangles became visible. Despite the solitude, Reed Thomas shrunk into himself - there was something shameful about being splayed out like this.
In stark contrast to his… him, there the dress was. Something pretty. Something ethereal. It seemed beyond him, but together, the two of them transformed into something else entirely, not quite him and not quite the dress. Reed couldn’t tell if he liked the way he looked or not. All around him, the water took up the fabric and gave it slight movement - just enough to seem majestic - it feels wrong to think, but just enough to seem pretty.
Maybe he did like it? After all, he’d always made it a point to hang his head low when passing well-polished shop windows, or when he lifted up a brass mug to drink his tea. Reflective surfaces were the death of that young boy. But now… He looked…
“Get up, kiddo! Breakfast’s ready!”
His sister's voice echoed through the water. And just like that the dream was over.
Reed Thomas jolted awake in bed, his memory of the water already fading. The lilacs and the dress would be forgotten by noon.
For fear of Zinnia dragging him out of his bed by the ear, Reed scurried out of bed, and hastily changed out of his sleep clothes into the cloth shirt and work pants he’d gotten as a hand-me-down from his father. Being the only member of his family without a stable career ate at him - being only fifteen, he had an excuse, but, for a Thomas, that was far too late. Everyone else in his family worked hard - his big sister the hardest. So every morning he put on his work clothes to feel a little less out of place at the breakfast table. Today, there was a method to the madness, though. All his pestering had finally gotten through to Arabella, it seemed, and she had agreed to let him apprentice with her.
Getting out of bed felt easier today - there was someone waiting for him. Work to do.
After he got dressed, he made a quick trip to the bathroom, scraping the residue from the prior night off of his teeth with his fingernail, as his mother had taught him. None of his friend’s mother’s made them do that, and he never saw a real point in it, but she swore to Lord that it was important for your health. It only took a minute out of his day, so he figured it was worth it - better to lose a minute than to get scolded by his mother. Lord himself would break before that woman.
After rinsing his face off with cold water from the wash basin, he dashed down the rickety wooden stairs to the dining room - before he rounded the corner at the base of the staircase, he heard the voices of both his parents and his sister filling up the space. This was nothing new - he’d always been the last one awake and the first one asleep. Who would expect anything else from him? When he reached the base of the stairs and crept into eyeshot of his family, the teasing began. The voice of his father made Reed wince, his eyes slamming shut and his nose scrunching up. Maybe if he keeps his eyes shut he won't be able to hear the voices?
“Finally decided to grace us with your presence, eh son?” Came a bellowing voice that somehow made it through the boy’s closed eyelids.
“Yeah, Dad…” Reed resigned himself to his fate, and made his way to the dining room table.
“I told you if you want to find a job, you have to start waking up on time. I told you that.” This voice rattles too - not in the same way as his father, but it was pointed - where his father’s voice bellowed, his mother’s voice carried.
“I know, Mom, I just had a hard time falling asleep last night… I am working today, though. I’m trying..”
“Yeah, well, try harder kiddo.”
That last voice was accompanied by a calloused hand ruffling his hair - even half awake he could tell that belonged to his older sister, best friend, role model, and most amazing person anyone could ever meet: Zinnia Thomas. He would never admit a lick of that to her face, though. If you asked him while she was in earshot, she was only fine.
Somehow, in the time it took Reed to get from the stairs to the dining table, Zinnia had gotten up from her seat at the table and snuck behind Reed without him ever knowing. Unsurprising, given her profession. Soldiers had to be light on their feet - doubly so if they were fighting vagrant soldiers. And Zinna was Lord blessed when it came to fighting vagrant soldiers - nobody did it better than her. Everyone in Alabaster knew her name. Or, if you didn’t, you’d heard a story about her. About how she never failed a mission. About how she… Lord, she was amazing.
“Easy for you to say Zinnia, at least you have a reason to get up. I bet if I…” She doesn’t let him start the next thought.
“Don’t start that with me, Reed, you’re not joining the defenders.”
“I didn’t say I…”
“Yeah, but you were about to.”
And that he was. Another thing Reed would never admit to his sister, although he didn’t do the best job at hiding it from her, was how jealous of her life he was. She had the coolest job. She had the coolest friends. She had the coolest life, to put it bluntly. And every morning, she was up before him, because she had to be, and his parents lauded it over him. Lord forbid he forget her excellence.
“So, Reed, what’s this “work” you’re doing today?” His mother's words snapped him back to reality.
“Oh. Um… Arabella told me to come down to the bellows to start my actual apprenticeship. So I’ll spend the morning with her, then meet up with Leon and Iselda, and then it’ll probably be dinner time.”
“Mm. Do you have the gloves she gave you?”
“They’re upstairs.”
“Don’t forget them.” “I won’t.”
Arablella was the city’s blacksmith. Lord bless the woman, she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders, and did so as though she was carrying sacks of wool. Tradesmen were rare in the city - they generally came into Alabaster, rather than living there - the city was a place to sell your wares, not produce them. That made things much harder than they needed to be after the vagrant isolated the city - it had been six years since Alabaster had any contact with the rest of humanity’s cities, and she had spent the whole time arming the royal guards and the defenders on her own. Naturally, nothing could possibly be more unsustainable. Her desperation for help happened to line up with Reed’s desperation to work, so she took him in. For the last two weeks, he’s been nothing but the bellow-boy, stoking the flame in her furnace the entire day, but today she promised to teach him the basics. Reed Thomas may finally have a reason to get up on time.
“What time is it?” Reed asked, already finished with his meal.
Reed’s father glanced at his watch, and without looking up, responded curtly: “quarter to seven.”
“I should go then. I don’t wanna be late.” He stood from the table, followed quickly by his big sister, who snatched his empty plate from his hands and carried it to the sink.
“I’ll walk you there - Arabella’s store is on the way to the gate I’m patrolling from today.”
Reed smiled to himself - just a little. He was grateful for any time alone he got with Zinnia. Whatever he could glean about the outside world from her, he would. Whatever he could learn about the Vagrant and their practices from her, he would. And most importantly, whatever he could figure out about magic from her, he would.
Magic was a rarity in the city of Alabaster. Rarer than tradesmen. Rarer than food. Rarer than joy. There are only a select few people dedicated enough to the craft to learn it, and ever since the city lost its connection to the outside world, information about the arcane arts has become scarce. Anyone with a natural aptitude or the mental fortitude to piece together the scattered information there is on magic either got roped into the royal guards at the castle, or volunteered themselves to the defenders at the wall, where the royal guards would eventually find a way to poach them into their own ranks. Every magician was needed in the fight against the vagrant, the castle had decreed. Before Reed’s time, magic had been used to better people’s lives - or so he was told. As far as he remembered, magic was nothing but a weapon. Some soldiers wore swords. Some soldiers carried spears. And some, the most dangerous among them, pumped magic through their veins.
Reed knew Zinnia had seen magic firsthand, and, even though he could never prove it, he had a hunch that Zinnia had arcana running in her blood. After a quick trip upstairs to grab his gloves, Reed and Zinnia Thomas headed out for their respective posts.
As they walked, Reed did his very best to emulate the way Zinnia walked - he pulled his shoulders back, in line with his hips. He took shorter strides, making sure he put down his heel, then his toe. Heel, toe, heel, toe, heel… Zinnia noticed what he was doing, and smiled about it. That made Reed smile too - for a short while, they were just walking through the early morning street, smiling about nothing in particular - Zinnia was the one who broke that silence.
“So. You excited, Reed?”
“Hm? Yeah… a little scared, but mostly excited.”
Reed felt a calloused hand reach down and ruffle his hair - Zinnia had a habit of doing that. She was only five years older than him… He was quick to duck away from it, but quick wasn’t quite quick enough. He glared up at his sister - her response was a hearty laugh, and a piece of sisterly advice. “Don’t be scared. It’s Arabella. You know she needs the help - just listen close to what she says. Nobody tells you this when you’re little, but the most important thing you can do as a grown up is listen.”
“That’s not true,” Reed said, bouncing the words around in his head, doing his best to make sense of them.
“Well, you’re not a grown up yet.”
“I am too!” “Fifteen is far from grown up.”
“...So is twenty.”
They walked in silence for a moment, Zinnia’s eyes staying locked on the horizon - she had a habit of doing that. Looking past the city walls - Reed wondered what she saw out there.
“Do you think mom is mad at me?”
“What? Why?” Her eyes snapped away from the eternity she gazed out at, now focused entirely on her brother.
Reed took a moment to piece together the words he wanted to say - he always wanted to speak perfect in front of Zinnia. She did it so effortlessly - it mattered that she knew he could talk like her too. “I don’t know, exactly. I just… I get this feeling. This feeling that she wants me to do… more. Like I haven’t done enough in my life.
“I think… I feel like she wants me to be more like you.” With those last words, Reed met his sister’s eyes - there was an ocean of thought buried behind the whites of her eyes - he could see it. Just behind those emotionless eyes, he could see it. What was she thinking? What on earth could the perfect soldier - the perfect daughter - be thinking about? As much as Reed wished he had the answers, the truth was he was content just watching the ocean behind those eyes swell.
Do sailors wonder what has the ocean in a fit? No. They watch its swells, and remark about the beautiful danger of white water.
“Well? Do you wanna be more like me?” Came Zinnia’s response.
“I… Sort of? Not really, though.”
“Then don’t worry what mom thinks. You’re fifteen, Reed. Make mistakes. Learn so much your brain hurts. Be your own person. Be a kid. Some…” She trailed off, going silent for a moment. Collecting her thoughts, much the same as Reed. “Once you’re grown up, you’ll want to be young again. You only get so many years to be a kid.”
Reed was quiet. He knew she was right. The pair had made their way to the main street of the city. For a city under siege, one would imagine less life. Despite the gloom, though, Alabaster could not escape its roots - this was a city of commerce. A city of trade. And Lord save them, these people were going to trade. As soon as the siblings stepped out of the side street they had come through, voices started accosting them from every which way. ‘Ground eagle fights! Only one piece minimum bet!’ ‘Three pieces for real silk! Straight from Atolla!’ Every shopkeep seemed to have the same grating voice that carried over the idle chatter that was so commonplace in this part of town. Were they born with those voices, or did they just learn to talk like that? They were a fascinating type of people. Despite his fifteen years in the city, Reed still couldn’t wrap his head around this place - his father would routinely come here to buy food, haggling his way into much lower prices than listed. On several occasions, Reed had tagged along, trying to learn how he did it - every time, without fail, he walked out with a price at least one piece higher than listed. How had he managed that? Lord knows, but he had. Ever since, he had done his best to give this street a wide berth. Unfortunately, most of the work in this city, save for the thieves and military men, was centralized here.
Including his apprenticeship.
Up there on the left, he could make out the building - it wasn’t particularly close, it just stood out that much. Most merchants set up tents somewhere along the road - some of the more permanent residents had crude buildings, but on main street. Architecture meant nothing to the clientele that frequented these shops - unless you were Arabella Holt. That woman had a building that stood at least ten feet tall, with intricate wrought iron bars over the windows and door. Hung from the ceiling like stalactites were ornamental dueling swords of Arabella’s own design. Reed found it a tad crude, but the clientele of main street loved it. It wasn’t like she needed more work - the royal guard and the defenders kept her plenty busy, but you’d never meet a true Alabastian who turned down work. More work is the only work, or something like that.
Before long, they were at the door to the forge. “This is Arabella’s store... I should go. Stay safe, okay, Zinnia?”
“I always do, kiddo. I love you.”
“I love you too.” And with that, his first day of real work began.

Hiya I'm coming here in search of my long lost childhood plush. I lost it years ago when I went away on holiday and came back home and not being able to find it anywhere. The plush was a purple bunny with a floral pattern in its ears although what made it unique was that it came with a lavender scented beanbag which was microwavable, the bunny itself had a velcro pouch in its bottom half where you were able to place the beanbag back into to make the plush smell like lavander. I've looked everywhere for it and what I've found is that it heavily resembles the jelly cat bashful bunny's, specifically the lilac one with the floral pattern although jelly cat has never done a scented range. I've looked at all different brands and I can't seem to find anything about any types of plushes coming with a scented beanbag. There's been soon resembles with marks and spencers bunny toys and someone even told me to check Warmies but they work very differently then my plush did. I'm 18 now and I believe I was 6-7 when I got the plush so it must've been available for purchase in 2011-2012 please if anyone even has any idea of what I'm talking about let me know I feel like I'm going crazy lol trying to find this thing because there's so many that have the exact design of my plush but without the velcro pouch on its bottom half! Please if anyone knows anything or even had one when they were a child please let me know. (I remember seeing adverts on TV for them and that's how I asked my mother for one when I was a kid.)

I'm posting this asking for help because I can't for the life of me find any evidence of my childhood toy ever existing. The toy I used to have resembled a bashful bunny so well specifically the lilac one with the floral prints in its ears (same colour and shape). However, the difference mine has was it came with a scented beanbag (lavander scented specifically) and the bunny itself had a velcro pouch in its bottom area which you were able to slip the beanbag back into after microwaving. I'm 18 now nearly turning 19 and I must've been around 6-8 when I first got the teddy as a gift from my mother (so it must be around 2011-2014 where it was available to purchase). I've been looking everywhere online and I really cannot find it anywhere as I've been trying to find a replacement for it as one day I gave it to my little brother to play with which he lost in our garden and I haven't been able to find it for 4-5 years. Please if anyone has heard of a plush like this or even knows what I'm talking about i would really appreciate it!!!!!

Perdrisat is an Australian brand, and shipping is unfortunately restricted to Australia and the US (but only samples)
Whisky:
notes say rum but this is pure whisky right out of the bottle with cinammon sprinkled in. When it settles i get a little bit of the pachouli, but it's tempered by the oud and the other deep notes. Has a passing resemblance to Whisky 1969 without the rasberry and nutmeg notes. Perfect on a cold, early spring day like this.
Pretty Boy:
Aldehydes tend to numb my nose for a few minutes. A very fresh cut lily with a hint of rose, the lychee is really a main note, it provides a fresh, springy background for the florals and aldehydes. It takes an especially skilled perfumer not to render lilies soapy, which they can easily turn into the wrong hands. It remains light and effervescent througout the drydown . Really long lasting for such a seemingly light scent!
Last Word:
fresh cucumber and the bracing freshness of galbanum, incense acts as a gentle supporting player. I like that this winter collection isn't overly heavy, loaded down with ambers or crazy heavy florals. Maybe it's reflective of Australia's milder winters? Aussies, weigh in here!
This one has the shortest lifespan of all, but it still lasted 5 hours on my skin. The others last all day.
Bully:
there's a sweet smokiness courtesy of the violet and leather. Not campfire smoke, but a refined dandy's pipe tobacco. Smoked violets rounded out by a lovely, crisp patchouli. Very enjoyable. i wouldn't full size it but i will enjoy my lil sample.
Night stand:
the cool, peppery smell of wisteria is complemented perfectly by the supporting cast of notes. Ooo, and lilac. Wisteria and lilac is the perfect floral combo for me. Can't really detect licorice, as it's very buried in the background. This fragrance has a touch of melancholy to it. Purple flowers make me feel that way.
Whisky, Pretty Boy and Nightstand are my favorites. I can't buy full bottles tho bc i live in the US. Guess I gotta make an Australia trip happen!

Housekeeping and Prologue
Hello, this is Douglysium and you might not know me as that guy who wrote over 100 pages of analysis on the Eye (which can be read on Tumblr here (https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/735599414228484097/the-relationships-between-the-dread-powers-the) or Google Docs here (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss)) or as that guy who wrote an article on the Extinction (which can be read on Tumblr here(https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/717929126195003392/what-would-avatars-of-the-extinction-be-like-a) and Google Docs here(​What would Avatars of the Extinction be like?: A TMA Speculation)). Suffice to say I might be a bit of a TMA fan. Also, spoilers light for TMP up until about episode 6 or 7.
However, Protocol offers a very unique opportunity and experience for me because I didn’t actually get into TMA until after it was over and I binged all of it. So this is my first time experiencing something even remotely similar to what the original TMA fans probably experienced when waiting for each episode week by week and slowly having to put everything together with the limited information they had. So I decided to throw my hat into the ring since this might be my only chance to do something similar. However, I’m working on some longer form TMA content so I can’t spend as much time on these articles giving a bunch of super detailed thoughts. I will try to keep these short and that inevitably might mean some could have questions about why I think or predict certain things and in those cases I would probably recommend you read at least some of the two articles I mentioned above to get a better idea of where I’m coming from. This also means I won’t be giving you a play-by-play of every single thing that happens in the episode so I encourage you to listen to or read them yourselves and feel free to comment if you feel something is important.
These reviews are probably going to end up focusing mostly on the Entities and their manifestations as they are what I have thought about the most and spent the most time interpreting and there’s been a lot of… interesting theories floating around about how the Entities are manifesting that I want to go over.
Finally, I’m just going to say it right now, spoiler warning for all of The Magnus Archives. I know that Jon and co said one could start with Protocol and be fine, and while that’s probably true, media like this tends to be made in conversation with or take into consideration what came before it in the irl chronology in order to connect them. While I’m sure you could skip The Magnus Archives, I don't really see the point of skipping over it when we are already getting characters from TMA showing up in TMP in Protocol. So to me it’s pretty clear that if we want to understand the full picture of TMP and all the things it is trying to say then we can’t just try to pretend TMA doesn’t exist or scrub it away. Just because you could understand what’s happening without the context in broad strokes doesn’t mean you're getting all the nuances.
So let’s get started and I’ll try to keep this short with episode 1 “First Shift”.... After I address two common theories first.

Addressing “THE THEORY”

Something I want to get out of the way right now is that to me whatever government O.I.A.R. organization Sam and the gang are working for are clearly aligned with the Eye or some similar Entity. Now, I know what some people are going to start saying. There’s been a popular theory going around that the Entities have changed to new fears or are now based around desires instead of fear but to be honest I heavily disagree with those theories and they are extreme reaches in my opinion.
First off, we are told at the end of TMA by Jon, Annabelle, and The Web itself that according to its plan when the other Entities are dragged to another universe it should end up with them being dragged back outside the universe in the same state that they were in TMA. I’ve seen people argue that the Powers might have been separated, fused, or reshuffled but it’s important to note that the powers have always been heavily connected and nebulous in most aspects.
In MAG 80 (The Librarian) Leitner compares the Entities as being but pieces of a larger body: “Imagine, you are an ant, and you have never before seen a human. Then one day, into your colony, a huge fingernail is thrust, scraping and digging. You flee to another entrance, only to be confronted by a staring eye gazing at you. You climb to the top, trying to find escape and, above you, can see the vast dark shadow of a boot falling upon you. Would that ant be able to construct these things into the form of a single human being? Or would it believe itself to be under attack by three different, equally terrible, but very distinct assailants?” Meanwhile, in MAG 111 Gerard compares them to colors: “I always think it helps to imagine them like colours. The edges bleed together, and you can talk about little differences: “oh, that’s indigo, that’s more lilac”, but they’re both purple. I mean, I guess there are technically infinite colours, but you group them together into a few big ones. A lot of it’s kind of arbitrary. I mean, why are navy blue and sky blue both called blue, when pink’s an entirely different colour from red? Y’know? I don’t know, that’s just how it works. And like colours, some of these powers, they feed into or balance each other. Some really clash, and you just can’t put them together. I mean, you could see them all as just one thing, I guess, but it would be pretty much meaningless, y’know, like… like trying to describe a… shirt by talking about the concept of colour.” Gerard and Jon also go on to state “O-Of course, with these things it’s not a simple spectrum, y’know, it’s more like –An infinite amorphous blob of terror bleeding out in every direction at once.” So while I would personally argue the Dread Powers still sit on a sort of spectrum, the spectrum in question is a lot more soupy and amorphous than a strictly barebones color wheel and the edges bleed together.
Jon later points out to Martin that the categorization of Entities can’t always be simplified into neat little boxes. These also are important to understanding Jonah’s mass ritual as Jonah states in MAG 160 “Even those that seem to exist in direct opposition rely on each other for their definition as much as up relies on down. To try and create a world with only the Buried makes as much sense as trying to conceive a world with only down. Every ritual tied itself so closely to a single power as to render itself impossible. They could bring their patron close, but never sever it from the others, and eventually it would be violently pulled back into the place next to reality where they dwell.” Basically, what Jonah is saying is that light cannot exist without darkness or shadow to contrast it and light by its very nature will cast a shadow. So even if people say light and darkness are opposites they are really two sides of the same coin and need each other to exist as distinct concepts. The concept of darkness cannot exist unless you have light to compare it to and vice versa.
So I don’t think any Entities are being removed since losing an Entity would be like all the Entities blowing off their own arm if we use Leitner’s body analogy. The chance of the Entities being shuffled isn’t zero but the categories have always overlapped so it’s probably more likely that the new characters may use different categories than Smirke when referring to grouping the Entities. However, that wouldn’t suddenly mean that the Desolation or some other Power doesn’t exist, just that they are being viewed through a different lens than the previous universe.
Now, there has been a super popular theory floating around Reddit that the Entities are now drawing power from desires instead of fear. Which is a theory I personally don’t buy for a single second. There’s the earlier aforementioned point and goal of The Web’s plan sure but I also think the theory makes little sense since nothing about the first few episodes so far has really changed how the Entities have behaved in my opinion.
The truth is the Entities have always been heavily tied to desire, even in the original TMA Gertrude mentions that the Eye is also connected to the desire to know and understand even if in doing so you could get hurt.
We also know that people with certain desires or personalities are more likely to be attracted to certain Entities as they are more likely to intentionally or unintentionally cultivate their respective fear. It goes without saying that a person prone to violence and the desire to attack others is more likely to feed the Slaughter. If you want more specific examples, Jon is noted as being extremely curious and wanting to understand so he gravitated towards The Eye (an Entity revolving around the fear of knowledge, information, having secrets revealed, being found, etc.), Peter was an extreme loner so he gravitated towards The Lonely (an Entity connected to the fear of being alone) and Annabelle gravitated towards The Web and she is noted as having been extremely manipulative as a child.
Desire isn’t anything new in TMA and it acts as the flip side of the Powers that encourages people to hurt others due to specific desires and wants. For example, in TMP RedCanary fits with what we’ve seen of people connected to the Eye and a desire to know / see, and Daria’s desire for physical perfection resembles the gym we see Jared Hopworth running and the people in it trying to get the perfect body in TMA. We even see Daria’s roommate freak out when she sees her so I would say it’s more likely that the Flesh or some other similar Entity was reaching out to her and / or make her an Avatar, and Daria might not have even been the target for the Flesh’s fear but rather her roommate or the people around her. Then again we do get the description of a lot of fear during the tattoo session in the episode and the idea of someone permanently mutilating your body physically is very Flesh.
Hopefully, you understand a bit where I’m coming from now and why I won’t be using some of the common theories floating around as my frame of reference, since I feel like they sort of miss the complete picture or just try to pretend like TMA didn’t happen. So I’m working off the assumption that at most the Powers might be viewed differently but they are still intact enough to ascribe them to Smirke’s categories. This might turn out to be a mistake in the future (especially since this episode seems to be poking fun at those categories) but completely disregarding established information or trying to start from complete scratch is as equally likely to end up being a mistake. I also find the idea that the Fears just did a 180 and started feeding off of desire even though they are acting how they always have to be a stretch. Of course, the uncertainty and guesswork is part of the fun of doing these I suppose.

Episode 1: “First Shift”

Okay, back to what I was saying before. The O.I.A.R organization Sam, Teddy, Alice, and their coworkers are working for is almost definitely associated with the Eye or maybe some other similar Entity. We know in this universe the original Magnus Institute burned down at some point so it’s possible that the Eye looked for a new main center of power or place to conduct its ritual. We know the organization Teddy is working for is a government one and the Eye is also the fear of being watched. A fear that often goes hand-in-hand with the fear of government or something governments sometimes do to keep people in line.
The ability of the computers to play statements by searching through the internet and snooping into various forums, servers, private messages, etc. to find information it shouldn’t and share the with other people is very Eye and ironically in TMA we have seen a website that might have been aligned with the Eye called Sparksfly.com in “What The Ghost? - The Devil's Dance” as one of the podcast’s sponsors. Georgie Barker pitches the website by saying “Wouldn’t it be great if your dating service knew you as well as your friends do? Well, SparksFly.com does! In fact, they know you better than anyone. With SparksFly, there’s no need to fill out lengthy surveys; they get all the information they need from your browser history – Wow. Okay! What The Ghost? listeners get a month’s membership for free! No need for a code; (voice climbing higher) they already know who you are! (still at a markedly higher register) SparksFly: Privacy is just another word for loneliness?!(really fast) I-went-out-with-someone-I-met-online-once. (exhale) We didn’t have a lot in common; I mentioned the podcast, and he spent the rest of the night complaining about the Ghostbusters remake. But we had Thai food, so it was an okay date. I got the tofu Massaman curry.” So it’s a website that revolves around knowing too much.
We also see Sam share a major trait that those attracted to the Eye often have, extreme curiosity. Jon had this trait (which is partially why he was picked as being the Archivist by Jonah) and Jon, Tim, and Melanie went to the Institute for answers about their encounters with the supernatural. Once again, if you want to hear my full thoughts and explanations about the Institute you can see it here (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss).
Further emphasizing the Eye connections, it seems like something is watching and recording the people working in the facility. This could be The Eye but it’s important to consider that it could be The Web spying on people again for some new plan or in order to manipulate The Eye again. Right now it could go either way because we don’t know if the Eye can watch everyone in this facility like it could in The Magnus Institute so it might need to use devices such as cameras and microphones in this specific instance but it could also be The Web basically posing as The Eye again (like how several characters assumed the tapes to belong to The Eye before it was revealed to be connected to the Web in TMA) while it gathers information if we want to assume that The Eye would already know everything happening in the facility.
The computers in TMP have been pretty interesting. They are pretty old and while Entities can and have manifested as very modern technology, such as cameras, they are noted to be more likely to manifest as old objects (probably because things that have been around longer are more likely to be more engrained in the social conscience and have more associations an Entity can use). It could also simply be to highlight the oddity of the computers. They are too old of models to have any voice reading software yet they do anyway. Which probably implies something supernatural because the reading itself can't be coming from any technology. It could be coming from some sort of person, monster or even directly from the Eye. Of course, the computers are reading out statements. When asked what programs like FR3-d1 (FREDDY) do Alice says “It searches online databases, newspapers, forums or whatever for incidents, flags them, then passes them through to us for assessment.” Which just ties into compiling statements and what I said before about The Eye gathering information.
The job assigned to Sam and his coworkers seems to be to sort through statements which is one of the jobs the Archivists like Jon and Gertrude technically had in TMA. It was actually a major plot point that Gertrude purposefully made the Archives disorganized and Jon tried to reorganize them early in the series. When Sam starts reading the statement given to him he pauses and says “This is…” to which Alice replies “Yeah, they're all like that. At least this one is short, nice easy start for you. So, once you've read it, you get out the binder…” So… the statements are probably just as horrifying as ever and it’s important to point out this has always been one of the major themes of The Eye. The Eye doesn’t seem to just be the fear of being watched but knowledge in general. This can take the form of someone watching you or knowing secrets for sure but it can also take the form of you yourself having seen too much or witnessed something you didn’t want to. This is why Jonah can shove horrifying information into the heads of Melanie and Martin in TMA (he can force them to see or know things they don’t want to).
Additionally, in MAG 200 (Last Words) we learn in what order the Powers were born in and the fears that led to their creation and we get this: “and struggle at learning, so too did they learn to fear that their eyes might deceive them, or show them too much.” Here the “fear that their eyes might deceive them” is the Spiral while the fear of “being shown too much” is The Eye since none of the other fears mentioned in that statement match up with the Eye and clearly correspond with the other Entities.
So statements aren’t always just the fear of someone hearing a story but the idea of being forced to live / relive or witness something horrifying.
Anyway, after Alice pulls out a binder this interaction occurs
ALICE CONT.
“...And look up whatever’s mentioned most in the case. Looking at this one we go to “D” and… Sam, eyes on me now. We go to “D” and, right, would you say this is more "Dolls comma watching" or "Dolls comma human skin".”
SAM
“(a bit shell-shocked) I- Uh- I mean- I guess the human skin bit is only implied, so... both?”
ALICE
“Nah you can only pick one, Freddy's dumb as rocks. Right, so, after each entry there's four numbers. That’s the DPHW. So, “dolls comma watching” is... 1157. Then you cross reference with the table here, that would be a 2-C, and then you type that into the box here, along with date of incident if there is one and today’s date. Which gives us… Alice’s quickly types.”
ALICE CONT.
“CAT2RC1157-12052022-09012024 and then we hit submit.”
This is actually a very enlightening interaction. Something TMA touched on is that while sorting the Entities can be useful for noting certain interactions or behaviors it can easily reach a point of hubris if one tries to perfectly map and understand the fears. As Jon points out to Martin Post-Change, the categories of the Entities are just boxes and they don’t always fit cleanly into them. The Entities are actually all connected as one larger whole and can overlap greatly or multiple Entities can be at play at once,
In MAG 80 Leitner compares all the Entities to being body parts of a larger whole and the seemingly obtuse way of organizing the statement Sam is seeing are actually thematically very similar to a Domain we see in MAG 183 known as “The Monument.” Jon described the Domain as “homage” or mockery to people like Roberte Smirke. “A monument. To him and those like him, who tried to… categorise the world with themselves at the centre. In so doing, constructed the architecture of its suffering.”
Martin even points out that the architecture looks similar to the Institute to which Jon says “It makes sense. After all, it was built on the ruins of what Robert Smirke constructed.” So while the categories are fun and useful, TMA goes out of its way on several occasions to show that trying to cleanly organize, separate, and / or understand them perfectly is an act of hubris. I’m not sure if the Entities have a sense of humor but considering that an entire Domain was meant to comment on the absurdity and obtuseness of trying to perfectly organize the Entities and range of human fear as pointed out by Jon then something on a smaller scale could very well be possible.
The fact that Sam and company are only allowed to pick a single category for the dolls “wearing skin” or “watching” despite both being present further highlights the oversimplification at play. Wearing skin is something often seen with The Stranger and it has a connection to many dolls because of the fear of the uncanny valley. However, The Eye has a major emphasis on watching and the idea of an unblinking glassy eye fits very well with what we know of the Entity. Also, as mentioned earlier Entities can manifest as almost everything and on top of that we have seen people, Domains, and artifacts connected to multiple Entities at the same time. Martin was connected to the Lonely and Eye, his Domain was connected to the Eye and Lonely, and Gertrude mentions the Key of Solomon being a leitner connected to more than one Entity. There have even been statements with multiple Entities appearing and attacking the same person, such as in MAG 20 (Desecrated Host) with Father Edwin Burroughs. Who at least encounters The Eye and Flesh and possibly even more Entities.
After Sam submits his report he becomes curious as to where it goes but Alice doesn’t seem interested. In this regard Sam is actually quite similar to Jon and many other followers of the Eye and their attempts to understand everything that is happening. I’m not sure if Sam will become an Avatar but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up pulled into The Eye’s clutches (if he’s not in them already).
We then get a statement from NORRIS which Alice pauses and explains that apparently the voices started appearing about a year ago. There is a rather shoddy explanation about a sound card so I think most likely this was of supernatural origin. The appearance of the voices could potentially mark when the Entities, like The Eye, showed up in this universe but it’s important to mention that we don’t actually know when the Entities showed up in this universe. We know that time can become finicky when traveling from universe to universe. This is shown in MAG 114 with Anya. Interestingly, when she went into the gap in reality The Web was making it was April 23rd 2009 HOWEVER when she came out it was April 9th 2009 and when she gave the statement she said the 23rd was somehow tomorrow which made no sense. So one thing we have to ask ourselves is how parallel does this univere’s timeline run with the original because it seems like different universes may be at different points in their timeline even if this universe is very similar. So much so that one universe may be several days “behind” another as a possibility. So when the Entities got dragged to the new universe we can’t actually rule out that the Entities may have shown up way earlier in that universe than when they left the TMA universe due to these universal “timezones” at play. They could have easily ended up years or decades earlier in this universe than the TMA universe we started in. Heck, it’s not even impossible that they were sent to the beginning of this universe (but that’s less likely than the idea that they just appeared during the stone age or something).
Alice also mentions that Colin wanted to “destroy the computers with a hammer” when the voices started which ties into what I said earlier about The Eye and not wanting to know something via sight or hearing.
Before we talk about NORRIS’ statement it’s interesting to note that there are three voices, with CHESTER and AUGUSTUS being the other two, and NORRIS and CHESTER being the most common. This is an interesting detail and may point to some factor at play that is preventing the voices from being completely random. Maybe they each read different types of statements or statements with different qualities? Maybe they pull statements from different places, different entities, or it’s just that they are loosely based on how much fear the statement might elicit in the listener or even just the length? I can’t say.
Anyway, we listen to NORRIS’ statement from Harriet Winstead and it appears that her partner, Arthur, was at some point taken in the night and replaced with something. When Harriet asks “Arthur” if it’s really him he says “Some of him.” This is almost definitely The Stranger at play. This plays out basically exactly like an encounter with other Stranger related beings such as the infamous “Anglerfish” from TMA. If we believe Annabelle’s explanation from TMA it’s even possible that the Anglerfish got pulled into this new universe due to being part of the Stranger as a monster. The Stranger embodies the fear of the unknown and the uncanny and while this statement does take place at night and mention shadows I can’t really say it relates to an Entity like The Dark all that much. Considering how strangely Arthur is noted to be moving I assume that the Stranger is feeding off the fear of encountering something uncanny (in that it resembles something / someone you know but is noticeably off) or the fear of someone changing so much you don’t know who they are anymore if not just the idea of someone being replaced by a total stranger. It could also be more simply encountering someone who has an issue you can’t identify.
Sam mentioned how upsetting the statement was which ties into what I said earlier and seems similar to the statements on the tapes in TMA. Martin was similarly noted to be rattled or mentally worn down when taking statements on at least one occasion.
Gwen is very interesting since she seems super invested in accurately categorizing the statements, unlike Alice. This obsession with categorizing and understanding the Entities or their manifestations is something we have seen with Angus Stacey (a previous Archivist who apparently wanted to recategorize Smirke’s Fourteen) and even Smirke himself. So this desire to categorize does have a precedent, especially for Eye related people or factions as we see with Angus. Gwen also prides herself on her accuracy.
Gwen is pulled into Lena’s office who confronts her about her behavior from earlier in the episode and Lena says “If you hate working here so completely, you are perfectly within your rights to resign. No one is forcing you to stay here.” to which Gwen responds “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I think this might actually be a cheeky TMA reference since within TMA Jon and company were quite literally being forced to keep working at the Institute due to a magically binding contract. How much Lena actually knows about the Entities or if there’s a similar force at play here is up in the air. Lena could be being quite literal here or sort of challenging Gwen to try it / call her bluff. It might also be ironic that a Bouchard has the option to quit but doesn’t.
Gwen also reveals she really wants Lena’s job which is extremely interesting since we later learn her last name is BOUCHARD in the credits. The last name Jonah took when he stole Elias’ identity. The fact that a Bouchard was the boss of the Institute in the previous universe and Gwen wants to be the boss of this organization is a very interesting parallel. It could point to the fact that Gwen knows something but that remains to be seen.
Sam encounters Colin and Colin eventually explains that he’s been tasked with developing an app and maintaining / fixing the computers but it’s very obtuse and nonsensical as he metaphorically bangs his head against it. This desire to understand a piece of old hardware is actually similar to an Eye related statement from TMA in MAG 148 (Extended Surveillance) involving a “Security Camera Instruction Manual.” Upon reading the Leitner the victim ends up metaphysically fusing with the camera system the manual is tied to but that’s not the important part. The important part is what led to Samson Stiller reading the manual in the first place. Specifically, a desire to understand and fix the camera system. Similarly, we have someone here struggling with an old system of technology that might also be tied to The Eye.
Gwen encounters Sam later and they have this interaction-
GWEN
“So what is it then?”
SAM
“Hmm?”
GWEN
“The awful, terrible thing that landed you here?”
SAM
“Does it have to be awful and terrible?”
GWEN
“Usually.”
This is very interesting because it shows Gwen is recognizing a pattern. A pattern we also see in TMA with characters like Jon, Tim, and Melanie who all joined the Institute looking for answers after strange encounters with the supernatural. It wouldn’t surprise me if, like the Institute that has burned down at this point, the O.I.A.R acts as both a way to feed off the fear of various encounters but also as bait to draw curious people to The Eye who then either give statements or end up aligned with the Eye.
Chester then gives us another statement (2 statements in one episode is quite the treat). This one is about someone named “RedCanary” investigating the ruins of the Institute during some spelunking. The Institute is noted as being “cleared” despite having no pictures which I think ties into The Eye’s relation to the idea of curiosity and wanting to see something even if doing so could put you in danger. When RedCanary attempts to upload the pictures they take they mention that they aren’t uploading. I think this could be The Eye trying to stoke curiosity since the lack of pictures means more people are likely to interpret the ruins of the Institute as not cleared and investigate the ruins in the future. It’s very possible or likely that despite being ruins the Eye still holds a lot of power there. RedCanary mentions that the ruins are in surprisingly good shape and seem like they haven’t been touched since the fire. But if the area is marked as “cleared” I wonder if someone did actually go to the ruins before but since they couldn’t upload the pictures there was just no evidence.
RedCanary says “It's got a really cool vibe, though. Like, if you’d told me it was a Victorian asylum or something before the fire I reckon I’d have believed you” which is ironic given that the Institute in TMA was heavily connected to a panopticon (which is a type of prison “with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed”). Although, the original Institute wasn’t actually located on top of the panopticon and was later moved to London and built on top of it.
RedCanary mentions picking up a strange box and they are warned to not take it from the site. To which RedCanary says this “I know the rules. I’m going to go put it back, ok? So you can call off the dogs. I don’t need anonymous DMs calling me a thief or threatening me. I can dox people too, you know.” Doxxing is defined as “search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the internet, typically with malicious intent.” which ties in very well with The Eye’s theme of being found or revealing secrets.
RedCanary then begins to act very strangely. They post an image that’s taken down with the caption / description “Canaries should stay above ground.” An image so horrifying it needs to be taken down or people don’t want to see it ties into what I said earlier about the Eye and “seeing too much.” This is further emphasized by FlowersUnderground saying “Gross! Can we get some Mod action over here?” BadGrav31 says “What the hell is that? Are those eyes? Are you alright?” Pointing to this most likely be an incident relating to The Beholding since it likes to manifest as eyes in order to let people know they are being watched. It could be one of the other Entities like The Flesh and its body horror but I’ve already pointed out how much of this statement seems to parallel The Eye the most (and I think it’s rather fitting). It’s even taking place within the ruins of the Magnus Institute. Which was a place that was connected to The Eye (at least in the original timelines).
It’s also interesting that this specific statement plays after Gwen questions Sam as to why he’s here and we later learn Sam is trying to find information on the Magnus Institute. I wonder if The Eye or someone else is feeding Sam this info to stoke his curiosity, like both The Eye and Jonah did to Jon in TMA.
After that whole thing we later get this interaction between Alice and Sam
ALICE
Was it really that bad?
SAM
No worse than you warned me.
Although setting me up like that with the IT guy was
ALICE
Hilarious, I know. It’s win-win - you get a job, I get a fresh victim. It’s all in your contract.
SAM
Don't remember signing that particular bit of the paperwork.
ALICE
Gotta read the fine print, kiddo.
This could be a reference to TMA since Jon and co signed a contract that tied them to the Institute. Making them fresh victims for Jonah and we know that the contract in the Institute wasn’t a normal one. Of course, I’m not saying Alice is being literal, I’m saying this is a moment of irony for TMA fans.
Alice and Sam have another interesting interaction.
SAM
Do you- Is there- What’s up with them? You think they’re real?
ALICE
Alice exhales.
I don’t see how they could be? Mostly I try not to think of them like that, like, things that might or might not have really happened. They're just words on the screen.
SAM
I've no real idea what the OIAR even is.
Alice mentions she tries to not think about them, which ties into what I said about the idea of seeing or knowing too much in relation to The Eye. Just don’t think about it and try not to perceive it, you don’t want to, and ignorance is bliss.
We cut to one of the computers turning on and we hear Colin say this “(slightly manic) You’re not as clever as you think you are. You think you've got us all fooled, that no-one knows you're listening, But I do. I know. I’m going to find you and then… ” So someone or something is definitely listening. Whether it’s the Eye, Web, some monster or person aligned with one or more of them remains to be completely confirmed. Of course, the fear of being monitored or watched feeds the Eye.

Closing

Anyway, that’s my quick thoughts on this episode alongside some of the early TMP threads. I’m going to try to do one of these for each episode as they come out and I’ll try to keep them shorter but that may be hard.

Housekeeping and Prologue
Hello, this is Douglysium and you might not know me as that guy who wrote over 100 pages of analysis on the Eye (which can be read on Tumblr here (https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/735599414228484097/the-relationships-between-the-dread-powers-the) or Google Docs here (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss)) or as that guy who wrote an article on the Extinction (which can be read on Tumblr here(https://douglysium.tumblr.com/post/717929126195003392/what-would-avatars-of-the-extinction-be-like-a) and Google Docs here(​What would Avatars of the Extinction be like?: A TMA Speculation)). Suffice to say I might be a bit of a TMA fan. Also, spoilers light for TMP up until about episode 6 or 7.
However, Protocol offers a very unique opportunity and experience for me because I didn’t actually get into TMA until after it was over and I binged all of it. So this is my first time experiencing something even remotely similar to what the original TMA fans probably experienced when waiting for each episode week by week and slowly having to put everything together with the limited information they had. So I decided to throw my hat into the ring since this might be my only chance to do something similar. However, I’m working on some longer form TMA content so I can’t spend as much time on these articles giving a bunch of super detailed thoughts. I will try to keep these short and that inevitably might mean some could have questions about why I think or predict certain things and in those cases I would probably recommend you read at least some of the two articles I mentioned above to get a better idea of where I’m coming from. This also means I won’t be giving you a play-by-play of every single thing that happens in the episode so I encourage you to listen to or read them yourselves and feel free to comment if you feel something is important.
These reviews are probably going to end up focusing mostly on the Entities and their manifestations as they are what I have thought about the most and spent the most time interpreting and there’s been a lot of… interesting theories floating around about how the Entities are manifesting that I want to go over.
Finally, I’m just going to say it right now, spoiler warning for all of The Magnus Archives. I know that Jon and co said one could start with Protocol and be fine, and while that’s probably true, media like this tends to be made in conversation with or take into consideration what came before it in the irl chronology in order to connect them. While I’m sure you could skip The Magnus Archives, I don't really see the point of skipping over it when we are already getting characters from TMA showing up in TMP in Protocol. So to me it’s pretty clear that if we want to understand the full picture of TMP and all the things it is trying to say then we can’t just try to pretend TMA doesn’t exist or scrub it away. Just because you could understand what’s happening without the context in broad strokes doesn’t mean you're getting all the nuances.
So let’s get started and I’ll try to keep this short with episode 1 “First Shift”.... After I address two common theories first.

Addressing “THE THEORY”

Something I want to get out of the way right now is that to me whatever government O.I.A.R. organization Sam and the gang are working for are clearly aligned with the Eye or some similar Entity. Now, I know what some people are going to start saying. There’s been a popular theory going around that the Entities have changed to new fears or are now based around desires instead of fear but to be honest I heavily disagree with those theories and they are extreme reaches in my opinion.
First off, we are told at the end of TMA by Jon, Annabelle, and The Web itself that according to its plan when the other Entities are dragged to another universe it should end up with them being dragged back outside the universe in the same state that they were in TMA. I’ve seen people argue that the Powers might have been separated, fused, or reshuffled but it’s important to note that the powers have always been heavily connected and nebulous in most aspects.
In MAG 80 (The Librarian) Leitner compares the Entities as being but pieces of a larger body: “Imagine, you are an ant, and you have never before seen a human. Then one day, into your colony, a huge fingernail is thrust, scraping and digging. You flee to another entrance, only to be confronted by a staring eye gazing at you. You climb to the top, trying to find escape and, above you, can see the vast dark shadow of a boot falling upon you. Would that ant be able to construct these things into the form of a single human being? Or would it believe itself to be under attack by three different, equally terrible, but very distinct assailants?” Meanwhile, in MAG 111 Gerard compares them to colors: “I always think it helps to imagine them like colours. The edges bleed together, and you can talk about little differences: “oh, that’s indigo, that’s more lilac”, but they’re both purple. I mean, I guess there are technically infinite colours, but you group them together into a few big ones. A lot of it’s kind of arbitrary. I mean, why are navy blue and sky blue both called blue, when pink’s an entirely different colour from red? Y’know? I don’t know, that’s just how it works. And like colours, some of these powers, they feed into or balance each other. Some really clash, and you just can’t put them together. I mean, you could see them all as just one thing, I guess, but it would be pretty much meaningless, y’know, like… like trying to describe a… shirt by talking about the concept of colour.” Gerard and Jon also go on to state “O-Of course, with these things it’s not a simple spectrum, y’know, it’s more like –An infinite amorphous blob of terror bleeding out in every direction at once.” So while I would personally argue the Dread Powers still sit on a sort of spectrum, the spectrum in question is a lot more soupy and amorphous than a strictly barebones color wheel and the edges bleed together.
Jon later points out to Martin that the categorization of Entities can’t always be simplified into neat little boxes. These also are important to understanding Jonah’s mass ritual as Jonah states in MAG 160 “Even those that seem to exist in direct opposition rely on each other for their definition as much as up relies on down. To try and create a world with only the Buried makes as much sense as trying to conceive a world with only down. Every ritual tied itself so closely to a single power as to render itself impossible. They could bring their patron close, but never sever it from the others, and eventually it would be violently pulled back into the place next to reality where they dwell.” Basically, what Jonah is saying is that light cannot exist without darkness or shadow to contrast it and light by its very nature will cast a shadow. So even if people say light and darkness are opposites they are really two sides of the same coin and need each other to exist as distinct concepts. The concept of darkness cannot exist unless you have light to compare it to and vice versa.
So I don’t think any Entities are being removed since losing an Entity would be like all the Entities blowing off their own arm if we use Leitner’s body analogy. The chance of the Entities being shuffled isn’t zero but the categories have always overlapped so it’s probably more likely that the new characters may use different categories than Smirke when referring to grouping the Entities. However, that wouldn’t suddenly mean that the Desolation or some other Power doesn’t exist, just that they are being viewed through a different lens than the previous universe.
Now, there has been a super popular theory floating around Reddit that the Entities are now drawing power from desires instead of fear. Which is a theory I personally don’t buy for a single second. There’s the earlier aforementioned point and goal of The Web’s plan sure but I also think the theory makes little sense since nothing about the first few episodes so far has really changed how the Entities have behaved in my opinion.
The truth is the Entities have always been heavily tied to desire, even in the original TMA Gertrude mentions that the Eye is also connected to the desire to know and understand even if in doing so you could get hurt.
We also know that people with certain desires or personalities are more likely to be attracted to certain Entities as they are more likely to intentionally or unintentionally cultivate their respective fear. It goes without saying that a person prone to violence and the desire to attack others is more likely to feed the Slaughter. If you want more specific examples, Jon is noted as being extremely curious and wanting to understand so he gravitated towards The Eye (an Entity revolving around the fear of knowledge, information, having secrets revealed, being found, etc.), Peter was an extreme loner so he gravitated towards The Lonely (an Entity connected to the fear of being alone) and Annabelle gravitated towards The Web and she is noted as having been extremely manipulative as a child.
Desire isn’t anything new in TMA and it acts as the flip side of the Powers that encourages people to hurt others due to specific desires and wants. For example, in TMP RedCanary fits with what we’ve seen of people connected to the Eye and a desire to know / see, and Daria’s desire for physical perfection resembles the gym we see Jared Hopworth running and the people in it trying to get the perfect body in TMA. We even see Daria’s roommate freak out when she sees her so I would say it’s more likely that the Flesh or some other similar Entity was reaching out to her and / or make her an Avatar, and Daria might not have even been the target for the Flesh’s fear but rather her roommate or the people around her. Then again we do get the description of a lot of fear during the tattoo session in the episode and the idea of someone permanently mutilating your body physically is very Flesh.
Hopefully, you understand a bit where I’m coming from now and why I won’t be using some of the common theories floating around as my frame of reference, since I feel like they sort of miss the complete picture or just try to pretend like TMA didn’t happen. So I’m working off the assumption that at most the Powers might be viewed differently but they are still intact enough to ascribe them to Smirke’s categories. This might turn out to be a mistake in the future (especially since this episode seems to be poking fun at those categories) but completely disregarding established information or trying to start from complete scratch is as equally likely to end up being a mistake. I also find the idea that the Fears just did a 180 and started feeding off of desire even though they are acting how they always have to be a stretch. Of course, the uncertainty and guesswork is part of the fun of doing these I suppose.

Episode 1: “First Shift”

Okay, back to what I was saying before. The O.I.A.R organization Sam, Teddy, Alice, and their coworkers are working for is almost definitely associated with the Eye or maybe some other similar Entity. We know in this universe the original Magnus Institute burned down at some point so it’s possible that the Eye looked for a new main center of power or place to conduct its ritual. We know the organization Teddy is working for is a government one and the Eye is also the fear of being watched. A fear that often goes hand-in-hand with the fear of government or something governments sometimes do to keep people in line.
The ability of the computers to play statements by searching through the internet and snooping into various forums, servers, private messages, etc. to find information it shouldn’t and share the with other people is very Eye and ironically in TMA we have seen a website that might have been aligned with the Eye called Sparksfly.com in “What The Ghost? - The Devil's Dance” as one of the podcast’s sponsors. Georgie Barker pitches the website by saying “Wouldn’t it be great if your dating service knew you as well as your friends do? Well, SparksFly.com does! In fact, they know you better than anyone. With SparksFly, there’s no need to fill out lengthy surveys; they get all the information they need from your browser history – Wow. Okay! What The Ghost? listeners get a month’s membership for free! No need for a code; (voice climbing higher) they already know who you are! (still at a markedly higher register) SparksFly: Privacy is just another word for loneliness?!(really fast) I-went-out-with-someone-I-met-online-once. (exhale) We didn’t have a lot in common; I mentioned the podcast, and he spent the rest of the night complaining about the Ghostbusters remake. But we had Thai food, so it was an okay date. I got the tofu Massaman curry.” So it’s a website that revolves around knowing too much.
We also see Sam share a major trait that those attracted to the Eye often have, extreme curiosity. Jon had this trait (which is partially why he was picked as being the Archivist by Jonah) and Jon, Tim, and Melanie went to the Institute for answers about their encounters with the supernatural. Once again, if you want to hear my full thoughts and explanations about the Institute you can see it here (The Relationships Between the Dread Powers: The Eye- Knowledge is Fear and Ignorance is Bliss).
Further emphasizing the Eye connections, it seems like something is watching and recording the people working in the facility. This could be The Eye but it’s important to consider that it could be The Web spying on people again for some new plan or in order to manipulate The Eye again. Right now it could go either way because we don’t know if the Eye can watch everyone in this facility like it could in The Magnus Institute so it might need to use devices such as cameras and microphones in this specific instance but it could also be The Web basically posing as The Eye again (like how several characters assumed the tapes to belong to The Eye before it was revealed to be connected to the Web in TMA) while it gathers information if we want to assume that The Eye would already know everything happening in the facility.
The computers in TMP have been pretty interesting. They are pretty old and while Entities can and have manifested as very modern technology, such as cameras, they are noted to be more likely to manifest as old objects (probably because things that have been around longer are more likely to be more engrained in the social conscience and have more associations an Entity can use). It could also simply be to highlight the oddity of the computers. They are too old of models to have any voice reading software yet they do anyway. Which probably implies something supernatural because the reading itself can't be coming from any technology. It could be coming from some sort of person, monster or even directly from the Eye. Of course, the computers are reading out statements. When asked what programs like FR3-d1 (FREDDY) do Alice says “It searches online databases, newspapers, forums or whatever for incidents, flags them, then passes them through to us for assessment.” Which just ties into compiling statements and what I said before about The Eye gathering information.
The job assigned to Sam and his coworkers seems to be to sort through statements which is one of the jobs the Archivists like Jon and Gertrude technically had in TMA. It was actually a major plot point that Gertrude purposefully made the Archives disorganized and Jon tried to reorganize them early in the series. When Sam starts reading the statement given to him he pauses and says “This is…” to which Alice replies “Yeah, they're all like that. At least this one is short, nice easy start for you. So, once you've read it, you get out the binder…” So… the statements are probably just as horrifying as ever and it’s important to point out this has always been one of the major themes of The Eye. The Eye doesn’t seem to just be the fear of being watched but knowledge in general. This can take the form of someone watching you or knowing secrets for sure but it can also take the form of you yourself having seen too much or witnessed something you didn’t want to. This is why Jonah can shove horrifying information into the heads of Melanie and Martin in TMA (he can force them to see or know things they don’t want to).
Additionally, in MAG 200 (Last Words) we learn in what order the Powers were born in and the fears that led to their creation and we get this: “and struggle at learning, so too did they learn to fear that their eyes might deceive them, or show them too much.” Here the “fear that their eyes might deceive them” is the Spiral while the fear of “being shown too much” is The Eye since none of the other fears mentioned in that statement match up with the Eye and clearly correspond with the other Entities.
So statements aren’t always just the fear of someone hearing a story but the idea of being forced to live / relive or witness something horrifying.
Anyway, after Alice pulls out a binder this interaction occurs
ALICE CONT.
“...And look up whatever’s mentioned most in the case. Looking at this one we go to “D” and… Sam, eyes on me now. We go to “D” and, right, would you say this is more "Dolls comma watching" or "Dolls comma human skin".”
SAM
“(a bit shell-shocked) I- Uh- I mean- I guess the human skin bit is only implied, so... both?”
ALICE
“Nah you can only pick one, Freddy's dumb as rocks. Right, so, after each entry there's four numbers. That’s the DPHW. So, “dolls comma watching” is... 1157. Then you cross reference with the table here, that would be a 2-C, and then you type that into the box here, along with date of incident if there is one and today’s date. Which gives us… Alice’s quickly types.”
ALICE CONT.
“CAT2RC1157-12052022-09012024 and then we hit submit.”
This is actually a very enlightening interaction. Something TMA touched on is that while sorting the Entities can be useful for noting certain interactions or behaviors it can easily reach a point of hubris if one tries to perfectly map and understand the fears. As Jon points out to Martin Post-Change, the categories of the Entities are just boxes and they don’t always fit cleanly into them. The Entities are actually all connected as one larger whole and can overlap greatly or multiple Entities can be at play at once,
In MAG 80 Leitner compares all the Entities to being body parts of a larger whole and the seemingly obtuse way of organizing the statement Sam is seeing are actually thematically very similar to a Domain we see in MAG 183 known as “The Monument.” Jon described the Domain as “homage” or mockery to people like Roberte Smirke. “A monument. To him and those like him, who tried to… categorise the world with themselves at the centre. In so doing, constructed the architecture of its suffering.”
Martin even points out that the architecture looks similar to the Institute to which Jon says “It makes sense. After all, it was built on the ruins of what Robert Smirke constructed.” So while the categories are fun and useful, TMA goes out of its way on several occasions to show that trying to cleanly organize, separate, and / or understand them perfectly is an act of hubris. I’m not sure if the Entities have a sense of humor but considering that an entire Domain was meant to comment on the absurdity and obtuseness of trying to perfectly organize the Entities and range of human fear as pointed out by Jon then something on a smaller scale could very well be possible.
The fact that Sam and company are only allowed to pick a single category for the dolls “wearing skin” or “watching” despite both being present further highlights the oversimplification at play. Wearing skin is something often seen with The Stranger and it has a connection to many dolls because of the fear of the uncanny valley. However, The Eye has a major emphasis on watching and the idea of an unblinking glassy eye fits very well with what we know of the Entity. Also, as mentioned earlier Entities can manifest as almost everything and on top of that we have seen people, Domains, and artifacts connected to multiple Entities at the same time. Martin was connected to the Lonely and Eye, his Domain was connected to the Eye and Lonely, and Gertrude mentions the Key of Solomon being a leitner connected to more than one Entity. There have even been statements with multiple Entities appearing and attacking the same person, such as in MAG 20 (Desecrated Host) with Father Edwin Burroughs. Who at least encounters The Eye and Flesh and possibly even more Entities.
After Sam submits his report he becomes curious as to where it goes but Alice doesn’t seem interested. In this regard Sam is actually quite similar to Jon and many other followers of the Eye and their attempts to understand everything that is happening. I’m not sure if Sam will become an Avatar but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up pulled into The Eye’s clutches (if he’s not in them already).
We then get a statement from NORRIS which Alice pauses and explains that apparently the voices started appearing about a year ago. There is a rather shoddy explanation about a sound card so I think most likely this was of supernatural origin. The appearance of the voices could potentially mark when the Entities, like The Eye, showed up in this universe but it’s important to mention that we don’t actually know when the Entities showed up in this universe. We know that time can become finicky when traveling from universe to universe. This is shown in MAG 114 with Anya. Interestingly, when she went into the gap in reality The Web was making it was April 23rd 2009 HOWEVER when she came out it was April 9th 2009 and when she gave the statement she said the 23rd was somehow tomorrow which made no sense. So one thing we have to ask ourselves is how parallel does this univere’s timeline run with the original because it seems like different universes may be at different points in their timeline even if this universe is very similar. So much so that one universe may be several days “behind” another as a possibility. So when the Entities got dragged to the new universe we can’t actually rule out that the Entities may have shown up way earlier in that universe than when they left the TMA universe due to these universal “timezones” at play. They could have easily ended up years or decades earlier in this universe than the TMA universe we started in. Heck, it’s not even impossible that they were sent to the beginning of this universe (but that’s less likely than the idea that they just appeared during the stone age or something).
Alice also mentions that Colin wanted to “destroy the computers with a hammer” when the voices started which ties into what I said earlier about The Eye and not wanting to know something via sight or hearing.
Before we talk about NORRIS’ statement it’s interesting to note that there are three voices, with CHESTER and AUGUSTUS being the other two, and NORRIS and CHESTER being the most common. This is an interesting detail and may point to some factor at play that is preventing the voices from being completely random. Maybe they each read different types of statements or statements with different qualities? Maybe they pull statements from different places, different entities, or it’s just that they are loosely based on how much fear the statement might elicit in the listener or even just the length? I can’t say.
Anyway, we listen to NORRIS’ statement from Harriet Winstead and it appears that her partner, Arthur, was at some point taken in the night and replaced with something. When Harriet asks “Arthur” if it’s really him he says “Some of him.” This is almost definitely The Stranger at play. This plays out basically exactly like an encounter with other Stranger related beings such as the infamous “Anglerfish” from TMA. If we believe Annabelle’s explanation from TMA it’s even possible that the Anglerfish got pulled into this new universe due to being part of the Stranger as a monster. The Stranger embodies the fear of the unknown and the uncanny and while this statement does take place at night and mention shadows I can’t really say it relates to an Entity like The Dark all that much. Considering how strangely Arthur is noted to be moving I assume that the Stranger is feeding off the fear of encountering something uncanny (in that it resembles something / someone you know but is noticeably off) or the fear of someone changing so much you don’t know who they are anymore if not just the idea of someone being replaced by a total stranger. It could also be more simply encountering someone who has an issue you can’t identify.
Sam mentioned how upsetting the statement was which ties into what I said earlier and seems similar to the statements on the tapes in TMA. Martin was similarly noted to be rattled or mentally worn down when taking statements on at least one occasion.
Gwen is very interesting since she seems super invested in accurately categorizing the statements, unlike Alice. This obsession with categorizing and understanding the Entities or their manifestations is something we have seen with Angus Stacey (a previous Archivist who apparently wanted to recategorize Smirke’s Fourteen) and even Smirke himself. So this desire to categorize does have a precedent, especially for Eye related people or factions as we see with Angus. Gwen also prides herself on her accuracy.
Gwen is pulled into Lena’s office who confronts her about her behavior from earlier in the episode and Lena says “If you hate working here so completely, you are perfectly within your rights to resign. No one is forcing you to stay here.” to which Gwen responds “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I think this might actually be a cheeky TMA reference since within TMA Jon and company were quite literally being forced to keep working at the Institute due to a magically binding contract. How much Lena actually knows about the Entities or if there’s a similar force at play here is up in the air. Lena could be being quite literal here or sort of challenging Gwen to try it / call her bluff. It might also be ironic that a Bouchard has the option to quit but doesn’t.
Gwen also reveals she really wants Lena’s job which is extremely interesting since we later learn her last name is BOUCHARD in the credits. The last name Jonah took when he stole Elias’ identity. The fact that a Bouchard was the boss of the Institute in the previous universe and Gwen wants to be the boss of this organization is a very interesting parallel. It could point to the fact that Gwen knows something but that remains to be seen.
Sam encounters Colin and Colin eventually explains that he’s been tasked with developing an app and maintaining / fixing the computers but it’s very obtuse and nonsensical as he metaphorically bangs his head against it. This desire to understand a piece of old hardware is actually similar to an Eye related statement from TMA in MAG 148 (Extended Surveillance) involving a “Security Camera Instruction Manual.” Upon reading the Leitner the victim ends up metaphysically fusing with the camera system the manual is tied to but that’s not the important part. The important part is what led to Samson Stiller reading the manual in the first place. Specifically, a desire to understand and fix the camera system. Similarly, we have someone here struggling with an old system of technology that might also be tied to The Eye.
Gwen encounters Sam later and they have this interaction-
GWEN
“So what is it then?”
SAM
“Hmm?”
GWEN
“The awful, terrible thing that landed you here?”
SAM
“Does it have to be awful and terrible?”
GWEN
“Usually.”
This is very interesting because it shows Gwen is recognizing a pattern. A pattern we also see in TMA with characters like Jon, Tim, and Melanie who all joined the Institute looking for answers after strange encounters with the supernatural. It wouldn’t surprise me if, like the Institute that has burned down at this point, the O.I.A.R acts as both a way to feed off the fear of various encounters but also as bait to draw curious people to The Eye who then either give statements or end up aligned with the Eye.
Chester then gives us another statement (2 statements in one episode is quite the treat). This one is about someone named “RedCanary” investigating the ruins of the Institute during some spelunking. The Institute is noted as being “cleared” despite having no pictures which I think ties into The Eye’s relation to the idea of curiosity and wanting to see something even if doing so could put you in danger. When RedCanary attempts to upload the pictures they take they mention that they aren’t uploading. I think this could be The Eye trying to stoke curiosity since the lack of pictures means more people are likely to interpret the ruins of the Institute as not cleared and investigate the ruins in the future. It’s very possible or likely that despite being ruins the Eye still holds a lot of power there. RedCanary mentions that the ruins are in surprisingly good shape and seem like they haven’t been touched since the fire. But if the area is marked as “cleared” I wonder if someone did actually go to the ruins before but since they couldn’t upload the pictures there was just no evidence.
RedCanary says “It's got a really cool vibe, though. Like, if you’d told me it was a Victorian asylum or something before the fire I reckon I’d have believed you” which is ironic given that the Institute in TMA was heavily connected to a panopticon (which is a type of prison “with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed”). Although, the original Institute wasn’t actually located on top of the panopticon and was later moved to London and built on top of it.
RedCanary mentions picking up a strange box and they are warned to not take it from the site. To which RedCanary says this “I know the rules. I’m going to go put it back, ok? So you can call off the dogs. I don’t need anonymous DMs calling me a thief or threatening me. I can dox people too, you know.” Doxxing is defined as “search for and publish private or identifying information about (a particular individual) on the internet, typically with malicious intent.” which ties in very well with The Eye’s theme of being found or revealing secrets.
RedCanary then begins to act very strangely. They post an image that’s taken down with the caption / description “Canaries should stay above ground.” An image so horrifying it needs to be taken down or people don’t want to see it ties into what I said earlier about the Eye and “seeing too much.” This is further emphasized by FlowersUnderground saying “Gross! Can we get some Mod action over here?” BadGrav31 says “What the hell is that? Are those eyes? Are you alright?” Pointing to this most likely be an incident relating to The Beholding since it likes to manifest as eyes in order to let people know they are being watched. It could be one of the other Entities like The Flesh and its body horror but I’ve already pointed out how much of this statement seems to parallel The Eye the most (and I think it’s rather fitting). It’s even taking place within the ruins of the Magnus Institute. Which was a place that was connected to The Eye (at least in the original timelines).
It’s also interesting that this specific statement plays after Gwen questions Sam as to why he’s here and we later learn Sam is trying to find information on the Magnus Institute. I wonder if The Eye or someone else is feeding Sam this info to stoke his curiosity, like both The Eye and Jonah did to Jon in TMA.
After that whole thing we later get this interaction between Alice and Sam
ALICE
Was it really that bad?
SAM
No worse than you warned me.
Although setting me up like that with the IT guy was
ALICE
Hilarious, I know. It’s win-win - you get a job, I get a fresh victim. It’s all in your contract.
SAM
Don't remember signing that particular bit of the paperwork.
ALICE
Gotta read the fine print, kiddo.
This could be a reference to TMA since Jon and co signed a contract that tied them to the Institute. Making them fresh victims for Jonah and we know that the contract in the Institute wasn’t a normal one. Of course, I’m not saying Alice is being literal, I’m saying this is a moment of irony for TMA fans.
Alice and Sam have another interesting interaction.
SAM
Do you- Is there- What’s up with them? You think they’re real?
ALICE
Alice exhales.
I don’t see how they could be? Mostly I try not to think of them like that, like, things that might or might not have really happened. They're just words on the screen.
SAM
I've no real idea what the OIAR even is.
Alice mentions she tries to not think about them, which ties into what I said about the idea of seeing or knowing too much in relation to The Eye. Just don’t think about it and try not to perceive it, you don’t want to, and ignorance is bliss.
We cut to one of the computers turning on and we hear Colin say this “(slightly manic) You’re not as clever as you think you are. You think you've got us all fooled, that no-one knows you're listening, But I do. I know. I’m going to find you and then… ” So someone or something is definitely listening. Whether it’s the Eye, Web, some monster or person aligned with one or more of them remains to be completely confirmed. Of course, the fear of being monitored or watched feeds the Eye.

Closing

Anyway, that’s my quick thoughts on this episode alongside some of the early TMP threads. I’m going to try to do one of these for each episode as they come out and I’ll try to keep them shorter but that may be hard.

Okay, so this is just a vent and I’m well aware I should be thankful (and I am) that someone cares enough to even throw me a shower. BUT…
I received my baby shower invitation as it went out with everyone else’s yesterday and I was deeply disappointed. It’s ugly, poorly designed and the information is misleading and quite frankly confusing. Furthermore, there’s nothing to do with a baby on it. It’s marble with purple and gold.
My mom is planning the shower and she did ask me if I had a theme in mind. I told her I wasn’t too particular on it I just wanted the color lilac. However, I didn’t think that a baby shower theme would be hard to pick, you know, rattles, bottles, teddy bears, ribbons, onesies etc. There is nothing slightly resembling a baby or that it’s a GIRL on the invitation at all. It actually looks like a very much adult party invite. The colors are my husbands fraternity colors which imo could lead people to believe we are having a baby boy.
My sister designed the invite and she’s actually a graphic designer so it really stings because like feels like she just threw something together because my mom asked her to.
I’m well aware that this is a petty and shallow rant, but I can’t help feeling disappointed that marble deep purple (not lilac) and gold is my baby shower “theme”. & I hear there’s a cake to match, God help me!
I’m one of 5 and 3 of my sisters said they did not like it but didn’t offer any feedback to my mom or sister who did the invites. Like whhhyyyyy?
Anyways, I had to get this out.
Did I tell my mom? Not really, when I told her I focused on the misleading and incorrect information moreso than the design. I don’t want her to feel bad bc I didn’t offer any real Direction on it. I also don’t want to seem ungrateful as I’m sure she’s spending quite a bit of money on this.
I DID tell all of my sisters in an effort to have them help redirect my mom with the overall design of the shower so I don’t get there and cry. lol
That is all.

While you have the chance to grab them (they come down March 10) here are my thoughts for the 2023 experiments I tried! Everything has aged at least 2 weeks. I expect that some will continue to change over time.
1 ★★★★★
Chai honey amber, frankincense, almond macaroons, nutmeg, sweet oud, dark patchouli
A bubbling cauldron of something sweet and something dark and all of it is rich and indulgent. I can't pick notes out of this one, but I do strongly like it. It is mouthwatering. I think can be redundant next to 13, though.
2 ★★★★
A medieval recipe for Rysshews of Fruyt (fig, apple, grape, pear, quince, citron), poudre fort (a medieval spice blend), with traces of smouldering firewood from the castle kitchens
I have NO idea where some of these notes are. I think I smell a fruity sweet-spiciness, but I just cannot pick this one apart. I feel like there is a small resemblance to Pear Alchemy (a surprise hit with me, and wearable outside of fall!) which makes me think that I am picking out pear... but I can't really tell. It does remind me of a pie filling some times. Wish the smoke was stronger!
3 ★★★
Old fashioned cabbage roses, saffron, heady jasmine, copal incense, cinnamon
Welp, this is mostly just roses and jasmine right now. They are very pretty and smooth and I happen to love both flowers, but I wanted more incense. I smell a smidge of unlit copal but it's not the exciting sharp smoky kind. I'm hoping aging helps bring out some incense!
4 ★★★
Freshly laundered white cotton, soft sea breezes, neroli flowers, peaches, star fruit
This is a fairly straight-forward sea breeze perfume. It's clean and light and has just a brush of fruity sweetness, but not enough to make you feel sticky. Not my style, I need something weird or sharp to keep my interest.
5 ★★★★★
Ozone, wet sea moss, earl gray tea, tarragon, saffron, maidenhair fern, driftwood
This was GROSS initially like strong cucumber and calone, but I loved it the second time around. It's like an oceanic take on Awakening Desert. Very saline and aquatic with a distinct spiky greenness. There is so much interesting texture here. Smells like the beach before a storm. One of 2023s standouts. It's not my favorite genre in perfume, but something it it just piques my nose's curiosity so much.
6 ★★★★★
Soft white florals, juicy pears, spring violets, clover honey, white patchouli
Beautiful, I love this one. Smells like a fairy. Delicate sparkling violet and pear somehow makes 6 very bright and green. There is definitely a white floral slipped in here, and it reminds me of tuberose. This just accents the violet, it's not the star. there is a gentle floral-fruity sweetness but it always maintains a certain lightness to it. Very refreshing and perfect for spring. If you loved Viridescent Alchemy and Vernal Alchemy like I do, you should get No 6!
7 ★★★★★
Jasmine infused white amber, sugar cane, black currant, French vanilla ice cream, fresh pumpkin, lavender pastilles
This is probably the best of the 2023s. You get what you read: a bowl of vanilla ice cream heaped with syrups and lavender and just a touch of pumpkin spice. Very sweet and sugary, and it CAN get cloying! But it also has enough texture and variety to keep it from being a one-dimensional gourmand. It reminds me of my favorite flavor of ice cream at my local ice cream shop: honey lavender. I love it!
8 ★★★★★
Orange dreamsicles, banana taffy, pink lotus, white amber
Initially, I smelled 2022 AE No. 2. That tropical paradise in a bottle sort of scent. As No. 8 dries down, it diverges to a less heavy and more fruity take on vacation than No. 2 I smell a lot of taffy and white amber with a smidge of very melted orange popsicle and lotus. The lotus here is interesting as it is still sweet but manages to temper the sweetness of the fruity smells. Also, it works so well in conjunction with the breezy aspect of the white amber. The two give No. 8 an interesting coolness! I would say No. 2 is like a beach vacation and No. 8 is like a water park trip. Both lots of fun in the sun and water, but with slightly different vibes.
9 ★★★★
Dark red roses, apricots, pralines, lychee fruit, raspberry musk
Smell like a perfect pink princess. The rose is fruity and light and fits right in with a slightly sour lychee and raspberry. I don't smell pralines. This one could use layering as it is top-heavy and does not have much of a dense base to sit on.
11 ★★★★
Rain soaked cement, welded metal, motor oil, old newspapers, cloves, French lavender
I get a strong snappy leather from this, along with a dash of herbal lavender. I am hoping the cement and paper comes out with more aging. As it, it is still very avant-garde and somehow refreshing in the heat.
13 ★★★★★
Black coffee, white chocolate, dark coconut rum, candied ginger, patchouli
One of my favorites this year! Lucky Experiment 13 is an uncomplicated but delicious coffee house atmospheric gourmand. You can smell fresh-brewed coffee and fresh-baked pastries. Delicious and sweet!
15 ★★★★
Balsam pine boughs, wet moss, forest loam, bay rum, orchard fruit, cannabis flower
I was hoping for HEMP but got a forest instead. Not a bad tradeoff! It opens as verdant as Alkemia's other woodland greens. Spiky and dewy. The drydown leans a little sweeter and woodsy, almost smelling like myrrh.
16 ★★★★★
Heady gardenias, jessamine, tuberose, heliotrope, white gingerflower
This reminds me a lot of Midnight Garden! Tuberose and gardenia are strongest, but it is overall a heady, slightly sweet and green-tinged white flower bouquet.
17 ★★★★
French lavender, orris root, lilac musk, palmarosa, tangerine, spicebush
Soft-powdery-purple. Delicate and elegant. Like the top notes of Madam X, without the incense backdrop. I smell mostly orris, lilac, and palmarosa. Hoping the spicebush comes out with more aging!
More reviews:

• Alkemia Reviews- Part 1 {Scents worthy of a full-size upgrade}
• Part 2 {Some more scents worthy of a full-size upgrade}
• Part 3 {2022 Arcanum Experiments}
• Part 4 {Green and Nature} * Alkemia Reviews Part 5 {Christmas in November!}
• NAVA Reviews

Scenario: Sonasuyast Island, Old City — 8:07AM
It had been quite some time since that fateful tour. Although Villu Vilduveta had managed the retreat for years, gradually furnishing it clean sculpture and architecture reminiscent of medieval temples, inspired by an uninvited guest, he had reflected and thus remodeled.
Winter soon would turn into summer, and the retreat would soon host its annual charity event. Admittedly, Villu found the ordeal too much for his tastes; he would rather continue to provide food and shelter to those who needed it, but such efforts cost money. He could swallow his pride, if those with power of the purse could be persuaded to sign a few checks over a few conversations while watching rounds of golf. For better or worse, such patrons were most easily swayed by grand displays of majesty, and the renovations had been completed ahead of schedule.
The Yoga Pavilion had been transformed, integrated with the island, with the river, with the land. Pipes had to be redirected and contractors had to be brought in—the sudden expense creasing Villu’s frown—but the response was well worth it. Rather than being a manicured lawn with its toys and mats and trinkets, the pavilion felt like a slice of the wonders of Rākinnagarh. Even if it couldn’t recreate the flora of Parapollah, the garden could at least bring its serenity to the retreat’s patrons.
Indeed, surrounded by a rainbow of flowers, mats had been laid out for a group who were led in various exercises by one of the retreat employees. The pavilion had long been designed to give them a view of the river and the Old City on the shore, a chance to reflect and meditate upon the daily life they retreated from.
“You said you were at the Halogen hot springs last month?”
“Yeah, when it was snowing.” A pair of patrons from Vasitanagarh, Villu idly recalled and tilted towards their conversation. “Took an impromptu few days off from work to get away from the Khandarabhatt—there’s that thing, what are they calling it, ｢Cage the Elephant｣? Whatever it is, its been roaming the Sapatibhatt plantations. Not to mention all that Bedtown business, the Halogen power surg-”
“I’m sure it’s those Earthgang students up to something again.”
“It’s always something! Can you blame me for taking the time off? It’s like the guru teaches; take time to enjoy nature and live in the present.”
“I never took you for an outdoorsy type—you said you didn’t want to come hiking!”
“I’m not! But the compound is perfect, have you seen the new river they installed? If I had it my way, I’d stay here forever!”
“Unfortunately, your session ends in thirteen minutes. I suggest you focus on your silent meditation,” Villu smiled wanly and tilted his head back towards the duo’s patient instructor. The patrons nodded apologetically and refocused on the exercises at hand.
He sighed, continuing his procession through the compound and away from the main grounds. The patron’s comments concerned him—as they often did—but one could rediscover peace in this natural stillness. The stream babbled softly beside him, the new manmade tributary from the Brahmaputra that coursed through the island. As Villu followed it upstream, the trees opened up, unfurled and bloomed like a lotus into a clearing.
The florid topiary lining the path caught the morning sunlight, their petals painting the scene with crimson and magenta watercolors that glimmered against the blues of the water beyond. At the island’s edge, at the flower’s center, was a willow which predated the surrounding landscaping and whose branches bowed towards the shore.
Like summer’s pollen, music wafted through the air from its folliage.
“You know,” her voice was deep, but carried a melody to rival her flute, “I enjoy what you’ve done here. It’s very thoughtful, bringing the native species here to sow. It’s very well constructed.”
Villu looked up and saw a woman reclining in the tree boughs, her gaze spanning out towards from whence he came. Enshrouded with fabrics of lilac and lavender, her limbs dangled languidly from the branches whose very flowers seemed to entwine with her hair and hands and jewelry. The willow’s catkins rustled in the wind and seemed to twitch and sway as if they were her own ears and tail—they were so at ease that it could have been the other way around. Her attention turned to him, and with a fox’s curiosity, she asked: “My only question is…where are all the people?”
“…at the compound. They are my responsibility, as is this whole island.” Villu said guardedly. His arms remained crossed as he studied the strange interloper. He and the retreat maintained a sense of openness, but he carefully measured out his speech. “But I don’t think I got your name-”
“I go by Darling,” the interloper smiled, pivoting to become more visible as she swung her legs over the side of the branch. “You may not know me by name or face, but most know the communities that I am part of, vital as they are to the land and its spirits.”
“Ah.” Even if his posture didn’t change, Villu relaxed and a warm smile returned to his face. “I apologize for the formalities. With recent events in Khandarabhatt, the patrons have been worried and I’ve unduly been on edge.”
“Formalities!” Darling repeated, giggling. “Oh that those on the city’s shores could sail them to your compound. Once, distant islands were impossible to access by all by the swiftest swimmers. Yet humans have built many wondrous things–like boats! Now you don’t even need formalities to sail. Why, some people even have boats to sail them nowhere in particular!”
His smile strained. “My apologies. I am not a sailor or a shipbuilder, so how may I help you?”
“No, you are not… you are Villu Vilduveta! You are out there in the city, spreading peace amongst mankind. An admirable goal, indeed.” Though her words were complimentary, there was a smirk in her tone that was hard to read. “You are a very helpful man, so no doubt that you could help me, now that I have been lucky enough to have an audience with you.”
“I appreciate the compliments,” Villu replied, his politeness reaching its limits. He wouldn’t fray—he had long learned how not to fray—but the smile and soft laughter increasingly resembled a rictus baring fangs. “But, unfortunately, I must return to that audience—I have left them for too long, I’m afraid.”
“Ah, but what audience is that?” Their laugh, on the other hand, was unhindered. “Those who can buy passage across the river? What of those remaining on the shore?”
“I go visit them!” Villu responded tersely. “Please excuse my language, but while you continue to lounge in your tree and pester passersby with your questions, at least I am willing to engage with them, to try to make this world a better place for those less fortunate, for all of us! Answer your own questions, what of those across the river? Have you done for those on the shore? I have my answers to your questions, find your own!”
For a moment, Darling paused. They didn’t look hurt, exactly, but that smile faltered. For a moment, she was still, thinking to herself. Then, a moment later, they slipped off the tree, landing gracefully and looking Villu in the eye.
“Hah…you have me there. It isn’t nothing, what you’re doing. I suppose I am one to talk,” she sighed, leaning against the trunk of the tree. “The city isn’t my domain, exactly. I was branded an outsider, and so an outsider I’ve remained. I enter, I aid, I pester, but I do not have the insight of being a true part of this ecosystem. I was content to remain outside it, with the Blooms.”
They twirled their flute in their fingers, looking off to the river.
“But I saw something that changed my mind. A young sprout, full of fear and the need to create a better world, turning that terror on the vulnerable. The little ones, the mothers, they should not be fighting, you understand?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
To that, Darling gives a quiet nod, her smile fully faded.
“In the end, I took them to the hospital. I had not been in the city, truly in it for a long time, and it had changed. There were all these gleaming towers, but the people beneath…their eyes were so dull. I found myself wondering, the new generation, this city is their ‘garden’. What kind of soil could grow that fear, that anger, that I saw in them? That I saw in that girl from the white wastes? I left them in the care of the hospital, but I haven’t stopped thinking of them since.”
“…il faut cultiver notre jardin.”
“Hmm?”
“French. Voltaire—a patron suggested it to me: ‘we must cultivate our garden.’” The edge and politeness in Villu’s voice had fallen away, leaving the contemplative calm that marked his path here. “Just as the island was landscaped, so too do we cultivate ourselves by that work. Despite that grief, that fear, that anger, as limited as it may be, I have done and do what I can for others—here and in Rākinnagarh beyond. Although, even possibly because we do not know the results, we can persist in good work.”
To that, Darling simply looked at him for a long time, listening to the rushing of the river. Though its streams may have changed, sculpted by the strength of one traveler’s spirit, that sound remained familiar.
It was the human part of Darling that stayed silent, listening. It was the orchid that started to laugh.
It was a sound far less familiar to Villu, though she knew it well. A flurry of pale and pink blossoms, all shifting and dancing together. It was impossible to force the tone to fit human emotions. Was it mirth or mockery? Anger or joy?
“Then may our work continue,” she concluded, “and may our garden prosper.”
Then, as lily pads and lotus flowers bubbled up around her, she hopped across the river and was gone.

<=TO BE CONTINUED=

After a month-long break, we’re back for Round 2! View this document for full details on match select, but we have two main changes from Round 1. For ease of scheduling, every team must submit 2v2 pairs; the Moonbeam Riders and Evergreen will be assigned two 2v2 matches, while PINDROP and Heart of the Rose will most likely be assigned none. However you do not have to keep the same 2v2 pair for all your selections and may mix-and-match your teamups. Again, it is important to note that we balance matches and maps to fit the players; feel free to sign up for a match if you think any of the listed tags describe your character.
As discussed on the Joint Server, this round introduces Assist Characters, NPCs whom you may team up with for a match (and all of whom you may recognize from Round 1!) Several 1v1 matches are separately listed as “Assist OK” matches, if you would like to opt into these matches with NPCs, list the NPC(s) along with your preferences. As the document elaborates, these matches are to provide players with a means to interact with the city through its citizens, and we will decline unbalanced or narratively inappropriate pairings. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
As usual, players should also give rough estimates of their schedules for the next few months, including days when they are available/prefer, would prefer against, and are totally unavailable for. We will double check to make sure dates work for people and can extend the stratting period beyond the usual 24 hours if need be, but the scheduling process will go much more smoothly if people give us their conflicts as comprehensively and as soon as possible.
We will continue to do balance changes as teams submit their preferences, but we would prefer them to do so sooner rather than later within reason. If you have questions or concerns, don’t be afraid to ask Judges!

1v1s

Number	Recommendations	Match Forecast
1	Any (Bizarre)	Mr. Bean, are you presently on any kind of medication?
2a	Good with Kids, Mobility	"I shot you with my SUPER LASER, you're dead now!"
2b	Good with Kids, Constructs, Terraforming	"Nuh-uh! I dodged it!"
3	Close Range, Martial Artists	"I love my dead gay son!"
4	Mobile Characters	They say there's nothing new under the sun. But under the ground…
5	Low Power, Long Range; Swarm Stands	"Er...what's 'abstract art' mean? Hmm...well, basically...It means...art...that is...abstract."
6	Combat Focused	"I don't like sand. It's coarse, rough, and gets everywhere."
8	Mobile, Tanky	"Oh no, we can't slow down, we can't hold back / Though you know, we wish we could / Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked / Until we close our eyes for good"
9a	Manipulators, Constructs	She was a thing of trophies. A cannibal of a craft, tricking herself forth in the chased bones of her enemies.
9b	High Power, Crowd Control	‘What I say is this- and mind it well- if you flog me, I murder you!’
12	Precise, Evasive	The peaceful grassy vistas. The meandering trails. The whimsical fence line. The...HEY! Who left the gate open?
13	Object Manipulation, Subtle	"You do not rest on a precipice of choice—at a state where your actions determine an outcome. You, like all others who live here, only choose how fast your eventual fate arrives."
17	Subtle, Saboteurs, Mobility	"But every one of my investigations takes me to one name, then hits a brick wall. The name is 'The Patriots.'"
18	Stealthy/Mobile Characters	Confusion! Confusion! Confusion! Confusion!
19	Those who strive to save another.	It is time now for precision. And when I draw, my arrow always strikes my target.
21	Silent Characters	You feel a terrible presence entering these dungeons...

Assist OK

Number	Recommendations	Match Forecast
1	Any (Bizarre)	Mr. Bean, are you presently on any kind of medication?
3	Close Range, Martial Artists	"I love my dead gay son!"
4	Mobile Characters	They say there's nothing new under the sun. But under the ground…
8	Mobile, Tanky	"Oh no, we can't slow down, we can't hold back / Though you know, we wish we could / Oh no there ain't no rest for the wicked / Until we close our eyes for good"
12	Precise, Evasive	The peaceful grassy vistas. The meandering trails. The whimsical fence line. The... HEY! Who left the gate open?
13	Object Manipulation, Subtle	"You do not rest on a precipice of choice—at a state where your actions determine an outcome. You, like all others who live here, only choose how fast your eventual fate arrives."

2v2s

Number	Recommendations	Match Forecast
10	Any	"First we conquer the sea, then space. I have already reserved a spot on the Advanced Orbital Instruments mission to Mercury."
11	Any	"This is where the traffic is, this is also where the traffic is, there's traffic here too, and this is where the British stole all of our stuff!"
15	Any	"If you are justice...then I am evil."
16	Mobility, Vertically-Focused	"You know, Sakamoto...I was right. You're the epitome of hard boiled!"
20	Terraforming	"Feast your eyes on this! It's a super impromptu staircase! Franky Skywalk!"

2v?s (Boss Matches)

Number	Recommendations	Match Forecast
7	High PoweSpeed, Terraformers	"There's never been a true war that wasn't fought between two sets of people who were certain they were in the right."
14	Any	"He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures."
22	Those who fight for Love, Peace, or their own Justice.	"The only one who can protect the world... is me."

Link to Official Player Spreadsheet
Link to Match Schedule
As always, if you would like to interact with the tournament community and be among the first to get updates for the tournament, please feel free to PM a member of our Judge staff for an invite to our Official Discord Server!

He called this morning and I was soooooooo sleepy. Except he called at 5am like a day after I said that’s not the best time to call but oh well, if it means he calls then I don’t care, I just wanna hear his voice, my favourite sound in the world. Well, it’s tied with puppy’s lil noises like when he’s playful or snoring. I miss puppy.
Ffs. M is having her “sister in law” to stay tomorrow night. And M is wfh on Monday. I feel unreasonably annoyed. I don’t want some random person staying and I hate being told about it the day prior. I don’t want her to wfh on Monday, I want to have my own space. I’m finding her grating at the moment. She never shuts up about herself, constantly praising herself and talking about herself like shut up? I love my flat. I love my flat so much. But sometimes I wonder at the idea of moving elsewhere. But I don’t think my problem would be solved by that, I think I just don’t like people sometimes and I want to be entirely alone. But equally I can’t live alone, it wouldn’t be at all good for me. I’m just so sick of her like shut up shut up shut up.
I watched four weddings and a funeral today and andie mcdowell is so annoying. It might not even be her, I HATE her character Carrie, so maybe I just find the actress annoying as a result of that? Who knows. I also find her voice and accent grating for some reason, I think she’s gorgeous but also her face annoys me too. Maybe it’s a genetic distaste for her as mum always feels the same. Anyway Carrie is the WORST. The WORRRRSSSTTTTTTT. She’s so cruel to Charles - leading him on and knowing he likes her and flaunting her upcoming wedding by trying on wedding dresses in front of him? Who the hell does that? The fact she cheated on her fiancée? What a nasty slut - she’s not a slut for sleeping with 30+ men she’s a slut for cheating. Even the way she said “well once I’m married I suppose I’ll have to be faithful” or something to that effect like ??? She hits on him at one of his best friends funeral. She professes her love for him AT HIS OWN WEDDING. She clearly married purely for money initially. And more examples that I don’t want to spend time writing. He’s no Angel - it’s Hugh G so you can’t help but adore him but he was a little horrid about his exes and things so idk. But still, Carrie is the worst. I still have a crush on young Hugh G, at least the characters he played - just so… gentle & lovely? But also with his glasses more so than without. And ideally a sweater. Also the funeral scene always makes me cry my eyes out, I’m not a poetry kind of girl as I just don’t seem to get it but I do really truly love that one. And when Fiona tells Charles she loves him? Fiona was a zillion times better than Carrie.
This movie has certainly cemented my want for a very low key and intimate wedding. I still want a complete and utter elopement, just us two, but I think he will want his friends and family there so if he has his heart set on that then I’ll obviously go ahead with that, it’s his day too after all. Our day. Maybe a very small ceremony outside, then followed by a catered al fresco dinner under the stars and twinkly lights? I’m guessing it would be… 30 people? That’s a lot of people. I don’t want that. Not even a tiny sliver of me wants that. But if he wants it then I have to compromise, but my god I don’t want that. What if it’s a destination wedding, that culls a bunch of people. But that’s not the point of it, is it? The point of inviting all these people is so that they’re there because he wants them there. But all of a sudden it becomes a wedding and a thing and so much money gets spent because if I’m going to have a wedding I’m going to want it a certain way. Anyway. This is in the future and if we even decide marriage is for us, maybe we decide we don’t want the marriage part of it all we just want to be together. Anyway. Fingers crossed he wants to just elope…? Idk. I’m so horrid and selfish. He really could do SO much better than me, so so so much.
I ended up working for about a couple of hours today. There were a few things that were playing on my mind so I decided to just do them rather than think about them. It’s made me feel better so I’m glad I did it. It was only drafting up a few letters so it wasn’t difficult or anything, but I wanted to have them done by end of the week and I didn’t so idk, the guilt played on me a bit I suppose. But anyway they’re done now and over for peer review and then I can have them issued early this upcoming week. They’re not even late or anything, I just wanted them done for my own peace of mind and so I don’t have to think about them any longer. I also love working when no one else is, it’s when I’m most productive. I’m unsure why? But for example when I work late and everyone’s offline I’m like a machine workwise, same with weekend work. But during the work day? I better resemble… idk something less machiney. I mean it depends. Maybe because I only work over time hours when I have the energy, so it’s kind of biased in that regard? Who knows, and more importantly who cares.
I’ve decided to start using up all my many, many hair serums and oils. I have probably around ten, none of which are “cheap” - nothing crazy priced at all but they’re brands like Kerastase, Bumble & Bumble, Olaplex etc. But so I’m continuing trying to use up all my products again in 2024 as opposed to buying new things. So far I’m doing pretty well, the only things I really buy nowadays are top ups of cleansers and lip balms and moisturisers and stuff - things that I run out of on a regular basis as they’re every day things. Anyway I don’t love all the hair serums I have, half a pump of Moroccan oil through damp hair is all I seem to need and it works perfectly. But I’m a curious cat and have always wanted to try products in the hopes it becomes my HG. Anyway the last two days I’ve been putting my Kerastase serum through my hair, mostly on my ends, and then twisting it up into a claw clip while I work and things. So my hair is absorbing all the goodness and then I’ll wash it out, I haven’t washed it out yet so I have two days of it in my hair but it’s only a pump or two so it’s not oily or greasy looking. But it’s good for when I don’t leave the house, and I tend to clip my hair back when working as I find it distracting otherwise so by not let it soak in some form of treatment? Sooo I’m going to use up my serums and oils in this way. Same with skincare things I don’t want for my face - I keep forgetting about them when I should move them into my bodycare rotation. For example that Drunk Elephant glycolic serum and the baby facial mask? They’re just deluxe samples aka minis so there’s a decent amount of product but there’s no f’ing way I’m putting it on my face, sooooo I can use them on my feet! Or my face oils/serums that I don’t love for my face? I can use them on my arms or legs or both. I just need to use them - if I don’t want them on my face it doesn’t mean I have to give up a well formulated product. I don’t like DE though, but its my feet I’m sure they won’t kick up a fuss.
I’ve just spent the last lil while looking at all the beeeeeautiful gowns from over the years. Like the Dior Venus and Junon gowns? The Givenchy one from Sabrina that Audrey wore? That light blue one Lupita wore at the Oscars? The green one Keira wore in Atonement? The yellow one from how to lose a guy in ten days? The one JLo wore in maid in Manhattan? That orangey marigoldy yellow one Michelle W wore? That lilac one Mila K wore? Everything Grace Kelly ever wore? I love pretty gowns so mucccchhhhh.
Whenever he doesn’t say anything to a message I feel so stupid. I made a dumb comment about a stop work order or whatever and he didn’t say a thing, just said “what movie do you want to watch” or something. I don’t normally mind and I don’t mind so much right now either, it just makes me feel so stupid and embarrassed.
I just had a minor anxiety thing. There’s this music absolutely pumping down the road at some kind of event idk and it’s like EDM’y stuff and idk why but it made me start getting very anxy, like trembly and fidgety and uneasy and all of it. The way sound carries is so crazy to me, like it’s probably 1km away down a hill and I can hear people TALKING. Only the kind of talking where it’s a large crowd and you hear the sort of murmur sound but still. It’s the same as with town/clubs and stuff. Well… “clubs” - they’re more just bars in reality. I bet Andy could explain how the sound travels but tbh I don’t feel like learning anything right now and sometimes I don’t want to advertise what a moronic imbecile I am. Anyway I still feel very on edge so hopefully a shower will chill me out. I think maybe actually it was linked to me sanitising my phone with an alcohol wipe and the stench of it and then that mixed with the music gave me flashbacks to back in the day? Because I would have HECTIC anxiety things back then, I just didn’t know what they were and I was called a “moody cow” by my friends a lot and a “drama Queen freak” or something because I would start to shut down and get shakey and stuff when getting ready and it was because I was ao f’ing anxious and worked up and I was pushing it down and it was just a mess. Anyway.
I’m having an anxy evening. Idk what has happened in the last week but I feel like my mental health has done a… 90°? It feels like it’s dropped. Maybe because my period is due soon? I mean I’ve said soon for a week now so I mean… “soon”. I last had it 23-27 January, so… maybe it isn’t even “soon” but it’s just so f’ing unpredictable. Anyway I don’t wanna write about this it’s boring.
I feel like such a nigel no mates loser. Idk why today and not another day I feel this way I just do. I just feel like SUCH A LOSER. But also note that I am saying I feel like not I am so idk… progress? I’m really reaching with that one aren’t I?
I’m excited for a movie night with my honey :)
Okay time for a shower and a quick dinner as I have 35 minutes eeeppp. Okay night night

A faint, glowing lilac mist dissipated in the corner of the dark office. No light but the moonlight streaking in through the stained-glass effigy of the Goddess adorned the room. The soft rustle of fine fabric was all that could be heard, belying activity in the room. Areden eased the elven priest back into his padded chair, crossing his hands in his lap to effect quiet contemplation to any passing observer. Out of personal habit, Areden reached out to close the eyes of the dead elf, he never liked the feeling of their accusing gaze at his back.
 
The job was done, another notch in the belt, some say. To Areden however, it wasn't a badge to flaunt but another stone on the scales of his soul. One by one, tipping that scale even farther from the balance it began with. Just another step away from Elysium. With that small moment of contemplation, Areden saw himself out of the office. The nave of the church was nearly empty, just one elderly elf, no doubt begging for peaceful admittance to Elysium for himself, sat near the front offering up his own prayers. Quietly, Areden exited the church and headed up the cobbled street back to the manor to report the fulfillment of his duty.
 
There was a chill in the air unlike most nights, a fog would form soon enough. Shelter from any prying eyes, Areden thought absently. The trek was not far, the Church being so close to the upper district as it was. Only the occasional figure, similarly sleuthing through the streets as he. Upon nearing his destination, he notices a dim lantern lit at the servant's entrance, signaling him to enter there.
 
Avoiding the front entrance of the manor, he skulked down the alley and entered through the rear servants' door. The door let out a soft creak as he reminded himself to make sure it gets oiled tomorrow. Stepping lightly and avoiding any well-traveled areas, he made his way to the master's study and lightly knocked before entering.
 
Salardin sat in an ancient plush chair, the stark white of the bleached wood contrasting with the red velvet composition. Areden never did like that chair yet Salardin insisted it held some sort of elegant command with its blood-red hue. Smoke slowly drifted towards the ceiling as Salardin sighed at Areden's entrance.
 
"You're getting slower." He intoned with the barest acknowledgement of Areden.
 
Areden stayed silent, knowing the speed is not what matters. With his gifts, as long as he's not seen with the individual last, none will ever suspect a planned assassination. After a pause, smoke slowly dispersing in the room, filling it with that acrid stench, Salardin reached for a small parcel at the edge of the desk. Sliding it over as he took another pull on the pipe and sitting back into the chair again.
 
"So soon?" Areden asked while reaching for the envelope. Salardin's pipe stopped him, tapping lightly on the seal.
 
"This one is… special. We need to know that you prove to be worth our investment"
 
"Your investment?" Areden scoffed, "My gifts are my own, last I checked."
 
"That may be, however, there is much we have done for you that you may not have seen."
 
Another pull from the pipe. Was that smugness Areden saw behind the stoic mask Salardin displayed?
 
"This is a very important request. Non-negotiable, from the big boss." Salardin emphasized before returning the pipe to his lips.
 
Now curious to what was being excluded in this exchange, Areden raised the envelope and broke the seal. As always, inside was a single slip of paper. Though this time, instead of a name, it was blank. Turning it over, Areden's heart stopped. Sickness threatened to spill out as he gazed upon a drawing depicting his a closest friend.
 
"No" He managed to croak as Salardin returned his gaze, a smirk fully visible to Areden's insightful eyes.
 
"No what?"
 
"This is one request I must refuse."
 
Leaning forward, placing elbows on the desk, Salardin dropped his voice low, "I am afraid you have no choice. This is the cost of our assistance, and your debt has been called in."
 
Slamming the picture on the desk, feeling the shout rise from within, Areden stared into Salardin's eyes, lilac mist beginning to form around his hands.
 
"I should warn you," Salardin calmly remarked, "You are not the biggest talent we have at our disposal. Nor are you the first to receive orders as such."
 
A sinister look set into Salardin's eyes as he continued,"
 
What was his name? Your first job? Oh, I remember," Glee now sparked across his face, "Houk. It was Houk wasn't it?"
 
Areden could not speak, the emotions rushing back in of his first target. That scared man, running, trying to escape. The eyes. The eyes that he could not close as the body sank into the water, staring. Accusing. Damning him. Salardin stood now, truly reveling at the moment, and began pacing along the bay window that overlooked the garden.
 
"He was like you, you know? Showed lots of promise. Very skilled in his art, yet… When it really mattered, he faltered. He caved. He refused. And so he died, replaced by you and your incredible abilities." He turned back to Areden, "Will you face the same fate? Or will you surpass yourself?"
 
"I. Refuse." Areden said through gritted teeth. "I've removed friends already. What more do you require of me? My soul itself?" He was yelling by the end, paper crumpled in his hand now from his rage.
 
"That. And more" Salardin slowly ordered with the stony conviction of a Master. "You have one day. Don't waste your potential, Areden."
 
At that, Salardin returned his gaze to the moonlit garden, puffing away on the pipe like he just finished a business deal. For a moment, Areden could almost feel the lilac mists coming to form in his hands, yet he willed it away. This cannot be done, he thought as he stormed from the study and into the night. Intent on finding Leah and leaving this forsaken burrow in the dark.
 
With his heart pounding so loud in his chest, the whole city must hear it, Areden found himself at the church once more. Though instead of entering as he had just an hour before, he made his way to the side where he knew the cleric quarters were and to Leah's window. Quickly, and silently, he opened the window and made his way in. There she was, in her trance right before him, a remarkable resemblance to the image he still held in his hand. At his approach, she woke from her trance with a gasp.
 
"Areden!" She whispered, "What are you doing here? Why are you in my room?"
 
"I cannot tell you the details now, but we must go." Areden whispered, urgency in his low voice.
 
"What do you mean? Go where?"
 
"You are no longer safe here, we must go."
 
Areden reached for her hand, urging her to escape through the window. Once outside, Areden began to speak and lead her away from the church.
 
"Areden, where are we going, what's going on?" Leah questioned, trying to keep up.
 
"We need to leave, it's no longer safe for you here. We can pick up supplies, and we can make it out before the moon sets." Urgency streaking Areden's voice.
 
"You mean leave? Like leave the Grove? Are you mad, Areden? Tell me what's going on!" Leah shook off his hand and stopped in place. "Tell me what is going on, or I'm returning to the Church."
 
Areden whirled, panic in his eyes, "I cannot tell you everything, but we must go. It is not safe for you here, and it won't be safe for me much longer."
 
"I can see that you are panicked but Areden, talk to me. Why must we leave?"
 
"I cannot tell you that, it is safer that you don't know." Areden shook his head, he cannot tell her the truth. She cannot know what type of life he lives. She would condemn him, and that would break him. No, she cannot know, but she must leave with me, he thought.
 
"Its safe for me in the church, Areden! You drag me into this forest with no explanation and expect me to leave the Grove? What about my vows? What about my future with the church?" She was getting frustrated now. They had known each other almost their entire lives, and he could be less than forthcoming about himself at times, but this was an entirely different level of cagey.
 
"I don't know Leah, I don’t know about those things, I just know that we need to leave."
 
Taking a deep breath to consider before she spoke, Leah remarked, "Not safe for me? Or not safe for you? I may not know everything you're dealing with Areden, but I know that you get in some messes."
 
"This is so much more than a little mess, Leah." Areden tried to reply before Leah cut him off with a shout.
 
"THEN TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!"
 
"I can't. If I did, you wouldn’t come."
 
Knowing the absurdity of his words, Areden refused to tell her. He was an assassin, she was a Holy Cleric. It pained him to hold back, but he couldn't bear her reaction if he didn't.
 
In a low voice, full of conviction and expectation, Leah asked again, "Not safe for me, or not safe for you? Tell me Areden, or I am returning to the church and trusting The Goddess to protect me."
 
Areden knew the truth. He could leave. He could run, and maybe they won't target her. If he ran, they no longer needed her to die. Maybe they would leave her be until they caught up with him. Save her for his punishment. If it came to that, if they caught him, he would make sure she was safe. No matter the means. At his prolonged silence, Leah turned and spoke over her shoulder.
 
"Run Areden. Run if you must, but do not drag me blindly along. When you are ready to speak truth, come to me."
 
He could not bring himself to try to convince her again. If he is gone, she will be safe. One day, he will return for her. Maybe then he will confess his feelings for her. But for now, it was time to go. Disappearing into the darkness of the forest, he refused to look back.
 
Days later, he found himself exiting The Grove. He knew he was drawing close as sunlight began to streak through the trees. He had never seen daylight before this day, and could not help but wish Leah were there to see it with him. The forest fully broke, and he took time to just bask in the warm rays, not noticing the road that spread in front of him until the rattle of a cart broke the revelry.
 
A small, single horse cart came to a stop in front of him. On it rode a small elderly man, the likes he had never seen before. After staring for a time, the man spoke in a rough and gravely voice,
 
"Oi there lad, you uh…. You know where you're headed?"
 
"As far away from here as I can get, strange old man." He replied after some consideration.
 
"Then hop on, lad, and show proper respect! Targus here isn't that old!" The man replied as he slapped on the seat next to him and broke out into raucous laughter.
 
As Areden settled into the seat built for a much smaller man, he nodded his thanks.
 
"Got quite the trip ahead of us" Targus said as he nudged the horse back into motion. "Might as well get familiar, what's your name, lad?"
 
Areden considered for a moment before replying. Only one name rattled in his head at that moment.
 
"Houk. I'm glad you were here to pick me up, Targus."
 
Maybe he would find redemption on this journey he was setting out on. Maybe he could bring honor to the name he now bore. The name he stopped from ever finding redemption of its own.

Next
​
The Missive of Dissent was a wreck. Armor plate was missing across her scoured hull, some holes vented what little atmosphere that was in the ship into space. The Imperial fleet ignored the ancient civilian vessel-made-warship as it made for the planet of Birmingham.
Alex watched through what few cameras remained as the Rebel fleet activated their ripple drives to retreat further into New Dominion space. He was not alone out here, six hundred other ships floated broken in the outer system, but he was pretty sure he was the only one in his division to survive.
Most of the delay fleet were more scrap than ship, he was lucky that his vessel looked more damaged than it really was. That wasn’t to say it would be ready to fight tomorrow, or even a few weeks from now, but onboard repair bots were confident they could restore the ripple drive.
“Good thing I’m no longer human.” He thought to himself as he looked around his VR cockpit at the view from the unbroken cameras. Alex was now a replicant, his human body had passed away due to a new virus on Carolina. They had a vaccine for it now, but thirty years ago it was a death sentence.
He had chosen replication over death, and the Imperial State had placed him in the computer banks of an old transport ship, bringing in supplies wherever needed. You didn’t get to choose your job after death, some apparatchik in a suit decided that, but he had to admit, this was better than running a garbage truck.
Replicants were given VR environments to inhabit, usually pertaining to their occupation. His default environment was what would have been a small starship, from the cockpit to the engineering bay. He also had an android body to use onboard or to interface with biologicals at space stations and such.
Once he joined the rebellion on New Dallas they hacked his systems and gave him full control over the former CARGO 33H6B8. Half of her bays were stripped out to make room for torpedos, shield generators, auto-factories, forges, and drones. The other half was filled with the raw materials and nanites necessary to make onboard repairs. The rebellion was lacking in dry docks to refit ships, so it was up to each captain to do their own repairs.
He spoke to his onboard AI, “Kara, how long until the ripple drive it back online?”
Kara spoke back, almost as a whisper into his ear, “Approximately three standard hours until repairs are complete.”
Alex nodded to himself, that was fine, he would make all necessary internal repairs while the fleet surrounds the now evacuated planet. Their job was to place the interdiction mines in the Oort Cloud and then make their way back to the outer system incase they needed to slow the fleet down further. It ended up being a slow retreat, giving up ships for time.
“I’m sure some Admiral in that big fuck-off fleet is going to be gnashing his teeth when all his hails get him is an automated AI message.” He chuckled as he took another sip of his coffee.
He pressed a button on the cockpit chair and it spun around to allow him to exit into the confines of his spaceship VR. Someone once told him this was what a cargo ship’s interior looked like in the time when organic humans crewed them.
Once out of the cockpit he found himself in the common room. It must have once been a communal kitchen/dining/entertainment room for the crew. A large table sat out before him with all manner of food. As he walked by he picked up a chicken nugget and stuffed it in his mouth as he made his way further into the ship.
The next corridor led to the berths, this was where he knew the VR was modified, because he made the mods himself. Instead of half a dozen doors on each side, there were only two now. The one on the right was his bedroom, the one on the left was a huge showetub/sauna.
The next part of the ship would have actually have been the cargo holds, but the VR makers skipped this, since there was no reason to make actual cargo holds in vert. As such it now opened into engineering. In front of him sat a real time representation of what was really happening in the back of the ship.
Thousands of repair bots, ranging from the size of flies to the size of cows crawled over the bay. The bots resembled six legged spiders, but with tools attached all over their bodies. It was an interesting sight, watching them work. Like some giant hive working together. Of course, this was all in vacuum, and zero g.
The heart of the ship lay before him, an astonishingly small chamber, only three meters in height and three meters in circumference. He looked at the monitors, all showed green. A relief, as if any of the things those screens showed a problem he and his ship would be atomized, or imploded, or something weird like that.
For the chamber held a new reactor, not something so ancient as a micro-fusion like the original ship boasted. No, inside here was a kugelblitz. A micro-singularity feeding off individual quarks, and putting off enormous amounts of hawking radiation, which the chamber then converted into electricity for the ship.
He walked around the catwalk to look down on the ripple drive. This was original to the ship, and as of yet nothing in the verse topped it. Sure the newer models were smaller and more complex, but they didn’t perform any better than this one.
He wasn’t entirely sure how it worked either, he was told it somehow rippled spacetime in front of the ship allowing the fusion torches to accelerate the vessel at ridiculous speeds and ignore normal physics. He didn’t have the math for it, and when Kara explained it to him it gave him a headache. It was still impressive as hell though.
Seems like a torpedo managed to blast a chunk of armor straight into one of the giant coil thingys. Luckily Kara knew how to fix it and was organizing the bots to do just that. He also wasn’t sure if Kara was sentient.
Oh sure, the big foreheads told him that she was integrated with the ships computer just like me but was non-sentient, really good at anything ship related but unaware of the universe at large beyond what she was programmed to do. Something about never understanding counter-factual information or having a what-the-fuck moment. He had his doubts though, Kara surprised him sometimes.
Sighing to himself he walked out of engineering and into his spa-like bathroom. He had time to kill and while he could frame-jack his time sense to allow it to pass quicker, he preferred to stay at real time in most situations. Combat was of course the exception, he stayed at maximum speed throughout the battle, milliseconds taking full minutes. At that speed all of his VR except the cockpit wasn’t rendered to aid in the processing.
He was always astonished at how real his VR experience was. The room had a spa-like feel to it, maybe it was the faint smell of bleach covered by lilac? Or the slightly damp wood grain on the door of the sauna? He shrugged and took off his uniform before climbing into the huge multi-headed shower room to washed off.
Of course he didn’t need to actually clean himself, he was a program inside a computer, but after the battle he felt like cold sweat clung to him. Then after the shower he climbed into the sauna and pulled up a comic book on his tablet while he enjoyed the heat.
He was just settling into the bathtub when Kara suddenly appeared in the bathroom. She was in her usual hologram form, a slight blue haze around her with her arms crossed behind her. “The fleet has diverted their course.”
Oh shit, had they detected he was still operational? He could swear he saw Kara peeking into the tub, “Are they turning around?”
Kara shook her head as she spoke, “They are not, they are heading for the star.”
Alex checked his databanks on the Birmingham system, “That’s strange, there is nothing orbiting the star of military value.” He said as he reached for his towel.
Kara didn’t move as he stood up and started drying himself off. Did she glance down quickly or was it his imagination? He gave up on drying himself and waved a hand, his uniform instantly appeared over his formerly wet and nude body. “Alright Kara, show me what they’re doing.”
They walked to the common room and above the table sat a representation of the Birmingham system. Sure enough, Kara was right, they were heading for the star, they had deviated a full AU off course since he was taken out of the fight. He reached down and grabbed a slice of pizza and looked back at the hologram.
“Any idea what they could be doing?” He asked Kara as he took a huge bite.
Kara shook her head, “Unless there is some secret military base inside the orbit of the first planet there should be no reason for them to go there.”
Alex chewed some more and swallowed, “I’ve never heard of a cloaking device capable of hiding an entire base, hell, I doubt they could cloak something the size of the Missive. What are they up to?” He asked himself as he paced back and forth.
Finally he turned to Kara, “Record whatever they are doing, be ready to send a string message to command in case this is something important. The Imperials don’t take a dump without planning it out, and this smells of something nasty.”
Kara cocked her head, “Sir, sending out a string message will draw attention to us, and I remind you our ripple drive is still offline.”
Alex nodded before grabbing a chip and dipping it in cheese sauce, “I know, I know, just be ready in case we have to. Hopefully they won’t do anything too nefarious until we get the drive back up.”
Kara nodded and disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared back in the spa. Alex shrugged, his AI assistant was a little strange, even more so than others he had met or heard about from his comrades in the rebellion. He grabbed a pudding cup and a soda and walked over to the couch. He put down his treats on the side table before plopping down into the overstuffed cushions.
Grabbing his game controller, the screen in front of him came to life at a save screen. He sat back, “I’m gonna beat this boss if it kills me!” He declared as he got to work swinging his sword.
________________
Some time later Kara appeared in front of Alex, directly in front of the screen. “The Imperial fleet has launched torpedoes at the local star.”
Alex sighed, paused his game and stood up, still holding on to his controller. “Ok, show me what they’re doing.”
They both walked over to the large table where the hologram of the system floated. Red triangles represented the Imperial fleet. “Ok Kara, why would they be launching torpedoes at the local star?”
Kara kept her hands behind her back, “Unknown, but immediately after launching the entire fleet activated their ripple drives and should be leaving the system within the next few seconds.”
Alex leaned over the table to look closer at the hologram, “Do the torpedos converge on a single point or are they all just fired towards the star?”
As Kara spoke the red triangles vanished from the holo, “They are all converging at the center of the star.”
Alex stood up straight and frame-jacked to maximum, the rest of the AI outside the table and the hologram disappeared from view as the hardware strained under the load, “I don’t like this, I can only hope they didn’t leave a small cloaked ship behind. Send the string message to New Dallas actual. Bypass chain of command, send it highest priority.”
Kara nodded and the message was sent. Suddenly the hologram flashed red and readings began scrolling on both sides.
Alex looked over to Kara, “That looks really bad, gravity is spiking off the charts.”
Kara’s eyes turned radiant blue as she started consuming and compiling data, Alex would have done the same but Kara was much faster at it. He was after all, still a human in software, not an AI built from the ground up to process literally anything thrown at them.
Kara turned back to Alex, as her eyes faded back to just bright blue he could swear he saw fear in them. “The star skipped nova, supernova, or even kilo nova. It is imploding into a singularity as we speak.”
Alex looked back at the holo as the star was noticeably dimmer and smaller, then checked his time sense. Only two milliseconds had elapsed, “Wait, Birmingham was a type G star, only a little larger than the Terran Sun, how could it possibly become a black hole?”
Kara’s eyes flared bright blue before fading, “It is a singularity, not a black hole, there is a difference. While black holes are points of infinite density, this is not. There are quasi-particles escaping the dying star, I believe what we are witnessing is a tear in space-time.”
Alex took a mill to think about that, “So they used the gravity at the center of the star to rip a hole in space time, and now that hole is sucking in matter and energy like a giant bathtub drain?”
Kara nodded, “Essentially yes, it’s far more complex than that however. I am sending an update to New Dallas actual.”
Alex waved his hand as Kara sent the string message, before him showed progress windows of repairs to the Missive. The ripple drive was nearly repaired, he looked back over to Kara, “About forty five minutes until the ripple drive is online, are we out of danger from this distance?”
Kara shook her head, “The tear is still expanding, if it does not stabilize soon it will swallow New Birmingham in eight minutes, and us in forty. However, that is assuming its maximum rate of consumption is light speed.”
Alex turned on the fusion torch engines and started moving the ship towards the outer system, even at the pitiful .8g he calculated it may not be enough. “Kara, divert all repairs to the ripple drive.”
Kara sighed, wow, she actually sighed? “All repairs have been allocated to the ripple drive, I can’t speed up the process, we have every available repair bot on it.
Alex put his hands on his hips, “What about my android, would it help?”
Kara shook her head, “It isn’t rated for the vacuum or temperature, it was designed to look human and do small repairs, not fix starships in void of space”
Alex looked down as he thought, “Ouch, that was kind of harsh. But she’s right, it was his way of interfacing with real space, not a true repair bot.”
Kara’s eyes flared blue again, “Current models show the tear is accelerating, we will not be able to get the ripple drive online before the ship is swallowed. Even allowing for distance traveled with our engines.”
Alex looked from Kara to the hologram, the star had stopped dimming and was a shimmering gray color as it continued to swell. “Kara, are there any theories on whether space time can repair itself?”
Kara looked over to him, “Only theories, and ripping a hole in space was a theory until today. It is estimated that there is enough energy in the cosmic medium for the universe to heal from a rupture, but it would swallow vast portions of space before it would cauterize itself.”
Alex waved to the hologram to show the local map of the galaxy. Birmingham sat in a crescent formed by the Imperial Navy’s push into the rebellion held territory. “Kara, how far out would this tear extend according to those theories.”
Her eyes flashed blue before fading, they looked sad somehow, “It will engulf all of New Dominion space, plus or minus twenty light years. There is no way to evacuate the local systems in time, the singularity is expanding exponentially, and as it is feeding on space itself, it is defying Einsteinian physics. It will reach New Dallas in two days, and Frankfort in three.”
Alex ran his hand through his hair, “If the theories are wrong and the universe can’t recover from a tear?”
Kara shrugged, “Then this will destroy not just our galaxy, but the universe as a whole.”
Alex paced back and forth, “If we jettison raw materials will that give us enough time to get repaired?”
Kara shook her head, “I already ran those calculations, the ripple drive will be theoretically operational, but the coil alignment can’t be done in that time frame.”
Alex stopped and turned back to Kara, “What happens if we activate the ripple drive with the fields out of alignment?”
Kara looked up for a moment, “All records of failed ripple fields have resorted with loss of the vessel.”
Alex nodded, but he knew Kara had a tendency not to give him all the information she knew, “When you say loss of vessel, do you mean they explode, or implode, or tear themselves apart somehow?”
Kara shifted a little, “There is no information in the databases, but there is never wreckage, the ships seem to simply vanish.”
Alex knew he had to push an answer out of Kara, she never volunteered new information, “Ok, so if matter can never be created or destroyed, and these ships were made of matter, how is that possible?”
Kara’s eyes glowed brighter blue again, “It is not possible that they were completely destroyed, but perhaps misplaced.”
Alex chuckled to himself, “Misplaced eh, seems hard to misplace a couple hundred thousand metric tons of space ship, millions if they’re bigger than the Missive.”
Kara looked back to the hologram, “Some of the more fringe theories state that they were pushed past the finite curve of the universe. Others simply state the ship tore itself apart at a quantum level over light years and the sensors at the time simply couldn’t detect the additional mass.”
Alex nodded and reached down for a cookie, “So we either do nothing and let this tear in the universe devour us or we see what happens if we activate our ripple drive without synchronizing the fields. Can you come up with any other options Kara?”
Kara looked down, “I cannot, those are the only two options available.”
Alex smiled, this was far from his first brush with death, hell, he just had one earlier today, “Well then, I think I’ll go with the ripple drive option, past the finite curve sounds better than oblivion to me.”
Kara nodded, “Very well Captain, the ripple drive is now functional, but we have no idea how out of synch the coils are, do you want to try to bring them more in alignment?”
Alex nodded, “Yeah, best guess scenario here, but don’t cut it too close.”
Kara went into command mode to change up the repair bots orders, “We will be ready in three standard minutes.”
Alex finished his cookie and frame-jacked to normal time sense. He walked over to his couch which had once again rematerialized and looked at his controller. He put it on the side table and vanished his soda and cup of pudding, then walked over to the cockpit, sat down and spun the chair around.
His rear camera display showed nothing but the gray swirling singularity, Birmingham already swallowed as it grew. “Are we ready Kara?” He asked.
Kara’s voice was the whisper in his ear, “Ripple drive activation in ten seconds, see you on the other side Alex.”
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I haven't been writing much lately, thought I would see if anyone was interested in another of my HFY stories. Discord link to give this a pretty icon on mobile. One day I'll swing back around and finish Firstbourne, I promise.

2nd Moon, 270 AC. Starfall.

It had been four years since Frynne Dayne, Matriarch of High Hermitage, last set foot in the palace of Starfall. It had been longer yet since she had spoken to its master, the Lord Gerard Dayne.
This was no accident.
The lord was half the man his father was and twice as stubborn in her eyes, always blubbering about what could be, instead of what was. And to Gerard, Frynne was a dusty relic of the past, so set in her ways and stuck in lost times, that she was unable to see the world was changing all around them, unable to understand that there was a real danger in being left behind. It was one reason, of many, that the branches of Starfall and High Hermitage were not as close as they once were--and why the Daynes of High Hermitage had been left to their own devices... to some extent.
The arrangement was far from ideal, but for more than two decades, it had maintained a relative peace between two rulers who were incapable of seeing eye to eye. No doubt this unexpected visit, a small retinue in tow, had the household of Starfall champing at the bit for juicy gossip.
It was early in the afternoon when Frynne was led into the lofty solar of Starfall's lord. Smooth and white was the stone from marbled floor to high, domed ceiling, and sunlight entered from large open windows, which encircled the room. In flowed the music of spring birds, accompanied by the gentle whisper of the Torrentine and the Summer Sea below, and the hum of the breeze, which was steady, comforting. It carried the scent from the Red Mountains of the north, of wild azalea, rainfall, and fig tree.
Frynne sank into a too-plush chair and proceeded to ignore the various attendants who were sent to entertain her while she waited for Gerard. She had no taste for small talk, no appetite for the candied wines and fancy foodstuffs they offered. Eventually they gave up and she was left in blissful silence so she could meditate in peace, her eyes closed, with wrinkled, spotted hands clasped primly together on her lap, as if in prayer, as she considered how this conversation would go.
Try not to lead with insults, dear, a wise voice said to her. It belonged to a dead man, and with it came memories she quickly shoved away. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. If only he were here now. If only--again, she cast the unhelpful thoughts from her mind.
A polite lord who held his guest in high regard would have come as soon as she was announced, so to no one's surprise, he arrived a half hour later.
"Old Frynne," was Gerard's greeting as he approached her from behind.
She rose then turned to look at him, and she couldn't help but let out a sigh at what she saw. He looked like a caricature of a Dornish lord, how a flamboyant Braavosi playwright who had never been to Dorne might dress an actor portraying a Dornishman. White-purple hose, lilac doublet, oversized velvet violet robe, threaded with silver and pearl. He wore a stupid cap atop his well-groomed head, and a trio of silvery plumes stood upright. He resembled a monochrome peacock. How utterly ridiculous.
"No need to rise, my lady. In fact, I insist you have a seat after your arduous journey. You should have written--I would've sent a messenger." It would have spared us your unpleasant company as well. His smile lacked true affection as he slid before the chair opposite her, the table between them serving as a reminder of the divide between them. "Please," he said again more firmly, though he gestured in a polite manner. He remained standing and assumed a perfectly cool expression, with brows raised expectantly. I can wait all day. Unlike you, I've good knees.
"Your manners have improved," remarked Old Frynne snippily as she reseated herself, her bony fingers smoothing invisible creases in the drab gray linen of her robe.
"Mm." Gerard chuckled and settled in his chair, his hands resting on the arm rests. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes in amusement as he took her in. She had lost weight and much of her vigor during the winter, but there remained some bite. Teeth, old bones, and a pair of dark, mean eyes. It was all that was left of her, and he had to wonder if she had come to tell him she was ill.
If he was annoyed, Frynne couldn't tell. His acting skills had improved, and she wanted to comment on it, but she bit her tongue. She had come for a specific reason, and she had rehearsed a script. How did it go again? Ahh, she had had such a sharp memory once... she could recite a verse after hearing it just once--
"So," said Gerard in a businesslike tone, leaning forward. "The venerable Matriarch of High Hermitage does not part from her throne for just anyone, and without good reason. Free me from suspense, I beg you, so that we may see where we stand sooner rather than later."
Straight to business then.
"My Owen is dead," she blurted out before falling silent. Why she had chosen to lead with that of all things, she couldn't say. To remind him, she supposed, of what she struggled to forget. To explain how their troubles had gone from bad to worse.
"Yes, my condolences," said Gerard with a frown. Surely, she hadn’t come all this way to tell him news he’d heard six months ago. And hadn’t she received his condolences, then? Owen Dalt had been her paramour, but he had taken good care of the widow and her late husband's household and had managed much of High Hermitage's governance. He had been competent, respectable. Gerard had mourned his passing. He mourned the troubles it would bring as well.
"And our trade with Lemonwood has dried up, with him gone. My letters to Lemonwood remain unanswered, and none of my inquiries elsewhere have borne fruit. This unfortunate development has left us in a difficult situation."
"Is High Hermitage insolvent?"
"Not quite yet, but we must make immediate changes to avoid disaster. I fear your aid is needed."
"Go on," he said, his brows furrowing.
"I have two grandnieces as you know," she continued. "Jynessa and Elia, one-and-twenty and nineteen; and my granddaughter, Arielle Sand, who is now two-and-twenty. I believe it is time they served a greater purpose."
"So, you require gold for... dowries?" His curiosity morphed to confusion.
"Well, not exactly," she admitted, her wrinkles deepening as she frowned. "I have been in communication with Septa Margot, and she recommended I write to the Elder Mother of Godsgrace and the Motherhouse of Gulltown. There are holy places in the realm that will take the girls... but it may be customary for a donation to accompany new sisters."
"You... wish to send all three to the Faith?" He sounded more disappointed than he'd intended, which he regretted when she scowled.
"It is a noble calling... but if it disleases you, then what, pray tell, would you suggest as an alternative, Lord Gerard?" She snapped. "I have tried for two decades to marry them off, but to no avail. They are always too distant from your family, too obscure of birth and connection, or simply too poor, for marriage. Do you have coin to spare for three dowries? Or are you perhaps willing to take on their living expenses?"
"I have neither the answers nor resources you seek," he answered plainly, his posture straightening when he leaned back into his chair. His gaze drifted out the window, though his thoughts had turned inward. "Would that I could, Old Frynne... but coin is sparse after winter, and my youngest daughter, Myriah, is perpetually ill, and her treatment has been costly.
"The market has sustained us thus far, but it will require constant expenditure to grow, and to keep attracting visitors. We cannot afford to lose momentum; else it will become a drain on our coffers. Perhaps later, when the market is more secure, we can find the funds..."
"I can empathize with the troubles of having a sick child, Lord Dayne." Only two of hers had survived to adulthood, after all. "And I shall say a prayer for your sweet child."
"Thank you," said Gerard, his attention returning to Frynne. A long silence followed, and it seemed a natural place for the conversation to end. Yet she remained seated, spine rigid and chin erect, her cool, unblinking gaze fixed on him.
"However, I fear waiting for a windfall - and one that may not come - is not an option. If you will not aid High Hermitage monetarily, then perhaps you can help in another way."