#hardline rule
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Some Halbrand<-->Aragorn thoughts (spoilers for S1 of ROP):
One of the reasons that I like the Halbrand approach to Sauron, even though (or in some ways because) it was predictable, is because I don't think there was that much of an attempt at a twist. I think the point was something else.
I mean, it's a twist for the characters, sure. And I don't think it was striking some super subversive blow at monarchism as such. But there does seem a basic implicit criticism or at least potential concern over certain royalist narratives embedded into the reveal.
Halbrand is a foil for Galadriel and the Noldor, yes, but he's clearly framed as a sketchy (and it turns out, very much worse than sketchy!) version of Aragorn as well. It's not subtle. The whole choice to have Sauron pass himself off as a dispossessed human king who has Seen Some Shit (but not remotely near what actual Sauron has seen and done) rather than a Vanya or whatnot is absolutely rooted in the Aragorn narrative.
Moreover, I would say it's especially rooted in the pop culture/movie Aragorn narrative that supercharges the "kingship by birthright" element of original Aragorn's arc, while simultaneously framing him as reluctant and effectively needing to rise to the occasion/mature before he's ready to take up his rightful mantle.
(Despite the movies sacrificing numerous other characters to prop up Aragorn's personal nobility, they lean hard into the idea that Aragorn is the rightful king by inheritance, where I think book Aragorn's uber-kingliness forms a contrast to the more recent heirs of Isildur and even more distant ones like Arvedui. Arvedui was a literal king, but he failed where Aragorn succeeds. And Aragorn ultimately succeeds by following the path of Arvedui's Anárioni rival Eärnil, where he has a debatable claim in terms of legal precedent, but gains popular and elite support through his actions. Anyway.)
The more uncharitable response to Halbrand as shadow-Aragorn is that it's a largely failed attempt at obfuscation. And maybe! But I think there's at least some intrinsic interest in questioning the popular Aragorn narrative given the revelation that ROP's ersatz Aragorn figure is, you know, Sauron.
And I know I'm biased, as a diehard fan of the Stewards who has reservations about both the book and movie restoration-of-the-monarchy narratives. People sometimes point out that the Stewards are also functionally hereditary monarchs, and that's true, and the emphasis on ancestry being important even if it doesn't automatically confer political power is very much a thing with the Stewards, too.
But for me, it's not that I can't buy into X Dynasty is Special for Reasons in the context of a fantasy story. But it feels like it requires a much higher level of royalist buy-in to think that the normative practice of a state should be changed after nearly 1000 years of stable, non-expansionist rule by one(1) dynasty, and the governing head of state replaced by some other guy who doesn't even live there. This should happen because Other Guy Who Doesn't Live There is a) a popular war hero and b) descended in a senior male line from the founder of the multi-millennia-old state (whom the current leader is also a descendant of, incidentally, but not via patrilineal primogeniture, so it doesn't count).
The story is structured so that the rule of the Stewards—which, again, was extremely competent for 969 years—falls apart for reasons only distantly connected with Aragorn when Denethor snaps in the last few days of the war. So, while I think Tolkien is actually pretty sympathetic to Denethor as an individual while being clear about his flaws—structurally, Denethor has to be taken out of the narrative for Aragorn's arc to resolve (since Denethor wouldn't give way to him voluntarily). And it has to happen in such a way that Faramir, earlier established as doubtful about Aragorn, will surrender the rule of Gondor and leave the home city he loves and nearly died to defend without us feeling bad about it.
And you can see why Tolkien (and even more Jackson) wouldn't want us to reach the resolution of Aragorn's long arc/rise and be thinking "huh, so are there Stewardist holdouts who are displeased about this or...?" But while the story is structured to essentially de-legitimize the Stewards' rule at the (veryyyy) end and railroad the last of the house into being happy about it, it's hard to think of a reason why people as capable as Denethor or Faramir should be replaced by Aragorn, except if you buy into the glamour of royalty more than concrete personal qualities.
Yes, Aragorn is a cool, talented guy who was instrumental in a military triumph that will mean Gondorian survival and prosperity, and who has worked steadily for that end for a long time, and I do respect that and his abilities. But Théoden and Éomer were also instrumental and nobody thinks Éomer should be king of Gondor now, you know?
(And Théoden had as much Númenórean ancestry as King Eldacar did! Eldacar was clearly framed as the legitimate ruler vs his pureblooded rivals. Also, Théoden has that ancestry through a very powerful Gondorian house with kinship to Elendil, so it's not just a matter of having a set amount of Númenórean/Elendil's blood or whatever, which would be gross enough but unsurprising. Instead, it's because of patrilineality and primogeniture and such rationales that are frankly not very mystical when you think about them.)
So. It's hard to get away from the nostalgic royalist narrative with Aragorn, however much I do find him compelling and even frequently likable, and even though I think the book's royalist arc is far more complex and nuanced than in the movies and in fandom takes on it.
Consequently, ROP turning that on its head with Halbrand and having it go DISASTROUSLY AWRY is on a personal, subjective level really satisfying. So I'm okay with it for multiple reasons, but a big one is lizard brain vindication.
#i realize i lack consistency on this but ... displacing a stable and pretty decent government#over patrilineal seniority just seems bizarre unless you can accept the royal mystique around it#i do know that there's nothing democratic or small r republican about the stewards' rule lol#anghraine babbles#legendarium blogging#legendarium fanwank#aragorn critical#halbrand#sauron#anghraine rants#long post#ondonórë blogging#pj critical#húrinionath#tv: lotr#most hardline rop haters don't seem to engage with the aragorn parallel at all#but the ones i have seen do it tend to be 'how dare you challenge the glory of aragorn' and i'm just drinking my tea like#crymore.gif
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folks who say lesbians dont willingly fuck men seriously gotta talk to some lesbian leather/latex/rubber dommes fr. its pretty commonplace around here. and it doesnt make em any less of a lesbian yknow
#tbh putting such hardline rules on people is very.. ehh#let folks do what they do they know best what they are#ik lots of folks rlly fucking hate kinksters and thats also why they ignore this#and like just cuz some lesbians fuck men doesnt mean every1 has to yknow#what one person does doesnt necessarily say anything abt any1 else
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Hedgecanon: Ironically, Crush 40 doesn't exist as a band in Sonic's universe, BUT Sonic owns every album of both Hardline and Axel Rudi Pell. Every time a new album for either one comes out, Tails gives it to him for Christmas, Sonic's birthday, whatever the next gift-giving holiday is.
Tails also sometimes teases Sonic about not being able to swim by singing "Sea of Evil" XP
"Sea of evil..."
"Tails..."
"So many born to die..."
"I'm warning you..."
"Sea of evil..."
"I know all the best places to tickle you."
"Leaving tears in the sky..."
"That's it! This is war!!!"
#my headcanon#sonic the hedgehog#tails the fox#hardline#axel rudi pell#sea of evil#i finally took the time to listen to some of arp#or can't you tell :P#was not sure if i would like it or not because i've never been a heavy metal fan#crush 40's the exception not the rule#but i actually really like arp#and not just johnny's songs#i like a lot of the ones the other guy sings#hey i literally JUST started listening today#i don't know nobody else's names yet
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something about all this just feels out of place ngl
#1st off that feels so outta character for thua like they could have developed that better#and tbh all of them could’ve gotten more consequences as fallout of that beginning scene like they should have had to talk and come to terms#with everything more and they went back to being fine and just??? making a movie about it?? huhh#that also just feels really random and unnecessary#like just don’t have that be a cover and then have thua deal with the consequences of outing them#or better yet don’t have thua out them when he should know better#i honestly would believe that might have just been used as a way to set up a movie plot idk#and I’m struggling to believe kan just accepts and gets over thua’s actions that easily#but I guess we have established he’s quick to upset and quick to forgive but still there wasn’t much conversation between them about it#honestly chadok and dika is a good plot I thought that was a great way to reaffirm that people involved in keeping the rules#are not exempt from the harm of them#and I was a bit more surprised I think than some ppl bc apparently there had already been theories about this#but it wasn’t at all out of nowhere and I was picking that energy in the earlier scene of them too#but adore akk and aye scenes so much as always#kinda funny how they have to say what they’ve said to each other again for the mini movie but ok i guess they get to reminisce#i like how they did point out that regardless of our support for them they still are serving their own interests to protect akk#and not come clean about the curse#but then that also goes back to difference in believe—aye is not so hardlined on the point that this all must come to light publicly#he just wants the danger to stop and to not have anyone hurt anymore#but that wouldn’t be enough for thua#which I can appreciated tho I still don’t think the ground for that was laid enough….idk maybe I gotta accept#that you won’t see all the signs for how someone really feels and people might do things you don’t think then capable of#hard to tell where stuff is weak writing or some kind of commentary lol#long ass tags if you kept reading I appreciate you <3#this is still one of my favorite shows and honestly these weak points are still better than the parts I complain about for not me so there#the eclipse#the eclipse the series#the eclipse series#rae.txt#liveblogging
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The point of NATO is not to "help" anyone but its own warlords and oligarchs and their imperialist interests abroad. The reason NATO isn't "helping" Ukraine more is because a) they don't want WW3 (yet) and b) because its leaders are perfectly fine using it as a battleground to test out weapons and try to carve out a sphere of influence against a peer competitor but nothing more. Ukraine never had any chance of being an equal or even junior partner in NATO's imperialist project. It's a patsy that will be used, destroyed, and discarded like so many other countries before it and their craven, comprador ruling class that honestly believed they had a shot at imperialist membership if they just kept asking nicely and kept maintaining their hardline stance against Russia are to blame for it. Zelenskyy looks so pissed in that image because he's realized how much of a fucking fool he's been played for.
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I always thought it was funny how the Fate series is like “this is the holy grail war, here is how it operates” yet every single time something will happen that blatantly goes against the rules that have been set up.
“This should be impossible! This is no normal holy grail war!” you said that for every war before this, I think we should just accept that these are more suggestions than hardline rules.
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Signalis, Authority, and History
There's a level of nuance to how Signalis presents the violence of the authority of the nation that doesn't call attention to itself but which I really appreciate. Which is basically just, all the officers and cops and spies who make life hell for people like the Gestalt mine workers, Ariane, and the Itou family--we get little glimpses into who they are in Adler and Kolibri's diaries and despite the propaganda and the authoritative tone they take in official communications, for the most part they don't seem to actually be particularly invested in the hard line of national ideology. They uphold it though, viciously, both because things were worse under imperial rule (we don't get hard details on what it was like but it's mentioned in passing enough that I believe it) and because they're scared that if they don't they will be decommissioned and easily replaced. They are literally stamped out of a production line after all. There's a subtext of well, if I don't do it my replacement will anyway and I'm not trying to die so what's the point of rocking the boat?
I think Kolibri stands out to me most clearly on this because in communications from the block warden regarding Ariane there is emphasis put on how it is unacceptable and suspicious that she should be so interested and invested in art and literature that does not serve the purpose of furthering the goals of the nation. But we know that Kolibris themselves are bookworms, Adlers are fiends for stimulating experiences, and both get miserable FAST when deprived of art and puzzles and entertainment and hobbies. Y'know, just like anyone. Far be it from being a paragon of The Nation only interested in productive labor, we are reminded that the block warden, too, hates this shitty town and wants to transfer but is denied. They're hypocrites, but not monsters, nor brainwashed puppets of the state.
The monstrousness at play is not contained within any particular subset of evil individuals, or even an inherent universal force of evil contained in the broad notion of The Nation. There is no cosmic evil force that makes them all do these things to each other. The monstrousness is within the social systems, the mechanisms of how authority perpetuates on a structural procedural level, held in place by fear and tangible threats of violence, each link in the chain restraining the next through those threats out of fear that if they don't, then they'll be next. Regardless how many, if any, of those people in this chain are true dogmatic hardliners, they must act as such because failing to do so opens them up to danger.
Here then I think of the quote that is so prominent, "Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice, and things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl", from Lovecraft's The Festival. This is not just a chilling abstract visual that conveniently evokes a mineshaft-- in Lovecraft's story, this line refers to worms which ate the decomposing bodies of wizards whose wretched souls had remained after death, complete with the terrible powers they gained through contracts with demons. Those worms inherited both their power, and also the evil. The Nation, despite having overthrown the Empire, is built on imperial technology, in particular Replikas and bioresonance. So too, then, we can imply that The Nation inherited with those things some of the monstrousness of The Empire as well. There is no end of history, nor clean break with the past, no matter how violently it may seem to be rejected. That which remains from the past--and something inevitably always does--creates the present.
This is a game that is not shy about evoking East Germany. And I think all of this provides a sophisticated picture of repressive authority that we rarely see in fiction of the English speaking world, especially in games. The year the S23 incident takes place is notably 84, but, frankly, I find this to be more compelling and illustrative than 1984 (and I'm a librarian and have taught English classes so I get to say that). Orwell, let's be honest, presents a fairly one dimensional picture of authority, where people seize power and wield it against others out of seeming mustache twirling evil or malice.
Here though we get a more humanistic view. Authority did not come from nowhere and is not wielded arbitrarily out of gleeful cruelty or mindless brainwashed allegiance. People aren't "just following orders". Individuals have rich inner lives. They make decisions, and those decisions are based in the context they're in. Even the decision to carry repressive tools of the past into the present is a decision that was made strategically with the big picture in mind. Nobody woke up and decided to be evil that day. Everyone operates on self interest, and, we must assume, an earnest desire for things to get better. Even the [spoiler] program which served as an inspirational demonstration of The Nation's power, you can imagine the chain of officers and bureaucrats who genuinely wanted the people of the nation to believe in the future, to confidently trust that everyone was working together towards something great and beautiful. And, through a long chain of those people who couldn't say "No" without being decommissioned, we ended up with something unbelievably cruel.
We get to know Adler and Kolibri and the other officers not to say well they're human too, maybe it wasn't so bad that they condemned all those people to agonizing suffering, but to remember that if we keep looking for true monsters we will not find them. There are no monsters and there are no demons. There are only people making decisions. A better world is possible. A better world, where Adler is just a paper pusher who does puzzles after work instead of signing papers to authorize torture, where Kolibris are librarians instead of spies and cops, where EULEs can gossip and play piano and ARARs can do maintenance on facilities that don't contain torture rooms, is one that would not have led to the Ariane and Elster's tragic cycle and ultimate end.
Authority and its attendant cruelty is not contained, radiating forth from The Great Revolutionary and Her Daughter, it is within the social systems of control. When those two women die, that cruelty will continue so long as those social systems continue. Like Lovecraft's worms, no matter how long dead the evil of the past is, so long as it continues to be fed upon, that evil will not only remain, but evolve into something new in the present. A better world can't be achieved through the death of the old world alone, even if violent overthrow is warranted. There is no end of history. There is no clean break from the past.
"Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living."
Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
#Signalis#Didn't include everything because this is already very long#But there's a lot to add to this kind of reading from other former Eastern Bloc states that go beyond a kind of braindead#Simplistic Authoritarianism bad communism bad freedom good type of view common in the English speaking world#That go more into well what is authority and how does it work and how has it remained durable and violent before during and after the cold#The Romanian movie Bad Luck Banging is very good for this in expressing how things have been more similar than different#Under monarchy fascism communism and liberal democracy over the last 150 years there#replika joker voice maybe the real monster is SOCIETY#op#quality content
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Breaking News: US ready to sink further into right wing theocracy
"The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO.
The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision – Planned Parenthood v. Casey – that largely maintained the right. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito writes.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” he writes in the document, labeled as the “Opinion of the Court.” “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
Read the full piece here: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473
CLARIFICATION:
"Every reporter picking up this Politico scoop needs to be very clear — this is a leak of a DRAFT. No ruling has been made public. If a patient has an appointment, they can continue to receive care. Those draconian anti-choice trigger laws in certain states DO NOT APPLY yet."
Christina Henderson
UPDATE:
"Supreme Court lawyer Neal Katyal: "My thoughts on politico story saying the Court voted to say Roe v. Wade is fully overruled. I’ve quickly scanned the draft opinion and it appears legitimate. This means there was a preliminary vote to fully overrule Roe V Wade and that a majority of the Court agreed.
This opinion says states can criminalize abortion, with no rape or incest exception. It is exactly the hardline position I’ve been saying the Court is going to impose for the last 3 years. It will set women back in profound ways. Congress must act ASAP."
THREAD: https://twitter.com/neal_katyal/status/1521292108975513601
The Supreme Court may toss Roe. But Congress can still preserve abortion rights.
A simple majority vote in the Senate would nullify the threat to reproductive health posed by the Mississippi case.
Readers, I'll post "what do we do now" info soon. In the meanwhile here's my post on the 100% hypocrisy of the so-called “Pro Life” movement
#feminism#feminist#abortion#roe vs. wade#roe v wade#reproductive rights#reproductive freedom#abortion rights#pro-choice#pro choice#prochoice
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G7 calls on Taliban to stop restricting women's rights
New Post has been published on https://www.timesofocean.com/g7-calls-on-taliban-to-stop-restricting-womens-rights/
G7 calls on Taliban to stop restricting women's rights
Paris (The Times Groupe)- The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers said on Thursday that the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on women and girls’ rights in Afghanistan are isolating the country.
“These measures further isolate the Taliban from the international community,” said the G7 foreign ministers and European Union foreign policy chief.
French officials urged the Taliban to take immediate action to lift restrictions on women and girls, and to respect their human rights, in a joint statement.
In another step toward their past hardline rule, the Taliban, who swept back to power after the Afghan government collapsed last year, ordered women to cover their faces in public on Saturday.
#Afghan government#afghan news#afghanistan news#European Union foreign policy chief#G7 foreign ministers#girls' rights in Afghanistan#Group of Seven (G7)#hardline rule#human rights in Afghanistan#human rights in middle east#islam in afghanistan#Paris#Taliban#The Times Groupe#Times#Times Of Ocean#Unravel News#women's rights in afghanistan#World
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Chapter 139 Recap and Notes
Holy shit, what the hell happened!?
This is the chaos that Mephisto was talking about back in chapter 130? If Satan is defeated it'll warp the world.
Mephisto has been floating inside the disembodied Satan, it's simply Gehenna on steroids.
Now that Gehenna has broken into Assiah, we have an ugly mismatch of worlds....and possibly, according to Mephisto, times.
Despite everything, Mephisto has luckily survived. But he has yet to learn what is coming next; for the first time in his existence, he doesn't know the future. The world as he knows it has become unpredictable. He's also been trapped and possibly unconscious for quite some time, within Satan.
It's been two years since Satan lost his body, and the entire world has gone to hell literally, with Gehenna and demons coexisting with the humans in a dystopian realm. We have True Cross still intact and under the command of Arthur Auguste Angel. Who, no doubt, rules with an iron fist under the careful manipulation of the Uzai. Check out his robes. For a minute, I thought Shiemi was the new Paladin and Angel was dead, but they pulled the old "bait-and-switch" character intro.
Check out Angel's face. He has the mottled look of a demon that's straining its human vessel. We know Angel is a clone descended from demons, but technically he's human with a Lucifer temptaint. His own original body wouldn't have rotted away like that, because he was in charge of his own living flesh and had balanced powers.
So, does that mean that Angel didn't really survive in the last chapter and that he was replaced by something else? Was he possessed by a very strong demon? Is that demon co-existing and controlling the weak-minded Angel? I don't know for sure, but it ain't right.
Our other favourite exorcists, Shura, Lightning, Yukio, and Shiemi, are nowhere to be seen, and Shima has become a star amongst the Order. The same Order he undermined while working for the Illuminati. Shima was that lazy guy that hated responsibilities and didn't give a shit about his friends and family. He's now a world-stage star and a heart-throb. That ain't right. But predictable...he's self-absorbed and self-indulgent. Being a star gets him closer to hot chicks, and he'd walk away for that alone.
Predictions? I have a few.
Sometime in the last two years, the True Cross order took on a hardline approach, banishing anything or anyone that was part demon. Under Angel's stubborn rhetoric, their existence would have been traitorous. Rin, Yukio, Shura, Lightning, Shiemi, and Kamiki would become outcasts for their apparent Demon DNA and heritage. Angel is the same as they are, but he denies it!! And the Uzai have carefully protected that lie to remain in control.
True Cross did something horrendous and divided their ranks.
And thus, we see Paku comes back into the fold. She's older and war-torn. She's seen some shit and is trying to find or tell people the truth. Something ain't right.
True Cross has become Evil, and Rin and the others have established a Rebel counterforce. And check out Rin! He's in control of Amaimon's familiars!! Hobgoblins. Plus a really big dragon...so does this mean that Shiemi and Rin are working together and Amaimon is along for the ride as the servant of Shiemi. Curious! He has an Amaimon-styled, shredded cape, jeans and a scarf....at least he's comfortable.
At least we can feel a slight relief in all this chaos.
Mephisto's alive....and he's free!!
#blue exorcist manga#blue exorcist spoilers#blue exorcist theories#ane#ao no exorcist#rin okumura#mephisto pheles
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Chapter 18 - Part II
The Princess & The Lawyer Chapter XVIII - Part II
Summary: Lloyd is rattled by unexpected news from Elliot that sends him into an emotional spiral and delays his return. Aiden is arrested for a shocking crime and Landon gives a profile of the stalker.
Word Count: 6,670
Masterlist
Warnings: Physical violence, strangulation, attempted drowning. References to stalking, the U.S. military draft process, war and military service, drug addiction, family estrangement, international adoption, murder, and death.
Author’s Note: I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I was planning to finish it sooner, but I had a virus of some kind for the past week.
Chapter XVIII - Part II
The engine of the Mercury purred like the big cat it was named after as Lloyd exited I-15 and rolled to a stop at the light. He admired the way the hood gleamed in the afternoon sun.
“You did a great job on the body work,” Lloyd said.
“Thanks,” Elliot replied.
Ahead of them, the light was stubbornly red. Lloyd drummed his fingers on the wheel.
“I was shocked how many people showed up to the funeral,” he said.
“They weren’t there for him, they came for us.”
“I know. Can you believe Mrs. Wilcox stepped foot in a Catholic church? Do you think she’ll have to repent before the Baptists take her back?”
Elliot laughed. “No, they have a new pastor. He’s not as hardline as the old one.”
“Oh, man. I bet she hates that.”
“She stopped going to church for a month when he took over.”
Lloyd tried to imagine Mrs. Wilcox without picturing her going to church three times a week and couldn’t quite fill in the picture. The light turned green and he rolled through the intersection.
“What ticked her off?”
“The new preacher didn’t condemn drinking alcohol.”
“Ah… that makes sense. The no alcohol thing is one of her favorite rules. Did you notice she only played Baptist hymns during the service? I was sure she’d pick a classic for the finale, like ‘Amazing Grace’ but she went with ‘The Gate Ajar.’”
“She’s probably hoping to draw some converts to the Baptist with better music.”
“Hey, if the Baptists can drink now, she’s got a fighting chance.”
Elliot snickered. Lloyd scanned ahead for the turn off to the rehab facility.
“Did you know Uncle Joe served in the Marines? I didn’t.”
“Yeah,” Lloyd said. “I knew he’d been in the corps, but only because I found his draft papers in the basement when I was a kid.”
“Draft papers? He was drafted?”
“His card got pulled in ‘69 and he did two tours. We never talked about it. I knew better than to ask. Eventually, it just sort of faded from my mind because he never brought it up.”
“Isn’t that weird?” Elliot asked.
Lloyd shrugged.
“Do you think that’s why he was… the way he was?”
The way he was. Lloyd contemplated the phrase. How was Joe? The first word that came to mind was quite simply: mean. The stern demeanor, thirst for vengeance, and his desperate need for control might have had roots in his time overseas. Who knew what effect the brutality of guerrilla warfare would’ve had on Joe as an eighteen year old. Lloyd wondered if his father had been in a similar state of mind as he’d found himself in at that age. Perhaps the simmering rage had been hardened into something more deadly by the explosive violence of those two years in the jungle.
“I don’t know. Maybe, but no one can know for sure. Even if it did, Joe wouldn’t have admitted it.”
Lloyd turned in at the rehab facility and parked near the front doors. Elliot checked in with the admissions clerk, who took his luggage and disappeared down the hall, giving them a moment to say goodbye.
“Were you serious about staying in touch?” Elliot asked.
“Yeah. I haven’t decided about the ranch yet, but we’ll need to coordinate on that when the time comes.”
Elliot stared at him. “Coordinate?”
“Joe left you half the ranch.”
“Come again?”
Lloyd clapped his cousin on the shoulder. “I’ll have the lawyer send you a copy of the will, okay? We’re business partners now. That is, unless you’d rather sell.”
Elliot looked dumbstruck. “Uh-huh. Yeah… I don’t know. Do you want to?”
“I haven’t decided. How about we wait six months to make a final determination? It’ll give you time to get back on your feet and I can think things over. But if you need cash now, I can arrange a sale.”
“We should talk about that… later.” Elliot glanced over his shoulder to the desk, where the nurse was working on her computer. “Hang on a second, will you?”
Lloyd watched as Elliot approached the nurse, then accepted a small green notepad and pen. He scribbled something down and ripped off the page before handing it back to her.
“Here. Since you were serious about staying in touch, don’t limit yourself to just me, okay?”
Lloyd looked at the paper. There were two unfamiliar addresses written down, one nearby in Park City and the other in Denver. He looked at Elliot. “What’s this?”
His cousin shoved his hands in his pockets, rolling his shoulders.
“I know you’ve never gotten in contact, which, you know… uh… speaks for itself… but I think you should have that. Just in case you change your mind.”
Lloyd studied the addresses and then Elliot’s anxious expression.
“If you’re still angry-” he broke off, sighing. “You can’t blame them for something that was out of their control.”
“Blame who? For what?” Lloyd asked, losing patience as Elliot skirted around the point without explanation.
“Ingrid and Josephine. They’re your family, too.”
Words died on Lloyd’s tongue, stolen by the impact of the revelation. He re-read the addresses and cemented them into his memory.
“Will you say something?” Elliot said, annoyed.
“I thought they were dead.”
“Dead? Why? You couldn’t find them?” Elliot asked.
Lloyd shook his head, “I never looked… because I thought… I figured…”
“Why would you think they were dead?”
“Joe always settled his debts. Always. If she ran away, that meant…”
He couldn’t finish the thought, but saw understanding flash in Elliot’s eyes.
“They’re alive, and they’d be thrilled to hear from you.”
“Thank you, Elliot.”
They didn’t hug goodbye, just nodded at each other. Then he watched his cousin walk through the double doors that led to a long hallway. Lloyd slid on his sunglasses and headed out to the parking lot. The note in his hand felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds. He shoved the paper into his wallet and climbed behind the wheel in a daze. He didn’t remember the drive from Salt Lake into Wyoming, but the next thing he knew, he was filling up with gas in Rock Springs.
He’d planned to drop off the Mercury in Salt Lake and have it shipped to D.C. Lloyd checked his watch and realized that appointment, as well as his flight, had long passed. There were a dozen missed calls on his phone. He wondered why he’d driven east, when he could’ve headed to Park City and seen Josie just as easily. It wasn’t too late to swing down to Denver and look up Ingrid; the stop wouldn’t be too far out of his way.
What would he say? After all those years of assuming the worst, he'd been wrong. He had to reach out to them and that terrified him.
They’d want to know why he hadn’t contacted them, why he’d let them go so easily, and ignored their existence for the past twenty years. How could he explain that the risk had outweighed the reward? Denial and avoidance and selfishness had cost him the most important people in his life. He cursed himself for it now and saw the stark truth - he’d given up on his sisters without a shred of factual evidence, leaning on emotional reasoning designed and tailored to protect himself.
He couldn’t explain that, not in his current state of mind, so he turned back onto I-80 and headed home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You heard footsteps and jerked around so fast you nearly fell off your chair. The unexpected sight of the man behind you stole the breath from your lungs.
“What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“Easy, Princess. It’s just me.”
Jake raised his arms in mock surrender as you pressed a hand to your racing heart and inhaled through your nose.
“Zach let me in,” he explained.
“Sorry. I’m still on edge from last night. What are you doing here?”
He grimaced. Your pulse, which had just begun to slow, galloped in response to the expression.
“Did something happen with the case? To Lloyd? Is he okay?”
“Nothing happened with the case - as far as I know - and Lloyd… I have no idea. He called me at six-thirty this morning and threatened to rip me apart limb by limb. I’ve been ducking his calls ever since.”
You frowned. “I’m sorry. I tried to tell him about Aiden last night, but I chickened out at the last minute.”
Jake quirked an eyebrow. “Well, that explains the phone call. Come on, Diskant is waiting.”
He led you through the kitchen and dining room, into the living area.
Zach lounged in the ornate Fauteuil chair on the far side of the room, his right ankle hooked over his left knee. The perfect stillness of his posture belied his casual bearing. The frozen, statue-like demeanor made your heart sink, as your attention shifted to the tall man who rose from the couch to greet you.
“Good afternoon,” Diskant said, extending his hand.
You greeted him and settled on the loveseat with Jake, directly across from the sofa.
“I’m sorry to inform you of this, but early this morning, Aiden LeDoux was arrested for attempting to break into your apartment.”
The words hit you like a trap door opening under your feet. You didn’t know if you should celebrate or shudder.
“When? How was he caught?”
Diskant glanced at Jake, who shifted nervously beside you.
“I asked Jake to trail Aiden,” Zach said.
“Starting when?” you asked.
“Saturday morning,” Jake said. “I’ve been following him all weekend.”
Diskant spoke. “He found Aiden trying to pick the lock of your apartment door. Jake contacted building security and took video of the act, so we have clear evidence of the attempted break-in.”
Your arms squeezed around your midsection. “And? Where is he now?”
“Jail, but we expect him to make bail soon.”
“Right.”
Detective Diskant glanced at Jake before meeting your eyes.
“There’s something else… While investigating the break in attempt, Jake located something unusual. We found a hidden camera in the hallway. It was tucked behind the welcome wreath on your across-the-hall neighbor’s door. The camera was pointed at your apartment and was live-streaming to an unknown IP address.”
- - -
For the next two hours you reviewed every detail of your case with Diskant. You seized a throw pillow and hugged it to your torso, digging your fingers into its softness for comfort. The detective’s pen scratched on the page as he scribbled in his journal.
Landon had joined your meeting an hour ago, since his shift tailing Aiden became a moot point when his bail hearing was pushed to Tuesday morning. You felt Landon’s perceptive eyes on you, taking in every detail of your reactions.
“Remind me what initially caused you to suspect Aiden when you realized you were being stalked?” Diskant asked.
“No one else made sense. Aiden was the only person I’d upset recently, and he’d just gone through a stressful event, losing his job.”
Diskant frowned. Zach leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.
“I think we should consider other suspects,” he said.
“What leads you to that conclusion?” Diskant asked.
“Last night, when someone tried to turn us into road kill, Aiden was playing basketball with friends on the other side of town - Jake witnessed it himself. The initial contact from the stalker where he quoted: “Don’t ask who’s there…” that’s a line from Scream, which was released in ’96. In other messages I found more references to horror movies. He quotes Misery and Candyman verbatim in some of the threats. It’s hard to tell if the quotes were deliberate or if the phrases were naturally absorbed into his lexicon. The movies he’s referencing are from the 90s, well before Aiden started watching horror flicks.”
Diskant nodded. You noticed he didn’t take any notes.
Zach sighed and glanced at you, then continued. “The third factor is Aiden’s personality. I made it a point to talk to him a couple times while he was dating Princess. In my opinion, he’s extremely passive aggressive, which isn’t compatible with the increasing level of confrontation we’re seeing from the stalker.”
“What comments did he make that you considered passive aggressive?” Diskant asked.
“He was too good at the art of a backhanded compliment. When I first spoke to him he claimed to appreciate Princess’ independence in one breath and undermined it in the next with, ‘not everyone can handle things on their own, like she tries to.’ There were less specific things too, but overall, he just had a way of taking an innocent sounding statement and giving it a whiff of contempt that set my teeth on edge.”
Diskant clicked his pen and tucked it in his jacket. “I’ve been mulling over the possibility of other suspects myself. The main problem with that theory is the phone call Yvette received last night. Have you considered that Aiden might be working with a partner?”
Zach raised his chin. “Do you have a line on a potential partner?”
“Not yet, but putting together the timeline of last night’s events, Aiden called Yvette before going to the park for his basketball game, prior to the hit-and-run attempt. The phone call where he asked if you were home might have been geared towards finding out the exact opposite. I think it’s just as likely that he was trying to find out if you weren’t at home.”
“If he put up a camera in the hallway and saw that no one was coming and going from your apartment, that might explain him contacting Yvette,” Jake said.
“Once he knew the apartment was unoccupied, he could have sent his partner to distract you with the hit-and-run. We reviewed the security tapes, and it seems that the driver veered away at the last second. I don’t think they were trying to kill you, just frighten and maim.”
You squeezed the pillow tight.
“Landon, have you finished profiling the suspect?” Zach asked.
“Male, 45 to 55, highly intelligent, strategic, with organized behavioral patterns. Some texts seem pre-scripted and sent on a schedule. There are three main patterns of delivery: rapid fire, cluster attacks with intentional pauses, and a steady trickle.”
Diskant nodded. “I noticed the intervals, and the scheduled messages. He probably has a full-time job that keeps him occupied from 9 to 5.”
Landon inclined his head. “Agreed. His writing style shows the marks of higher education, which makes me think he works in a white-collar occupation. It would also explain the need for regular hours. The occasions where he’s made contact - the nephew’s birthday party, in the park on Friday night, and then the incident yesterday - they all occurred in the evening.”
“Consistent with the profile,” Zach said.
“His emotional tone shows that he suppresses enormous amounts of rage. I’m inclined to think he can’t contain it all the time, which would’ve led to court-ordered therapy, probably on a non-voluntary basis.”
“What about the fact that he hasn’t identified himself in the texts?” Zach asked.
“That’s why I’m not ruling Aiden out yet,” Landon said. “The coyness allows him to feign innocence. He’s being secretive and not taking ownership of his actions. That fits Aiden to a tee. Factoring the technological aspect of the hidden camera Jake found in the hallway, there’s a strong possibility Aiden is involved in the stalking even if he isn’t the driving force behind it.”
You swallowed hard, disturbed by the description.
“Does the profile ring any bells?” Jake asked.
You shook your head and plucked at the upholstery of the pillow.
“My questions about the stalker’s identity began from the texts as well,” Diskant said. “These messages don’t read like they’re from a romantically obsessed stalker who’s trying to win back their victim’s affection.”
“The primary motivation behind the messages is clear,” Landon said.
Zach snorted. “Yeah. He’s trying to terrorize her.”
“The person writing the texts is an emotional sadist. They’re motivated by the enjoyment of the hunt and provoking a response.”
Diskant was nodding before Landon finished speaking. “The movie obsession in the subtext of his messages isn’t based around enjoying the adrenaline rush of fear, like a normal person would. He’s identifying with the antagonists, like Ghostface and Patrick Bateman.”
“And our current theory is that Aiden is involved with this person?” you asked, fingers clenching in the pillow’s stuffing.
“It’s one possibility,” Diskant said. “I spoke with Aiden’s father this morning. He mentioned he searched Aiden’s phone for evidence of the messages after you spoke with him. However, after going through his son’s phone, he realized it wasn’t the only device he’d seen Aiden using.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mr. Ledoux reports Aiden has a second phone. He thought it was for work, but he’s seen it several times since Aiden was let go from his employer. His father’s theory is that he wasn’t using his personal device to send the texts.”
Jake leaned in. “Do you have a search warrant for the house yet?”
“We didn’t need one. Mr. LeDoux owns the house, all we needed was his permission. We searched his room from top to bottom and couldn’t find a second phone. A team is searching the rest of the house as we speak.”
“Why is Mr. LeDoux being so cooperative?” Zach asked. “Is it possible he might be Aiden’s partner?”
Your jaw dropped. For a second you were shocked, then horrified. “Mr. LeDoux is too old for the profile and I only met him one time. He has no reason to stalk me!”
Landon spoke. “I went through Aiden’s publicly available writings when I was analyzing the text messages and compared them. Because of his proximity to the case, I also reviewed Mr. LeDoux’s writing and I doubt either of them authored the messages. But given the information Yvette provided us with, I’m still concerned that Aiden has something to do with the harassment.”
“When do you plan to interrogate Aiden?” Zach asked.
“I’m not allowing you to speak with the subject,” Diskant said.
“Why not?” Landon demanded.
“You’re emotionally invested in the case - that’s a recipe for disaster.”
After Diskant left, Zach and Jake headed to the office, while Landon stayed behind as your minder. You retreated to your work station in the conservatory where you stared blankly at your laptop for a few minutes before laying your head down on the desk.
“Are you okay?” Landon’s voice cut through your misery.
You glanced back and saw him standing at the threshold between the kitchen and the conservatory, sunlight glinting off his dark brown hair.
“No. Would you be?”
“Nope.” He crossed to the table and pulled up a chair, swinging it around to straddle as he folded his arms over the backrest. “Tell me where your head’s at.”
“Zach and Lloyd might go into overprotective mode. The minute I realized I was being stalked, I was worried about Lloyd’s reaction. After watching Zach’s response to Diskant’s theory…” you shook your head.
“Zach’s incredibly loyal,” Landon said.
“That’s why I’m worried!”
“Jake and I will handle them, okay? Bishop already suggested locking Lloyd away before we fill him in. We could always shove Zach in too.”
“Got a dungeon?”
Landon snorted. “Not one that will hold them. Listen. This is temporary. The stalking can’t go on forever. It won’t go on forever.”
“If Lloyd and Zach have their way it will be over quickly and violently. The latter part worries me. I want this resolved but I don’t want them going to jail on my behalf. Just thinking about it makes me sick.”
Landon’s lips pursed. “Can you think of any reason, other than stalking you, for Aiden to want access to your apartment while you were away?”
“No. I have no clue.”
“If he planted the camera in the hallway, I’m inclined to think it was placed to make sure you weren’t home. It’s straight out of the intelligence handbook to ensure you’re in and out of a target’s home while they’re gone. Given that Aiden’s father was an FBI agent, he’d know that much about tradecraft.”
You rubbed your temple. “I don’t understand why he’d do this.”
“There were no weapons on him when he was arrested. I don’t buy him as your stalker, but the evidence points to his involvement.”
“It doesn’t make sense. Nothing adds up.”
Landon ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it from its carefully gelled style. “You’re right. And until we get more evidence, it probably won’t. What are you doing in the meantime?”
“Searching for missing persons reports.”
“Okay then. Shall we divide and conquer?”
The next few hours flew by, filled with research and notes. Daylight slipped away but your eyes remained focused on the screen without pause. You pulled up another report and a moment later, elbowed Landon.
“Hey. Look at this. Li Wei Chapman, age 23, vanished in 1999 from Virginia.”
Landon looked over your shoulder. “Her last known location was at a bible camp her family owned in Fredericksburg.”
“Is that too far away from Harmony?”
“It’s only forty minutes by car. The serial killer was most active closer to D.C., but that alone doesn’t exclude this victim. She disappeared on June 14th - right in the middle of his active period.”
“Look at the notes,” you said, scrolling down. “Her daughter, Zoe Chapman, also went missing on the same day. She was two years old.”
“If she was his first victim, he might have chosen a location he knew well. Maybe he spent time at the bible camp and was familiar with the terrain,” Landon said. “Fredericksburg has a lot of wooded areas that could be used for cover.”
“How do you know so much about the geography of Fredericksburg?” you asked.
“It’s on the way to Latimer’s hometown. We use his uncle’s farm for our team reunion every year. This is good. It’s the first mother-daughter abduction we’ve found that matches the details of our victim.”
“Wait. Marco Latimer? He’s from Virginia?”
Landon arched a brow. “Yeah. Why?”
“His accent. I couldn’t quite place it. Where’s he from?”
“Kilmarnock. His accent is Virginia Tidewater, but it’s stronger than most because he grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere.”
He re-focused his attention on the missing persons report and was about to say something when the doorbell rang. Your head snapped up.
“I’ll get it,” Landon said.
You trailed after him, but stayed out of sight as he opened the door. A woman in her mid-sixties with ash blonde hair worn in a blunt bob waited on the other side.
“Hello, I’m Judy Lange. I’m looking for Lloyd’s house sitter. Is she here?”
“Yeah.”
Landon motioned you forward. Mrs. Lange’s eyes glinted in recognition when she saw you.
“Here are the pool keys, for Mr. Hansen. I apologize for interrupting your evening, but I promised I’d have them back before he returned,” she said, handing them over.
“Thank you, I’ll make sure he gets them.”
“Excellent. And if you need anything, we’re just two doors down.”
You thanked her for the keys and when she was gone, placed the keys in the bowl on the foyer table. Realizing how late it was you checked the time and frowned.
“When does Lloyd’s flight land? Shouldn’t we have picked him up already?”
“He’s driving back,” Landon said.
“What?! All the way across the country?”
“He’s bringing back a car, at least that’s what Zach said.”
Your heart sank. You’d confessed your love, and now Lloyd was taking his sweet time returning.
“What’s wrong?” Landon asked.
“I told Lloyd I loved him last night.”
His eyebrows rose sharply. “Damn. That took guts. Lloyd’s the most emotionally repressed person I’ve ever met.”
You groaned and sank down on the couch, head in your hands.
“What was I thinking?!”
“Maybe your confession wasn’t such a bad thing,” Landon said.
“Why do you say that?”
“Lloyd is skittish about sharing his emotions, but under the right conditions he’s made progress before.”
You rubbed your neck. “I’m worried that he might never say it back. If this relationship keeps going, I’m going to need the words, but I don’t know if Lloyd is capable of saying them… ever.”
“I think the real question here is, how long are you willing to wait to hear him say it?”
“I don’t know. I love him, but I hate the way it feels to be left hanging like this. Either I get over myself and accept his limitations or… we break up.”
“Perhaps there’s a third option,” Landon said.
“What’s the third option?”
“Give it time. Lloyd is capable of changing. Don’t forget that.”
“What am I going to say to him when he comes home?” you asked, running a hand over your hair.
“I’d wait and see if he brings it up on his own. But remember - talking about his feelings is his most underdeveloped skillset. If you don’t remember that, you’re going to be hurt when he fumbles the pass.”
“I can handle fumbling. What I’m worried about is the possibility that he might never try.”
Landon gave you a crooked smile. “Give him a minute to work things out on his own. Lloyd makes his best progress when he can move at his own pace. He’ll test the waters before he dives in. That’s why I think your confession might be a good thing.”
You groaned. “It wasn’t a good thing. I humiliated myself.”
“Or you made him feel secure. Lloyd’s always taking one step forward and two steps back with emotional processing. If he knows where he stands with you, that might serve as an anchor. He’ll never be one for eloquent declarations of love, but a blind man could see how he treats you. I doubt the words will come easy, but he’ll find his voice when he’s ready.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It wouldn’t have been accurate to say that Lloyd spent the rest of the drive across the country chewing on the idea of reconnecting with his sisters. Rather, it was the idea that spent the rest of the drive chewing on him. Thoughts of Ingrid and Josie took center stage and refused to let him look away. By the time he was approaching the outskirts of Rockville, he was exhausted and sick of spinning through the same thoughts over and over.
By the time he parked the Mercury on the tree lined street outside of his townhouse complex, it was approaching midnight, and he felt like a zombie. His back ached and the bruise on his thigh from where Charlene kicked him throbbed. He felt every twinge of sore muscle from the explosion at Holbrook’s stash house as he unloaded his bags. When he stepped inside, the sight of Zach drinking whiskey on his living room sofa took him by surprise. It took a minute before his mind switched on and the details of the conversation on Sunday night came flooding back.
“Shit,” he hissed.
“How was the drive?”
“Miserable. I… stuff came up. I didn’t mean to take so long. How is she?”
Zach shrugged.
“I called Jake this morning, but he hung up on me, twice.” Lloyd crossed the living room and reached for the decanter of whiskey to pour himself a glass.
“Tell me what's going on,” he commanded.
Zach snorted. “Fuck, no. I’m not touching that subject with a ten-foot pole, that’s on Princess. But I’m glad you’re back. Shit’s gotten weird the last few days.”
“Explain.”
“You look like death warmed over, Lloyd. Go get some sleep. I’ll stay through tomorrow and then I’m clearing out so you and Princess can talk.”
He felt like death warmed over, too, which led him to climb the stairs without too much protest. Whatever you needed to share would probably go over better if he had a full night’s sleep before hearing it. Lloyd slipped silently into the bedroom and found you curled up on the far side of the bed. He stripped to his boxers and crawled in next to you.
When the mattress dipped, your lashes fluttered. For a moment, you opened your eyes, but they didn’t focus. He eased closer and you reached out to press a hand to his chest. Lloyd took that as a welcoming sign and closed the distance between you.
He pressed his lips to your forehead and whispered, “I’m home. I missed you.”
You blinked sleepily, trying to wake up, but failing to cast off the chains of slumber.
“Lloyd… home…” you slurred the words as you struggled to open your eyes.
“I’m here now,” he murmured, smoothing a hand down your back. You cuddled into his chest with a breathy sigh that made his heart skip a beat. He kissed your hair.
“I’m sorry it took me so long.”
“S’okay. Glad… you’re back…”
Lloyd smiled, squeezing you gently as the weight of his worries melted away. You were happy to see him and he was holding you again. Everything would work out. Whatever challenge was lurking around the corner could be dealt with in the morning. As long as he could bask in the feeling of holding the woman he loved for the night, he’d meet the trouble head-on tomorrow.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In the morning, you curled against Lloyd and watched him sleep, enjoying the peaceful expression on his face. You were happy he was home, but dread clawed at the pit of your stomach. The conversation you’d put off was hours away and his reaction loomed large. Sighing, you showered and dressed before making your way downstairs.
Zach was at the stove, stirring a pan of scrambled eggs.
“Morning Princess,” he said, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
You forced a smile in return and opened a cabinet to grab plates. As Zach finished cooking, you set two places at the breakfast bar. You ate in silence with the approaching conversation weighing heavily on your mind.
“So, have you decided what to say?”
“Kind of. I’m planning on starting with the reasons behind my decision before I tell him the details.”
“If he explodes, don’t take it too personally. He’s been known to say things in the heat of the moment that he doesn’t mean.”
“It’s the uncertainty about the stalker’s identity that I’m worried about explaining. This was bad enough when I thought I knew who was behind it. Not knowing makes it even harder.”
“I’m meeting with Mr. LeDoux this morning. He kept a log of Aiden’s comings and goings for the past week and he’s willing to share it with me.”
“That’s good.”
“We’ll sort this out, okay? As for Lloyd, just bite the bullet and get it over with. He’ll come around once he calms down,” Zach said, and patted your shoulder.
You tried to take comfort in his words when your phone rang, interrupting your thoughts. Annabeth’s name popped up on the caller ID. You answered on speaker phone.
“Hey Annabeth. I’m here with Zach Hightower. Did you find something?”
“I have good news: you were right. The unidentified victim isn’t Julia’s sister!”
“Really? What did you find out?”
“There was an error in the initial comparison, which probably came about because of insufficient reference material. Julia came from a semi-isolated community that’s lived on an island for generations, her DNA is harder to interpret. With a deeper analysis, it became clear that Julia and the unknown victim weren’t sisters - they’re actually third cousins.”
“So the error was on Julia’s sample?”
“It can be difficult to interpret the genetics of a person with Julia’s background,” Annabeth said. “While China recognizes the Miao as an official minority, there's limited representation of her ethnicity in genetic databases, which is why the crime lab made a mistake.”
“Do you have a match on the unknown victim?” you asked.
“Based on ancestry DNA, the unknown victim is Li Wei Chapman. She was adopted by Frida and Lyle Chapman from Taiwan in 1977 and lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia.”
“Thank you so much, Annabeth. This is a tremendous help.”
“Glad I could assist. I’ve emailed you the full genetic analysis, but it might take a minute to download. The file is huge.”
“I can drop it off this afternoon,” Zach said.
You downloaded and printed the reports for him, but once he was gone, the anxiety returned. To occupy yourself, you returned to the missing persons reports, pulling up everything on Li Wei Chapman. The breakthrough opened up a whole new realm of possibilities - you hardly knew where to begin. An hour ticked by and you were struggling to focus. Lloyd was still asleep. You felt trapped within the four walls of the house.
It was too quiet. You were bubbling with energy as your mind raced with thoughts of what to say when Lloyd woke up and the possibilities for the investigation now that the unknown victim was identified. You tried to busy yourself by cleaning the kitchen and re-organizing your paperwork, but anxiety was gnawing a hole in your stomach and the attempts to stay occupied only amplified the restlessness. As you paced around the house, your eyes landed on the keys to the pool. They were still on the foyer table where you’d put them last night.
Weighing the risk, you decided that the pool wasn’t too exposed. It was in a fenced enclosure behind the townhouses, which meant there’d be a row of three story tall brick buildings and a courtyard with an eight foot high wall between you and the nearest street. Locked gates prevented visitors from entering the recreational area behind the townhouses except by passing through a home. Plus, Lloyd’s back gate was only ten feet away from the pool enclosure.
You found your regular one-piece suit in the front pocket of your suitcase, which you’d stored in Lloyd’s laundry room. After changing, you took the keys and made your way through the backyard, closing the wrought iron gate behind you, and dove into the glistening blue water of the lap pool. The coolness enveloped you, washing away the smothering anxiety that had been simmering all morning. With each stroke down the length of the pool, you felt the stress falling away.
- - -
Hidden in the shadows, a figure watched you splash through the water.
He’d spent all weekend figuring out where you’d disappeared to. Finding you and Zach at the Emerald Harp on Sunday night had been an incredible stroke of luck. Since then, he’d been waiting for the ex-SEAL to leave so he could approach you alone. His heart pounded with anticipation as he watched, obscured by a neighbor’s arbor. The structure was overflowing with the thriving yellow blossoms of a Carolina Jessamine that offered sufficient cover from the security cameras.
He’d been planning this for months, even before he’d begun messaging you. He’d learned your routines and watched you, waiting for the opportunity to get close enough. Slipping the balaclava over his face he moved through the pool enclosure gate on silent feet, reveling in the rush of being so close to his ultimate goal.
You swam to the end of the pool, your back to him, unaware of the danger you were in. Wanting to prolong the thrill of being invisible, he stayed out of your line of vision as you swam toward the end of the pool. You reached the wall and surfaced with a gasp, treading water for a moment before reaching for the ladder. Unaware of him, you climbed out and collected your towel from a nearby chair. Adrenaline thrummed in his veins, pulsing through every capillary, and sharpening his senses. He bided his time and relied on the crepe soles of shoes to mask the sound of his footsteps as he drew closer.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lloyd woke up, feeling well-rested and content. Beside him your spot was empty, and the sheets were cool to the touch. He listened but didn’t hear anyone else moving around in the house. A glance at the clock showed it was past ten-thirty. It surprised him to have slept for so long. Usually he didn’t sleep more than six or seven hours in a single stretch. He showered and brushed his teeth before descending the stairs, looking forward to seeing you.
As his foot landed on the bottom step, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.
Adrenaline surged, and without hesitation, he sprinted to the backyard, where the scream had originated. Another scream guided him towards the pool enclosure. He crossed the yard in four strides and didn’t bother opening the garden gate, just leapt over it and pivoted toward the pool enclosure, nearly losing his footing as the loose gravel shifted under his bare feet.
You were locked in a struggle with a masked figure who had you by the throat. The masked man looked up and saw Lloyd barreling towards him. He threw you down on the concrete and seized a handful of your hair, then shoved your head under the water.
Lloyd charged. He slammed into the assailant and they tumbled across the hot cement, exchanging a barrage of punches and kicks. The masked man was stronger and more competent a fighter than he’d expected. An elbow to the jaw sent Lloyd’s head snapping back, and he cracked the crown of his head on cement. For a second his grip slackened, and the intruder broke free. Lloyd was on his feet in an instant, ready to chase after him, when he saw you unconscious on the ground.
The intruder was already disappearing around the corner into the courtyard. Lloyd knelt and pressed his fingers to your throat, feeling for a pulse. Your skin was ashen and your breathing shallow. Kneeling down, he cradled your head to his chest and stroked your cheek.
“Princess? Wake up… come on, honey…”
You didn’t stir. His hands trembled as he found his phone in the pocket of his chinos and dialed for an ambulance.
- - -
He paced in the waiting area, bubbling with tension as the doctors took their sweet time scanning you in radiology, where he hadn’t been allowed to follow. The door opened, and he spun around.
“What happened?” Zach asked.
“Someone tried to drown her in the swimming pool. I got there just in time.”
“You look like you need a bandaid yourself.”
“I’m fine,” Lloyd said.
“Princess?”
“A concussion for sure, they’re scanning for other injuries now.”
Worry lined Zach’s face. He crossed his arms and before Lloyd could question him further, the waiting room door opened again to admit Jake and Landon.
“What happened?” Jake demanded.
Lloyd gave him the run down and noted that Landon didn’t seem as surprised by the description of events.
“I stopped by your place and spoke to Mrs. Lange,” the dark haired man said. “She gave me a copy of the security tapes from the pool complex. I haven’t had the chance to look at it yet.”
Jake was already pulling out his laptop. They huddled around the screen and watched as the technical specialist reviewed the footage. The assailant had done a good job of avoiding being captured on his way in, but the frames taken after his fight with Lloyd showed clear images of him fleeing through the courtyard.
“Let me try this,” Jake muttered.
His fingers flew over the keys as he applied measurements to various objects in the footage, giving the software a frame of reference. The program calculated and analyzed for a minute as he isolated the figure of the assailant.
Jake read the result and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Shit.”
“What?” Lloyd growled.
“The attacker is only 5 '9, which means Aiden is six inches taller than the man who attacked Princess. It’s possible to make yourself taller, but six inches shorter? There’s no way he’s the assailant. We’ve been looking at the wrong guy all along.”
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Next - Part XIX
Behind the Scenes: Lloyd’s post-chapter reaction
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Masterlist
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#lloyd hansen x reader#lloyd hansen x princess#lloyd x princess#the princess & the lawyer#the princess and the lawyer#series: the princess and the lawyer#lloyd hansen x you#lloyd hansen x y/n#lloyd hansen fanfic#lloyd hansen au#chris evans characters#chris evans character fanfic#the gray man fanfic#lloyd hansen x female reader
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Perhaps the most damning statements came from Omar and Tlaib, who share the privilege of being America's first Muslim women elected to Congress. Tlaib, who is of Palestinian heritage, said Sunday that a peaceful solution "must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance."
Anti-Israel "activists" and militants alike often use the term "resistance" to describe violent activity aimed at their perceived oppressors, from throwing stones to targeting civilians in suicide bombings.
"The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation, and apartheid makes no one safer," Tlaib wrote, pushing a theory that Israeli civilians invited the atrocities experienced on Oct. 7.
In a lengthy social media thread, Omar declared, "Palestinians have few recourses for justice and accountability," suggesting that the massacre of innocents was an acceptable course of action. She pointed to "lifelong psychological and physical trauma" experienced by Palestinians," whom she claimed live under "occupation and systemic apartheid."
Although Israel maintains external control of Gaza, the military occupation ended in 2005. The following year, Palestinians elected Hamas, a hardline terrorist government that fired thousands of rockets at Israeli population centers and launched countless terrorist attacks in Jewish towns and cities.
Along with her colleagues, Omar warned against perpetuating "a cycle of violence," an offensive cliche that implies Saturday's intentional attack on innocent civilians was a morally equivalent answer to past Israeli military operations, equal in scale to the ferocious savagery exhibited by Hamas.
In reality, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) take great pains to avoid civilian casualties, following strict rules of engagement and punishing negligence. Conversely, Hamas uses human shields, fires rockets from launch sites in schoolyards and hospitals, and tunnels underneath residential neighborhoods.
Omar, Tlaib, and Bush each called for ending vital U.S. military aid to Israel at a time when it needs the funding more than ever. Since Israel's founding, the U.S. has provided more than $270 billion in assistance so that its closest Middle Eastern ally maintains a military advantage over its Arab neighbors, which have collectively invaded Israel multiple times in recent history.
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I've always thought that the reason for Tolkien elves losing interest in sex after having the kids that they want is a by-product of his Catholicism. My mum was raised Catholic and she says that she was raised to believe that children were the thing that redeemed sex and that ideally sex wouldn't happen at all. (Idk if that's a universal experience but it was hers) So it makes sense that Tolkien's elves, as 'higher' more spiritual beings would be less sexual beings and so would not partake in sex after they'd had their kids. (Which is why I ignore that particular titbit of Tolkien lore😉)
Ooof! I'm quite familiar with Catholic teachings on sex, and it sounds like the values your mom grew up with were quite extreme! (Religious values and beliefs run across a very wide spectrum, but let's not invite debates on that!) That sounds a lot more like something Mrs. Kim from Gilmore Girls would say. LOL.
I admit I lean more towards the puritan, "higher being" interpretation of Elves, especially the Calaquendi who have seen the Light of the Trees. There has to be something that distinguishes them from the other Middle-earth races, and temperance when it comes to carnal needs and urges (i.e. sex, food), is one of those characteristics. So yes, Elves are less interested in sex than Dwarves, Hobbits, but especially Men, but even their appetites vary within their race.
When it comes to the SotWK AU's interpretation of Thranduil and his Elvenqueen wife, Maereth, here is a rundown of my take on it:
(My headcanons are mostly guided by what was written in the LaCE, because I'm a Type-A nerd who likes rules and manuals, but these are just MY interpretation of it. It's not hardline LaCE compliant either, and regardless, my takes are neither canon nor law!)
Thranduil and Maereth are descendants of Calaquendi, but had not made the journey themselves. Technically, Maereth is closer to the Light of the Trees and arguably more "blessed" in that manner, since her mother was born in Tirion (Valinor), as opposed to Oropher who never completed the journey.
Thranduil was always more free-spirited ("as wild as one of Araw’s Kine", Oropher described him in my fic "The Crown") than the average Sinda, and over the years became even more alike the Silvan people he ruled over.
Silvans are culturally more sexual than the Sindar or Noldor, not necessarily in the sense of being promiscuous, but rather that they take more pleasure in the act itself as way of bonding with their partners, not just for the sake of begetting children.
The Silvans do not lose interest in sex even after thousands of years, and are able to retain monogamous relationships with their partners because Elven bonds (platonic, familial, romantic, etc.) are as enduring as their physical immortality.
This is what helps the Silvan/Greenwood population endure through the millennia, throughout the "Mirkwood" dark ages, and into the Fourth Age and beyond in Eryn Lasgalen. They keep having sex, keep reproducing, and their population is sustained even through attacks and wars.
Oh, and culturally, the Silvans also love children and celebrate the process of raising them as a community. That's a key factor in their population growth too.
Thranduil and Maereth are, foregoing more eloquent terms, absolutely bananas for each other. Epic, epic, love along the vein of Professor Tolkien's love for his wife Edith, and its parallel romance--Beren and Lúthien. Could you imagine Lúthien replacing or loving anyone other than Beren? (I guess you can imagine anything in fandom, but I hope you get my point.) Well, it's the same with Thranduil and his Elvenqueen. It's a rather unpopular take on his love life, but that's how it is at least in the SotWK AU.
So yeah, they never tire of each other and never stop wanting each other, in any way, by any definition. They naturally stop begetting children after Legolas (their 5th), but the lovemaking definitely continues.
Sorry for the delay in this response, Anon--I hope you're still able to see and read this. And I hope the uncalled-for infodump makes it better, not worse! LOL. Thank you for the Ask!
#sotwk answers#anon asks#kind anons#i have the best anons#thranduil#thranduil headcanon#sotwk headcanon#elvenqueen maereth#sotwk ocs#silvan elves#mirkwood#mirkwood elves#tolkien#the hobbit#lotr#tw sex
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I'm a different anon, but I kinda suspect part of the reason the impression of Drizzt as an edgelord and general hostility to him is because to an unfortunately sizable part of the tabletop l roleplay scene the genetic determinism is a good thing. 'Why would you play a drow to be good? Just make an elf like everyone else, you just want a traumatic backstory' kind of thinking. I've unfortunately known many a RP community where you would be laughed out and ostracized if if you played stuff outside of its assigned role: drows can only be evil, orcs can only be brutes, and don't even ask them about their opinion on tieflings.
I have seen what seem to be the most boring motherfuckers on god's green earth go "you need REASONS to have characters other than human, otherwise just MAKE THEM A HUMAN!" and those were also self proclaimed Realmslore nerds, so like. Yeah, I can buy that as a reason. Lots of people still proudly say that 3rd edition is their favourite lorewise despite 3rd edition being legendarily horribly hardline in a number of ways including strict rulings on alignment and which kinds of races you 'should' play 9_9
I've also heard from folks active in the oldguard scene that Drizzt was uhhhh real fucking controversial among the people who considered themselves vocally the 'main audience' (ie gatekeepers lol) to the point people got aggressively opposed to 'good drow' existing and used Drizzt as a bludgeon to be like NO, DRIZZT IS THE ONLY GENETICALLY GOOD DROW, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A GOOD DROW, SHUT UP ABOUT DRIZZT, which is the exact opposite of his books in a really depressing way;;;
So I can see why people would cling to determinism as a way to filter out people who have character concepts they don't like, unfortunately :/
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As so-called “anarcho-capitalist” Javier Milei takes office as president of Argentina—fulfilling the dreams of hardline capitalists who celebrate the military dictatorship that killed thousands—we present an audio version of our analysis of the situation:
https://crimethinc.com/exworker103
This is an in-depth look at the history of center-left rule, military dictatorship, and neoliberal austerity that resulted in the powerful popular uprising of 2001, and a detailed assessment of the economic challenges, disillusionment with the political class, and failures of the left that facilitated Milei’s rise.
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rogue trader spoilers ///
hissing and gnashing, why would they write this.
why would they put this NOW when my girl has just done the aeldari sidequest & experienced honorable dealings with xenos for the first time, leaving her open to consider yrliet's profoundly alien (to her hardline imperial core ass) moral sense. the moment of hesitation from heinrix. the inquisitor she's been flirting with in a slapdash stratagem to distract him from sniffing out the Chaos presence with a clawhold in her brain. (surely, certain death if he knew! a salvation her animal self can't help but revile ^_^) the very same Chaos presence of which yrliet's guided meditation uncovered no trace, granting her the first sense of peace & relief she's experienced in months! indeed, the same inquisitor she caught in an unexpected moment of vulnerability at the black ship and instead of leveraging it, went for the hand touch like a fool idiot!
and like ofc it's only her position as an avatar of empire letting her indulge her fascination with yrliet OR try and toy with the inquisition & obviously compassion is anathema to that so every act takes on double resonance. like the sheer paranoia. the meditation was an //offer of compassion//xenos heresy//, a thread of friendship that can only lead to the weakening of her rule. drawing heinrix closer as //self-protection//self-endangerment//, fellow enforcer of the hegemony she both serves & is well served by, //threat//ally//asset//spy//man with fathoms-deep dark eyes//
so like fine okay what if there were two foils representing inverse moral positions and toward whom your every gesture contained both your best and worst impulses in an elaborate two-face janus mask dance of conflicting motivations!! "are we gonna torture this guy" are we making out right now. pasqal i am so sorry you have to 4th wheel this. we are literally doing
right in front of this poor mangled cult victim's salad
i'm chewing glass
chorus in the background going watch out girl the empire is reproduced through your personal relations!!! which she is so so so conditioned to hear as an injunction instead of a warning :3
'excessive kindness gets good people into trouble' oh BOY i cannot wait for that one to circle back :3 :3 :3
#help i'm playing this game with a notebook out the whole time#i'm writing my character's diary#the threads. the layers#the webs are weaving dude they're weaving#rt#oc: danneke
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