text:
Work Search: tip: "uchiha sasuke/uzumaki naruto" angst kudos>10
Promotion (6609 words) by silveradept
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Chess (Board Game)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Pawn (Chess)/Queen(Chess)
Characters: Pawn (Chess), Queen (Chess)
Additional Tags: Dubious Consent, Mind Control, Violence, Crossdressing, Crueltide, Anthropomorphic, Transformation, Disguise
Summary:
The Pawn of e file must navigate the dangers of the Board and capture the Queen. The plan goes well...until the Pawn makes contact with the Queen.

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chess (Board Game)
Pawn (Chess)/Queen(Chess)
Pawn (Chess)
Queen (Chess)
Dubious Consent
Crueltide
Yuletide 2016
silveradept
The Pawn of e file must navigate the dangers of the Board and capture the Queen. The plan goes well...until the Pawn makes contact with the Queen.
For civilian.
(See the end of the work for notes.)
Pawns do not have names. The will of Staunton the Creator, as told in the stories of the great Kings and Queens of the Board, is that all those who take up arms must surrender everything before they may seek Elo's favor. Once assigned to the file, there is little left for a pawn to do but move forward and await their inevitable sacrifice. Very few make it back from the Board on their first battle. Still fewer survive again. Yet, no matter how many fell, there were always more Pawns. Perhaps they sought to be promoted to the higher ranks, however that happened. Some Pawns chased rumors of fame and power to those who could reach the opposite edge of the Board. Or maybe, like her, they felt the calling to battle and to the Board as a part of their being. The Pawn of e file didn't know, and she didn't expect to live long enough to find out. If she did, though, she did wonder what it would be like to see the other edge of the Board.
The Pawn of e file was a veteran of many campaigns of the Board. For her first few fights, she had spent time as the pawn of b file, given no orders as the Knight leapt into the fray from the start. That all the fights she participated in were victories meant speculation and whispers that Elo favored her. For this battle, she had been promoted to the e file and tasked with protecting the king from assault. She knew that e file was a place of great honor on the Board, but she also knew very few who went out on the e file came back alive.
She was adjusting the straps on her shield, a last fidget before receiving the blessings of the Bishops for strength and victory in battle, when the Knight of g file told her that the King sought an audience.
This was the closest she had ever been to the King. She could finally see him in detail, resplendent in the finely filigreed armor he wore, sword at his side, helmet in his hand, looking like a seasoned veteran of the campaigns. His armor had the sign of Elo traced into it in gold, the metal reserved for Kings and Queens, filling the space where the sigil had been etched into the steel. Many Pawns longed for the time when they could wear metal at all, since steel was reserved for the Knights and higher-ranked pieces.
Before she could spend too long looking at his armor, the King smiled at her, and she thought she had heard him say something, but she could not recall anything more than the strong feelings of loyalty and adoration that she felt for her King.
"Your Majesty," she said, prostrating herself.
"Rise, Pawn of e file." The King gave her a critical eye. "Yes, you do seem to have Elo's favor about you." The King sighed, shifting slightly, becoming less regal and more like any other piece. "Our General has delivered the battle plan for today. You have been selected as the first to go into battle."
"May Elo favor me." She spoke the words, but her heart sank. The beginning of the battle would leave her exposed to the opponent for far too long to be able to safely return. She had grown attached to life and the victory fanfares that had accompanied her return. She had begun to entertain the idea of surviving long enough to retire from the Board.
All of those things vanished from her with the words of her King.
"...to infiltrate the enemy ranks and retrieve their Queen. We believe she is ready to defect and provide us with information that will help turn the tide of this war and bring it to a swift end."
"You," he said, smiling at her, "are going to find your way through the enemy's defenses to the Queen, collect her and bring her back to us. The General will do all he can to keep you protected as long as he can."
The Pawn looked at the King. This was unlike any battle she had been in before. Pawns held the line and attacked and were sacrificed for the good of the battle. They did not venture to the enemy's territory, and they certainly did not engage in spying. But this was the plan. The General directed the battle. It was Elo's command. Whether the General appeared to be a strategist or a child, their plan would be executed faithfully. The Pawn would do as commanded.
As she thought about it more, a small thrill ran through her mind to counteract the despair she had felt earlier. She had been chosen for a special mission by the General, to deliver victory to them. If she could survive the battlefield, she would bring them great glory and honor.
If. The thought brought her racing mind back to the present. No sense in getting ahead of herself. The General had promised protection, but the Board had a way of making everyone's plans crumble very swiftly.
Once the battle horn sounded, the Pawn rushed forward on her file, trying to put as much distance between herself and the battle line, wishing there was some sort of place to hide herself. The Board was flat, with nothing to hide behind, or under, or around. All she could do was hope not to be seen or targeted by anyone else. After two squares, the force that kept her from moving sprang up, obscuring her vision. This was the part of the fight she hated the most. In practice fights, many of the Pawns had only a vision of something else bearing down on them before they were declared defeated. She wasn't sure if this was how it played out in real battles, as, obviously, no piece had come back from their death to describe what had happened, and the obscuring force made it impossible to watch what happened to other pieces. It made it easier not to connect to them if they could be gone at any time.
An opening in front of her brought her attention back to the fight, and she jumped into the next square before the opportunity closed itself off. The sounds of the fighting around her seemed louder than they normally did. E file was much closer to the battle and everything sounded much louder and more menacing. She could hear one of the Knights being pulled off his horse nearby, with a wet sound preceding silence.
The silence stretched on for too long, with no sound for minutes on end, before a space opened up for her to continue into. She crept into the space, realizing she was incredibly close to the other side's line. The plan was still on. And she still needed a way to get to the Queen.
After some time, a movement to her side caught her attention. One of the other Pawns was striding forward, trying to gain ground, not realizing she was right there. Realizing her opportunity, she silently snuck up behind him and snapped his neck.
Dragging him into the square he just left, she set quickly to stripping him of his outfit: boots, trousers, jacket, shirt, and a helmet to indicate his status as a Pawn. She threw her own clothes off, saying a silent thanks to Elo for the ritual of binding that women went through before battle. The Bishops said that Elo's demand to give up everything included the things that separated men and women. The Knights said death was preferable to what happened on the battlefield to women. So the Queen decreed everyone would bind, including herself, so that none would be targeted just for being women. In this case, it also meant the Pawn did not have to worry about the clothes betraying her subterfuge in a moment of action.
The Pawn redressed, appreciating the fine weave of the copious amounts of silk used in the clothing. Her own outfits had always been more about putting up enough padding and thickness to protect herself before any thought of aesthetics. The Pawn wondered what sort of monarch would send their soldiers out in these uniforms - they would not survive a single sword stroke, much less anything fired from a bow. The Pawn knew that her own life was treated lightly by the King and the General, but to see it so obviously in this uniform seemed like openly mocking Elo.
The Pawn finished dressing in the new outfit, testing its movement, and feeling a small shiver as the silk glided effortlessly over her body, as if she were being gently caressed by the clothing. Perhaps these uniforms did have a use after all.
Using a small sock for "authenticity", she made a quick adjustment to the trousers before waiting for the next space to open up. When it did, she strode confidently into the square, as if she belonged there. The Queen would be right before her on the next move. It should be a simple enough matter to get her and bring her back across the Board. It would look like a strong attack from the other side, and nobody would know what had happened.
She had not expected the Queen to be so beautiful. Her side had always thought of functional dress as the highest compliment, and routinely praised plain and simple designs and colors. This Queen understood the silk dress she wore, how it clung to her body, how to stand so that the gold thread around the slit caught the light and drew the eye up her legs, with just a hint of skin in between the top of her stockings and where the slit ended. The Pawn tried to avoid staring, but she could not determine how, other than by magic or force of will, the top of the strapless dress stayed on given how much and how deeply it showed the Queen's cleavage. Her gloves were almost sleeves in their own right, ringed in gold and silver where they stopped just before the shoulder. It had been a long time since the Pawn had seen anything like this.
The Queen looked at her, and the Pawn froze. Far too late, she realized that if she were indeed a Pawn for the other side, she should be looking the other way, back toward the battlefield. The beauty of the other Queen had taken her off guard at the crucial moment, and now the gambit was going to fail. The Pawn said a silent prayer to Elo in the hopes that her sacrifice would bring favor on her General...
...and then the Queen looked away from her, toward some other part of the battlefield, and glided off to the Pawn's left to some other square. The Pawn exhaled the breath she had been unknowingly holding. The square the Queen has just occupied was open. She waited a little while longer to be sure that there wasn't another part of the battle that the General wished to attend to, and then sprinted for the final square, remembering at the last minute to turn around and back into the square rather than going in headfirst.
As she crossed into her newest territory, the Pawn felt a small tingle, in what she assumed was anticipation of the next move. There was a distinct feeling of potential, as if the Board were waiting for her to make a decision.
Before she could try to discern where the Queen was, the sound of a horn echoed across the Board.
One of the bishops nearby exhaled in relief. "I was sure I'd have to go out there today," he said to the Knight next to him. "I know we're supposed to be spiritual leaders and everything, but I'm not ready for what's beyond the Board yet."
"I know," the Knight said, climbing off their horse and giving the Bishop a kiss. "We're supposed to be fierce warriors with no attachment to our lives, but I still want to spend a long time with you." The two of them held hands as they stepped off the back of the Board, heading away from the battle site. The Pawn had never seen this before. Pairings on the Board were expected, in whatever combination struck someone's fancy, and she had seen that later stages of the battle often created pairings based on who was left, rather than who was attractive. What was strange to her was the wholesale abandonment of the Board by the opposing side. She had been taught that nobody left the Board until the battle was done. There were rumors that some tried anyway, but those stories always ended with the deserter being sacrificed for their disloyalty.
She knew that tonight, her pieces would camp in their field tents and tell stories of the great battles of the world, boasting of their exaggerated roles in bringing victory on the Board. Staying on the Board was a way of bonding with the other pieces and a way of giving honor to Staunton and Elo, showing the devotion they had to the roles they had chosen. To see these pieces not giving their full effort and time to the battle before them made her want to shout about their cowardice, to tell them they committed an offense to the gods they claimed to follow, but she held her tongue. She still had a mission to achieve. No sense in being found out as a spy this close to success.
"Ooh, you're still here," someone said at the Pawn's side, taking her arm in a possessive embrace. Looking to her side, the Pawn froze in terror. The Queen was right next to her, too close for her disguise to work, lightly tracing a pattern on her arms. The Queen's proximity made it impossible for the Pawn not to notice the subtle details she hadn't seen from farther away - there was a pattern woven into the silk of the Queen's dress that resembled the Board, with squares and checkering that made the dress lighter and darker, which made the Pawn's previous idea of the curviness of the Queen's body much more detailed. Realizing that she was staring, the Pawn reddened in embarrassment. She was a soldier with a mission, not a girl looking at dress models.
The Queen laughed a tiny laugh in her ear. "Oh, I don't mind when the boys stare," she said, giving her arm a squeeze.
"It helps to keep morale up." The Queen smiled at her, and the Pawn felt her heart flutter, despite her best efforts to keep it still.
"I think," the Queen drawled on, "that I know exactly whom I'm going to capture for this evening. Are you up to the task?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Pawn said before she could think. Her body started to move with the Queen's lead, a happy feeling building in her mind and body to have been helpful to her Queen. The touch of her Queen, and her closeness, and the perfume she was wearing, was heady and filled the Pawn with warm and fuzzy feelings. So long as her Queen was by her side, the Pawn didn't care about anything else.
It was only when the Queen left her in a room well away from the Board that the Pawn returned to her senses. Taking a quick assessment of her surroundings, the Pawn realized her mission had become much more complicated. This was clearly a bedroom, and the Pawn had no idea how far away from the Board she had been taken.
Before she could think too much more about her predicament, the Queen entered the room from a side door. A corset of similar material and color to the dress cradled the Queen's breasts above what looked to be very comfortable underwear. The same socks, no, stockings, the Pawn corrected herself, the Queen wore on the battlefield completed the ensemble, giving the Pawn the distinct impression the Queen chose her half-dressed state deliberately.
The Pawn had only seen clothes like these before by accident, when one of the Bishops had stumbled out of a tent in a drunken haze, clearly flushed with enjoyment. The Pawn had not known where such things were available until now, and now she understood why she had not seen that Bishop again after that moment -- consorting with an enemy was potentially punishable by death.
The Queen's return to the room had also brought back some of the fuzzy feelings, but the Pawn held on to the need to complete her mission, and it helped keep the feeling away long enough to give her some space to think. "What are we doing here?" asked the Pawn.
"You," the Queen said, moving in closer to her, "are a very bad spy."
The Pawn felt a twinge of shame replace the happy feelings she had been fighting.
"I suppose you're here to try and convince me to join you and fight my own subjects?" The Pawn nodded, trying to hide her face from the Queen's gaze.
"Did you get my letter, then? The one that said I was ready to go to your side and tell you everything?"
The Pawn nodded again, her shame increasing. The Queen leaned close to the Pawn and cradled her face in her hands. Even though the Pawn should have felt fear, she couldn't help her body leaning into the gentle touch.
"Oh, spy. Why would I give up what I have here so that I can go camp in the woods with all of you? I saw the way you viciously dispatched my Pawn with that en passant of yours. You all shout about the favor of Elo, but you're losing, dear, and it's worse every time your side gets in a fight. Why else would they send a little Pawn like you on such a clearly foolish mission?" The Queen let go of the Pawn's face and took the Pawn's hands in hers, smiling at her with what seemed to be genuine affection.
"Because..." the Pawn said, struggling against her own desire to let go of everything and be happy with her Queen, "...what did you do to me?"
"Oh, that," the Queen said. "That's just the rules of the Board. You see, you don't actually have to kill someone to remove them from the board. All you have to do is use the right word. Like I did with you. I capture you, and you'll do what I say."
The Pawn felt the force of the Queen's word and sank to her knees. "Yes, Your Majesty," she said again, thrilled to be in the presence of the woman that made her life complete, all vestiges of shame erased.
Several minutes, in the Pawn's estimation, passed before the effect began to fade. When she returned to herself, the Queen was lounging in a chair, looking bored.
The Queen sighed. "It's a strong word to use, though, when all you want to do is make sure you're not going to get hurt by your playtoy for the night."
"Playtoy?" The Pawn felt elated at the pleasure in her Queen's voice, although she wasn't sure if that was just the aftereffects of the word.
"Yes, little Pawn. Ever since I saw you crossing the Board today, I knew I wanted you tonight. I think, though, I will like you better without this dreary uniform on. Take off that helmet. Let me see your hair."
The Pawn frowned. "I'm not your Pawn," she said.
The Queen glared at her. "I don't have to ask," she replied, leaning in to stare at the Pawn. "But you," she whispered, "are going to be found out and killed if you keep behaving like a spy instead of a good Pawn."
"So what does that mean?"
"It means that unless you want a swift trip to the grave, you're going to wriggle that attractive body of yours out of that horrible uniform and give me plenty of reasons not to send you there."
The Pawn fumbled with the strap under her chin, her hands slipping on the buckle a couple times before getting it off. "Here, Majesty," she said brightly, searching for approval. She thought there might have been a flicker of disappointment on the Queen's face at seeing her close-cropped hair.
"Oh, my Pawn. They have no idea what to do with you, do they?" The Queen came in close to the Pawn, examining her more carefully. "You could be a Queen yourself, if they'd only let you. Such beautiful hair, gone to waste."
The Queen ran her fingers into the Pawn's hair, and the Pawn whimpered involuntarily at the attention.
"Now," the Queen hissed, grabbing the Pawn's hair in the back and pulling her head upward, "kneel in the presence of your Queen."
The Pawn went to her knees, guided by the Queen's hand.
"What should I do with you now, Pawn? You still look too much like one of the boys to me. Should I take off what's up here..." the Queen put both of her hands on the Pawn's chest, gripping firmly and giving temporary definition to what had been a loose-fitting shirt and vest, "...or should we see what you're hiding down here?" The Queen moved one hand down the Pawn's chest as she spoke, culminating in a very firm grip on the sock the Pawn had put in earlier.
The Pawn attempted to speak, but only squeaked with pleasure as the Queen squeezed her chest again. She nodded her head and hoped that was enough. The Queen's hands disappeared from her, and in their stead, the Pawn could only hear the command of the Queen.
"Pawn, those clothes do not suit you. Take them off."
"Yes, Majesty." In her mind the Pawn was trying to justify her behavior as only playing a role to appease the Queen. Despite this, the Pawn felt something in her core respond to the Queen's orders. Another part of her mind hesitated. She wanted to keep the clothes on and luxuriate more in their soft touch. These were the softest, finest clothes she had worn, and surely there was a way that she could keep them on her body for a little while longer?
"Pawn," the Queen snapped, "strip those rags off now." The Queen's command burrowed its way into her, pushing hard on her body to obey while she tried to resist, filling her with the fear of what would happen if she disobeyed, telling her the clothes she had thought were fine and beautiful were worthless and shameful to be wearing in the presence of her Queen, slowly drowning her mind with its insistence.
As the tension became unbearable, the Pawn gave in to the pressure. She began to undo the buttons from the vest as swiftly as she could, discarding the vest in front of herself and starting on the shirt, anxiously trying to get the clothes off and resolve the problem. She knew this wouldn't help her mission for her King, but it would keep her alive for tomorrow, and more importantly, it would stop the iron poker burning its way into her mind. She could keep her mind from totally succumbing by obeying with her body, although a large part of her mind was arguing that giving in totally would be a much better choice.
The Queen caught her hands after the first button of the shirt. "Slowly, Pawn. Let me see," she whispered in the Pawn's ear. "Do you trust me?"
The Pawn cried a soft mix of pleasure and frustration, and nodded.
"Do you need me to convince you?"
The Pawn shook her head.
Something in the Pawn's mind gave in to the closeness, the power crackling in the room, and the Queen in front of her, so completely in control of everything. She hated the uniform because it displeased her Queen. She had to go slowly because her Queen commanded her. Her Queen was touching her and whispering to her, running her hands over her body, dragging her nails occasionally, leaving trails of fire in her wake. The shirt prevented the Queen's scratches from drawing blood, but feeling the fabric pressing on her transmitted the Queen's demands of her just as well. The Pawn's desire to touch back threatened to overwhelm her, making it hard to concentrate on her task, but her Queen's command held her hands steady even as her body jumped and writhed at each new touch.
Finally, she had the hated shirt free of her, and the Queen swiftly relieved her of the top binding keeping her breasts in place. After spending so long wrapped in silk, the rough cotton seemed to drag itself across her skin, a scourge reminding her of her home and how ashamed she should be to have wanted or desired such things as silks, or even the affections of someone else.
The air on her body made the Pawn shiver, but her hands continued to work the trousers and try to find a way to get them off while she stayed kneeling, the shame of her arousal mixing with the frustration of incompetence. The Queen watched while she struggled and her frustrations mounted, amusement twitching at the corners of her mouth.
"Pawn," she laughed. "Come here."
The Pawn struggled to turn around and face the Queen, finally working the rest of her clothes free and throwing the hated things off.
"Good Pawn," she said, ruffling the Pawn's hair as the Pawn resumed kneeling in front of her.
The Pawn beamed with pleasure, shame slowly starting to recede in the presence of her Queen.
"You've earned a reward," the Queen told her. "You may remove one of my stockings."
The Pawn latched on to the Queen's left stocking immediately, gently using her hands to pull slowly down, marveling at the smoothness of what she was holding, kissing the Queen's leg as she did so. Clothing could be comfortable everywhere, she realized. The suffering she had felt from coarse weave and unskilled construction could have been stopped at any time. It probably would improve morale.
When the Queen turned the other side to her and bade her do the same, the Pawn gave the other leg equal care and kisses, no longer caring about acting. The Pawn made for the laces of the corset on the Queen, but the Queen spun away from her and hauled her to her feet, pinning her hands behind her back. It was only at this point the Pawn realized the Queen had been standing in front of a window. A window that had not been open when she first arrived. She squirmed and fought the Queen's hold, terrified of being exposed to anyone who might look in.
The Queen tightened her grip in response. "Pawn," she said, every ounce of royal authority she could muster in her voice, "stop."
"Majesty," the Pawn said, "they will see."
"Let them watch," the Queen replied, clear amusement in her voice. "You still don't understand. The pieces here obey me. One word from me and they'll forget everything they heard tonight. Think about it, Pawn. The only reason you are still alive right now is because I like watching you struggle and give in. So," she said, kissing the Pawn, "you can either be exposed as the pretty thing I'm going to fuck in front of this window, or," and here the Queen's voice replaced amusement with pure steel, "exposed as the spy in my bedchamber and killed in front of this window."
The Pawn froze, giving the Queen the opportunity she needed to position the Pawn right in front of the window.
"Oh, Pawn," she said, laughing, "if I wanted you dead, I would have killed you the moment I touched you. Now, stay put," the Queen commanded, before releasing her grip.
The Pawn stayed, without moving, even when the Queen began to kiss her neck.
"Good Pawn," she whispered in the Pawn's ear, before resuming her kissing, one hand on the Pawn's breast, gently squeezing, while the other hand searched for the most intimate place the Pawn had, delicately and gently rubbing on her while her body shuddered at the touch.
With a small cry, the Pawn ground herself against the Queen's hand, forgetting about the window and who might be watching or listening as she surrendered to the Queen's increasingly urgent demands.
The Pawn sank to her knees after the Queen finished her for the third time, unable to stay standing for any longer. "Tired, Pawn?" The Queen was gently mocking.
"Yes, Majesty."
"You're not finished yet, Pawn." The Queen stood directly in front of the Pawn and seized her hair again. "I'm not satisfied yet," she declared, thrusting the Pawn's head into her own body.
The Pawn inhaled the scent of the Queen before trying to replicate with her tongue the same thing the Queen had done to her with her hands. The Queen moved the Pawn's head to give the Pawn a better angle, using her hands to direct when the Pawn should apply herself vigorously and when she should be more gentle. The Pawn realized, on a much deeper level, the virtue of being able to use her tongue as well as her sword as she brought the Queen to another happy, fist-clenching, hips-grinding moan. Her own hands were busy practicing the ministrations the Queen had just done to her, trying to commit them to memory for later.
The Queen's stamina as a lover surprised the Pawn -- it took many shouts of pleasure from the Queen before she released the Pawn's head and ordered her to remove the Queen's corset and come to bed. As the Pawn marveled at the intricate arrangement of strings, running the fine material through her hands, she remembered the last time she had pleasured herself.
The barracks had been empty for a few minutes while the other Pawns were on maneuvers. She had climbed into her bed on the top bunk, quickly undid the rough pants, put a hand into her underwear and thought of the cute Pawn who slept in the bunk her while she played, until the small kick that had indicated satisfaction with her efforts. After finishing herself, she re-fastened her pants, re-set her face to the serious expression every Pawn was expected to cultivate, and went back to the chores of cleaning and organizing. Pleasure was not spoken of among the Pawns. What she had just done with the Queen would have been grounds for expulsion, and possibly death.
Rather than shame, though, she felt pleased. And she wanted more of this.
"I'll go with you," the Queen said as they arranged themselves on the bed, the Queen behind the Pawn so as to allow her to touch the Pawn in any way she wished and to deny the Pawn the same privilege. "The King keeps me here, hoping that one day I'll come to his bed willingly, but I can't." The Queen sighed and kissed the Pawn at the curve of her neck and shoulder. "He slaughtered them all. My entire back line, and my Queen! He would have killed me, too, but he told me that I would be more valuable as bait during his next conquest. The notes are the way he gets others to sacrifice their best pieces on foolish missions. You're the...first that I've actually gone to bed with," she said, a note of embarrassment in her voice. "If I can have you," she whispered, "I'll tell them whatever they want to know."
The Pawn's heart leapt in her chest. Her mission would be successful, and she would be able to keep her Queen forever after. Maybe they could find a life outside the Board. The thought of them together cheered the Pawn before sleep borne of exhaustion claimed them both.
The Pawn woke to the sound of drums and shouts. She sprang from the bed, assuming she had been found. Looking around the bedchamber, she realized with growing horror that her Pawn disguise was missing. She had been betrayed! And now she would be facing her death alone. And naked.
One of those could be fixed -- there was a dress and underthings nearby, which she hurriedly put on.
Going to the window, she saw a group of Pawns surrounded by Knights in the nearby courtyard. The drums stopped. The Pawn gasped when she saw the Queen, dressed in the Pawn's clothes, in the middle of the trapped groups.
The Knights parted and the King strode into the square, a roll of parchment in his hand.
"You have betrayed me, Pawns," he shouted. "One of you despoiled my Queen last night and displayed her for the world to see. If none of you come forward to confess your crime, you will all be executed. This is your final chance."
The Pawns all shouted angry denials, the Queen joining in with them.
The Pawn tried to move her body, to run, to shout a confession, to do anything, but all she could do was watch as the Knights closed in and began to fight the Pawns.
The battle looked like it might be close, once the Pawns started taking the weapons of the Knights, but the King strode to the group of warriors, seemingly unaffected by the roar of the battle around him. As he closed the distance, the Pawn thought she heard him shout something, but the wind and the sound of the battle prevented the words from reaching her ears.
The effect of the word was immediate and visible -- all the Pawns stopped fighting, including the Queen. Her expression changed from fury to tranquility, even as the Knight she had been locking blades with drove his sword into her and then kicked her off it.
Watching the Queen die released the lock on the Pawn's mind and body. Images rushed back through her head, a conversation just remembered.
The Queen had been dressing herself in the Pawn's clothing. "I will try to get out early in the morning to the Board. You can guide me back across to your camp by going around the fighting, and then we'll both be free and happy. Just remember to behave like the Queen you are, and everything will be fine. You won't remember that we made this plan until you get out to the Board, so don't worry. I'll be there waiting for you to arrive. Don't be late!" The Queen had kissed her, one last passionate reminder of the night they had spent together.
"Wait," the Pawn had said. "Why? Why are you dressing in my clothing?"
The Queen had smiled. "Why are you here, Pawn?" she asked.
"Because my King commanded me to find you and bring you back."
The Queen's smile turned sadder. "Exactly. How are you planning on sneaking me past my own soldiers, Pawn? I'm too visible as a Queen. When our Kings command us, we obey, but the commands a Pawn receives are different than those a Queen must deal with."
The Queen opened the door to the bedchamber and then spoke a word that the Pawn could not remember, but that had sent her back to sleep.
A knock at the door brought the Pawn's attention back to the present. "Majesty, the King requests your presence on the Board." The Pawn almost objected, but remembered that if she wanted to return alive, she would have to be the Queen.
Trying to put on her best regal expression and walk, the Pawn opened the door, strode past the Pawn at the door without looking at him, and left the castle. She stepped her way to the Board with a surety in body that was not matched in her mind. Settling into the place where she had seen the Queen last, the Pawn waited for the horn to sound that would begin the battle.
Once everything was in place and the battle resumed, the Pawn looked to her right and saw one of the Knights who had been present in the morning's slaughter. A cold fire began to burn in her chest as she moved in his direction.
Crossing into his square, she placed a smile on her face, a plan hatched from the final realization of what her Queen had been saying from this morning. "Knight," she called up to him, "could I capture your attention for a moment?"
"Yes, Majesty," he said, immediately climbing down off his horse and kneeling at her feet, his eyes completely focused on her.
"Knight," she said, allowing some of the rage to color her voice, "demonstrate for me. Place your sword where it would need to go if I were to kill you."
"Yes, Majesty." He drew his sword, handed it to her, and placed his hands on his chest. "Here, Majesty. If you push hard enough, you will puncture my heart and I will die, secure that I have served you well."
"Here?" she said, touching him with the point close to his hand.
"Here," he said, guiding the sword to the proper place.
"One last thing, Knight. You killed your Queen this morning. You should feel shame," she snarled as she shoved the sword into him up to the hilt, "that you killed someone you loved so much."
The Knight's face twisted in pain as the power of her command and the sword pierced him. Grasping the sword, as he screamed of loss and betrayal, he attempted futilely to push it further through himself. Her smile brightened as her eyes took on the scene, the Knight crying as he perished at the hands of an angry Queen.
Once satisfied, she turned to the opposite direction, to see the King, sword drawn, barreling in her direction. She saw in his eyes the reason why he had slaughtered so many to try and find one, including her Queen. The aggression, the avarice, the desire to possess and to destroy what could not be captured radiated from his very being. He could not have beheld the beauty he had attempted to keep imprisoned. He acted in rage because someone had captured what he considered his.
Because of him, she had lost her Queen. Because of him, she had lost love. Because of him, the war continued.
She waited until he was in the same square she was, and then, she let out all of the fire, rage, and grief she had been carrying with her since the morning. It formed into a word, and then it became a Word, powered by her feelings and her direction, and when it was ready, she loosed it on him.
"Checkmate."
The King stumbled, then tripped, then fell to his knees, dropping the sword as she stalked him, her Queen's knife in her hands. He looked at her, still uncomprehending, as she bared his throat.
In a single motion, she drew the knife across his neck and stripped the crown from his head. She smiled as he clutched and gagged and, eventually, slumped, lifeless.
Fingering the crown, she raised it to the sky first, and then settled it on her own head. A Queen needed subjects. A Queen needed a country. And, just perhaps, a Queen knew that under her rule, there would be no more need for Kings, no matter which part of the Board they intended to control or which Queen they intended to destroy.
She would free the world from Kings.
If you've skipped here at the start, here's a thing to note: the consent in this story is dubious at best, because of the power differentials involved, and one of the major characters in the story will not make it out alive. In case you wanted to know.
Elsewhere, many thanks to the blue star and their morail for their assistance in beta.
I hope this is at least close to the idea that you had in your head, recipient. It was fun to do this.
RoTWS, 83244genesis, Ninjakirby7, Scout4it, woggy, LeBibish, Ridicully, tristesses, snowynight, Burning_Nightingale, primeideal, and azurelunatic as well as 10 guests left kudos on this work! (collapse)


Has your company recently decided to make the most of its big data? If so, here are some common mistakes to avoid.
At first, it may be tempting to jump right in and collect data on a whole host of topics without proper thought into how this will help your business. Raw data often says nothing at all to most business users, and creating huge databases with copious amounts of data provides no particular value or useful purpose – except taking up your time and resources.
Some good advice to help business avoid this pitfall is to create a big data roadmap. This should focus on critical business decision, short and long term that will help everyone to understand what information can bring value to their business.
In contrast to the first point, some businesses feel that to get any value over their data they have to categorise every tiny piece of data they've collected. Of course, centralising, cleansing, classifying, and structuring data goes a long way to help you move forward. However, just like collecting data indiscriminately, there is not much point in doing this if it doesn't deliver end results that are useable and will make a difference to your business in the long run.
A common mistake that many business make is failing to act on the data they gather. Within your business you should aim to interpret any data methodically. Develop a process that works for you, ensuring that people are not jumping to hasty conclusions based on tiny bits of data, or simply using the finding to confirm what they already believe. Once a decision is made, however, companies must act on it as soon as they can. Companies that collect, analyse, and interpret data with accuracy and then act upon it with speed can often gather a significant advantage in the coming days.
Many people believe in this misconception. It indicates that a shift is needed in the mindset of business leaders in order to make the most of big data. Data can be used as an effective tool to enhance intuition, by missing things that are too small for the human radar. For instance, you may think you know who your customers are, but data may show you that you have a far more diverse range of customers than you first thought.
To discover more about how your business can avoid making mistakes when handling Big Data, register free for Big Data LDN at Olympia London on 3-4 November 2016. The event will host leading, global data and analytics experts, ready to arm you with the tools to deliver your most effective data-driven strategy.


text:
El Paso, TX - Accident News and Resources including car, bicycle, motorcycle and truck accidents and much more.
El Paso is the largest bilingual, binational work force in the Western Hemisphere. Situated on the Rio Grande across the border from Juárez (in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico), it creates a combined international metropolitan area, and has also been ranked the safest large city in the U.S. for four consecutive years. El Paso and Juárez, along with the city of Las Cruces, have a combined population of 2.7 million people.
Major Roadways
Interstate 10 is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the United States, stretching from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California to the Atlantic Ocean in Jacksonville, Florida. Interstate 10 is the primary thoroughfare in El Paso, connecting it to many other major cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, and New Orleans.
U.S. Route 54 is an east-west highway that travels from El Paso to Griggsville, Illinois.
U.S. Route 62 connects El Paso to Niagara Falls, New York, running east-west along parts of what was once the Ozark Trail.
A fleet of natural-gas powered metro buses provide transportation all around El Paso, managed by Sun Metro Mass Transit System.
El Paso International Airport is a public airport with 15 gates, served by eight commerical airlines. El Paso is also home to Biggs Army Airfield, Horizon Airport, and Doña Ana County International Jetport.
Amtrak provides a passenger rail service from El Paso to New Orleans and Los Angeles three times a week.
Read about recent accidents in El Paso:
El Paso car accidents;
El Paso pedestrian accidents;
El Paso bicycle accidents;
El Paso motorcycle accidents;
El Paso commercial truck accidents;
El Paso aircraft accidents.
Where to find legal assistance after an El Paso injury accident
After a serious crash, it is crucial to get help from an El Paso personal injury attorney who understands the local regulations and legal standards, who knows how insurance policies work, and who can handle all aspects of an insurance claim so the injured person can focus on recovery. If someone is killed in a collision, an El Paso wrongful death attorney will launch a claim that will begin the process of financial recovery for the family members left behind. Learn more here about what an El Paso car accident lawyer can do to help.
Percent of U.S:
Legal Data Center
Top 7 reasons to hire an experienced personal injury attorney
What every family needs to know about a wrongful death case
What kind of information should you get from eyewitnesses to the crash?
If you're making a personal injury claim after a car accident, the police report will play a big role in your case.
At a Car Accident Scene, Gather Information and Write It Down
Go to this link to watch this incredible rescue. This is really hard to watch.
First things first: apparently everyone survived, and the baby and toddler are currently stabilized and recovering in the hospital, but that will not be super helpful to your stress level while/immediately after viewing. If you are currently the mother of young children, have a drink ready or your chosen method of self-care for when the video is done, because you will need it.
Accident reports by county
Culberson County, TX - 7
El Paso County, TX - 221
Hudspeth County, TX - 10
Tailgating Is Illegal and Dangerous
According to the Texas Department of Insurance, rear-end accidents (many of which are caused by tailgating) account for nearly one-quarter of all auto accidents nationwide. These wrecks lead to an estimated 950,000 injuries and 2,000 deaths each year. Learn more here...
Automatic Emergency Braking Drastically Reduces Rear-End Crashes, Studies Show
AEB already held promise as a premier safety feature among techies, but no formal automatic braking study had tested the system's real-world benefits.
Most recent accident reports
Fatal crash reported at Global Reach Drive and George Perry Boulevard in El Paso, Texas
Roadway:
Global Reach Drive and George Perry Boulevard
Type: Car Accident
Diana Reyes, 60, killed in pedestrian collision with train at Roseway Drive and Carnes Road in El Paso, Texas
Roseway Drive and Carnes Road
Type: Train Accident
Serious collision reported at Bob Hope Drive and Pellicano Drive in El Paso, Texas
Bob Hope Drive and Pellicano Drive
Pedestrian Angel Chaparro, 71, killed in collision at McCombs Street & Lindsey Drive in El Paso, Texas
McCombs Street & Lindsey Drive
Type: Pedestrian Accident
Three people hurt in collision at Mccombs Street and Sun Valley Drive in El Paso, Texas
Mccombs Street and Sun Valley Drive
Three people injured in car collision at Edgemere Boulevard and Yarbrough Drive in El Paso, Texas
Edgemere Boulevard and Yarbrough Drive
Arcadio Duran Jr., 48, and Gary Lawson, 51, dead; 17 student-athletes injured in fiery charter bus-pickup crash on U.S. 62/180 in Hudspeth County, Texas
U.S. Highway 62/180
Dell City, TX
Type: Bus Accident
Children/Minors Involved, Head-on
Two motorcycle police officers injured in collision on Campbell in El Paso, Texas
Type: Motorcycle Accident
Police and Government Vehicles
Robert Jacob 'Jake' Najera, 33, killed in head-on car crash with alleged drunk driver Juan Garcia Silva, 60, on Horizon Blvd. in Horizon City, Texas
Horizon Blvd.
Horizon City, TX
DWI - DUI - Alcohol or Drug Use
Six people injured in two-vehicle crash on Montana Avenue in El Paso County, Texas
Montana Avenue
Woman suffers life-threatening injuries when struck by vehicle on Transmountain near El Paso, Texas
Transmountain
Pedestrian Miguel Ortiz Sanchez, 65, sustains serious injuries in collision at Thomason Avenue and Dyer Street in El Paso, Texas
Thomason Avenue and Dyer Street
Pedestrian Juan Quintero Jr., 44, killed in collision on Alameda Avenue in El Paso, Texas
Alameda Avenue
Guadalupe Gomez, 41, injured when car crashes into wall near Bassett Middle School at Elm Street and Tyler Avenue in El Paso, Texas
Elm Street and Tyler Avenue
Road Departure
Cat found stuck in SUV following 3-car crash on Spur 601 in El Paso, Texas
Spur 601
Animals/Wildlife Involved, Unusual Circumstances

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Most Wanted Terrorists
JAMAL SAEED ABDUL RAHIM
Seeking Information - Terrorism
Damaging an Aircraft; Unlawful Placing of a Destructive Device on an Aircraft; Performing an Act of Violence Against an Individual on an Aircraft; Hostage Taking; Murder of United States Nationals Outside of the United States; Attempted Murder of United States Nationals Outside of the United States; Causing Serious Bodily Injury to United States Nationals Outside the United States; Assault on a Passenger; Malicious Damage to an Aircraft; Use of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence; Aircraft Piracy; Aiding and Abetting; Conspiracy to Commit Offenses Outside the United States
باللغة العربية
Photograph taken in 2000
Age Progressed Photograph
Featured News Item:
New Images Released in 1986 Hijacking Case
The FBI is hoping to generate new leads with the release of age-progressed images of four alleged terrorists involved in the 1986 hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Pakistan that killed two Americans.
Ali Al Jassem Fahd, Jamal Saeed Abdulrahman, Fahad Ali al Jasseen, Ismael, Fahad
Date(s) of Birth Used September 5, 1965
Place of Birth Lebanon
Eyes Dark
Height 5'9" (175 centimeters)
Weight 154 pounds (70 kilograms)
Build Medium
Complexion Olive
Citizenship Palestinian and possibly Lebanese
Languages Arabic, English
Scars and Marks None known
The Rewards For Justice Program, United States Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading directly to the apprehension or conviction, in any country, of Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim.
Rahim is most likely residing in a Middle Eastern country. He is believed to be a member of the Abu Nidal Organization.
Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim was indicted in the District of Columbia for his alleged role in the September 5, 1986, hijacking of Pan American World Airways Flight 73 during a stop in Karachi, Pakistan. The attack resulted in the murder of 20 passengers and crew, including two American citizens, and the attempted murder of 379 passengers and crew, including 89 American citizens.
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS
If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
Field Office: Washington D.C.


text:
Shaker Aamer: reports that he's being returned to UK welcomed
Shaker Aamer has never been charged or put on trial © Handout
'We won't really believe that Shaker Aamer is actually being returned to the UK until his plane touches down on British soil' - Kate Allen
Fresh call for judge-led inquiry into wider UK torture allegations
Amnesty International has welcomed reports that the former UK resident Shaker Aamer is set to be returned to the UK imminently, after a 30-day "notification" period elapsed allowing US Congress to be informed of the terms of Mr Aamer's release from the US military base at Guantánamo.
Aamer, 46, who is the last of the UK nationals and residents held at the notorious detention centre, is being returned to Britain without ever being charged or put on trial during his 13-and-a-half-year incarceration at Guantánamo.
In 2007 he was "cleared for transfer" by the US authorities but remained detained at the camp for a further eight years for reasons that have never been made clear. During this time fears have grown for Aamer's health, with reports that his mental and physical health have deteriorated significantly. Aamer has been held for long periods in solitary confinement and has taken part in protracted hunger strikes in protest at his incarceration. He is reported to have numerous ailments and last year was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Meanwhile Aamer, who was arrested by Afghan forces in the city of Jalalabad in 2001 and transferred to US custody, has repeatedly alleged that he was tortured while held in secret US detention in Afghanistan in early 2002. As well as US officials, Aamer has said, men claiming to be MI5 officers were present at interrogations during which his head was "repeatedly banged so hard against a wall that it bounced". Aamer has also alleged that he has been tortured and otherwise ill-treated at Guantánamo. According to his lawyers, he has been the subject of hundreds of violent "Forcible Cell Extractions" at the camp, where a team of guards in riot gear forcibly remove a detainee from their cell.
Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:
"After so many twists and turns in this appalling case, we won't really believe that Shaker Aamer is actually being returned to the UK until his plane touches down on British soil.
"We should remember what a terrible travesty of justice this case has been, and that having been held in intolerable circumstances for nearly 14 years Mr Aamer will need time to readjust to his freedom.
"Aamer has alleged that he was tortured in full view of British agents in Afghanistan - a very serious claim that should be fully investigated as part of an independent, judge-led inquiry into a whole set of allegations that UK officials were involved in kidnap, detention and torture overseas during the 'war on terror'.
"Meanwhile, let's not forget that more than 100 detainees remain behind at the camp as Aamer comes through Guantánamo's gates. This is far from over. The USA must promptly charge all the remaining detainees with recognisably criminal offences and ensure they receive a fair trial before a federal civilian court, or safely release them."
Long campaign for justice
Aamer, who was born in Saudi Arabia, had permission to live indefinitely in the UK on the basis of his marriage to a British national at the time of his original detention. Mr Aamer has four children - all British nationals - the youngest of whom, Faris, 13, has never seen his father as he was born after Aamer was detained.
The long campaign for justice for Mr Aamer has involved several dedicated campaign groups and networks of his supporters, as well as MPs who have taken up his cause as pressure mounted on the UK government to achieve a breakthrough in the case. Amnesty has campaigned for him to be given a fair trial in a civilian court or returned to the UK for many years, and thousands of Amnesty supporters have signed petitions to the US president Barack Obama, prime minister David Cameron and others over this.
View latest press releases
Unfair Trial


text:
The Wistar Institute presents
Small World: Science Meets Art in the Infinitely Small
A virtual conversation celebrating the beauty of life revealed through microscopy and featuring winning images from the Nikon Small World photomicrography competition.
Register for this virtual event at https://wistar.org/Nikon
Danielle Edwards – 2020 Louis Schmidt Laureate
The Louis Schmidt Committee is pleased to announce that Danielle Edwards, BA, BAppSc (Hons), FBCA, RBI, FAIMBI, FIPT has been selected as the 2020 Louis Schmidt Laureate. The award, named for a founder and 2nd President of the Association, is the highest honor presented by the BCA and is bestowed "for outstanding contributions to the progress of biocommunications." Danielle's extensive personal and professional accomplishments both behind the lens and in support of a plethora of professional organizations, illustrates her commitment to the unique quality and diversity of her work as well as the active mentoring and sharing of a career's worth of highly specialized information. Her ongoing collaboration with other experts in the field and her ethical center, round out the qualities that make her such an ideal recipient for this honor.
Ms. Edwards was Manager of Clinical Photography at Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia for 29 years, recently retiring from her role in 2019. During Danielle's tenure, the Clinical Photography Department was continually at the forefront of technology and was the first tertiary-based hospital in Australia to introduce patient photography into the electronic medical record. In her role as manager, she always supported RMIT Scientific Photography students by offering work experience. Many of them were later employed by her as well as other institutions and, thus, received their official start in a biocommunications career and remain active in the industry throughout Australia. In her 'post-retirement' she has taken a position as Veteran Liaison Photographer at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne, working closely with the Veteran Community documenting patients and their activities.
Danielle holds a BA degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science (Scientific Photography) and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) from RMIT University, Melbourne and has fellowships in the Australian Institute of Medical and Biological Illustration (AIMBI), the Institute of Photographic Technology, Inc. (IPT) and the BCA. Danielle also holds an RBI (Registered Biological Illustrator) through AIMBI. She has received numerous awards for her biological/biomedical imaging work as well as her artistic works. In 2019, Danielle received the prestigious Mike Ware Award (UK) for her work in alternative photographic processes.
Recently, Danielle has combined her background in scientific/medical photography and arts to create a series of fine art platinum prints. Her current direction is blending infrared imaging with alternative process printing. Danielle is currently working on a body of work for an exhibition at Goldstreet Studios in Trentham, Victoria, Australia in January 2021. Danielle's work was also recently exhibited in Dialogue, International Handmade Print Exhibition at the Li Shui Photography Festival in China.
Danielle is the current President of the Institute of Photographic Technology, Inc. (IPT). In her many years on Council and holding many offices in the Institute, she has influenced and broadened the scope of the Institute to include and embrace alternative processes and fine arts as well as the traditional photo sciences. Her desire to broaden the scope of the Institute has proven successful since it has paralleled the direction of photography in Australia. She was the first in Australia to produce a series of national conferences called 'Celebrating the Diversity of Photographic Imaging' that proved to be a major influence on the nexus between art and science within the broader photographic industry.
Danielle has been a member of the Australian Institute of Medical and Biological Illustration (AIMBI) since the beginning of her professional career. Over this time, she has held many positions within AIMBI and is currently Vice President as well as the Chair of the Registration & Education Board.
In the BioCommunications Association, Danielle is currently the Director of Communications, the recent Chair of the Endowment Fund for Education (EFFE), a member of the Certification Committee, and has presented numerous papers at BCA annual meetings as well as a participant (and award winner) in BioImages. She is a supporter and promoter (and assessor) of the BCA, Total Body Photography certification program and has influenced several people in Australia to pursue and complete this certification.
Danielle has always appreciated the support she has received from both individuals and organizations and is motivated to return the support through professional activities and mentoring. The Louis Schmidt Award will be presented at BIOCOMM 2020 in Santa Fe, NM, where Danielle will also be on hand to present workshops, lectures, and share her experiences.
For more information about the Louis Schmidt Award, click here.
Images from Science 3 Exhibit at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
The Images from Science 3 exhibit is coming to Johns Hopkins. Opening reception January 29, 4-7pm at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Turner Concourse, 720 Rutland Ave., Baltimore, MD. Exhibit open from January 20 - March 20, 2020.
EFFE Grant Round 2020
EFFE grant applications close on 1 February 2020. Start working on your applications now.
Here are some ideas to consider:
Purchase of equipment for colleges, universities, schools, or other BCA recognized programs of formal biological photographic education.
Purchase or production of educational materials of a lasting nature (books, films, DVDs, etc.) to be donated for reference use in programs of formal education.
Funding of projects whose chief purpose is to develop educational materials.
Funding of research on materials or methods in photography or media in the life sciences.
Funding of projects utilizing microscopy.
Please submit your EFFE grant applications by 1 February 2020. Late applications will not be accepted. Read more about eligibility criteria and application guidelines here.
The BioCommunications Association, or BCA, is an international professional association of people working in the biological communications field. BCA wants to assist you in maximizing your success using images to communicate. With educational resources, programs, materials and a network of colleagues able to offer advice and support, BCA is equipped to address your professional needs. If you are concerned with effective visual communication in the life sciences and medicine, there is a place for you in the BCA.


text:
Digital Music & Sound Arts
Innovative Sonic Explorations
DMSA Features
Awards | Notable Alumni
About DMSA
DMSA Feature: VASCHA
Posted on January 9, 2023 January 9, 2023 by Johanna Bramli
We catch up this month with VASCHA who is in the 3rd year of the DMSA programme to discuss with their work, influences and process.
Three words that describe you as a creative person?
AL: Resourceful, impulsive, perfectionistic
When did you start working with sound and music?
AL: In 2012 I got this Yamaha keyboard and by using the 3-track 'record' setting, I would recreate entire EDM tracks (drum kit, bassline, synth) by artists ranging from Swedish House Mafia to Lady Gaga. It wasn't until 2015 when I found myself in the vortex of the micro-genre and internet movement 'witch house', when I released an original song on Soundcloud for the first time. This genre was based around occult imagery, wobbly bass, trap beats, sawtooth synths and seering, delayed vocals with unintelligible lyrics. Producers like S4LEM and Ritualz blew my entire perspective of music out of the window because so much emphasis was put on texture and atmosphere. I had no technical or academic knowledge about music production, which meant slowly teaching myself as I went along, dealing with musical ideas that were way too ambitious for my mixing and mastering skills. During this time, Soundcloud offered a more communal and democratic platform that allowed musicians to find and connect with each other through 'groups'. Living in a lonely village outside of Colchester, various spaces like this on the internet became a safe space to kind of express my ideas and make connections with like-minded people. When I moved to Brighton 2 years later, I took a course in art foundation which is where I made my short film 'Dead as Night', whilst simultaneously creating the soundtrack which became my first EP. This was an exciting moment where my confidence in my craft was validated and solidified. However, my technical skills I mentioned before were still underdeveloped, leading to some messy first live shows. Learning some of these skills during the Sound Art course has been a joyous experience. Since then I have worked with some some of my favourite local and international artists such as Satvrnxx, Diana Starshine, Oscar Cheung, An Nguyen and Charlie + Jenny from ZLUTZ.
In what ways has the DMSA course supported or helped you to develop into who you are today creatively and professionally?
AL: The DMSA course has enriched my senses in the very fabric of electronic sound. This new perspective has given me a voice and a freedom to expand my artistic boundaries. It has introduced me to such an eclectic mix of artists and tutors. The facilities have allowed me to learn new skills (shoutout to Bob and Paul) and has opened my eyes to the ways in which this passion is of use to the world around me. Becoming friends with fellow course mates and performers (such as IAMFYA and CURRENTMOODGIRL) has been a wonderful experience. It shows me that although Brighton's electronic scene often lacks space for queer live performance, something super special is happening in DMSA and change is upon us. This is so much more than just a music course.
Can you tell us a few words about VASCHA?
AL: VASCHA is an alias that landed with my the aforementioned EP 'Dead as Night'. It is a an unintentional outlet to express my anger, pride and grief in which I have not found anywhere else in life. Some people claim to see her as a character, a mysterious pop star with an imprinted sonic identity. This identity is inspired by things like David Lynch films, euro-dance, outer space and the sounds of London Underground trains.
What are your plans for the near future?
AL: I'm currently expanding my sense of performance, and incorporating a more physical, live element into my work ready for my final DMSA project here in Brighton. I aim to learn fearlessly by embracing everything I still do not know yet as a challenge. My goal is to branch out to audiences in places like London and Bristol and to release my next musical project which embraces a much more personal presence than my previous music, with each track based on a different Hieronymus Bosch painting.
Follow Vascha:
@vaschavaschavascha
DMSA Feature: Hal Kelly
Posted on December 2, 2022 September 14, 2022 by Johanna Bramli
Hal graduated from the DMSA BA in 2022 and presented for their Final Project 'Listen to your World', an hour-long theatrical gig infused with mindfulness and ecstatic dance. We catch up to discuss what they have been doing since completing the course.
HK: Explorative. Intuitive. Strange
HK: I taught myself piano in my teens and also did Music GCSE. The first music I made for myself was in GarageBand using a free synth plugin I downloaded off the internet – quite interesting but terribly produced! Then, after I left school, a friend of mine showed me the joys of Ableton Live, and I began using it for theatre shows and to make the soft experimental electronic music that would form my first album, Like a Liquid.
HK: DMSA opened my eyes to the vast range of interesting and experimental music that's been made over the course of the last century, but more importantly it gave me the creative freedom to explore my own practice, try out different styles and eventually produce a final project that I'm proud of. Without the support of the tutors and technicians I would not have been able to create a performance I'm so happy with.
Can you tell us a few words about your recent project 'Listen to Your World'?
HK: Listen to Your World is the performance I developed for my final project. Somewhere between a gig and a piece of theatre, it is best described as a mindfulness experience through sound and music. In the show I portray an alien who has come to Earth from their home planet and is amazed by all the beauty they find here. Realising that the humans don't always see things this way, they attempt to encourage the audience to pay more attention to the beautiful sights and sounds to be found on this planet, before ending with ecstatic dance.
HK: I have just moved to Bristol and am planning to split my time between freelance music and theatre work, and climate activism. This year I developed a new musical called Armageddon Attenborough with my collaborator, poet Chris White. We will be performing it in the South West this September before developing it further and touring it next year. I also intend to pursue my solo music career, releasing my new album at some point next year.
DMSA Field Trip to 180 The Strand and Somerset House, London
Posted on November 22, 2022 by Johanna Bramli
On Wednesday 10th November, we took our DMSA Students to see the Universal Everything Lifeforms exhibition at 180 The Strand and The Horror Show at Somerset House
GAZELLE TWIN: Tues Nov 15 2pm
Posted on November 10, 2022 November 10, 2022 by Stephen Mallinder
Not to be missed…!!!
DMSA Feature: Greta Carroll
Posted on November 7, 2022 September 6, 2022 by Johanna Bramli
This month, we speak to Manchester-born Greta Carroll who goes by the artist name CURRENTMOODGIRL.
GC: Curious, theatrical, visual
GC: I was around 16 when I started playing on Garage Band, using loop pedals, and making weird music that I showed to no one; I thought what came naturally to me was strange and I was a little ashamed so I started to explore other avenues to fulfil my needs in a more expectable way.
I went into jazz singing in jazz clubs around Manchester from 17 to 20.
But I ended up back to making strange industrial sounds and songs after this when introduced to Ableton around 21 and haven't looked back.
GC: I have learnt a lot about things I was always curious about and found a greater depth in knowledge in them this year.
I'm dyslexic so have never dared to think i was good enough to understand the history behind sound and the science but the course has invited me with no prejudice to learn what I desire.
I've been more open to new ideas and learnt new ways of how to record sounds of electricity which i have always been curious about.
Can you tell us a few words about CURRENTMOODGIRL?
GC: CURRENTMOODGIRL is my artist name, the project has been going for around 3 years now and the main ideas behind it is the many different moods and emotions I feel intensely. Music helps me to say how I feel.
Performance is one of the main and strongest parts of this project being on stage where I can really show people what my sounds are about.
The music is mainly industrial but can be floaty at points, it's a bit of a pull and push of soft and hard. My vocals are quite dramatic as well, I would call it industrial melancholy pop.
Side Split by CURRENTMOODGIRK
GC: I want to carry on learning more and capturing my ideas that are in my head, get better at mixing my strange sounds and recording, try out new software and learn more on the modular synth.
I want to built songs and soundtracks in different ways expand my knowledge on artists from the past and present.
I would like to build my performances up more theatrical with stage lighting visual ideas and interesting props, or instruments made by me that I can physically use on stage to captivate the audience more.
I want to record underwater pieces; there's lots of things i want to do – the possibilities are endless and I'm open to everything.
Find her work here:
https://www.facebook.com/CURRENTMOODGIRL/
https://thequietus.com/articles/30760-currentmoodgirl-interview
DMSA Feature: Josh Bell
Posted on October 10, 2022 September 7, 2022 by Johanna Bramli
We caught up with BA and MA DMSA alumnus Josh Bell who just released his MA Final Project: 'End of Play EP' under the name BUL_i.
JB: Noisey, Experimental, Visceral
JB: I started playing guitar when I was quite young, this usually involved strumming along to Van Morrison at family events. I probably learnt most of what I know about guitar chords from an Oasis (I know) song book owned by my Dad. Music was very much a communal thing in my family and usually involved some form of singalong.
JB: DMSA gave me the opportunity to explore sound both theoretically and practically in a more visceral and textural way. I moved away from a practice developed solely dedicated to harmony and rhythm to one that explored noise and textural objects to express ideas as a whole. My massive shift in practice is the use and manipulation of audio especially with samplers which has completely transformed the way I create music.
Can you tell us a few words about 'END OF PLAY'?
JB: END OF PLAY EP is a Noisey and Passionate scream into the void combining themes of Socialism, Alienation and Desperation into a response of my life and circumstances over the last 2 years during and after the pandemic. It's primarily an anti-authoritarian piece one that is fearful of the rise of fascism in the west and trying to make sense of our current political climate
JB: I have submitted my work to a few small festivals and gigs and am attempting to get it promoted on the radio. I also am starting work as a technician at an audio rental warehouse.
for the EP: https://bul-i.neocities.org/
follow @joshbellsound on instagram
You can catch Josh live at Altered Images Festival
DMSA Feature: Anthea Clarke
Posted on September 6, 2022 September 6, 2022 by Johanna Bramli
Going by the moniker 'I Am Fya', Anthea who is about to start on her final year of the DMSA course, is a performer and experimental artist who uses field recordings layered with her voice and bold beats. We're talking to her this month about her work including her recently ACE funded project 'Heavy Flow'.
AC: Honest Badass Explorer
AC: Oh, it feels like a million years ago! I was always writing little poems and songs when I was a kid. I would listen to the radio and record stuff randomly on my cassette recorder. Bits of songs and talking, adverts etc. Then I would re-record bits onto another tape and make these weird little soundscapes. I was sampling but I had no idea what sampling was at that time, I wish I'd kept those tapes. I always knew I would end up singing, which I did for many years over other people's beats before attempting to make my own beats around 15 years ago. I was gifted a little Zoom drum machine which gave me so much freedom to express, and I've been making music with machines ever since.
A Womxn by I Am Fya
AC: The course has been everything I hoped it would be. I applied for uni during one of the early lockdowns. In the first few weeks, I was making the odd beat and singing a little but that eventually stopped. I was spending a lot of time on my own & my motivation to create art dwindled. I also had quite heavy personal problems and I was getting intoxicated daily. I had a moment of clarity where I thought "yo, you are not living up to your full potential". I felt that although I had achieved lots of amazing things and had awesome opportunities in my life I was once again, stuck in a rut. Having all that time to think made me reassess everything, I did an online search and found this course. It sounded right up my street. I am self-taught and I had been producing my own music for quite some time, but I really wanted to up my game and try new things, get a bit weirder and more experimental. I figured I would be the oldest student on the course, which I am but it felt like a now or never situation. I had some anxiety about academia, so I always told myself that I wasn't smart enough or, 'too this', or 'not enough of that' for university. The pandemic really made me realise that I was holding myself back, so I put my fears aside and it turns out I'm quite good at it! The course gave me the confidence to free myself up a bit. The structure, assignments and deadlines are also good for me because I'm ADHD gang and I can procrastinate and become overwhelmed at the thought of getting on with stuff. I have a lot of respect for the tutors who have been incredibly supportive. And the other students are bunch of legends, I have new friends who I would never have met otherwise, I'm grateful for the new connections and the support. It has been positive for me in many ways. This course saved me actually. It sounds dramatic but it's true.
Can you tell us a few words about your recent project 'Heavy Flow'?
AC: I sing professionally and I was on tour with another artist, we stayed in a brand new 5 star Hilton Hotel in Edinburgh. I was on my period and this huge ass building did not have any sanitary products. I was so upset, I cried at the reception. The staff (all women) didn't help and acted like I was asking for some crazy thing they'd never heard of, it was weird. That night I announced to a band mate, "right, I'm gunna write a banger about periods because this ting is not a dirty secret" and started writing Heavy Flow that same night. I was angry, like…..can we normalise talking about this thing that half the population experience once a month? It's not an angry song though, it celebrates what our bodies can do and speaks of our connection to ancestors, the earth and nature.
So that's how the project started, there's only one song about periods though lol but one song led to another, and I made a kind of epic (as yet unreleased) album. I recently received arts council funding to develop a Heavy flow live show, which I have made a start on. But I need more funding to make it a reality so keep everything crossed for me.
AC: While I was in Barbados, caring for my parents during the various lockdowns I recorded a lot of sounds on my phone. I used household objects as instruments, secretly recorded my family or friends speaking or singing, documented tons of environmental sounds, nature, birds, noisey a&e waiting rooms and noisey car rides. The first songs that I made from these sounds were created for uni assignments while I was doing my first year of uni online. The songs are really special to me as they document the development of my new direction. The songs are so different to what I was doing before uni.
I am joining forces with Rosehill Records who will be releasing this project which is now called Homeland. I've never worked with a label before. I've been performing in their venue in Brighton for years, and they are all like family to me now so I'm really excited to see what we can achieve together.
I will also be releasing some merch, t-shirts and vinyl, and as I make clothing, and I'll be designing and making some super special one-off pieces.
I'm itching to do some collaborations so I'm plotting this with a couple of talented souls. And just do lots more gigs, continue evolving as a human and as an artist and keep making cool shit basically. Oh, and smash the shit out my final year at uni.
Anthea will be releasing 'Homelands' on Rose Hill Records
The first single Consciousness is out on 30/9/22
Single Launch Party at the Rosehill on Friday 30th September / 7pm / free entry (but ticketed)
https://iamfya.com/
https://www.instagram.com/iamfyamusic/
Posted in UncategorizedTagged audiovisual performance, dmsa, dmsafeature, music, studentLeave a comment
DMSA Feature: Afred Isaac
Posted on July 15, 2022 July 15, 2022 by Johanna Bramli
Alfred Isaac has just graduated from our course with his incredible record and performance 'When You Stormed My Castle' which won him the 2022 Ithaca Prize. We catch up with him about his plans to release his debut album and other endeavours.
DMSA: Three words that describe you as a creative person?
AI: Instinctual, Solitary, Haphazard
DMSA: When did you start working with sound and music?
AI: I started playing my first instrument, the violin, when I was a kid. I continued to pick up and play various instruments such as guitar and piano but when it came to practicing I always enjoyed writing my own melodies or songs more than working on my set grade pieces. I had always struggled and disliked working on computers and I had no idea how to record or produce until I was 19. At 19 I lived with a few DJ's and producers and quickly realised that my frustration of only being able to write songs on guitar and never fully realise them was due to me not using a computer, DAW and audio interface. After purchasing the items I required my true career and path in music started to take shape.
DMSA: In what ways has the DMSA course supported or helped you to develop into who you are today creatively and professionally?
DMSA was not the first University course I attended. When joining the course I found it to be incredibly different to what I had previously experienced, there were unlimited avenues to navigate down and no restrictions on how I tackled them. The free and open attributes of the course and tutors is exactly what I needed and my previous course had lacked this. I went into DMSA very doubtful of what I wanted to do in music, my faith in my songwriting had diminished and I joined the course looking for other paths I could take. During the first two years I went down those paths with the set modules, finding interest in many different areas within the music industry. In my final year all this knowledge and guidance from the tutors took me back to having confidence in my songwriting but now with a wider knowledge and range of skills than I had previously had and with a new sense to experiment and push the boundaries of my chosen field. Being in a classroom of students who may become Sound Artists, Engineers, Producers, Composers, Songwriters or all of the above gave me perspective and knowledge that, I believe, is uncontested and purely a product of the course's nature to allow the student to take any or all paths with no prejudice to them.
DMSA allowed me to develop myself into who I am as a creative and professional today becoming a performer, songwriter and producer.
Again? (Single + Remixes) by Alfred Isaac, Conabul, Matt Cain, Rowan Kingsley, phaseLESS
DMSA: Can you tell us a few words about When You Stormed My Castle?
AI: "When You Stormed My Castle" is my first ever album that I have created. The album was created in my final year at Uni and involves a mixture of electronic and live instruments that accompany my vocals and lyrics with an emphasis on how the voice interacts with synthesizers. The lyrics are based on self growth, relationships and conflict that stem from my perspective of trying to understand the people close to me. At first an album was all that would have been achieved but with some convincing from my tutor Johanna, it turned into a performance. The performance is an impactful solo show using lighting projections created by fellow students Stephen Samaniego and Wolfgang Dubieniec. I am playing multiple instruments during the performance and singing as well.
The first single "Truths" is out 29/8/2022.
The album will be out at the end of 2022/early 2023.
DMSA: What are your plans for the near future?
AI: I am moving to London to pursue my career as a solo artist and will be booking gigs and events where I can perform my album and gain a stronger following. During this time I will be mixing, mastering and self releasing singles from my album with the first, "Truths" coming out on the 29th of August 2022. The album will be released at the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023 and will be accompanied by a limited run of merchandise and physical platforms. I will also be continuing to mix and master for current and new clients, trying to always improve and obtain the vision for their own music.
Contact;
alfred@alfredisaac.com
www.alfredisaac.com
@alfred_isaaac
Posted in UncategorizedTagged audiovisual performance, dmsa, electronicmusicLeave a comment
Stephen Mallinder – Cover Star of Electronic Sound Magazine
DMSA's own Dr Stephen Mallinder is the cover star of the August 2022 edition of Electronic Sound Magazine.
https://electronicsound.squarespace.com/shop/p/issue-91
"You find us in the Grand Parade Cafe & Canteen at Brighton University's City campus. The seaside is just down there and a short stroll that way is the city centre. On the other side of the floor-to-ceiling windows, the quadrangle is starting to fill with the lunchtime hubbub of students.
Some of them will be on the Digital Music and Sound Arts degree course, one of the tutors of which is Stephen Mallinder. That'll be Dr Mallinder to you. His PhD thesis, 'Movement: Journey Of The Beat', addresses "the trajectory and transition of popular culture through the modality of rhythm". He's also written academic papers and articles tackling subjects like the music of second-tier cities, the night-time economy, collaborative soundscapes, and the changing perceptions of music practices. It's unusual to find such an influential artist deconstructing their own work and experiences in this rigorous way. But then Mallinder is not your usual anything […]"
"My morning is spent tagging along with Mal as he does the rounds, like a doctor. A disco doctor. We flit in and out of recording studios, workshops and live spaces, the echoey corridors and staircases buzzing with students many of them getting ready for the final year degree shows, while passing colleagues briefly stop for a chat and a joke.
In one lab, we find a pile of children's electronic toys with the guts ripped out of them, their sounds cards being hacked for making very different sorts of noise. We crash an MA tutorial and meet a student who has been working on a concept using the massive reverb in the disused oil tanks at the Inchindown Fuel Depot, an abandoned military storage facility near Invergordon in the Scottish Highlands.
It seems incongruous that this course exists alongside fine artists, illustrators, sculptors and printmakers. So my first question is, what exactly is a Digital Music and Sound Arts degree? "It's an art course… but with sound" explains Mal as we head for the canteen. "Our second-year students are currently doing group work, for example, and we've got one lot using a corridor with speakers in the ceiling to create linear sound. There are groups working on spatialisation, immersive sound, resonance, and creating a performance with shortwave radio."
You can see why he's at home here. The ideas flying around aren't far off the sort of thinking evident in the loft of Chris Watson's house in Sheffield at the dawn of Cabaret Voltaire […]"
Posted in dmsastaffTagged dmsa, electronicmusic, musicLeave a comment
Hal Kelly – Graduate 2022 – Student Profile
Posted on June 28, 2022 by Johanna Bramli
Graduates 2022: Hal Kelly: Digital Music and Sound Arts
DMSA Social at the Rosehill Arts Centre - 11th January 2023
Header Image: Ecka Mordecai, Detail from 'A Full Void', DMSA Degree Show 2013.


text:
Q: UnsupportedOperationException when sending messages through ServerBootstrap ChannelPipeline in Netty I am using Netty 5.0.
I have a complementary client bootstrap for which I took the SecureChatClient.java example from netty github.
Wenn I send messages from the client bootstrap to the server it works perfectly fine. When I try to send messages from the server bootstrap to the client (after successfully initiating a connection/channel through the client first) I get a java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException without any further information on it. Sending messages from server to client is done via code above.
Is a serverbootstrap for receiving only?
Is a serverbootstrap not meant to be able to write messages back to the client as shown above? By that I mean, messages can enter a ChannelPipeline from a socket up through the ChannelHandlers, but only the ChannelHandlers are supposed to be writing responses back down the ChannelPipeline and out the socket. So in a ServerBootstrap a user is not meant to be able to send messages down the ChannelPipeline from outside the Pipeline. (Hope that makes sense)
Or am I simply missing something?
My code follows:
    // Ports.
    int serverPort = 8080;

    EventLoopGroup bossGroup    = new NioEventLoopGroup();
    EventLoopGroup workerGroup  = new NioEventLoopGroup();
    try {
        ServerBootstrap b = new ServerBootstrap();
        b.group(bossGroup, workerGroup)
         .channel(NioServerSocketChannel.class)
         .childHandler(new ChannelInitializer<SocketChannel>() {
             @Override
             public void initChannel(SocketChannel ch) throws Exception {
                 ch.pipeline().addLast("MyMessageHandler", new MyMessageHandler());
             }
         })
         .option(ChannelOption.SO_BACKLOG, 128)
         .childOption(ChannelOption.SO_KEEPALIVE, true);

        // Bind and start to accept incoming connections.
        ChannelFuture f = b.bind(serverPort).sync();
        Channel ch = f.channel();

        System.out.println("Server: Running!");

      // Read commands from the stdin.
      ChannelFuture lastWriteFuture = null;
      BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
      while(true)
      {
          String line = in.readLine();
          if (line == null) break;

          ByteBuf getOut = buffer(64);
          getOut.writeBytes(line.getBytes());

          // Sends the received line to the server.
          lastWriteFuture = ch.writeAndFlush(getOut);

          lastWriteFuture.addListener(new ChannelFutureListener() {
                @Override
                public void operationComplete(ChannelFuture cf) throws Exception {
                    if(cf.isSuccess()) {
                        System.out.println("CFListener: SUCCESS! YEAH! HELL! YEAH!");
                    } else {
                        System.out.println("CFListener: failure! FAILure! FAILURE!");
                        System.out.println(cf.cause());
                    }
                }
            });

      }

               // Wait until all messages are flushed before closing the channel.
      if (lastWriteFuture != null) {
          lastWriteFuture.sync();
      }

        // Wait until the server socket is closed.
        // In this example, this does not happen, but you can do that to gracefully
        // shut down your server.
        f.channel().closeFuture().sync();
    } catch (InterruptedException | UnsupportedOperationException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    } finally {
        workerGroup.shutdownGracefully();
        bossGroup.shutdownGracefully();
    }

I started using the following example: https://github.com/netty/netty/tree/4.1/example/src/main/java/io/netty/example/securechat
My problem is that I get the following exception when calling ch.writeAndFlush:
java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException
at io.netty.channel.socket.nio.NioServerSocketChannel.filterOutboundMessage(NioServerSocketChannel.java:184)
at io.netty.channel.AbstractChannel$AbstractUnsafe.write(AbstractChannel.java:784)
at io.netty.channel.DefaultChannelPipeline$HeadContext.write(DefaultChannelPipeline.java:1278)
at io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerInvokerUtil.invokeWriteNow(ChannelHandlerInvokerUtil.java:158)
at io.netty.channel.DefaultChannelHandlerInvoker$WriteTask.run(DefaultChannelHandlerInvoker.java:440)
at io.netty.util.concurrent.SingleThreadEventExecutor.runAllTasks(SingleThreadEventExecutor.java:328)
at io.netty.channel.nio.NioEventLoop.run(NioEventLoop.java:354)
at io.netty.util.concurrent.SingleThreadEventExecutor$2.run(SingleThreadEventExecutor.java:116)
at io.netty.util.internal.chmv8.ForkJoinTask$RunnableExecuteAction.exec(ForkJoinTask.java:1412)
at io.netty.util.internal.chmv8.ForkJoinTask.doExec(ForkJoinTask.java:280)
at io.netty.util.internal.chmv8.ForkJoinPool$WorkQueue.runTask(ForkJoinPool.java:877)
at io.netty.util.internal.chmv8.ForkJoinPool.scan(ForkJoinPool.java:1706)
at io.netty.util.internal.chmv8.ForkJoinPool.runWorker(ForkJoinPool.java:1661)
at io.netty.util.internal.chmv8.ForkJoinWorkerThread.run(ForkJoinWorkerThread.java:126)

A: You cannot write to a ServerChannel, you can only connect to normal channels. Your call to writeAndFlush is failing for this reason.
To send a message to every client, you should store the channel of every client inside a ChannelGroup and invoke writeAndFlush() on that.
A quick way to do this is adding another handler to your ServerBootstrap that puts the incoming connections inside the ChannelGroup, a quick implementation of this would be this:
// In your main:
ChannelGroup allChannels =
         new DefaultChannelGroup(GlobalEventExecutor.INSTANCE);

// In your ChannelInitializer<SocketChannel>
ch.pipeline().addLast("grouper", new GlobalSendHandler());

// New class:
public class MyHandler extends ChannelInboundHandlerAdapter {
     @Override
     public void channelActive(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
         allChannels.add(ctx.channel());
         super.channelActive(ctx);
     }
 }

Then we can call the following to send a message to every connection, this returns a ChannelGroupFuture instead of a normal ChannelFuture:
allChannels.writeAndFlush(getOut);

Your total code would look like this with the fixes from above:
// Ports.
int serverPort = 8080;

ChannelGroup allChannels =
         new DefaultChannelGroup(GlobalEventExecutor.INSTANCE);

EventLoopGroup bossGroup    = new NioEventLoopGroup();
EventLoopGroup workerGroup  = new NioEventLoopGroup();
try {
    ServerBootstrap b = new ServerBootstrap();
    b.group(bossGroup, workerGroup)
     .channel(NioServerSocketChannel.class)
     .childHandler(new ChannelInitializer<SocketChannel>() {
         @Override
         public void initChannel(SocketChannel ch) throws Exception {
             ch.pipeline().addLast("MyMessageHandler", new MyMessageHandler());
             ch.pipeline().addLast("grouper", new GlobalSendHandler());
         }
     })
     .option(ChannelOption.SO_BACKLOG, 128)
     .childOption(ChannelOption.SO_KEEPALIVE, true);

    // Bind and start to accept incoming connections.
    ChannelFuture f = b.bind(serverPort).sync();
    Channel ch = f.channel();

    System.out.println("Server: Running!");

  // Read commands from the stdin.
  ChannelGroupFuture lastWriteFuture = null;
  BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
  while(true)
  {
      String line = in.readLine();
      if (line == null) break;

      ByteBuf getOut = buffer(64);
      getOut.writeBytes(line.getBytes());

      // Sends the received line to the server.
      lastWriteFuture = allChannels.writeAndFlush(getOut);

      lastWriteFuture.addListener(new ChannelGroupFutureListener() {
            @Override
            public void operationComplete(ChannelGroupFuture cf) throws Exception {
                if(cf.isSuccess()) {
                    System.out.println("CFListener: SUCCESS! YEAH! HELL! YEAH!");
                } else {
                    System.out.println("CFListener: failure! FAILure! FAILURE!");
                    System.out.println(cf.cause());
                }
            }
        });

  }

           // Wait until all messages are flushed before closing the channel.
  if (lastWriteFuture != null) {
      lastWriteFuture.sync();
  }

    // Wait until the server socket is closed.
    // In this example, this does not happen, but you can do that to gracefully
    // shut down your server.
    f.channel().closeFuture().sync();
} catch (InterruptedException | UnsupportedOperationException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
} finally {
    workerGroup.shutdownGracefully();
    bossGroup.shutdownGracefully();
}

A: I think Netty Server has no decoder, encoder.
if you want to send String data,
serverBootstrap.group(bossGroup, workerGroup).childHandler(new ChannelInitializer<SocketChannel>() {
    @Override
    protected void initChannel(SocketChannel channel) throws Exception {
        ChannelPipeline channelPipeline = channel.pipeline();
        channelPipeline.addLast("String Encoder", new StringEncoder(CharsetUtil.UTF_8));
        channelPipeline.addLast("String Decoder", new StringDecoder(CharsetUtil.UTF_8));
    }
});

Add your server's Initializer!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


It has been some time between drinks on this series. We are looking at Weinandy's Does God Suffer?
In chapter 8 of his book, Weinandy turns to an examination of the Incarnation in relation to impassibility. Those who adopt a passibilist position effectually make the suffering of God ahistorical, and thus render the cross meaningless.
Weinandy's theological starting point is to spend considerable time exploring the significance of the communicatio idiomatum (the communication of properties). For Weinandy, The C.I. embeds this statement: "Jesus is one ontological entity, and the one ontological entity that Jesus is is the one person of the divine Son of God existing as a complete and authentic man." (p174), and every christological heresy departs from both this proposition and from the C.I.
In particular, Weinandy contests that it is misapplication of the analogy of soul-body union in the human person that leads to many of these difficulties; furthermore, it's a misunderstanding of Cyril of Alexandria that is similarly problematic. The effect of Weinandy's reading becomes apparent on p201. Who is that suffers? The Divine Son. In what manner does he suffer? As man. The unity of the natures undergirds that it is the person of the Son who suffers, the distinction of the natures undergirds that the Impassible God suffers in his assumed (taken-to-himself) human-nature.
If the Son suffered in his divine nature (p204), the incarnation was pointless; If the impassible Son suffers in his divine nature, then the Godhead is diminished; yet it is fully in the human existential 'I' that the one person of the Son lives, and so suffers.
This leads into chapter 9, which is Weinandy's attempt to work out the redemptive nature of Christ's sufferings. Again he is covering a large amount of biblical material. Most of it quite well in my opinion. Firstly he explores how Christ suffers the necessary, intrinsic, inevitable consequences of sin: death and separation from God. Furthermore, Jesus' death is not a mere experiencing of our condemnation, but an atoning suffering, which effects reconciliation to God for us. I am not convinced entirely at this point, at which Weinandy argues that sin itself demands the sacrifice, and denies a doctrine of propiation for one of expiation. Simultaneous with his death as death for sin, is the putting to death of sinful humanity, which Jesus assumed in his incarnation, which death (and resurrection) makes possible our re-creation as human persons to an unfallen (fallen yet restored) nature in the New Creation.
For Weinandy, the Resurrection firstly establishes the Father's love for the Son. Impassibility will mean that the Father suffers no deprivation, no evil, in the death of Jesus. Indeed the scriptures speak more plainly of the Father's joy in the Son's obedient death, than grief. Further, the resurrection is the vindication of the Son, and the manifestation of the new creation, the new and complete humanity that is in Christ, which then makes possible the new provision of the age of the Spirit.
Chapter 10 rounds out Weinandy's book nicely, as he explores the significance of our sufferings as well. I do not agree with all that he writes in this chapter, as he draws on Roman Catholic ecclesiology and sacramentology. Nonetheless, I believe his basic thrust is correct: "The mystery of Jesus...is the Father's response to the mystery of human suffering." (p243), and so human suffering only becomes explicable in light of the Son's human suffering and death. Furthermore incorporation and unity in Christ makes in some sense his suffering ours, and our suffering his. All of which is triumphed over in the cross, so that the Cross is the "Glory of Man". Those who hold to a passible God, in Weinandy's view, have so contained God that their understanding of human suffering can only ever be that of the passive victim. Rather, the suffering of the Impassible God in the cross has "salvific significance" (p281), and so our suffering is transformed by that suffering.
In conclusion, let me say that it was a real pleasure to read Weinandy's book. Almost every chapter delivered a sense of clarity and epiphany to me, as I realised how true this doctrine rings, and how sweetly it sings of God's great sovereignty, goodness, love, and redemption. In a few weeks I'm scheduled to preach at the college chapel, and impassibility will be the theme of my sermon. I will perhaps post some notes to accompany that also.
Cheers Mark. Be sure to rock along to my chapel lecture to see how I preach it!