The Black Ink’s running red

Have you ever read a book that ripped your heart out, stomped on it, then stitched you back up even better than before? That’s what the Empyrean Series by Rebecca Yarros did for me. I could not get Violet’s journey from the end of Fourth Wing going into Iron Flame out of my head.

*Spoilers*
Violet learns her entire history was taught to her incorrectly. She was an academic who was lied to by the very books she believed she could trust. In reading her journey, I couldn’t help but think about how it feels to have to re-orient yourself after learning that the things you built your identity on were rooted in falsehoods and perpetuated by people who would rather keep the status quo than engage in critical analysis and cognitive dissonance.

If you couldn’t tell already, I’m referring to going through a period of deconstruction! I felt Violet’s journey so deeply that those emotions bled over into “The Black Ink’s Running Red.”

This song is not romantic. In fact, it is my most political and academic song to date. But it is also the one that feels closest to my heart. I hope you enjoy it and see my own healing journey imprinted upon the music <3