#Voss fiction

[velvetdarkarts]

Astrid Rennier

Dior Lachance

Celene Castia

Laure Voss

All the characters I’ve drawn (so far) from Jay Kristoff’s series Empire of the Vampire. Love, love, love this story and these characters.

[wuhuha]

[des-no9]

vossie time on the interactive novel :)

[ghostoffuturespast]

Shimmer & Shine

Dear @shimmer-like-agirl,

I don't know if you remember last May. I sent you an ask for one of those word prompt games. Which for the life of me, I can't find the actual list for. (Thank you, tumblr search function. You barely work when I need you to.)

Now, I don't begrudge you for not doing the one I asked, but you need to know that you not doing the one I asked has literally been sitting with me for the past eight months. This whole time. It's been on my mind. Your own namesake! Took me a while, but I just couldn't let that go.

Anyway, I wrote this little number for you, friend. Hope you don't mind I took ya girl for a little spin without asking. 🧡👻

Read below or on AO3.

Chin cupped in one palm and free fingers entwined around the stem of her wine glass, Darisha sighed. Despite the abysmal amount of wintry rain pouring down outside, the club was boisterously packed. And, even though the weather wasn’t doing her curls any favors, she should have been thrilled at the full house for this evening’s show. However, Darisha’s mood was scraping the bottom of the barrel and even the effervescent bubbly of her sparkling white wine wasn’t enough to lift her spirits. 

Perhaps she was pouting. Maybe a little too much. But it was hard not to when the one person you wanted to be there wasn’t. Sighing again, she picked at the shimmer of purple sequins lining the hem of her cocktail dress before swirling her glass, tipping it back, and finishing off the last of her drink. 

Her time probably would’ve been better spent warming up in her dressing room and not worrying about it. After all, it wasn’t his fault that something important had come up. Wasn’t his fault that he’d been slammed with cases all week. And wasn’t his fault that she had insisted it was fine before he’d given her a quick kiss and swept out the door with those long strides of his. 

But saying and knowing were two different things. And it was just one of those nights. When doubt insisted on cuddling up next to you.

Amethyst eyes scanned the crowd, but only focused on the empty seat next to her.

A murmur of excitement rippled through the club as the house lights dimmed and the band filed out. The show wasn’t about to stop for her disappointment. Darisha took that as her cue to vacate her seat at the bar and drag her ass to the stage, the clack of her heels solitary as she walked across the floor.

The musicians made a business of settling themselves in, making last minute adjustments to mics and instruments; the quiet rattle of cymbals, the low pluck of strings, the test of keys. Darisha fiddled with the cable running down her microphone stand, even though it didn’t need it. Swiped the imaginary dust off the satin of her skirt, even though there wasn't a speck on it. Blinking the brilliance of the stage lights off her lashes, she made introductions to the backlit faces of the crowd and took a deep breath.

Let the sultry balm of song take over.

The music soothed her heart, took the edge off the loneliness. 

But it was a rest, a moment between numbers, that lifted her heart. Truly made it soar.

Darisha caught a glimpse of him when the stage lights transitioned. When the blinding glare of the lights softened to reveal what was behind the partition of that invisible curtain. He’d squeezed himself in at the back corner of the bar, the collar and shoulders of his coat drenched from the rain. The bartender handed him a beer. They exchanged a few jovial words before he took a sip and looked up, caught her eye and made her heart skip a beat.

River beamed at her. A brilliant smile.

One that helped her shine.

Needless to say, after the show, her heels were a lot more excited to get off the stage than they had been to get on.

Darisha practically threw herself at River, not caring about the damp still on his coat. The hug was worth it. “Thought you weren’t gonna make it?” 

He squeezed her back. “Managed to wrap up early.” And pulled her into the sweetest of kisses before parting to whisper in her ear. “Wouldn’t miss you for the world, Darisha. Not if I can help it. Love you, babe.”

“I love you too.” She grinned up at him and made a futile attempt to fix the wet fluff of his collar. “Even if you're a little too fashionably late sometimes.”

“Well, I can see about making it up to you. Made sure there was only one name on my calendar for the rest of the evening… Might’ve even bought an extra bottle of wine.” River winked at her. “I’m all yours.” 

“Sounds like a deal. Let me grab my coat and let’s get out of here.”

They walked to the dressing rooms, hand in hand.

The door to the alley creaked open and shut just the same. The two of them watched as the rain poured down, sheets cascading off the awning overhead while slips of neon reflected off the puddles that had gathered in the asphalt. Sparkling drops of iridescence amongst the grime and grit.

Darisha should’ve worn a warmer coat. Perhaps a longer dress. Icy air pricked at her knees and made her shiver. But then there was an arm around her, River tucking her into his side to share some of his warmth. She leaned into him, sighing content as their breaths curled with one another in the cold.   

Worth it.

“I can bring the truck around.” River offered.

She considered for a moment. “While I appreciate the thought, I’ve spent enough of the evening alone without you. We’ll make a break for it.” 

“In your nice heels?”

“Mhmm.”

“How about a piggy back ride then?”

“Not very dignified in this dress.” She reached down to clasp his hand, tugging him forward and smiling over her shoulder. “Trust me, you’re worth way more than these shoes. Keep up, will you?”

“You don’t even know where the trucks parked at.”

She’d do it. Maybe with some reluctance. But she’d trade her entire wardrobe just to hear the music of his voice. She’d certainly, at least, brave the weather.  

Darisha got a head start. River laughed.

And they both dashed out onto the streets together, hand in hand through the shimmer of winter rain.

[kiraleighart]

A new ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ review for my books? Yay!

I'm so happy you enjoyed CONSTELIS VOSS vol. 2, Purav! I hope you love the other volumes as well :)

It's so kind of you to support my work. That means the world to me ❤️

[worldofalore]

Doi

Yesterday I told you about the Yulyoch and the danger that it poses. Today? I want to tell you the secret that it hides.

You see, a trip into the Yulyoch may be a one-way trip, but it is by no means a guaranteed trip to the afterlife. When the current rips you away from the world you know, it sends you plummeting down down down, racing you along stone that has been polished into a smooth surface over eons, before dropping you into a large cavern.

Almost 3,000 feet deep into the dirt and stone, you’ll find yourself in a rather large cave system, known to those who call it home as Doi. It’s like a whole other world there, the only true light coming from the bioluminescent glow of the lichen, moss, and vines that cover the walls casting the rooms in a pale blue glow. Mushrooms taller than even the largest Kiall dot the landscape, and from the main cavern you can see 6 smaller offshoots.

The river runs straight through the center of the main cavern, with a sturdy bridge made of stone and clay connecting to the two halves. Running across the river you’ll find 7 different nets, each designed to catch different size items, with the one at the end of the cavern so tight knit that only water can pass. These allow the Doi to collect any and everything that may wash down from above - from supplies to new citizens.

On average, only 3-5 of the 10 or so people who enter will survive the trip from Yulyoch to the cavern, as there is a high risk of hitting your head on a rock or drowning during the trip.

The river disappears beyond the curve of the cavern, but if you stand at just the right spot on the Northern shore, you can spot a small beach they call Hadni - it’s the last place on the river where you can turn back and live in the Doi community. Beyond that point, your odds of survival drop to a mere 5%.

On the northern side of the cavern, you’ll find a handful of small buildings, storage and gathering places. You’ll also find three offshoot caverns known as Raru, Mogri, and Har.

If you enter the Raru offshoot, you’ll be greeted by an almost 2 mile walk to a cave that’s around 2 acres in size, and it gets it name from the Vasi word for dew. Raru is closest to the magma chamber that heats the whole system, and the high temperature and humidity means that the walls are covered in water at all times. A small species of cave bird calls this area home, and it’s a nice place to relax when you need a break.

To the east of Raru lies Mogri, named for the Vasi word for plant/bury. Of course this is where the best soil is in all of the caves, and they manage to grow a handful of crops in the cavern, enough to ensure their community can eat and survive.

Next to Mogri lies Har (Vasi for light or illuminate), and while the other caves are lovely it’s my personal favorite. The rock walls here are made of a rather reflective surface and with all of the bioluminescent glow, this cave is so bright it’s almost blinding at times. The people of Doi have managed to get their hands on seeds from plants from above and they seem to thrive in this small cave. It’s like they carved out a chunk of the world above and planted it down deep below the surface. There are even a handful of chickens in this cave after one person fell in while running from a bear who she’d stumbled across while gathering eggs from her chickens. It was hard, but they managed to hatch a small flock of the birds.

The Southern shore of the main cavern is covered in the large mushrooms, creating a kaleidoscope of colors. These mushrooms provide oxygen and food for the Doi people, and they are carefully managed. On this side of the river, you’ll also find the remaining 3 caverns: Rayi, Ral, and Vikbus.

Rayi (Vasi for safe, steady) and Vikbus (Vasi for life, live) are where are all of the Doi people build their homes. They’re the least humid of all the caverns and while they may stay cooler than the others, their temperature is more stable and with the shorter ceiling heights there’s a lot less echoing, making it ideal for having privacy in small stone homes.

Between Rayi and Vikbus lies the smallest of all the caverns, Ral (Vasi for Hope). Small shrines line the edges of Ral, each dedicated to a different favored deity. As new people arrive with new favorites deities, new shrines appear over time. This cavern is their spiritual home and it’s not uncommon for new arrivals to spend a lot of their time here, looking for peace or guidance from any deity who will listen.

Life in Doi is very simple, and those who call it home tend to be forgiving, not holding your life above against you. It doesn’t tend to take long to find your place in the community, whether that be in gardening, livestock, healing, or construction. Some people find love, some simply find a new reason to keep going. The Doi are a very unique culture, one that I can’t imagine existing anywhere but in that cavern beneath the ground.

Remember when I told you about the Okini, and I mentioned they were only native to one cave system in Erothe/Feirr? Yeah, this is where I meant. The Okini live in Doi, and keep the people there company. The Okini are almost a thing of legend with how rare it is to see them outside of the Doi caverns, in fact the only time they are seen is when their chosen companion manages to escape…

This post is getting rather long I’d say, so you’ll just have to check back tomorrow to learn about how to escape Doi.

[daisyofwaterdeep]

hi, I'm Daisy! ~(￣▽￣)~*

I write smut for BG3! Please be mindful that I'm a slow writer so it might take awhile to get to your request. please don't follow if you're under 18!

I'm an avid believer in kinktomato and I may dabble in dark/weird fictional kinks. everything will be tagged accordingly but if you're sensitive to such things, please consider this your warning

<( _ _ )>

You can find links to my writing under the cut!

Requests are currently CLOSED

Current Ask Count: 24

Currently Working on: Gortash fuckmachine request

(thank you to @imperialweave for letting me literally pin myself to my blog LOL)

NSFW: ❤ | Dark/Heavy themes: ⚠

Rolan

❤⚠’Accidental Confessions’ Rolan/Reader  Part 1 | Part 2  Rolan accidentally takes an aphrodisiac

❤'Caught?' Rolan/Reader Part 1 | Part 2 You accidentally catch Rolan masturbating 

❤Rolan piss thoughts

❤Rolan/Reader |pussy eating

❤Rolan/Reader | Rolan wets himself

Dammon/Rolan | Angsty romance

Rolan/Reader | Convincing Rolan to Take a Day Off 

Rolan/Reader Part 1 | Part 2 |Rolan hosts your Birthday Party 

❤Rolan/Reader | Training Rolan to not cum so quickly

❤Rolan/Reader | Rolan accidentally pisses inside you

❤Rolan trimming his nails before a date

❤Rolan's different moods

❤Rolan pissing

❤Rolan bullying himself while masturbating

❤Rolan crying while jacking off

❤Using mage hand to tease Rolan

❤Rolan is a rough lover

Rolan protects you from a handsy customer

❤Rolan masturbating with his tail

Gale

Gale's reading habits

❤Gale wants you to masturbate in front of him

❤Period sex with Gale

Tara and Morena play wingman to you and Gale

❤You accidentally take a lactation potion. Gale helps you

Wyll

❤Wyll fucking you like a gentleman

❤Wyll being a menace

❤Loving Wyll's infernal features

❤Spoiling Wyll

Zevlor

❤Zevlor/Reader | Zev has erectile dysfunction

❤Zevlor/Reader | Zevlor with a buttplug 

❤Zevlor/Reader | soft cock Zevlor gets fucked 

❤Zevlor/Reader | soft cock Zevlor fucks you

❤Zevlor/Reader | teasing a pining Zevlor

❤Zevlor's soft cock

❤Zevlor with a pussy

Gortash

❤⚠'Conquest' Gortash/Reader | Gortash uses devious means to make you his

❤Gortash/Reader | spoiling Gortash

❤Gortash being rough

Assorted

❤⚠'Stolen Pleasures' Raphael/Reader | Raphael catches you fantasizing about Ketheric

❤'Magical Intrusion' Reader x All male companions (ongoing). Ch.1/Ch.2/Ch.3/Ch.4 |Gale makes a magical onahole. Everyone gets a turn

Reader/Lia | Lia has a nightmare 

❤Assorted Characters | Kinks and Comforts 

❤The Weird Kinks of the Companions 

Haarlep, Dammon, Rolan, and Zevlor | Reader worries they are being clingy 

Haarlep, Dammon, Rolan, and Zevlor | Reader confesses to them

Emperor/Reader | Intimacy with The Emperor

❤Halsin is casually horny

❤Tiefling Biology

Tiefling bachelors defending you from a groper

❤Period sex with assorted characters

❤Voss/Reader | Voss dominates you

❤Assorted characters with a chubby reader

❤Assorted characters with premature ejaculation issues

Assorted characters being confessed to

❤Halsin sucks your tits, then you reciprocate

Collaborative Spotify Playlists

Rolan | Zevlor

[bajablastflavoredsaxreed]

Hi there hello i have decided to write out all connections my brain has formed between the mechanisms and tma(gp) so here we are. please add on if you have anything i live on this shit

-disastrous effects on my spotify wrapped

-mysterious tapes

-opening doors to apocalyptic events

-tim who blows things up (and fucking dies doing it)

-jonathan sims (and his naming conventions for characters he plays)

-frank voss playing characters who could kill me

-tim ledsam (having problems with Eyes)(do you see what i did there)(because. because gunpowder tim’s eyes got burnt out. but also bc. the character he played in tma gets avatared by jarchivist via the Eye)

-jessica law (playing a character trying and failing to be a person who is also associated with dolls and who has an unwaveringly cheerful voice)

-morally dubious characters becoming immortal and inhuman technically through their own choices but considering the circumstances that the choices were made under puts their autonomy and free will into question

-queer as hell

-tumblr-based fandoms

-extensive lore

-individual stories told with an overarching metanarrative throughout installments

-archivists

-others tragic stories told with an unnerving sense of glee

-twists on tropes found within their respective genres

-slam poetry-esque prose on occasion

-big ass polycules in fanon

-jonathan sims playing a tired grumpy nonbinary coded character who needs to Know things

-lovecraftian inspiration

-childhood trauma

-gay computers

-alexander j newall is there (to varying degrees obviously lol, he does show up like once in TBI)

-cults

-allusions for days

-british

-supplemental additions outside of the main story that add to the world and characters (fiction on the mechs website, what the ghost episodes and mag fluff:epiphany)

-great music (sam jones i owe you all of my worldly possessions)

BONUS: these are siblings. to me

[neim-batteries-not-included]

what is the mechanisms and where do i start (ive seen you posting about it and it sounds cool)

I FUCKING CACKLED WHEN THIS CAME THROUGH AHFVSHFFSJFBUE !!!!!

Ok so the Mechanisms are essentially a “storytelling musical cabaret” band of immortal space pirates

(Their about page is here)

The cast at its height was made up of nine performers, including some of the people involved in TMA (Jonny Sims, Jessica Law (Nikola), Frank Voss (Basira), and Tim Ledsam (Jordan Kennedy)).

They rework myths n traditional stories into more sci-fi esque narratives (eg the Odyssey/Greek mythology, Arthurian legend, Norse mythology, etc) and incorporate versions of songs (the ones that came to mind is The Rocky Road To Dublin (which became Favoured Son). There’s a focus on the characters that narrate/play the people in the stories they’re telling- these being the Mechanisms themselves.

Without going into a massive lore dump, they were all (bar two) made immortal by Dr Carmilla with metal body parts (eg the heart, the lungs, the eyes). So you’re not completely confused with who’s who, have a cast list + their mechanism:

Jonny d’Ville- played by Jonny Sims- captain first mate- the heart

Nastya Rasputina- anonymous actor- engineer- the blood

Ivy Alexandria- played by Morgan Wilkinson (Morgan uses he/him, Ivy she/her)- archivist- the brain

Ashes O’Reilly- played by Frank Voss- quartermaster- the lungs

Drumbot Brian (my personal favourite)- played by Ben Below- pilot- everything but the heart

Toy Soldier- played by Jessica Law- “we don’t know what it does, but it’s here and it won’t go away”- everything but the voice (it stole its voice)

Gunpowder Tim- played by Tim Ledsam- gunner/master at arms- the eyes

“Baron” Marius von Raum- played by Kofi Young (they/them, Marius generally referred to with he/him)- ship’s “doctor”- the right arm

Raphaella la Cognizi- played by R L Hughes- science officer- the wings

(The last two are the ones that weren’t mechanised by the doctor (their actors joined the ensemble slightly later))

Nastya left around 2015 and the Toy Soldier wasn’t in the Bifrost Incident, though was present for Tales To Be Told Vol. 2 and Death To The Mechanisms.

In terms of where to start, I’d recommend Once Upon A Time (In Space), which is their first recorded album. You can also find the live performance on YouTube (if you’d like a link let me know)

It might be an idea to start with the song Tales To Be Told (they played some variation of it at the start of every live show) from the Death To The Mechanisms album (here). This introduces you to most of the cast + the band as a concept.

After OUATIS I’d suggest going chronologically- Ulysses Dies at Dawn (UDAD), Tales To Be Told Vol. 1 (TTBT), High Noon Over Camelot (HNOC), Frankenstein (single), The Bifrost Incident (TBI), Tales To Be Told Vol. 2, and then finishing with Death To The Mechanisms (DTTM) (live album).

There’s some fiction written by the cast on their website, should be ok to find but if you need a hand/want to know where to start with those let me know. And if you want fanfic recs >:3 (get to grips with the music first though).

I love the mechanisms, they’re fucken great fun- watch their live shit on YouTube if you can (I have so many saved so if you want some, again, let me know).

(Also there’s some brilliant mechs artists on here, take a dive into the tag if you have the time.)

Good luck!!!

[velvetdarkarts]

Laure Voss, favorite daughter of the Forever King

Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff

[litrpgburrito]

Storm Chosen

In the neon-lit sprawl of New Elysium, where corporate skyscrapers pierced the smoggy sky and cybernetic enhancements were as common as vending machines, there existed an unknown author named Elias Voss. His life was a tangle of half-finished manuscripts, empty whiskey bottles, and the relentless ticking of deadlines. Elias had been toiling away for years on his magnum opus—a cyberpunk novel that defied genre conventions, blending magic, technology, and existential dread.

But tonight was different. Tonight, Elias sat hunched over his antique typewriter, the keys clacking like the footsteps of ghosts. The ending eluded him, slipping through his fingers like smoke. His frustration boiled over, and he hurled the half-empty bottle of bourbon across the room. It shattered against the window, rain splattering the shards like liquid diamonds.

And then it happened—the storm. Not an ordinary storm, but an energy tempest, a maelstrom of crackling lightning and swirling colors. Elias stumbled backward, shielding his eyes as the room trembled. The typewriter danced on its legs, and the manuscript pages fluttered like wounded birds. He felt a searing pain, as if his very cells were unraveling.

When the storm subsided, Elias blinked, disoriented. His body felt different—lighter, yet heavier. He glanced down and gasped. His left arm was no longer flesh and bone; it was a sleek metallic limb, wires and circuits weaving through synthetic muscle. His right eye glowed with augmented vision, overlaying reality with data streams and hidden codes. Elias was no longer just a struggling author; he was part machine, part story.

Outside the window, New Elysium had transformed. The cityscape pulsed with neon hues, and hovering drones zipped between skyscrapers like fireflies. Elias recognized the setting—it was the world he’d painstakingly crafted in his novel. But he wasn’t the protagonist; he was a secondary character, a cybernetic companion to the elusive hacker known as Nyx.

Nyx, with her midnight hair and eyes that held secrets darker than the abyss. She stood before him, her leather-clad form illuminated by the glow of her wrist-mounted hacking device. “Welcome to the real New Elysium,” she said, her voice a blend of mischief and danger. “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Elias.”

He stuttered, trying to find words. “I… I wrote you. You’re my creation.”

Nyx smirked. “And now I’ve repurposed you. We’re going to topple the corporate clans—the ones who control this city with an iron fist. They’re not just in my story; they’re real, and they bleed greed.”

Elias’s mind raced. He had no combat skills, no martial prowess. But his cybernetic enhancements hummed with potential. “What’s my role?”

“You’re the codebreaker,” Nyx said. “The one who deciphers their encrypted networks. You’ll infiltrate their ivory towers while I lead the resistance. Together, we’ll rewrite this dystopia.”

And so, Elias became the silent observer—the one who saw the world through augmented eyes, who whispered forgotten passwords and manipulated digital defenses. He watched Nyx’s crew—a motley mix of hackers, martial artists, and rebels—forge alliances and defy the status quo. They danced on the edge of chaos, fueled by rage and desperation.

But Elias wondered: Was this his redemption? Had the storm granted him purpose beyond the page? As he interfaced with the city’s neural grid, he glimpsed fragments of forgotten memories—the taste of ink on paper, the scent of rain-soaked streets. Perhaps he was more than a character; perhaps he was the missing link between fiction and reality.

And so, Elias Voss—the struggling author—became a legend. His words bled into the city’s walls, graffiti of defiance and hope. In the heart of the neon labyrinth, he fought alongside Nyx, not as the hero, but as the whisper in her ear, the binary pulse in her veins.

Together, they unraveled the corporate clans, exposing their sins and vulnerabilities. Elias discovered that endings weren’t fixed; they were malleable, like the lines of code he rewrote. And as the city trembled under their assault, he wondered if he’d ever return to his typewriter, to the unfinished novel waiting in the dim apartment.

But for now, he was part of the story—a cybernetic companion, a fusion of ink and electricity. And in the electric nights of New Elysium, Elias Voss found his purpose, one keystroke at a time. 🌃��💻

[des-no9]

getting more into writing interactive fiction lately my beloved. do i post these on AO3 idk?

[iron-mage]

so there's got to be like, in universe video games and other media based on the Jedi order right? like what universe has mystical space monks and doesn't have fictional stories about them.

do the Jedi have like, officially licensed games, would they get a cut of ppl using their order's image in their work? & if that's the case is there a thriving offbrand legally-distinct-enough-from-the-jedi-that-they-cant-do-anything-about-it jedi media series

i need Quinlan Voss parody of that one time a games journalist interviewed Japanese Mafia members about the accuracy of the game Yakuza 3 but it's a game about Jedi younglings &/or shadows fucking about in the Coruscant mid to lower levels

the offbrand jedi series full of made up shit influencing public opinion/general knowledge leading to Jedi being interviewed having to field absolute nonsense questions

like no they don't name their lightsabers & said lightsabers don't talk to them constantly that's just an annoying game mechanic to make sure that children don't get lost (think navi or the rotomdex)

[kiraleighart]

work in progress portrait for my next indie book (pink olive).

each character is so different, so their covers gotta be too.

had older cover which i like more but felt like the tone vs the WIP manuscript was off. gonna merge the styles i think.

also sharing al's cover :> (psst: read indigo voss. it's worth it)

[worldofalore]

Yulyoch

If you ever find yourself wandering the woods near the southern shores of Erothe, keep an ear out for the loud roar of the Shauling River. This river is the lifeblood of the region, but if you follow the water to its end you’ll find a pond known to the locals as Yulyoch. The pond was once known by another name, but it has been long lost to time, and now it is left with a name that is much a descriptor as a warning. In the language of Erothe, Vasi, the word Yulyoch means grave.

The Shauling River is infamous for its strong current and dangerous rapids, but no stretch is as dangerous as the end. The waters pour into the Yulyoch, and have nowhere to go as there is no river that leaves the pond - at least that can be seen. The middle of the pond is home to a large sinkhole and as the water pours into the pond it creates a whirlpool, like water draining from a bath.

To enter the waters or Yulyoch is to sign your own death certificate, as no one has ever escaped from the watery grave. If you fall in, no one will save you. No one will come for you. They will not even throw a rope to try and help. They will merely watch as the current grabs hold of you and yanks you around, taking up to a minute before your head dips below the surface for the final time. Not too long ago, attempts would have been made to save you, but too many would-be rescuers have lost their lives in an attempt to save those who already doomed. Now, they will do nothing but provide a vigil to your death, whispering a few prayers for a quick death and peaceful afterlife. No body of a Yulyoch victim has ever been recovered.

Unfortunately, deaths in the Yulyoch aren’t uncommon with around 10 people being lost every year. Yulyoch has become a common destination for suicides as they seem to like the permanence of it all, no funeral, no debate. Just a minute in the water then a final death. The other half is made up of accidents, murders, and a handful of those foolish enough to believe they will be the first to ever survive.

Losing a loved one to the Yulyoch is a pain I do not wish on any, and it tends to stay with the surviving family and friends for quite a while. Those who have suffered such a loss will typically visit the pond three times a year, once on their birthday, once on the anniversary of their death, and once on the day we celebrate the dead. During these trips, they will often throw offerings to their loved one into the whirlpool, ranging from clothing and food to tools and books as a way of honoring those they have lost.

Masterlist

[subtile-jagden]

Werner Voss - Part 2

When Voss returned to the front in May, the playing field was more level. Before this, German aircrafts were far superior to British and French ones. Now, the Entente had improved aircrafts, such as the SE5, which could more than compete with the German Albatros D.III and D.V. Voss shot down his first SE5 on May 7th, 1917. He continued scoring during early summer and his reputation as one of the best fighter pilots alive (bested only by Manfred von Richthofen) was established.

An interesting aspect of Voss´s personality was that he was not limited by rank. In the German army (as with most armies of the time), officers usually did not consort with the lower ranks. Voss was an officer, and one who had received the highest award possible, but he distanced himself from the circle of COs. Instead, he spent a lot of time with mechanics he had befriended and helped repair his own airplanes. His youth and middle-class upbringing most likely influenced this behavior. One of his past times was working on and riding his motorcycle.

Voss’s behavior was somewhat controversial. It is suspected that he fell foul of several higher ranked officers because he had trouble accepting the authority of those he disagreed with. He even tried to get his CO removed because he thought the man was not daring enough and unworthy to lead as venerated a unit as Jasta Boelcke. Voss was subsequently appointed Staffelführer of Jasta 5. Here again, speculations come up about Voss being purposely held back to let Richthofen be the shining star, but this should be dismissed as unfounded rumors spread by people who dislike MvR.

Though Voss was by his own admission no great leader, he did well in Jasta 5. With his colorfully painted Albatross D.III, he patrolled over the lines, raising his victory score to 30 by June.

On June 28th, 1917, Voss became Staffelführer of Jasta 29. But this only lasted five days as he was called by Manfred von Richthofen to take over Jasta 14 and then Jasta 10 of JG1, Richthofen’s famous Jagdgeschwader. Again, Voss had trouble adjusting to his commanding role. All he wanted to do was fly and fight, not do administrative work more than anything else. So, he appointed an assistant to do that for him.

During the summer of 1917, Voss continued to score victories without sustaining any injuries. By the end of August he had added eight more, bringing his total to 38.

At the end of August, Voss went on leave again. After a close call with a British pilot which he barely escaped, Voss is said to have been very stressed and nervous. After spending a few days at home in Krefeld, he visited the Fokker Flugzeugwerke in Schwerin to test-fly a new model. Upon his return, he would add ten more victories to his score before his luck finally ran out.

His demise is famous across nations. His skill and tenacity are mentioned whenever war aviation is the topic.

On September 23rd, 1917, Voss set out on a hunt for enemies by himself. Soon he shot down a bomber plane, killing the two occupants. It was to be his final victory. He returned to his airfield, greeted by his two brothers who had come to visit. They ate lunch and took a picture together, the last one of Voss alive.

At around 5 p.m. Voss took off again on his final patrol. He was with other pilots from the unit, but Voss was able to climb quicker than the rest and his comrades soon lost sight of him. Meanwhile, on the other side of the lines, the British 56 Squadron went up with the same intentions as Jasta 10. Inevitably, the parties met and engaged in the greatest air battle of WWI. It is still unclear what is truth and what is fiction of the many retellings of this fight. But one thing is clear: Werner Voss saw the enemy aircraft far outnumbering him and instead of turning around, he confronted them head-on and was able to damage every single plane before being killed. After around 10 minutes of intense fighting with at least six enemies, Voss's airplane reportedly dropped suddenly and crashed.

His death was attributed to Arthur Rhys Davis, though there is still some doubt as to who was truly responsible.

Voss’s final fight is an interesting contrast to one of Richthofen’s. MvR and several comrades encountered a lone enemy, but instead of them all attacking him, only Richthofen fought while his comrades held back and ensured no other enemy pilot approached. If only the British had acted that way in Voss’s last fight.

"I shall never forget my admiration for that German pilot, who single handed, fought seven of us for ten minutes . . . I saw him go into a fairly steep dive and so I continued to watch, and then saw the triplane hit the ground and disappear into a thousand fragments, for it seemed to me that it literally went into powder." James McCudden

"His flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent and in my opinion he is the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight." James McCudden

"If I could only have brought him down alive..." Arthur Rhys Davis

He was buried where he crashed but subsequent fighting in the area quickly made it impossible to find his grave. He is honoured on the wall of the Soldatenfriedhof at Langemark.

RIP Werner Voss (1897 – 1917) 

Sources:

September Evening: The Life and Final Combat of the German World War One Ace Werner Voss, by Barry Diggens 2003

Unter the Guns of the German Aces, by Norman Franks and Hal Giblin 1997

My thanks to @ivy-and-edelweiss​ for proof reading and correcting my terrible grammar when neccessary!