#new vese!

[all-that-is-gold-is-now-gone]

New Verse!

Jacaerys Velaryon, Resurrected Verse

After the Battle of the Gullet, Jacaerys dies, and his body washes up on the shores of Pentos. Eventually having been found by a group of people and brought to a Red Priest. After weeks of trying, Jacaerys is revived. However, for weeks he is unable to function and essentially lies in a coma. When he comes to, Jace remembers bits and pieces of his life. It doesn't all come back at once, but Jace remembers enough to know who he is. Jacaerys also now has one brown eye, and one violet eye, showing his Targaryen blood, a result of the magic that brought him back so far into death.

After several months, close to a year, Jacaerys finally gets back to more of himself physically. With no dragon, and more of his memories coming back Jace returns to Westeros but stays hidden. He does not really know what to think about everything that happened to him. His mother and everyone he once knew were now dead. His little brother Aegon had the throne. So Jacaerys stays away from the Capital trying to get used to everything again and fill in the gaps of his still missing memories. For now, Jace stays in an old hunter's cabin in the woods, doing small jobs for pay, which sometimes includes hunting down bandits.

[paulkariyas]

↪ 09/22/2023 ― content day recap 2023

[darkmovies]

Monolith (2024) Date de sortie : 17/07/2024 Réalisateur : Matt Vesely Scénario : Lucy Campbell Avec : Lily Sullivan, Ling Cooper Tang, Ansuya Nathan

[jams-sims]

I'm still waiting for the official translation because the leaks were such a nothing burger, like none of these last chapters answer a gotdamn thing. Started some shit with Mei Mei, started a new case, a new curse technique or some shit with a secert society.

None of that shit mattered! NONE OF IT! Provide answers to questions no one was asking. Gege could have shown Gojo being cremated or something! Tie back into the fact Shoko is alone and she did have that whole moment where she said (its implied im being hyperbolic) that Gojo doesnt even think about how she was right beside him grieving the lost of Geto too. It would have been a fundmental tragic ending for the group of three. Contrast that with Nobara, Megumi and Yuji all laughing with eachother being idiots. She gets to see the next generation. But I guess nothing matters anymore and she helps with Megumi buriel of his sister. Which is good but damn could it be better.

I mean- shit I guess I win a little something because Kenjaku is back, fake or not. An Kenjaku was my favorite, and I love the idea that Takaba was so fucking smitten by Kenjaku that he used his technique to bring him back. Shit i would love more on that, is Takaba powers good eough to repluicate kenjaku fully? Will he have to keep remaking Kenjaku because he can never get it just right. That shit would be so interesting!

Then gege fumbled the easiet ass pull i would have forgiven if he just wrote a scene of Yuji and Kenjaku interacting out of no where and it was a 3 page flash back. In a fucking white void somewhere. Because why the fuck did Kenjaku act the way that he did. He made Yuji who was not "the prefect vessel" because at the end Kenjaku was like 'Sukana and Yuji can not both exist at the same time'. Kenjaku really made Yuji, Sukana OP and vese versa.

I GUESS if you wanna stretch it, Yuji was shown to not have his parent in his life at all, when he was about 7. Which mean they had to be around ealier and if so what the fuck happened!? What the fuck was up with Jin and why did Kenjaku do any of the shit he did-

Why save Yuji school friend, someone no one remember until he walked her out! Then said "Thank you for being a friend to my son".

Kenjaku its giving I love my youngest child, fuck all my other kids.

What happened to the Merger and Tengen, I dont care of they found where Tengens at! That doesnt stop what ever the merger was, shit it could have been cool to imply it had been already started as everyone was healing. Just the last chapter were so co fusing and bloated with shit no one wanted. I would have rathered the dream theory be real or the kill all of them ensing be real. It feels mega like a editor came in and started talking in geges ear.

I mean all of this could be forgiven if after the ending it was like BAM JJK Part 2 starting 2025. I could at least go "ooo more shit gonna be revealed in part 2." But nothing! The ending was just super frustrating. I hope the offical just has a little more of something!

[the-void-writes]

“you’re so pretty when you lie to me”

Hello hello friendo 💖 So we were talking about writing more unhinged stuff, and thanks to you I managed to develop Aphelion’s awfulness more lol. Thank you so much for the motivation and inspo, and I hope this isn’t too unhinged 😅

For All Eternity - The Moon King’s Madness

Summary: Paradise Era— Will has been taken by King Aphelion Sapphirus, a Celestial who hates humanity. His delusions have convinced him that any Freak with strong enough powers are Celestials trapped in mortal forms, so he makes it his job to set them free through fatal methods.

WC: 3K

TW: Many descriptions of body horror (both shapeshifting and a vivisection). Also if you don’t like reading about people being held prisoner, or violent and manipulative love interests, then this isn’t for you.

Days flew by so fast that Will couldn’t tell them apart anymore. He would wake up in that miserable bedroom, with the view of freedom a million miles below him, and the minutes would blur together after that. Feasts with the Celestials, tours around the palace that he was meant to share, hours strapped to a table in the darkness as the god that claimed to love him tried time and time again to cut through his mortal cage and release his cosmic spirit…

Aphelion’s singular glowing eye pierced the darkness, the only part of him that Will could see, aside from the blazing hot blade in his hands. His voice scratched the inside of Will’s head, drowning out the ringing in his ears.

“I know it hurts,” he said. “You’re doing so well, my dear. If I can just get through this section of veins…”

The blade hit Will’s skin once more, filling his nose with the smell of burnt flesh. His throat was already raw from screaming, made worse by the waves of energy that tore through him. It was his body’s natural defense mechanism— His years with Vesely had taught him that.

Starlight cut clean down the center of his chest. The air touched his open skin with the grace of an old friend. Finally, the cutting stopped, and Aphelion waited anxiously. This was the moment of truth for all his hard work and research. If all went to plan, Will’s “Celestial soul” would at last be free.

That was when Will felt his insides shift. Dozens of little growths stretched and connected like the threads of an old doll. They twisted and pulled, and in no time at all, Will had been stitched back together. His saving grace, Vesely’s Infection— it wouldn’t let him die. He was too good of a host.

The air grew thick and warm as Aphelion threw the blade into the darkness. His yell shook the entire room.

“DAMN YOU, CURSED PARASITE!”

Tears ran down Will’s face. He had never been more thankful to be sick. His whole body flinched as he felt Aphelion’s large hand cradle his head, still invisible in the darkness.

“Forgive me, my darling… I’ve failed you.”

There were several long footsteps, and then he was gone. Will cried in the dark for what felt like forever before a group of Aphelion’s glowing handmaidens came to collect him. He didn’t remember the trip back to his room, only the spinning in his head and the feeling of bile rising in his ruined throat.

Finally, he was back in his bed. The handmaidens finished cleaning the new scar on his chest, and left him to recover in his room for the rest of the night. They never said a word to him, perhaps out of fear of the king. Aphelion had a bizarre temperament when it came to Will. He was as soft as possible around the small mortal, but if anyone else showed interest in him, the moon god had no trouble disposing of them. According to the sparse whispers of other Celestials, Aphelion had devoured one of their kind for daring to look at Will for longer than a minute.

The mattress consumed Will as he laid down and watched the stars outside. If someone had told him as a boy that he would one day be sickened by the sight of the cosmos, he would have thought them insane. His hopes and dreams of exploring the galaxy, flying among stardust, discovering new worlds and species… All of it was squandered each time Aphelion took his wretched scalpel to Will’s chest.

He tried to take this brief moment of peace to think, but his mind had been reduced to a handful of thoughts: hating Aphelion, missing Dante, and praying for death to finally claim him, to reunite him with his family. All he wanted was an end to the torture.

His heart dropped as he heard the door open. He leapt up and leaned against the bedpost, hoping he had enough energy to run to the washroom and lock it before the handmaidens could grab him. He was only due for one ritual a week, that was what Aphelion swore to him, the one promise Will trusted him to keep. Vesely’s Infection put his body through too much stress, so Aphelion had to stop and let him recover. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing Will before he could be free. As horrifically misguided as he was, there was indeed a part of him that loved the young Divine.

Will’s heart sank further down as a pale, crooked hand pushed the door open carefully. Aphelion’s human disguise was far from perfect. He was thoroughly disgusted by humanity, so his understanding of appearance and proportions were approximations, at best. Discolored patches of skin were hastily sewn together, sagging and twisting around a nonexistent skeletal form. Space dust and starlight shifted under the skin, churning like water beneath his cosmically-decorated hanfu. He towered over Will, whose height just barely reached where the Moon King’s ribs would be. Pale pink hair hung perfectly within a series of hairpins, pulling it tight enough to stretch the corners of his face. It was a mockery of a human being, a suit that was designed purely to give him more time with Will.

“Ah, you’re awake.” His voice still shook inside Will’s head, with the underlying discomfort of nails scratching glass. “How are you feeling?”

“Do I have to go back?” Will asked, struggling to stand upright and not fall back into the preferable softness of the bed.

Aphelion smiled and mustered an unpleasant laugh. His eyes flickered with what Will assumed was warmth. They were less eyes, per say, and more two distant stars floating in the darkness that hid under the god’s human suit. Will could see the hollow sockets behind the light, two miniature universes peering out at him.

“We’re done, I promise you. Until we can figure out how to destroy this parasite, I’m afraid we’ll have to put the ritual on hold.”

Will let his shoulders fall as he tried to smother his relief. The last thing he wanted to do was give his host— his captor— a reason to continue his work.

“Please forgive me, my dear,” Aphelion said, confusing his silence with disappointment. “I know it’s insufferable, but by the end of it all, you’ll be free.”

“I’ll be dead, sir. I’m not a god.”

“You don’t truly believe that, do you?” Aphelion moved forward carefully, sweeping his legs like a peacock unsure of its steps. “If you were anything as simple and lowly as a human, you would never have survived this long. Your sickness, your isolation, the years of abuse from your father—”

“Don’t talk about him,” Will spat.

Aphelion smiled. “Forgive me, I know it’s a sensitive subject. We can talk about something else.”

“I don’t want to talk.”

The god’s smile faltered. Will braced himself for a swift mood swing, for the handmaidens to come barreling in and pull him back into the ritual room, but that moment never came. The fear in waiting seemed more unbearable than the pain itself.

“I understand your frustrations, you know.”

Will raised his eyebrow. “Do you?”

“You’re displeased with me. I disgust you.” He raised his hand up. “Please, I get it. These human forms are so limiting and fragile.”

“What?” Will shook his head. “I don’t hate your… appearance.”

The god chuckled to himself. “You don’t have to pretend. It makes me nauseous just putting it on.”

“Then why do it?”

“For you, of course. If I can’t free you yet, then I’ll bind myself in this prison of flesh. Anything to see you and make you happy.”

Will wasn’t quick enough to stop himself. “I was already happy with my friends— with Dante. He was my home.”

Tears stabbed the corners of his eyes. He missed Paradise so terribly, even the noise and the parties that never seemed to end. He missed sleeping in with the love of his life and heading out for lunch together before retreating back home to avoid the crowds. After years of heartbreak, Will had finally found peace, and it was taken away from him for the third time in his life.

He pushed himself into the bedpost as Aphelion stepped closer, trying and failing to avoid the clawed hand running through his hair.

“It truly pains me to see you this distraught,” Aphelion said. “A man like that was never worth your time. He never even came up to see you.”

“Because you won’t let anyone up here!”

“But he never even bothered to ask for you. What monster would abandon the supposed love of his life?”

Will shut his eyes and tightened his fists. He knew Dante better than that. This was a man who had gone into a heist with a fatal fever, all for the sake of the kids in his neighborhood. If he hadn’t come to bargain for Will, it was because he was planning something. Dante would never abandon him. He wasn’t like Dan…

“If your heart still aches for him,” Aphelion said, “perhaps I can assist with that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Watch, my dear.”

There was a sick popping noise, and Will watched as the moon king’s long form shrank and twisted. The discolored skin grew dark, and his long pink hair turned black and curly, until Will was looking at his love again, at his Dante. It was his beautiful smile, his golden scars from the Infection… but the glowing yellow eyes belonged to Aphelion, and the skin around his face was still pinched tight.

“What do you think?” he asked in Dante’s low, smooth voice. “It’s so much easier when you have a base to work off of. Is this better for you? Not as repulsive?”

Will fell back onto the bed, unable to speak. It was wrong, it was so sickeningly wrong. He could barely shake his head. Aphelion read the look in his eyes and shrugged.

“That’s alright. Mister Briggs isn’t exactly my style, anyway. How about something simpler?”

With the snap of his fingers, his fake skin shifted and snapped into plastic. Cold joints and wires mocked the human muscular system, until Will was face-to-face with the android he had once fallen for. It was a perfect replica of Dan, save for his sick yellow eyes. A mixture of longing and anger stung his chest.

“How?” Will asked. “How the hell do you know what he looks like?!”

“I saw him in your dreams.” His voice box crackled just as Dan’s did, but Aphelion’s tone still seeped through like poison. “I didn’t mean to wander in there, but your thoughts were deafening.”

“You— You were in my head?”

“Yes, and I saw how terribly he treated you. The real Daniel was a fool. We could start over, now that your mind is intact. I can be what he never could.”

Will clenched his teeth. “I don’t want to start over.”

“Fair enough, my dear. He’s a tad too numb for my taste.”

The android’s casing melted off of Aphelion’s starlit body, quickly covered by a new layer of dark skin. Glowing, predatory eyes shone through the glasses that now rested on his broad nose. Thick, coiled hair sprouted from the top of his head. Will’s stomach wrenched violently at the sight of Aphelion, whose cosmic form rippled under Colin’s skin, glowing like magma.

“Your first love. You cared deeply for him, from what I remember.”

Will practically stumbled against the bed frame, fighting the urge to be sick. He had almost forgotten how soft-spoken and gentle Colin was, but he knew these drawn-out sentences weren’t his. Colin spoke quickly and to the point, and furthermore, he never watched anyone with a look as predatory as that of the moon god. Will refused to look at Aphelion until he was back in his own ragged skin.

“Nothing?” he asked. “Is it the boy’s age? I know he looks young, but I’ve been alive for centuries, Will. There’s no harm done.”

“That’s sick, Saph— Sick in the head.”

“You were in love with him, yes? It could be as though he never left you.”

“You think I want that? You think I’m going to fall in love with you because you’re wearing my old boyfriend like a fucking ballgown?!”

Aphelion tapped a clawed finger against his chin, with all the casual grace of a man pondering his plans for dinner. He closed his eyelids limply over the hollow sockets. Will’s head buzzed and his stomach twisted— the god was reading his thoughts. It was so much worse compared to the warm cloud that would surround his mind whenever Dante read from him. Aphelion’s power felt as though someone was taking a fork to his mind and scooping out the insides.

“Ah,” the god said, “I’ve found something better.”

His body snapped and jerked, and for a while, Will couldn’t see much of a difference in his appearance. He was still tall and pale, still wriggling under false skin. His nose seemed longer, and his eyes were larger and rounder, but nothing too drastic had changed.

Then his pink hair grew darker, a deep wine color turning into dark cherry. Now, it was a near perfect match, like an old photograph that had just been misplaced in the wash, elongating all of the features. The only pieces missing were the snow-colored eyes.

“How is this?” His soft voice pierced Will’s heart. “Barely even a change, right? He’s perfect.”

Anger burned through Will’s body, powered by the sickness in his veins. In the blink of an eye, he lunged at Aphelion, pushing him to the ground.

“GET OUT OF HIS BODY!” Will screamed. “RIGHT NOW!”

A wave of energy burst from his throat as he yelled, cracking the floor below Aphelion’s head. The moon king struggled to gain his bearings.

“Will— please calm down!”

Will’s throat burned as he cried. He could still see Jason’s cold, stiff, colorless face as he laid still in his grasp. Blood and feathers and bullets littered the floor around them. The more he remembered, the further his powers forced the god into the tile work.

“This is for you,” Aphelion said, fighting through his chokehold. “You loved him, and they took him from you. I can bring him back to you, it’s no problem for me—”

“GET OUT!”

“Don’t tell me it’s not true! Don’t tell me you don’t love him, I’ve seen it! You love him so much, you wish you had died instead!”

Aphelion struggled in his grasp— Jason struggled, terrified of the man looming above him. An expression he never wanted to see on his godfather… Will quickly released his powers and backed up against the bedpost, leaving Aphelion to catch his breath— How could a god like him even breathe?

Will curled up on the floor, holding his head in his hands. He longed for the ritual, for the scalding blades that cut his chest open, anything other than this.

“Dearest,” Aphelion said, still in his stolen voice, “you’re hurting so much. I don’t blame you.”

Will refused to speak. A clumsy claw ran through his hair, and he was too tired, too frightened, to push it away.

“You shouldn’t have to suffer anymore. I can stay like this for you, until we can finally set you free. It’s easy, really. You don’t have to repress your emotions. I’m all yours, however you want me.”

Those words, in that voice, were the push Will needed to slap Aphelion back onto the floor, hard enough to force him back into his original skin. Aphelion was speechless, grazing his fingers over his reddened cheek. Will’s stare could have shot clean through the Celestial.

“I hate you,” he said. “I hate everything about you. I don’t want to love you, and it’s not because of how you look. You can’t just hide behind the faces of people I loved. It will never change what you are— vile and wicked and cruel.”

Will rose to his feet before Aphelion could reach him. He stumbled towards the door, not at all concerned with where he was going or who would follow him. He just wanted to leave.

“Will—”

“Don’t you ever use my father’s face again. You don’t understand him, or what he meant to me. Stay out of his skin, or I swear on my life, I will find a way to kill you.”

Whatever had motivated him to stand up to Aphelion died the moment the god picked himself up off the ground and snatched Will’s wrist.

“Kill?” His voice shook the walls. “You think you can kill me with that broken little body? After everything I’ve done for you?!”

Will shielded his face in a way he hadn’t done since he was a young boy, cowering at the brutality of his birth father. He waited for the snap of a bone or the sting of a fist, but nothing came. When he opened his eyes, Aphelion looked mortified. He released Will’s hand slowly.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “My darling, I’m so sorry.”

Will avoided his pleading eyes. “Leave, please.”

“Of course.”

Aphelion slinked out of the room, and when his weak footsteps could no longer be heard, Will ran to the washroom and locked himself inside. He let his tears mix with the warm water in the sink, porcelain cracking under his hand as he gripped the edges, tighter and tighter until his fingers started to bleed.

He couldn’t live like this, teetering the edges of both his and Aphelion’s rage. If he could only convince his Infection to seek a new host, or give up completely, then he could find a way to die before the moon king got his hands on him again…

Will slapped himself with his own bruised hand. You jackass, he thought, you can’t give up. You’ll leave Dante all on his own. He took a breath and treated his hand with medicine from the cabinet. Get a hold of yourself, find a way out of here, and don’t stop until you’re back in his arms.

[katrinegrey]

A Fire in the Flesh final thoughts

Major Spoilers (and rambling) ahead y'all. You've been warned.

[This was typed on mobile. I apologize in advance for the terrible formatting and spelling in addition to my post-book excited nonsensical ramblings.]

Excuse me while I scream and cry and bemoan the next 6 months we'll have to wait to see Sera and Nyktos and everyone again even though we literally just got the new book yesterday.

I'm so happy with where this book cutoff too. Like, there's still plenty that has to happen but there's no awful cliffhanger. The first like two thirds were a little bit of a struggle, not gonna lie, but in true JLA fashion that last third was *chef's kiss*.

I thought Nyktos was going to be my favorite character to come out of this book, as he had with the previous two, but he wasn't. It's fully Sera and by an absolute fucking mile. She's perfect.

The parallels in this book between Flesh and Fire and the Blood and Ash series were exactly what I've been hoping for. All the little pieces are starting to come together in a big way with the plot (pretty poppy, sotoria's whole storyline, why Kolis was never killed outright, etc.) but also all of the tiny little tidbits thrown in. Sera slamming her hands over her face, the cavern, how she keeps talking about how she would want to treat her kids...it was all so beautiful.

Getting to know some of the other characters better was great too. That was one of my biggest complaints, how so many of the side characters weren't fleshed out as far as they feel like they could have been. That changed quite a bit with Attes and Rhain, but even the villainous characters like Callum, Kyn, Veses, and Calliphe. The depth they're given without giving a pass to the awful things they've committed was masterfully executed.

I will say, on a very personal and petty side note, there was a severe lack of young draken in this one, and I will pout until May about the lack of Jadis and Reaver. However, that part where Sera is mostly unaware in her dreamlike state, while but she feels Jadis on her legs was just too cute for words.

Speaking of words, my GODS did Nyktos have some. I was a little worried with as little page time that boy had in the first two thirds that they weren't going to be able to flesh him out enough to satisfy, but ho mama was so wrong. Chapter 39 to finish was perfection of every kind. Heartbreaking and hot and sweet.

And if anyone has a petition going for an ASOAAB type book of Sera in stasis from Nyktos' perspective, I will totally sign it.

Seeing Sera go full Primal in the next book will be so worth the wait. I desperately need to see her talk to Ezra again too.

Rating: 5 stars

[guerrerense]

ČD 754 074 + 242 211 Veseli Nad Lužnicí por New Engine Desperado

[moviesandmania]

MONOLITH (2022) Reviews, trailer and US release news

‘All you have to do is listen’ Monolith is a 2022 sci-fi thriller film in which a disgraced journalist discovers a strange artefact and a possible alien conspiracy. Directed by Matt Vesely from a screenplay written by Lucy Campbell. Produced by Bettina Hamilton. The Australian production stars Lily Sullivan, the only on-screen actor in the film. Reviews: ” …strangely gripping supernatural…

[goddess-aelin]

This is going to be such a long post but I feel like I need to get my thoughts out after the angsty ending from A Light in the Flame.

Overall Thoughts:

Umm I thought it was amazing. I know a lot of people were saying it was repetitive and I definitely get that but at the same time, I would literally read 600 pages of Nyktos and Sera eating breakfast so.... Anyway though, I loved the character journeys. I think good characters are what makes a good book and even if the rest is confusing and angsty, it's those character-driven moments that redeem it.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. This prequel series is so much better than FBAA. Not hating on FBAA but I just feel like Nyktos/Sera is so much more well-developed than any relationship in the main series. I love every single side character (yes, even you, Rhain, when you're being rude).

I was hooked from the beginning. How can you not be when it starts with the whole prophecy thing and continues from there with almost constant action. The first half was definitely repetitive, I can totally see that. But I also think that repetitive-ness helped to get the point across that Nyktos cares about Sera. Not the embers, but Sera. Even before they had any convo about forgiving her, I think his actions were speaking louder than words. Though it was a constant battle of "Sera, no." *Sera does the thing.* "How dare you not value your life. *Fucks* Ya know, the usual. Lol. Some of my new fave sera/ash scenes came from this book.

- I adored when he set up a bath for her and everything- it was such a sweet gesture.

-When he took her to the pool and literally just played and had fun, especially because he knew she missed her lake.

- The "I want to be your consort, Nyktos." and Nektas just laughing and knowing.

-The way they both are always stunned by each other. Like they do such sweet things and they are always, ALWAYS, surprised.

-The entire scene of Rhain asking her if she was in love with him and her not being able to answer because she had no idea what it felt like either.

-Her whole breakdown in the carriage because "Oh my gods, I might be in love with him!" Loved every minute of it.

- And then of course, him trying to get her to breathe and calm down when she was about to freak out over this.

-THE FOREHEAD KISS AT THE CORONATION WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE AND HE DID IT JUST BECAUSE HE COULD. I die

-The sweet but angsty talk about Veses that they needed to have tbh.

**Nyktos is literally the ultimate book BF, I said what I said. It's honestly refreshing to see this 200+ y/o male character that has like no sexual experience whatsoever yet it doesn't demean him or negate him as weak. Love that for him.

Non romantic scenes that melted/broke my heart:

-Sera holding Jadis when she fell asleep and Jadis feeling comfortable enough to switch into human form.

-Reaver then getting the blanket for Jadis and just being a weird little kid. I love it.

-Jadis giving a kiss on the forehead to Sera before going to Kolis. Sera's gonna be such a good mom even if one of her children is a giant piece of shit.

-Ector trying to calm Sera down in the carriage and just talking to her.

- The friendships with Aios and Bele and pretty much everyone just finally forgiving Sera.

-Ugh going back to see Ezra! I needed more sister love tho tbh. They didn't even hug!

Now for the painful parts:

-Aios dying. Like wow. This 100% is number one. I was devastated when Sera saw Ector's decapitated head. But then she saw Aios' red hair and I literally almost threw my damn book. I'm so happy she's ok in the end but RIP Ector.

-When Sera saw Nyktos with Veses. I know we got an explanation for it in the end but I was incredibly stressed and about to unstan Nyktos. I hate cheating (even if that's not what it was) as a trope and tbh I hate miscommunication as a trope. So this entire part of the book was just devastating to me.

-Sera's reaction to the above. She was in love with him already, she just didn't know it. I felt her reaction so viscerally, though. I suppose that's a testament to JLA's writing in this book.

-Sera constantly being told that she's going to die and there's nothing that can be done. Just when they think there might be another way, nope it's just death again. I love that Nyktos is fighting so hard for her and I have some theories that I'll make another post for, but I do find it very ironic. The entire situation was Sera was meant to make Nyktos fall in love and then kill him. Oops except he can't love. And now instead, she's the one who fell in love and now he has to kill her to literally save the world. What a 180. A fabulously done 180 but a shocking one, nonetheless.

Another post will be coming about theories!

[longeyelashedtragedy]

november 2023 favorites

new bottega (the better version1!!) - azaelia banks

anna wintour - azaelia banks (somehow i missed this when it came out? but it autoplayed and it goes SO hard)

how lucky - kurt vile/john prine

speed of the sound of loneliness (i had no idea this was a john prine song? i'd learned some other cover of it that wasn't that nice, but i like this kurt vile one)

love like this - faith evans (i hadn't thought of this banger in SO long)

fallen - 30 seconds to mars (from the 'do you like this song' tumblr...this is so nostalgic i have to enjoy it lol)

from a buick 6 (alternate take) - bob dylan (this is my fav dylan song but i sometimes forget it exists)

operator - the manhattan transfer (my dad always used to play this as a kid! i have it on my Birthday Playlist that i listen to sometimes)

hava - dj jack & nika veseli

bittersweet symphony - the verve (of course...this is like pink floyd in that as much as i liked it in high school it has wayyyy more meaning as an adult)

i listened to other stuff this month but it was so inconsequential it wouldn't even be noteworthy to put on...some months be like that

[all-that-is-gold-is-now-gone]

Isolated

Resurrected Verse

@xx--ofmanythoughts--xx

Jacaerys had been keeping to himself. He had been hiding in truth. He was a coward, Jace knew that. Jace was a coward to his core.

The prince had been hiding out in a small cabin deep in the forest ever since he had returned to the shores of Westeros. His little brother Aegon was on the throne, his only brother. All alone and Jace had remained hidden. Not revealed he had survived. If he could call it that. Jacaerys wasn't sure he could. Jace had died at the Gullett and then brought back by forces he didn't even understand.

Jace didn't remember everything. It was coming back in pieces, but not always in order. The Velaryon didn't know what help he could be to Aegon if he should even show his face again. So he didn't. He remained hidden, trying to decide what to do.

[no2ticonderoga]

Realizing I'm in a phase of my life again where some of my most meaningful social relationships are with people I met online.

It's delightful.

This isn't to say I am short of in person relationships. (And some of those online friendships have happily and serendipitously morphed into in person relationships) Because I have an amazing spouse who I love with all my heart, two great kids, I have a sibling who I am blessedly close to, one or two close friends and some coworkers who I am friendly with(others...not, but that neither here nor there).

But in this day and age, to be able to truly connect with people about things that are interesting to *us*, specifically, is really a joy. The internet made that possible. How did people find the people who were interested in a *specific thing* in the time before? I grew up with the internet, it's been there since I was a kid (mostly, but I'm in danger of dating myself...moving on). There was always the ability to find a community.

This has been especially important to me now that I am in a phase of my life where meeting *new people* is a relatively rare occurrence. Once in a blue moon, you get a new neighbor. There are a certain number of new colleagues at the start of every school year, but you don't always interact with them, especially if they're in a different department.

Being able to connect with new people and make new friends who share my interests, even if those people are behind an anonymous screen name, or 10 time zones away, is great! The Tumblr-vese jokes about rebloging things for specific mutuals, but isn't that that thrill? When someone tags you because they know you will appreciate it? Or when your mutual reblogs your post moments after? Or even when they might message you randomly? Or ask a question because they know you might know the answer? Yeah, that's the good shit, right there.

So, to anyone who got this far down this little bout of naval gazing, thanks! You make life that much better! And feel free to drop me a line sometime!

[pinturas-sgm-tanques]

1943 07 14 Kursk, Tiger s Pz Abt 505 - Andrey Zhirnov - Zvezda

http://pobeda.witebsk.by/land/epizode/505batl/

Before the 505th battalion was thrown into action, a kind of battle group was created on its basis, which received the name 21 Panzer Brigade 21. Panzer Brigade, including two divisions of assault guns 245 Sturmgeschutz Abteilung and 904 Sturmgeschutz Abteilung, as well as a sapper company. By this time, the number of "Tigers I" increased and on July 3, when the battalion entered the battle of the village of Vesely Poselok, there were already 31 of them, and the number of Pz Kpfw III tanks was reduced to 15. Without difficulty, the Tigers crossed the Oka River and occupied a new Farm, where they found several T34 / 76 tanks abandoned by their crews. Then, in the area of the village of Butyrki, Major Savant's battle group, together with the attached infantry, broke through the defenses of 676 and 81 infantry regiments. Already being in the battle formations of the 2nd Panzer Division s. Pz. Abt. 505 on July 6, near Olkhovatka at the height with the mark 274, he collided in a fierce match with Soviet tankers covering the road to Kursk. Three Tigers were lost in the battle, which lasted 24 hours. Despite the persistence and skill shown by the tankers of the unit, its commanders abandoned the futile efforts that lasted until July 10 to break through in this direction to Kursk. The arrival of the third company on July 9 did not change the situation, and in further attempts to attack, the tanks of the 505 battalion supported other units in small groups. Two weeks later, on July 25, the unit took part in the battles that held back the Soviet troops and launched a counteroffensive to Orel. EuroModels.ch The fiercest tank battle broke out near Kromy, where, after losing two Tigers in two days on August 4 and 5, about nine Soviet tanks were burned. Major Bernhard Savant, commander of s.Pz.Abt. 505, who was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves on July 28, was replaced in August by Captain von Karlowitz Hauptmann von Karlowitz. Right up to its transfer on September 16 near Smolensk, from July 10, in exhausting battles, the battalion's forces constantly melted away and its losses amounted to 16 Tigers during this time. And just before being sent to another sector of the front of Army Group Center, on September 15, the battalion commander, Captain von Karlowitz, was killed.

[night-city-renegades]

CREWMEMBERS

Before I get to the juicy bits of our story, I should probably give a quick roll-call to the gonks that run the streets of Night City.

"Spunky Booster" - Our resident Hothead, Spunky was one of two twin daughters to a London Mob Boss. However, discovering some of their Family's darker Business, she devoted the rest of her adolescence to tarnishing their reputation, adopting a Punk Rock aesthetic and trashing reputable establishments as a form of rebellion. One particular instance brought government attention to her Father's dealings, which finally broke his tenuous patience. Selling her to associates in Night City, she was forced into Brothel Work, but she took matters into her own hands, killing one of her captors and eacaping. Taken in by a local street band, "CxNTROL/ALT/DELETE," she uses her anger and hostility to spit hate (and lead) at Night City's Gangs.

"Thardus" - A Gun-For-Hire, this Solo bears a dark past. The son of the Don of a Pacific Island Mafia Branch in Night City, the Pepe Aeto, Thardus enjoyed a rather lavish life. However, rather than indulge in the safety net his position supplied, he took active hand in Family dealings, performing hits and network to further his Family's Goals. However, a local Gang, The Los Illuminados, killed his Mother and Father in an Initiation Ceremony, kick-starting a War between the two Crime Syndicates. After days of fighting, the Pepe Aeto were no more, either killed or imprisoned by their rivals. The Sole Pepe Aeto, Thardus wanders across the desolate streets, gun in hand, to find meaning, and more importantly, a new Family.

Norman Skye - Born on the Sea, Norman was a Pirate in the Atlantic, living off a Ukrainian Oil Rig co-opted by 2 Nomad Families. Life was rough, and the Sea was rougher; Fishing Dried up, so they turned to Piracy to stay afloat. Then, ships stopped coming through their waters. Tensions were high, and in a desperate gambit, Norman and another Family member, his friend and Half-Brother Ivan, attempted to steal valuables from the other family under the cover of night. The hope was to purchase a ticket for their family to hop on the next Cargo Ship. They waited for a heavy storm for cover, and although they managed to secure the Valuable Cargo, the alarm was raised. Norman ran as fast as he could, and made it back to camp. Ivan was found the next morning, floating in the waters below. A gunfight ensued, many Nomads on both sides lost their lives, but finally, the Skyes found their way on a Ship. Traveling from coast to coast, their last stop signaled their departure; the Port of Night City.

Marek "Veðrfölnir" Vesely - A Ripperdoc hailing from the Czech Republic, Marek Vesely found himself uprooted from his childhood home and shipped to Night City; Marek's Father, a Militech Engineer, landed himself a rather cushy gig. This opportunity allowed Marek to establish himself in Academia, and he achieved his Medical Degree freshly out of School. His Medical License was freshly around the corner, but it was practically a done deal. So when Clients began to approach him from in the company, seeking cheap Implants on the down-low, who was he to refuse? One client in particular payed rather handsomely for his work; it's a shame he turned up dead, a supposed critical malfunction from poor installation by an unlicenced Ripperdoc. Marek spent 9 years in NC Penitentiary, his Father demoted, and upon his sentence served, he wasn't welcomed back to the Family. Almost dying on the streets, Marek was taken in by a local Ripper, and after establishing his own clinic, Veðrfölnir bides his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to clear his name and leave these Gutters behind.

"Ghoti" - The first thing Ghoti remembers is Corporate Soldiers invading the Sea Vessel he was on, his parents murdered in the attack. The soldier that found him couldn't find it in him to kill a defenseless child, so he was brought back to the local Arasaka branch for processing. No papers, proof of citizenship, or even identification on file, the child was no one. From Branch to Branch, he was shipped around, finally ending up in Night City in an Education Facility, to train AV Techs for the Arasaka Corporation. A few years went by, and Ghoti had proven himself a whiz with Machinery. However, the Headmaster of the Facility received word that due to low scores, the Facility was to be shut down, unless "Emergency Liquidation" was enacted. One night, the ventilation shut off, and the children began to suffocate, and it was only due to the quick thinking of Ghoti that the children lived at all. An Auditor came in next day and declared the jobs the children were training for were no longer available, which freed the children to the streets. Ghoti found himself working at an Auto Garage, working for Ennies, but if given the chance, he'd always take the risk for more.

"Oberon" - An enigmatic Author, Oberon grew up extremely sheltered from the rest of the world, and so the Collapse simply blew right by him. Born in the ever-shrinking Middle Class, Oberon managed to dance the line between Corporate Shill and Homeless Streetrat, landing himself a nice gig at a Publishing Firm in Night City. However, always ready to take on another challenge, Oberon sought to write a novel exposing the systems of control the Corps exploited to manipulate the masses for profit, and took to the streets for inspiration; and inspiration he found...

[ursapardaowl]

MEU CADERNO DE DESENHO FICOU SEM PAPEL DEPOIS QUE DESENHEI O TYPHLOSION TANTAS VESES, MAIS AGORA EU TENHO UM NOVO E ENCHI ELE DE DESHENHOS!!!! E IREI POSTA TODOS OS DESENHOS AQUI!

ENGLISH:

MY DRAWBOOK RUN OUT OF PAPER AFTER I DRAWED TYPHLOSION SO MANY TIMES, BUT NOW I HAVE A NEW ONE AND I FILLED IT WITH DRAWINGS!!!! AND I WILL POST ALL THE DRAWINGS HERE!

[the-void-writes]

"Why wasn't I good enough for you?"

Hello and thank you!!! I am so sorry this took like a year to answer 😅 This was just going to be something small, but then I kept getting ideas, and now it’s getting way too long. So I figured I’d do what I did last time and post it all in segments. Again, thank you so much for this ask!

Freaks Of Preston - A Real Hero

Summary: Will is taking the subway to see a new doctor. Along for the ride is Jason, his godfather and guardian, and Isaiah, the birth father who hurt him. Tensions rise between the two dads, for everyone’s viewing.

WC: 1.1k

TW: Mentions of past child abuse (and maybe a brief present depiction because Isaiah shouts at and forcefully grabs his son). There’s also a quick description of a train crash.

———————————————

The subway ride was suffocating, for more reasons than just the size of the car. Will could have cut the tension in the air with a knife. He sat on the left-most part of the bench, with Jason placed firmly between him and Isaiah. Every half a minute, Jason would stare daggers into the larger man, hands twitching whenever Isaiah so much as scratched his neck.

They were heading into Hazelton for the day to meet with a new doctor. Will’s debilitating health was an absolute mystery to the physicians in Preston— they were likely covering up for Vesely, who seemed to have an extensive reach into many businesses’ wallets. If there was any hope for a cure, it would have to be from outside of town.

Will’s mother was stuck at work, and the doctor required at least one of Will’s legal parents, so they had begrudgingly called Isaiah. His charges had been dropped— again— though Will could sadly understand it this time, seeing as he had crushed Isaiah’s arm in an act of blind rage. An eye for an eye, Vesely had said, a necessary exchange, but Will couldn’t believe that. It was a miracle that the boy hadn’t been locked up, though Will suspected that Jason had something to do with that. Any time they passed an officer in Preston, they stiffened as though Jason was an army general, coming to chew them out for a mistake.

That natural intimidation was working on Isaiah, as well. He never laid his eyes on Will, out of fear of what Jason might do to him. Instead, he made a bigger mistake by trying to talk.

“You didn’t have to come, you know.”

Jason flicked his eyes towards Isaiah swiftly, like a sharp stab to the chest. His voice was smooth and cold.

“There’s no way I’ll ever leave Will alone with you again.”

Isaiah closed his eyes. “I know, but you’re putting yourself at risk. The two of you in the same area could draw more attention—”

“I don’t know if it’s come to your attention, but I don’t care if people know what I am. Gabe has hurt us more than your people ever could.”

He stared ahead at the brick walls flying past them through the window, gripping the bench tightly. Will knew that his stress came from more than just Isaiah— the subway itself was a nightmare for Jason. Ves Corp had a similar system for their monorail, and it broke down nearly every week. That was how Will discovered his godfather was claustrophobic. He gave Jason’s hand a gentle pat, getting him to slowly relax his grip.

As their uncomfortable journey continued, Will looked at the passengers around him. There was a young couple on the bench across from him, dressed like they were heading for church on Easter, even though it was autumn. On the bench next to them, there were three tall people in identical pinstripe jackets, with their lips pursed in unison as they looked over their planners. Further down past some older businessmen, there was a woman holding a young boy, who talked excitedly to the elderly couple across from them about his day at the park.

They were ordinary citizens, nothing particularly outstanding or noteworthy, but Will was so happy to see them, because they didn’t even look his way. The nicest part of going to a new city was that people didn’t immediately know he was a Freak. They didn’t stare at him, or call him names, or try to trip him on his way to his seat. He was just a normal kid on a subway— Well, a normal kid with a sickly appearance, a duffel bag full of medical devices, and what looked to be two fathers in a silent argument.

“So,” Isaiah said, lowering his voice, “it’s a parasite?”

A smile formed on Jason’s face, though it was anything but kind. His eyes held pure contempt for the man beside him.

“Bravo, Isaiah. You actually showed interest in your son’s condition.”

“I don’t need the sass.”

“And your son didn’t need his head split open.”

Isaiah rested his head against the window. “I get it, I’ve messed up, but—”

“Messed up? Is that what you call it?”

“I’ve made terrible mistakes.”

“You threw your fever-stricken son down a staircase. You’re past the point of ‘mistakes.’”

“Keep your voice down.”

“Let the whole car hear, for all I care! You’re a monster, Isaiah.”

“Which one of us trained children for war?”

Jason clenched his fists. “I already hate myself for that. I don’t hold myself on a pedestal the way that you do.”

Will tried to speak up, but Isaiah cut him off, gaining the attention of everyone nearby.

“I never asked for Preston to treat me like a hero! I wanted a normal fucking life with my family! William is the one who destroyed that for us.”

Finally, Will was able to get a word in. “How, damn it? How did I ruin your perfect life?”

“You exposed yourself to the public.”

“I did it to save Mom! Why don’t you realize that? Why is everything I do wrong in your eyes?”

In an instant, Isaiah grabbed the collar of his shirt with his one good hand. “You doomed us all, don’t you get it?!”

The other passengers stood up in alarm, some trying to push Isaiah away, while Jason tore Will from his grasp. The conductor even rushed down and pulled Isaiah away from the seat. Will gripped his sleeves as his power swelled in his wrists, overwhelmed by the chaos that surrounded him. His heart pounded in his ears like a symphony of drums.

“It was a mistake to bring you,” he heard Jason say somewhere over the noise. “You may share blood, but you’ve lost the right to be his father.”

“I’ve got news for you, Jay: He’s not your kid. You’re a backup choice, an afterthought. You’re not a real part of this family.”

“Sir,” the conductor yelled, “that’s enough!”

Isaiah struggled against him as he tried to pry him away from his son. Will felt too dizzy to speak, as though his brain was rattling around in his skull. As he rested his hands on the bench, he realized that it was the motion of the train throwing him back and forth.

A loud rumble and the screeching of metal caught everyone’s attention, followed by intense shaking as the subway jumped off of its track. Then, in the blink of an eye, the world began to spin. Passengers flew every which way, flailing and yelling as their car violently fell on its side. Finally, the shaking and sliding stopped, and everyone was still.

Will blinked rapidly, trying to make the world come back into focus. The window he had landed on was splintering under his weight. He couldn’t concentrate enough to push himself away. Both of his arms— which were already weakened from testing, disease, and past abuse— burned with pain. Eventually, Will had to give up on moving, and he closed his eyes.