#alternate ending to siege and storm

[black-rose-writings]

Ruins of Faith - Grishaverse fanfiction

Also available on AO3

The night – or what passed for it at this time of the year – was not quite over, but the Palaces were buzzing with life.

Genya stepped over the metal construction the Nichevo’ya had knocked from the roof.

She felt her heart sink when she recognized David’s style in the design.

Please, be okay.

She knew the Darkling focused his attack on the main palace, but she worried David might have tried playing hero.

“Impressive build.” her companion, a Suli woman who looked Genya’s own age, despite having been the leader of Grisha forces on the Shu border long before Genya had been born. The other Grisha had called her Karina. The Darkling had referred to her as Marya. “Your boy’s work?”

“Looks like it.”

“If it wasn’t aimed at us, I’d like to see it at work.” Karina chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll turn up.”

“Right.” Genya nodded and followed the Fabricator to the ruins of the Little Palace chapel.

Ruins felt like a strong word, if Genya was honest with herself. Pile of stones and dust.

“There’s no way anyone survived that.” Genya looked at Karina with worry on her face.

“He’s a lot tougher than he looks.” Karina assured her, stretching. “Give me a bit of space.”

Genya wanted to protest there was no way the Durast would be able to clear the rubble by herself, not in a timely manner, anyway, but she remained quiet.

Karina’s confidence left no room for questions.

Karina looked almost bored as she went through her motions. One by one, the stones rose up and moved to the side.

Genya held her breath.

Finally, the stones revealed a figure dressed in a black kefta, though it looks more gray than black under the layers of dust.

He was undoubtedly still breathing.

Genya rushed to his side, rolling him over on his back, revealing a second figure beneath him.

Alina.

Her hair as white as fresh snow, despite much of her being shielded from the dust.

They were both death-pale, breathing shallowly, but breathing none-the-less.

Genya knew it would probably be better to wait for a Healer, but she didn’t want to wait. She slipped one hand through a cut in the Darkling’s sleeve and used her amplified abilities to bring him to consciousness.

He grabbed her wrist and forced it away from his body before he even opened his eyes.

He let go, when he saw her.

“I’m sorry…” she breathed. “I was worried.”

He didn’t say anything, just closed his eyes again and breathed deeply.

“Do you need a Healer? I’ll go find someone…”

“They protected us. I’m just tired.” he replied, propping himself up a little.

“I found another one!” Karina shouted.

He turned to look in her direction, but almost instantly laid down again. “Go look.” he directed Genya.

She stood up, stepped over Alina and went to look at the final dust-covered figure.

“The tracker. Of course.” Genya sighed. He seemed alive, though barely.

“She’s not going to be very happy about that.” Darkling chuckled, already sitting again.

“You look like death, Sasha.” Karina said, stepping closer to him. “Go get some sleep. We can handle the clearing.”

She offered him her hand and helped him stand up.

He looked to Genya.

“Makes sure these two are taken care of. Same rules as on Volkvolny.”

“Both of them to the cells?” Genya asked.

“Him. Take her back to her suite.”

Genya raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He headed to the Palace and Genya looked curiously at Karina.

“Sasha?” she chuckled.

“Forget about it.” Karina shook her head.

“I’m not sure which is more impressive. That you know his name, or that you talked to him like he was a kid and he didn’t even protest.”

“Let’s just say we’re old friends.” Karina smirked. “You know your task. And I have some cleaning to do.”

(For context, Karina is indeed Sankta Marya, all grown up and helping Aleksander. In this version, she is about Baghra's age and has been doing her best to protect the persecuted (and later primarily Grisha) since she was young, primarily by creating shelters for them (Second Ravka, aka the vast system of tunnel that includes the White Cathedral, may or may not be largely her work). I will go into her backstory/motivations more at some point, because she's one of the more defined allies I've chosen to give to Sasha.)

[stromuprisahat]

Remind me again, why is ~he~ here?!

Siege and Storm- Chapter 9

It's not a team effort, Malyen. Army won't judge you as a couple.

Macho lowly otkazat'sya doesn't get to strike (again).

Please do!

This would work as much more powerful statement, if Mal were genuinely concerned for Alina's well-being and her OWN choice, instead of being pissed he's the one, who called dibs on her.

*whispers* That's exactly what's he gonna do...

For allowing you to keep breathing?!

Yeah, me too...

There's nothing more pathetic than an insecure man shouting.

Perhaps maybe insecure man deciding for "their" woman.

A minute of silence for an alternative universe, where Nikolai isn't so unreasonably accommodating, and has actual guards stationed at door, so they rush in after hearing shouting. They see a deserter attacking their Tsarevich, so they step in...

Is acting like a mindless animal supposed to make him look attractive?!

HoW DaRe You fLiRt WiTh My aCcEsSoRy?!

Because seriously- what's his problem here?!

Really?!

That's what's bothering you, Alina?!

I know Alina has some serious issues regarding self-worth, but I'd be more concerned about him acting as if she were his property, and anyone even suggesting she might have different role in the world deserves to be beaten by fists (because control is overrated and true men make a pub brawl out of anything)...

You're supposed to sit by hearth and warm my soup!

Sorry Malaria, but Alina IS THE Sun Summoner, want it or not. You can't just keep ignoring it and hoping she'll just slip into your shadow AGAIN. ... wait... *war flashbacks from Cofton* At least not as long as there are people capable of finding her and dragging her back into the story.

How can you be so SELFISH, Alina?! What about his soup?!

Just when the heroine moves to assume at least ~some~ responsibility (although for different reasons than you'd expect), she's promptly shamed for not thinking about Maaal for one (1) second... I love how he uses position of honour as an insult, because he's the one with full ownership of a public figure.

I know I'm apparently too demanding, but shouldn't he be overjoyed he didn't get shot on the spot yet? And no one seems too concerned about his desertion...

But hey- gf not discussing her decision to stop hiding from expectations placed upon her is obviously the more pressing matter.

Y'no. if his objection was that she completely forgot to negotiate change of his status in First Army with Nikolai (DESER*gunshot*), I'd cheer and fully support him, but his position in her love life and bedroom is apparently more pressing matter.

Also a huge fan of body language here.

What could crossed arms mean in body language? Rude, angry and insecure?! Sounds about right...

Ordinary deserter ORDERS a Prince and Major of the very same Army he fled...?

Yeah, Alina!

Mal wants his sickly housewife back!

Y'no, I wanted to note how quickly Malyen changed his mind about coming back, but then I re-read the end of previous book to be sure, and it's always been Alina. He wanted to get out, get rid of her amplifier and live his happy life in obscurity consequences be damned:

Shadow and Bone- After

His girl refuses to get rid of all of the stuff that makes her different, so he just has to settle for her fancy clothes...

Wow!

Supportive boyfriend here!

But hey- admitting she IS strong would mean giving up his dreams of watching her trudging after him.

He doesn't even have any idea what the Darkling can or cannot do! It's not some sort of professional opinion!

This one's kinda funny in a way- Alina had very similar thought about him and volcra a chapter earlier...

Siege and Storm- Chapter 8

... ashamed ... given up EVERYTHING to be WITH ME ... Don't tell me, Malyen's so blind he never notices what his (rather pointed) remarks do to Alina?!

I thought we both wanted to help Ravka.

No, Alina. He never did. We've been both wrong. He cares only about himself and his ownership of a small, inconsequential you.

This could offer an interesting view into a mind of a soldier so alienated from his country that offers him zero promises for the future, he cares for nothing... if he weren't such an inconsiderate dick to Alina...

Love this aspect of their relationship! SO empowering!

Like... He'd need to be extremely dull, if I wanted to interpret this as anything but clear fucking MANIPULATION. This is psychological blackmailing 101!

And he's supposed to be the supportive boyfriend SOMEHOW...

[theweeklydiscourse]

Baghra was always a terrible mentor and we were gaslit into thinking she wasn’t.

I was scanning Ruin and rising to find a few passages for a Darkling meta I was in the process of writing and I happened upon a very interesting conversation between Baghra and Alina. In this conversation, they discuss merzost and its potential consequences as Baghra scolds Alina for seeking the firebird. Baghra’s argument is both contradictory and unhelpful, serving only as a condemnation of Alina’s efforts to defeat the Darkling. There is no wisdom in this exchange, only judgement from an old woman who has no idea what she’s talking about.

So let’s break it down.

Alina confesses that she dabbled in merzost and Baghra responds in her usual ominous and vague manner, grabbing Alina’s wrists for dramatic effect. She warns Alina that merzost can only cause misery, citing the creation of the fold as an example and seems to imply that Alina might journey down a similar path. Baghra gestures towards the inherently corruptive nature of merzost and expresses concern for Alina’s potential. Interestingly, it was exactly her use of merzost that allowed Alina to thwart Aleksander at the end of Siege and Storm. Alina also contradicts herself: “I didn’t do it myself” but “I used the connection between us, (…) to control the Darkling’s power.” she creates a disconnect between herself and the use of merzost as a way of softening the blow. She claims that the merzost was involuntary, but at the same time uses words that signal her activity as opposed to the passivity she initially professed.

This is a small example of Alina’s tendency to claim helplessness and deny her agency. Truthfully, she did use the merzost to save her friends and try to kill Aleksander, a sacrificial act to defeat the big bad. It almost worked, it was effective at warding him off for a time while they regrouped and recovered from the ambush.

Now THIS is what really set me off. Alina argues that she may not have a choice in wether or not she uses merzost to defeat Aleksander and honestly? She’s right. At this point, the narrative has told us that negotiation is not an option, Aleksander is on the war path and the consequences of not fighting him could cost thousands of lives. All of this is presumed to be true and yet, Baghra still takes up this aggravating “holier than thou” attitude towards the pursuit of the firebird.

Baghra: Wow Alina… you’re going to sacrifice the life of this INNOCENT animal for the sake of your own power? This poor innocent bird? I can’t believe you would be so cruel.

Alina: People are dying Baghra.

Baghra’s framing is so manipulative. She’s straight up accusing Alina of being a power hungry villain who would gladly sacrifice an “ancient life” for HER own power. Bitch, since when has this been where we draw the line? Baghra acts as if killing the firebird for the sake of an amplifier is a testament to Alina’s greed but Alina HAS NO OTHER CHOICE. She clutches her pearls at the notion of Alina killing an old bird to save the country as if she hasn’t ranted at length about how dangerous Aleksander is. Baghra has spoken of Aleksander as the apocalypse personified, and yet when presented with the most viable option of defeating him she cries: “but think of that poor ancient life!”?

In the same exchange, she completely dismisses Alina’s peaceful resolution of being merciful to the stag and mocks her for suggesting such a childish idea. But notice how she suggests no other alternative? If she’s so passionate about protecting this ancient creature, why not propose a plan to defeat Aleksander that doesn’t require killing the final amplifier? Instead she scolds Alina for her greed and derides her for doing what is necessary to save the country. Alina tell her that no one is strong enough to stand against an army of shadow soldiers and Baghra STILL dismisses her efforts to do the right thing.

It is here that Alina acknowledges her intentions to seek power and uses sound reasoning to do so. She is the only person strong enough to stand against Aleksander and NEEDS the amplifiers to win. “Abomination against abomination” but I don’t see you offering any alternatives Baghra. If this hag cared so much about preventing an all out magical war maybe she should’ve been proactive during the centuries where she witness Aleksander’s rise to power.

Baghra’s “warnings” are complete nonsense and devoid of reason. It is her reacting to Grisha power with disgust and expressing contempt towards Alina for giving a damn about the country’s welfare. But what do we expect from Baghra? She’s always been more concerned with preserving decorum and her own moral purity than taking a stand against injustice. She does not offer sage advice, only condescending and vague bullshit that validates her self righteous martyr complex.

[blues-valentine]

Re-watching S&B again and Alina was given zero exploration as a character because they were so busy rushing through the plot and everything about her felt extremely hollow which is truly such a shame because the show has not given Alina the level of nuance and intelligence she has as a character in the books.

The thing about Alina choosing to lead and accept Nikolai’s proposal at the end of Season 2 without any sort of question is not only that it was so uncharacteristic of her but it removes the nuance of those choices. Alina’s ending on R&R has more weight when you know how Alina viewed life in court, how she knew that people were using her as a pawn for their agenda and she was the only one not making choices for herself. Nikolai wanted her as a queen to strength his claim to the throne and unify the second army. The Darkling wanted her power. The Apparant wanted her to be a Saint. A lot of her circle of friends extended some level of expectations towards her as well.

At the end of the season, Alina feels like a fanfic version, very watered down and like they tried too hard to make her so “female heroin” but forgot the aspect of her that was conflicted, not the nuanced Alina from the books. They didn’t give her the time to show that she was in fact someone that was aware of how those choices would impact her life and her desire to be seem as more than just someone that fulfills a role or duty. It removes the depth of contemplating those choices because being a savior, a queen, a saint, was something thrown on her and while she loved her power it was also difficult for her. Alina’s dilemma over her situation deserved exploration instead of his hollowed version. They could’ve at least make it more nuanced, make a point that Alina was choosing this for Ravka, because she thought it was her responsibility to the people, not for herself.

There’s are actual book quotes from Alina (*BOOK SPOILERS):

ー Siege and Storm (Chapter 21).

ー Ruin and Rising (Chapter 8).

ー Siege and Storm (Chapter 21).

ー Siege and Storm (Chapter 23).

ー Ruin and Rising (Chapter 7).

ー Ruin and Rising (Chapter 16).

ー Ruin and Rising (Chapter 10).

ー Ruin and Rising (Chapter 18).

ー Ruin and Rising (Chapter 18).

Alina knew she would have to marry Nikolai if she wanted to achieve some level of peace for Ravka but she also viewed it as a way to amend for the things she thought were her fault. It was never a dream for her. It was a constant source of anxiety. Alina was a tormented girl that wanted peace and she was aware her visibility would never allow her that. And, an important thing the show skipped is that Alina was suicidal and she constantly contemplated death as the only alternative for her pain mostly because of her powers and their effect on her.

Yeah, I know the show is changing things up but denying Alina the exploration of her own thoughts and why being the sun summoner, a queen or a saint was an added pressured to her existence that goes beyond Darkling or the fold is basically ignoring her as a character. Ignoring Alina’s Santakhood was erasing a core element of her persona. Ignoring Alina’s distaste for the royal court was also refusing to give Alina some depth. Alina had layers. She was seduced by power just as much as she was disgusted by it. She was seduced by a glamorous life just as much as she knew it was all pretenses. And at the end, choosing to step away from that was her choice. Faking her death, creating her own matyrhood was her own choice, marrying Mal and leaving the palace was her own choice. Alina’s ending is supposed to be bittersweet but it was her own desire, not someone else's. She wasn’t made to chose this for a sense of responsibility or duty. Alina not having her powers was the only way she could’ve archived the peace she desperately longed for.

I do like the idea of this version exploring her in a position of power and how would that be for her but it’s the fact they just turned her into whatever that was at the end, the typical “I get to be a queen in pretty dresses and Nikolai is flirting with me” version that goes so far from who Alina is. Her not being able to express her fears over being a queen or such an influencial figure made her arc feel empty. It feels like they just forced her into a figure of “empowerment” because this fandom has convinced themselves that Alina wanting to live a peaceful and domestic life — after not being able to chose her own destiny for the whole trilogy, somehow regresses feminism.

I really hope Season 3 (if it happens) turns this around and committs to give Alina her depth and the exploration she deserves because I do not stand for this girlbossification of Alina. Luckily, I still have the books. If Alina is going to have powers in this show version, let it be her own powers and not someone else's because Alina being an extension of Darkling with his dark powers was one of her biggest fears. They aren’t even allowing her agency on her own.

[darklinaserver]

Hidden Gems 2024 Roundup

Here is the masterlist of rec links from this year's Hidden Gems event, with gorgeous header gifs by @bettycooper.

May 28th - Fill in the Blanks

But of old stones (the evening under starlight) by midwinterspring

Throw a Coin, Make a Wish by Jo (winterchild49)

Siege and Storm: the scene where Alina’s hair turns white art by ekbelsher

Naming a king, defenders of men by InsectKin

Saints of Nothing, Saints of Nowhere by Storm_Elf 

Power Over Me by DukeofDucks

The Durast and the Amplifier by Silberias

May 29th - Alternative Medium

The darkling aesthetic moodboard by imaseabear

The problem about wanting , is that it makes you weak art by boomdafunk

Aleksander Morozova ·· Temnyy (The Darkling) art by zzombiecat

i remember everything gifset by rigelus

“You might make me a better man…” gifset by noshelterbutme

Alina in Shu attire art by adriiivna 

A Total Eclipse Of The Heart gifset by endiness

You are Grisha, you are not alone gifset by starlessmistake

You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you gifset by bettycoooper

May 30th - Character Study

there by eighteenqs

i feel the endless pain of being (and i am scorched by the sun) by hedarising

sometimes you have to be a little naughty by Keira_63

May 31st - Fix-it Fics

aurora by KoreRosemarinus

Close My Eyes (Feel You Here) by Spacecadet72

Morning Light by AngstyThumbs

a further union by midwinterspring

Winter in the Little Palace by redsixwing

The Darkling and Sankta Alina edit by marvelmusing

how the night was supposed to end… gifset by starlessmistake

Kissing the wifey goodnight art by croissntsblog

no better love (that beckons above) by scrap

Love, like understanding, grows by jammerific

Heaven Is Not Fit To House A Love Like You And I by Spacecadet72

June 1st - Dipped a Toe

The Unnamed Darkness by rotteddesires

found by briar

June 2nd - WIP Appreciation Day

found footage by inkbug

June 3rd - DDS Anniversary

these secrets inside me (bigger than my body) by midwinterspring

lay all your faults to bed by scrap

[marvelmusing]

I had an idea for the Another Life alternative ending. What if the reader goes back to her world and finds Aleksander there. Don’t know the logistics of how it happen though 😀

I always planned to have a happy ending where the reader chose to stay with Aleksander in Ravka (because I too would stay in a fictional world where there’s ‘magic’ and life is an adventure)

But I definitely once or twice thought about how angsty it would be if I pulled the ‘it was all a dream’ trope

Imagine everything that happened in IAL being a dream that the reader wakes up from. They’re utterly heartbroken, because it had felt so real.

So….

In (Another) Another Life

[Alternate Ending in the Real World AU drabble]

-

Aching for some familiarity, or perhaps hoping to find the pages of the book changed in some way, you search for your copy of Shadow and Bone - or any book from the trilogy. In your frustrated, teary-eyed state you can’t find them.

When you had first awoken, you were confused to not to wake up beside Aleksander in the Little Palace. Slowly, it had dawned on you that you were back in your world, the day after when you had appeared in Ravka.

Now, your eyes are sore from crying and your head still struggles to process where you are. It’s a ten minute walk to the nearest bookshop, and you shiver in the cold winter wind as you make your way there.

It feels as though you’re in a dream, seeing cars and people dressed in ordinary clothes that now feels so unusual after spending a year in Ravka.

Though it now seems that you hadn’t even left your world - that it might have all been a dream.

It feels like a lifetime since you had last visited this quiet little shop, and the blood pounds in your ears as you head towards the young adult section. It’s ordered alphabetically, and you hunt for Bardugo, repeating the name over and over in your mind frantically.

With shaking fingers, you pull out Shadow and Bone. Flicking through the pages, you find nothing changed. The ache in your heart deepens.

It wasn’t real.

Weakly, you slot the book back and tug out Siege and Storm. Tears cloud your vision as you stare at the pages. The same story. Alina fighting the Darkling. No you, and none of your Aleksander.

When you return it to its spot, you blink several times before realising there’s no Ruin and Rising. It’s not surprising. It’s rare that a shop has all three books in a popular trilogy. At least you won’t have to read Aleksander’s death in this state.

The ache is still there, clawing at your chest. You can’t help but feel cheated by the universe. An entire life - a happy life - has been ripped away from you.

Then someone says,

“Looking for this?”

Your heart stops, and you can’t breathe as Ruin and Rising is held in front of you, a stranger’s arm almost curled around you. But it wasn’t a stranger, because you recognised that voice.

Turning, you meet a pair of painfully familiar eyes.

If this is some sort of twisted trick by the universe and this man, that looks so much like your Aleksander, doesn’t recognise you, then you might just scream.

“You know me, don’t you?” He asks softly, hesitation filling his features. Your own voice is quiet, your chin wobbling as you speak,

“Sasha?”

A bright smile breaks over his face, and he nods.

“It’s me.”

Throwing yourself into his arms, he holds you tight against his chest. There’s an unfamiliar cologne of some sort filling your senses, but as he cradles the back of your head you know undeniably that this is your Aleksander.

Fingers griped into the soft fabric of his jumper, you bury yourself further into him.

“I thought I’d never see you again, I thought-”

“I know, my love. I know.”

Some of the tension leaves your body at the sound of his reassurance.

“How are you here?” You ask.

“I live around the corner.”

Lifting your head up from his chest, you gape at him.

“You what?”

He laughs softly, stepping away from you slightly and taking your hand in his.

“Come sit with me.”

He tugs lightly on your hand, and you follow him to the collection of armchairs on the other side of the shop.

“My name is Aleksander Morozov.” He explains once you’re settled in the chair beside him.

There’s a black wool coat hung over the arm, and a scarf is tucked down between Aleksander’s thigh and the edge of the seat.

“Yesterday, one of my colleagues mentioned the Grisha trilogy, making a comparison between my name and that of the Darkling. After that, I began reading the first book.”

So this isn’t the Aleksander you had met? But how does this man know you, like your own Aleksander knows you? Why was he still holding your hand, smoothing his thumb over your knuckles like your Aleksander always does?

“When I fell asleep last night, I woke up as Aleksander Morozova, hundreds of years before the events of Shadow and Bone. But I couldn’t remember my life in this world.”

You frown, your lips parting in confusion.

“You mean that, somehow, we… shared a dream?” You suggest. He shrugs.

“Perhaps.” He runs his hand over his chin, his brows creased together. “Perhaps we both entered a different universe, and happened to cross paths.”

“But you do know me… don’t you?” You ask tentatively.

He smiles softly, and says your name with a familiar fondness.

“Yes. I know you.”

Your fingers squeeze his, and relief fills you as he continues to speak,

“When I woke up this morning, I came here immediately to read the rest of the books.”

“We clearly still think alike then.” You remark with a shy smile.

This man is a stranger, you could have walked by him yesterday without giving him a second glance. Today, he’s the person who means everything to you.

He’s wearing a grey jumper and dark jeans, and part of you can hardly believe what’s happening as you study his appearance.

His smile remains soft as he looks at you, and your cheeks warm as you realise you must look like a mess. You had thrown your clothes on frantically to rush here, but Aleksander has seen you in a far worse state than this.

“Like calls to like.” He reasons, leaning closer to you as he rests his elbow on the arm of his chair.

Looking down at your entwined fingers, you also lean closer, resting both of your elbows onto the arm of your own chair. His eyes flicker up to yours, only to fall down onto your lips.

Your smile returns as watches your face carefully, and your stomach flips with excitement as Aleksander’s forehead brushes lightly against yours.

“I suppose so.” You breathe out softly and he smiles as he traces a fingertip along the length of your jaw.

Tilting your head upwards, you kiss him softly.

Both of you are shaking, terrified that this also might be a dream. Then Aleksander’s hand curls around the back of your neck, and all the fear leaves your body as he deepens the kiss.

He’s real. He’s here, and you’re together again.

Giddy excitement fills your body, chasing away the ache that had haunted you since waking up this morning, as you both smile into the kiss.

An Aleksander Morozov exists in your universe, and he lives around twenty minutes away from you.

The story of you and Aleksander might not have been the one written into a bestseller, but you know that in at least two universes you end up finding one another.

That’s good enough for you.

-

marvelmusing Tag List: @dreamlandcreations @blanchedelioncourt @idaofinfinity @slytherheign @ellooo0ooo @vixenofcourse @dumb-fawkin-bitch @jane-arthur

In Another Life Tag List: @parabatai-winchester @dangerousbluebirdpoetry @jambolska-grozdova @mxacegrey @budugu @cynthianokamaria @scarlettqueen190 @eloquentree @sharp-cheekbones-locked @sorrow-and-bliss @biblophilefox82 @tartiflvtte @rainbowgoblinfan @savagejane1 @sande5098

Aleksander M Tag List: @nyctophiliiiiaaa @jazmin2211

BB Characters Tag List: @rachlovesactors @noortsshift @aikeia

[magz]

Palestine Summary June 28 to July 14, 2024. From LetsTalkPalestine. 

Related Helpful Links: [LetsTalkPalestine LinkTree Links (including vetted information sources)] [gazafunds.com] [eSims for Gaza] [UNRWA] [Decolonize Palestine, learning basics and debunking myths]

Alternatively, listen to the LetsTalkPalestine weekly podcasts in the Linktree.

Summary Quote (under readmore):

June 28

Day 266

⚖️🇪🇸 Spain requests to join ICJ genocide case against Israel

‼️ Gaza City (north): 60,000 displaced in 1 day as IOF re-invades Shujayea & escalated shelling killed 7 + 2 killed & 5 injured in attack on Shujayea market. Airstrikes across Gaza City killed 2 kids & injured 5

•⁠ Israeli cabinet legalizes 5 outposts (settlements illegal by Israeli law) in West Bank, a move taken as de-facto annexation of the occupied West Bank & pushes expansion of settlements

🇺🇸 US house voted (incl. 62 dems) to ban US State Department from citing Gaza Health Ministry’s death toll of the genocide

•⁠ IOF fired at “safe zone” al-Mawasi killing 11 & injured 40+

🔻 Fierce clashes “at point blank” amid 3rd IOF invasion of Shujayea (north) + ambush on building w/ IOF troops killed 4 soldiers & injured 5

🔻 IOF claimed near end to Rafah invasion, but escalated fighting & 1 IOF soldier killed today

🇪🇺 EU sanctions 12 people & 3 groups for links to Hamas & Palestinian Islamic Jihad

June 29

Day 267

•⁠ 40 Palestinians killed, 224 injured in Gaza yesterday

🇱🇧 Israeli Defense Minister threatens “returning Lebanon to stone age” if war breaks out. Daily exchange of fire continues, killing 1 Hezbollah fighter today

🔻 Palestinian resistance groups launched 24 attacks in Shujayea (north) since IOF re-invaded on Thursday, killing at least 2 IOF soldiers

🔻 Ongoing clashes in Rafah: Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade attacked IOF troops. Hamas sniped a soldier

•⁠ IOF raid multiple West Bank cities; fierce clashes as Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade fighters use machine guns & explosives on IOF troops storming Nablus. IOF raids Jenin

•⁠ Gaza City (north): Israeli attacks across the city — airstrike killed 4 family members while filling water. Airstrike on car killed 4 in Sabra + 5 killed in central Gaza City

•⁠ 4 killed in attack on densely populated Bureij camp in central Gaza. IOF surveillance drones hovering

•⁠ Israeli attack on Rafah killed 3+ people. 2 killed in bombing east of Rafah

June 30

Day 268 

‼️ Footage shows IOF using Palestinian hostages as human shields to search homes & tunnels for weapons & Palestinian fighters in Gaza. 1 man was beaten, bloody & handcuffed; another tied to a rope; another dressed in army gear but no weapons

•⁠ 43 killed, 111 injured in Gaza 

🔻 Fierce clashes in Shujayea: Resistance groups sniped IOF soldier; targeted 2 tanks & 2 troop carriers killing & injuring soldiers. 22 IOF soldiers injured in Gaza over weekend

🏥 Gaza’s hospitals need fuel or could lose power in 48 hours

•⁠ Heavy shelling of north Gaza especially Shujayea; 15+ killed

•⁠ Israeli strike killed 6 in Rafah

🇱🇧 3 Hezbollah fighters killed by IOF drone strikes. 18 IOF soldiers injured in Hezbollah drone attack

West Bank:

•⁠ IOF assassinate Saad Jaber, leader of Nur Shams Brigade (local resistance group) by bombing his home, injuring 5. Nur Shams under siege as IOF raid homes & snipers on roofs

•⁠ IOF abduct 166 Palestinians in past week

July 1

Day 269 

‼️ Israel released director of al-Shifa Hospital & dozens others who were abducted by IOF from Gaza. Thousands remain in captivity subject to brutal torture that killed some hostages, no access to proper food or water, each lost about 66Ib of weight

•⁠ 23 killed, 91 injured in Gaza

‼️⁠ Israel ordered immediate evacuation of eastern Khan incl. European Hospital, clarifying only after 13 hours to go to “Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone” despite being subject to deadly shelling. Signaling an imminent ground re-invasion

🔻 West Bank: IOF killed a boy & a woman amid Tulkarm raid. Fierce clashes w/ Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades killed 1 IOF soldier & injured many

🔻 Fierce clashes in Shujayea — rocket attack on house killed & injured IOF soldiers + sniped a soldier. Rafah — house ambush killed & injured soldiers + 1 soldier killed in tunnel ambush

🇺🇸 US sent Israel 10,000+ highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs since October 

July 2

Day 270 

•⁠ 25 Palestinians killed, 81 injured in Gaza 

•⁠ Israel's evacuation order for Khan Younis forced evacuation of European Hospital but lack of fuel & ambulances saw people moved in hospital beds. With nowhere safe to go, people are sleeping on the ground. Israel continues strikes in & around Khan Younis killing 8 & injuring 30+

•⁠ Number of displaced Palestinians in Gaza now at 1.9m

🔻 Israel says 44 soldiers injured on Sunday & Monday

•⁠ 3 killed in drone attack on Shujayea as Israel's re-invasion & relentless shelling

🇺🇸 US provided security-related aid of $6.5bn to Israel since Oct 7, majority last month

•⁠ Estimated 100,000 tons of trash rotting in the heat near shelters for displaced in Gaza, exacerbating spread of diseases

West Bank:

•⁠ Israeli drone strike killed 4 Palestinians in Nur Shams bringing the total to 6 killed in 24 hours amid intense raid

•⁠ IOF shot & injured 3 Palestinians incl. a child while storming Nablus

July 3

Day 271 

‼️ Israel approved largest land theft in West Bank in 30 years (4.9 sq miles). Since Oct Israel has accelerated settlement expansion. Soon Israel plans to approve 6,000 new housing units for settlements as settler violence & attacks against Palestinians continue to escalate

•⁠ Israeli settler shot & killed a Palestinian in Hebron

•⁠ 28 killed, 125 injured in Gaza 

•⁠ 150,000+ people in Gaza contracted skin diseases. Kids more vulnerable as malnutrition weakens immune system

🇱🇧 Israel killed 3rd Hezbollah commander since Oct. Hezbollah retaliates w/ one of its largest assaults, launching 6+ attacks incl. 200+ rockets

•⁠ Israel bombed a home in Deir el Balah, killing Nasser Hospital’s Head of Plastic Surgery & his family

•⁠ Gaza City (north): Israel bombs group of people trying to return home in Shujayea killing 4 & injuring 17; 9 killed in air raids on homes in Daraj & Sheikh Radwan; 3 killed in Tal al-Hawa

🔻 IOF: 2 soldiers killed in Gaza

(No July 4)

July 5

Day 273

🇵🇸 West Bank: Israeli forces killed 7 Palestinians incl. 3 Al-Quds Brigades resistance fighters after surrounding a home & firing missiles while storming Jenin

🏥 As Israeli bombs Rafah & Khan Younis, Nasser Hospital receives 10 bodies & is at risk of being overwhelmed amid increased bombings as other hospitals shut down

🦠 Sewage "lake" floods Khan Younis. Israel has destroyed 67% of Gaza's water & sanitation facilities which has increased spread of diseases

🔻 Hamas reports ambush in Shujayea killed 10 IOF soldiers

🇵🇸 Gaza City (north): Israel kills 3, incl. 2 journalists; 2 killed in attack on school housing displaced people

💰 Israel transfers $116m of withheld tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority, first transfer since April as Israel has been withholding PA taxes since Oct 7

🇬🇧 5 seats won by self-identified pro-Palestine independents in UK elections, ousting 4 Labour officials

🇵🇸 IOF shot & injured 5 incl. a woman as it raids Hebron (West Bank)

July 6

Day 274 

‼️ Israel killed a 16 Palestinians & injured 75 in a bombing of a UNRWA school sheltering displaced people in Nuseirat. Most of those killed were women & kids, and 3 journalists, some were decapitated. Nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital overwhelmed & operating at 3x its capacity

🇵🇸⁠ 87 Palestinians killed, 260 injured in Gaza in the last 2 days

🇵🇸 Released Palestinian hostage testified that after 15 men were released to Gaza, IOF quickly targeted them with bombs, killing 7. This was after being subject to torture & beatings while in captivity

🇵🇸⁠ Israel killed 5 Palestinian journalists in 24 hours

🔻⁠ Ongoing clashes in Shujayea as PIJ reports an ambush killed & injured 7 IOF soldiers

🇱🇧⁠ Israeli drone strike on car in south Lebanon killed a Hezbollah member

🇵🇸 North Gaza: Israeli forces bombed Jabalia killing & injuring several; 3 killed & 15 injured in Gaza City

🇵🇸⁠ West Bank: IOF killed a Palestinian man near Ramallah; IOF snipers injured 9 Palestinians in Nablus raid

July 7

Day 275

‼️ Israel orders evacuation of 3 Gaza City neighborhoods amid current IOF invasion & fierce clashes w/ resistance groups in nearby Shujayea. IOF bombed & fired at Palestinians fleeing, while they have nowhere safe to go

🇵🇸 55 Palestinians killed, 123 injured in Gaza yesterday

🇵🇸 Israel executed 3 Palestinian hostages upon release to Gaza near Karem Abu Salem crossing, their bodies found with hands cuffed

🇵🇸 Hamas official says they’re willing to discuss hostage deal without requiring a “permanent ceasefire”

🔻 Israel says 1 IOF soldier killed in Rafah. Resistance groups report multiple attacks on IOF troops & tanks in Rafah & Gaza City

🇵🇸 North Gaza: 12+ killed incl. Hamas government official in Gaza City; 10 Palestinians killed in Jabalia

🇵🇸 Central Gaza: Israel bombed home in az-Zawayda killing 6; 3 killed in Nuseirat

🇱🇧 Hezbollah says IOF soldiers killed & injured in attack on IOF military site near border

🇵🇸 West Bank: IOF abducted 104+ Palestinians in past week

July 8

Day 276 

Gaza City (north):

‼️ Terrifying night as Israel violently bombed Gaza City hours after ordering evacuations; 9+ killed & many injured. Dozens of families fled to Tal al-Hawa then were trapped amid intense Israeli bombing at night & sudden IOF ground invasion at dawn. Israel ordered evacuation of 3 more neighborhoods incl Tal al-Hawa to "safe zone" al-Mawasi which IOF often attack

‼️ Displacement dire, north is densely populated w/ no makeshift camps unlike rest of Gaza so people forced to move between damaged homes

🏥 Israeli bombing forced al-Ahli & PFBS hospitals to evacuate & shut down

🇺🇳 IOF raid UNRWA HQ claiming Hamas presence, but already invaded north 4x & said dismantled Hamas capabilities in the north months ago

🔻 IOF soldier seriously injured

Other:

🇵🇸 40 Palestinians killed, 75 injured in Gaza in 24 hours

🇵🇸 6/yo kid killed by starvation; total 34 kids killed by malnutrition + 50,000+ kids need urgent treatment for acute malnutrition

July 9

Day 277 

‼️ Israel massacred 30+ Palestinians, mostly women & kids in attack on UN school & tents for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. Dozens injured transferred to a barely operational Nasser Hospital. 4th Israeli school attack since Saturday

‼️ Footage & testimony reveal IOF tanks ran over & crushed family members after surrounding them in a farm in Rafah on June 28

‼️ Israel bombed home in Nuseirat massacring 17 family members incl 14 women & kids

🇵🇸 50 Palestinians killed, 130 injured in Gaza in 24 hours

🤐 New @ Meta (Facebook) policy will remove content attacking ‘Zionists’ if considered to be referring to Jewish people or Israelis

🏥 All PRCS med facilities shut in Gaza City & medics can’t reach the city amid Israeli shelling & expanding ground invasion, killing 4+ 

🇱🇧 2 Israeli settlers die from injuries in Hezbollah strike on occupied Golan Heights

🇵🇸 West Bank: IOF shot at group of kids killing 13 y/o Ghassan Zahran

🔻 8 IOF soldiers injured in Gaza in 24 hours

July 10

Day 278 

‼️ Israel orders evacuation of all of Gaza City (north) down south to "safe zone" al-Mawasi which is been frequently attacked. IOF dropped leaflets w/ ‘safe’ corridors to flee through but Israel has been bombing across all Gaza. IOF forces now in Tal al-Hawa killing 30+ so far

‼️ @ 972mag: IOF soldiers testify policy of no restrictions on shooting, authorizing the indiscriminate shooting & execution of Palestinians, describing "no need to explain – you just shoot" & “people were shooting just to relieve the boredom”

🇵🇸 52 Palestinians killed, 208 injured in Gaza in 24 hours

🔻 PIJ clashed w/ IOF troops in a house in Shujayea killing & injuring soldiers + sniped & killed 1 soldier. Another IOF soldier killed in central Gaza

🇵🇸 Israeli attack on Nuseirat killed 8+ incl. 6 kids & injured 10

🏥 Indonesian & Nasser hospitals could soon shut down from lack of fuel & med supplies

🇦🇪 UAE deports graduate who said "free Palestine" during NYU graduation

July 11 and July 12

Image: Map of Gaza with “Israeli-controlled corridor” between Gaza City and Deir El Balah (central Gaza).

‼️ Past 24 hours in Gaza City (north)

Israel launched a renewed assault on Gaza City w/  terrifying intensity. Israel escalated bombardment the past week since re-invading 2-weeks ago & now ordered evacuation of entire city (300,000) down south to "humanitarian zones" that continue to be attacked. Israeli-built corridor (📷👆) cuts off north Gaza from central & south, blocking movement

IOF tanks pushing into other areas while continuous bombing & snipers shoot at fleeing Palestinians

Shujayea: 60 bodies recovered w/ dozens still buried under rubble + mass destruction as 85% homes uninhabitable after end of 2-week invasion

Tal al-Hawa: Rescue teams recovered bodies of 60+ Palestinians mostly women & kids, dozens lay on the street decomposing, some bodies eaten by dogs. IOF withdrew this morning following surprise incursion & violent bombing for 7 days right after thousands fled there & became trapped

🔻 Resistance groups continued attacks on IOF amid withdrawal from Shujayea despite Israel claiming its operation is complete + reported attacks on IOF in Tal al-Hawa yesterday

Other Palestine updates later today

July 11

Day 279 - Thursday

🇺🇸 US resumes 500-pound bombs delivery to Israel as they were never concerned on their use. US only withholding 2,000-pound bombs on concerns Israel will use them in densely populated areas in Gaza

🇵🇸 50 Palestinians killed, 54 injured in Gaza in 24 hours

🇵🇸 7 bodies recovered from destroyed UNRWA building in Khan Younis

📱 Microsoft bans emails of Palestinians abroad w/o reason or warning, blocking them from calling relatives in Gaza via Skype

🚚 Israel let only 5 UN trucks enter last week. Israel claim 261 aid trucks entered Gaza on Wednesday but many orgs report Israel blocks aid

🇺🇸 US sanctions 1 Israeli settler group & 4 unauthorised West Bank settlements

🇵🇸 Israeli court rejects appeals of 11 families (66 people), allowing settler group to expel & seize homes in occupied Jerusalem. Ordered families to pay legal fees to settlers

🇵🇸 West Bank: IOF shot & killed 17 y/o Ali Rabaia amid Jenin raid & injured 2

🇱🇧 IOF soldier injured in Hezbollah strike

July 12

Day 280 

🇵🇸 Gaza City (north): Updated death toll now 70+ after Israeli massacre in Tal al-Hawa w/ 50 still missing — IOF still haven’t fully withdrawn from the area, continuing to kill several. IOF quadcopters target Palestinians across Gaza City, killing fisherman on coast

🇵🇸 Israel directs Palestinians to evacuate to “safe zone” al-Mawasi despite continuing to attack the area. But al-Mawasi lacks infrastructure so Palestinians are forced to live in makeshift tents

🇵🇸 Israeli airstrike killed 8+ incl. mother & 2 kids in Rafah

🇵🇸 Israel targeted aid distribution point, killing 4 aid workers in Khan Younis

🇺🇳 @ unrwa has guaranteed funds through September

🔻 Hamas report attacks on IOF troops & 2 tanks in Rafah + targeted 1 tank & 8 troop unit in Gaza City (north)

🇵🇸 4+ killed from Israeli strike on Nuseirat (central)

🇵🇸 West Bank: IOF shot & killed 26 y/o man near Ramallah

🇱🇧 Hezbollah strikes killed IOF soldier. Hezbollah fighter killed by Israeli strike

General update:

‼️ AL-MAWASI MASSACRE

Israel massacred 90+ Palestinians & injured 300, half were women & kids, in attack on densely populated “safe zone” al-Mawasi, a pattern of Israel directing Palestinians they forcibly displaced to ‘safe areas’ then bombing it

Israel used 5 bombs & 5 missiles to bomb the area crowded with 80,000 displaced, living in makeshift tents. The impact obliterated the tents. Survivor testifies: “all the tents were knocked down, body parts, bodies everywhere, elderly women thrown on the floor, young children in pieces”

Israel targeted rescue workers arriving on the scene, causing casualties. Influx of injured overwhelming Nasser Hospital that lacks capacity due to diminishing fuel & med supplies from Israel’s aid blockade

Since invading Rafah, Israel designated al-Mawasi a “safe zone” yet constantly bombards it. Israel claims it targeted Hamas leader Mohammad al-Deif but now unsure of his fate. Hamas denies al-Deif was there, insists only civilians were killed.

July 13

Day 281 

🇵🇸 98 Palestinians killed, 186 injured in Gaza

‼️ Israel massacred a gathering of Palestinians praying near ruins of a mosque, killing 22 in Shati refugee camp (north), hours after massacring 90+ in “safe zone” al-Mawasi

🇵🇸 70,000+ people infected with viral hepatitis due to forced displacement & unsanitary conditions

🇱🇧 Israeli drone targets car in Lebanon killing father & uncle of Hezbollah fighter Israel killed. 4 IOF soldiers injured by Hezbollah strike

💧 Israeli forces destroyed water sources in Shujayea & Sabra in Gaza City + demolished 2 wells amid re-invasion of the area, worsening the water crisis

🇵🇸 Israeli military intensifies attacks on central Gaza, killing 5+ in ‘safe zone’ Deir el-Balah, the area it recently ordered people of Gaza City (north) to evacuate to; injuring 10 in attack on home in Nuseirat

🇵🇸 Israeli attack on house in Khan Younis kills 2+

🔻 Hamas ambushed IOF troop unit killing & injuring soldiers in Rafah

July 14

Day 282 

‼️ Israel massacred 17 Palestinians & injured 80 in attack on UNRWA school in Nuseirat housing hundreds of displaced people. Many were women & children and just recently arrived to the shelter following Israeli evacuation orders

🇵🇸 141 Palestinians killed, 200 injured in Gaza 

🔻 Hamas ambushed group of IOF soldiers disguised in aid truck in Rafah, killing & injuring soldiers. Attacked IOF troops in Tal al-Hawa (north) despite IOF claiming withdrawal

🇵🇸 West Bank: IOF cut electricity then demolished residential building in occupied Jerusalem despite owner paying fines for 20 years. Forced woman to demolish her own home to avoid paying heavy fines to the municipality

🇵🇸 IOF bomb across Gaza killing 1, injuring 4 kids in Gaza City (north); 4 killed incl. 1 kid in Maghazi (central)

🇬🇧 UK to give $7m to UK-Med NGO for med services in Gaza

⛺️ UK police violently arrested 7 from @ soasliberatedzone (Instagram handle) on Tuesday

🇲🇾 Malaysia pledge $1m to UNRWA

[piles-of-numbers]

I HAVE OPINIONS!

Season 2 is rushed if you view it as a one-to-one adaptation.

As a fan fiction (which we’ve been told from the start this is basically fan fiction) I am SO HYPED FOR WHAT IS TO COME.

I’ve always though Storm and Siege and Ruin and Rising could have been combined into one book. The Fire Bird reveal I could see coming from the start of book 2. So getting all that out of the way now and leading us into a fun alternate ending with new implications for the two duologies is super interesting to me.

I completely get why people are upset about some early CK scenes. But I think adding them and putting them into a new light is a smart idea. We might not get to the same points of those scenes in this show.

The crows are starting off older. Kaz already had the crow club. Taking over the dregs wasn’t going to happen with the same character implications. He didn’t start under Haskell, so we used the massive fight scene to show how ruthless Kaz is in a fight on his own.

The Kaelish Prince thing was also a great way to demonstrate to new viewers Kazs whole “act like a monster and they’ll believe you” thing. It’s too early to take down Pekka completely, so we get this scene still while putting Rollins in a new power dynamic

The bandaid scene wasn’t the bandaid scene. They hinted at it. We have a base for how much contact Kaz can handle. Inej didn’t even get to talk about how touch is difficult for her too. I think we will get that later

So I forgive them for those things, I’m glad we got to see bits of the story acted as amazing as they did

I think I only have two main complaints

David :( HE IS TRIUMVIRATE HE COULD EXIST WITH SANKTA ALINA IT COULD HAVE BEEN ALINA AND HER TRIUMVIRATE >:(

I’m so worried about Tolya and Inej. Not even for the sake of Kanej. But Tolya is like the one crumb of aroace representation we have and they did the thing where they lingered on their smile a bit and they’re both good actors I saw a thing and went oh no. It’s not a sure thing maybe they will be friends (as they should! I want to see Tolya and Inej interact!) but please please please

So those are my thoughts. I’m so excited give me Alina Villain Arc

[mlsfrvr]

Stop! It’s Darklina Time!

Hello guys!

While there is little time left for the second season of shadow and bone, I thought I'd take a look at my archives and prepared a list of my favorites for you.

I know that their relationship is not very healthy but, hey! this is just a fiction. So, I guess it's okay to love the bad guy. :)

Thank you to the wonderful authors of these beautiful stories. You really did a great job! I love reading your work. ❤️

I have indicated the places where there may be spoilers for you, but still read the tags of the dear authors before you open the story. 

And if you see🔥you know what it means. :)

Terrible, Beautiful, Unsaid Things by Orlissa : alternative. Alina is pregnant.

The First Star in the Black Velvet Night by Orlissa : alternative. Aleksander becomes a father.

Near successfull assassination by galadriel3562 :  Aleksander feels that Alina is being attacked.

Please Stay by nelliivii4 : alternative. Alina is a time traveler. if you haven't read the siege and storm and ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

And I Said To The Star, “Consume Me” by goblins_riddles_frocks : alternative. Alina and Aleksander make a deal. if you haven't read the siege and storm and ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

Comfort by Anonymous : after all. if you haven't read the ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.

a figment by yttan : alternative. Aleksander visits Alina. if you haven't read siege and storm, it may contain spoilers for you.

But we sing it anyway by madcase : alternative. Alina and Aleksander meet. for one last time. if you haven't read rule of wolves it may contain spoilers for you.

The Other Side by darksolnishko : Alina is captured by Fjerdans.

cosmic love by Della19 : alternative. Aleksander waits and this time he does the right thing.

Reunion by cg_writes : alternative. Alina and Aleksander meet once again. if you haven't read rule of wolves, it may contain spoilers for you. 

Confess To Your Heretic by FairyRingsandWings : alternative. Alina runs away, Aleksander chases.🔥

No Star Like Thee by alinamorozova : alternative. Alina and Aleksander have been married for fifteen years.🔥

Between Midnights by vuas : alternative. Alina and Aleksander are married. if you haven't read the siege and storm and ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you. 🔥

make it holy by heliocentrics : no one knocks on the war room door.🔥

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out by Val_Creative : on the day of the demonstration, Alina has a headache.🔥

A Battlefield Between Them by Maleficar : if you haven't read siege and storm, it may contain spoilers for you.🔥

All We Need by Violenne :alternative. after the end of the series.

soldiers coming home like shadows turning red by pinuspinea : Aleksander's pov of what's been going on since the very beginning of the series.

One more for the Road by Rist : Alina learns the truth and stays. but until morning. 🔥

the making at the heart of a soul by hippolarium : the famous line in the series and what happened from Aleksander's pov.

the path of saints by vangeaux : alternative. Alina gets hurt and what happened next.

Found a Reason for Me by Shadow_Sky : an alternate ending for the series.

nocturne by amplifierverse : alternative. Alina lost the war. if you haven't read siege and storm, it may contain spoilers for you.🔥

It's Not My Burden to Bear (But I'll Share it With You) by JustALilBookworm : if you haven't read ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you. (my favourite)

The Calm Before the Thunder [The Eye of the Storm] by Ceris_Malfoy : alternative. Alina's body does not accept amplifier.

Sealed by RoseAlenko : alternative. Alina and Aleksander are married.

I can’t help but want you, I know I’d die without you... by Miss_Kath90 : alternative. Alina and Aleksander make a deal. if you haven't read the siege and storm, it may contain spoilers for you.

The Silence of Your Touch by goatsandgangsters : Alina visits Aleksander. if you haven't read the siege and storm, it may contain spoilers for you. 

Whatever Our Souls Are Made Of by RoseAlenko : alternative. Alina lets Aleksander. if you haven't read the ruin and rising, it may contain spoilers for you.🔥

Virtue into Pitch by goatsandgangsters : no one bothered them in the war room, and Aleksander got what he wanted.

[atopvisenyashill]

luv you comrade 🫡 let’s say there’s an alternative universe where rhaegar sucssed. What do you think will happen to both of my sisters elia and lyanna where they survived aw well?. And how do you think rhaegar and his groupies would handle aerys ? Would they remove him straight away or just wait and pray for months that someone finish him in secret

love u two comrade anon.

okay so i kinda touched on this before, but let's get into the nitty gritty of what problems rhaegar is dealing with.

so you won the battle of the trident but your daddy is still an insane monster and your kingdom is fractured by...

the siege of storm's end

catelyn is pregnant with ned's baby, holed up in riverrun and ready for a siege

the smallfolk of the crownlands are in open rebellion against the crown, as shown by the battle of the bells and the hiding of robert from joncon. this includes those that live right near the blackwater rush, acorn hall, and the stoney sept.

the royces are likely holed up in the vale, unsure of what to do now that Jon and Denys have been slain

Aerys is putting together his wildfire plot in the capital and getting ready to set it off at any moment while Jaime gets increasingly worried about how he manages to defend the city, Elia and her babies, a toddler Viserys, a potentially pregnant Rhaella, AND the King when it's the King that is the threat to Elia, Rhaella, and the city

So...what in the fuck do you do if you're Rhaegar in this situation? It's a bleak situation!!!! First off, let me rec this fanfiction which basically deals with this exact concept - what happens if Rhaegar wins at the Trident? - that I think is amazingly well written and I'm having a blast reading it. It's abandoned I believe but there's a lot of chapters and it's from Catelyn, Elia, Lyanna, Doran, Renly, and Benjen (mostly Cat and Elia though).

What definitely happens first is that Rhaegar takes what's left of his host after the Trident and goes back to King's Landing. Despite his actions being stupid as all fuck, Rhaegar does leave the Tower of Joy and Lyanna's side when he's told that Elia and the children are in trouble so he's clearly worried about them being alone in King's Landing with a deteriorating Aerys. At the same time, Lyanna is ready to pop soon, so he probably sends Jonothor Darry to Starfall and the Tower of Joy to ensure the birth goes well while he goes to the capital. Because - I don’t think Rhaegar actually meant for her to give birth without a Maester, I think that was the Kingsguard death wish that kept them at the Tower. And we know he was communicating through the Kingsguard throughout the war (because Oswell found him easily enough) so I would imagine he’d send Jonothor off with new marching orders (rather than Lewyn, who would definitely find it an insult, or Barristan, who Rhaegar clearly doesn't trust enough with his closest secrets). Lyanna, I would hope, is slightly better off simply because Rhaegar is still ensuring it and the Kingsguard still have a reason to live. I would think once Robert is killed - I would hope Rhaegar would hesitate to kill Ned and that Ned's host managed to break off and scatter but battles are tricky and chaotic and Rhaegar is not thinking long term so who knows. Lyanna is objectively better off with Ned alive because he's old enough to "forgive" her (and sees clearly even that there's nothing to forgive) and want to take care of her, while Benjen may not feel the same nor would he have the same pull. But that simply may not be possible.

When Rhaegar is done at the Trident and gets to King's Landing, he’s walking into an almost literal powder keg. Who knows how Aerys reacts to Rhaegar coming up victorious but to be honest, I think it’s just as likely that he gets paranoid Rhaegar is going to take the throne from him, and Jaime still has to kill him. Rhaegar walks in to see Jaime just. Chilling. Waiting to see what army gets inside first. Haha yeah your dad murdered the last hand, also I killed the pyromancers. I think Elia would speak for him, maybe Rhaella since Rhaella wasn’t sent to Dragonstone. Now Rhaegar is King, he’s secured the capital, and he’s got two separate sieges, open rebellion to face, and a bastard/trueborn son born to a second wife on the way.

Because the thing is! Catelyn is at Riverrun and Stannis is at Storm’s End and those two are both stubborn enough to eat shoes before giving up, especially if it means giving up to Aerys. And now Stannis is Lord of Storm’s End, Robb is Lord of Winterfell, and Edmure is Lord of Riverrun. The Greyjoys have likely started reaving in the riverlands, the Lannisters have surrounded Riverrun. The northern host is scatted, the crownlands are in open revolt, the Vale is retreating but they’ll be ready again soon enough.

He’s got a lot of problems and that’s best case scenario that Jaime offs Aerys. If he gets to KL and Jaime pulls him aside and is like “so some INSANE stuff has happened” I mean - he has to depose Aerys. Aerys is burning people alive left and right, and now he’s put wildfire out and Jaime doesn’t know where it is or how much exists. Aerys cannot be allowed to sit the throne, and even Rhaegar should realize this. Rhaegar mentions calling a great council to Jaime but right here, right now - I think the only decision is to kill Aerys and blame it on the throne again. Or frame someone if they’re really nervous, but if Maegor can get killed by the throne, so can Aerys. This is messier, trickier, but between Jaime, Lewyn Martell, and Rhaegar, they can take a bunch of pyromancers and Aerys.

Probably after that he’s explaining to Lewyn and Elia why the fuck he abandoned the capital for six months to play house with a teenager, and when he tells them he got that teenager pregnant - that he may have MARRIED that teenager? Oh my god. Like, I’m not saying Lewyn is just gonna throw caution to the wind and deck Rhaegar but I do think it would be a fucking CLOSE thing. Hundreds of thousands of people are dead. There’s a bunch of children in charge of the realm now because Rhaegar had to murder their parents to cover his own ass. There are no good options left to them because Rhaegar squandered all the grace given to him in less than a year.

Whatever happens next, things are going to be rocky and unsure. Rhaegar is king but he’s fully lost the faith of Dorne and he knows damn well the ironborn and Tywin are only on his side because they want the spoils of war. EYE think the smart thing here is to send ravens to every castle saying he’s attempting a parlay and great council with the rebels, that he understands his father completely misstepped here, and that at this great council, he’s going to work with all the lords, loyalists and rebels both, to find a peace and atone for the mass deaths this conflict has caused. But most likely, he takes the easier, stupider route of slaughtering House Baratheon at Storm’s End and telling Cat and baby Robb they have no chance of help. I don’t think it’s likely he succeeds that easily though - we don’t know who survived the Trident (it was close on both sides even in canon!) and Cat could very well have reinforcements coming from Blackfish, the Vale & Jon Arryn, maybe even Ned. If Lyanna lives through her birth, I think she, Jon, Elia and the babies, as well as Rhaella, Viserys, and unborn Dany are probably all more or less fine. If Ned, Jon Arryn, Blackfish, Cat, whomever CAN in fact turn the tide and retake the capital, or bring the war to a stalemate with the North and Riverlands controlled by rebels, the Westerlands, Crownlands, and Dorne with the loyalists, and the Vale & Ironborn kinda all over the place, I think things go much better for Lyanna and Jon, as well as the realm as a whole. If Rhaegar is the undisputed winner through war, Lyanna and Jon are kinda fucked and there Will be another rebellion soon.

[goodwhump-temp]

Rodney McKay Whump - SG: Atlantis

1x03 Hide and Seek - First human trial (DNA manipulated), given a shot, pushed off a balcony, shot (in the leg/off-screen), "punched," verbally bullied, panicking, sacrifices himself, unconscious, sore 1x06 Childhoods End - Annoyed by children, held at arrow-point, exhausted 1x08 Underground - Captured & threatened by Bashirs best friend 1x09 Home - Stranded on earth, captured, unconscious, 1x10 The Storm - Held captive by the Genii, threatened, arm squeezed 1x11 The Eye - Hostage, thoroughly pissed 1x13 Hot Zone - In danger the whole episode, attacked by a vision ghost (schizophrenic), coping (emotional) 1x14 Sanctuary - argument with sheppard, didn't sleep, only person not in love with the fancy evil "priestess" 1x19 The Siege - Falls from a great height, "permanent back damage," offended, emotional (not about himself)

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

2x01 The Siege pt. 3 - Almost killed, forced to fight the wraith 2x02 The Intruder - Attacked by coolidge leak, scared by transport beam (is weird), sickened by Sheppards flying, attacked by wraith virus controlled ship 2x03 Runner - Captured/threatened by Ford, caught in a trap upside-down 2x04 Duet - Trapped inside Wraith dart, collapses, unconscious, hospitalized, another consciousness in his body; ego destroyer, angry, sore, fighting for body control, seizure, emotional, kisses Beckett, collapses 2x05 Condemned - shot down, chipped a tooth (?), captured, threatened 2x06 Trinity - Obsessive, makes Sheppard worry/pity, emotional 2x08 Conversion - Worried about Sheppard 2x10 Lost Boys - Kidnapped, threatened 2x11 The Hive - takes dose of wraith enzyme, passes out, goes through insane withdrawal, hospitalized, unconscious 2x14 Grace Under Pressure - Serious head injury, trapped hundreds of feet under water, hallucinating sam, cold and wet 2x17 Coup D'etat - Genii trap, collapses, captured

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

3x04 Sateda - Takes an arrow to the butt, immense pain, cared for 3x07 Common Ground - Scared by a mouse 3x08 McKay and Mrs. Miller - Alternate reality Rodney, emotional rollercoaster 3x09 Phantoms - Shot in the chest 3x12 Echoes - Worsening headache, nose bleed, passes out, deaf 3x14 Tao of Rodney - Hit by energy pulse (gene mutation), nervous, acting increasingly strange, insomnia, emotional, overstimulated headache, passes out, hospitalized, flatlines 3x16 The Ark - Almost sucked out into space 3x20 First Strike - Caught in explosion, visible face injury

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

4x02 Lifeline - Captured 4x03 Reunion - Attacked by wraith, alone, betrayed, shot unconscious, captured 4x04 Doppleganger - Faces greatest fear, flatlines/cardiac arrest, beaten up 4x06 Tabula Rasa - Deadly disease/lose memory, shot unconscious, running/hiding from militia 4x08 The Seer - sees vision of them getting captured 4x09 Millers Crossing - he and his sister kidnapped, threatened, great bonding with Sheppard 4x10 This Mortal Coil - Captured 4x12 Spoils of War - shot unconscious, captured, almost tortured 4x13 Quarantine - Panicking, ultimate pessimist --> causes his own heartbreak (how NOT to get a girl), L rizz 4x14 Harmony - Forced to guard a child, held at gunpoint 4x16 Trio - Falls, trapped in a cavern, in danger & panicks the whole episode 4x20 The Last Man - Old, depressing backstory, technically dead

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

5x01 Search and Rescue - Some face scratches, bleeding, panicks 5x02 The Seed - Panicking x100 5x03 Broken Ties - Captured 5x04 Daedalus Variations - Shot in the arm (worse than it sounds) 5x06 the shrine - Intense memory loss, serious pneumonia, coma, hospitalized, panicking/insanely emotional help infected, intense headache, surgery 5x08 The Queen - Captured 5x09 Tracker - Bonding with Ronon, chased and punched by a wraith, manhandled, sore, shot at 5x10 First Contact - Captured, sore 5x12 Outsiders - Captured 5x13 Inquisition - Knocked unconscious 5x16 Brain Storm - Freezing

[12-cluh]

OC LORE TIME BIATCH

tw/ a LOT of violence

To him, it felt as though Arman Cromone's entire history had been nothing but tragedy befalling him. Since before he could remember, he was trained to kill. Every form of weaponry the Great Gormathane Kingdom had to offer was placed into his small hands, and even when his grip was barely enough to wrap around it, he was fighting. For over twenty years, Arman struggled in the pits, just trying to survive. Eventually, the ending of another's life was no more strange than breathing to him.

What made it worse was that he knew who placed him here. It wasn't the king in his unholy cruelty. It was no novel whom his family, meager as they were, had wronged in some fashion. No... it was the devil woman. Her face stuck out in his memory like arrows in a bullseye. Skin more crimson than fire, eyes brighter than the sun and twice as blinding, her darker than darkness. He remembered it all.

Eventually, after almost three decades of combat and clawing at the world for scraps, the kingdom was placed under siege by a neighboring kingdom. And in the panic, his cage was left unlocked, letting him force it open. Guards tried to contain him, but the years of them sharpening his skills were finally turned on them. He butchered his way through dozens of them, making his way to the armory and stealing as many weapons he could carry, which was plenty.

Not only that but as he fought his way out of the complex, he stumbled upon the library. There, in one of the scrolls, was the secret to the kingdom's magic. His processing honed from how quickly he picked up alternate fighting styles, he quickly figured out the recipe and unlocked the spells. Fire, electricity, and even gravity itself were now his to command entirely.

When the day was finally done, the blood that stained the walls wouldn't wash away for weeks. Arman found his way to the kingdom's docks and stole a boat, but the only one left was a small dingy with a single paddle. He could care less, as he paddled and eventually was forced to navigate through a storm, which blew him off course. After what easily could have been days, he washed up on an uncharted island.

It was here that he created a home for himself. He built a small shack with the essentials he figured he would need. A bed, a place to cook his meals, tables, pottery, and shelves, all of which he either took from the kingdom or crafted himself. Arman had many self-taught skills, such as smithing, leatherworking, woodworking, farming, and more. Of course, he was sure to keep a steady exercise routine and kept scrounged up as many books as he could, training every part of him he could.

His life has improved exponentially as he lives the quaint life of a farmer along with his pet chicken. But it's not without issues, for the kingdom still reigns strong and constantly sends soldiers after him. And yet he still lives, having killed every. single. one. that they have sent after him thus far.

To Be Continued.

Okay! That's it for my oc Arman Cromone. What'd you think? Any tips feedback, praise for my amazing skills, whatever, any and all comments

[stromuprisahat]

Siege and Storm- Chapter 20

There's a lot to unpack in the whole Manly Manfight scene, so I've decided to thematically sort it, keeping the crumbs of pure Malina issues here. I'll leave their post-Zoya kiss confrontation for another post, because that's quite a pile of trash. The stuff below is mostly indirect tells they might not be as perfect for each other as the narrative wants us to believe.

I wonder if Alina were so concerned with fairness, should anyone else stand in Malyen's place.

Also: He doesn't want your help is about 50 % of what's wrong with Malina relationship. HE is the strong one, she's here to cater to his emotional needs. Gods forbid Alina would end a fight he got himself into!

Assuming Malyen is truly THE third amplifier, wouldn't it be funny, if he were claimed by some random Grisha due to his own carelessness?!

And of course Alina's going to blame her own ~careless~ words. As if her man child weren't able to see the difference between his (at least) basic training (and layers and layers of plot armour) and underfed "army" of ragged peasants, armed with sticks and faith.

If this were about ability to fight Grisha, he could've asked Botkin for special lessons- I doubt ~that~ guy lacks skills to share. Or the twins, if he hates everything Little Palace-related so much... but no, it's only about his ego, and the way others see him.

That said, here's another wasted parallel- Alina's helpless worshipers are seen only from afar. There's no fighting we'd see them in. Now, who has similarly untrained believers to work with?! And DOES attempt some basic training at least... wouldn't that be our late Starless Saint?

They held services every sundown, and during the days, they alternated praying and training. They were going into a battle, after all, and though Aleksander did not intend for them to do much fighting, they needed to look like they knew what they were doing.

Rule of Wolves- Chapter 33

[itsnotunfinisheditsmystyle]

Darkolai 45!!

pretending to hate each other au

The first one was kinda an alternative ending to Siege and Storm... Well this one is one too lmaooo

Before Vasily could bring down his weapon, a nichevo’ya grabbed hold of him and tore his arm from its socket, sword and all. He stood for a moment, swaying, blood pumping from his wound, then dropped to the floor in a lifeless heap. Nikolai was sprayed, recoiling as warm blood hit his face.

“Saints,” he muttered under his breath, fruitlessly trying to wipe it off with his sleeve. “Get the Queen to safety! And everybody lay down your arms, you cannot shoot those things!”

“Well, I can!” light pooled at Alina’s hands, her gaze on the nichevo’ya that had just killed Vasily and was still standing right in front of Nikolai, unmoving. Perhaps the creature was perplexed by what it had just done, but it would snap out of it soon and—

“No, Alina. It’s over,”

“What?” confusion made her freeze. More nichevo’ya descended from the windows, easily rounding up the royal guards and nobles. The King was forced to his knees by one of the creatures, and Alina thought he had wet himself from the terror. “You can’t be giving up, Nikolai!” After everything?

“I am,” he simply replied, sheathing his sword as he turned back to her. He gestured around the room. “Is what you’ve just seen not enough?”

“So you are handing Ravka over to the Darkling? Do you have any idea what he’ll do to it?!”

“Oh, unspeakable things Ravka has never known, I’m sure,” Nikolai brushed some lint off his sleeves, frowning at the blood stains. “Taxation on the rich, for starters,”

Alina stumbled back, as if he had just hit her. In the midst of the chaos, the Darkling appeared among his creatures, calm and composed as if he hadn’t just successfully led a coup, regal already in his black kefta. The sight did not seem to alarm Nikolai at all.

“You aren’t giving up,” she understood suddenly. “You were always on his side,” 

“Well, I am giving up. On you. I tried, Alina, I really tried. I took you here, I showed you all—” he gestured down at his brother, what was left of him anyway, then his kneeling father, and the nobles. “—this. I took you all across Ravka so you’d see how people live in this country, and then here so you’d see the contempt the nobles have for their people. My brother’s last word was to call you a witch, that’s all you would have ever been to him, you and all the other grishas. You truly believed he’d eventually give up the crown to me? You can’t stay that naive forever, Alina, not when you’re the one wielding the power to change it all,”

Her arms whipped in the air, and he didn’t even have time to move out of the way of her Cut that shadows clashed with it, stopping it in its course. The Darkling stepped closer, bringing his hands together, and Alina’s own were soon tightly bound together, unable to move.

“Since when?!” she spat. “Was the battle on the Volkvolny fake too?!”

“Well, I wondered,” the Darkling drawled, glancing at Nikolai from the corner of his eye. “You shot me, after all,”

“It had to look realistic,” Nikolai replied smugly.

“You could have missed,”

“I don’t miss,” 

“Nikolai!” the King bellowed. “How could you betray your own family?!”

The Darkling produced a handkerchief from his pocket and approached Nikolai, cupping his face with his free hand. The prince easily leaned into the touch, closing his eyes as the other man tried to wipe the blood off his face. Oh, he had missed this, in those months apart.

“Now we are family, funny how that works,” he muttered.

“Didn’t your men kill Ivan? For a fake battle?!”

“Have more faith in Ivan, Alina, besides I’d miss his delightful glaring at me whenever I am less than three metres away from his general,” As they spoke, the man was probably already in the Little Palace rounding up everyone with the grishas that had stayed on the Darkling’s side —both officially and unofficially. “I thought we could still convince you to be on Ravka’s side, that’s why we set all this up. I thought you just needed to see to understand this is needed. This is Ravka’s only hope,”

“A monster on the throne. Or two,” she shook her head dejectedly.

“You did once say I reminded you of him,” Nikolai chuckled. “And then you kept trusting me, so I thought I was doing something right. But I guess not,"

His attention went back on the Darkling, whose hand was still on his cheek. The shadow summoner flexed his wrist just to tilt the prince's head up and allow their lips to meet, caring little about the blood still lingering on his mouth and face. After they separated, he stepped over his brother's body and followed the Darkling until they reached his father. The Queen would be spared, that had been the compromise Nikolai had gotten out of his lover, something he had been firm on ever since they started murmuring plots and dreams of the future under the blanket on that first summer after he came back from  university. 

But the King… 

"He is all yours, Kolya," The Darkling purred in his ear. 

"Vasily was supposed to be as well," he was hardly mad about it, he had never been bloodthirsty. The dirty work needed done, and if it had to be by him then he would. 

"He attacked you. My nichevo'ya obey my will, even out of my sight," 

Aleksander's hand tightened around his shoulder. Once that would be over with, they could get started on rebuilding the country. Fixing it. It wouldn’t be easy, and he was disappointed he had gotten nowhere with Alina. They’d probably have to use that poor sod of a tracker against her to get her to fulfil her duties to her country. 

He tilted his head as he barely listened to the Tsar’s pleading and slowly reached out to take the crown off him. He contemplated it for a moment before turning around and smiling.

“Sasha,” he simply said, and that was all it took for the Darkling to lower himself, putting a knee down, looking up at him with devotion. But he did not place the crown on his own head, instead carefully balancing it atop ink black hair. “Rise, moi Tsar,” he whispered.

[noaheadiegamedev]

Gasket

Species: Human

Homeworld: Asteroid L5R-7KJH

Pronouns: She/Her

“Learn to use yer tools - or yer tools will learn to use you.”

Backstory after the jump.

For three generations, Gasket's family defended Sprocket Gulch, a scrapyard-turned-village, against the killer robots that ravaged their world. When the war broke out eighty years ago, and the capital city fell, Gasket's grandfather used his Juggernaut class power armor - cutting edge technology in his time - to clear the city’s scrapyard of robots. He then founded the village and established and maintained its defense perimeter, which his son took up after his passing. When this successor  - Gasket’s father - was slain in an especially brutal robot attack, Gasket inherited her grandfather's Juggernaut suit, and with it the mantle of Sprocket Gulch's defender. She used the armor to protect her home, and was the closest thing the village had to a leader. Despite her tireless efforts and critical life-saving decisions, she alone took the blame for any tragedy that befell them. As a result, she was considered both the worst yet only possible person for the job. Nevertheless, she dutifully carried on.

By the time she was thirty, the soil was barren, all useful scrap metal was used up, and excursions to find the materials necessary to sustain the village had become increasingly perilous. Sprocket Gulch's resources were dwindling, and Gasket realized her world would soon collapse unless she took drastic action. Gasket gathered a group of twenty men for a mission through the capital city's ruins. Her plan: storm the military research base located deep within, where the robots' command servers were located. Destroy the servers, and the war would be over. A gruesome defeat was almost certain, but Gasket knew the alternative - being starved out by the robots - would be a far crueler fate.

During the week-long journey to the city, Gasket grew closer to her platoon, shedding her gruff exterior and gaining a sense of family she had never felt before. When they arrived at the city's gates, the group's newfound unity gave them the strength to venture forth - and begin a campaign far grislier than any of them could ever imagine.

The harsh reality: the robots sent only their weakest drones to attack the village. Those that defended the capital were at least ten times as deadly, and ten times as numerous. In a matter of hours, Gasket lost half her men. In spite of the hell they found themselves in, the surviving soldiers remained loyal to Gasket, as they charged through the streets and into the military base.

The robots roaming the base's halls were even deadlier than those that guarded the streets. Each was a unique warmachine unto itself. Gasket's platoon was simply no match for these super-killers. The siege devolved into a mad dash for the servers, with Gasket and her squad running more than fighting. By the time they reached the server room, they were reduced to only six warriors. Worse still, they were surrounded, outnumbered a million to one. Covered by her comrades, Gasket used her ion cannon to destroy the servers, with each one taking out ten thousand drones. She took to this with the righteous, systematic fervor of a woman fighting desperately for what remained of her crumbling world, shouting the name of a fallen soldier with each pull of the trigger. When the last server was destroyed, the war ended, and Gasket emerged victorious.

She and her squad - now only four strong - contacted Sprocket Gulch to start the exodus back to the capital. During the wait, the soldiers raided the base. They found a bounty of resources, including fifty years of rations, a thriving arboretum, a vast database of scientific knowledge, an army's worth of weapons and armaments - and a single rocketship with room for but one person. When the villagers arrived, they voted unanimously that Gasket was the most deserving to pilot the rocket and find help to rebuild the city. Initially, she refused, but her squadmates convinced her that they were well-equipped to defend themselves. Trusting her newfound family, Gasket said goodbye, and set off into space, still wearing her grandfather's armor.

Gasket traveled to distant worlds, spreading her grandfather's ashes and rediscovering the universe from which her people were cut off for nearly a century. During her travels, Gasket made it a priority to learn about sentient machines from across the cosmos, and differentiate them from the mindless drones that terrorized her people. In time, her story caught the attention of the Thrasher League. She accepted their offer to fight in the arena, and the League helped rebuild her homeworld by sending a small fleet of construction freighters.

Gasket is a thrasher who appears rough on the outside, but is approachable once you get to know her. She enjoys talking shop with other mechanics, and trading war stories with other veterans. She's always ready to defend her fellow thrashers, and more than once has gone to blows for them. 

Despite its obsolescence, Gasket refuses to modify her grandfather's suit with newer technology. She also will not replace its parts with those standard for Juggernaut suits, nor even repaint or refurbish it. She fixes it herself using scrap metal, believing that anything else would taint her grandfather's memory. She has repeatedly patched the suit back together from what many would consider total disrepair, and has sworn to retire from the League if the suit becomes truly wrecked beyond her expertise.

[jadelotusflower]

2023 Roundup - books read

Fiction

The Neverending Story - Michael Ende (re-read)

The Heavens - Sandra Newman

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm - Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising - Leigh Bardugo

Monkey - Wu Chen'en (translation: Arthur Waley)

A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins (re-read)

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (re-read)

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins (re-read)

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (re-read)

Non-Fiction

Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries - Alan Rickman

The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner - Grace Tame

The Story of Alice: Lewis Carroll and the Secret History of Wonderland - Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

I'm Not Fine, Thanks - Wil Anderson

Finding Me - Viola Davis

Maybe I Don't Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown, and Recovery - David Harewood

Ask a Historian: 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know - Greg Jenner

A Million Years in a Day: A Curious History of Daily Life - Greg Jenner

Legends of the Fire Spirits: Jinn and Genies from Arabia to Zanzibar - Robert Lebling

The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell

The Heroine with 1001 Faces - Maria Tatar

Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me - Ralph Macchio

The Novel Project: A Step-by-Step Guide to your Novel, Memoir or Biography - Graeme Simsion

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators - Ronan Farrow

Pandora's Jar: Woman in the Greek Myths - Natalie Haynes

Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder, and the birth of the FBI - David Grann

That makes 11 fiction and 16 non-fiction so 27 total.

I really didn't get to read as much as I wanted this year, but I did finally get around to the Shadow and Bone trilogy (and was surprised just how different the show ended up being to the third book especially) - the rest of the Grishaverse is on the to read list for 2024. After seeing The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film (in contrast, a very faithful adaptation) I also revisited the books and do think they hold up as among the best of the YA genre.

It was the year of non-fiction for me, and really, the year of the memoir. I do love an actor's memoir in particular.

On the history front, Greg Jenner was a pleasing discovery, I do enjoy the irreverent tone and unique approach - I also recommend his history podcast You're Dead to Me.

On the true crime front, Catch and Kill was a hugely compelling (but confronting and infuriating) look back at Farrow's reporting of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, showing just how deeply the rot in the entertainment and media industry goes to foster and protect predators. Killers of the Flower Moon was an interesting read after seeing the film, although I was surprised at how much the book focused on Tom White and played as a whodunnit as opposed to the film's reframing of the story.

As for my one true love, myth and legend, I've gone back to Campbell as it's a foundational (if problematic) work before exploring alternate takes - The Heroine with 1001 Faces had some interesting ideas about the role of female archetypes in fiction, and Pandora's Jar was a compelling examination on the women in Greek myth specifically. That made be seek out Haynes's fiction work A Thousand Ships which explores the aftermath of the Trojan War from the female perspective and while I enjoyed that overall, it didn't quite hit the heights I wanted it to. Still, her novel about Medusa is on the to-read list.

Pretty much everyone I know bought me books for Christmas this year, so here's to a productive 2024!