My second ficinabox story! This one is Grimm, because how could I resist when someone (*cough* miss_ingno *cough*) requests my tiny OT3? :D
The prompt was, "canon divergence where Juliette copes better with her transformation into a Hexenbiest" - and when I thought about where to branch off and rewatched some episodes, I realised I could start right at the beginning, with her very first woge. Derail it all before it gains any ground! No secrecy to come between Nick and Juliette, no losing control, no shocking reveal in the aftermath of violence ... and if Nick was there for her first woge, she'd see his Grimm eyes, too!
Of course Nick still has issues, and Juliette is still struggling - but that's where Renard comes in, because when the two of them turn to him together, magic happens. *g*
(And so much happens in that one night that I managed to derail some other plot as well, just from having Juliette woge in front of everyone! I had so much fun with that. :D)
**
Farewell to the Monsters (10,183 words) Fandom:Grimm (TV) Rating: Mature Relationship: Nick Burkhardt/Sean Renard/Juliette Silverton Characters: Juliette Silverton, Nick Burkhardt, Sean Renard, Rosalee Calvert, Monroe, Hank Griffin Content Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode Related, s04e08 Chupacabra, Hexenbiest reveal, Hexenbiest Psychology, Hexenbiest Sexuality, UST, Developing Relationship
Summary:
Juliette almost wished Nick didn't know what was happening to her. She could quietly deal with it on her own, get rid of it, go back to normal before anyone found out.
That would have been so much easier. Instead, she'd woged in front of everyone. And there was no turning back.
I thought I would follow up the interview that was held with General Havrylov yesterday with a short commentary piece focussing on the issue of Ukraine’s supposed manpower crisis. This idea has been a key part of the analysis for more than two years now, analysis saying Ukraine was on the verge of military failure. I will also include a special section for paying subscribers explaining, as best as I can, how Ukraine was able to successfully counterattack in the last few months north of Pokrovsk and around Kupyansk. Its a fascinating story and I have been publishing overwhelmingly free material, so thought I would provide you something special; a little Christmas present as it were.
A Russian Soldier On Horseback In The Grey Zone
By the way, if you have not watched the interview, here it is. I would strongly urge you to do so, as General Havrylov explains clearly and effectively how the fighting has evolved over the last few years and why the battlefield looks as it does now.
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How Did We Get Here?
Right off the bat what was interesting was the realization process that the Ukrainian military has had to undergo. As General Havrylov outlines at the start, the Ukrainians began the war with mostly Soviet-designed equipment and expecting to fight a combined arms war. What happened, however, was that technology, particularly the growth of UAVs (drones), started making such a plan impossible.
And it took a while for the Ukrainians to get here. He states that it was really not until 2025 that the Ukrainian military understood many aspects of the new, UAV-defined battlefield. A key moment in this process was the creation of a distinct Ukrainian UAV focussed military command, the Unmanned Systems Force, in 2024. This process was crucial, because until the realization of exactly how the battlefield had changed, Ukrainian casualties remained high. General Havrylov did not say this last statement exactly, but it was implied.
How Have UAVs Changed the Battlefield?
The first change started by the constant surveillance that UAVs could provide. As long as you had enough of them, and cheap First Person View (FPV) UAVs were fine, you could have a very good idea of what was happening on the battlefield. When UAVs were then also built to be offensive weapons (called Kamikaze drones at times) that was extremely important. It meant that not only vehicles, but also individual soldiers were in great peril almost as soon as they were identified.
This compounded so many things. Large logistic dumps had already been pushed back a great deal because of HIMARS, but now even small dumps were incredibly hard to protect, meaning that more and more supplies had to struggle even to reach the area of engagement.
This was when the creation of what Havrylov called the “Grey” Zone (its also been called the Kill Zone) really took off. It was the area between the two armies that was so regularly patrolled by UAVs that staying alive was almost impossible unless you had really good cover. Havrylov discusses the Grey Zone a great deal, saying now it is 10-15 kilometres wide but that the expectation soon is that it will grow to 25 or even 50 kilometres wide.
How Have the Russians Coped With This?
I do not know if you noticed, but the awesomely adaptive Russian military we have been hearing about for the last two years, sent some soldiers into the grey zone on horses the other day (where they were promptly killed).
This is just one example of what the Russians are doing—which is sacrificing their soldiers in many different ways to basically cross the Grey Zone and try to reach cover a little further forward. It can be horses, crawling, motorcycles, taking advantage of bad weather, etc, but the process is the same. Find some way to get some soldiers across the grey zone, even if you lose many more in the process.
Is it adaptation? I suppose of the most brutal and wasteful type. However it explains what we are seeing. Lots of Russian attacks up and down the line all the time, most failing, a few finding cover which leads to the Russians taking a field here or a house there. It also explains why there can be no breakthrough/exploitation in the classic sense (and why the analytical community always screws this up). Even if the Russians have a success and take a field, there is no supplied concentration of forces behind it waiting to follow it up.
How Have the Ukrainians Coped With This?
This was some of the most interesting things in the discussion. The Ukrainians have basically stripped the front line of soldiers in many places, and relied on the unmanned forces and very small units (a soldier or just a handful of soldiers) to try and undertake the fighting. In conceptual terms what they are trying to do is limit the number of soldiers that they expose to danger while exacting the highest possible toll from the Russians. Havrylov said plans have developed to use 10% of the Ukrainian army to create 50% of the casualties for the Russians. He added that they believe that they are almost there.
This means that in 2025 Ukrainian casualties vis a vis the Russians have dropped, which has helped the manpower situation for Ukraine. It jhas obviously taken a while and been a difficult learning curve, but now at least they seem to be able to inflict heavy casualties on the Russians while reducing their own.
What Does Ukraine Need Going Forward
Here Gen Harvrylov was explicit. Ukraine needs highly motivated and trained soldiers, not a mass army of unwilling conscripts. Indeed, identifying and training new UAV pilots is one of the greatest needs. He was clear that in Ukraine, a democratic system which has a vibrant civil society, there was not a desire for a mass conscript force at the front. The Russians can do that and basically take prisoners, etc, as they do not care about their people. However, it would be catastrophic for Ukraine to copy the Russians in this regard.
Indeed, relying on a smaller number of more motivated soldiers is a key part of the Ukrainian victory strategy. Havrylov was clear that he views the Russians as on a losing trajectory if they keep on taking such high casualties while Ukraine can reduce theirs. Ukraine needs to deny Russia the prospect of victory.
And that is a key to the kind of support that Ukraine needs from its partners. Its to fight the war that they find themselves in. The need air defense for protection against Russian ranged attacks, then as much assistance in UAV production and the like, as possible.
This is the special section for paying subscribers. Its based on a range of information that I have. Also, at times I will speculate on what Ukraine did, without describing how. Either I do not know the how or I do not want to release any improper information.
We have seen in the last four months the Ukrainians retake territory in a very different way than the Russians have taken it. Both north of Pokrovsk and recently around Kupiansk, the Ukrainians pushed the Russians back by 5-10 kilometres and not suffered terrible casualties. As a reminder here was the situation around Pokrovsk on 11 August. I will use the Deep State maps for below
and here it was just over two months later.
Likewise, here was the situation around Kupiansk a month ago.
Fandom: Heated Rivalry Characters/Pairing/Other Subject: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Content Notes/Warnings: none Medium: digital art Artist on DW/LJ: n/a Artist Website/Gallery:catandcrown on tumblr Why this piece is awesome: A very nice digital painting imagining the boys at a club with Ilya pulling Shane in by his tie. I like the two versions, and the intensity between Shane and Ilya. Link:coloured version, and grayscale version
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It's a Supernatural fic where I eventually added a second chapter in reply to a prompt here on tumblr ("rewrite something in a different character's POV"; the first chapter was from Sam's POV, the second from Castiel's) and the people making the podcast did something creative with it, first doing the fic as it is and then combining both chapters into a third one.
That event is still open to leave gifts, as are sapphic stocking stuffers and fandomtrees. Feel free to peruse other people comments (in the first case) and tags (in the second) to see if you want to leave someone a present!
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 34 secrets from Secret Submission Post #989. Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ]. Current Secret Submissions Post:here. Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Bonus farm news: Both housemates now gone away over Christmas. I'm away over the night, too, which means asking neighbors to feed the ducks and the cat, as we have helped out the same neighbors in the past with their cat, hens, and sheep when they were away. I am very happy to have established some good neighbor relationships!
+ Had an extended family dinner today and got to listen to my lovely aunt and cousin talk about how great ChatGPT is, how she's using it to plan a girl's trip to Italy, and how helpful it'll be for writing the speeches at my grandmother's funeral. Fucking shoot me into outer space strapped to a rocket.
+ Got to see the latest Avatar movie at the cinemas. My least favorite of the three, lacking the genuine awe and beauty of the world. What they did try just felt forced, and one character in particular should have been left to die in the second movie ugh.
+ Big plus for the cozy and hazily lit curtain fic promo trailer thingy they did before the movie. IYKYK. Kinda made me wish I had an ear to the ground in that fandom still.
+ I think I've successfully broken through my iconning block!! Shout out to dysfunctional vampires and dysfunctional lesbians.
+ BIG psa: Apple shifted Pluribus to air on the 24th, two days earlier than usual. I'll have to get up extra early to see it before 2 Nøtter Til Askepott, because if not I'll be thinking about it and wanting to all day lol. It's been such a good series for me to watch? There's this whole thing where there's two wolves inside of me, one appreciating the thought and care put into every decision, and how slow it's allowed to move, the second wanting to pick into every detail and tear through it. Both enjoyable in different ways!
I have watched every episode a minimum of twice. It may be my new comfort watch show?¯\_ (ツ)_/¯
Blessed Yule and solstice, friends. May this next turn of the year be better to all of us than the one that's just ended.
Impressively and unexpectedly, we didn't lose power on the weekend (so many people did!); not really coincidentally, Bucky remains undecorated. We also haven't put up any lights or the wreath outside (probably just as well, given the winds), and I didn't even think of that until maybe yesterday. Oh, well.
(I no longer have any real hope of finishing a draft of this rewrite before Christmas, since I'm getting such a late start on work today and we have plans for much of Christmas Eve once scruloose's half-day of work ends. It's fine. I've been doing other things. *shrugs*)
A few nights ago I guess I ~slept wrong~, as I woke up Saturday with a very unhappy neck. Yesterday was better, and today is better again, and I'm lucky to not have this kind of thing happen more often (*knocks wood*), but it's so annoying as well as painful. Body, if you're taking damage while sleeping, why don't you move to a better position?! Does the conscious brain need to handle everything around here? (Thankfully no.)
Claire and Bell meet in a place no one enters by choice: prison. Wrongly convicted of drug possession, Bell begins her fifteen-month sentence only to find herself targeted by a powerful group within the grounds. Even the warden turns a blind eye to their actions. Her only path to safety is to go to Claire, a violent inmate no one dares mess with. Nothing is as easy as she'd hoped. As their bond deepens, their path reaches a crossroads and they must choose between life and love. (MyDramaList)
Might seem an appropiate book to read this time of the year.
A quick summary of what this novel is about barely touches the surface. It is ostensibly the story of an Irish immigrant to the United States, come by ship to Butte, Montana, in 1891 with thousands of his fellows from a starved-out country. Also like thousands of other Irish, the promised land does not show him much promise. Most scratch out a living in the area copper mines. Recreation consists of binge drinking and fighting. Life is brutish.
Tom Rourke seems to rush headlong into the troubles that await him: poverty, alcohol, drugs, skimpy wages blown on prostitutes, opiates and card games. Often numbed by his favoured substances, he stumbles toward survival by using his skill with a pen to write matchmaking letters for other lonely and desperate men. He has no particular dream in that regard. Until he meets Polly Gillespie, the new mail-order bride of a local mine owner, leagues above him in status and wealth. They know immediately. They rob a boarding house safe and flee to San Francisco on a stolen horse, pursued by three hired hit men to avenge the duped husband.
In its bare outlines, then, this is a familiar story. New land, new life, new love, impediments to happiness, lawlessness, danger, and high stakes everywhere. But this story becomes something different in the hands of Kevin Barry, who is no ordinary writer. His earlier publications have received international acclaim and prestigious writing awards in his native Ireland. He captures the fine details of historical fiction, especially as seen through the eyes of an outsider, but the language here is more poetic than novelistic. There are turns of phrase, images and modes of speech, and humour both subtle and outrageous, so striking that you will want to write them immediately down to savour. Most important, for all its Wild West setting, and its boy-girl romance, this novel bursts through the usual confines of the immigration story and the frontier love story that it might, at first, appear to be. It becomes something of a meditation on the price of love, and the meaning of survival, and the relationship between what is beautiful and what is not.
Not as emotionally involving as Unbearable Lightness, I still enjoyed Kundera's musings and his imaginitive approach to storytelling. He juggles a number of separate, related narratives, but the most interesting one involves the poet and philosopher, Goethe. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue between Goethe's ghost and Hemingway's ghost in heaven. Unfortunately, the purely fictional characters didn't grab me in the same way.
Ultimately, the characters and their stories weren't as compelling as the author's thoughts on a wide variety of subjects. While I didn't agree with a lot of the ideas he put forward, I wasn't put off by them, as much as they helped me reexamine my own beliefs. His ideas are very personal and reflect a unique personality. Though some have found him misogynistic, and I can understand why, I don't necessarily buy it (or hope that he's not). The philosophical wanderings were enough to make me enjoy reading it, I just wish the story had left me with more of an emotional impact.
In Netflix's j-movie 10Dance, a ballroom dance champion and a Latin dance champion train each other and their partners to join the 10Dance competition.
It was pretty great, but the beginning felt too much like a caricature. They probably should have released it a month earlier, instead of in the middle of Heated Rivalry, where the writing/directing/acting is full of subtleties.
There's major m/m, and more to come if they keep adapting the manga.
Welcome to our last color challenge in 2025! You too can always suggest color palettes for us to use HERE in the suggestion post!
-create 1-3 icons using the colors in the palettes. -at least one of the colors must be clearly visible in the finished icon. -you do not have to use the exact colors, you can use similar colors, but using the exact shades makes it more fun/challenging. -any and all fandoms are allowed (this includes stock). -icons should be 100x100, 60kb or less. -post your icons to the community as a new post. tag with round: ##, maker: username. an example post can be found here in the rules post. -have fun!
Your icons are due by 11:59 p.m. EDT/EST on Sunday January 04 2026! (countdown)
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ficinabox story! This one is Grimm, because how could I resist when someone (*cough* 
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