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jinx-on-mars-19xx · 7 months

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Swallowing Hard Truths

Not Natural ✨ The Devil's Trap ✨ Holy Water ✨ The Demon's Altar ✨ Midnight Meeting ✨ The Hunter's Trap ✨ Sharp Secrets and Bloody Blades ✨ A Hunter's Beast Tamed ✨ No Chick Flick Moments ✨ Witches, Bitches, and Beasts ✨ Cursed or Not ✨ Poison Lips and True Love's Kiss

Dom x Colson (Yungblud x Machine Gun Kelly)

Warnings: SPN inspired, ABO dynamics (knots, slick, heats), demon Kells, hunter Dom, getting hexed, inappropriate use of kitchens, fingering, cunnilingus, cock warming, magic downers, mentions of outside sex, mentions of death (other people's), mentions of hunting, lore, being a brat, taking care of Tom, trying to be empathetic, talks about their pasts, being jumped (in the fun way), graphic descriptions of a blow job, choking, grinding, Dom being pushy, mentions of prostitution, blowjob black out, boys not so secretly in love ⚰️ rating: explicit

Keliphos hadn't let himself be so cooped up since his time in hell as how he ended up being stuck at Tom's cabin. It wasn't a bad feeling exactly but he certainly wasn't used to it. Even though he and Dom were ignoring a mountain of shit they needed to talk about, they were having an amazing week. The demon had a bad feeling in the back of his mind so he kept the boy on the magically protected property and while they were doing great, things with the witch were… strained at times. Of course he was bedding his omega anywhere he could and some places he wasn't supposed to. When they were caught in the herb garden Tom hexed them for the day so neither of them could get it up. Joke was on him though, the beast had plenty of other fun things to teach his beauty.

He wasn't sure if he was in a mini war with the ancient or not but it made him ornery. He fingered Dom in the library, ate him out under the kitchen table, when the boy's oral fixation took over he let him warm his soft cock for as long as he wanted. The punk still hadn't truly blown him because every time they started playing they got distracted but watching him sit like the good bitch he was made Kells need it even more. The Hunter was so fucking horny the devil was almost overwhelmed. He didn't know if it was just him finally losing his v card after waiting so long, if he liked Kells that much, or if he was in heat, but Dom was turning into the perfect little slut for him. They hadn't actually been getting as much research done as they had meant to but they had time.

The nephalem made sure to wear the boy out at night and it was no different under the hex. He knew it was only twenty four hour magic but the moment Dom passed out he was sneaking out of bed to think of a way to get back at his new frenemy. He wandered out nude because he truly didn't give a shit but the home was dark and quiet. Part of him thought they should talk about it, he didn't know if Tom was truly upset with them or not so he made his way to the witch's study but found it empty there too. He'd obviously been there recently, there was a candle burning low and a book open on the desk. He knew he probably shouldn't bother it but… they were all hunting together right? He'd been welcomed to 'any volume in the library' and he was just devil enough to snap his fingers and teleport there with the book.

"It's in the library isn't it?" He whispered to himself. He knew that specific tome was from the hippy's special shelf. There were books of magic Tom didn't think anyone else should have access to so he kept them safe but Kells was just as old if not older… he could handle whatever was there. The pages were soft and thin, made out of something he could feel wasn't from the human plane. The writing was beautiful and ancient but what it said was confusing.

They were hunting an old demon but the book Tom had been focusing on was full of stories of the Grecian pantheon. From Chaos to the Muses to demigods it was all familial connections and bullet point tales as if it were someone's journal who knew them all. There were notes in the margins, doodles, and things were even angrily scratched out and rewritten. Keliphos was confused why the writer's voice felt familiar.

There was a notepad stuck inside the book with a pen hooked over it and he noticed it was a list of names with many of them crossed out. He picked it up, his preternatural night vision reading it easily but it took him a moment to realize what it was. The names that had already been crossed out were gods who had been Hunted- he knew of a few and was able to assume the rest. Aphrodite was crossed out of course but he couldn't help drawing a little tongue out devil doodle next to it and writing- 'fuck yeah!' He knew it would get him caught but just to hopefully ease the tension between them he added 'good job' next to it.

He tucked the notepad back inside and flipped through the pages a little more, but something inside him drew him to a certain page. The story there was something out of a tragic romance novel- two primordial gods torn apart because one was misunderstood. From what he was reading the stolen goddess sounded like the first true demon but he knew there were so many legends about who was the original. From what he could see in his skimming the pair were meant to be but the goddess was taken, leaving the god to disappear. He set the book down again and traced the gorgeous calligraphy of the two names. "Achlys and Aether." He whispered and the words felt weighted on his tongue. He started to find a seat to read further when he heard something.

His instincts were on high alert and he was too nervous to leave it be. He wanted to trust Tom's witch work and protections but just in case… He waved his hand and sent the book back to its spot, dressing himself in a pair of gray sweats at the same time. The sound was coming from outside so he teleported there, trying to ready himself for anything. What he wasn't prepared to find though was Tom kneeling in his garden and crying over a rose bush Kells didn't remember seeing before. For once he didn't think the witch knew he was there but as much as he wanted to leave him be, he knew Dom would be disappointed. Fuck.

"Why do none of you learn? I don't understand, it's like you beg to be hunted! Did I teach you nothing about the sanctity of life? Yet you all leave me with regret. Not him. Not- not them. It won't happen again. Though… I can't possibly be right. There's no way it's true. I'm just mad. That's it. Perhaps you've broken me." Tom cried to himself softly, his glowing tears falling to soak into the soil. Keliphos arched a brow, his nerves getting the best of him. He knew a lot of ancients went crazy and it didn't help if they kept to themselves.

He took a deep breath and stepped closer, making sure to make a noise in the leaves and the witch jumped but didn't turn around, he just stopped crying and wiped his face to hide. Kells summoned a lit joint for both of them and took a deep drag before trying to hand it over. He was thankful when Tommy reached back for it. The dude needed to relax a little. "So… I noticed a lot of Men of Letters shit inside." He tried to talk about anything besides what he heard.

Tom sniffled and nodded, sighing deep as he stood to face the beast. "Who do you think helped them begin? I thought to protect humans from things like us but… many of those people were monsters as well." They both shuddered. The MoL had been responsible for terrible things but some of them were good. Obviously the guy was regretting his whole life though. Keliphos knew that emotion, he'd been at that edge plenty of times. He just hoped Dominic pulled Tom from it as much as he did for him but… preferably not for the same reason.

"So you've always been a badass nerd. Cool." The devil teased, taking the joint back and taking a long pull before he made it vanish. "You're going to hate me but I have to ask-"

"You really don't."

"Dom will be pissed if I don't. Sorry man but I'm supposed to be a good guy now." The beast joked, giving the witch his best grin but the other ancient just rolled his eyes.

"I won't tell him. You can just leave me alone and he never has to know you didn't check on me. Besides, you were spying." Tom tried to run him off but they both knew it wouldn't work.

"I heard you. Are you okay?" His saliva tasted sour on his tongue but he still added- "Can I help?" But at the faux gag from Tommy he dropped his gaze back to the garden behind him. There were so many different blooms but the roses were definitely new. Did he plant after every kill? Or… was it in memory of?

"I'm old Keliphos, I've known many people. Thank you for the offer but I'm fine. You may tell your master you did your good deed for the day. Though the mess you left in my library might cancel it out."

"He's not my master. If anything-" Kells grumbled but he knew the witch was trying to change the subject and knew what buttons to push. "You killed someone you loved? For me?" His voice was soft and full of confusion but Tom shook his head.

"It wasn't like that. Please? Please let this go for now? Give me time. Aphrodite was not the girl I knew any longer. Or perhaps I'm not the creature I was. Please? Just… let this prove I'm on your side. Both of you. But just grant me time?" It almost sounded like a desperate beg and though it felt like torture not to understand he found enough empathy to let it rest. For a time at least. The creature must have been able to feel him agreeing or perhaps he nodded but he stepped forward and put his arm around the devil to lead him back inside. "The hex will be lifted in… oh, look at that- five minutes. Go to him, I'm sure he needs you, though I'll never know why."

Keliphos pushed him gently, sticking his tongue out for a moment. Tom knew them well enough to know that would be what got him moving. They parted ways when the got inside, Tom off to his study and the demon down the hall to his bedroom but before he could reach it the door flew open and his lover took his hand to yank him inside. The door pushed shut behind him and his back was slammed against the wood. He didn't know what was happening but suddenly he had his arms full of needy omega and fuck, wasn't that the best?

"I 'eard you wiv 'im. I woke up and got worried you was killing each over but-" The Hunter's voice was soft and whimpering already, his words coming fast between nips and kisses along his jaw. "Fank you. You was good." He whined, his already wet core grinding rough against where the demon was soon to get hard as a rock.

"Lemme get this shit straight-" Kells growled, his hands groping tight at his lover's ass. He hadn't expected that but it was a welcome surprise and he was great at going with the flow. Especially Dom's. "You're jumping me because I was sweet to another dude?"

"Shut the fuck up. You was nice to me only family Kells. Now, did he say five minutes?" The kid was almost bouncing on his cock and it wasn't even out or hard yet. The nephalem didn't know how the kid could ignore the rest of the conversation but with him so happy and desperate he couldn't be fucked.

He could feel his cocky grin curl his lips as his bitch tried to soak him through their clothes but he could already feel the magic waning and he had an idea. Dom squeaked when the only thing holding him up disappeared and he started slipping down his devil like a sexy monster stripper pole. The gray sweats were too loose so they came down with him and by the time the boy's ass hit the floor there was a hand on his head and a finally filling dick in his face.

Saliva pooled on Dom's tongue and he whimpered low, squeezing his thighs together to find some kind of relief. When his gaze rolled up they met stormclouds, though he'd swear the blue glow was stronger than the black clouds. "Need you." He huffed softly, pouting up at his lover but the devil was out to play and it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Oh? Would you rather taste my dick or lick your slick off of it? Cause one way or the other I'm stuffing this down your throat till you choke." Kells rasped, his voice deep and sharp as he curled his free hand around his already pulsing knot. Like Tom had said, he did his good deed for the day and he'd spent the rest of it pleasuring his omega. It was time to let a little of his monster out and by the heavy scent of arousal in the air, Dom was okay with that.

"And if I bend over the bed instead?" He purred back but he was already testing his jaw. He wasn't normally happy with the size of it but as he eyed the beast in front of him he knew he needed the space. Fingers tugged his hair up hard and he felt his brain start to melt.

"Like I said- either way babe. But I thought you might rather me knot your pussy instead of your mouth. I don't care, your choice." Of course he did, his new favorite thing was laying in bed blissed out, plugging his bitch full but Dom didn't need to know that. He dropped the kid's hair, pushing him a bit too rough but of course he came right back and Kells shoved two fingers between his lips, yanking his mouth open.

Dom choked at the intrusion but he obeyed as best he could. He wasn't used to it, he'd never followed directions very well but his lover deserved a treat after all he'd done. Dom couldn't even count how many times he'd cum that day and he never thought he'd care so little about his own cock but he was certainly obsessed with the one in front of him. His mouth opened wide, his tongue teasing the digits still holding him open. Even though hours had passed he could taste himself on the beast's fingers. His slick had dried there like day old perfume. Kells was right, he wanted to taste him fresh, not covered in his own juices.

Blunt teeth bit down on his fingers and before Keliphos could pull them free the boy was diving forward. He ended up still hooking Dom's mouth open as he swallowed the tip of his cock but the angle was all wrong and he finally pulled them free. "Bratty bitch." He hissed. He wished he could punish the Hunter but something always stopped him short before he caused him too much pain. The kid had been through too much already.

Dom mumbled something with his mouth full but he didn't even know what it was. He was too focused on the silky hot weight on his tongue and the salty warmth of precum already coating the back of his throat. He didn't care if his partner called him a brat or a bitch, he knew he was giving him exactly what he wanted. He just hoped his enthusiasm made up for his inexperience. He'd made a little money when he was younger in ways he regretted but that was mostly hands or letting people watch him play. Almost everything was new with his demon, and even when it wasn't it felt like it was. There was something about the beast but he wouldn't look too closely at it.

The devil let his head fall against the door as his fingers tangled back in Dom's hair but his boy was eager enough he didn't really need to help. The punk was already drooling around him, bobbing his head until he gagged, but he never stopped trying. Pushing. Shoving him deeper. "Fucking hell Dom- good boy." He didn't normally spill praises but he couldn't say anything else with the way his bitch was choking on him. The noises that floated up to make his ears twitch were better than any porn star and when Dom started humming he thought about proposing.

Dominic was on cloud nine. He never thought he'd enjoy something so much that felt so depraved but he had the most powerful demon he'd ever met moaning like a whore. When he finally got the monster's cock halfway down his throat and he felt his lips brushing his knot he paused there. His eyes rolled up, watching as the devil looked back at him, and even though his head was going light and dizzy he attempted to smirk and he swallowed.

Keliphos made a noise he'd deny forever was a whine but the way his omega felt choking around him was too much. Those plush pillow lips looked like sin pulled so tight and the steady tease of teeth was heaven. Somehow Dom knew every button he had or maybe he just really liked desperate virgins. He couldn't believe it was something as outlandish as love. No, fuck that. "Don't." He warned, though he wasn't sure what he was trying to stop him from doing. He just knew if the kid had any more tricks he'd get a belly full and not the kind he wanted.

Those jade eyes sparkled and the beast's hands slapped against the door. He could barely hold himself up anymore. Dom pulled off, almost all the way, and he waited a moment- letting them both breathe. He could feel tears and more wetting his face and he wondered if he looked like those girls Kells was watching on Casa Erotica one day. "Prettier." The devil tried to soothe and he felt the splash of joy that dosed Dom's brain. The scent of slick got stronger in the room and Keliphos was getting desperate for his favorite place- though that damn mouth was fast becoming a close second.

Suddenly a strong hand was gripping the demon's ass and the Hunter was swallowing his dick deep. Those petal soft spit wet lips kissed his knot but he didn't try to force it inside. Instead he curled his free palm there and squeezed tight. He didn't even move his head again; he just held close and kept gagging. Kells tried to pull free, he didn't think the kid could handle swallowing that much from him but Dom wouldn't move and he couldn't force him. Before he could find any way to stop himself he felt pleasure zinging up his spine and he broke. Every other time they came together he had some semblance of control but the human was learning and he was demanding every drop.

Dominic wished he could taste the demon's spend better but he knew if he pulled back at all Kells might push him off. For once he had the upper hand and even though his vision was going spotty he kept watching his lover. The nephalem was gorgeous in his rapture but the boy's instincts caught something else. At first all he could hear was the monster's grunts and moans but he swore a storm was rolling in. Or maybe it was the blood rushing in his ears. He kept swallowing, he refused to let anything break his focus but then lightning was striking, lighting up the room. He couldn't help but jump though he'd always loved storms. He just didn't know what was happening.

His gaze felt weak, his grip loosening, but even so blind he could only see his partner. Another strike and the room lit up bright but the thunder felt like pressure inside the room. As everything started going dark around him he fought passing out but he knew he would lose. It was worth it though as the world lit up around them again and he saw something he knew the devil would deny. His half angel alpha had wings.

Author's Note/Tags: @iamnotanearthlingmotherfucker @hollywoodxwhore @jaxbreaker @fenoy7 @cole-way-iero28 🖤

I need to start taking breaks again but I'm on a roll I suppose. I hope you enjoyed this! There was a little plot with the porn, just a smidge. Why was Tom reading that? What was he talking about? Why can't Kells let himself hurt Dom or let him leave the warded home? Why is Kells slowly becoming more of an angel? Who are the gods in the story? Keep reading to find out! I hope you're still loving it ⚰️🖤

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insidemyfavoritemanuscript · 1 year

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Episode 9: Zoe and Mac from The Maniculum Podcast!

In Episode 9 of Inside My Favorite Manuscript, Lindsey and Dot chat with Zoe and Mac from the Maniculum podcast, where they suggest ways to adapt medieval texts for TTRPG’s (tabletop roleplaying games). We talk about marginalia, games, and Mac takes us for a dive into the Rutland Psalter. We also talk to Zoe about her storytelling for Pentiment, a medieval adventure video game by Obsidian Entertainment.

Listen here, or wherever you find your podcasts.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to Dot and Lindsey over on The Maniculum Podcast! We talked about digital humanities, book history, and the secrets of women. Find links to listen here: https://www.themaniculumpodcast.com/episodes

Below the cut are page images and further reading from our conversation.

The Maniculum Podcast

The Maniculum Podcast on Tumblr

Pentiment

Book Historian Plays Pentiment! (Allie Alvis Pentiment play through)

Ludohistory Pentiment Playthrough Playlist on YouTube

Perna (oyster) - Der naturen bloeme - Jacob van Maerlant - KB KA 16 - 108v (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sebhat the Ethiopian scribe relates the story of Lazarus in Pentiment (via Obsidian on Twitter)

Saint George and the Dragon, UPenn LJS 102 f. 71r, early 20th century Ethiopian manuscript

British Library Add MS 62925, The Rutland Psalter

f. 14r

Close-up of bottom of 14r

Close-up of top of 14r

f. 57r

Close-up of bottom of f. 57r

f. 88v

Close-up of bottom of 88v

Betsy Chunko-Dominguez (2016) “Playing on Timbrels”: the margins of the Rutland Psalter, Word & Image, 32:1, 131-141, DOI: 10.1080/02666286.2016.1146540 (PDF here)

f. 67r

Close-up of bottom (heh) of f. 67r

f. 66v

Close-up of bottom of f. 66v

How the opening of ff. 66v-67r would approximately appear

The Luttrell Psalter on the BL Website

The Luttrell Psalter film, mentioned at this point in the podcast, is embedded at the end of this post.

Susan Kim and Asa Mittman, Inconceivable Beasts: The ‘Wonders of the East’ in the Beowulf Manuscript. ACMRS, 2013. (Download PDF here)

British Library blog post on Cotton Tiberius B v

Maniculum D23 posts

f. 87v

Close-up of bottom (heh) of f. 87v

f. 64r

Close-up of bottom of f. 64r

Close-up of top of f. 64r

The Book of Kells

f. 88r

Close-up of bottom of f. 88r

f. 16r

Close-up of bottom (heh) of 16r

(I promise I’m not doing this on purpose)

[Images in the 170s]

f. 5v, Calendar page for October

Close up of Scorpio zodiac sign

f. 3v, Calendar page for June

Close-up of Cancer Zodiac sign

f. 78v

Close-up of f. 78v.

f. 70v

Close-up of f. 70v

Further reading on The Rutland Psalter:

Chunko-Dominguez, Betsy. “‘Playing on Timbrels’: The Margins of the Rutland Psalter.” Word & Image (London. 1985), vol. 32, no. 1, 2016, pp. 131–41 (PDF)

Morgan, Nigel. “The Artists of the Rutland Psalter.” The British Library Journal, vol. 13, no. 2, 1987, pp. 159-185 (PDF)

Luttrell Psalter Film on YouTube:

youtube

#medieval #manuscript #imfm #imfmpod #podcast #psalter #rutland psalter #marginalia #ttrp #pentiment #luttrell psalter #video games

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ninja-muse · 1 year

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2023 Release TBR

⭐️🏳️‍🌈 - queer rep 🇨🇦 - Canadian author ⭐️ - BIPOC MC

📘 - have an ARC bold - newly added

Courting Dragons - Jeri Westerson (historical mystery) - January 3

In the Upper Country - Kai Thomas (historical fiction) - January 10 🇨🇦⭐️

On Savage Shores - Caroline Dodds Pennock (history) - January 24 ⭐️

Impossible Histories - Hal Johnson (history) - February 7 📘

Malady of the MInd - Jeffrey A. Lieberman (history/psychology) - February 21 📘

In a Land Without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark - Jonathan Garfinkel (literary historical fiction) - February 21 📘🇨🇦

Rose/House - Arkady Martine (science fiction) - March

Greymist Fair - Francesca Zappia (YA fantasy) - March 28 📘

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher - E.M. Anderson (fantasy) - April 21

Death of a Bookseller - Alice Slater (mystery) - April 25 📘

Moorewood Family Rules - HelenKay Dimon (contemporary fiction) - April 25 📘 DNF

The Disenchantment - Celia Bell (historical fiction) - May 16 📘🏳️‍🌈

The Water Outlaws - S.L. Huang (historical fantasy) - June 20 🏳️‍🌈 ⭐️

The Ghost Theatre - Mat Osman (historical fiction) - June 27 📘

Lines Drawn Across the Globe - Mary C Fuller (history) - July 15

The Haunting Season - ed. Bridget Collins (horror/short stories) - August 1 (Canadian release)

Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon - Wole Talabi (contemporary fantasy) - August 8 ⭐️

Like Every Form of Love - Padma Viswanathan (memoir/true crime) - August 22 🇨🇦 🏳️‍🌈 📘 ⭐️

My Roommate is a Vampire - Jenna Levine (fantasy/romance) - August 29 📘

Dark Lord’s Daughter - Patricia C. Wrede (middle grade fantasy) - September 5 📘

The Circumference of the World - Lavie Tidhar (slipstream) - September 5 ⭐️

Sleep No More - Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy) - September 9

The Undetectables - Courtney Smyth (urban fantasy) - September 26 🏳️‍🌈

Goth - Lol Tolhurst (cultural history/memoir) - September 26 📘

After the Forest - Kell Woods (historical fantasy) - October 3

Menewood - Nicola Griffith (historical fiction) - October 3 🏳️‍🌈 📘

While Idaho Slept - J. Reuben Appelman (true crime) - October 3

The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport - Samit Basu (science fiction) - October 3📘 ⭐️

Eve - Cat Bohannon (science/history) - October 3 📘

A Stroke of the Pen - Terry Pratchett (fantasy) - October 5

By Any Other Name - Erin Cotter (historical YA) - October 10 🏳️‍🌈📘

Being Ace - Madeline Dyer (YA nonfiction) - October 10 🏳️‍🌈📘

Under the Smokestrewn Sky - A. Deborah Baker (portal fantasy) - October 17

I Love Russia - Elena Kostyuchenko (journalism) - October 17 📘

Lay Them To Rest - Laurah Norton (true crime) - October 17 📘

The Innocent Sleep - Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy) - October 24

Emperor of Rome - Mary Beard (history) - October 24

The Bigfoot Queen - Jennifer Weiner (contemporary fantasy/middle grade) - October 24 📘

A Power Unbound - Freya Marske (historical fantasy) - November 7 🏳️‍🌈

In the Pines - Grace Elizabeth Hale (history) - November 7

All the Hidden Paths - Foz Meadows (fantasy romance) - December 5 🏳️‍🌈

Heartstopper, Vol. 5 - Alice Oseman (YA contemporary fiction) - December 12 🏳️‍🌈

Prescribed Burn - Arkady Martine (science fiction) - date unknown

#upcoming releases #the tbr list of doom #booklr #bookblr #books

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vintagelasvegas · 1 year

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Unknown woman at Fremont & Main, Las Vegas, 1946

The photo was taken between May when the Overland Hotel rooftop sign was installed, and Nov. when Cut Rate Drugs changed names.

“Leave it to Ray Salmon [owner of Overland with J. Kell Houssels] to be the first with everything. Now he’s the first in Las Vegas with the spectaculars. This particular spectacular being a 3-ton sign atop his Overland Hotel which will blaze a welcome to our more than fair city, second to none in the entire state. The sign depicts an old time engine spoutin’ smoke followed by several coaches (more than likely filled with players) with wheels turning at a breath taking speed. The sign is twenty eight feet high. A big stop sign bids the weary traveler welcome and to stop of course at the overland Hotel.” - B. Townsend, “Making the Rounds” column, Review-Journal, 5/13/46.

#1946 #Fremont & Main #Overland Hotel #✴︎

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sanguinarysanguinity · 1 year

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I’m majorly retooling the most recent chapter of Langstroth on Bees; below is a section I’m deleting, as it no longer fits the tone and trajectory of the section. However, I like it too well to just drop it into a deletions file and never look at it again, so here, have some beekeeping angst!

Set during Last Bow, when Holmes has taken off for America and left Watson in charge of his bees. You may think of this as a companion piece to “From Allegany,” if you like.

After breakfast, I suited up in Holmes' beekeeping gear and loaded his barrow with his apiarist's notebook, his smoker, and a collection of empty supers, and proceeded to the copse that held his apiary.

I was still agitated in my mind, however, a state to which his bees must have objected, for I was stung while installing the supers -- my first sting while working with Holmes' hives. I swore and stalked off beyond the edge of the copse, yanking off my gauntlet to get at the welt on my wrist, lifting my veil and twisting my arm this way and that against the sky in an attempt to see the stinger. My arms were not long enough to see the stinger without a glass, but I scraped at the cursed thing with my hive tool, succeeding only in smearing my wrist with propolis and in no way preventing the stinger from pumping its full load of venom into me. The thing smarted abominably. Holmes would have said a few words of sentimental eulogy for the bee who had died for my sins, but I could only summon up a hatred for the wretched creature and all its brethren.

All seemed futile in that moment; I lay back in the tall grasses of the Downs, just below the lip of the hollow that cradled Holmes' apiary, and sucked at my wrist in hopes of drawing the venom out. I only succeeded in coating my front teeth with propolis. Frustrated, I bit at the welt viciously, so that one pain might supersede the other. I should have gone back to the cottage for a chip of ice for my wound, or barring that, back to the apiary to close up the hive box and retrieve my beekeeping equipment, but I did neither, laying back and watching the clouds scuttle across the sky while I chewed at my wrist.

It occurred to me, as I watched the sky, that the editor of the Bee Journal might know Holmes' location; that Holmes, in communicating with him, had trusted his fellow apiarist where he had not trusted me. Or Holmes might only have sent his letter to some trusted intermediary to forward to the Journal: his brother or Captain Kell, or perhaps a now-grown Irregular. It would not be the first time he had trusted his brother or an Irregular before trusting me.

It was useless to speculate on Holmes' methods. The upshot was that Holmes did not wish me to know where he was. I would only drive myself mad brooding upon it. Mad and bee-stung, both, apparently.

But as I gazed upon the warm blue sky, I thought of Holmes, laying aside his false persona and Irish accent to write a letter about his beloved bees. Perhaps he did so even now, in the pink, cold light of an American dawn, while his criminal compatriots still slept. Did he miss his bees? Did he wish, as I did, for the opportunity to lay here beside me near his apiary, the both of us watching the clouds together? Would he have teased me for my first sting, or earnestly scolded me for it? Would he have gently tended to my wound? Would he have treated it as a badge of honour?

Even as I thought on such things, I tried to summon the bitter thought that if he was lonely in America he had no one to blame for it but himself. But I knew that to be a lie. He had never wanted this case; I had pressed him to take it. His preference would have been to bask in his retirement, with his bees before him and me at his side, as we had done the long summer before.

For a single summer, I, too, had been content with that. Another long summer stretched before me, and it seemed impossible that I should be content with it again.

By this time the welt on my wrist was bruised and riddled with tooth marks; the damage the bee had wrought on me was minor compared to what I had done to myself. Holmes would certainly have scolded me for it had he been there to see it.

I missed him, then, missed him with a fierce, simple longing, unsullied by my resentment at being left behind.

But even as I longed for him, there was no solace to be found: Holmes was in America, possibly in peril of his life, but certainly unreachable. Meanwhile, I was stranded in Sussex, pretending to be a beekeeper.

It was all wrong, all of it.

I took up my veil and gauntlet, and went to see to his bees.

#langstroth on bees #long post #consulting husbands

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stormoflina · 2 months

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https://www.facebook.com/share/v/fRr2j8K1CDmLJpoc/?mibextid=WC7FNe

I cannot deal with the secondhand embarrassment from these questions. Let me interview him

(“Do you ever feel alone? ((This has been asked so many times…)) Do you often take advantage of being “the” Szoboszlai Dominik? Who would you call from the team if you got into trouble? What would it take for you to take a penalty instead of Salah? Would you have signed to Liverpool if you knew Klopp left at the end of the season?”)

Don't even mention it... I'm so over what we call 'journalism' over here. There are so many talented, well-prepared journalists in our country, but unless you are close to the golden pot or a butt licker, you are not going anywhere. Embarrassing that this is all what they can come up with really.

I get that apparently these were questions from fans, but really? Just like you say, second hand embarrassment. Also, lol at the fact that when they answer the lonely question (the same one he already talked about in big length!!) he just looks at the camera as if he's in the office lol. You can tell he's over it as well.

Nem tudom olvastad-e azt a pár hónappal ezelőtti cikket az nso-n ahol valamelyik nagy főszerkesztő úr csinált egy olyan nevetségesen amatőr interjút vele, hogy mar-mar kinyílt az ember kezében a bicska, hogy ilyenek embereknek tollat és papírt engednek ragadni. Ráadásul olyan kellemetlen alákérdezések voltak néhány csapattársról... Dominik jól reagálta le, de nem hiszem el, hogy ilyen kellemetlen helyzetbe kell hozni őt. Tök ciki az egész magyar (sport)sajtó ahogy van. Inkább szenvedek minden sketchy streammel is a laptoponom, de nem vagyok hajlandó spílert tvt nézni, mert ott is csak megy az állandó felszopás, már bocsànat.

#please tell me you are in fact hungarian #if not ignore my yapping in the end😭

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aterabyte · 5 months

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The best part of doing a class project about chronic pain is that one of the journals I've encountered is just called. Pain. Like,

Rhudy, J. L., Huber, F. A., Toledo, T. A., Kell, P. A., Street, E. N., & Shadlow, J. O. (2022, May 1). Psychosocial and cardiometabolic predictors of chronic pain onset in Native Americans: serial mediation analyses of 2-year prospective data from the Oklahoma Study of Native American Pain Risk. Pain, 163(5), e654–e674. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8866534/

Every time I see this citation and hit Pain it just brings me so much joy

#original #academia

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trilliannnn · 4 months

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A Health appban már lehet az érzelmeket is loggolni, meg van már egyébként journaling app is. Így nem kell sok pénzért próbálni nem megőrülni.

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evergardenwall · 1 year

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i was tagged by my beloved mutual @future-circuit ! thank you!! ❤️‍🔥

rules: name seven comfort films you love, and then tag seven people.

whisper of the heart

i've rewatched it so many times oh my god...this movie is something that can actually be so personal

2. the mitchells vs. the machines

because it's funny, joyful, relatable, and i adore the animation :^)

3. lou! journal infime

a live-action adaptation faithful to the spirit of the original comics (even though i am very annoyed by the colorism in mina's casting, it's the only thing i would have done differently if i were directing 😑). the atmosphere is just so cozy and magical. it's simply the definition of a comfort movie<3

4. the secret of kells

because it's about the importance of art and hope, and the animation is just. gorgeous. makes me want to spend hours looking through the illuminations in the real-life book of kells pdf online :')

5. pride (2014)

for its queer joy, the solidarity between the characters, the way it warms my heart every time i rewatch it. ❣️

6. howl's moving castle

this movie feels like a place i come back to every time i rewatch it. i know every room, i am familiar with everything yet i always notice new little things. i am home<333

7. the half of it

bravo les lesbiennes

tagging @marusyenka @libraryposting @teawiththespleen @theyellowartist @spoopy-sloth @nose-bl and @hakkiest 🎐

#entries #fragments #film talk

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koravelliumavast · 2 years

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Well that’s a new one: Amazon Cosmere reviews Mistborn edition. (Snippets of two reviews)

Breeze, Dox, Ham, Clubs, most of Kelsier, and most of Marsh could be deleted from the book and you wouldn't be missing out on anything. You can skip most of the chapters of Kells and his "crew" bantering, and you won't miss a thing. That's the biggest problem with this book. Beyond that, the book actually has some above-average qualities that make the book a worthwhile read - IF you've already read all the better books in the same vein - (Wheel of time, {does op know that Brandon finished wot???}the first few Sword of Truth books, and I'd also recommend the Foundryside series) If you're going to read this book, I recommend you skip any text that features dialogue coming from Dox, Breeze, Ham, and Clubs. Oh, and also skip every passage where the characters are reading the Lord Ruler's journal, or where they're reading the history books. What an insulting waste of time. And none of it matters in the end. Oh, and skip all the first-person text at the beginning of every chapter because none of that crap has any bearing on the story either.

•••

Okay, Allomancy as an explanation for super-powers is new as a concept but so what? It turns the cast of very paper-cut out characters into the typical super heroes with one special magic trick or, rarely, into the super-super special hero with all the abilities roled into one stomach lining. The novel was also trying to be a slick super-crime such as Oceans 11's in its plot but obviously Sanderson doesn't have much insight into the sort of brilliance required for the supreme criminal mind nor much knowledge of the intelligence methods used by a totalitarian government. The meetings of the supposedly super-thieves were as dull as dishwater to read, a gloss-over of basic facts and illustrative of such shallow thinking that I was as bored as if it was a meeting with a low-level accountant. The conversations were as completely uninspired as the characters, their "plotting" so empty of sophistication or subtlety, and so full of holes, that I was unconvinced that these guys were really as slick as they were described; it certainly wasn't demonstrated.

Then the actual action had them doing things that even the most amateur of subversive criminals would never consider. One of my pet peeves, Sanderson either doesn't think about what the "opposing" forces might be doing in reaction or he succumbed to the "stupid enemy" contrivance. For example, the entire core of the elite team visit together the site of a hit by the dread Inquisitors, a place that was hit because they'd met there or because Vin, now a part of the team, had lived there; and they all show up to expose themselves in a world where, supposedly, everyone will rat out everyone else at the drop of a dime! But, not to fear, the totalitarian regime that made the hit has neglected to stake it out to watch who turned up to check out the mess afterward! And none of the crowd of spectators actually informs on them, either. It was juvenile mistake and I couldn't help but think that, trying to write this sort of plot, Sanderson was completely out of his depth. He should at least have read a few espionage and crime novels and gotten a clue before trying to write one himself. This team wouldn't have lasted five minutes in fiction, never mind real life...

•••

That said, I find it nice to read somebody acknowledge the fact that if you mistreat your comrades, they'll leave you. Granted, one of the 'heroes' said that. However, that was the only sensible "nugget of wisdom" aside from Slazed speaking about religion, or Ham trying to find a conversation. Speaking of Slazed, his name changes from time to time. {??? No it doesn’t}

On the other hand, there are several flaws. First off, for someone who's supposed to be insane, Keelsier sure does admit that a lot. Yeah, it should go without saying that unhinged people DON't do that. (That's coming from someone who's seen a stranger start squeezing her finger. So, his friend had to explain that the man thought her knew her.) Also, glares and flat stares don't even begin to look the same. That's unless you have some reason for being able to discern facial expressions.

#cosmere #brandon sanderson #mistborn #kelsier #Mistborn era 1 #like yes the era 1 crew are idiots with no common sense #and vin is a teenage girl #their actions are stupid but it’s fun for the plot #vin venture #elend venture #also spelling their names wrong in the review is sad #plus getting rid of the crew NO

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compneuropapers · 2 years

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Interesting Papers for Week 36, 2022

Coding of chromatic spatial contrast by macaque V1 neurons. De, A., & Horwitz, G. D. (2022). eLife, 11, e68133.

Neural Encoding of Active Multi-Sensing Enhances Perceptual Decision-Making via a Synergistic Cross-Modal Interaction. Delis, I., Ince, R. A. A., Sajda, P., & Wang, Q. (2022). Journal of Neuroscience, 42(11), 2344–2355.

Brain-like functional specialization emerges spontaneously in deep neural networks. Dobs, K., Martinez, J., Kell, A. J. E., & Kanwisher, N. (2022). Science Advances, 8(11), eabl8913.

Stimulus dependence of directed information exchange between cortical layers in macaque V1. Gieselmann, M. A., & Thiele, A. (2022). eLife, 11, e62949.

Acceleration of information processing en route to perceptual awareness in infancy. Hochmann, J.-R., & Kouider, S. (2022). Current Biology, 32(5), 1206-1210.e3.

Complementary roles of serotonergic and cholinergic systems in decisions about when to act. Khalighinejad, N., Manohar, S., Husain, M., & Rushworth, M. F. S. (2022). Current Biology, 32(5), 1150-1162.e7.

Cerebellar modulation of memory encoding in the periaqueductal grey and fear behaviour. Lawrenson, C., Paci, E., Pickford, J., Drake, R. A., Lumb, B. M., & Apps, R. (2022). eLife, 11, e76278.

The role of state uncertainty in the dynamics of dopamine. Mikhael, J. G., Kim, H. R., Uchida, N., & Gershman, S. J. (2022). Current Biology, 32(5), 1077-1087.e9.

Neurons in the Monkey’s Subthalamic Nucleus Differentially Encode Motivation and Effort. Nougaret, S., Baunez, C., & Ravel, S. (2022). Journal of Neuroscience, 42(12), 2539–2551.

Compartment-specific tuning of dendritic feature selectivity by intracellular Ca 2+ release. O’Hare, J. K., Gonzalez, K. C., Herrlinger, S. A., Hirabayashi, Y., Hewitt, V. L., Blockus, H., … Losonczy, A. (2022). Science, 375(6586).

Closed-loop neuromodulation for studying spontaneous activity and causality. Ramot, M., & Martin, A. (2022). Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 26(4), 290–299.

Adaptive Learning through Temporal Dynamics of State Representation. Razmi, N., & Nassar, M. R. (2022). Journal of Neuroscience, 42(12), 2524–2538.

Reorganization of CA1 dendritic dynamics by hippocampal sharp-wave ripples during learning. Rolotti, S. V., Blockus, H., Sparks, F. T., Priestley, J. B., & Losonczy, A. (2022). Neuron, 110(6), 977-991.e4.

Statistical learning as a reference point for memory distortions: Swap and shift errors. Scotti, P. S., Hong, Y., Golomb, J. D., & Leber, A. B. (2021). Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 83(4), 1652–1672.

Humans perseverate on punishment avoidance goals in multigoal reinforcement learning. Sharp, P. B., Russek, E. M., Huys, Q. J., Dolan, R. J., & Eldar, E. (2022). eLife, 11, e74402.

Saccade-related neural communication in the human medial temporal lobe is modulated by the social relevance of stimuli. Staudigl, T., Minxha, J., Mamelak, A. N., Gothard, K. M., & Rutishauser, U. (2022). Science Advances, 8(11), eabl6037.

Fast and slow feedforward inhibitory circuits for cortical odor processing. Suzuki, N., Tantirigama, M. L., Aung, K. P., Huang, H. H., & Bekkers, J. M. (2022). eLife, 11, e73406.

Deep brain stimulation of the thalamus restores signatures of consciousness in a nonhuman primate model. Tasserie, J., Uhrig, L., Sitt, J. D., Manasova, D., Dupont, M., Dehaene, S., & Jarraya, B. (2022). Science Advances, 8(11), eabl5547.

Striatal dopamine signals are region specific and temporally stable across action-sequence habit formation. van Elzelingen, W., Warnaar, P., Matos, J., Bastet, W., Jonkman, R., Smulders, D., … Willuhn, I. (2022). Current Biology, 32(5), 1163-1174.e6.

Directional Tuning of Phase Precession Properties in the Hippocampus. Yiu, Y.-H., Leutgeb, J. K., & Leibold, C. (2022). Journal of Neuroscience, 42(11), 2282–2297.

#science #Neuroscience #computational neuroscience #Brain science #research #cognition #cognitive science #psychophysics #neurons #neurobiology #neural networks #neural computation #scientific publications

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