#and always have been

[redstonedust]

something something zedaph isn't part of demise 2 because he's already a reaper (zedeath) who hasn't been doing his job for years and isn't going to start now

[dispatchwithlove]

In Your Arms Chapter 9: Heat

(old chapter, i just love this part)

When he’d first laid eyes on her it hadn't been her height that he noticed, but the immense quality of her spirit. From his desk, he and Nihlus had watched her approach. She wore black military-style boots, but shorter, just to the ankle. Black unbuttoned jacket, black pants, and a light blue shirt neatly tucked in but also defiantly loose. Her hair, shorter then, framed her face, brushing her cheeks as she turned to take in the room, her desk, him, with green, sharp eyes flicking from one place to the next. She was so warm, soft but searing. He’d immediately felt lulled, but also on edge, like something important was about to happen, and he better be ready for it.   

How do you tell someone they came into your life like a supernova, though, tipping an equilibrium, setting everything ablaze, without admitting that you’d been mesmerized by them ever since?

Measure it back, of course. “I thought you looked strong, and smart,” he said, voice steady but still too warm. “And when you told Nihlus to get his ass off your desk, and he actually listened to you, I thought I was luckier than all the other detectives, so I better hold on to you. Damned glad that I did.”

Her smile didn’t fade, but something happened, some shift in her demeanor that was so subtle, and so sudden, that he wasn’t sure if his words were the cause, or something else. The scattered starry warmth in her eyes gathered into sparkling clusters. 

Suddenly she felt too close, too close for him to keep her in a compartment where his feelings didn’t overtake the space between them. 

His chuckle was meant to wash away the awkward silence, but then he felt pulled into her so close and so tight, that the birds, the coffee shop, and all the quick-footed people shifting down the sidewalk blurred. It didn’t feel like he was sinking, or lifting, but spinning. The galaxy spun and all he felt was heavy and solid and all he saw was her. 

“Not going to share your actual first impression of me?” he asked, trying to settle despite the whirling. 

She was going to say something funny, thankfully, he could tell in the way she kept her face straight but hunched her shoulders an inch. Her hand rustled her hair.   

“My first thought was that they would’ve recruited more people if they'd sent you to Earth to stand next to the asari C-Sec rep.”

“The unhinged, uptight turian? Pardon my pessimism, but I’m doubting your sincerity.” 

She smirked. “Notice that I said stand there , not open your mouth . You’re pretty, but…”

A laugh pulled out of him, his mandibles fanning out wide. 

When they stopped chuckling she said, “I was terrified, honestly. But you kept your talons filed, and no one else did. And you lifted me up on crates when other humans were told to focus on evidence easier to get to. And you were funny. And you liked my cat, and you were so sweet to Gran and Papa when they wanted to get to know you. Didn’t take long to see that I got lucky, too.”

As the last note left her, everything slowed, but the heavy feeling persisted. How could she not know how easy it had been, being her partner? It should have felt like a struggle, like it did for everyone else, but it never felt that way to him.   

“Ed and Alice are wonderful,” he said. “ My family…”

“Is perfect.”

“Forced you to come over for dinner once a month.”

“It was nice enjoying a meal with a family. It was something to look forward to… Still is.”

They stopped talking then, only smiled with the chickadees over their heads hmming to each other. Just as Garrus thought it would take a cataclysm to pry their gazes apart the chickadees burst from their perch into the bright sun, Jane’s eyes sank down to her omni-tool, and he was left staring at her, pulling in a quick breath. 

“Shit, we’re late,” she said. 

He stood. “Yeah.” 

Everything stilled, finally. The sky-bound birds with flickering wings, the packed coffee shop, the rushing people, all settled, tethered by rigid rope to solid ground. 

His mind focused on maps, streets, traffic lights and travel times from point A to point B. A car shooting thruster patterns into free-growing grass, and a watch lying haphazardly on a wet concrete ledge. 

They had a case to solve with, so far, no leads. 

[not-poignant]

Hello Pia

How many times a month will Tradewinds be posted on Patreon? Will it one chapter per month like the others?

Hi anon,

It will be posted as a completed novel/e-book all at once, it won't be coming chapter by chapter. :)

[adlibitur]

benzo withdrawal bad, medical bullshit makes it worse

where is my jbp inspired withdrawal coma

[nr2driver]

NO MORE “papaya family🥺🫶🏻🧡” WHO CHEERED

[helsex-moved]

There's this coworker who insists it's okay if he calls me the f slur because he's 'not that straight' only to then complain to me about a man flirting with him because it 'grosses him out' like buddy you can't have it both ways

[unma]

So... I don't have anywhere to rant about the countless ideas in my head, thus asks are open! They've always been but shush.

Ask me anything about any of the AUs or fics I've written or created. If I have something to say, you get a nice long little answer, and I get to let my ramblings prompted onto the internet.

[soufre-de-paris]

> torrent will take about 3 hours

> me: i know, let's add some more trackers!

> torrent will now take about 17 hours

[mydnyteraven]

I think reconstructing old artifacts, especially clothing and stuff like this is SO COOL and we should do it more often! It gives good insight I think on the different construction techniques and resources used, and goes to show that ancient people were smart and intuitive and also wanted to be comfortable and happy! And they were brilliant!

Listen if the study of ancient humans doesn’t make you at least a little bit emotional idk what to say.

I started crying today at the museum because they had reconstructed the shoes of Otzi the iceman.

Either he or someone he knew who cared about him made these shoes out of grass and bear skin and twine and he was wearing them when he died over five thousand years ago.

And a Czech researcher and his students did reconstructions of these shoes and wore them to the same place where he died to test them out and they were like yep! These shoes are really cozy and comfy and didn’t give us blisters while hiking!

Is that not just the coolest shit ever????

[carry-on-my-wayward-butt]

its so brave that you have such a 2012-coded url in this 2024 world

would you call a bear brave for standing in a new construction suburb or would you recognize the unfamiliar world they built around him

[goldensunset]

advice i think we should tell children is that when adults say stuff like ‘now that i’m an adult i get really excited about stuff like coffee tables and bathrooms and rugs etc’ they don’t mean ‘and now i don’t care about blorbo and squimbus from my childhood tv shows anymore’ bc your average adult still loves all the same pop culture stuff they always did; they just have a greater appreciation for the mundane as well. growing up just means you can enjoy life twice as much now. you can get really excited about a new stuffed animal AND about a new kitchen sponge. peace and love

[aggressivelybicaptainamerica]

I unironically hope that my hubby and I are still cosplaying together in our 60s.

Fandom elders are so precious and important.

sweetest post ever??? 😭

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

ok YES it was my circus but i firmly deny the accusation those are my monkeys.

[lakecountylibrary]

🔥 The beacons are lit; the library calls for aid

The Trump administration has issued an executive order aimed at dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services - the ONLY federal agency for America's libraries.

Using just 0.003% of the federal budget, the IMLS funds services at libraries across the country; services like Braille and talking books for the visually impaired, high-speed internet access, and early literacy programs.

Libraries are known for doing more with less, but even we can't work with nothing.

How You Can Help:

🔥 Call your congressperson!

Use the app of your choice or look 'em up here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Pro tip: If your phone anxiety is high, call at night and leave a voicemail. You can even write yourself a script in advance and read it off. Heck, read them this post if you want to.

Phones a total no-go? The American Library Association has a form for you: https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=23577

🔥Tell your friends!

Tell strangers, for that matter. People in line at the check out, your elderly neighbor, the mail carrier - no one is safe from your library advocacy. Libraries are for everyone and we need all the help we can get.

...Wait, why do we need this IMLS thing again?

The ALA says it best in their official statement and lists some ways libraries across the country use IMLS funding:

But if you want a really specific answer, here at LCPL we use IMLS funding to provide our amazing interlibrary loan service. If we can't purchase an item you request (out of print books, for example) this service lets us borrow it from another library and check it out to you.

IMLS also funds the statewide Indiana Digital Library and Evergreen Indiana, which gives patrons of smaller Indiana libraries access to collections just as large and varied as the big libraries' collections.

As usual, cutting this funding will hurt rural communities the most - but every library user will feel it one way or another. Let's let Congress know that's unacceptable.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Penelope's final gambit, you will always be famous, no matter the subtext.

[yeoldenews]

A selection of emojis from a love letter written in 1916.

The final one appears to have been the author's favorite as he wrote: "I'm particularly proud of this one - It looks so natural. Bless its 'ittle 'eart-"