#and even that is probably likely to fail

[july-19th-club]

seriously have been thinking about this all night long. call me autistic but the fact that 90% of workplaces the point is not to get your work done and then be done doing it but to instead perform an elaborate social dance in which you find something to do even when you're done doing everything you need to do in order to show your fellow workers that you, too, are Working . because you are at Work . disgusting why cant we all agree that if there is no work immediately to be done. we just dont do anything

[ambrosiagourmet]

I think one of the biggest tragedies of Laios & Falin and their relationship is how much his actions impact her life. But like. Specifically how much they WOULDN’T impact her life as much if they weren’t both stuck in such a shitty abusive situation.

This part of the Falin-tries-makeup daydream hour comic is what got me thinking about it again because truly it just... it seems like such a like an offhand comment that I'm sure Laios didn't mean to be cruel or anything. That's just like. A little kid not thinking about what they are saying. ESPECIALLY when the kid in question is Laios.

But man they depended on each other SO much as kids. Too much. It really feels like they didn't have any other source of positive reinforcement, or anyone else to share themselves with. So of course an offhand comment like that has a huge impact on Falin.

Or this little bit from one of the flashbacks:

This tears me apart. Do you think it tears him apart to think about? I think it does. I think Laios holds every small failure to care for Falin against himself.

And then there's the Bigger stuff. The way that him coping with his own trauma ended up impacting her.

Like his interest in monsters. Like him going to find a ghost, and accidentally revealing Falin's magic to the whole village in the process.

Like him needing to leave. And leaving her behind.

He shaped her life so much, and he carries so much guilt for it. And again, there should have been other people there to help. The same things that made Laios need to leave home are the things that made his leaving so hard on Falin. She ate alone after that. She shouldn't have had to eat alone just because Laios wasn't there.

She was 9 when he left for school, and he was 11.

Nine. And Laios feels like he failed her because he didn't stand by her through this better. As an eleven year old.

Both of these kids deserved so much better from the world.

[scarletcomet]

lil rant in tags. trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and that kind of stuff. if you feel like reading it please be aware of pretty detailed descriptions so please be careful. (also don’t worry i’m fine and not actually going to do anything. just needed to get my thoughts out)

[moghedien]

Minthara says “in Her name” when you first meet her and she’s following the Absolute but when you recruit her and she expresses that she no longer follows any god, but she still has an intact paladin oath, and she says “in your name” occasionally because she’s no longer Lolth’s paladin or the Absolute’s paladin, she’s your paladin

[lotus-pear]

got like five asks requesting aku or chuuya so i just drew them together🗿

[devllishy]

handyman Bill au but make it a beach pool episode! idk what happened to the quality here (probably should've used a bigger canvas but oh well)

closeups:

edit: just realised i forgot ford's body hair smh

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

A few interesting parallels in the SoC duology that I don’t think I’ve seen anyone talk about yet

(Analysis/discussion of these parallels/quotes may come later if anyone's interested)

“These creatures were made to be weapons” - Jarl Brum on Grisha, Six of Crows chapter 35

“He looked like what he truly was: a weapon” - Jesper Fahey on the Khergud, Crooked Kingdom chapter 36

“Welcome to the Hellshow” - Kaz to Nina, Six of Crows chapter 6

“Welcome to the Ice Court, Nina Zenik” - Matthias to Nina, Six of Crows chapter 34

“Is this a play?” - Alys Van Eck “Yes love, and you’re the star” - Jesper Fahey, Crooked Kingdom chapter 8 when Alys is taken captive

“What was this but a play Kaz had staged, with that poor sucker Kuwei as the star?” - Jesper Fahey on the auction plan, Crooked Kingdom chapter 36

“he looked like a priest come to preach to group of circus performers” - Inej on Kaz’s appearance in comparison to the rest of the Barrel, Six of Crows chapter 2

“started to preach” - Inej on Kaz leading a coup against Per Haskell, Crooked Kingdom chapter 27

“Whoever he had become, Matthias was not going to shoot someone unarmed. He'd not yet sunk so far” - Matthias Helvar, Six of Crows chapter 29

“I am unarmed” - Matthias Helvar, Crooked Kingdom chapter 38

"I didn't even know the rules of Makker's Wheel" - Jesper Fahey on his first night gambling in the Barrel, Six of Crows chapter ()

"He knew his guns better than he knew the rules of Makker's Wheel" - Jesper Fahey on the concept of aim and its relationship to his life and his zowa/Grisha abilities, Crooked Kingdom chapter 36

“a tiny voice inside him said he should offer to take the drug as well […] maybe he could have helped to draw the parem out of Nina’s system and set her free. But that was a hero’s voice and Jesper had long since stopped thinking he had the makings of a hero” - Jesper Fahey, Six of Crows chapter 44

“Matthias gave you the remaining parem, didn’t he?” “So?” “[…] I can’t let my father down again. I need the parem as a security measure” “No” “Why the hell not?” - Jesper and Kaz in discussion about the auction plan, Crooked Kingdom chapter 30

I'll probably be back to add more, feel free to add your own as well

[vigilskeep]

what gets me about viago’s letter to de riva at the start of the game is that he tells them to consider this trip with varric a contract, in the most completely-giving-up move ever. i thought from what i saw before the game came out that since he referred to it as a contract, de riva must have been sent to help deal with solas by the crows, who do have an interest in the world not ending. but no, de riva fully joined the team of their own volition, and viago just threw his hands up and said please think of it as a contract so we can all pretend i have any control over you whatsoever. and then they didn’t even get the “contract” wrapped up.

[lady-raziel]

hilarious that with each new day that passes a new bit of dirt from JD Vance's past gets discovered and plastered over the internet...it's almost as if this is why presidential campaigns have always announced their running mates well before the convention...so that if glaring issues with a candidate came to light quickly there would be time to replace them on the ticket before they were officially locked in...it's almost as if certain things in political campaigns were done for a reason, donald...because the very same critical failures had happened before...but no i'm sure you and your guys attempt to recreate a fantasy version of history while ignoring all the reasons that history was a disaster will work this time...because you are built different and the 10000th time trying fascism will work like a charm...

[transmascutena]

the poor little meow meow-ifictation of saionji in this fandom has got to stop i can't take it any more

[eddiediazenjoyer]

still not over buck's response to tommy's comment about bringing eddie to the laker's game being "really? 😄" loser boyfriend buck my LOVE in what world do you say anything other than "no ofc i'll take you. my boyfriend. to the game that you. my boyfriend. got me tickets for. for our anniversary. why would you even suggest that" but buck is insane and obsessed with eddie so ofc his first thought was oh yay! can't wait to tell him to make sure carla's available to watch chris so we can go!

[pettyprocrastination]

whoever this beloved anon was I am so touched by your kindness! You definitely didn’t have to do this but I am so happy you enjoy this idea and I will happily expand upon it for you!

this is just a collection of word vomit bullet points for the time being but I will happily answer any and all questions about this pair!!

warnings: violence, angst, child death (Sarah Miller), foul language, the same warnings that apply to tlou, reader is Sarah's mom and described as having similar features to her. 

So the general Idea is that you and Joel are happily married before the outbreak. 

You had been Sarah's mother, his high school sweetheart he got pregnant when neither of you were old enough to have any reaction to the pregnancy test other than a fucking panic attack in one another’s arms. but you made it work 

you both worked but made time for one another and your sweet girl, going to museums every other weekend and joel insisting on swooping you off for a date every now and then 

nothing special. He knows you’re more of a diner gal than anything too fancy that makes you both feel out of place. 

On his birthday in 2003, you had planned to tell him that you were pregnant again. But the memories of your own fears of motherhood from all those years ago begin to swirl through your head again and you get cold feel. deciding to tell him the morning after

it is his birthday afterall, you want to focus on him. 

but when you’re woken up in the middle of the night because tommy needs to get bailed out, Joel kisses you sweetly one last time before promising he’ll be back and you can’t shake the feeling that something bad is happening. 

its you that shakes sarah awake that night. shouting at her to put on her shoes when she’s still rubbing the sleep from her eyes because you’ve been listening to the radio for the past two hours, calling joel again and again and again praying for him to fucking pick up but to no avail. 

Sarah, bless your little girl’s bleeding heart is the one who insists you check on the adler’s against your better suspicions and when you find the eldest looming over her daughter, blood and sinew dripping from her mouth, you grab your daughter hand and burst into a full sprint until something slams into your back and sends you tumbling onto their front lawn

its how joel finds you, struggling to keep the once sweet old woman, whose now nothing more than dead eyes and gnashing teeth straining to snap at your pulse point as you push against her while sarah shrieks before your husband runs forward and cracks her skull with a wrench. 

there’s hardly a moment of pause, just enough for him to pull you up and into his arms before he’s ushering you both into the car with an urgency. 

when the truck crashes, you get separated from them. Perhaps at Tommy’s side when the flames rise and create a wall, separating you from your husband, or maybe pulled into the mob of chaos when trying to escape from those already infected-

all joel knows is that you promise you’ll find him: just get sarah to safety and you’ll meet him at the river

Poor thing is already so frightened, held in her father’s arms with tears streaming down her face insisting they can’t leave you they just can’t but her father kisses her forehead and reassures her its going to be okay 

“we just need to be brave, okay babygirl? Your mama’s real tough, she’s gonna be alright.” 

he isn’t sure if he’s saying it to his daughter or himself. 

but when he comes to the river you aren’t there. Only a soldier who points a gun at the scared little girl in his arms and then he loses everything

its when the light is gone from his daughter’s eyes that he realizes. His voice cracked and raw from sobbing that he looks around to see his brother with drawn in shoulders and tears in his eyes but his wife is nowhere to be found. 

Tommy says you got lost in the chaos. Everything was so loud, so sudden that he turned around and suddenly you weren’t there. 

Joel wants to go back but its Tommy that stops him, that dulls the red in his vision to a sad faded pink because his brother points at the orange horizon not too far from them, so much of the city is already in flames. 

“We’re gonna find her, but not there.” 

So Joel searches. for the first year spent in the world post-outbreak its all he did. 

He became a smuggler because of it. 

Information came at a price and he needed to be able to fucking pay it, whether it be in blood or ration cards. He was willing to do anything to find you or any thin thread that lead your way. 

But it’s Tommy that asks him to give up. Not in those words of course. 

The youngest Miller knows better than to say something so cruel that would make his brother, the only person he has in this world turn on him. 

But his voice is worried when he asks him one night in Boston when he hasn’t even had the chance to wash the blood from his knuckles 

“You think she would have wanted this for you?” 

the fight that followed his words was brutal. Vicious insults and scarred fists slamming against each brother until they're both too tired and bloody to continue. Each leaning against a wall for support and Tommy’s wavering voice breaking the silence. 

“I don’t know where she is, Joel. But I do know you're gonna get yourself killed if you keep lookin’ for her.” 

All he can do is nod. 

It’s a few days later when he meets Tess. Who has heard plenty of stories about the elder miller’s brutality and wants him to put that muscle to good use for some extra profit. 

It begins his new life. One that empty and cold but one he can live. 

Until of course, Ellie comes along. The sweet and incredibly opinionated girl that makes him become something akin to the man he thought died twenty years ago. 

its when he’s traveling with Ellie, that it happens. When a warm familiarity has settled between the two because so much blood and pain has been shared he can’t help but see her as something close, something bright even though all he can force himself to utter in her reference is “cargo” 

when theyre traveling through the woods as Ellie chatters away, probing his memory about a movie that may or may not have existed thirty years ago because her descriptions of the plot are incredibly odd he hears a voice shout for them to stop and finds himself staring at a man- no, a boy- pointing a gun at them. 

Ellie stills, but Joel can see enough to know that from the lanky figure and dimpled face that he’s young. Maybe twenty, twenty-two at the oldest, but his eyes dart from Joel to Ellie with a pinprick of fear that allows Joel the time to charge forward and slam him to the ground before wrestling the gun from his hands. 

He has enough to time to tuck it under the stranger’s chin before he hears the sound of the safety being turned off and finds himself looking up and seeing a gun just inches from his face. 

Joel’s head whips around when Ellie’s voice calls out his name in fear, he turns to see another stranger holding her a gun point, shoulders drawn back and a shadow cast over their face by the had obstructing their identity. 

“You hurt one of mine, I hurt one of yours. That a fair deal?” 

Its takes him a moment to recognize you. It’s been so long since he’s heard your voice, the sweet tease when you would poke at him each time he woke up late despite the fact that you reminded him to set his alarm the night before, the times you’d chide him with a harsh “Joel Miller!” whispered in public anytime he was able to grab you a bit too passionately to be appropriate in public but the laughter in your voice let him know you were never truly mad at him. You didn’t know how to be. 

But that sweetness is buried under a cold rasp that cuts through the air as you point a rifle at the scared little girl in front of you.

“You think I won’t?” You’re older now, skin covered in scars from a life he didn’t know you got the chance to live and your eyes are cold as they regard your husband. “Put the gun down and get the fuck off of him, I won’t repeat myself.” 

Joel mumbles your name in awe. The woman he loved, the woman he mourned the one he fought so hard to find stands before him like some sort of hallucination and suddenly the world feels like its spinning until you bark orders at him again. 

“You’ve got five seconds Joel, make a fucking choice before I make it for you.” 

He looks down and realizes the boy under him, the one with the bleeding nose and snarling face has your eyes and his dimples. 

“One.” 

The one above him has Sarah’s hair. Soft brown curls that shine under the sun. 

“Two”

Wait. No, they both do.

“Three.” 

Twins. Jesus fucking Christ you had twins. 

“Four.” 

Joel holds the rifle up above his head and the one boy standing snatches it from his grasp, tossing it to the ground and kicking it far from his reach. He slowly stands, allowing your son- dear god your son- to scramble to his feet. 

Your voice softens just for a moment. “You okay, Duke?” 

Blood stains the bottom half of his face from where Joel slammed his fist into the boy’s nose just moments before, but he nods nonetheless. 

Now, they both stand on one side of you and he can see the resemblance clear as day the same way he would whenever Sarah was by your side.

When you order him to hand over his bag, he does so without question before telling Ellie to do the same. 

She watches him with wide eyes, her hands still up in the air but gaping at her companion as if he had grown a second head. 

“Joel!” “Just do it, alright?”

He doesn’t miss the way you watch their interaction with narrowed eyes until she tosses her bag to you and you slowly lower your gun. 

“Now, you want to tell me what the fuck you think you’re doin’ at my home?” 

[a-s-levynn]

I have traveled far beyond the path of reason, take me back to Eden

edit: more context in the tags of the root post

[littleplantfreak]

Down to my level pt. 2 (SFW)

Starring: Sugishita Kyotaro (he's 6'3 but idk how tall he is when he's all hunched over)

(It's a little different than the first two I did with Umemiya and Togame but I intended to stop near 500 words and I accidentally surpassed it and wrote 1700+ so although Hiragi was suppose to be here to he'll have to wait till next round sorry Ragi-chan!🥺)

When you first met Sugishita Kyotaro (if you could call it a meeting), he walked smack into the door frame of the local library. It didn't phase him in the slightest, but it sure as hell scared you enough to drop the books you were re-shelving. Looking around the bookcase, you can see the boy's forehead already showing tell-tale signs of a goose egg as he rubs it before bringing books to the main counter.

"Ah Kyo-chan! Returning Umemiya's gardening books again?" Hina-san, the head librarian, asks in delight before whisking the books away. "Do you mind helping an old lady move some boxes in the back? I have some snacks in the kitchen once you're done," she says, leading him into the back room before he can say a word. Not that he says anything after that; he just ducks through the doorway careful not to hit his head again.

Picking the books up and continuing where you left off, your mind wandered a bit to that boy. Glossy black hair falling in his face and a scowl that only softened slightly when Hina spoke with him, and he was wearing a Furin jacket to boot. He might be a little cute, you tell yourself before remembering that he could also end up being some scary violent guy that would beat you up if you said the wrong thing to him.  After a bit, he comes back out into the main room with Hina, and you end up spying crumbs left on the side of his mouth from the Madeline cookies you'd brought in the day before. You would have tried to warn him if Hina hadn't already made him lower his face to dust him off while she laughs. He looks completely used to this treatment and you give him the benefit and decide he is definitely cute, Furin boy or not. Sugishita catches the smallest glimpse of you peeking around the corner with your arms full of books before heads off for patrol.

The librarian told him you'd been working part-time during the school year, full time during breaks, and that you were a shy one, so he has to be careful not to scare you away. Funny thing is, you didn't look shy at all earlier. Eyes full of curiosity and a smidge of apprehension, there was no fear in the look you gave him both times you clocked him coming and going from the library. Sugishita thinks to make note of your name only because Umemiya-san said it's important to remember the names of the people around you, even if you don't use them often. It also happened to be a nice one, though if anyone asked him, he wouldn't say.

The next time you see Kyo-chan, he is face down asleep on one of the study tables. You aren't sure how long he's been there since you didn't even hear him come in, but he looks completely wiped out. From the small profile you can see, a few bruises color his face, and there is a bandage slapped over his eyebrow where you assume a small number of stitches are. Not wanting to disturb him, you walk back to the lounge and grab the small blanket that you usually curl up with on your breaks. You lay it on his shoulders with the gentleness of a butterfly because honestly, what would you say if he woke up to you covering him? Sure, it's a nice gesture, but he doesn't even know who you are.

When he wakes up, the first thing that hits him is the smell of cherries. He's aware of the blanket, and grabs it before it slips off him completely. Looking around, the only person in the library is Hina-san, so he returns it with a small thank you.

"Ah that wasn't me dear! It must've been our cute assistant, but they've already gone home. Aren't they sweet?" She gushes, prodding him for an answer.

"Guess so," he mumbles out, still sluggish from the afternoon nap turned full on sleep. He smells like cherries on the way home too.

The third time, Sugishita sees you first. The step ladder you're on wobbles as you try to reach the top of the shelves with the duster. Stretching further on your toes, you grab the shelf to steady yourself, but the thing is years old and not in the best condition. You can feel it give way as you tip sideways,  a squeak forcing itself out out of your throat. You brace yourself for a few nasty bruises until you realize your momentum has stopped.

"You're like a mouse," Sugishita says, and you stare in shock at the boy who caught you.

"Muh-MOUSE?!" Shrill is the only way to describe the voice coming out now. So maybe you do sound like a mouse. Who is he to say that though? He carries you away from the shelves despite the wriggling you're doing, desperate to put your feet on the ground. It's half-embarrassing, half-infuriating that his hold doesn't budge in the slightest.

"I'd appreciate it if you would put me down Kyo-chan," you huffed with your arms now crossed. His walk slows for a second before turning his face away from you. Apparently the way you called him had some effect, though you aren't sure what kind until you look at his ears. You swear they weren't that red before, and you start to feel giddy about it. "Kyo-chan, Kyo-chan, pleeeaaase put me down?" You make your voice sugary sweet. You would've batted your eyes at him too but the fast snap of his head back to you stops your teasing short.

You can only describe the look he throws you as hilariously appalled at your words, but it also confirms they were pretty effective. Neither one to back down, it becomes a staring contest until he speaks first for once.

"Sugishita Kyotaro." An air of finality hangs in the statement of his own name, but as this point you need to press his buttons just a little.

"I prefer Kyo-chan. It's cuter, don't you think?" He looks exasperated as he places you on the lounge's couch gently. Down on his knee in front of you, he grabs your calf to start prodding at your ankle.

"What are you- ow! Don't touch it!" You have to swat his hand away before he lowers your leg grumbling an apology and that saying it's probably sprained. You can feel it now that attention has been drawn to it though. A little red and not completely feeling right, it's almost like it's numb until you try to point a toe out. You cringe at the pain shooting up your calf. No amount of stretching or moving your ankle makes it feel any less painful than the first time, so you finally let it rest.

While you were experimenting with your new injury, Sugishita grabbed a roll of bandages and an ice pack from the kitchen to begin wrapping it. The way he gently takes your shoe off and handles the wrap reminds you of a prince. A silent, grumpy one, but there are so many princes like that in the romance novels that you may or may not have read in the fiction section. Your thoughts start off in a direction you'd do well to cut short but you can't keep a quiet "pretty," from leaving your mouth while you watch him finish up. And he really does look pretty. The sunlight hits him from the windows, lightening his brown eyes just a bit and his serious expression while he's concentrating on wrapping you up is no joke.  "Ah...I meant your hair?" You trail off cursing yourself for saying something like that after teasing him earlier. If it were anyone else you'd expect him to tease you back. You aren't looking at him anymore, until he tries to draw your attention with a grunt. He's turned around, crouched with his back to you.

"Hop on."

"Your back?"

"My back. Hurry up."

"You're going to carry me?" He looks over his shoulder again, with blatant annoyance on his face, and nods. You were wondering how you'd get home, and this seems like one of the few viable options now that you did consider it. Once he stands up, you realize just how tall he really is. Holy Shit. You have to duck with him when he goes through the low doorways of the library, letting Hina know what happened before you both leave and she waves you off.

The walk home is silent mostly due to reveling in the novelty of being taller than usual. Occasionally, you'll point out a stray cat or some flowers climbing up a fence you could only see thanks to the extra few inches. Even though they're met with a hum or grunt, he doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

To Sugishita, you were weren't a bother per se and Umemiya would be pleased to see him helping someone, but he was struck again by the smell of your perfume while he carried you. That, paired with the melody of your voice as you leaned and chatted about the difference in altitude made it hard to concentrate until you said his name.

"Sugishita-san thank you for taking care of me," thanking the stars as well for remembering to tell him while you weren't looking at him fully after calling him pretty minutes prior. He lets out a breath before saying his longest sentence to you yet.

"You can call me whatever you want."

Oh. Oh. He's giving you the green light to call him Kyo-chan again. You were trying to be heartfelt, but he's gotta go and be cute like that? Ears and the back of your neck burn, but you're pleased at the new development. You end up thanking him again, with a regular kyo-chan this time, before hobbling inside your front door wondering when you'd see him at work next.

First thing in the morning though, despite the rain, Sugishita's outside your house with an umbrella telling you to hurry up because he'll end up late for school. It seems he's made it his mission to tote you to both work and school until your ankle is healed. You might just have to fib a little when it starts feeling better to keep the piggyback rides for a while longer.

[vevove-fics]

It's probably obvious by now but. I love vampires. Anyway, I did this piece inspired by the aestethic of vampire hunter D, a truly recomemded movie if you like old animes, vampires, action, tragic romances and gothic vibes.

[maeamian]

Actually research skills are hard to learn especially unsupervised so maybe telling people to just "Go figure it out" especially if you already know they've been failed academically in other ways, might actually be a great way to just send them to a PragerU video on the topic.