#i'm not gonna actually consider this news so

[amynchan]

"Another one."

The file is slapped on my desk, courtesy of Jack's hand. I do my best not to sigh, but some endeavors are honestly just doomed to fail.

"New recruit or job transfer?" I know I'll see the answer in the file, but if Jack's gonna be like that, then I can be like this. I don't even open the file.

"New recruit, asshole." Wow. Someone's in a bad mood. Wonder what crawled up his ass. Okay, fine, I open up the file this time.

Oh.

Oh...

You know, years and years ago, this might have been considered a conflict of interest. When there were enough people around, working jobs, that the work could be moved from an involved or easily affected party to an uninvolved one.

Maybe there was a reason for that.

"Hey, if you need to take a lunch break—"

"Don't. Just— just don't."

Well... what else can I do? I swallow up my words, nod, and look at the beaming face of Jack's niece again. Seventeen. Sweet girl. Her grades, like everyone else's, meet standards that might have been actually necessary so many years ago. Technology's moved forward. Life has moved forward. Humanity, as a whole, has evolved out of needing so many jobs that most of today's problems are manufactured. Enough to make people think about them but not enough to cause lasting damage to... well, anything if they aren't taken care of. And the people who skim the jobs we've given them? Nothing really happens. We make the fake problems go away one way or another, and nobody and nothing gets hurt in the process. No real loss.

It's busywork is all I'm saying. People like Sarah get to do busywork. The really exceptional people get hired here. Doing this. Keeping the world running on one side and keeping the population controlled on the other.

"All she wants to do is make a difference in the world." Jack doesn't have anyone else who can do this job for him. I don't think he'd want to, either. Once you know about how the world works, there's not really a way to unknow.

Well...

No need to tempt fate with thoughts like those. I go through Sarah's file.

"There's gotta be something else she likes." And there's lots in here. She's got friends. A robust social life. There are a few ambitions, but we can make some scenarios to fit and satisfy those.

But that's not the problem, and Jack knows it. I know it.

"How am I supposed to face her?" he asks. "She's going to come to family dinners, all smiles, talking about how much better the world is because of her and her coworkers and her friends. How much good she's doing for the world. How she's going to make it better for the rest of us, just wait and see. She's going to barrel headfirst into making humanity a utopia again!"

I'm smart enough to keep my mouth shut. Jack and I both know what utopia can do to people.

When Jack yells, I'm not surprised. His brother was never like Sarah. His sister in law was never like Sarah. As far as I know, nobody in his family has been like Sarah. Sweet. Determined. Good-hearted.

All determination and heart. None of the skill sets or natural talents we need in order to make her fantasy come true.

It would make a lot of sense to make Sarah a politician. Protected. Safe. Somewhere her ambitions can at least feel fed and her dreams feel real, at least.

Enough to make her feel proud. Worthy. Dignified. In this world where corruption is nipped in the bud and no one ever gets shot or goes hungry, a politician's job is easy, and the problems they deal with are minor.

But I know it would also be also enough to drive Jack insane. Meeting with his niece throughout the years, watching her be so proud of achievements that are real to her and hollow to everyone who knows. Hollow to him. It's a special kind of hell we live in.

One hell of a utopia.

In the end, Sarah will become a small business owner. We'll lay down the trail for her to run something that runs along the lines of 20th century ethical practices. She'll have her pick of products, and she'll run the operation in the best way she knows how. We can lay down breadcrumbs of opportunities and support the infrastructure and the product line from where we sit. She'll live a perfectly respectable life in her ethical and lovely shop for as long as she wants until she wants a transfer.

Maybe she'll be a politician then. Who the hell knows.

Not me, and not Jack, by the look of it. I look at him, and he glares back.

Yeah. Okay.

Jack slaps another file on my desk. This time, I just take it. There are some days where turnabout just isn't fair play.

In the near future, 85% of all jobs have been automated, and everyone's basic needs are met for free. You work for a secret organization that creates fake busywork jobs for the majority who aren't qualified for the few real jobs left, but need perceived meaningful labor to stay sane.

[secretly-sayori]

guys this is super different from anything I post on here but it's kinda a vent [UPDATE THE LIST IS COMPLETE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED BOOST THIS I LOVE YOU GUYS]

My mental health has been hitting a rapid decline since New Year's, so much so that I've hardly gotten out of bed to socialize with my family on the days I don't have school. This also means I've been failing to take care of my body as needed.

As of right now, I've had a week off of school. In that week, I've gotten out of bed maybe four times, I haven't eaten any actual meals, and I haven't showered nor brushed my teeth.

I feel pathetic for even considering posting this, but I really need the motivation to get up and get things done.

So, I'm gonna try turning this into a game to motivate me to do things.

UPDATE HOLY SHIT IM TRYING TO KEEP UP I PROMISE SOMSTHING CAME UP ILL GET TO THIS IN LIKE 10 MINUTES TRUST

10 Notes - I'll get up and drink one full cup of water. No soda, no juice. DONE!

15 Notes - I'll find something to eat. Probably something small, but it's better than nothing. DONE!

20 Notes - I'll brush my teeth for the first time this week. DONE!

30 Notes - I'll get a different change of clothes instead of the ones I've been stuck in. DONE!

Taking a break: I know this seems like small stuff but my body betrayed me and now I have to lay down for a while. I'll be up to finish the rest of this when I can!

I'm back up and running again!!

40 Notes - I'll make my bed! DONE!

50 Notes - I'll take a shower: hair and body at least, but anything I can manage after that. DONE!

60 Notes!! - I'll try to eat a proper meal. This is a really large struggle of mine to begin with, but I've been doing my best to recover. DONE!

[11queensupreme11]

Hi! So, I actually don't know if I sent this ask cuz I wanted to send it at like 2 o'clock in the morning, and I also had the idea for the ask in what might have been a dream. Overall I am very confused, so if I did send this already or answered an ask similar to this then please ignore this 😅

So I was wondering what would happen if, in the cheating au, Percy does kill herself, but cu suddenly wakes up to when she first arrived, like in the isekai asks a while back. How insane would he be? Cuz I don't think he could just wait till the day he originally met her, and would just attack the greeks to get her back

oh i like this! back to the cú chulainn cheating au hehe (my fav au for him so far lol) and oooooooh another isekai to the past thing!!!!!!!

when cú chulainn wakes up back in his old room in his father's palace, he's gonna be confused. but then he gets the shock of his life when he sees what date it is; it wasn't just percy's "birthday" but also the year she was "born"

considering that they've been married for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, he definitely knows about her arrival. she most likely told him what it was like, so he 100% knows to go straight to the bifrost to find her, knocks out the guards, and arrives just in time for her to fall out and catches her in his arms (awwww how romantic 💖)

this poor man is STRUGGLING not to get emotional. she's got bed hair, wearing the most ridiculous midgardian pajamas he's ever seen, and she looks lost af, but she looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL for him and he's in love all over again 🥺💖💖💖💖 he has to force himself not to be too forward; he has a chance to fix things again and he can't squander it by freaking her out.

so he plays along, acting just as clueless as her. he certainly has no idea how she got here, but he might as well take some responsibility and help the poor girl out! so he takes her back to the otherworld (the section of valhalla where the celtic pantheon resides). lugh is absolutely flabbergasted as to why his son's demanding they take in a mortal girl with an aura concerningly similar to poseidon, but he allows it thx to cú chulainn's insistence.

he tries to horde her in the palace LMAO 😭😭😭 just like the good ol days i guess. anyway, he becomes her friend and protector, the only person she can trust in this scary new universe. and he pretends to be helpful and try to find a way for her back home, when he's actually not. every day he comes with more grim news, "i'm sorry percy, no progress today", "i'm sorry, there was nothing new i could find", "i'm sorry, but things aren't looking so good..." he's trying to slowly ease her into the idea of giving on returning to that fucked up universe she calls "home", to break down every bit of hope she has left.

meanwhile, he tries to rizz her up LMAO 😭😭😭😭 but he actually knows what he's doing! this dude's a whore who slept with like... half of ireland, he is absolutely good at charming ladies. showing up shirtless and sweaty, getting in close to hear, touching her, rubbing her soothingly, etc. any girl would've swooned. the issue is that it's percy he's trying to rizz up 💀💀💀💀 percy who traveled through an entire labyrinth for days on end with a party of people who ALL liked her (anthonius, rachel, ethan) and didn't realize it 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

but it's okay cuz he knows how dense his silly (future) wife is, so he's not too irked. i know some ppl would think he'd be going insane rn, but nope! why would he fret? all the yans are out of the way, NOBODY knows of her existence aside from lugh and a few others, and he is the ONLY person she fully trusts. everything is going his way, he just needs to bide his time.

the most pressing matter is the issue of her soul. she's only got about a year before the first crack happens and she has to suffer agonizing pains 24/7, and then another year before she's obliterated for good. THAT'S his greatest worry, because he doesn't want percy to be in pain. his plan is to ascend into godhood and then ascend percy next to be his immortal wife and goddess in order to tackle the soul issue. forcing an ascension would make her hate him and he doesn't want that.

so he NEEDS her to fall in love with him fast so that the idea of eternity together wouldn't be so daunting to her. fortunately for him, getting her to fall would be easy when she's so isolated and he's the only other constant in her life 💖

also, you best believe he's never EVER going to cheat again. he's learned his lesson in the worst way possible, and he cannot ever put his beloved through that again.

[ihopesocomic]

One thing I don't think gets brought up enough about Fade is just how rough he's always had it, not just in light of his family leaving him behind. While his sisters are apparently free to do whatever they want, he's had to carry the burden of taking over his father's kingdom as well as questioning his sexuality and all the emotions such a task would bring up, even though he's not required to be in love with Adamant. It's just such a great way to show that power isn't always a desirable concept.

Thank you so much, anon. And yep, we really wanted to build up Fade as a foil to his father in the essence that he's purely happy taking up a diplomatic role as a Squire/Knight (even though his technique could use some fine tuning - he's still a baby lol) but I'm happy you brought up how power in this universe can come with a burden and consequences.

I think what we've also tried to do is show what MP stans claim is happening with Feather in MP whenever they bring up that we're meanie poo poo heads for saying he - as a male - has privilege in that particular society. Which he does. Sorry (not sorry), but he at least has a name from birth unlike the chicks and he's not gonna be forced to hook up with the murderer of his children... unlike the chicks. He's just gonna be dead. Or hell, even driven off because it's been canonically stated that Starmane intended to let Sharptongue's mate live. He was just killed accidentally.

Which just isn't comparable to the fate of having to deal with the death of your children and being a baby machine for the new Mane aka the person who killed your former mate and children.

(Also, he still has able-bodied privilege over Nothing. No amount of 'oppression' he goes through otherwise will cancel that out. idk how many times folks have to be reminded of that considering we're talking about a "pro-disability" cartoon. lmao) Tangent aside: there are ways to show this kind of thing without cancelling out the thing by introducing something like infanticide to the mix. Because lionesses losing their babies (and being forced into being baby machines) are always gonna make the lionesses the more oppressed party by default. No ands, ifs or buts.

MP stans can disagree because they're desensitised or whatever but it's also because they're desensitised while normal people find the concept of infanticide abhorrent and MP just handles the topic horribly. Unless that child is Feather. And they don't actually die. lol - RJ

[bitkahuna]

“You, Councilman, are my problem. Despite your relatively new status, you hold just enough sway with the younger dwarves to be a thorn in my side. So. I’m telling you now to back off.” He watched as the Councilman eyed him warily. Bilbo let the moment hold a while longer, tension settling, before quickly breaking it with motion, pulling correspondences from his desk. “Guarantee of restitution from Mirkwood, their post-campaign route plans, and a promise from King Thranduil himself to commit more supplies to the campaign.” He said as he laid it all on his desk and turned it for Lain to see. “Everything I said I would get, I did. I’ll present it all at the next Chamber Council. But before that, I need to know if you support the retaking of Dol Guldur.”

Lain laughed, face flooded with an almost smug sort of disbelief. “Shoulda known y’d only brought me in here ta strongarm me. Spymaster through and through, aren’ ye?”

“I am.” He didn’t even try to hide it.

“An if I don’?”

“Let’s not let things get ugly so soon, Councilman.”

“Will they?”

“They very well might. Which is why I ask you to very carefully consider your next move, because I promise you, this is as nice as I’ll be.”

Lain only gave a bitter smile, looking down at his lap. “Yer gonna threaten me inta compliance?”

“Only if this isn’t enough.” Bilbo shrugged. “It’s your choice.”

Lain's eyes narrowed as he studied the hobbit before him. There was a sharpness to Bilbo's gaze that hadn't been there before, a hardness that spoke of battles fought and won. For a moment, the young dwarf felt a flicker of doubt. "And what exactly would 'ugly' entail, Master Baggins?" His voice low and challenging despite the unease settling in his gut.

Bilbo leaned back in his chair. "Oh, I'm sure you can imagine, Councilman. Information has a way of surfacing when it's most inconvenient." He paused, letting the implication hang in the air. "Your family's mining contracts, for instance. It would be a shame if certain … discrepancies … came to light."

Lain's face paled, bravery faltering. “I- I don’ know wha ye mean.”

“It wasn’t your fault, I’m certain.” Bilbo spoke with a predatory form of sympathy in his voice. His smile was less of a smile and more the baring of teeth. “You were still new to the job. Mistakes were bound to be made.” He reached into his desk once more and pulled out a copy of a contract, certain sections circled and lines underlined. “It’s a good thing the Miners Guild never noticed that tiny little misplaced decimal. Otherwise, they’d realize they were getting … shafted.” He chuckled at his own little mining joke. “And, by my calculations, your family would be in quite a debt. Tough debt to pay.” Bilbo sighed as if saddened by the situation. He was being as cruel as possible. “It really would be a shame if the legacy of your forefathers was ruined after less than five years as the head of your family.”

Lain's face had gone ashen as the implications sunk in, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief. "H-How did ye … ?" He stammered, unable to finish the question.

Bilbo's smile never wavered. "I have my ways, Councilman. It's my job to know things." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Now, let me be clear. I don't want to ruin you or your family. I actually quite respect the legacy your ancestors built. And I understand mistakes can happen. But I will not hesitate to use every bit of information at my disposal if you continue to be a problem."

The young dwarf swallowed hard. "Wha do ye want from me?" He asked, his voice barely audible.

-----

Bilbo girlbossing in Erebor after Thorin was too stupid to admit his feelings, and instead, gave Bilbo a ridiculously high position in his royal council.

[rypnami]

So, elaborate for me.. Why Leander? Make me see it? Because I can't.

oh . ohohohoho. OHOHOHO. i have actually been gnawing at the bit for someone to ask this eventually because i could go on and on and on and on and on etc about why i latched on to him specifically!! i'm gonna put a wholeass essay under the cut for whoever cares!

so. why do i love leander so much? there are a few reasons. first of all:

he's a massive loser. i have always loved characters that are pathetic little guys, and the minute i saw him i could just tell he was a stupid dumb idiot who was going to need a defender.

i also, quite frankly, see a lot of myself in him. i was bullied in school, and i often acted a lot like he does. i tried to make myself look better than i was (especially in front of new kids at school), i overcompensated for everything, and generally being kind of annoying? so this all makes me think that he almost certainly gets bullied. i mean, we have the summoner's court kids basically saying he's the biggest loser around, zenobia calling him untalented, and in his first proper interaction with MC he almost gets himself crushed to death by a dragon skull. poor baby.

i always viewed his interactions with MC as him finally seeing the opportunity to make a new friend, but not quite knowing how. he already seems socially awkward to me (and bonus points, i HC he's autistic as well), and MC is THE cool new kid. by the time you properly meet him, MC has survived a dragon attack, single handedly taken down a troll, and depending if you've already started doing side quests, has been running about the highlands solving everyone's problems easily. i imagine he feels quite insecure, and so he tries to make himself look better (i.e. i definitely would have beaten sebastian in that duel, i fight with honour). also, he clearly doesn't think before he speaks, and so i think he just unintentionally comes off as a bit rude? like his comment about slytherins, if your MC is slytherin, then he immediately apologises because he didn't stop for 5 seconds to consider what he was about to say.

this bit from the art book basically confirms all my HCs about him being an insecure dork, which makes him very endearing to me!

i think a lot of these behaviours are just because he's, at the end of the day, a stupid teenage boy who doesn't know where he belongs. also in my HC he's got older siblings that are very accomplished, which on top of him clearly not being very good at magic and having basically no friends except garreth, probably doesn't help :(

obviously, he's not for everyone. but for me personally i just see him as a stupid baby who will eventually grow out of his insecurities and his more childish behaviour. either way i will always adore him and give him all the smoochies<3<3

[ranseisgreatestninja]

Shit you're kinda right actually?? so was i in a way bullying myself earlier just cause i thought your team idea was weird?? i think that if i put too much thought into that i'm gonna have a headache eughh. that is like... soo many similarities. more than i have with most people! so like, yeah i guess it is wonderful!! Picking a favorite is like so harddd... i'm still kinda new to them! we didn't really have this kinda stuff in ransei! ... we're apparently waaay more behind in that department than i thought! i think the one i've been playing the most is splatoon i like that one lots right now! I have not considered using that as a title before but i may have to now hehe! being intimidating is pretty fun too, soo~! i dunno if i'll ever actually wanna be the kingdom's ruling Lady or not (if i... actually even end up being allowed to do that...! but that's. another story...!) but being a ninja warlord WOULD BE EVEN COOLER... IF I HADN'T ALMOST FORGOT STUPID NENE AND HANZŌ ALREADY DO THAT... well i would do it BETTER than them so. especially hanzō i dont like him :/// you haven't been outside in weeks?? listen, buddy. new friend. i can tell you reaally like your work. but you should probably take that walk! even just going to get some food somewhere is good enough just. don't coop up for weeks on end. get a little sun on your skin use your legs a little and have some fresh air or i WILL find my way to sinnoh from ransei and personally MAKE YOU!!

huh so this is why they started telling people to touch grass isn't it

do you normally speak so vaguely? do you like confusing people?

elaborate.

[funkin-news]

very important info 💯

[thawthebeez]

i love reading haikyuu tiktok shipping discourse comment sections. it's so entertaining seeing so many people with such bad taste.

[morelikesin]

Sam's blueberry pie 🫐🥧 Which he's, as per the running joke on this blog, just as normal as U◠⁠꓃⁠ ⁠◕⁠ ⁠U

[guinevereslancelot]

decided to leave my job and i'm gonna fr gonna cryyyyy

[roguetaxidermyy]

me having gone to bed at 6 am every day for the past week and generally spiraling mentally while rotting in bed waking up this morning: a 4 mile hike in the heat is a really good idea right now, and while we're at it let's start like 3 art projects

[bidokja]

i've seen a few comments before (not on here, just in the past on other sites) frustrated and confused about why the oldest dream never talked to yoo joonghyuk. or anyone for that matter. why couldn't he just say something, anything at all? did he feel nothing as they suffered? couldn't he have helped somehow?

and there's a lot i could say about this and a lot of various layers and details and perspectives. but in the end it all comes down to this:

not a single one of us can talk to the characters in a book we're reading.

that's just how it works.

[greyedian]

someone come bonk me on the head so that i actually go do my work please and thank you

[shslpunkartist99]

Eventually

When I get myself to focus properly

And not allow myself to go braindead after work

I'm gonna info dump so much shit

[silverselfshippingchaos]

j.oongi is so fun because he gets introduced as this cold cool assassin type but really he's just a dork that has the goofiest chats