#the only year with this description

[naamoosh]

Look at this wikipedia article and tell me..

[nobluesea]

A blow straight through the heart.

Fic so good it ended me my art slump

The image quality got messed up, click here for a better version

[margaretkart]

Odysseus 🌊 the one who wandered and suffered for 20 years.

Some close ups:

[non-un-topo]

To the next adventure...

Image description and details under cut

I.D.

[A drawing of Nicky, Joe, Quynh, and Andy from The Old Guard. They are all in profile, walking in a straight line facing the sun. They are dressed in medieval clothing and armour, and each carry their own weapons and bags. Nicky has his sword, a crossbow, a quiver of bolts, a dagger at his belt and another strapped to his ankle. Joe is holding his sword, a bag, and a coin purse. Quynh's bow is over her back, and her quiver is at her hip. Two daggers are strapped to her belt, one of them matching Nicky's. Andy is holding her axe, two bags, and a dagger. They each have serene expressions and closed eyes, as if they're not in a hurry. In the background, the seasons change from winter to spring, summer, fall. There is an old tree behind them, and its branches change with the seasons.]

[sparrowlucero]

this is the iconic dinosaur horror jurassic park wishes it was

[verdantglow]

So I just watched Etho's Double Life Episode 5 for the first time & I...

Like. My understanding of this session was from watching Grian's Double Life & I think I watched Pearl's video for it & then everything else is what I've absorbed from fandom.

& two things that I hadn't been expecting based on that knowledge that I got out of Etho's video:

First: Etho trying to extinguish the Relation. Like. They come up on its burning remains & Joel is saying that it's okay, it was really more of a metaphor, they'll be alright, & Etho's just. Stumbling over repeated questions of what they'll be & where they'll be without their Relation as he hops around the remaining blocks, picking up decorations not on fire & putting out whatever blocks he can.

Joel lets it go, accepts that the Relation is gone the moment they get to it & see the damage, & reassures Etho while also plotting revenge. & Etho's in shock & still trying to save it, trying to save this ship Joel built for them, by himself, while Etho was off taking huge risks after making Joel promise not to take any, that Etho came home to & was stunned by its beauty. Etho does not want to let it go, to admit that it was gone. Which brings me to...

Second: Once Etho realizes that's it, the Relation is gone, he's so 110% on board with everything burning, & quite frankly, from his point of view, he is very much the more unhinged one here. Joel might be leading them & announcing that everything burns, but Etho is right behind him, taking flint & steel to anything that'll go up, repeating those words like a mantra.

Joel seems focused on taking out everyone else's bases, but Etho is lighting everything on fire. Any hint of wood on a base? On fire. Trees? On fire. Mobs? On fire. Other red name players? On fire. The grass? On fire. The bridge made of deepslate that's not actually going to burn at all? On fire x6.

Also on fire? Etho. He's so desperate to make the whole server burn, he keeps setting himself on fire in the process & taking surprisingly long to actually extinguish himself. He lighting the ground in front of him & then jumping over the flames & they catch him in the process & he does this like six time in a row while trying to light up a burn proof deepslate bridge. & he only actually pulls out the water bucket a couple of times in the process, just letting himself be on fire.

This man is so hellbent on destruction that he seems to forget his own safety, forget that that is also Joel's safety, & is So. God. Damn. Reckless.

I've read a lot of fic about the Relation burning down & based on every single one of them, I expected Joel to be devastated by its loss, to be inconsolable, to be reckless while Etho comforts & follows along & joins in, because Joel needs this, so maybe Etho does too.

But no, from Etho's own point of view, it is the exact opposite. Etho is devastated, Etho is in shocked, Etho needs to be comforted & reassured. Joel suggests everything burning in response, & yeah, he wants revenge too, but gods. It really feels like he suggests it to give Etho a direction for all those feelings, to give Etho an outlet.

Because while Joel might want revenge, Etho needs it.

[sandflakedraws]

so i'm readin various stuff on the xray cause this silly film is my current source of joy and

wait

hold up.

what...

WAHT ??? WHAT

XRAY CAST DESCRIPTION????

YEARS???

xrAY dESCRIPTION eXPLaIN!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN FLOYD WAS HELD CAPTIVE FOR YEARS, WHAT SECRET INFO DO U HAVE ACCESS TO???

[edelweiss-buttons]

one thing about a dimension 20 season is there’s gonna be spontaneous surgery

[penumbra-mayhem]

Quinn's Execution

1.6k fic // note: I hc Darlin' with a stutter

———————————————

The words of Quinn's victims and their families echoed in Darlin's head, their own voice among them. Testimony after testimony after testimony. First for the Department's hearing, then for the Vampiric Ruling Council's. Everything revealed had been more than enough to earn Quinn his execution, but bureaucracy works at a glacial pace, especially for those untouched by time.

The year following Quinn's capture had been simmering agony for Darlin'; the promise of his death kept them hopeful, but the possibility of his escape had them perpetually on edge.

How much time had they lost to this monster? How many friends? Family? And what else? Their voice. Their identity. Their dignity. Nearly their sanity. It had been a fight ever since they left him to get that all back. And they had, in large part. But none of it was ever the same. They looked different. Sounded different. Acted different. Felt different. Who would they have been if they had never met Quinn?

Darlin's cascading thoughts slowed as they heard the front door open and familiar footsteps cross onto the porch.

"Darlin'?" Sam asked, "You ready?"

They raised their gaze from the railing they were leaning against and looked into the tumultuous fog that had rolled onto the driveway. The night was insisting they go back inside, into the safety and warmth of their home and their mate's embrace.

Tugging at the edge of their blood-stained jacket, they nodded and walked to Sam's truck, their steps stiff and uncertain. Sam locked the front door and followed close behind.

Darlin' scowled at their shaking hands as they put on their seatbelt, missing the buckle three times. Not wanting to embarrass them, Sam tried to give no notice to the small battle happening next to him. He buckled his own seatbelt slowly and started the truck, biting his tongue to keep from offering help.

"Do y'want music or..." Sam trailed off. They shook their head. In an effort to not let them stew in total silence, Sam rolled the windows down and cautiously pulled out of the driveway.

The fog carried them the whole drive. Darlin' fixated on their hands, feeling unreal.

———————————————

The Vampiric Ruling Council Chamber for all states west of the Mississippi was located just 40 minutes outside of Dahlia, deep in the heart of an old growth forest. Impossible to find without invitation, neither Sam nor Darlin' had been there before Quinn's hearing. And even then, they hadn't been in the Grand Hall.

Intimidating was an understatement. The floors and walls of the enormous room were made of black marble with crimson veins snaking through each slab. Ten Corinthian columns of the same material supported a high vaulted ceiling, the ribs of which gave the appearance of a large cage within which the hall's inhabitants were enclosed.

Stepping through the set of pointed walnut doors, Sam's teeth were set on edge. The hall was already filling up, and having so many vampires all in once place was overwhelming. He could only imagine what it felt like for Darlin', whose hand he gripped tightly as they entered.

His eyes quickly scanned the room. "I found David," he murmured before leading Darlin' through the throng towards the right side of the hall.

Gleaming, hungry eyes followed them, much to Sam's displeasure. Darlin' didn't seem to notice, their mind elsewhere.

David saw the two approaching and moved away from the column he'd been hugging since he arrived.

"Good to see you both got here safe," he said, keeping his voice low, though in a room full of vampires it hardly mattered. David studied Darlin's distracted countenance, the way their eyes flit around the room. He locked eyes with Sam and mouthed, 'How are they?'

Sam glanced down at his mate before shaking his head slightly in response. David’s scowl deepened. Moving to Darlin's other side, he flanked them and the three waited for the rest of the hall to fill up.

At the far end of the room was a set of black marble stairs leading to a platform. The wall behind had three large windows with pointed arches. They contained stained-glass depictions of Vampiric history and power, illuminated by the bright moonlight pouring through. On the platform was placed a simple, dark walnut stool.

David kept his gaze fixed ahead as he reminded Darlin’ in a low tone that they didn’t have to be here.

“You have nothing to prove,” he muttered.

Darlin’ released the hold their teeth had on their inner cheek to reply, voice barely audible, “I-I have t-t-t-t-to see it-it happen.”

Sam and David both knew what they meant; they had to see Quinn die. It was the only way for Darlin’ to trust that he was truly gone.

———————————————

After another twenty minutes, the ceremony began. A procession entered from the large doors down the center of the hall and up to the platform.

First were a group of gaudily dressed vampires who Sam recognized as some of the different Houses’ Ruling Council representatives.

They were followed by Quinn himself, who was bound in both physical and magical restraints and surrounded by six vampiric guards.

Then came a masked figure carrying an ornate executioner’s sword, it’s jeweled pommel glinting in the hall’s candlelight. The scent of a strong perfume wafted off their body, further obscuring their identity.

Finally, one member of the Ruling Council entered, ushered in by attendants and more guards.

Sam bristled at the display. Quinn didn’t deserve this, to be paraded in ceremoniously by high ranking vampires. He deserved to be discarded in a ditch on the side of an unnamed road.

———————————————

Once the procession had all found their places on the platform, the Ruling Council member stepped forward. Her dress was intentionally understated, her face severe. As she spoke, her voice rang like metal—sharp and unforgiving.

“Brethren. Representatives. Honored guests. We stand here this night, in the moonlight of the Waxing Gibbous of the Fourteenth Day of the Second Month of the Year Two Thousand and Twenty-Five, to bear witness to the execution by beheading of one Quincy Leighton Erling Fox. He has been tried by the Ruling Council and found guilty of the following charges…”

He was staring at them.

He’d been searching the crowd from the moment he sat down on the stool. And now he’d found them, his stare like a predator's jaws locked onto its prey. His eyes were a webwork of scarlet strands, which had long since choked out the original blue of his irises.

He smiled.

All external sound, all external feeling fell away. Suddenly, Darlin’ was lost in the depths of a dark, expansive sea. All they knew were his eyes and their own heart, each thump shrinking the hall, bringing them closer to him.

Could he hear it? Was their heartbeat thundering in his head? Would it soothe him in his final moments, like a storm he himself had crafted, lulling him to sleep?

Sam felt Darlin’ release his hand. Glancing over, he saw them slipping through the crowd, heading toward the outskirt of the room. He and David exchanged equally panicked glances. The latter moved slightly, but Sam shook his head. He would go. David would stay.

Following their path, Sam wound his way through the crowd and out the large pointed doors. Just before he turned the corner, he looked back once more to the platform. Quinn’s eyes were on him, his face devoid of any smile.

———————————————

He trailed their scent to a gazebo tucked away in the property’s garden. The two of them had been here once before, on a recess during Quinn’s hearing.

As he slowly approached, Sam could see Darlin’ hunched over on one of the gazebo’s benches, head clutched in their hands.

They must have heard him. Their head shot up, and then the rest of their body. Sam stood still, and the two stared at each other from across the garden. He knew that look in their eye; he’d seen it too many times before. They felt trapped, seconds away from bolting.

His muscles tightened preemptively, ready to follow if they ran.

But they didn’t.

After a few moments, they sank back down onto the bench, and Sam continued his approach. Once he’d climbed up the steps of the gazebo, they croaked out:

“I-I couldn’t l-l-let him wwwin.”

He stopped, opting to give them space and lean against one of the columns of the gazebo instead.

“He could hear mmme...mmy heartb-beat...he was st-taring…staring at-at mme...smmiling at mmme,” they spat.

It took all of Sam’s strength to stay still, to not rush back inside and tear Quinn’s head from his shoulders himself.

“So I l-left. He wwwanted mme t-to wwwatch,” Darlin’ continued, pulling Sam’s attention back to them, “He wwwanted t-to l-look at mmme wwwwhen he died. He wwanted the immage of his death t-t-to p-play over and-and over and over…t-to b-be immortalized in mmmy mmind…So I-I didn’t give it-it t-t-to him. Didn’t g-give him that p-p-power.”

They straightened their posture and breathed in deep. “I-I don’t nnneed to wwatch. I-I trust David. He’ll t-t-tell mmme.”

Sam’s chest felt fit to burst with pride. He walked across the gazebo and sat next to his mate, linking their fingers with his and kissing their temple.

“How do you feel?”

“…l-light.”

———————————————

The two sat in shared silence until they heard someone walking toward them—David, no doubt doing what Sam had done earlier and tracking their scent. Darlin’ and Sam rose from the bench as he drew near.

“It’s done,” David said as he scanned Darlin’s face, “Quinn’s dead.”

Darlin’ nodded, silent for a moment.

Then they shrugged. “I-I’m hungry. L-L-Let’s get some food, mmmy treat,” they declared before heading out of the gazebo and through the garden.

David and Sam stared after them, in various states of shock and awe. When they didn’t follow, Darlin’ swung their body around and continued walking backwards as they called out with a grin, “Y-Y’all coming?” They turned back around and kept heading towards Sam's truck.

“Are they okay?” David asked, “What happened?”

“They won,” Sam replied, his voice like sunshine, “They fucking won.”

[bogkeep]

hands of the emperor is very good so far, i've been reading it on my train commute for several weeks and i'm an entire... 20% in. oh this is a SLOW slow burn huh

[sketch-wolf]

day 15 (ignore the fact that i skipped some days) of bat-a-day is brought to you by Alcor the Dreambender in object form, because he's got bat wings, so he counts

[kirby-the-gorb]

[britishchick09]

the ultimate ag historicals lineup! (as it should be!) :D

(shoutout to @bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue, whose tags reminded me to make an updated version with courtney, claudie and isabel & nicki! and here's how the lineup looks in modern ag books)

[khaoala]

❝What's your role in a bar?❞

HAPPY ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, ONLY FRIENDS!

[nevermoorsource]

Jungle recently shared an Instagram post with a sneak peek at the second Nevermoor graphic novel, releasing on August 29th.

[indilaras]

14 | 100 days of drawing Fu Hua

ID: a drawing of Fu Hua from Honkai Impact 3rd in her outfit from Cooking with Valkyrie Season 2. The background is white with an orange square, and she's sitting on the edge of this square with one arm leaning on the border as though it's a window. She's smiling at the viewer, one leg crossed over the other.

The orange square is filled with doodles of various foods. Some are references to Cooking with Valkyrie recipes such as the bowl of noodles, fried dumplings, mantou seasoned with Chinese pickled mustard, and hotpot soup. Others like the sunny side up egg, the coffee mug, and the bowl with chopsticks are just regular food imagery.

<- Day 13 | Day 15 ->