#gifts from the drafts

[cheapbananas]

spongebob is a show about an autistic man who is bothered by consistently being called a 'kid' or some other form of 'immature' because of his "childish" interests, his social misunderstandings, and the joy in his heart despite the fact that he is a fully independent, grown man in his 30s with a full time job he's good at, a house he owns, and a pet he takes good care of.

[forsakenbythenarrative]

i am glad that half of the fun of love is the secret. i am glad beds are so comfortable despite how hard it is to leave them in the morning. i am glad for every time i've had my heartbroken for i am glad to have loved enough to be hurt by it.

i am glad that the waves do not stop to talk before they break over me. because i am glad that they are so steadfast. i am even glad they nearly drown me for i am glad to come out cleaner on the other side.

i am glad, often, for my misfortune. and im sorry for those who have never faced trial against fate. i am sorry that you do not know the joys of persevering.

[tealmussel]

It's my birthday, and I made this. :D

I actually shaded! Straight from color! I knew those shape shading practices were worth it.

[fiskael]

Lizard plushies am I right?

[hopelessromantic5]

Merthur fluff for the soul

Thank you for reading.

Baby owls are a lot smaller than one would think.

When Arthur’s horse came upon a fallen fledgling in the forrest, he stopped and cradled it, checking for injuries. He found what seemed to be a broken wing but otherwise, nothing fatal.

Arthur knew exactly what he was going to do, the moment he set eyes on the creature.

As if reminding him, a very familiar voice called out from behind.

“Arthur, what is it?”

Without saying anything, Arthur rose and tucked the tiny creature further into his own wing, hidden from immediate sight.

He turned, and stalked up to his manservant who was still looking to him expectantly for an answer.

Arthur presented the owl to Merlin.

Whose entire aggravated persona fell away when his eyes cast upon it.

To Arthur, it was worth it all just for that. The absolutely besotted look on Merlin’s face as he cupped the bird into his hands without being told to.

Arthur tried to hide his smile, at that.

He pushed it down to a small smirk that just wouldn’t go away.

“It’s yours.” Arthur said, then immediately turned away, not seeing Merlin’s expression.

He was never one to face his emotions head on.

After he mounted his horse again, he heard Merlin say

“Thank you.” In the softest tone Arthur had ever heard.

The owlet’s wing was patched up when Arthur saw it next.

Sitting atop his manservant’s shoulder, watching the world around him, seemingly unbothered.

Arthur felt something like pride well in his chest. In his own eyes, the owl was a gift to Merlin. A companion.

And now everyone saw it.

Of course, they wouldn’t know, but Arthur would. And that’s all that matters.

“He doesn’t like when you stare at him.” Merlin said while stacking dirty plates to take to the kitchens.

“Even if I’m admiring the shine of his feathers, he still doesn’t like it?”

“He knows that’s not what you’re doing. He’s very clever.” Merlin’s smile broke through. “Don’t underestimate him or you might wake up with one less eye.” He shrugged and started towards to door.

“Is that a threat, little bird?” Arthur questioned to the bird that definitely couldn’t understand him. “That’s treason, you know.”

Just as they made it to the door, the bird let out an answering squawk to which Merlin threw his head back and laughed.

It was a beautiful sound that echoed through the silence of the camber once he’d gone.

The next day, it was raining.

Storming all hell was more like it. Lightning falling trees and wind going faster than any human could withstand.

Everyone living in the lower town were locked in their homes.

And the nobles were locked in the castle.

Arthur, of course, was locked in his cambers with Merlin…and the bird.

“Achilles.” Merlin corrected him as they stared out the window towards the pelting rain.

“Pardon?”

“His name. Achilles. A great warrior.” Merlin smiled to himself, like that it meant something to him.

Maybe it did, or maybe Arthur was just getting his hopes up.

At the mention of his name, the bird flew a few inches off Merlin’s shoulder before landing back down with a thump.

“Stop that. I told you, you shouldn’t be doing that yet. It’ll make it worse.” Merlin scorned the bird, and it seemed to pout in response.

Merlin came back with

“Yes. Well.”

Then he turned back to the rain.

As if they two had a conversation, and it was over now.

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the two.

[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

[aroaceleovaldez]

I have realized we don’t actually know if Scipio or Aurum and Argentum were from Camp Jupiter or if Reyna has had them since Circe’s Island (or picked them up somewhere between the two or after or etc)

[charmandabear]

why the FUCK is he so pretty

[softmangoes]

weaving moonlight | ivory wraith x pc

18+ only

the wraith's hair is soft. its translucent locks fall between your fingers like rivulets of cool water as you weave them into a loose braid.

"i missed your hands," the specter muses, its voice a sonorous hum that reverberates throughout the stones of the ruins.

before you entered its watery crypt, the blood moon hung high in the sky like a wound of the world, limning the ripples of the lake crimson.

the veil was made thin once again, making this the only time you and the terror that loved you could touch.

you did not fully understand your connection to the wraith, this terrible and unknowable being that began its search for you ever since your first dip in the lake, but there was an urge within you to be by its side. a tether binding your souls.

it was lonely. it knew you. and you found it beautiful.

"i'm done," you say, stepping back to watch it prod at the new braids with its many hands.

"hm." it hums, picking up a discarded metal plate and buffing it until it was clear enough to see its reflection.

"beautiful," it breathes, tilting its head to admire the small pieces of shell and sea glass woven throughout its moonlit hair. the wraith's eyes flick to yours, so blue and so brilliant. "you used to braid my hair like this. do you remember, droplet?"

you pause. you can't quite explain what happens next. like an upwelling, a memory floats to the surface, unhindered by the tides of time: you from another life weaving flowers into the hair of your beloved. they turn to look at you, their eyes the endless blue of a perfect sky.

"yes," you breathe, suddenly back within the wet confines of the ruins.

the wraith smiles, content with your answer. you feel its ghostly tendrils wrap around your legs, caress your arms. 

"i never got to thank you," it says, drifting closer to cup your face with a cool palm. seashells brush against your skin as the wraith's mouth hovers just a breath from your own. you feel its other hand slip beneath your waistband.

at first, you felt afraid when it first touched you like this. now, you welcome its embrace by curling your hand over its nape.

tendrils wrap around your limbs. it licks a cool stripe across your neck, hungry. always so hungry.

"perhaps," the wraith muses as it slips itself inside your warmth, eliciting a moan as sweet as music. "i shall take my time to express my gratitude."

[sincerely-sofie]

Found some old PMD2 comics lying around gathering dust, so I figured I’d post them!

Bonus humanized future trio concepts for your trouble:

[quinn-pop]

apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

[mango-sideburns]

My fav thing about TAZ is that any aspect out of context sounds fucking bonkers.

Like, in the balance finale there's a scene in which Garfield (who is very specifically never described visually bc most people imagine him as like. The Lasagna Cat. Who in this universe is the most powerful warlock in the realm and also has a hobby of cloning people, which is great for the one character that got forced into haunting a mannequin) is summoned by an alien spaceship that runs on the power of friendship so he could beat up some flashing balls. In D&D.

And that was just. Such a normal scene in the narrative. No one blinked an eye. I would like to bow down to Griffins clear unmatched talent for making me feel such big emotions over ridiculous shit like a goddamned umbrella or a regular ass pair of jeans or the idea of a taco recipe.

[4virgil4]

See the way the top keeps clinging to him and refuses to come down? I get it.

[birdricks]

theyre running to the gay club. or smth

[mxtxfanatic]

Hello!

TGCF is the first fictional book I have read (that I know of😅) where the book was officially printed, then it was revised and printed again. I know this isn’t a new thing for fiction writers to do, just new for me to have read a book like that.

I’ve read some fan translations of the revised version but it’s still an incomplete picture as things come in snippets. (Not a dig on this, just noting that observations I make on changes are incomplete right now)

Have you encountered this with any fictional stories you have read before? If so, how did you adjust to what’s canon? Did you hold them as two separate versions or let the revised version supersede the unrevised as canon? Or did you make a third path? 😅

What’s your take on any translations of the revised TGCF you have read (if you have had the chance to read them)?

For me, I think I hold them as two separate canons. Characters, and how we understand them based off the text, can sometimes subtly or drastically change after a revision. And I don’t mean minor changes, I mean the ones that gave a clear picture on why x character did such and such, and why they now do x action vs not before, etc. And personal preferences will determine if one likes the changes or not.

I asked a lot a questions. 😅🫣Happy to hear whatever feedback you have on the topic. 😁

Hm, good questions. I guess I never thought too deeply about this because I just figure that whatever latest version mxtx puts out is The Canon™️. Also, these works are already being filtered through translation, so unless I one day learn Mandarin fluent enough to read in their original language, I’ve already accepted that there are going to be multiple variations of a text floating around. With that said, the revised tgcf is the real canon to me, but other than some additions and a wholesale deletion of the ghost kid from the story, I have not heard anything to suggest that the unrevised and revised are so radically different as to be considered different books. Hualian still get together, the Xianle trio still have their issues that they work out, Jun Wu is still the final antagonist, and the moral of the story remains the same. For the sake of limiting confusion, I try to mention which version of the story I’ve read and am pulling my ideas from, but considering them separate canons as if they are adaptations by different creators feels a little excessive.

As for what I think of the revisions that I’ve seen so far? Good shit 🔥

[nachosncheezies]

People like Bill Jr. got all kinds of things wrong about Scully but probably none moreso than thinking it was tragic that Mulder was dragging her along on some descent into madness, when actually the real tragedy was how few of the people she loved ever realized it wasn't a descent.

(It couldn't be bc 1. it's not madness and 2. she was already there.)