#sequel to the hand

[4h13min]

Melt.

[hinamie]

mwah

[verawhisk]

mommy astarion inspired by the cute awesome @fire-shadow-dragon-god :’)

[vampirehollie]

firstprince + other kisses

[miikpal]

played death mark recently. hook line and sinker with the glasses wearing amnesiac 44 year old protag

[seeleybooth]

"Don't get up on your high horse with me, Anne Shirley."

"Marilla pessimistically expected more trouble since Anne had again begun to go to school. But none developed. Perhaps Anne caught something of the “model” spirit from Minnie Andrews; at least she got on very well with Mr. Phillips thenceforth. She flung herself into her studies heart and soul, determined not to be outdone in any class by Gilbert Blythe. The rivalry between them was soon apparent; it was entirely good-natured on Gilbert’s side; but it is much to be feared that the same thing cannot be said of Anne, who had certainly an unpraiseworthy tenacity for holding grudges. She was as intense in her hatreds as in her loves. She would not stoop to admit that she meant to rival Gilbert in schoolwork, because that would have been to acknowledge his existence which Anne persistently ignored; but the rivalry was there and honors fluctuated between them. Now Gilbert was head of the spelling class; now Anne, with a toss of her long red braids, spelled him down. One morning Gilbert had all his sums done correctly and had his name written on the blackboard on the roll of honor; the next morning Anne, having wrestled wildly with decimals the entire evening before, would be first. One awful day they were ties and their names were written up together. It was almost as bad as a take-notice and Anne’s mortification was as evident as Gilbert’s satisfaction. When the written examinations at the end of each month were held the suspense was terrible. The first month Gilbert came out three marks ahead. The second Anne beat him by five. But her triumph was marred by the fact that Gilbert congratulated her heartily before the whole school. It would have been ever so much sweeter to her if he had felt the sting of his defeat.

Mr. Phillips might not be a very good teacher; but a pupil so inflexibly determined on learning as Anne was could hardly escape making progress under any kind of teacher. By the end of the term Anne and Gilbert were both promoted into the fifth class and allowed to begin studying the elements of “the branches”—by which Latin, geometry, French, and algebra were meant. In geometry Anne met her Waterloo.

“It’s perfectly awful stuff, Marilla,” she groaned. “I’m sure I’ll never be able to make head or tail of it. There is no scope for imagination in it at all. Mr. Phillips says I’m the worst dunce he ever saw at it. And Gil—I mean some of the others are so smart at it. It is extremely mortifying, Marilla.

“Even Diana gets along better than I do. But I don’t mind being beaten by Diana. Even although we meet as strangers now I still love her with an inextinguishable love. It makes me very sad at times to think about her. But really, Marilla, one can’t stay sad very long in such an interesting world, can one?”

Anne of Green Gabes (1908) by L.M. Montgomery - CHAPTER XVII - A New Interest in Life

[captainkirkk]

I'm normally a very slow reader of published novels, but I devoured The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard and now I can NOT stop thinking about it.

Everyone who has read my Fire Lord Zuko content knows how much I love 1) people of power working tirelessly to make the world a better place for all; and b) kings, slowly being crushed under the weight of their crown and duty, finding love and care in their loyal servants and staff

Except this story is more. The Emperor is worshiped and treated as a god, bound by extreme taboos and protocols that he can't break. It's about his staff (his found family) looking BEYOND the exterior of godhood and finding the human being underneath - who is dying under the weight of being the Emperor - and deciding to reach out, even if by acknowledging his humanity they are technically breaking many laws.

God this book is about so many things, including:

Found family can be the Last Emperor and his senior members of staff

The Emperor learning how to be human again with the help of his friends

There's no romance in this book. The deep friendships are the beating heart of this story, and they very much Love each other.

Breaking down a previously corrupt imperial empire through hard work and radial reforms, leading to sweeping changes including UNIVERSAL INCOME

Embracing cultural heritage, even in the heart of the imperial palace. Our main character is both one of the highest ranking members of government and from an islander culture, and he dedicates himself to both

The struggle for your family (who have a case of tall poppy syndrome, and live far far away from the capital and palace) to see you as a respected adult and understand all of your (many, MANY) achievements, even when you're very literally brought the Emperor home with you.

This book has some BEAUTIFUL confrontations, take-downs, and revelations based on the past two points (and more). If you underestimate or insult our main character, You Will Regret It. Watching him lose his temper is a glorious thing to behold.

Anyway I'm pretty sure this just became my all-time favourite book, because it's beautifully written and touches on all of my favourite tropes.

[melonalemonade]

good night

[metaphorical-goblin]

I’ve been thinking about narumitsu coming up with excuses to hold hands lately

Babies holding hands as they cross the street because it’s dangerous, or grabbing onto each other so they don’t get separated on a field trip, or one of them (probably Phoenix, sorry baby) forgets his gloves inside and it’s freezing but they don’t want to lose a single second of recess going back inside to get them!

And then as they get older, Phoenix and Miles shaking hands after getting the verdict for DL-6, and maybe they’re both holding on for a little too long, staring a little too long, and breaking away with an awkward cough

or Phoenix pushing his way through the crowd after Matt Engarde’s verdict, carrying Pearl in one arm and holding Miles’ hand in the other because he can’t risk them getting separated and Miles is the one with a car and a tendency to speed so he’s the one—

or Miles clasping Phoenix’s hand between his own in the hospital because lord, he’s freezing, trembling uncontrollably and really, it’s only because Phoenix is trying to give him something so of course he has to take his hand—

and gently pulling Phoenix’s hand away from his spiky hair, on the verge of tearing it out, coaching him to regulate his breathing. Holding Miles’ hand through a particularly rough patch of turbulence. Taking Miles’ hand while they walk on the streets of whatever country he’s flown them out to, because he’s holding Trucy’s hand on the other side and they need to be balanced, can’t get separated,

quietly, quietly, joining pinkies in the front row of one of Trucy’s shows. quietly, quietly, tugging on sleeves just to ask to slip around a corner for close whispered words and warm cheeks that almost touch. quietly, quietly, letting their hands rest just beside each other as they both hold on to the grocery store cart, and it’s awkward because they weren’t made for two men of their stature to push it at once, but it really doesn’t matter all that much.

And (taking a page out of Rendevok’s book, love you) one of them (probably Phoenix, sorry baby) forgets his gloves again, and Miles carefully taking his hand, pulling him close, and warming his hands up as best as he can

and taking Phoenix’s hand, trying to steady it (which doesn’t help at all because they’re both shaking), glancing up at him and he’s got this wobbly excited smile on his face and Miles can’t help but snort, which doesn’t help the shaking hands but someone clears their throat and they both take a steadying breath, and Miles gently coaxes the ring onto Phoenix’s finger, and they smile

[clockwrkpendrxgon]

I CAN’T STOP WATCHING THIS

[ruporas]

only human

[ID: Two page comic in color of Vash and Wolfwood from Trigun Maximum. The first page has a black background and the upper half, behind the panels, is splattered with stylized red blood, scattered bullets, and lifeless hands. In the first panel, it focuses on Vash's boots, showing him stepping through the panel and into the bloody scene. The second panel shows his bloody footprints and the third panel shows his face, his down-turned eyes looking downwards. It's a neutral, vague expression with confliction. At the bottom of the page, the back of Wolfwood's head and shoulder is seen, blood dirtying the white color of his shirt and side of his face. Vash's hand reaches out to him from the right side of the page.

The second page shows the entire scene in full, half the page in light and the other in solid black. At the center, Vash leans down onto his knees as he wraps his arms around Wolfwood's shoulders into a hug. Wolfwood's back is turned away from the viewer, his left arm holds onto his bloodied punisher and his right hand sits on his lap. Light casts from the left side of the page, showing the bloodied surrounding, but the held up punisher casts a shadow on the both of them, shielding them from the light. END ID]

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

[There's just a twinkle in your eye That seems to say I might , if I Were only bold enough to try An arm about your waist. I hear, too, as you come and go, That pretty nervous laugh, you know; And then your cap is always so Coquettishly displaced.]

-excerpt from 'Ne Sit Ancillae Tibi Amor Pudori' by Robert Louis Stevenson

a little solruin doodle comic for the @ask-the-roommate-au boys by @sunny-inajar that's been sitting in my brain for a little while-I was reading through some poetry and this seemed to fit their docket, so I went ahead and drew them.

[pianokantzart]

At the end of the Mario movie, with Bowser shrunk and locked in a cage, what do you think Peach would do with him? Would she have had him incarcerated forever, or did she have other plans to deal with him? Do you think Kamek and the Koopa army may have tried multiple times to free him before the sequel (let’s be real, there’s definitely gonna be a jailbreak come next movie)?

I don't think even Peach knows at this point. She doesn't even have an official prison on hand, she just put a gilded cage in a random room in her castle and posted some guards.

It's doubtful there's any hope of even entertaining the notion of rehabilitating movie-Bowser given the extent of his crimes. There's a chance Princess Peach might be holding him until she can have some sort of conference with other royals to figure out what should be done... maybe find someone with the resources to contain him without having to rely on a mini mushroom.

As for Bowser's inevitable jailbreak, I think one properly-planned attack from whatever forces he has left would be all it takes. Mario made it pretty far into the castle by simply waltzing through the front doors and booking it at fast as his little legs could carry him...

... so the toads aren't exactly organized to defend against an assault from Bowser's army, even if their recent defeat and the loss of their leader has put them in a weakened state.

[yonemurishiroku]

In what delusional world are you living in to be actually scared that Will’s gonna die in the sequel…

Like. I mean Rick is an inconsistent money-driven white man and all that but a fool he is not. Forgetfully, maybe, but def not foolish enough to kill off st that’s 1/ gay 2/ a literal attraction for attention that sustains half of the fanbase. 🤷‍♀️ People can make hcs etc as they want but what reasons are there for yall to worry srsly... Wake up, this isnt Jason.

[ribcageteeth]

I’m not made for fandom spaces bc I don’t actually care when someone interprets art differently than me. My interpretation is just as relative, from their perspective I’m the one ruining the meaning of the text with my oversimplifications or my way-too-deep metaphor-focused analysis. I simply cannot be bothered to champion my opinion as the correct one when it’s just an opinion, when the whole purpose of art is forming your own meaning in response to it.

Except for Star Wars. My personal canon is water-tight, Luke Skywalker is gay and in love with Din Djarin, and nobody can tell me otherwise.

[the-blu-of-the-robo]

Here's Some Sweaty Quaritch