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amarimaryllis · 4 years ago

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I Never Writ, Nor No Man Ever Loved (Ushijima x Reader)

Pairing: Ushijima/Reader

Prompt/Summary: Shakespeare wasn’t wrong, you’re just afraid of admitting the truth. Alternatively, Ushijima Wakatoshi’s first love never died.

Tags: Angst, Haikyuu Timeskip Spoilers

Note: I used she/her pronouns for the reader, You might wanna reread the ending of “All The World Drops Dead”, I gave Ushijima’s mom a name, Ushijima’s a rich boi, Bold Italicized sentences are excerpts from the poem “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare

Warnings: Swearing, Heavy read, Author doesn’t know how off-seasons work, Mentions of separation

Part of A Sensitivity to Ephemera

Ushijima Wakatoshi was your antithesis, in a sense, and somewhere in the sky, Cupid laughs.

Way to go for putting the most incompatible people ever, am I right?

You found beauty in the temperance of words. Enjoyed their sheer ability to paint a hundred stories with only strokes and letters. Words meant everything and nothing all at once, and snippets of different stories appeared with each changing context. Ushijima, on the other hand, found beauty in the directness of words. Observed in the brutal honesty that constantly leaves his lips. He preferred to have it all laid bare, no hidden meaning, no ulterior motive. What you see is what you get.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love—

It was with words that you two ever even met, back in your first year at Shiratorizawa. Ushijima was not the best at literature, or any subject aside from Physical Education, and you were the panacea that the concerned teachers had offered as a remedy for the ace. It was a rocky start, but eventually, the relationship had grown into something more.

A literary genius and an athletic prodigy.

A master of language and her stumbling apprentice.

And eventually, a poet and her muse.

You never thought it would work out, but somehow, it did. And you were thankful that it did because you wouldn’t be where you are today. Standing in front of a large window overlooking the city, reminiscing on the events that led you to your present reality.

—Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove.

Ushijima comes up from behind you and grips your hips with his large hands before he presses a tender kiss on your nape. “What’s on your mind?”

You smile as you turn around in his grasp to wrap your arms around his neck. “Nothing much.”

Ushijima raises a brow as he moves his hands from your hips to your waist. “By nothing, I’m guessing you mean anything and everything.”

You grin as the two of you begin to sway to the silence. Dancing to nothing but the sound of your breaths and the noise from the city below. “You know me too well.”

“You haven’t changed a bit.” Ushijima smiles as he pulls you in for a kiss.

You smile into the kiss, wrapping your arms tighter around Ushijima’s neck to pull him closer to you. The telltale signs of lovesickness had been set in motion in your body once more: warming cheeks, speeding heartbeats, and crashing lips.

As you find yourself pulled deeper into Ushijima’s embrace, you wish for the world to freeze this moment. Unmoving. Unchanging. Immortalized in your memory and for the rest of your waking reality.

A few days after your engagement with Ushijima, you found yourself in the place where it all started. Shiratorizawa had not changed at all since you left. Sure, the notices hung on the wall, the faces that roamed the rooms, and the shape of the shrubbery had changed, but everything else was the same as you remember it.

You shut your eyes, take a deep breath, and it’s almost as if you’re transported back to 2012. A year of loss, victory, stagnancy, and change. So many had happened, and it all rushed past you in the blink of an eye.

“Love—“

“Yes!” You stand up straight from the bench, eyes wide open in an attempt to pull away from your little flashback. “Yes, hi. Sorry, Toshi, I was… Lost in thought. Are you done talking to Washijo-sensei?”

“Yes.” Ushijima chuckles softly as he flicks your forehead lightly. “You should be more observant of your surroundings. What if it wasn’t me who found you?”

“But you did, didn’t you?” You grin up at him only to see him looking ahead.

You turn around and your eyes land upon a familiar sight.

Warmth floods your cheeks and Ushijima laughs as he wraps his arms around your waist, resting his chin atop your head. “I remember Tendou catching us there.”

You smile fondly at the memory as you look at the tree beside the volleyball gym. “Not my fault you kissed me all of a sudden.”

“Not my fault you look absolutely irresistible.” Ushijima’s warm breath tickles you as he leans down to whisper against the shell of your ear, placing a quick kiss before he lays his chin back onto the top of your head.

O no! It is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

Ushijima Kimiko’s eyes were burning holes into your skull. It was clear from the moment you had stepped into the house that you were not welcome. That you were not the one she wanted for her son.

There’s bitterness in the way she looks, the way she acts, and the way she speaks. She’s eloquent, so well-spoken that you wouldn’t have noticed the insinuation of each backhanded compliment she threw your way. Her son seemed to be oblivious to the silent war of undertones and context buried underneath your exchange of seemingly harmless words. It had gone on for the entirety of dinner, his mother unforgiving and you unrelenting. If she thought her disapproval would send you running, then she was sorely mistaken.

After dinner, Ushijima leads you to his room. A place you had not acquainted yourself with because this was the first time Ushijima had brought you into his home. Your lover sits on the bed, watching you while you familiarize yourself with the setting.

“So this is where you grew up.” You smile to yourself, choosing to bury the events that transpired earlier into the darkest corners of your mind in hopes that it would be consumed into the void. “Nice room.”

Your eyes trace over every inch of the room, taking in what you can to better understand the man that you were soon going to marry. It’s plain, nothing revealing anything personal save for the pictures lined up and hung on the wall.

There were many different faces. A young girl, a few boys, some familiar, some unknown. There were also pictures of some teenagers, particularly the members of the Shiratorizawa Volleyball Club.

“Is something bothering you, love?” Ushijima asks from his bed where he’s currently seated. “You haven’t been talking much since dinner.”

You froze on the spot, having an internal debate on whether or not you should voice your concerns.

“Come here.” Ushijima beckons you to come closer and you do. You stand between his legs, placing your hands on his broad shoulders as you continue to look at the pictures behind him. Ushijima reaches for your hand on his shoulder, intertwining your hands there as he plays with the ring on your finger. “Something’s wrong.”

“Toshi…” You sigh, giving in. “I don’t think your mom likes me very much.”

It’s Ushijima’s turn to tense up. “My mom doesn’t like anyone.”

“Yeah well… I think she hates me.” You fiddle with Ushijima’s collar. “God, I hope not. I really wanted her to like me too…”

“In time.” Ushijima smiles as he pulls at your hand to make you cup his cheek. “But for now, let’s talk about it at home.”

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.

Ushijima sits alone on the couch, waiting for you to come back. You had left after a heated exchange, unable to stand being in the same room as him, it seems. A few weeks had passed since your visit to his childhood home, and things in your relationship have been somewhat rocky since then. While Ushijima wanted his family to accept you, he knew that their disapproval wouldn’t stop him from pursuing a life with you. You were the person who stood by his side when nobody else was there. The world would have to end before he let you go.

But you didn’t understand that. You were still stuck in the events that transpired at the dinner table while Ushijima was already walking towards your future. He knew he shouldn’t have invalidated your concern simply because he could stomach going against his mother. He just wanted this argument to end, he had an Olympic game tomorrow, and he didn’t want to walk in there with a heavy heart that would most definitely affect his performance.

The ringing of the doorbell pulls Ushijima from his thoughts. He stands up and walks towards the door to answer it, wondering who it could be since he did not remember inviting anyone.

When he opens the door, it is not noticeable, but there is shock written on his face. “Sato-san, what brings you here?”

“Ah, Waka-kun! Your mom told me I’d be able to find you here.” Sato pushes a paper bag into Ushijima’s hands, her eyes disappearing into lines as she gives him a bright smile. “I just got back from Cali, and I wanted to give you your souvenir and some ingredients from Kimiko-san…”

“Ah, thank you.” Ushijima gives a soft smile as he grips the paper bag tighter in his arms. He knew that his mother was in the area, visiting so that she could watch her son’s game tomorrow. “Would you like to come in for some coffee?”

“Ah no! It’s fine.” Sato waves her hands, smiling as she turns the offer down. “I have to go meet up with a friend.”

“Ok then.” Ushijima nods. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“Same here.” Sato moves to walk off. “I’ll be off then.”

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

With his bending sickle’s compass come...

When you come back home, Ushijima is quick to pull you into his arms. A string of apologies falls from his lips, weaving their way into your hearts as you melt into your fiancé’s embrace. The walk had cleared your mind enough, and you knew that Ushijima had a point. If he was willing to brave it out despite his mother’s disapproval, then you would do so as well.

After all had been said, and the issue was closed, you both retired for the night. Ushijima lays on his side of the bed, and you on yours. You turn to your side and are met by Ushijima’s broad back. Scooching closer, you wrap your arms around him, press a kiss onto his nape, and mumble, “I love you.”

You wait a few seconds for a reply, but you are met with silence. You sighed and wrapped your arms tighter around him, nuzzling your face between his shoulder blades. He was probably asleep.

Ushijima was wide awake. Memories of a young girl with bright eyes and rosy cheeks running through his mind. And as he loses himself to vivid images of the past, sleep never laid itself upon his eyes that night.

The next day, you make Hayashi rice from the ingredients that his friend had delivered, and you wish him luck.

Apparently, that luck wasn’t enough because the Japan team had lost to Argentina that day, and as much as you wanted to comfort Ushijima, his mother had gotten to him first and was now talking to him inside the stadium.

You waited outside of the venue, sitting on the steps that led up to the doors that opened to the realm of competition and Olympic athletes. You could only wait it out, not wanting to bother your fiancé and his mother in fear that the latter might attack your very being once more.

The sound of footsteps comes closer, and you turn around quickly in hopes to see your lover, but you are met with the sight of their trainer instead.

“Oh, Iwaizumi-san!” You stand up to bow. You notice the red at the corners of his eyes as if he had been crying. You don’t ask. It was normal to be upset after a loss. “You guys fought well, Iwaizumi-san.”

Iwaizumi smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He moves to sit beside you on the steps, and you follow suit. “Hey, L/N-san…”

“Hm?” You reply with a hum. While Iwaizumi and you were not close, you two were still familiar enough with each other to carry a casual conversation. “What is it?”

“You’re a writer.” Iwaizumi states, but there is hesitance in his tone.

You can’t help but snort. “No shit.”

Iwaizumi glares at you, and you suppress a laugh. “Ok, I’ll stop, but yeah, I am. Why?”

“That means you’re good at the poetic symbolism shit right?” Iwaizumi asks for confirmation and you resist the urge to laugh at his choice of words.

“I like to think that I am good at the—“ You use your hands to show air quotes, “—poetic symbolism shit as you said.”

“Does first love never really die?” Iwaizumi asks and you nearly choke on air.

Iwaizumi is looking at you expectantly, and you look like a deer caught in the headlights. Out of all the things that could happen in your life, talking to Iwaizumi Hajime about his love life was not something you even thought of ever happening. Not even a single bit. It’s silent, and you realize that Iwaizumi is waiting for a reply.

You pause to think, not wanting to give Iwaizumi a half-assed answer that could make whatever he was going through worse. It seemed like Iwaizumi was more hung up over this than he was over the game they just lost, and while you don’t know the full story, you realize its gravity. “It’s something people like to say… Haven’t quite understood it because I’ve never felt it…”

You smile sadly. It seems like Iwaizumi wasn’t given the similar luxury of living out the rest of his life with his first love. “First love never dies, but true love will bury it alive.”

“And what if your first love is your true love?” Iwaizumi asks, his fists clenching as he looks down at the steps.

“Then you’ll spend the rest of your life mourning a lifetime that was never meant to be yours.” You sigh as you pat Iwaizumi in the back. “You never really know if it’s true love, Iwaizumi-san. Tomorrow promises nothing, after all. The only time you’ll ever truly know is when you’re a breath away from death and reliving your entire life.”

“Fucking hell.” Iwaizumi mumbles to himself. “Love is hard.”

“It is.” You smile. “But whatever the situation, Iwa-san… Don’t deprive yourself of the opportunity to move on, yeah? It’s kind of like volleyball.”

Iwaizumi turns to look at you. “How so?”

“Well, when you get blocked during games, do you stop spiking for the rest of the game?” You raise a brow.

It’s silent until suddenly, it’s not. Iwaizumi is laughing. He’s standing up, and he pulls you up before enveloping you in a hug. “You genius, I hate that you have a point.”

You reach around to pat his back, happy that your words somehow enlightened him. You knew that this enlightenment was brief and that somewhere along the way, Iwaizumi would be tempted to give up, but you were glad to have at least given him a way out. “As I said, I’m good at the poetic symbolism shit.”

A cough interrupts your little hug session with Iwaizumi, leading to the both of you pulling away and turning to the source of the noise.

It seems like the universe just loved screwing you over because standing at the top of the steps were three people: two familiar faces, and one that was teetering between remembrance and oblivion.

Ushijima Kimiko looked smugly angry. Her son looked confused, tinges of betrayal creeping into his eyes. The young woman beside them on the other hand looked absolutely livid as her eyes flitted between you and Iwaizumi.

“How scandalous.” You could hear Ushijima Kimiko whisper to her son. “Are you sure this is the woman you want to marry?”

You pretend you don’t hear it, forcing a smile and a bow. “It’s nice to see you again, Ushijima-san.”

Iwaizumi on the other hand does not let the comment pass. “There’s nothing scandalous about the situation, Ushijima-san. I simply asked my friend for advice and showed my appreciation. She loves your son too much to ever even think of looking at other people.”

You notice how the stances of Ushijima and the young woman relax.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Ushijima Kimiko’s smile is tightly lipped.

The drive to Ushijima’s penthouse was silent and absolutely tense. Ushijima’s knuckles were practically white with how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel. You can see the creases between his brows deepening as he clenches his jaw in both frustration and concentration.

“Who was the girl from a while ago? She looked familiar.” It was a seemingly harmless question on your end. You didn’t want to talk about the game because they did lose. You didn’t want to bring up his mother because that would be another argument. You didn’t want to talk about Iwaizumi because you figured that maybe the hug you shared was the reason for his frustration. So you decided to settle with the one thing in that situation that had no heavy feelings attached.

Well, you were sorely mistaken.

Ushijima tenses up before he relaxes. “She’s my childhood friend. She used to be my closest friend until middle school.”

“Ah.” You nod to yourself. “Cool.”

“She means nothing to me now, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Ushijima quickly added.

“Ooooh, did little Toshi have a crush on her?” You tease, trying to use this opportunity to lighten the mood.

Ushijima tenses up before a fond smile makes its way to his face for the first time since this morning. “She was there for me throughout my childhood. She helped me get through my parent’s separation.”

You didn’t know why, but you finally realized why she looked familiar. It was minimal, very minimal… But there was a large similarity between her facial and body structure and yours. And as you realize this, the conversation you had with Iwaizumi echoes disturbingly through your head.

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

Although they had been given a month-long break after the game, Ushijima was still out most of the time. Some part of you was bitter over the fact that your fiancé chose to spend more time spiking balls and playing with his teammates (that he already plays with on a regular basis), but you don’t pressure him to stay. If that made him happy, then you were happy with it as well. But still, some part of you wishes that he would just stay in with you and cuddle while you type your next piece on the laptop.

Later that night, Ushijima comes home with his arm slung around Kageyama who looked like he had just walked through hell and back. There’s a dopey grin on his face as he reaches out for you and crashes his body against yours. The smell of alcohol fills your nostrils, and you scrunch your nose up in disgust.

“Please take care of Ushijima-san.” The setter bows lightly before straightening up.

“Thank you for bringing him home.” You smile at Kageyama who blushes a deep red.

“I’ll take my leave.” Kageyama bows and walks off.

You shut the door once you see that Kageyama has made it to the elevator.

“You’re so pretty…” Ushijima’s grin is wide as he cups your cheeks. Nuzzling his nose against yours before peppering kisses all over your face. “Can’t believe you’re here…”

Ushijima presses you against the door and leans down to capture your mouth into his. He presses against you, grabbing at your wrists to wrap your arms around his neck as he pushes his mouth harder against yours. There’s desperation in the way he digs his fingers into your hips as he lifts you and pulls at your legs to wrap it around his waist.

“I love you so much…” Ushijima whispers between kisses as he nips at your neck. “Don’t ever leave me again… Fuck.”

Ushijima’s hand creeps under your shirt, trailing on your skin while his other hand supports you against the door. As good as it felt to be finally receiving attention from your lover, you grab at his wrist to stop him. “Toshi, you’re drunk. Let’s go to bed first, yeah?”

“What happened to Waka-kun?” There’s a pout on Ushijima’s face, and you would find it endearing if you weren’t confused by the words that left his mouth.

Choosing to chalk it up to his drunken stupor, you just smile, unwrap your legs from his waist and bring him to bed. “You need to sleep.”

Once you two were settled in bed, Ushijima nuzzled himself into your neck as he wrapped his arms around you from behind, positioning himself to prepare for sleep.

His breath tickles your neck as he mumbles, “Don’t ever leave me, please.”

“I won’t.” You smile as you sink deeper into his embrace. “I love you too much to do that.”

“You love me?” Ushijima was a talkative, sappy kind of drunk, it seems. “Really?”

“Very much.” You mumble as you intertwine your fingers with his.

“You’ll stay with me forever, right?” Ushijima’s voice is weak, almost as if he was afraid of what your answer could be.

“Of course.” You answer without a second thought.

You can feel Ushijima kiss your neck before his breathing starts to slow. It’s a whisper, the way he says it, lips brushing as he lightly mouths the words into your skin, but you hear it clear as day.

“I love you, Fuyumi-chan…”

If this be error and upon me prov’d,

You stare blankly at the Instagram profile on your laptop screen, your hands on the table as you focus all your emotions into clenching them as tight as possible. The apartment is quiet, but the noise in your head is a different story. Voices, faces, and emotions flood your brain, each wave stronger than the last as it threatens to drown you into the void of your head. You briefly wonder where it all went wrong.

When Ushijima decided to get drunk? No, it wasn’t.

When Iwaizumi hugged you after their loss at the Olympics? No… It wasn’t that either.

Maybe when you had visited Ushijima’s childhood home? No. Although it seemed like it went downhill from there… It wasn’t that.

It all went wrong the moment you allowed yourself to fall in love with Ushijima Wakatoshi.

“Good morning.” Ushijima smiles as he sits across from you on the floor on the other side of the coffee table.

You force a smile. “Slept well?”

Ushijima freezes for a split second before recovering. “Had a good dream.”

“Good for you.” You don’t know how much longer you can pretend like your relationship wasn’t falling apart. “About the wedding—“

“We’re having it in 2 months right?” Ushijima interrupts you, and for some reason, it looks like he’s trying to avoid something. “I’m still on vacation, so I’ll be able to help you and the coordinator plan it—“

“Let’s call it off.” You interrupt with a smile.

“Do you want to move it to a later date?” Ushijima furrows his brows as he reaches over, grabbing your left hand, his heart sinking when his thumb brushes over skin instead of silver on your finger. “Where’s your ring?”

“Wakatoshi,” You start with a smile, your voice as steady as it could be while a war rages in your head, “I don’t want to get married anymore.”

For someone who understood words best when they were said directly, Ushijima Wakatoshi was having a lot of trouble understanding you right now.

Ushijima’s frown deepens, but he continues to speak casually. “That’s fine. We don’t have to be married to love each other, right? That’s just a formal ceremony—“

“I’m leaving, Wakatoshi.” You attempt to pull your hand away from his grasp, but Ushijima holds it tighter.

There are tears in his eyes as he looks at you, and you’re almost tempted to stay. Ushijima crying was not a common sight. You had only seen it happen once in the entirety of your relationship, and your heart breaks at that thought.

“When will you come back?” His voice is desperate as he looks into your eyes, searching for any sign indicating that you’ll stay. He finds none.

You can only smile. “I’m sorry.”

You stand up and shut your laptop, walking off to your room to pack your things. You didn’t want to make this harder than it had to be. You didn’t want to see him cry, and you didn’t want him to see you cry. If this was love then it seems that Shakespeare was wrong, or maybe what you have isn’t love. But if it isn’t love, then why did every single step away from Ushijima’s crying figure feel heavier and more painful than the last? Why did you yearn for him despite the stabbing in your chest?

When Ushijima hears the door of your shared bedroom close, he opens your laptop, wondering if he’ll find an answer there.

And he did.

Sato Fuyumi’s unmoving face stares back at him, a smile etched onto her face as the sun shines brightly behind her. At that moment, Ushijima understood. Last night was no dream, it seems, but he had blurred the lines between fantasy and reality and that led to the inevitable decay of whatever it was that you two had. With that, Ushijima stood up and walked to your shared room, one last time.

“I’m sorry.” Ushijima states from the doorway. He expected you to be packing your things, but he didn’t expect that seeing it would hurt this much. It was almost as if you were ripping his chest open with each clothing you pulled from your shared cabinet.

“I know.” You whisper, unable to trust your voice.

There’s silence as Ushijima sits beside you on the floor.

“Toshi...” The name feels heavy in your mouth as you speak. “Did you—“

A sob somehow manages to break free, and now you were crying.

Ushijima pulls you into his chest, guilt and despair filling his chest as he feels you sob and shake in his hold. He wishes he could make it all go away, but how could he when he was the reason you’re this way in the first place?

“Please tell me the truth…” You grip at his shirt, your forehead pressed onto his collarbone as you let the tears fall one after the other. “Did you… Did you ever love me?”

Ushijima answers with no hesitation. “I did.”

You cry harder into his chest as you mourn the lifetime that could’ve been yours. Images of a distant life fill your head: a home in the countryside, a young boy, a young girl, a loving husband. You allow yourself to bask in the illusion for a second before you pull yourself away. You were afraid that if you had stayed any longer, you’d never be able to walk away.

“We can make it work, Y/N.” Ushijima pleads one last time. “This is just something we have to work through. We’ll get past this and then we’ll live the rest of our lives together. We’ll go to the countryside when I retire, raise our kids there—“

You cut him off. “Stop.”

“You could write from there. It’s peaceful, no one will disturb—“

You cry harder into his chest, gripping tighter at his shirt. “Stop please, just stop already—“

“We can still make it work, Y/N. Just stay—“

“Just stop!” You pull away, daring to look into Ushijima’s eyes. “It’s never going to work. We would be living a lie if I agreed to all of that. It’s clear that you’re still in love with her, and you always will be!”

Ushijima’s shoulders slump down in defeat, and he lets you cry it all in front of him.

“And what if your first love is your true love?” Iwaizumi asks, his fists clenching as he looks down at the steps.

“Then you’ll spend the rest of your life mourning a lifetime that was never meant to be yours.”

Your own words haunt you.

I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.

You realize it now, looking back.

Years of denying the poet only for you to agree with him in the end. It took you 3 years, but now, you were ready to admit that Shakespeare was right in all he said about love. Everything around you was just pointing in a different direction, you just didn’t realize it when you were still in the middle of it all.

It was a mess you no longer wanted to revisit, but you brave through it for your friend.

You watch the love of your life mourn a lifetime that could’ve been his.

Ushijima Wakatoshi watches as the love of his life goes down the aisle.

Sato Fuyumi smiles as she sees the love of her life waiting at the end of it.

Iwaizumi Hajime looks ahead one last time as the love of his life sits somewhere in the crowd.

And somewhere in the sky, Cupid laughs.

A/N: I feel like this should be classified under “Angst/No One Gets A Happy Ending”. Also, I finally gave Iwa some closure AHHHHH I hope you guys liked this one! Feel free to drop my by ask, I’m always up for a discussion, after all. 💖

#ushijima x reader #ushijima wakatoshi #haikyuu #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu x reader #genre.angst #cont.spoilers #tw heavy angst #tw swearing #tw separation

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annikasafternoonread · 3 years ago

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Phew, that was a long chapter. I want to keep reading, but it’s been over an hour, and quite frankly I’m worn out. That was a hell of a chapter, very intense, swordfights and soul fights and world destruction and world rebuilding and revelations and backstories and WOOF.

So that’ll be it for today.

BUT! Gotta pick the next book(s)! For those of you who are new (I’ve gained a lot of followers during these last two books!), I usually pick a shortlist of three or so suggestions and let y’all vote on which one -- this lets me pick books that are in my wheelhouse, as well as setting up the timing to have access to the book, whether from the library or my own collection, but still gives you guys a voice in the process! I’m always open to suggestions to add to my list (though they may not make this round of voting), but I can be a bit picky with my tastes and I have no idea how to describe them.

Anyways, this round of options will be:

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green (followed by A Beautifully Foolish Endeavour) – these books are a critical examination of fame and social media and community and the meaning we make for ourselves, written by someone who knows a thing or twelve about all of that. I’ve been meaning to read ABFE since it came out, but wanted to reread AART first, and then I just never got around to it. Social media, bisexuality, aliens, robots, puzzles, dreams, celebrity -- lots of my favourite things

Most Likely by Sarah Watson – this book was written by one of the screenwriters for the TV show The Bold Type, which is an incredible show that has super raw and relatable plots that kept applying to me in a way that made me feel simultaneously a little spooked, kind of personally attacked, and super validated. Does the fact that I adore this show mean I finished it? Of course not, why would I do anything that makes sense (I’m terrible at keeping up with TV shows). Anyways, how raw and real those stories were makes me sure that this story will be just as powerful. Most Likely follows four girls in their last year of high school, one of which will one day be President of the United States – but it’s not clear which one. They’re very different girls from very different (and racially diverse!) backgrounds on very different paths, but they’re all heading for greatness in their own ways.

The Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce – I started this blog with Tamora, and I always seem to veer back towards her haha. Inspired by my last read, of Tempests & Slaughter, it could be fun to go back to how readers were first introduced to Arram Draper/Numair Salmalín, as well as many of the other Carthaki characters. I don’t think I’ve reread those books since I first read T&S, so it’ll be neat to see how things fit in. Plus Daine is just awesome. A powerful mage with an unusual form of magic that almost no one knows exists (let alone knows how to teach her and prevent it from overwhelming her) just trying to find a place she belongs instead of a place she’s thrown out of or called weird and monstrous or seen only as a tool to be used. And of course, so many animals I love animals.

So those will be our choices this time, feel free to weigh in via replies or messages or however you like! And as I said, totally open to suggestions for future books to add to my list for next time :)

See you soon!

#annika reads #Tamsyn Muir #Harrow the Ninth #The Locked Tomb #goodnight!#bookend #what's next?#Harrow the Ninth: day 26

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malkaleh · 4 years ago

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Choose 5 OTPs without looking at the questions first, then tag more people.

Anne/Henry/Thomas

Yen/Jaskier/Geralt

Ben/Sarai/Jim

Rey/Finn/Poe

Ozorne/Arram/Varrice

I’m tagging (if you want to do it): @maevedarlings @shes-a-voodoo-child @kawuli @lemonsharks @bibliothekara @allegoriesinmediasres @jackironsides @bygodstillam

1. Do you remember the first episode/scene/chapter you started shipping 5? So when I reread Emperor Mage at some point I went ‘...oh Ozorne is (a) hella more creepy somehow and (b) the Ozorne/Numair as former lovers is um...Very There Really. And Varice was fascinating actually! And then I read Tempests & Slaughter and it was like THESE THREE ADORABLE BABIES WHO ARE BEST FRIENDS and I absolutely shipped it as a triad from...very early. I think just the way they are so comfortable with each other and they care (which is going to SHATTER MY HEART INTO PIECES because we all know how this ends but still) about each other a whole lot. 2. Have you ever read Fan Fiction about 2? I have read bits and pieces but not coherently - I should probably find some rec posts or something 3. Has 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr id? Nope but I have reblogged SO MANY PHOTOS OF THEM BECAUSE I LOVE THEM (I really love jedistormpilot I have replaced the ending of the sequel trilogy with them as a married triad with kids @maevedarlings knows my feels) 4. If 3 were to suddenly break up today, what would be your reaction? It would not happen because um, I am the sole sailor of this ship and I say so ;). 5. Why is 1 so important? It um, makes me happy? It’s meant I’ve written a lot of things that I was really scared to share, a lot of things that I call ‘self indulgent garbage but it’s my happy garbage’ and feel like I’m Inflicting On Fandom somehow but um...I just really enjoy it. I enjoy thinking about the world building, I enjoy the myriad AUs I have made, I love doing the multimedia things and um...it’s something other people appear to have enjoyed which is delightful. 6. Is 4 a funny or a serious OTP? It’s tagged ot3 of my heart and it is alongside Faramir/Eowyn. I don’t read much fic about them because apparently I’m very specific about it (I don’t read Tolkien fic either really) but I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. 7. Which of these ships have the most chemistry? For me The Tudors OT3 and Jedistormpilot probably win 8. Which ship has the strongest bond? Again Tudors OT3 and Jedistormpilot for me. I think if you take the AU version of the Tempest & Slaughter OT3 in which Ozorne made BETTER CHOICES they would also be here because well, they fled a country and made a new home and chosen family for themselves. 9. How many times have you watched/read 2’s canon? I watched The Witcher S1 through once in a giant binge watch and it was DELIGHTFUL. 10. Which OTP lasted the longest? Jedistormpilot, Tudors OT3, Sarai/Ben/Jim all stayed together all their lives. I think The Witcher OT3 probably does as well, once they settled down somewhat (but I tend to think of Yen as casually poly but it’s like her husbands are her husband (and if OT4 Triss is her wife), Jaskier as extremely Phryne Fisher....oh wow possibly only @jackironsides will get this because I’m not sure of the Phryne Fisher + Witcher fannish crossover but that’s an OT3 AU to think about. 11. How many times has 5 broken up? In canon they broke up once and um, it was a pretty final break up in that it ended with one of the three charging another with treason and then it turned out the former got killed by the latters new partner. 12. If ships 1 and 3 were thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which do you think would survive? Honestly I think they might both survive - Henry and Thomas are both trained in War Stuff but also Thomas knows about how to like, live in not great places and though Anne might not she is also very good at like, sewing things. Ben and Jim are both soldiers, Sarai is a doctor in the 1930s/40s and they have skills. 13. Did 4 ever hide their relationship? Honestly no, once they got together Rey and Finn were like OUR POE NOT YOURS and Poe was just SO DELIGHTED TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT HOW AMAZING HIS BOYFRIEND AND GIRLFRIEND ARE. 14. Is 5 still together? In canon? Definitely not. 15. Is 1 canon? in my heart YES HISTORY CAN JUMP IN A LAKE no 16. If all the OTPs were put into the hunger games together, who do you think would survive? Honestly Yen/Jaskier/Geralt are going to be the ones who survive this. I mean it’s them. I want to say Ozorne/Numair/Varice could manage it considering how powerful they are but I think in terms of sheer I Am Going To Get Out Of Here it has to be Yen/Jaskier/Geralt. 17. Has anyone ever tried to sabotage 5’s relationship? OZORNE MAKE BETER CHOICES AND BE A LESS POSSESSIVE CREEP YOU ABSOLUTE KNOB. Basically Ozorne blew up that relationship in a pretty spectacular way canonically (we don’t know how exactly yet but um, he really did) 18. Which OTP would you defend to death and beyond? Jedistormpilot is canon and I refuse to accept otherwise. See also Tudors OT3 ;) 19. Have you ever spent hours per day on 3’s tumblr page? I have not because I invented this ship but I have spent a long time working out my headcanons for it because sometimes self care is making up a story about an OT3 you invented that features character a, character b and character a’s OC wife from a show that aired in 2003 and whose fandom is like...you and one friend you roped in *g* 20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to choose one OTP to break up indefinitely, which would it be? I think I have to pick the Tempests & Slaughter OT3 because that is canonically how it ends and I do love Daine. BUT IT BREAKS MY HEART.

1. Do you remember the first episode/scene/chapter you started shipping 5? 2. Have you ever read Fan Fiction about 2? 3. Has 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr id? 4. If 3 were to suddenly break up today, what would be your reaction? 5. Why is 1 so important? 6. Is 4 a funny or a serious OTP? 7. Which of these ships have the most chemistry? 8. Which ship has the strongest bond? 9. How many times have you watched/read 2’s canon? 10. Which OTP lasted the longest? 11. How many times has 5 broken up? 12. If ships 1 and 3 were thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which do you think would survive? 13. Did 4 ever hide their relationship? 14. Is 5 still together? 15. Is 1 canon? 16. If all the OTPs were put into the hunger games together, who do you think would survive? 17. Has anyone ever tried to sabotage 5’s relationship? 18. Which OTP would you defend to death and beyond? 19. Have you ever spent hours per day on 3’s tumblr page? 20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to choose one OTP to break up indefinitely, which would it be

#meme #lil and her ridiculous aus #book: tamora pierce #ot3: political power trio #tv: the witcher #ot3 of my heart #ot3: sorceress/bard/witcher

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onelittlebookgeek · 5 years ago

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Book Challenge 2019 - I DID IT!

Hi guys, after tracking all the books I’ve read here from 2013-2016, I completely forgot this whole thing for more than 3 years! Sorry!!

No fear though: I’m back! Even though 2019 has almost ended, I’ll make sure this post correctly reflects the whole of 2019!

Since it’s already the end of October, I do feel like I have some hindsight vision into my reading pace this past year, but before I mention how it actually went, I want to explain my original expectations! So 2019 for me is the year I’m finishing my Classics Bachelor Degree in July and the year I’ll be studying abroad for one term from September to December (I’m doing two degrees, so I’ll still be doing my English degree after Classics!). So for my reading, I’d expected not to read a lot. Perhaps for my thesis some books on the subjects and of course for English my course work. So my original reading goal was 50 books!

Looking back on these expectations I must say I’ve read a great deal more than I expected! Writing my thesis did include reading a lot of books and other course work had more reading than I thought I would which boosted my challenge in the first half of the year! Of course, I’ve also read quite a lot during the holidays because what else is there to do in the holidays :D? Regarding my studying abroad experience, I’m reading more than I expected. This is partly because the course work is again much more based on reading books than articles or just parts of book. At the same time, I’m doing less studying than I used to do back home, so I have more time free to do some casual reading. On top of that - since I’m walking everywhere here - I’ve started listening to audiobooks which also adds a couple to the challenge.

So my challenge became 80 books! But I had already surpassed before November, so that’s great! I’d expressed my hopes to read 100 books this year as well, but out of fear of not making that I hadn’t changed my goals. Seeing as of now (mid-November), I’ve already read 93 books I feel confident I can read at least 7 more until a 100, so I’ve changed my goal to read 100 books

The crossed book is the one I’m currently reading, I’ve written reviews for books that have a (x) behind them; the (x) is a link to my Goodreads review!

Update: Today (December 31) I’ve read 135 books so I’ve finished my challenge!! Let’s see where the rest of this year brings me :D!

January

The Oresteia - Ted Hughes (4/5) (x)

The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes #2) - Arthur Conan Doyle (3/5)

The Suffragettes - Various (3/5)

The Poems of Phillis Wheatley - Philils Wheatley (3/5) (x)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave - Frederick Douglass (3/5)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself - Harriet Ann Jacobs (4/5)

February

Darius the Great is Not Okay - Adib Khorram (5/5)

A Disquisition on Government - John C. Calhoen (2/5)

March:

‘s Nachts verdwijnt de wereld - Jaap Robben (Dutch) (4/5)

Public Opinion - Walter Whitman (3/5)

Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - David Eagleman (5/5) (x)

Zalig Uiteinde - Viktor Frölke (Dutch) (2/5)

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) - Richelle Mead (reread) (4/5)

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) - Richelle Mead (reread) (4/5)

Language and Power - Paul Simpson (3/5)

Language Change: Progress or Decay? - Jean Aitchison (3/5) (x)

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) - Richelle Mead (reread) (4/5)

April:

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) - Richelle Mead (reread) (4/5)

A Latin Lover in Ancient Rome - W.R. Johnson (2/5) (x)

The Waste Land - T.S. Eliot (5/5) (x)

Propertius: Elegies - Propertius (ed. Hutchinson) (2/5) (x)

Propertius: A Critical Introduction - J.P. Sullivan (3/5)

Waiting for Godot - Samuel Beckett (4/5) (x)

Lanny - Max Porter (4/5) (x)

Between the Acts - Virginia Woolf (5/5) (x)

Roman Propertius and the Reinvention of Elegy - Jeri Blair DeBrohun (1/5)

Yukon Ho! (Calvin and Hobbes #3) - Bill Watterson (4/5) (x)

Emancipating Lincoln - Harold Holzer (3/5)

The Lonely Londoners - Sam Selvon (1/5) (x)

May:

Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov (5/5) (x)

The Shadow of Callimachus: Studies in the Reception of Hellenistic Poetry at Rome - Richard Hunter (2/5)

Literary and Artistic Patronage in Ancient Rome - Barbara K. Gold (3/5)

White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America - Nancy Isenberg (2/5) (x)

Act of Justice: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the Law of War - Burrus M. Carnahan (3/5)

Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation: The End of Slavery in America - Allen C. Guelzo (3/5)

June:

Apollo, Augustus and the Poets - John F. Miller (2/5) (x)

Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam #1) - Margaret Atwood (3/5) (x)

Circe - Madeline Miller (4/5) (x)

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson #1) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

Callimachus and his Critics - Alan Cameron (2/5)

July:

Elegies - Propertius (5/5)

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson #2) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

Er was er eens en er was er eens niet - Judith Herzberg (Dutch) (1/5)

Percy Jackson and the Titan’s Curse (Percy Jackson #3) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

A Room of One’s Own - Virginia Woolf (5/5) (x)

Red, White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston (4/5) (x)

The Book of Extraordinary Deaths - Cecilia Ruiz (3/5)

The Ballad of Reading Gaol and Other Poems - Oscar Wilde (4/5)

The Epic of Gilgamesh (3/5)

Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare (5/5)

Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson #4) - Rick Riordan (reread) (5/5)

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian (Percy Jackson #5) - Rick Riordan (reread) (5/5)

The Peloponnesian War, Book 2 - Thucydides (3/5)

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde (5/5)

August:

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) - Sarah J. Maas (reread) (4/5)

Hold Your Own - Kate Tempest (4/5)

Slimy Stuarts - Terry Deary (3/5)

Orlando - Virginia Woolf (5/5) (x)

Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker (3/5) (x)

Songs of Innocence and Experience - William Blake (4/5)

Windharp: Poems of Ireland since 1916 - Coll. by Niall MacMonagle (4/5)

Kaas - Willem Elsschot (Dutch) (1/5)

Goblin Market - Christina Rossetti (4/5)

Brand New Ancients - Kate Tempest (3/5)

September:

The Fall of Arthur - J.R.R. Tolkien (3/5)

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (4/5)

The Bees - Carol Ann Duffy (4/5)

Poems - Allen Ginsberg (5/5)

Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) - Richelle Mead (reread) (4/5)

Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) - Richelle Mead (reread) (4/5)

Callirhoe and Caereas - Chariton (3/5)

Bartleby the Scrivener - Herman Melville (3/5)

Benito Cereno - Herman Melville (4/5)

October:

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave - Frederick Douglass (4/5)

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself - Harriet Ann Jacobs (2/5)

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - Hank Green (4/5)

Song of Myself - Walt Whitman (4/5) (x)

Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: Poetry of the Central Consciousness - Salsa Agnieszka (3/5)

A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes (4/5) (x)

Roderick Hudson - Henry James (4/5) (x)

All That She Can See - Carrie Hope Fletcher (3/5) (x)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon (4/5)

All the Crooked Saints - Maggie Stiefvater (3/5) (x)

Daphnis and Chloe - Longus (3/5)

The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett (1/5) (x)

November:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain (2/5) (x)

Lily and the Octopus - Steven Rowley (4/5) (x)

First World War Poems from the Front (4/5)

If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio (4/5) (x)

The Republic - Plato (2/5) (x)

Observations - Marianne Moore (5/5)

Poems (1930) - W.H. Auden (2/5) (x)

The Professor’s House - Willa Cather (1/5) (x)

Becoming - Michelle Obama (4/5)

The Outsider - Albert Camus (4/5)

Three Poems - Hannah Sullivan (3/5)

Leucippe and Clitophon - Achilles Tatius (4/5)

The Book of Mirrors - Frieda Hughes (3/5) (x)

Sophist - Plato (5/5) (x)

Selected Poems - E.E. Cummings (4/5)

A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry (4/5)

The Beats (A Very Short Introduction) - David Sterrit (4/5)

The Cat Inside - William S. Burroughs (5/5)

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton (4/5) (x)

Kindred - Octavia E. Butler (4/5)

Remains of Elmet - Ted Hughes (3/5) (x)

Dear Boy - Emily Berry (1/5) (x)

The Merchant of Venice - Willaim Shakespeare (3/5)

Pnin - Vladimir Nabokov (4/5)

How to Be a Woman - Caitlin Moran (2/5) (x)

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America - Bill Bryson (3/5)

December

Tracks - Louise Erdrich (3/5)

Derrida (A Very Short Introduction) - Simon Glendinning (x)

Ariel - Sylvia Plath (5/5)

London Triptych - Jonathan Kemp (3/5)

Two Cures for Love - Wendy Cope (5/5)

Citizen: An American Lyric - Claudia Rankine (4/5)

Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase #3) - Rick Riordan (4/5)

The Vegetarian - Han Kang (4/5)

Selected Poems - Philip Larkin (3/5)

Kid - Simon Armitage (1/5) (x)

The Children Act - Ian McEwan (4/5)

On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan (3/5) (x)

The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (4/5) (x)

Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs (4/5)

Man met hoed - Lieke Marsman (3/5) (Dutch) (x)

Koffers Zeelucht: Gedichten - Hagar Peeters (Dutch) (4/5)

Selected Poems - Gregory Corso (3/5)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling (reread) (5/5)

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (reread) (5/5)

Erotic Poems - E.E. Cummings (3/5)

Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare (reread) (4/5)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Edward Albee (2/5)

Carry On - Rainbow Rowell (reread) (4/5)

My 2016 challenge

My 2015 challenge

My 2014 challenge

My 2013 challenge

#2019 book challenge #onelittlebookgeek #2019 #book challenge

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libralita · 7 years ago

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Way of Kings Reread to prepare for Oathbringer

“Almighty above, Kalak thought. You’re broken too, aren’t you? They all were.”—Page 17

And thus the Radiants must be broken as well.

“‘They see us as divinities,’ Kalak whispered. ‘They rely upon us, Jezrien. We’re all that they have.’”—Page 17

So they aren’t, they were just people.

“The tempest within Szeth gave him many advantages—including the ability to quickly recover from small wounds. But it would not restore limbs killed by a Shardblade.”—Page 30

So a Honorblade can’t restore limbs killed by a Shardblade but being a Radiant can.

“Kharbranth, City of Bells”—Page 61

I forgot that Kharbranth was called the City of Bells.

“I’m dying, aren’t I? Healer, why do you take my blood? Who is that beside you, with his head of lines? I can see a distant sun, dark and cold, shining in a black sky.”—Page 73

Ah, Brandon and his foreshadowing.

“‘Kaladin,’ Syl said, landing on the log, ‘I’m going to leave’ He blinked in shock. Syl. Leave? But…she was the last thing he had left. ‘No,’ he whispered. It came out as a croak. ‘I’ll try to come back,’ she said. ‘But I don’t know what will happen when I leave you. Things are strange. I have odd memories. No, most of them aren’t even memories. Instincts. One of those tells me that if I leave you, I might lose myself.’ ‘Then don’t go,’ he said, growing terrified. ‘I have to,’ she said, cringing. ‘I can’t watch this anymore. I’ll try to return.’ She looked sorrowful. ‘Goodbye.’ And with that, she zipped away into the air, adopting the form of a tiny group of tumbling, translucent leaves. Kaladin watched her go, numb.”—Page 149

Oh, boy, fun fantasy series!

“She cowered down, kneeling on his palm, misty skirt around her legs, drops of rainwater passing through her and rippling her form. ‘You don’t like it then? I flew so far…I almost forgot myself. But I came back. I came back Kaladin.’”—Page 161

My poor sweetie, Syl.

“‘Today,’ King Elhokar announced, riding beneath the bright open sky, ‘is an excellent day to slay a god. Wouldn’t you say?’”—Page 183

Killing gods is so passé, Elhokar. You should really keep up with trends, you’re king after all.

“‘I know,’ Renarin said. His voice was measured, controlled. He always paused before he replied to question, as if testing the worlds in his mind. Some women Adolin knew said Renarin’s ways made them feel as if he were dissecting them with his mind. They’d shiver when they spoke of him, though Adolin had never found his younger brother the least bit discomforting.”—Page 184

Fight me!

“The king beamed.”—Page 188

C’mon, Elhokar, I believe in you! You can be a good king!

“‘Wit!’ Adolin called, waving.”—Page 197

Wit!

“Adolin—stalwart as always—had dismounted beside the king. He tried to stop the claws, striking at them as they fell. Unfortunately, there were four claws and only one of Adolin. Two swung at him at once, and though Adolin sliced a chunk out of one, he didn’t see the other sweeping at his back.”—Page 208

Adolin VS 4 is becoming a pattern.

“But the other one? You saw how he ran out onto the field today. He even forgot to draw his sword or bow! He’s useless!”—Sadeas, Page 227

COME AT ME, BRO! NO ONE TALKS SHIT ABOUT RENARIN!

“‘He is relying heavily on Brightness Lalai to act as clerk.’ Perhaps that would make Jasnah return. There was little love lost between herself and Sadeas’s cousin, who was the king’s head scribe in the queen’s absence.”—Page 422

Whoa, there, Sadeas’s cousin? I’m sure she won’t be a pain in the butt.

“‘Forgiven? Me?’ [Taravangian] seemed to find that amusing, and for a moment, Shallan thought she saw deep regret in his expression. ‘Unlikely. But that is something else entirely. Please. I stand by my questions.’”—Page 464

Ahahahaha.

“Gaz had never gotten used to having just one eye. Could a man get used to that?”—Page 472

I dunno, ask Kelsier.

“Roshone fell still, skewer held limply in his hand, brilliant green eyes narrowed, lips pursed tight. In the dark, those eyes almost seemed to glow.”—Page 546

Panic.

“‘Yelig-nar, called Blightwind, was one that could speak like a man, though often his voice was accompanied by the wails of those he consumed.’—The Unmade were obviously fabrications of folklore. Curiously, most were not considered individuals, but instead personifications of kind of destruction. This quote is from Traxil, line 33, considered a primary source, though I doubt its authenticity.”—Chapter 45, Way of Kings

Everyone in this series think the Unmade aren’t important which makes me think that they’re incredibly important.

“Kabsal hesitated, then walked over, taking the picture in reverent fingers. ‘It’s wonderful,’ he whispered. He looked up, then hurried to his lantern, opening it and pulling out the garnet broam inside. ‘Here,’ he said, proffering it. ‘Payment.’”—Page 639

Why would Kabsal try to pay Shallan for her drawing? Does he know she’s a radiant?

“The flashes of light came from directly ahead. So transfixing. Brushing past a pretty gold- and red-haired woman who huddled frightened in a corner, Kaladin burst through a door.”—Page 648

Who’s that?

“But that implied that they had limited themselves before. Did they do it because they realized that the battlefields left little room for maneuvering? Or was it for speed? But that didn’t make sense—the Alethi had to worry about bridges as choke points, slowing them more and more if they brought more troops. But the Parshendi could jump the chasms. So why commit fewer troops that their all?”—Page 781

They just trying to keep the Alethi distracted?

“The soldiers pulled Sadeas’s helm off, and Dalinar was relieved to see his former friend blinking, looking disoriented by largely uninjured.”—Page 786

Oh, good, Sadeas is still alive…

“I hold the suckling child in my hands, a knife at his throat, and know that all who live wish me to let the blade slip. Spill its blood upon the ground, over my hands, and with it gain us further breath to draw.”—Page 789

What do you guys think of this death rattle? I find it interesting that it first refers to the baby as “he” and then in the next sentence says “its blood” instead of “his”. So there’s possibly some baby possession going on here.

“When a surgeon failed, someone died.”—Page 790

Kal, dear, if a farmer fails to produce food, people will die.

“‘Yes,’ Elhokar replied. ‘And yet they are savages, and easily manipulated. It would be a perfect distraction, pinning the blame on a group of parshmen. We go to war for years and years, never noticing the real villains, working quietly in my own camp. They watch me. Always. Waiting. I see their faces in mirrors. Symbols, twisted, inhuman…’”—Page 826

Oh, poor Elhokar.

“‘Every bridge run,’ Kaladin said. ‘You’re going to make us go on every one.’ ‘Yes,’ she said idly, tapping for her bearers to raise her. ‘Your team is just too good. It must be used. You’ll start full-time bridge duty tomorrow. Consider it an…honor.’”—Page 833

Ah, now I remember why I hate Hashal.

“‘The world as we know it has quite nearly been destroyed,’ Nohadon said. ‘Barely a family exists that hasn’t lost half its members! Our best men are corpses on that field, and we haven’t food to last more than two or three months at best. And I’m to spend my time writing a book? Who would scribe it for me? All of my wordsman were slaughtered when Yelig-nar broke into the chancery. You’re the only man of letters I know of who’s still alive.’”—Page 852

Okay, so Yelig-nar is one of the Unmade. And he existed so, you’re wrong Jasnah.

“None of the soldiers rushing across the chasm had made any specific effort to attack the archers firing on Kaladin, but the weight of numbers had forced them away. A few gave Kaladin loathing gazes, making an odd gesture by cupping a hand to the right ear and pointing at him before finally retreating.”—Page 896

Odd.

“‘Don’t worry,’ Kaladin whispered. When had he started to cry? ‘I’ll bring you home. I’ll protect you, Tien. I’ll bring you back…’”—Page 924

MY HEART.

“‘On your horse, lighteyes’ ‘We should finish him. We could—’ ‘On your horse!’”—Page 940

Get on your fucking horse, Dad!

“Navani steeled herself, folding her arms, trying to quiet the screams of denial and pain that came from the back of her mind. This was a pattern. She often saw patterns in things.”—Page 946

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

“All is withdrawn for me. I stand against the one who saved my life. I protect the one who killed my promises. I raise my hand. The storm responds.”—Page 945

Possibly foreshadowing Kaladin having to save Roshone or Amaram?

“Wait. You—That—What just happened?”—Page 956

I love this.

“For all I know, there are many groups searching for these secrets.”—Page 992

What? Pffft noooooo. There isn’t a ridiculous amount of secret organizations looking for these secrets. You’re crazy, Jasnah.

#TaylorRereadsSA #Brandon Sanderson #Way of Kings #Stormlight Archive #Cosmere #DONE!#I have a problem...

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c7thetumbler · 8 years ago

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Life Update Notes: February 11th

So I skipped the past few weeks with this. I had a big blog post all planned out, but after rereading it... It’s just me talking about how last year was for me. It wasn’t a positive post, and I think I’ll keep it in drafts to remind me of things that have been from a more positive perspective.

Anyway, let’s just go with a recap

2 Weeks ago

Spent the whole time trying to line up an apartment, and actually had a bit of a ... we’ll say I panicked a lot when I dropped $300 for an apartment oonly to find out that it was unfurnished and didn’t quite match what I was advertised. Luckily over the course of the week I talked with someone at the complex; they managed to find me a place in the same complex for much cheaper given that the mistake was made because I was told to “just use the online system because we’ve only got 16 people here” when I called to ask questions.

No small amount of stress was had either over a bank issue when switching apartments caused them to lose the $300, but either they decided that it was their fault or they settled it with the bank. Either way, it’s over.

I spent the rest of the week packing up my remaining things in my room. I was only bringing my Corolla on the trip, so I couldn’t bring much; no furniture, just the essentials. My mother took the week I would be driving out as well, which has been both a blessing and a bit of trouble which I may or may not get into

1 Week Ago

Packing completed, said some goodbyes to local friends. I guess it’s a bit strange living in today's’ age; I only had to say goodbye to a couple. Most of my friends either left when I went to college or shortly after returning to pursue their own careers, so ultimately I had a quick lunch with someone at Fullerton and a very short goodbye from another (whom I suspect wanted to keep it short not to make it awkward, but I wish I had asked how he was doing or something). My college friends are, expectedly, up near where I went to college and I’m the kind of person who doesn’t really reach out to maintain connections, even though I know I should. The rest of my friends I talk to online regularly.

After finally finding the right boxes for everything (amiibo have to be separated, of course) I finally got all my stuff packed and ready to drive. One family picnic at the local park (where I ripped my pants kneeling down to try and untangle the idiot dog from his own leash), and my car was packed and ready to go Saturday night.

This Past Week

None of it felt real until Thursday. Or at least, I was tricking myself into thinking it wasn’t because I didn’t want it to be. The drive felt like a typical road trip. My mother is a terrible navigator and does the thing where she looks at google maps and just reads exactly what the directions say out loud rather than telling me what’s on the map. It took 2 days, the second of which We stayed in a very nice hotel about 5 blocks away from my soon-to-be-apartment.

This Hotel was, however, a 5-story tall building with its own parking garage (because parking was a fucking nightmare already) overlooking a busy freeway. It killed any hope I had that this apartment was good. Spent most the night unable to sleep, and it didn’t help that my entire life was basically in one convenient car-shaped package anyone could take from me.

Luckily on Tuesday we moved in. Didn’t really have time to take in the sights; I got my key dropped all of my shit in the apartment, and went on the lookout for a table, chairs, and a futon before 4, when the TWC guy would setup my internet. We would not be able to find a futon, and after several hours trying to navigate the hellish landscape that is Dallas streets and highways (Hey asshats who liked to “brag” about how awful the traffic is there, your traffic doesn’t even compare to LA traffic, it’s your fucking awful, terribly marked roads that are shit. At least in LA they kept the on and off ramps separated from streets designed to run parallel, rather than having 20 feet to merge at 60 mph into a sidestreet that is clogged to all hell because your intersaction have forced turn only lanes)

... Fuck I lost track of that last section. Anyway, We returned at 3 with an Ikea Jokkmokk (table + chairs) which I would spend 2 hours assembling while waiting for the internet guy. And then another hour. And then another. It would be about 7:30 before he would get here and finish setting up the internet, and without a futon we literally just went to the Walmart superstore and picked one that looked like we could jam into the trunk + backseat.

We couldn’t. It was 8:30 at night. We hadn’t eaten since 7 that morning at the hotel’s free breakfast, and here I was trying to hold my composure as I tried to tied my trunk down a rope I just bought for that purpose. My mother snapped; just kind of said “Let’s just go” in that defeated yet accusatory tone of voice that made it sound like I was the one doing everything wrong. I limped the car home in silence with the trunk bouncing on my new futon. It’s not very comfortable, but we assembled it and ran to the McDonald's for food. It was a rough day.

Next was spend shopping for the essentials: groceries, cooking utensils, trash cans, toiletries, etc. This would continue for the rest of the week. On Thursday we took the train I would take to work at the time I would take it. Turns out it’s really convenient and easy; only have to walk a block total. Apparently Texas weather is fickle; it started 32 degrees, then ended 80 by the time we left downtown.

I hate Downtown. I’ll likely never go back further than work. The buildings, all the people; everything seems so claustrophobic. We walked through it, seeing a lot of tourist places (I say a lot, there are like 2) and ended up at the JFK memorial and Museum. At some point in there it felt all real. I would be living in an apartment (it’s actually nice, quiet, and secluded) in the middle of a city which has the infrastructure designed by a toddler who hates you, and working in a skyscraper in a job I’m not even sure I’m qualified for because of the sparse interview process. It kinda killed my mood. We went back to the apartment and just hung out there.

Friday was alright. Dallas Zoo was pretty impressive; got a lotta cool pictures and vids. Fed a young giraffe even!

Had to reach pretty far over the railing to give food to the little guy. It was cool though.

It was later that day when I got a call from my employer, then an email stating she had left a voicemail on my phone asking for my address. But I didn’t get a notification saying I had a voicemail.

An hour later, I learned that I haven’t been getting those notifications for 9 months. 29 messages, most of which were recruiters being jackasses, but some of them being legit responses to my applications, including the seasonal apps I did in October to get some money for Christmas. For gifts. I threw out like 10-15 apps for that very purpose, and I missed what little did correspond with me because my fucking phone didn’t show my voicemail. A factory reset and several hours of headache fixed that but... I just feel so terrible about it now.

Today was a lazy day. with only 1 table and 4 chairs, we’ve just been chilling at my computer and her on her phone. She’s leaving tomorrow, and I’ll be glad to have the place to myself, if only to shit myself for my first day on Monday. Ultimately I’ll be trying to fend off feeling alone with wanting to be alone and vice-versa, because I’m that kind of asshole who needs just the right amount of human contact.

... But I am more than happy with this apartment. My parents will be shipping down the rest of my Possessions in May, but for now I can live with this. I have more space than I know what I could even do with all that stuff anyway. And that’s where I am now.

What I’ve been playing

Fire Emblem Heroes

I hate aggressively F2P games. I’ve had a ton of trouble trying to get into FE in the past. But for some reason this bite-sized mini FE game works for me. I am addicted. I’m not very good at it, but it’s pretty fun, even if I recognize what the progression system is exploiting to get me to like it. It’s fun, and it’s free.

....

That’s it. It’s been a busy few weeks =U

Short Rant on Immigration Ban

I don’t have a rant. Well, a good one; I can rant about politics for fucking years but man I should just leave that alone for now. I will say that /r/T_D resorting to bringing up decade old cases where immigrants killed people in an attempt to support their bigoted viewpoint is fucking disgusting. Especially when it’s blatantly obvious in the comments that they don’t actually care about the victims: it’s all saying Liberals are idiotic cucks that are monsters and questioning who would downvote their posts karma-whoring the death of an american to make a political point.

...

Okay, I will state my opinions on the ban. To me, it’s not about religion; it’s about country of origin. People can’t control where they’re born, and are therefore coming from. To blanket ban refugees from war-torn countries is, in my opinion, the most un-american thing a president can do. This land was *founded* on the values of being a safe haven. Sure, it didn’t work like that for a long time, but this is the land of opportunity. An icon of our values hold this poem:

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

This is what the country is all about. Should we let people in without vetting? Of course not. You know what we’re already doing? Vetting. Pretty harshly, it’s actually really difficult for people to get the paperwork to come here legally. That kinda says more about where our budget should be going: to help this process along and ensure these prospective americans, these poor, huddled masses looking to the land of opportunity and freedom, are integrated efficiently into our culture and values (and laws).

To ban them and tell them to fuck-off because they might be terrorists is bullshit. Yeah; some of them are bound to be terrible people. But you know what? Terrible people live everywhere here anyway. At least with immigration we can at least look at them before they come here.

It’s obviously a more nuanced issue than that, and this is definitely a more emotional opinion than a response, but this blanket banning of foreigners is a charade to get his ever-shrinking base to love him even more, and it’s disgusting to me for that reason among numerous others.

....

Yeah long one, but that’s it! After this week I’ll start again on the Lunos project, hopefully! We’ll see how busy my new job keeps me.

C ya!

#Life Update #Rant #Moving #Immigration ban #Dallas

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