#in most of the original tracks she sands away a lot of these vulnerable details

[afairerplace]

My impression of how strongly Taylor felt about Harry Styles is VASTLY different after hearing the vault tracks

[nylonsandlipstick]

can you please explain the asoiaf houses lol

@kitawolf12: GO INTO DETAIL CAUSE I’M CURIOUSIf you still want to, I understand if you don’t.

I’ll definitely go into further detail!

So it really comes down to house motto as those are the words that the house members live by and what truly make the members who they are.

Okay so let’s start with Peter. Tully’s coat of arms says Family, Duty, Honor. I could honestly stop right there and move on from Peter because in just those three words Peter is described but I’ll continue. The entire time throughout the books, Peter spends the time worrying about his family. He spends the first half of the LWW telling his siblings that they should return to the professor’s mansion and telling the animals that he wants him and his siblings to just leave so that nothing will hurt them. Peter’s loyalty to his family is basically written across his face and paints every single little thing he does. His family is number one and everybody knows that. His duty is seen more in when he fights in wars and becomes High King. He didn’t throw himself into being general of the Narnian army in LWW or didn’t shirk from his kingly responsibilities. He follows his duties through and tries to do them to his best abilities. When he returned in PC he stepped right into his old shoes of being king and spends the book doing his duty: trying to save the Narnian people from Miraz and giving Narnia back to its rightful owners. Honor for Peter is a little different because unlike in the films, Peter spends the books a lot more level-headed and not trying to fight someone at every corner. But I think it’s less personal honor and more his family, kingdom’s, and people’s honor. He acts in a respectable manner at all times and tries to keep his siblings under check so that no one of importance sees them acting as anything but what kings and queens should act like. He also fights Miraz in a battle to the death, yes to get back Narnia, but just the way he holds himself it’s as if he’s fighting for the Narnian people’s honor. If he had lost, the Telmarine wouldn’t have been able to say that Peter had gone down without a good fight.

For Susan (pardon the fact that most of this will be speculation and go off on very few things that come out of deep analyses as Lewis wrote rather little about her) I say Tyrell because of their Growing Strong motto. The Tyrell house is known for their flowers (considering it is their sigil) which represents beauty and gentleness, both of which Susan is known for, but they also have thorns, something which Susan also has. In canon, Susan was very much against fighting and conflict and always the voice peace and reason. Also, she was the gentle queen, she wasn’t known for her daring like Lucy or her movie-verse self. And while she doesn’t necessarily like violence, her thorns come out during her non-belief in Narnia and the general snobbish and offhanded way she tends to treat her siblings. Something that I feel like really puts her in Tyrell is that the Tyrell women are usually clever and shrewd. In A Song of Ice and Fire (I’m going to go off the books since it’s what I know better considering I’ve read them like four times), we have Tyrells constantly showing themselves as benevolent figures to those around them to garner their trust only to strike in a cunning manner that rivals the Lannisters but is much more subtle. And while the current Tyrell family is a much more stable and nuclear family that cares each other, the past generations have had instabilities, usually rivalries within themselves. Although Susan is very much a protective older sister who only hopes to keep her family safe, she’s very much in the middle as she is constantly battling her siblings over the subject of Narnia while also trying to maintain a nuclear family (can’t really have your cake and eat it too). Back to the shrewdness and cleverness (sorry for getting off track), Susan is known to be the “logical” sister. She’s constantly calling her siblings out on the trouble that they can cause/get into, usually advising a more secure route to a situation and sometimes suggesting not to get involved at all. It’s a very thin strand I’m standing on when I call Susan shrewd and clever, but it’s easily surmised that Susan is the one that thinks long and hard before acting, even more so than Peter who’s all about self-preservation.

Edmund I feel like fits in Arryn for a little bit more than just what the house represents. Just in physical aspects, the Arryn have a small castle located at the top of a mountain that is known for being impregnable. Edmund as a person is known for being “impregnable”. He builds up these walls around himself and tries to close himself off emotionally from others so as not to fall apart. The way the Arryn castle is described and located in really just presents a symbolic representation of who Edmund is as a person. He doesn’t want anyone in so he tries to put his true vulnerable self on top of an impregnable “mountain” so to speak. The Arryn motto is As High as Honor which describes the family’s value of honor and truly honor only. They value respectability and being able to hold oneself together in difficult situations. While Edmund did mess up and isn’t the most level-headed of the characters (he and Lucy are actually the two most temperamental of the Pevensies, having on several occasions let their anger get the best of them) it’s very obvious that he tries his hard to change that. He tries to change his snide ways to become a better person and redeem himself from what he did to his siblings and Narnia when he turned to the White Witch’s side. He had “no honor” when he committed those acts of deceiving himself and his future country. We don’t see him during his fifteen-years reign but we do see an older Edmund in HHB which is after all that time of trying to redeem himself and just the way he holds himself is different. He jokes around a bit but he’s generally more serious than before. He tries to show his better side and restrain himself a bit instead of let his temper fly out as he would have originally. In PC he does act a little bit more immaturely than in HHB, but I attribute that to having spent an entire year being treated like the child he used to be. He just holds this self-respect for himself and his kingdom and understands what it means to have honor. Also, something that goes back to the placement of the Arryn castle, bastards born in the Vale are generally given the surname “Stone” which goes hand-in-hand with that trying to keep his vulnerability to himself thing. He tries to act like he’s made of stone, like being called a traitor and never fully trusted doesn’t get to him. (Also, fun fact: the founder of the Arryn house Ser Artys Arryn was said to have reached the mountain where the small castle would be built by flying on top of a large falcon which really reminds me of that PC film scene where he flies on the griffin’s back.)

So, originally for Lucy I was playing with the idea of her being a Lannister because of her temperment and how much of a key figure she is in the Narnian kingdom, but it’s only in a superficial manner and hardly even that. Martell just seemed better fit for her. The Martell words are Unbowed, Unbroken, Unbent which is so so prominent when Dorne resisted direct conquest and only joined the rest of the Seven Kingdoms through marriage. They’re all stubbornness and pride which basically describes Lucy. She’s unbowed, unbroken, unbent. Even as a little girl running through this new land, she doesn’t act like what a typical child would. She runs toward the danger and runs away from parental comfort (Peter and Susan) and is very stubborn in her need to save Mr. Tumnus and later the Narnians themselves. The Martells are just so inherently strong-willed and determined not to be defeated that while they are “legally” extinct, they still exist as the Sand Snakes who carry their blood. We don’t see this as much (or rather it’s not emphasized as much) in the films, but in the books Lucy doesn’t hear “no” and doesn’t go down without a fight. She’s such a strong personality with an unbroken spirit that she fights alongside her brothers and their soldiers in wars. The Martells have historically, and technically speaking, been undefeated and unconquered by outsiders (something they make known through their motto). Even when they were finally taken over, the Dornish and Martell people rose up and resisted Daeron I and rebelled against him and even killed him. And while many members of other houses were killed and houses dwindled in numbers and only remained intact through prominence, the Martells survived and prevailed, although in obscurity. That really just is Lucy. She’s strong, she’s a great fighter, she constantly tries to survive and remain on top of everything, and even though she’s kind of forgotten in favor of her High King eldest brother or more-beautiful sister or ex-traitor elder brother, the thing is is that she’s alive and thriving and untouched by everything she’s gone through. She has this stubborn will to survive and just exist.

[yapageturner]

Another year has come around and I decided I wanted to do this tag once again since it is a fun way to assess whether or not you are on track to finish your reading goals for the year and look back at what you have already consumed.

The original creators of this Book Tag are below. I highly recommend checking them out.

QUESTIONS:

Best book you’ve read so far in 2018: I am going to make this a two-part question because I have two answers.

Best book I have read so far in 2018 (that didn’t release this year): This was an extremely hard question to narrow down to one answer. Five books shouted at me all at once, but I decided to go with Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward. This novel ended up being the winner because it made me fall in love with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. A series that has suddenly upended the order of my favorite series of all time with this one ranking very high. I love the romance between Bella and Zsadist and the world in its entirety which is rich with detail, carnage, and a unique twist on vampire lore.

Best book I have read so far in 2018 (that did release this year): To my surprise I have found that I haven’t read to many novels that were released this year and so this list was pretty easy to conclude. At the top is A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. Yes, I know technically its a novella, but I don’t care. I loved this tiny little story that hints at more to come in the A.C.O.T.A.R series and gave me a final embrace with Feyre and Rhys as the main couple in this universe.

Best installment in a series that you’ve read so far in 2018: As I don’t like to repeat answers I will not be using the two novels that I discussed above which means that my answers has to be…Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. Voyager, the third installment in the Outlander series was amazing and swept me away as Claire and Jaime Fraser were reunited once again. I love this series and cannot wait to finish it!

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to: A new release that I want to read, but have not found the time for is Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones. The first novel in this series was one of my favorites last year and I am crossing my fingers that this sequel is just as elegant, haunting and breathtaking. 

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare! Boom! That was an easy question to answer. I have been dying for this installment ever since that cliffhanger at the end of Lord of Shadows. Clare gutted me and now I need this conclusion like right now. Unfortunately I won’t be getting my hands on it until December when it releases. 

Biggest disappointment: Restore me by Taherah Mafi. I had such high expectations for this release and when I finally got my hands on it to say the least I was underwhelmed. It felt like nothing happened in this novel. Instead it was clearly setting up for future installments and I unfortunately was not onboard for that and almost DNF it. Sorry Warner and Juliette but I think my love affair with you both has come to its final resting place. 

Biggest surprise: Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas. Don’t kill me Chaol fans, but I wasn’t exactly interested in reading this novel knowing that he would be at its helm. I never really had a strong feelings towards him as a character and always sort of thought he was meh until this novel. Chaol proved me wrong as did the additional characters and I came to love this installment wanting to know more about these characters and the land they resided in. I am excited for their introduction to Aelin in the last installment and suspect that it will be quite emotional. 

Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you): J.R. Ward. I have fallen in love with her writing and the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and am very grateful that she has written a ton of books. That way once I finish with one series I can start on another one of hers. Her writing is dark, mushy, romantic, tangible and often surprising.

Newest fictional crush: Zsadist from the B.D.B series. His vulnerability, scars, power and his tenderness towards his mate Bella have carved out a hole for him inside my heart. I cherish his character and hope that he finds happiness for eternity in the B.D.B series.

By Morgan Hudson

Newest favorite character: Claire Fraser from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. She is everything I want to be: intelligent, passionate, loyal, stubborn and extremely brave. She has a true heart and flaws that make her one of the realest characters that I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. Thanks Gabaldon. 

Book that made you happy: Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I read a lot of negative reviews about this book, but when I picked it up I found myself on a unique and enjoyable journey that surprised me. It also helps that Amani is a badass and I loved watching her tote her guns in battle. 

Favorite book to film adaptation you saw this year: Love, Simon. This adaptation of Simon vs. the homo-sapien agenda while different was so soul crushingly cute that I smiled and cried throughout the entirety of it. A great movie that teens of this generation will appreciate and need in their lives.

Favorite review you’ve written this year: Up above I said that I don’t like to repeat answers and while that is true I can’t help, but say A Court of Frost and Starlight. This was on of my favorite reviews to write because it meant that once more I got to dwell in this universe that I had thought had come to end. It was heart-warming and a delicious read that I already want to read once again.

Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): This question includes three answers…Walk the Earth a Stranger, Like a River Glorious and Into the Bright Unknown. Not only are the covers gorgeous but I imagine the pages in between them are too. I love Rae Carson’s writing and I know that these beauties will hold a world that is full of rich characters, breath-taking landscapes and a slow-burn romance with a wonderful unique plot to boot.

What books do you want to read by the end of the year: 

Original Creators of Mid Year Freak Out Book Tag:

Chami –Mid Year Freak-Out Book Tag

Ely –Mid Year Freak-Out Book Tag

Mid Year Freak-Out Book Tag 2018 Another year has come around and I decided I wanted to do this tag once again since it is a fun way to assess whether or not you are on track to finish your reading goals for the year and look back at what you have already consumed.