#cursed trc reread

[squash1]

THREES THREES THREES:

Oh hello. I want to talk about the stylistic/textual role of Threes in The Raven Cycle.

Threes – as a general concept and as a number – are a major symbol and motif in the series. Maggie tells us that threes are important from the very first book: from Maura’s favorite saying being “good things come in threes” to Persephone telling Adam that “things are always growing to three or shrinking to three,” threes are discussed at length in the text of the narrative. Maggie also shows us that threes are important as a motif/symbol for important aspects of the story: three Raven Boys, three Fox Way women, three Lynch brothers, three main ley lines, three sleepers, etc. Threes are, textually, incredibly significant in The Raven Cycle, and we know this because we are shown AND told it throughout the entirety of the books. 

We all know the significance that is given to threes in the story itself, but what I want to talk about is the usage of a thrice-repeated word or short phrase (going forward I’m referring to this as “Threes” or “a Three”) as one of Maggie’s writing signatures (across the series, there are 65 Threes). This creates a meta level to threes being an important aspect of The Raven Cycle universe. A classic example of a Three (one of my favorites, in fact) is from The Dream Thieves: 

“As they walked, a sudden rush of wind hurled low across the grass, bringing with it the scent of moving water and rocks hidden in the shadows, and Blue thrilled again and again with the knowledge that magic was real, magic was real, magic was real.” (TDT, 12)

In a way, the Threes join the intradiegetic (what is happening within the narrative itself) with the extradiegetic (what the narration is communicating solely to the reader). The reader and characters are told explicitly that the number three is significant, important, notable, and powerful. In using Threes as a writing signature after giving the reader that information, the Threes are designed to signal to the reader that this line, this moment, is important.    

So the question is: What Are The Threes Trying to Tell the Reader??? 

Amazing question. 

In my recent TRC reread, I was already keeping track of Threes, because I was curious to see how many times they appeared. And then my sister, who was also rereading, said something interesting (after reading this Three from The Raven Boys):  

“He was full of so many wants, too many to prioritize, and so they all felt desperate. To not have to work so many hours, to get into a good college, to look right in a tie, to not still be hungry after eating the thin sandwich he’d brought to work, to drive the shiny Audi that Gansey had stopped to look at with him once after school, to go home, to have hit his father himself, to own an apartment with granite countertops and a television bigger than Gansey’s desk, to belong somewhere, to go home, to go home, to go home.” (TRB, 370)

My sister said: “Adam’s like Dorothy.” And then she said: “Wait. Do you think the Threes are like a spell? Or… a wish?”

Which was……. Interesting. 

What I have determined, after completing my reread and spending way too much time analyzing this, is that a Three is either a wish, a hope, a longing, a prayer – or, alternately, a warning, a curse, a negative promise. 

In either sense, Threes are a foreshadowing of what is to come – whether it be good or bad. Threes exist to signal to the reader that they should be paying close attention to whatever is being said or observed.

Threes in….. Everything Else: 

Before we get too far into TRC Threes, let’s talk about the precedent for three being an important number in art, math, storytelling, etc. I found some interesting information about how three is a satisfying number for the brain: 

Grouping things in threes leverages the power of repetition to aid memory; denote emotional intensity or importance; and ease persuasion (research by Shu & Carlson (2014) found that three positive claims is the most effective for persuasion).

Three is the smallest number that the brain can still recognize as a pattern, and the brain loves pattern and repetition. This is true in visual art – having three main compositional figures to create a pleasing image – and also in storytelling and narrative. Using threes for repetition in storytelling is a very common occurrence. 

Some classic examples of repetitive threes are Shakespeare’s “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” or Lincoln's “a government of the people, by the people, for the people.” In each of these examples, a repetition of three is used to create pleasing auditory rhythm. There is something inherently memorable about literary Threes. 

Perhaps the most interesting information I found while digging into the precedent for threes is about the rule of threes in folktales. This information happens to come from Wikipedia (side note: Wikipedia is a modern tool of collective consciousness and we should utilize it more). This page describes how in its most basic form, the rule of threes in storytelling is just beginning, middle, and end. Because this is such a common convention, writers tend to “create triplets or structures in three parts.” It then talks more directly about the use of threes in folktales: 

“Vladimir Propp in his Morphology of the Folk Tale, concluded that any of the elements in a folktale could be negated twice so that it would repeat thrice.”

This is especially interesting to me. The idea that an element of a folktale “could be negated twice so that it would repeat thrice” shows up prominently in the plot of The Raven Cycle – a book that is heavily influenced by folktale motifs – but also in so many of the folktales/fairytales we all know. A classic example of this would be Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Goldilocks must try porridge that is too hot, too cold, and then, finally, just right. The journey of these three actions is satisfying to the brain because it is a complete pattern: the third and final result of “just right” porridge is only satisfying because of the two “not right” porridges that preceded it. 

Getting back to Stiefvater Threes:

For anyone who’s seen The West Wing (and even those who haven’t), here’s a good way to explain what I think the Threes are doing. You know that thing they do during a The West Wing “walk and talk” where two characters will be throwing information and little quips back and forth at each other rapid-fire, and then suddenly, they will both stop walking, and the camera will stop moving, and they’ll say a line that contains really important information that you need to know to understand the storyline of that episode? That’s what Maggie’s Threes are doing for the reader. That’s what 6:21 is doing for the characters. It’s intentional: the writers/directors/actors/camera operators on The West Wing know that they’re throwing a lot of information at you, and know that they need to get you to pay attention to the most important parts somehow, so they do it by forcing the viewer to lean in and listen. It changes the focus and energy of the scene from something with momentum to something that pauses, and therefore makes you pause. 

The Threes compel the reader to pause and consider the information being delivered as more important than they might consider it if it was not written as a Three. “Maura’s expression was dark” does not read the same as “Maura’s expression was dark, dark, dark.” And in a text where characters directly state the magical importance of threes, compounded by three as an overarching motif, there is clear intention and meaning behind these written Threes.

In the context of TRC, Threes act as a fourth-wall break.

They are essentially a way to poke the reader and say: “Are you paying attention? Because you should be.” 

These Threes use a symbolic motif – the rule of three – that is already heavily discussed in the text – to get the reader to pick up on the internal motivations of the character who is “wishing” their Three or the narration which is using a Three to foreshadow some important aspect of the plot. 

The Threes are like the literary equivalent of a record scratch. It stops you in your tracks, breaking the established rhythm and making you take notice of what is being said in a new way. 

Let’s Look at Some More Threes (but just a few don’t worry)!

1. We get a classic Three, and a very Gansey Three, right after the group comes out of Cabeswater: 

“‘What about that thing in the tree?’ Blue asked. ‘Was that a hallucination? A dream?’ 

Glendower. It was Glendower. Glendower. Glendower” (TRB, 231).

Finding Glendower is one of Gansey’s core wishes, one of his core longings. Although this line is a literal answer to Blue’s question – he saw Glendower in the tree – in making it a Three, Maggie has given it added weight and meaning. It is prayer-like in its intention. It is almost an incantation: by saying it in Three, Gansey wishes it into being.

2. In The Raven Boys, after Gansey has bribed Pinter to keep Ronan at Aglionby and has learned that Noah has been dead the whole time they’ve known him, we are given this Three: 

“The Pig exploded off the line. Damn Ronan. Gansey punched his way through the gears, fast, fast, fast” (TRB, 311). 

This moment foreshadows what directly follows: a distinct lack of fast as the Camaro breaks down and Gansey is held at gunpoint by Whelk. This Three is not a prayer, but a warning, and an indicator to the reader that something important is about to happen. Had Gansey not been trying to go so “fast fast fast,” the car might not have broken down; because the Three incanted it, disaster follows. 

3. To return to a Three I have already mentioned, but follows the typical Three structure: 

“...to go home, to go home, to go home” (TRB, 370). 

In this scene, Adam’s wish is less about actually wanting to return to his literal home, because his house was never really a home for him. Adam’s wish/longing is for a home that he could return to, that he would want to return to. He is longing for a place/feeling/experience that does not exist for him. The Three in this sentence comes after a string of active wishes/longings, and by ending with this Three, it casts a spell of sorts, honing in on the truest underlying wish that Adam has. In using the phrase “to go home” three times, the narrative is making sure you, the reader, know that this want, this need, this wish, is the most Important to Adam, and will drive his actions for the rest of his story. 

Most of the Threes feel like this. They are often tacked on at the end of a sentence or embedded in a sentence. They’re an addendum to the action of the story. They’re like casting a spell – once to manifest, twice to charge, three to cast. 

…..And Some Other Types of Threes:

Then there are the Threes that don't follow the typical pattern of the same word repeated three times one right after the other, but are still a Three in a different way.

There are short phrases/sentences that are repeated three times throughout a page or chapter. In the prologue of The Raven King, we get this: 

“He was a king…

He was a king…

He was a king.

This was the year he was going to die.” (TRK, 1-3)

In this case, the Three acts as a promise of Gansey’s kinghood, but in ending the sequence with “this was the year he was going to die,” the promise of the three is given a condition: it is not going to be a joyful kinghood, but instead a kinghood intertwined with the death we’ve known is fated for Gansey.

One of Adam’s Threes from Blue Lily, Lily Blue, uniquely breaks the mold of Threes in a format that does not appear anywhere else in the four books: 

“It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father” (BLLB, 242).

❋ (We’ll talk about this one more in-depth later.)

There are also a few “unfinished” Threes: 

In The Raven King when Ronan is having a nightmare (infected by the demon) about Matthew and the mask, he has this Three: 

“Ronan’s throat was raw. I’ll do anything! I’ll do anything! I’ll do anythi 

It was unmaking everything Ronan loved. 

Please” (TRK, 96). 

With the uncompleted Three, there is an uncast wish. Ronan’s wish is about Matthew, yes of course, but also about being willing to do anything to keep those he loves (ie. Adam, Gansey, Blue, his brothers) out of the reach of the “unmaking.” This unfinished Three serves to foreshadow the harm that does ultimately befall first Adam and then Gansey as a result of the unmaking of Cabeswater by the demon: without the Three spell completed, his wish is not fulfilled.

*This is Not all the uncommon/mold-breaking Threes, just a few that are interesting!

Do All Threes Come to Fruition???

The short answer is: No. Or at least not in that way. 

Once again looking at the text of The Raven Cycle, we are given an answer of sorts. In discussing Gansey’s predicted death, Maura says:

“First of all, the corpse road is a promise, not a guarantee” (TRB, 155).

This seems to apply to Threes as well. Threes are not a guarantee. They are a promise. Not all Threes come to fruition the way one might expect – or at all, for that matter. The important part of Threes is not that they will definitely come true, it’s that they could come true, because the Three gives them the potential to come true. 

Structure, Structure, Structure:

The main Threes structures are:

Three of the same word separated by commas: 

“magic, magic, magic” (TRK, 59).

A short phrase/sentence separated by periods:

“My father. My father. My father” (TDT, 369).

A short sentence that is repeated three times throughout a page/paragraph:

“Gansey did not breathe…

Gansey did not breathe…

Gansey did not breathe” (TRK, 209).

A word that is repeated three times and is connected by “and”:

“Round and round and round!” (BLLB, 224)

Italics vs. Non Italics:

Italics in The Raven Cycle are often used for character’s inner thoughts/anxieties. This continues to be true in the context of Threes. A Three that is not written in italics indicates a promise, or some foreshadowing of a plot point being foretold through the Three – it is typically more “real” – whereas a Three that is written in Italics seems to indicate a wish/hope/longing that is unattainable in some way. Italics almost always indicate a Three that may never come to fruition, or at least not in the way the character hopes it will. 

An example of this distinction can be found in chapter three (hah) (I don’t believe in coincidences and neither does Gansey) of The Raven King: 

First we are met with Ronan wishing/hoping to return home:

“That morning, Ronan Lynch had woken early, without any alarm, thinking home, home, home” (TRK, 24). 

This home, home, home, is in reference to the idea of home rather than the reality. Ronan is wishing to return to a home that does exist physically, but is not the same as in his memory – he wants to be at the Barns as it was in his childhood. 

Then, in the very same chapter, Ronan actually returns home and we are given this Three: 

“Slowly his memories of before — everything this place had been to him when it had held the entire Lynch family — were being overlapped with memories and hopes of after — every minute that the Barns had been his, all of the time he’d spent here alone or with Adam, dreaming and scheming. 

Home, home, home” (TRK, 27).

This second home, home, home, is about the actual reality of being in his childhood home – the good and bad that has existed in the years since the childhood he longs for. 

The Addition of AND:

The most notable use of “and” is in Noah’s very last chapter:

“Sometimes he got caught in this moment instead. Gansey’s death. Watching Gansey die, again and again and again” (TRK, 416).

When “and” is added into a Three, it becomes circular, cyclical. The “and” gives the Three a sense of infinity, or creates a loop of sorts. 

This Three operates in the same way “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” does in Macbeth – it is meant to convey the endlessness of time, a relentless cycle of tomorrows.

❋ While there are not many of these Threes with “ands” in The Raven Cycle, there are other examples of Threes or Three-like occurrences that fulfill the same purpose as the “and.” For example, remember this Three:

“It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father. 

He opened the door. 

It was his father.” (BLLB, 242).

In this case, instead of the word “and,” the Three (It was his father) is connected by “he opened the door.” This Three is accomplishing the same feeling as “again and again and again” – the feeling of being caught in an endless loop. 

Another example of an (implied) “and” in The Raven Cycle is: Gansey’s life. Gansey starts out alive and then dies as a child only to be reborn, and then killed again through his sacrifice, and then reborn for a final time. Gansey is Alive, Dead, Alive, Dead, Alive. And so Gansey’s life is a cycle of Three.

As with the Threes that contain “and,” Gansey starts where he ends: alive. 

Other Ways Threes Show up in The Raven Cycle:   

I will state the obvious once again: there are three Raven Boys, three Lynch brothers, three Fox Way women, three sleepers, three main ley lines (the lines that “seem to matter” to Glendower’s story), Gansey the Third (Gansey Three, Dick Three). 

There are also the more obscure: the “three kinds of secrets” in The Dream Thieves prologue and epilogue; each Lynch brother inheriting three million dollars from Niall Lynch; the three figures with Blue’s face on the tapestry and later as a vision in Cabeswater; Adam and Gansey going to DC for three days; the shield pulled from the lake having three ravens embossed onto it; Ronan having dreamt Matthew at the age of three; the door to the Demon’s room needing “three to open” it; Aurora Lynch staying awake for three days after Niall died. 

And of course, we have the ley line symbol/chapter header:

And then there are the 300 (three hundred!) Fox Way “villain” readings. (This was something that was particularly interesting to me.)

The first antagonist we meet is Whelk. When he comes for a reading at 300 Fox Way, he first pulls the Three of Swords. 

When the women all draw cards together, they pull identical cards for Whelk: three of the Knight of Pentacles, then three of the Page of Cups. After drawing, essentially, three threes (the Three of Swords, then two sets of three matching cards) in this reading, the first Three of the entire series appears: 

“Maura’s expression was dark, dark, dark” (TRB, 124). 

The second “antagonist” we meet is the Gray Man, who comes to 300 Fox Way in The Dream Thieves to “observe.” Maura, Calla, and Persephone are predicting which card is on the top and bottom of the stack and the first card, predicted by Calla, is the Three of Cups off the top of the deck that Mr. Gray is holding (a remarkably happy card in stark contrast to Whelk’s Three of Swords). 

When the third antagonist, Greenmantle, comes for his 300 Fox Way Reading he also draws the Three of Swords. The fact that each of the three antagonists come for a reading is in itself a sort of Three, but to further the importance of these moments, each of them draws some sort of three-related card. 

All of the examples I have touched on have been more symbolic references to Three as a motif of the books as a whole. However, Threes also show up in the literal number of times important quotes are said/written. 

I was tracking some of the most well-loved TRC lines to compile them, and noticed that the lines “don’t throw it away” and “safe as life” happen to appear exactly three times throughout the series. This was honestly pretty surprising based on the importance of those quotes – I would have assumed they showed up far more. Actually, they both appear twice in The Raven Boys and once in The Raven King. Threes, and the importance of Threes, is embedded so strongly into the narrative of The Raven Cycle that even the quotes we all think of as the most beloved of the series follow this rule of Threes. 

Now, could you chalk some of these up to coincidence? I guess. But Gansey doesn’t believe in coincidences so I don’t either. So what’s the point of all these Threes?

Conclusion???

In a literal, literary way, Threes are a fourth wall break to make the importance of a moment obvious, but I’m not sure what the larger “point” of Threes is. My best analysis comes from the idea of The Raven Cycle being all about time and Threes playing into the importance of time as a sort of record scratch or loop. The Threes, as a stylistic, written motif, seem to connect the time-based cycle the characters experience to the time-based cycles the reader experiences by reading the books. 

But my conclusion feels incomplete and so I would like to rely on the collective for this one – just about the most Raven Cycle thing you can do. So I’m asking you, the collective you, what conclusion would you draw? What do you think? 

What I do know for sure is that Threes are magic, magic, magic.

For Your Convenience: Here is the textual significance given to threes within the books (chronologically): 

And here are the Threes, Threes, Threes (compiled):

(If you made it to the end of all this, I love you. Have a gold star and a hug <3)

#sorry for the aggressive caps lock i wrote this in google docs #wow this is embarrassing #i'm okay with it #i spent my break writing a 16 page paper #the ganseyism of it all #some people asked for an essay so blame them not me #trc #trc analysis #maggie stiefvater #the raven cycle #the raven boys #the dream thieves #blue lily lily blue #the raven king #the gangsey #blue sargent #richard campbell gansey iii #ronan lynch #adam parrish #noah czerny #gangsey #mine

[bluesadansey]

maybe hard to answer but top5 fav representations of girlhood (you can answer shows/books/movies and/or specific characters)

I’m never entirely sure what ‘representation of girlhood’ is supposed to mean tbh, so I went with sort of books/shows that have an exploration of those experiences as a theme 

Yellowjackets — self explanatory and the one you expected I’m sure 

Megan Abbott’s suspense books Dare Me + Give Me Your Hand + You Know Me Well as well as the Dare Me tv show (My mourned wlw show canceled after one season :/) which she co-wrote. All stories that deal with themes of girlhood and I love how she approaches it and the female chars and dynamics she writes. 

The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray— basically think if the trc gang were all girls attending a boarding school in Victorian England and escaping into their fantasy dream forest universe every once in a while to escape the dangers of sexism. Yeah I fucking love these books I should reread them sometime. 

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth — read earlier this year and really loved it, horror, included how a curse effected different generations of unconventional women and also polyamerous sapphics it’s real good. 

Pretty Little Liars — self explanatory 

Thank you!

(ask me to 5/10 of anything)

#s speaks #asks #spiritmethebones #the gemma doyle trilogy #yellowjackets #pll #pbh #megan abbott #prev.witchhastings

[likeclarabow]

happy new year abby!!!!!!! congrats on meeting your reading goal, i’m glad that despite your busy life you’re still able to enjoy reading for yourself <3 some bookish questions, if you don’t mind …

what was your favourite reread of 2023? what book did you mean to read but ended up not? what books were you looking forward to but disappointed by? what book took you by surprise? your favourite series? your favourite standalone? your least favourite book(s)? what book did you write your favourite review about? and finally, what book(s) are you most looking forward to reading in 2024?

may this year be full of blessings to you!

hiiiiii love, happy new year!!!! i'm finally back on my laptop so i'm sorry this is a few days late <333

favourite reread: i did a lot of rereading this year and i loved them all but probably six of crows!! every time i reread that series i'm a little nervous that its not going to have the same magic it did the last time and it always does and this time was no exception its just going to be a forever favourite and i'm so glad i reread it

a book i meant to read and didn't get to: there were a few i meant to at the very least start over my break that i didn't get a chance to (this biography i picked up at a school social and the hundred years war on palestine by rashid khalidi), books i had on hold at the library but it was just never the right time (as long as the lemon trees grow by zoulfa katouh), and my book lovers reread that i was all set to start and then i didn't read for like 3 weeks

a book i was looking forward to that disappointed me: greywaren by maggie stiefvater was soooo messy plotwise and there were things i wanted wrapped up that were just not addressed in a satisfying way yes i gave it 5 stars the epilogue made me cry those 5 stars are for declan lynch and for how much i love the trc/tdt universe as a whole pls take my rating system a little bit seriously (so i guess it wasn't 100% disappointing i just wanted more from the final book) (honourary mentions to nine liars by maureen johnson bc it was sososo fun for 99% of the book but the very end was so unnecessary i'll never forgive her, and harlem shuffle by colson whitehead i liked the writing i just thought the plot would be different from what it ended up being)

a book that took me by surprise: the day of the jackal was supposed to be something i picked up for a few hours for shits and giggles since i've never had any real interest in 70's spy thrillers but i actually enjoyed it enough to finish! also these violent delights by micah nemerever surprised me because i did not know what to expect at. all. and i still dont know how to describe the feelings that book gave me but i certainly didn't expect them

my favourite series: beartown!!!!!! you know exactly why i don't even have to explain </3 (honourary mention to sandra gullands josephine b trilogy its one hell of a historical fiction series and i enjoyed it SO much)

my favourite standalone: rebecca by daphne du maurier!! its just the most beautifully written book that captivated me from the very first page <33

least favourite books: the last word by taylor adams (extraordinarily mid upon first read and it just seems so bleh looking back), ready player one by ernest cline (i can see why my boyfriend loves it but it just didn't appeal to me at all), 20,000 leagues under the sea by jules verne (jules verne knows sooooo many facts about the ocean and electricity and he put every single one of them in this book in very long paragraphs but i forgive my prof for making me read it)

my favourite review: i didn't really write any solid reviews this year (something i'm hoping to do more of in 2024) but my favourite mini reviews are the ones i left for wuthering heights and 20,000 leagues under the sea bc i think i'm funny and bc i think they sum up my reading experience quite well

books i'm most looking forward to reading in 2024: soooo many a curse for true love by stephanie garber, a man called ove by fredrik backman, alone with you in the ether by olivie blake, divine rivals by rebecca ross (!!), penance by eliza clark to name a few

#this was so much fun thank you x10000 #i love you dearly and i hope this year is kind to you #i had this all typed out like two nights ago and forgot to post oops #lindsay tag #abby gets mail

[seavoice]

blue’s bedroom is so charming🥰

#canvas trees and leaf chains from the ceiling and cute little bird illustrations...what’s that post about doing crafts as a young adult? #cause that #blue sargent #cursed trc reread #birdverse

[professorllayton]

gives him a little forehead smooch

#why's he so soft :"( #blabs #richard gansey #trc #trc reread #im not rereading i have just cursed myself w using that tag forever fjdekdnsokdlwoodkwksks

[fagrackham]

oh my god so fight club au right. just thought abt the sentence “adam wanted gansey. gansey wanted blue. blue wanted adam” so anyway i started blasting

#IM SORRY THIS IS SO DUMB AND WOULDNT WORK AT ALL BUT ALSO BLUE AS MARLA BLUE AS MARLA #thats why its cursed its just an evil evil phrase. #also i need to reread fight club #idfk man im just saying stuff #but also . but also !!!!!! #trc #also um this is getting some likes this is from the book fight club that line is not original writing #idk if anyone thought it was but

[boyfriem-moved]

It's been like. over a year since I last read one of the Emo Trinity Of Books I should reread them

#shark screaming #they ARE the emo trinity and i WILL curse them like this #except when i say that im putting adsom in the place of that which shall not be named bc its WHAT IT DESERVES #ive come up with a plan: #ill reread soc first bc ive been meaning to write a meta abt jesper and kazs relationship anyways #then ill reread trc bc i can get through each of those books in like a really dedicated afternoon #(might read tdt out of order bc ive been meaning to rewrite the kavinsky meta too) #then ill do adsom bc i love my knife wife #then maybe if i have time ill throw that which shall not be named off the balcony like i did with that one transphobic book #or. and i hate this thought. i could reread all of them and finally write a full analysis with notes taken that is actually concrete #maybe i could reread the worst parts so i can comment on them while also sparing myself. MAYBE #thats being pretty optimistic tho

[sirendeepity]

Books I've read in 2021

Because why not + comments

36/21 (updated to: /30)

The Cruel Prince ★★★★ (I read this just a year ago? Damn, a reread is definitely needed)

The Lost Sisters ★★★ (Still trying to understand the point of this)

The Wicked King ★★★★ (That time I understood TikTok fed me lies about the romance in this series)

The Queen of Nothing ★★★★ (I didn't understand a thing back then and I still don't do it now)

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories ★★★★ (Cardan. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk)

A Court of Silver Flames ★★★★★ (Rating based on the main characters and the headcanons, not the plot because I can't rate what doesn't exist)

Six of Crows ★★★★ (Do I really need to elaborate?)

Shadow and Bone ★★★ (I still can't remember how the book actually ended because I watched the tv adaptation before finishing it so now I have no idea which is which. And btw Archie Renaux thank you for existing, my life and Mal's is better because of you <3 )

Realm Breaker ★★★.5 (Why the 15 pages per chapter, V? Just tell me why. Sorasa Sarn made up pretty well for it, bUT STILL-)

Kingdom of the Wicked ★★★★★ (We could've been so good together)

The Atlas Six ★★★★ (Flexing hard having read this before it became TikTok famous, but flexing harder having Olivie Blake commenting on my live-reading thread)

Red, White & Royal Blue ★★★★ (I wanted the gays and this gave me the gays, that's all I have to say)

The Sea of Monsters ★★★ (How it started kind of, I read the first one in summer 2020)

The Titan's Curse ★★★

The Battle of the Labyrinth ★★★★

The Last Olympian ★★★★★ (How it ended, and it hit harder than I expected)

These Violent Delight ★★★★★ (tHE LOVE THE PAIn)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ★★★★ (No fruit love felt in here, but that ending? Can we talk about it? A full star more just for that)

Gild ★★★.5 (It's the journey trope for me)

Kingdom of the Cursed ★★★★ (The ending saved a lot but Kerri? What happened? I was confused, but you were confused even more than me apparently)

Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood ★★★★★ (Go kiss Bryce Quinlan's ass. Now. Also can I just flex the fact and Bryce and I share the same middle name? I MEAN that's queen material, I won't be embarrassed by it ever again)

To Kill A Kingdom ★★★★ (Started in May; it's definitely the journey trope for me)

The Shadow Between Us ★★ (Slytherin romance mY ASS)

The Raven Boys ★★★★★ (THIS BOOK GODDAMNIT I still dream of it at night)

Dream Thieves ★★★★ (Umh... Kerah?)

Blue Lily, Lily Blue ★★★★.5 (The Beginnings, if you know what I mean)

The Raven King ★★★★★ (Fucked up my brain real bad ngl)

Opal ★★★ (Basically useless but the few Pynch scenes were just *chef's kiss*)

Call Down the Hawk ★★★ (I didn't read TRC in a week only to waste a full month on this damn book)

Our Violent Ends ★★★★★ (it was a one-way ticket to (S)pain, no refund)

Mister Impossible ★★★ (I wish I could hate this book but I don't but I hate that I can't love it either I'm like aocjsox)

The math doesn't add up because I also read three boring books for school and the first two manga volumes of My Hero Academia, hopefully one day I'll catch up with the rest as well or I'll just buy all the volumes and start from where the anime ended

#dee reads #2021 reads #i refuse to tag all of the books #it's too much effort and i'm lazy enjoy

[sonderthroughthestreets]

Thanks @yasminaselamrani @sandersyasmina and @thenerd10 for tagging me💕

Writer Appreciation Tag Game

If you’re a fic writer:

A fic you’re really proud of

It’s hard to be proud of my work but this one shot I really like (also cat keeps recommending it so it boosts my ego sksjdb) but I just like how I wrote and worded it

A fic that you were really nervous to post

ALL OF THEM skdjdjd but also this next one I’m about to post I’m super nervous (if it even sees the light of day tbh)

A fic you wish got more kudos/hits/comments

I’ll say what antania said too bc it’s very true, I don’t actually wish I got more of anything on my fics bc I do this for fun and I just put my stuff out there and if anyone wants to read it they can! So, I appreciate each and every kudo, hit and comment and cherish it with my life 🥺💕

One of your favourite tropes to write

✨Friends to lovers ✨ lol that’s very evident in most of my fics but there’s also enemies to lovers in there (actually it’s an even split loool but I really love the slowburn and pining of a good friends to lovers)

Another ship that you don’t really write but you’d like to

I’d like to write zoenne (I have written them but like an actual finished piece skdjdb) and also maybe something from the trc✨

One of your abandoned wip that you never wrote but wish you did

Skdjjdjd okay I started a sobbe roommate AU where they’re roommates and Robbe just quit his job and Sanders not really getting much from his photography gigs and they try to figure it out with all the stress of how to pay rent and stuff and there was a lot of bed sharing and comforting each other and pining and Ofc finding out they love each other but honestly I had lost motivation to write it (or rather continue writing it lol)

Another writer you’d love to collaborate with

I’ve collaborated with my writing soulmate ❤️ @starryfreckles on a moyo season and a sobbe ballet AU and I’d love to keep collaborating with you bb!

I’d like to collaborate with @honeyandsinn @womenstan @thenerd10 @yasminaselamrani

If you’re a reader:

A fic (or more) that you love to reread

This secret dating fic by aurorawinds

This museum fic by eggsntoast

This universe fic by noobishere

Recommend a story to your followers

@tsjernobyl ‘tween the sheets of summer truly a masterpiece ✨

@yasminaselamrani the curse of betrayal she’s worked really hard on it and poured a lot of love in it so give it some love too!!

@honeyandsinn time may change me but I can’t trace time it’s amazing and beautifully written

@thenerd10 take my hand (take my whole life too) youmina fics are absolutely everything

@starryfreckles wings to earn pls volleyball is something that can be so personal

Tag an author you’ve discovered recently

@if-music-be-the-food-of-love your dad!sobbe AU is incredible and I can’t believe I didn’t find it sooner!!! 💕

Tag someone who inspires you to write

The first person ever to inspire me to write is aurorawinds (love you <3) and of course @honeyandsinn @womenstan @thenerd10 @yasminaselamrani @12monthoctober @starryfreckles and also all my readers (shoutout to @sanderxrobbee you’re so supportive!! 🥺💕)

Tag someone who you’ve admired forever

@yasminaselamrani @foxsake5 @fockinglevendcliche truly brilliant!! (There’s more im sure but my brain is 😭😭😭)

Tag your writing support

@starryfreckles @thenerd10 @honeyandsinn @womenstan @12monthoctober @lot-bubbel and just anyone who’s read anything of mine and told me they liked it 🥺💕

I’m not quite sure who to tag but everyone mentioned is tagged! And if you see this and want to do it you’re tagged too!!!

#tagging game #phew that was long I feel like #if I missed any links or anyone I’m really sorry 🥺🥺🥺💕💕 #i appreciate all of you so much #<3 #also I’m getting to the gifset one ASKSNSKAK

[colorisbyshe]

if you want to complain more about clamp I am listening :) as someone who owns many volumes of the manga in multiple languages...... I am listening. <3

okay i’m just gonna rant in a very, very long post everyone please just avert your eyes mental illness is happening

but like....... as someone who was nostalgically reading these manga to bring back some happy memories i had as a kid, discovering that these series (ccs which i remembere dfondly despite not having actually watched/read as a kid, and trc and xxxholic which i read with some of my best friends at the time) are not just deeply flawed but harbouring so much like... frankly heinous shit in them is like??? deeply hurtful to me???

and like... i could handle cardcaptor sakura being full of evil shit because i had no deep personal connection, i just wanted to better understand ccs references in tsubasa and lik better appreciate syaoran and sakura and like its 90s shoujo OVER COURSE ITS FUCKED UP! just like sailor moon and fruits basket like it’s not good but like... i can process it

trc hurts me because like... the character writing for kurogane and fai is fucking PHENOMENAL, the concept is cool and interesting and unique, it (for the most part) has great themes and the way it explores concepts like grief, trauma, sacrifice, and healing was a balm to my quarantined soul

but you can tell where they realized they literally... did not know how to resolve their plot? and it got so complicated it legit gave me headaches but at least i had kurogane nad fai and then they’re shoved to the side just for it to be revealed that syaoran... is syaoran and sakura’s son... looking to meet up with sakura... to be with her... so they can be his parents

like... wow so great to watch this beautiful relationship be explored with kurogane and fai saving each otehr from the worst part of themselves just to be sidelined for “what if those fourth graders from cardcaptor sakura where husband and wife AND mother and son but like NOT REALLY becaues syaoran is also syaoran’s own dad so is it incest or just really confusing” but no it’s both like legit when falling in love with sakura he comments on how she’s just like his mom like hello bitch? you’re 14 but i’ll still kill you that shit is WEIRD

so that wAS NOT GREAT and then it ends with THE GROUP SEPARATED AT THE END?? SO I COULDN’T EVEN GET A HAPPY ENDING like yeah maybe it’s good sakura and syaoran were separated but kurogane and fai got to stay together beacuse... fuck the incest  but like... where is my catharsis where is my happiness??

and i’m rereading xxxholic which was my favorite of trc/xxxholic as a kid and... first off, it’s boring, secondly, it thinks it’s smarter than it is an dhas contradicting themes every other chapter, but FUCK it’s so interesting but doumeki, himawari, watauniki, and yuuko don’t have half the bonds as the TRC gang and like... i still don’t know why doumeki was going so fucking hard for watanuki

but the concepts were interesting enoguh and watching watanuki grow was nice

but you can ALSO tell AGAIN clamp just got bored and didn’t know how to wrpa it up so suddenly watanuki gives up ALL HIS BONDS AND HURTS ALL HIS FRIENDS just to be reunited with yuuko??? despite the themes of the story being about how self sacrifice causes scars on others?? and that’s BAD like if you love your frieneds you don’t hurt them by undervaluing yourself??? THATS A BASIC THEME OFT HE STORY

and then they rush to pair off doumeki with a girl THEY HELPED RAISE so he can have children to stay with watanuki... himawari is written off despite her last interactions with watanuki being about them caring for each other anad choosing to stay in contact despite her curse... and like yuuko’‘s entire character is never explained she’s just like “i’m a woman who exists as a vehicle of plot in both TRC and xxxholic i will never be given depth beyond that... well also i’ll ruin watanuki’s life”

and hen the last chapters are just watching everyone grow up while watanuki is alone, never aging, helping grant wishes where he watches other immortal beings suffer and lose everyone, and it just ends with him relizing he likely won’t ever see yuuko again but he’ll keep waiting?? even though it’s been 100 yers and everyone he loves is dead??

and that shit is not good for my mental health like i feel like i have been isolated fo ra hundred years beacuse of covid watching watanuki choose it hurt edeply

like half the manga is about syaoran and sakura begging him not to vanish (also that plotline was WEIRDLY dropped) and the series ends with him effectively... vanishing a sa person and just becoming shopkeeper

how fucking depressing??

i could handle a sad ending if it had value. if it said something. if it didn’t have doumeki marrying a girl he knew since she was an abused elementary schooler while he was like 17. ESPECiALLY when IN THE PANELS REVEALING IT it weren’t like “atcually neither of them love each other they love watanuki but it’s fine” like HUH????????? FOR WHY

and ive really had to grasp the reason why there’s so much fucked up shit (incest, pedophilia) in those series is core to CLAMP’s messages accross all their mangas about soulmates nad how about love can triumph over everything

and like using such a PURE message to be like “if an adult is in love with a child and they’re soulmates, it’s to be” is so fucking evil

like they’ll tip toe around kurogane and fai, yukito and touya, doumeki and watanuki, and all the gaybait that i KNOW is in their other series because i’ve grown up seeing shit like tokyo babylon and legal drug and all their other dropped manga

because gay peopl ebeing soulmates is a wink and a nod

but ADULTS WITH CHILDREN THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF??? MOTHER AND SON MAYBE??? oh that’s fine they’re REAL soulmates who will go against TIME AND DIMENSION MAGIC ITSELF to be in love

like...............................

gay people are second class characters compared to pedos and incest... does it get worse than that? like besides emotionally destroyed by the sad endings, i get that shit too?

it hurts on a deeper level like feels like a betrayal and i’m kind of really sad i revisited something i enjoyed so much as a kid (even when i didn’t understand wtf was going on, because i was literally reading it at the same time my friend was and rushing) andd discovered this like... deep rot inside it

i could have continued to remember it fondly but now it’s just like... reaching the last bite of cake and being told it was made with maggots like... well i already ate it all...

there’s no point reading clear card or the unfinished tsubasa/xxxholic sequels because they’ve already ruined themselves like they can’t fix it

kurogane and fai still won’t be allowed to be together. watanuki still outlived everyone who ever loved him for a mother figure that can never come back. cardcaptor wrote off the fourth grader engaged to hre teacher but like... sakura’s dad is still a preadator

like... what do i do with these left over feelings then?

i’ll be over it in a dya but like for tonight i really do feel unwell

okay thank you i got it out in one post i am processing the feelings

i am gonna cry about watanuki being alone tho

[mediawhorefics]

I'm curious if you've read any really good books or fics lately?

i haven’t properly sat down to read fics in AGES. life has been hectic and stressful recently. BUT i’ve read a few good books.... mostly ya, hope that works for you xx 

call down the hawk // the first book of the ronan trilogy from trc universe. i ADORED it. loved it wayyyyy more than i did trc and i still really enjoyed that) 

fabulosa! the story of polari, britain’s secret gay language // an absolute FAV from last year. if you’re interested in languages/linguistics and you like history/non-fiction i can’t rec it enough. i devoured it and i can’t wait to go back and reread it to annotate it properly when i’ve got the time. 

i wish you all the best // ya novel about an enby kid coming out to their parents and the ramifications that come with that. fair warning, it doesn’t go too well and the main character does get kicked out of their home, but it’s a really beautiful novel about how they overcome that trauma and there’s a lovely love story woven through it as well. 

loki: where mischief lies // not to be 2012 on main but mackenzi lee (who wrote the gentlemen’s guide to vice & virtue) wrote a loki novel for marvel set in the 19th century and it’s delightful.

salt magic, skin magic // lgbt historical fantasy about a lord mysteriously trapped on his father’s estate and the visiting magician who is trying to figure out how to break the curse. 

#about me #books #book rec #Anonymous

[the-sound-and-the-fury]

Books of 2019

The annual book round up! Last year, my goal was 80 books and I read 113, and this year I inched it up to 90 and wound up reading 124. I didn’t super love a lot of books this year, but I reread a ton of books (like TRC, AFTG, and all of Jane Austen) and I borrowed a lot from the library, so overall I’m pleased with my reading year.

But here I’ve bolded my top 19 books and italicized my 10 honorable mentions, as well as struck through my bottom 5 that I managed to finish.

Last Night with the Earl (The Devils of Dover #2) - Kelly Bowen

From Out in the Cold - LA Witt

Rough Terrain (Out of Uniform #7) - Annabeth Albert

The Well of Ascension (Mistborn #2) - Brandon Sanderson

Famous in a Small Town - Emma Mills

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

King of Scars (Nikolai Duology #1) - Leigh Bardugo

Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) - Emily A Duncan

Get Money: Live the Life You Want, Not Just the Life You Can Afford - Kristin Wong

Heartstopper: Volume 1 - Alice Oseman

Fence, Vol. 1 (Fence #1-4) - CS Pascat

The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) - Holly Black

99 Percent Mine - Sally Thorne

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Proposal (The Wedding Date #2) - Jasmine Guillory

Fence, Vol. 2 (Fence #5-8) - CS Pascat

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

Mansfield Park - Jane Austen

An Unseen Attraction (Sins of the Cities #1) - KJ Charles

An Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities #2) - KJ Charles

An Unsuitable Heir (Sins of the Cities #3) - KJ Charles

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) - Brandon Sanderson

Starless - Jacqueline Carey

Fake Out (Fake Boyfriend #1) - Eden Finley

Trick Play (Fake Boyfriend #2) - Eden Finley

Deke (Fake Boyfriend #3) - Eden Finley

Blindsided (Fake Boyfriend #4) - Eden Finley

The Trouble With Dukes (Windham Brides #1) - Grace Burrowes

Too Scot to Handle (Windham Brides #2) - Grace Burrowes

No Other Duke Will Do (Windham Brides #3) - Grace Burrowes

A Rogue of Her Own (Windham Brides #4) - Grace Burrowes

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen

Unwritten Law (Steele Brothers #1) - Eden Finley

My One and Only Duke (Rogues to Riches #1) - Grace Burrowes

When a Duchess Says I Do (Rogues to Riches #2) - Grace Burrowes

Arctic Sun (Frozen Hearts #1) - Annabeth Albert

Autoboyography - Christina Lauren

American Dreamer (Dreamers #1) - Adriana Herrera

Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) - Tamora Pierce

Bridal Boot Camp (Little Bridge Island #0.5) - Meg Cabot

Emma - Jane Austen

Bloom - Kevin Panetta

The 5th Gender - GL Carriger

Fix Her Up (Hot and Hammered #1) - Tessa Bailey

Arctic Wild (Frozen Hearts #2) - Annabeth Albert

The Friend Zone - Abby Jimenez

Red, White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston

The Foxhole Court (All For The Game #1) - Nora Sakavic

The Raven King (All For The Game #2) - Nora Sakavic

The King’s Men (All For The Game #3) - Nora Sakavic

Captive Prince (Captive Prince #1) - CS Pacat

The Unhoneymooners - Christina Lauren

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating - Christina Lauren

My Favorite Half-Night Stand - Christina Lauren

Counterpoint (Twisted Wishes #2) - Anna Zabo

Prince’s Gambit (Captive Prince #2) - CS Pacat

Building Forever (This Time Forever #1) - Kelly Jensen

Renewing Forever (This Time Forever #2) - Kelly Jensen

Chasing Forever (This Time Forever #3) - Kelly Jensen

Heartstopper: Volume 2 - Alice Oseman

Sorcery of Thorns - Margaret Rogerson (OwlCrate)

A Rogue by Night (The Devils of Dover #3) - Kelly Bowen

Love and Other Words - Christina Lauren

Between the Devil and the Duke (Season for Scandal #3) - Kelly Bowen

Kings Rising (Captive Prince #3) - CS Pacat

Counting Fence Posts (Counting #1) - Kelly Jensen

Lumber Jacked (Rainbow Cove #3) - Annabeth Albert

You Must Not Miss - Katrina Leno

Reverb (Twisted Wishes #3) - Anna Zabo

The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date #3) - Jasmine Guillory

This Adventure Ends - Emma Mills

Game Changer (Game Changers #1) - Rachel Reid

Heated Rivalry (Game Changers #2) - Rachel Reid

Him (Him #1) - Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Us (Him #2) -  Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet - Jennifer L Armentrout (and others)

The Bone Houses - Emily Lloyd-Jones

Good Boy (WAGS #1) -  Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

Fence, Vol. 3 (Fence #9-12) - CS Pacat

Spin the Dawn (The Blood of Stars #1) - Elizabeth Lim (OwlCrate)

Reticence (Custard Protocol #4) - Gail Carriger

The Lost and Found - Katrina Leno

Twice in a Blue Moon - Christina Lauren

Stay (WAGS #2) - Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy

The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses #1) - Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

The Bride Test (The Kiss Quotient #2) - Helen Hoang

Shades of Magic, Vol. 1: The Steel Prince - VE Schwab

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) - Maggie Stiefvater

Pumpkinheads - Rainbow Rowell

Arctic Heat (Frozen Hearts #3) - Annabeth Albert

No Judgments (Little Bridge Island #1) - Meg Cabot

The Conscious Closet - Elizabeth L Cline

Taboo for You (Love and Family #1) - Anyta Sunday

Made for You (Love and Family #2) - Anyta Sunday

Happy for You (Love and Family #3) - Anyta Sunday

Queen of Air and Darkness (The Dark Artifices #3) - Cassandra Clare

Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2) - Victoria Schwab

Wayward Son (Simon Snow #2) - Rainbow Rowell

The Right Swipe (Modern Love #1) - Alisha Rai

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) - Maggie Stiefvater

The Music of What Happens - Bill Konigsberg

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle #3) - Maggie Stiefvater

Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy #1) - Maggie Stiefvater

Now Entering Addamsville - Francesca Zappia

Always the Groomsman - Raleigh Ruebins

Mr. Right Now - Annabeth Albert

Get a Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) - Talia Hibbert

Finally Falling (Rose Falls #1) - Raleigh Ruebins

My Winter Family (Rose Falls #2) - Raleigh Ruebins

Champagne Kiss (Rose Falls #3) - Raleigh Ruebins

Spring for Me (Rose Falls #4) - Raleigh Ruebins

Summer Secret (Rose Falls #5) - Raleigh Ruebins

A Boyfriend for Christmas - Jay Northcote

Mr Frosty Pants (Home for the Holidays #1) - Leta Blake

The Starless Sea - Erin Morgenstern

The Soldier’s Scoundrel (The Turner Series #1) - Cat Sebastian

Rainbow Place (Rainbow Place #1) - Jay Northcote

Safe Place (Rainbow Place #2) - Jay Northcote

Better Place (Rainbow Place #3) - Jay Northcote

Mud and Lace (Rainbow Place #4) - Jay Northcote

Where Love Grows - Jay Northcote

A Family for Christmas - Jay Northcote

Amelia’s Notebook (Amelia’s Notebooks #1) - Marissa Moss

Nothing Special - Jay Northcote

The Alloy of Law (Mistborn #4, The Alloy Era #1) - Brandon Sanderson

DNF

Legendary (Caraval #2) - Stephanie Garber

The Lonely Hearts Hotel - Heather O’Neill

Into the Crooked Place (Into the Crooked Place #1) - Alexandra Christo

#Books of 2019

[emjenenla]

Masterlist

Headcanons: (#Emjen’s Headcanons) -Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars) x -Cardan Greenbriar (The Folk of the Air) x -Declan Lynch (The Raven Cycle) x -Firebenders (Avatar: the Last Airbender) x -Herondale Birthmark (The Shadowhunter Chronicles) x -Hideo Tanaka (Warcross) x -Jace Herondale (The Shadowhunter Chronicles) x -Kanej (Kaz/Inej) (Six of Crows) x -Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows) x -Lightwood Siblings (Alec, Jace, Isabelle and Max) (The Shadowhunter Chronicles) x -Nine and Twelve (Zankyou no Terror) x -Sizzy (Isabelle/Simon) (The Shadowhunter Chronicles) x Fanfiction Recommendations: (#emjen recommends) -Best 25+ Chapter Fanfics -Gansey Recs (The Raven Cycle) -Kaiba Recs (Yu-Gi-Oh) -Loki Recs (Marvel Cinematic Universe) Rambles: (#emjen rambles) Multifandom/Booklr -Characters who Canonically Don’t Sleep op | rb 1 -A-Z Book Recommendations -A list of near fandom-less/small fandom books you should all read -Portal, urban and high fantasy featuring TRC, TFotA and Daevabad [with @theinquisitxor​] Alex Stern Series -Who Darlington killed The Daevabad Trilogy -Portal, urban and high fantasy featuring TRC, TFotA and Daevabad [with @theinquisitxor​] The Folk of the Air -My favorite TCP quote and Cardan’s coping methods -Faerie true names -Jude, Cardan and Understanding -Cardan and Asha -Changelings being unable to lie -Thoughts on Bustle excerpt of QoN and Taryn Duarte -Portal, urban and high fantasy featuring TRC, TFotA and Daevabad [with @theinquisitxor​] The Gentleman Bastards -A (very) short musing about Locke Lamora and Kaz Brekker Grishaverse -Where were the Crows during the Grisha Trilogy -Pekka Rollins didn’t actually kill Jordie -A (very) short musing about Locke Lamora and Kaz Brekker -Changes is my OC Espen’s characterization Grishaverse TV -Speculation on who the Crows will be stealing from in the TV show -Where did “Kirigin” come from, why call the Darkling that, and rants about storytelling in film [with @nina-zeniks-cleavage and @immyownghostwriter] -Why Ben Barnes is the perfect age to play the Darkling Haikyuu! -Lack of teams dealing with their cohesion issues in Haikyuu! I Hunt Killers -Jazz as an unreliable narrator The Naturals -Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s original plans for series length Peaky Blinders -Why Tommy freaks out when he can’t get his coat on in s2 [response to a gifset posted by @ohfuckyeahcillianmurphy] -Tommy’s behavior in the boxing ring scene in 4x06 [with @deadendtracks​] -Tommy’s emotions and the family dynamic [with @deadendtracks​] -Is Tommy’s sense of responsibility unrealistic? [with @deadendtracks​] -On Shelby family dynamics and responsibility [with @deadendtracks​] Shadowhunters -Thule Jace and villain motivations -Reminder: Hodge knows there are two Jonathans -Is Simon/Clary/Jace a real love triangle? -Reactions to part one of Qoaad -Will and Gabriel drinking in the Whitechapel Fiend -Will exhausted in Clockwork Prince: a quote collection -Some Things I Noticed While Rereading CoLS -Will telling the truth about his curse The Raven Cycle/The Dreamer Trilogy -Are Carmen and Jordan dreams? -Portal, urban and high fantasy featuring TRC, TFotA and Daevabad [with @theinquisitxor​] Star Wars -Ten Platonic Anakin Skywalker Relationships That Really Should Have More Fanfictions Written About Them -Emjen Reviews: Lost Stars by Claudia Gray -Ten Anakin Skywalker Quotes in honor of Hayden Christensen’s Birthday The Stormlight Archive -Things I want from Stormlight Archive Book 4 -Elhokar’s reaction to Kaladin’s boon Throne of Glass -Favorites and Least Favorites: Throne of Glass -Manon takes Dorian seriously -Empire of Storms/Lorcan Salvaterre Mini Rant Uprooted -Sarkan and necromancy

Other Tags: Quotes: #quote (all quotes on this tumblr even ones I didn’t originally post are tagged like this) #the great quote rampage! (quotes I personally posted) Asks: #emjen answers Short Thoughts: #emjen muses Substantial Reblogs: #emjen reblogs

#masterlist #emjenenla #I'm sorry for not doing this sooner #I didn't have the Tumblr app and I didn't realize you couldn't see the other Masterlist on there #This is just stuff that I wrote completely by myself #additions to existing posts aren't on here #search by fandom for stuff like that #fandom

[impishglee]

Ok a little more furuba but in a trc au would Declan be the cat or would he not have the curse at all? I need to reread furuba and then I will form coherent thoughts about this topic

#bad au its bad #but my 11 year old hyperfixation is resurfacing and inevitably bumping up against my current hyperfixation

[seavoice]

this is the scene where blue has that quote that goes “she knew it was possible to have friendships that were not all-encompassing, blinding, deafening” etc. and id forgotten how sad she is here. how sad she is this entire book actually.

we don’t really see much about how the “you’re going to kill your true love” prediction weighed on blue growing up—even if she was generally fine with it, it must have lingered at the back of her mind? the fact that blue’s known the whole time that gansey is going to die, probably because of her, the fact that she has finally put a face to that nameless person she’s been told she’ll kill her whole life hits kind of hard here. that’s already so difficult, it already sucks so much, and then jesse dittley actually dies. just like the death list said he would! and gansey’s fate suddenly seems just a little bit more inescapable. fuck man

#and also persephone dies at the end of the book! no one is having a good time this book but blue especially isn’t #blue sargent #the raven cycle #cursed trc reread #birdverse

[eerna]

ALSO all  this time I knew I once read a YA book that had a ton of f-bombs that caught me by surprise. Since I read TRC and TOG at the same time, I was totally sure it was the latter, and I remembered it as such so when I reread I was like “wait where did all the cursing go????? it was here just now???????” and for years I’ve been convinced I just had Lorcan yell FUCK in my imagination whenever he spoke 

#i even used the trc vocabulary list for my tog book report bc it looked way more sophisticated HOW DID I FORGET THAT #trc liveblog