these violent delights by micah nemerever — fav quotes
"Whatever I do has to mean something. I need to make something beautiful, something that lasts. I don't know what, but I have to, if I want my life to matter at all."
"Beautiful things are supposed to hurt."
"You could do anything to me and I'd let you."
"Tell me you love me, at least. Please. I need to know somebody does."
"They wanted each other in the way of flesh wanting to knit itself together over a wound."
"I kill them because they're beautiful, and it's the only way I can keep them."
"What a lonely, dreary thing it is to know the truth."
"I miss you to pieces. Yours always."
"He'd forgotten ever being angry. He felt gentle and endlessly patient; if Julian had asked, he would have happily cut his chest open and handed over his heart, his lungs, every part of himself piece by piece."
"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you" he said, and for a moment Paul couldn't imagine, much less remember, that anything in the world existed outside the two of them.
"Paul lay with his head on Julian's lap, trying to map constellations into the sun-darkened freckles on his knees, while Julian combed his fingertips gently through Paul's hair."
"They kissed each other breathless between each promise."
"They could only stitch themselves back together if they did something irreversible."
"Hard to trust you if you're going to maim me."
"The worst damage humans do isn't rooted in malice but in thoughtlessness."
"I know why you fuck me like you wish you could kill me."
"They were wild and delirious and invincible, and it was strange that no one else could see it."
"Familiar smells, familiar sounds, a life still marred by all its old fractures and disappointments."
"It was the first time he could believe Julian when he spoke this way, as if they were one mind, one heart, one pair of lungs."
"All I want to do is make you happy, and you're the unhappiest person I've ever met."
"I love you. By now you ought to be able to let me fucking tell you."
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Finally finished These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever (which took longer than it usually would because I kept switching between it and the goldfinch whenever one of them annoyed me enough I had to look away, and this turned out to be a good system actually.)
and (SPOILERS) about half way through that book I was like “huh. Paul’s actually the problem isn’t he” and the end confirmed that for me. I remember there being a suspicious lack of context in the beginning of the story as to why Julian was so pissed at him, so perhaps Paul was just aggressively misinterpreting everything Julian ever said to him from the very beginning and filtering it through his woe is me lens. Like yeah Julian wasn’t perfect by any means, but Paul was the one sabotaging that relationship at every turn and then getting mad at Julian about it, which is really interesting because in the beginning it feels like Julian is just a terrible partner and Paul is just internalizing it because he has low self esteem (which is all still true either way) but then looking back at it I kind of suspect Paul was the problem the entire time, like at least more so than the narration is letting on at that point. But I would have to reread to really confirm that. Anyway good book 👍
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I don't think you've ever felt anything that didn't hurt you.
We've found each other, out of everyone else in the world. Does that hurt, too?
— Micah Nemerever, These Violent Delights
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How do I look away now that I have seen you?
on being seen and known and understood
Rachel Mennies, from "April 18, 2017", The Naomi Letters//Rick Riordan, Mark of Athena//picture: Mihaly Zichy "romantic encounter", quote: Micah Nemerever "These Violent Delights", edit @promqueendyke // Micah Nemerever, "These Violent Delights"//Marie Howe, "The Affliction"//Anne Carson, "Red Doc>"//NA//Taylor Swift, "Daylight"//Elizabeth Gilbert, "Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage"//Little Women (2019)
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i refuse to believe the album “the shark in your water” by flower face was not made for paul and julian from these violent delights
i mean…
(from spiracle)
(from cornflower blue)
(from isobel)
(from paper doll)
(from back to you)
(from october birds)
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