#also this will be the final…’angsty’ and twisty chapter for a bit

[seraphimankh]

Anamnesis

Chapter 15!

[beautifulduckweed]

Get to Know Me Memes

Thanks for the tag, @afewbulbsshortofatanningbed! I'm procrastinating furiously, and I would absolutely so much rather do this than anything else right now.

Last Song: That Jack Harlow song except it's about chinchillas:

Favorite Color: Uhhh either hot pink, dark purple, or eye-searing teal.

Last Book: A Power Unbound by Freya Marske. This book has so many great bits, but also so many bits that were infuriating, inconsistent with established canon, broke previously established rules, or just plain made no sense, that it ended up being one of the worst books I've read in quite a while. It was at its best when it allowed the protagonists to be tender and intimate with each other, which meant that the last two chapters were the only ones that didn't make me want to thump my head gently against the wall.

Last Movie: No Time to Die. The tallwife and I decided it was time for us to finally sit down and (re)watch all five Daniel Craig Bond movies, and I gotta say, Casino Royale and Skyfall absolutely hold up---Skyfall in particular feels like a good movie, period, and the best Bond movie yet. The other three movies were entertaining but a hot mess. No Time to Die made many people furious with its ending, but I enjoyed Bond's character arc there, especially in the context of the four movies that preceded it, and especially because we'd watched the movies in rapid succession.

Last TV Show: Delicious in Dungeon, which is absolutely cuckoo bananas bonkers. Highly recommended. Anime on Netflix about a party of D&D-esque adventurers who are so broke that they have to make their way through the dungeon with zero money for provisions. The solution: cook and eat the monsters they slay! Every episode lovingly goes through the proper preparation methods and talks about the importance of eating balanced meals. If you miss original flavor Iron Chef and love D&D, you 1000% need to watch this show.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Savory!

Relationship Status: Le married

Last Thing I Googled: That chinchilla Tiktok

Current Obsession: Trying to slowly and painfully wrench my wardrobe around from "buy whatever's cheap and sort of fits" into something resembling a coherent aesthetic. And my true loves---romance novels in general and KJ Charles romance novels in particular---are never far from my mind.

Looking Forward To: Visiting @theglintoftherail and @etoilesombre in March, aaaaahhhh it's gonna be so great!

get to know me(me)

Three Ships: Jerry Crozier/Alec Pyne from Any Old Diamonds. Utterly obsessed with their dynamic. Kim Secretan/Will Darling from the Will Darling Adventures, because what's not to love about a twisty secretive angsty shit + stoic oblivious dude with a boatload of war trauma? Also Arthur/Eames from Inception, I will never not love that universe in general and those two in particular. Just thinking about them makes me want to reread weatherfront's Inception fics.

First Ship: Man, it was probably Todd/Neil from Dead Poets' Society? I watched that movie when I was 11 or 12 years old, and it hit me like a truck, but I had no way to express the horrible yearning I had for Neil to have a different ending, and for him and Todd to remain VERY CLOSE FRIENDS forever.

Currently Reading: King Solomon's Mines. Hilariously, am reading this for KJ Charles reasons, because Think of England is set in that universe and I want more background info on Archie Curtis's adventure-loving guncles. I enjoyed this a whole lot as a child (I think I first read it when I was 11?) and reading it as an adult is...an experience. Colonialism: What a drug!

Currently Watching: Delicious in Dungeon; also slowly catching up on Lower Decks (which is proceeding at a snail's pace because we don't have Paramount Plus, we watch an episode or two every few weeks at a friend's house).

Currently Craving: A Cosmic Crisp apple and some cheddar cheese. For whatever reason, my body has decided that This Is Food and very few other things are. Fuckin' bodies.

As always with these things, I'm not tagging anyone. Feel free to jump in if you, too, are in the mood to talk about yourself and are trying to put off actually thinking about or working on something.

[chachkayes]

It Takes a Village

Title is subject to change. This fic is in a different format then my other fics, it is substantially longer than almost any chapter of Begin Again or one shot i’ve ever written. Also @herrera-n-hayes confirmed for me that this may be one of the most angsty fics I’ve ever written. Apologies if this causes you to go on an emotional rollercoaster. I tapped into my dark and twisty side to write this. Have fun :)

Word at Grey-Sloan Memorial spread fast – only a few hours after being admitted into the hospital after being found unconscious in the parking lot, practically the whole staff knew that Meredith Grey was once again in a fight for her life.

She’d woken up 4 hours later, with countless text messages from her friends at the hospital. She’d wondered how everyone found out so quickly and why everyone was acting like her exhaustion was just a big deal. That was, until she realized she’d become a patient in the COVID-19 Unit at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital. What she didn’t realize was that her closest friends at the hospital were inundating her old friends that’d moved with seemingly hourly updates about her condition.

-

“Hey Yang, I found Grey passed out in the parking lot. Not sure why she’s not responding, just thought I’d let you know. I’ll keep you updated.” Cormac Hayes messaged Cristina Yang about Meredith the moment he got the chance. He knew she’d want to know if something were to happen to her best friend. “Okay. Thanks.” Was all he got back from his former boss.

The next morning. “She woke up a little while ago, in case you want to facetime her. She’s tested positive for COVID. She’s not taking it very well.” He sent her the update. Not too long afterwards, she replied. “Ugh, seriously? Great. Just great. Um, okay. Yeah, I’ll facetime her. Thanks for letting me know. Get yourself tested as well. Also, she’s incredibly bitchy when she’s in the hospital, so word of advice: stay on her good side.” Cormac chuckled slightly at Cristina’s advice. “I’ll try my best” He responded. Seconds later, he got paged away, back to the peds floor. He didn’t want to leave Meredith, he certainly would’ve much rathered paging her to join him, in order to spend some time alone with her, and see her work her surgical magic. 

-

“Meredith has COVID.” Maggie said through tears once Alex picked up his phone. “Damnit. Damnit!” Alex yelled. “Please just tell me it’s a mild case.” Maggie sighed. “Well, she was found unconscious in the parking lot of the hospital, so I don’t know. I hope it’ll just be mild.” She told him truthfully. 

“You’re her power of attorney.” Maggie reminded him, after remembering herself. “I… I can’t. I would, if I could be there in person. I swear to god, I would in a heartbeat. But I can’t travel. She has to be okay.” Maggie closed her eyes and grimaced at Alex’s worry. “Does Yang know?” Alex finally said after a few moments of silence. “Uh, yeah. Hayes is keeping her updated.” On the other side of the phone, Alex looked confused. “Hayes? Who’s that? And how does he know Yang?” 

Maggie had forgotten that Alex had never gotten the chance to meet Hayes or co-chief with him because of his formerly unexplained absence. “Uh, long story, but I’ll try to make it short. He’s the new you. Chief of Peds, that is. He worked with Cristina in Switzerland, she sent him here, he and Meredith became friends. They’re... weirdly close.” Alex raised his eyebrows on the other end of the phone. “Hmm. I’ll have to give Yang a call later today. Okay, Pierce, I have to go, but keep me updated. Okay?” “Okay.” End call.

-

“Torres! How are you holding up in New York?” Miranda Bailey asked her former classmate. She knew that New York was hit hard by COVID. “It’s a madhouse here, Bailey. What about you?” Miranda silently shook her head as she went over every little issue in the hospital. “Oh! Hi Bailey!” Arizona Robbins’ voice piped up from the other end of the phone. “Hey Robbins. Uh, it’s crazy over here too. Grey just tested positive last night after being found unconscious and pulled off the pavement by our chief of peds. It feels like everything is on fire and we have no way of getting out.” She said, entering her office. The only place she could find some solace, and take off her mask within the hospital because she was alone. 

“Wait. Meredith has COVID? What?” Calliope’s voice quickly changed from frustrated with the state of the world, to an intense worry. “And Alex found her?” Arizona followed. “Yes, she did. And oh boy, is she pissed. And Arizona, no. Alex no longer works at Grey-Sloan. Cormac Hayes is our chief of pediatrics, he was recommended for the job by Cristina Yang. So, figures he’d be the one to find Meredith Grey passed out on the ground.” She said with a slight sarcastic undertone to her final sentence. “What?? What did Alex do now?” Arizona’s voice peaked. “Uh… he quit. And moved to Kansas. And divorced Jo to be with Izzie Stevens.” Callie let out a huge sigh and chuckled to herself, remembering when George had left her to be with Izzie. “You’re kidding…” Arizona said seriously. “I wish I was.” Bailey said. “Well, keep us updated on Meredith. Good luck out there.” Callie said, trying her best not to show how worried she was for her friends at Grey-Sloan. “Will do. You too, the both of you, stay safe.” End call. 

-

4 days later. Meredith was only getting worse. After facetiming with Meredith, Hayes picked up his phone again and dialed Cristina Yang’s number. He knew the time difference was insane, but he also knew that Yang wouldn’t care about the time when she heard the update about her friend. “Hayes, what the hell. It’s like, 3am.” Cristina scolded him as she wished about going back to sleep. “It’s Grey. She’s doing worse, Yang. I’ve tried my best to be there with her whenever I can, but god it’s so suffocating to see her deteriorate the way she is.” Cristina was now wide awake. “Hayes, this is Meredith Grey we’re talking about. She’s practically immortal. Compared to everything else she’s survived, this virus is nothing.” Hayes chuckled slightly at Cristina’s words. “You know, it’s funny. I told her that this virus had nothing on her as well.” The former colleagues went silent for a few moments. 

“She told me she’s scared to die.” Cormac finally said after he regained his train of thought. “You must be pretty special then. She doesn’t just open up like that to anybody.” Cristina said, smirking to herself at the other end of the line. Hearing Cristina say that made Cormac’s heart start to race, and the little internal butterflies appeared as he thought about his relationship with Meredith Grey. “Alright, I know it’s late. Get back to sleep. And for the love of god, don’t tell me that you’re afraid if you fall asleep you won’t wake up again, as well.” Cristina laughed slightly. “Keep me updated, and let me know if there’s anything I can do.” She ordered him. “Got it. Night, Yang.” Cristina yawned. “Night, Hayes. Keep an eye on my girl for me.” End call. 

-

“How’s she doing?” Alex’s rough morning voice rang through Maggie’s phone. “Not good, Alex. Her lungs, I mean- I just don’t know. It’s not promising for a speedy recovery.” She said, taking a deep breath. Sometimes, Maggie had to remind herself that she could breathe properly. Alex groaned on the other end of the phone call. “I hate this. I hate that she’s alone. She’s always had me, or Shepherd, or Yang by her side, laying with her on those hospital beds. Even if we were all there, she’d still be alone. I hate every single part of this.” Maggie sighed. She almost couldn’t handle the amount of anguish she was hearing from Alex. “Well, if it’s any consolation, even though we can’t lay with her, she’s not alone. Someone is always with her. If I’m not in the room, sitting beside her bed, Amelia will facetime her. Or Hayes will be in there, cracking jokes with her and distracting her. If he’s not on the peds floor, he’s with her. She also has all the people on her medical team, but I’m not sure if they really count since they have to go in there with her periodically. She’s not alone, Alex.”

A sigh of relief came from Alex. He was still pissed that no one could lay with her to comfort her, but it brought him some comfort to know that she had people looking out for her constantly that weren’t involved in her medical care. “This Hayes guy - I’ve heard quite a bit about him from Yang now that I’ve talked with her. Is he as good a friend as he’s made out to be? Does the rest of the staff like him, or is it just Mer?” Alex asked. “Well… he’s well liked among the staff. But Mer really seems to like him, and he seems to reciprocate it. They were always working together before the pandemic. I found out that he was the one who found her on the ground the night she passed out and tested positive. He is - a good friend to her. They get each other, and need each other on a whole other level than most of the rest of us.” Silence. “Think they’ll get together?” Alex asked after a few moments had passed. “If she survives, I hope so.” A pang hit Maggie’s heart as she uttered the words, ‘if she survives.’ The same pang hit Alex as he heard her say it. “I have to go, Alex.” Maggie said, as she felt tears forming in her eyes the more she thought about her sister’s condition. “Alright, talk later. Bye Pierce.” End call.

-

Incoming call. Callie Torres. Miranda picked up her phone, dreading the update she’d have to give Callie on Meredith. “Hey Torres.” She said as she answered the call. “Bailey! How’s Meredith doing?” Callie said happily, expecting a good response from Bailey. “I wish I had good news for you, Callie. Her lungs have gotten substantially worse, she collapsed again, she’s sleeping more often. She updated her power of attorney and her advanced directives. She’s preparing for the worst. If I’m being honest… I’m starting to as well.” A tear ran down both Bailey and Callie’s cheeks. “Have you talked to her at all?” Bailey inquired. “No. But I probably should, shouldn’t I?” Callie asked, shuddering as she thought about how she would feel if news got any worse. This was Meredith Grey, right? Basically immortal, stronger than a bull, always willing to put up the fight. Well, except for that day where she stopped fighting in the water and almost died after drowning in Elliot’s Bay, but Callie tried not to think about that day very often. “Yeah. You should.” Bailey said, grimacing at the thought of having to call anyone and tell them that Meredith had died. She hoped she’d never have to. “Alright. Thanks Bailey. I’ll talk to you later.”

-

“She’s in a coma.” A text that Cristina Yang, Calliope Torres, Arizona Robbins, and Alex Karev, amongst many others, received 2 days after they’d been informed of Meredith’s worsening condition. The amount of tears had been shed in the past 48 hours across both past and present staff at Grey-Sloan Memorial would surprise the average person. Everyone was worried as Meredith’s life hung in the balance. When Hayes had told Cristina that she was in a coma, he thought he may have heard her cry for the first time in the now almost 3 years of knowing her. When Maggie told Alex through broken sobs, all Alex could mutter was “Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.” over and over again. All he wanted was to be able to be there with her. Callie, Arizona, and Bailey broke down in tears together over the phone. Jackson had become a shell of himself, he couldn’t bring himself to cry when he updated April about their friend’s dire situation and heard her sobs.

-

1 week. It’d been 1 week since Cormac Hayes had gotten a text from Meredith Grey, heard her voice, or seen her eyes brighten as she smiled behind her mask. He kept thinking about their last surgery. Could that have been the last surgery they’d ever perform together? And their last conversation played in his head. “This virus has got nothing on you.” He’d told her. Did he just tell her that to ease his own mind? God, there was nothing more that Cormac Hayes wanted than to hear Meredith Grey say his name again. To tell him that he looked like crap again. His mind raced as he laid in his hotel room. He was away from his boys, and his closest friend at the hospital was hanging onto life by a thread. He couldn’t just keep lying there, letting his dark and twisty thoughts take hold of him. So, he got up and drove to the hospital. And he sat with Meredith in the dead of the night. The sound of her breathing comforted him. He was in full PPE, and he held her hand, praying that she would wake up. God, he needed her to wake up.

Hour 3 of his overnight stay in Meredith’s room - that he knew he’d probably get in trouble for, but frankly didn’t care too much about getting in trouble for, if it meant Meredith wasn’t alone while she fought for her life - Cormac Hayes called Cristina Yang. It was early morning there, and Hayes figured that even if Meredith couldn’t hear, Cristina would likely want to talk to her friend. “Hey. What’s up?” Cristina said as she answered her phone. “Not much, unfortunately. I wish I had news. I’m just sitting in her room with her now.” There was a lull in conversation. “So, why’d you call me then?” Cristina asked, curious as to why she’d get a call from Hayes if there was no update. “I’ve got you on speaker. I don’t know, I was hoping that maybe hearing your voice, if she can hear at all, would help her decide to live.” Cristina snickered to herself internally. “That’s sweet. And gross.” Cristina had just woken up, which was when her sarcasm was at its peak. “Yeah, I realized that once I said it.” He hit back. 

He didn’t know if it was the exhaustion hitting him, or an overwhelming sense of dread that filled the room, but Cormac admitted to Cristina, “I’m trying to be strong for her. When she was awake, everyone else around her just worried and worried and worried. She told me I was the only one who distracted her from the fact that she was sick. And I’ve been there for her sisters as best as possible, trying to be strong and distract them as I would her. But god, Yang, I’m so scared.” Cristina sighed. “I know. I am too. We just have to remember that this is Meredith. Hayes, you likely haven’t heard these stories, but she’s survived a bomb, a plane crash, a drowning, and so much more. She’s strong, and she’s going to die when she’s old, in a nursing home, and surrounded by love. She’s probably being convinced by Derek to live right now, if this time is anything like her drowning.” Cristina said, her softer side appearing, trying to convince both herself and Hayes that Meredith would be okay, eventually. “I know she’s strong. I see it every time she talks. But I still can’t help but worry. It feels too much like watching Abby slowly fade away from the cancer. She’s just too important to me, I can’t lose her. I can’t see another disease take away another woman that I…” Hayes caught himself before finishing his sentence. Unfortunately for him Cristina caught on to what he was going to say. “Love? Cormac Hayes, were you going to say that you love her?” Hayes didn’t respond, he only closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact of whatever comment Cristina was going to make next. “Oh. My. God. You were. You were going to say love! Ha ha! Yes!” Cristina gloated and teased, since it was a good conversation deflection from the sad, sappy one that she and Hayes were previously sharing. 

“Alright, place that phone next to Meredith’s ear. I’m gonna talk some sense into her. She’ll listen to me, she always does.” Hayes chuckled, moving the phone closer to Meredith’s ear. “Alright, Mer, you gotta wake up. For the love of god. I know you’re listening. You’ve got too many people that love you, waiting for you to wake up. So as much as I’m sure that you’re enjoying hanging out with Derek, Lexie, Mark, George, and all the other people you’ve lost, you have too many more people on earth that need you more than them. Dying isn’t an option.” Hayes smiled and chuckled to himself as Meredith’s twisted sister gave her a pep talk that only she could. It restored his hope that she’d pull through. About 30 minutes later, he said goodbye to Cristina, not knowing that only 2 hours later, he’d be calling her again with one of the final updates he’d ever give to her about Meredith, because Meredith would be able to begin updating Cristina on her own. She’d woken up. 

He messaged Bailey, Richard, Maggie, Amelia, Teddy, Jackson, Link, and Owen in a group message as soon as her eyes fluttered open. He smiled breathlessly at her and she smiled weakly when she saw that he was in her room with her. He’d never been happier to see her smile. “Thank you, for deciding to live.” He said quietly. “Thank you for not speaking loudly.” She laughed to herself, a slight cough following. He laughed with her. His favourite thing to do. Laugh with Meredith Grey. Within 30 minutes, practically everyone knew that Meredith had woken up. There was joy in the hallways of Grey-Sloan Memorial for the first time since the pandemic started. Meredith grabbed Cormac’s hand and squeezed it as he continued to sit with her, talking to her about what she’d missed while she was out. They were glad to hear each other’s voices again. 

-

“She’s awake.” Maggie and Bailey texted Callie, Arizona, and Alex. Sighs of relief erupted from all 3 former Grey-Sloan surgeons. 

Meredith Grey still had a long road to recovery, but her waking up from her coma was a step in the right direction. Meredith had decided that once she was finally deemed eligible to leave the hospital and quarantine in a hotel, she wanted Cormac Hayes to stay with her. Andrew DeLuca was quite upset with this, he wanted Meredith to choose him, because he figured that he was already her doctor while she was in the hospital. However, she told him that it was only because Hayes wasn’t working on the COVID floor like Andrew was, where he was needed daily, as opposed to the peds unit, which was incredibly quiet and could be looked after by Jo. And this was all true, for the most part. But Meredith had her other reasons for asking Hayes to stay with her. Cormac, unknowing of Meredith’s true reason for asking him, of course, happily agreed. He would have agreed had he known her real reason as well. He’d been there when she’d first collapsed, then again when she needed someone to be vulnerable with, then again when she’d woken up. Now, he could be there to see her every step of the way to a full recovery and getting back to work. To him, any time he got to spend with Meredith after she woke up from her coma felt like a blessing, so he wasn’t going to pass up the offer to be with her, alone, every day, for 2 weeks straight. Meredith simply might have just casually neglected to mention that she chose him because she heard him talking to Cristina Yang the night she woke up, and heard him almost say that he loves her. Of course, she’d keep that little detail to herself til much, much later.

[saltlamp]

what are some book recs? I want to read a new series 🤩

thanks for asking!! 🙈 get ready for some basic recs and hopefully recs you haven’t heard before! gets less basic and more pretentious (?) as u go down, i think,,, also sorry this took me so long to post! i’m the worst, bless you for putting up with me. the list and my descriptions are under the cut!

1. The Shatter Me series is pretty good so far. It’s a YA series that has eight books, and it’s completed, but I’ve only read the first three. So far, it has a lovelyyy enemies to lovers romance that is very reminiscent of ships like captain swan (and reylo, just for you, kat. there’s a scene in the second book that reminds me so much of the throne room scene where rey is debating joining kylo ren). It’s about a girl whose touch is lethal and her growing into her power and doing some badass stuff. She’s a little annoying because she’s horny the entire time but all in all, I’d highly recommend it, especially considering your tastes!

2. I always always always have to recommend the Six of Crows duology, if you haven’t read it yet. It’s objectively the best ya series around and is a sequel series to the Shadow and Bone trilogy, but reading that first isn’t necessary. It’s about a heist and the group of six criminal teens who try to pull it off, and the found family trope is strong with this one. I would die for every single character, and the plot is twisty and so so good!! The romances are all perfectly angsty, too.

3. Another ya classic is The Raven Cycle series and its spinoff, The Dreamer Trilogy (which only has one book so far). It’s extremely difficult to describe but the found family is good here too. It’s about a group of friends in Virginia who are looking for a dead Welsh king. There’s lots of supernatural things and dreams and psychics and dead people who are alive and alive people who are dead. It’s so odd but so endearing and unique and reading it makes me so nostalgic for some reason.

4. Onto non-ya but still basic! The Goldfinch is one of those books that you read because everyone says you should and then suddenly you’re crying over the last 20 pages and overthinking the meaning of life. It’s a coming of age story about a boy who steals a painting after his mom dies in a museum bombing and deals with the guilt and repercussions of this theft for the next decade or two. It can be a bit problematic (as I find with Donna Tartt novels) but it’s mostly good.

5. The Great Gatsby is a good one, especially if you (like myself) had to read it in middle/high school and didn’t actually read it. And then you go back and read it and realize it was actually really good! Basically: guy simps for girl, his neighbor narrates the whole thing, and there’s death and a roaring 20’s aesthetic and ~ s y m b o l i s m ~

6. The Inkworld Trilogy (starting with Inkheart) is a childhood favorite of mine and I just remembered by looking at my bookshelf omg. It’s about a girl and her dad who can read themselves and other things in and out of books, and there’s a specific obsession with this book called Inkheart. Super unique and lovely aesthetics and nostalgia, especially if you grew up reading books! It is middle grade, though (or at most early YA). Speaking of middle grade, if you haven’t read Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, you must.

7. Till We Have Faces by the guy who wrote Narnia is a retelling of the myth of Eros and Psyche through the eyes of the oldest sister who is so ugly she has to cover her face with a veil (or so she’s convinced). Her ‘ugliness’ is a big plot point, contrasted against Psyche’s beauty. She loves her sister more than her own life and is convinced that the beast who takes her in is actually evil. But who’s the real villain of the story? Who’s the real hero? Hmm... It’s such an interesting take on the myth and no one ever talks about this book!!!!! The last two chapters are a trip, but CS Lewis considered it his best work (and I agree!)

8. Any and every Shakespeare play. Specifically Much Ado About Nothing, it’s an easy read and has the funniest plot: Two exes ‘hate’ each other and people are tired of them fighting so they set them up. Side plot where girl’s cousin has to fake her death to defend her honor. I’m a shameless Shakespeare nerd. Ignore this one if u want lol, or watch the Emma Thompson movie!

9. If you actually are a Shakespeare nerd, I’d recommend the dark academia murder mystery novel If We Were Villains. It’s about a tight-knit group of seven pretentious young actors in their final year studying at an acting conservatory. This year, the casting list for a particular performance is different than usual, and it causes drama between the characters and eventually leads to one of them being murdered. It uses themes and plots from Shakespeare plays such as Julius Caesar, King Lear, and more, and there are scenes where characters’ actions off-stage match or contrast their actions on-stage, and it’s super cool if you’re a NERD like me.

10. Red White and Royal Blue is like every rom-com you’ve ever watched with every cute (fanfic) trope you could think of! What if the first son of the United States hated (read: was secretly in love with) the Prince of Wales? They’re rivals until they bond over Star Wars (there’s more than that, but, mood). They are so dramatic and the writing is wonderful. Covers absolutely everything I could ever want from a story, honestly. It has the best cast of side characters, too! 

11. The All for the Game trilogy is no easy read, it’s very gritty and I’d recommend reading the list of trigger warnings before opening the books. But, if you’re up for it, it’s a good story involving a fake sport and a bunch of college students from rough backgrounds who play said fake sport and eventually bond over trauma and such. Also, it’s set in my state with an orange paw-themed sports team... hmmm familiar

12. It was at this point that I wondered if I should recommend the Shadow and Bone trilogy. It’s getting a Netflix series this year (!!) and it’s the series before Six of Crows, mentioned earlier, but it’s not as good. Many people complain about the ending (even though I liked it) and Leigh Bardugo’s definitely found her style since writing these. Also, the character development is lacking. That being said! It’s a good introduction into the Grishaverse and it helps you get a feel for the magic system and all that. It’s not a terrible series, it’s just cliche and Alina makes me want to rip my hair out :))

13. Classics promo ok... if you haven’t read all those (specifically greek) classics that were on the english syllabus that were ignored or sparknotes’d, now’s the time to read them to enjoy them! My personal favorite is The Iliad.