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this is what it means to be human

Everything, Mary Oliver

The Breathing, Denise Levertov

A Prayer by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski

Like a Small Café, That’s Love by Mahmoud Darwish (translated by Mohammad Shaheen)

Having a Coke with You by Frank O’Hara

Eating Together by Li-Young Lee

The Orange by Wendy Cope

The Quiet Machine, Ada Limón

To Go Mad, Paruyr Sevak

Our Beautiful Life When It’s Filled with Shrieks by Christopher Citro

Hammond B3 Organ Cistern, Gabrielle Calvocoressi

Peace XVIII, Khalil Gibran

Your Unripe Love, Paruyr Sevak (from “Anthology of Armenian poetry")

Here and Now by Peter Balakian

Ich finde dich (I find you) by Rainer Maria Rilke

The Thing Is by Ellen Bass

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

Miss you. Would like to take a walk with you. by Gabrielle Calvocoressi

I Want to Write Something So Simply by Mary Oliver

What's Not to Love by Brendan Constantine

Where does such tenderness come from? by Marina Tsvetaeva

You Are Tired (I Think) by E. E. Cummings

Living With the News by W.S.Merwin

What the Living Do by Marie Howe

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art by @sweeetsh

quotes credited in the post images.

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— the drowning faith, r.f. kuang (2020)

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in chinese mythology the fèng huáng (鳳凰) and the lóng (龍) which are the closest thing to what we call a phoenix and a dragon are the most ancient and common representation of yin and yang. the phoenix embodies the feminine, transformation, renewal and justice. on the other hand, the dragon represents the masculine with its strength and power, and is often associated with the imperial authority. according to some myths, the phoenix and the dragon are celestial beings that fall deeply in love and act as guardians of cosmic balance, ensuring the harmony and balance of the material and spiritual world

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me explaining through my tears that zoya's and the darkling's dynamic goes way deeper (in the books) and it says a lot about zoya's relationship with authority and power but also safety as a whole because of the (almost) parental nature of their relationship like the darkling is already playing favorites with her by the time she is 13

they are close enough for him to pick her over a lot of the older grisha's at the little palace for the possibility of getting an amplifier something we know is so special and not something just anyone could have yet he gave zoya that opportunity and when she felt like she failed him for protecting and releasing the cubs it broke her in a million pieces because she doesn't want to disappoint him

the darkling represented grisha's as a whole. he was their leader, their protector in a world that hates them and wants them eradicated, for a power they were born with. it is the way the little palace was meant to be a sanctuary for grisha's to feel safe, a place where zoya felt safe, yet it was the darkling was the first to completely destroy it and kill any grisha that wasn't on his side he was their biggest protector and he killed them in cold blood like that absolute betrayal

it wasn't just about her losing her aunt, he took away her home, the home she made with her aunt and lada and the one she made at the little palace the friends she made he took everything from her because she believed him when he said they would change the world together like she put so much trust in him, she gave him her power and he broke it so easily that wound just festered on because the darkling betrayed her just like her mother did in the past

and it just parallels the darkling with her mother so well because as a young child just wanted to make her mother happy which meant getting the highest grades, eating only half her meals so her mother could eat the rest, and stealing fruit from the duke's garden so her mother could eat them something she could get severely punished for by the duke zoya a young commoner girl who is from suli descent like she could have died but her mother never stopped her from taking them again and again and didn't her mother truly never saw her other than a pretty face that she could capitalize out of

zoya didn't make a sound on her wedding, didn't cry a single tear on her wedding, and never spoke out because she couldn't bear making her mother angry until the only person who ever spoke up for her was her aunt who almost beat to death for speaking up for her and even then could only be spent little over 2 months with her (mostly on the streets) before being separated for the next 7 years when she first goes back when she is 16. (they did write to each other)

the only adult that "cares" for her was the darkling he had continuous access to her, to groom her, to make her his perfect little girl. she is so desperate to impress him, to be around him, to be noticed, and worst of all he does. he gives her privileges, the important missions and she gets to ride his coach with him like he makes it known and clear that she is special, unlike her mother he gives her the attention she wants. but it doesn't really mean anything to him

he has no issue switching her out with alina sending her faraway as a punishment just like her mother had no issue selling her to a man old enough to have grandchildren of her age

zoya being stuck in a vicious cycle of being abused by people who should be protecting her

and it just speaks volumes that is zoya is the one who advocates for the darkling's victims because if she doesn't speak for alina, genya, liliyana and baghra who will

it speaks to her relationship with nina, her worries, her concerns about her, i wonder if all she sees is a beautiful and powerful girl with a deep love for her country with no support, no family i wonder if she sees herself so desperately trying to prove herself to the world

basically zoya co-wrote would've, could've, should've

*will be edited after i had a good night of rest and crack open the books again

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William Shakespeare // pinterest // Feel Good (2020-2021) cr. Joe Hampson & Mae Martin // Natalie Diaz These Hands, If Not Gods // Sandra Cisneros Woman at Hollering Creek: Stories; "Never Marry a Mexican" // Holland NUMBER BOY // Richard Siken Crush // 스물다섯 스물하나 Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022) dir. Jung Ji-hyun // Sappho // Dodie She // Maureen Seaton Furious Cooking; "Swan Lake" // unknown // Frank Ocean Forrest Gump // แปลรักฉันด้วยใจเธอ I Told Sunset About You / I Promised You the Moon (2020-2022) dir. Naruebet Kuno & Tossaphon Riantong // Danez Smith Recklessly (via @tendermimi)

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Mary Magdalene (2018) dir. Garth Davis

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José Saramago, Cain

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stanley cups are really the perfect example of everything wrong with late stage capitalistic america and people genuinely treat you like a misogynist for hating them. because it’s not just a water bottle, it’s a water bottle for girls✨, it’s a 50 dollar water water bottle that 1) is too expensive and everyone knows this but yet they still buy it and in fact they buy multiples of it 2) doesn’t actually do it’s job as a water bottle because it leaks, it doesn’t travel well as it’s too big and awkward of a size to fit in most bags, and you’re encouraged to buy multiples of them, even though the whole point of a reusable water bottle is to own one so that you can avoid constantly buying plastic bottled water. they’re also specifically designed for cars, because everything in our world in car centric now. they’re huge but have an awkward shape because they need to get the bottle small enough to fit in standard cup holders, there’s no cover or lock on the top of it so you can’t take it with you on the bus or on a bike ride because it will spill, you can’t carry it around with you even though it has a handle because you need your hands for other things and most people get exhausted carrying around 2 pounds of water in their hand for hours at a time. but like it’s for girls! girls aren’t expected to need a functioning water bottle, we aren’t taking public transit, or walking around, we’re just silly little passenger princesses. then of course, you have the accessories because of course you need accessories for your water bottle, because you need to spend more money, because you need your water bottle to have it’s own personality, and the only way to have personality is to spend more money. you need a food tray for your water bottle, and a purse, and a name tag, and keychains, and more, and more, and more, and more. because imagine if you didn’t, imagine the embarrassment of showing up to work with last year’s water bottle, you’re just admitting to everyone that you’re cringey, you’re poor, you can’t afford to drop 100 dollars (because those amazon accessories are only cheap in quality!) on a water bottle. yeah sure they’re overhyped and they’re so basic and everywhere but honestly just imagine the embarrassment of being the only girl not carrying around an emotional support stanley, you’re simply not a girl’s girl💖

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“i’m just a girl🥺” “i’m just a widdle passenger princess and i need my big strong 6’5 golden retriever boyfriend to drive me around” “is hating stanley cups misogynistic?” “get ready with me to make my boyfriend breakfast as a stay at home 21 year old girlfriend with no friends and no future just a man” “fashion girls help! what sneakers are we wearing this summer” “click on the link in my bio to buy this anti wrinkle straw for your stanley cup” “get ready with me to skip all of my classes and sit in the parking lot alone and read my spicy booktok romance novels💅” “sorry malala but i hate school and i wish you weren’t fighting for women’s rights to education lol” “pov: you overcame bisexuality and gender nonconformity and now have a boring boyfriend, wear pink shein sundresses and can finally embrace your divine femininity” “new trend alert! moonshine lavender haze hailey bieber purple blue milk nails” “when your dad gets mad at you for using his credit card on ur starbucks app and uber eats app but you’re literally just a girl” “pov: you and your boyfriend are literally the black cat gf golden retriever bf irl” “how to get ozempic for free online using my amazon store front” “restock my stanley with me for a hot girl walk” “when you’re his first victoria secret aritzia spray tan silk press false eyelashes black bmw girl” “what snacks i pack with me to sit in the pick up line for 2 hours as a stay at home mormon boy mom” “come with me to burn my old clothes from last year because platos closet won’t take them”

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i love it when characters do horrible things in the name of love it has to be said

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-crimson peak

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izzyposting

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richard siken, in pithead chapel