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The onlookers seemed incredibly amused when I got to Carolina, Mom’s home province, picked up two envelopes, and weighed them in my hands for a few seconds before dropping one back in.
you joker you
“Though it was hard for me to imagine, she is even more beloved as queen than my mother. She has made four beautiful, intelligent, strong children. And she has been the source of every happiness in my life.”
why is this the one tangible accomplishment he lists
I had reservations about reading out the names myself, but at least it gave the appearance of control.
you have control what is this posturing
The one I was wearing? It was only my favorite because Josie bent my first favorite and lost two stones out of the second. She wasn’t even supposed to touch them. Ever.
she’s a CHILD. you have quite literally unlimited resources i feel like your stupid tiara could have been fixed pretty easily
Beside her, Kile was reading a book. Because, clearly, everything going on in our country and home was too boring for him. What an ingrate.
shes so MEAN i almost wonder if this entire character is supposed to be a celeste 2.0 because kiera cass caught so much flak for killing her
“Such a pain,” I said, punching his arm. “I love you.”
does keira cass have siblings i dont think anyone tells their brothers they love them This much even if they’re twins
Holden Messenger. Kesley Timber. Hale Garner. Edwin Bishop.
holy fuck
“I didn’t do it!” Kile insisted. As I approached, our eyes met. I could see he was as upset as I was. “Does that even matter?” Mom said. “Anyone of age is allowed to put his name in.” Dad nodded. “That’s true. It’s a bit of a strange situation, but there’s nothing illegal about it.”
why is putting someone else’s name in not illegal????? what are the laws in this country?????? impersonation isn’t illegal but sex outside of marriage is????
“That’s right,” Dad agreed. “Reading the names publicly makes it official. We can’t replace you.”
oh shut up what an arbitrary rule
“And quite frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m over the rules, I’m over being a guest, and I’m so over your bratty attitude.”
real
I didn’t wait for approval. I didn’t owe anyone anything after tonight. I was giving them everything they wanted.
she’s a real piece of work
“You’ll have to let him make his own choice sooner or later,” Mom urged. Funny, since she was the one trying to marry her daughter to a stranger.
YOU BARELY TRIED TO GET OUT OF THIS
That’s how it was with Aunt May. A new love every few months or so.
slut shaming was hereditary as well i see
Mom leaned in toward her sister. “I just want to remind you that, one, they’re off-limits, and, two, even if they weren’t, you’re twice their age.”
????
Aunt May laughed with delight, and I tried to memorize the way her head sloped gracefully to one side and her eyes sparkled.
???
Miss Marlee’s buoyancy,
what does this even mean
I stared into a set of dark eyes embedded deep in ebony skin. His hair was cropped short, and he wore a bright smile. “Baden Trains, nineteen, from Sumner.”
calling it now this is the only person that will get a skin tone description this detailed
“And with a last name like Trains, he probably comes from a family of Sevens. It says here he’s in his first year studying advertising. That means either he or someone in his family is very determined.”
“But as it happens, this is coming at a time when we were in need of a plan to calm the unrest over the castes.”
she’s telling this to a woman who used to be her maid why would this be relatable???????????
“Ames!”
i’ve been curious about how this is pronounced if it’s short for america
“This is strange,” I said, picking up one of the applications. “I don’t want to be judgmental, but look at this. I caught three different spelling mistakes on this one.” Mom took the form. “It’s possible he was nervous.” “Or an idiot,” I offered. May chuckled.
or just maybe the education in your country is complete shit and inaccessible. I am really confused about how much progress is supposed to have been made because on one hand you have people being like oh this person’s family used to be sevens and it’s really impressive that he’s made it to college and then now on the other hand you have a person that has spelling mistakes on their form and it’s for some reason their fault that they haven’t had a good education. So people who used to be in the lower castes have to be truly exceptional to break out of poverty and “make it” but at the same time it is a personal fault if they aren’t / haven’t. AND may chuckling here is SO weird because she grew up in poverty and without enough food?!!!!!!!??!! laughing at someone for spelling Three words wrong is absurd when you personally should know how bad it can get and still gets
I found the black dress I’d worn for a New Year’s Eve party last year.
outfit repeating? embarassing!
You and Dad brought peace to the country.
no they didn’t ??!?
“Not as impressive as having a father who used to be a One.”
man what is this
“Listen, I want to tell you I’m sorry again. For calling you bratty.”
he was right idk why he’s apologizing
He chuckled.
someone is chuckling every other page it’s ridiculous
You’re the princess. You have the capacity to sentence him to death, if you wanted.”
the death penalty still exists ???????? and why does she have this power???????????? what kind of shit reform did these people do!!!!?????
Even though I grew up knowing I was special, I didn’t like being looked at as a prize.
i really don’t understand why this is happening
whispered something in garbled words I couldn’t understand.
what a kind description of a foreign language. put this woman on the throne yesterday!
“Umm, Swend—?” he began, but turned to the guest with him.
is the country name different in finnish why could he not finish saying it
In that instant Henri’s application popped back into my mind. That was why some of the words were spelled wrong. He was guessing at them.
worst possible explanation for this. why couldn’t the interpreter help with the application ? do dictionaries not exist?
He pressed his lips together, attempting to hide his proud smile. “Anything for you, Your Highness.” He went to walk away, but I called him back. The officer puffed out his chest, so pleased to be needed again.
this is so weird
“Erik?” “Yes.” “Huh. I expected something a bit different.” He shrugged. “Well, that’s the closest translation.”
??????? why did she expect something different and why is there a translation for a finnish name what is this. i think this is appropriation of an issue that people of color face with forced assimilation . this is not an issue for white scandinavian people
It wasn’t every day that I saw my people face-to-face, heard their voices, and sensed how they needed us.
this is sooo weirddddd
“We need jobs!” someone shrieked. “The castes still live!” I peeked out and saw a cluster of people protesting and hurling their rotten food at the float. Some held angry signs they must have hidden from the guards until now, and others threw disgusting words at me, calling me things that I’d never imagined even the worst of people saying.
“I don’t understand,” I mumbled.
???? why not???
Henri got down on one knee, trying to hit anything that came near us,
they’re throwing rotten food what is he able to hit away????
I heard him grunt and felt him clench up when he was hit with something heavy.
ew
Poor thing, their expressions seemed to say. And I hated their pity more than I hated the people who thought this was acceptable.
you got a rotten tomato thrown at you be glad you weren’t assassinated
“Help,” I whimpered before bursting into tears.
grow uppppp
I knew the water would get rid of the mess, and I knew it would take away the smell, but no amount of scrubbing would ever wash away this memory.
i know this is probably the worst thing that’s ever happened to her but like come on she’s acting like someone killed her dog
“I felt so certain a Selection would lift their mood. I thought they would delight in this.” Dad stared at the pictures, still shocked.
i don’t understand how he hasn’t died yet he is too stupid for his own good which is a real issue considering he’s the king
“Get a few cameras in the Men’s Parlor tomorrow morning. I’ll take care of this.”
i hope they remember camera c
We shared a smile as she handed me my tight black pants, which I paired with heels that would kill me by noon. I pulled on a flowy shirt and a vest, and found a tiara with jewels that matched the shirt. I was ready.
unimaginably ugly combo here
I wished there was a way to do this without the cameras, but they were a necessary evil.
why?????????????? i don’t remember cameras being required at eliminations in the last three books!
I stopped in front of Jamal. “You can leave.”
“Issir,” I said to a slick-haired, gangly young man. “No. Thank you.”
these eliminations seem racially targeted but i guess im going off of names
I’d taken a decisive step, and Dad could rest easy now, knowing the Selection was properly under way and that I wouldn’t let him down.
so the point of this selection was to quell ongoing unrest regarding residual discrimination from caste system. and then people threw rotten food at her. And their take away from that was she needs to have a more kind and open image. And now she just randomly eliminated 11 people. How does that make her seem nicer ???? and why would the takeaway from her getting rotten tomatoes thrown at her not be wait you guys it doesn’t seem like people want a selection
“Two of them have asked in the most circumspect and quiet ways possible if there was a chance that you prefer women.”
god forbid
“When my father is stern, no one chastises him. I don’t think it’s fair that when I act similarly, I’m seen as cruel. I’m making a huge decision, and I’m trying to be wise about it.”
there is real commentary she could have on being a woman in this world and instead she’s bitching about how she’s not allowed to be as mean as her dad. he never eliminated ANYONE as cruelly as she just eliminated 11 people!!!!
