“
People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy.
”
”
Joss Whedon
“
Watch yourself, Nikolai,” Mal said softly. “Princes bleed just like other men.”
Nikolai plucked an invisible piece of dust from his sleeve. “Yes,” he said. “They just do it in better clothes.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I'm not like you, Mal. I never really fit in the way you did. I never really belonged anywhere."
"You belonged with me.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
Mal,” I whispered into the night.
“What?”
“Thanks for finding me.”
I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming, but somewhere in the dark, I thought I heard him whisper, “Always.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
I don't care if you danced naked on the roof of the Little Palace with him. I love you, Alina, even the part of you that loved him.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
I have loved you all my life, Mal,” I whispered through my tears. “There is no end to our story.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
You heard Prince Perfect," Mal said, and joined us at the table. Nikolai grinned. "I've had a lot of nicknames, but that one is easily the most accurate.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I'd catch myself just walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I'd seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I'd realize that you weren't there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I've risked my life for you. I've walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I'd do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don't tell me why we don't belong together," he said fiercely.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
Mal!"
"What?"
"Close the door down there and lock it," David yelled. "Don't you come up here under any circumstances. Not till I tell you it's okay. Understood?"
There was a pause then Mal yelled back. "What if there's a fire?"
"Burn.
”
”
Kylie Scott (Lick (Stage Dive, #1))
“
You’re mad,” I said. “You know what he can do. No prize is worth that.”
Sturmhond grinned. “That remains to be seen.”
“The Darkling will hunt you for the rest of your days.”
“Then you and I will have something in common, won’t we? Besides, I like to have powerful enemies. Makes me feel important.”
Mal crossed his arms and considered the privateer. “I can’t decide if you’re crazy or stupid.”
“I have so many good qualities,” Sturmhond said. “It can be hard to choose.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I saw the prince when I was in Os Alta,” said Ekaterina. “He’s not bad looking.”
“Not bad looking?” said another voice. “He’s damnably handsome.”
Luchenko scowled. “Since when—”
“Brave in battle, smart as a whip.” Now the voice seemed to be coming from above us. Luchenko craned his neck, peering into the trees. “An excellent dancer,” said the voice. “Oh, and an even better shot.”
“Who—” Luchenko never got to finish. A blast rang out, and a tiny black hole appeared between his eyes.
I gasped. “Imposs—”
“Don’t say it,” muttered Mal.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
Everyone okay?" Mal asked.
"Never better," said Genya shakily.
David raised his hand. "I've been better.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
It's probably for the best, I told myself. How would I have said goodbye to Mal anyway? Thanks for being my best friend and making my life bearable. Oh, and sorry I fell in love with you for a while there. Make sure to write!
'What are you smiling at?'
I whirled, peering into the gloom. The Darkling's voice seemed to float out of the shadows. He walked down to the stream, crouching on the bank to splash water on his face and through his dark hair.
'Well?' he asked, looking up at me.
'Myself,' I admitted.
'Are you that funny?'
'I'm hilarious.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
Mal snickered.
"What's so funny?"
"I just pictured the Darkling being cornered by a sweaty duchess trying to have her way with him.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
A moment later the boy whispered, "I don't think you're ugly."
"Shhhh!" the girl hissed. But hidden by the deep shadows of the cupboard, she smiled
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
He tapped the sun over his heart. "I came here for you. You're my flag. You're my nation.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
My heart is lost; the beasts have eaten it.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
You are all I’ve ever wanted,” he said. “You are the whole of my heart.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
The Darkling's gray eyes studied Mal with more interest than he'd ever shown before.
"I understand we're blood related."
Mal shrugged. "We all have relatives we don't like.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Rule of Wolves (King of Scars, #2))
“
You sound just like the Darkling."
"If you ever have trouble telling us apart, look for the person who isn't torturing you or trying to kill Mal. That will be me.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
Dear Mal, I haven't heard from you, so I assume you've met and married a volcra and that you're living comfortably on the Shadow Fold, where you have neither light nor paper to write. Or, possibly, your new bride ate both your hands.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
You were meant for more than me, and I'll die fighting to give it to you. But please don't ask me to pretend it's easy.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
Do you blame me for every mistake I made? For every girl I tumbled? For every dumb thing I've said? Because if we start running tallies on stupid, you know who's going to come out ahead.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
Can we get to the cuddling later? I want us ashore before dawn."
Mal sighed. "Eventually, I'm going to punch him."
"I will support you in that endeavor.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
It's still the same heart, Mal. It's still yours.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
C’mon,” he said. “One foot in front of the other. You know how it’s done”
“You’re interfering with my plan.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes. Faint, get trampled, grievous injuries all around.”
“That sounds like a brilliant plan.”
“Ah, but if I’m horribly maimed, I won’t be able to cross the Fold.”
Mal nodded slowly. “I see. I can shove you under a cart if that would help.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
The Poet is a kinsman in the clouds
Who scoffs at archers, loves a stormy day;
But on the ground, among the hooting crowds,
He cannot walk, his wings are in the way.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs Du Mal (French Edition))
“
Du kennst doch bestimmt den Spruch, dass Gott die Menschen nach seinem Ebenbild erschaffen hat. Guck dich mal um! Wenn man davon ausgeht, dass Gott ein Arschloch ist, ergibt das plötzlich mächtig viel Sinn.
”
”
Marc-Uwe Kling (Die Känguru-Chroniken (Die Känguru-Chroniken, #1))
“
The tears that had been threatening to overflow finally did, coursing down my cheeks. I wanted to run after him, to take back what I'd said, to beg him to stay, but I'd spent my life running after Mal. Instead, I stood in silence and let him go.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
I seem to be immune," I replied. "And luckily, I know what a real kiss should feel like."
I left him standing in the middle of the square. I could get used to making Mal blush.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I would have been different too, without you. Weaker, reckless.” He smiled slightly. “Afraid of the dark.” He brushed the tears from my cheeks. I wasn’t sure when they’d started. “But no matter who or what I was, I would have been yours.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
Then Mal let out a loud wailing noise. “I hate it when mommy and daddy fight!
”
”
Kylie Scott (Lead (Stage Dive, #3))
“
But the true voyagers are only those who leave
Just to be leaving; hearts light, like balloons,
They never turn aside from their fatality
And without knowing why they always say: "Let's go!
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
I'm not like you, Mal. I never really fit in the way that you did. I never belonged anywhere."
"You belonged with me," he said quietly.
"No, Mal. Not really. Not for a long time.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
If you ever get tired of skin and bones," she called to Mal, "I've got something to tempt you." I stiffened. Mal glanced over his shoulder. Slowly, he looked her up and down. "No," he said flatly. "You don't.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
No existe la luz sin la oscuridad.
No se concibe el bien sin el mal.
No hay perdón sin ofensa.
No hay redención sin rendición.
”
”
Lena Valenti (El libro de Gabriel (Saga Vanir #4))
“
Through the Unknown, we'll find the New
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
And yet
to wine, to opium even, I prefer
the elixir of your lips on which love flaunts itself;
and in the wasteland of desire
your eyes afford the wells to slake my thirst.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
I love to watch the fine mist of the night come on,
The windows and the stars illumined, one by one,
The rivers of dark smoke pour upward lazily,
And the moon rise and turn them silver. I shall see
The springs, the summers, and the autumns slowly pass;
And when old Winter puts his blank face to the glass,
I shall close all my shutters, pull the curtains tight,
And build me stately palaces by candlelight.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
You must marry ugly man," I said. "Very fet." I held my arms out in front of me, indicating a giant belly. "He weeel make you heppy." I heard Mal snort beneath his mask.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I'll get them out and come back. I promise."
"On your word as a cutthroat and a pirate?"
He touched my cheek once, briefly. "Privateer."
Another explosion rocked the grounds.
"Let's go!" shouted Mal.
As we sprinted into the tunnel, I glanced back and saw Nikolai silhouetted against the purple twilight. I wondered if I'd ever see him again.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
In meinem Innern ahnte ich, dass ich vom Weg abgekommen war. Das Problem war nur, dass ich nicht wusste, wann und wo. Ich wusste nicht mal mehr, von welchem Weg.
”
”
Benedict Wells (Vom Ende der Einsamkeit)
“
Next time I'll try getting captured. Just to keep things interesting." He tossed Mal a rifle. "Shall we?"
"I can't tell who's who!" I protested.
"We're the side that's hopelessly outnumbered.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
Fleurs du mal,” Eve heard herself saying, and shivered. “What?” “Baudelaire. We are not flowers to be plucked and shielded, Captain. We are flowers who flourish in evil.
”
”
Kate Quinn (The Alice Network)
“
Do I get to wear a fancy hat?"
"The fanciest," I said. "And possibly a cape."
"Will there be plumes?"
"Oh, yes. Several."
"Then I'm in.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
Si arrojas un jarrón al suelo, sus pedazos no volverán a unirse cuando tú desaparezcas. El mal que hacemos no puede ser deshecho; solo podemos tratar de compensarlo de alguna manera.
”
”
Laura Gallego García (Todas las hadas del reino (Todas las hadas del reino, #1))
“
Passion I hate, and spirit does me wrong. Let us love gently.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
C'est drôlement dangereux de s'attacher à quelqu'un. C'est incroyable ce que ça peut faire mal. Rien que la peur de perdre l'autre est douloureuse.
”
”
Marc Levy (Le Voleur d'ombres)
“
the Devil's hand directs our every move - / the things we loathed become the things we love
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
You know I’d be lost without you.” “You’ve never been lost in your life,” I scoffed. I was the mapmaker, but Mal could find true north blindfolded and standing on his head.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
Pumpkin, stop rubbing your ass against me. We gotta go! I don’t have time to do you now. Prioritize, woman.
”
”
Kylie Scott (Play (Stage Dive, #2))
“
COBB: You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you can't know for sure. Yet it doesn't matter...
Mal looks at his across the railroad tracks. Replies-
MAL: Because you'll always be together.
”
”
Christopher Nolan (Inception: The Shooting Script)
“
I peered up at him. He was leaning against the table, arms crossed, the ghost of a smile playing over his lips.
'Mal, I put a hole in the ceiling.'
'A very dramatic hole.'
I let out a huff somewhere between a laugh and a sob. 'What are we going to do when it rains?'
'What we always do,' he said. 'Keep dry.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
But what does it matter what reality is outside myself, so long as it has helped me to live, to feel that I am, and what I am?
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
Siempre he pensando que el amor te vuelve estúpido. Te hace débil. Un mal cazador de sombras. Amar es destruir. Yo creía eso.
”
”
Cassandra Clare (City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3))
“
Soooo.” Mal smacked a kiss on the top of my head. “You weren’t just a little into me. You’re my biggest fan. You love me.”
“I don’t love you.”
“You totally love me.” He gave me a squeeze. “I’m your everything. You’d be lost without me.
”
”
Kylie Scott (Play (Stage Dive, #2))
“
Ich wollte meine Augen öffnen, um Gideon ein letztes Mal anzusehen, aber ich schaffte es nicht.
"Ich liebe dich, Gwenny, bitte verlass mich nicht", sagte Gideon, und das war das letzte, was ich hörte, bevor ich von einem großen Nichts verschluckt wurde.
”
”
Kerstin Gier (Smaragdgrün (Edelstein-Trilogie, #3))
“
What do you want, Mal?" The room seemed very quiet.
"Don't ask me that."
"Why not?"
"Because it can't be."
"I want to hear it anyway."
He blew out a long breath. "Say goodnight. Tell me to leave, Alina."
"No."
"You need an army. You need a crown."
"I do."
He laughed then. "I know I'm supposed to say something noble--I want a united Ravka free from the Fold. I want the Darkling in the ground, where he can never hurt you or anyone else again." He gave a rueful shake of his head. "But I guess I'm the same selfish ass I've always been. For all my talk of vows and honor, what I really want is to put you up against that wall and kiss you until you forget you ever knew another man's name. So tell me to go, Alina. Because I can't give you a title or an army or any of the things you need.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
You let Mal come back for me. After you gave me your vow."
"He broke away," said Tamar.
I lifted a brow. The day Mal could break Tolya's hold was indeed a day of miracles.
Tolya hung his head and heaved his huge shoulders. "Forgive me," he said. "I couldn't be the one to keep him from you.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
They wanted a Grisha queen. Mal wanted a commoner queen. And what did I want? Peace for Ravka. A chance to sleep easy in my bed without fear. An end to the guilt and dread that I woke to every morning. There were old wants too, to be loved for who I was, not what I could do, to lie in a meadow with a boy’s arms around me and watch the wind move the clouds.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
How about her?” Ben pointed to a sleek blonde who smiled and preened in response. “I bet she’d like to meet you.”
“Ooh, she’s shiny.”
“Why don’t you go ask her what her name is?” suggested Ben, patting him on the back.
“Do I need to know her name?”
“I’ve heard it helps.”
“Maybe for you,” Mal scoffed. “I just call out my own name during sex.
”
”
Kylie Scott (Play (Stage Dive, #2))
“
Ni muer ni viu ni no guaris,
Ni mal no·m sent e si l’ai gran,
Quar de s’amor no suy devis,
Ni no sai si ja n’aurai ni quan,
Qu’en lieys es tota le mercés
Que·m pot sorzer o decazer.”
“Not dying nor living nor healing,
there is no pain in my sickness,
for I am not kept from her love.
I don’t know if I will ever have it,
for all the mercy that makes me flourish or decay is in her power.
”
”
Deborah Harkness (A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1))
“
Le rogó a Dios que le concediera al menos un instante para que él no se fuera sin saber cuánto lo había querido por encima de las dudas de ambos, y sintió un apremio irresistible de empezar la vida con él otra vez desde el principio para decirse todo lo que se les quedó sin decir, y volver a hacer bien cualquier cosa que hubieran hecho mal en el pasado. Pero tuvo que rendirse ante la intransigencia de la muerte.
”
”
Gabriel García Márquez (Love in the Time of Cholera)
“
Stick your dick in’?” I asked, my brows probably touching. “Did you actually just say that?”
“Make love. I meant make love … of course. I would never just stick my dick in you. I would make mad, passionate love to this sweet, sweet body of yours for days, no, weeks. It would be beautiful, pumpkin. There’d be little angels, and birdies, and you know … all just hanging around, watching. Perverts.
”
”
Kylie Scott (Play (Stage Dive, #2))
“
Freedom is not a constant attribute which we either "have" or "have not." In fact, there is no such thing as "freedom" except as a word and an abstract concept. There is only one reality: the act of freeing ourselves in the process of making choices. In this process the degree of our capacity to make choices varies with each act, with our practice of life.
”
”
Erich Fromm (El corazón del hombre: Su potencia para el bien y para el mal)
“
Hay muchos, muchos tipos de libros en el mundo, lo cual tiene sentido porque hay muchas, muchas clases de personas y todas quieren leer algo diferente.
”
”
Lemony Snicket (The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #1))
“
Te libero de mí, de mis males, de mi mal genio, de los domingos por la tarde en donde nunca puedo más, del odio a mi cumpleaños, de no saber cómo hacer para regalarte algo que no pierdas. Te libero de mi desengaño, de tu karma, de mis novedades, de la contradicción que represento. Te libero de mis llamadas que te saben a autocompasión, de mis enredos, de mi cabello suelto, largo, sin peinar,. Te libero de mi consciencia , del desconcierto a fin de mes, de la caída, de la llegada, de mi huída inevitable. Te dejo libre para que me dejes, para que me veas de lejos y me quieras menos.
”
”
Mario Benedetti
“
Ne cherchez plus mon cœur; des monstres l’ont mangé.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
Ma jeunesse ne fut qu'un ténébreux orage, Traversé çà et là par de brillants de soleils; Le tonnerre et la pluie ont fait un tel ravage, Qu'il reste en mon jardin bien peu de fruits vermeils.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
Generasi kempong tidak punya waktu dan tidak memiliki tradisi untuk tahu beda antara kalimat sindiran dengan bukan sindiran. Tak tahu apa itu ironi, sarkasme, sanepan, istidraj ... Generasi kempong sangat rentan terhadap apa saja, termasuk informasi ... Tidak ada etos kerja. Tidak ada ideologi dharma, atau falya’mal ‘amalan shalihan ... Yang dipunyai hanya obsesi hasil, khayal kepemilikan dan kenikmatan.
”
”
Emha Ainun Nadjib
“
Tell him you see me when he takes you in his arms
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
Flesh is willing, but the Soul requires
Sisyphean patience for its song,
Time, Hippocrates remarked, is short
and Art is long.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
Get moving. We need to find that stag so I don’t have to chop your head off.”
“I never said you had to chop my head off,” I grumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and stumbling after him.
“Run you through with a sword, then? Firing squad?”
“I was thinking something quieter, like maybe a nice poison.”
“All you said was that I had to kill you. You didn’t say how.”
I stuck my tongue out at his back, but I was glad to see him so energized, and I suppose it was a good thing that he could joke about it all. At least, I hoped he was joking.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
That took all of three minutes," he pointed out, sprinkling red pepper across his noodles.
"And was kind of anticlimactic," Mal said, "since you just stared at the microwave the entire time. I figured you'd at least give some kind of invocation, maybe some gnawing the plastic. Growling." She ate another forkful of spaghetti, then offered, "Clawing the ground. Barking."
"I'm a vampire, not a corgie.
”
”
Chloe Neill
“
Oh, yeah. You're the best," I grinned back at him.
"Pumpkin, hello. Of course I am!
”
”
Kylie Scott (Play (Stage Dive, #2))
“
Era el mejor de los tiempos y era el peor de los tiempos; la edad de la sabiduría y también de la locura; la época de las creencias y de la incredulidad; la era de la luz y de las tinieblas; la primavera de la esperanza y el invierno de la desesperación. Todo lo poseíamos, pero nada teníamos; íbamos directamente al cielo y nos extraviábamos en el camino opuesto. En una palabra, aquella época era tan parecida a la actual, que nuestras más notables autoridades insisten en que, tanto en lo que se refiere al bien como al mal, sólo es aceptable la comparación en grado superlativo.
”
”
Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities)
“
Il était tard; ainsi qu'une médaille neuve
La pleine lune s'étalait,
Et la solennité de la nuit, comme un fleuve
Sur Paris dormant ruisselait.
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
But no matter who or what I was, I would have been yours.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
Este último capítulo é todo de negativas. Não alcancei a celebridade do emplasto, não fui ministro, não fui califa, não conheci o casamento. Verdade é que, ao lado dessas faltas, coube-me a boa fortuna de não comprar o pão com o suor do meu rosto. Mais; não padeci a morte de D. Plácida, nem a semidemência do Quincas Borba. Somadas umas coisas e outras, qualquer pessoa imaginará que não houve míngua nem sobra, e conseguintemente que saí quite com a vida. E imaginará mal; porque ao chegar a este outro lado do mistério, achei-me com um pequeno saldo, que é a derradeira negativa deste capítulo de negativas: — Não tive filhos, não transmiti a nenhuma criatura o legado da nossa miséria.
”
”
Machado de Assis (Memórias póstumas de Brás Cubas)
“
I wasn't afraid of you, Alina. I was afraid of losing you. That girl you were becoming didn't need me anymore, but she's who you were always meant to be."
"Power hungry? Ruthless?"
"Strong." He looked away. "Luminous. And maybe a little ruthless too. That's what it takes to rule. Ravka is broken, Alina. I think it always has been. The girl I saw in the chapel could change that.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
La rayuela se juega con una piedrita que hay que empujar con la punta del zapato. Ingredientes: una acera, una piedrita, un zapato, y un bello dibujo con tiza, preferentemente de colores. En lo alto está el Cielo, abajo está la Tierra, es muy difícil llegar con la piedrita al Cielo, casi siempre se calcula mal y la piedra sale del dibujo. Poco a poco, sin embargo, se va adquiriendo la habilidad necesaria para salvar las diferentes casillas (rayuela caracol, rayuela rectangular, rayuela de fantasía, poco usada) y un día se aprende a salir de la Tierra y remontar la piedrita hasta el Cielo, hasta entrar en el Cielo, (Et tous nos amours, sollozó Emmanuèle boca abajo), lo malo es que justamente a esa altura, cuando casi nadie ha aprendido a remontar la piedrita hasta el Cielo, se acaba de golpe la infancia y se cae en las novelas, en la angustia al divino cohete, en la especulación de otro Cielo al que también hay que aprender a llegar. Y porque se ha salido de la infancia (Je n'oublierai pas le temps des cérises, pataleó Emmanuèle en el suelo) se olvida que para llegar al Cielo se necesitan, como ingredientes, una piedrita y la punta de un zapato.
”
”
Julio Cortázar (Hopscotch)
“
….For all my talk of vows and honor, what I really want is to put you up against that wall and kiss you until you forget you ever knew another man’s name. So tell me to go, Alina. Because I can’t give you a title or an army or any of the things you need.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
I told him the story of the day I'd been mending pottery with one of the maids in the kitchen at Keramzin, waiting for him to return from one of the hunting trips that had taken him from home more and more frequently. I'd been fifteen, standing at the counter, vainly trying to glue together the jagged pieces of a blue cup. When I saw him crossing the fields, I ran to the doorway and waved. He caught sight of me and broke into a jog.
I had crossed the yard to him slowly, watching him draw closer, baffled by the way my heart was skittering around in my chest. Then he'd picked me up and swung me in a circle, and I'd clung to him, breathing in his sweet, familiar smell, shocked by how much I'd missed him. Dimly, I'd been aware that I still had a shard of that blue cup in my hand, that it was digging into my palm, but I didn't want to let go.
When he finally set me down and ambled off into the kitchen to find his lunch, I had stood there, my palm dripping in blood, my head still spinning, knowing that everything had changed.
Ana Kuya had scolded me for getting blood on the clean kitchen floor. She'd bandaged my hand and told me it would heal. But I knew it would just go on hurting.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
Sé que estamos jodidos, ¿De acuerdo? Soy impulsivo y tengo mal genio, y te metiste bajo mi piel como nadie más. Actúas como si me odiaras un minuto, y luego como si me necesitaras al siguiente. Nunca acierto en nada, y no te merezco... pero estoy malditamente enamorado de ti, Abby. Te amo más de lo que he querido a nadie ni nada, nunca. Cuando estás cerca, no necesito alcohol, ni dinero, ni lucha, o algo de una sola noche... todo lo que necesito es a ti. Tú eres en todo lo que pienso. Eres todo lo que soñé. Eres todo lo que quiero."
- Travis
”
”
Jamie McGuire (Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1))
“
My love, do you recall the object which we saw,
That fair, sweet, summer morn!
At a turn in the path a foul carcass
On a gravel strewn bed,
Its legs raised in the air, like a lustful woman,
Burning and dripping with poisons,
Displayed in a shameless, nonchalant way
Its belly, swollen with gases.
- A Carcass
”
”
Charles Baudelaire (Les Fleurs du Mal)
“
I stood there, staring at the closed doors. I reached out and touched the bone handle.
You can fix this, I told myself. You can make this right. But I just stood there, frozen, Mal's words ringing in my ears. I bit down hard on my lip to silence the sob that shook my chest. That's good, I thought as the tears spilled over. That way the servants won't hear. An ache had started between my ribs, a hard, bright shard of pain that lodged beneath my sternum, pressing tight against my heart.
I didn't hear the Darkling move; I only knew when he was beside me. His long fingers brushed the hair back from my neck and rested on the collar. When he kissed my cheek, his lips were cold.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I started getting Mal's texts just before lunch.
Mal: Awake
Anne: Morning
Mal: Going for a run with Jim
Anne: Have fun!
Mal: Back from run having lunch
...
Mal:Your taste in music sucks
Anne: Thanks
Mal: Seriously, we need to talk it's that bad. Everything apart from Stage Dive needs to go.
Anne: Wait. What are you doing?
Mal:Fixing it.
Anne: Mal, WTH are you doing?
Mal: Making you new playlist wih decent shit. Relay
Anne: K Thanks
Mal: Bored again
Mal: Ben's coming over to play Halo
Anne: Great! But you don't have to tell me everything you do, Mal
Mal: Davie says communication's important
Mal: When are you on the rag? Davie said to find out if you want cupcakes or ice cream
Anne: I want to not talk about this ever
Mal: Bored. Ben's late
Mal: Let's get a dog
Anne: Apartment has no pets rule
Mal: Nice green lace bra
Anne: Get out of my drawers, Mal.
Mal: Matching panties?
Anne: GET OUT NOW.
Mal: :)
Mal: sext me
Mal: Some on it'll be funny
Mal: Plz?
Mal: High level of unhealthy codependency traits exhibited by both parties relationship possibly bordeing on toxic
Anne: WTF?
Mal: Did magazine quiz. We need help- Especially you
Anne:...
Mal: Booking us couples counseling. Tues 4:15 alright?
Anne: We are not going to counseling.
Mal: What's wrong? Don't you love me anymore?
Anne: Turning phone off now.
”
”
Kylie Scott (Play (Stage Dive, #2))
“
David furrowed his brow. "I ... I don't understand half of what goes on around me. I don't get jokes or sunsets or poetry, but I know metal." His fingers flexed unconsciously as if he were physically grasping for words. "Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what's inside you? That's steel. It's brave and unbreakable. And it doesn't need fixing." He drew in a deep breath then awkwardly stepped forward. He took her face in his hands and kissed her.
Genya went regid. I thought she'd push him away. But then she threw her arms around him and kissed him back. Emphatically.
Mal cleared his throat, and Tamar gave a low whistle. I had to bite my lip to stifle a nervous laugh.
They broke apart. David was blushing furiously. Genya's grin was so dazzling it made my heart twist in my chest.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
So what did Jes say?' I asked again, when my brain felt a bit less scrambled.
'He said I should take good care of you.'
'That's all?'
Mal cleared his throat. 'And . . . he said he would pray to the God of Work to heal your affliction.'
'My what?'
'I many have told him that you have a goiter.'
I stumbled. 'I beg your pardon?'
'Well, I had to explain why you were always clinging to that scarf.'
I dropped my hand. I'd been doing it again without even realizing.
'So you told him I had a goiter?' I whispered incredulously.
'I had to say something. And it makes you quite a tragic figure. Pretty girl, giant growth, you know.'
I punched him hard in the arm.
'Ow! Hey, in some countries, goiters are considered very fashionable.'
'Do they like eunuchs, too? Because I can arrange that.'
'So bloodthirsty!'
'My goiter makes me cranky.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
At Keramzin, I had a doll I made out of an old sock that I used to talk to whenever he was away hunting. Maybe that would make me feel better."
"You were an odd little girl."
"You have no idea. What did you and Tolya play with?"
"The skulls of our enemies."
I saw the glint in her eye, and we both burst out laughing.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I told them you hate herring.”
“Why?”
“And that you love plum cake. And that Ana Kuya took a switch to you when you ruined your spring slippers jumping in puddles.”
I winced. “Why would you tell them all that?”
“I wanted to make you human,” he said. “All they see when they look at you is the Sun Summoner. They see a threat, another powerful Grisha like the Darkling. I want them to see a daughter or a sister or a friend. I want them to see Alina.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
Keep your elbows in!" Sturmhond berated Mal. "Stop flapping them like some kind of chicken."
Mal let out a disturbingly convincing cluck.
Tamar raised a brow. "Your friend seems to be enjoying himself."
I shrugged. "Mal's always been like that. You could drop him in a camp full of Fjerdan assassins, and he'd come out carried on their shoulders. He just blooms wherever he's planted."
"And you?"
"I'm more of a weed," I said drily.
Tamar grinned. In combat, she was cold and silent fire, but when she wasn't fighting, her smiles came easily. "I like weeds," said said, pushing herself off from the railing and gathering her scattered lengths of rope. "They're survivors."
I caught myself returning her smile and quickly went back to working on the knot that I was trying to tie. The problem was that I liked being aboard Sturmhond's ship. I liked Tolya and Tamar and the rest of the crew. I like sitting at meals with them, and the sound of Privyet's lilting tenor. I liked the afternoon when we took target practice, lining up empty wine bottles to shoot off the fantail and making harmless wagers.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Siege and Storm (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #2))
“
I had crossed the yard to him slowly, watching him draw closer, baffled by the way my heart was skittering around my chest. Then he'd picked me up and spun me in a circle, and I'd clung to him, breathing in his sweet, familiar smell, shocked by how much I'd missed him. Dimly, I'd been aware that I still had a shard of the blue cup in my hand, that it was digging into my palm, but I didn't want to let go.
When he finally set me down and ambled off to the kitchen to find his lunch, I stood there, my palm dripping blood, my head still spinning, knowing that everything had changed.
Ana Kuya had scoled me for getting blood on the clean kitchen floor. She'd bandaged my hand and told me it would heal. But I knew it would just go on hurting.
In the creaking silence of the cell, Mal kissed the scar on my palm, the wound made so long ago by the edge of that broken cup, a fragile thing I'd thought beyond repair.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #1))
“
Seit ich klein war, hatte mein Vater mir beigebracht, dass die Welt schlecht ist. Die Welt ist schlecht, und der Mensch ist auch schlecht. Trau keinem, geh nicht mit Fremden und so weiter. Das hatten mir meine Eltern erzählt, das hatten mir meine Lehrer erzählt, und das Fernsehen erzählte es auch. Wenn man Nachrichten guckt: Der Mensch ist schlecht. Wenn man Spiegel TV guckt: Der Mensch ist schlecht. Und vielleicht stimmte das ja auch, und der Mensch war zu 99 Prozent schlecht. Aber das Seltsame war, dass Tschick und ich auf unserer Reise fast ausschließlich dem einen Prozent begegneten, das nicht schlecht war. Da klingelt man nachts um vier irgendwen aus dem Bett, weil man gar nichts von ihm will, und er ist superfreundlich und bietet auch noch seine Hilfe an. Auf so was sollte man in der Schule vielleicht auch mal hinweisen, damit man nicht völlig davon überrascht wird.
”
”
Wolfgang Herrndorf (Tschick)
“
Und es herrschte Totenstille im Raum", flüsterte Xemerius vom Kronleuchter. "Alle Augen ruhten auf dem Mädchen in der pissgelben Bluse..."
Argh, er hatte recht. Ich ärgerte mich, dass ich mich vorhin nicht noch schnell geduscht und umgezogen hatte -- die Blöde Schuluniform war so ziemlich das am wenigsten Kleidsame, das ich besaß. Aber wer hätte auch ahnen können, dass ich heute Abend noch mal Besuch bekommen würde? Und zwar Besuch, bei dem mir mein Aussehen wichtig war?
"Hi", sagte Gideon und lächelte zum ersten Mal, seit er den Raum betreten hatte.
Ich lechelte verlegen zurück. "Hi, Gollum."
Gideons Lächeln vertiefte sich.
Selbst die Schatten an den Wänden verstummten, während die beiden einander anschauten, als hätten sie sich gerade auf ein Pupskissen gesetzt", sagte Xemerius und flatterte vom Kronleuchter hinter uns her. "Romantische Geigenmusik setzte ein, dann taperten sie nebeneinander her, das Mädchen mit der pissgelben Bluse und der Junge, der dringend Mal wieder zum Friseur müsste.
”
”
Kerstin Gier (Smaragdgrün (Edelstein-Trilogie, #3))
“
The pleasure in complete domination over another person (or other animate creature) is the very essence of the sadistic drive. Another way of formulating the same thought is to say that the aim of sadism is to transform man into a thing, something animate into something inanimate, since by complete and absolute control the living loses one essential quality of life - freedom.
”
”
Erich Fromm (El corazón del hombre: Su potencia para el bien y para el mal)
“
Lolita, luz de mi vida, fuego de mis entrañas. Pecado mío, alma mía. Lo-li-ta: la punta de la lengua emprende un viaje de tres pasos paladar abajo hasta apoyarse, en el tercero, en el borde de los dientes. Lo. Li. Ta.
Era Lo, sencillamente Lo, por la mañana, cuando estaba derecha, con su metro cuarenta y ocho de estatura, sobre un pie enfundado en un calcetín. Era Lola cuando llevaba puestos los pantalones. Era Dolly en la escuela. Era Dolores cuando firmaba. Pero en mis brazos fue siempre Lolita.
¿Tuvo Lolita una precursora? Naturalmente que sí. En realidad, Lolita no hubiera podido existir para mí si un verano no hubiese amado a otra niña iniciática. En un principado junto al mar. ¿Cuándo? Aquel verano faltaban para que naciera Lolita casi tantos como los que yo tenía entonces. Pueden contar en que la prosa de los asesinos sea siempre elegante, vaya que lo sé.
Señoras y señores del jurado, la prueba número uno es lo que los serafines, los mal informados e ingenuos ángeles de majestuosas alas, envidiaron. Contemplen esta maraña de espinas.
”
”
Vladimir Nabokov
“
I grabbed the lapels of his coat, tears filling my eyes. "Don't tell me this is all happening for a reason...Or that it's going to be okay. Don't tell me you're ready to die."...
He met my gave, his blue eyes steady, "It's not going to be okay." He brushed hair back from my cheeks and cupped my face in his rough hands. "None of this is happening for a reason." He skimmed his lips over mine. "And Saints help me, Alina, I want to live forever."
He kissed me again, and this time, he didn't stop
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))
“
Niña que duermes bajo la mirada de Dios, te deseo que no la pierdas jamás, que vayas por la vida con la paciencia como tu mejor aliada, que conozcas el placer de la generosidad y la paz de los que no esperan nada, que entiendas tus pesares y sepas acompañar los ajenos. Te deseo una mirada limpia, una boca prudente, una nariz comprensiva, unos oídos incapaces de recordar la intriga, unas lágrimas precisas y atemperadas. Te deseo la fe en una vida eterna, y el sosiego que tal fe concede.
Niña, yo te deseo la locura, el valor, los anhelos, la impaciencia. Te deseo la fortuna de los amores y el delirio de la soledad. Te deseo la inteligencia y el ingenio. Te deseo una mirada curiosa, una nariz con memoria, una boca que sonría y maldiga con precisión divina, unas piernas que no envejezcan, un llanto que te devuelva la entereza. Te deseo el sentido del tiempo que tienen las estrellas, el temple de las hormigas, la duda de los templos. Te deseo la fe en los augurios, en la voz de los muertos, en la boca de los aventureros, en la paz de los hombres que olvidan su destino, en la fuerza de tus recuerdos y en el fururo como la promesa, donde cabe todo lo que aún no te sucede.
”
”
Ángeles Mastretta (Mal de amores)
“
On the fourth day, we came upon a cavern with a perfectly still pool that gave the illusion of a night sky, its depths sparkling with tiny luminescent fish.
Mal and I were slightly ahead of the others. He dipped his hand in, then yelped and drew back. “They bite.”
“Serves you right,” I said. “‘Oh, look, a dark lake full of something shiny. Let me put my hand in it.’”
“I can’t help being delicious,” he said, that familiar cocky grin flashing across his face like light over water. Then he seemed to catch himself. He shouldered his pack, and I knew he was about to move away from me.
I wasn’t sure where the words came from: “You didn’t fail me, Mal.”
He wiped his damp hand on his thigh. “We both know better.”
“We’re going to be traveling together for who knows how long. Eventually, you’re going to have to talk to me.”
“I’m talking to you right now.”
“See? Is this so terrible?”
“It wouldn’t be,” he said, gazing at me steadily, “if all I wanted to do was talk.”
My cheeks heated. You don’t want this, I told myself. But I felt my edges curl like a piece of paper held too close to fire. “Mal—”
“I need to keep you safe, Alina, to stay focused on what matters. I can’t do that if . . .” He let out a long breath. “You were meant for more than me, and I’ll die fighting to give it to you. But please don’t ask me to pretend it’s easy.”
He plunged ahead into the next cave.
I looked down into the glittering pond, the whorls of light in the water still settling after Mal’s brief touch. I could hear the others making their noisy way through the cavern.
“Oncat scratches me all the time,” said Harshaw as he ambled up beside me.
“Oh?” I asked hollowly.
“Funny thing is, she likes to stay close.”
“Are you being profound, Harshaw?”
“Actually, I was wondering, if I ate enough of those fish, would I start to glow?”
I shook my head. Of course one of the last living Inferni would have to be insane. I fell into step with the others and headed into the next tunnel.
“Come on, Harshaw,” I called over my shoulder.
Then the first explosion hit.
”
”
Leigh Bardugo (Ruin and Rising (The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, #3))