#warnette

This may be just me, but I have never cared for the "knowing someone first" or "meeting them first" trope.

Take The Vampire Diaries, for example (minor spoiler ahead). When it was revealed that Elena technically met Damon before she met Stefan, so many people were gushing over it, taking it as this massive sign that they were ultimate soulmates. But I just sat there thinking... so? Even though I actually prefer Delena, why does that initial meeting matter so much? Does the mere coincidence of who she ran into first suddenly trump who she actually connected and grew with?

Another pseudo example is from the Shatter Me series (spoiler incoming from Defy Me). I never liked the reveal that Aaron knew Juliette/Ella beforehand and had fallen in love with her in every reset. I get that it’s supposed to be the ultimate romantic gesture, but to me, it just isn't. If anything, it actually makes the relationship feel more shallow, because it strips away the organic growth of a real relationship. Plus, it doesn't make sense. Think about it: people grow, people change, things happen, someone you loved years ago may not be the same person you'd love now. Especially if your memories are constantly wiped! Actually, thinking about this more, I'm not sure if this bit is entirely related to what this post was initially supposed to be about 🤔

(Don't get me wrong, Aaron Warner is PEAK yearning but that specific trope just didn't do it for me!)

Spoiler to release me!

"fear will learn to fear me" genuinely still the coldest line ever and the character development HELLO

the fact that she canonically loves sleeping is so cute like she's probably so tired from carrying everyone on her back my little headcanon is that she has the ability to fall asleep anywhere and aaron always has to carry her back to bed cos it happens so often

her deep belief in the good of people is so precious to me because she really is her own proof, you can say whatever you want about her but you cannot deny that she has integrity. despite being abused, tortured, used over and over again, being told countless times she couldnt do what she wanted to achieve by people she trusted, was literally bred to be a freaking weapon against humanity she is anything but that, she is her own manifestation of the goodness of people and she never stops demonstrating that.

her eyes (we have the same colour eyes so i'm biased but they're really cool i promise)

her absoloute lack of fashion sense is so funny she really doesn't give a fuck she just wants to do her job

how excited she was to make friends especially girl friends is so cute i feel so awful that she never got that experience

no one actually talks about how cool her abilities are....her superstrength is so underrated lest we forget she broke a bus in half because she was mad at aaron she is STRONG also it means he can fight really well i just know she loves to throw her husband over shoulders when shes pissed

i know this ones controversial but her language development.....I LOVE IT.....mainly in her talking but i still love how realistic it was with her stuttering all over the place then eventually saying whole freaking speeches but she also always had really good use of language because of how much she read (tahereh you genius)

and her relationship with reading is s special, its truly how her and aaron managed to connect in that scene in unravel me when they both just emphasise how important it is THATS where juliette really started to change her mind about him. but of course the famous quote "i spent my life folded between the pages of books" resonated with all of us so deeply and still does

the main theme of shatter me is unarguably humanity and as I kinda already ranted about Juliette is the perfect representation of this and not only in her own forgiving tendencies. she cares so deeply about everything it hurts, she continually just wants the best and even through her practically blind optimism she does most things she wants to achieve. it shows humanity at its best because hope, even if it was just all based on faith in a teenage girl, really is that powerful. (ew sorry I’m being really cringe)

she also has this way of making your feelings feel important just by the writing in her chapters it really makes me appreciate every emotion even the really shit ones

I actually quite liked the way she was able to handle Adam, it wasn’t perfect but that’s very realistic for a seventeen year old and she was always really appreciative of what he gave her she didn’t just “forget him” as so many claim she cares about him continuously

her and Emmaline will forever hold a special place in my heart, the way she deeply yearned for her after finding out about her HURT. like wdym she spent her whole life alone thinking no one cared and really she had a BLOOD relation that cared so much she risked her life for her.

also that whole scene where she kills her with Aaron is so insane it’s one of her biggest moments of development because she has to learn to let go after previously having nothing. her original acceptance of emmaline’s death is her learning that she actually can’t rely on hope, it’s accepting that messy and awful part of her past. it’s one of the only moments we see her use what she was so scared of and she does it whilst ending her sisters life but also creating a new future…..and even though it was pushed on her by Anderson she survives. she lets go of that part of herself that was so afraid and clung to hope so tightly because she never had it. and all to create a new version whilst also recognising what she is and PLUS Aaron is the one who brings her back, the one part of her past that remained good and true helps bring her back to herself (or her new version). LIKE WTF THATS INSANE LEVELS OF CHARACTER WORK.

okay and hm to her and Nazeera because I loved the way they originally bonded and their relationship still being super close is everything to me

literally no one talks about Juliette’s love of Aaron….she was so obsessed with him and always made sure he was okay despite the bajillion other things she was doing, the way she learned him so fast and so well was so beautiful, because she finally got to have that really deep connection she craved in TENFOLD. her appreciation of him is endless and the way she talks about him is arguably better than Aaron (i mean the whole defy scene after her shower “we are hours minutes and seconds collapsing into each other” wtf)

I love the way she treasure all types of love

Holy shit I could talk about her endless resilience for hours the way she’s been through SO MUCH and then EVEN MORE and she NEVER GIVES UP EVER (literally anytime I find life tough I’m like well Juliette had to have wires ripped out of her body after being kidnapped by anderson AGAIN and after also previously being in a coma so I can definitely do this)

also underrated moment is when she’s so surprised by James being not scared of her she’s so shocked and it’s literally one of my favourite scene I love her and James so much

the way Juliette is so inspired by everyone around her and yet feels so insecure, that insecurity runs DEEP i understand her so badly

she’s extremely underrated for how funny she is, I loved her sarcastic one liners and her descriptions in her head of people she dislikes are often so so so funny

and on that note she is also very smooth despite having no human interaction like she really keeps up with Aaron and never fails to shock that man

plus the way she gets so flustered is so so so cute omg I want to squeeze her tight she’s adorable she can’t hide her embarrassment for the life of her

her drunk is also literally me if we couldn’t get anymore similar, I’m so incredibly sloppy I think everything is funny and that horniness shining through is very real I fear

I think a lot of people canonically forget how smart she is as well, ok I know she didn’t graduate high school but that’s not her fault her mom literally made her to be smart so she definitely is plus you can literally see it in the series she’s one of the main characters who comes up with solutions constantly she holds the group together plus she has endless emotional intelligence. Aaron has said many a time how smart and capable she is despite peoples prejudice and he’s literally meant to be the smartest in the whole series so I’d trust him.

And finally pregnant Juliette is very cute and makes me cry a little bit because throughout her whole life she was in vulnerable positions and never given any safety but now even though she’s sick she’s surrounded by love and support and can be as vulnerable as she likes with so much protection around her (her curled up next to Aaron whilst her was so openly affectionate towards her was so special to me you don’t understand)

Ok sorry this is an insane long yap but she’s my favourite character ever I loved this women so deeply she’s literally me and it’s her birthday so I’m allowed to do this!!! thank you so much for reading if you got all the way down here 😭😭

— warnette headers (shatter me)

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