And the winner is... JEM!
Welcome to The YA Sisterhood's YA Crush Tourney 2.0! We hope that through this all you will meet a lot of book loving people, discover new books, and of course be introduced to many more dreamy crushes!
Be aware that we have tried to keep all the posts pretty general, but there might still be some spoilers. If the spoiler is big, it will be marked. However, still proceed with caution!
Matches will run for 24 hours, 12am to 12am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For more information please check out our Tournament Page.
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Here we go again, it's round 2 in the 2nd annual YA Crush Tourney and we are up against one of the best men in YA - this is hard y'all. We are 100% devoted to #TEAMJEM and are going to come out swinging.
Today's post comes from Amber at The Mortal Institute. She stopped by to tell you why Jem is her YA Crush.
Sweet, caring, reliable, talented, honorable, musically driven, charming, good-hearted, dedicated to his parabatai bond, loving, accepting, generous, (can be) soft spoken, mysterious, GORGEOUS!
All quotes below this are from The Infernal Devices series.
Jem is passionate! He is a true poet at heart. "He wanted what his father had had - the sort of love poets wrote about." What Jem truly desires is that once-in-a-lifetime love that sweeps you off your feet and carries you away for the rest of your life. Because he worries of his impending death, Jem just truly wants to spend the rest of his life loving Tessa with all his heart - "You speak of sacrifice, but it is not my sacrifice I offer. It is yours I ask of you," he went on. "I can offer you my life, but it is a short life; I can offer you my heart, though I have no idea how many more beats it shall sustain. But I love you enough to hope that you will not care that I am being selfish in trying to make the rest of my life - whatever length - happy, by spending it with you. I want to be married to you, Tessa. I want it more than I have ever wanted anything else in my life." He looked up at her through the veil of silvery hair that fell over his eyes. "That is," he said shyly, "if you love me, too."Who wouldn't completely fall for someone who said this?
"When two souls are as one, they stay together on the Wheel. I was born into this world to love you, and I will love you in the next life, and the one after that."Jem fights tries hard to deny himself daily of the drugs that would make him feel better, although those same drugs will eventually kill him. To me this is honorable.
"Sometimes Jem felt as if he wanted to burn. Sometimes he did not know why he struggled against it, why he valued a longer life of suffering over a shorter life without pain. But then he reminded himself that the lack of pain would only be another illusion: like Jessamine’s dollhouse, like Will’s stories of brothels and gin palaces."He does it because he feels more for Tessa than he does his own pain.
"No more. The yin fen has taken so much from me: my family, the years of my life, the strength in my body, the breath in my lungs. It will not take from me this too: the most precious thing we are given by the Angel. The ability to love. I love Tessa Gray. And I will make sure that she knows it.He also is devoted to Will as his parabatai. The two are indeed of one soul.
Will rose slowly to his feet. He could not believe he was doing what he was doing, but it was clear that he was, clear as the silver rim around the black of Jem’s eyes. “If there is a life after this one,” he said, “let me meet you in it, James Carstairs.” “There will be other lives.” Jem held his hand out, and for a moment, they clasped hands, as they had done during their parabatai ritual, reaching across twin rings of fire to interlace their fingers with each other. “The world is a wheel,” he said. “When we rise or fall, we do it together.” Will tightened his grip on Jem’s hand, which felt thin as twigs in his. “Well, then,” he said, through a tight throat, “since you say there will be another life for me, let us both pray I do not make as colossal a mess of it as I have this one.”(i know this is from CP2 but it basically describes their relationship and how fond they are) Jem is wise beyond his years. He not only protects Will to the best of his ability, but he also understands the true nature at the heart of a shadowhunter.
"Whatever you are physically...male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside."Jem is sweet. Instead of being snarky or sarcastic with someone he likes, he shares his feelings openly. :
Jem: I only regret that it came too soon. I-I would have wanted to-to court you first. To take you driving, with a chaperon. Tessa: A chaperon? Jem: To tell you of my feelings first, before I showed them. To write poetry for you- Tessa: You don't even like poetry! Jem: No. But you make me want to write it. Does that not count for anything?There are a ton of other reasons and examples that could take up a book. When it comes down to it, I feel that Jem is pure. It's so rare to see a male character in a book series that has a pure soul and completely mesmerizes you by his honesty, kindness and compassion. And of none of this pulls at your heart strings, just know this: WILL WOULD VOTE FOR JEM!! :)
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“Want a sugar cube? […] They’re supposed to be for the horses, but who cares? They’ve got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I … well, if we see something sweet, we better grab it quick.”Welcome, welcome, to the 2nd annual YA Crush Tourney! The time has come to select one courageous young man out of many for the honor of representing District Fictional in the eyes of the YA literary world.
-Catching Fire
Our
Now now, eager ones, it is my pleasure to advocate the ever-so-handsome and ever-so, ah, disastrously charming Finnick Odair of District 4, Victor of the 65th annual Hunger Games. So let us begin, shall we?
I've been told that though my golden wig looks fantastic (thank you, thank you!), Finnick's real (ah! I despise admitting that mine is not naturally so beautiful!) golden hair, bronze skin (from days spent by the ocean), and sea-green eyes have been known to cause large crowds to faint. I hear that it isn't just large crowds of women, either. Now now, I know you all want to see Finnick, and while he personally is sadly occupied at this moment, I've got a portrait of him straight from Capitol Couture!
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| Finnick Odair, Victor of the 65th Hunger Games Art by mseregon |
That is mahogany! Don't touch the frame! No, don't touch the picture either, it's-
*glares* I suppose I should have seen this coming. Shall we move on?
Even though the Capitol food is delicious, people still don't mind their manners. It's quite a tragedy, isn't it? It's the same way with our Victors. They might be delicious *blushes*, but without a charismatic attitude, there's no way they could ever be so popular. It's not just his looks that Finnick has the crowd fawning over--it's his very personality itself. Sturdier than mahogany, cool and sweet as a sugar cube, fierce as his trident, and he even has real manners! That boy can fish you a dinner almost as luscious as himself, and all that trident-wielding (he can throw a trident--how absolutely delightful!) as well as his ability to weave knots of the most complicated matter edge him with a patience simply unrivaled. I've heard rumors too, that he can make even Katniss Everdeen blush. Now there's a man irresistable in both looks and personality! Katniss, dear?
“'Finnick?' I say. 'Maybe some pants?'
He looks down at his legs as if noticing them for the first time. Then he whips off his hospital gown, leaving him in just his underwear. 'Why? Do you find this'-he strikes a ridiculously provocative pose-'distracting?'
I can’t help laughing because it’s funny, and it’s extra funny because Boggs looks so uncomfortable, and I’m happy because Finnick actually sounds like the guy I met at the Quarter Quell.
'I’m only human, Odair.' I get in before the elevator doors close.
[...] "'Well, don't expect us to be too impressed. We just saw Finnick Odair in his underwear.'”
-Mockingjay
Citizens of Panem- what? This isn't Panem? Why didn't you tell me, Effie? You did? I was listening! Peeta? What does he have to do with- *sighs*
Citizens of the world, hello. I am Katniss Everdeen. Effie has graciously asked me to praise Finnick.
It's the one thing I won't have to lie about. Finnick is brave, but he's also very reserved. I don't think most people realize this. They look at Finnick once and it's his beauty that's baited and reeled them in, not his ferocity.
**SPOILERS**
He has survived one Hunger Games and a Quarter Quell, which I suppose I could say I did too, but I think on a bigger scale his life has always been much more destructive than mine. Back in District 13, I'd walk around and there's Finnick, always with a rope in his hands and knotting and twisting it all day. I asked him if he was okay. I don't think he ever answered me truthfully. Even though Finnick could have anyone he wanted, he loved the mad girl back at home. That's always stilled me, but of course he never had the chance to live a even half-happy life with her.
“'Did you love Annie right away, Finnick?' I ask.
'No.' A long time passes before he adds, 'She crept up on me.'”
-Catching Fire
“Plutarch rushes to reassure me. 'Oh, no, Katniss. Not your wedding. Finnick and Annie's. All you need to do is show up and pretend to be happy for them.'
'That's one of the few things I won't have to pretend, Plutarch,' I tell him.”
-Mockingjay
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| Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair Art by mseregon |
**END SPOILERS**
*smiles sadly* Thank you, Katniss. Now, I would despise ending on such a--what is that phrase you use?--sour note, so I do certainly hope that this scene from the Quarter Quell would cheer you up, if only for the slightest bit.
“Really, the combination of the scabs and the ointment looks hideous. I can't help enjoying his distress.
'Poor Finnick. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?' I say.
'It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?' he asks.
'Just avoid mirrors. You'll forget about it,' I say.
'Not if I keep looking at you,' he says.”
-Catching Fire
Oh, there comes the train! It's my time to go. I guess there all comes a day when we must forge our own stories, yes? Oh, but before I go, I almost forgot to mention that Peeta wrote this rhyme:
Team Jem or Team Will?
Team Finnick will prevail!
Thank you, thank you! And may the odds be ever in your favor.
P.S. Hey everyone! Juli here. Big thanks to Effie and Katniss (and, uh, Peeta?) for helping me out! If you're interested in how else you could support Finnick, don't hesitate to visit my blog for all the details! I heard there was something about Chris Colfer...? O.O Anyway, I'd like to make a note that Effie and Katniss were sorta suffering from jetlag (or trainlag), coming all the way from the Capitol itself, so they may not have seemed quite like their usual selves. :) #FinnickFTW!
P.P.S. This is a 22-minute long video. You don't have to watch it now, but I urge you to watch it because that is Finnick and Annie and there really is nothing else quite like them. I may have almost cried while watching this. So if you're indecisive... please watch it.
*VOTING IS NOW CLOSED*
