#alden vacker sucks

[the-way-astray]

WAIT PLZ ELABORATE ABT THE ALDEN IS BETTER THAN GRADY? IM SO CURIOUS /gen

alright, anon, and everyone else i’m tagging. originally, this was going to be a "this is why alden is a better father than grady" rant, since it was supposed to include an argument defending some of alden's most controversial parenting choices and also point out grady's worst parenting choices. but i dropped the grady portion, so now this is just an alden defense rant containing two sections ("the forbidden cities" and "keefe's flashback short story breakdown"). so that's this entire post. i'll probably do the grady thing some other time, and it won't be as in-depth as this. probably, it will just be a bullet point list of some weird shit he does, and that's it.

taglist: @absolutely-existing @multi-fandom-lunatic @thatrandomlemononyourcounter1 @worldsunlikemyown @icantrememberwhoiwaslastdecember @lucentstarss

section one: the forbidden cities

the main gripe most people have with alden is probably the sending fitz and alvar into the forbidden cities thing. let’s talk about why this was decidedly not a shitty thing for alden to do.

part one: were fitz and alvar in any danger in the forbidden cities?

a lot of people try to make the argument that fitz and alvar, especially fitz, could've run into danger while in the forbidden cities. while there was no way to make it truly risk-free, i do think that these arguments are blown out of proportion. here's a quote:

(keeper, chapter 2)

fitz explicitly says that he was actually only sent to check alden’s guesses. he was not sent to wander around the forbidden cities looking for random girls. he was sent to confirm or deny alden’s theories, which alden came up himself (we can extrapolate and assume the same of alvar). which brings up an interesting point: many people claim alden should’ve done the search himself, instead of sending his six-year-old out to do it. to which i say, he . . . did? the only part of the search fitz was involved with was the confirmation. the rest was done entirely by alden and quinlin:

(keeper, chapter 10)

this, i think, was a necessary evil. first of all, alden is a grown man. he’s been looking for sophie since basically birth, and i think we can all understand why that’s not a fantastic look. sending someone closer to her age makes fitz more approachable (in theory, of course. in reality, not so much, sophie still ran from fitz). also, fitz can light leap. if he was ever in danger, it would’ve only ever been the work of a moment for him to safely get away. and like i said, it really seems like fitz and alvar were only there for as long as they needed to be to confirm the girl was or was not an elf. alvar flat out admits to this:

(neverseen, chapter 65)

as for fitz, notice the second part there. he agrees with alvar. he says he almost didn’t look past sophie’s eye color. and if you read the very first chapter, you can see that he wasn’t there for long at all. it’s very likely that when sophie first sees him with the newspaper, he just leaped in a few minutes ago, and he was planning on leaving as soon as he finished talking to sophie:

(keeper, chapter 1)

so we can conclude that each excursion that fitz or alvar took was probably not longer than ten to fifteen minutes. they never spent significant chunks of time in the forbidden cities. fitz likely took maybe a couple extra seconds to grab a random thing and leave, but that’s about it. not long enough for either of them to have run into any significant danger.

part two: how did this affect fitz and alvar's school lives?

okay, you say, the forbidden cities thing might be all well and good, but what about this quote? fitz describes how alden’s search affected his school life:

(everblaze, chapter 21)

now, it is unfortunate that fitz missed a lot of school because of the search. but he doesn’t seem too torn up about it (this entire exchange with sophie here reads as very light-hearted), which i feel is relevant. this passage mostly talks about fitz's social life, and how people didn't want to hang out with him because he was disappearing all the time. though the fact remains that i genuinely don't think fitz cared all that much about this at all. he seems to be a bit of a loner at heart, not really having many friends besides keefe, biana, and biana's friend(s), like maruca. this continues even after he and keefe become "cool", so while the search clearly took a toll on his social life, it really doesn't seem to bother him that much. and i really think alden would’ve left the choice of whether or not to participate in the search up to his kids, not forcing them if they absolutely didn't want to participate. so in the case that fitz did decide he didn't want to skip so much school, i think alden would've been fine with booting him from the search. here’s a quote from alvar:

(neverseen, chapter 65)

he specifically states that the reasons he did the search were to keep his dad happy and to sneak away to the forbidden cities. also, the fact that sophie even asked this question and got a serious answer back already implies that fitz and alvar had "reasons" of their own for wanting to do the search, like the ones alvar states here. as in, their reason was not "my dad made me do it". (we're going to ignore the fact that alvar's reason likely had way more to do with helping the neverseen find sophie than anything.)

so okay, maybe alvar's just saying that, maybe he doesn't actually feel like that. to that i say, let’s look at this quote, a quote after alvar’s true colors have been revealed:

(flashback, chapter 49)

even though he is literally ranting about his parents here, nowhere, not even once, does he mention or even imply that alden forced, manipulated, or otherwise pressured him to do the search. if alvar truly held any ill will toward alden for sending him on the search, now would be the perfect time to express that. yet he doesn’t. we can extrapolate and assume the same of fitz: that alden didn’t in any way try to manipulate or trick fitz into going. i honestly believe that the second either of them had expressed that they didn’t want to do the search anymore, alden would’ve found another way. and i do think fitz would’ve expressed that if he wanted out. once again, when he tells sophie the story i quoted above (everblaze, chapter 21), it’s done very light-heartedly, with no malice toward alden that sophie can detect.

let’s talk about fitz’s academic life now. he missed a lot of school. obviously that takes a toll. but look at this quote:

(flashback, chapter 21)

fitz ranked, and probably continues to rank, number one in his entire level. he did just fine in school. alden’s search clearly didn’t impact his ability to perform well. back when i was an alden hater, i actually used this against alden, saying that if fitz ranked so high and did better than anyone else (including keefe who literally has a photographic memory), then he must’ve had to work incredibly hard on top of the work he already had to put into alden’s search, and we don’t know how that affected him behind the scenes. and i don’t agree with that take anymore. i think fitz would’ve told alden if it became too much for him, and even more than that, i think alden would’ve checked in with fitz proactively to make sure the combination of the search and school wasn't getting to him. there’s no evidence to confirm or deny, but i think it’s safe to assume. look no further than the reason alden even sent fitz out at six years old in the first place:

(neverseen, chapter 1)

he clearly prioritized his children's education, and when the situation called for it, he found another way. he understood that alvar wouldn't be able to sneak out of the towers anymore, and he was not willing to put alvar's education at risk. when it came to it, he always put his children before his search. he was never willing to truly sacrifice what truly mattered for his search.

also just throwing this in here, but alvar, just like fitz, did exceptionally well during his basic level years. we have no evidence that the search affected his academic life in any real way, but rather the opposite (that he did just fine):

(nightfall, chapter 16)

section two: keefe's flashback short story breakdown

(note: i will be using this transcription by @/kotlc-deleted-scenes for quotes. in case you weren't aware, there's a blog entirely dedicated to transcribing exclusive scenes, deleted quotes, and other not-widely-known extra kotlc material. check it out if you haven't read all the short stories. okay, advertising over.)

so i don't like ro. that's a subject for another time, but my hatred for her particularly manifests in this scene, because i think a lot of people see her interpretation of what alden is saying, and then take it as some gospel truth. but the only perspectives we're seeing here, actually, are keefe's (because it's his pov) and ro's (because she can't keep her mouth shut). we don't know what alden's thinking or what he means when he says what he's saying. all we get is keefe and ro's almost-certainly skewed views on this scene. so just keep that in mind as you read this entire short story.

i feel like there's a good chunk of people out there that genuinely think alden went there that day with the intention to tell keefe to stay away from sophie and let sophie be with fitz and stop trying to mess with sophie and fitz's relationship and back off, keefe. this is blatantly false. he came there with the intention to invite keefe to the tribunal, and because of ro he ended up needing to justify his decision to ask keefe and sophie to be there. which is fine! it's not like keefe didn't deserve an explanation. but then you can't get mad when he explains his reason, which is perfectly valid.

so let's talk about why ro's outburst is, in my opinion, not grounded in any sort of reality. first of all, alden says fitz doesn't exactly excel at controlling his temper (true). he then asks keefe (an empath, and also fitz's "best friend") to help calm fitz down. honestly, i shouldn't have to explain this, since alden says this all himself.

ro's comment seems to imply she thinks that alden's nefarious little plan here is to let fitz take his anger out on keefe for no reason. but that's clearly not what's going on? he invited sophie because he thinks fitz needs her, and invited keefe because he doesn't want fitz to take his anger out on sophie. he doesn't want fitz to take it out on keefe, either. he just thinks keefe is better able to stop fitz from doing something he'll regret than sophie is. he doesn't want to see either keefe or sophie be the target of fitz's temper, and just thinks keefe is better equipped to handle it than sophie is.

whether or not alden is correct with this line of reasoning, i think, is a different discussion entirely (the fact that he later implies sophie and fitz will inevitably end up together, while also not being confident they can handle their own problems without a third-party friend intervening is . . . contradictory, to say the least). but he was speaking his mind, and while he might have been wrong, he was not being manipulative, which seems to be the argument here.

so alden thinks fitz "needs" sophie. i'd once again argue that he's wrong, but i would not argue that he's being manipulative. he then, and this is important, seems nervous and tentative as his eyes shift to keefe, because he knows that keefe has a crush on sophie. now, before i tackle that whole thing, i’d like to once again emphasize that alden did not come to the shores of solace with the intention of telling keefe to let fitz have sophie or whatever. they shouldn’t even be having this conversation right now, honestly, but since ro is so fucking annoying, they are. alden’s intention with this visit was to request keefe go to the tribunal. that’s literally it. that’s all. this fitz-and-sophie tangent is a side quest.

okay, back to the main point. here’s what alden sees: two teenagers that have a crush on each other, and a third that has unreciprocated feelings for one of them. all three of the teenagers are friends. he is trying to preserve all three friendships, and i'd argue that he's especially trying to prevent keefe from heartbreak. again, is alden right about the whole sophie-fitz-keefe love triangle situation? no. but that doesn't make him manipulative. not only does he know that keefe has unreciprocated feelings for someone who has reciprocated feelings for someone else, but he's aware that keefe knows this, too. (side note: when i say keefe has unreciprocated feelings for sophie, who has reciprocated feelings for fitz, i mean that it was known she had a crush on fitz, and if you want to argue she had hidden feelings for keefe, you at least have to admit that she wasn't aware of them at this point in time. keefe's reaction to alden's words ("he was always trying hard not to think about it, because it made him want to punch things") only makes it clearer to me that keefe himself is also aware that sophie has known feelings for fitz.) once again, reading alden's body language clearly reveals how gently he's trying to communicate this, and i'd even argue that he doesn't want to even be saying any of this at all. but once again, we can blame ro for all our problems.

will ro keep her goddamned mouth shut. anyway. i'm not going to talk about how weird it is to imply that sophie doesn't know her own feelings, because that's not what this is about. but even if sophie doesn't know her own feelings, it's still incredibly insensitive to disregard the fact that she likes fitz here and now.

alden goes on to say that sophie doesn't know what she feels because fitz hasn't confessed his feelings yet, which may seem like he doesn't care about sophie (or keefe) as much as he does fitz, but again. he seems super convinced that sophie and fitz like each other (which they do, at this point). he wants them to be happy together. there's some cognitive dissonance about the true nature of their relationship, but his heart is in the right place. and once again, he is not telling this to keefe because he sees keefe as competition for fitz over sophie. he's telling this to keefe because he doesn't want him to do something that would endanger his relationship with either fitz or sophie.

and keefe knows this, too. he literally states in that last part that he's well aware sophie and fitz like each other, and that at one point he's going to have to deal with that even though he has a crush on sophie. so you can't even argue that alden's line of reasoning is illogical. it's wrong, but it's a logical conclusion to come to.

that top paragraph there once again reveals why alden is doing any of this at all. he just wants keefe to get out of this situation without any heartbreak because he knows keefe has an unreciprocated crush on sophie. keefe, being sixteen, vehemently denies this. and you can see that alden is not being particularly nosy here, actually. he corrects keefe when keefe lies, but he doesn't pressure keefe to talk about it, and doesn't ask any further questions. he's just letting keefe know that he is aware of the entire situation.

maybe if ro wasn't here to skew everyone's view of what's going on here, people wouldn't fall for the alden-is-evil-and-trying-to-manipulate-keefe propaganda so readily because every. single. word. of that sentiment in this story comes from ro. alden is not meddling. if anyone's meddling, it's ro. in fact, ro has gone and continues to go way past meddling in future books, but. that's besides the point.

and yes, this is the definition of caring. once again want to remind everyone that alden did not come here with the intention of telling keefe to let sophitz happen. the conversation took an unexpected twist and now they're here. and as i've already said, alden's body language suggests anything from trying his best to prod gently and let keefe down easy all the way to being uncomfortable that this conversation is even happening at all. but every piece of advice he's given keefe up until this point is valid.

and i know the alden antis knows this well because every time keefe starts monologuing (in an incredibly forced manner) about how he's not going to sabotage sophitz's relationship and how he's going to wait until sophie's ready and how he'd never listen to ro about shooting his shot and how he's ready to support sophitz even though he has a crush on sophie, everyone acts like he's some brave martyr that's willing to be in all this pain as long as sophie's happy and talks about how amazing and angelic and kind and perfect he is as a love interest for her. but when alden says virtually the same thing, the only difference being that he's a third party character, people immediately paint him as the devil incarnate. so keefe deciding that he's not going to wreck sophitz's relationship by staying out of it is selfless and sweet, but alden giving keefe advice to do that same exact thing is somehow cruel or manipulative?

and i have no idea why people have such a problem with alden pointing out that he sees keefe as a son. like. point out the part in that sentence where alden is manipulating keefe. i would like to see it. he's just stating a fact. sorry him stating a fact pissed you all off so bad. there's literally an actual-book flashback scene where alden is the first person in keefe's entire life to tell him that he's proud of him. have we missed the fact that keefe has seen alden as a father figure, too? the fact that this is not made-up, not just being stated out of the blue, but rather just an assurance of something both of them already know?

alright then . . . now let's talk about the part where this entire story is told from keefe's perspective (and ro's, because again, she cannot keep her mouth shut). he feels hurt, and i'm not saying he doesn't have the right to. being told your crush doesn't like you out loud probably hurts. so yes, he doesn't feel good. but that doesn't mean that alden is in the wrong here for what he told keefe. it just means keefe has a crush that seems to be unrequited right now, and that having an unrequited crush hurts.

we are going to ignore the fact that this is my favorite part . . . anyway. ahem. this is very important, so listen up, folks. alden sees himself in keefe. this entire scene, i guarantee you, what's running through his head is the fact that (he thinks) he was in keefe's exact position at one point. he understands keefe's position, and he wants keefe to know this. this is why he tells keefe this story. because he doesn't want keefe to misinterpret what he's saying as malicious or a personal attack on keefe (the way ro is). he's saying this because he's trying to spare keefe the heartbreak that he went through.

keefe then appears to be in denial. sixteen year old boy. i think the most important thing here is that alden bypasses lecturing keefe on how one day he'll find his true match. this implies two things to me: one, alden is just as uncomfortable with this conversation as keefe is and is trying to end it quickly and painlessly for them both, and two, alden can sense that keefe is uncomfortable and doesn't want to draw this out for him. both things show that alden understands keefe's position and also once again nails in the fact that alden never wanted or intended to have this conversation at all.

okay. now to what is probably the most controversial thing alden says: "let them be happy". alright . . . this is not an inherently bad thing to say. like please explain to me why this is a shitty thing for alden to say. remember: alden sees three friends, two with reciprocated feelings for one another and a third with unreciprocated feelings for one of the pair. and it's once again also something keefe himself thinks . . . so much of his pov in unlocked and unraveled is just him wallowing in the fact that he has a crush on sophie who likes fitz and how he'd never even think about shoving his way in between them or whatever. it gets hella tiring to read and is clearly just shannon attempting to make up for the possessive wreck she made keefe in neverseen through nightfall . . . anyway. back to the point. this is apparently all fine and dandy for keefe to think, but when alden tells a teenager not to interfere with an assumedly reciprocal relationship between two other teenagers (and out of concern that the first teenager's heart will be broken, no less), it makes him the scourge of the earth. seriously, what is so wrong with telling keefe to let sophie and fitz be happy together. once again, alden is wrong in assuming sophie and fitz are or would be happy together but that does not make him manipulative.

again, this story is told from the perspective of sixteen year old boy with unrequited feelings. he does not feel good upon hearing these words. that doesn't mean the person who said them is in the wrong or manipulating him somehow.

important part!!!! alden once again references something that gives us a peek into his thought process: he lost both of the friendships that he had because of his feelings. he doesn't want keefe to also lose his friendships with fitz and sophie over his feelings!!!! keefe is not in the same situation that alden was in, but alden doesn't know that. he's once again wrong, not manipulative. he is trying to preserve keefe's relationships with sophie and fitz . . . what part of this is manipulative.

as for "there's only one way this ends", that was decidedly untrue and pretty shitty. but notice how after ro's comment (her only valid comment about this entire situation), he realizes he was wrong and says as much out loud. he literally admits that "only time will tell", negating his earlier statement and acknowledging that ro is right (this one time). once again, his perspective on the situation is incredibly skewed. this is why he's so insistent that there will be only one way this will end. but then, after he realizes that what he said is wrong and that actually, things can change and he is in fact talking about a group of teenagers, he concedes ro's point.

i'm going to say that again: unlike ro, alden actually concedes this point!!!! he actually admits that he was wrong and immediately walks it back. he does not "ship sophitz". he does not prioritize his son over keefe. he actually wants what's best for three teenagers he sees as his own children!!!! this is why he concedes the point to ro, that sophie (and keefe and fitz) is a teenager and may not know what she actually wants in life yet. because he cares what sophie wants. this is something i'd argue ro doesn't care about, but again. this is an alden defense rant, not a ro hate rant.

and he's right that it doesn't change where they are today and the situation they're currently in, which is still that sophie and fitz have reciprocated feelings for one another and keefe does not. any good friend would step back and not interfere in this situation. alden is literally just telling keefe to be a good friend, and from personal experience, too. what exactly is so wrong with this. please do enlighten me.

alden then leaves, having said his part. he really does not want to stretch this out, either for keefe's benefit or his own discomfort with the conversation he was lowkey backed into by ro. it's also important to note that alden does leave the choice of whether or not keefe actually wants to come to the trial up to keefe himself. keefe is sad and emotional because his crush on sophie is the size of the sun. but that doesn't take away the validity of alden's statements (given his perspective). and he does it as gently as he can. it wasn't what keefe wanted to hear, and it made him uncomfortable, but in alden's defense he never intended to have this conversation in the first place. start yelling at ro instead of alden if you're annoyed by the fact that alden would want to have this conversation with a teenager. he actually did not.

. . . and the rest of this story is just ro trying to misinterpret everything alden said in the worst way possible. if i were to try to debunk everything she said, i'd just be repeating everything i already said over and over. i've already repeated myself a lot in this section. so we aren't going to do that. hopefully looking at the things alden actually said and breaking down why they are not shitty or manipulative, even unintentionally, will be enough. once again: alden is wrong about the reality of what's going on between sophie, keefe, and fitz, but given his perspective, it is not manipulative or invalid or even illogical for him to say any of the the things he said to keefe.

and the final thing i'll say is: ro is, to put it very bluntly, what you would get if you took a sokeefe pinterest fan and dropped them into the series, allowing them to interact with the characters themselves. one of the main things we know about her is that she is the sokeefe shipper. this is obviously going to tint how she sees anyone even suggesting sokeefe aren't perfect happy couple material. in this case, everything she says implies alden is the devil incarnate for telling keefe to not interfere with his friends' relationship, and out of personal experience, too. ro's otp is then (sort of, temporarily) ruined, and she deals with this by trying to manipulate keefe into thinking alden doesn't have his best interests in mind, because alden is getting in the way of her ship. thank you, ro. you've also managed to brainwash half this fandom into thinking the same, somehow. it's not true, but somehow that's the spin that's put on it.

i urge people to try to read this short story while blocking out everything ro says, and see if that changes your opinion on what alden is saying. because i genuinely feel that ro's presence in this story is a major contributing factor to why people are so eager to turn on alden. again, everything ro says is an opinion. everything alden says is just. what he says. so just try to listen to the words he actually says and leave ro the fuck out. it may actually improve your opinion of him.

[doodle-do-wop]

I mean they have at least 200 pages of the kids goofing around per book, I'd say they have a solid few hours-couple of days for a nice date night, maybe a little board game day

how do the adults of kotlc find time for date night when their children are constantly on the verge of getting themselves killed

[clarissaweasley-10]

Here's my analasis on the character of Fitz Vacker aka Wonderboy(even tho no one asked)He's sadly one of the most disliked characters in the entire series and though l get why you guys may hate him,let's try to understand...

The fact that Fitz was born into one of the if not THE most influential family in the lost cities has a LOT to do with his character.Plus,he was the golden child of the family.His parents obviously favoured him from the start.He was perfect...or so he hoped.Growing up the way he did,he HAS to be perfect.Be the perfect child,the perfect student carry the family's legacy and make his family proud.That was what mattered the most to him it was part of how he was raised as the golden child.Now,in Stellarlune during the Cognate Inquisition,Fitz himself has admitted to Sophie about how he often feels a little jealous of her.Well not exactly "jealous"but yk he used to be the best in everything before Sophie came and now she is always better than him and he is left to be the second best.Like imagine being the best in everything,with everybody looking up to you and then suddenly it all just goes down especially after Alvar's betrayal.That would suck so hard.There are two events which are the turning points of his character development:Alden's mind breaking,and Alvar's betrayal.You may ask why l put Alden's mind breaking here(the other one is obvious),the answer is, it was the beginning of events leading to total chaos in Fitz's life.His father who he looked upto,the one who shaped him and has a lot to do with who he is,one of the strongest people he ever knew..broke.lmagine how that would feel,especially to elves who are just not in terms with the idea of loosing someone close to you,and Fitz just lost his father all of a sudden with no prior explanation.And the explanation is his father had gone to Exile with a girl he knew for a few months at most(tho he and Sophie were very close)without taking his own son with him,and the guilt of seeing the son of a guy he had helped arrest and whose life he had virtually destroyed,finally broke his mind.Imagine how incapable,unworthy and angry this would have made Fitz feel.So he took out his anger on Sophie,though he had no right to and blamed her when HE WAS IN FACT BLAMING HIMSELF.Yes.If only his father had trusted him enough to share this information with him,then maybe Fitz would have made him understand or he and Sophie together could have saved him.But now Alden was gone and who was to blame?But Fitz also knew the consequences of the guilt he was feeling,saw it in the form of his father.If he lets the guilt of not being there get to him then,soon he too would be in Alden's position imagine how hard it would hit Della,Biana and....Alvar(strictly Fitz's pov.)So he did what he could and used his anger as a shield to protect himself and the rest of his family.

I also want to talk about the whole matchmaking thing because that's one of the most controversial aspects of Fitz's character.As l've said the fact that Fitz was born into one of the most influential families of the lost cities has a lot to do with his character.He was trained to uphold his families reputation.And we've all seen how bad matches are treated in the Lost Cities.Sophie who has literally spent her whole life outside the Lost Cities couldn't completely accept the fact that she was unmatchable,so what do you expect from Fitz who has spent his entire life being treated like royalty.Ofc he would be upset.Now l am not justifying all the rude and jerky things he said to Sophie l want to give him a solid shake for that,but he is only human(well no but yeah figuratively yk)and his perfect family was basically a broken sandcastle now so let's try to be a bit kind to Fitz too yeah?Now you may say that,Keefe also spent his entire life in the Lost Cities but had no problem from the start about Sophie being unmatchable.Well for this(and a lot of other things)Keefe deserves a LOT of extra points for the whole Sokeefe vs Sophitz thingie but he and Fitz had very different upbringings and characters.Keefe doesn't give a f abt what others think,the only thing he cares about is how Sophie feels,so get yourself a man like him...He had raised himself to be a rebel and went against common norms.And hence has no regards for what the society thinks.He only wants Sophie and if people scorn upon them for being a bad match then they should remind themselves that they would never get a relationship as good as Sokeefe.And he is THE man for this.

[lotusishere]

I just realized I never posted my explanation of why I like Alvar’s character. Disclaimer I will be talking about spoilers in the most recent book at the end. But I’ll make sure to blur it for people who haven’t read it. Anyway. I have always liked Alvar’s character when we were first introduced to him in the series. He’s very similar to Keefe as Keefe is similar to him. Alvar’s character was written to be the first born of Alden and Della. He has said that he experienced the crushing pressure and overly extreme expectations it takes to be a Vacker. From what it sounds like, it sounds like he’s always wanted to be good enough for the Vackers Name, only to have it backfire on him. Maybe it’s because I’m also the eldest child in my family but I relate to the pressure a lot. It suck’s that I had to suffer the most with expectations and pressure but my younger siblings got stuck with NONE OF THAT. I understand his resentment if not rage towards that. It’s frustrating to live your life to be perfect only for your parents to have a second child and treat them the exact opposite of how they raised you. That is not me saying that Fitz did not have pressure and challenges on him when he was growing up. He clearly did.

Alvar had a motive that has been clear, simple and straight to the point. He wants to reveal the truth about the Vacker Legacy. He wants to show everyone that they’re not as perfect as they force everyone to believe. He wants to prove that they are just as messy, as fucked up, and as twisted. He wants to show the world that their Vacker Legacy is just a title they give themselves to excuse the monstrous abusive moments of societal pressure and social pressure onto their family. Alvar experiences this first hand being everything his parents had wanted only for him to be overshadowed (or his efforts forgotten) because of his “golden boy” brother. Alvar does not agree with the council’s laws.

As talked about in the newest book. He doesn’t like the match making system. He flat out jokes about how it’s more of a political thing to make a child who’s superior. He explains that with humans, humans don’t have a match making system, they marry whoever they love. It’s something that he appreciates and loves about them. It’s something he wishes the elf world had. He doesn’t want to live in a world suffocated by societal pressures. He wants to be able to live freely without having to worry about being discriminated with who he loves. He doesn’t want to have to worry about doing match making papers just to please his family and the way people look at him. And to be honest I agree with the match making system. I think the system should be used to confirm whether or not you have shared relatives and that’s it. Their relationships shouldn’t be based on what looks good on paper. It should be based on how much they love one another.

This is not a post of ignoring the crimes Alvar has done. He is a member of a crazy ass terrorist group. He has kidnapped and tortured children. He has lost his mind multiple times during the series. He has done AWFUL and terrible things. I am not justifying his negative actions nor saying that is why I like him. I like him for his motive and ambition of what he wants. If you break down majority of the reasons people are even in Neverseen it’s because they want to rebel against the council. They have been treated so unfairly in their life, whether it’s their ability or match making or family being mistreated. The amount of abused power that is given to mistreat tens if not hundreds of elves is crazy. Glimmer’s parents got exile because they altered the match making papers a bit to be together. I think being exiled is extreme for a little crime like that. And what makes me anger is what glimmers parents got exiled but when Alvar pulled up with “amnesia” they all turned a blind eye and said it was fine. But let the gods forbid Alvar wasn’t a person of a high standard family he would have been shattered without hesitation. I like Alvar because he can clearly see the discriminations the world has and how his family views it too. And he out front says he doesn’t like it. Alvar is definitely one of those characters to do the wrong things for the right reasons.

Do I think he should crash out and traumatize children? No. Do I think he should have helped kidnap Sophie? No. Do I think he should have done anything he has done when he’s been apart of Neverseen? No. Hell, in Flashback I was right with Fitz when it came to Alvar’s punishment. I wouldn’t have wanted him free either. I wouldn’t have cared if his memories were “gone”. Alvar truly deserves the punishment the elven world has for him. I agree with Fitz’s rage over the matter. But I like Alvar not for his negative traits but the complexity of his character.

[myfairkatiecat]

QUALDEN IS AN ACTUAL SHIP?? Alden Vacker????? and Quinlin??? Alden vacker sucks he doesn't deserve quinlin

YEAH THATS AN ACTUAL SHIP

like you do you but that is sooooo not for me 😭

[the-one-and-only-aroace]

He’s good you’re broken

He’s good, Biana thought as her father screamed at her. She felt the spittle shower her face. He was the definition of a Good Samaritan. He was the council’s right hand man. He followed their orders, always loyal.

He’s good, she thought as he dragged her to her room. His grip leaving bruises on her scarred skin. He looked for the moonlark for twelve years. He was so dedicated to stopping the rebellion, he was willing to sacrifice his sons. He never gave up, always stayed dedicated.

He’s good, she thought as thundering footsteps exit. The noise pounded in her ears. He was willing to take in abandoned children. He gave Keefe a home, opened his to Sophie. He was the father they never had, always willing to care.

He’s good, she thought as she heard the lock click. She felt the room start to shrink. He supported the black swan, he knew the council made mistakes. He was willing to let his family join. He saw the truth, was willing to admit his mistakes.

He’s good, she thought as her shaky knees gave in. She fell to the cold, hard floor. He wanted the best for his kids. He always pushed them to be better, always giving them second chances. He tried to make them better, how he loved them so.

She was the one who disobeyed, the disloyal daughter. She always gave in, the punishments too harsh for her weak mind. She didn’t care enough to listen to her father, the selfish girl. She was too stubborn to admit her mistakes, always arguing. She didn’t love her family enough, always making them look bad.

He’s good youre broken

[crymeariveronceagain]

I'm curious - what made you hate Alden? When did you start hcing him as abusive?

For me, it was probably when I reread the series and started relating to Fitz a lot more. Having Fitz as your favorite character makes it hard to like him.

it's... a lot of things.

but the catalyst for me was that scene in Flashback.

It made me sick.

First of all, Alden knows exactly what Keefe Sencen's family situation is like. And without question or hesitation, for his own purposes, he turned that against Keefe. Used it as a weapon. Called him a son to hit him in the face with the knowledge that he doesn't matter as much as his other kids. That at the end of the day, Keefe is still just a pawn to every single one of his parental figures.

Secondly, I understood something. Crappy people are crappy people. If you're crappy in one area of your life, the crappy-ness is infectious. It bleeds. It seethes. If it's in one area of your life, especially in the way you handle your relationships, it's probably going to be in other areas. More than that. Moreover, in my personal experience, crappy parents are often very nice to kids who are not theirs. This is how Alden treats a kid who is not his. So, bearing all that in mind, I went back and I looked at his kids.

Biana is invisible, hiding in the shadows of her older brother, she's there but she's not, silently held to an impossible standard, and declaring that her scars are a part of her now, like someone told her that she needed to be ashamed of them. Fitz is so perfect there are cracks and he breaks down screaming, unable to handle the pressure. Alvar fricking abandoned everything his family stood for with no remorse and ditched everything to join a terrorist organization. All I see in this are huge, huge, huge red flags.

Thirdly, after this, I looked back on Alden's behavior. And I just. I noticed things.

For instance. He constantly shuts down Sophie. Treats her a bit like a pawn as well. He condescends to her, treats her like she's too young to handle anything, when he is the one who brought her into this. He constantly tries to control situations. He takes on roles that should not and do not belong to him. He is very respected, and has a ton of power at his fingertips. He sent his six year old son into the human world(need i mention all the crap we pull every single day?? how many car accidents??? kidnappings? armed robberies? no??). Labelling Fitz as "the perfect golden child" is like a major red flag. Like uhm hellooo i has questions. His whole family keeps this aura of perfection that the lost cities tries as a whole to embody. Perfection does not exist. But the Vackers are perfect. Who keeps them all in line?

I honestly have more questions than I have answers about this man.

But when I look at him, all I can see, in my head, is--

“No, it’s the definition of caring.” Alden stood and made his way closer, wrapping an arm around Keefe’s shoulders. “You may not be my genetic son,” he said quietly, “but I’ve long considered you part of my family.”

Yeah, screw off, old man. I can see straight through you. Don't treat your kids like that, don't treat Keefe like that, don't treat anyone like that.

And so yeah. It's disgusting behavior, and it shows that Alden will sacrifice people to get what he wants.

If Alden was a good person, and had good relationship ideals and dynamics, this would never have been something he'd have done.

It just wouldn't have been something he'd have done.

So why did he do it? Does he think that it's fine? Does he think that it's normal? Kind?

What else does he think is normal?

*grumbles*

[crymeariveronceagain]

Soooo... we're just gonna go with Alden being a super shitty dad then? Because valid. I'm here for that. I support that. I like that.

Like, obviously I feel sorry for Alvar for being upstaged by his siblings or whatever, but Fitz was very much a literal toddler when Alvar joined the Neverseen.

Were you jealous because Fitz was better at singing the alphabet than you? Because he learned to walk earlier?

Like, love the theory that that was a factor, but that's a terrible reason.

[the-way-astray]

stria alden defense rant drops tomorrow? it can't be . . .

[synonymroll648]

something i just Don't Get is why no one ever thought to just levitate over everglen's gates. like, fitz is not the only elf out there who can levitate so high that it's hard to see the ground. and in inner cover art for the barnes and noble edition of flashback, shannon drew average sized trees that were taller than the gates. and while fitz and sophie do look kinda small in comparison to gates, they're not that small. people could totally levitate over.

[imaramennoodle]

kotlc au where everything's the same but Della realizes that Alden is a horrible person and divorces him

[crymeariveronceagain]

ok uhm

how am i supposed to live my life with this option of angst just right there ahh

I want to see Fitz having a bond with Alden- but over the years he starts to remember these "gaps" in his memories, random places while he was with alden but? they're not? because Alden wiped any bad memories of himself from Fitz's mind and yeah it's Alden bashing do ya have a problem with that

Fitz coming home from a meeting with Alden after a mission, and he remembers there was a girl, and he messed something up, but he doesn’t remember? and what are those bruises on his wrists from??

Fitz going to hang out with Keefe, and Keefe asks how it went, and Fitz going what?? and Keefe says “Your dad hailed you on the imparter right after school, when we were about to head over here to hang out, but he needed to talk with you about something first.”

Fitz shrugging, “I dunno” Keefe feels an underlying unease, but how can he bring that up when Fitz doesn’t even realize it himself?

Fitz constantly worried about living up to Alden’s expectations, and he thinks its just because he wants so hard to be as good as him

He doesn’t realize that beneath that want to be good enough, there is a fear of the repercussions of failure. A very physical fear

And Fitz always looks up to his father, because he is one of the most amazing Telepaths, but how is he supposed to react when he starts realizing he doesn’t remember the first training practices when Alden told Fitz to try to read his mind, but didn’t realize how strong his ability was?

How is he supposed to put into words a suspicion he can’t even remember having?

And how can he come to terms with a partial memory (or was it only a dream??) of Alden saying “You might be a goldenboy to the rest of the world, but thats what you are, a mere boy! No one will believe you over the word of one of the most powerful telepaths this world has known!!”

He doesn’t tell anyone about the random bruises that appear somewhere between an assignment and finally getting home.

[slozhnos]

Isn’t it fun making in-depth theories that make no sense whatsoever simply because you despise Alden Dedrick Vacker and think he should be tossed to the rats?

[confusedamphibian]

I wonder if Quan, Cassius, and Alden all had a meeting together and where like “how can we be a terrible father to our amazing children and make them hate theirselves? Should we disown them, neglect and pressure them to the point of turning evil, or verbally abuse them? You know what? we can do one of each!”

[magicalwalrus]

Biana. Because she is beautiful and I love her.

[crymeariveronceagain]

Alden has a tendency to underplay people's strengths and weaknesses, especially when it comes to the Neverseen and the Black Swan.

Knew about the Black Swan, did not join. His wife and kids are in the Black Swan, he is not. What's up with that?

Prentice. He was a member of the Black Swan, a pretty high up member, too, and Alden was the person to do the honors of breaking his mind.

He has a ton of power and a lot of access. If he was a traitor, that would give the Neverseen a ton of resources and capabilities.

No assigned Bodyguards. Despite being super powerful. And super involved with the council and his, y'know, stupid fricking children.

Quinlin doesn't trust him anymore, adding to the proof that Alden was doing something shady af when he broke Prentice's mind.

Giving Alvar that second chance despite knowing that memories do not disappear like that, and they will 100% come back at the drop of a hat. Keefe Sencen is an excellent proof of this fact, and Alden, as an extremely advanced Telepath, should be intimately and extremely aware of this fact. So yeah.

He was looking for Sophie for a long time. Despite the fact that he is not and has not been involved with the Black Swan.

He has oddly fitting knowledge, a lot of the time.

One more reason that doesn't have to do with anything in the series but rather the modus operandi of the writing

Alden Vacker was the first adult Sophie trusted. In the beginning, he was the one she turned to, before anyone else. He has always been someone she can find no real wrong with. He's an innaposable force. An unstoppable existence. She risks everything for him and his family. Over and over again, she is fighting not just for herself, but for them.

Sophie has always trusted Alden Vacker, so as the reader, it is extremely hard for us not to trust him as well.

But the thing is, this means he would be the perfect target to write as a Neverseen traitor. Sophie will not suspect him for a single moment, and so, as the readers, no matter how many clues we can dig up, we'll never wholly be able to believe that Alden could be capable of it, just because we see him only from Sophie's point of view.

When we see him from other people's pov, such as Keefe's in Flashback, he comes across different. There's a cold, manipulative edge to him, and a proof that he knows exactly what he's doing and saying all the time. Keefe brushes it off, but that behavior is not what someone who is as good as Sophie thinks he is would do. It's not the behavior we as readers have been conditioned to expect. So, if that threw us off...

What else are we missing?

What else can't we see?

Alden Vacker is written in such a way that him being Neverseen, especially a big Neverseen official, would make complete and utter sense, and also utterly and completely devestate Sophie.

It's set up so that if he's a traitor, it will hurt every. Single. Character. Who. Ever. Trusted. Him.

And as a writer, let me tell you, that's almost too big of an opportunity to pass up.

Alden may be a traitor?

credit to @clearlykeefitz for planting this seed in my head

from their post: Alden forces his children to befriend Sophie when he has reason to suspect that she’s part of the blackswan

He also sent Fitz and Alvar to, like, religiously search for Sophie

He went after Prentice really hard because he was “hiding something” and even shattered his mind.

(also one of @clearlykeefitz‘s posts) Alden is seen as evil in Prentice’s mind, which is lowkey suspicious. 

After Alvar got his memories erased, Alden was pretty eager to let him come back, which could be because Alvar is his son, but maybe not.

Idk. Add on if you come up with something more.