#don't make him Yona's replacement

[under-my-pillow]

Now that we are finally on the doorsteps of the prophecy, I must say I am curious and scared about how many things are going to play out.

Darkness has fallen upon the land. - Well, that has indeed happened.

The blood of the dragons will revive once again - Hmm, I wonder, does it mean the instance where the dragon gods retrieve their powers from their warriors or is it saying that the dragon warriors will regain the powers they have presently lost?

That would be pretty tragic. Especially for Zeno and the future generations and sort of makes Yona's whole trip to the Gods pointless.

The ancient pact will be kept when the four dragons are gathered - Here again, it seems to be alluding the pact between the dragon warriors and Gods where they vow to give life, soul and generation to the Crimson Dragon King, but I wonder if it is referring to some different kind of pact?

The line seems to specifically mention four dragons. And in the recent chapters guess who is missing from their little tea party line up?— Ouryuu.

Why is Ouryuu alone missing from this passionate reunion? Why was it not Ouryuu that punished Zeno? Technically, since Ouryuu was the one who gave Zeno his immortality and bound Zeno to obey the Crimson dragon king, it would make sense only if Ouryuu himself made Zeno mortal again.

The sword and shield which will protect the king shall awaken - Protect the King from what exactly? I don't care about Hak, but I am worried for Soo-won. I am desperately praying he is neither going to be anyone's sword or shield.

Leave. Him. Alone.

And the Red Dragon shall restore the dawn at last. - Well, that part's pretty self explanatory. But does this mean that dawn will return when Yona returns to the heavens? Are the dragon gods going to compromise or will someone be taking Yona's place?

It better not be who I think it is.

Or will Yona overturn the so-called prophecy itself. I dont know what I would feel if the Dragon Gods suddenly did a 180 like Mei-nyan did , and started waving poms-poms in my face. That would be a pretty lame ending, but as long as Soo-won doesn't sacrifice himself for Yona I am good.

I'll be pretty darn heart broken if he does.

[soo-won]

do you think soowon is sociopath? i saw some fans saying he lacks empathy and i don't think he does.

Hey Anon! Thank you for the ask :) I didn't expect to receive that kind of question that was the heart of debates years ago, but I'm more than happy to reply!

Very long answer below the cut. Sorry for being unable to be brief, there's nothing that I love more than talking about Suwon and his emotions!

Short answer is no I don't think Suwon is a sociopath, at all.

I've read people say that many times, especially in response to chapter 196, I don't know if that's what you have in mind. From personal experience, I've never seen anyone call him a sociopath know what that word really means or not being a Suwon-anti and I think most of the time people say this in the pejorative "cold and emotionless" way. The manga has shown countless times the range of Suwon's emotions, and to imply he doesn't feel anything is just, wrong (Kusanagi stated it explicitely too). I guess it's understandable for series going on for years like akayona, but I feel like it's a common mistake to read a chapter as a standalone and not something that adds to what was established before. Like, it's not because the diary and castle arc showed new sides of Suwon (through the eyes of other characters on top of that) and in specific circumstances that it invalidates everything shown to us about him before. It's one piece of the puzzle for sure, but nothing less nothing more. I'm no psychiatrist and I'm not qualified to give anyone any kind of diagnostic, but Suwon feels very much, and he feels guilt, is even paralyzed by it at times and it is sometimes an obstacle to him. Suwon is all about discarding feelings, and for that to be a thing, feelings have to be there to begin with. From what I know about sociopathy, this isn't it. And even if he was, that wouldn't make him any less lovable and deserving of compassion to me.

Now on empathy specifically, it's more arguable, but I don't see lacking empathy as something inherently wrong that makes someone broken or cold. What you feel or not doesn't matter in my opinion, it's what you do to care for others. So like, yeah, if you compare with Yona I guess you could say Yona is more empathic than Suwon, but in no way that alone would make her a better person than him(I don't want to make this about Suwon vs Yona, she was just the first character to come to mind).

Lack of empathy is also not exclusively a sociopath thing. Like, everyone feels it to a different degree and there is a lot factors that can be at play.

Suwon feels and thinks differently, his differences with characters like Meinyan, Yona and Hak being the most obvious examples of that, and it's one of the many things that make me see him as neurodivergent in some way. But in the end, whether he feels empathy or not is not important. Or like, yeah, it can be interesting to explore, but it isn't relevant to define him in the slightest.

That being said, let's talk about what we know. First, what we know for sure, is that he cares! And even if you admit he doesn't have the same level of empathy as others, he tries to help when he can and if it's not in the way of his goals. Whether it's when he was a child comforting Yona and his mother, or reassuring an insecure Lili, or again, trying to comfort a trembling Yona in the way he knows best. It's something that comes naturally to him, something that very much makes him, him. Suwon is someone who wants to help, and who finds joy in making others happy.

He is also intelligent, can understand how people think and feel, and why people act the way they do. He is able to sense very young that Il doesn't like him. He was able to give Yona exactly what she needed when she was mourning her mother. In the present, Suwon understands why Yona or Hak would want to kill him, or how his words would only upset them because he is able to put himself in their shoes. (This, is different than empathy imo. Putting yourself in someone else' shoes is an effort you make to understand others, whether you feel what they feel) It's because he understands how people feels that he was able to come this far and unite the country like he did. He is able to play with how people perceive him to get the upper hand over them too. And he is very aware of the consequences of his colder decisions. Everytime he discards someone, he very much expects their hostility towards him and doesn't ask anything of them again. In my opinion Suwon just doesn't think in term of good vs bad. He can tell between the two in like how it matters to others, but it's not relevant to him, and he rather thinks in term of "is that thing on my way or not". (I think he does struggle to understand the extent of how people feel about him, though. He thinks logically, so it's hard for him to understand things that go against all logic, like Hak and Yona helping him after everything.)

Then I think it's important to mention the part of Suwon that shows a discardment of emotions and empathy, and Yuhon.

Actually, how much of that comes from how Yuhon raised him, the environment he grew up in, or from how he is inherently as a person is interesting sure, but not that relevant either. Whatever the roots of it, he is able to put his feelings on the side and stay composed in dire situations. But again, it doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything. And what the war against Kai shows is that his ability to not be affected by the deaths of his people is the reverse of the determination-turned-desperation to not lose against Kai. "Even death is acceptable"(his own included) he says to himself. The fact this is a thing he had to tell himself to begin with says a lot in my opinion. He was struggling, and had to remind himself repeatedly to not look back, to think about nothing but the war. Suwon has limits, even if he is more composed and determined than most, and when he reaches these limits he needs to cling onto his father's words, because otherwise he would falter and stop being able to think clearly.

Thanksfully this desperation turned back into his usual determination(still kinda fueled by the urgency of his situation) after the events of this battle. But like, Suwon is not at all a character that is a complete facade when he acts as a King and whose cold decisions go completely against his heart all the time. He really is the King not hesitating to take harsh decisions and make sacrifices to achieve his goals. He really is the King not unfazed in the slightest about losing his own castle and capital, and people dying in war for his cause. That's also what makes him, him, and something more than helpful in war where you have to deal with losses and unpredictable events all the time.

Going back to chapter 196, when Yonhi thinks to herself "How can he be so detached?" or when Yuhon's faction is impressed by how unfazed he was about investigating his own father's corpse, in no way it is that Suwon doesn't feel anything about his father or Yona. He so does. He is shown burning with anger, and he is shown not looking the least enthousiastic about killing Il. The situations and ways in which he expresses these emotions are simply not what you would usually expect from a child, but why should there be any rule about how someone is supposed to react and feel? There's nothing scary about that. When you stop to think about 2 seconds, is it that fearsome for someone to cope by taking the lead and prioritizing dealing with the problems at hand first, and being unable to process things emotionally? Like, isn't that pretty common? I can relate a lot to that personally. I guess what is surprising in this case is how Suwon is able to do it so young and to this extent, but it's nothing more than that. When Suwon asks Yonhi if she wants Il to die, and she gets scared of that, Suwon is genuinely asking too. Is that this far-fetched for him to assume Yonhi would want that when everyone else around him does? When revenge seems to be the very reason Il, supposed to be peace-loving, killed his father?

People might say that Suwon lacks empathy and maybe they wouldn't be wrong, but he constantly tries to understand what people want and answer to their expectations anyway. And I think that's what matters the most, even if he fails at it sometimes. He couldn't understand how Yonhi felt about Il in chapter 196, but he still tried hard to be what he thought she wanted from him: a replacement of Yuhon (Again, logical conclusion when that's what everyone else around him encourage). He still did all he could to comfort her, and he gave her strength.

He became the ideal King most of the generals and Yuhon faction wanted, and a lot of the issues in his relationship with Yona and Hak come from the fact he behaved in front of them as the Suwon they (used to think they) wanted. He cared for them genuinely, but he couldn't show the rest of him because it would go against the idealized image they had of him. Just like he can't show all of himself in front of his supporters either, because what they want is for him is a perfect, never faltering King, following Yuhon's footsteps. When it became impossible to be these two ideals at the same time, he discarded one. Suwon cares and loves, and this has nothing to do with empathy. He is both the caring friend and the pragmatic king and can't discard either.

Suwon might have less empathy than others, yet he is the one who acted to better the lives of his country's citizens, in contrast to Il, that sure, might be more empathic (except when it comes to Suwon visibly) yet barely acted on it.

I'm gonna stop here but I could go on forever. I hope it's not too much all over the place. Sorry I can't help it.

TDLR : no I don't think he is a sociopath, mainly because he feels guilt and regards what people think a lot, and all he does is never for his own personal benefit. But empathy or not, he cares and does his best. There is so much to explore about him, and basing the morality of a character on empathy is just not it. I think the fact he has such a different way of thinking compared to the rest of the main cast is what makes him so fresh and interesting and I wouldn't want him any other way. He doesn't give a fuck and idk it's funny and so cathartic sometimes. We should embrace that.

[kings-comic]

I drew a little something for Prince :D

He lived so long, of course he's gonna change clothes from time to time lol.

Here goes the info dump on the prince 😌

He had shorter hair when he was younger cause he felt he'd only be accepted as a boy if he had short hair. Lots of gender disphoria ;-; But, with the new found friends at the castel when he became a guard, the friends he made through his adventures, he felt more accepted comfortable so he let his hair grow to his liking.

His body didn't change that much across time (apart from scars lol)

As mentioned at the right, Prince gets married to Sidon at 124. If you saw the animatic I made -unfinished- You'd know he died. Unfortunately, I can't put that much info in a music video so I couldn't mention more... He died at 127 because of his body trying too hard to match Rauru's arm. Cutting it slowed it, but it was too late to stop it intierly.

Yona care after that, She didn't want to replace Link either. Sbe felt terrible for her friend, Sidon. Having the roles that they do in both their domains, they were forced to take each other's hands. Yona understands the pain tho, she doesn't try to win Sidon at all.

...

On a brighter note, Y'know the time travel stuff from AoC? Wellll- They meet again 😌 Sidon can't help but want to give all his love to Prince, but he keeps in mind that that this Prince has only met him when he (Sidon) was a baby. I need to make a mini story for them, they are the cutest pathooties 😭

Welp- I've talked a lot-

Remember that my ask box in open for questions! (anon is open too) If you wanna know more, don't hesitate to ask, I'll answer to the best of my abilities! I love replying to your asks ^^

[sarnai4]

College Days (and career plans)

After seeing a really fun Yona of the Dawn AU fanart with the characters in college, I started thinking about the Dragons crew.

Hiccup: Engineering. He's going to become an inventor and has already done some of that. He'll probably have his own company after graduation that makes just about everything. Need a replacement limb? Phone? Cylindrical item that will lead you to various reptiles and the journey of a lifetime? He's got you covered on all fronts. If it can be built, it will be.

Astrid: Law enforcement. She's eventually going to a police academy (cue the movie of the same name), so she wants to be prepared. She'll become a police captain in the future. It'll be very obvious why crime rates are plummeting in whatever city she's in.

Fishlegs: Zoology. He's always been into science, so he's going to become a zoologist to study animals all over the world. He absolutely loves his work and probably brings a few creatures home to study for a little longer before taking them back to the lab.

Snotlout: Drama. He's planning on becoming an actor. His work as Sir Ulgerthorpe has convinced me that he at least could be good on a stage. Plus, he's a drama queen. Maybe he'll get on the screen one day too. He's also considering if he wants to try out screenwriting and/or directing eventually. If he does become a director, he'll be one of the best and most bossy somehow.

Ruffnut: Digital communication and media/multimedia. She's honestly not here for any reason other than it's where Tuffnut and their friends are. That said, the twins are going to become YouTubers, so she figures she might as well become good at making videos.

Tuffnut: Crafts. He missed how Ruffnut's idea will actually be useful in their future job and thought this sounded fun. His reasoning is that he'll make some cool crafts to show off to their viewers. He's probably right, but there are still a dozen sighs directed his way because of this choice.

Dagur: Undecided. He's gone through business to see if he wanted to be an entrepreneur, then wasn't sure if he should just go to an entrepreneurship degree, had a few in between, and the latest one was psychology to try to understand his mind. At this point, he's hoping he sticks with something long enough to graduate on time with the credits. Can't say he isn't getting a well-rounded education, though. Just don't even get him started on career plans. He figures that he'll teach martial arts to pay for bills until he comes up with an idea he can keep for longer than a month.

Heather: Music. She's going to become a singer and probably be a vocal and guitar teacher later on. She's the only member of the group who we've heard sing and not sound bad (minus Snotlout surprisingly in my opinion. Oi oi oi), so I can see her doing this. She's not planing on being some superstar or anything. Just most likely at some venues and on YouTube, so maybe Ruffnut's new skills can help out.

Mala: Doctor of medicine for surgery. She's in the doctoral program (because I'm convinced she is a nice amount of years older than the others) and going to become a surgeon. This is something she's wanted to do for a while since she enjoys healing people. Meeting the others made her want to do this even more since she's sure at least one of them is going to be in a terrible accident one day and will need a good surgeon. Her bet is on Hiccup, the twins, or Dagur.

Throk: Criminal justice. He's already graduated, but he is receiving specialized training to become a body guard. When he gets free time, he comes around to spend time with the others. He's part of the bet with Mala and bets that Ruffnut will NOT need a surgeon because there's no way he's allowing such harm to come to her.

Atali: Women's studies. She's going to run a women's shelter when she graduates. She is also considering getting a master's.

Minden: Physical education. She's following her bestie and going to teach self-defense to the women Atali helps out.

(bonus)

Gobber: Welding engineering. He loved this in his university days and started up his own company. This is how he got Hiccup into making things too.

Stoick: Political science. He joined the marines when he was younger and became a high-ranking officer before coming back home to care for Hiccup.

Johann: Law. He became a slimy lawyer who always gets the really dangerous criminals off and puts away innocent people.

Viggo: Economics. He wanted to be very shrewd with his spending. He owns a company that seems like it's a tech manufacturing company on the outside but is actually smuggling a bit of everything.

Ryker: Criminology. He did this to understand just what risks the criminals who work for/with him could face. He works for Viggo (because of course he does) and is the VP of the business.

Krogan: Business management. On the outside, it seems like he's got a weapons manufacturing company, but he uses it to work with the Grimborns and hurt people.

[troutlawyer]

*raises hand* I would like to hear your Yona/Sidon/Link court relationship ideas. All the Yona hate sucks :(

Wow I did not expect anyone to actually ask!! Thank you btw

Mostly my ideas line up with one of the posts I've reblogged earlier about Yona and Sidon's political marriage, but I have a LOT of ideas of my own to expand on that. I hope you'll stay with me.

Canon Stuff

Sidon and Yona were childhood friends.

Sidon and Yona's marriage was arranged.

Sidon looked upon Yona as an older sister but hadn't seen much of her since childhood.

He has been bashful and nervous around her since she arrived in the Domain.

Sidon views Link as his best friend and closest companion and apparently values that relationship so much he replaced the statue of Mipha in the courtyard with one of him and Link fighting divine beast Ruta together.

Though I did have a shocked and jealous initial reaction to Sidon and Yona's engagement when first learning of it, I quickly recovered when I put a little thought into the situation. Of course I immediately (and correctly) assumed that the marriage was probably arranged and political in nature, as most royal marriages go.

It also reminded me of my thoughts on Zelda and Link's relationship. Despite seeing obvious love and devotion between the two, I didn't feel any romantic tension between them. I wonder now if this is deliberate: to sort of keep their relationship without a label and sort of highlight their distinct roles as princess and knight in their working relationship, but I digress. I saw the same sort of situation with Sidon and Yona--they obviously love each other, and are devoted to each other, but there is a lack of romantic tension. All of these observations are subjective, and I don't want to step on the toes of Zelink and Sidona lovers--these could definitely blossom into something romantic!

Then I thought about the nature of royal courts back in their heyday, at least the royal courts of Europe, which the system in BOTW/TOTK seems most similar to. There were countless royals, male and female alike, who kept lovers outside of their arranged marriages. Some countries were more strict about it, and of course some relationships were more allowed than others, but it happened all the time.

I also thought about the lives of queer people in times where it was less accepted, especially those who entered into heterosexual marriages. There was more than one reason for these decisions. There was of course the obvious: stay safely in the closet, but sometimes these people wanted to have families, sometimes they wanted to give their spouse a home and a companion, and sometimes they simply felt like it was expected of them. Many times, these people would genuinely love their spouses, even if it wasn't romantic or sexual. And a lot of times, even if they ended up having extramarital affairs, their first priority was to their family and life partner.

Keeping all of this in mind, I developed a few headcanons about the nature of Link, Zelda, Yona, and Sidon's relationships to each other.

Link & Zelda

Link's role as Zelda's protector is his absolute top priority; he forewent speaking or even showing emotion in order to fulfill his duties more efficiently. His vow to protect her is sacred, and I would safely say this means he loves her very much.

Zelda views Link as her appointed knight, her dear friend, and her confidante. Her love for him is what fuels her magical abilities.

A marriage between the both of them may happen, but a political match to secure an alliance would be more realistic in Zelda's future.

Sidon & Yona

Sidon is fiercely devoted to his kingdom and his people. He would do everything to keep them safe and secure.

Sidon finds Yona's kind personality and similar devotion to the Domain compatible with his. They share a goal, and that makes for a strong royal match.

Sidon is the only one in line for the throne after the death of his sister. He must take up the role as king and he must secure further heirs to the throne.

As far as arranged marriages go, getting paired up with a childhood friend is kinda like winning the lottery. They both love and trust each other already, so there will be little risk of awkwardness and/or incompatibility.

Yona is supportive of Sidon and Link's relationship, and is not a jealous person.

Sidon's bashfulness around Yona may be due to how she reminds him of his sister, and he feels uncertain about how he will fulfill his role as king by her side.

Link & Sidon

If they have a romantic relationship, it would not overshadow their duties towards their respective kingdoms.

They would visit each other when duty called, or when they were able to take time away from their jobs.

They may communicate day-to-day by letters.

All of this would be excellent fic fodder in my book!

Now onto why I kind of reject some of the more common reactions of Sidlink shippers.

Yona/Sidon/Link throuple

I'm sorry, but I just don't see any chance of attraction between Link and Yona.

Yona and Sidon calling each other pet names does not indicate romantic feelings AT ALL. I call my friends and my pets "my love" too, doesn't mean I'm attracted to them.

Sidon's feelings for Link seem to be miles stronger than his feelings for Yona.

I don't really NEED Link and Sidon to be officially married to each other. I've never seen their relationship that way, honestly, even before TOTK.

The trend of making a ship poly when a canon love interest is introduced is overused and frankly a boring solution. But that is my own subjective opinion.

"Yona was added to straightwash Sidon"

We know almost nothing about Sidon's past. Just because it feels like Yona came in "out of the blue" does not mean she was shoehorned--there is a lot of empty space for her to have been present in his backstory.

Yona and Sidon's marriage is perfectly understandable. He is a prince, she is a princess, of course it would be arranged and political.

Link was gone for a long time. The last time that happened he was gone for 100 years. The Zora were not obligated to wait for him to come back to marry their only heir.

Sidon must produce heirs; there is no one else who can do it, and as far as I know, Zora and Hylians are not reproductively compatible, and even if they were, I doubt two amab (again, as far as I know) characters could reproduce together.

Zora live a lot longer than Hylians. A marriage between them would end fairly quickly in Zora time once the Hylian dies of old age.

Y'all didn't actually think Sidlink would ever be made explicitly canon, right? Speaking as someone who has been a Sidlink shipper since BOTW: be realistic.

That all being said, I haven't actually seen much hate with my own eyes on Yona. Maybe it's because I'm not on Twitter, but on Tumblr I have seen absolutely none, save for the odd meme about Link's jealousy, or gripes about straightwashing as mentioned above.

Anyway, thank you for the ask! If you read this far, I hope it was at least interesting ;;^_^

[swordswoman97]

Okay having finished the Zora's Domain main quest I have thoughts. Below cut for spoiler reasons and because I have a lot of thoughts.

So Yona. She's sure... There I guess.

Look I'm not the first person on the website to complain about Yona, but I still have things to say. I would however like to preface this with the fact that while I do enjoy Sidlink, it's more in a "oh that's a nice ship" way than an "OMG I SHIP IT!" way. I'm also 100% not a Sidon simp. I get why y'all are so into him, but there are other characters I prefer. However, I definitely understand the frustration with Yona, and I have my own issues with her inclusion.

Now I'm not entirely convinced Yona was included just to spite sidlink ships and even less convinced it was just to spite the people who found him hot. Especially considering, I doubt they didn't see the thirst art for Ganondorf and that didn't stop them from letting the designer go whole hog on making him physically attractive. But I'll admit I can't 100% rule out the possibility that sidlink shippers contributed to that decision.

Instead, Yona almost comes off as just being a narrative shortcut by the devs to try and add some explanation to Sidon not immediately jumping into trying to investigate with the player and possibly to try and make it look like Sidon has changed in the 3-5 years since BOTW which, tbh wasn't even necessary. Zoras live a long ass time, I'd guess somewhere between 300 to 500 years. Sidon and the other Zora not actually changing that much as like people would make sense. In Zora terms it hasn't even been that long. As for the arc thing, you could have gotten the same affect by making Sidon afraid of failing his people or heck, if you wanna keep Sidon's fear of losing more people he's close to, have him know about Dorephan's state and have Sidon afraid that if he doesn't keep the water flowing into that chamber clean, he'll lose his father. Same damn affect.

Then you have Yona herself. For one thing she is so flat. Her only personality seems to be that she's nice and she's in love with Sidon. That isn't a character. Then there's her backstory. While more domains of zora makes sense, it's more the fact that any of these domains are still in contact with Hyrule's Zora's Domain that falls flat. We know Yona and Sidon met before the calamity, but you expect me to believe that any of the other domains kept in contact while Hyrule was crawling with guardians, let alone apparently visited enough for Sidon to not completely or at least mostly forget Yona? Where does she even come from? Across the sea? In the sea? Past the desert? Across that giant bottomless pit surrounding Hyrule on two sides? How did she even get here considering everything else going on?

Plus, one of the new monuments (why were those replaced anyway?) confirms that their marriage was arranged, and makes reference to Sidon viewing Yona as a sister... Nintendo what the fuck?! I don't care if Sidon's feelings toward Yona have become "complicated" or whatever he calls it, Sidon marrying someone he viewed as a sister is fucking creepy.

And then their relationship doesn't even seem meaningful. Now part of it is probably the fact that by the time we see Yona and Sidon interact I was already pretty iffy about the whole thing, but the limited screentime we get with them does not work to sell me on the fact that this relationship is actually romantic. They call each other an almost sickening amount of pet names but that just feels weird due to it. Like, there are times Sidon came off less as actually in love with Yona and more as trying to force himself to be. Like this relationship is way too forced to feel like anything but a slap in the face.

Plus tbh while I haven't finished the game, they might redeem themselves later, Yona is just a part of the growing feeling I'm getting that the devs just didn't consider how things fit into the already established lore. Like, why is Ganondorf knocking around when Hyrule is being founded when Hyrule was very much already a thing when Ganondorf first showed up in OOC. How does Sidon have a childhood friend from another domain with the calamity causing problems for the last 100 years? Why do the sages all have the exact same weapons as the champions? And the same models? Like... were these speeches originally supposed to be given by the champions and they switched it at the last second and couldn't be bothered to make new models? I love this game, I am having so much fun, but this story is just... I have so many questions. I really hope things start making more sense as I get farther in.

[thoughtfulstudentsalad]

I don't know how much percentage there is, but I definitely felt like Su-Won is biased towards his father and struggles with some cognitive dissonance regarding him. It is true that he didn't think of revenge immediately, but that could also due to what his father taught him to do. In Xing he was doing some mental backflips to justify Yu-hon's violence "depending on the circumstances".

In the end, we don't fully know how much love Su-Won felt towards his father, and I'm guessing if his prior goal in life was to die for Yu-Hon on the battlefield, that is some pretty... dangerous love there. I always thought that statement of his very odd; normally a parent would want to die before a child, but Su-Won wanted to die for and before his father. Meaning he probably saw his father as more than important than himself? The fact that he says he lived to avenge him also speaks to a potentially dangerous love... even if he doesn't recognize it.

Yu-Hon told him to discard and use deceit against even friends (which he wasn't capable of in the end, but he certainly tried to follow in his father's footsteps). He even told his mother that he would replace Yu-Hon; everything he did in life was basically as his vessel. I can't really see how he is making himself stand out individually from his father - it seems like Yona and Hak are the only people who make him different.

Su-Won definitely gave Il probably 5-7 (at best) years. By the time Hak became Yona's guard and told Su-Won to marry Yona and become the king, Su-Won already knew it wouldn't ever be happening... which was, what, like 2-3 years ago? He was clear intending to take action by then.

We won't know until we get his perspective of all the events that transpired, and I am very much looking forward to that.

EXPLAIN IT TO HAK

I'm sorry but man when I go reread back to when they got back to the castle and see Hak just being clueless about Su-won's motivations (he STILL is behind on some things like what happened between Yu-hon and Il), why is he just blankly sitting there when she says it wasn't just "revenge".

I wish Hak knew more, although it would probably make the story a lot shorter than it is. I really think Yona should have told him more about Yon-hi's diary. Su-won had to be the one who told him about the crimson illness??

I wonder when Hak will find out about everything.

[aylinnworld]

What do you think about Kye-Sook?

Dear anon,

As far as I know nothing changed about his characterization, so I feel he is a disappointment.

Just try to think about his perspective, try to put yourself in his shoes. You were saved by Yuhon and as many people, you would probably feel strongly about person who saved your life.

You have been watching your saviour die from the hands of Il and for years you have been close to his son who turned out to be intelligent and studious, showing himself to be a good ruler material.

Now Yona, you don't know Yona personally. You know she is the daughter of the king who killed the person who saved you. And although you don't know Yona personally, you hear gossips from the palace. I remind you that Min-soo admitted that he knew Keishuk and was telling stuff to him. So you are Keishuk and from this gossip you learn that Yona is a spoiled princess, you most likely know that Yona is in love with Soo-won, but since her father killed the person who saved you may not necessarily be a great fan of Soo-won x Yona, but this depends.

Later you meet Yona and she turns out to have some knowledge about law, but you know that whatever she knows she must have picked up in the last few months after she escaped from the castle. Definitely she would not have the level of preparation that is close to what you have seen with Soo-won, with whom you are closer.

Anyway, the point is in Keishuk's situation would you think about replacing Soo-won with Yona? In my opinion it doesn't make sense.

I think it would make more sense for Keishuk to be super interested and invested in curing Soo-won, even to the point of asking or even begging Yona the Hiryuu reincarnation to end it. You may feel that by saving Soo-won you are in a way able to pay back Yuhon for saving you years ago.

I do not understand how singing praises for Yona makes sense from his perspective.

[solcomfortssouls]

Akatsuki no Yona past arc till chapter 198

I get not wanting priests and religious institutions to have power over the reign and fate of a country. Something that can't be proven, just hanging from the interpretation and decisions of a authority figure that can think stuff up and present it as words of god is crazy

But there was evidence something was working, or the priests wouldn't have been able to sense Yon-Hi's blood

Killing the priests just for knowing, something they have no say in anyway cause they could just sense it, is cruel, pointless and unfair. As charming as Yu-Hon was, that was deplorable

Yo-Hon had some good points, and that's why this issue is complex. But he still wasn't a good person and it was for the best he wasn't s king

Il killed him after his brother killed Kashi...seriosuly Yu-Hon was probably a danger to Yona too

You don't have to kill every person not agreeing with you

I could get around Soo-won making personal sacrifaces of relationships for the sake of the country. I can't get behind him being a creepy psycho as a 9 years old, obsessing over his father's extreme reasonings

Wanting to kill Il immediately for his father's death and just waiting to see if he would be a a good ruler...so cold. What about what caused his death? Killing Kashi? Perpetuating the cycle of hatred and violence in the family? Genuinely wanting to kill him for opposing his father's ideals?

What exactly do you want to accomplish as a king with such a short lifespan?

Death sentence for anyone who finds out about the Crimson illness? Really, even Hak being at danger there? Soo-Won's people really are a bit too eager to solve everything with killing

Also big point - if Soo-Won just wanted to take the throne to help the country, he could have just opposed Il and taken Yona as a wife. No one would suffer, dragons wouldn't have gathered. But no, he wanted to kill Il in retaliation, he enjoyed it.

Also what made Yu-Hon such a great king in people's eyes? Expanding territories means wars, death, violence, greed, power and bigger influence, not necessarily prosperity for the people. Nationalistic war dogs.

Poor Yon-Hi. Poor Kashi. Poor Il. I'm siding with him much more now. Yo-Hon had some good points, but nah. Too brutal, too extreme. Soo-Won following in his footsteps isn't a good thing.

----

Points of criticism towards Il and Kashi:

Il wasn't a good king either. He knew he was too passive and kind to do hard decisions and stand up for himself. He didn't want to be king, but he didn't want Yu-Hon's rule, which I kinda get

People argue Il and Kashi didn't love each other. Il openly states in the letter to Yon-Hi he feels guilty for not showing his feelings for Kashi more, because he loved her very much

Kashi seeing herself just a role, like her kid was a duty? Idk she was traumatized from the fire and seeing everyone's futures also makes one more distant and aware of roles and obligations. There is not proof she didn't love Yona or Il though. We didn't get to see how they acted and what they felt, we had a very distant narrow view through Yon-Hi

Yon-hi, Kashi and Il were way too passive. They didn't take their fates into their hands and just resigned themselves to their roles as parents to the next rulers.

Il could have fought his flaws more...or maybe he just wasn't capable of being a better king. He knew he was just a replacement, but if he didn't want Yo-hon's rule, if he didn't want him to kill Yona after he killed Kashi...I find it kinda justified

Did Yu-Hon truly kill Kashi? It isn't shown, but Yona kinda proves it by calling Soo-Won's assassin out on it, no? And why would they show that scene where Yon-Hi's maid tells Yu-Hon about Kashi being a priestess and telling his wife about king Hiryuu and likening it to Il becoming king...

Yo-Hon didn't confirm it, but he didn't argue it either, justifying himself with his fear of Kashi being a ruse manipulating the king

It's a nuanced conflict because both brothers were kinda right, and both had their flaws. But Yon-Hi's story seems to me like that of a girl who had fallen for a monster - and he did love her all her life, but he killed for her and out of his fears and to protect his family and had no qualms

Soo-Won doesn't have any qualms either. I was reminded of this in the issue of that girl relative of his. He and his subordinates are as quick to kill as Yona's group is to be kind. That's gotta make a difference in many issues and in the overall approach

---

So what will happen now?

Soo-Won will likely die of his illness. There is the question if the trio will be able to make some kind of reconciliation before that. He still seems a bit psychotic to me - not because he sacrifaced Yona for the kingdom, but because he became king through the most violent way(could have just married Yona against Il's will, which is compared to killing him still a coup but a far subtler one), continued the hatred circle (knowing his dad killed Yona's mother), and because he is so eager to kill instead of resolve things. And deciding as a kid on who will and won't kill is a bit too much. Being a child genius doesn't make you emotionally ready for such things. Even his own mother was scared of him. Really sold me on the issue.

Soo-Won still needs to evaluate and maybe recognize Yona as a good possible next ruler.

I get hints from the manga that he already considers Hak a good candidate. Not being bound to a tribe as much, determined and vital, being able to unite kingdoms, incredibly strong fighter and leader, while kind and not recklessly brutal

Yona and Hak will be great rulers. She still needs to learn a lot of stuff, but she has the capabilities alright

I'm curious how they will resolve following questions:

Why did Hiryuu come to earth again? What is his soul in Yona supposed to accomplish? Was she born as a reaction to the priests being burned?

How will the dragons be resolved? Will the cycle end, with our group being the last of their kind? Will Zeno finally find peace in death?

How will the Crimson Illness be solved?

[soo-won]

Letting go - Chapter 259

One thing this chapter makes me think about a lot is, what does "letting go" really mean? Is it something to absolutely aim for? and where does Hak position himself in relation to it today?

Hak is worried above all about the dragons right now, but we know well that he's also making a reference to his experience with Soo-won here. After all, even if Zeno did talk about forgetting them, he never said anything about "letting go" specifically. To let go is however very much something he said word for word about Soo-won in the past (chapter 153). If it wasn't already obvious enough, Hak in his turn makes the parallel between what happened with Soo-won and what is happening now with Zeno.

The end of chapter 153 hinted that even if Hak hasn't reached the point where he can let go of Soo-won yet, this is something that will eventually happen down the road thanks to Yona. And how can we not wish it for him? He suffers from it, it makes him angry, depressed, frustrated, it makes him grieve. Hak has always struggled from Soo-won's betrayal, he first tried to repress the feelings, then started walking a long road of trying to reconnect with and make sense of them, the present and their past together. He was slowly healing, he started being content with having a role in the sky tribe as long as the Yona and the hhb were with him. It was all for the best, everyone was walking in the same direction.

And then chapter 243 happened.

To be honest, when I read chapter 259 I couldn't help but have mixed feelings about this. After all, chapter 243 happened just one year ago, and this chapter devastated me like no story had ever before. This past year I thought hard about chapter 243, I tried to make sense of it in multiple ways and get over the devastation it made me go through. I also needed time, a lot of discussions with friends and the distance to see that yes, it is a chapter where both Soo-won and Hak are at their worst emotionally, and they both give up (among many other things but this isn't a ch243 post) but it won't be the end, it's them both failing to get out of this maze. But I just couldn't accept it. I felt angry. That Hak simply accepted how Soo-won, in a way, pushes him away again and the fact Soo-won will die, be replaced, and there is no hope for him. That he didn't contradict Soo-won saying the country will be fine without him, that this is their goodbye and it's over for them. That Hak will forget what they shared in chapter 61. That Hak is letting go and moving on.

So technically speaking I should be more than happy with chapter 259 and Hak saying he sucks at forgetting and letting go! But well, I got fond of chapter 243 with time. I spent so much time thinking and discussing about it, to engage with it, to question every line and to give them a meaning that slowly started to make more and more sense to me. It became precious to me. Yes I'm this dramatic over a single manga chapter but you have to understand the degree of emotional turmoil it made me go through, it was that bad! Anyway,

So when I read chapter 259, while I feel validated and relieved, I can't also can't help but think "But then, what was chapter 243 for?" What did it change in Soo-won and Hak's relationship? Does it not matter at all anymore because anyway Hak said sike and he actually just can't forget and let go? I can't accept this either. And I don't think that's the case.

And in a way, Hak did let go. But forgetting his dream of walking side by side with Soowon as his equal, on the same path, is different than forgetting Soowon whatsoever. Hak decides he won't remember it anymore and takes a different path. But what does it entail? What does he keep and embrace and what did he let go?

The vow of 10 years that tied Soo-won to the people following him, and the vow of 10 years that tied Hak to him. The formers cling to it, not taking into consideration Soo-won's true self and his ability to change. It chains him. It forces him to act not as his real self, but as the ideal image they project on him. They don't respect what the real Soowon wants, they try to make him the Soo-won that /they/ want. Soo-won changed from 10 years ago and corresponds to neither their ideal, neither Hak's. That's why it was so violent for Hak in 243. Hak couldn't see Soo-won's own circumstances, experience and current struggles and even less accept them. But in chapter 251, Hak doesn't let this vow chain them anymore, and in a way, that helped him gain confidence in the entirety of their history together instead of clinging into one aspect of it, no matter how precious it is to him. So I believe Hak needed chapter 243 to realize he was again projecting on Soo-won, and he needed to part ways to put things into perspective right now with the Zeno plot, so for that it's a good thing.

Still, when I put chapter 243 and 259 together, when Hak said he would forget his past vow to Soo-won and that there was no need to remember it anymore, I still think it was also him giving up, not having the strength to fight back because yeah, what can Hak or Soo-won even do about the Crimson Illness? Soo-won himself is convinced he will die, that he will be replaced and things will be perfectly fine without him, and so that he has to let go of Yona and Hak because what they want is the dragons, not him. He's not completely wrong, but this is not taking into account that both of them still care for Soo-won and want him to be there. That it's not about being replaceable or not, that they can care for the dragons and still want Soo-won to live for no other reason than because he is Soo-won. This is something Hak and Soo-won have both been struggling with since they said goodbye, and they are still coming to term in their own pace that they actually don't want things to end there.

Hak let go of his vow of walking by his side as his equal, but he still cares, he still can't forget, and he needed Yona to put it simply into words for him. It's okay to still feel conflicted, to carry contradictory feelings. What is undoubtely there is he wants him to live and to be there. That even apart, even when his priority is saving his friends and protecting Yona, Soo-won is still a part of him and he can't just erase him from his life. And it's fine. I don't think he should have to if ultimately putting things with Soo-won behind him, letting him go, hurts him so much. He deals with things differently than Yona and he doesn't have to do the same as her if that's not what is good to him. Yona shows that even after letting go of the hairpin, it still doesn't mean she can't think of Soo-won and wish for him to live. Letting go isn't erasing someone's existence from your life, it can just be taking a different path without tearing the bond apart.

But what this all makes me think about is, maybe letting go, in the sense of completely putting things behind them, is precisely the problem with Soo-won and Zeno. They're too good at it. We know they struggle to do it completely and honestly, but they are much better at killing their feelings than Hak, and they're able to at least act and pretend as if they were really letting go. What is so similar between Soo-won and Zeno besides betraying Yona and Hak to accomplish their respective goal and their tendency to hide their most unpleasant feelings, is that they are driven by the conviction that they have no other choice. Why does Soo-won discard people, his soldiers, prisoners, his friends? Because he doesn't believe in a path where he can keep them that wouldn't compromise the rest of the country. Before the coup, despite how much he longed for it, Soo-won couldn't believe a future with Yona and Hak by his side would ever be possible. So he gave up this dream, he acted with this fact in mind, he didn't try to pursue it. A self fulfilling prophecy. Chapter 243 was the same. And Zeno now is exactly the same as well. He doesn't believe in any other solution he could come up with together with Yona. He does what he does because if he doesn't, he is convinced he won't have another chance to be free and to end the cycle. Soo-won pretended the one they knew never existed, while Zeno pretends he already forgot them and that they should do the same.

They push them away, they tell themselves that Hak will protect Yona anyway and they will be fine without them. They let go, put an end to their bonds themselves in an (probably unconscious) attempt to have some agency on the end rather than to wait to be left behind.

But Yona's grip is strong, and despite everything Hak sucks at letting go. For their friends and for Soo-won and anyone on their path. And maybe it is important too to not let go. To be stubborn and selfish about it. To not leave anyone behind, to not avert your eyes from those in the shadows. Maybe "to let go" isn't something to wish for as an absolute solution to grief. Maybe letting go just brings more pain sometimes and is the killer of trying to fight for a better solution. Maybe there is worth in keeping what is precious to you close to your chest and fighting for it against all odds.

Honestly, as I write this I am not even sure of the answer. Zeno does deserve rest and to be allowed to go. And I can't tell if Hak will let go of Soo-won for good in the end. There is definitely a lot of good out of letting people and things go sometimes, even in Hak's case. It gives him the space to explore his feelings and come to term with them, and I don't expect him to live his life with anyone but the HHB. But all I feel is, surely, there is a better way to say goodbye. A way to say goodbye not out of resignation and despair. A way for them to listen to their hearts and be honest with their feelings. So I can only wait and keep faith for it, as I watch the characters slowly but surely try to change their fate and not submit to it.

[soo-won]

I mean the original post was just about the color page and the story suddenly focusing on something related to Suwon that I would have never expected but yeah. I'm scared as usual but I'm also very curious...Are we finally heading towards some kind of coup crew arc that will lead to Suwon adressing his stance on Yuhon(tm) now?(having smth like a "coup crew arc" would be too good to be true i know but maybe some development on Keishuk and Judo's side at least? Hyuri coming back from the dead even???), or is it just a development for the sake of making Yona know about Suwon's plan? Or maybe so Kija transforms and vanishes too?

I don't want to judge these "shadows" too soon either. I'm at the same time glad they exist and that they can't agree with the way things are going but also frustrated because they came so late lmaooo and it seems to me that they project a lot on Suwon. They decided to support him in the first place because they thought he could replace and fulfill Yuhon's ambitions so... :( (funny to notice they made a vow irt Suwon 10 years ago, just like Hak, that let it go recently but anyway) and they're obviously unreasonable here because attacking the ddhhb will only make things worse... It's the constant dilemma of "Am I content with at least some of my negative feelings having a proxy or would I rather do without if they're gonna be framed as pure evil and/or stupid for them" with akayona lol...But idk that'd be nice if they're not just people that will underestimate and belittle Yona AGAIN and that it will be more about ideals and maybe the conflict of "should we fight for Suwon the person or for Kouka and the future?". Wait and see!

But anyway as long as it's all we have I rejoice that we're getting something! I'd also have things to say about Suwon reduced to just...sleeping (probably) for a while but I admit I like when chapters are so much about him even when he does and says nothing Iike wow... his power...

soowoning time

[only4soo-won]

Right!

And that's why I want him to cry and let go off all the pain & agony he's suppressed inside of him. He's just pushing himself forward, entirely avoiding his own conditions so that they can't distract him from his responsibilities. But it's about time he should realise it. I want him to care for himself, to care for his happiness. He's always considered himself as a replacement of others...."Yona has lost her mom & feeling so low, ok I'll make her smile! Mother is devastated after father's death, ok I'll be his replacement for her! The country will fall apart if I don't act like a grown up, ok I'll take the whole responsibility then!"

He's grown up like that & thinks that's the best way to handle the situation for him. So he needs to get over with it & decide for what he wishes...not for others but for himself. He should realise that life isn't just a means to fulfil others expectations or responsibilities....there's more to it. And I think that will be the character development for him since that's the flaw he has as a character.

Rereading chapter 196, and Su-won’s whole reaction to his father’s death is so... off!

It’s just even bizarre to see a child reacting like this. He’s so freaking calm hearing his uncle stabbed his father from behind, when his supporters are saying how despicable a move that was. Maybe he hasn’t processed Yu-Hon’s death entirely? Like it hasn’t… sunk in? He’s just going by the motions? So clinically detached?

NOW he’s like, “HOW DESPICABLE!”

only when he’s alone does he actually bother to reflect on Yu-Hon’s death and when he does… he looks like he’s gone freaking crazy. Like the bulged eyes, the raging fire… he’s lost it.

That juxtaposition, geez. In reality, any child would be making the above face to the adults. But he refused to let anyone see his pain.

Did he ever cry over it? We don’t even see it. Did he have time to cry? We don’t see that either. If he has never had time to cry… is he even fully sane? 

Yu-Hon and him are similar like this, right? I don’t know. What did Yu-Hon teach his son?!

For real something I’d want to know is just… how Su-Won has viewed this world ever since he’s been born. Does he see himself as born with these burdens? Does he see these burdens as something he chose? 

Just how he viewed everything around him. How he views himself. His life philosophies. I want it not by dialogue, I want it all in first person. “Back when I was a child and since, I used to think…” and so forth.

edit: So apparently the translation was not despicable but cowardly, but makes little difference in regards to Su-Won’s reaction.