#when it is going to cost them both a throne and also definitely get them stepped on and burned to a crisp by a fucking dragon

[acediscowlng]

watching hot/d because i have nothing better to do and i am about as engaged with it as i am with g/ot, which is to say that I'm not at all but i can't make myself stop watching anyway

but i do have to say that dedicating an entire episode to deal with the fallout of a girl, that is both famously a dragon rider and part of the weird foreign incest sex family, possibly not being a virgin anymore is fucking wild

[readychilledwine]

The Fashion of Fear

Happy @sjmvillainweek Day 6!

I was pretty excited when we all decided fashion was a must for this week. I am looking forward to this prompt a lot. Without the Maasverse being made into a TV show or movies, it allows us as the readers to create our own imagery and ideas behind the fashion, the places, etc. I want everyone to keep that in mind today as they go through everyone's headcanons, artwork, fics, and mood boards. How I saw a character may not be how you did and that is the magic of reading. Take it as an opportunity to discuss things! Message a creator and ask about their ideas!

Also, keep in mind that it's very common for women to get to live out fantasy and have these amazing gowns and outfits from fandom culture custom made. It isn't as common for men, which is a shame and it needs to be more normalized, so we are going for vibes on some of these. Bare with me

🗡Villains Week Masterlist🗡Master Masterlist🗡

Ps.. a message from Liz at the end

Beron Vanserra -

I firmly believe Lucien and Eris get their fashion sense from Beron. The male thrives on control and power. Fashion throughout history has been a sign of power

Beron perfers rich warm jewel tone colors. Deep olives, wine reds, plum purples. These tones used to be considered "weathy" in our real-life history. The dyes to make them were very expensive, so having clothing in those deep colors was a sign of status. Purples especially, look up "Tyrian Purple" for more history 💕

Beron also adds elements of nature into his wardrobe. Elements of leaves, vining, and other filigree are pretty common signs of his clothing for the maid who handles his clothing.

Controversial, but let me explain, I think Beron would be the most likely to have a crown of antlers of the High Lords. I know this is commonly associated with Tamlin, but Autumn is a season representing by harvest and hunt. A sign of a prized buck and stag will be it's rack (the antlers) and there are trophy hunters who will wait to find the perfect set and hunt for that purpose instead of food *side note Liz has issues with all forms of trophy hunting so, let's not dive into this one* It makes the most sense that Beron, High Lord of the Court that would be most associated with hunting, would have a crown and possibly throne of antlers.

I think shades of red are the most common in Beron's wardrobe. A tribute to his wife and one of the only signs of his twisted form of love for her.

Keir-

I also know male corsets are associated with Rhysand frequently, but I like to think they're actually fairly common. This goes back to the history of the item in our world. I just warped it for ACOTAR Liz Lore. Corsets also used to be seen as a sign of nobility due to how they constricted movement. It was a symbol of wealth that showed the wearer was essentially so wealthy they didn't *have* to move

Keir is in the Night Court. He has no choice but to daddy. I feel this mood board definitely speaks for itself, but I like to indulge.

I think Night court fashion, even in Hewn City, would be sleek with signs of sex appeal. Open buttons on shirts, tight fitted trousers, surprise lace detailing. Skin is a sign of high fashion. Just in some places, not all of the members of the Court get to partake.

Keir loves ornate details. Something to draw attention to himself. He prefers hand stitched everything. His wardrobe cost a pretty gold mark because of that.

I think he'd lean towards golds due to Rhysand leaning towards silvers, but black and silver will always symbol the Night Court, so that color pairing is in most of his clothing

I love the idea that Rhysand and keir secretly influence each other's fashion. A constant one upping battle to see who is ahead of the newest trends and curves first. They're both absolutely blind to the fact that this symbolic power struggle has made them the curve. They are both the moment. Absolute icons to the seamstresses and fashion world.

Amarantha-

I firmly believe Amarantha is a snake of many colors. I think her fashion sense would show that.

Amarantha as an emissary to Pyrthian would have adapted, purchasing fashion from all 7 courts to ensure she did not stand out too much.

That act of appreciation turns into an act of cruelty as she spends 50 years tainting each courts fashion. Everytime she's targeting a certain High Lord, she's wearing symbols of his court and it sticks.

I believe, regardless of the Court she mocking, Night Court's sex appeal plays into the design. Amarantha knows she is beautiful. She was never used to hearing no from a male. It makes sense that she'd use fashion to brag about what she knows are her finest assets.

Maeve-

The queen arrived.

I see Maeve in moody colors like dark jewel tones, blacks, and blues so deep that light seems to fall into them.

Maeve priorities comfort in footwear in my head. She pulls out heels for special occasions, but she is a flats girlie. Preferably flats with arch support.

Maeve, like Amarantha, loves to look and feel luxurious and expensive. Hand sewn beadwork and crystals are a must for her.

Maeve loves unique designs that pull elements from nature or architecture. Twisting vines, antler, filigreed lace work. These are things very common in Maeve's closet

Maeve is also known to mix up fabrics. Buttery cottons, high-end organza and gossamer, rare wools. The more expensive, the better.

She also isn't afraid of different silhouette styles. Ballgown, mermaid, aline. Maeve knows her body, and she knows her body will work for everything.

Pollux-

Everyone say, "Liz is sort of down bad for Pollux, and we forgive her." That damn line about him and his heavy cock... 🙄

Pollux leans to casual and comfort, preferring the gym over lavish outtings.

He is definitely the male your mother cried and begged you to stay away from, though.

Tight suits, buttons undone, shoes that properly match the belt. When Pollux goes all out, he goes all out in the newest fashions.

His streetwear is a mix of his suits and athletic wear. But he treats the public to the sight of him in a sweater with a leather jacket and tight jeans frequently.

Pollux is very clean cut fashion. Clean lines, not too much. Not distracting from his good looks and big wings. Very mindful of others who want to admire him, very classy, not too fashion forward and loud. Very demure.

His clothes are custom tailored. That's it. That's the headcanon. They all fit him as if he were poured into them.

Also, yes, Liz acknowledges this board is very eye candy.

The Viper Queen-

She inspired fast fashion. This is the icon we all follow on tiktok, drooling as she styles her exclusive wardrobe with pieces we think we have then can't pull off.

Very high fashion. The Viper Queen walks into stores and requests the latest lines. She pays for them in full.

During casual times, one would never suspect this is a full boss bitch. Her streetwear is very playful, still pulling in elements of high-grade materials, but she manages to blend into society when she wants to.

During her fights, you'll find her easily. Gowns that command attention, sparkling crystals, smooth silks, peeps of soft skin under netting.

She is the queen in her domain and everyone knows it.

Ankle bootie heels. With red bottoms. Don't know why. Don't ask questions. I can't explain it. It is just a feeling I can not shake.

General Taglist:

@hnyclover @glitterypirateduck @slytherinindisguise @mischiefmanagers @bloodicka @starsinyourseyes @the-sweet-psycho @mariahoedt @rinalouu @sarawritestories @starryhiraeth @starswholistenanddreamsanswered @cumuluscranium @loneliestluvr @eternallyelvish @azrielsmate3 @daughterofthemoons-stuff @meritxellao @aria-chikage @hungryforbatboys @lilah-asteria @fandomrejects @sleepybesson @tayswhp @itsswritten @milswrites @littlest-w01f

Ps from Liz:

I want to apologize for my Villain's Week things being late. You know when you read so much it makes you question what you're doing (other writers will)? That has happened to me this week. I'm being very careful to avoid touching things so I don't mass delete and give up. I'm giving myself a little grace and only touching the last edits when I am in the mood too 💕

They will all be posted, hopefully, by Sunday/Monday.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Fancy helping me surprise my husband with a fantastic gift?

His XBox One is no longer reading discs. It also likes to randomly disconnect from the internet. The machine is old, and getting it repaired costs more than getting a new one. Thing is, we don't wanna buy a new XBox One when an XBox Series X is available ($500 USD). Series X has a disc drive, Series S does not.

I have the XBox Series X pinned on my Throne wishlist. My hope is, after paying off the medical bills (done) and the Care Credit vet bill ($1300) with quilt sales, I can surprise my husband with an XBox Series X. He can play more of his games and be able to relax...and get Baldur's Gate 3 for XBox because it's something we both wanna play. My PC needs a new graphics card before I can play this game on it, and I haven't the necessary skills (nor money) to install one.

If y'all wanna help me surprise my husband with a gift, you can do so two ways:

Purchase my work and help me pay off the Care Credit bill. I'll be turning the three finished quilt tops into finished quilts over the next three months, then listing them in my shop. Commissions open in March for my members, April for everyone else.

Donate to my Throne crowd funding thing I have pinned on my list. It's specifically for the XBox. Donations to my Ko-Fi go towards the bill goal, not towards the XBox.

My website:

Ideally, I would have the funds by February. February was once the worst months of the year for me. Something traumatizing happened to me, resulting in PTSD and me, more or less, avoiding everyone and everything. That has changed over the last five years, and now it's just another month. It would be nice to celebrate it with a gift for him. Plus, there's the benefit of him being able to play more of his games.

Yes, we each have separate consoles. He also has his own room with his DnD stuff, a sofa, desk, TV, XBox, films, and games. Separate spaces is vital for us, and has made a massive difference.

After he has his gift, and I'm not telling him about this because I wanna make a surprise, I'll focus on putting all my funds towards paying off the new water heater. An XBox Series X for myself is definitely a yes, later in 2024, because I wanna play Baldur's Gate 3. Plus, other new games are coming out that will require a new console. Maybe we'll be able to get the console for my 41st bday in June? We shall see!

[theforgottenmcrmy]

live reactions to house of the dragon season 2, episode 3

this is still for my own amusement, but as always, I’m open to polite discussion🖤

spoilers below the cut

Still loving this new intro, is it just me, or is it changing with each episode? it’s definitely changing, right?

Ooooooo we’re getting right into the Bracken and Blackwoods, let’s freaking go! 👏🏻

Lmao, everyone calling Rhaenyra a kinslayer, conveniently forgetting Aemond threw the first stone with Luke

Blackwoods standing on business, as usual 💅

Wait that transition was💀 We’re not even into the thick of the war yet, and look at the cost…

Rhaenyra “I cannot fault him for keeping his oath” you’re too good for this world ma’am

Rhaenys spitting stone cold facts. And so poetically too.

This might be a hot take, but I don’t feel like Rhaenys suggesting Rhaenyra make another attempt at peace with Alicent would be a weak move. She’s right on the money with suggesting they’re both largely backed into their respective corners by the men who surround them. One last attempt at peace, woman to woman, is not a sign of weakness (in my opinion at least).

Crispy Cole having imposter syndrome already?!💀👀

this man has the balls to abandon his duty to canoodle with the dowager queen, but can’t take the position of Hand in stride with a bit more confidence?

Lmao, Aegon’s own council doubting him and Cole already😂😂😂

Daeron mentioned again, I want to see the Blue Queen let’s go 🤞🏻

Aemond holding onto that same coin, interesting…

Cole really having a chuckle at Ser Arryk’s death as though he did not single handedly sentence him to that death. And a few people are still disputing that this guy has to be one of the worst ever in Westeros?

I’m pretty sure Aemond’s trying to bait Aegon here, plant some doubt in his head about his suitability to actual fighting in the war🤔

Mysaria, the voice of the small folk

Does this mean Laenor’s dead? And it was recent? I can’t help but think Seasmoke at least would have tried to follow him years ago when he left… and if he’s just recently become restless, what changed?

I understand why Rhaenyra is asking what she is of Rhaena, and I don’t think she’s doing it to hurt Rhaena at all. But Rhaena, that poor girl🥲 she needs to have her moment, even if it’ll take a few episodes or longer. Not to prove her worth to others, but to herself.

Also, definitely getting Daemon vibes from her, in terms of wanting to prove herself

HARRENHAL, here we go! 👻

I know this is supposed to be serious and hall because Harrenhal is haunted, but Daemon sneaking around Scooby Doo style waiting for something to come at him is so unintentionally funny to me

Speaking of Scooby Doo, not the bat flyby😂

Also, Daemon’s armor is sickkk.

Wonder if Daemon ever thought, “This is where Rhaenyra’s last serious lover died. So wtf am I doing here?!👀”😂😂😂

Daemon “knock out guard first, ask questions later” Targaryen

“I’m claiming Harrenhal.” (Tywin Lannister voice): “Any man who has to say he claims a castle did not truly claim the castle at all”

It was so anticlimactic too😂 you will not convince me that the writers don’t know what they’re doing, rightfully throwing in these sort of bits to diffuse the tension

Alys Rivers, that you?!?!?!👀

Simon Strong disowning Larys😂 we love to see it.

Sin begets sin begets sin. This line has no right to go so hard-

“The throne?”

“It’s a big chair, made of swords.”

Music this season is (not surprisingly) serving as always

Do you think Ser Gwayne has his suspicions about Criston and Alicent yet?🤔

This man is so bold, I stg- if you’re that bold, Ser Crispy, why don’t you show Aemond what you just received from his mother? Or better yet, Aegon?

It’s kind of ironic, how Cole has probably deluded himself to thinking he finally has this great courtly and noble love with the widowed queen- all without seeing the hypocrisy of it all.

Rhaenyra needs to set these men straight. I cannot believe how quick they are to suggest she go into hiding. She’s already made plans to send her most vulnerable children away to safety. You cannot convince me that, were she a man, her councilors would not even dare to make this suggestion to her.

Rhaenys steadfast support of Rhaenyra is going to make the inevitable hurt that just more.

Rhaenys suggesting Rhaena become the heir to Driftmark?👀 I like the idea tbh

This is the last time we see them have a one on one conversation, isn’t it?🫥

Chillllllllllls with the dragon eggs. Morning is coming.

Joffrey😓 and Viserys and Aegon.

Helaena trying to rationalize her son’s death.😭 And still acknowledging the small folk…

Also, poor Helaena forgiving her mother🥲 she’s a better woman than me, because I could never.

Larys, the pot stirrer. I swear this man’s only motivation in life is chaos.

But I do have to wonder, is his allegiance really to Aegon, or is it some backwards attempt to keep Aegon safe to garner Alicent’s favor still?

Her name is escaping me rn, but not the poor girl who Aegon assaulted STILL being assaulted by men at her new job😭

I get the desire to make the connection with the audience that Ulf has to Targaryens, but of alll the people the writers could have chosen from, choosing Viserys and Daemon’s father doesn’t sit well with me. Not saying it is impossible, but from what we know of Baelon and Alyssa’s relationship, it just doesn’t seem super likely he’d have a lot of bastards running around out there.

Ulf, already showing his turncoat ways🫢

Oh Lordy, that’s a bit graphic

Aegon, still being a terrible bully to his younger brother. Great to see how little his truly changed over the years.

Oh Lordy, the Aemond girlies are going to go absolutely feral after this scene———

Daemon might have been the one to call him Ser Crispin, but his daughter is about to make the name become a reality 😂👏🏻

Just the foreshadowing of Rook’s Rest is already too much for me personally🥲

Here we go, more mystery solving antics from detective Daemon…

🫨🫨🫨

Now if that man didn’t truly love Rhaenyra in his own way (or at least have some guilt over what he had done) why the hell would he have had that reaction to that vision?

The Sept?👀

SEPTA RHAENYRA👏🏻

The new Kingsguard members might not have even recognized Rhaenyra if they had seen her

Alicent swearing on the memory of her mother, just like Rhaenyra had years before🫢

Literally seeing a lightbulb moment go off in Rhaenyra’s head-

Ooooooooooo god, Alicent realizing all this started because of a misunderstanding and her hearing what she wanted to hear👀

And of course, she has to double down. It’s already gone too far.

I do have to pity Alicent a little here. Just like Cersei, she has to admit that she knows her son has become a monster she cannot control.

Alicent can think she is taking the upper hand now, but the next time she sees Rhaenyra, it’s likely to be another story😏

Chillllllllls for next week’s preview

[bonesandthebees]

I am not snowflake anon but I wanna know more about your thoughts about Dumai and Nikeya

aaaa yes more people to ramble about a day of fallen night to!!!! ok will be putting my thoughts under a read more for spoilers

warning this got, uh, longer than I expected

so firstly with dumai in general, I loved the parallels between her and glorian. both had their positions of power thrust upon them unexpectedly (glorian expected to have many more years before she had to take the throne, dumai literally didn't even know she was royalty until like a few days before she went and had to claim her title as princess), both were seen as the sole hope for their houses, both were struggling to find their power amidst the politics of it all. but their endings were so different. in a way, glorian got the bad ending while dumai got the good ending. glorian is forced to have a child. she never gets to live in hróth and has to reject her birthright to it. she saves her people, but at the cost of herself. (of course, she does reclaim parts of herself in any way she can and becomes the warrior queen she always wanted to be, but there was still so much she had to give up and she ended up trapping her daughter in the same cycle)

meanwhile, dumai is also to save her people, but doesn't lose herself in the process. yes, she has to give up her magic and yes, she can't be with her wife in the way she wants to. but she doesn't have to bear a child to continue the house of noziken. she's able to go back to ipyeda and become the maiden officiant like she always wanted. dumai's ending is as close to a good ending as she could have and I think it's such a well done contrast between the two dream sisters.

now for dumai and nikeya specifically, ohhhhh I loved their relationship so much. the two of them have such an interesting dynamic. it takes so long for dumai to trust nikeya. and it's interesting how deeply-rooted dumai's dislike/distrust of the kuposa is when she's barely been in this world for a year. she didn't know anything about the kuposa clan until she learned who her father was. but she heard they were conniving and scheming and wanted to control the house of noziken and took that to heart. of course the river lord being responsible for the death of her grandfather and also just being an overly polite passive aggressive asshole to her definitely contributed, but I was definitely surprised how stubbornly dumai held to her distrust of nikeya. but at the same time I understand it because dumai has never loved something like she loved nikeya before. it wasn't only her distrust of nikeya because she was a kuposa, but dumai not wanting to open herself up to being hurt like that.

and nikeya... ohhhh I really really loved her as a character. I love how even in the earlier parts of the book from dumai's POV you can see her desire to be seen as more than her father's daughter. wanting to cut the strings he's using to puppet her and be her own person. how she genuinely cares about seiiki and wants to make sure dumai will be a good ruler. she struggles against the way she's been raised to be and reconciling it with the person she wants to be. she had to fight so hard to forge her own identity, especially in dumai's eyes. as she falls for dumai you can see her so desperately wanting dumai to see her as her own person instead of just as a reflection of her father. and I think, like dumai, that despite the drawbacks her ending is one of the best it could be. of course for nikeya the ending she would've chosen would've been her and dumai co-ruling with suzu as their heir, but dumai wouldn't have been happy being stuck at court. her soul always belonged on ipyeda and I think nikeya knew that. but the ending she gets instead is one where her talents/skills in court can flourish, and she can make sure seiiki turns into what she wants it to be. she can ensure it's ruled properly and make sure it's prepared for the new age they're now living in.

I think it's also so interesting that her family ate from the mulberry tree. I am so desperate for more information on the mulberry tree and neporo and all of that so I really hope eventually we get more information on how nikeya's family ties into that!!

(also, the fact that nikeya is a descendant of someone who ate from the mulberry tree and apparently still has enough siden in her blood to make her immune to the red sickness makes me wonder if sabran IX from priory would've been immune as well? since tunuva is one of her ancestors? just questions buzzing around my head)

anyway just. yeah. dumai and nikeya I love you both wish you could've had a normal marriage but I hope nikeya made plenty of trips to ipyeda for 'guidance from the godsingers' throughout her time as warlord ;)

[daisywords]

2 and/or 19 for the book asks?

2. top 5 books of all time?

okay favorites are really hard for me so here's just five I happen to like (in no particular order):

the Kingkiller Chronicles: my problematic fave. people have plenty of valid criticisms of these books and I'm like yeah that's literally so true and I just continue to reread them anyway I just enjoy them sm okay like yeah it's the ultimate mary sue character that's literally The Point okay and meanwhile I'm just going to get lost in the allure of this fantasy world. So rereadable

Ender's Game: one of the books of all time. what can I say

Ryria Revelations Trilogy: I wish more people had read these. Your classic high fantasy but like...really good. Great characters literally all of them are blorbo material can we talk about Arista Essendon my beloved, and Myron, and Fanen Pickering my dearest, and Amelia!!! and Wesley our favorite boy, and ofc Hadrian Blackwater, and Royce Melborne who. how could you not be obsessed with him? and the plot comes together so nicely. just perfect series progression. and also Saldur one of the most effective villains I have ever read. anyway I'll shut up but please read these

Queen's Thief series: new addition from this year! I devoured this series so fast and yet it's so rich. I feel like I could study these for years. I need to own them so I can reread and reread and get everything I missed. Unlike anything else I have ever read—seriously how can something be so twisty and unstated and sincere all at once? Also Sophos owns my heart now <3

Fablehaven series: beloveds. Yeah these are for kids or whatever but they Hold Up. Brandon Mull really said we're just going to include every cool fantasy concept I can think of and just pulled it off. Really enjoyable the whole way through and really well-structured as a series. Lovable characters. I read these when I was the target audience and I kept rereading them and I literally just stole them from home when I was there over Thanksgiving so I could read them again

19. most disliked popular books?

Okay so fun story once for my birthday or Christmas or something it was after I got a kindle and I got as a gift an amazon gift card to buy ebooks. Anyway so I, a teenage fantasy fan, decided to foray further into the world of YA fantasy and I did something I don't usually do, which is buy books I haven't already read.

I bought Throne of Glass and Graceling and I hated both of them. Literally reading like oof I spent money on this. (I went of a few years later to continue the Throne of Glass series because someone told me the later books changed drastically and were way better...well there was definitely some whiplash but it did not get better. I was like okay Sarah you could have just started a new series? anyway not trying to turn this into a full-on rant so I'll shut up.) Graceling...no shade if you like that book I don't think it was objectively that bad but just very much not for me.

Also I think I've mentioned this before but I made it through A Farewell to Arms and The Sun Also Rises and I think I've earned the right to be done with Hemingway. Yes his prose is good but at what cost like I hate all of these people and I do not want to read about them

book asks

[moe-broey]

OKAY. I'm having Thoughts about the recent chapters....

Henriette knows more than she's letting on. I feel very strongly that Alfonse knows something as well. Unfortunately it seems like Sharena doesn't know anything. But I have thoughts about that too...

I'm thinking about Valentine's Henriette's crit quotes, "I AM holding back", "That power, never again...", "I don't want to lose control". I'm thinking about how she's been treated during the story so far. How despite hinting at having great power, she was easily defeated and severely injured in the last book. And in this book, how Alfonse insists on keeping her safe in the castle, away from conflict, which I think is very interesting as well.

I mean, it does make a lot of sense when you consider all the factors at play here! There's what happened previously (and recently I should add), the fact that she IS his mom, and on top of that she's the queen currently ruling over an entire country. Of course Alfonse would be worried and have both emotional and practical reasons to want to protect her. (I also think it's interesting how he feels the need to protect his mom, a parental figure who should be protecting him instead... this is more an observation about Alfonse himself, and the lofty amount of responsibility he puts on to himself. Like yeah, there are plenty of cases where it's normal for a parent's child to want their parents safe! But I almost feel like the roles have been reversed here? Then again I am only going off of so much limited information).

I feel like we're definitely missing information here though. Information that I wonder if Alfonse knows.

It's VERY likely that Henriette is hiding a dormant power that is unstable if provoked. And if she's always trying to keep it in check, at all costs, that would explain why she was taken down so easily. She'd rather be defeated in battle than lose control (perhaps fearing the destruction her power could cause?).

In these recent chapters we learn more about Askr, the dragon god, and we learn that the Askran royal family IS blessed with dragon blood. I wonder if it's anything like Fates, where the royals do have dragon blood but only a few select people can actually transform into dragons (like Corrin). Thinking about it from this angle too, Corrin was unstable when they transformed and only gained control over their dragon form when Azura helped them and gave them a Dragon Stone.

I'm just spitballing though lmaoo, but going with this idea? And going with the idea that Alfonse knows his mom's situation, I feel like everything starts to make a lot of sense. Maybe he was told of it, being the crown prince who's expected to take the throne, or maybe he found out by accident. And whether or not he was told to hide this information from Sharena, I think he would naturally hide it from her anyway. To protect her? To not cause worry? "My brother prefers not to burden me. I suppose that could mean he thinks I'm not up to the task." Sharena says it herself! If Alfonse can do anything to protect her, he will. Even if it means sheltering her, and taking all the responsibility for himself.

Anyway it's nothing conclusive, I'm sure we're gonna learn all about it in future chapters, I think Sharena should get in a fight with Alfonse that results in her getting more agency, being babied less, and him trusting and relying on her more. Also hoping and praying that Henriette doesn't die KSJSKSKSKSHSKJDSK (YOU KNOW HOW IT IS WITH FE PARENTS)

[thoughtfulstudentsalad]

Very interesting discussion! Had a few thoughts I wanted to add.

Potential is not seen, it is sensed. When something is “displayed” it’s already a talent or an ability, not potential. You can sense it based on the person's qualities and conversations with them, the way they think. Inner strength, intelligence, determination, empathy, Yona had them from the beginning. What I call potential here is Yona’s good qualities. She was spoiled, naive and oblivious yes, but not empty, not shallow and not dumb.

Yeah, and that's kind of the thing here: Su-Won never saw those sides to her until later. Though I don't think he saw her as an absolute buffoon, he definitely didn't think she had it in her to rule a nation or lead armies. Partly because she's the offspring of Il, so she might be weak-hearted like Il and not handle truths well, and it was too much of a risk. That's definitely why he tells her this:

I know he tells his mother that he should separate Yona and Il, but here we see the contradiction. I think Il's whole ideology about her being a supreme god of everything or whatever and Su-Won's distaste of it wasn't making it easy to recognize her outside of that.

He even says it after seeing her show her capabilities in previous scenes, so there clearly was that nagging thought in his head.

There are other reasons I will add.

First, I will add that in perhaps in Su-Won's eyes, Yu-Hon had "seen" Il's potential and was willing to accommodate him/put him first at the cost of losing his throne, but what did he get in return? Stabbed in the back.

Su-Won had once admired how Yu-Hon put Il first... he also had believed that King Il was not a coward, but kind. But perhaps after Yu-Hon's death, I wondered if Su-Won saw Yu-Hon's accommodation of Il as a fatal weakness of his father's.

It's not very clear.

But if that is the case, then while this isn't confirmed, it's possible Su-Won might have thought, "why should I accommodate Yona after seeing what my father got from accommodating Il?" Again this isn't confirmed, but he may have been less willing and inclined to accommodate Yona and recognize any potential she had after what happened to his father. That is maybe why he didn't lift that box, and put it second, unlike his father who had put Il's box first.

Also another thing I haven't seen others mention is that there was actually a time he questioned Il about why he was isolating Yona from accessing the outside world -

Only to be rebuffed, and that impacted him from speaking up about it from then on, I guess. He does mention it again to Hak though, and for a second, even thinks that isolation is his fault.

In the first instance, he first wondered if Il should raise Yona differently from how he was currently, but then it turned into him wondering if Il and Yona both thought he was unpleasant. So in this case, he might have considered if Yona would side with Il despite whatever he said.

To Su-Won, talking to Yona about politics/war strategy/leaving the castle were probably topics that were completely off the table. Remember, when he invites Yona to ride a horse in chapter 1, Il is right there screaming at him, and he has to explain that there is no archery involved. With Hak at least, he had this freedom.

There is also the issue of Kashi and however Su-Won investigated into that/what conclusions he came to, which we still need to figure out.

And the scene where Il forbids him from entering the mausolem, he never spoke up about it after that. At least we don't see him do it in any scenes shown thus far. But he avoided it, just like Il told him to do, until after killing him. Clearly speaking up to Il until then wasn't an option anymore. It could cause trouble.

Yona is naturally compassionate and very stubborn, she would even go against her father if she found out how people suffer. A striking example is how she defended Soo-won, until the very end, despite what her father said about him.

Yep, and he didn't see that until the very moment he killed him. Lol.

It makes me wonder if the three of them were real friends at all. What was their friendship based on if they never talked about their real feelings, troubles or shared secrets together? What kind of friends were they if none of them understood or trusted one another? That’s not friendship.

Yeah, I would at least think he could have tried to confide with Hak about the wrong ways Il ruled, since Hak was the big brother type and had a thick skull and mental strength. But he probably thought Hak would be too defensive of Il. Instead it seems he spent his time with Hak playing with chess pieces and discussing battle strategies and practicing archery and other things. Them trying to "reach" the other.

It's not like they didn't enjoy each other's company, but both were keeping secrets. Hak was willing to serve Su-Won but he never confided with him about how much he cared for Yona, to the point he was willing to go to the ends of the world for her. Meanwhile, Su-Won probably could see Hak's true feelings for her along.

In the end, there was always a distance between them, probably brought by social status and once again, Su-Won's wrong assumption about Hak's loyalties to only Yona, and by extension Il.

I am sure that the day Hak first started calling Su-Won "Lord Su-Won", Su-Won felt it was fake from Hak and something died in him that day. Hak might have seen it as a sign of respect, but to Su-Won, it was a sign of distance.

He didn’t try. Instead of risking it, as a rational person he tried to toss them out of his heart. He chose to go with the logical plan and discard his own feelings like his father told him to. Not risk it all for his “useless friends”. And I agree that it was the safest approach. In the end he did risk everything and I would say this risk he took was even bigger than if he tried reasoning with them before the coup. No matter how hard he tried, he still relied on emotions, even if not consciously. He thought he could do it and he tried but when it really came to him having to end them, he wiggled his way out of doing it. That’s why I’m saying he could have at least tried to make them understand in the least risky way that would not jeopardize his plan.

Yeah, but I don't think he even realized he could be like that until after the coup happened. He thought he had it all figured out, this was the safer, most certain way. Su-Won may have also thought that relying on personal relationships to run a nation was what killed his father (although I'm not certain on this, but either way, but he was determined to not allow personal biases cloud his judgement). But the events thereafter changed that confidence, and it made him realize that it wasn't so simple, especially when these personal relationships weren't ruining him or ruining the country the way Il did.

Hero vs Villain

The Antagonist Soo-won in the manga is the "I'll save the world for you" type of guy. Basically every hero ever. He loved his dad, so he became the king who saved the Kingdom just as his dad wanted him to.

The main protagonist Hak on the other hand is the "I'll burn the word down to save her" type guy. Classis villain. He killed anyone trying to harm Yona to save her life on the day of the regicide. He would kill anything and anyone for Yona.

Yet, we love Hak and Yona, cheered for their growth and development and was appalled by Soo won's betrayal. I just adore how Mizuho Kusanagi plays with perspective. Akatsuki no Yona was a villains perspective all along. From the beginning, she was the spoilt princess of a selfish king leading a kingdom to ruin. Hak knew this, being a generals son, he was very aware how how things were outside the castle but he didn't care, if it meant Yona would be happy.

[sunfleurry]

II. Soie et Satin

Part 1

Thank you for the lovely feedback on part 1 of modern prince!Harry <33

NOTE: I decided to give my MC a name (which I also edited into part 1). I hope you enjoy Rose and Harry’s story!!!! this part is not edited oops

***

Harry was on TV and he looked like a star. Rose watched him from the comfort of her living room while she sipped her morning coffee.

It was a live broadcast showing his arrival to the event with his family including the queen, his mother. She was an intimidatingly beautiful woman who gained the respect of the entire country, if not the entire world throughout her life. She was known to be strict on tradition, but she’d done so much for the country when it came to helping the less fortunate, advocating for global health, and supporting free education for everyone.

Now that she was older and had quite a few children, she passed on some of her duties to them. They, including Harry, followed in her footsteps, looking out for the population by supporting the same causes their mother dedicated her life to as a young woman. Their role was to represent the queen, and they did so flawlessly.

Rose didn’t want to admit that she’d googled Harry the day he sent flowers to her office, but she did, and she was reminded of the fact that Harry was heir to the throne. She never cared much for learning about the royal family and this was something everyone knew, but reading it after meeting him was like a big wake-up call. She’d danced with a man who would one day become king. She tried not to let herself think about it too much, or else she knew her thoughts would spiral out of control.

Harry and his brother wore a simple black suit, a change from his usual style, and his mother and sisters were donned in modest dresses she knew were designer and likely cost the same as her home.

Men with flashing cameras were going crazy behind the gates, desperately trying to get the perfect shot of the country’s “perfect” family.

Upon seeing the paparazzi, Rose was instantly reminded of how lucky she and Harry were to not have been caught by anyone when they went out. She quickly picked up her phone and googled Harry’s name and filtered the results to hours before the charity event just to be sure. She sighed in relief when there were no photos or stories of the both of them.

She relaxed into her sofa and fixed her eyes on the television, watching the rest of the event, subconsciously smiling every time Harry’s handsome face popped up on the screen.

***

Three days later at work, Rose received a text from Harry. What are you doing tonight?

She quickly replied, I have a date with a really hot guy I met a while back.

She barely put her phone down before it pinged with another message. What? Who is he? Tell him you’re busy.

She grinned. I don’t know. He’s kind of cute. Did I mention he’s a prince?

Her phone vibrated with a call, Harry’s name in block letters at the top of the screen. She accepted the call and brought it up to her ear. “Hello?”

“You’re not funny.”

She barked out a laugh, then winced and apologized to her coworkers whose desks were adjacent to hers. “I think I am.”

She heard him huff through the line then say, “Can I pick you up at seven?”

“Where do you want to take me?” She asked, tamping down her giddiness. It had only been less than a week since she’d last seen him, but she missed him.

“I thought we could take a walk on the beach, maybe have some ice cream?”

“How romantic of you,” she teased.

She could almost see his eyes rolling. “Are you in? I haven’t been able to go out in public since that morning charity.”

“Why not?”

He sighed. “Normally after making such a public appearance, we’re encouraged to stay low-key for a couple days. Something about the media being on high alert.”

Suddenly remembering the thoughts she had the morning she watched him on TV, she instantly knew what he meant. Rose worried her lip between her teeth as she tried to form the words to articulate the worry that had been building up since that day.

“Harry, will there be people following us?” She closed her eyes, hoping she didn’t sound stupid.

The other end of the line was quiet for a moment before he finally spoke up. “You know what, change of plans. Wear something comfortable.”

“Oh,” she ran a hand through her hair and sat back in her chair. “Okay.”

“I can’t wait to see you, Rose.”

She smiled. “You too,” she whispered.

***

Harry said to wear something comfortable, so she slipped on the most comfortable outfit she owned: A pair of joggers and matching crewneck. He’d only ever seen her dressed up, she figured she would let herself look more casual for once. Her doorbell rang just as she was slipping on a pair of Nikes. Reaching over, she opened the door to reveal a nervous-looking Harry standing with his car key in hand.

“Hi,” he said, a smile breaking onto his face at the sight of her then pulling her in for a hug.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing in the cologne she absolutely loved.

“You look lovely,” he said as he pulled back to take a look at her.

She couldn’t resist kissing his cheek. “Please, I’m wearing glorified pyjamas.”

He looked down at his own pair of joggers and t-shirt. “I’d say you understood the assignment.”

She laughed as she followed him to his flashy car. It wasn’t the same one he picked her up in on their previous date, but just as nice.

Less than a half hour later, Harry had driven them to the middle of the city and into an underground parking garage of a large high-rise building. One of the tallest she’d ever seen in person. It had a modern design, the surface covered in mirrored windows. He drove through the garage until the car reached a closed door. He inched the car closer until the sensor detected it and opened the door, allowing the car to enter a smaller parking area containing two other cars, one of them Rose recognized as the one she’d been in on their last date.

“Do you live here?” She asked, taken aback.

“Yes,” he smiled nervously. “This is my private parking.”

“I can see that,” she frowned. “I thought you lived with your family, at the palace.”

“You and everyone else in the world,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You don’t?”

He unbuckled his seat belt, and pocketed his key before turning towards her. “I come from a not so traditional family, but I need my own space despite the responsibilities that are expected of me. I’m a man in my twenties who values his privacy so I moved out when I was nineteen. Under a fake name.” 

She was shocked by the revelation, even more by the fact that he was trusting her with his information. 

“Nobody knows you live here?”

“I mean, the other residents do, but they’re under contract.”

“And your family?”

“Of course they know where I live,” he chuckled. “They just don’t come here. They don’t want to risk being seen here because they respect my space, they want to make sure I have all the privacy I can get away from the public eye, because, well, one day I won’t have that luxury.”

Rose deflated at the reminder of what his future entailed. “Do you ever think about it? Being heir and all?”

Harry looked down at his lap, picking an invisible thread on his pants. “Let’s go inside,” he said at last. 

Taking the hint, Rose smiled and opened her door, Harry doing the same. He scanned a card inside the elevator and keyed in a code on the keypad. The lift immediately started rising, only halting when it reached the final floor of the building. 

Nothing could have prepared Rose for the extravagance that would welcome her as soon as the doors opened. An entire wall was made up of giant windows, overlooking the bustling city underneath. They were so high up, she couldn't hear any of it. Instead, the height provided a peaceful silence in an otherwise busy area. The flooring was marble, the luxury kind one would only see on TV, and the place was spotless. 

Harry’s warm hand on the small of her back urged her to walk inside, the elevator doors closing behind them. She took in the open concept penthouse, a staircase in the corner of the grand living room leading to what she assumed was his private corner, the bedroom and bath.

“Holy shit,” she breathed. 

Harry laughed behind her, before grabbing her hand and leading her to the kitchen she knew even Gordon Ramsay would drool over. “Would you like something to drink?”

Snapping herself out of her dumfounded state, she looked at him. “What?”

He suppressed a smile and repeated, “Would you like something to drink?”

“Oh! Um, yes please,” she said, wringing her fingers together.

“Relax, Rose.”

“How could I?” She asked, eyes wide. “I feel like I’ll break something just by looking at it!”

“That’s fine, love. I want you to be comfortable.”

“But this place—”

“Is my home,” he interrupted, stepping closer and gently grabbing her shoulders. “And I made the choice to trust you with my secret, so please, make yourself comfortable.”

Her eyes softened. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about.”He leaned forward to capture her lips with his, and she melted into him without hesitation. She’d been wanting to do this since their first kiss and the wait was definitely worth it. 

He pulled back with a grin, leaving her breathless. “So, drink?”

She nodded, exhaling as an attempt to calm her beating heart. 

“I also made us dinner, I just need to put it in the oven.”

The statement made her heart swell, a feeling of fondness for the man in front of her taking over. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” he smiled, as he pushed a few buttons on the oven until a yellow light started flashing and the desired temperature was displayed. “Can’t bring you here and not feed you.”

She chuckled and pulled out a stool tucked into the island to sit on. “No you can’t.”

***

The food would take an hour, so the two decided to go to his living room to wait. They were cuddled up on his couch, watching a movie she’d chosen and that he’d seen a dozen times. Rose didn’t know that though.

“Do you ever worry people will recognize you?” She asked, out of the blue. “When we went out together, you seemed unfazed by the looks some were giving you.”

He shrugged. “I get used to it, really. Besides, Fen is always around in case something happens.”

She pushed off the couch to look at him. “Fen?”

“My security detail,” he nodded. “He’s always around when I’m out and about.”

“But, I didn’t see him the other night. Or the first time we went out together.”

He grinned. “That means he’s doing his job.”

She frowned as she slowly tucked herself back into his side. His arm automatically wrapped around her. “So, we were being followed all night?”

“It’s for safety purposes, Rose. Plus, I would never intentionally put you in danger.”

“What could possibly be so dangerous?”

Harry ducked to press a kiss to her head, breathing in the shampoo scent that coated her red strands. “Anything could be dangerous, even the paparazzi.”

The thought of being followed by paparazzi sent shivers down her spine. She’d seen videos of celebrities being hounded by them and felt sorry for the public figures who had to live with that.

“What if they see us together. Would they publish photos? Are you scared of what they may think?”

“Are you ashamed of me, Rose?”

She craned her neck to kiss him softly. “I would never be ashamed of you, Your Highness.”

“I knew it!” He cried, dramatically pushing her away. “You’re just using me for my title!”

“How did you know?” She gasped, trying to hold in a smile.

“I’ve always felt something was off with you,” he tutted, leaning his back on the arm rest and pulling her on top of him.

She giggled, raising her hand to run her fingers through his hair before smoothing it down. “Why is that?” She whispered.

“There’s no way someone as beautiful as you would give me the time of day,” he murmured, brushing his lips on the corner of her mouth.

She pulled him in to give her a proper kiss, their legs tangling as he switched positions until he was hovering on top of her, forearms caging her head against the sofa. 

“If anything, you’re out of my league, Prince.”

The words didn’t sit right with him. He pulled back. “Don’t ever say that,” he frowned.

“It’s true—“

He kissed her again. “Who I am... What I come from... Means nothing between you and me.”

She stared at him intently, the conversation taking an unexpected turn.

“Do you hear me?” He murmured, brushing his lips along her cheek.

She nodded.

He sighed. “Good.”

Rose gasped when Harry’s mouth was suddenly on hers, instantly brushing her tongue against his in what could be the best kiss she’d ever had. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him down to feel his comforting weight on top of her. The kiss morphed into something wetter as his hands trailed along her side and dipped under her shirt. She shivered from the contact, bending her knees to cage his body between her legs. Harry brushed his lips against her jaw before slowly making his way down her throat to the fabric of her top covering her chest. His hands inched along her skin to her back where he applied pressure, making her arch, chest pressing against his own.

“Harry,” she breathed as he pressed open mouthed kisses up her throat, leaving a wet trail.

He hummed in response before coming back up to connect their lips. She sighed into his mouth, arms wrapping around his neck as his hands trailed back to caress her sides. “Can I take this off?” He breathed, fingering the hem of her shirt.

She nodded against his neck, where she tongued at his skin, savouring the feeling of just being so close to him. He pulled her shirt up but before he could take it off completely, his phone rang, the shrill ringtone breaking through their bubble.

Harry scrambled to get off the couch, recognizing the ringtone, while Rose fought to catch her breath, mourning the feeling of his weight on her.

Harry excused himself and left the room to speak to whoever it was while Rose readjusted her top and sat up. She decided to braid her hair while waiting for him to finish.

Just as she was tying up her hair, she heard his footsteps before he appeared with a grim look on his face. He tossed his phone on the coffee table.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” he smiled but she didn’t buy it.

She tucked her legs under her and extended a hand towards him.

Harry accepted it and she tugged him over to sit next to her. He complied and slumped back, neck resting on the back of the couch.

“It’s just PR stuff. You don’t need to worry about it,” he said, eyes never leaving the ceiling.

She felt her heart sink to her stomach. “What kind of PR stuff?”

Before he could answer, she jumped at a sudden beeping coming from the kitchen.

He chuckled half-heartedly as she held a hand up to her chest. “It’s just the oven, love. Come on, food’s ready.”

“But what about—“

He kissed her. “I’m hungry.”

She pouted but decided to drop it, not wanting the mood to be ruined.

***

Rose placed her fork on her empty plate and got up to make her way to the sink. “How did you learn to cook like that?” She turned on the water and waited for it to turn hot before rinsing her plate. She reached for the sponge and squirted soap on it, intending to wash all the dishes.

Harry walked up behind her and slid a hand around her waist, splaying his hand on her stomach and pulling her back against him. “My mother,” he said before reaching over and turning off the water.

“Hey!” She went to turn it back on but he wrapped a hand around the tap, preventing her from moving it. “Harry…” She warned.

“Rose…”

She turned around and crossed her arms, ignoring the way her body reacted to his proximity. 

He laughed, and pried the wet sponge out of her hand, then pushed her out of the way to rinse it and put it back in place. 

Rose scowled. “Let me do this for you.”

“No, I have a dishwasher that could do that for me. I want to spend time with you, not watch you wash my shit.”

“You do so much for me, Harry. Let me wash your shit.”

“I can wash my own shit.”

“Okay, this is getting gross.”

Harry giggled and kissed her cheek before walking over to his fridge. She took the time to wash her hands and dry them before turning around to ask if he needed help with whatever it was he was doing.

She was met with the sight of him standing next to the kitchen island, a delicious-looking chocolate cake on it with two small forks. 

Harry chuckled at the way her eyes lit up, knowing her love for chocolate was the way to her heart. 

“I was too shy to ask if you had something sweet to follow up with dinner,” she admitted sheepishly, biting her bottom lip as she sat on the stool while he did the same across from her.

His smile widened, handing her a fork. “I would never forget.”

She blushed and followed his lead by taking the first bite of the cake. “Oh my God,” she moaned. “Is this André’s?”

Harry looked at her, horrified. “Don’t ever say another man’s name after moaning like that.”

She snorted, taking another bite of the delicious cake. 

“Yes,” Harry said finally, expression morphing into one of amusement as he watched her devour her half of the dessert. “He did make it. Something about giving the lovely lady a real treat.”

Rose laughed at the way he mocked André’s accent, and pushed the plate towards him to finish the cake. “I can’t take another bite,” she groaned. 

***

Rose awoke to the sound of faint chattering. She didn’t remember when she fell asleep but once she was aware enough to take in her surroundings, she realized she was still in Harry’s penthouse, curled up on his couch under a warm blanket. A warm feeling engulfed her when she realized Harry had tucked her in.

“Fuck you, I can do whatever I want.”

She frowned, knuckling her eye to try and wake herself up as she heard Harry start pacing, wherever he was.

“I know, I know, she’s been telling me the same thing all week.”

“Harry?” She called out. He didn’t hear her.

“If I hear you call her that one more time, you’re fired.”

“Harry,” she called again, louder. His pacing stopped and a second later, he appeared from around the corner, phone up to his ear.

“Rose,” he sighed, then scowled at whatever the person on the other end said. “Yes, now don’t call me back.” He locked his phone and gave her his attention once again. “Sorry about that.”

She smiled sleepily and reached over to caress his face. He breathed out and knelt on the ground to come face to face with her. Her fingers wound in the short hairs at the nape of his neck and he exhaled, dropping his forehead to her collarbone. “Sometimes I hate being me.”

“Want to talk about it?”

He shook his head and a laugh bubbled out of her, unwillingly. He snapped his head up. “What’s so funny?”

“Tickled me,” she mumbled.

He snorted then got up, asking her to move over before laying down next to her and pulling her to his side. 

“You seemed angry,” she said gently.

She could feel him tense under her. “My mother was just pissed at me, had my publicist relay a message.”

“Did you do anything?”

Harry looked into her warm brown eyes, his own glinting with mischief. “When am I not?”

Rose giggled and laid her head on his shoulder. She could feel herself being pulled back into unconsciousness, and as much as she tried to fight it, she couldn't. She wanted to stay awake for him, to comfort him further but exhaustion suddenly washed over her. Before being completely lost to the world, she could’ve sworn she heard him murmur, “I won’t let anything come between us.”

***

THANK YOU FOR READING <3333 lmk if you’d like to be tagged !!! 

Tag list: @mellamolayla​

[captnjacksparrow]

Hey, really liked your analysis of Hinata. I feel almost the same way about her. Even though generally I dislike female characters who are naturally meek, subservient and pointless with no character arc in any type of media, what made me absolutely hate her character was how she treated Neji. If Kishi wanted to show her arc being developed organically, instead of proposing to Naruto that removes her stuttering and gives her new found confidence (because girls only get confident when proposing to guys 🙄), Kishi could have shown her talking to Neji after he literally told his bitter story on the chuunin exam grounds in front of everyone. She is shown like she is sympathetic but didn't do anything about it. She didn't even talk to him after he was hospitalized. She knew exactly why he was the way he was, and yet she fights him as if it was his fault. She, an heir of the clan, could have asked her father to support Neji, she had some clout. But nope. In fact, it was Neji who apologizes to her in a way, he is the one who trains her and help create a new jutsu for her. What did she ever do for him exactly? And Neji didn't have to help her. She was in the best position to help and understand Neji but what did she do? A lot of fans like her character because she is reserved but kind and sympathetic. She is reserved but a coward. She was not kind towards Neji. He died for her when he didn't deserve to, he had dreams and goals that were much bigger than Hinata's entire existence. She couldn't even see her own cousin's pain and she claims to understand Naruto?? Really??

Even Kishi said she was a pitiful character who only watches from a distance. He deliberately made her that way, no goal, no backbone and no lines. And I think she sucks the most after Danzo.

WoooW!!!! Thanks for the ask, Anon.

[[Hinata and Sakura fans!!!! Please stay away and don't interact. I fucking tagged them properly]].

Even though generally I dislike female characters who are naturally meek, subservient and pointless with no character arc in any type of media, what made me absolutely hate her character was how she treated Neji.

We definitely share the same thoughts on this one, Anon.

I am really tired on most of the media for their poor treatment of female characters.

The last time I was amused by a female character was from 'Game of Thrones', I loved Cersei Lannister, who is an absolute biashhh and Sansa Stark, started out as an annoying rose tinted princess but ended up winning everyone's heart. Both are non-combative, soft spoken and somewhat powerless women in a world dominated by men. But they just didn't let the inconveniences stop them and instead they learned how to fuck that world back and take control. Both are similar and yet very different.

After seeing, such well-developed characters..... For me girls in Naruto series, is blehhhhh..... Nothing to get inspired from them. And I knew it by episode 3 itself. I have no idea how can girls, in real life, treat Sakura as some feminist icon, which makes my skin crawl for number of reasons. If you point her mistakes out in any discussions, they will pull the misogynist card to your face. When in reality, I am also a girl and my world views are entirely different from Sakura or Hinata. There is no way a 12 year old girl would want to look at the Duck of another boy.

And the problem is, They form the majority, I mean people who can connect with Sakura or Hinata. So, as long as girls like them exists, we really should suffer from these crap portrayal I guess.

That's why I advise people that If you want to see a good woman character, Narutoverse is not the place.

Having said that, I find Temari, Konan, Tsunade were better (I mean inside the Narutoverse). Though their motivations or reason to achieve a goal revolve around their men, I find their attitude relieving. Unlike Sakura or Hinata, they don't wet themselves on the sight of the men they love.

What irritates me was, Kishimoto could've easily put a character like Temari or TenTen or Tsunade into Team 7. It would've made my viewing experience a lot better. If he doesn't want the strong girls to take over the attention from his boys, then he should've introduced a meek character like Rin Nohara. She is silent and cute but atleast she was willing to die for the Village and never wetted herself over Kakashi, though she loved him. And she treated Obito like her best friend. But he deliberately made Sakura hateful and he never stopped.

Sakura and Hinata were the lowest of the low, compared to any other side characters. And, in the end, they got the main Character's Ducks without actively doing anything. For me this tells me three things

He was using these girls as a shield to close the hetero normative mouths while in reality hiding those boys true feelings under that shield.

He really hated these kind of girls and constantly showing his hatred on them at every given chance and never redeemed them back. 

He knew the target audience’ mindset and he simply caters them by giving them what they need and at the same time writing the important arcs according to his wish.

I think, it’s the combination of all three. 

Just to give you an example.

There is this delusional SS shipper Who justifies Sasuke was acting Tsundere throughout the war arc. I mean, come on!!!! 

I came across this post because, the Original Poster was an idiot who comes into the anti SS tag and reblogged my content and saying I was wrong... So, I don’t mind sharing that person’s content.

So I don’t know where this delusion comes from... It's truly pathetic.

There are millions of idiots who believe in this kind of shit and Kishi is deliberately feeding them with bits and crumbs while making his boys go out and save the world.

These delusional mindset tells us they don’t give a single shit about the story as a whole. They watch it purely for the pretty faces and getting high over them. In this case, Sasuke.

It’s as clear as day that Sasuke didn’t care about anyone other than Naruto when fighting the war. You don’t have to be a shipper but even a non-shipper can point this out. I mean Sasuke wouldn’t have saved Jugo either, if he didn’t come to Sasuke and advice him. Do you think Sasuke would’ve tried to look for Jugo and saved him at all cost???? It’s just that he came to Sasuke and he helps him back. But Sasuke would’ve saved Naruto from the bomb blast even if he was standing a mile away.

So, if these delusions reflects the mindset of the majority of the women audience, then the creator will never try to give anything better but instead give us some low-life characters like Sakura and Hinata. 

So, Anon, your expectation for Hinata’s character could’ve been developed much better is just a wishful thinking. Because, Hinata is a character for these kind of people and not for us. And the author deliberately did it. 

She was in the best position to help and understand Neji but what did she do? A lot of fans like her character because she is reserved but kind and sympathetic. She is reserved but a coward. She was not kind towards Neji. He died for her when he didn't deserve to, he had dreams and goals that were much bigger than Hinata's entire existence. She couldn't even see her own cousin's pain and she claims to understand Naruto?? Really??

For me, this also irked me a lot. 

Hinata could’ve tried to talk to Neji about his problems even when he was a child. But she was simply playing innocent when in reality, she is just a coward. Even after the Chunin Exams, there was no apologies from her side, like you said. Because she is from the Main Branch. That hierarchy never changed. If she had the gall, she could’ve easily broken that hierarchy by saying, ‘I want Neji Nii-San to take over our Clan, He is the best candidate for this and I can gladly help him with all my efforts’.  A single line and just 2 or 3 panels, it all takes.

For me killing Neji is where Kishi asking us silently, 

Do you really want these pair to happen despite having a blood stain of another character??? 

Most people said, ‘Yes!!!’, because they don’t give two shits about Neji. As long as Hinata gets Naruto, the main character’s Duck, that’s all there is to it. It doesn’t matter who dies, who lives. 

That's why Kishi is shitting on them by making her as a non-existent woman in the Boruto Manga.

Even in real life, there are many hopeless foolish little girls who would do anything for the man she loves. I've seen them and I always stay 2 miles away from them. I mean, they even ditch their own friends and spends her entire time with him and when he dumps her later, she will come back to her friends for consolation. I think Sansa Stark is the best example for this. She started out much similar to Sakura and Hinata, believing in Princes and shit, she even naively betrayed her father for the man she had crush on. But the author made her to learn her lesson in a much painful way and later she came out as a Queen who no longer needed any man at the end. I think, this is called Development.

At the end of the day, Romance and Sex is all that matters. The author knew it. So, he is feeding these girls with some low quality cookies and they are very glad to take and eat it.

[astradrifting]

While Tyland seems to mirror Tyrion, the latter has already experienced all that in the book, hasn't he? Serving the wrong regime, being hated by the people, being badly disfigured etc. But now he's bringing an enemy with dragons to Westeros. Isn't that far beyond Tyland? I keep thinking the Lannister in the service of a rotten regime and for the wrong reasons (Cersei) might be Jamie. He too is disfigured. Is there a parallel for him in DoD?

(referencing this post)

Well, Tyland was sent across the Narrow Sea to Pentos to get sellswords for the Greens but failed, so maybe Tyrion bringing Dany across is meant to be him succeeding where Tyland failed. But you’re right, the foreshadowing events have already happened for Tyrion and it seems repetitive for his story to progress in exactly that way again. The show seemed to indicate that this was his endgame, but I could see D&D giving him this ‘happy ending’ purely because he’s their favourite, maybe swapping his ending with another character’s to facilitate it. The removal of the Tysha reveal so completely stagnated Tyrion’s character arc, which might be why D&D seemed to have no idea what to do with him post s4 aside from get him sucked into the Dany-cult.

There’s definitely meant to be a link between Ser Criston Cole and Jaime, though more of a mirror reflection than parallels. Cole was known as the Kingmaker, for his crucial role in playing Aegon II and Rhaenyra against each other at the start of the Dance, and was later made Aegon’s Hand. He was once Rhaenyra’s loyal sworn sword, until one of them spurned the other before her wedding to Laenor Velaryon. Either he asked her to run away with him to the Free Cities and she rejected him, or she tried to seduce him (for a second time) in the White Sword Tower and he rejected her. Either way, they clearly had a falling out, after which Rhaenyra turned to Ser Harwin Strong and Cole became a supporter of the Greens and Queen Alicent’s new sworn sword. This is similar to Jaime turning away from Cersei for her infidelity, though he doesn’t go so far as supporting the younger brother that will kill her and keeping her from the throne just yet.

Cole’s death is clearly a reference to the Red Wedding - at the Red Wedding, Robb was hit by three crossbow bolts, before Roose Bolton killed him while saying “Jaime Lannister sends his regards.” Criston Cole died at the Butcher’s Ball, a battle in the riverlands near the God’s Eye, killed by three arrows. The man in charge of the archers, and one of the men who killed him, was called Red Robb Rivers. His head was later put upon a spear and marched to another battle. But considering this is already a reversal of Robb’s exact fate in the books, I don’t know if Cole’s death is meant to provide foreshadowing for Jaime’s ending. He seems to be more of Jaime’s foil than a true parallel - Cole appeared to truly hate Rhaenyra in the end and worked to destroy everything she had, but I think Jaime is going to find it harder to give up on Cersei no matter what he says.

Some of Tyland and Tyrion’s parallels could actually apply to Jaime too, in some ways mapping closer to Jaime:

- Tyland was the younger twin of Lord Jason Lannister, as Jaime is Cersei’s younger twin.

- both were tortured and disfigured by the opposite side in war.

- Tyland’s policies benefitted lords, but made him hated by the smallfolk - similarly, Jaime’s slaying of Aerys actually benefitted the nobility, since it was they that Aerys tended to target, but has made him reviled by the smallfolk as the Kingslayer.

- Tyland advised Aegon II to kill his nephew Aegon the Younger instead of just gelding him or sending him to the Wall, because he would always be a threat to his reign. Tyrion has never threatened Bran (yet, at least), but Jaime has already tried to kill him, and later said that he should be killed, ostensibly for mercy but really because Bran was a threat to his and Cersei’s secret.

I’m still more inclined to think that Jaime and Cersei’s endings are linked in some way. But there’s also a lot of possible foreshadowing for Jaime being Hand within the books - @fedonciadale wrote a meta about Jaime possibly becoming Hand before s8. He also spends much of Feast riding around the Riverlands trying to clean up the war, during which he dreams of becoming known as Goldenhand the Just, instead of the Kingslayer. Of course, right now it’s incomprehensible why exactly either Bran or his council of regents would choose to make Jaime his Hand, aside from possibly appeasing supporters of the old Lannister regime, but Tyrion becoming Hand is pretty baffling too. I’d think that either of them would be especially insulting to both Sansa personally and the Martells, but if both the North and Dorne go independent at the end they probably wouldn’t have a say in who becomes Hand in the remaining kingdoms.

I don’t know why it would happen politically, but I could see why it might happen thematically. It might be a bitter, full circle of sorts for Jaime to end up loyally serving a king he’s already wronged.

In Jaime’s last AFFC chapter, he makes plans to eventually return to KL, but not for Cersei. He intends to separate Cersei from Tommen and find him a new small council, considering a slew of lords who could become the new Hand (even Baelish, bizarrely enough), but conspiciously not including himself, even though he’s already planning political manouevres and there have been previous Lord Commanders of the Kingsguard who have served as the Hand e.g. Ser Ryam Redwyne, and Ser Criston Cole during the Dance. He even wants to tell Tommen that he’s his father.

And he had done his own part here at Riverrun without actually ever taking up arms against the Starks or Tullys. Once he found the Blackfish, he would be free to return to King's Landing, where he belonged. My place is with my king. With my son. Would Tommen want to know that? The truth could cost the boy his throne. Would you sooner have a father or a chair, lad? Jaime wished he knew the answer. 

(AFFC, Jaime VII)

He seems to want a second chance, with Tommen after years of not truly acknowledging him as his son, and as a knight of the Kingsguard. The last king he truly served, he ended up stabbing in front of the Iron Throne. Robert barely even counts, because Jaime never had any real loyalty to him. Now he has grand plans to guide Tommen as king that will ultimately be disrupted, first by Lady Stoneheart, then likely by Aegon coming out of the woodwork and taking the crown from either Cersei or Tommen. If Jaime survives to the end of the series, he might end up serving a final king.

Bran and Tommen have often been linked to each other and contrasted throughout the series. They’re the same age, both second sons, and Sansa thinks explicitly that Tommen reminds her of Bran in ACOK. At the very beginning of AGOT, they have a sparring match, in which Bran knocks Tommen down:

There was a shout from the courtyard below. Prince Tommen was rolling in the dust, trying to get up and failing. All the padding made him look like a turtle on its back. Bran was standing over him with upraised wooden sword, ready to whack him again once he regained his feet.

(AGOT, Arya I)

There’s a more oblique link made when the Lannisters are discussing Bran’s fall:

“[...] There is nothing Lord Eddard can do for the boy in any case."

"He could end his torment," Jaime said. "I would, if it were my son. It would be a mercy."

"I advise against putting that suggestion to Lord Eddard, sweet brother," Tyrion said. "He would not take it kindly."

(AGOT, Tyrion I)

In AFFC/ADWD, Jon bitterly remembers the spar between Bran and Tommen:

"At Winterfell, Tommen fought my brother Bran with wooden swords," Jon said, remembering. "He wore so much padding he looked like a stuffed goose. Bran knocked him to the ground." He went to the window and threw the shutters open. The air outside was cold and bracing, though the sky was a dull grey. "Yet Bran's dead, and pudgy pink-faced Tommen is sitting on the Iron Throne, with a crown nestled amongst his golden curls."

(ADWD, Jon II)

Except Bran isn’t dead, and it’s Tommen’s prospects that aren’t looking good. By the end of the series, their positions will likely have reversed entirely from Jon’s statement - Bran will be the boy with a crown in his curly hair, while Tommen might be the one tragically killed in his home.

There would be something bitter and darkly ironic in it, if the boy-king Jaime gets a second chance with isn’t the son he desperately wants to know, but the boy he threw out of a window.

[thewingedwolf]

@sanguinem-di-virginis i think both the blacks and the greens are idiots who are going to set the realm on fire because of their egos, because targaryens have a tendency to set whole continents on fire when they feel insulted which is why i dislike them. i love to shittalk the lannisters but at the very least, for all tywin does a lot of damage before he gets elvis’d, the red wedding is something that took a lot of plotting & backdoor deals & is going to pale in comparison to the damage dany is about to do to kl in a single day completely on her own, bc dragons are more dangerous than the freys, boltons, and lannisters could ever dream of being. however, i am perfectly capable of finding specific targaryens compelling & i find rhaenyra (and jace) -

a) far more interesting than basically everyone else involved in the dance on either side

b) show wise, the only character who stops for a single minute to think about the cost of this war, and also, explicitly worries about the long night, which is way more than you can say for like 90% of the lords in the main show, including dany herself, who is also the personification of targ restoration

c) in the same vein that i can acknowledge cersei experiences a shitton of sexism while still being a decidedly bad person, or acknowledge that melisandre is a really awesome character who experiences horrific powerlessness but deals with it by enacting that horror on others, it’s very clear that in the show & books, the push against rhaenyra as queen, whatever other motivations exist (and obviously there are some other motivations) is rooted initially and obviously in sexism. in fact, targaryen men (and therefore the kl power structure) are so much more patriarchal and worse about that shit that it makes sense to me that targs have sooooooo many Evil Girlboss characters - you raise someone to believe they’re a god amongst mortals and then make it clear to them that they’re also not worth shit because of their gender, and it’s going to lead to a lot of very violent, very politically angry women who are often more capable of extreme violence than their male counterparts specifically because of the way they chafe under the patriarchy while being the most powerful women in the realm.

The difference for me is that I find Rhaenyra more sympathetic & compelling as a character than Dany, and I feel for her on her path to War Crimey Evil in a way I simply do not for Dany but at the same time, I don’t want any Targs to rule, i just think Rhaenyra is the most compelling of the Targs that exist during the dance. And i also find a lot of pro-green people to be deeply annoying bc the hightowers are not targs but still use awful, violent means to get what they want and fuck over the poor in the process (like, cole is a creepy pos in the books and has zero redeeming qualities & in the show he hate crimes Joffrey & calls Rhaenyra a spoiled cunt after she is forced to walk across the castle while literally still pushing the placenta out of her fucking body. and alicent just like, overlooks his very real violence bc he hates rhaenyra & rhaenyra is her political enemy. it’s not great!!) and also, crucially, the hightowers literally are still fighting to put a targaryen on the throne!!!!! and their targaryen, show wise, is a rapist who passes his time in BABY MURDER PITS.

anyways tldr i just think Rhaenyra is compelling and i fucking hate aegon, criston, & otto with the fire of a thousand suns, but also, i am an anarchist at heart who thinks the people should rise up and overthrow all these dumb bitches & while I’ll definitely be crying over my blorbo dying at the end, i’m really excited to see the people of kl storm the dragon pits bc the targaryens are all idiots & monsters who keep untamed animals capable of slaughtering whole cities in the middle of king’s landing!

me switching wildly between house of the dragon, game of thrones, and asoiaf fixations (yes they are different!!!) so my followers understand that my stance is anti greens < anti dany < pro rhaenyra & jace < anti lannister < anti targ restoration < pro house stark and a time for wolvessssss bitch <<<<<<<< pro “It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace. They never are.” peasantry overthrowing the whole system, a stance that is tied to my pro stark stance bc the real threat is the never ending wars of succession that engulf the realm in fire and the literal ice zombie apocalypse north of the wall, stop fighting each other and slaughtering innocent people u fucking dweebs

[ultranos]

Honestly i just want one just one fic which depicts the Fire Nation post war realistically. All these fics where Zuko is An Awkward Turtleduck and the Fire Nation immediately loves him for his heart is not realistic. The common dont care how much heart you have if you re draining the royal coffers to pay reparations and (from their point of view) letting the other nations walk all over them. Honestly realistically there would be so much unrest so much turmoil this is a warmongering nation they just wont take this lying down. I just want one fic that focuses on that and that is both Azula and Zuko centric. They very much need each other. I dont care what Iroh said, anyone grom the nation who hears what happened and if they do send her to an asylum would be very suspicious. Azula is very much needed to heal the nation and she was the one most involved in matters of the court, Zuko is focusing a lot on reparations and forgetting that he is ruler of one. The writers are definitely deluding themselves if they think that it was the actual direction of post canon. Honestly is a fic like that too much to ask for? Even a lot of Azula fans get caught up in popular fandom ideas. (Like why is it so popular for Azula to be burning servants and roasting turtleducks? She is anything but wasteful and she relies more on intimidation and mind games than actual physical threats even though she's a prodigy)

So, this is honestly one of my major issues with the plot line of Zuko bending over backwards to drain the coffers of the Fire Nation in reparations. On the surface, this looks like a good idea and I can see how Zuko would come to this conclusion. I can also see how the other nations would demand it of him.

However, my problems stem from the fallout and knock-on effects of this. The Fire Nation, for one, isn’t going to just...accept this easily. That’s not realistic and it will lead to resentment that food is being taken from their children’s mouths to pay for other nations. (Not to mention that you expect me to believe the same city that produced Long Feng and the Dai Li would be corruption-free enough to not profiteer off the reparations? And that the money would ever actually get to the common people?)

But more than that, the insistence on punishing reparations after World War I was one of the leading causes that led to the fall of the Weimar Republic and the rise of fascism and Nazi Germany. The war reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles caused a rate of hyperinflation that was mindboggling: A loaf of bread in Berlin that cost around 160 Marks at the end of 1922 cost 200,000,000,000 Marks by late 1923.

It was literally cheaper to burn money than firewood:

Imposing this plotline uncritically is rather distressing considering what comes after this time period. And it’s a shame, because there’s an incredibly fascinating dynamic between Zuko-the-Idealist and Azula-the-Realist that would make them an incredibly effective team, one that actually requires Zuko to be the one on the throne as the face of the nation!

Ironically, neither of them alone is as good as both of them together, no matter how much they’d want to deny it. That’s...probably a really good reason why Ozai drove them apart. Could you imagine the moment of realization between the two of them when they realize that, if they had been united from the start, they could have eaten their father alive?

[unmaskedagain]

You had a Friend in Me

           I’M BACK!! Oh god its been two weeks since I posted a story. I missed you guys like crazy. Hopefully you like my newest piece. I went a... Unique direction. Enjoy!

 She didn’t stumble, fall, and break like they expected her to. There was no big meltdown or confrontation. No apologies. Or promises to do better. No, when nearly everyone in class made it clear they weren’t friends with Marinette anymore; nothing happened. They had accused her of being mean to Lila and a bully as the reasons they couldn’t be friends anymore and had expected the girl to defend herself at the very least.

           Marinette just shrugged, and that was it.

           Even when they asked her to resign from being class president, she easily stood up and said she quit.

           Most of the class, Alya, in particular wanted to be angry at her lack of reaction; shout and scream at the bluenette for seeming not to care about the severance of their friendships. But how could they?

           They knew it was their choice. They were mature enough to know that everyone reacted differently to things. And yelling at Marinette for not being emotional enough at the fact that they weren’t friends anymore just showed their own immaturity. And that would be like telling Marinette she won; and that wasn’t worth it.

           Besides, It was only September, they were sure Marinette would come crawling back to them soon.

…

…

           Marinette never did.

…

           On the outside, it didn’t look like much had changed with the class. While the class weren’t friends with Marinette, they still chose to be cordial. They still did assigned group projects with. Everyone doing their part. However, no one went out of their way to speak with the Bluenette. And she did the same and seemed content.

           Despite appearances, things had definitely changed in class. And it didn’t take long for everyone to realize it.

           The first was Alix’s birthday. Everyone had been so excited. Birthdays were always the best for Bustier’s class. The entire classroom would be decorated. There would be cake and balloons; a wonderful and thoughtful perfectly wrapped present.

           However, when the kids arrived that morning, it was too the same ordinary classroom as the day before.

           It was disappointing to say the least. The kids scrambled to try to throw something, anything together before Alix arrived. However, it was too late. Alix arrived not long after them, and seeing the smile fall from her face broke their hearts.

           No one knew what to say. Or how to explain why nothing was decorated. Why there was no cake and or gift. They sat awkwardly at their desks.

           It was only after Marinette arrived, just a few minutes before the bell rang, that they all got their answer.

           Marinette. Marinette had been the class president. The class president was responsible for any class birthday, trip, or fundraiser. She had always gone above and beyond. Unlike, Chloe, the previous class president, who only ever put in their bare minimum (and she made Sabrina do that); a cupcake, a balloon tied to their desk, and a card signed by the entire class.

           Marinette had been their friend so she always made sure to do her very best to celebrate. But she wasn’t class president anymore. And she wasn’t their friend. She wasn’t obligated to do anything.

           So she didn’t.

           And while the class had been meaning to, they never got around to electing a new class president to replace the one their forced out of office.

           It burned a little.

           Particularly, when the class realized they were hard pressed to find volunteer to assume the role. No one had that much time on their hands. No one wanted to be responsible for anything going wrong. Or not living up to expectations.

           Friend or not, they could admit Marinette was a hard act to follow.

           Unfortunately, to prevent Chloe from taking the job again, Alya was forced to step up.

           It didn’t take long to realize that planning for fundraisers and dances and parties was equivalent to the work of seven people. She didn’t know how Marinette handled it so well.

           School trips, once amazing and carefully planned to the last detail, now were boring and hastily put together; the best one was a trip to the museum, mostly because they got to have ice cream after.

           Fresh baked sweets on big tests days were gone too. It had become a tradition that on days of major, study hard and cram for weeks prior, tests that treats were brought in the morning. It lightened the tension of the day, and just made everyone feel better.

           The morning of a huge math test that had caused a few kids to hyperventilate the day before and of; delicious goods were nowhere to be found.

           When the bell rang, Kim had quickly asked Bustier where the food was.

           To which the teacher replied, “Marinette always asked me if she could bring them in for her friends.”

           And that was all they needed to know.

           It sucked but it was something they could live without.

           Favors were the next thing they realized were gone.

           Before whenever they needed something; they would automatically go to Marinette for help. A babysitter, sweets, costumes, dresses, set design.

           Alya and Nino found themselves spending their date nights watching their young siblings together. Most of their friends refused to babysit. And the few that were willing were far too busy.

           Mylene found that the school play’s custom designed costumes were a thing of the past. So were the artfully decorated set designs.

           Alix had to make her own banners. So did Kim.

           Rose couldn’t just run to Marinette when she need a new fabulous dress. Marinette had always made it clear that she was willing to help out a friend whenever they asked her about costs.

           Then the favors they never realized they even got were gone.

           Discounts at the bakery were only for friends and family. Unfortunately that also meant the discount for their families were gone as well.

           Ladybug suddenly stopped giving Alya interviews. And when Alya asked why, the hero said she only did it because the reporter was Marinette’s friend. It hurt the Ladyblog badly.

           Someone coming to defend them whenever Chloe threw a tantrum and managing to calm the blond down. Even Alya found she wasn’t as much of match as thought, when the spoiled rotten girl was on rampage.

           This effect class morale dramatically. And it wasn’t before long that the class shifted to what it was like before Alya or Adrien came to school, with Chloe trying to declare dominance every other second. But this time, the other students were cowed like they used to be. No, they had seen Marinette standing up for herself and them for years. If she could do it, so could they. Sadly, they weren’t enough. With just the right amount of effort, Chloe could intimidate anyone.

           Adrien who was soon confused about why the friend safe haven had suddenly turned hostile

           Marinette just shook her head. Chloe asked (ordered) Marinette to come to her penthouse one October morning. The blonde had realized the dynamic in class had changed dramatically and wanted to seize the opportunity with an iron first; and she knew she couldn’t do that if Dupain-Cheng was still her number one enemy.

Chloe proceeded to lay down an offer of truce. Chloe and Marinette would leave each other alone, would stay out of each other’s way, and didn’t interfere with anything the other did unless it was school related so they absolutely had to. There would be no threats, stealing, lies, or intimidation from Chloe towards Marinette. In return, Marinette would let Chloe do her thing without trying to defend or save anyone.

As long as both did that, there would be peace.

Marinette agreed.

Thus Chloe’s reign for her symbolic iron throne began. The queen bee had no illusions of who was who. Marinette was a Stark. Chloe: a Lannister.  But Chloe was a smart lion. She had no problems letting the North be independent away from the rest of the kingdom. Chloe’s kingdom.

And much like show, there was no win or lose. When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. And Chloe would win.

Lila was the first to feel to the effects. Chloe refused to have competition for Queen Bee. And the Italian girl became took Marinette’s place as her new number one target.

Lila soon learned that dealing with Marinette was one thing, dealing with Chloe was a whole different animal.  While Marinette fought for peace, Chloe was more than willing to rage war. And unlike Marinette, Chloe didn’t care what anyone thought about her. Lila could scream to the world about how much of a bully Chloe was but what did it matter. Everyone in class knew that already.

She couldn’t threaten Chloe like she did Marinette. In fact, the Chloe regularly threatened her. In front of the other students, and Bustier.

She couldn’t try to get Chloe expelled as Damocles was quick to bend to the blonde’s will.

Chloe regularly “Accidently” tripped Lila, ruined her homework, stole any projects she had, destroyed her phone one time, verbally ripped her to shreds in front of everyone and even worse in private. Chloe would play mean and outright nasty pranks that would leave Lila in tears. More than a few sets of clothes were destroyed. To make everything worse, the blond brat routinely made her look like a fool in front of Adrien. She even got her mother to mock the Agreste brand about their use of a lackluster model to the point where Gabriel fired her.

Nearly everything Lila had accused Marinette of doing, she found herself actually having to face from Chloe. Who would’ve thought the bluenette was doing her a favor by being all moral and self-righteous that it would draw the attention of the evil that was Chloe Bourgeois.

The truce happened one grey October Morning, Chloe officially ruled the class again by November. Lila was seriously considering changing schools.

No one had the time to fawn over her. And she certainly didn’t have time to amaze anyone with her stories. No she was too busy fending off Chloe’s attacks. And wondering why the brat kept referring to her as a Tyrell. Or Alya and Nino as Karstarks. And the rest of the class as Freys’.

One by one, each student realized they had lost something else. Something they actually really missed.

When the class picture was taken, Juleka had been just late and no one realized it. Rose had comforted her again. But no one was able to get the photographer to take another picture. At the end of the day, Juleka still felt really bad about it and had to fight the urge to call Marinette that night. Marinette was always willing to just listen no matter the time.

And it wasn’t long where the other students found themselves in similar situations that all ended with them really wanting to talk to Marinette.

Alya after a fight with her sister.

Rose after Prince Ali wrote to her that he would be ending communication.

Nino after a gig went terribly.

Kim after he lost one of his games.

Alix after she broke her watch…. Again.

Mylene after a fight with Ivan.

Ivan after he failed a math test.

Nathaniel after Marc decided to end their partnership.

Sure, they went to their other friends for comfort. But Marinette was different. When one of them went to any of the other students with a problem; it felt just like that. Them complaining about their problems and the others doing their best to cheer them up and offer solutions. At the end, they still felt like they were on their own; like it was still just their problem. With Marinette…

She always made them feel like they were on the same team. She cared like they were her problems too. And wasn’t going to stop until they were fixed. Marinette was someone they could just talk to without judgement or getting harsh opinions; no criticism. With her, they never felt like they were being judged; even when pointed out that it might, in fact, be their own fault.

They missed Marinette when they afraid or nervous. She’d always manage to calm them down, assure them, be their biggest supporter if need be. And her just being them made them feel better; like they stood more of a chance. She take their mind of things, get them to relax, smile, and by the time whatever it was that made them so terrified came up, they had already completely forgotten why they were anxious.

The strangest part was they even missed her when things were happy as well.

           When anything good happened, one of their first instincts was to call Marinette; scream their excitement. And listen to Marinette scream back just as happy as they were, despite that she was in no way affected.

           No; on the outside the class hadn’t changed much. Everyone still did their own thing. Homework was done. Tests were dealt with. Sure class trips weren’t as wonderful as they used to be. Birthdays only with store bought cupcakes and maybe some balloons. Everyone who started out as friends were still friends by the end of the years. It was just like anyone other class in the world.

…

           Except they were never like all other classes. They had always felt like they were special. Most kids hadn’t looked forward to school day but the students of Bustier’s class had. There had always been something new and wonderful to talk about; some adventure to go on. Now there was nothing. There was still life in the classroom; still laughter and fun. But it was like something took the spark that made it come alive.

           And it was hard to pretend otherwise.

           And they couldn’t really figure out why.

           One or Two (Rose and Nino) could admit, whenever they found themselves alone with their thoughts in class and looked around, that were was a hollowness to the classroom that had never existed before. It didn’t make sense. Everyone (minus Chloe) was still friendly with one another. They all still cared about each other. They were all still really good friends. Good but not as good as they used to be.

…

           They’d never be as good as they used to be again.

…

           The class for their end of year party had gone to the pool. They all had a blast. On their way home, they walked by the park and heard music and laughter. It didn’t take long to realize that there was a party happening.

“Happy Birthday, Marinette!” Caught their attention.

           From where they stood, just outside the party, the students and ex friends of Marinette could make out other students from different classes from their school.

           Aurore the creator of the new blog BugOut. There was Marc, Claude, Mireille, Ondine, Bridgette, the Ice King that was Felix Culpa, and a bunch of other students they never knew Marinette was friends with. Even Luka was there.

“I didn’t know it was Marinette’s birthday,” Adrien frowned.

           So did Alya. Mostly because it was her job to remember as class president. Partly because it was the first time she ever forgot her former (best) friend’s birthday. “It wasn’t on the list,” She gave a weak excuse.

“It looks like fun,” Juleka whispered.

           And it did. There was a live band, a feast of food, people laughing and dancing; it all looked so… Alive.

           Alix stuffed her hands in her pockets. Her throat clenched at the sight of the laughing bluenette who didn’t look like she had a care in the world. “Who knew Marinette had so many friends?”

           Nino glanced down, “She looks happy.”

           And Marinette did.

           She looked like the happiest girl in the world.

           But she always did.

           Even after they ended their friendships with her.

           It didn’t seem to both the bluenette. She kept being her positive and cheerful self, except they couldn’t bask in her sunlight anymore.

           They watched when Luka got on their makeshift stage with his guitar, “Marinette you are the most special person I’ve ever met. You’re kind, sweet, and way too thoughtful for your own good. Which is why we all wanted you to know…” he started playing his guitar. A familiar tune filled the air, all the party goers starts to sings.

“You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

When the road looks rough ahead

And you're miles and miles

From your nice warm bed

You just remember what your old pal said

Boy, you've got a friend in me

Yeah, you've got a friend in me”

           The song left a bad taste of Irony on their tongues.

           They thought they had left Marinette behind, somehow it had ended up being the opposite.

…

           They felt like forgotten toys.

[gaeilgeoirgay]

SpideyTorch Week Day Six -Space

I used the alternate theme of space today, so I hope you enjoy it!

Ao3 Link

@spideytorchweek

it could be a smile (if you’re feeling generous)

Johnny scowls at the alien prince who’s daring to flirt with his Peter. The prince knows they’re together and he’s still trying to get into Peter’s pants! Johnny can’t blame him for thinking Peter’s attractive, but God, when someone tells you they’re not interested and in a happy relationship, it’s practically a neon sign saying “no flirting allowed!” and this guy is just not getting it.

Peter looks uncomfortable and Johnny would go over and save him (and maybe punch Prince Can’t Keep His Hands To Himself) except he’s currently talking to the Queen and he can’t exactly leave the conversation just to deck her son in the face. That would incite a massive intergalactic diplomatic incident and then Sue would be disappointed in him and also all of them might die because Johnny committed the crime of assaulting literal royalty.

The Queen notices his straying gaze though and sighs when she sees where its landed. Johnny panics for a second, thinking she’s sighing at his rudeness but her eyes are locked on her son.

“That boy, honestly. No matter how his mother and I try to teach him he goes and does this again and again. Sir Storm, feel free to go to your beloved and send my son to me. It seems he needs yet another lecture on what it means when a person says no. And he wonders why his sister is heiress to the throne instead of him. My deepest apologies on his behaviour.” She says, shaking her head sadly.

Johnny’s eyes widen and he gives a hasty bow to her. “Thank you, my lady. The fault is not yours.” He says before he makes a beeline for Peter, who sees him coming instantly. His shoulders slump in relief and Johnny quickens his pace as the prince has the sheer audacity to lay a hand on Peter’s arm.

He slides between two of the glowing-blue aliens that make up the planet with a quick apology and finally makes it to Peter. He takes hold of Peter’s hand and bares his teeth at the Prince in what might be called a smile if the observer was being generous.

“Prince Ahkilus. I see you’ve been keeping my lover company while I’ve been gone. Your mother, the Queen, was just asking after you.” He says as politely as he can manage and the Prince’s face hardens. Literally. The inhabitants of the planet have a jelly-like blue form that can change consistency at will. It’s both cool and creepy.

“You’re his lover? I’ll admit I’m surprised. Such a lovely creature like yourself could do a lot better.” Ahkilus says condescendingly. Both Peter and Johnny are taken aback by the sheer confidence he has in insulting Johnny, despite this being a diplomatic alliance that both parties want.

Peter recovers first though. “Yes, Johnny is my partner, in all ways, and I could not in fact “do better”. I love Johnny and I happen to think he’s incredible. I don’t like your tone of voice nor your words, Your Highness, and I certainly do not appreciate you calling me a “creature”. I believe this conversation is over.” He says sharply, and the Prince gapes at him.

“I am a Prince! How could this.. this.. glorified flamethrower be better than me!” Akhilus splutters indignantly. Glorified flamethrower. Huh, gotta give him points for no creativity whatsoever. Johnny’s been called better by worse people. Even Doom has better insults.

“For starters, Johnny treats me like the person I am. He also loves me genuinely rather than just my body. And yes, the “glorified flamethrower” is a better match than you are.” Peter retorts. Hah, match. Probably not an intentional pun though, because that’s the third time he’s quoted Akhilus’ words back to him. When Peter starts quoting, you start hiding. It’s one of the few indicators that he’s truly furious and any sane being should be running.

Akhilus however, is not just short a few spanners, he never had a toolbox in the first place. The idiot continues spluttering and starts gearing up for more insults against Johnny and for more creepy “compliments” to Peter. Johnny may not know much about this planet’s flirting customs but he’s pretty sure it’s a bad idea to call the person you’re interested in a creature. “I will not be disrespected like this! I am royalty and I may choose whatever consort I please! No man could be better for you than I am.” Akhilus says, offended. Okay, Johnny is pissed now. Peter is his own person and Akhilus doesn’t get to just decide that he’s his consort. He lets Peter handle it though because he’s the one Akhilus is trying to “claim”. He gets to kick the creep’s ass, no matter how much Johnny would like to do it.

“Excuse me? I am no ones consort. I chose Johhny and I will continue to choose Johnny, especially over you! I’ve already told you that I’m not interested, I have continually shown I am not interested and I would very much like for you to fuck off!” Peter snarls at Akhilus, flushed and angry. It’s kind of hot though.

Johnny can’t resist getting in a little bit of verbal evisceration for himself though. “Peter’s made it clear he doesn’t want you, Akhilus. Your mother does though and I imagine she’ll be having a pretty long conversation with you as to why the third royal in line to the throne should refrain from ignoring other people’s refusals. You and the word “no” may not get along but it’s gonna cost you a whole lot more than a shot at the throne if you don’t try to learn it.” He says smoothly and Akhilus goes purple.

“Are you threatening me?” He demands. Johhny shakes his head. “I’m just letting you know how the world works, Princey. But yeah, if I wasn’t here as a diplomat I’d be setting you on fire. Just a bit.” He says pleasantly, a bright smile fixed on his lips.

Akhilus starts to raise his hand, probably to hit Johnny, and Johnny is fully prepared to claim self defense if he does, but the Prince's arm is caught by the Queen, who is radiating displeasure like an angry mother-shaped tornado. Rest in pieces Akhilus, Johnny will not miss you.

Akhilus grows a braincell and stays silent as his mother tells her guards to bring him back to his room, which is probably the best idea he’s had all night. Meanwhile, the Queen turns to the two of them with apology written all over her face.

“I am truly sorry for how Akhilus acted. Rest assured, he will be punished for his blatant overstepping of your boundaries and for the insults he cast at you.” She says gravely and Johnny shakes his head.

“You did the best you could to raise him, Your Majesty. His words are his own. You don’t need to apologise.” He says sincerely and the Queen smiles.

“I see why your lover defended you so vehemently. You are a kind man, Johnathan Storm.” She says kindly and Johnny blushes. It is nice to hear though, especially after how harsh Akhilus had been.

The Queen soon says her goodbyes, stating that she must attend to the other guests and speak to her wife and Johnny and Peter both gove her their best wishes. Every other aspect of their visit has been perfect and Johnny would honestly love to come back. She extends her invitation to the two of them anytime they want it as well, so they’re definitely welcome.

Peter slumps against his side once the Queen is gone and sighs deeply. Johnny can’t help but emulate him, because it’s been a really long day and Akhilus’s bastardry was really the cherry on top. God, he could sleep for a week.

“How about we head back to our room and go to sleep on that ridiculously comfy bed?” Peter says tiredly. “You read my mind, sweetheart. You read my mind.” Johnny says so they do exactly that. Johnny’s asleep within seconds, his hand intertwined with Peter as they both drift off, all thoughts of Akhilus replaced with each other.