WHY DOES NO ONE TALK ABOUT FALA

Cruel prince reader here: NOPE can't do it! Valerian forced her to the ground and made her eat fearie apple which makes her lose control of her body and mind. Sound very similar to date rape drug. Like I know it's called CRUEL prince but I figured the way everyone was stanning Jude and Cardan that he wasn't gonna be too bad. Sure he wasn't the 1 who did that but some shit just crosses the line and he has to be help responsible for the actions of friends trying to impress him. Tumblr is fucked up

Okay. 

I’m going to start with the Faerie apple scene, and then I’ll discuss Cardan and Jude.

Faerie is a dangerous world, right? So dangerous for mortals, in fact, that they cannot eat the food without salt, they can’t eat certain apples, they must go around with rowan berries to avoid charms, etc. etc. The world Holly Black creates is scary, and cruel, and one you would not want to live in. 

However, this is Jude’s home. She’s been forced to grow up here. She’s been forced to live and survive despite the cruelty around her, and she’s survived. In fact, she’s incredibly brave for not only learning how to live in this world, but also standing up to those who aim to hurt her. 

And Jude, for so long, has been keeping herself safe. This moment of eating the Faerie apple, then, while horrible, reminds Jude, and by extension, us (the readers), that Faerie isn’t a safe place. Any safety that Jude had felt up to this moment is gone. She’s vulnerable and can’t stand up for herself and it is cruel. Horrible. Terrifying. It’s a reminder that this world is not meant for mortals, that dangers lurk in every crevice, and even out in the open. It’s a reminder to us, too, that Jude isn’t invincible. She’s human, just like us. 

Now, onto Cardan. 

I’m not just going to say ‘Faeries are cruel,’ because sure, they can be, but Cardan does need to be held responsible for his actions. He and his behavior shouldn’t be written off. 

He’s a bully. He causes pain. And yes, when Jude and Taryn were thrown into the river, he does try to end it sooner. If I’m not mistaken, too, he does try to get his friends to stop their actions in the Faerie fruit scene. But yes, he is cruel, and treats mortals terribly, and treats lots of people terribly, actually, but he was also abused. Is abused. That’s not an excuse for his behavior. Don’t get me wrong: he treats others with immense cruelty at times, and that shouldn’t be ignored or excused. But, it is all he knows. There’s more about why Cardan’s the way he is in the sequel, The Wicked King, but the little moments we catch of how he’s treated by Balekin helps to explain his cruelty. 

That all being said, I think the characters of Jude and Cardan are very dynamic, and as the book (and sequel) show, they aren’t just the badass and cruel characters that we originally met. They are both vulnerable and have been through traumatizing and horrible experiences and that does, inevitably, shape who they become. Ultimately, though, it’s not who they have to be. And I think that both Jude and Cardan are learning that. Particularly Cardan. 

So yes. There are incredibly cruel moments in the book. I think that was going to be unavoidable, particularly when Holly Black’s created such a dangerous world. But those moments don’t necessarily undermine the rest of the book, or the series. 

Can we please stop making people feel awful for shipping a problematic ship or for liking a problematic character? I've seen people accuse others for encouraging pedophilic behaviour simply because they ship an immortal with a mortal, and for encouraging abusive behaviour simply because they ship an enemies to lovers ship.

Certain self-righteous people tend to forget this is fictional characters we're talking about, and you can't judge a person from that. The characters you love or the ships you ship don't make you a bad person or a good one. If you like a perfectly healthy relationship, or are in love with the kind, cinnamon roll character, good for you. If you like that borderline abusive, slightly problematic ship, it doesn't make you a bad person, no matter what anyone says.

Additionally, this blog supports shipping "problematic" shipping, because fiction and fanfiction is not reality.

Whoever or whatever you like in characters and ships doesn't define your personality. Fandoms are treated as an escape from reality for most people, and that sort of behaviour makes our fandoms toxic which helps no one and nothing.

CROOKED KINGDOM AND RULE OF WOLVES SPOILER

“Go little rockstar” but it’s Matthias watching Nina have mercy on his people

To the person reading this, I hope tonight treats you gently, and that tomorrow looks brighter

Wanna hear a sad thought

So this has been scratching at the back of my brain for a few days now from a combination of a few things. Mainly a post about SOC feeling lie an origin story for an even greater myth (its somewhere on my blog if you can be bothered to find it) and an ask I got about if Inej died what would happen to Kaz which got me thinking about character death and what happens post CK to our lovely crow children. I’ve been noticing all the headcanons lately are super fluffy and like people naming Kaz and Inej’s children, which yes I know all fandoms do this and yes they are still good and make me happy. I just can’t feel like they’re real even if they capture personalities well and them still being a decent amount angsty because I don’t think anything like that gets to happen. The end of CK opens a lot of potential problems, hiding Kuwei was just a bandaid fix to a whole plethora of issues that are going to wreak havoc on the grishaverse. It definitely feels like the preceding story to something huge. Lot’s of characters with powerful connections and political tension, and manipulation. Basically like world war in the grishaverse, I think everyone from our little crew gets involved one way or another, they wouldn’t be the main characters of this story, but the ripple effect would get to all of them Nina especially because she’s a member of the second army.

The secret to Jurda Parem would get out and its as Van eck said throwing global markets into chaos, the Shu are making more Khergud soilders and using them to hunt grisha. The second army is still not at its strength, and its trying to recruit more soilders, Nina is there as well as Kuwei who works away on the antidote for Parem. He is never successful though. Nina manages to recruit Jesper into the second army when he sees whats happening to grisha convincing him its the safest place, and a strong cause. Wylan’s father’s empire or his now isn’t doing well because the markets are in total chaos, and he goes to Ravka with Jesper.

Inej is true to her word hunting slavers, but with the secret to Parem revealed most slave ships are capturing grisha, and they are being sold, having their worth increased. Most of the grisha she frees are taken to Ravka, but a decent amount have joined her crew, or crews because Inej now has several vessels under her command. She still goes back to Ketterdam and she and Kaz have a blossoming romance, but it doesn’t last long.

Kaz dies. Its a few years after SOC, but I don’t think he lives past 23. Despite all his threats, spider webs of lies, and Important connections. He’s pissed off the wrong people. The wrong grisha, essentially Kaz gets in deep shit with the council of tides, and despite what he says at the end of crooked kingdom he doesn’t really have much leverage. Once the secret to parem gets out the fake plague has resided, of course Ketterdam is still in chaos because of the war. Kaz is the only one of our crew still in Ketterdam, so when it somehow leaks about their heist, stealing Kuwei, the auction, and Kuwei dying and getting smuggled off to Ravka. The evidence is uncovered, with Ketterdam hanging on by the skin of its teeth, people are mad, and looking for someone to blame. So they blame Kaz. Of course it isn’t technically right to peg one man for all this trouble, but plenty of people already want the new king of the barrel dead. The council of tides is pissed, and already hates Kaz, since he doesn’t have the plague to threaten them with he cant do anything. The dreg’s won’t risk retribution from the council of tides, and they can’t get dirt on every government official and member of the Merchant council. Kaz faces public execution. Half of the barrel is there, a good portion of them celebrating and sneering, saying how Dirtyhands finally got what was coming to him. No matter how awful he was though, many show their respect, because he was still one of the most legendary criminals Ketterdam had ever seen. The last thing Kaz says is, “I did it Jordie.” 

Kaz:

ALSO, there’s a difference between stanning Joost - who was an innocent boy who literally didn’t mean to harm anyone and was just caught in the crossfire of an experiment gone wrong - and stanning an entitled white woman who wanted to harm a girl of colour because she thought she would find glory in her death. 

Basically: Dunyasha stans don’t try to excuse away your bad behaviour and learn reading comprehension 🙄

To any suicidal followers I may have: This is a sign to not kill yourself. You are loved and the world is special because you are in it. Keep holding on.

Reblog this when it’s on your dash. You will save someone’s life.

six of crows by leigh bardugo

So, everyone keeps complaing about what Cardan did in the end of twk but I'm like??? I have never been more proud of someone in my life like HELL YES Cardan is THE perfect High King, where he bleeds things grown. He had such amazing growth and he is so strong now and I am proud proud proud I love him

I love Cardan’s story arc. Like, love love love. 

And I won’t complain about what Cardan did when he exiled Jude (though it did break my heart a little because THEY MADE SO MUCH PROGRESS). BUT I also understand that he was trying to protect her. And, looking at the language, I mean…Jude is royal! She can say “hey my exile is over I’m coming back now” and she can. She’s just way too stubborn to even realize it. She’s just all “oh my god I’m so mad” and I mean I would be too, like being exiled from the place you call home is heartbreaking. 

I digress. 

Point is, I agree with you about Cardan. He’s opening up, we’re learning what he’s been through and why he’s had to become what people would consider a monster, and we learn that hey, maybe he doesn’t want to be cruel or wicked. Maybe, deep down, he wants to do good. And the land thriving off of him, the power he’s receiving, well, I think he wants to do good with it. He wants to be king and wants to do right for his people. And Jude. 

But he still has a long way to go.