cromulentreader

[cromulentreader]

What do you think of Taniot?

Taniot (Prince Dain’s mother) is introduced moments before dying in the coronation and I think she was mostly added to prove Oriana was right: “It is no easy thing to be the lover of the High King. It is to always be in danger. It is to always be a pawn.”

We are not told Dain's age, but I would have guessed him older than the Ghost, who's 100 give or take. Taniot was potentially a consort for the High King for decades/centuries. Plenty of time to get used to Court games of being ladylike, even when someone swings a sword at her neck. Balekin offers Eldred a chance to avoid Taniot's death and tells him everyone will know Eldred allowed it if he doesn't take it.

“Declare me the High King, put the crown on my head(...). Otherwise, I will kill Taniot. I will kill her here in front of everyone, and they will all know that you allowed it.”

This is important because although this is not a human society, it doesn't mean it was amoral. Even if Eldred didn't have any love for Taniot she was in the Folk's eyes his and he had an obligation to her. Or an obligation to defend what belonged to him.

Later in TWK, Cardan chooses to save Jude to show Balekin (and others) where Jude was in Cardan's list of obligations. And outside of Roiben, looking for reasonable retribution, this choice isn't used as ammunition against Cardan later on, and it's an interesting contrast to poor Taniot's tale.

Taniot’s horned head rolls a short ways until it hits Dain’s corpse. I feel something wet on my face, like rain. There's so much symbolism on this one because having a child — an heir to the throne — is so significant in this society. Asha used it often and wasn't even a consort. But, like Asha, it provided Taniot no protection, no power of her own.

And this is a story about a girl who wanted power. Being a lady of the court was an available option to Jude, even with reduced options due to being mortal. But in Taniot she got confirmation (again) that being someone's wife or a royal's consort wasn't safe, and it wasn't power. Side note on the last line, my first intuition reading this was that Jude had tears falling at this point. It is possible that she was close enough that the blood splattered on her face like it did onto her dress. The ambiguity might reflect the trauma-induced dissociation in which Jude can't even specify what's happening to her. It would be interesting if Taniot's death were the one making her tear up and not Elowyn or Dain's; it would speak volumes about her sense of justice.

[cromulentreader]

What do you think of each of Cardan's sisters?

Not much, as there's not much about them in the books to go by. But I have some thoughts. Elowyn: Eldred's favourite, so I'm assuming the worst of this one just on that account. I could probably learn to hate her properly if provided more details.

Rhyia: seemed similar in personality to Vivienne. The following her family to death was very "unfarie" so that was interesting.

Caelia: She seemed to dislike Cardan and carried a bodice dagger. Totally should have been hanging out with Jude.

In general, no sister awards after they didn't take Cardan in when the option was Balekin (don't tell me Cardan went swimming with Rhyia and kept a top on). But I think they all knew Dain was poisoning Eldred and DGAF. I can respect that.

[cromulentreader]

Am I the only one who imagined Cardan had longish curly hair like this while reading TCP? Probably.

[cromulentreader]

Reading Madoc asking Cardan whether Cardan could inspire loyalty is so funny.

Bro, can you? One of your daughters poisoned you, and another shot you with an arrow.

[cromulentreader]

Reading Madoc asking Cardan whether Cardan could inspire loyalty is so funny.

Bro, can you? One of your daughters poisoned you, and another shot you with an arrow.

[cromulentreader]

Reading Madoc asking Cardan whether Cardan could inspire loyalty is so funny.

Bro, can you? One of your daughters poisoned you, and another shot you with an arrow.

[cromulentreader]

Reading Madoc asking Cardan whether Cardan could inspire loyalty is so funny.

Bro, can you? One of your daughters poisoned you, and another shot you with an arrow.

[cromulentreader]

I wouldn't judge Jude if she returned Taryn's words to her face when Taryn came with a wedding invite (plus needing something). But the thing was that Jude was nice to Taryn. Consistently. And all Jude got in return were demands on what to do and backstabbing.

Although the backstabbing seemed to subside. After Taryn learned her sister was the High Queen.

[cromulentreader]

“With that, she condemns me to life.” I get why some didn't like that Haymitch seems more haunted by Lenore's memory than his mother or Sid's death. But his promise to Lenore was his tether to life for decades.

Everyone he loved was taken. Every year, he heard his brother's last happy birthday in his mind before meeting the 2 new kids he would mentor into dying. Every year, he avoided loving anyone or anything else for their own safety. Every year, he kept looking for ways to keep his promise.

His mind kept going to Lenore because the alternatives wouldn't have allowed him to keep his promise.

[cromulentreader]

The moment our hearts shattered? It belongs to us. — Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

[cromulentreader]

Cardan’s browser history is  fUcKeD uP

[cromulentreader]

At some point after the exile, Madoc will mention to Cardan that he has not yet received a dowry since Jude married him.

[cromulentreader]

jude recognized the taste of poison on cardan's lips in twk because she had been poisoning herself for months, but do you think cardan drank the poison and thought, oddly, of how jude had tasted when he kissed her in that room behind the throne? do you think it made him drink deeper?

[cromulentreader]

Random TFoTA thought of the day: Jude is Queen-of-Hearts-coded (a bit). "The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. “Off with his head!” she said without even looking round." Alice in Wonderland “Someone tries to betray the High King, murder. Someone gives you a harsh look, murder. Someone disrespects you, murder. Someone ruins your laundry, murder." The Wicked King "Despite being the High Queen of Elfhame, with an army at her disposal and dozens of Courts at her command, she still acted as though she’d have to handle every problem herself — and that each one would best be solved through murder." The Prisoner's Throne

[cromulentreader]

Three clues that Cardan was going to lose his head 1. “In those stories, one is often asked to do something unimaginably terrible to the creature. Cut off it's head, say. A test. Not a test of love. A test of trust. Trust lifts the spell.” Ironside 2. 'Stop you?' I echo. 'Sure. If you're a huge jerk and a threat to Elfhame, I'll pop your head right off.' TQON

3. “The king had a pretty head,” says Fala. “But can he do without it?” TQON

[cromulentreader]

"I haul around and slap him. It's a stinging blow, smearing the gold of his cheekbone and causing his skin to redden. We stare at each other for long moments, breathing hard. His eyes are bright with something entirely different from anger."

The Queen of Nothing, Holly Black

[cromulentreader]

Absolutely, now forgive me as I have to do my why Eldred sucked rant. Eldred was done caring after Dain - maybe earlier - and still went on to have another 3 Pokemon, I mean, children. Balekin was a slave master, but that was not against Eldred's rules. Hell, one of Balekin's first memories is trapped in a globe in Eldred's things and is of being under the care of a glamoured woman. Elowyn was his favourite, but after a bit of plotting she was no longer in his favour, which seemed to align with whom should rule (???) Dain was poisoning him, which is bad, but Vivi sort of hints at it and Cardan knew. So likely one poisoned him and the other five were like: Father had it coming. Even the Land of Elfhame aged him while ruling, even though he's old, but Orlagh saw 2 other rulers before him. Val Moren was mortal and alive, but Eldred made him choose between mortals and faeries. He was given a fancy title as seneschal but it didn't sound like he had the power that the title suggested. Dain's mother was still his consort and he cared little if she was executed for an ornament one puts on their head. Or 2 of his children for that matter. And, of course, Cardan was rejected because of a star alignment. I strongly suspect he didn't make Asha a consort because she bored an unlucky child, not because she was annoying. Or for being a negligent mother who has a royal child scavenging and sleeping in barns like wild fae instead of gentry. When Dain tricked Cardan when he was a small child, not only Eldred didn't allow him a hearing - to a child who cannot lie - he sent his caretaker to prison and kicked him out of his home (the palace), no living arrangements made ahead of time either. And for a supposed crime Balekin was most likely committing regularly, only through starvation and exhaustion, instead of a quick death. When Cardan was of age Eldred could have easily granted him means so he was free of Balekin's familiar "charity". Of course, Cardan got nothing because Eldred gave up on Cardan when he was a newborn.

Eldred doesn't get as much hate as he deserves so here I am starting an Eldred hate chain!

That asshole abounded his own child because of a stupid prophecy! Refused to even listen to Cardan's side of the story when Dain blamed him in a murder and cast him out of the palace for no reason at all. Lady Asha gets all the hate for being a terrible mother, but that man is even shittier than she is! He's said to be manipulative and bloodthirsty especially when he was younger. And did little to nothing for Elfheme for all those thousands of years besides having a bunch of asshole children. (Cardan did more in a few months than Eldred did for centuries of ruling and he didn't even have to try to be king.)

Had so many consorts and lovers that it makes me throw up (he had a whole fucking chamber for them connected to his bedroom with a secret corridor ew). Favours only one of all his six children and doesn't care about the others. I don't like Dain but I can't blame him for trying to poison his wrinkly ass!