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[leafkingofbirds]

super late but here’s a very specific ship dynamic i’ve been obssessed with recently

[leafkingofbirds]

No one will ever hurt me again.

Heartless but all-powerful MC from The Cursed Heart 2

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[leafkingofbirds]

Yes!! I knew there was something about his name being Jack that just made sense to me but you articulated it exactly. Jack is like representing the everyman, he's the hero of the common people.

*wakes up in the middle of the night* Jack is literally a reference to the ‘Jack’ archetype; the protagonist who uses cleverness and trickery in order to accomplish his goal. This is not necessarily always the case, but Jack is generally the go-to name (or John) in English fairytales for protagonists

[leafkingofbirds]

One thing about TCH2, I really fucking loved is how it treats Jack with so much nuance and respect and doesn’t demonise him for his actions, only is firm with him when he goes too far. He’s not wrong for resenting his birth mother, and the narrative never forces, blames or punishes him for it. There’s no moment where he’s forced to understand her and forgive her (or worse, realise he was ‘wrong’ and want forgiveness for his resentment towards her). Same with his actions against the Fae; he’s not wrong for using force against both the Courts (both!!! Even if Kieran is a good person and may have listened to Jack, Jack didn’t know that and isn’t wrong for assuming the worst just because Kieran doesn’t have bad intentions). He’s wrong for using more force than needed, for hurting innocent people and similar actions, but in the end, his ideals are proven right and he is not wrong for wanting to end a corrupt system.

[leafkingofbirds]

Do you wish that you loved me? (Smile back)

Do you wish that you loved me? (At me)

Do you wish that you loved me? (Please)

I don't have time to write this chapter currently but I do have time to trawl Pinterest for pining!Kieran/cursed!Ella aesthetics I guess

[leafkingofbirds]

My Fairy Forest by indojo

[leafkingofbirds]

HIM ❤️

Jack is the portrait of the week ❤️‍🩹

[leafkingofbirds]

[leafkingofbirds]

@im-gonna-draw over here giving me the best ideas I swear 🤭

[leafkingofbirds]

A Heavy Burden To Bear Chapter 4

As always, this beautiful art by @artbyamara!

[leafkingofbirds]

after thunderstorm in june 2022

[leafkingofbirds]

Okay, so I know I’ve already made literally forty posts about The Cursed Heart Book 1, but. There’s one more scene that I really want to talk about before I move on. To me, it’s the scene that explains what the entire book is about –

See, back when The Cursed Heart Book 1 was being released, I remember that Tumblr was overflowing with criticism of the MC. Every second post was about how ‘it’s so annoying to always be playing the fish out of water’, or ‘it’s so boring to always be playing nice’, or ‘it’s so frustrating to always be playing naïve.’ And yeah, those criticisms are valid for a lot of Choices books, but… they’re not really valid for The Cursed Heart. Because the MC being like that is the entire point of the story. The Cursed Heart is a fairytale, and a key characteristic of fairytales is that they have a moral, and the moral of The Cursed Heart is one of the most classic in the genre: that kindness and love conquer all. MC is an innocent outsider because they are meant to contrast the scheming culture of the Fae. MC is sweet and gentle because they are meant to demonstrate how goodness can be a strength. MC is ridiculously trusting because they represent a world where people don’t hurt one another. And literally the essence of the plot is that Kieran has been hurt in that way, has been ‘cursed’ by their heartbreak to become lonely and manipulative and cruel, and MC is the symbol of a better world that restores their hope and finally brings them back from the brink. Yes, it’s a sappy, tropey story, and yes, nobody is obligated to like it. But also, nobody can say that it would be a better story if MC was different, because if MC was different then it literally wouldn’t be the same story at all. For once, the MC has been written with a distinctive personality that serves a narrative purpose, rather than just being a blank slate whose sole characteristic seems to be be horniness, *glares at every other current MC except the Blades one*. And I don’t know about you, but – I find that really, really cool.

[leafkingofbirds]

love letter to my love from another star

[leafkingofbirds]

Beautiful Earth.

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[leafkingofbirds]

Ooooh!!

And then, suddenly... you feel... Nothing.

Something I wish PB would have explored more is MC's curse. So I did the natural thing and made a mood board lol