#(I have full /character/arcs/ for some of these bastards. And that’s not even /considering/ how the reversal affects the other fams

[cienie-isengardu]

Bi-Han & Kenshi

I’m curious - if people think Bi-Han is the scum for breaking centuries old tradition of Lin Kuei’s servitude to Liu Kang and Earthrealm, do they also think Kenshi is a bastard for trying to break out his clan from Yakuza? Both men were raised in clans that supposedly pledged its loyalty to someone - Lin Kuei to Liu Kang/Earthrealm, clan Taira renamed as Takahashi to the Bakuto (Yakuza) and both at some point decided their people deserves better and waged war against their superiors to free their respective clans. 

I’m pretty sure some of fans may be outraged how I could compare Liu Kang to Yakuza but the thing is, so far story mode and tie-in material didn’t show much suggesting Lin Kuei’s relationship with Fire Lord was based on genuine friendship or even mutual respect. There is nothing even remotely close to how Liu Kang addressed Sindel or interacted with Royal Family and his Champions. Bi-Han’s title of Grandmaster is never used by Liu Kang, Tomas is never acknowledged either alongside his brothers (chapter 1) nor as Kuai Liang’s second in command in regard to Shirai Ryu (last chapter). Kuai Liang is not part of the final meeting between Liu Kang and his champions even though he led a major attack on the enemy's forces when Fire Lord was busy with his own task. Literally all story mode the Lin Kuei brothers’ interaction with Liu Kang is about them doing his bidding and nothing more. Considering the implication that

A) Umgadi system was Liu Kang’s own innovation (as stated in Geras vs Tanya intro dialogue) and said system is based on taking away a little girls from their families and indoctrinating them into loyal warriors whose main goal is to uphold Royal Family’s regime over Outworld 

B) Umgadi system and Lin Kuei has a lot pallares to each other, world-building wise

I can see why Bi-Han claims Earthrealm - and by extension Liu Kang, doesn’t deserve his loyalty.

Sindel: With one act, you betrayed two realms. Sub-Zero: Neither deserved my loyalty.

Ironically, from Kenshi and Johnny Cage's talk about history of Taira clan, we can conclude that Kenshi’s forefathers actually benefited from Yakuza, as it was Yakuza that provided them protection when every other noble house wanted them dead:

Johnny: "Four hundred years ago the Taira clan were one of Japan's first families. They lost Sento after getting slaughtered at the Siege of Aomori." Kenshi: "There were survivors. They hid themselves by shedding the name Taira for Takahashi. They joined the Bakuto for its protection." Johnny: The Yakuza's predecessors... From first family to crime family."

What is more, Kenshi’s backstory is not “Yakuza threaten my family and I must act to save them” but he was part of japanese criminal organization (implied by the tattoos on his body) that had a change of heart once he fell in love: 

Scorpion: Who was it that set you on the righteous path? Kenshi: Her name was Suchin.

and who needed to reclaim family ancient sword, Sento, because without it, he did not have full support of his people:

Kenshi (story mode): "I will break us free of the Yakuza's corruption. Reclaim our name and our position. But my clan won't follow me unless I prove that I can lead. That's why I need Sento."

Ironically, at this moment, sources strongly imply Lin Kuei - with exception of Kuai Liang and Tomas - willingly support Bi-Han and the breaking up with Liu Kang/Earthrealm. And like Scorpion suggested in story mode, some members like Sektor and Cyrax would still choose Bi-Han over the him or tradition, even when knowing that Sub-Zero let his own father die. Kenshi, on other hand, needs first to win over his own clan, which may imply that a great number of his family is not willing to either leave the Yakuza or lost its protection.

And sure, we may argue about morality of characters and organizations to which they belonged (Liu Kang’s protectors of Earthrealm and Yakuza), but it won’t change the fact that narrative wise, the story arc of Bi-Han and Kenshi is structurally the same. 

They served someone (Liu Kang/Earthrealm, leaders of Yakuza) to whom their respective clans pledged their loyalty centuries ago until something made them question their life and current political and economic state of their clans. In case of Kenshi, it was Suchin, in case of Bi-Han the reason is unknown yet the growing frustration didn’t come out of nowhere. Both took the first available offer that possibly could advance their cause after the just-meet strangers proved they have means to fulfill their promises (Liu Kang’s showcase of fire power, Shang Tsung presenting Dragon Army). And once they waged the war against their former bosses, none of them is willing to return to things as they were - whatever others approve or not. And as intro dialogues imply, their actions cost people’s lives.

Liu Kang: Your actions cost lives, Bi-Han! Sub-Zero: They were in the Lin Kuei's best interests.

and

Liu Kang: Your war on the underworld is taking innocent lives. Kenshi: Am I to blame for my enemy's wanton violence?

And apparently, both made alliances with people considered as criminal, cruel and/or dangerous to Earthrealm. Like Bi-Han’s alliance with Shang Tsung, General Shao and Nitara while Kenshi, according to intro dialogues, is involved with Black Dragons:

Geras: You have been warned about the Black Dragon. Kenshi: Don't worry. I know what I'm doing.

or

Kenshi: My war on the Yakuza has a new ally. Scorpion: You cannot trust the Black Dragon, Kenshi.

Through intro dialogues, BIO and story mode, we may even notice similar patterns in goals of Bi-Han and Kenshi. As in, them wishing to make their clan independent and finally out of the shadows:

KENSHI:

(story mode): "I will break us free of the Yakuza's corruption. Reclaim our name and our position. 

and

(story mode): "Not dead. Hiding. With Sento in my hands, I'll lead us out of the shadows."

or

BIO: "Once one of ancient Japan's most honored families, the Takahashis were decimated in battle. They lost everything, including the emblem of their power: the revered sword, Sento. Those who survived joined the Bakuto, a predecessor of the Yakuza, for its protection. Five centuries later, Kenshi is raised on the stories of his ancient family's exploits. Detesting his corrupt Yakuza life, he pines to free the Takahashis from the Yakuza's grasp and restore their name. But for his family to follow him, Kenshi must first fight to prove that he can lead. His first battle is to find and retrieve Sento."

Bi-Han

Mortal Kombat 1: "As the Lin Kuei's Grandmaster, Sub-Zero leads his ancient warrior clan in defense of Earthrealm from external threats. For centuries, it has been their solemn task. But Earthrealm hasn't been threatened in generations, and Sub-Zero see no point in limiting his clan to preparing for dangers that may never come. Under his leadership, the Lin Kuei will come out of the shadows and fight for its place as one of Earthrealm's great nations."

and

Sub-Zero: I've gained the Lin Kuei's freedom. Smoke: You've only earned them infamy.

Among other intro dialogues

or

Sub-Zero’s MK1 Ending: "I had broken the Lin Kuei free of Liu Kang's enslavement. We were now masters of our destiny and could take our place among Earthrealm's greatest nations [...]."

Which is why I’m curious - if people judge Bi-Han as “evil” for breaking up with what he considered an enslavement or exploitation of his family and clan, do they see Kenshi in the same light? Or is Kenshi by virtue of siding with Liu Kang the good guy and Sub-Zero is scorned because of his broken relationship with brothers more than anything else?

(Though if to support Bi-Han you need to bash Kuai Liang then please, don’t. If there is one thing that sources proved us about the Lin Kuei brothers is that both are dutiful men who put duty above the bloodties - and sadly their sense of duties isn’t compatible anymore.)

[navree]

ik you haven't been watching season 2 but i think they gave tb some actually intresting conflicts! baela having a messy relationship with her dad, rhaena being sent of to care for kids at 17-19? and rhaenyra being constantly undeminded by her council (not couting the strong boys i think the writers forget they exist)

Baela absolutely should have a messy relationship with her dad, given the behavior we've seen from Daemon as a father specifically (ignoring Rhaena for not having a dragon, sending Baela to live on Driftmark for ten years so he can prioritize his full-blooded Targaryen children, completely disregarding both of his daughters after the death of their mother and being utterly unsupportive and rushing to marry someone else who he had sex with the day of Laena's funeral). So that's something I hope they'd do more with, though I doubt it considering that Daemon is at Harrenhal now and is gonna spend the rest of the season being tortured by Alys, hell yeah. I'm leery on Rhaena's arc because, as I've mentioned before, it seems like they're gearing up to just give her Nettles's storyline, which is such an atrocious writing decision that it beggars belief, but there is something interesting in her feeling underappreciated.

And one thing I've found interesting, if they're doing it intentionally, is something I've seen other people talk about, which is a certain selfish disregard Rhaenyra has when it comes to her stepdaughters. She doesn't want Jace patrolling on Vermax because of what happened to Luke and wanting to protect him, but she has no problem having Baela patrol on Moondancer, and there is Something to the fact that she orders this after she learns that Daemon has done something that's significantly weakened her position and had a big fight with him about it. She can't entirely punish him, so she's taking it out on his daughter instead. Rhaenyra wants her sons to be safe, so she sends them to safety and then kinda tacks on Rhaena at the end to essentially just play nursemaid, separated from her remaining family (and the seat she or her sister should be entitled to inherit but can't because Rhaenyra propped up obvious non-Velaryon bastards as the rightful inheritors and essentially stole it from them) and literally told to mother these three very young kids. That's kind of a shitty thing to do, and speaks further to a disregard Rhaenyra has for Rhaena and Baela. It might not be intentional on her part, but it's there, and I think it's an interesting tract for both her character and for their's as well.

Rhaenyra being undermined by her council and consistently questioned is part of a larger trend we've seen in her writing since season 1, so I'm not surprised it's still there. Even after she was made heir, she still wasn't taken seriously as a political player, as seen when she tries to make a suggestion during council in 1x02 but almost everyone ignores her and Viserys still wants her to be his fucking cupbearer as if she's not going to be the sovereign of the Seven Kingdoms after him and might need to learn how to participate in the political process. And with the show's insistence on attempting to portray the insidiousness of the patriarchy and misogyny within political systems, especially as it surrounds female leaders, it makes sense to carry that on in Rhaenyra's queenship. She's the queen, yeah, but she's still a woman, so lesser qualified men of lower rank still think they can talk over her and be the ultimate authority. It's what we see with Daemon in 1x10, he ignores Rhaenyra during her miscarriage to plot a war council as if he's the deciding voice here, and when Rhaenyra defies his wishes, he puts his hands on her, because she's his wife and he doesn't think she should be able to do that, ignoring that she's the monarch and is not only allowed to disagree with a subject, but by the rules of her world could literally have him killed for physically attacking her. Do I think it's a message the show is writing particularly well? No, not really, but that's because this show just has a lot of writing failures that are becoming glaringly obvious as it goes on, but it is consistent theming from them.

Meanwhile Jace I think is just there to look pretty, and honestly can someone tell me if Corlys has a plotline at all? Is he doing anything?

[jackoshadows]

"You," Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, "will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon."-  Eddard, AGoT

He rose and dressed in darkness, as Mormont's raven muttered across the room. "Corn," the bird said, and, "King," and, "Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow." That was queer. The bird had never said his full name before, as best Jon could recall. - Jon, ADwD

Contrary to general fandom assumptions about Arya Stark, marriage and marriage proposals show up several times with respect to Arya Stark of Winterfell. The betrothal and marriage of Arya Stark in the story (for Arya herself or for her proxies) highlights and emphasizes on Arya Stark as a Key to the North and Winterfell and her bond with Jon Snow.

The first time a marriage is seriously considered for Arya Stark is when Catelyn betroths Arya to Elmar Frey, the 22nd son of Walder Frey, in return for the use of a bridge. Elmar being a 22nd son meant that there is no land or title in it for Arya Stark and Robb would have to settle his sister and her husband in the North.

More importantly though, for Needleheart purposes, what’s interesting is that Elmar Frey is rumored to be Black Walder’s son and hence a bastard.

So Arya is betrothed to a bastard, has a friendship and the beginnings of a possible romance with another bastard Gendry. Arya rejects her betrothal to Elmar (‘I hope your princess dies’) and thinks that Gendry is no longer part of her pack because he wants to stay with the Brotherhood. Given GRRM’s love for the rule of three, there’s one bastard waiting at the Wall for her who just ended up dying for her and thinks her home is wherever he is.

Weddings are a big part of the Northern plot in ADwD and Arya Stark is involved in every single one of them! Thinking about it, she really is the Key to the North in every sense of the word considering how much she is essential to the plot and character arcs of several of our main characters in the North.

The first wedding that occurs is that of Jeyne Poole masquerading as Arya Stark and Ramsay Bolton, in order to give legitimacy to Ramsay being Lord of Winterfell and Roose holding the North as Warden of the North. This sets off a cascade of events in the North, with some houses and the mountain clans allying and marching with Stannis Baratheon in order to save Ned’s precious little girl Arya Stark and overthrow house Bolton once and for all.

Word is send to the Wall of the impending wedding and sets off another cascade of events with Jon Snow, conflicted between keeping to his oaths and wanting to save Arya. In the process, Jon refers to Arya as his heart a couple of times and his arc here embodies GRRM’s oft mentioned ‘The Human heart in conflict with itself as the only story worth telling’.  Melisandre convinces him to send the King Beyond the Wall to rescue Arya, which leads to the infamous Pink Letter and Jon’s decision to attack Winterfell and the current Warden of the North, in effect destroying the neutrality of the Night’s Watch.

The second wedding is that of ‘ a girl in grey’ fleeing a marriage - Melisandre assures Jon it’s Arya fleeing Ramsay Bolton and heading to the Wall.

“The heart is all that matters. Do not despair, Lord Snow. Despair is a weapon of the enemy, whose name may not be spoken. Your sister is not lost to you.” “I have no sister.” The words were knives. What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister? Melisandre seemed amused. “What is her name, this little sister that you do not have?” “Arya.” His voice was hoarse. “My half-sister, truly …” “… for you are bastard born. I had not forgotten. I have seen your sister in my fires, fleeing from this marriage they have made for her. Coming here, to you. A girl in grey on a dying horse, I have seen it plain as day. It has not happened yet, but it will.” - Jon, ADwD

It turns out that the fleeing girl in grey is not Arya after all and that Melisandre has mistaken Alys Karstark for Arya Stark because they are similar in looks (Alys has the long face and brown hair, with blue-grey eyes. The Karstarks descended from a branch of House Stark). Jon quickly turns marriage broker and arranges a wedding for Alys with dancing and food - a bright and hopeful event in comparison to Jeyne/fake Arya’s wedding to Ramsay Bolton. Jon compares Alys’ smile and bravery to that of Arya’s, refers to his heart again and calls her a ‘Winter’s Lady’.

And finally, Stannis Baratheon sends word to Jon at the wall, and informs him that he intends to marry off Arya Stark to one of his Lords or a Northern Lord presumably after winning over Winterfell and killing Ramsay Bolton.

We are five thousand strong as I write, our numbers swelling every day. And word has come to us that Roose Bolton moves toward Winterfell with all his power, there to wed his bastard to your half sister. He must not be allowed to restore the castle to its former strength. We march against him. Arnolf Karstark and Mors Umber will join us. I will save your sister if I can, and find a better match for her than Ramsay Snow. You and your brothers must hold the Wall until I can return. - Jon, ADwD

Worried about Arya being used as a marriage pawn, Jon ironically wants to send her to Braavos, free of political entanglements.

Nor was he about to turn her over to Stannis or Melisandre. The king would only want to marry her to one of his own men, Horpe or Massey or Godry Giantslayer, and the gods alone knew what use the red woman might want to make of her. - Jon, aDwD

[Something to note here is that Jon has no qualms in brokering a marriage for Alys Karstark for political gain and yet does not want the same for Arya. And yes, Arya is much younger than Alys and still Catelyn was betrothing Arya to Elmar Frey way back in AGoT, when Arya is 9. Jon wants none of that for an even older Arya]

Something else to consider is that all of Arya’s betrothals and weddings - fake or otherwise - has her in the North. Her marriage to Elmar Frey would have seen her settled in the North on land given by Ned/Robb Stark. Stannis wants to reward his Lords with land/castles/titles in the North by marriage to Arya Stark. Fake Arya Stark marries the Lord of Winterfell to give legitimacy to the Bolton rule over the North. And the ‘girl in grey’ who Jon assumed to be Arya ends up marrying a Thenn from beyond the Wall and creating a new house at Karhold in the North.

So, betrothals and weddings surrounding Arya Stark greatly influence the plot in the North and drives Jon Snow’s story at the Wall. And while all this is happening Arya herself has no idea of any of this! She is unaware of her betrothal to Elmar, unaware of Ramsay’s marriage to ‘Arya’, unaware of Jon trying to save a ‘girl in grey’, unaware of Stannis wanting to marry her to one of his lords. Arya really has no idea how important she is to the North and how at this point a version of Arya Stark has married or come close to marriage.

And as always, with the rule of three, maybe the third wedding will be that of the real, grown up Arya Stark and this time the real Arya Stark will have agency and get to choose her partner, someone she loves, has always loved and wants to marry, a future full of hope and rebirth. A Dream of Spring.

[garoumylove]

Just some Garou ramblings I wrote up while discussing why Garou is an anti-villain 💖💖

Garou is an anti villain. Basically the definition of it. An anti villain is defined as having "desired ends that are mostly good, but their means of getting there range from evil to undesirable"

That's all there is to it. He wanted to make a more just world but went about it in a bit of a demented way. He's a little bit fucked up, isn't he? But the ends were always good with Garou. He is a villain to the other characters in OPM minus Saitama, but to the audience he is always an anti-villain.

Garou did do a lot of malicious things, some we might even consider evil. I'm not a fan of MA arc ending so I'm mostly basing my analysis and discussion on the WC when it comes to the end of the arc but the manga for everything up to the surface fight.

Garou is definitely a bully to heroes, especially those that are weaker than him. It's very unpleasant to watch him smash Mumen Rider's face into the concrete. There's no denying that he is the antagonist and he does prevent good being done.

However, despite wanting to be a monster and rule over everyone and walking around with big dick energy and being a sexy cocky bastard, Garou also views himself as a victim which he also is. He's not a victim of the heroes he wants to destroy but he is a victim of bullying and discrimination himself. When he beats up heroes and wants to destroy them, it's to create a better world, in his head, for loser kids like Tareo and like he himself was.

This is why I love Garou and find him so fascinating because he's a complicated mix of victim and villain and it's all so enmeshed and entangled that it's hard to pull the threads apart a lot of the time.

I am angry at him for choosing such a twisted and violent path to achieve his noble if deluded goal but I love him because I can also see the very hurt and angry and insecure lonely young man underneath.

Even Psykos/Gyoro Gyoro says he has a pure heart, he absolutely struggles to give up his humanity. It feels with Garou that this violent path was almost chosen for him, inevitable with the amount of bullying and mockery he himself received.

Him lashing out, constantly wanting to throw hands and defeat 'heroes' which he sees as the embodiment of his childhood torment are his defense and coping mechanisms. He was a boy who never, until he met Bang, had anyone in his corner. He has no adults to protect him or stand up for him or love and nurture him. You have to understand he was a child that was left alone and ganged upon most of his childhood. It's not a surprise he chooses such extreme défenses.

He says to Tareo that no one will be there to save him. He has to get stronger by himself. Garou has never had anyone he could count on. The only way he feels he can survive in the world is by literally becoming the strongest. He can only count on himself and so he will make himself into something unbeatable.

I believe he demonstrates, unwittingly, a lot of kindness and empathy when he discusses how he's doing this to erase injustice in society, to erase bullying and prejudice. He wants kids like Tareo and kids like he once was to have a fair chance at life, something he doesn't feel he was given in my opinion.

Garou is full of anger, but to him it is righteous anger. He acts like a complete cunt towards the heroes, but in his head it's to better society for the downtrodden. He sees the heroes as the real villains and refuses to be their victim any longer like he was in primary school.

It's not clear cut and the complexity of his motivations, terrible methods and naturally empathetic personality make for a very messed up but also kind character.

Garou declares himself a villain to the heroes and inadvertently as a hero to the underdogs of society like Tareo. He just isn't quite aware of the second part even though the audience is.

Garou really is a victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy. He was told when he was a kid by everyone around him that he was bad in one way or another and that's what he ended up becoming. It's quite common for kids to internalise the image others have of them and that's very much what happened here.

I do kind of agree with that he imposed his ideals on the heroes, but at the end of the day it's because he had a noble idea of what a good hero should be and to him none of the existing heroes lived up to that knight in shining armour ideal and he didn't have enough confidence to embody it himself so that was really the only path left for him.

It's interesting because he's so fiercely independent and a lone wolf but he's also such a victim of circumstances...the juxtaposition is fascinating!

[characteroulette]

A study on prosecutors -- (previous) (next)

And now, some dark coffee for your jazz soul.

Okay full disclaimer upfront: I actually dislike Godot a lot. I think he's a bastard in a very unfun way and was never convinced by the game to be endeared to him. At every point he jars against me, though I understand why he would be appealing. He was designed to be cool and I can definitely see that. Many players find him attractive and compelling, but I am not one of them.

What I will say is that he was the perfect final boss to Phoenix's character arc in the trilogy. In fact, I believe that Godot is the most dangerous adversary we ever face in a mainline Ace Attorney game.

You probably understand what I mean by that if you've been following along. But still, let's start at the beginning.

Changing things up right from the get-go to set us off balance: the one to introduce us to Godot's presence is Luke Atmey, of all people. He even tosses in a line about how Edgeworth himself backed him as the best in the country, despite this being a total lie as we learn much later. It's a great setup to the mystery, however; who could this prosecutor be to even have Edgeworth's seal of approval?

Well, it turns out Godot is, in actuality, a complete nobody! Never having been in a single case as a prosecutor before this moment. It's sort of a funny play on our expectations, considering we've grown used to the spiel of prosecutors going undefeated in the courts for however many years. Nah, this guy is a total newbie on the scene.

And yet he knows our name. He knows who we are a little too well, in fact. Phoenix and we the player are rightfully unsettled by this guy's rather upfront disdain for us. It gets our minds turning; who could this man be? Another person like Edgeworth, maybe, connected to Phoenix's past?

(The game has given us all the clues we need to put it together, of course, but none of the context to fit any of it into coherency. It's so cool to see how well they set this all up from the very first trial; every piece of this puzzle was in our hands long before we could form a picture with it all.)

If you thought you might be dealing with a rookie, however, Godot makes it clear from the start that despite this being his first ever trial as a prosecutor, he's not lacking in any kind of experience. He basically runs circles around us, keeping a cool control over the proceedings and even managing to stay one step ahead of us at all times. It's like he knows our methods inside and out; it's a little uncanny just how outmatched we almost are against him. It's a little uncanny how prepared he is for every turn, how hard he battles against us and makes us work for every inch we gain. This in spite of Atmey doing his damndest to be found guilty, too!

The message is made clear upfront: you are going to have to really show that you've grown yourself in playing these games. You have to call on all your own experience in order to meet him and manage your case.

Even when you prove Ron's innocence, Godot cuts you down before you have the time to celebrate. Due to your arguments, you've ended up implicating him in a murder. A fact Godot definitely knew this whole time.

Thus ends our first trial day. And what an intro it is.

The setup of Godot as a right bastard is almost too good, in my opinion. He's a formidable opponent, refusing to give Phoenix any leeway and shutting us down at every turn. He goes so far as to restrict you to a perfect press or a single piece of evidence to present more than once! It's a very cool sort of mechanical playing around, a sort of "you better have studied up on what you're doing" advancement for the final game of the original trilogy, and for that I like it a lot! It really does feel like the culmination to every previous case we've ever charged our way through. A final test, if you will, hence my calling Godot our most formidable opponent.

It also, however, lends itself to my finding him too much of a bastard to really find likable. And we are meant to like him! I'm fairly sure, at least. He was designed to be cool and the ending really leans towards this. But I don't think it came together in the end, at least not for me.

Our second trial day is more of the same. Godot puts on the pressure and we have to fight tooth and nail to even get our point across. He gives us one chance to get it right and so we do just that. No matter the odds he throws at us, we manage in the end to prove Ron's innocence once more. And despite being thrown from his cool demeanour, it never gets to the point of a complete break in his facade, like it does for our other prosecutors. No matter how much we get Godot on the ropes, he's too smooth of a customer to ever be fully floundering.

It's a great way of showing he's cool, I'll give them that. It also goes a long way to presenting him as the determinator he is. Can you really get a more iconic line than, "I have returned from the depths of hell to do battle with you"? They gave Godot several really good lines. But he's a lot less relatable as a result. Until we learn his full deal, he's more antagonist than he is a person. His one motivating goal we ever really see from him is that he hates Phoenix and wants to destroy Phoenix completely. A goal not unique to him, really; another factor going against him feeling anything other than pure antagonist. And sure, we had our antagonists in Edgeworth, in Manfred, and in Franziska. But they had motives outside of purely crushing Phoenix. They showed their humanity somewhere in their first appearances. (Yes, even Manfred had something to him outside of pure antagonist.)

But Godot? He's a man of mystery. An appealing mystery, but one that never quite grabbed me like it was meant to.

Either way, we start the third case and come across our next truth about Godot: he's specifically seeking out trials we're heading.

It is funny how apparent it becomes that the Phoenix who blundered Maggey's initial trial was a phony due to Godot's complete disinterest in the case to begin with. If we weren't all ready keyed into this fact considering we're Phoenix ourselves, it's a hilarious little bit of character reinforcement. Godot sure does hate us! And only us, not some pretender faking as us. It's a trait that stays consistent about him and I appreciate how silly it is, even if it's just reinforcing his one main character motivation.

His methods through this trial remain the same, an unforgiving test of our skills. Though special mention to that moment where Armstrong flirts with him and he takes it in stride. Now that is how you write a smooth operator, I find that the most compelling moment Godot has. The reveal that he can't see red on white is also intriguing, another piece to this puzzle we can't quite fit anywhere. (A small aside, I realised recently that because Phoenix wears a red tie and a white dress shirt, this means Godot can't see Phoenix's tie at all. Hilarity, actually. I'm so sad this is a detail that is too silly to ever bring up, if they even realised it themselves, at least.)

But by the end of this trial, our battle is mostly with Tigre, not Godot. He chucks his coffee at us as the lights go out in the court and we see the glow of his visor. We've won Maggey's innocence, we've proved Tigre's guilt, and yet Godot is still as cool as ever.

By this point, the mystery deserves some sort of answer. Which we get once we start the fourth case and see one Diego Armando.

Now, I actually find Diego to be a much more intriguing character than Godot. They're the same in effect, cool and confident (and kinda misogynistic bastards), but Diego is the man who is alive. Godot is his shadow, and as this trial goes on you begin to understand exactly that. Diego coaches Mia through the case, encouraging her (and being a bit too condescending, but y'know. It's a trope, it's someone's cup of tea) and even getting the line which many consider one of the coolest in the series: "A lawyer doesn't cry until it's all over". Diego does a hell of a lot of work to humanise Godot, to make everything about him understandable and click into place. For that, I really applaud them.

It hurts all the more knowing what we do from case 1, that he's going to be poisoned and put into a coma. It hurts knowing that this trial ends in tragedy for literally everyone involved, despite all our best efforts to fight for the truth.

And Diego had to deal with the guilt of knowing he lent his hand towards Terry's death. He gave the man his coffee with which to drink that poison. I really do feel all his regret when he crushes the mug in his hand and turns to face Mia, his hand dripping with blood. Actually the coolest moment drenched in that overwhelming tragedy. What a great way to convey all his regrets while retaining his level-headed demeanour.

They've shown their hand and we've put this puzzle together. It's all in service of the final case of the game, in which there's so many threads to wrap up that tie together beautifully.

The fact that Godot can't make it to the first day of the trial is our first big clue, even if it fits with his character. Phoenix isn't able to make it to the trial, either. Of course Godot wouldn't show up if Phoenix wasn't there! It's a clever nod to this setup they've established and also a great clue to the truth of things. And when we finally do see him again, it's in front of the training chamber and he really shows off his true colours. He doesn't hold back in telling us how little he thinks of us, nor does he hold back against Franziska. (And how dare he, really!!) His words bite into Phoenix, though, and make him falter in his normally unwavering faith in what he's doing. It may seem ridiculous to us, what Godot says, but it's digging into that same sense of grief he and Phoenix both feel over Mia's death.

Finally, though, we can understand why exactly he holds this grudge against Phoenix; it's misplaced grief. Godot lost someone he cared deeply for, someone he felt he should have been protecting, through a perceived blunder on his part. He found out at the same time that Mia's understudy took up her mantle but also couldn't save her. And so he channelled any and all of his grief and guilt at Mia's death into hatred for Phoenix. He blames Phoenix wrongfully for Mia's death because there was nothing he could do to save Mia, so how could this guy have also done nothing? How could he not have saved her? It's a refusal to meet his grief, an insistence on only action mattering in the face of such crippling feelings, a sense of machismo that is more familiar than expected.

(Because didn't Phoenix fall into this as well when Edgeworth was presumed dead? Didn't Phoenix also misplace all his grief into anger in his refusal to confront his feelings over Edgeworth seemingly rejecting all his efforts to help him?) What I'm saying is that Takumi had a pattern to his writing grief in the original trilogy exemplified perfectly in both Phoenix and Godot's reactions to finding out their loved one had died. It's an unhealthy sort of grief, a complicated sort of coping with those emotions too agonising to deal with, and a fascinating look into a built in parallel between our main antagonist and our protagonist.

After all, if Phoenix could come to terms with his grief, if he could move on to a healthier sort of acceptance, than maybe Godot can, too.

But it's a little too late for Godot as he proves to have let that anger rule his actions. He's the one who killed Maya's mother, even if at the time she was channeling the woman who took Diego out of the world.

I also like this bit of the trial, cross-examining Maya but in actuality pressing Godot for answers. It's a neat little twist, that we use Maya as the jumping point for catching Godot in his lies. Maya's insistence in protecting him is pretty interesting, mainly because I don't understand what drives her to do so other than the fact that he protected her (they never interacted before while Mia was alive, so she only knows him from the two trials Phoenix had against him), but it is a really fascinating point in her testimony.

Again, I'm really sure we're meant to like him as well. This is supposed to make sense! As is his sharing a cup with Phoenix as the trial comes to an end. There's supposed to be that catharsis there, that acceptance of two enemies setting their swords down and coming to an understanding. I see it, but I just don't really feel it, sorry.

Anyway, yeah. I'm probably pretty off-base with most of this. I'd appreciate hearing more opinions on the coffee man!!

[meimi-haneoka]

We are coming to a close. The one thing that remains is if the Squid Clan is still going to interfere. They tried to transfer Sakura's power before. It would be a plot hole if they are not involved in some capacity in the climax.

Hmmm, I don't think such an important part of the Clear Card story will just disappear in thin air as if they never existed. Of course they're still going to be brought up, after all, the characters still have to save Akiho, and inevitably Sakura will come in contact with the truth. When she was absorbed momentarily into Akiho's inner book, she experienced on her own skin what Akiho herself went through. She saw the Squids. That was rewound by Kaito, but the body memory of it, the way it scarred her heart and how, thanks to her magic, she somehow was able to recognize "This was Akiho's past!! They did this to her!!" and subconsciously hugged her, tells me that somehow she might be able to recover memories of that.

However, however.

It all comes down to what are your expectations of the Squid's role into this story. Because if you think they're going to be the big villains that Sakura will fight by means of magical spells in a magic battle, then I think you're going to be disappointed. Because this is not what the Squids or the Association are there for. This is not their role into this story. (rant under the cut)

Speaking from a pure meta POV, I don't think there's enough room left to portray a full fledged magical confrontation between them and the others, without considering that it would be jarring to see such a thing in a work like CCS. It would shift the focus on them, taking it away from the real core of this arc: Kaito and Akiho's story, and how Sakura came in contact with them and learned something important.

I will borrow my own's words on Twitter:

"There is a reason if all the members of the Squid Clan and the Magic Association are "faceless". They're there to represent a concept: abusive families and adults exploiting children. Clamp are not interested in turning CCS into the next Harry Potter."

Magic lore, the magic clans and their shenanigans are certainly fun but those shouldn't distract us from the real essence of CCS: a story of connections, relationships and growth. Of how everyone does their best for someone else, for their loved ones. Sometimes making mistakes too. Cards and magic are just there to make the story more fun and intriguing.

With the Squids and the Association being representatives of a concept, it makes me think that the burden of "fighting them" shouldn't fall on Sakura's shoulders, or even on the shoulders of the abused kids (yes, I'm including Kaito too. Because he's been an abused kid too. Exploited and neglected, and that's why now we are where we are). And then, even if Sakura fights them, what she would need to do? Theirs is a deep rooted establishment. The problem wouldn't be eradicated unless she exterminates them all. Something, as I was saying, that would be out of place for CCS. Unfortunately, there will always be abusive people like that, in the world. Even in real life. Sometimes the damages they've done will leave scars that won't heal entirely. The real victory is when we can escape them, and create our own happiness away from them. You see where I'm getting at?

If the kids and Kaito manage to save Akiho, removing the book from her and nullifying the artifact condition she's in (saving her from the danger of seeing her soul implode), Akiho will very probably lose any worth or interest in the eyes of those bastards. She'll be able to live her life normally, without magic, as she should have since the beginning. This will also open Sakura's eyes in regards to her position as a magician. Magic is part of her, and she can have a life that's not ruled by her magic if so she desires, but she has to get to grips with the fact that other magicians might try to take advantage of it. Or worse. We'll see if/how they'll deal with that for the ending.

[thevindicativevordan]

Comics this week?

Action Comics #1054 - Loved Superman going all Naruto with a susanno, loved how PKJ portrayed Supes in line with both the original Golden Age attitude (he calls Metallo a bully and takes him down a peg) and the softer modern incarnation (he offers to help Metallo save his sister). Reads just like Morrison Superman does. My one complaint is that we're still falling back on Metallo spamming kryptonite. All the upgrades he got from Warworld tech, and he's resorting to that yet again? Disappointing. Metallo isn't a total jobber, he's crippled Kara, beaten Conner and Jon, kidnapped the Super-Twins, built an army, he's kicking ass and is dangerous... except he can't even seem to scratch Clark himself. Henshaw calling Metallo a loser does seem to be true. I have a notion where this is going, I think Tracy is either going to die or be revealed as the leader of the Blue Earth group, and Metallo will join that movement to get revenge on Superman for her death, or to work for her because she's the only thing he cares about anymore. If Metallo gets to kill Henshaw and PKJ sets him up to return down the road for another big arc where he finally kicks Clark's ass, that's good enough for me. Otherwise, much as I've enjoyed this, I can't say PKJ has succeeded with Metallo the way he did with Mongul. He did however make me realize the one big Superman trait Metallo contrasts with that I'll write about at the end of this arc.

Green Arrow #1 - Never been a huge Green Arrow fan, an odd thing to say considering I read his entire Rebirth run start to finish, but I enjoyed Williamson's Superman so much I decided to give this a shot. Cry For Justice was actually one of the earliest stories I read because my library had a trade of it. Insane that this is where we finally get a reunion between Roy and Lian. Otherwise I thought it was fine, not sure about the cosmic aspect of things, but I intend to read the first arc at least.

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #2 - Doing a piss take on the Krakoa Era X-Men right as I've become bored with them post-Hickman is just what I needed. Cackled at the data page jab, and also Culver lampooning how stupid it is for every magic group to just slap "Dark" on their title (knock it off Johns). Robotman launching Worm into orbit to prevent him from blowing up the Shelter was hilariously fucked up, should hopefully assuage the people afraid this would just be a knock-off X-Book. That's pure Doom Patrol right there, even more so with the reveal that Velvet is the true double agent. Peacemaker is a bastard and a great villain for the Doom Patrol, Culver has me fully on board with the Suicide Squad being the true antithesis to the Doom Patrol. Loved Burnham's depiction of the Shelter, FINALLY some cool superhero bases again! I missed that

Detective Comics #1071 - Interesting experience reading PKJ Action and Ram Detective at the same time, because they are both aiming for long epic runs that redefine their respective franchises. Action works better for me because it never loses sight of Superman being at the center, whereas here we get an issue full of lore dumping with Batman barely featuring. At this point I'm losing track of all of these new characters and the MacGuffins they're squabbling over, plus yet another retelling of Ra's early days. V's best work has been with Two-Face and Mr. Freeze, these Orghams are rather dull and derivative of other would-be usurpers, and I don't care about them anymore.

The Riddler: Year One #4 - How? How is this so good? How is a movie tie-in written by an actor who has never written a comic before running laps around experienced writers?

Blue Beetle: Graduation Day #6 - Surprisingly strong ending. Probably the best bridge between the original Giffen run and what the movie is changing. Looking forward to the ongoing now.

Sins of Sinister: Dominion #1 - Think I'm as sick of Sinister as the X-Men themselves are. Moira attempting to reclaim control of the narrative was nice, now how about we actually DO that by making her more than a mustache twirler? Unless the solicits are lying, Emma, Hope, Exodus, and Charles going into the Pit is going to be undone quick, but perhaps at the cost of resurrections. I give this event a 7/10, a huge step down from Judgement Day.

Invincible Iron Man #5 - Think I'm out, Fei Long and Tony's rivalry is stupid. Long just picks a fight with Stark for no real reason other than "I want a rival!" and while there's some justification beyond that, it's bound up in the Avengers not claiming Mars while the X-Men did. If this was Long wanting Stark's company to help Orchis, and Tony thwarting him being what kicks off their personal enmity, then it would be better. Instead Duggan tries to jump right into making things personal, but the crux of their fight having roots in another franchise undermines the whole endeavor.

Hulk #14 - Terrible ending but I expected nothing less. Had a chuckle at how heavy handed the letter from Samson was, might as well have been Ottley going "yeah sorry this run didn't go the way we wanted with Cates bailing, here's Bruce reset back to status quo, good luck to the next creative team!"

Doctor Strange #2 - Honestly I preferred Clea as the solo lead. The book is fine but it's not gripping me the way I want. I'll give it until issue 6 to pick up.

W0rldtr33 #1 - It's great, Tynion doing another horror book how could it not be? Jesus Christ though, somehow this is hitting even harder for me than the Department of Truth did. Internet as a demonic entity could come across as corny, but damn if Tynion doesn't make it terrifying.

[toomanylegos]

Back at it again with another post about my journey through/thoughts on The Magnus Archives! This time, I'm tackling Season 2 of the horrifying podcast : )

Also, a small warning, this post is much more wordy than the last Magnus Archives review. I felt like sharing a lot of my little experiences this time and I didn't know how to shave the writing down 😅 So, yeah, it's gonna be a read.

Without further ado, I present...

My Journey Through Season 2 of The Magnus Archives!

!!!MAJOR Spoilers for MAG S2 Ahead!!!

So, I gotta admit, it was really hard to get back on the MAG train because I just needed a break after S1. That and school picked up for me again, so my free time got eradicated. The thing that got me hopping back onto the train was Eggo, my other lovely friends, and my bad habit of accidentally spoiling myself 😅

I roleplay with Eggo frequently and we like to use MAG characters in our roleplays. I like having a full visual of what a character looks like, so I obviously looked up some fanart to see how other people have drawn the MAG characters which, uh, gave me many questions and even more encouragement.

On top of that, my other friends were zooming through Magnus Archives like nothing and I certainly didn't want to be left in the dust! Not to mention that Eggo kept dropping little hints about future events without spoiling too much; even warned me about how Jon will get "very paranoid and turn into a bit of an ass in Season 2."

Damn you Eggo you magnificent bastard-

Anyway, I continued the second part of my auditory journey on March 27th and finished it on April 12th; I decided to take notes on each episode as I listened to help keep my thoughts together. Notes which I then polished up and am now going to share since I thought it'd be funny to expose my mostly unfiltered thoughts about this lovely series :D

My Silly Notes~

Ep. 41

Damn Jon sounds tired already I just want to give him a hug

Oh no, the paranoia arc has started oh shit-

Ep. 42

Pretty cool story but I'm waiting for the supplemental

NO NOT MARTIN!! JON NO! HE'S JUST AN INNOCENT BEAN!

Ep. 43

Man, even the police is pulling cover ups. Makes sense though.

Oh shit he got access to Gertrude's tapes oh shit!

Ep. 44

Oop- Gertrude recording 👀

Okay apparently body horror is the thing that fucks me up

Patience is a virtue Jon, and I'm worried about how paranoid you're getting. I've seen Marble Hornets I know the writing on these walls

Ep. 45

Ima be honest I spaced out in the middle of this statement, and then came back to right when the guy got all the blood sucked outta him exCUSE ME-

Every time Jon comes on with his frantic voiced supplemental I always sigh heavily

Oh shit Martin caught him-

Jon, my brother in Christ, you're stalking Tim???

Ep. 46

My flight or fight response went off at both the mention of a bookstore and the name Michael. Bro the statement just started-

"It was February when I got the Leitner book." moTHERFUCKER NOT AGAIN-

Figured it was The Vast yikers

Considering Sasha got fucking bodysnatched last season, I think I have a good idea about who's going into the tunnels

Oh shit spiders? The Web?? Funky monkey time???

Ep. 47

Oh, this poor woman. She went through a real House of Leaves situation

Nice hearing Jon say he believes a person's statement out loud

Eggo mentioned something about Micheal and doors and now I know what they meant and I am so down

Whomst??

Oh fuck it's Micheal-

OH. MY. FUCKING. HELL MICHEAL!

I take it back I'm not down-

Ep. 48

"...he felt he should at least let me know that I was marked." "...telling me to remember my mother. To keep her face in my mind." Oh. Oh, this sounds familiar...The Stranger?

I was incredibly wrong, but the statement is still terribly nerve-wracking since I'm not fond of large crowds

Well, at least Michael warned Jon about Sasha albeit vaguely

Oh shit Jon got told on!

Not Elias being on the suspect list. It's gonna get wild

Ep. 49

Butcher shop? Cannibalism?? We doing a cannibalism???

Nope it was way worse

Oh Sasha's computer keeps breaking I wOnDeR wHy-

Tim being the honeypot of the group has me cackling-

Elias being a pothead in college also has me cackling

Ep. 50

Love hearing more about Robert Smirke. I'm genuinely curious about him and his weird architecture

Damn this statement has me at the edge of my seat! Jonny Sims truly has a gift for storytelling dear goodness

Oh Tim! It's nice to hear his voice again : )

Tim completely misunderstanding why the policewoman keeps coming around to see Jon made me laugh into my pillow

Oh my Lord I'm sobbing Tim my beloved-

Ep. 51

Ding ding ding! Another name drop: Simon Fairchild! Last time I heard that name a guy got eaten by the DAMN SKY

Oh shit that means this is gonna involve The Vast fuck-

It seems Jon has caught Sasha staring at the table and got a recording of them chatting about it. Very glad about that

Ep. 52

Damn! Another name drop: Robert Montauk! I'm super interested in this statement

Oooh! Jon's getting another Gertrude tape let's go!

"No, the hot one" lol I'm crying

And the awkward explanation y'all I'm dead-

The lights are blowing and the water is bad I am seeing patterns

Thank you nightlight for turning off right when the statement mentioned the completely dark ass room; very appropriate

Another name drop: Maxwell Rayner. I don't remember where I've heard it before though...

Jon just sounds so tired. Please rest my dude

Ep. 53

Woo-hoo! Another statement with Gertrude! And it's both direct from subject and recorded on my birthday :D

Oh this one is rough

Ep. 54 to Ep. 68

Notes have been lost due to failure to save my draft before closing out Tumblr (I'm on mobile)

Ep. 69

Oh Martin, Jon... 😢

Jon why in the hell would you think it's a good idea to go alone oh my god sir

Ep. 70

The statement just started and I'm already being mildly jerked around by the dark humor

This journal is giving a particular energy

...well shit, rest in peace Christopher...

Yup this has gotta be another damn Leitner

Oop- I stand both corrected and disturbed

Ep. 71

New fear unlocked: Subway trains

Annnnnd we're back on the body horror hnnnnngh

This is the most straightforward statement I've ever heard damn

There's someone living in the tunnels, but at least Jon decided to stop going down there 😂

Ep. 72

Revisiting Maxwell Rayner the cult leader let's go!!

👀 🍿

And we back on the cannibalism ho boy

This statement writer thinks like me and I'm kinda unnerved by it...

"Meat is me" I felt my veins turn cold shit-

Holy. Shit. So many name connections!

Ep. 73

Hell yeah! We getting Basira's account of Maxwell Rayner's arrest!!

Okay, I already don't like the dark; this whole statement is just making my minor fear towards it worse

A cult never dies, Jon. It just sleeps for a while...

Ep. 74

As someone who likes to stay up, this one is...deeply upsetting

I also woke up sick so the description of physical fatigue matched up perfectly with how I felt this morning so that added some eerieness-

"Sleep is for the weak," is something I quote often as a joke. This statement made me shiver at the phrase.

Micheal scares the shit outta me

Welp I knew Not-Sasha was lurking in the tunnels, but who the hell is the other guy???

Ep. 75

Man with a lightening scar...why does that sound familiar...?

Ooooooh I remember now

This just made my fear of heights worse ack I do not like Michael Crew

Oh shit! Officer Basira came through hell yeah!!

Ep. 76

Yoooo the ghost hunting lady is back! Melanie King!

Haunted train you say?? 👀

My jaw is dropping at the first hand account from the guy on this train Holy crap!

It's. Not. Sasha. Jon! Listen. To. Melanie!

Ep. 77

Let's hope this Gertrude tape can help give Jon the push he needs to take care of Not Sasha

Hell yeah!! Thank you Gertrude you just gave Jon some very good information!

A proper name for the creature: The Not-Them. An aspect of The Stranger. So much good information...

I'm sorry, it travels??? Horrifying

Jon, my brother in Christ, please don't do this on your own

Ep. 78

The amount of concern I have for Jon, oh my gosh bro-

Something about this scenario just sets off a primal fear in me

Decker...why does that sound familiar too?

AHHHHHH!!!

And now I know why it was in the damn table

Oh, oh Jon....

Please listen to Jon please please please

Ugh or don't cause he shouldn't be alone I'm so torn-

Jon no nononONONO WRONG MOVE!!!!!

Hello Michael 👋 how's it going

hahaha I'm dying

Ep. 79

...are we really opening with one of Martin's poems right now?

Oop- never mind Tim and Martin are on their way! Haha

This is gonna be bad

Oh Martin, my heart goes out to you-

AH SHIT JUMPSCARE

Tiiiiim you can't leave him bro-

Yeah, you kinda jumped the gun Jonny boy...

Oh shit-

Boys, please stop fighting-

Micheal I swear to everything-

I'm not okay Holy shit

Jon, I love you dude, but shut up you'RE TRYING TO HIDE

I'msotenserightnowmyhandsareshakingholyfuck-

"The house of its enemy with the biggest eyes you've ever seen" oh how telling! I'd be intrigued if I weren't fucking terrified

I can't handle Jon breaking down I'm about to cry oh my god-

WHOMST IS THIS NOW!?!

I feel like I need an oxygen tank cause I can't breath enough holy fuck bro-

Ep. 80

I figured Sasha was dead, but...damn, it still hurts a little cause I liked her.

Leitner? As in the Jurgen Leitner?? Are you fuckING KIDDING ME BRO??!?

At least he's...helpful so far...

Yes, your master, Jon...hehe

At least Leitner is taking responsibility for his actions. Can't hate him for that.

I absolutely adore how everything is tying together in this episode. It feels so neat yet still so mysterious, like I'm getting answers, but not as many or as fast as I would like. I love it!

"...something with too many teeth and limbs like knives" "...ran into a door that shouldn't have been there" 👀

Damn, 20 years?? Goodness, Leitner...

"I-I didn't know Gertrude had assistants." "Of course, three of them. Each meeting an unpleasant end." For the sake of both Jon and his remaining assistants, I pray he's not part of a chain either...

Mr. Leitner you are a well of much-needed information huhuhu~

So that's where Eggo got the ant analogy...

Micheal is named The Distortion and The Spiral. Good to know.

I had a feeling it was Elias- wait Gertrude was going to destroy the archive??

Jon, we don't have time dude

Oh shit oh fuck I have fear-

The Unknowing???

THE WAY I FUCKING JUMPED EXCUSE ME WAHT-

Oh Martin, you sweet bean...

Bro, days??? He's been gone for days???

Oh no....

TL;DR

I firmly believe that the goal of any series should be to improve as they tell their story; The Magnus Archives achieves that goal beautifully. Last season, there was some episodes that I didn't find very entertaining. This season, however, I was enthralled by nearly every episode.

The writing, the reading, the sound design, everything just got better and better!

I felt my blood run cold and chills run up my spine several times throughout this season; I was all in on the mystery of Gertrude's murder; I was nervously biting my nails as Jon slipped further into paranoia and Not-Sasha continued to be more suspicious...

I am beyond excited to move on to Season 3 and, eventually, finish the entire series! I have truly and wholly fallen in love with this series 💚💜

[wanderingandfound]

This could be a better post and maybe I will come back to these ideas later but like..... I’m tired of reviews judging television and film adaptations by like,,,, what will make the fans of it the original happy. Like,,,,, I actually am interested in if an adaptation captures the spirit of the original. I don’t think an adaption has to, but I’d love to read criticism from that angle.

But man, like a video game journalist retweeted onto my timeline a review of the Mario movie where most of the [negative] criticism was “there’s very little in here for the people who grew up on these games” with only a few side-sentences on lackluster emotional payoffs and sparse character arcs. Basically the review was more concerned about adults who grew up with the games (not all of us adults!) then whether or not the movie was a good movie.

And then within two days, from the other side of shallow criticism, I was reading a review from a library perspective about both the Mario and the D&D movies that spent most of the time glowing about them not because of any strengths in the movies, but because they were considered “”successful”” adaptations over these franchises’ previous cinematic adaptations.

Meanwhile I haven’t watched the show or play the games or read any longform criticism of The Last Of Us, but from my Twitter timeline my understanding is that the games were very cinematic games, and the television show has been replicating it shot for shot. And some fans like that, but some people I follow and myself are like “Why though? What’s the point?” Especially in this age of let’s plays where not being able or interested in playing a game is no longer a barrier for experiencing the game.

And I’m also thinking about how like, even as I revisit Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the MCU as I return to this fanfic from 2016, I haven’t actually seen any of the adaptations of the Marvel comics I was reading at the same time as I was genuinely excited by the MCU: Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop and Clint Barton and Lucky the dog Hawkeye comic, Young Avengers (which doesn’t yet have an MCU adaption but we have Kate and Cassie and Eli and Billy and Teddy and Vision 1.0 is dead). And I don’t have an interest in watching these adaptations, except for maybe the Ms. Marvel one. I haven’t seen anything that tempts me as I currently am, nor that tempts the teenager who loved those comics who still lives inside me.

And like I said at the top, I don’t think an adaptation needs to be exactly the same. I like both Howl’s Moving Castle the book and the film. I don’t think that the Ella Enchanted movie is a good one, but I enjoy seeing Anne Hathaway singing and being feisty and a talking book that is essentially the fantasy equivalent of an AI. Maybe a reread of the satire book The Princess Bride would feel tiring at the moment, when we live in an era full of snark where genre isn’t allowed to be sincere, but in my heart the somewhat mean-spirited book means just as much to be as the sincerely committed movie.

And then there’s now. When I think of the Good Omens show adaption, just the show not the fandom, the only thing that really comes to mind is the frustration that they didn’t update Anathema’s conspiracy theory magazines to contemporary ones, which I feel completely changes her character to one who is both more out of touch and less concerned with the current threats to humans and the environments.

I dunno what my point was. And wow, typing on a computer can go so much faster than typing on my phone. But I’m just tired. I want good shows and good movies that stand on their own. I am so sad that The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself got cancelled, and I have not read the books it was based on (and also feel like the books aren’t going to give me what I want).

I want adaptations to have a point. I want them to be well-crafted. I don’t want them churned out for name recognition. I don’t want them being written to make old fans happy! And I also don’t want the only things of interest for those old fans to be counting easter eggs in the background, even while I think easter eggs can be neat!

[oddygaul]

Oneechanbara Origin

Look, I knew what this game was going in. I wasn’t expecting a fuckin masterpiece. I just wanted a fun, trashy game with big anime titties and a satisfying combat system. And still I was let down.

Credit where it’s due, the animation is actually quite good for all three characters - you can for sure tell that’s where all the effort went here. There’s a lot of really sick keyframing on all the combos, and the incredibly generous hitstop will nearly freezeframe you if you hit enough enemies, which is deeply satisfying if you trigger it on one of the cooler combo poses. Saki’s easily my favorite for this reason; all of her huge arcing launch attacks feel great to land after the huge windup.

Shame, then, that every character basically has three entire combos. Three. I know it’s unreasonable to expect full DMC levels of moveset variety, but this is bottom-of-the-barrel, Dynasty Warriors-ass, one square combo, one triangle combo, and one square into triangle combo stuff. Rough, man. The game tries to add a few systems on top of this to add depth to the gameplay, but they’re so incidental they don’t feel like they add any player expression.

The Cool Combinations are supposed to be this game’s signature system, I think; if you time the next hit in a combo just right, your character flashes a bit with Glowing Anime Power and the move will come out faster and charge your energy up a bit. It’s kind of reminiscent of the Exceed system on Nero’s Red Queen, except… way less impactful and not as cool lol. Your game has to be really damn good for me to even consider engaging with any system that requires me to memorize the timing of every single one of a character’s attacks - hell, DMC5 fucking rules and I still haven't taken the time to practice getting consistent exceeds - and if the system is even more finicky than usual due to the timing constantly changing due to the massive hitstun when fighting groups… I’m good, man.

The two tiered berserk system is kinda fun; aesthetically, I’m here for the big dumb Kill la Kill-lookin Baneful Blood forms. But between the fact that it triggers automatically and not on-command, and the fact that it’ll often run out almost immediately because it triggered right before you need to sprint down a sewer pipe for 30 seconds (a common occurrence in this game), it feels pretty half baked.

I will say, I was surprised and impressed by how good some of the boss fights are, though. The game’s enemies are largely either hapless potatoes or frustrating little bastards with poorly-telegraphed attack windups, and the larger zombie bosses follow those trends. But man, basically every fight against a sword-wielder turns into a mini-Sekiro fight. Suddenly you remember there’s a parry and a perfect dodge, and you really have to nail them and get the attack patterns down pat to make it through. While it doesn’t have anything like the posture bar, nailing the perfect dodge / parry builds your special meter real quick, so if you’re nailing every evade, the play pattern of most bosses essentially becomes a 100% uptime of your character either doing a flip or an iaido slash, which is fun as hell.

Oh, and my other big criticism of this game is that all the outfits are paid DLC. IMO if you’re making a game with this much Big PS2 Energy, it’s just way more thematically appropriate to have a bunch of stupid costumes to unlock in-game, to give the players a carrot to chase. Miss me with that paid shit.

Eh, I know this is how it goes with B games, I shouldn’t be expecting the world. I feel like lately I’m just used to finding gems in that space, so it’s a bummer to play something that’s about what you'd expect it to be. The search continues! Capcom give new Sengoku Basara pls 🥺

[jackoshadows]

Do you think that Sansa's "flaws" are gonna be something she eventually confronts herself? Things like her classism, treatment of Arya/Jon, etc.? She has had a lot of growth in some aspects but it doesn't really feel like she's grown much in that area, at least to me. Especially not when compared to other characters. I don't see it causing huge issues, but I could definitely see it causing some personal conflict with her siblings if/when they reunite.

For me personally, I think if she was going to confront what I feel are her flaws, she would have done it by now you know? The author has written in plenty of circumstances where Sansa could reflect on past actions and grow and for some reason GRRM just does not build on it. Maybe because he does not think it’s a flaw or maybe because he thinks that character growth has already happened on page (Like when he said Sansa regrets the role she played in Ned’s death) or maybe because there are other more important things that need to happen in the limited time and number of books he has left.

To give an example, take book 3 ASoS:

Sister. Sansa had once dreamt of having a sister like Margaery;  beautiful and gentle, with all the world’s graces at her command. Arya  had been entirely unsatisfactory as sisters went. How can I let my  sister marry Joffrey? she thought, and suddenly her eyes were full of  tears. “Margaery, please,” she said, “you mustn’t.” It was hard to get  the words out. “You mustn’t marry him. He’s not like he seems, he’s not.  He’ll hurt you.” - Sansa, ASoS

If GRRM had written it like Sansa thinking that she was unable to help her sister Arya against Joffrey and so this time she could try and help Margaery and do right what she had got wrong in AGoT - that’s actual character development. So many characters do it. For example, Jon apologizes to Grenn and Pyp for being a bully and sets about taking the time to teach them the sword.

However that’s not what happens here.

Sansa had once dreamt of having a sister like Margaery; beautiful and  gentle, with all the world’s graces at her command. Arya had been entirely unsatisfactory as sisters went.

She is still slagging off Arya! Even two books after being proved wrong regarding the likes of beautiful, elegant people like Cersei and Joffrey, she still assigns value to good looks and propriety. She considers this stranger she hardly knows, Margaery, to be her sister because she is beautiful and graceful.

And then after Margaery ends up using her and betraying her, we still don’t get any introspection about her real sister.

It’s the same when she spends a book pretending to be a bastard and yet fails to hold any opinions on bastardy itself. Not even about Jon, just the concept of bastardy. Daenerys sold into slavery leads her on a campaign to free slaves. Arya’s trek through war torn Riverlands helps her understand what the small folk are going through and that the North were equally culpable in what was being done. Jon’s bastardy and Tyrion’s disability allows them to sympathize with those who are othered and ostracized. Bran was always kind and sweet and he’s only 7-9, but there’s a great deal of growth in his ACoK arc as prince of Winterfell. 

And yet with Sansa, while she’s aghast at having to play a pretend bastard and hurt when Harry calls her as such - at no point does she reflect on why it’s unfair for bastards to be treated that way, only that she herself has to experience this.

That’s why it’s hilarious when stans make a great deal about her rare thoughts on Jon Snow in AFfC when Myranda Royce brings him up.

She had not thought of Jon in ages. He was only her half brother, but still … with Robb and Bran and Rickon dead, Jon Snow was the only brother that remained to her. I am a bastard too now, just like him. Oh, it would be so sweet, to see him once again.

She has completely forgotten about the existence of her bastard brother despite playing a pretend bastard in the Vale.

All my real brothers are dead and only the half brother is left, he will have to make do.

Oh and now I have been reduced to his level as a bastard.

It will be sweet to see him again.

Even now, at the end of book five Sansa does not still get it when it comes to class and sisterhood and brotherhood and family and all that.

And then of course in the TWoW sample chapter we see her overhearing LF’s price gouging scheme and as someone who is from the North, I would assume Sansa has an idea of the scarcity of food. And yet, all we have is extravagant feasts and 12 foot tall lemon cakes.

Again, Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Arya and Bran have all gone through dealing with food shortages as leaders and have found themselves scavenging for food and experiencing hunger. And yet, even when hit in the face with the reason for why the hungry smallfolk are rioting for food, Sansa is unable to comprehend why she was attacked while Margaery was a favorite.

Hopefully we do have some personal growth for Sansa in books 6 or 7, possibly when she meets up with Arya and they sort out the ‘Deep Issues’ between them. At least some growth in regards to her relationship with Arya is certainly happening considering the author has commented on it and that is an important relationship for both characters. Everything else? If it was going to happen, IMO it should have already happened.

[kingandfireheart]

The biggest Eris Vanserra moments from ACOTAR -ACOSF: What the fuck is happening in Autumn (Part 1)

I was originally very confused about how people seem to LOVE Eris all of a sudden, so I went back through the books to find out. SJM has definitely sprinkled the bread crumbs for some massive Eris revelations - will he have a redemption arc? does he even need to be redeemed? What are his secrets? Why did he leave Mor? Why did he protect Lucien? Why did he want to marry Nesta?

Cassian and Feyre voice doubts about Eris that really had me thinking about all of his scenes in the books:

" Beron studied his son with a scrutiny that made some small, small part of me wonder if Eris might have grown to be a good male if he’d had a different father. If one still lurked there, beneath centuries of poison. Because Eris … What had it been like for him, Under the Mountain? What games had he played— what had he endured? Trapped for forty-nine years. I doubted he would risk such a thing happening again. Even if it set him in opposition to his father—or perhaps because of that."

"You know what a monster your father is and want to usurp him; you act against him in the best interests of not only the Autumn Court but also of all of the faerie lands; you risk your life to ally with us … and yet you left her in the woods."

I went through all five books and pieced together the most telling Eris moments (they are all below the cut)

What I gained from this exercise was a few observations

Eris may have a moral compass - he curbs Beron's and his brother's bad behavior, and he stick his neck out to help in the war . He also seems to genuinely care for his soldiers. Eris pushes back against Beron, the oldest and most terrible High Lord, even when it results in punishment

Eris is playing a long game here, and it isn't limited to just him being high lord. We still don't have the full story on Mor and Lucien : what were the larger forces at play? Why did he buy Mor time? What did he show Rhys and Mor to convince them to trust him? Does he care for Lucien like a brother? Is he just a part of the schemes?

The Lady of the Autumn Court is definitely a big piece to the Autumn Court, Lucien, Helion, and Eris puzzles (Here is a list of her moments!)

See my other compilations of Character moments here: Lucien Sass, Nessian Mating Bond (Pre-ACOFAS), Cassian + Words of Affirmation (ACOSF), Lady of the Autumn Court

A Court of Thrones and Roses:

Tamlin tells Lucien's Story

"Lucien is the youngest son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court.”... “The youngest of seven brothers. The Autumn Court is … cutthroat. Beautiful, but his brothers see each other only as competition, since the strongest of them will inherit the title, not the eldest. It is the same throughout Prythian, at every court. Lucien never cared about it, never expected to be crowned High Lord, so he spent his youth doing everything a High Lord’s son probably shouldn’t: wandering the courts, making friends with the sons of other High Lords”—a faint gleam in Tamlin’s eyes at that —“and being with females who were a far cry from the nobility of the Autumn Court.” Tamlin paused for a moment, and I could almost feel the sorrow before he said, “Lucien fell in love with a faerie whom his father considered to be grossly inappropriate for someone of his bloodline. Lucien said he didn’t care that she wasn’t one of the High Fae, that he was certain the mating bond would snap into place soon and that he was going to marry her and leave his father’s court to his scheming brothers.”

A tight sigh. “His father had her put down. Executed, in front of Lucien, as his two eldest brothers held him and made him watch.” My stomach turned, and I pushed a hand against my chest. I couldn’t imagine, couldn’t comprehend that sort of loss. “Lucien left. He cursed his father, abandoned his title and the Autumn Court, and walked out. And without his title protecting him, his brothers thought to eliminate one more contender to the High Lord’s crown. Three of them went out to kill him; one came back.”

---

“As emissary,” I began, “has he ever had dealings with his father? Or his brothers?”

“Yes. His father has never apologized, and his brothers are too frightened of me to risk harming him.” No arrogance in those words, just icy truth. “But he has never forgotten what they did to her, or what his brothers tried to do to him. Even if he pretends that he has.”

Under the Mountain

When Amarantha tortures Lucien for Feyre's name:

Behind them, pressing to the front of the crowd, came four tall, red-haired High Fae. Toned and muscled, some of them looking like warriors about to set foot on a battlefield, some like pretty courtiers, they all stared at Lucien—and grinned. The four remaining sons of the High Lord of the Autumn Court.

---

Lucien’s brothers lurked on the edges of the crowd—no remorse, no fear on their handsome faces.

---

“Her name?” she asked Tamlin, who didn’t reply. His eyes were fixed on Lucien’s brothers, as if marking who was smiling the broadest.

Amarantha ran a nail down the arm of her throne. “I don’t suppose your handsome brothers know, Lucien,” she purred.

“If we did, Lady, we would be the first to tell you,” said the tallest. He was lean, well dressed, every inch of him a court-trained bastard. Probably the eldest, given the way even the ones who looked like born warriors stared at him with deference and calculation—and fear.

---

Lucien sagged on the ground, trembling. His brothers frowned—the eldest going so far as to bare his teeth at me in a silent snarl.

---

A ripple of laughter spread across those assembled behind us, the loudest from Lucien’s brothers.

When Rhysand takes Feyre to the parties at night:

Faeries and High Fae gawked as we passed through the entrance. Some bowed to Rhysand, while others gaped. I spied several of Lucien’s older brothers gathered just inside the doors. The smiles they gave me were nothing short of vulpine.

---

We reached the throne room, and I braced myself to be drugged and disgraced again. But it was Rhysand the crowd looked at—Rhysand whom Lucien’s brothers monitored. Amarantha’s clear voice rang out over the music, summoning him. He paused, glancing at Lucien’s brothers stalking toward us, their attention pinned on me. Eager, hungry—wicked. I opened my mouth, not too proud to ask Rhysand not to leave me alone with them while he dealt with Amarantha, but he put a hand on my back and nudged me along

During the second trial:

In the crowd, red hair gleamed—four heads of red hair—and I stiffened my spine. I knew his brothers would be smiling at Lucien’s predicament—but where was his mother? His father? Surely the High Lord of the Autumn Court would be present. I scanned the crowd. No sign of them

---

“Answer it!” Lucien shouted, his voice hitched. My eyes stung. The world was just a blur of letters, mocking me with their turns and shapes.

The metal groaned as it scraped against the smooth stone of the chamber, and the faeries’ whispers grew more frenzied. Through the holes in the grate, I thought I saw Lucien’s eldest brother chuckle. Hot—so unbearably hot.

---

“Just pick one!” Lucien shouted, and some of those in the crowd laughed—his brothers no doubt the loudest.

When Tamlin and Feyre make out in the closet:

“You’re both fools,” he murmured, his breathing uneven. “How did you not think that someone would notice you were gone? You should thank the Cauldron Lucien’s delightful brothers weren’t watching you.

After Feyre breaks the curse:

The Attor and the nastier faeries had disappeared instantly, along with Lucien’s brothers, which was a clever move, as Lucien wasn’t the only faerie with a score to settle

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Court of Mist and Fury:

Lucien telling Feyre about Jesminda:

“Even if I what?”

His face paled, and he stroked a hand down the mare’s cobweb-colored mane. “I was forced to watch as my father butchered the female I loved. My brothers forced me to watch.”

Rhys tells Mor's story:

His throat bobbed. I could tell it was rage, and pain, that kept him from telling me outright—not mistrust. After a moment, he said, “I was there, in the Hewn City, the day her father declared she was to be sold in marriage to Eris, eldest son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court.” Lucien’s brother. “Eris had a reputation for cruelty, and Mor … begged me not to let it happen. For all her power, all her wildness, she had no voice, no rights with those people. And my father didn’t particularly care if his cousins used their offspring as breeding stock.”

“What happened?” I breathed.

“I brought Mor to the Illyrian camp for a few days. And she saw Cassian, and decided she’d do the one thing that would ruin her value to these people. I didn’t know until after, and … it was a mess. With Cassian, with her, with our families. And it’s another long story, but the short of it is that Eris refused to marry her. Said she’d been sullied by a bastard-born lesser faerie, and he’d now sooner fuck a sow. Her family … they … ” I’d never seen him at such a loss for words. Rhys cleared his throat. “When they were done, they dumped her on the Autumn Court border, with a note nailed to her body that said she was Eris’s problem.”

Nailed—nailed to her.

Rhys said with soft wrath, “Eris left her for dead in the middle of their woods. Azriel found her a day later. It was all I could do to keep him from going to either court and slaughtering them all.” I thought of that merry face, the flippant laughter, the female that did not care who approved. Perhaps because she had seen the ugliest her kind had to offer. And had survived.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Court of Wings and Ruin:

Lucien tells his story:

“I’d say that sounds more High-Lord-like than the life of an idle, unwanted son.”

A long, steely look. “Did you think it was mere hatred that prompted my brothers to do their best to break and kill me?”

Despite myself, a shudder rippled down my spine. I finished off the apple and uncoiled to my feet, plucking another off a low-hanging branch. “Would you want it—your father’s crown?”

“No one’s ever asked me that,” Lucien mused as we moved on, dodging fallen, rotting apples. The air was sticky-sweet. “The bloodshed that would be required to earn that crown wouldn’t be worth it. Neither would its festering court. I’d gain a crown—only to rule over a crafty, two-faced people.”

Lucien+Feyre vs. Autumn Court Brothers:

“Father,” the one now holding a knife to my throat said to Lucien, “is rather put out that you didn’t stop by to say hello.”

“We’re on an errand and can’t be delayed,” Lucien answered smoothly, mastering himself.

That knife pressed a fraction harder into my skin as he let out a humorless laugh. “Right. Rumor has it you two have run off together, cuckolding Tamlin.” His grin widened. “I didn’t think you had it in you, little brother.”

“He had it in her, it seems,” one of the others sniggered.

I slid my gaze to the male above me. “You will release us.”

“Our esteemed father wishes to see you,” he said with a snake’s smile. The knife didn’t waver. “So you will come with us to his home.” “Eris,” Lucien warned. The name clanged through me. Above me, mere inches away … Mor’s former betrothed. The male who had abandoned her when he found her brutalized body on the border. The High Lord’s heir.

---

“This can end with you going under, begging me to get you out once that ice instantly refreezes,” Eris drawled. Behind him, cut off by his brothers, Lucien had drawn his own knife and now sized up the other two. “Or this can end with you agreeing to take my hand. But either way, you will be coming with me.”

---

Glaring—then considering. Watching the three of us as I said to Eris, to his other two brothers, to the sentries on the shore, “You all deserve to die for this. And for much, much more. But I am going to spare your miserable lives.”

Even with a wound through his gut, Eris’s lip curled.

Cassian snarled his warning.

I only removed the glamour I’d kept on myself these weeks. With the sleeve of my jacket and shirt gone, there was nothing but smooth skin where that wound had been. Smooth skin that now became adorned with swirls and whorls of ink. The markings of my new title—and my mating bond.

Lucien’s face drained of color as he strode for us, stopping a healthy distance from Azriel’s side. “I am High Lady of the Night Court,” I said quietly to them all.

Even Eris stopped sneering. His amber eyes widened, something like fear now creeping into them.

Lucien advises the Inner Circle:

Lucien studied me again, and it was an effort not to squirm. “My father would likely join with Hybern if he thought he stood a chance of getting his power back that way—by killing you.”

A snarl from Rhys.

“Your brothers saw me, though,” I said, setting down my fork. “Perhaps they could mistake the flame as yours, but the ice …”

Lucien jerked his chin to Azriel. “That’s the information you need to gather. What my father knows —if my brothers realized what she was doing. You need to start from there, and build your plan for this meeting accordingly.”

Mor said, “Eris might keep that information to himself and convince the others to as well, if he thinks it’ll be more useful that way.” I wondered if Mor looked at that red hair, the golden-brown skin that was a few shades darker than his brothers’, and still saw Eris.

Lucien said evenly, “Perhaps. But we need to find that out. If Beron or Eris has that information, they’ll use it to their advantage in that meeting—to control it. Or control you. Or they might not show up at all, and instead go right to Hybern.”

Eris in the Hewn City:

If the Ouroboros could not be retrieved, at least without such terrible risk … I shut out the thought, sealing it away for later, as Keir left. Leaving us alone with Eris.

The heir of Autumn just sipped his wine.

And I had the terrible sense that Mor had gone somewhere far, far away as Eris set down his goblet and said, “You look well, Mor.”

“You don’t speak to her,” Azriel said softly.

Eris gave a bitter smile. “I see you’re still holding a grudge.”

“This arrangement, Eris,” Rhys said, “relies solely upon you keeping your mouth shut.”

Eris huffed a laugh. “And haven’t I done an excellent job? Not even my father suspected when I left tonight.”

I glanced between my mate and Eris. “How did this come about?”

Eris looked me over. The crown and dress. “You didn’t think that I knew your shadowsinger would come sniffing around to see if I’d told my father about your … powers? Especially after my brothers so mysteriously forgot about them, too. I knew it was a matter of time before one of you arrived to take care of my memory as well.” Eris tapped the side of his head with a long finger. “Too bad for you, I learned a thing or two about daemati. Too bad for my brothers that I never bothered to teach them.”

---

“Of course I didn’t tell my father,” Eris went on, drinking from his wine again. “Why waste that sort of information on the bastard? His answer would be to hunt you down and kill you—not realizing how much shit we’re in with Hybern and that you might be the key to stopping it.”

“So he plans to join us, then,” Rhys said.

“Not if he learns about your little secret.” Eris smirked. Mor blinked—as if realizing that Rhys’s contact with Eris, his invitation here … The glance she gave me, clear and settled, told me enough. Hurt and anger still swirled, but understanding, too.

“So what’s the asking price, Eris?” Mor demanded, leaning her bare arms on the dark glass. “Another little bride for you to torture?”

Something flickered in Eris’s eyes. “I don’t know who fed you those lies to begin with, Morrigan,” he said with vicious calm. “Likely the bastards you surround yourself with.” A sneer at Azriel.

Mor snarled, rattling the glasses. “You never gave any evidence to the contrary. Certainly not when you left me in those woods.”

“There were forces at work that you have never considered,” Eris said coldly. “And I am not going to waste my breath explaining them to you. Believe what you want about me.”

“You hunted me down like an animal,” I cut in. “I think we’ll choose to believe the worst.”

Eris’s pale face flushed. “I was given an order. And sent to do it with two of my … brothers.”

“And what of the brother you hunted down alongside me? The one whose lover you helped to execute before his eyes?”

Eris laid a hand flat on the table. “You know nothing about what happened that day. Nothing.”

Silence.

“Indulge me,” was all I said.

Eris stared me down. I stared right back.

“How do you think he made it to the Spring border,” he said quietly. “I wasn’t there—when they did it. Ask him. I refused. It was the first and only time I have denied my father anything. He punished me. And by the time I got free … They were going to kill him, too. I made sure they didn’t. Made sure Tamlin got word—anonymously—to get the hell over to his own border.”

Where two of Eris’s brothers had been killed. By Lucien and Tamlin.

Eris picked at a stray thread on his jacket. “Not all of us were so lucky in our friends and family as you, Rhysand.”

Rhys’s face was a mask of boredom. “It would seem so.”

And none of this entirely erased what he’d done, but … “What is the asking price,” I repeated.

“The same thing I told Azriel when I found him snooping through my father’s woods yesterday.”

Hurt flared in Mor’s eyes as she whipped her head toward the shadowsinger. But Azriel didn’t so much as acknowledge her as he announced, “When the time comes … we are to support Eris’s bid to take the throne.”

Even as Azriel spoke, that frozen rage dulled his face. And Eris was wise enough to finally pale at the sight. Perhaps that was why Eris had kept knowledge of my powers to himself. Not just for this sort of bargaining, but to avoid the wrath of the shadowsinger. The blade at his side.

“The request still stands, Rhysand,” Eris said, mastering himself, “to just kill my father and be done with it. I can pledge troops right now.”

Mother above. He didn’t even try to hide it—to look at all remorseful. It was an effort to keep my jaw from dropping to the table at his intent, the casualness with which he spoke it.

“Tempting, but too messy,” Rhys replied. “Beron sided with us in the War. Hopefully he’ll sway that way again.” A pointed stare at Eris.

“He will,” Eris promised, running a finger over one of the claw marks gouged into the table. “And will remain blissfully unaware of Feyre’s … gifts.” A throne—in exchange for his silence. And sway.

“Promise Keir nothing you care about,” Rhys said, waving a hand in dismissal.

Eris just rose to his feet. “We’ll see.” A frown at Mor as he drained his wine and set down the goblet. “I’m surprised you still can’t control yourself around him. You had every emotion written right on that pretty face of yours.”

“Watch it,” Azriel warned.

Eris looked between them, smiling faintly. Secretly. As if he knew something that Azriel didn’t. “I wouldn’t have touched you,” he said to Mor, who blanched again. “But when you fucked that other bastard—” A snarl ripped from Rhys’s throat at that. And my own. “I knew why you did it.” Again that secret smile that had Mor shrinking. Shrinking. “So I gave you your freedom, ending the betrothal in no uncertain terms.”

“And what happened next,” Azriel growled.

A shadow crossed Eris’s face. “There are few things I regret. That is one of them. But … perhaps one day, now that we are allies, I shall tell you why. What it cost me.”

“I don’t give a shit,” Mor said quietly. She pointed to the door. “Get out.”

Eris gave a mocking bow to her. To all of us. “See you at the meeting in twelve days.”

Inner Circle Reacts to Eris Alliance:

Mor whirled on Azriel. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Azriel held her gaze unflinchingly. Didn’t so much as rustle his wings. “Because you would have tried to stop it. And we can’t afford to lose Keir’s alliance—and face the threat of Eris.”

“You’re working with that prick,” Cassian cut in, whatever catching-up now over, apparently. He moved to Mor’s side, a hand on her back. He shook his head at Azriel and Rhys, disgust curling his lip. “You should have spiked Eris’s fucking head to the front gates.”

Azriel only watched them with that icy indifference. But Lucien crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the couch. “I have to agree with Cassian. Eris is a snake.”

Perhaps Rhys had not filled him in on everything, then. On what Eris had claimed about saving his youngest brother in whatever way he could. Of his defiance.

“Your whole family is despicable,” Amren said to Lucien from where she and Nesta lingered in the archway. “But Eris may prove a better alternative. If he can find a way to kill Beron off and make sure the power shifts to himself.”

“I’m sure he will,” Lucien said.

High Lord's Meeting

(the highlights - there's a lot of Beron, Eris, and Helion to piece together here)

Beron—slender-faced and brown-haired—didn’t bother to look anywhere but at the High Lords assembled. But his remaining sons sneered at us. Sneered enough that the Peregryns ruffled their feathers. Even Varian flashed his teeth in warning at the leer Cresseida earned from one of them. Their father didn’t bother to check them.

But Eris did.

A step behind his father, Eris murmured, “Enough,” and his younger brothers fell into line. All three of them.

Whether Beron noticed or cared, he did not let on. No, he merely stopped halfway across the room, hands folded before him, and scowled—as if we were a pack of mongrels.

Beron, the oldest among us. The most awful.

Rhys smoothly greeted him, though his power was a dark mountain shuddering beneath us, “It’s no surprise that you’re tardy, given that your own sons were too slow to catch my mate. I suppose it runs in the family.”

Beron’s lips curled slightly as he looked to me, my crown. “Mate—and High Lady.”

I leveled a flat, bored stare at him. Turned it on his hateful sons. On—Eris.

Eris only smiled at me, amused and aloof. Would he wear that mask when he ended his father’s life and stole his throne?

---

Tamlin only angled his head at Rhys. “When you fuck her, have you ever noticed that little noise she makes right before she climaxes?”

Heat stained my cheeks. This wasn’t outright battle, but a steady, careful shredding of my dignity, my credibility. Beron beamed, delighted—while Eris carefully monitored.

---

Rhys went on, “I … convinced her that it would serve little purpose.” “Who knew,” Beron mused, “that a cock could be so persuasive?”

“Father.” Eris’s voice was low with warning.

For Cassian, Azriel, Mor, and I had fixed our gazes upon Beron. And none of us were smiling. Perhaps Eris would be High Lord sooner than he planned.

---

“If you want proof that we are not scheming with Hybern,” Rhysand said blandly to them all, “consider the fact that it would be far less time-consuming to slice into your minds and make you do my bidding.”

Only Beron was stupid enough to scoff. Eris was just angling his body in his chair—blocking the path to his mother.

--

But Beron said, “You may be inclined to believe him, Rhysand, but as someone who shares a border with his court, I am not so easily swayed.” A wry look. “Perhaps my errant son can clarify. Pray, where is he?”

Even Tamlin looked toward us—toward me.

“Helping to guard our city,” was all I said. Not a lie, not entirely.

Eris snorted and surveyed Nesta, who stared back at him with steel in her face. “Pity you didn’t bring the other sister. I hear our little brother’s mate is quite the beauty.”

If they knew Elain was Lucien’s mate … It was now another avenue, I realized with no small amount of horror. Another way to strike at the youngest brother they hated so fiercely, so unreasonably. Eris’s bargain with us had not included protection of Lucien. My mouth went dry.

But Mor replied smoothly, “You still certainly like to hear yourself talk, Eris. Good to know some things don’t change over the centuries.”

Eris’s mouth curled into a smile at the words, the careful game of pretending that they had not seen each other in years. “Good to know that after five hundred years, you still dress like a slut.

---

Only Eris knew how far that alliance went—information that could damn this meeting if either side revealed it. Information that could get him wiped off the earth by his father.

Mor was staring and staring at Azriel, who refused to look at her, who refused to do anything but give Eris that death-gaze.

Eris, wisely, averted his eyes. And said, “Apologies, Morrigan.”

His father actually gawked at the words. But something like approval shone on the Lady of Autumn’s face as her eldest son settled himself once more.

---

Beron’s face darkened. “Watch your tone, girl.”

“She doesn’t have to watch anything,” I cut in. “Not when you fling that sort of horseshit at her.” I looked to the alchemist. “I will take your antidote.”

Beron rolled his eyes.

But Eris said, “Father.”

Beron lifted a brow. “You have something to add?”

Eris didn’t flinch, but he seemed to choose his words very, very carefully. “I have seen the effects of faebane.” He nodded toward me. “It truly renders us unable to tap our power. If it’s wielded against us in war or beyond it—”

“If it is, we shall face it. I will not risk my people or family in testing out a theory.”

“It is no theory,” Nuan said, that mechanical hand clicking and whirring as it curled into a fist. “I would not stand here unless it had been proved without a doubt.”

A female of pride and hard work.

Eris said, “I will take it.”

It was the most … decent I’d ever heard him sound. Even Mor blinked at it.

Beron studied his son with a scrutiny that made some small, small part of me wonder if Eris might have grown to be a good male if he’d had a different father. If one still lurked there, beneath centuries of poison.

Because Eris … What had it been like for him, Under the Mountain? What games had he played— what had he endured? Trapped for forty-nine years. I doubted he would risk such a thing happening again. Even if it set him in opposition to his father—or perhaps because of that.

Beron only said, “No, you will not. Though I’m sure your brothers will be sorry to hear it.” Indeed, the others seemed rather put-out that their first barrier to the throne wasn’t about to risk his life in testing Nuan’s solution.

---

Rhys lifted a brow. “Your staggering generosity aside, will you be joining our forces?”

“I have not yet decided.”

Eris went so far as to give his father a look bordering on reproach. From genuine alarm or for what that refusal might mean for our own covert alliance, I couldn’t tell.

---

This argument was pointless. And I didn’t care who they were or who I was as I said to Beron, “Get out if you’re not going to be helpful.”

At his side, Eris had the wits to actually look worried.

But Beron continued to ignore his son’s pointed stare and hissed at me, “Did you know that while your mate was warming Amarantha’s bed, most of our people were locked beneath that mountain?”

I didn’t deign responding.

“Did you know that while he had his head between her legs, most of us were fighting to keep our families from becoming the nightly entertainment?”

---

Beron shot to his feet, not bothering to brush off the dust, and declared to no one in particular, “This meeting is over. I hope Hybern butchers you all.”

But Nesta rose from her chair. “This meeting is not over.”

Even Beron paused at her tone. Eris sized up the space between my sister and his father.

She stood tall, a pillar of steel. “You are all there is,” she said to Beron, to all of us. “You are all that there is between Hybern and the end of everything that is good and decent.” She settled her stare on Beron, unflinching and fierce.

“You fought against Hybern in the last war. Why do you refuse to do so now?” Beron did not deign to answer. But he did not leave. Eris subtly motioned his brothers to sit. Nesta marked the gesture—hesitated. As if realizing she indeed held their complete attention. That every word mattered.

---

She looked to Beron and his family as she finished. Only the Lady and Eris seemed to be considering—impressed, even, by the strange, simmering woman before them.

I didn’t have the words in me—to convey what was in my heart. Cassian seemed the same.

Beron only said, “I shall consider it.”

A look at his family, and they vanished. Eris was the last to winnow, something conflicted dancing over his face, as if this was not the outcome he’d planned for.

Expected.

The Lucien Paternity Revelation:

Helion began asking why we wanted to know, what Hybern was doing with the Cauldron … and Rhys fed him answers, easily and smoothly.

While we spoke, I said down the bond, Helion is Lucien’s father. Rhys was silent. Then— Holy burning hell. His shock was a shooting star between us.

I let my gaze dart through the room, half paying attention to Helion’s musing on the wall and how to repair it, then dared study the High Lord for a heartbeat. Look at him. The nose is the same, the smile. The voice. Even Lucien’s skin is darker than his brothers’. A golden brown compared to their pale coloring.

It would explain why his father and brothers detest him so much—why they have tormented him his entire life.

My heart squeezed at that. And why Eris didn’t want him dead. He wasn’t a threat to Eris’s power—his throne. I swallowed. Helion has no idea, does he?

It would seem not.

The Lady of Autumn’s favorite son—not only from Lucien’s goodness. But because he was the child she’d dreamed of having … with the male she undoubtedly loved.

The War:

Out of a rip in the world, Eris appeared atop our knoll, clad head to toe in silver armor, a red cape spilling from his shoulders. Rhys snarled a warning, too far gone in his power to bother controlling himself.

Eris just rested a hand on the pommel of his fine sword and said, “We thought you might need some help.”

---

But Beron. Beron had come. Eris registered our shock at that, too, and said, “Tamlin made him. Dragged my father out by his neck.” A half smile. “It was delightful.

---

Rhys’s voice was rough—low. “And what of your father?”

“We’re taking care of a problem,” was all Eris said, and pointed toward his father’s army. For those were his brothers approaching the front line, winnowing in bursts through the host. Right past the front lines and to the enemy wagons scattered throughout Hybern’s ranks.

The Final Meeting:

Eris was bruised and cut up enough to indicate he must have been in terrible shape after the fighting ceased yesterday, sporting a brutal slice down his cheek and neck—barely healed. Mor let out a satisfied grunt at the sight of it—or perhaps a sound of disappointment that the wound had not been fatal.

Eris continued by as if he hadn’t heard it, but didn’t sneer at least. Rather—he just nodded at Rhys. It was silent promise enough: soon. Soon, perhaps, Eris would finally take what he desired—and call in our debt.

We did not bother to nod back. None of us.

Especially not Lucien, who continued dutifully ignoring his eldest brother. But as Eris strode by … I could have sworn there was something like sadness—like regret, as he glanced to Lucien.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Court of Frost and Starlight:

Mor's Flashback (TW: physical abuse, violence)

But the Autumn Court male standing beside Keir … Mor made herself look at Eris. Into his amber eyes.

Colder than any hall of Kallias’s court. They had been that way from the moment she’d met him, five centuries ago.

Eris laid a pale hand on the breast of his pewter-colored jacket, the portrait of Autumn Court gallantry. “I thought I’d extend some Solstice greetings of my own.”

That voice. That silky, arrogant voice. It had not altered, not in tone or timbre, in the passing centuries, either. Had not changed since that day.

Warm, buttery sunlight through the leaves, setting them glowing like rubies and citrines. The damp, earthen scent of rotting things beneath the leaves and roots she lay upon. Had been thrown and left upon.

Everything hurt. Everything. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t do anything but watch the sun drift through the rich canopy far overhead, listen to the wind between the silvery trunks.

And the center of that pain, radiating outward like living fire with each uneven, rasping breath …

Light, steady steps crunched on the leaves. Six sets. A border guard, a patrol.

Help. Someone to help—

A male voice, foreign and deep, swore. Then went silent.

Went silent as a single pair of steps approached. She couldn’t turn her head, couldn’t bear the agony. Could do nothing but inhale each wet, shuddering breath.

“Don’t touch her.”

Those steps stopped.

It was not a warning to protect her. Defend her.

She knew the voice that spoke. Had dreaded hearing it. She felt him approach now. Felt each reverberation in the leaves, the moss, the roots. As if the very land shuddered before him.

“No one touches her,” he said. Eris. “The moment we do, she’s our responsibility.”

Cold, unfeeling words.

“But—but they nailed a—”

“No one touches her.”

...

She began shaking, hating it as much as she’d hated the begging. Her body bellowed in agony, those nails in her abdomen relentless.

A pale, beautiful face appeared above her, blocking out the jewel-like leaves above. Unmoved. Impassive. “I take it you do not wish to live here, Morrigan.”

She would rather die here, bleed out here. She would rather die and return— return as something wicked and cruel, and shred them all apart.

He must have read it in her eyes. A small smile curved his lips. “I thought so.”

Eris straightened, turning. Her fingers curled in the leaves and loamy soil.

She wished she could grow claws—grow claws as Rhys could—and rip out that pale throat. But that was not her gift. Her gift … her gift had left her here. Broken and bleeding.

Eris took a step away.

Someone behind him blurted, “We can’t just leave her to—”

“We can, and we will,” Eris said simply, his pace unfaltering as he strode away. “She chose to sully herself; her family chose to deal with her like garbage. I have already told them my decision in this matter.” A long pause, crueler than the rest. “And I am not in the habit of fucking Illyrian leftovers.”

She couldn’t stop it, then. The tears that slid out, hot and burning. Alone. They would leave her alone here. Her friends did not know where she had gone. She barely knew where she was.

“But—” That dissenting voice cut in again.

“Move out.”

There was no dissension after that.

And when their steps faded away, then vanished, the silence returned.

The sun and the wind and the leaves.

The blood and the iron and the soil beneath her nails.

The pain.

Eris in the Hewn City:

“I would suggest reminding Beron that territory expansion is not on the table. For any court.”

Eris wasn’t fazed. Nothing had ever disturbed him, ruffled him. Mor had hated it from the moment she’d met him—that distance, that coldness. That lack of interest or feeling for the world. “Then I would suggest to you, High Lord, that you speak to your dear friend Tamlin about it.”

“Why.” Feyre’s question was sharp as a blade.

Eris’s mouth curved in an adder’s smile. “Because Tamlin’s territory is the only one that borders the human lands. I’d think that anyone looking to expand would have to go through the Spring Court first. Or at least obtain his permission.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Court of Silver Flames:

Mor meets with Cassian:

“Eris bought me time.” Her words were laced with acid.

Cassian had tried not to believe it, but he knew Eris had done it as a gesture of good faith. He’d invited Rhysand into his mind to see exactly why he’d convinced Keir to indefinitely delay his visit to Velaris. Only Eris had that sort of sway with the power-hungry Keir, and whatever Eris had offered Keir in exchange for not coming here was still a mystery. At least to Cassian. Rhys probably knew. From Mor’s pale face, he wondered if she knew, too. Eris must have sacrificed something big to spare Mor from her father’s visit, which would have likely been timed for a moment that would maximize tormenting her.

Cassian meets with the Band of Exiles + Eris:

Lucien’s gold eye clicked, reading Cassian’s rage while warning flashed in his remaining russet eye.

The male had grown up alongside Eris. Had dealt with Eris’s and Beron’s cruelty. Had his lover slaughtered by his own father. But Lucien had learned to keep his cool.

---

Eris was their ally. Rhys had bargained with him, worked with him. Eris had held up his end at every turn. Rhys trusted him. Mor, despite all that had happened, trusted him. Sort of. So Cassian supposed he should do so as well.

---

Eris snorted again at Cassian’s fumbling, and, unable to help himself, Cassian at last turned toward him. “What are you doing here?”

Eris didn’t so much as shift in his seat. “Several dozen of my soldiers were out on patrol in my lands several days ago and have not reported back. We found no sign of battle. Even my hounds couldn’t track them beyond their last known location.”

Cassian’s brows lowered. He knew he shouldn’t let anything show, but … Those hounds were the best in Prythian. Canines blessed with magic of their own. Gray and sleek like smoke, they could race fast as the wind, sniff out any prey. They were so highly prized that the Autumn Court forbade them from being given or sold beyond its borders, and so expensive that only its nobility owned them. And they were bred rarely enough that even one was extremely difficult to come by. Eris, Cassian knew, had twelve.

“None of them could winnow?” Cassian asked.

“No. While the unit is one of my most skilled in combat, none of its soldiers are remarkable in magic or breeding.”

Breeding was tossed at Cassian with a smirk. Asshole.

But Eris shrugged a shoulder. “I think plenty of parties are interested in triggering another war, and this would be the start of it. Though perhaps your court did it. I wouldn’t put it past Rhysand to winnow my soldiers away and plant some mysterious scents to throw us off.”

---

Eris’s long red hair ruffled in the wind. “Whatever it is you’re doing, whatever it is you’re looking into, I want in.”

“Why? And no.”

“Because I need the edge Briallyn has, what Koschei has told her or shown her.”

“To overthrow your father.”

“Because my father has already pledged his forces to Briallyn and the war she wishes to incite.”

Cassian started. “What?”

“Explain what the fuck you mean by Beron pledging his forces to Briallyn.”

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. He caught wind of her ambitions, and went to her palace a month ago to meet with her. I stayed here, but I sent my best soldiers with him.” Cassian refrained from sniping about Eris opting out, especially as the last words settled.

“Those wouldn’t happen to be the same soldiers who went missing, would they?”

Eris nodded gravely. “They returned with my father, but they were … off. Aloof and strange. They vanished soon after—and my hounds confirmed that the scents at the scene are the same as those on gifts Briallyn sent to curry my father’s favor.”

---

“What does Beron say?”

“He is unaware of it. You know where I stand with my father. And this unholy alliance he’s struck with Briallyn will only hurt us. All of us. It will turn into a Fae war for control. So I want to find answers on my own—rather than what my father tries to feed me.”

Cassian surveyed the male, his grim face. “So we take out your father.”

Eris snorted, and Cassian bristled. “I am the only person my father has told of his new allegiance. If the Night Court moves, it will expose me.”

“So your worry about Briallyn’s alliance with Beron is about what it means for you, rather than the rest of us.”

“I only wish to defend the Autumn Court against its worst enemies.”

“Why would I work with you on this?”

“Because we are indeed allies.” Eris’s smile became lupine. “And because I do not believe your High Lord would wish me to go to other territories and ask them to help with Briallyn and Koschei. To help them remember that all it might take to secure Briallyn’s alliance would be to hand over a certain Archeron sister. Don’t be stupid enough to believe my father hasn’t thought of that, too.”

The Inner Circle Assigning Cassian to Eris:

And then Cassian had been slapped with a new order: keep an eye on Eris. Beyond the fact that he approached you, Rhys had said, you are my general. Eris commands Beron’s forces. Be in communication with him. Cassian had started to object, but Rhys had directed a pointed look at Azriel, and Cassian had caved. Az had too much on his plate already. Cassian could deal with that piece of shit Eris on his own.

Eris wants to avoid a war that would expose him, Feyre had guessed. If Beron sides with Briallyn, Eris would be forced to choose between his father and Prythian. The careful balance he’s struck by playing both sides would crumble. He wants to act when it’s convenient for his plans. This threatens that.

Eris meets with Rhys and Cassian:

“You’ve turned into quite the little traitor,” Rhys said, stars winking out in his eyes.

“I told you years ago what I wanted, High Lord,” Eris said.

To seize his father’s throne. “Why?” Cassian asked.

Eris grasped what he meant, apparently, because flame sizzled in his eyes. “For the same reason I left Morrigan untouched at the border.”

“You left her there to suffer and die,” Cassian spat. His Siphons flickered, and all he could see was the male’s pretty face, all he could feel was his own fist, aching to make contact.

Eris sneered. “Did I? Perhaps you should ask Morrigan whether that is true. I think she finally knows the answer.” Cassian’s head spun, and the relentless itching resumed, like fingers trailing along his spine, his legs, his scalp. Eris added before winnowing away, “Tell me when the shadowsinger returns.”

Eris meets with Cassian and Nesta:

“The Dread Trove,” Eris mused, surveying the heavy gray sky that threatened snow. “I’ve never heard of such items. Though it does not surprise me.”

“Does your father know of them?” The Steppes weren’t neutral ground, but they were empty enough that Eris had finally deigned to accept Cassian’s request to meet here. After taking days to reply to his message.

“No, thank the Mother,” Eris said, crossing his arms. “He would have told me if he did. But if the Trove has a sentience like you suggested, if it wants to be found … I fear that it might also be reaching out to others as well. Not just Briallyn and Koschei.”

Beron in possession of the Trove would be a disaster. He’d join the ranks of the King of Hybern. Could become something terrible and deathless like Lanthys. “So Briallyn failed to inform Beron about her quest for the Trove when he visited her?”

“Apparently, she doesn’t trust him, either,” Eris said, face full of contemplation. “I’ll need to think on that.”

“Don’t tell him about it,” Cassian warned.

Eris shook his head. “You misunderstand me. I’m not going to tell him a damned thing. But the fact that Briallyn is actively hiding her larger plans from him …” He nodded, more to himself. “Is this why Morrigan is back in Vallahan? To learn if they know about the Trove?”

---

Cassian grimaced. “Technically, Azriel and I did. Your soldiers were enchanted by Queen Briallyn and Koschei to be mindless killers. They attacked us in the Bog of Oorid, and we were left with no choice but to kill them.”

“And yet two survived. How convenient. I assume they received Azriel’s particular brand of interrogation?” Eris’s voice dripped disdain.

“We could only manage to contain two,” Cassian said tightly. “Under Briallyn’s influence, they were practically rabid.”

“Let’s not lie to ourselves. You only bothered to contain two, by the time your brute bloodlust ebbed away.”

Eris snorted. “There were certainly more than that, and you could have easily spared more than two. But I don’t know why I’d expect someone like you to have done any better.”

---

“Did you even try to spare the others, or did you just launch right into a massacre?” Eris seethed.

---

Nesta took one step closer to Eris. “Your soldiers shot an ash arrow through one of Azriel’s wings.”

Eris’s teeth flashed. “And did you join in this massacre, too?”

“No,” she said frankly. “But I wonder: Did Briallyn arm the soldiers with those ash arrows, or did they come from your private armory?”

Eris blinked, the only confirmation required. “Such weapons are banned, aren’t they?” she asked Cassian, whose features remained taut. The conflagration within her burned hotter, higher. She returned her attention to Eris. If he could toy with Cassian, then she’d return the favor. “Who were you storing those arrows for?” she mused. “Enemies abroad?” She smiled slightly. “Or an enemy at home?”

Eris held her stare. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nesta’s smile didn’t waver. “Would an ash arrow through the heart kill a High Lord?”

Eris’s face paled. “You’re wasting my time.”

Eris and Nesta dance:

"Don’t believe the lies they tell you about me.”

She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. “Oh?”

Eris nodded to where Mor watched them from beside Feyre and Rhys, her face neutral and aloof. “She knows the truth but has never revealed it.”

“Why?”

“Because she is afraid of it.”

“You don’t win yourself any favors with your behavior.”

“Don’t I? Do I not ally myself with this court under constant threat of being discovered and killed by my father? Do I not offer aid whenever Rhysand wishes?” He spun her again. “They believe a version of events that is easier to swallow. I always thought Rhysand wiser than that, but he tends to be blind where those he loves are concerned.”

---

Cassian could only stare at Eris’s throat, pondering whether to strangle him or slit the skin wide open. Let him bleed out on the floor.

“That’s not my decision,” Rhys said calmly to Eris. “And it seems foolish for you to offer me anything I want in exchange for her, anyway.”

His jaw tightened. “I have my reasons.”

From the shadows in his eyes, Cassian knew something more lay beneath the rash offer. Something that even Az’s spies hadn’t picked up on at the Autumn Court. All it would take was one push of Rhys’s power into his mind and they’d know, but … it went against everything they stood for, at least amongst their allies. Rhys demanded their trust; he had to give it in return. Cassian couldn’t fault his brother for that.

Eris added, “It is a bonus, of course, that in doing so, I would be repaying Cassian for ruining my betrothal to Morrigan.”

---

Again, Rhys’s lips twitched. So bloodthirsty, Cassian heard his High Lord croon to his mate. But Rhys said, “Anything I want, whether it be armies from the Autumn Court or your firstborn, you would grant me in exchange for Nesta Archeron as your wife?”

Cassian growled low in his throat. His brother was letting this carry on too far.

Eris glared. “Not as far as the firstborn, but yes, Rhysand. You want armies against Briallyn and my father, you’ll have them.” His lips curved upward. “I couldn’t very well let my wife’s sister go into battle unaided, could I?”

Eris, Cassian, and Nesta meet (the last time before the Rite)

Cassian only gave her an amused wink before continuing, “Your letter seemed to imply that your father was making a move. Out with it.”

“My father went to the continent again last week. He came back seeming normal, without the glassy-eyed aloofness my soldiers displayed. He did not invite me to accompany him, or explain what he discussed with Briallyn. I can only assume the fallout is approaching, though, and wanted to warn you. It was not something I could risk putting in writing. But for now … for now, it seems as if the world is holding its breath.”

---

“That’s absurd,” Nesta snapped. “What do we have to gain?”

Red flame sizzled in Eris’s eyes. “What did the King of Hybern have to gain by attaining the Cauldron and invading our lands?”

“We have no interest in conquest, Eris,” Cassian said, crossing his arms. “You know that. And we’re not going to use the Trove.”

Eris barked a laugh. Nesta could see that he didn’t believe them—that he was so used to the twisted politics and scheming of his court that even when the simple, easy truth was offered, he could not see it. “I find myself not entirely comfortable with your court possessing two items in the Trove.” His gaze shifted to Nesta. “Especially when you have so many other weapons in your arsenal.”

---

Eris picked at a piece of lint on his jacket. At his side hung the dagger Rhys and Feyre had gifted him, simple and plain compared to the finery on him. Her dagger. “You’d be truly stupid to go after Briallyn directly.”

“Leave the heroics to the brutes, Eris,” Cassian said. “Wouldn’t want to risk cutting up those pretty hands.”

Eris’s fingers curled slightly on his biceps. Nesta reined in her smile. Cassian’s words had found their mark.

---

Eris only said, “If you fail in retrieving the Crown, you risk Briallyn using it upon you. She could turn you on each other. Make you do unspeakable things. Even reveal to her where the other two objects are. And you’d have no choice but to tell her everything.” He worried about them revealing their alliance—for his own sake. “You threaten to expose us. Do not pursue the Crown.”

---

Eris glowered. “Has this been the plan the whole time? To string me along, make me an enemy of my father, then use the Trove against all of us?”

“You made yourself an enemy of your father,” Cassian said, smiling faintly. “When he finds out, I wonder if he’ll let your hounds rip you to shreds, or if he’ll do it himself.”

Eris paled slightly. “Don’t you mean if he finds out?”

Cassian said nothing. Kept his face neutral. Nesta stifled her smugness and did the same.

Eris observed them. For the first time since Nesta had known the male, uncertainty banked the fire in his gaze.

And then he turned toward the other subject in his letter, facing Nesta before he asked, “And my offer for you?” Not one ounce of affection or longing laced his words.

Nesta lifted her chin, smirking at last. “I suppose once we have the Crown in our hands, the Night Court won’t need you after all. Neither will I.”

She could have sworn Cassian was repressing a laugh, but she kept her gaze on Eris, who went rigid, rippling with rage. “I do not appreciate being toyed with, Nesta Archeron. My offer was sincere. Stay with the Night Court and you risk your ruin.”

Cassian cut in smoothly, “Try to fuck us over, Eris, and you risk yours.”

Eris’s upper lip curled. “Do whatever you want.” He straightened, as if shaking off any emotion, face going cold and cruel again. “It’s your lives you gamble with, not mine.” He chuckled, nodding to Cassian. “So what if the world loses another brute to war? Good riddance.”

Eris getting kidnapped and ensnared by the Crown:

Azriel said tightly, “My spies got word that Eris has been captured by Briallyn. She sent his remaining soldiers after him while he was out hunting with his hounds. They grabbed him and somehow, they were all winnowed back to her palace. I’m guessing using Koschei’s power.”

---

I had to use that brash princeling Eris to draw him in.” A soft laugh. “Eris tried to help his soldiers when they surrounded him during his hunt. Help those wretches. He rode right up to them, rather than gallop away as any wise person would. They grabbed him with minimal fuss. Even those infernal hounds of his could do nothing as Koschei winnowed him away.”

Eris might be a good male?

Eris went on, “Always mix truth and lies, General. Didn’t those warrior-brutes teach you about how to withstand an enemy’s torture?”

Cassian knew. He’d been tortured and interrogated and never once broken. “Beron tortured you?”

Eris rose, tucking his book under an arm. “Who cares what my father does to me? He believed my story about the shadowsinger’s spies informing him that a valuable asset had been kidnapped by Briallyn, and that you lot were disgusted to arrive and find it was me, rather than someone from the Summer or Winter Courts or whoever stoops to associate with you.”

Cassian unpacked each word. Beron had tortured his own son for information, rather than thanking the Mother for returning him. But Eris had held out. Fed Beron another lie.

And then there was the way Eris had spoken about the other courts. Something had been off in his words, his tight expression. Was the male jealous?

Cassian opened his mouth, more than ready to launch that question at him and bestow a stinging blow.

Yet he hesitated. Looked into Eris’s eyes.

The male had been raised with every luxury and privilege—on paper. But who knew what terrors Beron had inflicted upon him? Cassian knew Beron had murdered Lucien’s lover. If the High Lord of Autumn had been willing to do that, what wouldn’t he do?

“Get that pitying look off your face,” Eris snarled softly. “I know what sort of creature my father is. I don’t need your sympathy.”

Cassian again studied him. “Why did you leave Mor in the woods that day?” It was the question that would always remain. “Was it just to impress your father?”

Eris barked a laugh, harsh and empty. “Why does it still matter to all of you so much?”

“Because she’s my sister, and I love her.”

“I didn’t realize Illyrians were in the habit of fucking their sisters.”

Cassian growled. “It still matters,” he ground out, “because it doesn’t add up. You know what a monster your father is and want to usurp him; you act against him in the best interests of not only the Autumn Court but also of all of the faerie lands; you risk your life to ally with us … and yet you left her in the woods. Is it guilt that motivates all of this? Because you left her to suffer and die?”

Golden flame simmered in Eris’s gaze. “I didn’t realize I’d be facing another interrogation so soon.”

“Give me a damn answer.”

Eris crossed his arms, then winced. As if whatever injuries lay beneath his immaculate clothes ached. “You’re not the person I want to explain myself to.”

“I doubt Mor will want to listen.”

“Maybe not.” Eris shifted on his feet, and grimaced again. “But you and yours have more important things to think about than ancient history. My father is furious that his ally is dead, but he’s not deterred. Koschei remains in play, and Beron might very well be stupid enough to establish an alliance with him, too. I hope that whatever Morrigan is doing in Vallahan will counteract the damage my father will unleash.”

----

Eris was still their ally. Was willing to be tortured to keep their secrets. And Cassian didn’t need to be a courtier to know his next words would slice deep, but it would be a necessary wound. Perhaps it would be enough to push things in the right direction.

---

“You know, Eris,” he said, a hand wrapping around the doorknob. “I think you might be a decent male, deep down, trapped in a terrible situation.” He looked over his shoulder and found Eris’s gaze blazing again. But only pity stirred in his chest, pity for a male who had been born into riches, but had been destitute in every way that truly mattered. In every way that Cassian had been blessed—blessings that were now overflowing.

So Cassian said, “I grew up surrounded by monsters. I’ve spent my existence fighting them. And I see you, Eris. You’re not one of them. Not even close. I think you might even be a good male.” Cassian opened the door, turning from Eris’s curled lip. “You’re just too much of a coward to act like one.”

[captnjacksparrow]

if you had to rank your fav naruto characters how would it go? love your blog btw!!

Hmmm... Complicated ask, anon.😂

[My personal life would be splashed here and there. Please bear with me]

Before 5 months, if you asked me about Naruto, my response would be ‘What the fuck is that?’. I absolutely had no idea such a treasure existed. For me, it started out like a blockbuster movie for the sheer variety of fights and the resulting emotions it brought within me. 

However, there was a point I stopped and thought, ‘Wait a fucking second. This resembles my family dynamics. This person is speaking the exact same lines I spoke to my parents few years ago. This person’s situation resembles mine. Did this creator a time traveler?’. Naruto is the only piece of media that gave me such feel. Am not even exaggerating, believe me. 

I really liked so many characters very much but am going to try my best to list just 10. 

The only characters I hate in this series are Danzo, Sakura and Hinata in no particular order. Meaning, I absolutely cannot see any positives in them. They are crassy, cringey and completely detestable.

FAVOURITE NARUTO CHARACTERS

10. Killer Bee

HaHaHa :-) Just seeing this character makes me smile and light-hearted.

It’s a pity that he is the only character who don’t belong to Konoha in my Top 10 rankings who was developed well apart from Gaara.

I loved him from Frame 1 onwards and I sincerely wished Team Taka should be packed up with their ass beaten up mercilessly. And that’s what happened.

Despite being a Jinchurikki, he never bothered to mind his surroundings and filled his heart with love from his over protective Brother alone was nice to watch.

He makes a great Tag Partner with Naruto next to Sasuke. No doubt.

The way Killer Bee treated Team Taka like some annoying flies and his cool and don’t care attitude was top notch. It’s not just with Sasuke, Bee treated Naruto with the same IDGAF attitude at first.

Best Moments:

Lariat punch to Sasuke (TBH, Sasuke deserved it. LOL)

Blasted off every member of Team Taka like a doll

His entire conversation and fight sequence with Kisame (Their banters and exchanges are way too hilarious)

His dynamics with his Elder Brother (God!!!! Whenever Raikage gives him an Iron Claw.... What a hilarious duo!!!!)

9. Hatake Kakashi

Kakashi was my most favourite character when I started the series for simply being ultra-cool with the way he conducted the Bell-Test and taught a valuable lesson for those bratty kids in Team 7 called ‘Team Work’. 

Best Moments:

Kakashi vs Obito Hand-to-Hand Combat (the best in the series)

Kakashi in the Gaara retrieval arc (His fight with Itachi & Deidara gave a good start to the shippuden series. His Mangekyou reveal was surprising).

Kakashi & Guy teaming up with Naruto to reveal Obito in a twisty and tragic way. (Kakashi couldn’t handle the truth at all and neither did I)

Kakashi vs Zabuza (That’s when I realized that the series was getting real serious)

8. Jiraiya

Jiraiya was my next favourite to Kakashi during my Part 1 days. His open perversion and his entire dynamics with Naruto was one of the best things during the Chunin Exams arc. Taught Naruto about Chakra Control and about the way of a shinobi by just enduring. Naruto follows this even today.

Best Moments: 

Kuchiyose No Jutsu training (Man, I never expected him to push Naruto off the cliff)

Rasengan Training (One of the best arcs in part 1 and it was soo satisfying to see Naruto punching his first Rasengan on Kabuto, He also acted like a quasi parent to Naruto... heartwarming)

Jiraiya Vs Six paths of Pain ( 6 vs 1 was always doomed but still he had the guts of a shinobi and plunged ahead)

7. Uchiha Madara

Geez. What is there to not like him?? 

Everything he did was absolutely wrong ever since he broke up with Hashirama in a romantic way much similar to how couples break up in my country.

I am an Uchiha. You are a Senju. I wish it had been different.

This roughly translates to how 75% of lovers break up and marry someone else from their own clan in my state. (Duh!!!)

I am from XXX clan, you are from XXX clan. So we can’t love each other and my parents won’t accept this relationship. So let’s break up.

Alright, my first shipping couple in this series is HashiMada for this exact reason. (I started shipping SNS only after episode 478). 

Just like Hashirama, Madara had an extensive build up right from episode 1 where Kurama compares Sasuke with Madara. And flashbacks from Itachi and Tobi spiked my curiosity and I wanted to see his face so badly ever since.

But the moment he landed gracefully like a diva in episode 321.... Woaahhhh!!!! He literally danced in the battlefield and ate up 100′s of guys with just a fucking Sharingan. 

Best Moments:

Going Shirtless before 1000′s of people with Hashirama’s face, no less (Well, I literally went heart-eyed for 5 minutes. Sorry Sasuke, your ancester was way much sexier than you in the Orochimaru hideout and beats you by a million points).

Screaming Hashirama’s name like a cockatoo for 300 times even till the very end (Sorry Naruto, your obsession towards Sasuke for about 6 arcs is pale in comparison to Madara’s obsession which was established in just 6 or 7 episodes.)

I have 25 clones now. Do you want me to put Susanoo or not? You can’t answer. The answer is yes. (Man, his I don’t give a fuck attitude is just an alien level thing)

Openly admitting Only Hashirama Can Beat Me (Say what you will about Sasuke, Madara has no qualms about accepting his inferiority in terms of power. An absolute Straight Forward diva-queen)

Awakening Sharingan for breaking up with his ‘friend’ rather than for his 3 dead brothers. (Geez, Poor Soul. He is the forefather of a Romantic Uchiha. That romantic blood still flows in Sasuke)

6. Senju Hashirama

Man, I would have placed him somewhere in top 5 if only he was introduced early or had more scenes. I started watching Naruto only because of this very name. There is a local podcaster in my state who goes under the alias of Senju Hashirama and in his podcasts, he hinted about this character and how he was inspired by his ideals. I just googled and saw that this character belonged to Naruto series and I considered watching it. Here I am, making analysis on that very series.

There was this excellent build up for him right when we got introduced to Captain Yamato. He was constantly referred in flashbacks from Itachi and Tobi especially.

But the moment he was reanimated again..... Geez..... It was an hilarious ride all throughout. Out of all the flashbacks we got from this series, Founders Era flashback was my absolute favourite.

From where I come from, we are still under the stupid influence of Clan infrastructure and are not growing up in many aspects like people in western countries do. For me, I hope, one day, someone like Senju Hashirama appears in our state and change our lives for better by uniting all clans as one and treats everyone equally without the shitty favouritism for their own children, friends, parents, siblings.

That’s why this dialogue struck a thunder in my heart

“Be they a friend.... Be they a sibling.... Be it even my own child. I will not forgive anyone who threatens the village.”

Because the clan leaders in our place are absolutely selfish, trash bastards who serves their own needs with no regards for other people from other clans. For a person like me, Hashirama is not just a fictional hero, he is someone who many aspires to become. No wonder that podcaster chose this name as his alias.

He rightfully deserved the title ‘God of Shinobi’. And no one can surpass him, not even Naruto.

Best Moments:

Wood Style vs Eternal Mangekyou sharingan + Kurama powered Madara (He just beats Madara’s ass by a wide margin. This shows he was a whole fucking different level than Naruto + Sasuke combined. In terms of strength, nobody surpassed him YET. Sorry Naruto and Sasuke, you guys are no match even now with your Rinnegan and Kurama lost forever).

His entire banters with Madara (ROFLLLL. Without him, it would have been just another lifeless arc.)

5. Senju Tobirama

Hmmm, let me tell you something about him.

First off, he is not a racist or fascist as many hardcore Sasuke fanatics claims. He is one of the best hokages according to me. He is abso-fucking-lutely practical, rational, logical and holds no grudge. And Sasuke resembles Tobirama with all these characteristics as compared to soft and naive Naruto. If only he had more screen time, he would be easily in my top 3. 

Just because he didn’t lick the boots of Uchiha (many people’s favorite clan or may I say the only clan that was given any shit about in this series), it doesn’t make him a racist or fascist.

No, he never persecuted the Uchihas. Danzo, the crass bastard, driven off the Uchihas only after the Kyuubi incident. It was explicitly mentioned in the databook and was clearly explained in the series. 

He literally gave the highest position in the village for the entire clan. That is, a military power inside a military village. ‘Shinobi who can cause crimes can only be stopped by shinobi who are even better’. In my state, if a powerful clan decided to persecute another clan, they simply start by cutting off basic amenities like Water and Electricity. Compared to what I’ve seen, Tobirama did nothing but given the Uchihas, the highest position in their village. 

Orochimaru only said giving such a power made them conceited (arrogant). Tobirama had a trusted subordinate called Kagami, an Uchiha in his team. He suggested Kabuto to help Sasuke and even teleported him on his request. He even spited Madara for killing Sasuke, an Uchiha. He openly claimed Uchiha clan exceeds Senju in terms of Love. He openly appreciated Itachi and Kagami as someone who sees beyond their clan. In what world, would a racist or fascist do all this for a clan he hates??? 

Yes, he was cautious of Sasuke at first because he saw him with Orochimaru and even went full-on battle mode because of Sasuke’s carefree threat to destroy the village. But once he decided to go to the battlefield to fight Madara, he simply forgot everything that happened before and started to work with him as a comrade, and even helped him twice. In which world, a racist or fascist behave this way?

Believe me, a person like me who was grown with these clan politics surely can say who is a fascist. He was not. He was just cautious of them because of their ability to attain superpowers with just emotions alone. Let me ask you all this, ‘Would you be okay with people getting crazy powers whenever they are depressed?’. Being cautious is not racism. It really disrespects people who faced real oppression under fascism.

What Madara and Danzo did was a classical example of fascism. 

And No, Izuna didn’t die only because of Tobirama. He died because Madara was too arrogant to instigate war with Senju clan. And this was way before forming Konoha. If Tobirama killed Izuna after the alliance between Uchiha and Senju, I would agree that he was a racist. Izuna lost his life just like any other Uchiha and Senju soldiers in that battlefield. 

Just because he shitted your beloved ‘Sasuke-Kun’ doesn’t mean he is a racist too. Tobirama saw Sasuke along with that scoundrel Orochimaru who once used this very two hokages to destroy the very village they strived hard to create and protect. What will you do, if you were in his place?? Please don’t lie and say ‘I wouldn’t be judgemental’. 

And Imagine you are Tobirama, Sasuke is threatening to commit genocide against the entire village who had no idea about this coup detat instead of going against those old hags. Will you sit quiet as a Hokage?? 

He was the first person to suggest his brother, Itama, that Revenge against Uchihas are futile. All we need is an agreement to make truce. That gave the idea for Hashirama to pursue his dream. And Tobirama was happy to follow that dream and very supportive. 

It’s because of all these reasons I placed him above Senju Hashirama.

Best Moments:

Amazing power display against Sasuke & Co with just an index finger (It was a pleasure to see everyone’s face trembling with mild sweat including Sasuke).

Acted as a decoy to save his young subordinates. (The way he sacrificed his life saying young wills of fire must be protected is just Woow!! I wish his subordinates listened to his words and passed the mantle to the younger ones rather than playing game at such an old age and screwed up many lives. Pfft!!!)

Any time he says ‘Shut Up’ to Hashirama (ROFL)

His absolute ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude to Naruto, Sasuke, Hashirama, Minato and Madara (He trolled them all mercilessly and I love it)

4. Senju Tsunade

It hurts me to say that Tsunade is the only female character in my list because every other female characters were written in a much more piss poorly way. Only Konan came close to Tsunade but her role was very short. 

Despite her character’s purpose revolved around another male character (Dan) and a blatant objectification of her breasts, I liked everything about her other than those mentioned above. 

She is the Second Best Hokage who took Konoha right after the destruction made by Orochimaru, excellently handled the aftermath by making friendly relations with Suna (Sand village), provided her best medical support to Konoha in the Pain Arc and successfully handled the fourth Shinobi world war. 

She is such a badass who developed her own original jutsu called Byakugou no Jutsu, which can heal herself. 

She is just way too amazing and it’s a pity that we got very less scenes in Shippuden.

Best Moments:

Took 25+ stabs from Madara’s Susanoo like a piece of cake (Man, I simply couldn’t describe that scene. All the other Kages were shocked and even Madara too)

Lifted her advisors like a cabbage sack (Those fucking old hags deserved it. Those shits should’ve died)

Her index finger flick assault on Naruto (Aww, Naruto was definitely bratty in his first meeting and Tsunade didn’t hold back at all)

Played Orochimaru like a basketball (In that same arc, she fought Orochimaru mercilessly like a devil left and right. Someone who claimed to have surpassed Tsunade never even dared to fight Orochimaru’s student and crying for his attention after just receiving one stab from Madara. Just saying)

3. Uzumaki Naruto

Naruto is the titular character and your emotions evolve along with him. He surely deserves a spot in Top 3. The only reason I didn’t place Naruto even more higher is because he didn’t experience something very important which many characters in this list faced. That is, Losing a loved one before his eyes. Every villain in this series became what they are because they lost someone important before their eyes like Nagato, Obito. (Nope, I don’t count Neji as his loved one). I think this tests the mettle of any character and Naruto failed to experience this. The only person he ever lost was Jiraiya and that too from off-screen. That’s why I felt his journey to his dreams seemed little easier compared to the rest of the characters.

His best block of episodes will always be the part 1 Episode 1, 2, 3. Episode 1 is the character defining episode for Naruto and what he learned there will be applied everywhere till the very end of the series. He learned 3 things

Forgiveness, Empathy and Acceptance

Talk-No-Jutsu

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu

From then on, this boy wins many friends to his side, not only from Konoha but from other villages too and even made them to acknowledge his strength only through his sheer hard work. 

However, there is this person, whose acknowledgement he wants the most.  That person is his most important bond along with Iruka Sensei. He is none other than Sasuke. One day, Sasuke left him alone for some unavoidable reason at the end of part 1 which left a huge scar in him and he vows to bring him back to the place where he belongs. That becomes his ultimate goal rather than becoming an Hokage.

The way he goes to any extent to protect the people he cares about is just simply entertaining to watch.

Every time he makes an heroic entry to save the day was never boring, not once. 

Best Moments:

Sobbing from his heart after hearing Iruka Sensei acknowledging him (It just makes me feel heavy for no reason. The anime team did an awesome job to capture his emotions convincingly)

Awakening Kyuubi Mode for the first time after seeing Sasuke die in his arms (Man, out of all the collective hatred he got from the villagers, this moment affected him a lot speaks volumes)

Punching Neji from the underground to win the Chunin exams (God, I honestly believed Naruto lost but he just surprised us heavily from nowhere. And that failure speech was just pure bliss to watch even today)

Pain Vs Naruto (One of the best arc for Naruto. Because unlike other arcs, where Naruto fought with a team, this arc he was all alone fighting a person with Rinnegan. Be it the exuberant landing from the frogs with a dramatic kabuki music, creating multi-step attacks, coming up with novel solution in that difficult situation, finally ending the conflict without killing the enemy, becoming an hero. Superb journey. The only thing I didn’t like in that arc is some shitty selfish proposal. PUKE!!)

Bearing the burdens of his most important person and die along with him (This boy always shouts he will never die until he becomes an Hokage. But for Sasuke, he was ready to die along with him in order to not leave him alone proves how much he loves him. This shows his emotional maturity rather than shouting at Sasuke like he always did before which never reached his ears. This time it did)

Final Good Bye to Minato (Honestly, I was bawling just like Naruto in that scene no matter how many times I watch it. It started out slow but as he speaks more and more, he simply couldn’t hold back and wept a sea of tears 😭😭😭)

2. Uchiha Sasuke

One of the well written characters in this series, with all the flaws and positive stuffs which makes him more of an Anti-Hero. He always subverts my preformed opinions and never ceased to surprise me.

Despite being aloof and cold, his warmer side will always be exposed towards Naruto. This is evident by many things he had done for Naruto which he don’t have to or no reason to. Starting right from roasting Sakura, offering lunch, asking for tips, enquiring about breakfast, protecting him many times and dying for Naruto. 

Why I placed him above Naruto is because of his unavoidable decision to tread in a complicated dark path primarily due to the trauma he carried and was stirred up again by collective factors such as Orochimaru’s cursed seal, Itachi’s arrival and Naruto’s growth. Compared to Sasuke, Naruto had an easier path because he never saw anyone die before his eyes and hence he don’t carry any trauma which can divert his path.

Even after watching his entire clan and family members murdered before his eyes at an age 8, he managed to pull himself and never snapped out like many other good characters does. But the moment when he found out that Itachi was good all along, he simply couldn’t tolerate the truth and gave himself to Vengeance. Because, he loved his brother more than he hated him all these years. This shows he loved his brother more than his parents. His resolve to destroy Konoha was perfectly understandable. But is it good? Nope. He can kill Danzo and those old hags but killing other people was never justifiable.

But still, his resolve to have his vengeance was diverted by Naruto and weakened by Itachi, at some point. So, he decided to know the truth and when he heard it, he understood the Hokages also sacrificed many precious things to protect this village just like his Brother Itachi. He understood the mistakes of his clan and decided to protect the village which he swore to destroy. [Many Sasuke fanatics think that he succumbed to the Government and Kishi wrote Sasuke to bootlick them. Their idea was to tackle genocide with another genocide. What a stupid idea!!!!]

And No, I don’t consider him trying to kill Sakura, Karin and Kakashi as his bad moments (though I feel bad for Karin). For the simple reason being, he became a monster by losing himself in the darkness who lost the rationality to differentiate friends from foes. Much similar to how Naruto lost himself to Kyuubi’s hatred against Orochimaru and in Pain Arc. It’s so hypocritical to ignore Naruto and accuse Sasuke here. Plus, Sakura had no business to be there otherwise Sasuke would not have tried to kill her. 

But does it mean Sasuke did nothing wrong???

Nope.

He definitely shouldn’t have joined Akatsuki and hunted Killer Bee like an animal. Because, he knew that Tobi was the one who helped Itachi massacre the clan. When fighting Itachi he specifically vowed to kill Madara (Tobi). On top of that, Itachi passed on Amaterasu in his eyes specifically to stay away from Tobi. Why did he ally with him? Plus, Sasuke was one of the few characters who was exposed to the name ‘Akatsuki’ in part 1 itself. He clearly knew that this organization targets Naruto, his closest bond. Why did he join there? This is where the stupid part of Sasuke came out. I was grunting... ‘Oii Where did that clever Sasuke, who faced 1000 soldiers without killing any of them, went??’. 

And his plan for Revolution???? I thought it would be reasonable. But his vision was eerily similar to Danzo’s vision. Grrr..... Danzo also wanted to create his ideal village by destroying the current Hokage. He wanted to unite the Five Village and put himself on top of everyone as evident from the Kage Summit arc. 

I appreciate him that he finally adopted the Will of Fire, by wanting to protect the village at all costs just like Itachi and Hashirama did. But his methods are not very democratic. Plus, he wanted to do it alone. I was screaming at him... ‘Grrr, Sasuke, did you listen to Itachi at all???. He failed because he did everything alone. Why can’t you understand????’ This is also another instance, Sasuke’s stupidity glanced out.

I am happy Naruto knocked some sense into him by telling him not to do it alone but together.

Many fanatics also ask, ‘What did Sasuke do wrong to atone for his sins at the end?’.

I was like ‘Reallly????’

He joined Akatsuki, an organization which terrorized all the 5 villages and he hunted someone like an international criminal.

He spoiled the Kage Summit and attacked Raikage who lost his arm because of him. I know what happened over there is not Sasuke’s fault. But these are the kages who was loved by many people in their own villages. How can the world forget it and simply let him go?

It’s exactly because of all those lovely stuffs he did in Part 1 and all these mistakes he did in Part 2 but willing to correct his mistakes by sharing the burdens of his other half in the end made him more interesting, complicated and exciting and that’s why I love this character.

I also have a personal bias to love this character sooo much because of the character on top of my list.

Best Moments:

Defending Naruto before Sakura (Awww!!! Such a good boy he was. Eventhough I thought he was a typical arrogant K-Drama hero, he just subverted my opinion in that one scene. I always have a thing for people who stands up for someone even though they don’t have to. This is where I started to like Sasuke)

My body moved on its own. (Is there anything that trumps this scene in terms of emotions and love in this series?. This moment is where I understood the depth of Sasuke’s emotions towards Naruto).

What is a Clan? What is a Village? What is a Shinobi? (I was really hoping for Sasuke to question himself something similar to this. Because he was so self-absorbed in his hatred and failed to look outside him ever since he left the village. It was so gratifying that he did that)

Killing Orochimaru (I always thought Sasuke will kill him only after he tries to take over the body. Never imagined that he will strike the snake first)

Killing Danzo (Man, what an amazing battle!!!. It was so gratifying to see such a crass bastard die many times over and over).

His dramatic confession through his monologue (After the mystery of Who is this Tobi, Sasuke’s obsession towards Naruto remained a mystery for me. Why did he listen to Naruto under the bridge? Why did he protected Naruto in the War? I got the answer only after this confession. It was so heartwarming to see this mellow side of Sasuke)

1. Uchiha Itachi

I could write pages about him. The foremost reason I like Itachi and earns the top spot in my rankings is because he shockingly resembled me in many ways. As I already said, I come from a place where clan politics plays a major role and when I see Sasuke’s flashback in part 1, I was simply dumbstruck by such a detailed similarities.

Elder child of the family - ✅

Have an adorable younger sister who loves me more than my parents - ✅

Same age gap (5 years) with my sister as Itachi and Sasuke - ✅

Parents paying total attention on me while ignoring my sister completely - ✅

Parents constantly comparing my achievements with my sister - ✅

A sister who bear hugged me every time I entered the home after returning from my school - ✅

Despite my mom being a teacher, my sister always prefers me to teach her stuffs as she considers me to be way too better than my mom -  ✅

Love my sister more than my parents - ✅

Clan-Obsessed parents - ✅

Used me as a tool for the benefit of the clan - ✅

Sending another person from my clan to spy on me - ✅

Strained relationship with my parents - ✅

Disgusted with my clan - ✅

Most importantly, this dialogue from part 1 episode 129,

Clan? Clan?

Obsessed with the organization, Obsessed with the clan, Obsessed with the name, that’s merely the detestable action that restrict yourself.

I have given up all hope in this worthless clan

Because, people obsess themselves to their clan, a thing so petty, they lose sight of the things that are truly important.

A real change cannot occur under restraints and controls

I confronted my parents with the exact same dialogue (almost 98% similar) in my own native language some years ago. 

I didn’t even know the existence of Naruto series at that time. I was simply shell-shocked by all these similarities with this character. 

And Yes, The moment I heard these dialogues, I knew Itachi, was a good guy, who had a very strong reason for his actions and I instantly knew Sasuke’s revenge will not bear him any happiness. 

It is exactly because of all these striking similarities of myself with Itachi, and my lil’l sister with Sasuke, my family dynamics with the Uchiha family.... I could understand the magnitude of Sasuke’s love towards Itachi. 

And precisely because of that, I could understand Sasuke’s love towards Naruto is not fucking ‘brotherly’ one but something that leans towards Attraction. 

No wonder, Itachi left Sasuke in Naruto’s care. 

Anyways to speak objectively, 

Itachi is an extremely self-sacrificial person whose life is full of pain and miseries but never blames it on the world unlike other Uchiha members like Madara, Obito and Sasuke to an extent.

He did things considering the bigger picture which never benefitted himself in anyway and was willing to go to any extent even at the expense of his own family and his brother’s happiness. That is, Uchiha Clan Massacre and Joining Akatsuki. None of this benefitted him in anyways but he did it anyway, for the village of Konoha. 

His ideals are shockingly similar to Hashirama, Which Sasuke pointed this out and Hashirama acknowledged that Itachi was a better shinobi than he was. ❤️❤️❤️

Now, does this means I support Uchiha clan massacre?

No way. Even Itachi didn’t.

This massacre happened because of the huge clusterfuck from Hiruzen’s incompetence, Danzo’s paranoid arrogance, Uchiha clan’s devious plan to over throw the government by force rather than approaching it in a peaceful way, say, a peace talk or a protest. 

All these people acted on their own self-interest. Itachi and Shisui caught in their whirlpool, bear their burdens and paid for it with their life. Sasuke suffered for it.

But, it’s not the only reason I love this character. It’s because, the moment he decided to massacre everyone, he marked his own death by the hands of his beloved brother. I love people who owns up their mistakes and face the consequences rather than making excuses (even though it’s not entirely his mistake).

Itachi is also the only character in this series who realized his failures on his own without anyone’s interference or Naruto’s Talk-No-Jutsu. 

And he apologized for everything he did to Sasuke.

Again, some hardcore Sasuke fanatics criticize/hate him for torturing their poor ‘Sasuke-Kun’ with his Tsukuyomi. I was like ‘Hmmm...What?’. 

First off, Itachi apologized to Sasuke for not thinking out from his point of view and also for not telling him the truth earlier.

Second off, Sasuke never even blamed Itachi for anything (even he didn’t hold him for killing their parents). If Sasuke himself, forgiven Itachi... Why are his fans being so rabid?

Third off, for all of his supposed ‘crimes’, he paid for it by dying as a disgraceful Madman rather than a Hero who really saved the village. He is someone who should be celebrated like Naruto but instead died proudly as a Traitor of Konoha.

All in all, One of the wonderfully written character I have ever seen in the media. 

Best Moments:

Itachi vs Sasuke (That battle was a pure brilliance and highly emotional especially after knowing the truth. When Sasuke released his Kirin, Itachi showed off his ultimate armour Susanoo like a badass. Seeing Susanoo for the first time gave me chills. No, Sasuke didn’t kill him. Itachi died on his own)

Itachi vs Orochimaru (Man, Itachi may look mellow but when it comes to Orochimaru he is a pure Sass. He screwed that snake up both the times by a wide margin. It seems Uchiha brothers like to fuck up Orochimaru, LOL)

Talk-No-Jutsu’ing Naruto (Geez, Naruto was being completely bratty and was full of saviour complex like he was going to bear everyone’s hatred by himself. I was almost annoyed. Thanks to Itachi, he realised. Probably he is the only character to shut Naruto using his own jutsu)

Izanami’ing Kabuto (Other than Naruto, he is the only character to go out of his way to empathize with a villain and put extreme effort to change him. I think this is why Sasuke loves Naruto, for seeing these similarities??? ).

Goodbye to Sasuke (The first time when he said ‘Forgive me, Sasuke. This is the last’ by poking his forehead and finally closing the distance by butting with Sasuke’s head softly saying ‘I will love you always’.... It always evokes uncontrollable tears in me, no matter how many times I watch it 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭)

HONOURABLE MENTION

Uchiha Obito

God, Am such a sucker for Uchiha guys individually, though collectively as a clan they fucked up big time. I simply couldn’t find the place for him in the top 10. He is a classic example of What Naruto will be like if he becomes a villain?

However, all those horrible stuffs he did just for a girl whom he had a crush on which was never reciprocated seems childish. That’s why I couldn’t put him in Top 10.

And his understandable but weird obsession on Naruto was always enjoyable to watch. 

One cute thing I liked about him was, whatever criminal stuffs he may have done, he was never a cheapskate though. He had every chance to take back Kakashi’s Sharingan to activate his own Susanoo. But he never even thought of such an idea. He was a bad guy. But a good friend, no matter what. 

Pure Baby!!! But lost his way!!!

Best Moments:

Importance of Team Work (’In the ninja world, Those who break the rules are  scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum’. This very legacy he left to Kakashi came to defeat him later. And Naruto follows this motto even today)

Sacrificing his Sharingan (’I am giving you my Sharingan. No matter what the villagers say, you are a great Jonin. Please take it’. Awww!!! Obito. He left his Sharingan which helped Kakashi to complete a jutsu called ‘Chidori’, which is a go-to jutsu of Sasuke)

Thanks for the ask, anon. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this. ❤️

[cozycryptidcorner]

To Train Up a King, Chapter 1/5

Note: For this story, I'm going to do something a tad different. Instead of a full 10k multi-chapter story or a single oneshot, I'm going to do about five episodic 1.5k chapters that capture very short snippets of these character's lives as an experiment. I'd like to see if I can pull off full character arcs with that kind of restriction. There will be smut chapters that are longer (I think, I have them planned anyways), but the bulk of their relationship will kind of be like tv show episodes. 

Prince Naga/Assassin Reader

Chapter content: sfw, no warnings besides some innocent breaking and entering, and one decapitated head :)

He’s just as beautiful as the songs say.

This isn’t the first time you’ve crept up onto Shahira al-Malik’s balcony, flush with vines and florals, just to catch a glimpse of the famed bastard prince, but you’ve never done so intending to reveal yourself. Tonight, he’s hunched over a large, intricately carved and gold-gilded chest, silver-blond hair billowing out with the night breeze. You think he might be asleep, his scales glittering in tandem to the stars as you shift your view in the moonlight.

His room could easily swallow the entire apartment you hovel up in, large, sweeping ceilings with jeweled mosaics covering the floor and walls. Despite its majesty, you know it barely holds a candle to what the rest of the palace offers, a biting commentary to just how little he is valued in the family. Despite the bed being large enough to host a variety of characters, he seems to be satisfied with hunching over that chest, made of simple wood, an arm crossed over the top to keep his head off the distorted surface. His tail lays limply on the floor, twisting and crossing at odd angles.

Creeping around the capitol as natural to you as breathing, so even though you stand in full view of the room, he has yet to notice your presence. The bag hanging from your belt is heavy, you are careful not to drop it as you unstrap it from your waist, and even though your fabric rustles and your boots scrape at the floor when you shift, he still doesn’t raise his head.

Awkwardly, you clear your throat, and that catches his attention, head jolting up, body tensing. When he finally spots you looming over him, bag in hand, large, wicked knife at your hip, he slithers back, mouth opening to shout for help. Calmly, you raise your hand, showing you hold no weapons, and press two fingers to your mouth as a gesture of silence.

“Who are you?” He asks, but still loud enough to get attention from the guards he still thinks are posted at his door. Despite the low light, you can tell that he must have been crying, lips swollen, nose and the crescents beneath his eyes a deep purple.

“Do not be afraid,” you say, hoping to soothe his nerves with a neutral tone, “I am the assassin one of your brothers hired to kill you.”

His viridescent eyes widen with fear, his chest quaking as the idea of his shortened mortality reverberates through his soul. There are strange marks on the underside of his wrists as he raises his hands outward, as though trying to give you some wordless order. Instead, though, he’s yelling, “guards!”

He’s scared, you think, satisfied. His brother, the cocky thing, didn’t show the same fear even at his very end. “Your guards have been removed from duty for the night.”

He knows that you hold his fate in your hands, back pressing up against the chest as his tail folds itself out in front of him, as though trying to keep his vital organs guarded. As you watch him, letting him steep in that fear for just a moment more, he seems to accept the fact that he’s about to die. No whining, no pleading, a grim sort of terror keeping his body still, despite the fact you’re so much smaller than he, almost as if he’s well aware that you are so much more than your size and strength.

Satisfied that you place a healthy amount of fear in his mind, you throw the bag, and he flinches as though it might explode.

Keeping your tone soft and gentle, as though speaking to a child, you prompt, “go ahead. My gift to you.”

You don’t know what he might think is in there, but judging from his trembling fingers as he undoes the ties, you suppose that he might consider his death is inside. The moment he pushes the thick fabric open, though, his eyes widen and his chest heaves. Slowly, unsurely, he pulls his brother’s large head out from the bag, features so similar to his it could almost be like looking in a mirror.

His voice trembles as he asks, “why?”

“He wouldn’t give me what I wanted,” you say, taking a step back. “You can.”

“And what do you want?” He’s trying very, very hard not to allow his voice to hitch.

You pause for a moment, wondering how you’ll be able to put it into words. It’s a complicated thing, your desires- for you have many, and some are of greater importance than others.

“I will tell you later,” you promise, taking another step back. “This will not be the last time we meet.”

“Wait!” His voice trembles, traces of panic thick in his mouth. “How do I know this isn’t a trick? I- I could be the one to fall for his death.”

Ah, so his mind decides to start working again. You suppose you don’t blame him, you did catch him at his weakest, and you almost owe him some reassurances. Ensuring your movements are nothing like your usual quick and off-putting cadence, you tug at the scarf around your head and mouth. Just below your left eye, you have a large, gaping scar that almost looks like a cartoonishly drawn teardrop from a time when your reflexes weren’t as quick, and your sneaking skills weren’t as honed.

“How-” he starts, but you’re quick to interrupt.

“A knife,” you say, holding out your hands. “I will rid you of the head. The body will be found in the desert, plundered by bandits.”

It’s almost like a burden has been lifted from his shoulders, one much more severe than the thought of death. You know that his path to the crown is that much clearer; though the second prince would put up more of a fight than the first, it’s still one less that he has to worry about. When you take the bagged head back, he’s staring at your face, intently, though not just at the scar.

He’s trying to commit a murderer’s face to memory, you tell yourself, even though his quizzical expression looks more confused than focused.

As your fingers brush together, though, he blurts out, “you’re my age.”

You blink, almost taken off guard. “How do you know?”

“Your face,” he says, eyes roving over your features. “And voice. You’re not much older than I am, aren’t you?”

Everyone knows how old the princes are; even a crowned bastard like him gets fanfare and feasts when his birthday comes around, the bells in the mosques and cathedrals chiming once for every year he has been alive. You know you’re roughly his age, but your birthdays come and go without you even knowing the precise day, no fanfare, no gifts.

“I suppose,” you say, strapping the bag back to your hip, “though it doesn’t matter.”

“Everything matters,” he says, retreating back to a safe distance as though unsure of how much longer his good fortune will last. “I should thank you for not killing me.”

“You should,” you say, “that would have been the easier thing to do.”

“Then, why didn’t you?”

You pause for a moment, not entirely sure of how to put into words why you didn’t. Defiance, maybe, you never did like how pompous and sure of himself the first prince acted. It is definitely not self-preservation; this is possibly the most foolish thing you’ve done since you broke into that knife-obsessed banker’s house.

Finally, you settle on a simple enough statement: “I’ll tell you later. Goodnight, my prince.”

You hear him follow you as you leap from his balcony, watch him search for you in the shadows. From your perch among the trees and stones, pressed up against the outer walls of his small garden, you wait until he retreats back into the safety of his room.

[thesilverlock]

how would you rewrite (or expand on) eliphas’ and don thousand’s characters? would you leave them relatively the same, or try to make them fit better in the narrative? :0!!!!

love ya Blue Blue! <33

KEYKEY🥺♡THANk you!!!

TLDR: Blue rants about redemption, and then some, for way way too many paragraphs and kinda writes a fic at the end KJSHDGHJ LOLIMSORRY

~

Alright first thing’s first.

Eliphas was not held enough accountable for his transgressions. Tis a hill I die on afsgdhjfk

He did very bad things and canon hardly held him accountable for it, didn’t even have someone properly tell him off. And that, very similar to the case of Kazuma, just solidified him as a villain (derogatory) to me.

Yeah yeah I know why canon did it. Time was money and they didn’t have enough of it with Arc-V breathing down their necks but they still wanted to go the moral message route of showing the audience that nothing is black&white - the dubbed “good world” of order could be just as bad and have evil and misguidedness as the “bad world” of chaos.

I still think Eliphas should have been kept with the villain title and treatment cause his redemption was all around cheap cheap little bo peep, but I digress --

Now. Onto Donnie T.

Oh God this might be getting controversial AKJHSGDHJ

So... nBDVCF

Rewatching the series my recent term - I caught a brand new vibe that I could not shake. 

It was that Don Thousand was added... on pretty much the sole basis of paving way for a Vector redemption. Or at least created to all but exempt Vector of full accountability for his sh!t.

Vector was singlehandedly responsible for like all the absolute worst and most evil things in the ENTIRE SERIES, but then it felt like the writers didn’t want him to be put with the full responsibility because like.... he was quite perfectly irredeemable.... so they activated the “it was brainwash all along!” trap card.

I DO appreciate that they didn’t make Vector go into the full switch, and let him still be the bastard right up until death. Love that. Yes. Let the evilest doer in the series be unapologetically evil!!

Even so - Don Thousand was rather treated with disrespect all things considered. The series handled him like a one dimensional cookie cutter villain. Blank paper doll sort. Which sucks because his lore is SOOOO interesting. And also SUCH a cool inherent villain origin.

Also, ironically, a lot easier and plot-handy for a redemption arc himself. But nope. Had to make the carrot the sympathetic one because lolz cowards.

Regardless, as far as generally villainy; Don compared to Vector? Can’t help but look like a big ol’ copout.

I actually like the finale duels, but, okay look, just picture something for a second -

Can you imagine if ZEXAL had been brave enough to pull an Infinity War twist on the climax duels?

Keep with the set up for Don Thousand like “yeah HE was the big bad all along vector was victim too yada yada” --- looks like Vector was getting a chum death and we were gonna have an intense four episode duel fight with this barely-screen-timed and empty envelope-personality dude with righteous hair ---

BUT 

No. 

Vector had one more ace up his sleeve. 

Of course he did. It’s Vector~

He danced himself right out from under Donny’s thumb. Pulled one last fast one.

Manipulated the script in his favor like he always had done. Now managed to best a GOD of chaos, the creation besting the master - surpassing him.

And onlooking, the hero gang watch in horror and mixes of surprise yet no surprise at all. Because it’s Vector. It was always Vector.

Turning to Yuma with that signature grin and wild eyes, peaking with the power of a God and cackling for all the three worlds to hear. 

“This ends how it started, YUUUMMMMAAA~! WITH US!”

Because Vector is the villain we have been with from day one. Vector is the one who started it all, bested the heroes on a physical and psychological level, and we SAW IT! We LIVED it with the characters in real time!

How much more impactful would the climax have been if it was between the heroes and the one TRUE perfectly executed ygo villain?

If the writers had went full throttle and let Vector BE who he already was all along? 

The real big bad of zexal.

....

Just something I’ve thought about KSJHDGFDHJKL-

[sansacherie]

Lmao I saw that post of Sansa being too classist for Westerosi standards. Infact in that thread, Idk whether it was the same user or not they also said that AGOT Sansa even makes Theon look like a saint 😂.

I agree with you all characters in ASOIAF are classist to varying degrees even smallfolk POV like Davos have internalised it to some extent.

LOL, that’s so funny. Honestly, the OP was clearly letting off some steam and wasn’t thinking about everything they were writing.  Like, there’s a reason why you keep your diaries private - because sometimes you’ll write in them when you’re mad, and you’ll say really stupid things.  So I’m going to give OP the benefit of the doubt and assume that if they could reevaluate -  they honestly won’t think that AGOT Sansa is worse than ACOK Theon who,

- Raped Kyra

- Was complicit in the murder of two smallfolk children

- Treated the Capitan’s Daughter dismally; not bothering to learn her name, using his position to take advantage of her sexually, and making light of the fact that her father is going to punish her for sleeping with him.

-  His limp body was being dragged from the surf when Theon returned to his Sea Bitch. The masts of his longships stood outlined against the sky along the pebbled beach. Of the fishing village, nothing remained but cold ashes that stank when it rained. The men had been put to the sword, all but a handful that Theon had allowed to flee to bring the word to Torrhen's Square. Their wives and daughters had been claimed for salt wives, those who were young enough and fair. The crones and the ugly ones had simply been raped and killed, or taken for thralls if they had useful skills and did not seem likely to cause trouble.

Like, Theon is a great character and Alfie Allen’s portrayal of him is tremendous - but he did some pretty messed up shit! Now, whenever or not he is capable of redemption is another question. I mean, rape and murder are pretty unforgivable and the only people who could forgive Theon for that, are dead.  This is what makes Theon’s Dance arc so compelling amongst all the horror and despair. Theon can never erase the worst things he ever did, but his rescue of Jeyne Poole shows that he can do some good by putting someone else first. 

And getting back to Sansa.... honestly, how is Sansa too classist “even for Westeros” when she’s been a hostage and then masquerading as a bastard girl, and thus without the power of people like Tywin, Tyrion, and Tyrells? I’m sorry, but Sansa wasn’t the one who demanded that a woman be stripped naked and made to walk the streets because she wore her mother’s jewels.  Would Sansa be angry at her father’s mistress wearing something that belonged to her mother? Yes, of course, she would- all the Starklings would; Arya IMO would take it particularly badly.  But both Sansa and her siblings lack the sadism that drove Tywin to this; to assert his power over someone with none.

I can do this because I am the Lord of Casterly Rock, and you are nothing but a lowborn woman who was simply lucky enough to catch my foolish father’s eye.

Tyrion resents the smallfolk because they don’t consider him a hero. Some of his resentment is justifiable because a lot of it is the consequences of ableism, but at the same time though - the smallfolk are the ones suffering because of the war. In contrast, Sansa was almost raped by some smallfolk men but we never see her hating them for it. At 12-14, she’s able to understand the desperation caused by the famine. 

In both the book and show Sansa says if she had bread, she would have given it. Essentially, if she could help she would.  This brings me to the Tyrells. So, the Tyrells closed the Rose Road while they were still allied with Renly, thus leading to the famine in KL. To give you a reminder of how bad it got-

What little produce he did see was three times as costly as it had been a year ago. One peddler was hawking rats roasted on a skewer. "Fresh rats," he cried loudly, "fresh rats." Doubtless fresh rats were to be preferred to old stale rotten rats. The frightening thing was, the rats looked more appetizing than most of what the butchers were selling. On the Street of Flour, Tyrion saw guards at every other shop door. When times grew lean, even bakers found sellswords cheaper than bread, he reflected.

Afterwards, when the Tyrells and Lannisters decide to hook up, the Rose Road is opened up and wagons of food is sent up in Margaery’s name. If there’s one thing the Tyrells are good at, it’s PR.  It undoubtedly makes them look like heroes, as Sansa and Tyrion both observe-

Sansa had watched from the castle walls as Margaery Tyrell and her escort made their way up Aegon's High Hill. Joffrey had met his new bride-to-be at the King's Gate to welcome her to the city, and they rode side by side through cheering crowds, Joff glittering in gilded armor and the Tyrell girl splendid in green with a cloak of autumn flowers blowing from her shoulders. She was sixteen, brown-haired and brown-eyed, slender and beautiful. The people called out her name as she passed, held up their children for her blessing, and scattered flowers under the hooves of her horse. Her mother and grandmother followed close behind, riding in a tall wheelhouse whose sides were carved into the shape of a hundred twining roses, every one gilded and shining. The smallfolk cheered them as well.The same smallfolk who pulled me from my horse and would have killed me, if not for the Hound.

"No. She's coming, though, and the city's mad with love for her. The Tyrells have been carting food up from Highgarden and giving it away in her name. Hundreds of wayns each day. There's thousands of Tyrell men swaggering about with little golden roses sewn on their doublets, and not a one is buying his own wine. Wife, widow, or whore, the women are all giving up their virtue to every peach-fuzz boy with a gold rose on his teat."They spit on me, and buy drinks for the Tyrells.

The thing is I personally can’t imagine having the audacity to present myself as some kind of hero to someone because I gave them food, knowing full well I was the reason were starving in the first place.