#The Heirs Series | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dorcasmckinnonn · 5 months

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how dare cardan greenbriar casually drop a number like "yes, my sweet villain, my darling god" and kiss jude duarte on the mouth in front of basically the whole damn kingdom

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i-only-see-daylight · 25 days

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Aelin: If I died-

Rowan, sharpening his knives: Death will not get you out of this relationship.

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starrynightsxo · 22 days

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rainingriversofyou · 1 month

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Jude x Carden - The Cruel Prince - Artist: scribbubbles

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praisethelorde · 1 month

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Remembering that Oak has goat legs is almost as shocking to me as finding out that Holly Black confirmed that Valerian was sexually attracted to Jude.

#this book series is so weird but i'm living for it #jude pulling faerie men left right and center is so iconic of her #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #the folk of the air #tfota #jude #cardan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #holly black #jude x cardan #cardan x jude #oak #oak greenbriar #valerian #the stolen heir #the prisoner’s throne

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alexal-arts · 4 months

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*Taryn and Jude skipping stones on lake*

Taryn: It’s such a beautiful evening.

Jude, whispering: Take that you fucking lake

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eleyras · 5 months

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About narratives: the story of Sarcean, Anharion and the Collar.

Ok soooooo I finished Dark Heir and I have THOUGHTS.

This could be my delusional mind speaking BUT I firmly believe that the whole thing about the Collar and the relationship between Sarcy and Anharion depicted in the story written and established by the winners (the Lady's faction) and Gauthier is far from the truth and a lot more complex and fascinating.

More ramblings under the cut!

Putting all the hints given in DH aside for the moment (I will discuss them later) for me the biggest red flag about these narratives is the way Anharion is depicted in both.

This is a little twisted but it’s something I’ve been thinking about since DR, so let me elaborate.

In DR, the Stewards DON’T know about the Collar. James himself admits that he found out about it from Sinclair, and so the Stewards are convinced that James/Anharion had willingly betrayed the Lady’s side, becoming willingly Sarcean’s lieutenant and his lover.

Gauthier instead reveals a more twisted version of the story.

It’s clear that the two narratives are in contradiction with each other: the one told by the Lady’s faction and echoed throughout the centuries among the Stewards doesn’t include the knowledge of the Collar, and it entirely blames Anharion for his deeds and his betrayal; Gauthier’s version instead, serving for the readers as an introduction to the existence of the Collar, specifies that Anharion didn’t have any agency.

So, which version is the true one? Neither of them, because both, as it often happens in history, took the truth, and twisted it to serve its own purpose.

Let’s start with the narrative ‘written’ by the Lady.

My biggest doubt about it is why the f*ck it seems that A LOT of people outside the Hall know about the Collar. Gauthier knows about it because his ancestor was the one who stole it, but Sinclair? Let’s hypothesize that he knew about it from Kettering. Kettering knows about it because he is a Returner, so someone who was THERE, in the Old World. It’s not a stretch then to theorize that the existence of the Collar and its power was somehow known in the past.

And in DH, the presence of the chain attached to the throne in the Sun Court, where EVERYONE could see it, hypothetically ( and I underline this because I don’t trust ANYTHING of what we saw in the Undahar for it was the Sun King’s court before Sarcean’s) linked to the Collar around Anharion’s neck, makes me think that the Collar and its power weren’t such a well-kept secret.

So, the whole “the Lady’s side didn’t absolutely know about the Collar” narrative is a bit sketchy at this point. I believe someone knew at some point, so why would they iterate this version of the story, instead of depicting Anharion as a victim and blaming Sarcean for it?

Well, the answer is simple: damnatio memoriae. The version of the story known at this point had been written by the Lady’s faction, so of course her enemies are painted in the worst light possible. Anharion’s memory is, in my opinion, even more tainted by this narrative than Sarcean’s one; we don’t even know his true name. It didn’t matter that he could have had reasons for his actions: he went against the "good side" and chose the dark, the end.

This narrative is not interested in reporting the truth. Its purpose is to celebrate the Lady as a Saint figure and vilify her opponents, disregarding their reasons, their feelings, their insight of the events entirely.

So, it’s not so difficult to believe that underneath all the twists and the lies, in this version of the story there is a grain of truth; that, in a way, Anharion did betray willingly the Lady. Maybe he understood that the so righteous Lady was, in fact, not that pure and good. Maybe, at the culmination of the fight, he somehow hesitated to kill Sarcean, because he was a human being, not just a cold hearted betrayer. All factors that would of course be excluded from this narrative, for they would expose the Lady’s true face.

At this point this is all but speculations, but one thing is certain, and this takes us to the second point: it’s canon that Anharion had feelings for Sarcy. Before the Collar.

I would not call it ‘undying love’ at this point of the story, but the affection is there. Palpable, visible, corporeal in glances and words. This is, like, a HUGE revelation.

Because this proves that the narrative told by Gauthier is not the truth either!

While I believe that the Collar has some kind of power (I’ll explain this too), in the Gauthier’s version of the story, it’s clear that the emphasis on the submitting part of this power comes from the desire to possess Anharion, from the (false) conviction passed on for generations that whoever put it around his neck would master him. I suspect it consumed not only Gauthier himself, but also every member of his family who owned the Collar before him.

In the end both narratives, pushing for their own agenda, give an insight on the relationship between Sarcean and Anharion not only false but also humiliating for Anharion, for he is depicted as a selfish, cold hearted betrayer where his own agency is totally dismissed (and not even mentioned) in one, and a plaything slave of the Collar in the other.

The truth is far more complex than this, of course, and the one million dollar question about it is then: how much influence did have the Collar on the true nature of their relationship?

In these days I have read a lot of theories about this. One of my favourites is the one depicting the Collar as a mere object of fashion without any power and Anharion not only conscious but also willing the whole time and the fact that this may be hinted in the text makes me feel unhinged (if this is true, you will hear me screaming about it for years)

In my opinion, and I will believe this until I read the third book, the Collar has some kind of power on James/Anharion but not in the way it has been described so far. This is but a mere speculation for the moment, but maybe this power leans more on binding Anharion’s magic to Sarcean’s than controlling his free will or feelings. (this bit in DH is soooo interesting!!!)

I’m convinced that the Collar cannot create something that is not there and that underneath its power, it’s clear that Anharion had conflicted feelings for Sarcean, he always had, because James REMEMBERS feeling this even with the Collar:

This means those conflicted feelings are still there and are not magically morphed by the Collar into pure and simple obedience and that whatever Anharion felt was real, whatever James feels is real, contradictions and all.

We still know so little about this two at this point, and since Pacat really loves plot twists, I believe that their real story will come out in the end and that Will and James will achieve what their past selves couldn’t had, unravelling the conflicts and the misunderstandings between them, and conquering the freedom they search in each other’s arms to be just Will and James.

I had fun writing this, please feel free to give me your opinion on this!

(PS. I think I needed to specify that this whole rambling is focused on Anharion’s feelings. What about Sarcy? I believe his feelings were a deadly cocktail of desire, affection, possessiveness, admiration and horny thoughts, like the disaster babygirl he was, thanks for your attention)

#the way false narratives are utilized in this series is soooo good I could speak about this for months #Pacat your mind!!!!!#i wrote this at 2am please forgive me if you find errors #dark heir #dark heir spoilers

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mia-nina-lilly · 1 month

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As I read Prisoner's Throne, I become more and more impressed with a knowledge about Cardan that I didn't have when reading the three books, even though it was right in front of me the whole time: Cardan is loyal only to Jude. I think my lack of perception occurred because the books were from Jude's point of view, and although our girl is very perceptive in many aspects, her own way of seeing the world wouldn't include concluding a fact like this in its entirety, since Jude, accustomed to betrayal and even disappointment after a while, wouldn't perceive this, nor in relation to Cardan, who used to be the cruel prince.

From Oak's point of view, it becomes clear that Cardan is not only loyal only to Jude but also she is the only one he sees as family until Leander is born, and even that is somewhat dubious, since, given his history, if he had no other choice, Cardan would likely sacrifice him if it meant keeping Jude safe.

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queer-book-character-tournament · 2 months

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Character, book, and author names under the cut

James St. Clair- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

Shuos Jedao- Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Jack Alston/Lord Hawthorn- The Last Binding Trilogy by Freya Marske

Alastair Carstairs- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

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baeshijima · 5 months

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fic where you are the heir to the throne and argenti is your personal knight who can be a little... melodramatic at times, but you know he means well when he takes meticulous care in your appearance when you are to speak before your people or about to attend a ball ("everyone must be dazzled by your beauty, your highness!" ...is what he always responds with whenever you ask why he insists on doing it himself when there are maids for that very purpose), as well as his habit of presenting you a bouquet of roses he lovingly named after himself, always managing to replenish your batch just before they wither away ("there is nothing which match my beauty as these argenti roses do, and you deserve only the most loveliest and most beautiful of experiences, your highness!" ...is what he parades with an almost comical sparkle), or even during the times in which he is to escort you, only to dramatize your entrance with an embarrassing flair as he makes your presence known to those present and possibly the neighbouring kingdoms, too ("but everyone must behold your beauty and grace, your highness!" ...is what he preaches when you sputter and fluster at his theatrics, his genuine expression rendering you unable to refute him each and every time).

despite all this, he is a knight nonetheless. you're reminded of this each time an assassin clambers through your window in the dead of night, only to be rendered immobile when argenti takes care of them without a second thought and makes no haste in checking up on you (whenever such incidents occur, it is always you who has to calm him down, holding his hands and reassuring him you are safe all thanks to him), or in the moments where you watch him train, in awe of his battle prowess and find yourself lost in his broad strokes and effortless stance perfected over the years (he likes to flex and show off when catching your stare, though you find it amusing how quickly he flusters when you don't avert your gaze. he's rather cute in this sense).

while some of his antics may be a bit over the top, he is your chivalrous knight nonetheless — and you wouldn't have it any other way.

(though you would never tell him that, for you would never hear the end of it...)

#sophie talks : concepts <3 #the idea of devoted yet dramatic knight!argenti x fed up yet secretly enjoys the attention heir!reader does things to me and i could write #a whole fic abt it. or a series. cries.#just royalty aus .... as usual..................#but also #after seeing the fact he now has a flower named after him bc hyv bought naming rights for a newly cultivated rose variety i havent been oka #and the fact the meaning is “may the spirit of beauty always accompany you”#LIKE????? BITES FIST

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murasaki-cha · 4 months

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You get someone to read The Folk Of The Air trilogy. They start The Cruel Prince. They get shocked that the prince is like, actually really cruel.

It's a canon event. You can't change it. They must go through the true tfota experience

#it has happened to all of us #the folk of the air #tfota #tfota series #cardan greenbriar #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #how the high king of elfhame learned to hate stories #tcp #twk #tqon #qon #hthkoelths #holly black #the stolen heir #the prisoner's throne

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improbabledragon · 4 months

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Okay one of my favorite things about dark heir is the way it gave me a story where the main character has a dark secret and in some ways things would be simpler if he just told his friends but, alas, he does not trust his friends, he thinks if he tells them, that they will turn on him … BUT HES RIGHT

This is a trope in a hundred thousand stories and I almost always hate it because miscommunication as a plot complication is frustrating and boring to me usually

But here???? HERE???? The whole time I was like, you know what Will, you are correct do not tell your friends yet actually. And you know it’s gonna come out eventually but the timing has gotta be just right. Have to wait long enough that they know you better and trust you and will stop themselves from just killing you immediately

But wait too long and Uh Oh you have been Lying To Your Friends For Months and now they trust you Less, for this has added to your sins

And then it comes out and Will was right they all turn on him 😭

Well. Almost.

#dark heir #dark heir spoilers #I’m still holding out hope for Violet #she is confused and upset right now and that is FAIR #and there was that line about how later she remembered that Will was the only one talking about the dark army #and James of course but that’s its own complicated variable #god this series has me writing original meta posts again I don’t think I’ve done that in years

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i-only-see-daylight · 2 months

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Cardan: I have a question for you

Jude: Yes I’d cry if you died Jude: Yes, I’d still love you if you were a worm Jude: Yes, I still love you Jude: No, I don’t want to break up

Cardan: Thank you

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ionlydrinkhotwater · 11 months

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What I liked about HOW THE KING OF ELFHAME LEARNED TO HATE STORIES Was how it revealed that one of the things Cardan observed about Jude, was her presence. Her footprint made him contemplate how she could carelessly make the world acknowledge her existence by just existing. And compare it with his own invisibility. How he has to be loud and outrageous to be seen and she can just Walk. It is more complicated than that of course but

I loved that.

#tfota #htkoelths #cardan greenbrier #jude duarte #the folk of the air series #tcp #the cruel prince #twk #the wicked king #tqon #the queen of nothing #how the king of elfhame learned to hate stories #holly black #the stolen heir

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rainingriversofyou · 27 days

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What if I am too much? If I need too much?” she asks, her voice very low. He takes a deep breath, his smile gone. “I’m not good. I’m not kind. Maybe I am not even safe. But whatever you want from me, I will give you. —The Prisoners Throne

Artist: meiflowersketches

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frc-ambaradan · 7 months

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"So here at last we have all the pieces that went into the creation of Grand Admiral Thrawn. He’s competent and capable, enough so that his troops can be assured that they have the best possible chance of winning whatever battle they’re being sent into. He cares about his troops, and they know he won’t sacrifice them for nothing. And he’s driven by logic and reason, not anger or ego or wounded pride." Timothy Zahn (Heir to the Empire, 20th Anniversary Edition)

#and he kept true to himself in the series #very much so #thrawn #mitth'raw'nuruodo #grand admiral thrawn #timothy zahn #heir to the empire #heir to the empire 20th anniversary edition #zahn's notes on admiral thrawn #lars mikkelsen #ahsoka series #star wars #my gifs #(spent ages on these gifs ^^''')#(some would say i should spend my time better)

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