the1northlanderprincess

[the1northlanderprincess]

Okay, so it's been a minute since I've posted in this tag, but I felt I just HAD to get my feels out....

I've recently been on a sporadic watching spree of my favorite Sleepy Hollow episodes. And wouldn't you know I was today years old when I discovered that our beloved Icicle, Neil Jackson, played the human incarnation of the Headless Horseman. How did I not realize it when I first got into Stargirl? Then again, it had been several years from when he was on Sleepy Hollow to when he was on Stargirl, and I probably wasn't attentive enough.

Anyway, gosh, he was sooo good on Sleepy Hollow. The second season, when he guested frequently, was particularly excellent. Part of the Horseman's arc that season brought more depth to the character, and that was his keeping Katrina Crane captive. He wanted her even after all those years when she chose Ichabod. Did he view her as a prize and a chance to steal her away from Ichabod? Well, yeah, but I do believe he actually cared genuinely about her safety.

Before I start turning this into a meta analysis on the Headless Horseman, my point is that Neil was given a chance to really dig into his acting chops. And hearing him use his British accent? 🤌❤️‍🔥🔥. But, yeah, it's too bad he wasn't given more to work with in Stargirl (even though that was still good).

#neil jackson #dc stargirl #sleepy hollow

[the1northlanderprincess]

The end of a beautiful story....Episode 6, TCL

Well, the time has unfortunately come for Arman's story to close, and I am feeling SO many things about how it was done. I will try to write everything somewhat coherently.

Questions

Thony spent the first part of the episode being interrogated by different people wondering about her relationship with Arman. She dodges Jorge's inquiry completely. When Fiona asks her if she wants an "us two", Thony gives a little more up. Well, kind of. She asks if she should let him in, which, in all seriousness, I think she already has (more on that later).

Anyway, back to her scene with Jorge, Thony is almost elated to hear about them getting a proof of life for Arman. Then she listens to it, and you can see her expression totally change. She's, like, "conceal, don't feel", and tries her best to not show anything in front of Jorge. But, to us, you know it struck a chord with her with the memory of her time in Mexico with Arman. It's really the first time we see a glimpse into an intimate moment she's spent with him, and her feelings on them. And, it isn't the only time in the episode.

Why did Arman use the lyrics in the first place? Was he somehow hoping that Thony would listen to it and know he's thinking of her? Or was he just so drugged he was hallucinating about the actual event, and the captor used it for the proof of life? What is evident, though, is that Thony was on his mind, and I think that says a LOT.

Signs of Arman

After Thony and Fiona decide to follow up on JD's intel, Thony notices a kid setting down what she believes is Arman's jacket. She picks it up, smells it, and knows right away that it's his. How telling is that? That she knows his scent? It's love, baby! Anyway, so, after getting help from a local kid, they are able to find Dante's apartment from the outside. Thony looks through a broken window and spots what apparently is a very dazed Arman. She can hardly believe it and is nervously excited. Finding their way in, Fiona unlocks the door of the apartment. Thony wants to go in by herself, so Fiona stays outside to stand watch. Thony calls out for Arman as she looks around. She finds a whole shelf of the drug, but accidentally bumps into it. That leads to....

An Illusion

Thony's reaction as she seemingly wakes to hear Arman's voice is absolutely brutal. Like the way she clings to him and tells him in a desperate voice how she'll never let him go again. It's full of fear, relief, and, in my opinion, unconditional love. It's another glimpse into what she really feels for him. However, what she thinks she sees is only a hallucination, and how she reacts to that as Fiona comes to her aide is totally devastating. She sounds like she's on the brink of sobbing. As she is being helped to Jeremy's pickup, it becomes distraught. To hear her voice crack while saying "I need Arman". is...a lot. That fraught-ness turns into almost a crazed excitedness as she spots Arman being dragged away.

Now this may sound crude, but people do tend to be at their most honest when they've lost their inhibitions. This is what happened here. I know that people weren't pleased about this incident, but, it fit the circumstances, and it was an effective tool for us to see her true feelings exposed, and maybe reveal it to herself. Anyways, going back to her words, I think they have double meaning. Not only does she need Arman back in general, but she needs him to help her through this drug-induced suffering.

The chase

Jeremy is doing his best to keep up with the captors, and you can see how on edge Thony is with this pursuit. When they finally catch up with the getaway car, Thony's expression upon seeing Arman, and saying his name, is certainly one of relief, but you also can detect some confusion, almost like she's surprised to see him. Maybe some part of her was still questioning what was real. Arman is experiencing the same thing when he sees her. He did not expect to see her at all.

Things get more intense, and the vehicles separate for a time before meeting side by side once again. Arman and Thony lock eyes for a moment, and you know that they know something is building. For a second, there is a longing in her gaze, one unlike we've ever seen her give. Arman's is a bit more bittersweet. His mouth is set very sorrowfully. He senses that this will more than likely end badly, and is apologizing to her; that he wishes things could have been different and they had more time. It all snowballs from there, and one of the bad guys points a gun at Thony. She doesn't appear to have much of a reaction to it. I think she's too fixed on Arman to comprehend that she's the one in immediate danger. However, Arman notices. You can see him taking stock of the situation and we know that he's trying to figure out what to do. He's constantly looking back and forth from the gun holder to Thony. The last time he turns to Thony, it's quick; he wants to see the woman he loves one more time before he takes action. He does so in a swift fashion, hitting away the hands of the gunman, then reaching for the driver. Thony can only watch in confusion and shock as the car veers off the road. Her expression turns to horror as she watches the car jump over a cliff.

Seeing her run to the edge and breaking down was just so, so sad. Aside from Luca being kidnapped by his father, we have never seen her in so much pain. Yet as she raises her head after the initial grief, in what I call a moment of strength, you see some semblance of...well, not peace, but something akin to it. It is at this time she looks back to the dance in Mexico. It is a snapshot moment when the two of them were free to be in love with no obstacles; a moment resembling a couple already in a serious, romantic relationship signified by their slow, tender kiss.

As tragic as it is, all of this tells us something major (really for the first time) about how Thony viewed her relationship with Arman. I will expand on that for the next episode's meta.

#the cleaning lady #armony

[the1northlanderprincess]

IDGAF if the women in my fiction are empowering or aspirational, I'm an adult, I don't need role models, I want the women in my fiction to be interesting, and if that involves being pathetic, hypocritical, amoral, or trapped in a delightfully dysfunctional relationship so be it

#celaena sardothien #the best of her two personas

[the1northlanderprincess]

I wrote a post some months back detailing my displeasure for SJM's handling of Chaol and Aelin's relationship. Well, it's gotten worse. Thinking of all of the continuity errors and everything else wrong from QoS onward just gets me steamed, or plain ol' sad at the most random times, which has always been the case. It's just more often, now. Either it's some kind of media, like newer books I've been reading, relevant music, or when I'm left to my own thoughts. I don't know why it's happening.

@wingsdippedingold, @hrizantemy, @the-1-phoenix-queen

#anti sjm #sjm critical

[the1northlanderprincess]

So I have been having a lot of struggles with my feelings about SJM, mostly TOG related. I need to talk it out with someone.

#anti sjm #sjm critical #someone... #anyone...

[the1northlanderprincess]

TFW when you have feelings about a book character in a popular romantasy series but the fandom is not as prolific as others

#the serpent and the wings of night #oraya nightborn #crowns of nyaxia #Vincent Nightborn

[the1northlanderprincess]

I'm almost a year late to this Vincent and Oraya party, but I would love a novella about Oraya's mom and Vincent meeting. Unless, of course, it's revealed in The Ashes and Star-Cursed King that their union was not a pretty one (because I haven't read it, and it might be a while before I can read it). But, yeah, I just read The Serpent and the Wings of Night for the first time, and I can't get enough of Vincent The Father. Like, seriously, they had the best developed, most beautiful, purest relationship in that book (Yeah, I said what I said; fight me! 😆😎😛). And yet, in some ways, I feel like there needed to be more.

Anyway, yeah, I love Vincent. He did everything in his power to protect Oraya. He's a little like Madoc from The Cruel Prince in that he taught her to be warrior and was cutthroat. However, unlike Madoc, Vincent had more heart; treated Oraya kindly and with more respect. He could have killed her like all other vampire lords did with their heirs . Heck, he DID when coming into power. I wonder why Oraya was so different. Maybe he promised her mom he'd watch over Oraya should something happen. I have to wonder if that is what he said to Raihn before Raihn killed him. Oh, and what's the deal with the ring? It has to have significance. So many questions!

Waiting and hoping for my Vincent prequel novella telling the story of the ruthless Vampire King loving and raising his little human daughter

#oraya nightborn #the serpent and the wings of night #the ashes and the star cursed king #also this fandom is relatively inactive as a whole #which is weird

[the1northlanderprincess]

The Serpent and the Wings of Night

Well, I finally read one of the more popular romantasy books of recent chatter. It only took a month and a half of waiting on the hold at the library (will probably be longer for the sequel).

I know a lot of people have raved about Oraya and Raihn's relationship, but, honestly, I wasn't sold on it. It just didn't feel as organic as other couples; felt a little too insta-love, especially on his end. That's usually why I'm not fond of couples getting together right away in the first book.

What did feel real and well-developed was Oraya's relationship with Vincent. There were a lot of complex layers. Was he cruel with her at times? Yeah. Dude was a vampire. It's in his nature. But he loved her so much, he wanted to soul-bond with her so she would be less vulnerable to his enemies (at least, that's my interpretation) and have her around longer without having to turn her. Even though he clearly looked down on most humans, he didn't want that fate for her. I can't wait for more answers about the past, and why Vincent didn't follow through with the vampire parent code.

One question that was left unanswered, which has me rather curious, is the vampire with the long black hair she saw in her hallucination/dream. I'm assuming that was the guy who killed her family...?

Overall, a good read. The romance went from warm to super-spicy rather quickly. I'm not really a fan of that anymore. Like, seriously, what's wrong with less descriptive love scenes? Anyway, I would like more books that have the lost daughter/important-but-protective father angle. Even a son. Heck, that's the main draw for me with the Percy Jackson series.

#the serpent and the wings of night #oraya x raihn #oraya nightborn #the ashes and the star cursed king

[the1northlanderprincess]

TCL Season 3

The Cleaning Lady is back, and that means it's meta time again! Now, because of the sad consequences, I'm not sure how many I can write. But I will do the best I can.

The hangar: Okay, not a lot to analyze in this scene, except for Thony perhaps feeling a little betrayed at Arman possibly having brought in more drugs. Then there is when she is clearly concerned after getting in the car with Nadia. However, she assures Nadia, as well as herself, that Arman is a fighter and will be okay. She comes to this conclusion a couple of times after she and Nadia get to safety.

The call with Fiona: When Thony talks to Fiona later after the ambush, it's very obvious that she is not okay and is understandably shaken. However, it's not just what possibly could have happened to her but the realization of what likely happened to Arman. He's the only one who could bring Fiona home. Now that is maybe not happening. In the middle of that, there's a small moment when she breaks down and talks for the first time like Arman was hers to lose; that he was more to her than she realized (more on that potential development later). And Fiona recognizes this.

Nadia and the Feds: though this scene didn't have Thony in it, it was relevant to Armony in that Russo taunted Nadia about Arman always prioritizing Thony over his actual wife. Love that, lol.

Meeting the 'rents: so this scene was significant because Arman's mom gave Thony the medallion. Somehow, deep down, Arman's mom trusted Thony enough with it; that Thony would be the one to help.

Meeting Sin Cara: So Thony is first confronted by Jorge, who questions Thony on her relationship with Arman. Dude totally sees through the "cleaning lady" aspect and hounds her relentlessly. When he brings her to Ramona, she does the same. When she asks Thony about how long she's been in a relationship with Arman, Thony's answer was interesting. She said that they weren't "exactly in a relationship". I interpreted that as her saying that their relationship is complicated and/or not exclusive, but they do feel something for one another.

Overall thoughts: I am so pleased that more outside people are acknowledging Thony and Arman as a unit, and implying they are romantically involved. It's not just in the first episode. either. Heck, in episode 2, Ramona can tell there is much more between them aside from business. She even worries what Arman would do if something happens to Thony.

What I really want (and hope) this season, while Arman is missing, is for Thony to consciously admit to herself that she does, in fact, love him. Maybe she'd even feel regret over taking his help for granted, and not opening her heart more to him during times he'd be so caring and gentle with her. It'd be absolutely killer on the feels, but it would make for beautiful TV

#the cleaning lady #armony

[the1northlanderprincess]

The last minute of Dune: Part Two is the reason why movies are made, and why we go to movies in the first place.

#dune part 2 #dune part two #paul x chani #chani #seriously that final scene.... #with the growing music and the sunset #the look on Zendaya's face #you could feel her hurt #such great acting #didn't need words #it was heartbreakingly beautiful #I totally teared up

[the1northlanderprincess]

@idealisticrealism I totally thought the same with what you said regarding the writers knowing about Adan's cancer. In addition to the storyline being changed, maybe it was decided to limit his physical contact to protect his immunity system (aside from the fact he kissed Eva in one episode). IDK. It just makes the most sense.

Now as far as the show goes, what are the chances that the writers take pity on us shippers and have a special moment where it's firmly acknowledged that Thony and Arman truly loved each other?

Well, I'm glad I've reached a point where I can watch this and actually feel eager to have the show back, and interested about what's going to happen next... but I don't know, some of the latest info about all these new characters etc is making me feel weird all over again.

Literally from the moment I started watching this show in S1, I just always assumed it would be, at most, a 3 season show-- and then after losing Adan, I was so sure that they meant to complete the story with this season and let it end there. I want it to end there. I want the resolution of Arman's arc and the culmination of Thony's to stop at the same place, because if the show continues on (like some of Miranda Kwok's recent comments make it feel like is their plan) then it will mean that Arman is left behind. That he was only a temporary part of the story, and not laced throughout it from start to finish-- because even despite his death this season, I feel sure that he is still going to very much be a part of its story, as central to the events of the season and as vital to Thony's arc as Fiona is. But if they're going for a season 4 or even beyond, the plot will move on without him, and I just don't know if I could face that, not when he (and his connection with Thony) was the very thing that drew me to the show in the first place.

Anyway, if you have thoughts, I'd like to hear them; honestly I'd like any chance to talk about this show, to speculate like we used to, because I think it's the only thing that's going to make this coming season any easier to bear.

[the1northlanderprincess]

THIS. SO MUCH!

🤌💘😍

it’s simply so insane to me sometimes when i think about how much jacks and evangeline love each other. evangeline believing in their love and risking her life to be with jacks. jacks using the stones to turn back time to save her life and trading his heart for something that would ensure her safety forever. him BURNING his heart because he knows he cannot stay away from her if his heart was involved and because he never wants to love again if that person wasn’t evangeline. this is the same fate who said he could care less about humans and he sacrificed EVERYTHING for her 🥹 i can’t believe this is real sometimes, they love each other so much 💓

YES!!! 😭 their love is so beautiful. it's really disconcerting that jacks thought about burning his own heart to let evangeline go, a totally different level of love. no one loves like evajacks loves! 🥹❤️

[the1northlanderprincess]

A Curse for True Love

A note: Apologies for the sudden onslaught of Evajacks posts. This is what happens when you discover a series so late in the game.

After waiting for it for 2 1/2 weeks, I finally got to read A Curse for True Love. I have to spill all the feels I am feeling over this series, because they are many.

While not as good as BONA, there is still some really good material. This love story is one of the best that you can get from books that resemble fairytales. There is something so profound about it, and deep. I mean, you have the fact that you get both Evangeline and Jacks being victims of curses and danger. It was a true fight for true love. It reminded of some of my favorite fictional couples.

For the cursed angle, it was giving Captain Swan (but done better...yeah, I said it), as well as Snowing. With Jacks pushing Evangeline away to keep her safe from him, it was very similar to Dimitri pushing Rose away in Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice, which I love. Let me add, Jacks watching Evangeline and longing from afar was reminiscent of Peter watching Mary Jane after being rescued in SM2, and the ending scene of the CW BatB pilot. I need more literature like that.

I just love the simplicity of this series. It's so straightforward; nothing convoluted like you see in certain romantasies. And I believe I saw a booktuber (at least I think it was this series) say that the stakes are more realistic and higher**, which I have to agree with. You have the FMC trying to find a second love she can be happy with, seemingly finds it, then becomes enamored with the MMC. She knows that he is unable to be with her, but is determined to find a way to be with him. With the MMC, he's wanted love, thought he found it, but she backstabbed him. Now he's bitter, and does nefarious things. However, he slowly falls for the FMC unexpectedly, but doesn't want to hurt her, thus pushing her away. It all changes when she is killed, and he goes back in time to fix it because of how much he loves her. But it all goes wrong when the FMC's false love takes her memories. Fast forward to MMC trying to thwart the husband, or any way FMC may be endangered, trying to protect her so she can live. However, he is going to make sure he doesn't try to interact with her too much, and makes plans to disappear from her life forever. It hurts him immensely, but, like before, feels he has to. She regains her memories, discovers his plans, and she has a race against time before he destroys the thing that allows him to love. There is lots of begging, confessions, pushing/pulling, and the like. She makes a move and BAM! Curse lifted. Only, after all of that, the false love kidnaps her and MMC has to still fight to be with her. Totally no big deal, right? LOL.

What I liked about the curse breaking is that they both had to believe in their love. At first I was confused as to why the cuff hurt him when Jacks tried to kiss Evangeline, but it's because that his second heart isn't in close proximity, so, he wasn't in his right mind. He probably didn't think she loved him the way he loved her. Subconsciously he likely did, yet it wasn't until she said those words and risked her life to physically show him.

Anyway, my whole point is this: Evajacks has now topped Feysand within my top 3 book OTPs in terms of overcoming odds and development. Seriously, the guy was going to destroy his ability to feel because he couldn't bear losing her again...at his hand. That is real sacrifice. What Rhysand did pales in comparison.

Anyway, here's my top 10 book couples.

Top 10 Book OTPs:

Romitri***-Vampire Academy

Haven and Stolas-Kingdom of Runes

Evajacks-Once Upon a Broken

Feysand-A Court of Thorns and Roses

Chaolaena (so fight me)-Throne of Glass

Warnette (gosh, this was hard to place so low)-Shatter Me

Kane and Arwen-A Dawn of Onyx

Jurdan-The Cruel Prince

Mac and Jericho-Fever series

Sera and Ash (would have been higher if not for Fire in the Flesh)-Flesh and Fire

**Edit: Okay, I lied; it was a different book. But, the belief still stands. Also, unlike the booktuber, I don't see this as a guilty-pleasure series

***Romitri is the first book couple I fell in love with. They have to be number one, no matter how I feel about the others.

#evajacks #feysand #chaolaena #warnette #i wish these books were longer #i need more

[the1northlanderprincess]

This Fairytale

Hey, guys! So, my instant, recent love for Evajacks has inspired me to write a song about them! It's the first time in 5 years that I've written such a piece for a favorite fictional couple, and the quickest. It was quite easy for the words to come with the series being about fairytales. I would put it to music, but I am not a great music theory mind (the playing talent is there, just not the mathematics of it all).

Enjoy!

Heart is broke, Dreams are dashed

Thought I found a love at last

Dealt with Fate to win him back

Fell asleep in a world of stone

To heal I must walk down this road

Yet this sacrifice to my surprise

Gives me a chance renewed

Sail the seas to where I'm free

But it's anything but true

Stories have heroes

But I'm not that girl

I'm too caught up in my own little world

Love and enchantments

Princes and schemes

Fairytales are not all as they seem

Streaks of red, shades of green

I felt happier than I had ever been

At least I was way back then

It fell apart thanks to Fate

Forced into a lethal chase

All was lost, cursed in love

My legacy now bound

I've had my fill, the blood I've spilled

And she's the one to help me move

Stories have heroes

But I'm not that man

I'm too caught up in my own selfish plan

A loveless enchantment

A prince in his scheme

This fairytale is not what it seems

Bleeding hearts

Torn apart

Arrows fall

A magic spell

A deathly curse

Words that hurt

The shadow fades

It's not too late

A new day dawns

Safe in your arms

My beloved saving grace

Stories have heroes

We've made our own way

You are the one I was destined to save

The thrill of enchantment

A life among dreams

Fairytales are never quite what they seem

Our fairytale is just as it seems

#evajacks #a curse for true love #the ballad of never after #ouabh

[the1northlanderprincess]

The hyperfixation with EvaJacks is real

#evajacks #i only started the series a week ago #read the first two in 7 days #waiting on the third #easily in my top five book couples

[the1northlanderprincess]

Once upon a heartbreak

So I just got done reading Once Upon A Heartbreak for the first time, and, oh my gosh, I'm obsessed! I only read it in less than 4 full days; couldn't put it down. I put the next two on hold at my library. What I need to know is if Never After progresses Jacks and Evangeline's relationship or keeps it in neutral, because I don't know if I have the willpower to wait for the last book, LOL. See, I can already tell from the first book that Jacks has already gotten to the point of caring for her more than just his gains. He's only responding coldly because he doesn't want to hurt her or himself by hoping she's the one. The next reasonable assumptive step is for confessing feelings and/or trying the lethal kiss.

I JUST HAVE TO KNOW!

#once upon a broken heart #jacks and evangeline #prince of hearts #ballad of never after

[the1northlanderprincess]

Fan artists of Tumble.....are there any Windows-compatible digital art programs that are reputable (won't cause any dodginess on my laptop) for me to get into digital drawing? I don't have an iPad, and have no interest in buying one, so ProCreate is obviously off the table. I'm sure most of you use ProCreate, but I thought I'd put the question out there anyway.

#fanart #reylo art #feysand