Cardan: We all have our demons.
Cardan, pointing at Jude: This one’s mine.
Everyday I think about how Jude, a mortal, carved her way into getting not only all that she ever wanted but also the things she never really admitted that she needed, in the strange Faerie world.
She became a spy, which gave her the royal duty, of sorts, she always wanted. But with it also came the Court of Shadows which, with time, became not only allies but also a family. She trusts them and cares for them as they do for her.
She became the literal fugging badass High Queen of Elfhame, but with it she got Cardan, for whom she harbors a love she not only thought she would never feel, but a love she was always afraid to feel. She got someone who trusts her completely, cheers her every step, is ready to start a war to keep her safe and loves her with all of his shabby, worm-eaten, and scabrous heart.
She got her power, her kingdom but she also got, friends, family and love.
yeah....bye ♡
yeah no sorry i can't hear you, your subtitles aren't on
we were put on this earth to care about each other btw. If you even care.
Theory: Eldred is not Cardan's father
Listen. I don’t know if anyone has said this before, but I’ve been mulling this over for a while now, so I’m going to throw it to the void before The Stolen Heir comes out, for posterity.
Buckle up, folks and Folk. I’m monologuing.
(PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE TSH SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS/REBLOGS/TAGS AS I HAVE NOT READ IT, AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO READ IT UNTIL 8th JAN 2023!)
A big caveat of this theory is that I have basically no solid evidence for this apart from a few faint dots vaguely connected through a strange fog. But I am nothing if not someone who will scrounge around in the dirt for answers. So let’s get some filth under our fingernails.
(I promise it will maybe make sense. Eventually)
I. EPISTOLARY SEMANTICS
Much of this theory centres around the note Jude steals for Dain from Hollow Hall in The Cruel Prince. It reads:
“I know the provenance of the blusher mushroom that you ask after, but what you do with it must not be tied to me. After this, I consider my debt paid. Let my name be stricken from your lips.” (TCP, p.115)
There are so many layers to this note, but I’ll start on the surface level before digging deeper.
Jimin (BTS) attended “SUGA | Agust - D: D-DAY Tour” at Prudential Central, Newark, New Jersey on April 29th, 2023.
no but the continuing theme of his greed vs. his convictions being represented by two versions of himself in both daechwita and haegeum and him killing the powerful greedy version of himself in each
jungkook adjusted his schedule so that he’ll be there when hobi enlist 🥺😭 (trans. cr. BTStranslation_, JlNSONYEONDAN and lovemazejikook)
It only took 3 years of buildup but he’s finally realising that he likes her guys😭
Purple Hyacinth analysis: the contrast between episodes 43 and 142
I made a thread on twitter to show how episode 142 was an obvious callback to episode 43 so i decided to post it here as well. Warning: the panels from 43 might be triggering.
First of all we notice Kieran lying a lot in episode 142. The man didn't have a plan at all coming in there and he makes no effort to go around her ability either. It's clear deep down he didn't want to end their partnership, he knows they make a great team but he's doing everything to put distance between them for her sake only. He cares about her so much (read: he's in love with her) and wants to keep her safe.
This is already a huge difference compared to episode 43. Kieran got his walls up so high when Lauren came to the cave. He is acting cold with a disdainful and arrogant attitude, and uses rhetorical questions to avoid lying to her. There's not a single lie from Kieran in episode 43 except for the one where he slips up when he tells Lauren he has always been a monster.
Kieran's "i am merely stating facts" from 142 is obviously a lie while in episode 43 he is actually stating facts: he talks about the atrocities he committed as the Purple Hyacinth. He is proving Lauren right: he is a monster.
Kieran physically hurts Lauren in 43 and it's not a lie when he tells her he wouldn't cry. He is cold and brutal. In episode 142 he could have said something more hurtful in trying to push her away but he can't. He cares about her too much now and would never hurt her again. "I'm not indifferent to what happens to you" = how to tell someone you care about them without actually saying it. Kieran please.
Another obvious callback to episode 43 is that Lauren now admits she was fully aware of the risks from the beginning.
They've come such a long way since then. From Lauren calling him a monster in 43 to her reassuring Kieran in ep 142 about who he is as as a person and that she isn't afraid of him while she takes off his "mask" (the glasses)... i'm not okay.
Lauki's dynamic is so well written and i'm still in awe of how Eph and Soph handled the development of their relationship after what happened in 43. Lauren telling Kieran she trusts him and won't back down is so important and yet another milestone in their relationship.
To end this post i want to point out the differences in atmosphere and lighting as well. Episode 43 is cold and dark, and episode 142 has a very warm atmosphere.
bonus:
Conclusion: Lauki's development is wonderfully written. I dare say it's legit one of the best dynamics i've ever come across in a piece of fiction.
Thank you for reading!