#icons nehemia | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ae-neon · 1 year

Text

Reading Throne of Glass (1-3)

TW: mentions of slavery and suicide

Disclaimer;

I'm gonna be nitpicky but it won't reflect my overall enjoyment. Besides the racist Nehemia plotline (which I don't like at all) I don't mind the general vibe or story of ToG. Also because it's so popular I have been spoiled for the overall big points of the story like endgame ships and character death but I don't know anything about the world, the magic, the character personalities, histories etc

Chapter 1

I instantly prefer the 3rd person POV.

SJM loves using slavery - and like, the worst type of slavery - as trauma porn.

Notorious Assassin - are you not then just bad at your job? Why does everyone know it was you?

SJM knows how to write her protagonists being observant, it's maybe her best trait.

WAIT. WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING??

If they're escorting her and trying to confuse her or even just to treat her like a prisoner - why isn't she blindfolded?? Why not put a bag over her head?? Like SHE CAN SEE WHERE SHE'S GOING?????

Okay I know Chaol is gonna be important and a love interest at some point so he has to have a serious position despite probably being 17/18 - but CAPTAIN of the royal guard?? The whole royal guard?? Be fr. Just have him be the Prince's right hand or personal knight or something.

The Captain of the Royal Guard would be an interesting opponent. Maybe even worthy of some effort on her part.

She was scared of him 5 sentences ago:

...Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guard, and suddenly, the sky loomed, the mountains pushed from behind, and even the earth swelled toward her knees. She hadn’t tasted fear in a while—hadn’t let herself taste fear.

"How lovely it was to hear a voice like her own—cool and articulate—even if he was a nasty brute!" Sorry the slaves weren't well spoken and there aren't any political prisoners to keep intellectual company with

The only thing all the intended disorientation had accomplished was to familiarize her with the building. Idiots.

Yea, I agree, they are idiots - they should have blindfolded you

Why is this big manor?hall?thing? by the slave mines? Like so close it's literally next door to where they sleep

The world building is pretty good so far

"...the opulence felt like a slap to the face." sjm don't lie

Chapter 2

close-cropped chestnut hair >>>> team Chaol already

I might consider Celaena an icon for not bowing to the Prince, if I didn't know she ends the series as queen. What a waste.

I'll probably like Dorian but his words mean nothing. If he had a problem with people being forced to bow, he would have said something earlier.

Duke Perrington came from Rifthold to see the treasurer?? The treasurer doesn't live at court? Or at least in the capital?

(Gold crown+)...black doublet, an emblazoned gold rendering of the royal wyvern occupied the entirety of the chest. His red cloak fell gracefully around him and his throne.

Dorian's first outfit eating up all of Rhysand's 3 black on black outfits.

Black hair blue eyes, he was definitely the first endgame love interest. A YA classic.

Princes are not supposed to be handsome! They’re sniveling, stupid, repulsive creatures! This one . . . this . . . How unfair of him to be royal and beautiful.

This. And some other sentences (that also end with exclamations) come off as weirdly childish in their tone and don't fit with the rest of the writing. Eg

What a miserable state for a girl of former beauty!

Like stop. The vibe is she thinks she's gonna die and she's being humiliated by her enslavers. This is off

I won't rag on SJM's writing too much because she was young and it's her first novel but this:

At a passing glance, one might think her eyes blue or gray, perhaps even green, depending on the color of her clothing. Up close, though, these warring hues were offset by the brilliant ring of gold around her pupils. But it was her golden hair that caught the attention of most, hair that still maintained a glimmer of its glory. In short, Celaena Sardothien was blessed with a handful of attractive features that compensated for the majority of average ones; and, by early adolescence, she’d discovered that with the help of cosmetics, these average features could easily match the extraordinary assets.

"But now, standing before Dorian Havilliard as little more than a gutter rat!" Girl, stfu

Acotar ellipses >>> ToG exclamations

I like Dorian and I like the story of Celaena's escape attempt. BUT. It would have been better if Dorian and Chaol had heard the story and used it as their reason to recruit her - a hectic story that proved Celaena was not only all that her reputation said but also that the mines hadn't broke her.

Then later, when they have more of a connection, have Celaena reveal it was essentially a suicide attempt.

Secret business? The Crown Prince, the Captain of the Guard, a Duke and like a dozen + royal guards isn't exactly low profile. In fact, it's the highest fucking profile, Sarah

Chapter 3

Dorian 🤝 Cassian; ogling starved women's bodies.

"My father has gotten it into his head that he needs a Champion." Even Celaena knows the Champion is supposed to be a knight or a lord or a holy warrior or something, not an assassin and definitely not an enemy of the crown. If you need an assassin just hire her as one

No one gets hired in an sjm book without being offered a "considerable salary" I think she doesn't understand much about money irl

She barely heard his last few words. A competition! Against some nobody men from the-gods-knew-where! And assassins! “What other assassins?” she demanded.

“None that I’ve heard of. None as famous as you...

The exclamations... Also those assassins are better by simple virtue of not being famous

They're acting like she's weakened but honestly shouldn't she be absolutely shredded? Shouldn't her arm strength be crazy from a year in a mine?

...but could only recall a solitary line from the mournful bellowing of the Eyllwe work songs, deep and slow like honey poured from a jar: “And go home at last . . .”

SJM is actually so vile because I know this isn't gonna really matter in a way that centres these enslaved people.

Overall not bad. I like these 3 characters and I much prefer 3rd person POV.

Celaena is a little erratic in her moods and thoughts but whatever.

Some nice hints of worldbuilding but also standard "sjm doesn't really understand the concept she's included"

#ae read #throne of glass #sjm critical #anti sjm #but not really #anti tog #just in case #ae read throne of glass

39 notes · View notes

fleetfootfireheart · 1 year

Text

ToG - Reread, Crown of Midnight

I’m done with the second book! And again I want to share som thoughts. You might want to avoid this if you have yet to read Crown of Midnight.

Crown of Midnight is a pretty good second book? Often times I find sequels boring, or I think they ruin the story from the first book by making up a lot of unnecessary drama. But CoM is good! It might have some slower parts, but I love that we get to explore the friendship with Nehemia more, and watch as Celeana actually works as the kings champion. I also loooove how we start to figure out Dorians powers? Idk, I know many don’t like him but so far in my re-read I still love him so much. Chaol on the other hand… Like, I don’t think it’s his fault, with his parents and how he was raised and stuff. But he misses. Even if his initial thoughts and intentions were good. I’m very happy we’re not gonna be romantically involved with him going forward lol. I also forgot we learn Celeana is fae and her royal heritage already at the end of this book? But that scene in the portal is truly an iconic moment. I loved reading that the first time around!

And at last. I still can’t believe we loose Nehemia in this book. That woman is single-handedly my favourite character in the entire series. I actually haven’t read the last book yet, at all (don’t come for me!), so I don’t know what happens there. But I wish Nehemia at least was more involved from the spirit realm, or wherever she is now. Like Elena during the first book. That would have been so good! And give her purpose beyond being «the tragic death that kick starts Celeanas journey into self-acceptance and embracing of destiny». Like wth!?

Now I’m very excited for the next book, last time I read ToG, Heir of Fire was my favourite! I also have to figure out if I should read Assasins Blade first…

Hope you have a merry christmas, a happy hanukka, a blessed yule or a regularly nice time wherever you are.

#tog reread #tog #throne of glass #throne of glass series #crown of midnight

3 notes · View notes

marusdc · 3 years

Photo

Throne of Glass Heir of Fire Quote

“I claim you too, Aelin Galanthynius” - Rowan Whitethorn

fav/reblog if u use <3

21 notes · View notes

raeningdemons · 6 years

Note

listen. not to be a filthy shipper. but i want nehemia and celeana to,,,, smooch

YOU’RE SO RIGHT AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT!!!!!!!!!!

#celaena is SUCH a bi icon #gay for ansel #gay for nehemia #BUT ALSO in love with sam #crushing on dorian #FALLING FOR CHAOL #and then her later endgame....#celaena is such a filthy bi i love her #throne of glass #anon #answered asks

7 notes · View notes

seasonofthewicth · 3 years

Text

A Groovy Kind of Love - Chapter 16

AN: This chapter was heavily inspired by a scene from Queen of Shadows, but as this is a throne of glass fic I hope you’ll all enjoy! Happy holidays!

masterlist - ao3 - my askbox

The following week could only be described as bliss.

Aelin barely registered the time passing, swept up in a haze of Rowan. The haze of his presence, his conversation, his touch.

Everything about him was exciting now in a way that was different than it had been before. Spending time in the bar as a group was a regular occurrence while Rowan had shifts, but now each night they visited she made sure to curl her hair and prime her makeup just so. She wanted to look her best, even though these nights still weren’t their long-awaited first date.

Rowan had promised her it was coming, if she could be patient enough to wait for the next weekend when they were both free. She had barely been able to agree, desperately excited after the tease that had been the last weekend.

Their group dinner had only made her crave time alone with Rowan more. And the kiss they had shared…

His kiss had been powerful, a sharp contrast to the gentleness with which he had cradled her face. He had teased and taunted her with his tongue and his hands, he had used his fingers to trail a burning path down her sides before coming to rest leisurely at her waist.

Their kiss had made her dizzy, had made her head spin so fast she struggled to comprehend thoughts other than the sensation of his lips against her own and the hard length of his body crowding her against the wall.

It had been almost impossible to separate, and she knew had he kissed her again after their goodnight she wouldn’t have been able to leave his side. She would have drawn him into her bedroom and kicked off her shoes. She would have peeled the soft jumper that he wore up until it was lashed somewhere in the corner of her bedroom, only pausing for a moment to mourn the delicious contrast it provided with his golden skin. Aelin was sure a shirtless Rowan would have more than made up for the loss.

She had admitted to herself a long time ago that she wanted him. Bad.

Now she stood in front of her class, desperately trying to claw her way back to the train of thought she had been on before her mind had been invaded by the thought of Rowan and his broad chest, the planes of toned muscle she knew were beneath his usual flannel shirts.

Her mouth was dry.

Gods, she needed to get a grip. She was standing in front of a room full of children.

“Miss G?” A student asked, and Aelin was dragged brutally back down to earth.

She cleared her throat and shot a glance to the clock on her classroom wall. “Yes, um, we’ll continue this tomorrow. Take lunch five minutes early, happy Friday.”

This wasn’t like her at all, and her students wore expressions of wary appreciation. She was never going to find her momentum again with the five minutes remaining in the period. “See you all next week.”

With that the class dispersed, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and within seconds her classroom was empty. She shook her head with a slight laugh and turned around to collapse into the chair waiting behind her desk. Aelin fished around in her small handbag to draw out her phone.

Her phone screen bore a number of notifications, one a text from Lysandra with a link and a number of heart emojis, Aelin would get to that later. The notification that widened her smile was a text from Rowan.

Busy? was all his message read, and Aelin didn’t hesitate before tapping the call icon at the top of her screen.

“Hello, you.” Aelin could hear the smile in his voice as the call connected.

“Hello,” She sang, unashamed in the smile that crossed her own face. There was an intimacy in his greeting that she revelled in. “What’s up?”

“You called me.”

She bit her lip at his tone of voice. Rowan Whitethorn a tease? Who knew.

“I did. I thought your text implied you wanted to talk… I must have been wrong. I guess I’ll go.”

Aelin leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up onto her desk, if her phone had a cord she would have been twirling it through her fingers.

“Alright, see you later.” Rowan’s voice was calm through the speakers of her phone and Aelin immediately dropped her feet back off the table as she scoffed.

Rowan’s returning laughter was loud, the sound deep and rich that struck something in her stomach. Aelin couldn’t play offended for long as he spoke again.

“I wanted to check in with you, it’s just me and Aedion in the loft today.”

Aelin knew his meaning immediately and she bit her lip for an entirely new reason.

“Oh,” She said carefully. She needed a moment to think.

The proposed ending of their relative secrecy was something she had delayed contemplating so far.

Aelin had enjoyed the sneaking around she and Rowan had shared. Only a couple of nights ago she had joined Rowan and her other roommates on the sofa in their living room while they watched a football game. Aelin had slipped herself in between Rowan and Aedion casually, and the sharp look Rowan shot her when she had made sure her crossed legs pressed along one of his own had sent a flicker of heat curling through her.

Rowan had adjusted himself, leaning further back into the cushions and uncurling his arm along the back of the seat behind her. Aelin hadn’t seen her cousin or either of her other roommates bat an eyelid at the movement, so she had allowed herself to lean backwards into the sofa, resting her head in the crook of Rowan’s elbow.

Rowan had smiled down at her, another one of those smiles that said ‘we know something they don’t’ with the corners of his lips twisting in an almost unbearably attractive way, and it had left her attempting to hide her own smile behind a curtain of her hair.

Aelin thought that maybe she understood Lysandra some more now.

The secrecy was exciting, and the risk she felt when she trailed a finger along the band of skin between the hem of Rowan’s t-shirt and the waistband of his trousers set loose a cloud of butterflies in her stomach. He had been standing in the kitchen, talking with Aedion, and she hadn’t been able to resist teasing him. She had barely grazed her finger along the slim path of exposed skin but Rowan had tensed, delightfully responsive to her touch, and grabbed her hand below the counter, out of Aedion’s line of sight.

Aelin didn’t think Aedion had noticed the tension in his friend, or the tightness of his voice as they continued their conversation, but Aelin had. She wanted to do it again, and was desperate to find any excuse she could to touch him.

She was sure Rowan felt the same, even though it had taken him a little while to relax into the flirty exchanges. Just yesterday morning, as she had been about to leave the loft with Fenrys to journey to the school, Rowan had twisted a lock of her hair around his finger and tugged, ever so slightly. Aelin knew the blush she had worn at the gesture was fierce and she had shot a glance at Fenrys immediately afterwards, but he had seemed blissfully unaware of what had transpired between his roommates.

“Aelin?” Rowan’s voice broke the silence, and she realised she had been silent for more than a moment, lost again in the visions of Rowan and the sensation of his skin against her own.

“Yes, um, well.” She paused again to collect her thoughts. She’d have to get to Lysandra before Aedion did, but Rowan clearly felt ready to tell his best friend. Aelin squeezed her eyes tightly shut, thanking the gods there was no one around to see her smile. “Enjoy your day with him.”

“Yeah?” Rowan’s voice was soft as he double checked.

“Yeah.” She drew her eyes open finally and glanced around her classroom as she braced a hand along the desk in front of her. “Make sure when you talk about me it’s all bad things.”

Rowan laughed. “I’m sure Aedion probably has worse on you than me.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged even though he couldn’t see. “For now at least.”

Rowan’s breath hitched and he only said her name. “Aelin.”

She loved the sound of her name on his lips. She wanted to hear it again and again.

Movement caught her eye in the doorway to her classroom and Nehemia appeared waving a Tupperware container in the air. Aelin held one finger up in the air and then pointed to where she held her phone to her ear. Nehemia flashed her a thumbs up then disappeared back around the corner.

“I have to go,” She said, already regretting the words, talking to Rowan was the highlight of her day. “But have a good talk with Aedion. I’ll see you later.”

“Of course,” Rowan sounded just as disappointed as she at the end of their conversation. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

Aelin ended the call and quickly gathered her things before joining Nehemia in the corridor.

“And who was that getting you smiling like that?” Her friend asked with a knowing smirk.

“Stop,” Aelin laughed as she led the way to the breakroom.

Aedion sauntered into the kitchen and strolled over to the fridge before taking out a bottle of juice. He nodded to Rowan where he sat at the breakfast bar and Rowan steeled himself.

Aelin had given her blessing for him to come clean to Aedion, even through the heavy veiling of their conversation, and it was something he had been waiting to talk to his best friend about. He just wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” wasn’t quite the approach he had intended to take.

Aedion only turned, a golden eyebrow raised as he continued to swig juice from the bottle. He stood unashamedly shirtless in their kitchen, only a pair of almost threadbare joggers hanging low on his hips protected his modesty.

After living with him for years, it wasn’t a sight unfamiliar to Rowan. Fenrys was worse, he would often stroll about the loft naked, and Rowan counted himself lucky once Aelin had moved in and Fenrys had been forced to cover up.

“Oh please do tell,” his friend laughed.

Rowan narrowed his eyes at him, and Aedion’s smirk only grew as he placed the bottle down on the counter between them.

“You crashed my date at the weekend.”

“Date?” Aedion laughed disbelievingly. “With who?”

“Whom.”

“Fuck you.”

Rowan only cocked his head and waited for the penny to drop. It didn’t take long.

“Wait.” Aedion dropped himself onto the stool opposite Rowan. “No fucking way.”

Rowan nodded, now playing with a jagged piece of skin around the edge of his nail.

“To be clear, you do mean Aelin?” Aedion leant forwards to Rowan and braced a hand against the counter.

“Yep,” Rowan said, hardly blinking as he looked towards his friend.

His friend took another moment, before bursting into a loud explosion of laughter. Rowan waited for it to pass.

“You and Aelin? On a date?”

“Yes,” Rowan bristled. This wasn’t the reaction he had anticipated either. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Ro, man. It’s not hard to believe.” Aedion shook his head. “What’s hard to believe is that you seem to be pretending this is new.”

“What?”

This was new. Everything with Aelin felt so new and exciting. The thought of her made his heart race, made his head spin.

“What do you mean what? Now I’m confused,” Aedion said, playing with the cap of his bottle. “Is this new?”

“Yes, that’s why I’m telling you about it now.” Rowan had thought that much was clear.

“Oh, shit, man.” Aedion laughed again, now rolling the bottle cap between his fingers. “Sorry for crashing your date then.”

Rowan shrugged again, it was done now, and he had big plans for their next weekend together.

Aedion spoke again, seemingly brimming full of questions. “Is this serious? Are you going on another date?”

“Yes to the second question, maybe to the first.”

“Why maybe? Tell me you’re not messing with her, this is exactly what I wanted to avoid.”

A sliver of steel had crept into Aedion’s voice at the thought.

“No, no of course not.” Rowan spoke quickly, flustered at the idea that he in any way wanted to play with Aelin. Well, unless she wanted to play the way she had been recently. Driving him crazy taking any opportunity to put her hands on him.

She seemed to like doing while they weren’t alone, and it sent a thrill through him every time. The knowledge that Aelin’s hands were on him just out of sight of his roommates was exhilarating, the feeling of her pressed against him was invigorating.

“Good,” Aedion said, placing the bottle cap flat on the top of the counter. He took a moment to consider his next words before smiling at Rowan with a predatory grin. “You need help to plan then?”

“Plan what?” Rowan asked, returning the smile gently but still somewhat confused.

“Your date with Aelin.”

“You’re alright with this then?” He knew whichever way Aedion’s answer went he wouldn’t change his mind, it would just be nice to hear his friend’s support.

Aedion laughed again. “You know as well as I do that we have no say in whatever Aelin does.”

Rowan nodded along and Aedion continued.

“If she wants to date you, she will. I’m happy for you, I think you’ll be good for each other, hopefully she can whip you into shape.”

Rowan flashed him the middle finger, but Aedion still wasn’t done.

“I’ll just have to pretend I don’t know what will be happening on that side of the loft,” He winced. “Or what’s already happened.”

Rowan shook his head slightly and Aedion smirked.

“Just treat her right, or I’ll have to kick your ass. I won’t want to, even though you barely work out you could probably beat me, but I’ll be looking out for her.”

“Right.” Rowan wiped his damp palms along his trousers under the counter.

“And I love you man, but if she hurts you you’re on your own. She could definitely kick my ass.”

Aedion laughed and Rowan couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped him too.

“Thanks,” Rowan said sarcastically. “And I think I’m alright, I already know what I’m going to do.”

“This feels like a kidnapping.”

Rowan laughed where he stood holding the car door open for her. He had asked her to meet him in the parking garage under their apartment building where his car was waiting. He seemed to have managed to persuade Aedion to share the one spot allocated to the loft for one day.

“It’s not a kidnapping,” He told her, his eyes bright in the dim lighting of the garage.

Aelin pretended to look around, her eyes widened dramatically.

“I don’t know,” She paused as she rested a hand along the top of the car door. She was going to get in, she just wanted to tease him first. “Dark parking garage, no one else around, taking me to an unknown location…”

“Okay,” Rowan said, his tone filled with amusement. “It’s a kidnapping, and I had really thought you wanted to go on a date with me.”

Aelin knew he was joking from the smirk he wore, but she still rushed to reassure him. She did want to go on a date with him, she had been waiting for this moment for almost two weeks, but each time she was with Rowan it was too much fun to flirt with him to pass up an opportunity.

“I do, I do! But you have to admit this is kidnap-y.” She said as she almost threw herself into the passenger seat of his car and she heard his laugh as he pushed the door shut and crossed the car to slide in next to her.

“Ready to go?” He asked her as he buckled his seat belt.

His expression was so light and so happy that she couldn’t respond for a moment. Even in the short time she had known Rowan she had noticed the change in him. His smiles came more easily, as did his laughter, and Aelin never wanted them to stop.

“Ready,” She said finally and her voice came out past a catch in her throat.

Rowan only smiled again as he turned to start the car.

They drove for longer than Aelin had expected. She had thought he was taking her for another meal somewhere in the city but they had long since left the busy streets of the city behind. They drove through quieter roads now, lined with towering verges, filled with masses of wildflowers. There were blends of pinks and purples and greens and she watched out the window, entranced, at the sights that flew by.

She made sure to sneak regular glances over at Rowan who drove with one hand on the wheel and the other braced along the open window. The sleeves of the shirt he wore were pushed up to his elbows, allowing her eyes access to trace the paths of ink up his skin. Before him, Aelin had never considered herself particularly keen on tattoos, they were fine, just not for her, but the lines of elegant black ink worked well on Rowan, even more so now that she knew the meaning behind them.

The breeze swirling in through the open window tickled his silver hair, sending it flopping down across his forehead and swooping back up off his face. He looked completely at ease in the gentle sunlight, his smile wide and easy, with his golden skin glowing in the clean light.

They were far closer to the coast now and Aelin could smell the brine in the air, she could hear the calls of the gulls that swept in along the cliffs of the beaches. The coast always filled her with a childlike glee, and the smells and sounds transported her back to the trips she made with her parents as a child, the years of visits they paid Aedion and her other cousins in Wendlyn.

He finally pulled up in a small space allocated for parking at the side of one of the roads overlooking the beach. Aelin could see miles of shining sand and sparkling sea and she could make out small groups of people enjoying the last of the summer sunshine.

There were couples strolling down the sand, holding hands between themselves, and there were groups of children staring down into the small pools of water that were trapped in the rocks at the base of the cliffs.

It was stunning, and she knew the smile she wore as she took it all in was blinding.

“The beach?” She asked through her smile.

“Is that okay?” Rowan asked with a hint of nervousness in his tone. He broke their eye contact to step out of the car and Aelin followed.

“Rowan, it’s perfect. It’s gorgeous.”

Aelin wasn’t lying. She had been looking forward to their dinner last week, but this trip was incredible. It tugged in her chest that he had thought to bring her here.

Rowan smiled again, almost bashfully, as he met her at the front of the car. He held a hand out to her and she revelled in the feeling of linking her fingers between each of his.

“We’ll get to the beach later, there’s one place I want to take you first.”

Aelin squeezed his fingers between her own as he began to lead her down the street. Every time she formed an expectation of Rowan he smashed right through it.

It didn’t take them long to reach his next surprise. The journey had only taken a couple of minutes of wandering slowly down the seaside path and each moment had been a delightful release of a breath. The feeling of the sunlight on her skin and the sea breeze through her hair didn’t compare to the feeling of Rowan’s hand in her own or his presence at her side.

He led her away from the beach and into a small, rustic looking, town with small buildings that each looked over a hundred years old. They had an aged charm to them with white walls and wooden beams decorating their fronts and the cobbles of the street they walked down were enchanting in the way they were worn down after years of people travelling the same path Aelin took now.

At the end of the street the space opened out into a large square filled with stalls and tents, the streets were busy but not overcrowded and there was an air of chatter filling the space.

“Rowan, what is this?” She asked.

“I found this place when I first moved to Adarlan. They have a market here every month where the people in the town come to sell their goods. There’s all kinds; food, drinks, trinkets. There’s usually a man who sells really great pan-fried trout. I get a piece every time I come.”

“Rowan,” She breathed as she came to a stop and turned to face him. “This is amazing.”

Aelin was almost overwhelmed, and flattered, that he had planned to bring her here and share this with her.

“I know, now come on. You have to try this guy’s fish.”

Aelin winced. The market was incredible, a spectacle of wholesomeness and she couldn’t wait to explore, but she was sceptical of the fish.

“Trust me,” Rowan said with a smile as he tugged her into the heart of the market.

Aelin gaped in awe at each of the rows of stalls, Rowan hadn’t been wrong. There was something for everyone to be found within the maze of stalls. They had passed a stall with hand knitted scarves and she knew her mom would love one for Christmas. There was a stall, manned by a young woman, selling bottles of freshly made lemonade that she made with the lemons grown in her garden.

Aelin had spent a long while speaking with the girl, jealous of the space the young woman described that bore endless varieties of the fruit. Aelin bought herself and Rowan a bottle of the sweet drink and the taste had matched perfectly with their stroll through the seaside town.

Rowan took her to the stall with the man selling the trout, he was an older man who was openly friendly with everyone, and he had even clapped Rowan on the shoulder when they approached. Aelin had been reluctant to try the fish but she had discovered that it was delicious, and she had finished off her own portion in minutes before stealing bites of Rowan’s own.

Aelin was full on freshly made food and drink and the time spent with Rowan as they strolled through the grids of stalls. She was relaxed and satiated and looking forward to the romantic walk along the beach Rowan had promised her once they were finished at the market.

They were heading towards the exit when Aelin spotted a stall she knew she would have been devastated to miss. An older lady sat perched on a rickety wooden stool, smiling at each person who passed. Aelin offered her own smile as they passed, but it was the lady’s wares that had caught her eye.

There were rows and rows of delicate little chocolates, some covered in dustings of pink, dried raspberries, some covered in the green dustings of pistachios, some white, some dark. Aelin’s mouth almost watered at the sight.

She tugged Rowan over to the stall and he followed easily, smiling a knowing smile as he took in where she was leading him.

“Do you have anything chocolate and hazelnut?” She asked the woman hopefully.

The woman smiled, the lines at the corners of her eyes deepening as she took Aelin and her question in. “Of course, I have some chocolate hazelnut truffles.”

“Perfect, please may I take ten.”

“Of course.”

Aelin felt Rowan watching her as she waited for her treats to be bagged up.

“Ten?” He asked.

“Ten is a very reasonable number of chocolates,” She told him. “Especially for two people.”

“Aelin,” He chuckled. “That’s very kind but I’m alright. I don’t want to eat your chocolates.”

Aelin whirled to him, outraged.

“Of course you do! Who doesn’t eat chocolates?”

She caught the stall owner smiling at their exchange.

“Me, Aelin. They’re far too sweet.”

Aelin shook her head as she turned back to the stall owner who held out the bag of sweet treats. Aelin handed over the money with a smile and a grateful thank you.

“I put an extra one in there for you, he reminds me of my husband back in the day,” The woman told her. “He would pretend until his last breath that he didn’t want my chocolates, but I could always taste them in his kisses.”

Aelin smiled and glanced back to Rowan, who wore a slight pink tint on his cheeks at the woman’s words.

“Thank you,” She said again. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

The woman laughed and bid them farewell as they turned to head down onto the beach, chocolate truffles in hand.

As they walked, barefoot along the sand, Rowan graciously carrying both of their shoes, Aelin popped a couple into her mouth, unable to hold in her moan at the taste. Rowan’s gaze had snapped to her face at the sound, his stare heavy and intense in a way that she craved, but he made no move to kiss her.

She held out a truffle to him but he shook his head. “Come on, Rowan. I know you want one.”

“I really don’t,” He shook his head. “Save them for yourself.”

Aelin parked her feet deeply in the soft sand and turned to face him. She held the sweet treat up to his lips with her lips pursed in expectation.

“Aelin,” was all he said, but she just waited.

Finally he opened his mouth and she placed the sweet treat between his lips. He chewed in silence before smiling down at her again. She had never seen him smile so much, and with the backdrop of the setting sun and the soundtrack of the crashing waves she couldn’t help herself from leaning up to press her lips to his.

His lips were warm and pliant as she kissed him, and his hands came up quickly to wrap around her waist. She held tightly to the bag of sweets in her left hand as she brought her right up to cradle his face to her own.

Their kiss deepened as Rowan’s tongue darted gently into her mouth, leaving her toes curling into the sand as she sank into him. The lady was right, he tasted of chocolate and hazelnut and she smiled through their kiss.

She pulled back to gaze up at him, losing herself in the deep green of his eyes and the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around her.

“Thank you, for today,” She whispered.

Rowan only pressed his lips back to her own.

Rowan had never imagined that his and Aelin’s first date could have gone so well. He had hoped that Aelin would enjoy herself, he had known that the market was delightful and that Aelin would have loved the sights of the ancient town and the seaside views, but somehow the reality had exceeded his expectations.

He hoped, so deeply, that Aelin had enjoyed herself and his heart had lifted at the kiss she shared with him as they stood on the beach. It was a picture perfect moment he wanted to savour, but he couldn’t fight the desire to check in.

“So, you’ve enjoyed today then?” He asked with his arm around his shoulder as they made their way back to the car. He balanced his trainers with her sandals in his spare hand as the other was linked with Aelin’s where it lay across her shoulders.

She glanced up at him sharply, concern covering her face.

“Rowan, are you serious?” She asked. “ I have loved today, it was perfect.”

Her words warmed him like the final rays of sunlight of the day.

He dropped his arm from her shoulders as they reached the car, but kept their fingers linked as she leaned back against the passenger side door.

“I just wanted to make sure.”

He felt satisfied and overjoyed at their day, but he still struggled to believe that Aelin could feel the same. The smile she gave him did well to wash away those thoughts.

“Rowan,” Her voice was soft as she took him in, seeming to read more on his face than his words gave away. “Rowan, I’m all in.”

“You’re all in.” He repeated softly and Aelin only smiled. A sight so beautiful it caught his breath in his chest.

“All in.” She confirmed and took a step towards him, bringing her free hand up to rest against his chest. She smiled up to him, her mouth set and her gaze unwavering.

Rowan lifted his hands to rest against her waist, her soft skin and warm curves fitting his hands perfectly, as he smiled widely at her, unable to control the curve his lips adopted.

“I’m all in too,” He told her as he leaned down to press his lips to hers.

tags:

@jesstargaryenqueen

@maybekindasortaace

@slytheringalathynius

@http-itsrebecca

@morganofthewildfire

@in-love-with-caramel-macchiato

@fictional-horan

@tottenhamboys20

@dressedindustandshadows

@sleeping-and-books

@perseusannabeth

@ireallyshouldsleeprn

@superspiritfestival

@aelinfeyreeleven945tbln

@spyofthenightcourt

@jlinez

@queen-of-glass

@booknerdproblems

@sjmships

@elriel4life

@bamchickawowow

@woollycat22

@claralady

@illyrianwitchling

@SHINYA-HIIRAGI

@fangirlprincess09

@darlinminds

@bookittothelibrary1 <- this came up as the url please let me know it its not right

@thenerdandfandoms

@danibutterr

@inthecityair

@autophobiaxx

#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin ashryver galathynius #rowaelin fanfic #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfic #aedion ashryver #this chapter isn't xmas themed because we're up to september in the fic lol #rowaelin au #a groovy kind of love #agkol #the fluff here is sickly sweet guys #i toned down the horniness a little bit because I wanted it to be sweet #but it is coming #if anyone's still reading this #smut next chapter lol

100 notes · View notes

highlladynesta · 6 years

Text

im realizing i dont remember anything that happened in tog hfgdgjkjfds

#i have reread hof qos and eos like AT LEAST 4 times #but i think this is my first time rereading the entire tog book #like i have re read some scenes like nehemia and cel/aelin meeting (ICONIC)#bruna rereads tog #bruna.txt #tog #sjmaas

0 notes

battlestar-royco · 4 years

Text

so lately i’ve been bingeing sleepy hollow, not because i was interested in the premise, but because i wanted to know why so many people were upset over abbie mills and why she was such an iconic character for black women, especially on this site. i’m into season 3 and i understand now. i never fell in love with the lore or the plot, but i kept watching for abbie herself and her dynamic with crane. literally every episode i just wait for abbie’s scenes or for her and crane to interact.

i don’t really know where i’m going with this, but i just wanted to express some love for abbie and nicole beharie’s performance. it’s really a shame that her story was cut short, as is more often than not the case with black women characters regardless of whether they are side characters or truly dynamic and central in their stories. it’s characters like abbie, nehemia, sorscha, rue, missandei, and more that make me want to do right by black girls in my own writing. going into a text bracing yourself for the black girl’s death is out. white people acting like these ~white girl’s bff~, ~freedwoman~, ~caretaker~, ~street smart~, ~don’t need a man~, ~misogynistic black guy’s trophy wife~ ass roles are still good and empowering is OUT. white women applying white feminist standards to black women characters is oUT!!!!! boring!! annoying! racist sexist! trash bye! we’re writing lovely central iconic roles and happy endings for black women from now on

#some of you know the other reason why i started watching it

10 notes · View notes

theshybooknerd · 4 years

Text

Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

“We all bear scars, [...] mine just happen to be more visible than most.”

2/5? Honestly, some parts were a 3 and some a 0... Also: spoilers ahead, the opinions I express are purely personal and if you like the book that’s cool too, yadda yadda yadda.

I heard of Throne of Glass as the first instalment of an amazing YA series, and a friend of mine recommended it to me. I was at Comic Con, saw it, read the back cover and thought “well why not?”. The plot sounded awesome: an enslaved girl who’s also the most famous assassin of the known world? check; a to-the-death competition to gain freedom? check; a complex set of magic/laws/creatures? check. Unfortunately, NONE OF IT WAS IN THE BOOK.

Setting

The story is set in Erilea, this not-so-well-defined continent. All we know is that the King of Adarlan, a “really bad” king, is conquering all the territories, apart from Eyllwe (not sure why he wants them as allies), and is outlawing magic. To be fair, the entire story takes place in Endovier and its salt mines, then the Glass Castle in Rifthold (Adarlan), and nowhere else so the only info we have about the other places come from either a couple of characters, or the (perfectly useless) map at the beginning. Also, the names are an obvious mixture of LOTR and The Elder Scrolls.

Plot

If you’ve read the book skip to the next part, I’m not going to say anything new.

I’m going to keep it short, especially because there is no plot whatsoever in 3/4 of the book. Celaena Sardothien is the most famous assassin of Erilea and has been imprisoned for about a year in Endovier. All of a sudden, the Crown Prince of Adarlan (Dorian Havillard) gives her the chance to fight as his proposed Champion-wannabe in a to-the-death tournament. If she wins, she’ll be the Champion of Adarlan and, after serving for four years, she’ll be free. She is escorted to Rifthold by Dorian, the Captain of the Guard, Chaol Westfall, and a bunch of people.

Celaena accepts (not that she had a choice). The competition, it turns out, is not really to-the-death especially because all of the tests before the final trial look like middle-school PE lessons, with a touch of fantasy. Of course, since every YA needs that, there is the love triangle developing (Celaena-Dorian-Chaol). While she is training and attending the tests, she stays in the castle, reads a lot, is sent a bazillion precious dresses and meets a princess from Eyllwe, Nehemia, who we understand that will do something important at the end but for the rest she’s a plant.

The Champions start being killed in a terrible way (dismembered/eaten) and of course Celaena wants to find the culprit. She finds a passageway conveniently placed in her room (?), which leads to corridors and doors. Long story short, she is contacted in her sleep or in a sort of weird dream by the first Queen of Adarlan, Elena, who tells her that the clock tower of the castle is a portal to other dimensions, and someone wants to open it to summon evil. No real reason behind it. Celaena also gets this “magical” necklace from Elena. No one is suspicious.

Celaena continues her investigations, finds out that Cain, the obviously bad and suspicious Champion, has been summoning the ridderak (the creature that killed the Champions). She destroys the ridderak, then the story continues, she gets to the final stage of the tournament (in which, lo and behold, the Champions fighting cannot kill each other but just submit the other competitors). She has a final fight with Cain, her drink is spiked, she hallucinates, she gets in a weird dimension, Cain summons evil creatures, Nehemia does some hocus-pocus and summons Elena in Celaena’s dream, all the creatures are pushed back to their dimension and Celaena wins.

That’s it. Action packed eh? 400 pages in four paragraphs.

My opinion

Well done, you’re in the part where I express my salt opinions.

First of all: the characters are all incredibly dumb and naïve. Especially Celaena. She is not the stereotypical YA main character, she is worse. Emotionally unstable, awfully stupid, with the wisdom of a 6-year old kid. I expected a deadly assassin (have I already said that “she’s the most famous assassin of all Erilea”?) and got a pampered princess.

The writing style is awful. I am really surprised that someone can actually write this description and still be published: “in short, Celaena Sardothien was blessed with a handful of attractive features that compensated for the majority of average ones [...]”. The descriptions are all very plain or too long, and also, in some parts, reminded me of the descriptions of clothes in My Immortal. Yes, that bad. And what about the fight scenes? The main character is an assassin (the most famous assassin in Erilea, pt. 372) and all the action scenes are... bland. She either cannot recollect what happened, or some superior force helps her, or they are just not described. I’m sorry Sarah J Maas, but if you cannot write a good action scene, stick to love stories!

My expectations were clearly not met. What is the point in saying that the tournament is to-the-death and then making people just wrestle? Too violent? What about the gutted people and the very vivid descriptions of the blood spattered everywhere? Also I hoped for a main character that is strong, witty, maybe slightly damaged. I got a pampered princess who likes good dresses and thinks about her appearance at least fifteen times a day. After the terrible worldbuilding, I thought that, at least, there would be a fully developed magic/fantasy lore. Nope, magic is mentioned but not described, then there is other creatures called Fae that are utterly useless and appear once never to be seen again, no detailed religion, no detailed politics. Just love triangle and some pseudo-fights.

The plot holes are devastating, and are so deep that the Mariana Trench is a puddle in comparison. I’ll just say this: why did they take away all the knives but not the forks or the cue sticks? Why is she treated like a princess but not allowed at parties/balls?

Final remarks

Ok so, it’s not the worst book I have ever read. I enjoyed some parts, they were mildly entertaining. I didn’t really like it, but I didn’t 100% dislike it, either... It’s certainly among the lowest rated books though. It is an easy read, I finished it in about a week (as a side book, not the main book I was reading). Perfect for turning off your brain, maybe on holiday. I refuse to support the marketing of this book as “feminist YA novel”, because the idea of Celaena as a feminist icon makes me shiver. Let’s say that the idea behind it was good and the execution was incredibly poor. There were incredibly unnecessary parts, like the love triangle. I will probably read the other ones in the series, but just because I am a self-destructive reader who enjoys a good dose of cringeworthy trash (or trashy cringe) every now and then.

#throne of glass #sarah j maas #celaena #young adult #why #book #book review #fantasy #novel #novella #why did i read this #cringe #not good not bad

1 note · View note

longsightmyth · 5 years

Note

I love how Nehemia feels fear but does it anyway, Kaltain pretends to never fear anything and Lillian feels fear and shoves it deep down to be acknowledged later. Icons.

Thank you! Everyone feels and reacts to fear differently, and I wanted to acknowledge that.

(also perpetually peeved at the ‘I will not be afraid’ mantra, mostly because it felt neither earned nor thematically appropriate)

#myth answers #myth talks truthteller #myth rags on throne of glass

8 notes · View notes

kevindayscrown · 5 years

Text

OMG Rowaelin!!!1!

Great, now that I got your attention. You will all sit her with me and read about why Chaol Westfall is the best character in the entire Throne of Glass books. Yeah you heard me right Chaol haters. This is your last chance to run away because this bitch will take things chronologically, starting with Throne of Glass.

We are introduced from the second page to Chaol Westfall, Captain of the Royal Guard. He is serious, fearsome (and yet Celeana doesn't forget to mention that he is handsome) and at first we don't get to get much insight to his personality. But then we learn that he may not be sassy like Celeana or fun loving like Dorian, but he is righteous and loyal, a bit mysterious and stoic. He might be more focused on his loyalty to the King but he is also passionate and he learns to love. He starts to care about Celeana even if he was hesitant about her. Why he was hesitant? Because being a murderer is a bad thing. Yes folks sorry to burst your bubble. Don't hate on a character because he has certain beliefs and doesn't find murder to be acceptable. And yet he still can't fight his feelings. The get up scene? Iconic. Everyone forgets that it started with Chaol. And then he killed Cain (remember that guy?) despite those said beliefs. And then he suffered from PTSD for that. Why? Because it's not easy to cross your boundaries even if you had the best of reasons.

Crown of Midnight. Oh boy. Chaol starts accepting his feelings for Celeana while at the same time he is in a constant inner battle. He pushes his limits, tries to change for her, he is conflicted between his loyalty to the King and Celeana because he is in love with her. And then the Nehemia plot thingy happens. And that inner conflict gets multipled by ten. He can't bring himself to 100% betray his loyalty to the King. Remember that the guards are the only family he has ever known (since his father was an ass and his mother or brother never did anything about it) and the palace is his home. You expect him to fight that so easily? So he finds a middle ground and tries to take matters into his own hands. But he gets kidnapped. Again, what a great experience for someone to go through. And why he gets kidnapped even though be is a VERY skilled swordsman and fighter? Because he was thinking of having life and kids with Celeana. Because he loves her so much. BUT I don't blame Celeana for her reaction. Everyone reacts differently to different situations depending on different factors. And that's when self loathing starts rooting for Chaol. He hates himself and yet he still LOVES CELEANA. He is willing to wait for her and he sacrifices himself to his asshole of a father because he things she will be safer with her people. (DESPITE him not accepting magic yet even when it comes to Dorian. Which again makes sense and it's realistic since he was raised in a certain way and hasn't had yet someone to show him that magic can be good. So please UNDERSTAND that his reaction to magic makes sense. Same goes for the Archer Finn murder thing. Thanks).

Heir of Fire. Chaol fucking Westfall finds a way on his own to free magic again despite his doubts against it. He is an asshole to Dorian and yes it's not acceptable. But everything he has come to known has been turned upside down and he doesn't know how to handle it. That's why he is also RELATABLE. How many times has this happened to us, normal people? Thousands of times. And no need to mention the end of HoF. He couldnt save his brother, he was helpless because he is a mere human. And he has to leave because someone had to survive this. And the self loathing INCREASES. But he still tells him he loves him and doesn't regret it even if he doesn't hear it back.

Queen of Shadows. Chaol is fucking depressed, desperate, self esteem basically non existent and alone (except Nesryn). And yet he still fights, he loves forward and gathers allies, rebels, saves people or at least he tries. All that for his people and most importantly his brother. So wouldn't you be annoyed if someone threatened all you've built, no matter how big that is? Aelin threatened his people, his town and his god damn friend. Yes, he shouldn't have called her a monster but Aelin was as much of a bitch to him. She interferes with all he has achieved. And she doubts his abilities. And all that for what? To get paralyzed. He sacrifices himself and gets paralyzed. And then he refuses to leave even if it's his only chance of walking again because he doesn't want to leave Dorian behind again. Fucking loyalty? Yes. Do you know what it means to get paralyzed? Some of you might have the idea. For those who don't, it's an awful experience. You start feeling as if you are useless and you can't do things you previously could. It's even almost impossible to go to the bathroom alone. So all the jokes about paralyzed Chaol (yes they exist) are disgusting. Also do I need to mention that he finally learned to accept magic. Another aspect of the development of his character. Plus he and Aelin forgive each other. Can't you do the same?

Empire of Storms. Yeah he isn't in there. Moving on.

Tower of Dawn. Yes he deserved that book. Because it's now his chance to heal both physically and emotionally. No, it's not a redemption book. It's a book about healing that Chaol fucking deserved. Why? Because he was self loathing, insecure and in a way, suicidal. He wished Aelin had actually killed him. So no, he is not Tamlin to need to be redeemed. He is Chaol Westfall, and he is a human with real problems. Their causes might be a product of fantasy but they are still real. They are relatable and they make him a well written character. I may have not liked some things in ToD but I won't focus on that.

Only thing I have to say about Kingdom of Ash is that we get to see his Captain self again (He LEADS THE BATTLE OF ANIELLE. NUF SAID). Wont focus on the relationships, Chaorene, baby and the reunions because there is no point I want to make through them.

All in all, Chaol Westfall is the only character that got real development (whoever tells me Rowan got that too just because he turned from Aelin's hater to Aelin's puppy, well I am sorry for you). He combines realism and heroism and he is relatable. He has real flaws and he has done reasonable mistakes. That is why he is the best character in the Throne of Glass series.

PS. He is a main character and one of the most important ones. He is also hot AF.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

130 notes · View notes

bitchryver · 5 years

Note

-rings a bell in the town square- Essar and Nehemia! Brown girls in love! Ahhhhhhh

Y E S

like we know essar is a gay magnet- name me one woman whos met her that didnt take up extensive page time talking abt how hot she is ??

like imagine nehemia visiting wendlyn on a diplomatic trip and essar’s one of the guards for doranelle and nehemia, wlw icon that she is, is just like OH HELLO WHO IS THAT LADY

and maeve r whoever is charge there is like ‘oh would you like to take a walk around the grounds and see the city i can have someone escort you and nehemias like ‘yes of course! how kind :)’ & internally is like ‘pleasebethehotonepleasebethehotonepleasebethehotone’

n essar is like ‘My lady.....it would be an honour to show you our city’

queue princess ytger looking wildly pleased with herself as she takes essars arm for a lovely stroll in the country THE GAY SOLDIER PRINCESS AU LIVES

18 notes · View notes

acourtofkinksandstraightpeople · 6 years

Note

I’m a 14 year old and I enjoy tog. I am heavily into judo and I loved reading about aelin/Celaena and having a role model who was an actual assassin who didn’t need support from a love interest to be told that she was smart and beautiful . (I have a brain and I skipped the sex scenes). I’m curious of your opinion on how the series is so horrible

hi there anon! there are multiple reasons for why i think the series is so horrible. i’m not sure how much depth you want me to go in so i’ll sum them up and then add some links for further reading because there is some really detailed analysis online. to start here are two other links to answers to your question: here, here and here.

her books glorify and romanticise toxic masculinity and abusive relationships. the whole fae ‘culture’ is based on these gross ideas of possessiveness, animalistic behaviour which is not challenged throughout the books at all. she values territorial, strong, brutish males and the epitome of male attractiveness. the romance between a*lin and r*wan is abusive, and he is extremely possessive over her. if you want to read more on how r*waelin is abusive and toxic masculinity in her books- this is a good critique. she portrays abusive men as redeemable but every female villain is a ‘whore’. here is another critique on this issue, and here is another one

she treats the few poc characters that are in her books like trash. they are also created based on racist stereotypes. nehemia was killed to further a*lin’s story and was just a plot device essentially. also a lot of the characters who are portrayed to be ‘poc’ are ethnically ambiguous which is not positive representation. also a*lin is a colonist (here). alongside the negative rep of poc, the rep of lgbt+ characters is also done poorly. the characters who are lgbt are ‘weaker’ or have hurt other characters by letting them pine on without telling them they were gay.

a*lin is a mary sue and a poorly written heroine. here’s an explanation of what a mary sue is. also there is praise for her being an ‘unlikeable’ heroine when in fact the narrative is written so you are forced to like her. here is a critique on unlikeable heroines. however she does treat her friends awfully and uses them ‘sidekicks’ if that. here is another link on how why it is boring how everyone is special. you can see this with how many names a*lin has, and how many powers she has. literally go to her wiki page. that she isn’t a balanced character and is designed to have no flaws (in the sense that she doesn’t struggle with her power and can never be beaten bc there is effectively no one more powerful than her) which is a bad heroine as she isn’t really doing anything empowering.

another problem i have with the series is the ableism. the whole of tod treated the narrative of disabled people so harmfully. read more here.

you said you skip the scenes so i will not go into that. but basically, you shouldn’t have to skip the scenes in a ya book. they shouldn’t be there in the first place. here are some critiques on that if you are interested ( here, here)

finally the whole series is poorly written and the world-building is awful. there is little to no consistency in pronunciation of names. and she has done basically no research. there is also no consistency in character development and she uses way too many dashes. and most of her ‘iconic’ quotes are plagarised.

here’s one final critique on why problematic issues are damaging if they aren’t dealt with well. and here are some youtube videos if you want to watch them too. if you want to check out any other blogs some i would recommend are @throne-of-no and @polysorscha .

finally, there are so many amazing ya series with amazing female characters that you can read instead. firstly for a badass assassin read six of crows by leigh bardugo. there is also the a darker shade of magic series and the wrath and the dawn series. here is another list of recommendations.

hope this helped in some way.

#Anonymous #anti sjm #anti tog #anti rowaelin #anti aelin

106 notes · View notes

bookishbloomsbury · 7 years

Text

Top 10 Fictional Friendships

Happy International Friendship Day! To celebrate, we have put together a list of some of our favourite fictional friendships.

Let us know what your favourite fictional friendships are!

Harry, Ron & Hermione - Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

There is no way we could not mention this iconic trio. Harry, Ron and Hermione each brought something unique to their friendship. They grew so much individually and as a group throughout the series, and despite the ups and downs, they remained fiercely loyal.

Celaena & Princess Nehemia - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

We love the friendship between Celaena and Nehemia and how they truly balanced one another. Celaena is quick to speak and cold, whereas Nehemia is warm and calm.

Mor, Azriel, Cassian, Amren & Rhys - A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Also known as the Inner Circle, this friend-squad truly love and respect each other and would do anything for one another, no matter what.

Charlie & Pav - The Bombs that Brought Us Together by Brian Conaghan

The friendship between Charlie and Pav plays a huge roll in this book, and they teach each other so much about the world. We love how fiercely they cared for one another.

Bea, Betty, Kat & Pearl - The Ladybirds series by Jenny McLachlan

Throughout the series we see this group of friends embark on their own journeys of self-discovery, during good times and bad, as they drift apart and coming back together.

Reagan & Dee - Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

These two are so different but were always there to support and love each other. They have the kind of friendship we want for ourselves!

Ollie & Moritz - Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

We love that this friendship is between two boys reaching out to each other for emotional support and in the context of feeling completely isolated from the world around them.

Declan & Rev - Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Declan & Rev almost felt like brothers. Rev doesn't shy away from telling Declan off when he needed to be put back in line, but he was always there to support him.

Nate & Delphine - The Genius Factor: How to Capture and Invisible Cat by Paul Tobin

This friendship is based on intellectual respect and ambition as well as zany, wacky adventures!

Penguin & Pinecone - Penguin and Pinecone by

This is the CUTEST friendship story of all! With so much love, Penguin did everything he could to keep Pinecone safe and happy.

#international friendship day #fictional friends

38 notes · View notes

cleopatraas · 7 years

Note

Okay but...Nehemia instead of Aelin and the cadre

Stop because I would give my life for this to be true.

This is super long so let me put the divider.

Nehemia has to have some kind of magic for her to be able to draw Wyrd Marks. And because simply because I can, I’m making her super powerful and she knows it. She knows with a simply cut of her forearm, draw a simple symbol, she could level Erilea.

But that’s not how she wants to rule. She wants to rule through words, through peace, through love and kindness. She has wanted this ever since she was born, while she grew up. She has taught her brothers to want this, she has slowly urged her people to want this.

And Adarlan was ruining that. That’s why she went to Adarlan. She hoped that her words, her actions, her kindness, would be enough to sway the King and his people. Little did she know, there were a lot more powerful beings at work.

Little did she know, she would meet Aelin Ashryver in Adarlan. Nehemia is now dealing with powerful forces, forces that could level cities if they wanted to. But she knows one thing, she will not let them level her country, her people.

Nehemia DOES NOT die for Aelin. I know. Shocking.

She may not be the chosen one, but she has chosen HERSELF to save her people. She may not be able to create fire, control shadows, shift into a wolf, or have iron claws and teeth, but she has her heart and her will.

Her brothers, Kharis and Deji, run Eyllwe while she is away.

She goes to Wendlyn, she goes to Doranelle, she goes to face Maeve, to face the deadliest Fae. Because if Nehemia was willing to die for a mere hope Aelin could save the world, she is willing to die for herself to save the world

This is not a love story with Nehemia and Rowan. This is not a simple story where Nehemia replaces Aelin. This is a story about a girl who refuses to let the world push her down, who refuses to give up.

Who tells herself she will push back, she will push back and push until the world gives up. Until she comes out victorious, but unlike all your other heroes and chosen ones, she will not do whatever it takes.

She will keep her soul, her heart, and her kindness, but do not be mistaken. Nehemia Ytger, the True Queen, will not sacrifice the will of her people, to save their lives. And she WILL save their lives.

And Rowan respects that on a different level. Nehemia is not broken, because she doesn’t allow herself to break. She will bruise, bleed, and suffer, but she will not break.

If you think Aelin ever castrated Rowan, man, Nehemia didn’t let him BREATHE.

Every time Rowan tried to be a Male™, Nehemia would raise a hand, “Imma let you finish, but, you sound real stupid so, let me spit some KNOWLEDGE” Because she is a Queen and she knows it, and she knows what she’s trying to do. And it isnt to be bossed around and saved by this male.

In fact

Nehemia saves Rowan on several occasions, oh yeah, Rowan, you thought you were all tough and bad, well here’s this nineteen year old, glorious goddess, saving your three hundred year old life.

Not once.

Not twice.

Not thrice.

Jesus, how much trouble can Rowan get in? A lot.

And there is no “You let Rowan go because I have this ring you care for and I can burn down your city”

No. Nehemia doesn’t play that game.

She doesnt play the game where Maeve is allowed to hold six males prisoner. She has slaves that live in her country, she knows slavers thrive, she wants to stop this. And Maeve is just one big slaver.

Oh baby no, honey, no, Nehemia does not PLAY.

“You will let them go. If you don’t, let it be known, no matter how far you run, I will be whispering in your ears. I can not burn you, I can not kill you. But I can stay with you, wherever you go, Maeve. And you will dream of me, have nightmares about me, the mere suggestion of me will have you quaking. Because you know, you know, I will not break a promise. And that promise is, that when my country is free, when Eyllwe is thriving and happy, I will come for you”

“Politely, of course. War is so tiresome” mic drop

IM SHAKING SHE’S SO POWERFUL EVEN MAEVE IS SHAKING

Aelin is uncontrollable rage

Nehemia knows what she can do, she knows her limits, but SHE KNOWS SHE CAN BREAK THOSE LIMITS AND NOT BREAK HERSELF IN THE PROCESS

THE TRUE QUEEN

“Even with your males by your side, I have a feeling they will fight you every step of the way. And six enemies by your side doesn’t sound too pleasant. They are not property, they are living, breathing, free beings. Let them go. They are not mine, they are not yours. And they will not come for you”

Maeve?? Lets?? Them?? Go?? Iconic. Literally never been done before. LITERALLY NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE

Maeve’s fight isn’t with her, it’s with Aelin. So you bet I just threw Aelin under the bus. Sarah threw Nehemia UNDER A BLADE SHE WAS LITERALLY CARVED OPEN YES IM SALTY

Okay continuing

Fenrys and Connall? Literally in love with this goddess, this woman, THIS ETHEREAL POWERHOUSE who just saved them. Connall feels like this weight has been lifted off his shoulder.

He crushes Fenrys in a hug and tells him over and over and OVER AGAIN HOW SORRY HE IS FOR GETTING THEM TANGLED UP WITH MAEVE AND FNERYS IS JUST SOBBING AND CLUTCHING ONTO HIS BROTHER

And then he turns to Nehemia and just whispers, “Thank you” and his words are literally so broken. This woman, THIS HUMAN THAT THEY DONT EVEN KNOW JUST FREED THEM AND EVERYTHING IS SO EMOTIONAL AND Nehemia just lifts her chin and she says

“I meant what I said. You are not property. Go. Run. Run far away from here. Be free”

Free. That word is so POWERFUL TO THESE MALES AND EVERYTHING IS SO EMOTIONAL AGAIN and Fenrys and Connall just share and look and they place their hands on Nehemia’s shoulders and Connall smiles AND THE TWINS TAKE TURN SPEAKING

“We will help you-”

“-Get your country back”

“To show our thanks”

“And gratitude”

And they don’t bow to Nehemia. NAH THEY ARE EQUALS IN EVERY WAY AND THEY AREN’T MATES. IM SHOCKED. HOW GLORIOUS. Nehemia bows her head and they bow their heads and that’s it. There it is. The beginning of the best friendship.

The twins move to STAND ON NEHEMIA’S SIDES, NOT BEHIND HER, THEY ARE DONE BEING PROPERTY, BEING CHAINED, BEING CONTROLLED and Nehamia smiles, and she looks at the other males.

“It’s your choice. I will not force this on you. Run, be free, or help me”

For Rowan, the choice is easy. Not because he loves her. But because THIS H U M A N stood up against M A E V E to not only free him, but his friends, his brothers.

He silently stands next to Fenrys.

And Gavriel stands next to Rowan.

And Vaughan stands next to Connall.

AND GOD EVEN LORCAN moves to stand next to Vaughan.

I DONT CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS THIS IS THE MOST POWERFUL SCENE I HAVE EVER WRITTEN IM IN TEARS OKAY.

Moving on.

They all slowly clasp hands and Nehemia grips the twin’s hands gently and NEXT THING SHE KNOWS SHE’S WINNOWING I LOVE IT WHEN THE TWINS USE THEIR POWERS TOGETHER WOW SO POWERFUL, SO GREAT, SO UNIQUE.

There’s just, one teeny problem.

There’s no magic in Erilea.

And that sheer force, or lack thereof, causes all of the cadre to get sick as soon as they land (roughly) in Eyllwe. And Nehemia TAKES CARE OF THEM MAN. FOR A WEEK, A WHOLE WEEK, NEHEMIA TAKES CARE OF THESE SIX MALES, with Lorcan grumbling the whole time, what a buzzkill.

Not because they are hers. Not because she loves them.

But because no one has truly cared for them, no one in a long time. Nehemia, as I said before, wants to rule with her heart, with words, with honor, love, and kindness. And peace. And now trust.

There’s a little bit of teaming up with Aelin because those towers have to go down. And THERE’S DORIAN OH MY GOD. Rowan senses his power first. And you know WHAT, Fenrys saves Dorian. That scene where Aelin and Dorian are falling from the glass bridge or whatever, Fenrys winnows and catches Dorian, Rowan softening their fall.

WOLF KING/FENORIAN IS BORN.

I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.

There’s this amazing moment between Nehemia and Dorian. Dorian is scared of his new powers, of everything that’s happened, he’s only nineteen/twenty, he can’t-

Nehemia grabs his arms and squeezes gently. “Dorian. This is your country now. These are your people. We aren’t so different. I will help you master these powers, but first, we must be strong for our people”

“I don’t know how to rule a country”

Nehemia places one hand over his beating heart, the other cups his face. And Dorian finds himself leaning into the touch. “You rule with your heart as much as your mind. You rule with kindness, with words not war”

Do you know who rules by his side? Sorscha. If you think I’m building a love triangle. Wrong. Dorian will have a boyfriend and Dorian will have a girlfriend, Dorian will have a King and Dorian will have a Queen. WATCH ME MAKE THIS CANON.

Ship name: Sorcha means brightness, so you know what, Bright Wolf King sounds amazing.

“And you” My Queen Nehemia is SPILLING WISDOM. And it’s Aelin’s turn. “You will rule Terrasen. You will be their Queen. Your throne is bruised, bleeding, but it is not broken. Do you hear me? You will clean it up, you will gain the trust and love of your people. Let them know their Queen has returned, and she will not leave them. Ever again”

Nehemia touches Aelin’s beating heart, and cradles her head. “And you, too, rule with your heart as much as your mind. You rule with kindness, with words not war. Do you understand me? We are the future, and we will not destroy it like those that came before us”

SPIT THAT WISDOM, MY QUEEN, SPIT IT OMG LOVE HER SO MUCH.

Gavriel pulls Nehemia aside. “I know I have made you a promise. And my honor means everything to me, but-” Gavriel swallows and looks at Aelin, THEN AT AEDION OH YEAH, OH YEAH, HE’S HERE TOO OKAY, HE’S HERE.

Nehemia’s eyes widen and she clasped Gavriel’s shoulder. “Do not ask for my permission to live your life”

I love the sweet sound of Gavriel being a council for Aelin and Aedion and being very close to them and having time to heal wounds he didn’t know he caused. I love the sweet sound of Aedion and Gavriel having a proper relationship, I love the sweet sound of EVERTHING BEING FINE.

Meanwhile.

THE WITCHES.

Manon has overthrown her grandmother and she’s realized she’s a Crochan. I’m cutting out some stuff, but the point is, THE GIRL IS A QUEEN. The Ironteeth have new Matrons: Asterin, Petrah, and a random Yellowleg.

Manon and Elide? Canon. The Queens of the Crochans. Accept that. Beautiful. Original. Perfect love story. Manon saves Elide, Elide trusts her with her life, Manon begins to trust and care for Elide far more than she’s trusted or cared for anyone else. In love, invented love, I love them.

The Thirteen are the bridge between the Crochans and the Ironteeth. The WASTES IS HEALED THATS HOW THAT GOES.

Fenrys stays in Adarlan with Dorian, and as a result, Connall stays, causing Vaughan to stay. Fenrys becomes a King, as well as an emissary with Connall, so yes, they are free, but they have a HOME not a prison.

They are wild things with a HOME to come back to.

Rowan and Lorcan decide to go with Nehemia back to Eyllwe. Wait for it.

ROWCAN IS CANON SIP ON T H A T.

You can hear my intense cackling in the background at how well this was planned.

Rowcan is the original slow burn, it takes a long time for them to remake themselves and their relationship, Maeve-free. To realize Nehemia will never control them, and they are FREE.

Lysandra and Aelin? Queens, together, of Terrasen.

Aedion and Ren? General Commander and Lord of Allsbrook.

Every last one of these relationships are slow burns because everyone deserves time to HEAL without a significant other HEALING THEM. THEY DESERVE TO HEAL THEMSELVES AND THEN FALL IN LOVE.

These Queens and Kings, of Eyllwe, of Adarlan, of Terrasen, and of the Witch Kingdom, they are the future. Fenharrow, Melissande, and the Wastes fall into line eventually.

Erawan and Maeve were defeated. That’s it. No details. THEY GONE SO IT DOESN’T MATTER.

This is not just a story of Nehemia and the care. This is the story of Nehemia Yter, Queen of Eyllwe, who was not the chosen one of someone’s story, but she made her own story, made herself the chosen one. And the countries thrive, Erilea thrives.

Nehemia Ytger. Redefining being a savior

THATS IT. I hope you guys liked that.

104 notes · View notes