[ongentlegirl]

lissa deeply values the opinions of the advisors she trusts and cares a lot about making sure she takes the perspectives of those her decisions may effect into account – for example if she’s making a degree that affects the lives of dhampirs and/or the lower class, she knows she can’t expect to know how it will affect them on her own. she understands that as a royal and an extremely powerful and privileged one at that that her perspective is limited even if her intentions are good and while this doesn’t mean she makes perfect choices all the time, especially early on in her reign, she really does make an effort to hear from those around her who have different experiences than she does and that the people she listens to aren’t all of the same or of similar status as her. when lissa becomes queen there are a lot of royals trying to get close to her and offer their advice, and this is a really difficult thing for her to try and navigate – who is really trying to help her, whose intentions are pure, who like her may not be able to see beyond their own privilege. beyond that, after all the betrayal she’s faced she’s dealing with quite a bit of paranoia and having difficulty trusting people, which can make it all even murkier. 

it can be tempting to listen to royals who seem to genuinely want her to do well, especially because she becomes queen in such a tumultuous time and without the support system other candidates would have had or the preparation – she never planned to be queen so she has very little time to adjust to the idea of being queen or what that means she’s giving up let alone the actual reality of being queen, she’s just graduated high school, etc. laura @outlivespast and i determined that one of the first things lissa would have to do is execute tasha ozera, who despite her crimes is christian’s only immediate family left alive and someone he regards as a parent, and for the foreseeable future that leaves their relationship in tatters to put it lightly, so in addition to everything else.... lissa’s lost the person who has been a large source of stability for her. the person she 100% planned to marry and have children with someday. 

all of these factors mean lissa feels extremely unprepared and out of her depth not to mention in an incredibly fragile mental state, so it would be easy to want to latch onto the first source of guidance that she can find. after all, she’s only eighteen. she’s had no form of higher education and she has far fewer years of navigating the political scene under her belt than most of the people crowding around her trying to shape her into their version of a good queen, but ultimately lissa knows she needs to know more about the people whose lives she’s impacting, and that listening to the people who have allowed and contributed to such a corrupt system being in place is going to do the exact opposite of what she wants. lissa wants things to change for the better, for dhampirs and non-royals to have the same rights and protections that royals do, and she isn’t going to achieve that this way. but.. she’s still really lost and out of sorts and in a horrible place emotionally because of all of the upheaval in her life. she doesn’t have a family to look to for support or guidance and she doesn’t feel like she’s earned the title of queen; it feels like something that fell into her lap and even though she’s far more progressive than any of her opponents and sees the necessity of that, it doesn’t make her feel any less guilty about the events that transpired to get her here. 

it’s not until she begins to build a friendship with @lingeringscars’ bellamy blake – who is head guardian of her #protection squad in our canon – that she begins to feel steadier. bellamy gives her a look into the lives of people much different than her in terms of privilege as well as being a great source of emotional support and safety for her. he also becomes one of her most valued advisors even though the council would probably throw a fit if they knew she was basing policies off of the opinion of a dhampir. she often looks to him for advice and guidance and considers him a part of her family as well as one of the people she can depend on to give his honest opinion and be straight with her. 

he has a great deal of influence in that sense and even if she doesn’t agree with him she’ll always hear what he has to say with an open mind and a great deal of respect. she considers him to be a large part of why she’s made it this far – both because of his friendship and because he was one of the first, if not the first person, that she felt she could talk to without him having any kind of agenda or trying to steer her in some way. when she felt really lost and didn’t know what to do she could ask him for his opinion and get a different perspective and trust that he was being honest. that meant a great deal to her especially during this time when it was so hard for her to trust people and find someone genuinely trying to help her. i consider him to be a permanent part of her canon and will likely refer to him in any verses / interactions that take place after she becomes queen. 

[skrillss]

Oh, god, and now you’re quoting Christian?

[ongentlegirl]

hogwarts primaries and secondaries quiz

you might be a hufflepuff primary.

hufflepuff primaries care about fairness and loyalty. they stick by things. they step up even (or especially) when things are hard and when they don't want to. they don't prioritize ideals or people just because they like them better or because a shiny ideal makes them feel nice. it's not about feeling good, it's about trying your best.

if a hufflepuff values people, then they value all people and they try to do it equally. they value community. many hufflepuffs bond to groups (rather than solely individuals). they value fairness because no person is more worthwhile than any other, no matter if the hufflepuff likes some people better than others. they feel best when they give everyone that fair chance. even directly wronged, a hufflepuff will often give someone a second (or fifth) chance.

they often dislike confrontation, valuing stability, camaraderie, and peace. they might not always speak up or rock the boat, but they'll show up, they'll act, and they'll stand by the people who need it.

i don’t think lissa is burned, but i do think she embodies certain aspects of a burned!hufflepuff when especially traumatized or in survival mode:

a burned hufflepuff can look a lot like an unburned slytherin: a small, close-knit community of friends and family who they will do anything for; someone who doesn’t hold themselves responsible for the plights and struggles of strangers. a burned hufflepuff has shrunk their circle of responsibility down to a manageable level. however, while that set-up is morally satisfying to a slytherin, a hufflepuff who has burned feels selfish when they abandon people who need them in order to prioritize the people they love most.

when lissa is at her most stressed, it can be very tempting for her to shrink her circle around the people that she loves the most – usually rose. in book 1 when she’s at a particularly low point, she turns to rose with a laser-like focus. she puts everything she has into reversing the damage mia has done to her reputation and retaliating and does so at the expense forming or preserving any other genuine relationships. she can’t focus on other people, just rose – the only family she has left, the only constant in her life, the one person who makes her feel safe. it’s not how she wants to live, though – it’s not who she is deep down, and she feels guilty doing so. 

you might be a hufflepuff secondary.

hufflepuff secondaries invest themselves into their world with service and support. when things turn out well for a puff it often comes as a result of those old investments culminating and giving back. old debts might raise their head in a time of need. communities the puff has supported or built might marshal to their aid without even being asked. their reputation might precede them, allowing them trust or the allowances that they need. they spend the time and do the work– while a lot of the time that work may be invested in the people around them, it can also be invested in projects, systems, or organizations– and that work, too may pay back in time of need.

often overlooked, hufflepuff secondaries may be handed secrets, access, or tasks of monumental importance because they have developed a reputation that they can be trusted with them. this reputation is earned through a slow and steady process of hard work.

not everyone can see the worth of a hufflepuff secondary. less flashy than a gryffindor, less smooth than a slytherin, less jack-of-all-trades than a ravenclaw, their strength is their dedication. like all secondaries, this sorting is about what a hufflepuff wants to do– not necessarily what they are able to achieve within the constraints of life, circumstance, and health. but a hufflepuff wants to show up. they want to work well and fairly. they want to achieve things honestly and stand on solid ground.

this is what makes a hufflepuff: they show up. they do the work, often for no obvious gain except for the satisfaction of a job well done. this is the source of their power, and it is slowly gathered, not obvious to look at, and rarely spent. where gryffindors charge and slytherins transform, the hufflepuff seems inconsequential and harmless until the moment when they rise up and call on all their debts, secrets, and trust.

[ongentlegirl]

now feels like a really great time to say queen lissa + suits

[twyllodrus]

I’ll never take magic for granted again. Me neither.

[podencos]

[wildblues]

1 / ∞ virginia gardner being gorgeous: tell me how i die (2016)

[thequotejournals]

My sister told me a soul mate is not the person who makes you the happiest but the one who makes you feel the most, who conducts your heart to bang the loudest, who can drag you giggling with forgiveness from the cellar they locked you in. It has always been you.

Sierra Demulder, Love, Forgive Me (via wordsnquotes)

[frodo-sam]

I say we go.

[sixpenceeefashion-blog]

Floral gowns. 

[lyannstark]

That’s the point.

[theliarsdaily]

[unametamorfomaga]

[thorodinsson]

[ihateiu]

[tylerknott]

I will stay gentle no matter what I endure, I am so much more.

Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson (via tylerknott)

[doyouseetheepiphany-deactivated]