👑Queen 👑Of Disaster @starflight-ashes - Tumblr Blog

I really really loved Helene's speech to the Empire at the end of the book, the one in which she gets made Empress and I just realized why. You guys remember Blackcliff? Helene used to see thousands of Scholar slaves walking around Blackcliff, beaten, raped, abused, and not only didn't do anything about it, but also never felt anything wrong about it other than a slight discomfort. This is the person who hadn't understood Elias' decision to run away from the Empire, because where her best friend had seen injustice in the shackles around Laia's wrists, she'd just seen righteousness. She had been blinded to her people's crimes by her love for them and that veil got ripped away from her eyes in the last book. While I truly regret that she came to the knowledge through so much suffering, she finally realized that the Scholars are her people too, that they live in the Empire too, that they have a right to live on this land without being forced into servitude, and I'm so, so glad about it. Helene Aquilla went from a person who protested at Livia setting the Scholars free to a person who refused to rule an Empire with Scholars as slaves at the cost of her own nephew's safety (because you cannot honestly believe most of the Illustrian Paters were happy with her decision), and like, if that isn't phenomenal character development, I don't know what is

#THIS #it sucks that Helene had to suffer so much but people also need to understand #She sided with the empire until she finally got to see how others suffered by suffering herself #Sabaa said the whole point of her arc is what does Helene have to lose and what does she have to experience to finally understand #I loved Helene in the last book and that Sabaa allowed her to learn and grow despite the amount she lost #her suffering is a very important aspect to her growth and makes perfect sense and I think more people need to realize that #It’s what makes her development feel all the more gratifying and genuine

poisonredheadedlover

Unpopular Opinion

I don’t mind Helvitas’s ending in A Sky Beyond The Storm. Their relationship always made me uncomfortable considering the first time they meet is him beating her for five days and beating her so bad her father was horrified upon seeing her. It wasn’t a light beating either and her family ended up having to nurse her back to health afterwards.

“Father?” What in the bleeding hells is he doing here? Is Marcus using him as leverage? Planning to torture him until I give up information? “Your Majesty.” My father’s voice as he addresses Marcus is smooth as glass, so uninflected as to be uncaring. But his eyes flick to me, horror-filled.

“Six broken ribs, twenty-eight lacerations, thirteen fractures, four torn tendons, and bruised kidneys.”

Helene was even so traumatized by it that when Avitas so much as moved his hands she would flinch. Then as time progresses he never brings it up again. Never apologizes. Never sits down and talks about it with her. Granted that still wouldn’t magically make everything okay. I’d still find it very problematic but at the very least it still should’ve been acknowledged. That’s not to say he’s a bad guy. As all masks had to do horrific things in their life. So I don’t think Avitas is evil or anything like that. I actually think as a friend he’s fantastic. I do not hate him. He’s done many good things and has been there through some of the roughest times to help out and battle through. He clearly is kind and does believe in the cause he’s helping. It’s just this concept of their relationship is not okay to me. As well as the fact that the reason she caught his eye in the first place was because he realized that she was close to his brother so that peaked his intrigue. They just started off on the worst foot that I can’t look past it. It feels wrong to romanticize a relationship that had started with trauma and assault and try to pass it off as okay cause he ends up deciding to team up with her and be nice to her afterwards.

Its very triggering actually.

It’s just a very sensitive topic for me.

He crossed a line when he brutally tortured her and that’s something he can’t undo. The damage has been done and it took a huge toll on Helene afterwards. Both physically and mentally. It also doesn’t feel right to me that instead of talking about it together Helene just justifies the situation for him to herself so she can accept him as an ally. No matter how nice he was to her afterwards it doesn’t erase or lessen the grief he put her and even her family through. She wasn’t able to feel trusting or comfortable around him for months and not in an enemies to lovers sort of way but because she genuinely felt threatened and would remember the interrogation torture whenever she saw him. I’m not saying this means his character is completely ruined and no one should ever like him. I still like him enough. Just not as a love interest. Avitas by himself? Perfectly fine. But pairing him up with the girl he tortured, traumatized, and whose mere presence had her on edge and would make her shudder and recoil whenever he was near, not so much.

"I wish I could live a thousand lives so I can fall in love with you a thousand times"

- Elias Veturius

#a sky beyond the storm #A Sky beyond the storm spoilers #elias veturius #laia of serra #elaia #the most romantic line #one of my most favorite lines!!!