#balekin

[sunrisewithmist]

"I don't have endless patience" Balekin growls. "Cultivate it" Cardan says"

And that's how you shut someone's mouth, bravo

[praisethelorde]

I just remembered that Balekin was the one who told Madoc where Jude and Taryn's mom was after she ran away from Elfhame. So Balekin's the reason Madoc took Jude, Vivi and Taryn back to Elfhame with him which indirectly caused Jude to kill Balekin all those years later. He would've still been alive if he weren't such a snitch lmao what a loser.

[allergictojoy]

this might sound rude but it's so annoying when people are like "why did they make valerian so handsome in this fanart?" "let's stop making beautiful fanart of locke and show him as he is" "why did you make balekin sooo hot?" like babes the fact that the folk are stunningly beautiful while being tricksters and horrible people is a reocurring theme in the books. yes, they are dreadful on the inside but they meet the beauty standard. plenty of people like that exist in real life. equating looks with morals sounds like a you problem.

[ivycrestfell]

the concept of acknowledging that balekin, a slave owning, child abusing, predator- sexually assaulted Jude, a teenage girl, in the undersea- in one comment and then fawning over him in another 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[azrielsshadows42]

Can we all appreciate Carden's sass toward balekin in the first book?

I do not have endless patience, Balekin growls.

Cultivate it. Carden says with a small bow as he navigates us away from Balekin and Madoc.

- The Cruel Prince, Chapter 29

[astutetwilight]

Cardan, sighing: *looking at Hollow Hall* why is this thing still here?

Jude: it was too big to carry to the British Museum

[yureichi]

I think one of the biggest mysteries of tfota universe is why the hell Balekin told Jude to kiss him. I gaped at my book for a full minute while reading that and at first followed Jude reasoning that he wanted to know something about his brother, but after a while I also started thinking Balekin was kinda envious of his supposedly weak and lazy younger brother that somehow managed to steal the crown he killed the whole royal family to get from right under his nose and he wanted to get back at Cardan and take whatever he could from him, even if it was some mortal girl. But what made the whole thing more strange was that Jude was “glamoured” and wasn’t supposed to recall that happening at all, as he didn’t order her to remember and pass on the information, so in the end it wouldn’t really affect Cardan in any way. And he gave her those pearl earrings that I initially thought were some kind of spying device but then Jude traded them for the walnut with Mother Marrow and everyone moved on with life, so I guess there was some very weird, creepy attraction to Jude involved? Someone get me Holly’s number I have QUESTIONS

[ezziefae]

If Cardan and Nicasia were still together and he had the chance to be with Jude, do you think he would cheat or even leave Nicasia for Jude? Maybe it would depend on when this would happen. Like if he's High King, he wouldn't have as much shame or fear of making his own decisions compared to him living with Balekin in TCP.

I'm asking because Cardan has always fantasized and admired Jude from a distance, even if he didn't realize he was doing so. And the love he has for Nicasia seemed superficial. He got over his romantic feelings for her pretty quickly when she cheated.

(Hiii, sooo sorry for the very late reply)

When reading the TFOTA series, I always think about the "what ifs?". What if Nicasia had never cheated on Cardan? What if she had committed to him and strongly loved him, wanting him and only him? It's interesting to ponder on the potential alternate storylines that could have developed.

I strongly believe that Cardan is a faithful person and would never cheat on anyone, not even Nicasia. He is someone who craves love, attention, and affection due to being love-deprived. In The Queen Of Nothing, he himself admits that love was never a game to him, unlike Locke. Whenever he was in a romantic relationship, he was genuinely caring towards his partner (Nicasia), which was why he committed to her. Nicasia was the only person he had ever loved (before Jude obvi), so it made sense for him to want to stay by her side and marry her. Although, it is mentioned in the books that Cardan had a crush on Jude while he was still with Nicasia. However, the only reason Nicasia and Cardan's romantic relationship ended was because Nicasia fell in love with Locke, and chose him over Cardan. But what if she had not cheated? What would have happened then?

It's a difficult question to answer because even I can't be sure what would have happened. Most likely, the conflict between Jude, Taryn, Locke, Nicasia, Cardan, and Valerian wouldn't have occurred. Nicasia started the drama because Locke left her for Taryn, and she wanted revenge. If Nicasia and Cardan had gone ahead with their plans, Cardan would have stayed away from Jude, and they would have remained enemies. Even if Cardan and Nicasia had stayed together, it's clear that Cardan would have been unhappy living in the Undersea. The outcome would also depend on the timeline. If Cardan was the High King and still with Nicasia, she would have become the High Queen, which would have been terrible for Jude. The story would have ended differently for sure. It's hard to say, but I don't think that Cardan and Nicasia's relationship would have lasted, and they would have been miserable together. Cardan loved Nicasia, but he was so obsessively drawn to Jude that he might have ended his relationship with Nicasia because of it.

It's a tricky question, and I can't imagine how it could potentially play out. This scenario would make a great fan fiction story, so I hope someone writes one day. LIKE IMAGINE THAT AGNST.