girlfailure

For Maven and Cal but as kids or teenagers

Maven clenched his fists under the table and scowled.

It wasn't unusual. Ever since he returned from the front, he'd barely been able to stand these meetings, the way Thomas' death hung over every victory like ash. It was difficult, having to bite his tongue. It was difficult, having to pretend he didn't care.

Mind your thoughts, son. Mother's voice tutted in the back of his mind, and, as was becoming more common, he couldn't tell if it was her, or his own imagination. Don't let them run away from you.

He almost scoffed. The night before had been an endless string of reminders, an endless string of war rooms and soldiers pushed across the board like chess pieces. In many ways, he supposed they were.

Cal opened his mouth to lay out a new plan, and he wanted to shut him up with his fist. Wanted to let him know the pain he felt inside. But that was not how a prince behaved.

That was not how his mother raised him to fight.

(Also I offer you my heart for the knowledge that the Cal corruption arc Calore bros fic exists)

Thank you for the ask my beautiful platonic wife <3

and trust once I finish the seventh amalgamation, or need a mental break, that corruption cal arc is ON 🙏🙏

From the very beginning of the series, it's established through Mare's perspective how much the Reds are frightened and in desperate need of keeping a job to avoid conscription. In fear of dedicating their lives to a senseless war, they are only discharged if severely crippled, have reached old age, or are sent home in a box (if they are lucky).

While Silvers view it as a rite of passage, as they value strength and power above all else, as seen in how the Calore brothers used the Hundred-Year War for their political gain and personal interest.

With Cal, as the heir of Norta, he sees the war as part of his list of duties. His performance as a strategic general reflects his competence and worthiness as the future king. He acknowledges the sacrifices the soldiers made for the kingdom and understands the trauma that war brings to them. Yet, as honorable as Cal's general view of war is, he isn't the type to turn down glory, approval from his father, and even seek out romantic affections from Mare as a form of reward for his dedication and hard work.

As seen in the first book of Red Queen, Mare watched as the King arranged a farewell party for the young Silver Elites who were going to the front.

Mare was rightfully bitter about the event as she spoke to Cal, since she had personally witnessed so many children being taken away from their parents, Kilorn only had a box of his father's ashes, and the small heartbreaks she experienced each time her older brothers left for the front.

Cal was exasperated and frustrated with Mare's "ungrateful" attitude because, in his reasoning, those Silvers would be fighting alongside other Reds as he led them against the Lakelander army. He weirdly used his plan to drop a sizable bomb on the charging army of Lakelanders (probably composed of Red soldiers) as a way to impress Mare, heavily hinting at his romantic interest towards her (since he got that idea when he saw her fall on the lightning shield during Queenstrial).

Maven, on the other hand, sees the war as a political tool to control his public image among the Reds he rules over.

In the scene in King's Cage, Maven declared that the age of conscription would be reverted to 18 instead of 15, gaining approval from the Reds, who were relieved not to send any more of their younger, more vulnerable children into the warzone.

Undoing his father's brutal policy was not done out of compassion. Even though Maven himself developed romantic feelings towards two Reds, it was simply convenient, killing two birds with one stone that he lightly tossed. He gained public favor and the Scarlet Guard lost even more supporters, while still upholding the same oppressive law of conscription at the age of 18.

When Mare's conversation with Maven on their way to the Lakelands got heated, Maven, starved of affection and having made numerous attempts to form a relationship with Mare, momentarily snapped and demanded she thank or praise him for his cunning. Mare was highly aware of how little effort or consequence Maven had to face in changing the age of conscription, so she rightfully gave him nothing.

In response to her silence, Maven retaliates by disclosing to her the reason why Norta and the Lakelands continue the war. Even though he, Cal, his father, and his ancestors could have ended it during their reign, it had many benefits, such as maintaining and expanding territory and keeping the Red population in check.

Mare, being told a rancid truth, tackles Maven, holding him by the scruff, filled with anger and horror, as she realizes the system placed upon them by the Silver Elites does not exist to simply make Reds suffer and Silvers stay on top, but it ensures that the Silvers will always benefit on the backs of the Reds, living or dead.

i read Cal’s character as the sort of guy who was able to easily express authentic emotions. Cal’s the opposite of self-repression, at least to me. he’s canonically earnest and genuine, so i don’t picture him having a difficult time expressing a wide range of emotions if he happens to feel them coming. that also includes anger, frustration, or irritation. if he feels it in that moment, he’ll express it. Using whatever words or actions he can at the moment, even if it might offend someone else

Maven, on the other hand, is a masterclass at keeping shit to himself and then, as toxic as this is, lets out his emotions when it all piles up into this mountain of frustration. we see this canonically throughout… the whole series 😭

- She grew up with siblings. They were poor and often had to divide meals as kids. Because of this, she really could care less about splitting food. As long as she has enough for herself, yeah 🤷🏼‍♀️ you can have a few bites 🤷🏼‍♀️

- And Cal wants those few bites. When she's eating something he's curious about or he thinks looks good, he'll subtly hint to it: "Oh, I've never had that before" "Does that taste artificial?" "That looks good" and she will automatically gather a bite on her fork to give him, not blinking an eye

- In their house, they have a family picture with all of the Barrows plus Julian and Sara all in one group.

- Both like reading (not as much as probably most of us, but they do always have a current read and like to talk about them) and will sometimes spend the night reading with each other before bed. They also once buddy-read/listened to an audiobook, where they would play it whenever they were in the car or cleaning together and they would just share an airpod

- The first time the Scarlet Guard saw Cal outwardly show physical affection to Mare was when he was jealous, and pulled her in by her waist and held her in a hug like that during a conversation

- He noticed a significant number of women in the guard wearing hair ties around their wrists and asked why they had it there

- He's knowledgeable about periods, because he probably took multiple health classes and he was basically raised to be a dad and wanted to take a child development course, but for some reason it never clicked why women would like to take their bags to the restroom with them. He assumed it was to avoid it being stolen

- He didn't know what a lip liner was

Child Cal: Wow, I'm so excited to get married to my soulmate and raise a family together with her and get a little cottage in the woods maybe with no responsibilities other than our happy little life

Tiberias: Uh, yeah about that. You're going to be forcibly married to someone at 19 who you despise and you won't get to choose who it is, then your child will be determined by the council when you have it and then they will be watched and trained to inherit the crown that you have no choice in having. You'll just get it one day and then you will have to make every decision for the kingdom all on your own.

Cal: What

Tiberias: And there's no way to get out of it because your mom and I signed over a deal with the high houses dooming you to this fate that you will grow to despise. Lol, sorry.

Fuxk it,original colter concept IM BAWLING

Do you think Julian ever saw himself as Cal's "father figure"? Obviously he had Tiberias, but Tiberias wasn't exactly the fatherly type as he was more of a guide and just kind of a "here and there" presence after they lost Coriane. Julian, though, I feel like would have absolutely raised Cal on his own (maybe with Sara) if it came to it. And just by them being so close, do you think Julian in his own way saw himself as the main role model for Cal, as if he were his father instead of Tiberias? Or in a way was there kind of a distance between him and his nephew that they were trying to ignore?

(no pressure to answer super in depth by the way, I just love talking about Jules and would love a second opinion :)

HELLO!! i agree, Julian gets wayyy too little love from the fandom, he deserves so much more hype! I think he definitely saw himself as a father figure of sorts for Cal. I don't think Tiberius ever really engaged in very fatherly actions and affections, rather ensuring Cal was properly trained and taught to be a good future King and General to the armies. Maybe when Julian saw this he knew that it wasn't the life that Coriane was hoping for him to lead at all, so he felt that it was necessary for him to step in and be a figure that Cal could depend on in that way.

Especially since Elara was the closest other 'family' Cal had at that point, and she wasn't any better than his father. Julian felt that it was important to make sure that Elara didn't get her claws into Cal the way she did into Coriane, which I would believe would be another motivator into why he decided to take on that role for Cal.

But I do think that Julian considered himself more of a father figure - or at least a better one - to Cal than Tiberius was. I really like the idea that he and Sara both helped take care of Cal, it would make a lot of sense and it was definitely in character for them. Though I do know that they probably had a chasm between them that strained their relationship in a way. Cal wanted to impress his father by being a ruthless, strong General while Julian didn't want that at all. I feel like that fact alone would prove to be one of the biggest stoppers in their relationship at that point, regardless of how hard they tried to ignore it.

But I do enjoy the idea that Julian and Sara helped take care of Cal in a way nobody else did. It would explain why Cal is really nothing like his father at all.

post-war storm Cal must hate seeing chess boards in general because it reminds him of Maven too much. which really sucks because he liked playing a whole lot. but it's not the same without Maven. . .

i wonder if he perhaps has scents that he connected to Maven in the castle, too. like whenever his kids in broken throne want a grilled cheese, or if he smells something while in the markets that he has a distinct memory of his brother connected to it. i like to think that whenever it happens he just becomes quiet and tries not to think about it too hard.