fandom reblog

Also… what exactly makes her a better ruler than Aegon? People say it like it’s self-evident, but where’s the evidence? Yes, she inherited a financial disaster because the treasury had been emptied. But Rhaenyra still had choices. She could’ve taxed luxury goods and the wealthy like Rego Draz and Jaehaerys did. She could’ve sold offices, titles, or Crown lands, sought loans from the Free Cities, negotiated with the Iron Bank as the recognized queen, melted down valuables for new coinage, or even sold dragon eggs since most never hatch anyway.

Instead, she went straight for the policies that got her the fastest cash while creating the maximum amount of public hatred. The heavy taxes, the bounties, the executions-for-coin those weren’t the only options. They were choices.

She controlled King’s Landing, had the Riverlands, Crownlands, Vale, North, Iron Islands, half the Reach, naval superiority, and seven dragons to the Greens’ two. She had every advantage.

cr. Super_Aburasoba

Literally them:

UPDATE! They found the original photo!

The Villainess Turns the Hourglass was one of my first manhwas. I generally love true villainesses and morally gray female leads, but my biggest issue with Aria is how the author turns her into a Mary Sue and presents her revenge story as justified despite the extremely unfair power dynamic that allows her to win from the very beginning.

The entire premise of the story is that Aria wants revenge on Mielle because Mielle caused her death in her first life. However, when you look closely, that is not entirely true. Mielle manipulated Aria, but she never forced her to do anything. In the end, Aria made her own choices.

For example, if I tell someone to jump into a fire, that does not mean they have to do it. Aria was the one who chose to hurt her loyal maid, Jessie, who was kinder to her than her own mother. Aria cut off Jessie's tongue, cut her hair, burned her arm, and threw her out of the mansion. Aria was also the one who wasted her life chasing parties and men who did not deserve her. She hurt people because of her own decisions. In her first life, Aria was a naïve and cruel girl who harmed others.

What bothers me is that the moment Aria realizes Mielle manipulated her, she suddenly becomes a genius strategist in the second timeline. From the very first chapter, she is portrayed as intelligent, manipulative, and capable, despite not having studied, received an education, or developed any of those skills yet. The change happens instantly with almost no character development, which makes little sense.

Another major issue is her revenge itself. Aria is mentally twenty-four years old, yet she decides to seduce Oscar, Mielle's fiancé, who is only sixteen. If the genders were reversed, many readers would call this grooming. Mielle never stole Aria's romantic partner in the first timeline, yet Aria stealing Mielle's fiancé is treated as acceptable simply because it is called "revenge."

Aria constantly complains about how evil Mielle and the Roscent family are for looking down on commoners. However, Aria herself also mistreats commoners. She abused Jessie despite Jessie's loyalty and kindness. When Aria first met Asher and believed he was poor, she immediately looked down on him. She acted as if he was beneath her and even destroyed the flower he gave her. She assumed that revealing a low social status would ruin his chances with her.

When Aria received expensive gifts, she often compared herself to those of lower status and internally thought about how they could never be like her. She clearly enjoyed the difference in status and superiority. In other words, Aria herself developed the same classist mindset she constantly criticizes in others.

Aria hating and abusing commoners

She hated the Roscent family, but if not for them, she and her mother would likely have remained trapped in poverty. This also makes Count Roscent's decision to marry Aria's mother difficult to understand. He claims he wants to avoid unnecessary trouble, yet he marries a former prostitute who knows nothing about noble society or politics in a world where nobles already look down on commoners. Such a marriage would naturally create scandals and political complications.

The story becomes even stranger when Aria's mother, Karin, cheats on Count Roscent with Aria's biological father while the Count is injured and vulnerable. She does this before divorcing him. Yet Karin is rarely criticized by the fandom for this behavior.

Another thing I dislike is how many readers label Count Roscent as a terrible parent while excusing Karin's actions. Karin never truly tried to build a relationship with Mielle and Cain. She never educated Aria properly in the first timeline despite watching her make mistake after mistake. In the second timeline, she even encourages Aria to pursue Oscar, Mielle's fiancé.

Karin telling Aria to seduce Oscar (Mielle's Fiance)

When Mielle and Cain are eventually executed, Karin shows little emotion. Instead, she spends much of her time focusing on her own romantic interests. Yet many readers praise her as an amazing mother simply because she brought Aria into a better environment.

Taking your child somewhere safer is the bare minimum expected of a parent. Once Karin married Count Roscent and became Mielle and Cain's stepmother, she also had responsibilities toward them. What confuses me is that many of the same readers who praise characters like Mildred from I Raised Cinderella Preciously and Shuli from A Stepmother's Märchen for being loving stepmothers excuse Karin for doing almost nothing.

People often argue that Mielle should have tried harder to get close to Karin. But Mielle was a child. It is completely normal for children to feel distant from a new stepparent, especially one who makes little effort to connect with them. Karin was the adult and should have taken responsibility.

In the end, Mielle begins the story as a thirteen-year-old girl and is labeled the main villain, while the adults who truly shaped the situation receive far less criticism. The real villains were arguably Count Roscent, Karin, and Emma, Mielle's nanny, who heavily influenced and manipulated her.

If Mielle is considered foolish for falling for Aria's schemes, then Aria was equally foolish for falling for Mielle's manipulation in the first timeline.

The revenge itself feels extremely unbalanced. Aria is mentally twenty-four years old, possesses knowledge of the future, and has a magical hourglass. Mielle is a thirteen-year-old child. This is hardly a fair battle.

Aria constantly claims to hate Mielle, yet she gradually becomes just like her—and in some ways even worse. What is the point of revenge if you end up becoming the person you despise?

I also do not find Aria particularly intelligent. The story often makes other characters act foolish so she can appear smart. Lady Isis was one of the few genuinely intelligent characters, but she was removed from the story relatively early. It often feels as though any woman who opposes Aria must either lose, be humiliated, or die.

Aria's treatment of Sarah is another example. Sarah was kinder to Aria than Karen ever was, yet Aria initially viewed her primarily as someone she could use for her own goals.

Another reason Aria feels like a Mary Sue is her beauty. The story repeatedly emphasizes that she is the most beautiful and attractive girl in the empire at fifteen years old. Nearly everyone falls for her charms, and her appearance frequently solves problems for her. She rarely faces meaningful challenges because the narrative constantly favors her.

Meanwhile, Mielle is pushed into madness and ultimately tortured before her death. While Mielle certainly did terrible things, the punishment Aria inflicts feels excessive.

Asher is also a weak male lead in my opinion. Much of his personality revolves around liking and protecting Aria because he finds her interesting. Aria herself only becomes seriously interested in him after learning that he is a prince and wealthy. The childhood-friend reveal later on feels unnecessary.

I also dislike the revelation that Aria is secretly of noble blood. It undermines one of the story's original themes by suggesting that she was special by birth all along.

The subplot involving Aria's children traveling back in time to save her also feels unnecessary. Even worse, Aria treats her daughter coldly and harshly before realizing who she is. Regardless of the circumstances, it is difficult to understand why anyone would behave that way toward a child.

Aria threatening Bliss

Overall, my biggest problem with The Villainess Turns the Hourglass is that it presents an extremely one-sided revenge story. Aria is given every possible advantage: future knowledge, a magical hourglass, beauty, wealth, noble status, and powerful allies. Meanwhile, her main opponent is a manipulated thirteen-year-old girl.

And both are victims of patriarchy and men.

Sold as a slave by her father as a child.

Used by Alan and later got abandoned after getting pregnant by him.

Her relationship with Sovieshu matches with Ophelia and Hamlet in many ways. He was her first true love. Ophelia gave Hamlet her virginity, While Rashta pretended to be a virgin with Sovieshu, she gave Sovieshu her heart for the first time in her life. And when she found out, he doesn't really love her, that's when everything started the crumble down. That was the last thread that was holding her down to sane world. She was already inching towards madness after her first pregnancy, than being separated from her second baby (we saw her singing like a mad woman with a doll). She already lost her mind but the illusion of Sovieshu's love for her, was holding her down but when he denied of ever loving her, her world crumbled down. Both her and Ophelia suffered from erotomania, and their sexuality plays a big role in their lives.

Ophelia wasn't tormented by her father or brother like Rashta. Rashta was tormented by her former slaver owner lotteshu before and after her becoming the empress. The man that traumatized her from her first pregnancy. But Rashta followed his orders out of fear, Ophelia followed them out of obedience and trusting their judgment. Ergi kinda plays similar role to Polonius and Lesertas. Both parties using women to profit from their targeted man (Sovieshu, Hamlet).

Ergi also misguiding her, laying traps for her and ultimately playing a big role in her down fall. Ergi also somewhat carries the role of Hamlet (disdain for women and their frailty)

All of her biggest offenders and helpers were men. There was no significant woman's touch in her life. Due to patriarchy, women were portrayed as her biggest enemies supported by Lebetti's actions, noble women looking down on her and men's treatment towards because of her beauty and women feeling threatened by it.

She was isolated from women surrounding her.

And when the only woman that tried to help her (Aryan), Rashta was already driven mad, paranoid by the men in her life and she committed a horrible thing.

Her death is equally tragic like Ophelia. Ophelia's death is debated between accident and suicide. But both of their deaths were influenced by the tragedy surrounding her.

Ophelia is loved, because she's a perfect victim. She doesn't stand in the way of the protagonist like Rashta. Even though Ophelia spied on Hamlet, following her father's order, she's still loved (rightfully so).

But Rashta is hated both by the narration and readers because she's not a perfect victim and she stands in the way of protagonist.

She's not a submissive character like Ophelia, rather she bites back, lashes out, acts like the monster they created.

I'm not saying Rashta and Ophelia are same but they're both victims of patriarchy. And both faced tragic ending because of it.

(This needs broader discussion and explanation but that's for another day).

I wonder how the story would feel if it started from Rashta's childhood and ended with her death. A grey protagonist with unstable mind, a narration that doesn't excuse her behavior but doesn't vilify her either. I think if some author that has a good grasp on human nature and isn't narrow minded, can do justice to Rashta's character or a write a character inspired by her.

Navier is Slavier

(for condoning and befriending Rashta's abusive slave owner Lebetti)

Heinrey can be Heinazi

(commits war crimes and actively harms literal children by stealing their magic)

She is not perfect, i know but she is villanized FOR TRYING TO SURVIVE and having trauma responses! She is by far the most complex and interesting character of the manwha and i love her for that!

So for that there's my option of how to call these pieces of shit🥰

Navier:

Namid(because all her character is the representation of a mediocre writing).

Napologist(because she always enables/forgives horrible crimes against people in a low position of power/that dosen't agree with her).

Trashvier(because all her writing and arc is trash).

Heinrey:

Heinous(because he is rotten inside).

Heitler(do i need to explain his war crimes?)

Vilerey(because his actions are nothing less than absolute vile).

Sovieshu:

Sopedo/diddyshu(because his whole relationship with rashta is so depredatory and icky, specially seeing how he treats her like a child).

Shitshu(because his whole existence should be considered crap).

Sovierat(because he is nasty as a rat).

Some honorific mentions!

Kaufman is kaufmigajero/kaufcrumber(where i came from the word migajero(crumber) is used as a despective word to refer to someone who does plainly stupid things to get attention or validation from someone they love, like picking crumbs of affection and hold into those to keep trying to pursue them romantically).

No one and I mean NO ONE will ever make me hate my girls.

Yes, Viserys was an idiot to remarry. No, it didn’t matter if he had married Laena—Corlys’ greed made Otto look like a saint. Unlike the book, Rhaenyra was old enough to be married off and have children of her own; remarrying with enough children to populate a new house was Viserys’ own greed and pride. Blame Viserys for Rhaenyra’s inevitable downfall

Yes, naming Aegon heir would’ve solved a lot of issues. Namely, the fact that literally no one would have contested that claim. Not even Rhaenyra, who spent her entire life up Aemma’s death as conveniently not-the-heir.

No, naming Rhaenyra queen and abdicating while he was alive would not have stopped the Dance, merely pushed it down a generation. Y’all seem to keep forgetting that Jace and Co are very obvious bastards; if not Aegon v Rhaenyra, it would be Aegon v Jace or Jace v Aegon the Younger v Jaehaerys

No, Jace’s reign was not secured or safe. Again —> very obviously a bastard, surrounded by what’s going to be dozens of white-haired sons and daughters. Ntm, I doubt the many lords would let him rest easy for it. A very harmful precedent there

No, Jace and Helaena would not have been enough. The claim to contest are Aegon and his brothers’, which still exist even if Helaena married Jace. Aegon and Baela would’ve been the better option, but that would only work if Baela were to inherit Driftmark—and we all know Rhaenyra would never allow it.

No, it really doesn’t matter that Aegon was a mediocre-to-bad king. Viserys was a shit king, Rhaenyra was a shit queen, Daemon would’ve been terrible—they all sucked. The Council matters way more than the king does, and the Black Council as it stands are all fucking morons. Jace has the most sense there and he’s 16; that’s how bad it is

Rhaenyra’s not exactly the pinnacle of genius. Girlie’s also stupid as fuck, because for someone who does want to rule and knows that her rule is constantly contested on, she decides to run away and do nothing for close to seven years. Might as well hangup the claim and the crown, for all the effort she placed into securing it. Which was basically none. Maybe start by not having such obvious bastards, or marrying the man you were named heir to keep away from the crown and producing even more bastards.

Ever since seeing @ztudiolaire 's Orryx as a slay Slayer, I think of a stupid joke I made, about Bhaal being so impressed by his baby boy.

Bhaal never looked more manic :} Call me delusional, but if that man wants me to bear a thousand Bhaalspawn, I would. Sorry. Overshared a bit there.