As I turned the corner at the top of the stairs, I saw a guard coming toward me.  Aspen.  Even though he was bigger after being bulked up from training, I knew his walk and his shadow and a thousand other things that were ingrained in my heart.

America has this strange habit of assuring us that she can recognize Aspen despite minor changes.  Is this really necessary?  Would anyone really have been confused about her being able to recognize him after a few weeks?  Does the book really think that she should be confused over small changes, and it’s only her deep love that makes her able to handle it?

Aspen leaves a note for her detailing how to sneak out and have a date with him.

Right after a whole episode about how Marlee got whipped for doing just that.

So that whole bit really was just to reset the love triangle, wasn’t it?  Because it sure as hell hasn’t made a difference to America’s actions or perceptions.  She goes on the date and meets Aspen in an empty room in the middle of the night.

“You startled me,” I complained jokingly.

Jee, thanks for telling us, America.  I mean, you didn’t jump, or squeak, or heart-skip-a-beat, or anything like that.  Just calmly reported to us that Aspen stepped into view.  Are you sure you’re really startled, or are you just saying that?

This corridor isn’t checked a lot, but I want to be smart.

You know what would be smart?  NOT FUCKING AROUND WITH SOMEONE WHEN IT COULD GET YOU KILLED.

They snuggle, and America once again gets praised for pitching a fit at the whipping.  Good lord, and here I though fit-pitching was a normal thing that happened, as one would assume over here in the normal world.  Is everyone just lobotomized here?  Are there no fits pitched?  Is that why they think America is special?

They talk about how America doesn’t want to be part of a system that whips people, and its’ better she found out about that now instead of after getting married, and seriously?  Did she not realize this shit was going on before?  Is that because it’s rare or because she’s monumentally unobservant?

And on top of that, all this talk of it being better that she not be part of that…does no one realize that if she doesn’t marry Maxon, whippings are still going to happen?  It’s not like that goes away just because she’s not having to look at it.  At least in a position of power, she might be able to change something.  Fight the system from the inside and all that.  I mean, I said Maxon couldn’t do anything at the time, but that was just at the time.  Over a lifetime, he could change plenty.

Wait, scratch all that.  Someone else could fight from the inside.  America would fold like a flan.

However, the fact that they’re both entirely focused on America and her personal involvement is still incredibly self-centered.

And then they talk some more about how America is awesome and they tots love each other and it’s all sweetness and fluff and endlessly boring.  Then they part ways and make the whole scene just that much more pointless.

The next day, Celeste gives America a magazine article that’s all talking about how the women of the royal family are scandalous.

When Gregory Illea took the throne more than eighty years ago

Wait.  THE Gregory?  The first?  Or is this some second or third?  Their country is less than a century old?  Meaning Maxon is the third generation, at most, of royals?  The country is this much changed in only 80 years?

…I can’t tell if this makes things better or worse.  I mean, it means we’d have to have been pretty fucked up before Illea came about, since 80 years isn’t long enough to change this much.  But then again, if they haven’t been in power long, then that helps the idea of rebellion a little bit.  People started pitching a fit right away, as they well should have.  But on a third had, things seem far too settled to be that young.

Man, this world is a clusterfuck.

The magazine article goes on to talk about how the “lower castes” are too far beneath the royal family and are too crass to be put on a throne.  Then it calls out America specifically, because she’s the lowest caste currently in there.  This would feel a lot more genuine if we got to actually see the upper castes behave.  The only one we’ve spend any time with is Celeste, and she acts just the same as America.  So what’s considered the norm?  What’s the standard?  What are they aiming for and failing to reach?  Fuck if I know. 

Also, When asked for a comment on these rumors, King Clarkson only said

The king is giving comments to a gossip column?  Seriously?  Does he have nothing better to do with his time?

From time to time her interviews on the Capital Report are entertaining, but we need a new leader, not a comedienne.

Fuck yes you need a new leader.  Clarkson isn’t getting shit done, spending all his time talking to magazines. 

I think this is supposed to be unfair and make America look like a put-upon underdog…but yeah.  They’re completely right.  She’s a slightly (only slightly) entertaining clown.

Now America is in last place in popularity, and Celeste and Kriss are tied for first.

However, this isn’t a popularity contest.  Maxon has already made it clear that he would gladly fuck over the entire country for the change to marry America.  This whole bit has no bearing on anything.  It’s trying to drum up drama, but it’s ultimately meaningless, and we know it’s meaningless.  We don’t even have to worry about if Maxon is going to be swayed by this or not, because he’s already told us that he won’t.