anastasia-orlov

[anastasia-orlov]

For books supposedly feminist the acotar series have many problematic elements.The worst and most obvious one is of course Rhysand drugging and assaulting Feyre UTM for her own "good" ,but it's not the only one.There is Cassian,who grabs Nesta's arm, because he can't help himself after seeing her in tight pants.He can't keep himself from touching a woman , because of what she was wearing.The oldest apology for rapists.Cassian stalks Nesta after the solstice party and there is no fault in this,in fact Nesta is the bitch in that situation.Both Feyre and Nesta have important information about their bodies withheld(Feyre about her pregnancy,Nesta about what her body can do).Mor is supposedly a feminist character,but is in fact a pick me girl,who doesn't hesitate to tell a traumatized woman that she would throw her to a place, where women are abused.That's because she's jealous that Cassian no longer pays attention to her,because of her and she can't use him to keep Azriel away.She has let other women, including those related to her continue to be abused at the CON and she does nothing, because she's the only dreamer to be born there.Feminism is not just about women doing traditionally male jobs,like becoming warriors.Women don't even need to do that,they can be very feminine and very strong.Nesta would be strong, whether she wore feminine dresses or Illyrian leathers.However there's nothing feminist in pairing strong female characters with male protagonists who don't respect their bodily autonomy.

[anastasia-orlov]

It has been four years since "A Court of Silver Flames" was published, and Nesta Archeron had part of her journey told. So, in honor of this date, I want to share this incredible art that @polianegicele made of our immortal slayer queen.

Art by: @polianegicele

Commissioned by: @melphss

Characters belongs to: Sarah J. Maas

[anastasia-orlov]

After reading the one billionth Feysand Fan comment of “If you’re a fan of Nesta that tells me that you’re an abuser too and I’m actually scared of you”, I am literally BEGGING Y’ALL to read real adult fiction. Not romantasy, not these nonsense, carbon copy, plot empty, not even good smut, booktok books.

Adult fiction with adult characters with adult motivations and adult maturity. Open your fucking minds to earnestly complex people who fuck up and do good and also do horrible. Open your minds up to the fact that you have no idea what abuse looks like. Abuse does not mean “she made me make sad face :(((((((((((((“ or “she didn’t worship and praise me :((((((((((“ Take the time understand that someone can feel like an outsider, or exist within a complicated family dynamic, without it ever cross into the boundary of abuse. People can do things that are not good or evil, but complicated. They can do something that hurts the protagonist on an emotional or physical level without it EVER BEING ABUSE.

And I know this one is particularly hard to grasp, but could you all, per chance, open your minds up to the mere possibility of enjoying fiction without it being a direct mirror of one’s morality? I know its really hard for you to comprehend, but I think with enough hard work and dedication, you might be able to have the reading comprehension and ability to have conversations with another adult beyond the same level of a 12 year old.

Sincerely, someone has had to deal with real long term effects of abuse and childhood neglect. Every single time one of you screams abuse because a mean thing gets done or said, another one of my brain cells dies.

[anastasia-orlov]

I see a lot of posts that are like “y’all call Feyre selfish or blah blah blah, but she has done XYZ” and I think that is a huge issue with the books.

We have seen her do explicitly selfless acts. She gave the people in her village money and she gave her jewelry away to the wraiths to pay tithe. We are told time and time again that she does these big acts of charity and is a selfless person.

BUT this is all intentional characterization. The issue comes from when you look at her actions later on that aren’t meant to serve as a direct glimpse into her personality or goodness, but moreso just a product of her acting in the circumstance. THAT is when you have criticism of her being selfish or other. When the narrative stops peddling the Feyre is amazing train, that’s when it cracks. When the book pauses on trying to characterize Feyre and moves onto another, that’s when it falls apart. When the spotlight is on her, she’s perfect, but when it moves away and her character is left to act naturally without an agenda for the narrative, that’s when I think you see her true character.

We have a similarly opposite issue with Nesta (I find). Everytime the spotlight is on her, she’s nasty or cruel, but when she’s in the background you can pick out parts about how she’s really not what the main narrative (Feyre’s pov) conveys her to be. Even pointing to Nesta’s arc and Feyre’s actions in it, the book doesn’t try to say that they’re bad, it even tries to say that they’re good, but it still comes off as negative to many because it’s not concerned with making her look perfect. It’s how Feyre would act without the Feyre-tinted glasses.

A lot of the evidence people point to of Feyre being selfish or classist or what have you comes from moments that are not in your face about “Oh look how kind she is!”. And I think missing this really just continues to show that a lot of readers only look for direct explanations of actions or character and take whatever’s given at face value.

What I’m trying to convey is very hard for me to put into words, so I hope you’re able to kinda understand, but if someone smarter than me is able to do so, please do 😭😭

[anastasia-orlov]

I'll never understand how eldest siblings can hate Nesta for supposedly not doing enough for her siblings. As a mother, it is a parents job to take care of their kids. It is not the eldest child's job. One of the first conversations my husband and I had when we found out I was pregnant with our second child was to discuss how to make sure we never parentified our eldest (or any of our children, really). We want a clear distinction in our family between parent and child.

I really don't care if Papa Archeron was disabled. That's not an excuse. I know a few disabled parents who are the sole providers for their families. Papa Archeron just didn't want to. Everything Nesta thought about her father was right, and her hatred of him was justified. This was the same father who turned a blind eye to Nesta being abused and groomed for the first twelve years of her life. How did he not notice Nesta coming home with palms beaten raw or whatever abuse resulted in the scar on her hand? My kiddos get a single scratch, and I go into detective mode, trying to figure out what caused it. Papa Archeron noticed Nesta being abused; he just didn't care. And then he does nothing to stop Nesta from being groomed to seduce older men. He does nothing to save his daughters from starving to death. He doesn't even reach out to family members for help - Nesta does that. He does nothing as his fourteen-year-old daughter goes hunting.

No mother is going to ask her nine-year-old child to take care of the family when her husband and the father of her children is literally right there. It's completely absured. But this fandom gives the man of the household a free pass while hating the young woman who spent her childhood being abused and groomed.

Papa Archeron deserved to die in that war. He deserved to die way before then.

[anastasia-orlov]

I don't know how to explain but one thing I'll always love about Nesta is her accomplishments and how she's seen in the eyes of canon vs how they genuinely don't register to her (like not in a humble way she genuinely just never thinks about)

like she's able to circumvent a high lords glamour through pure strength of will

she then treks on a 4 day round trip through wolf country in the dead of winter to go get her sister back, simply because it wasn't right she was taken when the family has only benefitted from that

this leads into ACOMAF where Feyre thinks about asking Rhysand if he can force Nesta's hand if she doesn't agree to host (daemati powers) and then questions if he could even do it to Nesta

We've got literal gods talking about some Nesta "you're the one the wind whispered about" in ACOWAR

her having the King off Hybern scared as a human simply because she pointed a finger at him

Then there's the king slaying obviously

Then at some point between ACOFAS & ACOSF she manages to deal with her terror of bathtubs through pure exposure therapy and no outside help

Then there's the weapons she made

Not being able to be contained by Rhys at the height of her power (+ him admitting that she scares)

Kelpie slaying, dread trove, pure death etc.

Then there's the mother imbuing her power into Nesta's friendship bracelets? This one was genuinely crazy

Her managing those 10,000 steps that were difficult for even the bat boys on nothing but strong thighs and spite!

This is one I hate but the IC just throwing her at any single man (Helion & Eris) in Pyrthian to get what they want and it working

Holding the pass for Gwyn & Em, murdering Briallyn, stopping time, making a deal with a soup pot, having a one on one with the mother and saving Nyx, Feyre and Rhys in one morning

Then HOFAS she's calling up the dread trove through universes and slaying the wyrm, getting Gwydion and going down as saviour of another universe

This entire moment>>>>>> "Rhys nodded without looking at the warrior, and focused all his fury on Nesta. To her credit, the female stood stiff-backed, chin high. Imperious and unbending. Ember couldn't help but admire her.

Rhysand’s violet-blue eyes guttered into pure darkness at the challenge in Nesta’s expression, her stance. A predator recognizing a worthy opponent—and unsheathing its talons. His hands curled at his sides, as if invisible claws were forming."

Then we get into Nesta's pov and her only desires are to go home to her man, hang out with Emerie & Gwyn, get her hands on a pegasus, read smutty books and eat chocolate cake 😭

I may not like how her story went but I'll always appreciate that this part of her stayed the same

[anastasia-orlov]

the arguments i have with nesta antis saying “nesta saving feyre’s life was the least she could do.” 💀 no, the least she could do was apologize but she went above and BEYOND and saved her, her mate, and her kid’s life. the ignorance of some people in this fandom i swear.

[anastasia-orlov]

My comfort character is Nesta Archeron (she has never known a day of comfort)

[anastasia-orlov]

Tiktok kinda hates me, in the last two days I got so many anti Nesta on my FYP.

And seeing at least few of them till the end got me in to thinking.

What are reasons that I love her so, so much. Like seriously people she is my “roman empire” and she is not even real. And I came to this conclusion.

Nesta might be not a “good” person in the sense of how you portray heroes in the media as a whole.

But she is without doubt the most interesting and best written character in the whole series. At least in my opinion.

There are characters who are likable or a few of them were interesting for a period of time but somehow they lost their emotions and personality along the way. They became somehow empty and hollow. And at least me myself lost the connection to them, lost the ability to feel for them.

Nesta is through the whole series someone who brings strong emotions out of me and to the story itself be it negative or positive.

She is someone who brings conflict and realness. And that I find most refreshing is. She is someone who self-reflects her own persona and one of the few characters who actually feel remorse. Her wrongdoings aren’t romanticized, there isn’t some pretty excuse for it. She did wrong things because she did wrong things, just like that.

She is gray not as “morally grey” but gray like a real human being. If you think about it we as humans are all somewhere in the gray area. I think not one of us sees himself or herself as just bad or evil person. We all have reasons for the things we do.

And Nesta is a perfect character to show that.

And I am sorry but even-though she is a real bitch sometimes and even tough she is absolutely not the perfect “good” person for me she is the only, reason I stayed with this series as long as I did. Like seriously THE ONLY reason.

I love her because she is the most interest in most captivating and the best written character. That’s it, that’s the reason.

[anastasia-orlov]

Nesta Archeron is for those of us with complex PTSD.

[anastasia-orlov]

the intrinsic yearning to just meet up with Nesta at the seediest tavern and be notorious for as long as we please, dancing and drinking and flirting and living down our reputations just chasing the wild night.

Nesta Archeron, u will always be the realist, rawest bitch that ever lived, i love you bby. At your worst, you were still my best.

[anastasia-orlov]

They're really going to make me watch this show, aren't they? 😭

[anastasia-orlov]

The Valkyries

Artist: gonzais_

[anastasia-orlov]

I realized something just now, Nesta Archeron is Doctor Who. 😂😂

House is the TARDIS, bigger on the inside, is able to comunicate telepathically and being alive.

Nesta herself is able to travel between Dimensions/Universes.

That’s my new theory.

[anastasia-orlov]

why do I see people complaining left and right aboout them cutting sokkas sexism arc but not about them completely cutting sokka out of the jet arc??? which in my humble opinion was much more important to sokkas character development overall and as a leader. sokka being the only one not blindly believing jet and his heroic act and instead trusting his instinct and revealing jets twisted morals and cruel plan that could have led to the death of a whole village full of innocent people??? no one???

[anastasia-orlov]

"But Nesta was mean!" Good for her. I think she should've been meaner actually. If you're 500+ years old and you can't handle a 20 or so year-old formerly human woman snapping back at you then you're just a loser.

[anastasia-orlov]

You know what's interesting to me? How many people seem to think that Iroh owed Azula what he gave to Zuko. As if he could have stopped Azula's spiral somehow. Azula had been out of reach of everyone since she was a very young child, and she embraced it! She was Ozai's favorite, and she was proud of that. The tragedy of Azula isn't just that she was a victim of Ozai's golden-childism, it was also that her own hubris didn't let her see that the way she operated was a problem. Zuko's saving grace, aside from being rejected by Ozai, was his natural capacity for empathy. Something that Azula didn't have (which, btw, was not necessarily a fault. A lot of people aren't born naturally empathetic. It's something many people have to learn, but Azula never even tried to learn).

With Zuko, Iroh had something to work with. Despite his anger and hardheadedness, Zuko's nature wasn't to be ruthless. Yes, Iroh was a protective, guiding presence when Zuko needed it, but the foundation was already there. Still, had Ozai decided to keep his son at his side and raise him like he raised Azula, there is little Iroh would've been able to do for either of them. Not only was Ozai their father, he was also the most powerful man in the nation. There was no getting CPS involved. There was no calling Ozai out for his abuse and favoritism. The best Iroh could've done was stay close and tried to do what he could to counteract Ozai's influence. Which, to be clear, would've probably been even less than Ursa was able to. He couldn't even stop Ozai from burning Zuko, and had he not been banished, Ozai probably would've killed him eventually. The only reason Iroh was able to help Zuko was because Ozai had thrown him away.

Another thing is that Zuko made different choices than his sister. Azula's choices are what take her from an abuse victim who needed saving to a villain whose tragic backstory won't stop her from deep frying anyone who stands in her way. One of the biggest criticisms I see of Iroh was that he said that Azula was "crazy and needed to go down", forgetting the context that she had just nearly succeeded in killing him, and that she had tried to kill Zuko just a few episodes earlier. Iroh wasn't there when she threatened her crew with death if they didn't sail their ship through dangerous waters, but the audience saw and did have that context when Iroh said that. If there was ever a chance for Azula to change, it would have to begin with her wanting to change. She had people she could've practiced empathy with. She had people who would've loved her if she gave them half a chance. She had people she could've practiced empathy with. No, she didn't choose to be Ozai's golden child, and she wasn't in any way responsible for his abuse, but she was responsible for how she treated others. Iroh had no chance of helping her because she didn't want it.