journalofjewels

[journalofjewels]

“Nes, oh Nes. Let down your hair.”

Nesta Archeron and Eris Vanserra as Rapunzel and the Prince. My Halloween piece! Hope you enjoy!

Reference: “Romeo and Juliet on the balcony” by Julius Kronberg (1886)

Speedpaint below the cut!!

[journalofjewels]

can someone please list all of the nasty, cruel shit nesta has said to cassian? I'm serious. "she was really awful to him." where? when she was a human and he came into her home and insulted her? she gave him a dirty look and then ignored him. when he violated her personal space and she kneed him in the balls? she's 20, he's 500+, and she had very recently almost been assaulted by a man. next. at solstice? nesta kept to herself and only after he followed her did she say "I don't want anything from you." how is that cruel? at worst she uses a cold tone with him. that's literally it. she called him a bastard once after he called her a witch. like what are we talking about lol

[journalofjewels]

@ Feyre, except replace bring with coerce and/or bribe 💅🏼

[journalofjewels]

to whoever said this, never insult princess diana like that ever again👹👹🫵🫵

I really saw someone say that Feyre Archeron is “literally Princess Diana”

Let’s not insult Lady Di like that. 😭 Feyre does not give a shit about 2/3 of “her” people, only the ones who live in their special city. She outwardly loathes the Illyrians, and consciously chooses to not thank people who are trapped in the Court of Nightmares against their will.

She also destroyed an entire court by turning the High Lord’s people against him to be petty, even when they needed an alliance more than anything at that time.

Princess Diana was for all the people, not just the inner circle royal family.

[journalofjewels]

New theory incoming:

What if Rhysand is actually Valg? Okay, not a new new theory, but I come with new receipts!!

Bear with me, because once you start connecting the dots, it starts to look real suspicious. Let’s talk about how the Inner Circle seems to mirror the Cadre in Throne of Glass—because let’s be real, they’re all miserable.

Look at how Rhysand doles out responsibilities: Azriel, the shadowsinger with a traumatic past, is tasked with torturing people as a spymaster. And guess what? He hates it. It’s literally the last thing he wants to do. Then we have Cassian, who’s put in charge of keeping the Illyrians in line—an entire group of people who don’t respect him, who he’s constantly battling, and a job that leaves him emotionally drained. And then there’s Mor, who’s forced to keep the Hewn City in check—the place that brings her so much pain and trauma, the place she despises. And let’s not forget that Rhysand gave her the “opportunity” to kill her parents, knowing full well that Mor would never be able to go through with it, leaving her trapped in this endless cycle of pretending and unresolved pain.

And let’s not forget about Amren. Rhysand touts her as this second-in-command powerhouse who has all this freedom, yet he binds her to Velaris and to his Inner Circle. She’s trapped in a body she hates, pretending to be something she’s not. Remember, Amren is ancient, powerful, and she longs for a sense of freedom and the ability to return to her true form. But what does Rhysand do? He ties her to Velaris, makes her part of his court, and essentially uses her powers as a failsafe whenever things get dire. And when Amren finally has the chance to become her true self again, to escape, she’s roped back in. It’s almost like he needs to keep her close, keep her feeling indebted to him, so she never truly finds her own way out. Another parallel to the Cadre, who were always indebted and beholden to Maeve.

So why would Rhysand, who supposedly loves his family, give them jobs that do nothing but torment them? It feels a lot like the Valg in Throne of Glass and how the Cadre was bound to Maeve—stuck in miserable positions, tied to a leader who claimed to be doing everything for the “greater good” but really just kept them all under control. It’s almost like Rhysand is purposely keeping his Inner Circle in roles they despise to maintain a sense of power over them. He creates this narrative of being the savior and protector, while they’re the “necessary” pawns who have to suffer for the “greater good.”

It’s a consistent theme: Rhysand presents himself as the caring, understanding leader, but his actions suggest he has no problem keeping his closest friends in tormenting roles for the sake of his control over the Night Court. They’re constantly doing things they hate, locked into positions that make them miserable, all while Rhysand stands above it all with this narrative of being the “most powerful High Lord” with the “perfect court.”

Sounds a lot like how Maeve ruled over her Cadre, doesn’t it? And if you squint, you start seeing the parallels between how the Valg control their pawns and how Rhysand manipulates his Inner Circle. Just a theory, but the more you think about it, the more the pieces start to fall into place…

[journalofjewels]

"Who'd defend what he loved until death"

He doesn't love Nesta so therefore he will not defend her.

You will never ever convince me this man loves her. All he ever did was affirm her anxieties, he never corrected her when she said she didn't deserve him multiple times and he never says I love you but borderline forced her to accept the mating bond.

He wants a mate, someone to own, not someone to love. He wants his Feyre 2.0, not Nesta

(shoutout to cheekashmeeka for finding this quote💅🏼)

[journalofjewels]

omg yes

It would have been so much better if Nesta and Cassian were carranam instead of mates.

The Lord of Bloodshed and Lady Death as carranam? B a d a s s

Nesta and Cassian as mates? Abusive hellscape

[journalofjewels]

imagine your mate never saying i love you. idgaf if anyone thinks “he showed it” (he didn’t), HE SHOULD SAY IT OMFG

“Cassian says I love you in his own way” ok and it also doesn’t hurt to HEAR it ❤️

[journalofjewels]

THEY ARE SO

||Repost is only allowed with proper credit ||

you can find the wonderful artist here ⤵️

https://www.instagram.com/artby.amara?igsh=MXRsdzRoNjBpOThrMw==

Characters belong to Sarah J Maas

[journalofjewels]

the fact that the first time gwyn left the library after years, she got kidnapped and forced to fight for her life in a forest of men for a week??? hello??? i would not recover from ts

i love her sm 😭😭😭

[journalofjewels]

yippee i just reread the acosf hike

verdict is:

your mate finding joy and humour in punishing you with a week long t0rtur3 hike for pissing off his brother who lied to his own mate and who also uses your mate as a punching bag… is not normal.

nessian just can’t be mates; it literally does not make sense for cassian to act like this.

but then i get so confused because im getting the sense that the author thinks this is good for nesta. (which is crazy i hope she unlearns that)

as a matter of fact, the hike should have been a hug. or perhaps ataraxia in rh*s and c*ssian’s throats.

i could nitpick at those pages for eons, but i cbf quite frankly. just know that i have so many issues with them.🫵🫵🫵and cassian remains unworthy of nesta.

[journalofjewels]

nesta, in acowar: I've been using buckets to bathe since drowning in the cauldron

everyone in acofs: why was nesta such a bitch on the barge 😒

[journalofjewels]

are you telling me we have eris…this attractive man who is an older brother with an abusive parental figure but it’s still trying to secure his family. this guy that is willing to be seen as a villain but is hinted to be much more than his past mistakes.

and he is NOT nesta’s love interest?? when he is probably the only one who could truly understand her??

and instead of ending up with the future high lord of autumn and using the political knowledge she got from her mother (since yk she was being raised to marry a prince) as a consort her endgame is with gym bro with an unhealthy relationship with his boss??

I hate it here.

[journalofjewels]

If Cassian and Azriel's mothers could see their sons in that Ember bonus chapter, they would be ashamed. Thoroughly ashamed. It's bad enough that they let Rhysand threaten Nesta in her own home, but then they see her cowering before him...and do nothing. Absolutely nothing.

It's clear that neither Cass nor Az care much about Nesta's protection or well-being.

[journalofjewels]

At the end of A Court of Silver Flames, Nesta doesn’t truly believe Cassian loves her—she thinks she has to earn his love, that somehow she has to prove herself worthy of it. After everything they went through, she still feels like she’s not enough, like his affection is something conditional, a reward for her transformation or for fitting into the mold that he and the Inner Circle wanted her to be. It’s clear that she doesn’t fully understand or trust that his love could be unconditional, and that speaks volumes about the imbalance in their relationship. She’s constantly made to feel like she has to measure up to everyone else’s expectations, even when it comes to love.

[journalofjewels]

reasons to hate cassian

Cassian saw that Azriel was romantically interested in Mor, felt jealous over it, and agreed to have sex with her knowing it would hurt Azriel.

The first time he meets Nesta, he immediately passes judgement on her for letting Feyre hunt as a child, despite the fact that she was a child herself.

Tells her he doesn't understand why her sisters love her

Bonds with feyre over their shared experiences living in poverty but treats nesta like she's a stuck up rich girl, despite her living in the same mf hovel as feyre (why does he do this ??)

He gropes her in her own home despite her not wanting him to touch her.

He sees her on the verge of tears due to anger and despair when the human queens won't send aid to the humans in Prythian, and then a scene later says "She barely seems to care about anyone other than Elain."

Will not take no for an answer when Nesta tells him to leave her alone.

When they are both clearly feeling something for each other, he still rips his hand out of Nesta's when Mor walks in. Wtf was this about anyways?

He buys Mor lingerie despite knowing Nesta is his mate. This is just weird in general. Also calls Mor his sister, despite having slept with her in the past.

Judges Nesta for not getting over her trauma in a way that is both quick and convenient to him and the inner circle.

Admits to ignoring her claim that she is enjoying the music while he drags her, against her will, out of a "seedy" tavern.

Supports Feyre and Rhys in their decision to forcibly remove Nesta from her home and relocate her to the House of Wind, on threat of deportation.

Drags her to Windhaven to "train" even when she makes it clear she has no intention of training. As a result, she is forced to sit on a rock in freezing cold temperatures.

When Mor basically tells Nesta she is just like her evil father and the rest of the Court of Nightmares because she is mean to Cassian, Cassian does not defend Nesta nor call Mor out on it.

He brings up Nesta's dead father at breakfast because she won't eat her oatmeal.

He tells her everyone hates her.

He watches her fall down a very steep flight of stairs, and then laughs at her. She was bruised and had a black eye from this fall. Cassian thinks this is funny.

Whines constantly about being a bastard nobody despite Nesta only using "bastard" as a direct insult to him one time, and in that same convo he called her a haughty witch.

He is rude to Lucien for no reason. (unforgivable)

Despite knowing Nesta is vulnerable, he fucks her at the first opportunity, even though he knows she uses sex as a coping mechanism.

Snarls and bitches at Nesta when she talks about Rhysand in a tone he doesn't like, even after telling her he can match whatever she throws at him. (He can't)

Sides with Rhysand over her constantly, even when he is in the wrong.

Every time they do engage in some sexual act, he immediately bolts, leaving her alone and confused. Refuses to communicate his feelings, acts like an asshole.

Keeps secrets from her, and agrees to participate in a vote on whether or not she deservers to know about the swords she created, which directly pertains to her powers. He whines a little, but ultimately does what he is told.

When she voices her fear that she is not good enough for him and will never deserve him, he does not correct her.

When he learns of Nesta’s love for dance and how her mother twisted it into a tool to find her a prince, Cassian turns himself into the victim. (this takes skill tbh)

He interrupts the only true canon Neris moment to shove in and dance with Nesta. Will not forgive him for this. Get off the dance floor.

When they finally admit their feelings on solstice and have a passionate and meaningful night together, he STILL leaves immediately the next morning to go hang with his homies and doesn't see her for a week. She is left alone AGAIN. (Begging him to stop doing this.)

When Nesta has finally had enough of being judged by the inner circle, she decides to tell Feyre the truth about her pregnancy. Cassian is furious with Nesta, takes no responsibility for lying to Feyre, and does not react in the slightest when Rhysand threatens to KILL Nesta. (His mate)

When Feyre tells him that she is angry with all of them and not Nesta, he does not tell Nesta, even though it would be comforting to her while she is at her absolute lowest.

When Feyre tells him Rhys is secretly happy Nesta is going to hate every second of the hike, he has a nice little laugh with Feyre at Nesta's expense.

He makes her endure a back-breaking death march in which she is forced to carry an extremely heavy backpack as punishment.

He sees that Nesta doesn't care if she dies, and does nothing to get her away from the steep cliffs. He snaps at her the entire time, even while she is clearly spiraling and about to have a mental breakdown.

She collapses at the end of each day and all he says is "at least remove the pack so I can cook myself dinner." She has not spoken in days.

He works her to the point of passing out. She literally faints, face first, onto the hard ground and he yells at her for not drinking water instead of trying to determine if she's alright.

When she finally breaks down and cries and tells him how much she hates herself, he tells her how much he loves Rhysand as an attempt to relate to her suffering. (fuck you dude seriously)

He does not correct her when she says she is unworthy of love.

He says "there is nothing broken to fix" despite forcing her to obey him and change her coping mechanisms and behave in the way he approves.

When she tells him the word mate doesn’t mean anything to her because she’s human at heart he dismisses her instantly and says "that's bullshit." No attempt to understand her feelings whatsoever as he tries to force her to admit they are mates before she is ready.

Tells her he didn't ask to be "shackled" to her after she says she didn’t get to choose to be fae, and it was forced on her. (it was)

When she calls in the bargain he immediately thinks of a way to get around it. He does not respect the boundaries she sets for herself. He thinks something like "Easy enough command to work around. I'll tell her to word her bargains more cleverly." She says she wants a week alone and the very next day he shows up to Windhaven in order to force her to speak to him.

When he learns she has been taken into the blood rite, after a lot of sulking and one feeble attempt to disobey Rhys, he thinks something like "even if I could rescue her I wouldn't, I wouldn't take away her opportunity to save herself." Meanwhile Nesta is hoping that he will be coming to rescue her.

When Nesta finally saves him, and tells him she loves him, he does not say it back. HE NEVER SAYS I LOVE YOU.

He calls Eris a coward immediately after learning he was tortured by his father, and likely has been his whole life. In the same thought, he acknowledges that Eris was willing to be tortured to protect their alliance and STILL calls him a coward.

When Rhysand is yelling at Nesta AGAIN for helping Bryce save the entire world, Cassian does not stick up for her. AGAIN! (I stg you bitch)

Amren says to Nesta, in front of Cassian, "Pray to the mother that your sister changes Rhysand's mind tonight" ABOUT WHAT? IS HE GONNA KILL HER? And Cassian does...nothing.

"Nesta's mate shifted an inch closer to her, his eyes darting between the two of them, torn. Like he didn't know who to side with in the brewing fight." I hate him so much for this !!!!

Nesta tells Ember that Cassian is "the most furious with me of anyone" WHY? Nesta even voices that she doesn't think they'll kill her. This implies Rhys has yet again threatened her life because he disagrees with her choices, and guess what: CASSIAN DOES NOTHING.

[journalofjewels]

“i’d never harm someone feyre loves. you know that.”

do i, rhoosbloof?

alarming handy that the list of those who feyre loves consists almost solely of rhysand’s friends

OHHHH and lest we forget page 485 of acosf and all of the emotional harm he has inflicted upon nesta archeron (see acosf & hofas)