#But yeah I think that the presence of the series’s wish fulfillment elements are heavily felt in the fandom and exacerbates the problems and

[theweeklydiscourse]

Ive just been thinking that it seems like for some people the entirety of acotar is a need for reader, aka Feyre, to get vindicated by the world so therefore get upset when acosf doesn’t do that. It has to do with the correlation of how some people claim to have a Nesta in their lives . What was interesting to watch was SJM undertake the story from the perspective of these so called Nesta people that according to the story are abusive (I say the term loosely because never is it explicitly implied Nesta is abusive people just choose to run with it because of self insert reasons above) and addresses that they are whole individual persons that exist aside from where some have them in a bubble in their head. Wether the reader is mad at said individual or made their peace for this *abuse then that is up to them as an individual to come to terms with yet SJM introduced Nesta who arguably represents these “people” and brings to the table that they should also be allowed to grow and be loved because, as I mentioned, they are individuals who should not be defined for whoever they are in their world. Maybe a tough pill to swallow but it goes to show Feyre is constructed to be the scape goat for readers who refuse to explore outside of this constant victim mentality, who get satisfaction when they find *that guy* that makes the world revolve around them and acosf was a slap in the face when it in fact does not (according to some Nesta didn’t apologize enough). It’s indeed confirmed further when Nesta who has done the most and actually acknowledged Feyre’s contribution in front of all the High Lords is still seen as someone that needs to do more and behave better. Yet still it seems like SJM was only semi aware of this concept because there’s people, me included, that opinionate she failed to represent Nesta fairly by way of what SJM writes under the rug (ex. Papa Archeron’s neglect and Mama Archeron’s sheer abuse towards Nesta amongst other things) and what she chooses to highlight (Nesta was unkind so she needs to break) in comparison to the freedom, self inserty-ish, feelings she allows the reader to get in others *coughFeyrecough* What are your thoughts?

Thank you for this very insightful ask anon!

Examining the wish fulfillment narrative of ACOTAR is a fascinating task, especially when you pair literary analysis with fandom analysis. From the very start of A Court of Thorns and Roses, it is clear that Maas aims for the reader to identify with Feyre as a kind of Y/N figure that will eventually receive a fantasy romance of epic proportions.

In order to reach the height of the fantasy, the reader-identified character must begin in a place low enough to make the ending that much sweeter. Case in point, Feyre seems like the oppressed youngest daughter who so generously provides for her ungrateful family members like a true virtuous heroine. But that is not the case (despite what many believe). On the contrary, Feyre slaves away for her family (whom she dislikes and resents) for little reason other than an obligation she *thinks* she has to a woman she didn’t even care for. The reasoning is foggy, and the characterization even more so. But what remains clear to me is that the overall wish fulfillment narrative relies on the gratuitous depiction of her suffering to strengthen its appeal.

Hence, why Nesta is characterized as a selfish and unnuanced villain in the first few chapters of ACOTAR. The uncomplicated “evil stepsister who’s not a stepsister” approach to Nesta strengthens Feyre’s position as a tragic victim. Because of the lack of context and bad writing, readers can easily fill in the blanks with their own experiences and respond accordingly. Nesta can represent any mean person because her initial characterization is so flat. But…when Maas chooses to elaborate on why Nesta was like *that* during the first book (hundreds of pages later), readers refuse to accept it because the damage was done. She can’t undo the self-inserty nature of the series because it’s already embedded in the text. To add insult to injury, Maas can’t even let hatchets stay buried. Instead, she digs up the same resolved conflicts over and over again to sustain the wish fulfillment fantasy.

ACOTAR basks in the victim mentality, but it is Feyre who embodies this concept the best. By suffering through the cartoonish incompetence of Elain and the equally cartoonish cruelty of Nesta, Feyre obtains her precious role as the long-suffering heroine that will be rescued by a handsome saviour. The Unresolved Textual Tension podcast described it as “suffering/tragedy porn” which I feel is accurate because it heightens the victim narrative and enhances the pleasure the reader-identified character will receive. This is where the satisfaction you mentioned comes in. Our Y/N (aka Feyre) doesn’t need to lift a finger in romance because Rhysand is automatically obsessed with her due to an arbitrary magical bond that compels him to her. Rhysand validates the indulgent victim mentality that Feyre maintains throughout the series (stagnating her character development as a result).

[timona-lisa]

since i’ve been getting a lot of questions about them (and by a lot, i mean four), i decided to compile a list of my old muppet fics that i’m really embarrassed over now. 

note: pretty much all these fics were written when i was in high school and have since been deleted but i think you can still find the breakfast club one through the wayback machine. 

so without further ado, here’s ai’s greatest cheesiest hits:

don’t you forget about me: so this one was made back in 2008 and it was essentially a parody (eh) of the breakfast club. originally the cast was going to be kermit as bender (i know, so fitting), piggy as claire, gonzo as andrew, camilla as allison, and fozzie as brian but then i noticed there weren’t too many fics starring the band so i changed it to floyd, janice, teeth, zoot, and scooter who, now that i think about it, was a probably a better choice for brian.

there’s not too much to say about this one, other than it was a basic script fic with some changes from the original movie to make it more pg and piggy who would show up now and then ‘cause she was furious over not getting the part of claire. (yeah, my handling of piggy’s character was pretty awful but that was before i grew to appreciate her and realize there was more to her than being a diva.) also sam was the principal which was the only casting i can still say i’m proud of.

long way to the top: also written in 2008, basically my since abandoned oc aurie (short for aurora, i think?), a tambourine player and obvious fangirl, auditions for the band and catches the eye of all the dudes (except floyd) and…i’m kinda blanking on this one? i know it was pretty much your standard cheesy wish fulfillment fic and i think she got kidnapped near the end and the crew had to go out and save her from some evil record producer guy. yeah. i don’t have too much else to say about it. 

all sewn up: also 2008, so this one actually kinda brings back good memories, it was a journal fic written from zoot’s perspective with some random observations and behind the scenes antics and it was set during the first season of the muppet show. i remember literally watching the joel grey episode on youtube while working on the fic and trying to capture what zoot’s voice was like back then. there were a couple entries about his relationship with janice and he probably sounded more like a dorky teenager than a burned out sax player but aside from that, it was pretty in-character but short-lived, about five or six entries.

coming of the roads: the first of the giant “epic” fics, set during modern times (modern being 2009), and centers on the band going on a tour around the states and they end up in a town that’s half stepford, half the slums. while there, they find an abandoned baby and take her in and name her melody (yes, i was that unoriginal). eventually, they go to the town hall and try to explain the situation but they get dismissed because it’s run by assholes and it’s in the stepford part of town so they call the rest of the muppet gang to help them and fix up the place through shows and montages and all that good stuff. 

on the surface, the story seemed to have a lot going for it but unfortunately, it was weighed down by a lot of soap opera drama and corny moments. like, there was one subplot where janice was struggling between her feelings for floyd and teeth (bear in mind, this was long before the series was a thing) and there was a super ooc scene where janice and teeth shared a kiss after a show and floyd got all pissed and stormed off stage. (spoilers: it was just a heat of the moment thing and it got resolved within a couple chapters.)

there was another subplot where lips was struggling to figure out his own feelings for zoot and every time he tried to ask what their relationship status was, zoot would be like “i dunno, man” until near the end where they got attacked by stepford people for trying to change things and they spent the night bandaging each other up and zoot was all: “yeah, um, i like you.” if i remember right, i was going to have lips kiss zoot on the cheek but i got told off by an admin that it wasn’t “appropriate” so it ended with a “just bros being bros” hug. :/ 

the last subplot was about teeth and his father-daughter relationship with melody and there were some flashbacks to his childhood and how he spent time between various foster homes and the streets and was able to rise up and become a rock legend. then there was a subplot within that subplot that focused on his relationship with another old oc joelle, who was pretty much a fusion of tiana and esmeralda, and made her living as a street performer. basically, they were childhood sweethearts but lost track of each other for some reason or another and they reunited near the end of the second act. looking back, jo wasn’t as poorly written as aurie but then again, she didn’t have a whole lot to do besides fill the long-lost girlfriend role, hang out with janice, and occasionally make snarky comments. also i love how lips kissing zoot on the cheek was considered “inappropriate” but a heavily implied sex scene with her and teeth didn’t raise any eyebrows.

honestly, besides the elements i already addressed, i think the part where i really missed the mark was the ending. literally everything was resolved by way of plot conveniences. the town got a new mayor. jo became the new tambourine player. melody was adopted by the band but also by jenny and ronnie from mtm. yeah, remember them? they were part of the fic too. i’m not sure why but i guess the story needed human characters? i have no idea what i was on back then.

hit the lights: oh boy, this one’s a doozy. so it takes place almost immediately after coming of the roads (early 2010) and the band are being stalked by this tmz-esque journalist because...yeah, because. let’s go with that. after cornering zoot, asking a bunch of super personal questions, and failing to get any answers, tmz dude starts to trash him in reviews and such and makes a big deal over his shyness. in short, tmz dude is pretty much the worst and he winds up getting murdered in the second chapter. since zoot was the target of his criticism and was close to the scene of the crime, he ends up being the primary suspect. much of the fic is focused on the gang trying to clear his name as well as flashbacks to his childhood, his relationship/s with the band, etc.

so yeah, there’s a few elements that were recycled from the previous fic, such as the flashbacks, zoot’s relationship with his family, another long-lost girlfriend (only she was the victim of an unsolved murder as well) and a reunion between him and their daughter near the end. again, the biggest problem with the fic was it was played really straight and soap opera-ish and there was little room for muppety antics. there were like, paragraphs upon paragraphs of zoot lamenting about the past and it got to be draining after a while. i love exploring lesser-known characters and it wasn’t the first time i tackled zoot but unlike the journal fic, which was pretty lighthearted and didn’t take itself too seriously, this was like an avalanche of angst. also clover (his daughter) was probably the least embarrassing of my ocs but she didn’t have much of presence in the fic until the end. 

i’m trying to think of something else to say other than, “it tried way too hard to be sad and ended up being corny and exhausting.” i did try to incorporate more of zoot and lips’ relationship but again, because of the forum’s weak ass policy, they could only hug or hold hands and the fluff took a backseat to the drama. i was going through some personal stuff at the time and i think a lot of that was evident in my writing and i even based tmz dude after somebody who was bullying me and when i reflect on it nowadays, it’s pretty painful. i think i went through a three year gap when i kinda forgot about the fic and then one day, just reread the whole thing in one sitting and was like, “yeeeah, this needs to go...”

so there you have it, ai’s mupfics of yore.