#also the way both of them barely think about Amarantha and fixate on Tamlin is really strange as well
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The way trauma is handled (or not handled in many cases) is one of the most blatant examples of Sjm's bad writing. It never stops making me mad.
Each character's trauma conveniently bends around whatever her narrative currently needs, without any regard if it makes sense for said trauma to express itself like that at all, nor if it is consistent with prior characterisations.
Feyre only acts traumatised from Utm when it is convenient for the plot, that being leaving Tamlin and getting with Rhys. All her mental anguish and triggers mysteriously vanish during her stay in the Night Court (despite that place being filled with things that SHOULD trigger her ptsd).
The colour red? It's not an issue anymore. Wearing impractical dresses? As long as half her tits and ass are out, she is completely fine. Never mind that that was literally what she was forced to wear Utm.
This wasn't a real healing arc or a meaningful exploration of trauma and ptsd. This was just a convenient way for Sjm to tell the reader Tamlin=bad and Rhys=good.
She isn't really interested in exploring trauma no matter how often she centers her plot around it. That's why every character whose trauma might muddle her intended story gets ignored. This obviously includes characters like Nesta and Tamlin, but even her favs like Rhys suffer from this. Rhysand supposedly experienced 50 years of trauma, but we never see this actually be explored beyond a convenient pity party and some bad dreams. And both of these only get used to set up the next smut scenes instead of providing any new depth to his character.
#i will always mourn the missed potential of the series if sjm had the skill and interest in actually exploring a real healing/recovery arc#Rhys tells her a couple of times that she is great actually and deserves more and next thing you know BOOM trauma gone#Rhys himself just needs to fuck her once and twice and BOOM his trauma is gone as well#also the way both of them barely think about Amarantha and fixate on Tamlin is really strange as well#this could have been interesting if it were written as an unhealthy coping mechanism#as in they can't handle thinking about her yet so they kinda substitute Tam as a less scary standin to project all their anger and hurt ont#ughh this could have so good#but to write sth like that successfully sjm would have to let the narrative acknowledge feysand as fallible and Tamlin as a victim#anti sjm#sjm critical#anti acomaf#anti acotar#anti feysand#pro tamlin
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