#i am a cassian stan pre-acosf

[gwandas]

Hey! I saw your Nessian commission and I think it’s beautiful art. I was wondering what your stance is on Nessian because I found it intriguing. I know you’re very Cassian critical (me as well). How do you manage it while still holding love for and engaging with the ship? I have a hard time doing it (as a former nessian shipper) and it made me wonder. What parts of Nessian do you enjoy, what makes it still worthy of love, what do you wish for them in the future? Such interesting topics.

Anyway love your blog have a nice day!

Hello!!

Uh honestly I don't love it 😅 and even pre-ACOSF I was neutral on both the ship and Cassian as his own character. The extent of me engaging with it is reblogging art where I think she looks hot. I commissioned that piece because I'm a big fan of that particular artist's versions of both Cassian and Nesta and I wanted to participate in a Nesta-centric event.

The redeemable parts of canon!Nessian to me are all Nesta. I'd even say all the way back in ACOMAF she was doing all the heavy lifting to make the ship look good (@ae-neon wrote this post on pre-ACOSF Nessian that I think summarizes it perfectly). I've never once doubted that she loves that man. His POV feels very empty to me compared to hers. At the end of the day, she's stuck with him, so when I'm in an optimistic mood I'll try gaslighting myself into liking it 👍🏾 it's hard though when I was never obsessed with the ship in the first place. Like, I barely read fanon!Nessian because I'm not clinging onto what the stans wished it was (and because I'm picky and can't read fics where he's the exact opposite of who he is in the book. I basically only read the post-ACOSF/HOFAS fix its where there are some consequences for canon events)

I am pretty optimistic about the Ember and Randall chapter leading to some sort of reckoning for them. Although what gives me pause is that they're probably not getting another book, so I'm not confident SJM would write something as dramatic as Nessian temporarily being apart or whatever from another character's POV. I don't know. It's the only reason I'm interested in her finally announcing what the next book will be about because I'm hoping? It'll give us some clarity on what direction Nessian is going in? It's funny because after ACOSF I was ready to move on because I assumed SJM would pull her usual move and just make them randomly healthy going forward after the atrocities committed while getting together but then she wrote HOFAS which both pissed me tf off but also gave me an ounce of hope for some actual growth for Cassian who has been the exact same guy as when we were first introduced to him but like I said that all depends on what the next book is. My Roman Empire is SJM saying her reaction to rereading ACOSF was "wow I was really mean to myself back then" which made me go HUH like,,, should I get my hopes up that she sees something wrong with what she wrote? Maybe! The HOFAS bonus chapter makes me think there's a chance.

TLDR I'm not just Cassian critical I hate his ass but she's stuck with the guy so I'm willing to make the best of it.

[gwyns]

“The lightinger theories that most of you hate at least give her some purpose or plotline. There's nothing she could bring in while having the whole Koschei storyline.” - “Vassa has more reason to get her own book before Gwyn.”

Not once have I ever seen a Gwynriel say that Gwyn will get her own book. It has always been that Gwyn will have the other pov of Azriel’s book. No one is saying that Elain isn’t getting a book. She is, it’s been confirmed. It’s funny how they scream she’s not important and secondary character (as if Elain isn’t too), but claim that Gwyn is evil, as if that won’t take up an important chunk of the book and be an important plot line.

firstly, as the biggest vassa stan on this website (i'll fight any of you, i don't care. i was shipping her with azriel pre acosf and writing fanfiction and i still have my vassas url saved <3), i want them to get my girl's name out of their mouths because they do not give one shit about her. the only value she brings to their table is she's a convenient place to shove lucien and get him out of the way. they don't get her like i do and never will

secondly, gwyn has no purpose or plotline? nothing at all?? not her mysterious autumn court heritage? not her knowledge on other worlds when we just had a crossover because a fae from another universe fell into their laps?? not her status as a valkyrie and the second female carynthian in history??? sure jan!

hot take: i want a gwyn book, i don't care. do i think she'll get one? no, but i do think she'll share one with azriel, just like every other gwynriel in existence. we've never claimed she'd be the actual mc of that book. aaaand just because you don't personally like a character that doesn't mean they won't get a book. also, if gwyn is so boring and useless and has zero plot points, wouldn't it in fact make more sense for her to get a book?? like... isn't the point of making a side character a main character exploring and developing them?? but why am i hypothetically asking them, these are the same people that think having all of your personal and romantic growth happen off page is a good thing

and yes, elain is getting a book. as you said it's been confirmed, for years. sjm even said she had dabbled in writing in elain's pov waaaayyy back in 2019, in the original paperback version of acofas (i'm pretty sure it was this, if not, feel free to correct me!). they're just insecure and in hard panic mode because they know their lil fantasies are at the bottom of the sidra, much like cassian's first solstice gift for nesta

[separatist-apologist]

What do you think of Nessian both ACOWAR and ACOSF? Personally I’m in a very hate nessian(mostly the Cassian part) phase that idk how I’ll ever get over.

Your feelings are valid, anon. I think Cassian was characterized very specifically in ACOWAR/ACOMAF as like, the other side of the coin to Nesta. If Nesta is a solid wall, Cassian is the wrecking ball. He knows precisely how to get beneath her skin because they are mirrors of each other in some ways. In ACOWAR (and ACOMAF to some extent), it felt like Cassian was doing this as a way to get Nesta to be honest- with him but also herself. Almost like a trust fall. It read to me as "I see you for what you are and I like it" and "You don't have to pretend around me".

And it was working. Nesta, who cannot make herself trust anyone, SCREAMS for him, saving his life. He is the only person who can motivate her to help when she doesn't want to. She takes up the role as healer almost in direct conflict to her thoughts of him on the battle field- if Cassian is the warrior, Nesta is a different sort of protector. His soldiers fall and he can bring them to her to be bandaged.

And while ACOWAR had its problems in their relationship, she demonstrates that she is literally willing to die for him, body covering his, trying to shield him from Hybern. It was reminiscent of ACOMAF when, shredded wings, unconscious, Cassian is still crawling across the floor to try and keep her from going into the Cauldron. They literally say "Until death do us part"

And then ACOSF took all of that and said "it didn't mean anything". Nesta is traumatized from the war and instead of finding a way in like he'd always done before, Cassian participates in the isolation in a way that felt deeply out of character. I don't believe for a moment ACOWAR Cassian would have left Nesta to fester like that.

ACOSF shows that Cassian is mercurial and moody and worst of all, DEEPLY insecure. He's had 500 years to deal with being a bastard and yet every time Nesta tries to make him understand how she feels, he throws that in her face or makes it the topic of conversation. Cassian seems hell bent on breaking Nesta done more than she already is, needling her unnecessarily and he gets a pass because men are allowed to react with rage and anger as acceptable emotions but women are not (which is why I think a lot of the Nesta criticism comes from a place of deep misogyny.). Nesta will say something mean "I hate Rhys" and Cassian will not take the high road "Well everyone hates you, too." Imagine hearing Rhysand say that to Feyre when she's suicidal. And we're in Cassian's head, so we KNOW he knows she's suffering. He just gets mad and says whatever he wants, knowing it will hurt her, and he gets all these passes from the fandom because these books are deeply heteronormative and the scripts for acceptable male behavior have been ingrained in readers.

Consider when Nesta tumbles down the steps. Azriel, at dinner, hesitates. "Did someone do this to you?" he asks, glancing at Cassian. It's not funny. We're in Cassian's head for it. Cassian knows Azriel thinks he hurt Nesta. He's not offended by it.

And if that's who Cassian is, then the book should have been them growing to meet each other in the middle. But Cassian's POV exists only to push along the plot and I think that's why he is the way he is. He's there to tell us whats going on with Koschei, with Hybern and Eris and the human Queens. Nesta, trapped in the house of wind, can't know those things so we need a vehicle to see all that stuff but like OH MY GOD who cared about so much of it? Briallyn was another one dimensional villain with no stakes because her personality was literally defined by "do crime" which is not compelling.

I'm writing a dissertation. JFC I have so many feelings. Like I understand why Cassian ended up how he did in some ways. The character belongs to SJM and I know people are like, you're arrogant for thinking you could do better than the literal author but I do think fundamentally SJM did not understand what made Nessian so compelling. They were so different from Feysand, their dynamic was rough and tumble and I think people wanted to see more of the man who joked around with Feyre but also went to war for her on that ice lake in Winter Court, and instead we got the worst boyfriend we'd all collectively ever dated.

And only ACOSF Cassian could make Neris a compelling ship. I think if ACOSF had been ACOWAR Cassian/Nesta, Neris would not exist like it does now