#idk it's not quite feysand is it

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

Sometimes, I think about the absurdity of the UTM situation — but then, sometimes I think of it and it makes Rhys a much more sinister, albeit, more interesting character.

Like - the situation is this, initially:

Feyre is in her cell. She frazzled,dirty, but hasn’t quite had to experience any of the horrors of UTM, save for her bargained first trial. After her initial riff raff with Rhys, the guards are hypnotized to never touch Feyre, and she receives hot meals to her cell everyday. Rhys was also able to clean Feyre up multiple times as well. So far - excluding his other actions up to this point - we can characterize Rhys as opportunistic, cruel, but well-intentioned in these moments. I am not asking for him to be a purity princess, only that I can vaguely understand the motives to his actions, whether good or bad.

But then…

He then *willingly* chooses to take her out said cell, allowing Amarantha to remember Feyre. His only tangible reason for doing this was to…anger Tamlin. He already had explains that Amarantha has a shield that wards against physical attacks, so that explaination makes no sense. The only one that actually sticks is that Rhys is…jealous. There is no tactical explanation as to why Rhys would establish this safe-space for Feyre, only to immediately co-opt it. Think about it, at this point, Amarantha has forgotten Feyre even exists. If she was tangibly written, she could have played against Feyre’s time, allowing each trial to take place once every thirty or a fifty years. But I digress.

Anywho, Rhysand removed Feyre’s clothes, painted her, and gave her a linen scarf as a dress. The hot food be gives becomes inconsequential because the wine makes Feyre wretch up any all of the food she receives. She then has to sleep on the dirty ragged floor naked because those were all of the clothes she was given. And as Rhysand is breaking Feyre down, he also has the antidote. Now, Feyre isn’t surrounded by the quiet of her cell, or looking forward to the anticipation of a hot meal. She is anticipating (and more than not dreading) her eventual drugging SA.

The sinister part of this is that — Rhys becomes the author of all of Feyre’s sorrows, but then he also swoops in and provides solutions to the issues…he caused.

And it’s why the music scene is one of the most unromantic moments in this series if you stop and consider EVERYTHING. Feyre is sitting there, alone and naked. Exhausted after being paraded around by the Wraiths and having to bear info she has no power to stop. Rhys reads her mind, and then sends the music into her cell. But HE IS THE ONE who caused it in the first place. All of it. It’s so scary when you consider that Feyre was a human, with no mental shields. She was a legit open book and the book acknowledges that he read it alll. Like - even in Twilight - Edward could read everyone’s mind BUT Bella. She was a closed book for and that made her interesting to him. It built a sort-of boundary between them, which considering everything, was a good literary choice.

Rhys has all of this access, and knowledge of Feyre that she doesn’t even get the pleasure of telling him (or just letting him experience it). Like that moment where Feyre tells Rhys she was scared, and he retorts back “no you weren’t” is like…quite scary. Idk. It’s just so weirddd. And I’m not asking for these tidbits not to exist. I’m saying that the story never considers any nuance in these issues. Feyre is expressing that she felt these amalgamation of emotions upon seeing Rhys, but he just smiles and tells her how beautiful she thought her was. At one point, Rhys mad feyre so scared she pissed herself (or almost did - I can’t remember) and threw up. She was terrified, violated, and afraid. And Rhys knows this - and he never apologizes. I am not against the idea of Feysand, as many may assume, not inherently. My problem is, the sinister parts do not add nuance. There’s no discussion into Rhysand’s control issue, which is wrapped in a self-sacrificing package. His need to do everything is the exact same as Tamlin’s control issue - they are both very controlling. Rhysand cannot trust his inner-circle. He does nefarious things because he doesn’t trust them to do so even though they’re so supposed to be Prythan’s version of the Avengers. He makes Mor the queen of the CoN…but doesn’t actually trust her to do the job. What I’m saying is - instead of it leveraging Rhysand’s faults into a well rounded character, the book would rather just assume they don’t exist.

[potatoplace]

Labyrinth: Dizzy and Dehydrated

C1: Dizzy and Dehydrated | C2

Alpha!Feysand x Omega!Reader, Backrooms!AU

series masterlist | Poly!ACOTAR x Reader Masterlist

Story Summary: You're out with your friends one night, celebrating finishing your finals, when suddenly you find yourself in a strange place, with no exit in sight.

Warnings: mild injury, slight horror (idk how actually scary it is lol), general backrooms vibes - also this WILL be an omegaverse story, but it has no effect on this first chapter

Words: ~3.8k

Author's Note: I hope you guys like this one! I'm sorry there's no update for The Afterthought yet, but I thought sooomething is better than nothing 🤷‍♀️ and I'm rlly excited about the backrooms vibes (and now it's omegaverse toooo ahhh) Lemme know what you guys think!! 🫶 Read it on AO3!

18+ only pls

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The night air was cool as you stepped out of the bar, your friends’ arms linked with yours as you began walking to your dorm.

The three of you had just finished your finals five hours ago, with three of those hours spent pounding shots and dancing together before you’d started feeling slightly dizzy.

So now the three of you were walking home, and thankfully you had your two friends to help keep you from stumbling.

Or that’s what you’d thought, until you reached a stoplight and they unlinked their arms from yours for a moment, the two of them locking hands and cheering over something that you hadn’t quite caught.

The walk light came on and you took your first step, then your second, but it wasn’t until your third that your stupidly high heel caught on an uneven patch of pavement, sending you tumbling towards the floor.

A flash of heat and pain ran through your palms and knees as you caught yourself, just barely keeping your head from bonking off of the pavement.

You expected to hear your friends giggling, and maybe their hands grasping your arms to yank you to your feet and get you out of the intersection.

What you didn’t expect…

Was silence.

You looked up from where you’d landed, squeezing your eyes shut and opening them a few times, confused.

Where…? Where were you?

Where were your friends?

Where was the bar you had just been inside?!

You had to be far more drunk than you’d thought, or maybe someone had slipped you something, and that was why you’d been so dizzy?

But none of it made sense, it wouldn’t make sense that you went from being in the middle of a well lit intersection…

To being in a bland, yellow corridor, completely alone.

You rolled off of your knees and onto your rear, taking stock of your injuries with your still-spinning vision. Your palms were completely wrecked, tiny rivulets of blood dripping from the ripped skin, down your wrists and forearms. And your knees… They were just as bad, a renewed sting with every movement, blood trickling down your shins.

Tears filled your eyes as you looked at the injuries, your lower lip wobbling. You sniffled and turned your eyes to your surroundings instead- surely you just tripped and got turned around or something, right? Maybe you stumbled through a door?

But there was nothing that resembled a door around you, just identical yellow walls for as far as you could see, with occasional breaks for other hallways to join to the one you were in.

You groaned loudly and fell back against the floor, wishing your hands were unharmed so you could pull at your hair. How had you managed to get so thoroughly lost?! The tears finally fell from your eyes, rolling into your hair as you let yourself cry for a couple minutes.

Until you heard a noise from somewhere behind you, your eyes flying open in fear as you bolted upright and looked behind you, only to see… Nothing different.

Great, I’ve been lost two minutes and I’m already paranoid and hallucinating, you groaned to yourself as you forced your body up, being mindful of the way pain bit at your knees with every movement.

As much as you’d like to lay down and cry for the rest of the night, you wanted to do it in your bed, not in this creepy hallway.

And to get to your bed, you needed to figure out how the hell you got here.

You flipped your head to the right, then the left, trying to decide which way you should go. You had fallen towards the side of the corridor now to your left so… Maybe you had come from your right?

A sigh left your lips.

Things couldn’t get much worse, could they?

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You’d been walking for what felt like hours now, your heels long since stripped off of your feet and dangling by their straps from your left hand. The floor beneath you was rough, but it was better than twisting your ankle for a fourth time, or god forbid spraining or breaking it while you’re stuck… Wherever it is that you’re stuck.

So far you’d come across no doorways, windows, or signs of life. Only other hallways that linked to the one you’d been following, with you only taking a turn when you had no other options. It was strange, how the walls and floors seemed clean enough of dust, and the hallways were all generously lit, with not a single lightbulb burnt out.

Surely you’d find someone soon, right?

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You estimated that it was two hours later when you felt it- a pair of eyes lingering on your back.

Or at least, you thought you did.

When you turned around, there was nothing there, nobody was watching you.

But you couldn’t shake that feeling, even as your pace began to slow, your adrenaline and alcohol fueled energy running out quickly, especially as your mouth started to feel dry.

Every few minutes you risked a glance behind you, just to be sure that you were alone.

Soon enough though, you needed to rest. Or at least sit, give your muscles a break for a couple of minutes. You kept your eyes searching for a small closet or cubby-like area for you to curl up in, but after another few minutes of the same smooth walls, you sighed and pressed your back to one of them, letting your body slide down it.

The concrete beneath you was cold, the short and thin material of your dress doing little to keep you warm in this confusing place. You laid your shoes next to you then stretched out, a yawn breaking from your lips as you did so.

Maybe… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, really, for you to take a quick nap? Then you would feel more refreshed, and ready to find your way home.

You’d close your eyes for a few minutes… Just a few minutes.

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You startled awake some time later, your body shaking from the cold. Your surroundings were so unfamiliar, so strange-

And it all came rushing back, how you’d been with your friends and then tripped, or something, and ended up in this yellow hellscape that had no exit.

Your head was pounding from your hangover, and you wishedyou had a glass of water to help with it.

As it was, you’d be lucky to get even a drop.

A few minutes passed with your head in your hands, rubbing the exhaustion from your eyes. Eventually you forced yourself from the ground, grabbing your heels and dangling them from your right hand.

Your eyes darted between the two directions the hallway stretched into, and you thought that you’d come from the left… But you weren’t sure.

Everything looked the same.

You sighed and started walking to the right, hoping that you’d run across another person that could help you soon, or an exit if you were extremely lucky.

The concrete beneath you sucked all warmth from your feet as you walked, and walked, and walked. This place seemed to go on forever, though how that could be possible, you weren’t sure.

You’d been walking for a while, having passed at least a dozen intersecting corridors when you heard a scraping noise behind you. Instinctively you looked toward the noise, eyes going wide when they landed on a towering figure with decaying, leathery wings, the clawed tips of one scraping against the wall it was near. It let out a horrific screech when it noticed your gaze, a sound between metal shredding and a bloodcurdling scream causing you to freeze in your tracks.

Until it began running at you, it’s long limbs carrying it towards you quickly.

You let out a scream and began sprinting forward, running as quickly as you could for the next corner that you could run down, hoping beyond hope that there would be somewhere you could hide, or more turns to help you lose whatever the hell was chasing you.

Fear and adrenaline overtook you completely as you rounded the corner, only to be met with another long hallway, though you could see that it forked a ways ahead.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, you thought to yourself as you risked a glance behind you, your heart stuttering when you saw the creature still following, though you might have gained a bit of ground on it.

You still had your heels clutched in your hand, so if it came down to it… Maybe you could jam one into each eye and kill the damn thing.

As though it wouldn’t be able to kill you the moment you were in shoe-using range.

Your lungs were beginning to ache as you closed in on the fork in the hallway, the sides of your calves burning as you kept pushing forward.

Which one, which one?

The fork to your left was brightly lit, though it looked to go on with no end in sight, or any breaks in the wall that you could see from here.

And the fork to the right was darker, almost like there was black smoke pouring from further down the hallway, and you could only see a few lights along the ceiling.

Almost anything could be lurking in there, even another of the disgusting creature chasing after you, with no sign of slowing, unlike your own body that was so unaccustomed to running for more than a few blocks.

The left it was, then.

You might die, but at least you would be able to see death coming for you.

You veered to the left as you hit the fork, staying close to the wall in hopes that the creature behind you was dumber than rocks, and decided to take the right fork instead.

Your eyes kept searching the walls in front of you, each pass hoping that you would find a small doorway, or crack to shove yourself into so you could let the monster pass by, and head in the opposite fucking direction.

You risked another glance over your shoulder, the creature still following behind you, almost at the fork in the hallway- its eyes were still locked on your form. So much for it being dumb as hell…

Your focus returned to the never-ending yellow walls and concrete stretching in front of you, your breathing ragged as your lungs burned from the effort of keeping you going.

There! There was a small break in the wall to your right, looking just big enough for you to wedge yourself inside, hopefully covering you from the monster’s sight. You flung yourself inside, squeezing between identical walls and going as far forward as you could into the opening.

You tried your best to slow your breathing and racing heart, keeping yourself from making too much noise as you were finally given a moment’s reprieve, even if you may still get eaten if the creature noticed where you had hidden yourself.

Time moved slowly as you waited to either hear the creature run past your hiding spot, or reveal itself in the small opening in front of you.

But neither came.

After what you would guess was ten minutes, ten whole minutes of fear flowing through your veins, you let out a breath of relief. Maybe… Maybe you had actually outsmarted the monstrosity? You waited another minute before you let yourself move, slowly peeling yourself from the corner you’d shoved yourself in, small steps carrying you to the break in the walls that you had slid through. It took you another minute to peek your head out, looking down both sides of the hallway, your eyes met only with yellow walls and concrete floors, no sign of the winged creature that had been following you.

A heavy breath left you, and tears welled in your eyes. Now that you were safe, however momentarily, you felt the overwhelming fear wash over you, and the pain of your now scraped raw feet. You slid to the floor and buried your face in your hands as you allowed yourself to sob for a minute.

You just didn’t understand. How was all of this happening to you?!

You may have been able to rationalize it as a drug trip last night, but today? Waking up, still in this place? It just didn’t make any sense to you.

But it had to be real, at this point. You just couldn’t fathom how.

Once your tears had slowed, you forced yourself to look at your surroundings again, noticing that to your left, where you’d come from, the hallway past the fork was darkened now, similarly to how the hallway you hadn’t taken had looked.

Weird.

You sniffled and wiped your tears away with the backs of your hands, and forced yourself to stand. Your feet were aching even more, now that they’d had a chance to rest and have no pressure on them, but you didn’t have much of a choice to rest, not with dangerous creatures on the loose.

Continuing onward in the direction you’d been going, a heel dangling from each hand, you winced with each step, waiting for your feet to go numb to the pain.

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You were starving, and parched beyond belief when you came across another break in the wall, deep enough for you to be out of sight while stretching out your legs.

Still, you’d seen no sign of human life, though you’d heard plenty of noises behind you that sounded suspiciously like footsteps, but whenever you’d looked, nothing was there. And you’d also had no luck in finding water or food, much to your dismay.

At this point, you might run out of strength before you found your way home, or at least outside again.

You let out a huffy breath as you turned on your side, using one of your arms as a pillow and bringing your legs to your chest. If you’d known you would be stuck in a never-ending series of corridors, you’d have worn a warmer outfit, or at least comfortable shoes.

Of course, you never would have guessed that you would be lost and alone, rapidly losing hope of finding your way to true safety.

You eventually drifted off, sleeping fitfully until you snapped awake.

Something was on you.

You looked down to see a… blanket? No, a cloak? A cloak, made of fur draped over your form.

Your eyes went wide as you looked around the nook you’d gone to sleep in, finding yourself alone, but… This was a concerning development.

Someone, or something had been in close quarters with you, and left something behind. The cloak had been placed carefully over you, it seemed, as it covered every part of you besides your head, keeping your body heat trapped against you nicely.

You shivered as you looked at the fur cloak, dread sinking into your bones.

Was something watching you?

You didn’t waste another minute as you stood, stretching your limbs and wincing as your feet lit up with pain, still raw and aching from your journey yesterday. You almost left the cloak behind… But without it, you were feeling the chill of your surrounding even more, and you were uncomfortable enough as it was without feeling cold.

So you wrapped the fur around your shoulders, letting the hood fall across your back as you fastened the smoothed fang of something into the hole cut through the other side of the cloak. It was a bit long on you, dragging along the floor as you walked and absolutely drowning you in the material, but you felt warm for the first time in a day and a half, or however long you’d been stuck here.

You still held your heels in your hand, as useless as they might be, just in case you needed to distract something, or try to fight back, or… Well, they were just a reminder that you had been having a perfectly normal night.

Your journey continued on sore feet as you left the nook you’d slept in, carrying on in the way you had been going before you slept.

The only changes in your surroundings had started late last night, as the walls began looking more and more decrepit as you went on, with square chunks taken out of the ceiling that made no sense, or holes in the wall that looked to go on the same as the intersecting corridors, never ending.

Today, you pace was even slower, the toll of not having any food or drink yesterday leaving you drained of energy and motivation to continue on, knowing that more likely than not you were going to rot in this endless yellow hellscape.

You took random turns, hardly paying attention to where you were going, and far more concerned with the footsteps that you continued to hear behind you, sounding closer than ever. Yet still, when you looked, there was no one and nothing there.

Your mind had to be playing tricks on you at this point, between the dehydration and absurdity of the situation you were in. You hardly looked back to check behind you now, it was only when you remembered the sheer surge of terror that the horrific monster that had chased you had caused that you dared to look, shaking your head when every time, you were met with the same empty hallway that you had just walked through.

Soon, though, you came across something that had hope blooming in your chest.

Plants.

There was a patch of wall ahead of you that had a green, leafy vine crawling across it, dotted with clusters of little berries. Your mouth watered as you approached the plant, a hand reaching out to grasp the vine and pluck the berries from it, only for the plant to turn to ash at your touch.

Your eyebrows scrunched together as you tried to pick another cluster, only for the same thing to happen, green life turning to gray death in your hold. Tears pricked your eyes as you tried the last cluster, your fingers just managing to grasp a berry before it, too, turned to ash under your touch.

“Fuck!” You yelled, your frustration getting the better of you as tears trickled from your eyes. You needed those berries, the water they held.

But you were left with nothing, hope turning to ash in your chest as you turned away from the wall, slowly walking away.

You made yourself keep walking, even as you wondered what the point was. You’d been trying for the better part of two days now to find your way out of here, with no sign of progress or a reason to believe that you would ever leave this place.

Eventually you grew tired enough that you found yet another small nook to curl yourself into for the night, your cloak wrapped tightly around you as you curled into a ball, letting yourself sob quietly as you fell asleep.

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You awoke with a start, your heart hammering as you shot up from the floor.

There was nothing out of the ordinary - well, the new ordinary - around you, except…

A pair of slippers, made of matching fur to the cloak you were wrapped in.

You blinked at the shoes, dumbfounded as to how they were in front of you. Something had to be following you, at this point.

But you were too tired and exhausted to care, seeing as whatever it was had only been near you while you were sleeping. Though you supposed that you should care more with that being the case but…

Again, tired and exhausted.

Your throat ached with each breath you drew into your lungs, your stomach clenching painfully around nothing as you pulled the soft slippers over your wounded feet, sighing at how nice the material felt against them.

You made yourself stand on shaky legs, your vision swirling in front of you as you braced your hands on a wall, steadying yourself. A deep breath in, and out, and you determined that you could go on. You bent to grab your heels, letting them dangle by the straps from your left hand as you left your little alcove.

Walking was a slow process today, your muscles protesting against every movement, lungs burning with each inhale and exhale.

Surely today would be the day, wouldn’t it? You’d been down here for almost three, with no water at all. And if it wasn’t water, well, if anything like that creature stumbled across you again, you would be done for.

Your eyes welled with tears as you wallowed in your misery, wishing that you would wake up in your bed with an extremely bad hangover, safe and sound.

But that didn’t happen.

No, instead, you were left to walk and walk, taking whatever turns presented themselves to you as you took yourself further in the labyrinth of nearly identical hallways, all of your energy draining into the cold concrete and yellow walls that surrounded you.

You reached a point that you could hardly walk, your joints locking up as your lungs struggled to draw in breath, and you allowed yourself to slide down against a wall, telling yourself that you would rest for only a few minutes, and then you would start moving again.

Just a few minutes, you whispered to yourself as you pulled the fur cloak in against you tightly, your head leaning back against the wall.

Your breathing was heavy as you began to drift off, jolting awake every so often and looking around, only for your eyes to fall shut again, your body desperate for any rest it could take.

Your eyes fluttered open once more, this time met with a sight that had you wide awake in an instant.

A winged man, clawed talons extending from the joints of the black leather, similarly to the monster you’d run from before, his violet eyes burning brightly, even from across the hallway. Your eyes went wide, flicking between the man and a woman, stood to his right. She had no wings, but her blue eyes glowed brightly, dangerously, as they stayed locked on your form, unblinking.

Heart in high gear, you attempted to stand from your spot on the ground, only to collapse back to where you’d been sitting as your legs gave out, a groan of pain slipping from your lips.

In an instant, the two were in front of you, faster than you could comprehend. Your body was pressed tightly to the wall, and you flinched at every movement that they made.

The woman extended a hand towards you, her palm cupping your cheek and following as you moved away from her touch, only to have your other cheek pressed into the man’s hand.

What the fuck is happening?

You didn’t have long to contemplate it before your vision went dark, your last sight being that of two sets of glowing eyes, staring down at you with… Worry?

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General Taglist: @daughterofthemoons-stuff @lilah-asteria @meritxellao @twismare @wrenisrad @icey--stars

[elainsgirl]

Honey, e*riel has nothing like feysand or nessian. No threads connecting them like elucien. No musical connotations. They are all the same bonds but e*riel has no similarity and that’s. Not. Good. E*riels seem to think e*riel was always sjm’s plan and that’s clearly not true. Moriel was first, and sjm decided to copy moriel and e*riel for a reason.

The girls aren’t actually interested in him romantically and Azriel cares more about the bond than who it’s actually with. That’s why his shadows do the same thing with both girlies. 

Because the connections will amount to nothing in the end. 

Sjm decided to give him a special dynamic with a new girl. And the tension between Elain and Lucien is bound to snap because THAT is what’s been building for multiple books. 

The bonus was sjm’s way of saying Elain isn’t Azriel’s mate because his mate is legit living right under him and that’s probably why he’s so restless.

Sorry. 

*thread anon. Elucien have a single thread connecting them tied to Elains rib, which isnt the same as Nessian/Feysand.

Just racking my brain - What musical connections did Nessian have pre-acosf? also…book of breathings, “sing me” which is in reference to elriel so technically they do have foreshadowed musical imagery.

Well, I have never thought Elriel was alwys Sjms plan and I’ve been clear about that. It went from Moriel & Elucien being endgame -> elriel, Vassien and moriel.

Idk anon, Elain literally pivoted into Azriels touch. Gave him offer and permission, “put it on me?”. She actually observed and paid attention to him and got two gifts that has made him laugh, one he stares at every single night. That is the definition of romantic interest. Which you wouldn’t know about since your ships dont have such a thing, maybe stop projecting? Unlike Mor, Elain didnt reject Azriel.

lets apply a bit of logic - Stay with me now…If Az cares about the bond so much why on earth has he falled for someone who he cannot have a bond with? Doesn’t make sense, does it now? If he cared about having a mate so much, he would still be into Mor who he has a chance of being his mate.

Or hear me out - His shadows which are simply a safety mechanism, there to protect him - trust Elain so much they know they don’t have to protect Az around her or be there. When Az feels good emotions -> shadow lightens. Negative emotions-> shadows darken. Its quite simple really.

what special dynamic? What is so unique about Gwyn that makes her stand out from Azriels other Lis? The same Gwyn he wouldnt consider a friend, the same woman he left for 2 years without visiting once.

Yh the only tension between elucien is awkwardness. And it isn’t “snapping” anytime soon bcs there isn’t build up for it. When they’re on the same page together, it isn’t a “oooh will they wont they…ommmggg they brushed hands…ahhh they had prolonged eye contact!!!” Sort of tension more like a “im going to skip this part bcs its so embarrassing and awkward to read”

that’s embarrassing for Gwyn, her mate is upstairs fantasising about another woman. Whilst Gwyn isn’t even on his mind….yikes

[lovemyromance]

If people are reading Feysand & Nessian interactions and thinking they parallel Elucien ... idk what to tell them.

Feyre hated Rhys - but she did not balk from him. She did not avoid him. She did not shrink into herself around him.

Nesta bickered endlessly with Cassian - but she was not losing her boldness around him. She was not leaving rooms when he entered, refusing to even speak to him.

I am all for an enemies to lovers story. We've seen it twice already with Feysand and Nessian, in a sense. But what makes it enemies to lovers? It's not as simple as "they hate each other and then they somehow fall in love". Enemies to lovers always starts out with initial attraction.

Feyre through Rhys was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Nesta nearly gave into Cassian when he visited their manor while she was still human. Despite how they felt about their love interest, they could not deny they were attracted to them.

And I don't just mean like, physical attraction. I mean there was that intensity, that honed in focus on only them. It felt significant, like two magnets that initially repel each other but once flipped, are impossible to pry apart.

Elucien does not have that.

Elain actively avoids Lucien. She does not initiate conversation with him, even when Feyre tries to force them into the same room. She does not use his gifts. She shrinks into herself.

Yes, SJM has written countless enemies to lovers couples. Like... all of them lowkey are enemies to lovers lol. But if you really look at those couples vs Elucien, can you say they are the same?

No. They are not. The female in all the relationships she has written has never balked from her male love interest. They have not avoided the other male. They don't lose their personalities around their men. They don't shut down and leave the room.

"Oh Elain is just shy" - No, she is not. She is quiet, sure, polite, yes, but she is not shy. She interacts with the IC just fine. She has friends in Velaris. She tends to the gardens of other fae in the NC. She is not some shy thing that is so afraid of the fae world that she hides from her mate 🙄

You know who she doesn't balk from, though? Azriel. She calls his scarred hands beautiful, she can understand him without a single word.

What about that tells you she's some frail little terrified thing? Is it really so hard for people to believe she does not want Lucien?

It's not enemies to lovers slow burn between Elucien. They are not enemies. They are not even friends-barely acquaintances. There has been no space for any feeling to grow between them. They do not hate each other.

But they also have no obstacles in their path. Elain is not afraid of fae anymore and she's over Graysen, so what are the other obstacles? There's quite literally nothing standing in their way to get together but they haven't. Why not?

I stand by my opinion that if Elucien ever stood a chance, SJM would have written it any other way. She wouldn't have brought in Azriel, she wouldn't have stated endless times how Elucien avoid each other (not just Elain avoiding Lucien). If she wanted to, she would've written Lucien in place of Azriel saving her at Hybern. She would've written Elain getting Lucien presents at Solstice. Elain & Lucien sharing an intimate moment under the cover of the night.

But she didn't write that! So if all this couple has is indifference and a stale mating bond - why are people insisting Elucien is about to be some kind of grand love story? Make it make sense.

Enemies to lovers needs intensity, drama, and tension. Elucien does not have that. Elain avoiding Lucien is not to cause drama and tension - it's because she is uncomfortable. Stated multiple times in the text.

Feyre was never uncomfortable around Rhys. Nesta was never uncomfortable around Cassian.

That's the difference.

[a-court-of-moonlight-and-ire]

Ive complained about acotar's weird plot structure before and I was gonna talk about how I would fix it as well, but then I forgot so Im talking about how I would fix it now

Just get rid of Amarantha, Rhysand's the villain now. He gets her Woman Scorned motivation of being rejected by Tamlin but hes still the high lord of the night court and instead of him ruling over all of Prythian, he basically just torments Tamlin and hes got the spring court locked down with magic so no one can come in or out for help. One idea that I like is that instead of the mask curse, everyone is cursed to just cant stand being near Tamlin, like he comes into a room that a few servants are cleaning and they immediately feel compelled to leave without another word. Idk, the idea is that Rhysands trying to break him through isolation while convincing him that hes unlovable so he'll come crawling right back to him. And then theres obviously still that caveat of 'the curse gets broken if you can find a human whos killed a fae with hate in her heart and get her to fall in love with you, but until then everything stays as is'

From then on, things mostly happen as they do in the book with Tamlin and Feyre bonding except Lucien's not there because of that curse. Or, actually you could still have him around since Feyre wouldnt be affected by the curse, just not anywhere near Tamlin. Oh, I really like the idea of Lucien very begrudgingly coming up to this human girl he dislikes so that he can be like "hey, can you please tell Tamlin that we're still friends and that I still love him even though I cant speak to him" thatd be sweet

(uhhhhhh this got way longer than anticipated, have a readmore)

I think if you still want Rhys to be like, the hot and sexy badboy alternative love interest you could have him corner Feyre whenever shes alone and try to seduce her in order make absolutely 100% sure she never breaks that curse. But its not working, she just keeps bonding with Tamlin and he notices that shes getting more and more comfortable with him and seems to be slowly falling in love with him and hes getting nervous, because Rhysand is absolutely not above just coming in and hurting her in order to torment him some more so he sends her away, again, like in the book

Then Feyre comes back and maybe she finds that the spring court is now shrowded in eternal night for 💫Atmosphere💫 and Tamlin has submitted to Rhysand. But hes still not quite satisfied because Tamlin basically begged him not to hurt Feyre because he loves her, and Rhysand just needs him to say that he doesnt love her after all. And Feyre comes in and demands that her high lord be set free and Rhysand issues the same three trials as Amarantha, I dont think he should give her the riddle because idk, i always thought it was really weird and stupid to have these trials AND a riddle, just pick one. And Im picking the trials because Rhysand is a sadistic mf. I dont think the trials should happen over the course of three months though, I think they should happen over the course of three days with one trial a day, because Rhysand is very confident that Feyre will just die and hes getting a little impatient, like he just wants to have his Tamlin already yknow

And then she completes the trials, Rhysand has to release them and thats the end of the story. I think this would work best as a standalone, but if you still wanted to make it a trilogy and you still wanted to have the Feysand bargain, maybe Feyre could completely break down during that last trial where she has to kill those innocent fae because shes bonded with them so much (in this version she would get to know more of the household than just Alis and Lucien) and she cant bring herself to do it and Rhysand is all smug like "do you give up?" but then Feyre pulls herself together and goes to stab the first one, and he realizes that she might actually do it for Tamlin's sake and that all of his plans are about to be ruined, so hes basically like "okay, you know what, Ive changed my mind, I'll lift the curse and I'll leave you and Tamlin be, but you'll have to agree to this bargain with me where you have to stay at my court for two weeks every months" the idea is basically that if he cant have Tamlin's love, hes gonna take Tamlin's beloved, and Feyre agrees

Idrk how the next book could play out from that point. I have this image in my head of like. okay so, one of my favorite obscure dark romance dynamics is ancient evil vampire/newly turned evil vampire/kind-hearted innocent human guy, bonus points if the newly turned vampire and the innocent human guy were in a perfectly normal loving relationship before the other vampire entered their life. And what Im pitching is basically the fae-version of that for Feylinsand. Im invisioning Feyre having a corruption arc and slowly falling for Rhysand but she also still loves Tamlin and Rhysand also still loves him so they entrap him in this fucked up and evil but also hot and sexy poly relationship. That might be a little self-indulgent but idk man, this whole series is built on self-indulgence and its not even interesting because sjm has the most boring sex fantasies ive ever read. which yknow, im not necessarily judging, I just dont like it. Also actually nvm I think it would be funnier if Feyre didnt fall for Rhysand, like its not a thing of her coming down to his level so she can kiss him, she turns evil for completely unrelated reasons

Another thing you could do if you wanted to make it a trilogy, but maybe one thats less focused on sex because what else are you gonna do with a hot evil polycule, is you have Rhysand take Tamlin to the night court which is like, all the way on the opposite side of Prythian. So then the first book could be everything I just described except when Feyre comes back to the spring court, she finds that Tamlin is gone and it ends right there, on a cliffhanger. The next book would be her and Lucien and maybe Alis or some other fae she befriended traveling all across Prythian to get to the night court and we see a bunch of Prythian because godddd I despise the fact that in the actual acotar series, we're just trapped in the night court for 4 books and barely get to see anything outside of the night court, nay, velaris. And then the third book would be them trying to find Velaris, which would be a secret city in the sense that no one knows where it is but like people do know the name and that it does exist somewhere, and Feyre either does the trials and frees Tamlin that way or maybe theyll get the Illyrians on board to just kill him and that breaks the curse idk

And yeah, thats it, this got way longer than I thought. I was just kinda spitballing here because again, I dont like the first book's structure at all and I think the existence of Hybern is so unecessary. Like, Prythian has seven courts with plenty of potential for interesting politics to happen between them, whyyyyyy does there need to be a kingdom full of evil people for them to unite against?? I hate it

Anyway, Ive been thinking about this idea for a little while but I had no plans for fleshing it out in any way, but now that ive written all that down Im thinking of maybe cleaning all of that up and actually making it a whole rewrite at some point. I make no promises though, I suck ass at writing longer stories. So until then, let me know what you think of this

[acourtofthought]

 Hi. I just needed to rant but I don’t know if you’re comfortable responding to this if not it’s fine. I find it extremely weird that I went to the elainweek tag in preparation for elain week and imagine my shock when I saw a separate elain week event created by elriels(which is fine honestly love that for them and honestly enjoy your ship however you want) but the premise of why the week was created was what bugged me. And I have just been so uncomfortable with it since then that I had to tell someone.

They were like; the current elain week was created out of spite to the elriels and to support abuser x elain ships so we elriels will not stand for it.

And I just… 

Do what you want and all. But ??? I don’t even know I am just speechless….

Even during ferye week people still show love to the feylin ship and that ship is an established abusive relationship in canon.

Feysand as well has some elements inwhich I side eye but like it’s one of the most popular ships in the fantasy world.

And listen I don’t even enjoy the tamlain ship or any other ship like that for that matter but is it ever that deep??

Like I said do what you want to do. But to create a separate week instead of just enjoying the actual week with other shippers and Elain lovers?? And claiming that the actual week promotes abuse and is anti elriel and that’s why you don’t want to join in is just so ?? Idk this fandom can be so weird and exhausting sometimes.

I hope they are other elriels that would participate though because even though I am an elucien I enjoy elriel art.

Also there are people actually dying daily because of war crimes committed against their states and your main goal now is to protest the current elain week? A week that various Elain lovers put in so much hardwork and strength to make safe and enjoyable for others. Even to the point of gifting out free discount codes for scented candles

like idk I think SJM just needs to end the shipwars as soon as possible at this point.

Ahhhh, the sordid history of Elain Week. From what I understand, there was an original Elain Week that seemed to be have a pretty open door policy to whoever felt like participating. I think the original moderator / host of that decided to no longer take up the mantel the following year so an E/riel created their own Elain Week but E/riel content was primarily promoted / reblogged to their page while very little Elucien content made it through. In the months leading up to Elain Week, a few bloggers also doubled down on their posts that said things like, "Eluciens should create their own Elain week because they're misogynists who don't really like Elain" or "Elucien's are abuse apologists". Then last year, Eluciens were apparently welcome to participate in that Elain week but certain other "toxic" ships were not welcome. Which, I get it, some people are bothered by certain ships but one persons "trigger" should not be used to demonize others creativity. I mean, imagine if the person who wrote the fanfiction Manacled was bullied out of the fandom by those who couldn't handle the idea of Draco / Hermione together just because in canon he was written to be her enemy / bully? But look at her now, she's got a book deal. That spawned an entire new wave of fandom arguments with one side once again saying how awful anyone is who supports the idea of Tamlain / Beronlain and the other saying that it doesn't really matter who supports the idea of (insert possibly toxic ship here) or not, nobody should be excluded from a fandom wide event. It also felt performative outrage from the other side (performative outrage is literally my new favorite phrase and I've used it to describe quite a few people in the last few weeks), where now ELUCIEN'S were fine that week but it was the other ships that were the problem even though every single day Elucien's were also told how they were misogynistic, didn't really like Elain, approved of a toxic ship etc. How we should create our own Elain Week if we all had such a problem with respecting the Elain Week Hosts decisions while hosting. There were also many arguments that Elain Week should be about canon (once again, a clear attempt at excluding certain people in the fandom) while also simultaneously creating content on how Elain and Az will have a winged child, she will rule dusk, she will have a dagger tattoo, etc. People can headcanon all they want but the performative outrage (my phrase!!!!) at wanting others to create based off canon while submitting those sorts of posts is a bit outrageous. Then when Elucien's took over the OG Elain Week account to host an event where ALL ships were welcome to participate, some E/riels got mad at that because now Elucien's were being so petty as to host our own Elain Week. So really, damned if you do, damned if you don't. At this point I do think it's better if there are two separate events so that there's something for everyone.

[romanticatheartt]

Saw you are reading fourth wing, which is a book I am procrastinating to start, and right now I am reading folk of the air very slow bc I love it so much 😭😭 and both cardan and jude are so meow meows... So, in a meow meow level, how much is xaden and violet? (And out of curiosity, how much meow meow are Feyre and Rhysand? 😅😂)

This is so funny omg😭

Okay, before I start, I want to clarify that "meow meow" is a term in fandoms used to express love toward a character. It can also be a scale for how endearingly pathetic a character is. I'm going to talk about MY meow meow and in general lol

First… sweet anon, I'm so sorry to disappoint you but Violet and Xaden aren't very meow meow to me😭 Listen they can be lovable, they have the potential but RY hasn't quite managed to make me fall in love with them on a higher level. My love for them is shallow and might be forgotten when I start reading another book…

But Onyx Storm is out and I only read the first chapter so we have to wait and see if this book will change my opinion of them and they will get higher on my meow meow list or not!!

Second, I love Folk of the Air!!! I love Cardan, I love Jude, I loved them as a ship… So yeah they're in my top 10 meow meows hehe Cardan is absolutely pathetic which he's a little higher on general meow meow list than Jude. (I'm taking this way too seriously💀)

And third...

Well, I breathe and live Feysand… idk what's so different about them but after 2 years of reading this series I still love them so much!! Maybe it's because they were the first romantacy book I've ever read, or because they were lovable and interesting to me (or because I could understand them on a deeper level). But either way, they're on the top of the list for me<3

Back to our list!! Rhysand is so petty so that makes him "The King of Pettiness" and Cardan is "The King of Pathetics" LMAO but they're both wife guys so ofc they're going to be at the top of the meow meow list!! (I laugh everytime I say it😭)

And since Feyre is Rhysand's mate, she's right behind him in the list:

Rhysand and Cardan (yup they're on the same level)

Feyre😭

Jude!!

Violet

Xaden

Jude might not show it a lot but I see her as a person who sees someone gets a little close to Cardan? She needs a huge amount of self control not to kill them💀

Xaden is petty and if you read his bones chapters you'll know and you might say Violet is even worse and you'd be right but Xaden suffers in silence and doesn't react at all which makes it way more funnier😭 But yeah his self control would drop him a level lower than Violet.

Now If I want to talk about my own personal opinion of them and who's the most meow meow to me:

Feysand

Jurdan

Xadenviolet

Anyways I feel like this doesn't make any sense at all😭

[starlightbooklove]

Let's talk about Nesta Archeron and ACOSF

Pt 1,

Something that I have always been in Acotar is half Nesta, that is, neither pro nor con, because she is a character that I cannot completely love and at the same time I cannot completely hate.

I just like her.

Nesta was a bitch, to her sister, to her father (With reason to do so in his case) and to everyone in general, she was unbearable to me and I remember that the first time I read Acosf I didn't understand anything and I was very conflicted about how to feel about her more than anything.

It was after I reread that I formed a clearer idea and that is that SJM fell short with her, her redemption arc was nice, but it could have been much more, (It needed to be more)

And funny enough is that even some of her stans agree with this (There are too many ACOSF fics).

And the funniest thing is that she has already done it, Chaol's book made me completely change the way I see him to the point that in my opinion he is the most developed male character in TOG together with Dorian, because he really seeks to fix things with those he feels and knows he did wrong, while with Nesta..., there was sex, a lot of sex, sometimes too much sex, and her arc was lost.

(And no, I'm not forgetting the training or the book itself).

Now, Having said that, I can emphasize good things that were done with his character, beyond the fact that she saved feysand lmao, that's the main thing, second to her representation of depression and the self-deprecating thoughts she had about herself, hit hard 🥲, because it does happen, and her trauma around being all cold and mean to defend herself after almost being abused, The whole thing about the cauldron and, on top of that, the death of her father, was something very well constructed, and her shitty attitude is good in the sense that it goes with a character in that state, how many times have I seen characters That are like this because simply what they have been through has made them sour? A lot, But on her, who already had a shitty life being a shitty sister, it didn't look good, because throughout the whole process, even when she tells herself that she doesn't want to be like that, SHE IS A BITCH, You can't fucking deny that.

The book itself is contradictory because it takes to the extreme 'what I want to do and I think about it but I don't do it', that doesn't happen like that all the time, many times, if you want to change, you grab your balls and you're a damn good person because you want to improve, even when it means leaving your comfort zone, Nesta came to that point very late in the book, her attitude is not simply dry, it's downright hostile, and many people confuse that.

Hostile and dry are not the same, Manon for example, is dry with those who love her, but not hostile (all the time), that is why she is such a beloved character. Rowan, at first is hostile but then he's just Rustic and that's it, because it's his way of shielding himself. Shit, Even Feyre becomes dry (and confused with hostile a lot by some fans) the first time she visits Velaris, (with all reason) but again, to shield herself, and this does not take away the affection for the character because we can empathize And understand why.

With Nesta, we understand why and we don't understand why at the same time, and that in a way, is the point, hurt people hurt people, but why did SJM take her so far if she wanted to give her an arc of redemption? And if she took it that far then why she didn't really make her go through her steps and try to fix her mess?

A character that grows is the one who is self-aware of what she did and does something about it, something for real, and the book end just when she was starting LMAO.

Now, it may be that the intention is that all of that was the journey and the end of the book was the beginning of her "i'm gonna try" era, which would make sense, but 😬 idk, i hold on to that. The book is good, and they empower her quite a bit, and that, taking away everything else, makes her a pretty good character, which is what her fans praise about her book, but I definitely think it could have been better.

I will touch more on the topic in depth.

There is a second part 😉.

[the-lonelybarricade]

I'm dumping this (lovingly, i hope you don't mind) on you, because i feel like you appreciate feysand stuff more than me (i just occasionally think about them, even though rhysand with his love for feyre has haunted me more and more these days). But anyways, had a really short dream about rhysand being like a dream.. demon.. there's a word for that but i dont remembeerr (I'm barely awake i just had to tell someone who loves feysand asap), anyway, he's like, been there for feyre "for as long as she remembers". I'm not sure exactly what transpired in the dream (ha, a dream in a dream lol) but i remember it being very soft and comfortable. It kind of felt like rhysand comforting feyre in her dreams without saying something, just by the presence, helped me sleep better, so win-win-win i guess :D i do vaguely remember feyre saying something about wishing her sleep demon something something about wanting him i don't know but i remember that rhysand was absolutely FLABBERGASTED and kind of "THIS WHOLE TIME??" Like he didn't think that feyre shared the feelings and idk his reaction was really funny lmao

Also I'm very sure that either you or ur bestie has written something with a sleep something demon rhysand. Maybe it's because the prompt is just so inline with canon Rhysand idk but hey if you randomly know a fic with this idea, I won't mind a suggestion 👀 although if its one of your or ur besties fics (I'm talking about separatist-apologist im so sorry i don't remember how she shortened her name), then im already planning on scouring through your masterlists to quench this thirst for Feysand that I've been inflicted with.

Sleep demon Rhys you say 👀 I might have, um, written something along those lines. Although it wasn't quite as wholesome as how it happened in your dream hehehe. If you're okay with Demon!Rhys being a little mean, then I'll humbly point you towards The Music of the Night

You dream sounds lovely though 🥺 I do love the idea of soft Feysand finding each other in their dreams and falling in love. It's not necessarily wholesome Feysand, but another fic that comes to mind is In the Woods Somewhere by SweetVillainDarlingGod, where Feyre and Rhys share some dreams while she's in the human lands and he's UtM

[icey--stars]

rip the tags, but thank you @acourtofladydeath for the tag!! <3 (starting a new post so we don't make it too long)

Tag nine (9) people you’d like to know better

Last Song: Daylight by David Kushner (i have an ADDICTION to this song)

Currently Reading: well, fanfiction, naturally. I'm mostly re-reading at this moment for the fun of it! (mostly gay acotar ones like azris or poly! things lmao) I'm also technically in the process of rereading the throne of glass series (sitting on heir of fire at the moment), but i've been quite... lazy when it comes to actually reading it rn lol but my next book i should be reading is Fourth Wing! (its a real struggle to escape acotar lol)

Currently Watching: The Dragon Prince on netflix! i've watched seasons 1-3 before, but now i've got to power through 4 (and maybe 5? idk if it actually came out considering i don't check that often lol) i have a few movies on a list (like titanic, rewatching lord of the rings, braveheart, etc.) i should be watching, but alas, i am lazy and incapable of paying attention that long lmao

Current obsession: well, there's a very particular gay couple in The Dragon Prince and my brain would NOT let go of me, so the current obsession is a fanfic reuniting them and me basically saying fuck canon yet again. i also have an odd fascination with poly! relationships right now in general. i am not questioning the why for it lol (most notably in acotar or tog is rowaelin x fenrys, nessian x azriel, the bat boys, feysand x azriel orrrr elucien x azriel. apparently i like shoving azriel into their relationships because he deserves love)

tagging with absolutely no preassure (also sorry if you've already been tagged)... @itsagirlwithglasses, @florence-end, @azrielsoulmate, @leafsandstarlight, @ladylokilaufeyson5, @cosmic-whispers, @iftheshoef1tz, @illyrian-dreamer, @bunnymallowo

[thelov3lybookworm]

Hi - just wanted to ask your opinions on the new SJM book that's coming soon (Defo not on the shipping war lmao) but about ACOTAR in general because I didn't really love HOFAS and found ACOSF quite lacking in actual plot outside of the IC's relationships like I don't really remember the whole Koschei issue in that book because it was like 10% of the story. What are your thoughts about the new book/do you think it will be worth reading or will it be like ACOSF but for different characters?

Know you obvs won't actually know - just curious what other people (esp. talented writers like yourself) are thinking about where SJM is going with her writing :) xx

P.S. Also just wanted to take the chance to say that I love your writing and honestly save your updates for when I'm reading in bed because I love them so much aha

i mean its not announced yet, right?? OR IS IT AND IM JUST OBLIVIOUS 😦

lmao i had to go search around to see if she had announced the new book when you sent in this ask 😭

i mean, ive always been someone who reads for funsies, so like i have always loved all the books i read because i read to stop thinking about studies lmaoo 🤭

i know many people dont like acotar and stuff, but personally, even though it was the book that sent me into the massive book slump i still kinda am in, i love acotar with my whole heart. i dont really pay attention to the bad stuff and just read the book and focus on the good parts

i mean, its written by a human, its bound to have flaws. and i wont like a book without its flaws, im sure

anyways, to answer you question, id say personally i cant wait to read the next book. ive been dying to have more of my fav found family characters and cant wait to see where one of my fav authors takes the plot 🥹

also i guess we'll learn more about koschei in the next book (or the one after that lols)

i would read the book regardless of the characters that tell the story. i would eat it up whether its gwynriel, elucien or feysand or nessian again. i just love the books, the characters, the author. i cannot let go of that universe and i just love EVERYTHING ABOUT THE BOOK 😭

also on your point about the plot lacking outside of relationships, honestly i get it. acosf mainly felt like a book about nesta's character development and her relationships with cass and the valkyries while also setting up the plot for the next book so sjm could write the next books without having to explain the whole plot in the next book itself? IDK IF THAT MAKES SENSE 😭

so, in conclusion, i would read the books that are to come, but i would not say you MUST read it if you didnt like it in the first place 🤭

ALSO JSDHASFHADWF ILYY THANK YOUU 🥹❣️ i will update more hopefully now hehe 🤭❣️

[potatoplace]

I have a good question not sure if I read this already but when do people tend to develop their scent and such in your omegaverse aus?

lke is it apparent from birth or only something that occurs later in life?

-🐰

Hmm so I'm using this AMAZING idea from a not-quite-omegaverse fic called Rise of the Drackens, it's a HP fanfic that I looove (have not caught up with it in a long while tho 😢)

When babies are born from Drackens in that fic, the mother can scent whether they'll present as a Dracken as a baby.

SO I'm twisting that a bit into omegaverse, where the mother can scent if the baby is a beta, or an alpha/omega - but they can't tell which one they'll present as for sure until they actually do.

Non-alpha/omega indicating scent wise, everyone has a specific-to-them scent from birth. Beta's scents tend to be a lot more subtle, especially after puberty. After puberty for Alphas and Omegas, their scents get much stronger, plus have that undertone of their presentation (idk how to describe that lol it's hormones)

But say in my someday-written College Omegaverse AU, Feyre is born an alpha, and has her lilac and pear scent from birth. Once she presents as an alpha, the scent gets stronger, and people can now scent that she's an alpha.

I'd say in canon-ACOTAR, Alphas present at 16-19, while Omegas present at 18-22 (in general, sometimes you have late-early bloomers)

Non-canon ACOTAR, it kinda just depends lol. Probably around normal puberty ages for everything, but their heats/ruts might start later

💜🩵💜🩵💜 (feysand on the brain... feeeyreeee 🤤)

I hope you enjoyed my rambling 😅 that was a loooot I've only had a big ass energy drink so. If that doesn't make sense? DONT BLAME ME

[mmvalentine]

Will you do an Acotar scene lift from Rhys’s perspective under the mountain in between the trials? We only get vague mentions of what happens because of the wine Freyre and I think it would just be really interesting to see Rhys’s perspective. I love your writing btw it always makes me smile to see you’ve posted something ❤️

My darling let me tell you I really struggled with this, because these scenes hurt me a lot. Re-reading the scenes, it seems like Feyre spends the whole time really sick and wondering what happened while she was drugged and practically dissociating. BUT, I persist because I know you've been following for a while, and I so appreciate your support and wanted to make you something. I hope this is okay, it's not exactly the steamy stuff I usually write but it's my interpretation of what was going on (and let's be honest, my way of making sense of why Rhys was making not the best decisions).

In Between

Feyre was in danger. Again.

Aramantha's guards were dogs, and I wasn't surprised by this, but it was exhausting. Every time I turned my back there was something they were up to- taunting Feyre, giving her impossible tasks, threatening to torture her. As if being locked in a cell Under The Mountain wasn't bad enough.

I wasn't too proud to admit that I had become quite attached to the little human slip of a thing. She was so small, so fragile, so mortal. And yet here she was, a thorn in Aramantha's side the way that I... I couldn't be. Not if I wanted her eyes far away from Velaris.

So there I was, living vicariously through a human girl and secretly rooting for her like it's the only way I can defy Aramantha. I suppose it is.

For the last few nights, I'd taken to walking past the cell block to listen in on the guards. Nothing too alarming was happening for the first couple of days, but now that the next task was nearing, they had new orders. I was torn between exasperation that Feyre seemed to constantly be in peril, and a spark of interest. If Aramantha was trying to get Feyre killed between tasks, it meant some part of her was truly afraid she'd win. And I liked the idea of Aramantha afraid.

But the immediate situation on hand was that the guards were going to make her remove the salt from a high fae's bathwater, or else they'd pull the teeth out of her head.

For Cauldron's sake.

I would have thought it better for Feyre to sit quietly in her cell and be forgotten. At least she'd get a moment's peace between Aramantha's tasks. But in fact it seemed that Aramantha did not mean her to make it to the next task, and no one was watching her schemes.

So.

I'd have to keep an eye on her myself.

But how to do so, when I was also expected at Aramantha's revels every night? I'd just have to bring her with me.

If Under the Mountain was modeled after the Court of Nightmares, then at least I knew the rules of the game. I knew how to make people notice her.

And so the next night, before the guards could get to her again, I sent in spies to make sure she was going to be fit for a Nightmare revel. They brought clothes- but they were barely clothes. She'd be ripped apart in seconds with that much bare skin. Think, think.

There was one other way to cover skin. In the Illyrian tradition, with ink. I was sure enough of my reputation with the court that no one would risk touching her I was sure to find out. Okay. So Cerridwen and Nuala would paint her every bare patch of skin, and then no one could touch her.

The night of the revel arrived, and when I went to collect Feyre, she was trying to tear off her dress. Alarm flashed through me. Fool that I am, I hadn't considered the fact that of course she would loathe this role. Humans have such a low tolerance for wickedness.

"I wouldn't do that," I said from the doorway. Not willing to risk coming any closer, and scaring her into a panic.

"Our bargain hasn't started yet," she snapped. Hate flashed in her eyes, and I thought- good. She should hate me. I was Aramantha's whore, right? Fine. Better angry than scared. Better angry than vulnerable.

"Ah, but I need an escort for the party," I told her. Besides, I needed her haughty for the revel. Anything less, and they'd lose interest. "And when I thought of you squatting in that cell all night, alone..." Her eyes glazed hard, and her lips thinned. Perfect. "You look just as I hoped you would."

"Is this necessary?" she hisses at me, gesturing to the paint and silk ensemble.

"Of course," I say, letting cold soak into my voice. "How else would I know if anyone touches you?" To demonstrate, I ran a finger through the paint on her shoulder, and watched the paint fix itself. "The dress won't mar it, and neither will your movements," I told her. She needs to understand. "And I'll remember precisely where my hands have been. But if anyone else touches you- let's say a certain High Lord who enjoys springtime- I'll know."

But this was a serious point. I knew she'd want to go straight to him- Cauldron knows why, Tamlin is an insufferable pup- but I knew what she want. And I knew Tamlin had not a scrap of wit about him and would give it to her. And then Aramantha would tear us all to shreds. So.

I flicked her little upturned nose, noticing suddenly the smattering of freckles there and nearly getting distracted, and fed her the line I knew would stick. "I don't like my belongings tampered with."

If looks could kill, as they say in the Human realm.

"Come," I said. "We're already late."

Of course, that was entirely intentional. I needed all eyes on us- on her as we walked in the room. And indeed every head turned, some bowed but most just gawked at Feyre. We walked al the way to the dais, and stood before Aramantha. And Tamlin.

I'd once told Feyre that I'd wait to tell Tamlin about our little bargain. Wait until the right time. No point in exciting him into a rage while everything hung in the balance, I thought. Then again, if it were my beloved in Aramantha's cells... rage would not be an adequate word. But that was another reason I thought very little of the High Lord of Spring. Maybe a little rage would do him some good.

"Merry Midsummer," I said, bowing to Aramantha. Every time I did it, I wanted to vomit on her feet.

"What have you done with my captive?" she said, displeasure darkening in her eyes. Her tone was light, though, and I knew she'd not make a fuss in front of all these people.

"We made a bargain," I said. "One week with me at the Night Court every month in exchange for my healing services after her first task." I raised her arm to reveal the tattoo, dull next to the shining paint. "For the rest of her life."

I couldn't help it. I stared straight at Aramantha, and knew she understood my words. You tried to have her killed and I helped her. I see life beyond this mountain. I think she's going to win. It was only the thought of my family back home that prevented me from spitting the words in her face.

"Enjoy my party," was her only reply. And Tamlin? Tamlin did nothing. Didn't stir, just gripped the arms of the throne like the useless fuck he was.

I led Feyre away, and wondered if she was going to make it through the night. There was a lot of performing to be done, by both of us, if I was going to keep her out of the cells and away from the guards until the next task. Then my eyes lighted on the feasting table.

"Wine?" I offered Feyre a goblet. The perfect solution- if she drank the wine, she wouldn't have to act. Even more merciful- she wouldn't have to remember. But she shook her head.

I smiled, knowing that it did not make up for the cruel games I'd be playing this whole time. Knowing it'd do little to comfort her. "Drink. You'll need it." As much of the truth as I could tell her. Drink, I begged, kneeling at the doors of her mind.

"No," she said, and I gritted my teeth. Pushed against those doors, the flimsy shields that were far too easy to step through. I'm sorry, Feyre. I'm so sorry.

"Drink," I said, and her fingers latched onto the goblet.

As soon as the wine was gone, Feyre's body went loose. I caught her up in my arms, and her eyes were vacant. It horrified me. It was perfect.

I led her to a table and sat her down in my lap, scanning the crowd and knowing that fae all around the room were still watching us. I reached for my own goblet, and wished I could forget, too.

"Dance, Feyre," I said, as she started to slump in my lap. That would not do.

She stood unsteadily to her feet, right between my knees, and swayed to the music. Lifted her arms, trailed her hands down the sides of her breasts, and closed her gold-lidded eyes as she moved.

In any other setting, she might have been exquisite.

Here, she was hollow. She wasn't in her body, there was just a dress and some paint. And I wondered if she would ever forgive me for this. I doubted it.

A High fae came up to us, stood behind Feyre and started to dance with her. Feyre turned to him, reached for him. I grabbed her arms, and smoothed them back down to her sides.

"Mine," I growled at the fae, and his eyes narrowed, but he backed away. Cauldron. This was going to be my entire evening.

I let her dance until she started to flag, and then I set her carefully back in my lap. Couldn't let her sit anywhere else, couldn't let her out of my sight. Not like this. Not in this state.

And then when she started to droop again, I got her up to dance. Up down, dance, sit. Up again. A whole fucking routine that made me want to blow my brains out. The only upside was that Tamlin kept his eyes on us the whole time, and hated every moment. And yet still, he didn't move from his throne. Delightful.

When finally the night started down and everyone was disappearing to either their own beds or someone else's, I led Feyre back to her cell. Let her collapse on the pallet and sleep off the wine. By the time I got back to my own room, the self-loathing was enough to choke on.

But Feyre had made it through the night alive.

And if this is what it took to get her through to the second task, then I could keep doing it. After all. What was a handful of nights are fifty years Under the Mountain?

****

Agh I really don't know if this is worth anything, but I hope you get something out of it dearest, and if you don't you can always send me a different scene and I'll try again if I can x

[astrababyy]

y’know what? unpopular opinion, but i don’t think i would’ve minded the age difference between feysand nearly as much if it weren’t for the fact that feyre acts incredibly immature in general. not saying rhys doesn’t, but there’s this difference in the way they act that makes it really obvious that feyre’s legitimately barely an adult…

also, even the whole thing with her being a high lady at the age she is wouldn’t have been as bad if it weren’t for how she behaves. historically, a lot of people that made a big difference in the world have been quite young. i think (do NOT quote me on this pls i’m by no means an expert lol) lafayette was around 19 when he joined the americans during the revolution, wasn’t he? that’s kind of a side point, but he’s a historical figure so idk and he’s the first one that came to mind.

it really is just feyre’s behavior and mindset. she’s just really selfish and self-centered, and that’s a character flaw! which isn’t inherently a bad thing (though when it’s not called out in the text or even narrative, it’s bad writing so yk), but feyre just doesn’t have the traits of a good leader despite it.

she doesn’t have that quality about herself that gives leader vibes ig. she constantly puts herself and those she loves before others. she can’t find it in herself to have compassion and has this really black & white ideology, which could work for a leader but not with everything else. she’s arrogant and full of herself to the point of never admitting when she’s wrong. there’s this refusal to cooperate or even admit that other people have halfway decent points of views that deserve to be heard. and there’s a very clear narrative always being fed to her in book 2, and she’s so young and vulnerable in acomaf that she never questions it.

by acowar when she seems pretty recovered, feyre’s so loyal to the ic that she wouldn’t question it regardless of what state her mind’s in. there’s just so much about feyre that makes it difficult to see her as the leader type. i feel like she doesn’t display those qualities at all. she’s always seemed more like a lone warrior type than anything else.

feyre’s just so immature, and she’s like 22 by acosf so who can really blame her? that’s not an unreasonable thing, being immature in those first few books. she seems more serene in acosf, but that’s just… sjm making her ooc and that’s another convo completely.

in fantasy particularly, massive age gaps like that have their place and imo don’t have to be an inherently bad thing. i think my main issue with it has always been that the female love interest has always been so young. not in comparison or the years, but just in general. it’s so prevalent in ya, and a lot of the time the female protag will be like fucking 18-20, and it’s just so weird at that point? like, if they were in their mid to late 20s at least, it’d seem more reasonable, i think. it’s just that i legitimately cannot fathom how a person who’s centuries old can so much as tolerate a person that young. it doesn’t seem comprehensible unless the maturity rate for the much older love interest is, like, incredibly slow.

[azsazz]

what are your next rhys requests and next fic you'll be posting?

Oooohhhh, I have LOTS of things drafted and ready for all of you 🥰

Included in those drafts are these fics:

Sharing is Caring: from chapter 3 of ACOSF – "He and his brothers had put a good deal of distance between the stupid youths they'd been – fucking any female who showed interest, often in the same room as each other – and the males they were now." (This will be posted as three separate fics for Rhys, Az, and Cass)

Warrior Status: Az trying to cope with his two oldest sons about to partake in the Blood Rite.

Clandestine Love: Anon Request: Can you do a fic where you and Rhys’s sister are best friends and Rhys wants you but you both know it’s a terrible idea but you do it anyway (I'm obsessed with this one I literally read it every single day)

Terrible Twos: Anon Requests: "I’d love to see a little fic where Cass deals with a toddler tantrum😂🥰pls" and "More dad cass"

The next fic I'll be posting is probably going to be Terrible Twos on Saturday for SBA. I'll most likely write another SBA fic for Sunday...not quite sure how I'm scheduling the others yet tbh.

My current Rhys requests include:

can we get some rhysand x reader angst that ends with fluff?<3

Oo maybe a fic where the IC throws Rhys and reader a little baby shower? ❤️

Can I request a part 2 of under the mountain please❤️

What about Rhys fucking you right before you have a meeting with the other high lords so his scent is on you?

so for a rhys idea what if rhys was seeing reader while he was under the mountain but reader didn't know of amarantha? and one days he leaves completely cause amarantha doesn't need him to go there ( were the reader leaves ) anymore and reader is mad and she's pregnant but rhys doesn't know. and he sees her when he's finally free and she has baby nyx with her but it's angsty at first and she won't let him meet nyx cause she thinks he left bc of yhe pregnancy? and like tha mating bond clicks only for him and him and the IC are stressing cause they wanna meet nyx? and the reader could have a friend whose a male and rhys thinks she's with someone new?

how about rhys seeing reader in a really beautiful outfit and it driving him insane, and then leading to shameless smut? again, if you’re not comfortable with this, it’s fine

ooo idk if you’re comfortable with this but how about dom!rhys having reader ride him on his throne in the court of nightmares? obviously feyre isn’t in the picture

Can you do an imagine where you and Rhys go on a date night since having Nyx and the ic are the babysitters? Thank you❤️

Hey!! So I was wondering if you would write a fic about Rhysand having a wife/partner for like a century or more before Under the mountain happened and then 50 years later he comes back with a mate. How do you think that would go? Would he choose feyre over someone he has known and loved for centuries? If he does choose feyre I think it definitely wouldn’t go over well lol. Imagine waiting 50 YEARS for someone only for them to dump you.

I beg of you, pls God. An Agnsty Poly!Feysand

Plus all of my WIPS 😅

Lots to work with for Rhysie boy. 💙🖤💙🖤

[alltheworldsinmyhead]

ON FEYSAND’S PLOTLINE IN ACOSF

              !!!!MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE ACOSF!!!!

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Let’s be honest for a while, okay?

ACOCF had potential to be SJM’s best book, if not for any other reason then because of the sheer idea of it. Coming-of-age, healing story of the most complex and polarizing character she has ever created set in the time of peace, away from the familiar setting (according to the later changed concept which still remains in the snippet at the end of ACOFAS), development of her arguably most feisty and angsty love story... It could be her absolute trumph. Even with the change to stick to Velaris instead of exploring the Illyrian culture of the Mountains and with the added conflict of the Mortal Queens and Koshei, it still could work quite well. 

It didn’t. For many, many reasons, but the most important one, in my opinion, being the feysand pregnancy plot. 

Nothing about this plotline made sense. Not a single thing. From start to finish, it was an absolute disaster from the character-writing POV, from the narration POV, from every single context of it. It broke the rules of real-life logic, it broke the rules of this fantasy world setting and it completely exposed that Rhysand, while not a bad guy, is a pretty terrible partner, even worse ruler and an absolutely terrible contender for the High King title. 

Let’s break this whole mess down (and expect this post to be mammoth-sized. it’s not my fault, though, write to SJM if you have any complains):

1) Feyre, 21, decides to get pregnant, even though less than a year earlier, she expresses the delight with not being forced to bear children to her new mate and told him herself she wants to wait a while and enjoy her life with him. Feyre decides she wants a baby though and Rhysand goes along with it, even though he is aware how young Feyre is and how hard her life has been up until this point. He wants a baby too much to have an honest discussion with Feyre about it, to stop and wonder what is the reason for her sudden change of heart, to reassure her that they have a lot of time ahead of them and don’t need to rush. No. She mades a sudden decision to have a baby after A YEAR OF MARRIAGE and not much more of being turned fae, JUST AFTER having her whole world put upside down, having received a completely new title and responsibilities, surviving the wat and being mated. Great. 

2) Feyre decides to get pregnant and Rhys goes along with it less than a year after the end of the bloody war. It is politically a delicate time, everyone is still not sure how the balance will shift, some countries don;t want to sign the peace treaty, etc. There are a lot of enemies and a lot of turmoil remaining. But sure. Let’s have a baby. Perfect time to add yet another target, another weakness that can be use by the Mortal Queens, Beron or whatever else with malicious intent towards the Night Court. 

2) Feyre gets pregnant after approximately a year of trying. I know healthy people of reproductive age for whom it takes ages more than this. Fae’s pregnancies are rare af and precious and happen once in a blue moon, but ofc SJM broke the world’s rules for her darling Feyre. And again, for Kallas and Vivianne who are also expecting the baby, even though it has been a maximum of 3 years since they’ve mated. 3 years is also not a particularly long time to try to have a baby for those who have issues with their reproductive systems like Fae women. Thank you, next. 

3) Rhys has unprotected sex with Feyre in her Illyrian form when she conceives, even though he knows full well having a winged baby would kill her. He does it anyway, for shits and giggles apparently. They probably have sex in the sky above Velaris, for all we know. 

4) The baby has wings. Now, the whole explanation with Illyrian wings being bony (bc they resemble bat wings) and Seraphin ones being more flexible (bc they resemble bird ones) is so insanely stupid that it takes around 3 seconds to wikipedia this shit and find out it’s exactly the opposite. But okay, the baby has wings and Feyre will die while giving birth, along with the baby. Madja forbids Feyre from turning into an Illyrian to carry the pregnancy because it MIGHT hurt the baby. Now, remember, Feyre conceived while in Illyrian form and then turned into High Fae. The baby survived it just fine. The baby MIGHT be hurt by Feyre turning .... but it will FOR SURE die if she stays High Fae and Feyre will too. Idk about you, but I would take the risk of MIGHT instead of FOR SURE. Especially when she is already in labour and dying. Cauldron or Nesta or idk who alters Feyre’s pelvis after the baby is cut out of her for no apparent reason but to allow feysand to make exactly the same mistakes later on. How convinient. And Nesta also alters her own pelvis bc god forbid she won’t be able give Cassian babies like the little useful mate she is now. She should’ve probably done it with Elain too, just in case she decides to fuck Az in the future, because fuck consequences and fuck the stakes in the story that make the readers actually CARE about characters bc they know the author may actually kill them and not save their life every fucking time.  

5) I don’t even want to comment on the fact Rhys hid the true danger of this pregnancy for Feyre and their family went along with it. It is absolutely disgusting. And Nesta telling her and that being condemned as the act of the ultimate cruelty which is a final straw to break her self-loathing back.... is abhorrent. It made my sick, actually, phisically sick. There is no justification for it. No at all. And the fact that they did not even consider abortion sends a message that I really don’t want to think too much about it. Feyre was 2 months along when they learned the baby is winged. 2 months. 8 weeks. It wasn’t a baby yet, let’s be honest. They could’ve at least discussed it. She - oh my god, I cannot believe SJM wrote it this way, I’m gonna be sick. 

6) For the entirety of Feyre’s pregnancy, they have no plan to really help her. Labour plan? Haven’t heard if it.  They have money and power and access to the healers of the whole land. And did not figure out how to stop her from bleeding out after a fucking C-section. THIS WORLD HAS MAGIC AND THEY COULDN’T STOP HER FROM BLEEDING OUT AFTER A FUCKING C-SECTION. Didn’t even ask Thesan, the High Lord of Healing, to be present. Cassian had guts hanging out of his stomach and survived. Az was fucking slashed apart in Hybern and survived. But yeah, Feyre was on a brink of death after a C-section. Great, Sarah. Keep it up. Let’s force the thought into young girls’ heads that labour is the most lethal thing ever, why not. 

7) Also, for the entirety of Feyre’s pregnancy, Rhys keeps quiet about this idiotic bargain. He, as far as we know, doesn’t make any plans for the moment when him and Feyre and possibly their baby are dead. If they died and baby survived.. who would take care of it? Does Rhys have a conversation with his family about it? NAH. Doesn’t write any sort of plan how to keep the Court going, doesn’t inform even the closest of his co-workers how they should proceed to act after he’s gone and his and Feyre’s power go to god-knows-who. Their deaths would mean a sure chaos for the weakend and fragile Prythian and the Night Court especially and yet nor Rhys nor Feyre make any sort of preparations for it. Rhys doesn’t tell his brothers or Mor or HIS SECOND IN COMMAND they will all soon have to somehow manage without him. He was about to just leave them to their own devices and told them in the last. possible. moment. 

And this man - this man is, according to Amren, the best candidate to handle the whole country? To unite it? This fool who makes idiotic bargains, who thinks first about his cock and his own selfish desires and considers his subjects and his responsibilities as a High Lord last and least important of all? Who has so much trust in his wife, in his High Lady, the mother of his son that he doesn’t tell her she will almost surely die on a birthing bed because it MAY UPSET HER? 

This plotline was the straw that broke my back. ACOTAR, at it’s heart has always been a ya fantasy with added ‘spice’ and I was willing to bend my critical-thinking skills in many cases and forget and forgive many smaller idiotic issues in this series. But this? It is not idiotic. It is massive and stupid to the point when it becomes insulting to the reader. It was a plot straight out of a bad fanfic, not something that should be in a published book written by someone who writes for a living. You could even argue that Twilight has handled this toxic trope better.  I have wasted my money on this book and thinking about it will always be painful for me. So yeah.

ACOSF could be great. Ended up quite pathetic.