#idk it's not quite feysand is it

[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

[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.

[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 🤭❣️

[tadpolesonalgae]

Hey Tabby! how's your day going/ if you're reading this at night—how was your day? i hope you had a good one!

i think I saw you mention once that you don't get to read as many fanfics as you'd like to?(sorry if I'm remembering wrong tho🥲) so when you do, do you have preferences in ships or maybe AUs?

but I mainly wanted to ask if there were certain rarepairs(idk if I'm using the right term here, I'm kindof a noob when it comes to fanfic slang🥲even tho I've been reading them for years now) that you enjoy?

I once read a Feyre×Gwyn fic that I really enjoyed even though I'd never thought of the ship before/come across it. and then there were these 2 fics that were Feyre×Lucien that I really liked (but couldn't find more of🥲), which ik might sound kinda weird after acomaf but I think I'd read it right after the first book?? so😶... there are a few more that I can't think of at the moment but do you also have ships that might seem a little odd at first but you personally think have potential or are just a guilty pleasure?

also, what's your favourite ship to read or write about in general? thoughts about TamSand?(sorry if this has already been asked before)

—🫀

Hello hello!!

My back and fingers are aching but I’m good for the most part! I think my cycle is coming up though which I’m not looking forward to—I’ve been having trouble sleep this last week :/

‘i think I saw you mention once that you don't get to read as many fanfics as you'd like to?(sorry if I'm remembering wrong tho🥲) so when you do, do you have preferences in ships or maybe AUs?’

That was me, yes 🫠

So on the rare occasions I have the time and inclination to read fanfics, it’ll usually be by someone I trust? If that makes sense 😭 If I’m reading to relax, I want to know the writing will be good and the story will be enjoyable, so I’ll stick to people I trust for that. But if I have time and I’m interested in having a nose about, I’ll usually be more interested in female characters rather than the male ones (since, well, you know👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🤭) I’ll also read some female character x female character fics instead of x reader from time to time if I can’t find anything new, but I struggle to find those too 🫠

‘but I mainly wanted to ask if there were certain rarepairs(idk if I'm using the right term here, I'm kindof a noob when it comes to fanfic slang🥲even tho I've been reading them for years now) that you enjoy?’

Girl I’m with you there, I have no idea about proper tags 🫠 I only recently (this week) found out apparently there’s a happy ever after tag? So people I guess can settle into a fic knowing the ending?

Anyway, I guess gwynlain? If I came across a fic with that pair I’d probably give it a go, but it’s not often my interests go in that direction :) though I’ll stay away from male x male character fics since they just rub me the wrong way for personal reasons—as a general rule :)

‘there are a few more that I can't think of at the moment but do you also have ships that might seem a little odd at first but you personally think have potential or are just a guilty pleasure?’

Not really, I don’t think? I mean again, I quite like gwynlain but I don’t frequently or actively search for things under that tag :)

I do think it’s fun however when people have their own corner of chaos where you can find some odd ones (I would consider Amarantha x Lord Devlon and odd one—though I don’t know if that actually exists or not 🤭)

‘also, what's your favourite ship to read or write about in general?’

Favourite ship to read would probably be Feysand? And to write about it would probably also be Feysand :) pretty straightforward 🧡💛

‘thoughts about TamSand?(sorry if this has already been asked before)’

I enjoy seeing fanart of it, but I think I’m more on the side of it would be nice if they began mending relations so neither of them have to constantly deal with their resentment to one another since I think it takes a lot of energy to hate someone :)

[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

[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. 

[rosesfox]

I’m not upset with Cassian and Amren because I do think it’s obvious that they’ve put Feyre first but there are just short MOMENTS where they contradicted that. Sjm fixed it with Amren when she had Amren call Nesta out for being childish and unfair about it. finally, they were training together in Acowar and Acofas and amren never talked to her about abusing and being jealous of her younger sister…? They just played puzzles, drank and talked shit about life together? Sjm has definitely glazed over feyres abuse from nesta with Amren. and after Cassian starts having sex with Nesta he starts disagreeing with all of Feysand and the IC’s decisions. He goes silent when they’re talking about a topic I’m like “what the hell is his deal all of a sudden?” They both annoyed me but Cassian more. Sjm got so messy while she was writing. Even the whole “Nestas been over here quite a bit” in Acofas I was like “Wtf you’re having her big sister hang out with HER friend? And not even having Amren talk to her for Feyre to fix the situation before she befriends the sister? She just put them right into a friendship. Like fuck Feyre am I right? I was like What is this? Just disappointing writing decisions that affected Feyre with her sister. Azriel, Mor and Rhys are on the loyal list while Amren and Cassian got ruined kind of. But I can get over it easily, like I said we know where their loyalties all lie at the end of the day. Sjm just had us question it for whatever reason by being too lazy to think twice about certain decisions. just like “well I want them to be friends even if she still is abusive and disrespectful when it comes to feyre (: fast forward to two edgy besties making puzzles” and Cassian just lost all sense. I feel bad for Cassian Stan’s because his behavior was a mess for our side and their side. They don’t think he even stood up for nesta enough while we think he didn’t stand up for the ICs decisions or Feyre enough. Amren made up for it by talking shit the whole book to Nesta so she may be forgiven for her past choices soon.

It was ooc for Amren to befriend Nesta but not call her out on her shit sooner when she’s always quick to call someone out, and Ooc for Cassian to act like such a brute that was whipped for nesta for a personality trait. The random dancing? Almost letting Eris die? Disagreeing with Feyre and Rhys so much when they made sense? Complaining about them giving the dagger to Eris I was like “omg shut up already I love you but stop complaining so damn much 🥹” when he was like “Feyre why can’t you go search for the trove Instead of nesta” I was like…”boy..if you don’t stop being so biased” when he slung his arm around nesta in front of rhysand on purpose….so many bad moments. I can never re read it without skipping so many parts bc they irk me. Azriel was only distant because of wanting a HEA not because of all this shit Cassian has going on. Azriels book is about to be so much better I just know it. I feel like we suffered through a chaotic contradicting YA book with 6 adult smut scenes of them banging eachothers brains out. It’s pure chaos and to the people that stan the book, you are strong. I can’t read it without being annoyed or cringing.

Azriel and Elains Povs will hopefully be more mature, and she won’t continue doing ooc bullshit within the IC. Go mess up other relationships outside of the IC and give them a rest, it’s confusing us all. I feel like Sarah not caring about criticism could be bad for her writing like where is the growth? She writes so good but has flaws that can easily be fixed if she’d pay more attention and care

Cassian in acomaf defending Feyre from Nesta and super worried about her throughout her trajectory, Amren and Feyre being good friends who count on each other and spend time together, and all that disappeared in acosf. Amren literally has one scene "defending" Feyre and it's at the end of the book. Cassian was supposed to be Feyre's best friend, but he wasn't, and idk if i expected much from Amren.

the most annoying thing was Cassian throwing Feyre into the fire to spare Nesta from going to get the weapons. like?????? I thought the intention was to make Nesta a good person who takes initiative and wants to help, why does Feyre have to literally be life-threatening for Elain to volunteer and then Nesta to volunteer to go? 

LMFAO CASSIAN DEFENDING RHYS ALL THE TIME, and then he goes and puts his little arm on Nesta as a form of whatever. this book is so embarrassing

and yes, it seems that none of Nesta's actions have any consequences. Amren who doesn't like anyone wouldn't like Nesta just because she acts like a spoiled brat.

that's what you said and what most fans agree: it's lazy and contradictory writing. I hope she learned from her mistakes, from the fucking hate that Feyre took, from the hate that Nesta continues to take, and do something better and more conclusive in Elain and Azriel's book.

i don't think i could answer everything you said, but i loved your ask and i share 100% of your thoughts! im always here to listen.

[longsightmyth]

anti-sjm sentiments increase after every book she releases, which is great, but something deeply uncomfortable I'm realizing, especially in the anti-acotar community, is that ... a lot of new antis do not actually care about the deeply problematic elements and patterns of sjm's works, but only care about them in the context of their favourite character. It's the same mindset as the stan community with the "anti" name.

some Feyre stans, for example (or rather Feysand stans, idk if she has stans of her own because sjm hasn't given her a fucking personality to stand on) are very disillusioned and pissed off with the crap Rhys pulls on her in acofas and acosf, but fail to understand that it is not a random 180 degree character change, it's a perfectly predictable pattern of behaviour from the time he abused her in acotar, something they still continue to dismiss or deny.

Tamlin is another character - while there has been renewed attention given to the way he's treated very unfairly in the narrative (which is good!), some new fans of his veer very close to outright woobificafion. I read a post that criticized Feyre for getting together with rhysand so fast after Tamlin, because it was - I kid you not - disrespectful to Tamlin and her relationship with him. yeah. the dude who emotionally and physically abused her - that's who she should be respecting. I've seen his relationship with Lucien get romantisized as well.

Nesta fans (and I'm one of them so it's doubly irritating) are rightfully furious at how badly sjm treats her, and how the narrative harps on that while blissfully ignoring the crap that other characters have done. But there's...no need to deny & dismiss the fact that she genuinely was very shitty to Feyre in the beginning of acotar (and feyre is very shitty to her now). Like, it's fine to acknowledge it lol, it doesn't mean to have to like Nesta less as a character. And so many stans also ship her with Cassian, which I genuinely do not understand because if they really cared about her, why the fuck are they shipping her with her abuser? Some of those people were rightfully outraged after Silver Flames, but it's the same as feysand fans - they ignore the pattern of abuse that's been existent since Wings and Embers. and some Nesta fans ship her with ERIS of all characters, good god.

Mor's treatment is a fucking mess. She's dismissed by a lot of people, and from what i've seen, there are quite a few Nesta stans vehemently hate her. Which I get to an extent, because she was terrible to Nesta in acosf, but maybe acknowledge that this is the same person who helped Feyre contrary to Rhys's wishes in acomaf, and the fact that she's queer was a complete retcon by sjm followed by a downgrade in her narrative importance, her powers, and her likeability. And that Azriel pursuing her for 500+ years is is fucking CREEPY, she is terribly unnerved and uncomfortable by it, meaning she in *also* in a deeply toxic situation. and I think sometimes she's blamed for sleeping with Cassian, too, idk. People who write pages describing how unfairly other female characters are treated but make no room for her are automatically disregarded by me lol.

... anyway, yeah. I'm not sure this makes sense, I don't remember exact details of the series so maybe I've missed my mark at places, but this is what I've observed.

No I think you're right - it's frustrating when there are problems with a series (especially serious ones) that people either don't see or ignore until it impacts a character or facet of the story they care about.

And yes, while the treatment of women in the series is pretty crappy, the treatment of women IN the series by fandom is even crappier. Whatever you (general you) feel Mor's sexuality is, it shouldn't matter: someone who has shown no interest in another person for 500 YEARS is not at fault for the other person continuing to lust after them, and it rubbed me the wrong way that the only way Feyre could excuse Mor not being into Azriel was that Mor is into women.

In short, the books tie into and encourage protagonist-centered morality, and while the books themselves hold Rhys up as the ultimate protagonist, fans are going to have different favorites.

(I’m sorry this took so long to answer, apparently I typed it up and put it in drafts?!)

[acourtofthought]

This whole debate about who's gonna help Bryce and the IC because Sarah confirmed that CC3 will build the plot for acotar 5 is so stupid. I doupt Gwyn or Elain will make that big of an apperance.

Y'all forget that the once person who already did make such an impact in the crossover is Azriel. Sarah didn't have to make him be the one to find Bryce and bring her to Feysand. It could've been Cassian or literally anyone else. She also didn't have to connect AZRIEL'S DAGGER to one of CC' big plots and make it Gwyndion's partner, but she did. He'll most likely make a big apperance in CC. Not Elain or Gwyn.

I think it is a fun theory that Gwyn might help the IC and Bryce, but I don't think it will actually happen. I know that she and Merril are currently making researchs about the other worlds and stuff, I doupt this will make a great impact. Maybe we'll have something like Nesta bringing up Merril and Gwyn and she'll get those informations from them for her.

Same with Elain. She has seer powers that she can't control and that's... all. The IC don't like to include her in serious business. If she really was that important, she would've been at least mentioned in the crossover, but she wasn't. Nesta was there, so why not Elain too?

I'm sorry but if that role is going to confirm who's book is next, then el/riels already lost. Idk about you but gwynriels and eluciens have been saying for a long time that we'll get Azriel's book. It shouldn't be "Gwyn vs Elain", it should be "Azriel vs Elain", because those 2 are going to be MCs

You make some really good points and now that I think about it......while Gwyn and Merrill's research may be somewhat important......their research is theories about other dimensions and other worlds. Bryce is literally from another world. And she's already done the whole time travel thing. So while research and theories are important, it won't necessarily trump that of someone who is actually from another world and has already gone through space and time. If anything, I would think Nesta would play an even bigger role than maybe Gwyn because of her connection to the Harp and what it can do. But you're right. The biggest mystery is not really so much about what the research will tell us but of what will happen with TT. Will Az keep it? Will he give it up? Is he somehow connected to Bryce and Ruhn because it's in his possession?

And SJM did say that CC3 will have meaning to the future of the ACOTAR series but not because it will indicate who is more important to the future of the ACOTAR series or who it will further hint at as endgame potential. I think her words were something along the lines of "it will be important to the characters of ACOTAR because if Bryce has now managed to cross space and time to enter Prythian, than that means it's going to be a concern for Rhys and everyone as to who else will be able to enter their world."  Meaning I’m betting the Asteri are going to eventually show up in Prythian after traveling through time and space once they realize Bryce was able to.   So yeah, I think there's a lot of characters that will play a "contributing" role in CC3 but no one will be quite as impacted as say Az and what it means for the future of he and TT. But the big showdown has never been and never will be between Gwyn and Elain in terms of the CC3 book. I like both of their characters and I love Elain but I think it's ridiculous to try to turn them in to the heroes of the crossover. They are definitely important to the ACOTAR world but in the CC world they are both just tiny little fish in a giant pond.

[colorlesschristmastree]

RE: SJM's bad writing:

I'm still fuming about the fact that Rhys started as a villain and has the power to manipulate other people's thoughts and feelings... And SJM did nothing interesting with that.

I hoped Acosf to be the book where after Rhys keeps info about her pregnancy and health from her, Feyre realizes that he's not a "feminist king", that she literally does not "always have a choice", that she is not "his equal" and that he has manipulated her feelings so far, and any time Feyre had shielded herself was because he'd let her to.

Like, maybe she'd get free of his mental control thanks to Nesta's new, undefined powers or something. And from there she just realizes everything. That he's not a kind Lord, that he wasn't able to help the Illyrians in how many centuries? And that he has no interest in doing it now (which is quite obvious). That he assaulted her repeatedly UTM. That people follow him because they are either magically manipulated or physically intimidated and threatened. That he made a suicide pact with her (so fuckin' toxic), and after her death in childbirth would have left his Court without a leader because he SUCKS AS A LORD.

It would have been SO COOL.

Instead we get Rhys threatening to kill Nesta for telling Feyre the truth and no one batting an eye at that. We get Feyre being upset for half a second and then act like nothing happened. We get Feyre almost dying because of him. We get Nesta losing her powers to save all three of them... But not before changing her own anatomy to make sure she can bear Cassian's children.

We get talks of him becoming High King, because of course.

SJM is a terrible writer.

Yeaaahhh i don’t really agree with you on a lot of this but I do think evil Feysand would’ve been cool. But Rhys never was a villain and his change in acomaf wasn’t retconning (imo), I reread the first book recently and his character was always there.

But anon you sound kinda silly, I don’t know why you would think or want SJM to take the main ship/couple of the series and make it so that it was just mind control the whole time.. that’s just not reasonable and she’s never been that kind of writer, your disappointment was kinda unfounded.

And I don’t agree that it’s obvious that Rhys doesn’t want to help the illyrians, mind you he was TRAPPED under the mountain for fifty years, and the rest of the IC was in Velaris and couldn’t leave. Any female illyrians who were clipped during that time cannot be blamed on Rhys and the IC because they literally weren’t there. Plus many Illyrians literally sided with amarantha, if Rhys didn’t care about them he wouldn’t have intervened and took care of all the rogue bands during those three months after UTM.

The illyrians just spent 5 decades without any control or influence from Rhys. Rhysand was UTM before emerie was even born. And some of the things you suggested wouldnt have been changed in acosf, you can’t change canon that drastically without it seeming weird. My post was about how she could have been more creative with writing a story for Nesta and Elain. Tbh idk why you’d send this ask, I’m a very pro ic and Feyre blog so I can’t really agree with anything you said except that SJM isnt a good writer and has been lacking creativity with her plot lines in the acotar series.

[mystical-blaise]

Helloooo !!! I just read the recent chapter of ACOWAS and all the emotions touched me truly <3 ... Also a question... do you have any others WIPs or more Dadriel pieces in mind??

Hi, anon! Awww, I'm so happy to hear and thank you! It was hard to write but I'm really happy with it and happy at the reception 🥰

Do I have anymore ideas? Yes. Always 😂

-I'm working on a potential sequel for ACOWAS. I have a working title (abbreviations ACOCAF), but I haven't outlined it fully. So, it probably won't be out until February. Next time, I'd like to have a finished piece before I upload for my own mental health. I'm afraid the holidays are going to bump a few things.

-I have an idea for an AU series. First story starting with Feysand and the second Gwynriel. Just ideas though, nothing truly fleshed out.

- YES! I still have quite a few Dadriels. 7ish? Idk, I swear I'll update soon!

- I have been getting requests to add onto a few FBAA post-TCOGB fics. I may make them into a series like Dadriel.

I wish there were more hours in the day! Halloween this weekend with kids is going to mess up my whole writing schedule but it's going to be fun!