#like tamlin is fine that's not the part i have a problem with because there ARE parallels between feylin and elriel

[theshadowsingersraven]

*me, explaining on reddit how Azriel and Elain not getting together still can amount to a satisfying story arc in which they both realize they aren't good for each other based on the behaviors Azriel has displayed and what Elain wants and need, but still grow separately from each other because of the relationship they developed, even if shallow, crumbling*

the e/riel on the other side of the discussion: "Also, if it pans out the way you’ve said with as being incredibly toxic and no better than Tamlin why would he deserve anyone?"

Tell me you don't see these characters independently of their ship without telling me you don't see them independently of their ship.

[writeroutoftime]

pawns in your game

pairing: cassian x fem!reader

summary: when you get injured working a job with rhys, your mate - worried for your safety - loses it and finally lets go of his pent up anger

warnings: angst, injury towards reader, cass getting angry at rhys and also rhys kinda being a dick (look I have a lot of thoughts of conversations that never happened in acosf lol - I just hope this isn't horribly ooc)

words: 1.3k

a/n: first cassian fic! honestly, I know I said I'm in love with rhys, but it's the same for cass and az - so this one is for my fellow cassian people! wasn't sure how to wrap this up, so I left it open for a part 2. let me know if anyone is interested and/or has any ideas? but either way, please enjoy!! (also, if you could let me know what you think because I'm so nervous about posting this!)

tagging @captainsophiestark as requested! (hope you're having a lovely day!)

oOoOo

"Cassian, I need you to visit Windhaven and deal with Devlon. I'm getting reports of unrest, and I want this handled before it becomes a problem." Rhys commanded, not looking up from the papers on his desk.

Standing at attention, Cass nodded his head once, sharply. "Of course. I will go and pack, so that y/n and I may leave before the sun sets." He moved to exit the room, holding his hand out for you, but was quickly stopped before either of you got too far.

"Actually, y/n, I need you to accompany me." Rhys interrupted, directing his attention to you.

Your jaw dropped, caught off guard, and you hurried to school your features. It was not that you had to be paired with Cassian for all missions, but it had been that way for at least a century now since your mating ceremony. It served as peace of mind to you and Cass, and usually meant your missions were more successful compared to when you were separated. Surely, Rhys understood that.

"We will be leaving for the Spring Court in the morning, and I need my most trusted courtier with me."

Shock ran through your body, but you nodded your head regardless. It must be a serious matter, for you had not visited the Spring Court in many months. However, you instantly felt a sharp tug of your mating bond followed by waves of anger that poured off of Cassian.

"Spring Court?" he ground out, fists clenched at his side. "Why must you travel to the Spring Court? I thought we put that behind us?"

"Because I have official business to conduct with Tamlin that supersedes our personal desires. And I need the Night Court's courtier present for." Rhys snapped back.

You sent a soothing message down the bond, trying to calm Cass' anger you felt growing with each second that passed. "Cass, it's alright. Both of us will be fine."

"No. Rhys, you know what happened the last time any of us stepped foot there. You really want to risk it? Can't you send anyone else to go? Lucien, Mor, Feyre?"

Now it was Rhys' turn to growl. "Watch it, Cassian. I've told y/n she will accompany to Spring and that's enough."

"But can't you just-"

"I said that's enough!" Rhys shouted, his eyes darkened dangerously as the thread of his patience snapped. "I am your High Lord, and you will not push back against what I command."

A tension so thick that it threatened to choke you immediately filled the room. You kept your eyes locked on the ground, but you didn't have to look to know Cass wore a mask of despair on his face. It had been decades since Rhys had lost his temper like that.

Cassian merely bowed his head in mock respect before dragging you from the room. He did not speak for the next hour, only doing so to whisper his love and goodbye to you, before flying to Windhaven, not saying another word to Rhys.

oOoOo

The next day found yourself in the ruins of the Spring Court. What once was a beautiful court that thrived for all its citizens now lay dilapidated and lonely, a reflection of the court's high lord's own feelings. It had rattled your nerves to set foot on Tamlin's territory considering the rocky history between the Spring and Night courts, but you would not leave Rhys' side.

Now, you were utterly exhausted from mediating with two, stubborn males all day; only for no new development to transpire, meaning you simply wasted a day away from your own court and your mate. Your only relief came from the swift exit Rhys insisted on, making sure you would arrive home before the sun set.

Yet, the tension from the previous day lingered as you and Rhys traveled to the border to be able to winnow out. But as you both walked in silence, you couldn't help but feel uneasy. Like someone, or something was watching you. Before you could communicate any of this to Rhys, you caught a solider out of the corner of your eye with an arrow notched and aimed at your high lord.

"Look out!" you shouted. With such little warning, you knew Rhys wouldn't be able to deflect the arrow on his own. And with a rush of adrenaline, you pushed your body to reach Rhys.

Mere seconds before the arrow could lodge itself in its initial target, your body collided with Rhys', knocking him out of the way and safely to the ground. Instead, the arrow lodged itself deep in your shoulder, burning like a thousand fires. You let out a guttural scream, immediately dropping to the ground. 

Being part of the Inner Circle - the Court of Dreams - meant you were no stranger to pain, but this was unlike anything you ever thought existed. Very briefly, you recognized that Rhys had neutralized the threat and now hovered over your body. 

His face was contorted in pain and tears clouded his eyes. He moved to pull the arrow from your body, but halted the moment he touched it. Your scream reverberated in the stone courtyard. 

"y/n, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." he cried, never seeing you like this. Quickly, Rhys gathered you in his arms and winnowed back to Velaris and directly into the med wing. He prayed Madja could mend the wounds, and he blanched at the thought of Cassian discovering the events that had played out. 

oOoOo

Meanwhile, in the Windhaven camp, Cassian was meeting with a handful of males, attempting to negotiate peace. His focus wavered, however, as a blinding wave of agony struck his heart through his bond. He froze on the spot, his heart stopped pumping blood. While on a mission, the two of you had agreed to keep the bond closed - for safety reasons. The fact that he could feel this immense pain, meant something very wrong had occurred. 

"I-I have to go." Cassian mumbled, not bothering to offer any more explanation to the Illyrians - consequences be damned.

Immediately, he took to the skies and started the flight back to Velaris. The already long flight felt like it took an eternity. The wind strung at Cassian's cheeks as he soared, but the pain didn't register like the way the bond sung in pain.

Finally, Cass could see River House in his site, and when he finally entered the house, he was met with the site of his family huddled together in the sitting room. All eyes turned his way, a mixture of pity and concern as they looked at him. 

"What happened? Where is y/n?" he demanded, fully stepping into his role as Lord of Bloodshed, eyes darkened and wings drawn out menacingly.

Before anyone could answer, another scream could be heard from the halls. Cassian's knees buckled, and he would have fallen to the floor if Azriel hadn't been standing by. Rhys blocked his path, unable to meet his brother's eye.

"She was attacked, brother. We were ambushed while visiting the Spring Court." Rhys whispered.

"And they attacked her?" Cass questioned, though he knew deep down that wasn't the case. When Rhys, or anyone else for that matter, refused to speak, Cassian growled. "What happened?"

Unable to speak, Rhysand gently scraped against Cassian's mental shields and projected to him the whole truth of what had happened at the Spring Court; the ambush, you pushing yourself into harm's way for the sake of Rhys, and the pain you felt from the moment the arrow struck your body.

As Rhys withdrew himself from his brother's mind, Cass drew, deep rugged breaths. The silence in the room was so thick it felt suffocating, but no one dared to move or speak first. However, instead of speaking, Cass pushed past everyone and demanded his way into your room to be by your side.

One look at your crumpled form, sent Cassian to his knees by your bedside. He reached out, hesitantly, to grasp your hand in his and allowed the tears to fall. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." he mumbled.

Madja made herself known from the corner, approaching Cass the way one would a frightened animal. "The arrow she was shot with was laced with a terrible poison - much worse than faebane. I've done my best, but some of the poison already made it to her system."

"When will she wake up?" Cass asked, not allowing the possibility of you never waking to cross his lips.

The healer sighed deeply, looking over the famed general, now brought to his knees at the sight of his mate fighting for her life. "Only the Cauldron and Mother know. It will be up to y/n to bring herself back from the brink." Madja spoke slowly.

With a final, soothing touch to Cass's shoulder, Madja made her exit. Now off to deliver the same news to the rest of your waiting family.

"Please don't leave me. Y-you can't leave me." Cass whispered, clutching your hand. "I'm here with you every step of the way." he vowed.

oOoOo

And that was how it continued for the next four days as your body continued to try and heal itself from the inside out. Cass refused to move from the chair he had dragged to sit by your bed. Unwilling to leave your side for even a moment.

The rest of his family took turns sitting with you and Cass, bringing him meals, forcing him to at least take a bite. He knew that everyone else was suffering as well from your situation, but it felt like his heart was being torn apart, bit by bit, with each hour that passed and you still remained asleep.

He wasn't stupid. He knew the longer you went without improvement, the less likely it became you would heal. Cass heard the hushed conversations Mor and Azriel held outside your door, discussing what to do should the worst happen, Cauldron forbid.

It was on that fourth day that Cassian reached a tipping point. He heard the door creak open behind him, imagining it was Amren who would be sitting with him, based on the previous days' schedule.

What Cass had not anticipated was to see his High Lord approach the bed and pull a chair up on the opposite side of your bed. It was obvious to see the prominent dark circles that overtook Rhys's normally bright face, and the way his body and seemingly sunk into itself. But Cass could not bring himself to care for his brother's guilt or be the first to utter a word.

With a wave of his hand, Rhys summoned a tray of food for Cassian, and only sighed when he rejected the peace offering. Finally, Rhys found a sliver of courage and was the first to break the silence.

"Madja has yet to make headway on identifying the poison y/n was hit with, but she is not giving up. None of us are." he offered, unsure of how to breach the subject.

Rhysand could only imagine what Cassian was experiencing. The pain of losing Feyre had been so immense, but in a twisted sense, at least it had been quick. A blink of an eye and she was gone. Rhys didn't think he would have been strong enough to sit vigil, feeling her fade through the bond with each passing minute.

"Stop looking at me like she's already gone." Cass growled, eyes darkening towards Rhys.

"Brother, I only want to help her, and to support you."

"I think you've done quite enough. It's your fault she's even in this position to begin with." he spat, enjoying the way that Rhys flinched at his words.

"Now that's not fair, Cassian." Rhys tried to counter. "I never asked her to that for me."

Cass could only scoff at the High Lord's response. "Of course, you didn't have to ask. You're the fucking High Lord, of course she was going to risk her life for you. Isn't that we all do here?"

"All of you, y/n including, knew what you were getting into, what the dangers were, when you swore allegiance to my court. You don't get to throw that back on me. You think this doesn't hurt me just as it hurts you?"

"No, it fucking doesn't!" Cassian screamed, his blood boiling at this point. "Because you use us like your puppets to protect you and your mate-"

"Careful how you continue, Cassian." Rhysand warned, not caring for slander against his mate, even in Cass's state of grief.

"Ever since this "death bargain" you and Feyre struck, it's like the rest of us don't matter. All we do is making sure your asses aren't killed because Cauldron forbid the saviors of Prythian are stolen from us." Cassian blazed on. "Yes, you've lost your mate before, Rhys, but she came back to you, and you to her.

"Who will remake y/n if she can't fight this? You and your High Lady are so far up on your pedestal that you don't know what it's like for the rest of us. Yes, we understood what our duties would entail, but that doesn't mean we have to continue to stand for this." Cassian spat, finally allowing years of pent-up fear and anger to spill over.

With one last, murderous, glare, Cassian turned his back on Rhysand, letting his words ring out for all in the House to hear. His wings stretched out behind him, hiding both you and he from Rhys, the Night Court, and the rest of the world. If it was to only be the two of you against everyone else from that point on, so be it.

part 2

oOoOo

a/n: part 2?

[merwgue]

(This is neither a pro nor anti post, this is merely to criticise SJM's writing. However, it will be tagged as "anti" because if I tag it neutral, I'll get jumped❤️)

Ah yes, the infamous communication void in Sarah J. Maas's books—a void so deep it could probably swallow the entire Night Court and still be hungry. SJM doesn’t just dabble in miscommunication; she throws her characters into emotional landmines and says, "You figure it out... or don’t." And that’s where the fated mates trope comes in, right? It’s supposed to patch up that mess with some mystical connection, as if being mates magically grants couples ESP-level knowledge of each other’s deepest feelings. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.

Let’s dive into why SJM’s version of communication—or lack thereof—just doesn’t hold water.

The Fated Mate Shortcut

In theory, fated mates should have some magical telepathic bond that transcends words. It's the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for character development: why build healthy communication skills when the mating bond can conveniently swoop in to fill the gaps? In Maas’s world, this idea is wielded like an all-powerful tool: mates just know what the other is feeling, and therefore don't need to use this wild, ancient concept called words. The idea that fated mates can "sense" each other's emotions essentially sidelines the necessity of open dialogue. But here’s the problem: emotional intuition ≠ effective communication.

Psychologically speaking, emotional intelligence involves recognizing and managing your own emotions and the emotions of others. That’s not mind-reading! You can be deeply connected to someone, even soul-tied, and still have no idea what’s going on in their head. People are complex, and relationships require actual verbal communication to navigate emotional landscapes.

Take Feyre and Tamlin. They clearly loved each other but weren’t mates, which might be why their lack of communication felt so tangible and raw. The failure to express needs, fears, and insecurities is what led to their downfall, and honestly? That’s valid. Miscommunication or inability to communicate is one of the most common—and understandable—reasons relationships end. But do we get that sense of growth and change when Feyre hooks up with Rhysand? Not really. It’s like the narrative shifts gears from "Tamlin doesn’t understand Feyre" to "Rhysand just knows because they’re mates," completely skipping the part where Feyre needs to actually talk about what she went through.

The "Communication-Free" Mating Bond

Now we get to the Rhysand-Feyre dynamic. Once they're revealed as mates, it’s as though any need for in-depth conversations about feelings becomes redundant. The bond is treated as an unbreakable connection that automatically compensates for any emotional roadblocks. Rhysand messes up? It's okay, they’re mates. Feyre’s spiraling emotionally? Don’t worry, the bond will smooth that over. In psychological terms, this reliance on a supernatural bond as a "fix" is classic avoidant behavior. Instead of confronting the discomfort of working through problems, the narrative leans into this magical quick-fix. They’re bonded for life—problem solved, right?

Except it’s not.

Relationships—good ones, healthy ones—are built on effective communication, trust, and vulnerability. The mere presence of a fated mate bond doesn’t remove the need for these things. Mates don’t automatically understand each other’s trauma just because of some mystical bond. Imagine being so emotionally stunted that instead of apologizing or owning up to your mistakes, you’re just like, "But we’re mates, so it’s fine." Spoiler alert: it’s not fine.

Nessian: Miscommunication Meets the Mating Bond

And then we have Nesta and Cassian, whose relationship could be the ultimate case study in how not to communicate. Nesta, dealing with PTSD and trauma, is paired with Cassian, who—for all his supposed swagger—cannot for the life of him communicate effectively. They constantly clash, avoid real conversations about their pain, and sweep everything under the rug with physical intimacy. They kiss and make up, but no one is really talking. And that’s not love; that’s avoidance. It's like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

The bond between them is used as a crutch. When they fight, we’re supposed to believe that their mate bond will fix things eventually, but that's simply not how relationships work. Kissing your partner instead of discussing real problems is fine for a silly argument, but when it comes to serious issues—trauma, boundaries, power imbalances—it’s irresponsible. And the fact that Maas frames this as healthy because they’re mates is the narrative equivalent of gaslighting the reader into accepting toxic dynamics.

In psychological terms, this is where we see the conflict-avoidant and emotionally avoidant behaviors on full display. Cassian and Nesta both lack the emotional tools to effectively navigate their struggles, yet instead of being called out, their dysfunction is wrapped up in a bow of "fated mates" as if that’s supposed to be a solution. It’s not. The reality is that their bond does nothing to facilitate real healing; it’s just there as a placeholder for emotional growth that never comes.

The Unhealthy Dynamic

In psychology, we talk about secure attachment as the cornerstone of healthy relationships. You can have a deep connection, but you also need to work on things like trust, openness, and communication. What happens in Maas’s world is the opposite: the characters are codependent on this fated bond, rather than working toward a healthy attachment style. And SJM lets them off the hook. This narrative implies that emotional labor and apologizing for mistakes don’t really matter because "the bond will fix it." Not only does this undermine real, meaningful growth, but it also glosses over the entire point of relationships: to grow and learn together through the hard stuff.

When it comes to Cassian and Nesta, they literally can’t communicate. Cassian has all his own insecurities (hello, always calling himself a brute, never feeling worthy of Rhysand’s inner circle), and Nesta is navigating serious mental health struggles. They’re both drowning, but instead of Maas writing about how they could heal together, she plasters it with the band-aid of "mating bond."

At the end of the day, the whole "fated mates" trope in ACOTAR is a narrative cop-out that excuses bad communication and toxic dynamics. It’s okay to have flawed characters, but the problem is Maas doesn't treat them as flawed. She treats their lack of communication as something normal or even romantic. When in reality, if you can’t talk through your issues with your partner, no magical bond is going to save you.

So yeah, SJM’s version of "fated mates" feels like a lazy way to dodge the hard work of showing real character growth. And if these characters weren’t mates, they’d probably have broken up long ago—because healthy relationships are built on communication, not just magical convenience.

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

Well, again, the issue is not that Rhys has done bad things, it’s how those actions are framed in the story. Let’s think about this – if Rhysand’s actions UTM were framed as negative then perhaps we would not be having this conversation.

Of course, we can argue that Rhysand (1) has developed negative coping mechanisms / perspective (2) Rhysand’s trauma informs the things that he does (both pre, during, and after UTM), and (3) Rhysand’s position was uniquely isolating because of the nature of the role he was forced to play. These are points that I believe can be argued and offer an interesting view; but for any of that to happen, we have to acknowledge that the behaviors are negative. That’s often the problem with the arguments that begin to arise – no one wants to admit that Rhysand has developed (or just has) negative qualities and behaviors. No one wants to contend with the reality of consequences. “Rhysand has always admitted that he would be willing to do terrible things for his family” – and yet there’s no elaboration on those “terrible things.” No one wants to talk about those proposed negative qualities. The story (and the audience) don’t want to admit that Rhys doesn’t really have a solid moral high ground over Tamlin, or admittedly other villains. Just because Rhysand “admits” he’s prone to basically being abusive doesn’t…make it any less abusive.

My proposed argument about Rhysand’s actions UTM are this: he chose to sexually assault Feyre, he chose to “protect” Feyre in ways that were extremely sexually explicit. I believe these are choices that Rhys chooses to make – and I believe they say something about him. It’s noted, to me, that Amarantha scarcely makes Rhys do anything that he does to Feyre. I also believe that his actions regarding Feyre were done with an air of autonomy; as in, I believe Rhysand takes these measures into his own hands. Ultimately, I believe that while Rhysand has to contend with the horrors, he himself becomes beholden to them at some point and ends up perpetrating the same behaviors.

We cannot argue that Rhysand sexually assaulted Feyre, and then argue that it doesn’t say something about him. It does. In the realm of the story – from a writing standpoint – I think a good author can still make a character like that sympathetic and understandable (see: Nahadoth and Itempas from N.K. Jemisin’s Hundred Thousand Kingdom). If I were analyzing Rhysand’s actions, I would simply make the argument that perhaps Rhysand’s abuse of Feyre mirror’s his own abuse by Amarantha hands, and he potentially sees Feyre (and her hope) as something to be threatened – or even shamed by. If Rhysand’s actions were written in a way that clearly exemplified that his actions are not meant to be praised (and are NOT are reflection of love) then he could be salvaged. I actually believe a lot of the abusive things Rhysand does makes sense given the environment and if the story leaned into this from a storytelling perspective and did away with needing to moralize, then this would all be fine. Framing Rhysand’s abuse of Feyre as something to be praised, admired, and loved for is actually quite insane. If we frame his actions as purely preservational and self-serving, that would make so much sense. Imagine being in Rhysand’s position; I guarantee everyone would do whatever they could to stop such extreme amounts of abuse and sexual violence. And even then, the story could still create a narrative that warns of the danger of sexual violence and consent, it would just be subtextual and more allegorical than concretely written in the text. Starting Feyre and Rhysand off in such a tragic place, having Feyre and Rhysand acknowledged truly what happened, having them discuss ways for both of them to move forward while building up the mating bond in the background. Have Feyre acknowledge this untrusting, sly, slick part of Rhysand and have her not assume her mate does everything out of the kindness of his heart. Build their romance out of a place of mutual atonement – play on the theme of guilt Feyre feels and the whole premise of the court. Let the connection between Feyre and Rhys be that they truly acknowledge each others darkness (and also let Feyre do selfish things – maybe she knew damn well Clare Beddor’s family might suffer a bad fate but its not her family and Feyre would do anything for them; Let Feyre kill those fairies with ease because she cares about her life. Let her contend with reality that she would actually do anything for her family and then have that be a connection between Rhys and Feyre.

Something that has always bothered me about the “we don’t talk enough about Rhysand’s trauma” argument that gets thrown around when we earnestly discuss the validity of his actions is the presumption of innocence in that statement. The unwritten statement is that the trauma somehow explains and simultaneously absolves him of the implications of his actions. I objectively agree with the sentiment – Rhysand’s trauma is not talked about enough and it should be. The argument dancing in the corner is the fact that people believe that Rhysand’s extreme amount of trauma absolves him – even going as far as essentially say that Rhysand’s abuse operates out of fear (or because of fear) which is essentially the exact same ideology the book bashed Tamlin for. In the end, the cycle just comes back around and the abuse gets pushed into the backdrop.

[songofthesibyl]

One of the things that bothers me most about the ACOTAR series is how Tamlin and Rhysand are pitted against each other in the text. It’s part of a bigger issue I’ve written about before of how sexual assault is used to define Tamlin as bad against Rhysand and Lucien (for what happened with Ianthe). It’s why it’s difficult for me to like Tamsand as a ship (to the point I now get a little anxious whenever I see a post about it—I also have an anxiety disorder that’s gotten pretty severe so it’s also my go-to response for anything upsetting as of recent). There are no known significant relationships of Tamlin’s other than with Rhysand and Lucien respectively, and so I do write about them—I also think what happened with Tamlin and Rhysand is one of the most interesting unexplored aspect of the story, and I would love to see art of Tamlin and Rhysand facing each other as High Lords at Tamlin’s manor after the latter’s family has been slaughtered. I think it’s a great image.

However, with the amount of sexual violence in the story, past that point I don’t like seeing anything about them. I suppose this runs into my problem of enjoying some of the shipping/smut stuff—I can’t really divorce the characters from their context in that way. 

The problem I have in particular is the insistence on deeming Tamlin as selfish/arrogant for not wanting to be SA’d/be a sex slave/have unwanted sex (in terms of the Great Rite). And how Rhysand and Lucien are noble and self-sacrificing for being willing to do so—for Rhysand, also to be willing to be looked down on, called a whore, etc. Though I was spoiled about the series, Lucien’s repetition of calling Rhysand a whore signaled to me as a reader that Rhysand was not that, or that it was more complicated than that, because often when characters throw something in someone’s face like that there ends up being more to it—and of course there was.

Similarly, when Rhysand says Tamlin “sat on his ass” (he says something similar in the first book about doing nothing while the world goes to hell), readers usually parrot that uncritically. It’s absurd to think Tamlin was just sitting there while Feyre was being torn apart at the end of book one as if he was fine with it, or could have stopped it but chose not to; I also think there is more to the “sat on his ass” statement about the general period of the curses. One—they are enemies, of course Rhysand is going to look down on him. But beyond that, he is going to be resentful of Tamlin not having been UTM with him; maybe even, at times, feeling like he should have been in his place. But that is an irrational, emotional response to the extreme torture and degradation that led Rhysand to admit to being suicidal. Of course he would resent Tamlin being in his court, with his best friend at his side, while he is separated from his Inner Circle and everything he cares about. But that is Amarantha’s fault—not Tamlin’s. She wanted to divide the High Lords. She wanted them resentful and mistrustful of each other. 

And Tamlin did not know what would happen when he mouthed off to her at the masquerade. Probably no one else would have received such an (ironically) merciful fate compared to many others. And, apart from the three years he tried to break the curse by following the rules, he tried any other way; he made his court a haven for people like Alis. Feyre was also angry when she saw how well off Velaris was—even compared to the Spring Court—but she knew the people of Velaris weren’t to blame. And Rhysand did not apologize for prioritizing them. 

But to me—and I may be alone in this—it’s not that the people of Velaris were spared Amarantha’s wrath that’s the problem. It’s that Rhysand is considered to have committed a heroic act by “choosing” to be SA’d to protect it. It’s an act that speaks of a deep self-hatred; an obsession with making up for not being there when his mother and sister were killed, when he was planning on being there; and an assumption that he must play/be the monster. All of which he hasn’t really dealt with yet. But he didn’t choose anything; that’s the point, right? It shouldn’t be about whether Rhysand or Tamlin was the “better male”; it’s that Amarantha was the BBEG. It was she who wanted to pit them against each other. The reader doesn’t have to play along with that. 

Tamlin had no good choice in the curse; that was the point. He could be Lord Farquaad and send people to die without remorse or care; he could sit on his ass. He brought up Clythia’s brutal death by Jurian; Amarantha punished him by in turn making him feel the pain of his people being murdered by humans. If he was Lord Farquaad and didn’t care, it would not be a punishment.

But even if he had given in, what would it have accomplished? Why would she free Rhysand, or any of the High Lords, so they could be free to murder her or otherwise get their revenge? Why give up her torture and humiliation of Rhysand? What would a vague promise of “peace” mean from someone known to everyone as “The Deceiver”? All that was guaranteed to happen was the masks coming off. Tamlin wouldn’t have been in a position to help anyone any more than the other High Lords, (a position he had to an extent being in his own court); if he bent to her every whim, would it have mattered when she changed her mind and wanted one of his court to be her “nightly entertainment” as Beron described? Would Amarantha have left Velaris alone if she knew about it, and Rhysand promised to serve her if she left it alone? Did she not hurt Lucien and Feyre because she “favored” Tamlin? What would Tamlin have to do, or allow to be done—to sit on his ass, and watch—as her consort, to “prove” his loyalty?

It would have been awful, I would think, as a citizen of Velaris, to have known what Rhysand was going through. Similarly, if it was a choice of being imprisoned UTM, with my High Lord being a sex slave in perpetuity; or having a few years of respite with the hope of finding some other way, but I have to wear a mask—it’s an easy decision. I’d take the mask.

[batboys-cumdumpster]

Y'all are really stressing me tf out in the worst way lmao

Tamlin and Rhys are not comparable, and I will keep this very simple since reading comprehension isn't y'all's strong suit.

Tamlin wanted to lock Feyre away and keep her weak and complacent forever. He did not want her to learn to fight, to defend herself, etc. He wanted to pretend that everything was fine when it wasn't, and Feyre was in danger in the castle with him because of his own inability to have a hold on his trauma. He literally physically hurt her. (let's also mention the fact how Rhys always let Feyre talk shit through or let her deal with her trauma how she needed and Tamlin wouldn't)

Rhys was protecting his mate and child from any possible danger- including not telling Feyre about the dangers of the pregnancy because you know what can happen if a mother is stressed out during pregnancy? Miscarriage. And due to the fact that a pregnancy like this never happened before, of course he would not want to fucking risk it.

Was it wrong for Rhys to keep this from Feyre? Yup. Was it poor writing on SJM's part that magic couldn't work or a c-section couldn't work? Yup.

Does that mean Rhys and Tamlin are the same? Not even close.

I can guarantee that if he had found a solution before Nyx came out, he would have told Feyre. But, again, [I genuinely believe that] Rhys did not mention the problems because Feyre was already stressed the hell out over Nesta being the vile creature she is and any additional stress could have been harmful to the pregnancy and he didn't want that.

[spidersmiceandeverythingnice]

POTENTIALLY HOT AND BAD TAKE ABOUT NUANCE AND SJM WRITING INCOMING -

Tbh people bring this up as a knock against Rowan's character - "He PUNCHED Aelin!!" - but like the reasons I disliked Rowan had literally nothing to do with that because Aelin absolutely deserved it when he punched her in the face.

The context of that scene is that Rowan is not a human. He's not presented human, he doesn't act human, and the narrative doesn't treat him as Aelin's equal in any conceivable way. It is established very quickly that Aelin is a punk ass nineteen year old (who is depressed and dealing with it by being abrasive and cruel and pushing everyone away from her) and Rowan is an extremely powerful, dangerous immortal creature who has been fighting and killing in wars for centuries, and doesn't conform to human sensibility. He doesn't like Aelin and resents the fact that he's been ordered by his boss to put up with her.

And then Aelin looks Rowan dead in the face and tells him that his people deserved genocide.

The Fae in ToG were massacred. They're rare - Rowan is a member of an endangered species. And now this obsentially human kid who he is being forced to deal with is telling him that he, and many of his friends, loved ones, and other kin deserved to be hunted down and slaughtered for No Reason.

So, yeah Rowan punched Aelin in the face. And she deserved it. That's a downright horrific thing to say to ANYONE let alone someone who is canonically a genocide survivor anyway. She also said it on purpose because it was the worst thing she could think of to provoke him - which, again? Not great, considering that she's nineteen and depressed and he's meant to be her teacher in this scenario. But Rowan didn't randomly decide to attack Aelin. And once the pair of them decide to mutually stop antagonizing one another in Heir of Fire they actually do manage to form a strong platonic bond.

There are a ton of reasons to dislike Rowan mainly because he's ultimately boring and after HoF ends, any of the nuanced or interesting parts of his character are removed and it turns out that his only personality traits are being obssessed with Aelin and wanting to bang her - but idk, the punching thing is fine as a plotpoint. It's problematic because it's meant to be. It feels like an organic character interaction, and the relationship develops from there - literally, from rock bottom. And as it stands, that's actually fine! I don't hate this kind of writing.

The problem I have with ACOTAR is that a similar situation occurs.

It's Tamlin at the High Lord meeting. Is what he said to Feyre objectively bad? Yeah, sure, objectively but also? Feyre just ruined his Court and directly caused the slaughter of his people. (Hybern repeatedly thanks her for removing Tamlin as an obstacle to their conquest.) Tamlin is now dealing with an invasion and a refugee crisis because he tried to help someone he loved. He believed that he had rescued Feyre from a dangerous situation (ACOWAR contains a really bizarre passage where Feyre admits to lying about being raped, and then gets mad at Tamlin and Lucien for believing her). Feyre went behind his back to ruin all his work as a spy because she randomly decided that the best time to revenge herself upon him was during an active war situation. And if I were in his shoes - looking at the person I once loved who has now betrayed me in every conceivable way, dressed head to toe in actual diamonds and married to the man who had sexually assaulted her in front of me, because he was jealous of me - I wouldn't be handing over the classified intel i painstakingly gained as a spy, while trading pointed barbed insults about my ex-girlfriend's sex life. I would be literally biting heads off of necks. So, I say, fair enough. Tamlin gets a free pass here to say whatever he wants - in fact, for a guy whose supposed to be infamous for his horrible temper, I find him to be remarkably restrained! Notably, when violence breaks out - its the Inner Circle who are responsible for it.

Of course, they're immediately absolved. Zero consequences. In fact, their violence was helpful and makes people trust them! God damn it.

Anyway SJM IS capable of nuance - except that in ACOTAR, she doesn't do anything actually interesting with it and seems keen to remove nuance from her books as soon as possible whenever she does stumble across it.

[thefatesofspring]

The only thing “traditional” about Tamlin is calanmai, the tithe & the tithe hunt…ALL of which he absolutely HATES

He let a female (ianthe) more or less rule his court whilst he defended it & yes ianthe can fall off a cliff & perish, die in the most inhumane & painful way for all I care but Tamlin still let A FEMALE rule his court or at least have A LOT of sway

He made 0 indications of wanting to get Feyre pregnant or even having kids, in fact off the top of my head I’m pretty sure Tamlin eludes to being reluctant with having his own children more so because of the lack of control of the shifter power he had & how volatile it can be & the fact that it gets more powerful with each generation…

The only time I can remember again off the top of my head Tamlin ever wanted Feyre to wear a pretty dress was:

- in book 1 at the very start when she had no clothes of her own & he gave her the blue dress which Alis laid out for her on the bed or something & she said she didn’t want to wear it to Alis & when she came downstairs to the dining room he asked her why she’s not wearing it & she said to him that she preferred tunics & pants & he didn’t complain or moan once just nodded I believe, I think later on in book 1 Feyre eventually chooses to wear said dress because SHE WANTED TO not because Tamlin made her.

- the other was after UTM when he introduced her to the noble fae of his court

- & of course the wedding dress…even with this Tamlin himself didn’t like the dress & asked Feyre if she was sure she wanted to wear it because he KNEW HER & when she said yes it’s fine he didn’t question her because I’m assuming he thought she would have spoken up then or even later if she didn’t want to wear it since she’s never had a problem voicing her thoughts before/any other time

Then it brings me to the whole painting thing…when Tamlin told her to paint to me it was so obvious he was saying that because when she was stressed/upset before she wanted to paint to help herself get through the emotions of what’s happened to her, the way people in this fandom lack critical thinking is scary…Tamlin only ever saw Feyre react 1 of 3 ways when she was upset/stressed/struggling mentally & emotionally & it was to either paint or shout/argue or shut down & to me he saw that painting had the better result

He offered to teach Feyre how to read & write

Tamlin told Feyre the position of High Lady was hers if she wanted it & please for the love of all things holy I wished people would STOP twisting this particular part!

When Tamlin told Feyre there’s no such thing as High Lady he was NOT wrong!…in fact he’s still not wrong, Feyre still isn’t technically High Lady only through word of mouth (Rhysand’s mouth) & not chosen by the cauldron (& NO just because she has slivers of all 7 HL’s powers does not mean she’s chosen or even cauldron born…Nesta & Elain are cauldron born not Feyre…she’s simply resurrected from a different power that’s NOT directly from the cauldron if at all) he then proceeded to ask her if she wanted the title & she quickly shuts it down by saying no she doesn’t think she can handle the responsibility or people calling her high lady & Tamlin says ok, to me that says Tamlin was more than happy to call her high lady & give her the title but guess what…Feyre said NO.

the day people stop calling tamlin “traditional” or “not progressive” or just misogynistic is the day i can live in peace

[acourtofthought]

"she met his gaze."

For a long moment, Elain’s face did not shift, but those eyes seemed to focus a bit more. “Lucien,” she said at last

Elain only stared at him for a long moment

Their gazes locked and held.

Did not see the half step she took toward the stairs—as if she’d speak to him. Stop him.

Elain fell into step beside me, peering at Lucien.

Elain did not shrink away from Lucien in ACOWAR. In fact, she met his eyes multiple times. Even began to show a bit of curiosity towards him. All this after she had just lost her humanity and life in the Human Lands and knew he was connected to Tamlin.

But suddenly, in ACOFAS and SF, her behavior has changed. Why does she suddenly struggle to meet his eye?

Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court

no matter how much she claimed to be part of this court … It sucked the life from her.

The ancient healer jerked her chin toward Lucien. “See what he can do. If anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate.”

Elain only shrank further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen.

Elain seemed to have no issues meeting Luciens eye when she wasn't putting up a pretense that she was "fine". Everyone in ACOWAR knew she was struggling and she didn't hide that fact. But in ACOMAF and SF, Elain is making every effort to move on. There are hints though, that whatever she's trying to convince herself of, whatever she's trying to convince others of, it's not truly what she's feeling inside. Eternal optimist Elain is desperately trying to make the best of her situation. Is she truly happy and thriving though? Does she look like she's living her best life? Or is she just barely keeping her head above water so she doesn't drown?

Elain isn't causing major issues so she's easy to overlook. She says she's fine so that means she's got to be fine right? Just like we tell everyone in our day to day lives how fine we are when in truth, we all struggle behind the scenes. But someone having the ability to look at us a little too closely..... To see beneath the front we're trying to project can be uncomfortable. It can make us shy away from anyone looking any closer to see what's real.

I think Lucien is the only one not fooled by Elain’s "act" where she's fine and has no problems at all. Where she's just as happy as a clam in the Night Court, making such a difference and all smiles. For someone who is trying to make herself as small and unproblematic as possible (a "pleasant companion" as Feyre calls her and acting the way people might expect her to act as Rhys points out), I think someone like Lucien would be threatening. Not because Lucien himself is threatening but because who wouldn't feel intimidated by the one person who sees everything you're trying to hide inside?

In the end though, that's the kind of person who will push you to be your best. When you're finally brave enough to speak your Truths, that's going to be the person you realize was looking out for you all along. The person who can do for you, exactly what you've wanted this whole time.

“No one ever does. No one ever looked—not really.”

[aldbooks]

Hello! I love your writing. Do you think you could do an angst prompt for Lucien and Feyre? Platonically of course, I miss their friendship from book one so much. I hated that those 2 never really talked it out.

I was thinking maybe 69 and/or 53? Or whatever comes to mind there's so many good ones for them

Angst prompts

“It’s just a bruise, nothing more”/“is that blood?”

How about both?

Part of me wants to rewrite the scene from ACOFAS when Feyre mentions Lucien shows up back from Spring with a black eye and busted lip and she apparently had nothing to say about it…

But I’m not going to do that… 👀

Modern AU - this turned out more fluff than angst, I think, but I like it

—-

Feyre nearly had a heart attack as she walked into her dark apartment and saw a large shape shift in one of her arm chairs. She swallowed a scream when the light from the hall showed her fiery red hair and she relaxed, heaving a sigh as she tried to calm her racing heart.

“For heavens sake, Lucien. You could warn a girl before you break into her apartment,” she grumbled as she went through the usual motions of letting herself in, setting down her purse and keys and locking the door behind her.

“I’ll keep that mind,” came the deep rumble from behind her.

“How’d you get in anyway?”

“Spare key.” There was something… off about his voice, though she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. “You really should get a better hiding place than under your welcome mat.”

“Noted.” She smiled to herself as she flipped on the light then gasped when she caught sight of him, rushing over.

“It’s just a bruise,” he said, catching her hand before she could touch the dark purple splotch around his left eye.

“Just a bruise?” Her voice was a tad higher than she intended, but really… “your eye is swollen shut!”

“Im fine,” he insisted. But now she was looking at his entire face. Gripping his chin, she lifted it, turning his head to the side.

“Is that blood?” She asked, eying a smeared trail of red that led from the corner of his mouth to his chin. The side of his lip seemed fuller than usual.

“I said I’m fine,” he snarled, shoving her hand away.

Feyre put her hands on her hips and glared down at him. “Bullshit. If you were ‘fine’, you’d be at home instead of breaking into my place.”

“I didn’t break in, I used the key.”

“Semantics,” she sighed exasperatedly. “What the hell happened?”

Lucien turned away, refusing to look at her and her stomach flipped uncomfortably.

“Did he do that to you?”

A flinch. So that’s a yes then.

“Because of me?” She asked, her voice softer.

Lucien looked pained.

“Oh, Luc,” she said, sitting down on the arm of the chair and smoothed back his hair. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to cause problems between you two.”

A little late for that, she thought wryly. She’d more or less been unintentionally causing problems in Lucien’s friendship with her ex since they met. He’d been temporarily living with Tamlin after his father kicked him out, and Tam had always been jealous of their friendship. Hadn’t liked his girlfriend and best friend spending so much time together. Definitely hadn't liked the casual intimacy between them that was truly more akin to a brother-sister relationship than lovers.

They’d almost come to blows once or twice- really, it would be more accurate to say Tam almost came to blows, after starting some stupid argument with Lucien over nothing. This time, it looked as though it had gone farther than that.

“He kicked me out,” Lucien said quietly. It was then she noticed the suitcase and duffel bag sitting in her living room. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

She could easily believe that to be true and it made her heart ache that he felt so alone. Things were still strained with his family and while she was sure his older brother would have been happy to have Lucien stay with him, she knew Lucien’s pride would never allow him to ask any sort of favor of Eris. Not with the way their father had always forced them to compete against each other, driving a wedge between them. One she was almost certain Eris wished to mend, but that was a conversation for another time.

She glanced around her tiny apartment, eyeing the sofa that was definitely too small for his large frame dubiously. It would be cramped quarters but she knew Lucien would do his best to stay out of her way and help where he could. Perhaps Rhys could even help him find a place of his own finally. But, given the lingering animosity between those two deriving from some childhood rivalry she hadn’t bothered asking about, that too would be a careful conversation for another day.

“We’ll you’re welcome to stay here, of course.”

Lucien followed her gaze to the too small sofa and barely hid a grimace. “Thank you. I’ll stay out of your hair… if I could just- have a pillow and blanket… I’m rather exhausted after-“ he cut off and she didn’t press him to talk about what happened. He would when he was ready, or not at all.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, standing up and moving towards the kitchen. “My beds big enough, we can share.”

He snorted “I don’t think your new boy toy would care for you having another man in your bed.”

“He’ll get over it,” she replied flippantly. Though she was more inclined to believe Rhys would just insist she stay with him and let Lucien have the apartment to himself. But, she wouldn’t tell him just yet.

“Hungry?” She asked, opening the fridge to peruse its meager contents.

Lucien chuckled and the sound made her smile. “For your dubious cooking?”

She snapped the door closed, fighting a grin as she glared at him. “Hey! I resent that… I happen to make a mean frozen pizza… and canned soup.”

Lucien laughed outright at this, digging out his phone. “You can save your culinary skills for another time. I’m ordering takeout.”

“Ha!” She laughed, coming back to join him. She flopped on the couch and grabbed the TV remote. “Then I get to pick the movie.”

[separatist-apologist]

What do you think about this?

https://pillager-of-death.tumblr.com/post/676637589561868288/if-this-is-how-feyre-treats-her-friends-then-why

Right afterwards, on page 56, when she's victim blaming him for Tamlin's response to being caught with her:

"I think it's made worse because you two haven't...I mean, you haven't, right?"

I stiffened, tugging the blanket higher onto my shoulders. "No. I don't want to be touched like that- not for a while."

His silence was heavy- sad. I hated the lie, hated it for how filthy it felt to wield it. "I'm sorry," he said. And I wondered what else he was apologizing for as I faced him in the darkness of our tent.

A lot has been said about Feyre's time in Spring and I'm gonna be honest. I don't care about war crimes in fantasy novels and I never will. If I wanted to read heroes being morally modern I could just narrate myself going about my day. If you think that says something about me as a person, oh well.

But writing is a series of choices you, an author, make to tell a story and I just want to know WHAT the thought process behind the whole first part of this story is. You have a person who WAS sexually assaulted (Lucien), you have the rapist (Ianthe), you have the dude who helped orchestrate it (Tamlin), and then an outside person only somewhat connected to these events (Feyre). And I feel like SJM was like, why wouldn't Feyre want to sleep with Tamlin, who will expect her to? She can't cheat on Rhysand, they're married. Oh I know, she'll tell everyone she was raped.

When I can think of 100 other ways Feyre could have gotten out of that. SJM could have shortened her stay in Spring, she could have made Feyre angry with Tamlin and forced him to rebuild her trust, like anything but the storyline of "fake sexual assault allegation." It's especially gross because Lucien is literally her only friend and ally the entire time she's there. It's alluded to that he knows she's lying, he helps her cause problems numerous times, he comforts her for real more than once and the narrative repays his loyalty by letting him constantly apologize to her for not being a good friend/keeping her safe.

ACOWAR is the worst of the three books in my opinion and this is why. It goes beyond making Feyre morally gray. She went from "i'm punishing Tamlin" to "Everyone gets to be collateral damage and no ones feelings but my own matter". Like the narrative is also comfortable letting Rhys's mask be a rapist? That's just...fine?

[helion-ism]

I despise it when people say Lucien or Azriel deserve better than Elain, or when they belittle her and refer to her as the "third one," which by the way is azriel's fault .Listen, I understand people saying Lucien deserves better than the way elain treats him because he does, or that azriel and Lucien deserve happiness, but to say they deserve better than elain is trash. I saw someone say the other day that "if you ship elain with Lucien or Azriel, you're not normal because elain deserves to be with tamlin, someone who is as empty as she is” and I sat down and asked myself what really has elain done that makes her not deserving of a "guy" in comparison to the other characters in this series. Yes she's a silent bitch, she's self-centered, she's passive aggressive, and so on that's the definition of flawed it's not her fault that SJM hasn't developed her like the other characters in this series , so that people can see past her flaws like they do for others. Moreover,every character in this book has a flaw, with the exception of Gwyn and Emerie, and that's because their page time has only been for one book . Bet me and see that when they become the main focus, they'll have flaws just as bad as Azriel, Cassian, Nesta, Rhys, Ferye, Mor, Helion, and even the Suriel and Lucien, who happen to be my favorite characters, because that's how SJM writes her characters they’re all morally gray in some way, so does that mean they don’t deserve love or are underserving of another person or does that only apply to elain? (Sorry if this was long. I just read your post and needed to vent because as an elucien is really annoying seeing people say elain doesn’t deserve love.)

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I love you, anon

no, but fr. I agree with you. I absolutely hate when people start saying things like "this and this person deserves better than elain" (especially when they talk about azriel in this context lmao)

lucien and elain both have their problems, which they need to sort out before they can move on and have a healthy relationship, that much is clear. lucien was at fault for siding with tamlin for so long, which again is understandable to some extent imo. elain is at fault for pretending to not care, but as I said, she's going through stuff at the moment. and I have to add that I understand from sjm's point of view that she must continue keeping up this distance between them until we actually get to their story. I understand that she wants to do it chronologically, and I'm absolutely fine with it. it just sucks that beloved characters have to suffer for some time.

(side note: people who say elain deserves to be with tamlin, I actually have no words for you. but if you choose to be miserable, then go ahead.)

Yes she's a silent bitch, she's self-centered, she's passive aggressive, and so on that's the definition of flawed it's not her fault that SJM hasn't developed her like the other characters in this series , so that people can see past her flaws like they do for others.

you're absolutely right, she's not as developed as other characters, and a part of that is the fact that we will still get her pov and her book. does that mean we couldn't have gotten slightly more personality? no, I also wish we could've learned more about her, but acosf gave us some hints at what is going on with her already: she still doesn't seem to be completely happy at the night court, she still hasn't accepted her new fate, she still doesn't really try to be a member of the group, but at least she found herself some kind of job to do. we also saw her come out of her shell for a moment. but acosf was nesta's story, and so I'm not mad at all that we didn't focus on elain "enough". elain will have her time to shine, too.

also, you speaking about flaws is something that I think many people tend to forget? every character has flaws, as you said. feyre has flaws, helion has flaws, nesta has flaws, cassian has flaws. this makes them more believable and realistic. it makes the story more compelling. of course gwyn and emerie have flaws, too, but that's not a bad thing.

they’re all morally gray in some way, so does that mean they don’t deserve love or are underserving of another person or does that only apply to elain?

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[algumaideia]

How do you think Sarah handles her topic of abuse? I personally think she does a horrible job, because Tamlin is ABSOLUTELY abusive in ACOMAF, it’s written so weird. Because he loses control of his magic and destroys stuff. It’s abusive and it ruins a study, but it’s not intentional. It can’t parallel physical abuse in our world, which is always intentional, because Tamlin's Magic literally ACTS ON ITS OWN. I'm not denying it’s abuse, but the way his abuse is written, it’s not his fault. 1/2

2/2 But abuse is ALWAYS the abusers fault. So him losing control of his magic and hurting Feyre UNINTENTIONALLY is a bad metaphor for physical abuse, because it’s not on purpose, because it’s not something he can control, it’s not his fault (he’s still abusive, tho). Additionally, a lot of his abuse stems from miscommunication. Rhys only knows because he reads minds. But Tamlin? Tamlin doesn’t know how Feyre is feeling, doesn’t know red triggers her. (Sorry, I gotta add a part 3)

3/2 Tamlin doesn’t know that the parties (which he canonically HATES, but is using to introduce Feyre to his court) are making Feyre feel worse, he doesn’t know how uncertain she is about the wedding, he doesn’t know how messed up she is. Once again, a bad metaphor for abuse, because abusers always do things to hurt their victims on purpose, because they know their victims don’t like or are scared of something. The abuse analogy fails because he’s not trying to hurt her, like abusers do.

Hi nonnie!

You brought really good points. I don’t understand that much about abuse, so I don’t have anything to add about what you said. I thinnk you explained your point pretty well, and it can talk by itself.

Now, my opinion about the way the she write abuse: it is horrible. And the main problem is that it is arbitrary. 

Characters do the same things, but they are framed in different ways. So she ends up normalyzing, glorifying abusive actions. They are ok if they are for your own good, if they are made by your mate/true love/soulmate, if they were just pretending to be bad, if they feel so sorry about it. 

Tamlin locking Feyre in the Spring Court is bad, but Rhystrash puting a magic shield around Feyre is fine.

When Tamlin made Feyre go to all those parties(that had a political purpose and he didn’t know she didn’t like because she never told him) is bad. How Tamlin can have such disconsideration for Feyre’s feeling? But Rhystrash making her be almost naked, mind raping and drugging her is ok, because he needed to do so for her own good. It is ok because HE was suffering so much. It is ok because he was helping her.

The message of her books is abuse is bad, unless it is made by the one.

She doesn’t write it well at all.

Best regards,

Me.

Ps. How do you people write? I’m procastinating the entire week to write the next chapter of my story. Please someone help me!

[ofbreathandflame-archive]

The way the whole comparing rhys and tamlin is funny to me because for me tamlin comes out as the better one of them. Like what rhys did to Feyre is much worse than what Tamlin did. Tamlin was great with feyres family while Rhys is horrible to them. Tamlin for the most part cares for all of his people while rhys are letting half or more of his rot(court of nightmares and illyrians). And Tamlin is genuinly regretful and tries to make up for it while rhys is like everything bad i did is fine actually because I say so.

Hi anon!!

I actually agree with this sentiment. I've always believed that the intentional foil of Rhys and Tamlin ultimately doesn't benefit Rhys. I think the story has a hard time reconciling Rhys' culpability in maintaining UTM and just how complicit he is in well...the enslavement of the High Lords. Here lies the problem: the story doesn't know how to separate the motivation of the characters from their impact on the story. The consequence are only meant to happen on a personal level.

What does this mean? It means the narrative believes that Rhys' sadness and guilt are the consequences. While Tamlin faces sadnes, guilt and tangible in-world consequences. There are no consequences to Rhysand's actions (as Amaranths's general). The narrative even vilified the conversation at the High Lord's meeting. Tamlin's abuse of Feyre, while naturally abhorrent, is a personal issue. What I'm saying is it doesn't make that big of an impact on the story worldbuilding. Rhysand has also abused Feyre. Yet, the only consequences Rhys gets are personal (he feels bad), while Tamlin's are more tangible (Feyre leaves Tamlin). Tamlin abuses his sentries with violence and they leave him, yet when Rhysand tortures the CoN, Illyrians, and High Lords UTM, he still gains their allegiance, the warriors, and their land. He doesn't even have to feel guilty about it.

And while Tamlin's actions are naturally bad, the story believes that everyone should view Tamlin the way Feyre views Tamlin. On the contrary, the story wants us to view Rhys as Feyre views Rhys and any delineation from that is vilified.

Naturally, the High Lords' should hate Rhysand. They were all victims of Amarantha and Rhysand...betrayed them. She actively worked for him at the benefit of his court and family. And though we know why, it doesn't mean its justified by the other high lords as they are presumably at the receiving end of the violence. The story doesn't want to contend with the fact that Rhysand objectively has done things that are much worse (because of their impact on the story).

It's not to say that one abuse is better or worse, but rather, Rhysand's actions affected the entirety of Prythian while Tamlin's were pretty much contained.

Hope that makes sense my brain feels scrambled after work lolol

[queenlilith43]

I've seen the common thread throughout all of SJM's books of the one who was oppressed becoming the oppressor in some way.

Let me explain. Also, let me talk about how the Hunger Games did everything better.

For example, Aelin started out as someone working in a slave camp, to the queen of the entire kingdom. She went from starved, skinny girl to empowered, skinny girl.

Feyre had the same thing happen-from being a human trying to get the Faeries off their back to literally becoming a faerie High Lady, and we did have only ONE mention of humans in ACOSF.

Bryce from Crescent City had that possibility, at least being part human, but that went downhill fast. From what I saw she was gonna join her oppressers on whatever they were doing.

I have seen some books where oppression and this idea of a society that doesn't treat its people right handled correctly. Like the Hunger Games explains this theme in a very good way, while even making commentary on the entertainment industry.

When I first read ACOTAR the first book really reminded me of the Hunger Games. Like, archery girl goes into woods to provide for her family is basically the start of the first Hunger Games book.

Oh and you know what else THG does better than ACOTAR? It handled s*xual ab*se a lot better.

Finnick Odair, the darling of the Capitol has been implied to have to do s*x work because he was forced to. It's not magically made better. In fact, I adds so much to Finnick's character and is actually handled well.

Whereas in ACOTAR we have the mess that is Rhysand. Yes, Rice Man is just the worst. And Feyre was being treated as a s*x slave in the first book and the everyone just forgets it. Heh, I wonder why.

The only way the oppressed turning into the oppressor could work would be a corruption arc where they were clearly painted as the villian, instead of colonialism and imperialism being framed in this bright light. Like how Aelin's conquest is fine, but when her oppresser is out doing the same thing it's suddenly not okay.

I honestly would like to see a corruption arc for any character, but there's no way SJM would write it, or at least not in a good way. I want to write a corruption arc, personally, in some capacity. Corruption arcs are things you can do a lot with, but no way we'll see that with an SJM book. It's just a s u d d e n character change that shows up out of the blue. That is not a corruption arc, Sarah. It is a bad decision that makes no sense.

Another thing I want to point out is that if the start of ACOTAR reminds me of THG, a dystopian novel, wouldn't the humans be living in a dystopia? It's pretty close; with the starving humans oppressed by their imperial masters over the wall.

Although the dystopian problem that is ACOTAR is never addressed. This isn't even a ACOMAF problem, because the second book is so different, but this is a BOOK ONE PROBLEM. Literally, Feyre just hangs with Tamlin and does nothing for the humans. Even if Nesta and Elain come back (her dad dies so he isn't important) they turn into faeries, so there goes the human aspect.

Feyre never does anything to help humans, probably because she's so busy getting dicked down by Rhys she can't do anything else.

So if the humans are in a dystopia, and the faeries are the oppressor government, then what? This is the equivalent of Katniss Everdeen taking the place of Cornelius Snow. And then doing nothing, just sitting on her throne and enjoying life. At least Katniss is an interesting character in several ways and is a hella lot more likable than Feyre. She has her flaws, and you can argue her decisions in the third book weren't the best, but at least she doesn't want to constantly fuck a big-dicked faerie.

So basically I have explained why the Hunger Games is better than ACOTAR could ever be. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[vanserraseris]

END OF PART VII - I’m not going to lie, this chapter and the next one are probably a little more on the boring side. It’s just sort of Eris spending some time with Lucien. Shit’s gonna hit the fan soon, but Eris is just going to spend some time at the beach, for no reason really. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!!!

no im SO excited for eris and lucien brotherly boring. BEACH EP BEACH EP BEACH EP BEACH EP

Prince of Ashes. Part VII.

masterlist.

“Give me your shirt.” 

“I don’t obey the orders of anyone below my station,” Eris tilted his head back, his fingers digging into the sand of the beach. He was leaning on his forearms, his eyes shut, the afternoon sun warming his face. Eris liked making snobbish remarks like that around his friends just as much as they liked reminding him that his status as heir amounted to absolutely nothing in their presence.

Micah repeated himself, “Give me your shirt.” 

With an exaggerated sigh, Eris undid the laces of his thin, light brown shirt, throwing it at his friend. “Shit, Micah, you should have asked sooner.” Micah’s nose and cheeks were a frightening red colour, the gold of his tattoos bright against the burned skin of his neck, all because he was too proud to admit that he burned when he stayed out in the sun for too long.

“I hate you all,” Micah declared, lifting Eris’s shirt and putting it over his head like a cloak, shielding himself from the rays of the sun. 

Eris knew Lagos was pouting, mocking, “Poor little Micah, can’t stay out in the sun.” 

“Poor little Micah is going to throw sand at you,” Micah muttered.

Widge smiled, lifting the brim of the sun hat he’d borrowed from his mother. While he looked ridiculous, Widge didn't seem to care. “Not all of us have exceptional magical abilities,” he huffed a laugh as Enya jumped up, licking at his face. Eris swore that hound loved Widge more than him. Lagos was sprawled on his back, pants thrown off to the side, using his own shirt as a pillow as he laid by Eris in his undershorts. He was faintly glowing.

Eris kept expecting Lucien to do the same thing, eyes following Lucien as he played near the water’s edge. Lucien hadn’t shown signs of any other Day Court magic since Lady Morai had suppressed it, but Eris still found himself worrying over it. Rufus was also by the water’s edge, boots off, pants rolled up, and shirt left unbuttoned as he watched over Lucien. Every so often, he would kick water at their youngest brother, laughing every time Lucien told him to stop.

“Your brother is perhaps an even greater menace than you were upon your arrival at my camp,” Micah declared. He awkwardly moved towards Eris, dragging his ass along the sand while still trying to keep the shirt over his head.

“He belongs in a circus,” Lagos added. 

“I like having him there,” Widge managed to get out as Enya continued to lick his cheeks.

“He’s doing alright?” Their father had recently sent Rufus to one of Autumn’s largest war camps. It was located in the South, near the Spring Court border; Eris had been sent there at two decades old with nothing but a sword, brown leathers, and a title he was pretty sure he’d never be able to live up to. Eris was proud to admit that over two centuries later, he could claim being a half-decent commander of his father’s armies - not fantastic at combat, but damn-good at military strategy.

Eris had heard that Rufus, despite his more care-free attitude, was doing quite well, but it was always Eris’s first instinct to assume that Rufus was going to get himself killed or cause some sort of international catastrophe. Especially with political tensions in Prythian so high lately, Eris found that he’d become quite the mother hen, constantly asking his friends how Rufus was holding up. “He’s absolutely mad,” Micah laughed, “I could throttle him sometimes.”

“Cauldron, does he write his reports backwards?” Eris smiled just thinking about it, “Rufus used to do shit like that to his tutors, you can read them in front of a mirror.” 

“He walks around the camp with a near-empty cognac bottle filled with apple juice, and makes bets on whether or not he can hit moving targets with his bow and arrows,” Lagos said. “He won 50 gold marks from me before I found out what he’d been doing.” 

“Serves you right,” Eris grinned.

“He also tells us the most interesting things,” Micah hummed. He nudged at Eris with his knee. “Things that you neglect to mention.” 

Lagos didn't sound too amused as he said, “Told us he was afraid for your life.”

Eris knew exactly what Rufus had told them. “If this is about Lizaveta—” 

“Of course it’s about Lady Lizaveta,” Lagos leaned up on an elbow. “Your choice in lovers is abysmal, truly.” 

“Don’t offend me,” Micah mumbled.

Lagos ignored him, “It’s like you dive headfirst into relationships that are bound to get you killed.” Eris sneered, mostly because Lagos was right. If his father ever learned of the countless male lovers Eris had been with over the centuries, Eris was almost certain that Beron would kill him. Or if he found out about the lesser faeries, or the females of common birth. Eris had been very good at ignoring his father’s rants about degeneracy when he’d been much younger.

But Lizaveta was a full-blooded noble, and Eris didn’t really see the problem. “How might this relationship kill me?” 

“You’re sneaking around with a female who’s rumoured to have killed her own husband in his sleep less than a decade ago. Does that seem like a good idea?” 

“I’m sure he deserved it,” Widge muttered absently, “Lots of lords in Autumn deserve it.” Everyone turned to face him, but he was looking off into the distance, no longer paying any attention to them.

Micah placed a gentle hand on Eris’s knee, “We’re just messing with you.” Eris knew they meant well, but his friends had a horrible habit of sticking their noses into Eris’s business, all hidden behind the guise that they “cared for his well-being,” as they so often reminded him. 

“Just make sure you’re not her next victim,” Lagos added, “And do try and keep your father from finding out.”

Eris scowled, “Your faith in me is astounding.” He’d had centuries worth of practice in keeping his lovers a secret from the rest of his family and ensuring that rumours didn’t make their way to the always-listening ears of Autumn Court aristocrats. It was exhausting. He looked away from his friends to make sure Lucien and Rufus hadn’t drowned while he’d been distracted.

Lucien seemed to have convinced Rufus to play some sort of aggressive game with him, spinning Lucien around in his arms before throwing him deeper into the ocean. Lucien landed in the water with a big splash, Rufus roaring with laughter. Eris would have scolded them both had Lucien not jumped up from the water with a huge grin on his face, looking very foolish as he struggled to run at Rufus.

“Just be careful, we quite enjoy your company.” Micah squeezed his knee once before moving his hand, his fingers now dragging through the sand. 

Eris finally looked away from his brothers after deciding that they would be fine, turning to face Micah again. “Let’s talk about what happened in Spring.” 

“Yes, let’s talk about how we’re on the verge of another war, Eris would rather talk about our impending doom than his lover.” Eris glared at Lagos.

Micah scoffed, “There’s not going to be a fucking war, both of them are too young - untried. They aren’t going to do something so stupid.” 

Eris considered this. Rhysand and Tamlin had just become new High Lords, perhaps they would start a war just to prove that they could. “If somebody killed my mother, I might start a war.” 

“You might start a war just for fun.” Eris kicked sand at Lagos, a crooked smile on his face that was becoming more and more rare. Eris knew Lagos simply meant well.

Lagos returned the smile, dimples showing. Lagos was perhaps the only one of his friends that constantly bothered Eris for being a cruel prince of the Autumn Court.  

“Cauldron, you wouldn’t do that either,” Micah seemed so sure. Eris sometimes wished he had that amount of confidence in his ability to make good choices. 

Widge furrowed his brows, looking up from what he was in the process of writing in messy, scrawled script in the sand. “Wait, what happened in Spring?”

Somebody would explain it to him later, Eris thought. “I wonder if Rhysand will be a better High Lord than his father.” It was no secret that the Hewn City was more horrible than any part of Beron’s territory. Eris had despised the place since the first moment he’d stepped foot in it. He’d take his own two-faced city of Calchas over that wretched city any day. 

“Probably not,” Micah adjusted the shirt over his head, “But at least he’s better looking.”

Eris would have to agree. With the dark hair and those star-lit, violet eyes, Rhysand was one of the better looking faeries Eris had ever seen. Not that he’d ever admit it out loud, “I like his general better.” 

Micah grinned, “What about the shadowsinger?” Eris grinned back, “Fancy the shadowsinger, do you?” 

“Who doesn’t?” 

“Those people are from the Night Court.” Widge looked confused, much like he usually did. 

“Very observant,” Lagos muttered.

“We’re talking about Tamlin and Rhysand,” Eris explained. “The new High Lords.” 

“Heard about that,” Widge said with a nod. “Sounds like a mess.” With a shake of his head, almost like he was clearing his thoughts, Widge went back to whatever he was writing in the sand without so much as a second glance in their direction. Eris shifted slightly so that he could more clearly see what Widge was doing. He’d drawn three interconnected circles in the sand, numbers and formulas surrounding them.

Eris had always enjoyed watching Widge work, liked trying to figure out what he was doing, and he wasn’t paying attention to anything as he tried to understand where Widge was going with this. Definitely not smart on his part, he hadn’t been expecting so much water to crash onto his head, leaving him completely soaked. Widge yelped as some of the water fell on him as well. 

“What the fuck,” Eris growled.

“My circles,” Widge whined, the water having ruined whatever he was writing. Eris hoped he remembered what it was, it had seemed interesting. He heard everyone’s laugh. From the deep rumble of Micah, to the obnoxious cackle of Lagos, to the loud howl of Rufus. It should have come as no shock that Rufus would try and pull a prank on Eris, no doubt with Lucien’s help. He was rather disappointed in himself for not keeping an eye on the two biggest troublemakers in all of Prythian.

Eris looked up at Rufus with a glare, he could see the steam in the air around him as he used some of his magic to dry off. “Honestly, Rufus,” Eris sneered, teeth bared. 

“My mistake, didn’t see you sitting there.” He’d filled his fucking boot with water and thrown it at him. 

Eris ran a hand through his still damp hair, “You’ve disappointed me.” Rufus just smiled, tugging once on Lucien’s braid.

“Lucien told me to do it,” Rufus was very good at playing the part of innocent victim. His auburn brows were raised, his russett eyes wide. “No I didn’t,” Lucien instantly stopped cackling, defending his honour. “Eris, he’s the disappointment, I’d never.” 

“Little assholes,” Eris mumbled, shoving Lucien playfully. Lucien laughed again, dropping into the sand right beside him. Rufus sat by Lagos, winking at Eris before he sprawled on his back, Enya trotting over to lie down by his head.

Eris was glad for moments like this - when his father wasn’t in Autumn and he had the time to spend with the people he cared about. He knew it was a weakness, the fact that he cared about them, but he'd missed them all. Rufus was stuck at the war camp with his friends, Lucien was stuck in the Forest House, and Eris was stuck in his territory far away from them both.

Eris had been staying away from Lucien anyway, visiting less and less. It’d been months since he’d last seen the little runt, but Eris knew it was for the best. 

“This was really nice, Eris,” Lucien said with a small smile, his face turned towards the sun. He looked happy. 

Eris nodded once, closing his eyes and turning his own face towards the sun, “I thought it was really nice, too.”

Perhaps it was very foolish of Eris to be spending his valuable time frolicking on beaches, but all he wanted to do right now was pretend everything would be alright. Pushing all his worries aside, the sound of waves crashing along the shore, his toes curling into the white sand of the beach, Eris could almost forget he was the heir of the Autumn Court.