#pros: THE FUCKING AUTHORITY

[solipseismic]

NO FUCKING WAY

[bixels]

I watched Starship Troopers tonight.

[coffeebooksrain18]

The way I've seen people say shit like "well he's entitled to his Headcanon I guess." As they're talking about GrrM as he talks about HIS STORY! Like it's not a Headcanon my guy, it's the author telling you the facts. You don't need to like it, but that doesn't change the facts.

[cologona]

I am just so fundamentally uninterested in the story where Jason is in the wrong and needs to Gain Perspective or whatever. God what a snore. What an absolute waste of my time.

[mj-dev]

Long Post

I recently completed all the books in A Court of Thorns and Roses series and the first one in Crescent City. Both works are praised for their strong female leads and feminist characters which is the sole reason I decided to give them a try. And now, I have opinions.

Though the female characters show promise on the surface, it’s not the case when we look closely. Most of this analysis is based on the former series as it has the most varied range of female leads.

Feyre

In the beginning, Feyre heavily radiates masculine energy from her choice of hunting as occupation to the tired breadwinner mentality. She lacks empathy for her sisters and expresses her disdain clearly in her attitude and inner monologues when it’s clear they do the household chores, which translates to her disregard for the feminine work. She falls under the ‘not your typical girl’ archetype with her preference of pants over dresses and apathy towards her appearance. She makes an exception when she intends to please Tamlin. In the first book, it’s a one-time occurrence but over the course of the series, this becomes more prominent once Rhysand enters her life.

A woman, who refuses to be controlled, willingly plays Rhysand’s whore wearing the same dress he forced her into Under the Mountain when he sexually assaulted her. In Spring, Feyre expresses her fear of getting dolled up and reduced to a broodmare. While in Court of Nightmares, she takes pleasure in flaunting her body and putting on a sex act in front of an entire court. This transition apparently marks her taking back her power. She describes in great detail in her inner thoughts how she enjoyed kneeling to Rhysand as part of the act and the power he held over her and the room. This is the same woman who refused to bow to any fae in the first book. She feels empowered being reduced to a sex object for Rhysand and enjoys the discomfort it causes to the court, which she radiates as she walks down from the throne. Moreover when Keir disrespects her for it, she is offended by the insult but not for being put in the position. This becomes a role she actively and pleasurably plays in their court for the rest of the series.

None of her femininity translates to her emotional state. Except for the one scene in the mountain cabin where she heats a soup for Rhysand, she’s not portrayed indulging in womanly activities or mannerisms. Moreover, Feyre only embraces this side when she pleases a man. Tamlin, Rhysand, Tarquin. Despite her overtly masculine traits, she is equated to a goddess in Cassian’s monologue the moment she’s pregnant and paraded like a ‘breeding mare’ in Court of Nightmares.

Feyre’s story heavily pushes the idea that being feminine is only acceptable when it satisfies a man and his desires. Over and over again, a woman who doesn’t appreciate this way of living only ever embodies it to please her partners.

Nesta

Nesta is raised and groomed to be a housewife but she sheds that part of her life to become a warrior. This isn’t a choice of hers but thrusted upon her by the ones, mostly men, in her life as this is seen as the most contributing or ‘healthy’ way of living. Where healing through softness and compassion is an option and most needed given Nesta’s trauma and history, she’s subjected to more and more violence.

Nesta begins as someone bound to be a lady using her wits and charms as her weapons. But as the story progresses, she becomes a sword swinging warrior who becomes a close enough reflection of Feyre. A woman who won’t wear anything but dresses as it’s not lady-like becomes someone who only wears pants and slays demons for a man. A woman who wants to travel and read and enjoy simple life with her girl friends finds purpose becoming a weapon.

A woman who’s taught to treasure her body and never has sex for the same reason until she’s into her mid-twenties turns to it when she’s hurting and becomes sexually hyperactive to the point it’s considered an embarrassment. What’s interesting here is she’s forgiven for this when her sexual energy is focused towards the man(Cassian) everyone approves of.

Nesta enjoys reading romances, a classic hobby associated with women, which is either dismissed or joked about by Cassian. But the moment she trains to fight, he starts appreciating her. The same is seen during Eris’s seduction. Nesta’s dancing skills are known even before that and Cassian doesn’t acknowledge it until he sees her dancing with another man. Everything Nesta does or indulges in are somehow appreciated when they align with Cassian’s interests or what he desires in a woman.

Elain

The one character who is highly feminised in the series is Elain. She loves gardening, small talks and connecting with people, and surrounds herself with beauty. She learns to cook and enjoys feeding/nurturing her family. She’s often described as ‘kind’ and ‘delicate’. Even in Feyre’s thoughts, her body is sensualised and described in ways that imply sexual allure while her emotional traits are equated to child-like innocence. She’s the epitome of femininity and she’s the damsel that needs to be saved and protected by everyone at the end of the day. Sure, this could change in her book but the bottom line is her womanliness is very much in parallel with the misogynistic standards of what and how an ideal woman should be.

Morrigan

Morrigan is very in touch with her feminine side as her interests are wearing red dresses and painting her lips red and having sex (please hear my sarcasm). Her expression of liberation is lording her promiscuity over her parents and wearing provocative dresses in her court. In order to hide her true sexuality, she uses men to the point of using one of her close friends as personal flirting companion and leading the other on who’s been pining over her for five centuries. She’s the classic ideation of femme fatale with a heart of gold, yet has a childish, bubbly personality.

Amren

Throughout the series, Amren is more masculine than the male characters in some ways from her talks to behaviour. She’s an ancient creature trapped in a fae body. She’s so disgusted by it that she can’t grasp the need for eating specific food or relieving oneself. But what she truly understands and embraces in this body is her sexual urges. It is ultimately the one thing that helps her to bond with another person in her long life. Even if sex is considered as a universal act among all creatures or whatever, she should feel the same about eating and shitting which she doesn’t.

Bryce

Though she fares better than the A Court of Thorns and Roses (except SF) women, Bryce still falls victim to this pattern. She’s introduced as someone who parties and has sex without regrets which is sign of her independence. It forms most of her personality that everyone perceives her as such. This soon changes but the idea often lingers. She’s always found in her underwear (which could be considered a character quirk but I highly doubt that was SJM’s intentions) and all the male characters tend to love her or be attracted to her body at first sight. Over and over again, her sex appeal is brought to reader’s attention and one of the ways Bryce claims her feminine nature is being very confident with her sexual prowess.

There are several common themes and patterns in these books that heavily contradict the foundation of feminism.

Equality

Feminism, in simple terms, is equality of genders. In this series, it’s anything but that. Again and again, the words are mentioned but there’s simply not enough proof of it.

The Archeron sisters have no true autonomy. Feyre shares three different connections with Rhysand the majority of the time which gives him control over her thoughts and emotions to some extent. In Nesta’s can, Cassian transforms her into his ideal partner when she’s at the lowest in the name of healing. He often sees her as an animal to be tamed, and so far, he’s succeeded. In the end, Nesta becomes someone who questions her choices until Cassian or IC affirm it. Moreover, she has no financial independence or agency to choose how to live. And Elain is playing courteous guest in Rhysand’s house as she has no home or life of her own.

In Spring, Feyre who explicitly expresses her desires to be an equal to Tamlin complains when the opportunity is given to her to shoulder the responsibilities—socialising with the people serving her, dressing to be part of her court, and sitting through a tax collecting ceremony. While in Night, she becomes Rhysand’s soldier and goes on missions where she kills and maims in the most brutal ways possible. Though she is a ruler, her training and life is always focused on the arts of warring rather than administration which was requested of her in Spring. And once the wars are over, she complains about answering letters which are again tasks expected of a ruler. This shows what Feyre truly sees as equality is the chance to be violent.

Strength

The female leads are considered equal to their male counterparts only when they are progressively aggressive. Except for some side characters, almost all women prove their strength through their fighting abilities—Feyre, Nesta, Bryce, Morrigan, Amren. Elain, who has been a bystander until now, had her moment of courage when she embraced violence and initiated Hybern’s killing. This has brought many speculations about her future adventures mostly involving training like her sisters and becoming a spy, thereby proving the point.

Also, Feyre is only considered an equal to Rhysand after she inherits the powers of other High Lords. The same is seen in Nesta’s relationship with Cassian when everyone accepts her as his equal after she becomes a warrior. All this implies the strength of the men is the standard to which these women have to aspire to be, while none of the men are expected to change or challenge themselves to reach the level of their partners.

Appearance

They all possess extraordinary beauty that every male character is charmed with at the first sight and they either directly pursue these women or it’s implied. And at some point, their partners relish or wield this desirability against the said men—Rhysand against Tarquin, Cassian against Eris. This is prominent in Silver Flames as we get only some of Rhysand’s inner thoughts through Feyre. Cassian objectifies Nesta even when she’s emaciated, when she’s not fit—physically or mentally, after she’s sexually assaulted and almost dies. The value of these women are reduced to how appealing they are to the male gaze.

Sexuality

Most of these characters come with a sheltered view of world about how a woman should be or behave. When they finally step out of that bubble and embrace themselves and their new world view, they also become sexually proactive.

Every female character at least at one point describes being seen as a prey by their male partners. This can be attributed to the fae’s primal nature although it is a recurring theme in every relationship. Especially for Feyre, where she describes Rhysand’s gaze as predatory. She revels in this objectification to the point she derives pleasure by entertaining and putting on a show for him.

All these women exhibit hyperactive sex drive and have multiple partners with no emotional attachment which is seen as a sign of their empowerment. They always use sex as a means to ease their emotional trauma and they all have endured one variation of abuse at the hands of a man, mostly sexual, which they eventually explore and overcome by being sexually active—Feyre with Rhysand, Nesta with Cassian, Morrigan with her multiple partners. Elain’s attraction towards Azriel could very well fall under this category with her struggle to accept her fae life and mating bond with Lucien (and SJM loves trauma dumping).

There’s nothing wrong with owning one’s sexuality and putting one’s pleasure first but seeing it as the only path to empowerment is absurd, which is common theme in all theses women’s growth.

Life outside their romantic relationships

The female characters either come with a set of girl friends who are her ‘ride or die’ as in case of Bryce, or bond without much depth like in case of Feyre, Morrigan and Amren. The Valkriyes are the only exception to this where the women organically grow and build genuine friendships. Given the 4.5 books are dedicated to the Archeron sisters, there is no bonding among the three except for the blame shifting and one minute heartfelt conversation where their life-long trauma is erased and forgotten.

These women have hobbies which only exist to offer that touch of femininity to them—painting, gardening, reading smut, dancing, dressing themselves in pretty clothes (while male characters have no hobbies except for Tamlin and Lucien, and in case of Crescent City, all the men are into the same sport). Their ‘softer’ traits only rear its head when the narrative calls for proof of their kindness or empathy and mostly reserved for their partners but not in the way of living or their character itself.

Here’s the bottom line. Feminism in these books is masculinity masquerading as female empowerment. Throughout the series, what makes these women powerful is their ability to match the men in their lives. They are equal because of the brute force they embody on par with them which is basically the masculine ideal of strength. The faux feminism propaganda is blatantly obvious with the woman’s value constantly reduced to how much she is desired by men and her hyperactive sex life. These books are nothing but a mockery of feminism.

[blueggrass]

i know theres not much of a fandom here for the will of the many but ,,,.., i just finished it and.,,,,, im in shambles. life is moving around me and I'm still in shock. I have things to do but i cant even think. what,, am i supposed to do. just go on? pretend im okay with this till the next one comes out??? I FEEL LIKE A ZOMBE. I FEEL LIKE NOTHING MATERS. ALL I FEEL IS-

i dont think ive ever been hit by a book hangover as much as this like wtf even was that /pos HELLO??? CAN ANYONE HEAR ME??? LKSJFLSKJBFLKSJBFLKSBFK:BSF:KBSF:KJBHSF:KJ

[irhabiya]

commit to antizionism or fuck off

[lucien-calore]

the problem with a two-state solution is that the israelis want to live in peace and the palestinians want the complete annihilation of the only jewish state in the world.

[nekokvmaa]

The Raven is so Severus core

[unknowable-secret]

how would you all feel about persecutorpunk existing?

for the liberation of all persecutors who have been locked away, forced into doing things they didnt want, abused, or hurt.

for all the persecutors who are hurt and trying to recover. for the ones who dont want to recover. for the ones who are misguided. persecutors in endo systems that seem to have no other problems. for the ones who have no good intention at all. for the irregular persecutors, the little persecutors, the persecutors who are friendly, the persecutors who treat their system gently and outsiders harshly (or vice versa).

persecutorpunk would be pro recovery for persecutors but understanding that recovery is not easy, not linear, should not be forced, takes time, and not always wanted/possible until later.

[arson-09]

no one asked but if i had to give elucien a government assigned hozier song i think a classic wasteland, baby! would be theirs. it’s literally a song comparing falling in love to a apocalyptic event and how it can be terrifying but so rewarding and delightful in the end. And i think that fits them very well :)

[cryinginthefkncorner]

“Um actually, I don’t think you understand the actual meaning of (insert label here)

Maybe instead of assuming that the person your talking to is an idiot you should question if they actually have formed their opinions of the labels being debated through actual research and reading things from people on those sides of the “debate”

I’m anti-censorship, I’m not pro or anti ship. Because both sides are bad, both sides make threats to each other

Both sides are a huge distraction from real censorship issues.

If you fic gets taken down you can just go to another website or create your own

If lgbtq+ books are banned in schools it’s not as easy for people who may need that info to access it, now is it? Especially if their parents aren’t accepting.

Maybe instead of screeching about which blorbos are the right blorbos to like, or which fictional characters get to play squish and squeeze with each other as if it is going to change the fabric of history and time as it stands, you should be worried about the actual book bans that are destroying actual published authors careers.

Maybe instead of screaming on tumblr where nothing you say will make much of a difference, you should show up at a school board meeting and actually stand up for books that are being banned, which are overwhelmingly penned by lgbtq and/or POC authors.

But y’all won’t, because screaming on the internet into an echo chamber is a whole lot easier.

[not-gay-batman]

So many of you know that Apollo and a Midnighter were first inspired by Superman and Batman. But what less of you may know, is that just last year both Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill resigned from their roles as Superman and Batman prior to the announcement of the Authority movie….

IM JUST SAYING

[veggiecorner]

What I liked about post-calamity Zelink is how they don't immediately grow into loving each other. Sure throw in the fact that Zelda had a thing for Link 100 years ago and Link now has been chasing after her (practically idolizes her memory, so maybe he might remember to love her throughout the journey), but they're both different and traumatized in a land that needs to heal. So they grow individually as people.

I also like to headcanon Zelda pretty much "forced" Link away from her, not out of animosity but rather she wants him to find who he was outside of his duty of a knight (and she doesn't believe he wants to stick by her) and meanwhile this gives her time to come to terms with her survivors guilt. Link is traveling around, remembering things about himself but also enjoying the freedom of adventure/traveling but still feeling like he's missing something.

And then their reunion is all the sweeter because they both realize they're missing each other, but now they're happier with themselves and while theres more healing that needs to be done at least they have each other to support

[ratunderneathahat]

Can people not say Tracy was "extremely rude" answering comments on her work. When the comments in question were hate comments. And when people left nice comments she was nice to them. You don't want people to be rude to you don't call them fucked up, don't tell them to get therapy as an insult and don't blame them for the fact that you read a work you don't like. DON'T LIKE DON'T READ and yes don't like don't read applies to "disgusting" stuff like what she wrote, not just ships you don't like, and you should've read the fucking tags (aimed)

[prismatoxic]

perpetually torn between "'antis' is such a vague and useless term that means nothing to people outside of fandom discourse" and "people WITHIN fandom discourse know exactly what it means so it's the easiest way to get the idea across"

fancop, fanpol, fandom conservative, fandom puritan, etc--all great and descriptive terms that fit the bill perfectly and also are, like, a lot longer than "anti" and far less typical as a descriptor because everyone uses a different one and also since they're less established they're actually more likely to get people asking what they mean exactly

fancop remains my fave of the bunch but ough. fandom terminology