#she wanted Feyre's pregnancy to be only a plot device

[romanticatheartt]

Most people see motherhood as a weakness which is the most toxic thought I've ever seen. In my opinion being a mother shows how strong a character is because being one is no easy task. Creating a human in your body and raising them to be a decent person is the hardest job ever. People undermine mothers because there's this idea of woman being able to get pregnant is something natural and they were made to do it so it's not so important or a big deal.

And people keep saying "she's young" and "she should be in a club" are weird to me. Because she chose this. And no she's an adult, even in the eyes of modern society. She's 22 ffs!! She's not a child. Yes she's young but like I said she wanted her child. They say Rhysand could mist the baby in her (istg I've seen them say this and I almost got sick) or why Feyre didn't shapeshift, when there was a risk of killing the child as if she would've deliberately kill her own baby... The baby she wanted so much. Of course they would try to find a ways to save her.

Beside Rhysand kept it from Feyre for 12 days... 12!! And the idea of people thinking Rhysand was going to let her be in the dark proves to me they don't know him at all. He was waiting to be completely sure of everything. He was going to make sure there was no way to help otherwise stressing Feyre which would harm her and the baby even more was pointless. And Madja told him not to tell Feyre. She knew the dangers of it and she, the trusted healer of Rhys, told him not to tell her. She saw fit and thought it's more safe to not tell her for now till they could find a solution to this and Rhys listened because from what Madja said, he didn't want Feyre in any form of harm.

I agree that they, specially Rhysand, should've trusted Feyre more. Like she said, after she find out about it, that she wouldn't let this situation affect her, for her child. That's the main reason why I think we should've had a Feysand pov because this could've been a character growth for both Rhysand and Feyre and their relationship. But we all know, this whole pregnancy plot was solemnly written for Nesta's story which I hate and I take issue with sjm writing.

Okay, I understand people not liking the pregnancy trope but with Feysand I never had a problem. Maybe it had to do with it not being from their pov but if we had read it in their pov I still wouldn’t have hated it.

I’ve seen people argue it contradicts acotar/acomaf Feyre’s wishes, but literally people change their minds in the span of weeks Feyre changed hers over a year and half😭. There was an entire scene and buildup in acofas where Feyre realized she wanted to start her family. Which is entirely okay and her choice. I don’t really see the problem? Also, acotar Feyre was human and disliked the fae and wasn’t at a happy mindset or safe place for herself. It’s completely fine and understandable for her to change over the books, it would be a waste of time for her to stay the same over five 100+ page books😭.

The other argument I’ve seen is that sjm turned Feyre into a boring sit on her ass character with motherhood, this honestly disgusts me. Motherhood should be seen as powerful and in a good way, Feyre wanting to be a mother does not take away from her strength as a character, if any thing it added power to her. And no Rhys did not force Feyre into becoming a mother💀. Feyre literally told him she wanted to start their family, he did not force her or manipulate her into becoming a mother. Now, I hate that he hid the truth from her about the full danger of the birth, but I can also see his side. He didn’t want her to worry the entire pregnancy, that’s not a bad thing. I still think he should of told her the truth but I understand why he didn’t🤷🏼‍♀️. My biggest complaint is that he ordered everyone else not to tell her the truth, that he went about a family matter in a high lord way.

I hate how people say he sat on his ass the entire time not looking for a solution because he in fact did not do this 😭. He went to Helion about a shield to protect Feyre, asked Drakon about their experiences and solutions with winged births, looked through libraries of his court and other courts, and talked with healers about the best way to save Feyre. He wasn’t wallowing in self pity. He was trying to save her but couldn’t find a way. I personally see this as a bad plot from sjm to make a way for Nesta to redeem herself but it’s whatever I guess 🙄.

I think it’s cute how Feysand decided to have a family. I even like them being parents, I think they’ll be great at doing better than their parents. I like how the ic have a baby to love unconditionally and spoil. I’m excited to see the relationship between nyx and his aunts and uncles in the future books. Especially his relationship with Nesta considering how much it’s clear nes loves nyx in hofas. Plus in acosf she said she’d protect the baby no matter what. I’m very excited to see how perfect of a mother Feyre is since she was described to be one in hofas.

I never saw the baby move and motherhood as a bad thing, but if anyone did please tell me why. I’m open to look at it from a different perspective so long as it’s respectful.

[pixi4]

Let me spew some thoughts no one cares for.

The constant hate pile on Feyre for suddenly choosing to be a mother is getting ridiculous.

Realistically speaking, she saw her husband get murdered in a war and then brought back to life in a same fashion as she herself was. It is so logical to me that she would want a piece of her and Rhys to exist in this world. Was the short time and obvious disregard for their traumas unhealthy? Yes. Did they dicuss the pregnancy? Obvi not. Was the twilight-like pregnancy obviously added in so Nesta could have a Deus ex machina sacrifice? Very much so. Was Rhys abusive even before SF? Heck yeah!

But let's put the abusive Rhys and enabling IC on the side for once and focus on Feyre and her relationship with motherhood.

Continuously we've been shown that beneath her tough exterior is a gentle heart. The first book even proves it. The first book is literally just her running around with Tam and Lucien being free and happy and we witness not only her resilience but also her care. One aspect of Feyre that I feel like people tend to overlook is the fact that she's responsible, more or less, *cough* Spring Court *cough*. She's a person willing to sacrifice her sleep or meal for somebody else. That especially, is essence of motherhood. People think its Elain who is warm and motherly, i don't necessarily disagree. But Elain has continously shown how she wishes to be alone after the war. She doesn't want a male or a mate. She's uncomfortable with it. I'd argue that Feyre has more maternal instincts than any other female character in the series (except those who are already a mother of course)

The two main arguments that come with people disliking her having a kid are: a)she's boring now and b)she's weak now and can't fight her own battles.

Fae are literally animals. I'd like for you to go out and inspect the nature of female animals and their cubs. There isn't a predator a lioness wouldn't cut in pieces if she felt even a slight possibility of her cub being endangered.

Also for all the women claiming that her having kids takes away her agency, first of all, are you good? Do you not see how you are also being incredibly misogynistic by implying that a pregnant woman is reduced to "baby maker".

When it comes to the valid, technical points as to why the book SF and its prose and "plot" sucks, then yes, the pregnancy was out of nowhere with never before talked about issues (fae uterus/ Illyrian uterus) just so we can have a conflict. Is it a lazy plot device? Very much so, but the interpretation of motherhood in this fandom, with all due respect has to change. Baddass female warriors in fantasy novels aren't helpless once they have kids. In fact, having a kid, a being that by all accounts, depending on its age, cannot protect itself, that alone makes Feyre an even bigger beast. You got three books of Feyre running around killing bunch of people. What is so wrong with having one book where she gets to lay around and read books and chill, in the book where she's not even a main character?

For all the grievances this *awfully written* book deserves, the idea of motherhood does not deserve to be slandered because of the book's weak portrayal.

[colorlesschristmastree]

I was wondering who ran the justfeysand acc? it’s no longer active & i loved that account for us feyre girlies 😭 or queerincrisis too who i used to love. i’ll never forget when of the coolest people deactivated from fandom and their name was hotdiscodauce ..wherever you are hotdiscosauce feyre girls miss you. cant even blame people for saying “fuck this” lmao. i love feyre too much to crumble though so i suffer thru the toxicity of this fandom just to ride for my girl !!

the only thing that could make me inactive is if she doesn’t do shit in hofas while nesta’s mid self gets a pov while also being randomly paired with bryce when really that should be feyre. if the pregnancy ends up as a plot device to sideline her or the bargain i know ill be pissed and leave. especially if she has no cute scenes with bryce. just bc they aren’t that similar doesn’t mean i want to see bryce with nesta and bryce of all characters. and it better not just be rhys in the spotlight for hofas with amren sjm since only they know the language

Hiii! So sorry for responding late to this but I actually have the answers to your ails! Justfeysand was ran by my sweet sweet moot who has just become a little busy and less interested in SJM recently. Fear not though my dear anon for she is still here in the form of @moonfyre-s!! Aggressively defending our high lady Feyre and also giving us some darklina and miscellaneous content.

And the lovely aqueerincrisis is still here as well!! You can find them dishing out their hot takes on @acourtofcriticalthinking! Dw nonnie, our love for Feyre will always be there even as our interests and lives change :)

Honestly I'm very aware of the fact that I haven't been as active lately and I feel really bad about it, I still do reblogs and such but I just haven't been making as much original content recently. I've been trying to cut down on the anti content I post here and keep more of my criticisms in the Feyre server, I don't have a lot of energy to actually argue on here like I used to so I just talk my shit over there. Once cc3 comes out and I get Feyre crumbs though I swear I will be back to yapping, I just need more juice for my inspiration to come to me.

Some people in the Feyre server and I might be rereading the series after we've all wrapped up cc3 though so I'll def make some content during that. :) And I completely agree with everything you said, I don't really care that Nesta is going to be talking with Bryce as it is just a bonus chapter and I'm of the belief those genuinely aren't that important and only exist for marketing and to possibly build some excitement about certain things, I just hope that during their brief time in cc3 all of the acotar characters Feyre get treated well and we get some interesting scenes from them.

I'm not really a fan of cc3 theories that put one acotar character as objectively more important than others in the grander scheme of the SJM multiverse. I think they're all just cogs in one large machine and all these theories saying "X character is actually going to be the key player because of Y reasons!" is always silly to me. Tbh I'm not really a huge fan of the acotar characters becoming things outside of the context of their own universe/stories (if that makes sense)? Why can't they just be helping Bryce out? Why must one of them secretly be the key to everything? Or the Mother? Or the CC gods? Or a prince of Hel? BLAH!

anyways I got off track! It's so sweet that you noticed those two blogs were missing and they were both very touched when I told them I had an anon reach out to inquire about their wellbeing. You're a sweetheart!

[taylors-fourth-cat-meow]

ok but as a person who was in an abusive relationship, i HATE how sjm writes about domestic abuse & sexual assault. hate how she uses sa as a means for redemption but promptly forgets to actually help her characters heal from said sa. because guess what? i literally COULD NOT relate to tamlin & feyre but know what i actually saw myself in? it's rhysand & feyre. how he actively manipulates feyre, how he has been abusive & sa'd her & then manipulated her into thinking it was 'for her own good', how he is the cause of feyre's & tamlin's ptsd in the first place. how he tells her to choose between death/trouble or *insert his decision* and calls it 'it's your decision'. how he controls all her agency. how she has no friends except for the inner circle who are rhys's friends first & feyre's second that none of them bother to tell her about her OWN pregnancy risk because rhys told them not to. like the whole time i was SCREAMING for feyre to just open her eyes & SEE fr that bitch, you are in an abusive relationship. just RUNNNNN. (also dw i hate feyre too but mostly because she destroys a whole court as a retaliation against her ex?? & suffers no consequences??? i just-)

god, i wish sjm stans to get at least one brain cell to allow them critical thinking for ONCE.

and also honestly? still waiting for the day when the whole sjm fandom & sjm herself will acknowledge that calanmai is literally the dictionary definition of rape/non-con. and that tamlin has been r*ped constantly for years. and also the fact of tamlin & feyre's ptsd literally being caused by amarantha & aided by rhysand himself.

honestly, i don't even LIKE tamlin (i gave the first book 2 stars lol). but like he was done so dirty and i feel like he just deserves to run away & acknowledge & mostly heal from everything that he has been through. because neither sjm nor the fandom actually want to look at people in the eyes and say that 'yeah, tamlin has been a victim of r*pe' because the only way sjm can write sa is when it is used as a plot device for redemption (*i am looking at you lucien* also my boy lucien has also been done so dirty. where is his healing arc??? i hate it i hate it i hate it ughh)

Hi anon!!

Absolutely agree with everything u said! So on point kudos 👏🏼👏🏼🙌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼💅🏼

(also srry for what u went thru and then had to read about triggering shit like Acotar hope u r doing gud now! Wish u the best ❤️)

[highprincessofthenightcourt]

So many amazing points were made and they were all backed up by canon 👏🏽👏🏽

We all know that writing often relies on plot devices—SJM has a tendency to craft situations that serve a larger narrative, which can sometimes lead to side plots that aren’t as polished as they should be. It’s an unfortunate mistake that should be avoided, but it doesn’t change a character’s core identity. If they are meant to be good, they remain good. The only consequence is that certain actions may feel confusing if not handled properly within the grand scheme of things.

Even so, Rhysand was never vilified by the author. His portrayal in ACOSF was entirely dependent on the perspective we were given—and even then, he was not cruel. He was perceived as arrogant and rude, but also as one of the most trustworthy males in Prythian (as stated by the main character herself).

His choices may not have been the best if we isolate them from the circumstances—but when considering the context, it’s clear his actions were rooted in fear, not control. I acknowledge that, given the world’s current state of affairs regarding women’s rights, there is an understandable, visceral reaction to a woman seemingly not being in control of her own body. That reaction is valid. But that was never the intended message of this storyline.

There wasn’t much Feyre could do at that point—not because of Rhys, but because of the dangerous reality of her pregnancy. There was a high risk that if she were told, stress could have triggered early labor, and if the baby’s wings had already formed, the delivery would have been fatal. This is likely why Madja didn’t tell Feyre herself. Would the “politically correct” thing be to tell Feyre, even if it risked killing her? Maybe. But who is to say that any of us, in real life, wouldn’t have done the same as Rhys if faced with the responsibility of possibly losing the person we love most? Who is to say we wouldn’t have desperately sought every possible solution before confronting them with devastating news?

Also, let’s not forget the world this story takes place in. This is not a modern society. This is a world where women were literally forced to be with men who believed they owned them through mating bonds. A world where women were not allowed to be High Ladies. A world where women’s wings were cut off to keep them powerless. A world where a woman’s own family mutilated her for having sex. SJM created a setting filled with systemic misogyny—and Rhysand stands against all of it. He made Feyre his equal in title and power. He outlawed wing clipping. His second and third in command are two powerful women.

Rhysand was never written as someone who sought control over Feyre, even when had that been the case, it would have fit the setting—similar to another High Lord, who locked his bride in a house, treated her like property, told her there was no such thing as High Ladies. But that was never who Rhys was. What he did was out of sheer terror of losing the love of his life, not a desire to wield power over her.

And let’s be clear, Rhysand never insisted on a baby. Feyre made the choice to have one and they began trying. It was something beautiful and precious that they both wanted, something they wished to share. Anyone who has followed their love story through their books knows how deep their bond runs. It isn’t something they could live without—it is why they bound their lives to each other.

Feyre understood him. She forgave him almost instantly because she knew his actions weren’t born from disregard for her autonomy. She knew they came from fear—from the worst kind of pain imaginable.

At the end of the day, the pregnancy storyline served a larger purpose. It furthered Nesta’s arc, introduced key elements of worldbuilding, and set up plot points for the future. Could I have lived without it? Absolutely. But I can also acknowledge that sometimes, in the process of writing, smaller details can be mishandled in service of the greater narrative.

And none of it changes what Feyre and Rhysand’s love means. Their story is still the most beautiful love story I have ever read. Their history is woven with proof of the truest love—love that has always been about choice, respect, and freedom. The fact that ACOSF didn’t dedicate enough time to exploring the full weight of Rhys’s fear and Feyre’s understanding doesn’t erase everything we already know about him.

It doesn’t change that he was the one who told Feyre she was no one’s subject. It doesn’t change that he was the one who got angry when she assumed she owed him a child as a High Lord’s wife, assuring her that she owed him nothing. It doesn’t change that he didn’t tell her about their mating bond at first, because he never wanted her to feel obligated to be with him.

It doesn’t change who he is. It doesn’t change who they are. And for me, it doesn’t change the fact that, at the heart of everything, Rhysand and Feyre’s love will always be the most profound and breathtaking story of all.

If i may add my input on the subject, i would like to talk about Feyre's pregnancy and the surrounding controversy.

While i completely understand the people who have felt upset about Rhysand and the others not telling Feyre, i also understand why they did not. As for the claims that Rhysand wanted an heir out of his mate, and did not care about her life, i think they are absolutely ridiculous.

Rhysand was the one to correct Feyre when she believed that she owed a child as a high lord's wife. He is the one who told her that she owes him nothing. He did not have to do that when she already believed she had no choice. Rhysand made sure Feyre knew she ALWAYS had a choice.

Furthermore, the risk was not only to Feyre's life but also to the child's. Rhys would have lost the two most important beings in his life. He did not have a personal gain in this.

While i do not fully support the fact that he did not tell her, by the time he discovered the risks there was nothing Feyre could do about them. Even if she decided to nullify the pregnancy, at the stage she was in she would have still had to go through the process which could kill her. We are also aware of the consequences excessive stress can have on pregnancy.

Rhysand was trying his best to bear the burden until he found a solution. If he had thought there was a slight possibility that Feyre could solve the issue, he would have obviously told her right away. Maybe he didn't do the right thing, maybe it would have been better if she knew. But he never did what he did out of malice. He never had anything but love towards his wife. And even Madja advises him to not mention it until until later.

He begs on his knees for Helion to help, while the rest of the inner circle looks for answers. Rhysand's whole world is Feyre. I do not believe he would choose to live on if he lost her.

I think it is important that we remember that Rhysand and Feyre are the reason why the series succeeded. Their love is the beginning and end of these books. Those who know them, know their hearts are good.

Anyway, sorry for the rant, but i needed to say this for my sanity.

[theladyofbloodshed]

First, I'm a BIG fan of your account. Second, I'm so confused about something. So the reason the pregnancy was problematic is because Feyre was in an "Illyrian Form" when Nyx was conceived. But when Az was training her in acomaf, it's implied that she basically grew bones and flesh from her back to create the wings. She wouldn't have known to make internal bodily changes as well (because how is that relevant to her having wings?). And it's not like post-war, she'd make those changes because again what would the relevance be. If it was for conception, why would she ever change back? Anyway, just wanted your thoughts on this because it confused me.

Hello, thank you so much.

I think it is mentioned that she changes her whole anatomy. In her “normal” form she’s non-Illyrian and Rhys is only half so it would have been very unlikely for their child to have wings. I think they only reason they did the shifting was for a plot device because now it’s a problem! Feyre is then pure Illyrian so this suggests she changes her whole DNA and the egg rather than just shifting wings since Nyx has wings too.

Nesta and Cassian have a high likelihood of their future child having wings due to his full-blooded heritage.

It is just a silly plot. I didn’t like it one bit. These are immortals. Feyre has her whole life ahead of her, after a short one of poverty and war and the first thing she wants to do is have a child. Any joy about having the child is gone because Rhys keeps all the dangers from her and it ruined Nesta’s book entirely for me. The idea that it is too dangerous for Feyre to shift back into the Illyrian form is just laughable when she would die if she didn’t anyway!

[meanderingstar]

ACOSF FUCKING SUCKS

Here are a few reasons why I hated it:

(Feel free to add others in case i've forgotten)

The demonization of Nesta makes no goddamn sense. I’d elaborate, but then I’d scream.

Nesta’s mental health was handled really, really badly. Here’s what gone on with her: physical abuse, toxic parents, attempted sexual assault, torture, severe depression and PTSD … all that are simply there for the Aesthetic™. None of them are written with an ounce of nuance or understanding or respect.

 Misogyny. The misogyny is RAMPANT. From the inherent nature of mating bonds, to the gendering of gestures, to sexism serving as mere window-dressing, to the decorative insubstantial power women hold in both the story and the world and their own lives … I don't get how the narrative can lack such self-awareness.

SJM cannot write healthy relationships to save her life.

99% of her male characters are deeply toxic, creepy, disgusting, misogynistic jackasses who deserve to be dropped into volcanos and left to burn.

hiding vital medical information from Feyre about her own damn pregnancy is disgusting. It’s absolutely disgusting, and just another instance of Rhysand being an abusive as fuck love interest. Why was abortion not considered? Why is Feyre infantilized by everyone around her? Why is this shitty behavior not called out? Why was Rhysand romanticized instead? Why is this such an unapologetic ripoff of Twilight? 

Also, mating bonds are dumb and cheap plot devices.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: ACOTAR is Rhysand propaganda. All of SJM’s other books are also Rhysand propaganda. Rhysand is a Mary Sue.

Cassian is also terrible and abusive despite the narrative's pathetic insistence on the fact that he's apparently "too good for Nesta"

I hate how romance seems to be considered the most important form of love in ... every book SJM writes, honestly. This one is no exception. 

What is this obsession with being warriors? Not everyone needs to learn how to physically fight! Training isn’t the only way to heal! There are many different and equally valid ways to be strong! This is so gross, y’all.

SJM’s sex scenes are embarrassingly bad.

Don’t think I haven’t noticed the treatment Mor has gotten since she’s come out as sapphic. The lack of power, the lack of narrative importance, the change in personality and behavior … it’s not exactly subtle. 

Eris being a “secretly good guy” is 1) just a cheap ripoff of Rhys’s arc in acomaf, and 2) yet another instance of disgusting dudes being forgiven and romanticized and prioritized over their victims.

 SJM. What exactly are you trying to prove by constantly degrading humans? What are you trying to prove by glorifying their oppressors? What are you doing?

Oh, wow, the imperialistic intentions of the characters are literally exalted by the narrative. Nice.

Just for the record: torture is a really ineffective information-collecting technique. SJM doesn't seem to know that.

 Another female-villain, who’s also human, whose main motivation is that she was turned Old and Ugly™ and wants to go back to being Young and Beautiful™ is … absolutely disgusting? How did this get printed?

God forbid Nesta be the strongest person around. God forbid a woman be powerful in her own right. No, she has to lose her power by the end of the book, because no one can be stronger than Rhysand

The worldbuilding is fucking shit.  I’d elaborate, but there’s literally nothing to elaborate on because ... it’s just so bad.

 This book has no plot. It’s one of the most haphazard, generic, halfhearted stories I’ve ever read, that was clearly written for the sake of being written.

If anyone says that this is a feminist and inclusive book, y’all are wrong. If anyone says that this is a feminist and inclusive series, y’all are wrong. If anyone says that any of the books SJM has ever written are feminist and inclusive in nature, ya’ll are wrong and willfully ignorant. I’m not sorry.

There are so many more things to say but I’m tired.

In conclusion: THIS BOOK IS SO BAD.

[bookofmirth]

☕️ opinion on Feyres’ uterus being too small to birth Nyx as an essential point to the plot of acosf

The Worst. I don’t care about feysand babies, obviously that was going to happen anyway. But the way it happened:

It turned “pliable bones” into a thing to analyze for NO REASON.

It made motherhood synonymous with wombs which is a very bad take! 

It made the Nesta + Feyre reconciliation feel hollow and forced. 

It’s what caused Nesta to give up her powers which.... on the surface I’m okay with, but basically she gave them up because of poor decision-making on feysand’s part. Mostly Rhys’s part.

It made no sense with what little we know of the magic. 

It made the whole death bargain ridiculousness clear. 

You want to talk about a plot device???? The feysand pregnancy was a plot device. It only served a purpose to make other things happen, but was not an organic event.

I just felt like... a lot of the nessian book was so, so heavy-handed. I remember saying I wouldn’t talk about negative stuff for a while and I still feel like I haven’t because all I can think is Womb and Ship War. 

send me a ☕️ and a topic and i’ll talk about how i feel about it

[romanticatheartt]

Before starting acosf my friend already heard about what would happen to Feysand. She didn't continue the series because of this very reason. We both knew how this was going to be.

A pregnancy plot when Feysand is not the narrator of their plot and it's definitely some sort of plot device of Nesta's story.

I continued reading because it was killing me not to know and by that point, I also read too many comments about how Rhysand is OOC. I already knew the only reason he would withhold such important information from Feyre was because he didn't want to put stress on her. And unsurprisingly I was right!! 

But because it was written in Nesta's pov, sjm risked explaining this situation from the point of someone who at that stage of the book was unbearably unreasonable and couldn't think straight. 

I'm not saying Rhysand did nothing wrong because he did and we have to remember, it wasn't out of malice. Nesta was also one of those people who kept this secret and if we want to find the guilty person here both Rhys and Nesta are at fault because technically these two are the closest people to Feyre. One is her husband/mate/father of her child and the other is her sister by blood.

Nesta wanted to conflict the pain she was through on someone like she did her whole life. And she found no one but Feyre. It's ironic because she was also the one holding the truth and did nothing to help, while Rhysand held the truth and was trying to find a solution and searched everywhere. Edit: Feyre was also the only one who disagreed with holding the truth about the sword from Nesta...

People say she wanted to prove to Feyre that IC was toxic and did both of them wrong. Or Nesta wanted her sister to know the truth and "at least she told her about her own body", but none of them is true.

Nesta has a mental health issue and it was said she enjoys hurting people. Not physically but with words. And when she told Feyre about the pregnancy we see how she instantly realised her error. How she saw the destruction she left behind for the first time. It was a fucked up way of sjm inserting some character growth in her as well as some redemption arc in the future.

So yes I don't take this plot seriously at all. It was handled very poorly and its solemn purpose was to give Nesta both a character growth and redemption arc which I hate very much. All the while she could approach her growth and redemption all through Nesta's character and not through another character plot...

I don’t blame rhys for the pregnancy thing simply because I don’t take that plot seriously. maybe if it hadn’t been written as a nesta redemption arc and he chose to withhold medical information from feyre I would have felt differently. but sjm took an important moment from a domestic feysand and used it to give nesta a chance to be the hero which she totally could have done in a different circumstance.

she used them to propel nesta’s storyline and so I just don’t really care

hope that helps!

[bookofmirth]

Hi!You wanted to talk about Mor more often and I so happen to be quite confused about her.

I liked her character in the first books. But in ACOSF she simply disappeared. I can't remember any significant scenes or chapters with her in it. She has a great friendship with Cassian, they used to go out till the death of night often according to the previous books. Suddenly she doesn't even have a private conversation with Cassian at all throughout a whole massive book with Cass' POV too? I'm not sure if i'm right about them not have a single conversation on their own. Nonetheless their friendship feels nonexistent in ACOSF.

Is it because SJM is anticipating Mor's own book? But that wouldn't explain why their friendship suddenly changed so much? I understand she's off to other lands to do whatever it is she is doing. I only remember Mor eating with the IC once I think. And some dance classes.

Her absence made me think it was just a convenient timing thing. No Mor/Nesta/Cassian altercation. Even during the dance classes scenes there is not really any growth between Nesta and Mor, they are simply civil. Nothing more nothing less. As a good friend/almost family of Cass I'd expect there to be more, atleast trying to get to know eachother for the sake of Cass? Does that make sense? Idk it felt strange that Mor had no growth in either relationships.

Secondly do you think she's leading Azriel on by not telling him for 500 years that's she is not interested in him? Is she so scared of his reaction? Feyre is the only one who she explained it to. I also kinda find it ridiculous that as a Spymaster he hasn't figured it out yet. She also sleeps with Helion to make it clear to Az that she's not interested in him romantically. The sadest part is that she said she doesn't quite enjoy it entirely.

I think she needs tons of healing still too. And things are going on on that other continent (Hybern? Vallahan? ) and i'm confused it feels like she is not succeeding at all with negotiations. And it's just a vague plot point imo that will lead to war, just for the sake of having some more stories to be told.

Thank you for reading my chaotic thoughts :)

Okay I am finally getting to this, thanks for being patient!!!

So for background, Mor has always been one of my favorite characters in this series, and I am not a huge fan of what has happened to her past her coming out in acowar. Her brotp with Cassian is one of my favorite things ever to headcanon. I had written fanfic with her and Az, her and Nesta, her and Elain. I think that's it.

But yeah, to have a whole book where Cassian was a major character and to hardly get any Mor content, it's weird??? I can see it being an issue if Nesta was jealous, but now that I think about it, Nesta never displayed any jealousy toward Mor in all of acosf, not where Cassian was concerned. I think that Nesta did regret not being closer to Mor when she first got to the Night Court, because she sees how everyone else treats Mor like she is kindness personified and so Nesta reflects on how she treated Mor. But people in the fandom have had the impression that Mor was in the way between Nesta and Cassian, which I never understood, and which acosf proved is incorrect, even from Nesta's POV.

The only conversation I can think of Cassian and Mor having was when he thinks about how she is as beautiful inside as out and how he thinks she doesn't know. (Sidenote, my heart, he is so precious.) But there was nothing of substance. WHYYYYY. I would rather have had zero stupid plot and 800 pages of character development than what we got.

I think that, besides the pregnancy plot, the thing that bothers me most about acosf is the fact that Mor not only disappeared from the narrative, but that her queerness is basically erased because it's not relevant to the plot. And queerness is not a plot device. It's not a "gotcha" moment to change who the fandom ships.

Nesta and Mor did get to know each other a bit, like you said with the dancing lessons, but it was super minimal. I would expect that Nesta's relationship with Mor would have grown in the same way that her relationship with Azriel did, because Azriel and Mor are arguably Cassian's closest friends. (Besides Rhys, but Nesta and Rhys had their own issues.) So why didn't it? I'm trying to be generous with sjm on this one, but I think that it again comes down to Mor not being useful because her queerness wouldn't be useful to the acosf plot. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope that I am.

The one thing about Mor in acosf was that she kept leaving and when she returned she was upset about something, which you mentioned. I assume we will find out what this is all about eventually? Because we got Mor's POV in acofas too, and even then she was off on her own and there was something watching her from the woods, and a lot of people think it was Bryaxis, but we haven't had confirmation. Plus, we have the whole deal with Keir coming to Velaris. She has stuff coming up for sure, and so maybe Mor, like Elain and Lucien, have been put on the back burner because other stories are coming first.

The thing with Az - I don't think that she has been leading him on. She tries to tell him in her own way, without having to come out, that she isn't going to be interested. I wish that she felt safe enough just tell Azriel, but there is a combination of things keeping her from doing that: the homophobia of the Court of Nightmares and her family, her desire to keep that part of herself sacred, and maybe (maybe?) Azriel's reaction to that discussion. I think she knows that Az is particularly fragile and they have gone so long without talking that at this point it's just festering. Ugh, when they finally do talk it's going to be intense. But I do hesitate to say she is scared of his reaction because...

I don't think that Az really loves her the way he seemed to in acomaf. After seeing how he has treated her and now how he treats Elain, I think that Mor (and Elain) are actually convenient people because his "infatuation" with them keeps people from looking too deeply at what Az is actually doing - or not doing. So if anything, Mor and Azriel having that conversation would be a huge relief where they could both stop having to pretend around each other all the time. I'm torn because I think he does have a temper and he has a history of not thinking about how that temper impacts Mor, but I also don't think that, ultimately, his feelings are deep enough to make him react that way. The only reason he would do that is a cover for the things he is really afraid of. Which I have a whole different ask about haha.

Okay, number three in my acosf pet peeves is that there was NO HINT that Rhys, or Cassian, or Azriel know that Mor is queer. I was CONVINCED that we would find out in acosf that at least one of them knows. It doesn't make any sense for them to not! After all this time, and them supposedly being so close. I hope that it's not being reserved for plot reasons because EW. Like, there is a reason that sexual assault shouldn't be used for plot or character development, right? It's the same thing with queerness and I hope that that is not what is coming.

It might all come down to the way that as the series progresses, sjm seems incapable of thinking about a character if they aren't on the page at that moment. It's why Elain seems to have been held in suspension since the end of acowar. And now Mor does. And honestly Lucien does too. Amren just never changes because she's so old. I think she's ready to break Azriel out of the cryogenic ice stuff now but I don't really like this style of writing where characters' motivations are completely hidden just because they aren't the main character.