#the kind where the world building makes sense- Rhys is half Illyrian that's enough for wings genetics wise

[separatist-apologist]

If Feyre and Rhys would both get freaky in their beast forms and Feyre would get pregnant, would she carry a beast baby?

According to SJMs own world building...I mean...

[acourtofthought]

What are ur thoughts ?

There’s an ig live with sjm and her friend steph where Steph asks if Azriel will be getting book. Sarah excitedly says she “Cant confirm anything yet, but once we get to the end of SF we will know who the next book is about” (indirect answer from Sarah but directly after steph asks about Azriel book)

It almost feels like she’s saying “I can’t say it officially for legal reasons but the question about Azriel— YES”

Ive seen the clip where Sarah is asked if we will see Elain in next book and Sarah answer “we’ll see her in some form.” The way she answered this didn’t sound nearly as enthusiastic

(My point is wouldn’t Sarah sound just as excited when she starts writing Elain’s book; she comes off as someone who can’t contain her excitement while writing about her characters when they’re in the forefront of her mind )

That's definitely one way of looking at it and I think many would agree with you!

But SJMs phrasing in response to the question was "when you get to the end of the book, I think you'll know who the next one is about and Azriel's JOURNEY is one I'm very excited to write about.

First, at the end of the book we're told it's Beron, Koschei and the treaty they still need to worry about. It's specifically stated those are the threats they need to focus on versus Gwyn and Emerie joking how the Illyrians will be "in hysterics for decades." The end of the book also ends with Nesta placing Elain's rose carving on their fathers grave as a permanent marker of the beauty and good he'd tried to bring into their world (Elain is often symbolized by roses and is full of light, kindness and generosity). Nothing at the end of SF points to an Az related plot in my opinion, because Koschei, the treaty and Beron are things more strongly connected to Elain and Lucien. While the treaty is something Mor was working on, she's not been able to accomplish it and Az is definitely not going to be the character who tries to secure Vallahan's signature, that's a job for emissary's and courtiers.

Second, way back when Sarah spoke about how the second the sisters came back on page in book 2 she realized that they had their own journey's beyond what Feyre was seeing and that she'd like to write their own books someday.

She then spoke about, because she knew early on where she wanted the sisters stories to go, she was able to plant seeds for their journey's early on in ACOMAF, ACOWAR and even ACOSF for Elain.

Journey is different than a character getting the next book. Journey is all the information the author lays out for a character to build up to their eventual book.

When we have lines like "She has no interest in him anyway" (Az in regards to Elain and Lucien), and "I think Lucien will never be good enough for her." and "I'll defeat him with little effort" I feel strongly that Az's "journey" is going to involve him seeing exactly how Elain is very much interested in Lucien, that Lucien is extremely good enough for her and he's not really going to be able to defeat Lucien with little effort. When we have a character like Az going off half-cocked and arrogant, authors don't usually reward that behavior by giving the character a HEA of their own while the characters he belittled are left suffering. Remember Az rejected Elain and hurt her, he claimed she couldn't handle the Trove, claimed Lucien wasn't good enough. Narratively speaking it makes more sense for them to prove him wrong first before he gets his HEA.

Also, SJM was very quiet on Rhys before ACOMAF and said she was so excited to finally be able to gush about him after the books release. She was very quiet on Chaol to the point that readers thought she hated him only to later say how she had been building up for his story for a long time, people needed to just wait for it to all come together. Sometimes, her going quiet on a character has meant she's getting ready to give them a book.

As far as "you'll see some of Elain in the next book", I'm not sure why that's being taken as she's not getting the next book. There was no way for Sarah to answer that question any other way. "Elain is going to be in the book a lot" and people would use that as confirmation she's next. "Elain is not in the book much" and that confirms she's not the next POV. Since they have wanted to keep the next book a secret, she answered in a way that keeps everyone guessing.

While I do understand why some are taking her IG Live with Steph and using it as confirmation of Az, I think it's safe to say that nothing in these interviews is true confirmation of who is next. If they wanted us to know, they would have come out and told us but it's been said time and again that when the time does come, Bloomsbury is going to want to make it a thing so until then mum's the word.

We have no way of knowing whether she's trying to throw readers off, keep them guessing, phrasing things in a way that is purposely ambiguous, and so on. At this point I think everything is on the table for who's next because valid arguments can be made for all sides.

[flowerflamestars]

Main Issues with Feysand's leadership: it mostly consists on rather inmature, underdeveloped strategy that would in no way get a world leader very far in the real world (see: 'i schooled my face into a look of boredom'), seem content in making enemies left to right as long as they never have to step down from the pedestal that they've built, and see Illyria as a necessary evil, like wtf. In conclusion, Rhysand is a governor for Velaris, but is not fit to be the ruler of the Night Court.

Rounding caveat, because I know I’m going to get shouty: the dividing line between ToG and ACOTAR is that tog is a fantasy series with romance, and acotar is a romance series in a fantasy world. They’re not the same. I’d be totally fine with how the world building in acotar is v handywavy, because it’s still accomplishing what the books set out to do (tell a love story, hello acomaf) but- BUT, it’s not consistent. And that inconsistency wildly undermines the characters.

And god, if Rhysand as a ruler isn’t the heart of ???? spirit.

We’re not going to talk about how the plot of acotar only makes sense backwards (Hey, Rhys, why did you want to kidnap every month a powerless mortal girl???), we’re just going to talk about reputation.

So Rhys is a villain who we learn isn’t actually evil. A classic. He was made to do terrible things by Amarantha! He sacrificed himself to save his friends! Of course the High Lords hate him, they think he sided with the enemy.

That could have been the whole thing- the layers pulled back, Rhysand also a victim, a reason for the world to hate him but for Feyre to see otherwise.

OKAY BUT- then we learn? that Rhysand has been playing Evil Scary Jackass in all political situations? for his entire reign? that’s just what he does?

Round two: Rhys had to be Amarantha’s because he had to “shield the knowledge” of his friends and his capitol? city. 

BUT- other people Under the Mountain, also accessible to Amarantha, know the IC??? have been acquainted with them for years? They’re not a secret. Mor was almost married out, Az and Cas are legendary, Amren is a story people tell. 

And all those people are probably incentivized by the fact that, you know, they think Rhysand is an evil traitor.

Furthermore: guess who willing cooperated with Amarantha? The Court of Nightmares. Recall who, surprise in acowar, knows all about Velaris: Keir.

Round three: Sexy Evil Cosplay, wherein we learn that not only instead of just keeping it together in politics Rhys has adopted an entire secondary persona, we learn he also...uses this persona...to scare all the other highborn faeries into submission....so he? never has to talk to them?

BUT ALSO: this whole thing is undermined by, once more, Keir. 

The whole game on the throne is to instill fear/ control of Keir. The whole Second Face. But Keir knows about Velaris? Keir knows exactly what Rhys stands for because Rhys and Cassian tried to rescue Morrigan from the Court of Nightmares when they were teens. Hell, Keir probably knew Rhys when Rhys was a kid.

It’s almost like eventually the person you pretend to be becomes who you are.

I think the Political Rhys vs Real Rhys started out as a plot point, but in character became this: not someone separate at all, but actually, Rhysand’s coping mechanism for making shitty choices.

See: if everyone in the Court of Nightmares bows, I’m ruling them. It doesn’t matter that women are being sold, that there’s servants and presumably totally normal people trapped in a mountain they can’t leave with people I think are monsters.

Let’s jump to Illyria. 

How much easier is it, for Rhysand, half-Illyrian himself, to align wholly with the High Fae and say: no, it’s Illyria’s fault. They’re savages, they’re barbarians. 

Easy as being a dick to other powerful men because it’s fun when they can’t fight back.

If the blame isn’t his, he keeps his army. He doesn’t have to fight a civil war that might swallow him whole, considering Illyria is the army he controls vs the High Fae soldiers left entirely under Keir’s rule. 

If it’s Illyria’s fault he can successfully reimagine the past as he clearly needs to (someday, I’ll make a whole ass post about Rhysand’s mommy issues and how they creepily bleed into Feyre’s characterization, but one thing at a time).

If it’s Illyria’s fault, he can’t be mad about his Mother, daughter of a warrior race, offering him up for brutal, dangerous training. It’s the fault of Illyria. He doesn’t have to imagine he was learning those things, fighting in the mud, because it was the only way his mother could pass the legacy, could say, look, this is where I come from and someday you will have the power to make it better for your sister, for everyone.

He LOVED his mother. He wears the sacred tattoos, manifests wings, has Illyrian “brothers”.

But- It’s Illyria’s fault, so Rhys didn’t fail, Rhys is doing his duty by keeping them in line. 

Which brings us to the war.

I’m unclear on why only the Night Court knew Hybern was coming, but let’s just accept that. 

But it’s all about the Public Face, moving in the shadows, the two Rhysands. So for the months Feyre is wasting away with Tamlin, planning her wedding Rhys...doesn’t warn anyone. Doesn’t whisper to the other High Lords to shore up defenses.

He makes a plan contingent on 1)that creepy deal with Feyre that he can now both justify and doesn’t want to enforce knowing she’s his mate, and 2) long lost magical objects no one knows the location of, and that don’t belong to him.

Rhys got SO used to the All-Knowing Dickbag face, it’s like he started believing he was all knowing. He’s one of seven Lords, but he doesn’t talk to any of them, on the off chance they don’t do exactly as he says. He steals from Tarquin, a young High Lord kind enough to take a chance on him. He tricks Mor. He lies to...everyone?

And then it’s a big deal, a failure on their part, when at the FINAL HOUR AND LAST MOMENT BEFORE ALL OUT WAR, AFTER THE SECOND INVASION HAS ALREADY COMMENCED, when the High Lords don’t jump to trust Rhys.

A step back, a Feyre tangent: Feyre, younger, also deeply traumatized, falls into this hard. Rhys tells her he’s the underdog, and she believes it. He’s SO SO SO powerful he can take the voice of another High Lord, Feyre herself thinks he’s so magical the gap between him and his contemporaries is like that between humans and high fae-

But hey wait, they don’t trust him because he’s been a dick for five hundred years. 

But hey wait, they came as their true selves, they don’t trust him while he’s WEARING ILLYRIAN WINGS- IT’S BECAUSE HE’S DIFFERENT-

No, it is not, but Feyre’s POV sort of wants us to think so.

And that’s where everything sort of falls apart.

The act of power has stopped being an act- it’s just their actions now. And they do not know how to stop.

Because they are in control, and they have to go on for the war. They have to keep making decisions, even if they’ve lost the thread, because they want to survive.

But they do survive.

And it turns out, even after that, they can’t put down the masks fused to their faces, because the act is the only thing keeping them together.

So the balls to the wall, We Must have the High Ground Even at Our Own Dinner Parties, The Center MUST Hold shit just keeps going: tearing down Lucien because he chose something that wasn’t their Court. Letting Illyria crumble because they don’t need the army right now. Banishing Nesta because she’ll never bow to authority.

All the weird, incestuous feeling inter IC drama.

But they’re the underdogs! the Heroes! It’s not their fault! 

So they spend their time in Velaris, charmingly hanging out like they’re normal people, thinking they’re better because power is wielded on an unimaginable personal scale.

Rhys loves his people! Rhys sacrificed!

Rhys...careened from one war/disaster to the next, and then settled down to play house?

The narrative cannot decide: is Rhys really an underdog, devoted to his people? How about he helps every other city that Amarantha destroyed?

Is Rhys a Normal Guy who just wants to walk on pretty cobblestone and have a cute, happy family? Maybe, there should be a government so he isn’t solely responsible for everything?

Is Rhys the Lord of Darkness Redeemed by LOVE?  Cool, let’s have him maybe he honest with Feyre exactly once, OR, at least talk about how him dying made her go off the rails and try to fix that with a bandage that isn’t baby shaped before Feyre’s 22nd birthday. 

Canonically, becoming High Lord is a mystical, magical endowment. That then, for the most part, functions as some kind of mashup Monarchy/ Feudal Lordship.

If that’s what it is, why can’t we lean into that? Rhys who does want a normal happy life with Feyre, trapped by the weight of immovable magic destiny.

King Rhys, duty bound to his bloodline and his people, torn between different ways to rule. 

Hell, Rhysand who really is a monster, because maybe Faeries are monstrous by human standards, who shows Feyre the beauty that lies beneath the brutality in a magic, surreal world where everyone is terrifying, but even monsters love.