#why should it be monolithic across prythian?

[eatsbooks]

mating bond rituals that differ across the courts of prythian, imbued with power not only by individual court custom but the personal belief in that custom! autumn court fae selecting the seed of an agricultural plant to represent their union and planting it together ritualistically, then reaping the fruit of that plant over their natural lives! winter court fae hunting great beasts and ceremonially exchanging their furs—the greater the beast or more exclusive the furs, the more cherished (or spurned) the bond—and preserving the meat for anniversaries and special occassions! spring court fae devoting entire gardens of poetic flowers to their mate, the meaning of each planted bloom indicating their intentions for their lives together, wishes of prosperity and adoration and trust and love! fae who don’t subscribe to their court’s beliefs at all and instead cultivate meaningful bond ceremonies for themselves that don’t surround antiquated and gendered customs!!!

[reblogandlikes]

These were my qualms with Lucien too when I read that line, because why would he think this? It was not even a year ago, even while under the rule of Amarantha, Spring with Tamlin as its HL has always been relatively a chilled place with freedom and leniency and a lack in forced hierarchical rule because everyone naturally holds Tamlin in high regards and respects him. Even Rhysand mocked that Tamlin still doesn't hold ranks (because Tamlin doesn't need to. Because Tamlin tries his best and is actually a good HL, even to those who came for refuge outside of his court and the fae's sees this quality)

This line Lucien thought would imply that Spring was suffocating to some degree. That he didn't enjoy it. That it wasn't a 'home' with friends that laughed as he's witnessing with IC in the small snippet of them being viewed as laid back as if Lucien himself doesn't take the piss around Tamlin jokingly all the time. It a way for SJM to use a character like Lucien to now have 'come to the light' and frame the IC as better while Tamlin and Spring are bad and probably should learn from them (please dont make me choke, because tf? 🤨) just like how she used Feyre. That the NC isn't as horrible as everyone thought it to be. Wrong - because the reasons why Prythian thinks the NC is ruthless and horrible very much still exists and flourishes with inequalities. One small hidden city that has been allowed to thrive for 5 thousand years without seeing any wars or horrors doesn't now excuse the absolute bullshit that is the Hewn City and Illiyria running rampant.

The NC isn't secretly a place of "Dreamers" and progression but instead overwhelmingly a place a subjugation, oppression and violence that's 'unable to change' and then unfortunately forces those same residence to conformed to this brutal socialisation in order to survive. Can't even challenge the system fully when even when their own feminist HL comes to visits, he displays these same horrendous qualities, bullies, and demeans his people while never giving them an option. Never searching for better within. They're not individuals trapped in a horrible unfair situation. No, instead, they're a monolith of cruel fae that can never change and don't deserve better, let alone Velaris, which they would "Taint," according to Feyre herself.

Like, why has only Mor from Hewn City been in Velaris? Why are there no other Illyrians that live there like Cassian and Azriel, or even visited like Emerie (thanks to Nesta)?

Lucien is a smart guy. To have him so easily bamboozled into thinking the NC is suddenly great after seeing a single place when he also knows what's also out there in the NC - 2/3 - the inequalities that certainly didn't happen in Spring across the board is...wild.

Unless SJM tires of her special little boy and NC (Velaris) greatness, I just know she has some bullshit waiting for Lucien, and I hate it. Acotar reads more like a self-indulgent fan fics than a work with a wider world with characters that have broader introspection and perspectives that could rival the MC without it being viewed openly as the wrong opnion, but instead different. To allow her readers to come to their own conclusions without force feeding them blatant lies and misconstrued ideals.

(Tbh, many of the fanfics do a brilliant job at building up sjm's characters and the world, and I thank them for it. I'm going to need it when she inevitably ruins baby Lucien)