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“Rhysand is the most powerful High Lord” this and “Rhysand is the strongest fae” that, but are we just gonna forget that Tamlin, within 30 seconds of becoming Spring Court’s High Lord, was able to fucking annihilate Rhysand’s father, who had been Night Court’s High Lord for fuck-knows-how-long and was able to kill all of Tamlin’s brothers and father?

Like, aren’t strength, valour and power Tamlin’s thing? Why did we have to take away all of these qualities from him and give them to Rhysand?

It just seems so… odd, to me at least, that Tamlin had to be nerfed in order for the reader to be convinced that Rhysand is superior in every way and therefore the better choice between them.

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I wish soooo badly that Nesta had said something like “taking a page out of Tamlin’s book?” to Feyre when they told her she’d be locked in the house of wind. Feyre prob would’ve cried and Rhys prob would’ve killed Nesta for making Feyre cry but the satisfaction for me in that moment would’ve been 🤌

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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.

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i think the thing that frustrates me the most about feyre's character post-acotar — hell, even post-acomaf — is that she stops being a character past that point in the series. acomaf, i can still see elements of feyre's original character, but i think acowar and beyond (especially acofas and acosf) is where her character devolves completely into something virtually unrecognizable. and this, in my opinion, is because once she and rhysand become established in their relationship, her entire characterization starts to revolve around him.

prior to acomaf/acowar, feyre has a personality independent of the relationships she has with other people. her characterization has its flaws, as the first book is flawed as a whole, but she's generally a decently-crafted character. feyre is an interesting character because, in the first portion of the book, we learn that she's a jaded, clever huntress who is willing to kill to survive and make painful decisions for the good of herself and her family. she's bitter, resentful, and miserable, and the crux of her life revolves around survival.

but then we learn new things. feyre loves painting, and if she had a choice, she'd marry off her sisters and live peacefully with her father, spending her days painting anything her heart could desire. she's capable and an able killer, but her dreams and wants are for a peaceful life. these desires are expanded upon later in the book when we learn that, if given the option, feyre wouldn't kill. she's jaded and can come off as someone who'd be a stereotypical "girlboss," badass killer. but in reality, feyre doesn't like bloodshed. she doesn't like killing, and if she had it her way, she'd never kill another living thing again.

this is interesting. acotar!feyre is actually a very interesting and dynamic character when compared to who she becomes in later books. she has an internal conflict that affects every aspect of who she is, and it is this conflict that is so deeply tied to what she's forced to do in the climax of the story: either kill innocent faeries or watch as the love of her life dies before her very eyes. this final trial is so painful because it's been established that, in a peaceful environment, a killer is not someone feyre wants to be, and a killer is instead what she's forced to become.

then, of course, acomaf happens and yada, yada, yada. she's still a relatively interesting character on her own, if (arguably) ooc, but has an independent characterization regardless. it's after this book where things take a turn for the worse.

in acowar, feyre is no longer the character who protects the "little guy" and would give up petty jewels to make sure a faerie can eat. she's no longer the character who acts based on her morals and inherent humanity, rather than faerie logic. instead, she's the character who destabilizes an entire court on the brink of war, uncaring of the consequences to the people of spring. in acofas, she's buying another goddamn house while people in velaris and beyond are struggling to make ends' meet following the war that she and rhys dragged them into. in acosf, she's doing the same fucking thing to nesta that destroyed and traumatized her a few books previous, and she's become the glorified housewife to rhysand. she's having his kid when she's not even 25 yet. she's being paraded around like some prized horse. she's sitting around, painting and decorating houses, while rhys does all the actual politicking. she's exactly what she feared she'd become in acomaf, and there's no consequence whatsoever.

this is not the feyre of acotar. this feyre is the faceless, empty love interest to the real main character: rhysand. she's a reflection of him. that's why she went from the woman who feels uncomfortable wearing fancy jewels to the woman who'd spend her newfound millions on frivolous lingerie rather than do anything meaningful with her position as high lady. that's why she went from the character who had respect and a new understanding of nesta in book 1, to the character that'd do such horrendous things to her in acosf. that's why she stands around and lets rhys and amren bully and degrade nesta. she's not a character anymore. she's just rhysand's mate.

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artist: mftfernandez

[astrababyy]

Whoever you are… I hope your pillow stays cold on both sides everytime you lay your head down

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Whoever you are… I hope your pillow stays cold on both sides everytime you lay your head down

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Cassian: “Talk to me”

Nesta: *opens up to Cassian for once about why she’s apprehensive about the mating bond*

Cassian:

snarls at her to the point where people give them a wide berth on the bridge

rages loud enough for people to hear it across the river

can’t empathize with why the forcibly made fae is still clinging onto her humanity

tells her he didn’t have a choice in being shackled to her

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Mama archeron had no time for her youngest child Feyre yet also asked her to take care of the family on her death bed

Mama archeron was delirious with fever when she asked Feyre this

Mama archeron’s favoruite daughter was Nesta who looks most like Feyre

And I’m meant to believe she did not think it was her eldest daughter she was talking to on her deathbed rather than Feyre, you know, the daughter who was going to marry a duke to elevate the family’s wealth

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“Tell me when you knew,” (Lucien) demanded, his knee pressing into mine. “That Rhysand was your mate. Tell me when you stopped loving Tamlin and started loving him instead.” I chose not to answer. “Was it going on before you even left?” I whipped my head to him, even if I could barely make out his features in the dark. “I never touched Rhysand like that until months later.” “You kissed Under the Mountain.” “I had as little choice in that as I did in the dancing.” “And yet this is the male you now love.”

And yet this is the male you now love.

And yet this is the male you now love.

And yet this is the male you now love.

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Actually, Tamlin is not wrong to think that maybe all Feyre wanted was to be High Lady, so she switched High Lords. Because that actually makes way more sense than canon.

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“Lucien would enact the Blood Duel over claim to Elain.”

Lucien Vanserra?

Lucien, who was willing to undergo torture to keep Feyres name?

Lucien, the only one to give Feyre a way to get true answers?

Lucien, who came to check in on Feyre UTM?

Lucien, who saved Feyres life in the first trial and was whipped debilitatingly for it?

Lucien, who still found a way to make it to Feyre after he was whipped?

Lucien, who gave Feyre a means to protect herself?

Lucien, who took the brunt of Tams abuse advocating for Feyre?

Lucien, who ventured into the Nigh Court tracking Feyre basically on his own to attempt to save her from a HIGH LORD who he thought was mind controlling her?

Lucien, who suffered in silence from Ianthes stalking and harassment?

Lucien, who endangered himself to get to Elain to cover her up when she came out of the cauldron when no one else could?

Lucien, who held Feyre because she was having a nightmare?

Lucien, who performed the Rite out of duty even when it meant forcing him to have sex with the woman who actively stalked and harassed him and would later go on to try to rape him?

Lucien, who was Feyres closest ally in the Spring Court even as she was destroying to only place he could call home?

Lucien, who told Feyre to run while he was about to be raped so she would be safe?

Lucien, who protected Feyre when they went on the run?

Lucien, who went to the Night Court to ensure his mate was safe, not caring about his own safety, not knowing if he would die?

Lucien, who found out what was wrong with Elain, and even through his concern and mate instinct, respected Elains boundaries and the inner circles wishes?

Lucien, who cooperated from the moment he stepped into the Night Court to help give them information to save Prythian?

Lucien, who was the only person to listen to Elains visions, and endangered himself to travel to the continent?

Lucien, who helped bring a fucking army to Prythian to save them and help destroy Hybern?

Lucien, who slaughter his way across a battle field just to make sure Elain was ok?

Added Bonus: Lucien, the ONLY PERSON to tell Amarantha off and lost his eye for it?

I can keep going but I hope you get the point that under no fucking instance does Lucien enacting a blood duel fit his character. He is the most selfless character is this series and how anyone could call him a fucking coward is beyond me. Maybe try reading with nuance and understanding the character yall speak ill of on behalf of Azriel who hasn’t even done half as much. And stop acting like Elain needs saving from him when he’s been nothing but respectful to her and the most respectful mate we’ve seen. Get it together.

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Rhysand: Know why I called you in here?

Azriel: Because I accidentally sent you a dick pic.

Rhysand: *Stops pouring two glasses of wine* Accidentally?

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I feel like some of you forget that Rhysand let an innocent human get murdered. “But he took the pain, she didn’t feel it!” She’s still dead babes.

I feel like some of you forget Rhysand forced Feyre into their bargain and then drugged her night after night. “He did it so she didn’t remember the horrors!” Still drugged her hun.

I feel like some of you forget Feyre didn’t hurt just Tamlin by destroying the Spring Court, she destroyed the lives of innocents.

I feel like some of you forget that Feyre used Elain against Lucien when they left spring.

I feel like some of you forget they ended up going through Autumn somewhere Lucien feared and knew he’d be killed on sight because she lied and stole from the summer court.

I feel like some of you forget that Feyre was playing Tamlin and Lucien off against each other.

I feel like some of you forget Amaranta groomed Tamlin and then cursed Prythian when he rebuffed her advances.

I feel like some of you forget Tamlin spent 50 years trying to make it right, sending his friends out to die, friends who went willingly.

I feel like some of you forget Tamlin took Lucien in when he had nowhere else to go, gave him a home and a semblance of family.

I feel like some of you forget Tamlin had his own trauma. “He didn’t check on Feyre and help her with her trauma!” Show me where she did that for him??

I feel like some of you forget how in Rhysand’s attempt to prove he is a “good guy” he cut Tamlin off from speaking, allowed Azriel to attack Eris (maybe they did both deserve it) but what about when he essentially said “You can work with me or I can go into your minds and make you.”

I feel like some of you forget Lucien had endured abuse and loss his whole life and stood by the one person he had even if the decision was wrong.

I feel like some of you forget Lucien and Tamlin were raised to fear Rhysand and yet they still did everything they could to save her. “But she told Lucien she was fine and she sent a letter!” How was Lucien to know Rhys wasn’t controlling her and how were they to know she could read or write? She couldn’t when she left Spring?

I feel like some of you forget Lucien stood his ground when he found Feyre in the woods despite knowing the male that stood with her could kill him with very little effort.

I feel like some of you forget that Lucien didn’t shout that Elain was his mate, he didn’t claim ownership of her, he said it in shock, as if he couldn’t believe that Jesminda wasn’t his mate.

In short, I feel like some of you were very quick to forgive Rhysand and Feyre but you can’t forgive Tamlin and Lucien?

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Amren to a very depressed nesta “You have become a pathetic waste of life.”

Rhys to a very depressed tamlin “"I hope you live the rest of your miserable life alone here.”

what the fuck is up the IC’s ass that they feel this need to be awful to very depressed people who are literally hanging on by a thread.