my-acotar-thoughts

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Like calls to Like…

SJM uses this phrase a lot and it’s weird to me because when I was first introduced to this concept in ACOTAR, Feyre has connections to things because of her housing pieces of the seven High Lords within her and because she was Made with their magic. Being Made is the reason she had a connection to the Book of Breathing and the Cauldron. As far as we know, Feyre doesn’t have this connection with Truth-Teller though despite it also being Made along side the Starsword. Only person I know who had any sort of connection to those made objects were Nesta. So I’m confused, do the Made have a connection or not? Is there a difference between the way Feyre was Made and how her sisters were Made? Why do the Starborns in CC have this same connection with Made objects? Are the Starborn actually originally a Made subspecies of High Fae? Did the Archeron sisters all become Starborn when Made? What does “Like calls to like” really mean in the SJM-verse?

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Hypaxia and Mor

I just realized there’s a vague similarity between these two canonically lesbian characters’ stories. Both were engaged to the son of Autumn, both are revealed to prefer women to the heroine, and both end up with their female lovers married to a man. I just find it interesting that SJM uses the same kinda story about their sexuality, though Hypaxia never leads anyone on if I remember correctly.

But anyway, since we have Nesta x Cormac as a ship, I kinda want to introduce Emerie x Hypaxia as a ship lmao Why? Hypaxia is a healer and I want Emerie to fly again plus Hypaxia is awesome and I think she’d treat Emerie well. It’s kinda similar to my logic for Emerie x Nuan except Emerie’s wings are fully healed instead of Nuan using alchemy and prosthetics to give Emerie flight again. But yeah, just no Emerie x Mor given Mor hates Illyrians and Emerie deserves better than that!

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Finished House of Earth and Blood…

Danika!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭

I love Hunt a lot. I love Bryce a lot. Still 100% wish Danika lived and got together with Bryce. Holy shit do they have chemistry. Pack of Devils were barely in the book and yet they’re my favorite characters honestly. I’ll never forget you, Connor Holstrom. 💔

The love story between Hunt and Bryce was okay. I don’t hate them as a couple but I don’t love it either. At least in this book, they seem like the most normal couple for a fantasy novel. Can’t say the same about Feysand in ACOTAR where there’s a host of issues…. I still want more Aidas and Bryce scenes though.

I can’t wait for more Ithan and Tharion in the next book. Ithan is my angel already.

On to book 2!

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Feyre takes credit for things she didn't do.

N°1 : the whole savior of Prythian thing. Like yes, she deserves credit. But quick reminder that Feyre's original bargain with Amarantha included Tamlin and his court. No one else. She was fully planning on leaving the rest of them UTM to suffer just so she could have her boyfriend back.

She broke the curse when she found the answer to the riddle but it was Tamlin killing Amarantha that technically freed Prythian. He deserves as much, if not more, credit for it than Feyre.

N°2 : "I left the Spring Court" ?? It never sat right with me when Feyre claimed that she left the Spring Court. Especially since she states it as though she actualy walked out, head high, like the strong independent woman she is not.

The wedding? She panicked and Rhys arrived to save her. She didn't jump into his arms and she was absolutely not grateful that he came at first.

After Tamlin locked her up? She panicked again and fainted. Then Rhys broke the shield and Mor came to get an uncounscious Feyre.

And, by the way, that little note she sent Tamlin after everything they've been through and technically still being engaged to him, was giving Joe Jonas breaking up with Taylor Swift over a 27 second voicemail.

Like three poor sentences, girl? Really?

I'm sorry but your big female hero is really just a damsel in distress.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Don't mind me, I'm just here thinking of Tamlin being canonically an "eating-that-pussy-for-breakfast-lunch-dinner-afternoon tea-and midnight munchies" enthusiast and I'm here for this bitch. Thank you.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Crescent City 4 Announcement!

Omg! I was in insta and I saw an announcement for book 4 of CC!!!! As disappointing as it is that we’re not getting ACOTAR 6 yet, I’m excited another book is in the works!

This was the image I saw…

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Auxiliary service…

So I remember it being said that predator-born shifters are mandatory assigned to the Aux but don’t we see predator shifters working as bouncers at a club? Also I thought Ithan had the ability to go pro in Sunball. If all wolves are automatically apart of the Aux when they come of age, how are any other career options possible? If I recall it’s a life time position too. That alone, how are shifters not joining the rebellion against the Asteri when they can’t even have other career paths. Also, wasn’t Declan’s boyfriend a leopard shifter and a lawyer? I’m so confused on this world building. I know SJM is notoriously inconsistent with her writing but it makes me dizzy.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

So I finished ACOWAR…

And my biggest realization is… if the Bone Carver and the Weaver were death gods, why were they so easily killed? Specifically the Weaver had her neck snapped by the King of Hybern like it was no big deal which… is odd. How is the King of Hybern stronger than a god??? And how are death gods killed in such mundane ways in comparison to everything else going on??? I was just thinking that it felt so easy and then Elain and Nesta kill the King of Hybern despite him easily defeating a literal god not long ago.

Was it just me who found that odd? It was cool in the moment but looking at it again, it’s just so weird.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

So about Amren…

I’ve seen theories that the rip in the world that Amren came through was from Aelin but I was listening to the audio book and I’m pretty sure she said it was her father who did it. I know somewhere it’s said Amren is a biblical angel but she honestly is so out of place in this whole world. I really like the idea that she was secretly Asteri or something cause otherwise, what was the point of her existence in the story besides being deus ex machina? And the fact that they bring her back seems weird and pointless because now that she’s just another fae, what’s her purpose in the story besides being the little devil on Rhys’s shoulder? I hope SJM has a purpose for her existence in the grand scheme of things cause otherwise, I don’t understand the justification for Amren existing in the story. It’d be pretty awesome though if there was more to Amren than some random biblical angel existing without a connection to anything else in the lore.

Also, side note: Varian, you have been around Amren twice. Why are you simping so hard? She couldn’t even feel love up until now?

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Drakon…

His voice… I can’t…. 😂 I was not expecting a thick Spaniard accent. Greek maybe. Because Cretea Instead, I’m thinking about the Spaniard from the Princess Bride or an Antonio Banderas movie. 

Honestly, with a voice like that, I would not have blamed Jurian if he did want revenge. Drakon sounds like “Mr. Steal Yo Girl”. Miryam definitely left Jurian for that accent alone. The mating bond was just a bonus.

The Seraphim arrived and I’m just sitting here while Drakon and Rhysand talk like “WTF IS GOING ON?!?!” 😂😂😂😂

God, I love his voice. It felt like a sucker punch after all this intense war monologue.

And in other news, I’m even more convinced than ever that Seraphim are also prototypes for the Malakim in Crescent City. They even both have wind magic, which I believe is common amongst the CC angels. Plus Seraphim in Drakon’s flock have white wings which are valued in Malakim society in CC if I remember right.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Thought of the day:

I don’t think it’s ever occurred to anyone that in ACOMAF whenever Feyre would throw her guts up & Tamlin never woke, never stirred, that maybe…just maybe he was suffering from a serious case of sleep paralysis that is triggered by his trauma/PTSD.

Like let’s think about it, Tamlin ever only woke up AFTER Feyre was done throwing up & when he did he would be up & alert, disoriented, looking sweaty & then immediately he would shift into his beast form & he would either go back to sleep in his beast form or stand guard by the door, if you know anything about sleep paralysis then you know that it takes a long while to understand that you’re even awake even after you’ve physically woken up, Tamlin might’ve heard Feyre throwing up but because of him potentially having SP & then waking up to find Feyre in bed again he might not have actually realised it was real.

To me it seems relatively obvious that it was a case of SP (I suffer from it really bad due to trauma & PTSD) so it seems like he might not have wanted to add on to Feyre’s growing trauma by telling her he has it & that’s even if they know what sleep paralysis is in the ACOTAR world.

Just a food for thought.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

You know it really makes me mad that SJM had the cheek to put a DV hotline number in ACOMAF in regards to Tamlin & Feyre’s relationship but yet when it was also needed in ACOFAS & ACOSF she didn’t put it in there…when Feyre, Rhysand, Cassian, Morrigan & Amren were all abusing Nesta & Tamlin the domestic abuse hotline number or suicide hotline is nowhere to be seen…

In ACOWAR when Feyre abuses Tamlin by deciding she’s going to goad Tamlin into having an argument & he explodes due to a panic attack which is caused by reactive abuse WHERE WAS THE DOMESTIC ABUSE HOTLINE?!!?!!

When Rhysand goes the The Spring Court to speak to Tamlin & he actively notes that there’s no wards around the manor which means Tamlin is suicidal & then Rhysand tells Tamlin to rot after he helps save Prythian…WHERE WAS THE SUICIDE HOTLINE?!!!!?!!!

When Nesta contemplates jumping off a cliff on that suicide hike Cassian takes her on as punishment WHERE WAS THE SUICIDE & DOMESTIC ABUSE NUMBER?!!!

When Cassian tells Nesta he doesn’t know why her sisters love her, when he told her not eating won’t bring back her father, when he controlled what she was & wasnt allowed to eat, when he punished her on that hike even though they were all guilty for keeping it from Feyre, when he SA’d her when she was still human (the ACOMAF bonus chapter), when Feyre, Rhysand & Amren imprisoned her & then forced her into military training service, every time Cassian provoked Nesta on purpose into an argument & verbally abused her or weaponised his upbringing against her…I could go on. WHERE WAS THE DOMESTIC ABUSE HOTLINE?!!!?!!!

I say all this to say that when it was actually needed with “more serious/triggering” cases of mental illness/instability there was nothing in sight & was only added in ACOMAF to make Feyre look like the only helpless victim & to further attempt to drive home the narrative that Tamlin & Nesta were these evil pieces of shits.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

SJM

I’ve been thinking and I think SJM feels more like a decent fanfiction writer than a published author. Now let me explain my thinking. When you write fanfiction, it’s usually about an established piece of media like Sailor Moon, Lord of the Rings, etc, so fans tend to already understand the lore, magic system, and generally how the world works. SJM presents a bunch of really cool ideas but never dives deep into them as if we, as the readers, should just know. I know many of us have had questions about the world outside the Night Court or Midgard. SJM’s style of writing makes me feel like we’re in a pre-existing world and she’s just writing fluff, smut, and cool scenarios for her favorite characters, especially with all the inconsistencies and retcons in her own writing. We get a tiny bit of info dump but not enough to really have a concrete foundation for what her worlds are. Honestly, part of me thinks that if she had stayed a fanfic writer instead of a published author, she’d probably get less hate cause I think published authors are held to a higher standard. Not saying fanfiction authors aren’t amazing, fyi, cause there are many who write better than some established authors. As much as I enjoy SJM’s works and how much I clearly criticize it as well, I feel like she should have taken more time to develop herself as a writer so her worlds felt more immersive. I just wanna know more, damn it.

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"My mother and father, Fionn, had kept their love a secret through the years, knowing the Daglan would find it amusing to tear them apart if they learned of the affair. But they were able to meet in secret—and to plan their uprising."

Queen Theia, Helena, Silene, Vesperus, High King Fionn, and Enalius by the incredible @luriusa 💜

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Helena and Silene…

Okay, I just realized something that makes things kinda sus. I saw some fanart of Fionn, Theia, Silene, Helena, Enalius, and Vesperus and it was gorgeous. The thing that stuck out to me is Fionn and Theia are both blonde while their daughters have black hair and blue eyes. You know who else has black hair and blue eyes? Vesperus. Why does the Daglan/Asteri look more like the mother of the two daughters than Theia???

So this got me questioning, is the starborn line secretly an Asteri-Fae hybrid? Were they ever Theia’s daughters or were they actually Vesperus’s? Something just feels really off about all this.

Oh and then I come to find out Maeve in Throne of Glass has black hair and violet eyes like Rhysand. Violet eyes don’t show up often in SJM’s books so is it just a coincidence or is there a connection there? I know there’s some theories that the Valg are the Asteri/Daglan too.

Something about Rhysand’s family line just feels so suspicious to me. I know the Asteri like putting in plants and orchestrating what can only be called blatant eugenics given the shifters’ original origins and what they look like now and the fact that they created angels and I believe Illyrians.

Meanwhile Enalius in the art looked cool and looked like a cross between Cassian and Azriel to me. Or at least how I imagine them. I know some say Enalius is Azriel’s ancestor because of Truth-Teller but I personally think he could be both Cass and Az’s ancestor because it’s been thousands of years after all. Cassian is also described to be similar to Enalius in the battlefield which makes me think they’re family. Maybe Cass and Az are distant cousins. It makes sense to me given they’re the only Illyrians who need 7 siphons and what are the chances of that?

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Those "modern fairy tales where the princess saves herself" types of books not only misrepresent the gender roles in fairy tales (there are tons of stories where girls get to save the day), but they fundamentally misunderstand the entire genre.

Fairy tales aren't about saving yourself.

These aren't epic myths or heroic legends about the great warriors who slay every monster in their path because they're so awesome. Fairy tales are almost always about ordinary, even incompetent, people who get thrown into strange situations where they only succeed because of the help of others.

It's not a gendered thing. The boy who goes off to seek his fortune is usually the dim-witted third son whose older brothers are the strong, smart ones. The third son succeeds because he is kind to the magical helpers who then complete the tasks for him--and the exact same thing happens when a girl is the main character.

The characters in a fairy tale rarely succeed because they embrace their own strength and take their own path. Much more often, they are told step-by-step what to do, and they succeed because they obey--respecting the wisdom of others.

The core virtue of a fairy tale is not pride, but humility. It's not a story about the strong, but those who are weak, small, helpless. The people who can't do it all on their own, but can recognize the worth and wisdom of others.

Turning this story into a "girl power" (or even a "boy power") story warps it into something that is fundamentally the opposite of a fairy tale, and it has nothing to do with the gender of the main character.

[my-acotar-thoughts]

Sorry to my fav pumpkin spice latte

Eris Vanserra from ACOTAR