nightzspring

[nightzspring]

I know this is by no means a new take (especially here on tumblr) but I'm of the very strong opinion that as written, the Acotar series actually provides a lot of evidence that most (if not all) of Rhysand's actions are in some shape or form always about Tamlin. Even his relationship with Feyre is about Tamlin.

A lot of people hold up Acomaf ch54 as this super romantic turning point for Rhys' character, which is incredibly funny to me because to me it only ever cemented the unfathomable levels of homoerotic obsession Rhysand has for Tamlin.

He admits that during Acotar he convinced Amarantha to let him go out of Utm to check on Tamlin and the Spring court, where he then left a decapitated head branded with the Night court symbol, like some weird bat shaped cat.

He also visits for Calamnai. (What are you doing here on the spring sex festival night, Rhysss?!? He isn't going to pick you!)

Obviously his meeting with Tamlin in Acotar is a classic for any Tamsand fan, his voice is a "lover's caress," he demands Tamlin call him Rhys instead of Rhysand for old times' sake (???!!), he threatenes Feyre‘s life to make Tamlin get on his knees and specifically fixates on her sexual thoughts about Tamlin.

When he kisses her utm to cover up Tamlin‘s scent, she also weirdly remarks on the fact that Rhysand can still taste Tamlin, which... is quite the odd thing to point out, if I'm meant to believe he is only interested in Feyre.

He also has literally admitted, to Feyre herself no less, that his weird roofy lapdance humiliation of her utm was specifically to upset Tamlin.

It just screams of "if I can't have you than I'm going to make your life miserable and steal your girl" behavior.

All his posturing in front of Feyre, presenting himself as the most powerful HL, the prettiest, the best and most just ruler, etc just comes across as him desperately trying to prove how much better he is than Tamlin, which obvs was intended to make him appear more attractive as the new love interest, but quite frankly it just seems kinda pathetic (I mean this affectionately, especially in the context of Tamsand. But eve beyond the ship, I just really adore pathetic fictional men).

Even in Acofas, he cannot stay away from the Spring court, he claims he needs to go there for diplomatic reasons, but he literally has courtiers? He has send both Cassian and Lucien on diplomatic missions before? Why would he personally need to go?

But, when he meets with Tamlin, he tells him that being with Feyre (his mate and supposedly love of his life?!) isn't enough, and he tries to goad Tamlin into a fight. (He wants to wrestle him so bad it makes him look stupid fr). When Tamlin doesn‘t respond like Rhysand hopes, he gets disappointed and dejected. Later, he returns and cooks Tamlin food, an action that has been explicitly romantically coded in this series...

Also, as a side note throughout that entire interaction, Rhys' internal monologue can't shut up about how green Tamlin‘s eyes are.

I'm hyper critical of the Acotar series and Sjm on the best of days, I don't like how Rhysand's character is written at all. But reading him as the most egregious case of a closeted gay guy channelling all his surpressed feelings into being the most toxic ex might be the only way his character writing can be redeemed for me personally (unfortunately Sjm is too much of a coward to ever purposefully write this).

I know its never gonna happen in canon, but to me the perfect resolution to the series would be Rhysand and Tamlin resolving their gay rivalry and finally getting together to live out their thruth as the disaster couple they were clearly meant to be. While Feyre and her sisters get to go off and be free from the clutches of all these toxic men.

[nightzspring]

let's be honest in any coherent and ideal universe rhys would have ripped feyre's hand off as soon as she touched tamlin for the first time

[nightzspring]

maybe i'm talking shit bc i couldn't finish the continuity of acotar and the second book irritated me enough to abandon it but i get sad whenever i think about how much that arrogant self-centered evil version of rhys that is presented in the 1st book is lost or justified for other reasons after all his energy exudes the perfect villain he could be

[nightzspring]

Fools can say Rhysand is straight all they want, but I know an evil little queer when I see one.

[nightzspring]

No, but, Rhysand saying that having Feyre isn’t enough? Like what is enough? Having Tamlin back? Because he definitely isn’t happy with the fact that Tam is out of reach. 😩😩😩😩

[nightzspring]

the sweet pain🩶🩸

[nightzspring]

i saw someone talking about an angel x demon tamsand dynamic and it kind of altered my brain chemistry and reminded me how obsessed i am with them

[nightzspring]

a moment of (weakness) comfort

[nightzspring]

I don't talk about this enough, but isn't it weird that the books paint Feyre gaining status and wealth thru marriage to Tamlin as something she should avoid and oh so anti feminist, in a very moralistic and out of touch way (white and mainstream feminism at it's finest) and then, in the same book and in later ones she gains status and wealth thru... marriage to Rhysand... and she's a girlboss for that? Can't people notice the contradiction?

[nightzspring]

Bruce, to the Justice League after a botched mission: You deliberately disobeyed me! And worse, you put Clark in danger!

Clark, who is legitimately indestructible: :(

[nightzspring]

why do people forget that a key part of Tamlin’s personality is that he’s very awkward, kinda weird, and overtly genuine. it’s why he gets along so well with Lucien, who balances him out perfectly.

[nightzspring]

what bothers me about tamlin's narrative and his journey as a character is that it's clear that he wasn't written to be a villain (maybe a guy with flaws like any other) but the feeling I get is that he was made abusive just to be a counterpoint to rhysand and for feysand to happen, so for some reason SJM doesn't like the character she wrote herself, but at the same time she's never known how to progress his story. She's made him a "burden", an unpleasant and disliked guy in the story, but at the same time she hasn't had the courage to turn him into a truly outspoken villain and only time will tell if he gets the chance to have a redemption arc.

[nightzspring]

more than being annoyed by feysand is being annoyed by feysand fandom

[nightzspring]

It's funny how Rhysand is shown as the most tortured man in Pythian even though he isn't. Rhysand didn't lose his family entirely. He still has Cassian and Azriel. Do you know who did? Tamlin did. How is it that Rhysand who is hated by two-thirds of his court still has people to rule over whereas Tamlin who has done everything right was betrayed instantly by his own people. Tarquin who had welcomed Rhysand into his court- stole from him, betrayed him, and killed his men was forgiven so quickly at the HL meeting???? How did Kallias so easily let go of his grudge against Rhysand for what he did under Amarantha's orders. LIKE SERIOUSLY SARAH WTF????

[nightzspring]

I genuinely feel like Rhysand would break down if Tamlin actually died.

Yeah, he told him to go die, mocked him while he was down in the dumps, and said in acosf that he would kill him if he came to the night court...

But just imagine him finding out that the man he was once friends with, turned enemies because of their families, died just like that.

Him and Lucien are fighting for the turn to hug his casket while ugly crying.

Azriel and Cassian have to hold him back while he's losing it, Vassa and Jurian gotta yank Lucien off the casket and drag him away.

[nightzspring]

after i finish acomaf maybe i'll take a break and focus on other books so if the content of acotar (aka my complaints) decreases that will be the reason

[nightzspring]

maybe I'll make incorrect quotes of tamsand 🤔