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onemustalwaysbecarefulofbooks · 7 years

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Let’s Talk About Tamlin

Okay. Prepare yourselves, ladies and gentlemen, because this is going to be a long one. There are some things I’ve kept to myself for a good year in regards to The Tamlin Situation and now that ACOWAR is out, I just can’t fight the need to share them anymore. Do Not Enter if you haven’t finished ACOWAR--there will be spoilers!

Alright. Let me first just say that this is actually Round 2 of me trying to get all of this out in writing. Why, you may ask? Because my stupid laptop decided to crash in the middle of editing the document (thanks Windows 10) and now the entire file is corrupt, leaving me with nothing at all that is salvageable. I have tried pretty much every solution known to man but unfortunately nothing has worked. It was just very bad timing and very bad luck. I was pretty much finished with it and it was long and detailed (as this is hopefully about to be) so to say I was frustrated was a huge understatement. But I refuse to let that stop me!!!! I worked too damn hard on that thing to just let it go unpublished. There are some things I really need to get out.

Ever since the release of ACOMAF, I have been struggling with a lot of feelings I had about it that I knew would undoubtedly be deemed very unpopular by the majority of the fandom. This book is like, gold, in YA Book World. It has 4.73 stars on Goodreads, which is nearly unheard of. Everyone sings its praises. I will admit, there were definitely parts that I adored as well! But there was one glaring thing that kept me from fully enjoying the reading experience during my initial read.

And that thing was Tamlin.

Now, I’m probably about to shock all of you when I say that this problem I had with him was NOT insane amounts of hatred and disgust. It was not the fact that I was so done with him and was wishing to see vengeance for all of the horrible, terrible things he had done to Feyre. No, the problem that I had was that, from my personal reader point of view, he had been reduced to an obnoxious, ridiculous, almost 180 version of himself in order to make way for Scorchingly Sexy Practically Perfect In Every Way Fae Prince Charming Rhys.

I know. I can see the look on your face now. I don’t blame you one bit if you disagree with me, as this seems to be what the large majority of the fandom does. I don’t think you’re wrong for having a different opinion and I will not be upset if you chose not to read this. I do worry about the backlash I’ll receive--I’m not looking for any (although who ever really is?). That’s what kept me quiet about this topic for an entire year after ACOMAF’s release. For the most part, Tamlin has become associated with such utter trash in this fandom and his character deals with topics that can be very sensitive so I just bit my tongue and never said anything, even though I was thinking it. But over time, I’ve come to realize and understand that this is my blog and I can say what I want on it, as long as I am being polite and respectful to those who disagree with me, and am not degrading others. So please take this into consideration as you dive into this, and when you finish as well. I am entitled to my opinion just as you are entitled to yours. Sending me hate over the internet is not going to change what I think and I doubt it will change anything else either. There’s too much hate in the world already--let’s keep it away from Tumblr!!

When I read ACOTAR, I adored it. I loved Feyre and how she was a survivor, I loved the Beauty and the Beast aspects, I loved the sense of mystery that built the entire time, and yes, I loved the romance. I loved Feyre and Tamlin. I loved the almost awkward way in which they slowly got to know each other and found his bumbling attempts at flattery and courtship to be actually kind of charming and endearing. It had some of the most beautifully romantic moments I had read to date at that point. You can chalk all this up to nothing more than the whining of a disgruntled (former) Feylin shipper, but I promise, that is not what this is. Now that I’ve been able to step back and really examine everything, I can see that Rhys is the better man for Feyre. Tamlin was never going to be the one for her. She had a mate, someone she was destined to be with, and it was not him. Rhys understands her in a way that Tamlin was never able to. I get that and acknowledge it completely. But something I started to see a lot of pretty much as soon as ACOMAF was released, was all this “evidence” that Tamlin had really basically been a controlling prick all along and we, the readers, had just never noticed it! We had our love blinders on! But now that we had RHYS to compare everything to, we could really see him for what he was. I am not going to sit here and claim that Tamlin is faultless. That is simply not true, and can easily be proven wrong. Tamlin absolutely is a flawed character but he is not some monster that blinded Feyre to his true nature by walking around flexing his pecs all throughout ACOTAR. That is simply not fair to claim, and does a disservice to his character. I’ve heard many people say that they found him to be rather boring and dull in ACOTAR and never really latched on or connected to him, making the transition to Rhys to be much easier. That’s fine and totally okay! I’m not saying you have to love him just because he’s the romantic lead in this book. But trying to turn it around to where he’s been this awful person the whole time is, in my opinion, really unfair. Tamlin does many kind and good things in ACOTAR. I’m going to list some of them out now. And before you stop me and say that this list is totally biased in his favor, I’ll give you my response: you’re absolutely right. It is completely biased in his favor. But do you know how many lists I’ve seen floating around out there that focus on the opposite side of the spectrum?? If someone can make those, I can make these. They are all things that happened, I’m not making any of them up!

Throughout the course of ACOTAR, please remember that Tamlin:

Offers to help Feyre write to her family while in the Spring Court (okay I’ll admit, Rhys definitely went a step further and wanted to teach her to write but still. . .this is a kindness I don’t think should be ignored).

Tells Feyre that her family are “fools” for not recognizing and appreciating the sacrifices she makes for them.

Tells her that “Against slavery, against tyranny, I would gladly go to my death, no matter whose freedom I was defending.” (To which Feyre ironically replies “I wasn’t sure if I would do the same. My priority would be to protect my family--and I would have picked whatever side could keep them safest”).

Ensures that Feyre’s family is “Fed, comfortable, and safe--they’d even been warned about the Blight, whether they understood the warning or not.” (Narrative then goes on to say “His eyes were open, honest. He had gone farther than I would have ever guessed toward assuaging my every concern.”)

Comforts a dying fae that he does not even know personally after Amarantha brutally ripped off his wings.

Then digs a grave for him with his own hands, without any help: “A High Lord, digging a grave for a stranger.”

Tells Feyre that Lucien has always been the one who is good at talking to people while he can find it “difficult”.

Restores the art gallery in the manor and tells her to visit it whenever she wants (Which moves her to tears: “I smiled at him, hardly able to contain the brightness in my heart.”)

Tells Feyre that if something grieves her, he considers it to be legitimate.

Tells her not to “feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy.”

Confides in Feyre that his father and his older brother’s were worse than Lucien’s were (and Lucien’s were bad enough to torture and kill the woman he loved right in front of him deliberately). In fact, I’ll just leave this whole passage here:

“My father was as bad as Lucien’s. Worse. My two older brothers were just like him. They kept slaves--all of them. And my brothers. . .I was young when the Treaty was forged, but I still remember what my brothers used to. . .” He trailed off. “It left a mark--enough of a mark that when I saw you, your house, I couldn’t--wouldn’t let myself be like them. Wouldn’t bring harm to your family, or you, or subject you to faerie whims.”

“I never expected--never wanted--my father’s title. My brothers would have never let me live to adolescence if they had suspected that I did. So the moment I was old enough, I joined my father’s war-band and trained so that I might someday serve my father, or whichever of my brothers inherited his title.” He flexed his hands, as if imagining the claws beneath. “I’d realized from an early age that fighting and killing were about the only things I was good at.”

Tells Feyre that “Most High Lords are trained from birth in manners and laws and court warfare. When the title fell to me, it was a. . .rough transition. Many of my father’s courtiers defected to other courts rather than have a warrior-beast snarling at them.”

Deliberately tries to get Feyre to overhear his conversations regarding the Curse, without actually saying anything to her directly, in order to make her as informed about the situation as he could.

Apologizes to Feyre for his behavior at Calanmai and brings her flowers.

Confides in Feyre that he senses a kindred spirit in her, for knowing “what it was like, what it is like, for me to care for my people, mylands. What scars are still there, what the bad days feel like” and that she makes him feel not alone anymore.

Tells Feyre she doesn’t need a keeper, kneels before her, and plays his fiddle for her. “Dance, Feyre.”

Sends Feyre home three days before the fifty year curse is up, essentially damning himself to be a slave of Amarantha, in order to try and spare her for what eventually happened Under the Mountain.

Restores her family’s wealth and even goes as far as to heal her father’s leg. (Which probably ended up having a big impact on the way the series turned out--I highly doubt he would be going off and bringing back help like he did in ACOWAR if he was still as crippled as he was before).

Stopped sending his men out over the Wall in an attempt to kick-start their cure to the curse because it was breaking him so badly to have to do it.

Took in Alis and her nephews when they were refugees from the Summer Court: “I came here because it was the only place to go, and asked Tamlin to hide my boys. He did--and when I begged him to let me help, in whatever small way, he gave me a position here, days before the masque that put this wretched thing on my face.”

Has to endure watching the first good and pure thing to come into his life in decades be brutally and viciously tortured and abused, and then eventually murdered, while he was held prisoner himself.

Tamlin did some things that were wrong, no question about it. But he also did some very good things and I don’t think it’s entirely fair that they’re never talked about. Trying to make him out to be this character that is ALL EVIL ALL THE TIME I think does a disservice to the character Sarah gave us in ACOTAR. Hold him accountable for the things he DID do, absolutely! But don’t try to act like none of these good things ever happened. If we aren’t going to do this for pretty much every other character in the series, I don’t think we should do it for him either.

So anyway, I went from all that up there ^ and straight into ACOMAF where I felt completely blind-sighted. Like I was suddenly reading about characters I had never encountered before. Nothing made sense to me. Now that there’s been some distance from it for a while, and I’ve had time to reflect, I can accept it for what it is and just enjoy the story for what it gives me. But I still think that there are some shady things going on with Tamlin’s character and I’m sure I’ll always feel that way. Basically, I think a lot of people blow a lot of things out of proportion with him. He is not a blameless or innocent character by any means. But I have seen such hateful things expressed towards him, people were basically chanting for his death, and I really don’t think he deserves it. The faults most people list for him are being controlling, abusive, and sexist. The faults I believe more accurately describe him and the crimes I find him more rightfully find him guilty of are emotional neglect (which I understand is a form of abuse, but not one that I believe warrants the extreme hate I’ve seen held towards him), obliviousness, stubbornness, and a severe lack of communication.

We as readers are biased towards our narrator. If the person telling our story is someone who is likeable, charismatic and strong in their own way, and a truly good person, then we become deeply attached. We experience their journey with them on a very personal level. Their pain is our pain. We cheer for them, we root for them, we are with them every step of the way. Feyre went through such a horrific ordeal in ACOTAR that we are left feeling deeply for her, completely in her corner. Her PTSD was written in such a raw and honest way that we as the readers feel what she feels. We experience all the pain and the fear. We know the depth of it all. But on the other hand, we also get to walk with her on her beautiful journey towards healing and redemption. It is a wonderful story, and Sarah writes it well. We see the peace and happiness she finds with Rhys and his family and how much better off she is in the Night Court. We see how Rhys helps her and heals her, and how their relationship develops into something beautiful and passionate. The thing that I think most people do not stop and consider is the fact that Tamlin did not read A Court of Mist and Fury. He did not learn the things about Rhys that we did, has no clue how much he helped Feyre, or how much he sacrificed for Prythian. Tamlin does not think he is the bad guy. He thinks RHYS is the bad guy and this is by Rhys’s own doing. That was kind of the whole point of why he did what he did, and why Velaris is safe from the outside world. Rhys wanted people to have this opinion of him, he actively worked to make it so! It sucks, it’s sad, and it’s not fair, but this was the cost to keep Velaris and it’s people safe. But come on: take a step back from seeing it all from Feyre’s POV and look at it the way Tamlin must have seen it. As far as Tamlin knows, Rhys:

Willingly served as Amarantha’s whore and lapdog for fifty years.

Left a severed head on his property as a joke.

Nearly snuffed out Feyre’s mind completely when he discovered her at the manor.

Laughed about how Amarantha would enjoy “shattering her (Feyre) apart, bit by bit.”

Made him beg and grovel on the floor to keep this ^^^ from happening, then went ahead and told Amarantha about her anyway. Tamlin has no clue that Rhys knew Feyre was lying about her name being Clare Beddor. As far as he knows, what Clare went through was what Rhys intended for Feyre to go through.

Dressed Feyre in provocative, revealing clothing, drugged her, and forced her to basically gyrate on him in front of everyone all night long.

Backed Feyre into a deal that she felt trapped into accepting, where she would spend a week at a time with this person at his home that no one had access to or had ever seen.

Given all of this, I’m not really surprised in the least that he went a little nuts over the situation. All of Prythian (not just Tamlin!!!) thought that Rhys was Amarantha’s lackey, basically just as bad as she was. Think about it: the lover of the woman who tortured and killed Feyre, who was said to do her dirty work for her. Someone who comes across as sadistic and ruthless who has, point blank, exploited her sexually in public and seemingly exposed her to horrors and suffering. We as the readers have been enlightened to the true meaning behind all of this, but no one else has. This is not Tamlin just being stubborn and oblivious, EVERYONE thought this about him! You can’t tell me that if there was someone out there that Rhys held this opinion of, he wouldn’t go a little nuts trying to “get Feyre back”. I just think it’s kind of ridiculous for Rhys to actively play the part of the bad guy for the better part of fifty years and then have the readers hold it against people for treating him like one. There was that one scene at the beginning of ACOWAR where Feyre is talking to Tamlin and Lucien about how her sisters were being “held” in the Night Court and says, “. . .despite what the Night Court is like, they won’t hurt Elain or Nesta like that--not yet. Rhysand has more creative ways to harm them.” She then goes on to imply that she is speaking from personal experience but then says, “That they would believe it so easily, that they thought Rhysand would ever force someone. . .I added the insult to the long, long list of things to repay them for.” It’s like

Um, Feyre??? I’m not really sure why you’re acting like this. Yes, I understand that as this man’s mate, it’s incredibly frustrating for the outside world to hold this opinion of him, and probably heartbreaking that he has to carry around this stigma. But not one line ago, you were implying that this happened TO YOU and wanted Tamlin and Lucien to believe it. Not to mention the fact that, given the way he acted Under the Mountain with her in front of everyone, this belief makes total sense. Yet you’re getting mad at Tamlin and Lucien for believing it and want to “repay them” for it. This is just nonsensical to me.

And I’m sorry, until I see it in print, I really don’t think that Tamlin believed Feyre had left the Spring Court entirely of her own will. Amarantha was someone who thrived on deceit, trickery, and manipulation. It’s how she gained all the power that she did. For Tamlin to think that her lapdog behaved in the same way is not anything ridiculous, especially given the way Rhys had behaved for the public eye.

Now at the same time, this denial at it’s finest, no question. Tamlin was blind to all of the issues Feyre was having, how much she was suffering, and made no serious attempt to change this. This is where the emotional neglect comes in. He was so wrapped up in his own mind that was not able to give her what she needed in order to heal at this time. He did not know the depth of her suffering as we did. I think this was honestly one of the reasons why he acts like such an asshole in ACOWAR--he truly did not know the extent of her unhappiness because he really just was that oblivious, and was hurt to find out that this was how it was the entire time. Now, I want everyone to remember that I am NOT saying that is by any means okay as far as a relationship goes. It is, at it’s roots, emotional neglect. He did not make any genuine attempts to emotionally care for the person he claims to love so much after going through a terrible ordeal. But what I think most people chalk up to being cold and unfeeling I think is more a case of his own form of PTSD. Everyone handles trauma differently. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Tamlin did not give Feyre what she needed after her time Under the Mountain--there’s no question about it. And I know what she want through was so horrific and terrible but I don’t think it’s fair to entirely dismiss what he went through either. I’m sure some people would say that it was not NEARLY as bad for him as it was for her--he just had to watch her go through all of that stuff, she actually had to live through and experience it. There’s definitely some validity to that. But let me ask you this. . .how many times in books, movies, TV shows, or even (God forbid) real life have you seen someone suffering and someone that loves this person is suffering right along with them, wishing they could take all of their pain onto themselves and be the ones to experience it. Feeling just as tortured having to watch the person go through this and be unable to help them. How many times have you read or watched a scene where someone else is tortured as a way to get something out of someone, rather than just torturing that person themself. All I know is, were I faced with a situation where I was forced to chose between me and someone I love being in Tamlin and Feyre’s positions Under the Mountain, I would hope I would be brave enough to chose Feyre for myself. Because the thought of having to watch someone I love experience all that is almost worse for me than the thought of going through it myself.

This is NOT me trying to downplay Feyre’s experience AT ALL. Please do not take it that way. I just think it’s wrong that what Tamlin had to go through is normally entirely dismissed. Pain and suffering shouldn’t be this way, it shouldn’t be a contest on who’s is worse or more. Having empathy for someone doesn’t cancel out what you feel for someone else. Basically: don’t be afraid to feel pity for Tamlin because his side of the experience was probably just as horrible and scary. Just in a different way.

In addition to all of this, the endless comparisons between Tamlin and Rhys really wore on me as well. Suddenly it became that everything Rhys did was good and everything Tamlin did was bad, which was obnoxious to me. One of the main things I always see is how awesome Rhys was for having Feyre be his High Lady and how shitty Tamlin was for “not allowing” this. But take a look at the actual conversation Feyre and Tamlin have about the subject (dialogue only, sexytimes omitted).

Feyre: Do I get a title?

Tamlin: Do you want a title?

Feyre: No. But I don’t want people. . .I don’t know if I can handle them calling me High Lady.

Tamlin: They won’t. There is no such thing as a High Lady.

Feyre: What do you mean, there’s no such thing as a High Lady?

Tamlin: High Lords only take wives. Consorts. There has never been a High Lady.

There was a post I read a while ago that had an excellent take on this conversation. I can not for the LIFE OF ME remember what Tumblr user it was and spent so much time scrolling through tags trying to find the post but couldn’t. If you are the person, please share! Anyway, what they basically said was this: Feyre does not ask to be High Lady. Tamlin does not tell her she is not allowed to be High Lady. She, in fact, says that she does not want to be High Lady and he basically says “Okay, that’s cool, they’re not a thing anyway”. This response is unimpressive, no question. The idea of someone like Rhys, who encourages you to take ownership of your power and stand at his side as a political equal, is much more appealing in many ways. But people are acting like Feyre expressed interest in this and was totally shot down by Tamlin. This is a cultural problem that needs to be reexamined as a whole, it is not something that Tamlin alone enforces in his court. We will never know what he would have said had she said YES, she did want a title. We can assume, but we don’t really know. The idea of her being a High Lady doesn’t even really strike him as a valid thing because this is something that just isn’t done at the time in Prythian. Tamlin is not some sexist asshole who is not allowing Feyre to have the power she wants, he’s just placidly going along with the way things have always been done. Again, unimpressive. But I would not go so far as to condemn him completely for it. The whole High Lady thing is confusing for me anyway. Feyre and Tamlin have this conversation at the beginning of ACOMAF and Feyre eventually repeats it to Rhys. Rhys then rolls his eyes and acts all annoyed and assures Feyre that there absolutely are High Ladies, leading us to believe that this was something Tamlin was dishonest with Feyre about in his crusade to shelter and protect her. But then ACOWAR rolls around and everyone is totally shocked and thrown off at the High Lords meeting when Feyre and Rhys announce that she is High Lady of the Night Court. It’s something that’s simply unheard of and has never been done before. Kallias, who is a perfectly decent and good person, has not made his mate (who he clearly respects, trusts, and adores) his High Lady. Do I see people shitting all over him for this? No. Because it wasn’t done out of the belief that Viviane is inferior to him in any way. It’s just not something that was A Thing in Prythian and is almost treated like something Rhys and Feyre made up. So I’m not really sure where this thing with Rhys came from in ACOMAF and why he acted like that, because clearly there are no High Ladies.

Now, this mindset is sexist, plain and simple. Someone like Rhys who challenges this belief is a character we look to in admiration and respect. But as I said, this is a cultural problem, not a purely Tamlin problem. Although I do think this kind of sheds light on what I do believe is one of Tamlin’s most legitimate faults: stubbornly refusing to more closely examine a situation and change it for the better of everyone. Instead, he chooses to blindly follow what has always been done. This really shows itself during the Tithe. The whole thing was just not a great idea and was being carried out at a really bad time, when everyone was struggling to rebuild and get on with their lives after Amarantha. Feyre could see it, those water wraiths could see it, I’m pretty sure everyone could see it. But Tamlin stubbornly stuck to it, even after acknowledging that the timing might not be the greatest, simply because it was always what was done. I was very frustrated by this. You’re their High Lord!!!! I wanted to scream. If you see something that’s wrong, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! That’s what a High Lord exists for! But I think what more people need to remember is just that: Tamlin never wanted to be a High Lord. It was never in the plan for him and was not the path he would have chosen for himself. He straight up tells Feyre in ACOTAR that those who are going to someday become High Lord are given all kinds of training and dictation on what to do and how to act. He received none of that and went into it basically clueless. There has always been some bitterness he holds towards his position. Rhys, on the other hand, was born to be High Lord in every way. He is a dreamer, a schemer, he cares deeply about his people, he wants to change the world and make it a better place. It is no surprise to me that he is seen as the better High Lord--it’s what I would expect. Now, just because Tamlin feels that way does not give him an excuse to not try and help his people however he can. This could be an opportunity for him to rise to the occasion and prove everyone wrong. . .but he doesn’t. Again, his character flaw. I’m not saying he’s blameless! Please remember that I’m not trying to justify the things that he does, only to explain why he might be doing them.

Tamlin’s overprotectiveness is also condemned quite frequently. It is not until Feyre spends a decent amount of time in the Night Court that she realizes how “”poorly” she was treated. Everything becomes a comparison. Tamlin wanted to keep her locked up in the manor! He never wanted her to go anywhere! But Rhys lets her do whatever she wants! He encourages her to roam the city, to go out and see things! Yeah, I’d just like to point out the fact that the city of Velaris had not been breached in 5,000 years. This was like, it’s whole big thing! Rhys played the part of Amarantha’s whore in order to shelter it from the outside world as it always had been for centuries. It hadn’t been attacked or breached, it was totally safe. Basically, I’d really like to see how Tamlin would be acting if the Spring Court hadn’t been breached in 5,000 years. He probably still wouldn’t do what Rhys did, and train her to use her powers and keep her safe even in a place that was totally secure Rhys still absolutely makes the better choice here. But I’m just saying. . .I highly doubt that if the Spring Court were as secure as Velaris was, Tamlin would be driven to the point of locking her up in any manors. Feyre even kind of acknowledges the fact that his paranoia over her safety was kind of valid after she is attacked by the Attor basically the minute she steps outside of the Night Court’s protection. All of this paranoia and fear could have been reduced by teaching Feyre how to better defend of herself and make use of the new powers she had. But Tamlin was so traumatized by what she went through Under the Mountain that he didn’t want her to have to ever get involved with anything violent or dangerous ever again. He let the fear control him.

Another one of the biggest things I see Tamlin accused of is selling out completely, allying with Hybern, the Ultimate Enemy, betraying everyone, simply to “get” Feyre back, or “obtain” her again. I’ll admit, when I read ACOMAF initially, I was so furious I was practically seeing red when I read this part. I was appalled. I really could not believe that Tamlin, who had declared his hatred of tyranny and oppression in the previous book had suddenly thrown all of that away just because he did not have Feyre with him and wanted her back. I was hoping that in ACOWAR, he would come to see the error of his ways and make a shot for redemption. I was really holding out for it! But then ACOWAR comes along. . .and we find out that he wasn’t even really doing any of this in the first place!! It was his plan all along to appear as if he was siding with Hybern, use his resources to rescue Feyre, and then slowly work to take him down from the inside, exactly as Feyre attempted to do to him in the beginning of ACOWAR. I’ve read some people say that they don’t really believe this was his plan at all. They think he was just claiming it was in front of Rhys and the other High Lords but really was just working both sides, waiting to see where the best opportunity was before declaring his “true” allegiance. I’m sorry, but until I see it in print, I don’t believe it. The things that he did do: blowing his cover to protect Feyre, Elain, and Azriel as they escaped Hybern’s camp, reassembling the Spring Court’s armies, dragging Beron out by his neck and into battle, asking Rhys for orders in the final battle, giving a piece of his power to bring Rhys back to life, telling Feyre to be happy outweigh him acting like a prick for me as far as where his allegiance lies. Now, notice I didn’t just say that these things “outweigh him being a prick for me”. I said that they outweigh him being a prick as far as his allegiance goes. Yes, he came into that High Lords meeting and acted like a total dick but I don’t think someone simply acting like an asshole is enough of a reason to be convinced that they are evil. What I find to be very ironic is that everyone’s opinion of Tamlin at the time were probably pretty close to what they were towards Rhys for the past fifty years: disgust, shock, betrayal, and hatred towards him for “siding” with the enemy. Yet both had ulterior motives and were acting to protect someone/something they love.

All of this comes to a boil during the absolute shit show that is the big showdown scene at the end of ACOMAF in Hybern’s throne room. At face value, this scene is absolutely terrible. Tamlin appears to have sold everyone out to Hybern and expects Feyre to come running home with him.

Tamlin snarled at him, “I don’t give a shit if she’s your mate. I don’t give a shit if you think you’re entitled to her. She is mine--and one day, I am going to repay every bit of pain she felt, every bit of suffering and despair. One day, perhaps when she decides she wants to end you, I’ll be happy to oblige her.”

It’s a mess. A big fat mess of situation in which Tamlin absolutely comes across as a controlling, entitled psychopath. We as the readers are still basking in the afterglow of the glorious new Feysand mating bond and are just about ready to dump Tamlin himself into the Cauldron and see it boil him alive. I get that. Emotions are running high. But remove yourself from the Feysand feels for a moment. As I discussed earlier, Tamlin believes that Feyre has basically been manipulated/tricked/coerced into residing in the Night Court. This is the way Amarantha operated and it is what he expects of Rhys, given the way he acted for the past fifty years. Denial, denial, denial. The fact that he could not see how unhappy she was and how greatly she was suffering in his home shows just how truly poorly suited they are for each other in the long run. There should have been some kind of clue bell ringing. But at the same time, I understand how even if there was, he would be wary of it. I truly believe he was under the impression that Feyre was taken from her home against her will and was being held essentially as a prisoner in the clutches of someone who was just as bad as Amarantha, in his home that she had supposedly modeled her own court after. So when he hears that this supposedly violent evil person is Feyre’s mate, and wants to keep her with him, he goes a little nuts. Remember, being mates does NOT automatically equal Happily Ever After. Tamlin AND Rhys’s parents were both mates who were “wrong” for each other. In ACOTAR, ACOMAF, and the Throne of Glass series, the idea of mates is something that is very romanticized. It’s synonymous with finding your soulmate, your equal and match in every way, the one person in the universe you were always meant to find. But then the idea is introduced in ACOWAR that being mates with someone is hypothetically no more than a powerful genetic match that would hypothetically produce the strongest offspring.

“A mating bond can be rejected,” Rhys said mildly, eyes flickering in the mirror as he drank in every inch of bare skin I had on display. “There is choice. And sometimes, yes--the bond picks poorly. Sometimes, the bond is nothing more than some. . .preordained guess-work at who will provide the strongest offspring. At it’s basest level, it’s perhaps only that. Some natural function, not an indication of true, paired souls.” A smile at me--at the rareness, perhaps, of what we had. “Even so,” Rhys went on, “there will always be a. . .tug. For the females, it is usually easier to ignore, but the males. . .it can drive them mad. It is their burden to fight through, but sometimes they believe they are entitled to the female. Even after the bond is rejected, they see her as belonging to them. Sometimes they return to challenge the male she chooses for herself. Sometimes it ends in death.”

While I personally believe that this new revelation was only brought about in order to add drama and conflict to the Elain/Lucien/Azriel situation (oh don’t worry, you’ll hear about that soon), if it’s something Sarah is sticking to, it certainly sheds a new light on the way Tamlin reacted to this situation. He is acting in anger towards what he believes is Rhys acting entitled to her just because this bond exists. Very similar sentiments are expressed by Nesta, Feyre, and pretty much the whole Night Court gang towards Lucien in regards to Elain and here it is seen as protective. Remember, he says this AFTER Feyre starts pretending to be “freed” from Rhys’s enchantment and starts begging him to take her home. Again, denial at it’s finest. You wonder how the guy can be so clueless. But very ironically, in his own misguided way, he is trying to protect Feyre from what he ends up doing himself.

Also remember that while we have all the lovely romantic moments of ACOMAF fresh in our minds, Tamlin does not. Feyre and Rhys do not sit down and explain their whole situation to him (which I really really think needs to be done. These people all need to act like adults, sit down, and actually have an honest conversation with each other, in private. Tamlin and Feyre need to talk, without Rhys around. I think she owed him more of an explanation than that letter she sent in ACOMAF. I think he owed her a LOT more than just blowing up at her in front of everyone at the High Lords gathering). Tamlin does not know the depth of their connection or even that Rhys has been good to Feyre whatsoever. Feyre does not say to him, “We’re in love” and he responds with “I don’t give a shit”. THAT would be pretty terrible and as entitled as everyone makes him out to be. But no, instead it’s just him being oblivious to how Feyre really feels and what she wants. Not something you look for in a man, but definitely not the same as trying to tear apart two people who are in love, regardless of how they feel, just so you can have ownership of one of them.

In fact, what does Tamlin do when actually confronted with the depth of their relationship? When he finally sees what Rhys means to Feyre? Gives a piece of his power to resurrect him and tells her to be happy with him. Just sayin’!!

Another thing I find really frustrating is how both Tamlin and Rhys can pretty much do the exact same thing but Feyre, and us, as the readers, have wildly different reactions to them. Exhibit A: Calanmai vs. The Mating Bond.

I think it’s safe for anyone to say that Rhys does not act like himself under the brand new influence of the mating bond. He snarls at any male that looks in Feyre’s direction, bashes Cassian’s teeth in and beats him to a pulp because of a lewd comment he makes about Feyre and “didn’t even bother taking (her) clothes all the way off before he bent (her) over the kitchen table and made (her) moan his name loud enough for the Illyrians still circling high above to hear.”

(Um how embarrassing.)

But it’s all okay! Because, you see, The Mating Bond Made Him Do It! He tells Feyre:

“When a couple accepts the mating bond, it’s. . .overwhelming. Again, harkening back to the beasts we once were. Probably something about ensuring the female was impregnated. Some couples don’t leave the house for a week. Males get so volatile that it can be dangerous for them to be in public, anyway. I’ve seen males of reason and education shatter a room because another male looked too long in their mate’s direction, too soon after they’d been mated.”

He tells Feyre that he likes to think he has “more restraint than the average male” but asks her to be patient with him. Nothing about this is portrayed by the narrative to be overbearing or anything negative. It’s almost viewed as something sexy because they are in a consensual relationship and he is being influenced by some outside force that is making him act in a way that he normally would not--he doesn’t go around acting this sex-crazed, jealous, and volatile all the time. It’s the Mating Bond!!!! He’s so overwhelmed by her! They’re so in love! He just can’t control himself!

Okay, fine. I don’t have a real problem with this. I just found it to be very unfair and pretty strange to have Calanmai pop up on Tamlin’s long list of Reasons Why He’s A Dick.

Calanmai is described by Lucien as follows:

“Fire Night signals the official start of spring--in Prythian, as well as in the mortal world. Here, our crops depend upon the magic we regenerate on Calanmai--tonight. We do this by conducting the Great rite. Each of the seven High Lords of Prythian performs this every year, since their magic comes from the earth and returns to it at the end--it’s a give and take. Tonight, Tam will allow. . .great and terrible magic to enter his body. The magic will seize control of his mind, his body, his soul, and turn him into the Hunter. It will fill him with his sole purpose: to find the Maiden. From their coupling, magic will be released and spread to the earth, where it will regenerate life for the year to come. Tonight, Tam won’t be the faerie you know. He won’t even know his name. The magic will consume everything in him but that one basic command--and need.”

Both Tamlin and Lucien tell Feyre multiple times to stay in her room that night and not come out. The attraction between Tamlin and Feyre is pretty apparent by that point and they’re trying to spare her from what would inevitably be an unromantic and pretty intense encounter with Tamlin. Feyre decides this is no big deal and heads down to the kitchen for a midnight snack where. She then (of course) runs into Tamlin who is riding all kinds of crazy highs from the Calanmai magic that is coursing through him. The interaction that follows could oddly be very easily described as either sexy or creepy. Seriously. She is clearly pretty into it and her body is definitely responding (“Heat pounded between my legs”, “A moan slipped past my lips”, “I wanted the hardness of his body crushing against mine. . .everywhere--I wanted him everywhere”) but he’s also acting pretty domineering and just weird from the effects of that magic. He pins her against the wall and tells her that even though the magic made him pick someone else, if it had been her he was with, he would have done. . .all kinds of unprintable things. Fill in the blank. Feyre then asks him why she would want someone’s leftovers (ironically the same thing he ends up saying to her in Book 3) and in response he bites her on the neck “to keep (her) pinned” and tells her not to ever disobey him again.

Intense, no doubt. But what happens after that? Feyre whacks him across the face and tells him not to tell her what to do or to bite her like “some enraged beast”. She paints him and Lucien with pigs’ features (calling it Two Faerie Pigs Wallowing in Their Own Filth) and then they apologize to each other the next day. She expresses her happiness at the fact that the Tamlin she knew had returned.

I just find it highly unfair that while it’s okay for Rhys to act like a Sex-Crazed Possessive Beast because of The Mating Bond, when Tamlin does pretty much the exact same thing, it is seen by the fandom as rape-y, domineering, and creepy. I really don’t see how there’s that much of a difference. In their right minds, neither one of them would go around acting like that. Both are being influenced by an outside force, possessing them with an obsessive need to have sex with someone. I see posts all the time ragging on Tamlin for letting his “true colors” shine through as someone who wants to possess and order around. But it’s like ????????? It directly says in the text that his mind, body, and soul are being possessed. He wouldn’t even know his own name because the magic has consumed everything in him. So how is this him showing his true nature?? To me it seems like the exact opposite. He’s acting in a way different than what he would normally act. But all of this never stops me from seeing posts about how awful he is for doing it. Not once have I seen anyone criticizing Rhys for having the same thing happen to him.

One final thing I’d like to talk about, and then I’ll get off the Tamlin Defense Train, I promise. A huge criticism I often see for him has to do with the way things played out Under the Mountain. Tamlin did nothing to defend her, he just sat there and let things play out, acted like he didn’t know her and didn’t really respond to anything. Rhys was the one who schemed and plotted and fought for her, Tamlin essentially did nothing. While I admit, it was pretty heartbreaking to see Feyre think he was under some kind of spell while this was going on, I am kind of at a loss as to what people would like to see him do differently in this situation. Tamlin was just as much of a prisoner as she was, EVERYONE was just as much of a prisoner as she was! Rhys straight up tells us that Amarantha had begun to trust him over the years and he is essentially given the freedom to move about and act as he wants. You can not tell me that Amarantha did not have eyes on Tamlin the ENTIRE time he was there. She probably never even let him out of her sight. Also, not even once did it ever occur to me that Tamlin was acting like he didn’t know Feyre or care about her because he really didn’t! Come on. . .this is standard fare in many books, movies, and TV shows I’ve read. Act as if you don’t know someone or they mean nothing to you in order to try and keep them safe, even at the expense of breaking their heart. It’s going on right now in the current book I’m reading, Lord of Shadows. Lucien even tells her, “Hasn’t it occurred to you that Tamlin is keeping silent in order to keep Amarantha from knowing what particular form of your torture affects him the most?” You know the instant he responded to anything, Amarantha would have pounced on it and probably would have made it ten times worse. Look at what she ended up doing when she found out about how much Starfall meant to Rhys. . .he was made to “service” her all night long on that night specifically. Who knows what other kinds of hell Tamlin’s “indifference” saved her from. It’s not what Feyre wanted or needed emotionally in that moment and I really feel for her, I truly do, but I understand why he did it. Strategically, and in theory, I think it made sense.

And then. . .ugh, I can just see the amount of hate I’m going to get for this. But I’m sorry, I can’t help it. People hate on him for using their brief moment together to simply “fuck” rather than try to help her or escape. It may not have been the most productive thing to do in that moment but, I’m sorry. . .people are acting like she was trying to have this emotional moment with him and he just dragged her off into a room to have sex. But the encounter was completely initiated by both of them. In that moment, I did not see a man just wanting a piece of ass from a woman and not giving a crap about her safety. I saw two people who felt hopeless, desperate, and terrified, looking for some comfort in something that was familiar to them in the middle of the hellish situation they were in. I think it was pretty clear that both of them reached their breaking points Under the Mountain. I can’t say that if I were in that situation I would be thinking completely rationally either. The fact that Feyre condemns and blames him for this in ACOMAF was baffling to me.

And then. . .here comes the thing that makes my blood boil. Feyre reflects in ACOMAF that at the end of that horrible ordeal in the throne room, when Amarantha is torturing her so terribly, breaking her bones and boiling her blood, Rhys is the one who attacks her, fights her, tries to stop her, while all Tamlin does is grovel on the floor. Y’all. Are any of you aware that Tamlin has a giant gaping chest wound while all of this is going on? Feyre had just stabbed him through the heart!!!! Yes, I understand that it was not a fatal wound given the stone heart that he had but still! That sword still had to pierce through skin and bone and muscle! Let’s take a look at how this is described:

Tamlin cried out as my blade pierced his flesh, breaking bone. For a sickening moment, when his blood rushed onto my hand, I thought the ash dagger would go clean through him.

Kill her now, I wanted to bark at Tamlin, but he didn’t move as he pushed his hand against his wound, blood dribbling out. Too slowly--he was healing too slowly.

I found Tamlin’s eyes--wide as he crawled toward Amarantha, watching me die, and unable to save me while his wound slowly healed, while she still gripped his power.

“Amarantha, stop his,” Tamlin begged at her feet as he clutched the gaping wound in his chest.

“Amarantha, please,” Tamlin moaned, his blood spilling onto the floor.

Like. . .I’m sorry. I guess the fact that he was debilitated by this terrible wound was not a good enough reason to stop physically attacking someone who held all the power in the room. I found it SO unfair and completely ridiculous that the narrative in ACOTAR tells us that he was physically unable to attack Amarantha and then all the sudden in ACOMAF it was that he chose to sit on his ass and grovel for her while Rhys did all the work. Speaking of Rhys, you know who else gets a physical wound and has to stop physically defending Feyre???!? RHYSAND.

Rhys absolutely takes initiative, grabs Tamlin’s dagger, and tries to attack Amarantha out of desperation. She realizes what is going on and attacks him back. This is what transpires:

Her magic sent him sprawling, and it then hurled Rhysand again--so hard that his head cracked against the stones and the knife dropped from his splayed fingers.

No one tries to help him, Feyre begs her to stop and then. . .

Rhys’s arms buckled as he fought to rise, and blood dripped from his nose, splattering on the marble. His eyes met mine.

And then that’s it! Never again does it say that he does anything physical towards Amarantha. Why? Because as amazing as Rhys is, he does have his limitations and one of them just happens to be having his head bashed and being pummeled with violent magic! Why can one of Tamlin’s not be being stabbed through the chest and having a gaping wound that drips blood all over the floor??!? I just found it so baffling that the story is changed completely between the two books. In ACOTAR we are told that Amarantha still holds the leash on his power, he’s got this terrible debilitating wound that’s keeping him down, and physically can not do anything about what is happening (and then the SECOND the curse is lifted, he is on Amarantha and takes her down). But then suddenly in ACOMAF, none of this stuff ever existed and it was all due to his own cowardice and lack of initiative to do anything to protect her. ??????????????????

I guess another reason all of this stuff bothered me so much was because, in my mind, having things end with them the way they did, made it feel to me like Amarantha had won. Now, I know this is not really the case and not how you’re supposed to view it at all. But I definitely got those vibes and it made me sad. Amarantha hates all humans. Because of the horrible betrayal that Jurian made to her sister, she has developed the mindset that all humans are like this--they can say one thing but their hearts, minds, and bodies are so fickle that they can’t be taken seriously. Watching Feyre prove her wrong and show her the strength of her human heart was moving to me. The fact that she knew that she was just an ordinary human, with no special powers or abilities, but was willing to follow Tamlin Under the Mountain to try and help and save him and his people was inspiring. Amarantha made her endure those trials to try and prove that she really did love Tamlin. She went through all of that for him. At the end, when she was torturing her so badly and killing her slowly, all she wanted was for Feyre to admit that she did not really love him. And Feyre believed in that love so strongly that she refused to say this, and let Amarantha do all of that to her.

“She could torture me all she liked, but it would never destroy what I felt for him.”

“I love you,” I said. “No matter what she says about it, no matter if it’s only with my insignificant human heart. Even when they burn my body, I’ll love you.”

To me, this is sad. It’s a sad situation. Going from that ^ straight into ACOMAF where they are so out of sync, hurt. I saw two people who really did love each other, strongly, but fell apart due to differences in their character that they could not overcome. I understand that in all senses, Rhys is the better man for her. He is able to give her everything she wants and needs and understands her in a way that Tamlin never could. But it still hurts to see the way things turned out. Feyre loved Tamlin and he loved her. The two of them went through a lot together. To see all of this just dismissed completely, see Tamlin called a tool, a dick, to see people actively wishing for his death. . .I think it’s sad and pretty unfair. I hope all of this comes across as fair and I hope no one sees it as me bashing Sarah J Maas, or Rhys, or Feyre, or anyone else. Like I said, I can acknowledge that what she ends up having with Rhys is far better and healthier than what she ever had with Tamlin. I just wish there was a way for all of this to be described without totally throwing Tamlin under the bus and making him out to be some terrible awful person with no redeeming qualities. Sometimes relationships don’t work out. We as individuals change and adapt to the changes in our lives and what was good for us at one point in our lives is not always what’s best for us forever. That is, simply put, Real Life, and absolutely okay. It happens every day. I wish more people could see that in the situation with these three characters. Tamlin has his faults--he is far too withdrawn (at least for someone like Feyre), refuses to adapt, and lets fear cripple him and influence his decisions. But he is not the controlling, entitled, selfish, and abusive person that most people make him out to be. He wants what’s best for Feyre and tries in an extremely misguided way to make it so. He does not understand her and thinks he is protecting her. Not a stellar, admirable character, but not one who deserves death threats and the slander that he gets. I hope I’ve been able to communicate that in a way that makes sense.

Props to you if you made it to the end of this long, giant thing!!

#acowar spoilers #a court of wings and ruin spoilers #tamlin #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of wings and ruin #acotar #acomaf #acowar #sarah j maas #sjm #feyre archeron #rhysand #feylin

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deadspaceaus · 8 years

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Interview with Chris

Through the bleak moments and the madness that goes in between or viceversa, how deep you get involved within yourself to make Deadspace an entity upon others?

Deadspace for me has always been deeply personal. An emotional, almost spiritual beast in which I have allowed myself to absolutely lose control as a human being. For me it is the child within. Angry, tortured, disobedient but pure. Then the other members came into the picture. I think it’s ridiculous to say that they draw the exact same purpose from the energy that is Deadspace. In saying that, I don’t believe anyone will every understand it like I do because the inner workings reflect differently to people closely involved. But I can certainly say I 100% feel like the energy burns infinitely harder when we’re together as a unit. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why… but it is a feeling I live for every day. This is what we offer to our fans and loved one. This is a haven where you will not be judged or cast away for your lunacy. We consider it so that every Deadspace show is a surreal experience for all involved.

Can you describe the first time you fell in love with music?

Well that depends on what aspect of music we’re talking about. But here is a theory I have previously held value to, encompassing the idea of growth. From a very young age I was always fascinated with how a good song would reflect on an entire room of people and fuel an ambience. This was the first step for me, falling in love with how music could make you feel. Then as a more dissociative being, I became obsessed with the ability to disappear into music and to feel nothing. It was like a drug. I could put on a record and just disappear for as long as I needed. This is most likely where my love for post rock and severely heroin influenced stuff NIN stemmed from.Then I hit my teens and I got angry. I wanted to see people willing to destroy themselves for art. For some obscure reason I really put emphasis on this (and still do). I wanted to see Manson kick in speakers, I wanted to see Reznor fuck his keyboard and smash shit with hammers and the idea of people like Kvarforth and Carlsson covering stages in blood was neurotically exciting.You take these 3 moods and then you apply them to a day of Melbourne weather. All 3 feelings, about 5 times a day. It’s a mess, music has become the only thing that drives me insane and keeps me together at the same time.

In your formative years as a musician can you name a record or records that shaped your musical direction and why?

First of all, I’d encourage the idea of perhaps the ‘formative’ years still being in progress. Some albums that have seriously influences me as an artist are: Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals: This record blue me out because it had an overwhelming sadness to it while still being heavy and the vocal delivery feels very honest. Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile: This record just speaks for itself. Placebo - Without You I’m Nothing: I just don’t know another vocalist doing anything even close to Molko in so many aspects. I love the version of the title track on this with Bowie also. Beautiful. Anything Placebo is in my favourites. Jeff Buckley - Grace: My all time favourite favourite record. Jeff was, in my opinion, one of the greatest souls that ever lived and his voice will forever be untouchable. That’s just me, the other guys have their own tastes but this is my personal standpoint.

As an artist and performer how important it is for you to give your audience an endless memory by them saying "that was intense"?

Absolutely imperative although it’s not a challenge at all, it’s a given. Majority of shows we play, it takes me about 15 minutes to remember how to breathe after. Everyone gives it everything they’ve got and I think that’s the beauty about being on stage. We’re all 100% emotionally invested in each others crafts and we could be on a stage we’ve never been on before and it feels like home.

I was blown away by the violent way you can crate music but at the same time there is beautiful moments in there, how important is to have band members that share your same point of views in a musical way?

I think not as such same points of view, but members with eclectic and unique points of view, working together towards the same idea. The light and dark shades are reflective to life in general and I’d say these things being clear in our music is a reflexion of honesty. Honesty with ourselves, each other and our music/audience.

What is your thought in the current music business, how much effort a band have to put into to be heard and to have some sort of success?

Well you’re not going to put together anything like what we’re doing and earn a living off it in this country. The business side of things has always taken a backseat with us. In saying that, it’s important to a certain extent but we’re definitely (at this point anyway) travelling around, making friends and building up a strong/loyal community in which we would like to share this experience with. With anything, success if all conjecture. It’s a self established goal and the idea of succeeding in regards to your personal values. So in my opinion, we are successful. This is enough for me right now.

Your last release "Gravity" in my opinion is an opus, it feels like a life journey, how much input did everyone contributed to make this record a master of it's own?

Gravity was really just a little concept I was playing with at the time. I really wanted to get something strong out as a unit with our solid lineup. The concept is really quite observational and brutal in nature. Basically summing up the idea of birth, life, death and rebirth as transitional inevitabilities. The character takes form of a narrator, living inside a soul that is enduring and learning such fate. All members came together to create the piece. Whether it be shared duties recording piano parts or just handling their own instruments parts. Finally, Nish mixed and mastered the fucker, which was a massive learning curve for everybody I’d say. We’re all growing into the strongest versions of ourselves.

Chris your lyrics are just something that a lot of people can relate too, what makes you write such as strong and dark but at the same time meaningful, what sort of message are you trying to deliver?

I’ve always been a person that values truth and honesty over diplomacy. I just say it how it is and try not to fabricate complexity by adding superfluous vocabulary. The idea of my lyrics is to stimulate the senses. Either in a visual way or a nostalgic feeling that makes you feel alive. That’s for this record anyway. Truth be told, It all gets spat out on a piece of paper without any thought. Then when I wake up in a different mind state, I refine it so it still makes sense. Sometimes you’re feeling something so passionately that the actual words hold no meaning and need a second look.

Who were your main inspirations to write and put lyrics together?

I’ve always written, even as a child. I guess it’s always been something that nobody could ever take away from me and thusly has been a gift I’ve held dear for some time. To be frank, as many inspirational people as their are out there. My writing is on its own journey. I don’t want to say things other people have already said, no matter how amazing the sentiment may be. I’m very good at disturbing people’s beliefs and thoughts, not deliberately, but I love the idea of everything I’ve ever ‘known’ to be turned upside down. I’m also very bad at being certain about things. I’m not a logical person and the idea of certainty/stability bore me beyond belief.

The last song on Gravity has that spoken word at the end of the song and the part that strike me the most was when the narrator said "if you have any possessions, give it all away" what is the message you are trying to send across?

Well the whole idea of Rebirth was to throw a curveball. Birth, Life, Death - these things are certain. Rebirth is a concept dreamed up by humans, for humans. This is the shit that keeps life interesting. A lot of people don’t recognise this either that it’s actually the uncertainty that keeps their minds and souls alive. So who better than Alan Watts and his own words of wisdom to add the element of conjecture and ‘certainty in uncertainty’. “Don’t cling to things”, don’t hold on to what you know or what you think you have, it’s going to change and one day go away. But please note: with Gravity is was never intended to be a solid message for people. It’s just food for thought. It’s a personal reflection and I’m not by any means saying ‘live your life like this’. It’s just insight into where I was at that point in time.

Let's deviate a bit from the music side and let's talk about your views about society in general, is this a better world to live in?

Better than what? It’s the only world we have. It’s full of pain, suffering, joy, love, loss… The way I view the world is like a massive canvas. There’s paint everywhere but not all aspects of the peace are going to be the colours or shapes that you can relate to. I’m not entirely sure whether I see it like this because I’m a coward and need to take a back seat or if it’s just my place in society to think like this. As far as I can tell I’m not hurting anybody and hopefully actually bringing a few people up (lets not kid ourselves though). This being said, everybody has their own struggles. A lot of mine are internal and health based. I have a good family, a house I’m welcome in, I’ve travelled extensively. These inner issues provide me with some challenges but they also make me get up every day and want to do something with it. I think for someone with a different genetic make up, the challenges would be elsewhere, inviting them to see the world in a different light.

Also apart from creating music you love photography, how much inner peace you found when you see something that you want to capture and show it to the world?

It just depends where I am at a certain point in time. Sometimes the beauty is just too fucking beautiful to capture in any generic forms of art. If I didn’t have to work I would definitely live behind my camera by day and in a studio writing music at night. This would be incredible but for now I view the day job as earning my keep so I can continue to explore.

Would you "compromise" and make your music more accessible so it can be heard by a bigger audience or this is something that has never crossed your mind?

Not deliberately. But I don’t really see us as a severely underground or inaccessible band. Most of the inspiration comes from melody and the rhythmic aspects are not necessarily difficult to digest. We build our audience by emotionally connecting with them. And that’s what we’ll continue to do through our music and lives in general. The sounds will only change to facilitate getting out how we feel within the foundation of our musical integrity.

The balance between all your records are very different but still keeping the Deadspace sound, would it be major changes for the next record?

Exactly what I was saying before. Nish has grown as a producer, we’ve all grown as musicians. My voice is more of a reflection of where I am right now. We have new ideas on tones, new ideas on what is ‘us’ in general. The production on our split is a lot cleaner, the low end has been handled in a much more experienced way. I also tracked my vocals in a studio with a producer, mainly as a confidence boost as they are very defined compared to beforehand.

Thanks Chris for your answers, final question, what do you expect from 2017 and onwards?

I expect the world to keep orbiting the sun. I expect people to be people. Some will be born, some will die. One man will drink alone every night until he shoots himself, another with start a multi million dollar company and live on materialistic happiness until he loses a house in a divorce.

For us, I expect that we keep doing what we’re doing. Making noise, meeting amazing people, playing amazing shows and expanding our handprint on the world bit by bit.

#deadspaceaus #deadspaceband #blackmetal #gothrock #australianband

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