Brown Eyed Artist

Came here to share my art, Now I'm here to rant about stuff (mostly acotar)

[snarkformysanity]

Actual footage of Feyre playing spy in the Spring Court

[hopeiochi]

[sawed-on-shotgun]

unfortunate truth of reality is that oftentimes 15 year olds will say/do/believe some stupid bullshit because they are 15 but telling them that they believe that because they are 15 is probably the most counterproductive thing in the entire universe

[theladyofbloodshed]

"nesta is Illyrian"

no, actually, she's a mortal who has been taught to fear faeries all of her life and has been dragged into your world through no fault of her own, made into the thing she's scared of, and has been met with hostility rather than care

[marcylimmac]

Ladies and gentlemen, Lucien Vanserra committed the GREATEST crime in the history of this saga against his mate...

Did he force her into a deal by twisting her injured arm?

Worse.

Did he kiss her without consent?

Worse.

Did he tell her to her face that no one liked her?

Worse.

Did he have sex with her in the middle of the war, surrounded by dead bodies? Or did he have sex with her after she’d peed herself out of fear in the swamp?

Worse.

Did he think things would never go beyond the times he masturbated thinking of her? Or did he belittle her attempts to be more active in the IC? Or did he decide who was good for her and who wasn't? Oh, I know! Did he treat her like a porcelain doll and a trophy, even though she herself said she wasn't a child for people to fight over?

Worse.

So what did he do?

A terrible, sickening thing 😓he had to admit to himself that his mate is just as beautiful (or even more so) as the only woman who treated him with the slightest bit of kindness before being brutally murdered by his own family.

And he also committed "animal torture" when he caught a fish with his bare hands for him and Feyre to eat.

[cloudseeker7]

Unpopular opinion, but I genuinely think Rhysand’s mom is the worst parent in the entire series.

Yes, worse than Beron. Yes, worse than Keir. At least everyone knows those two are awful.

Rhys’s mother, meanwhile, dropped her eight-year-old son into an Illyrian war camp where “three lashes is an encouragement” and serious punishment apparently means getting whipped half to death. And before anyone says “but all Illyrian boys had to go,” Rhys was the High Lord’s son. He absolutely did not have to be there. She chose to send him.....

And then she got to be the comforting parent afterward.

The Illyrian warlords were the ones actually punishing him, while she tended his injuries, comforted him, and became the safe person in his mind. So Rhys grows up associating the Illyrians with cruelty and his mother with love and protection, even though she was the one who put him in that environment in the first place.

Which is honestly kind of genius in the worst possible way.

Keir and Beron abuse their children openly, so Mor, Lucien, and Eris hate them. Rhys’s mother outsourced the violence and kept the emotional credit.

She basically said, “I’m going to place you in a brutal military camp as a small child, but don’t worry, I’ll be here afterward with bandages and maternal warmth.”

And somehow the narrative still treats her like this wonderful, loving mother, while Rhysand's father is supposed to be the bad parent.

[dimalry]

“which acotar court do you belong to?“ I don’t wanna be a downer, but we barely know anything about those fuckass courts.

[franficsnow]

Sometimes I think I put more significance to writing than the author intended. In ACOTAR Rhysand is described to have dark raven colored hair, when first introduced. Then later in the story he is revealing his "baser side" and it is said that the shadows created talons upon his toes and hands... BUT he has leather wings. WHY doesn't he have feathers. PLEASE Lets make the writing come full circle. I am very aware that he may be related to dragons to some degree. Because in ACOMAF the doors of Hewn City have dragons statues and more dragons inside... THEN WHY NOT MAKE HIM A FEATHERED DRAGON? Its fantasy. LETS GET CREATIVE. ALSO, Rhysand has sprinkles of Hades themes... guess what? BIRDS ARE RIGHT THERE. Ravens/ crows are often associated with death or bad omens. They go with his whole character. It makes me tweak out that the idea is not fully committed. BECAUSE other than the repeated use of his hair being dark as raven feathers likely associated with a Maas-verse thing, there's no other point to use that description. AND give him talons. Additionally-- If we allow him to be bird like we can remove the "feline" descriptions as well. AGAIN its most likely a Maas-verse hint hint wink wink thing-- BUT IT IRRITATES ME ANYWAY. Because its not leaned in enough. Like Rhysand could cock his head. The jerk movement reminds Feyre of a bird. Plus, birds move elegantly with a careful and balanced grace. I also think of Rhysand literally wilting out of stress- or plucking at his own feathers as much as he does at lint. (he tries not to, and its a very very bad habit that's self harming. Yet he can't stop himself from doing it) Then Rhysand's feathers can literally tell when the wind currents shift. I know its so specific but I need it in my life.

AND NO Hunt from CC doesn't do any of that. THERES NOT A BIRD THING ABOUT HIM and it pisses me off. These characters don't act as the thing they are-- as if their limbs are just for show and "fun sex."( except for sun bathing and loving to fly. BUT LITTERALLY anyone can sun bathe. Anyone can fly. I bet there's magic that some faerie is gate keeping.)

[designerpotatosack]

Btw, Alis not trusting Feyre in WaR because she was allegedly happy in Summer, and this being framed as "smart" and "right" in contrast to stupid naive Tamlin, is genuinely harmful for a series that keeps claiming it takes abuse seriously. Even ignoring the fact that Rhysand is a mind controller, not believing an abuse victim simply because they didn't appear outwardly abused is crazy behaviour. People do all sorts of stuff to survive a horrible situation, including pleasing their abusers.

It doesn't mean anything in the story cause v all know Feyre's lying, but from any pov that isn't Feyre's, alis's behaviour is genuinely horrible, especially where she keeps "testing" Feyre w the night court clothes and stuff. J all around crazy behaviour to be trying to purposely trigger smn to test if they're telling the truth bout their abuse.

[snarkformysanity]

A Court of Mist and Fury Chapters 56-57

Last time, Rhys came so hard he apparently caused an avalanche, and any last vestiges of hope that all the stuff UtM might be addressed with anything resembling dignity were evaporated. This time, we're back in the Illyrian camp, because apparently we're going to meet the mortal queens again soon.

Rhys winnowed us to the Illyrian camp. We wouldn’t be staying long enough to be at risk—and with ten thousand Illyrian warriors surrounding us on the various peaks, Rhys doubted anyone would be stupid enough to attack.

Remember, Hybern tracks his power and uses it to find him. So what he's basically saying here is, he's perfectly happy for the 10000 Illyrians to be his meat shields and cop any residual flak after he's gone. Because if Hybern isn't scared of the Most Powerful High Lord Ever, he probably isn't scared of Illyrian warriors. We all know they're redshirt chaff, so far as the book is concerned.

We’d just appeared in the mud outside the little house when Cassian drawled from behind us, “Well, it’s about time.” The savage, wild snarl that ripped out of Rhys was like nothing I’d heard, and I gripped his arm as he whirled on Cassian.

Yes, I, too, love it when my life partner suddenly behaves like a rabid dog just because we had sex for the first time. Really makes me feel sure of my life decisions.

But no, Cassian thinks it's funny, and meanwhile the entire rest of the camp is fleeing in terror. Ugh. But you guys, he can't possibly do anything about the wing-clipping. Change takes time! Just fucking snarl at them mate, she'll be right.

Anyway, Cassian keeps provoking Rhys and Rhys continues behaving like an animal, but it's all g because it's on purpose, apparently.

[Cassian had] seen the edge in Rhys’s eyes and known he had to dull it before we could go any further. Rhys had known, too. Which was why we’d winnowed here first—and not Velaris.

Because fuck the Illyrians, I guess? It's perfectly fine for them to be in the line of fire for Rhys's little snarly tantrum, but not precious Velaris? The lack of self-awareness of these books truly knows no bounds.

They were a sight to behold, two Illyrian males fighting in the mud and stones, panting and spitting blood.

Only if you're into primal beastman kink, book. Otherwise, it's just fucking pathetic. Grow up and use your damn brain.

If the average male needed a week to adjust … What was required of Rhysand? A month? Two? A year?

Just..... why? Why is this a thing? Why are we so enamored with the idea of our man turning into an utter fucking feral after banging us, to the point where you can't even "let him out" in public because he'll fucking kill people? Why??? I legitimately do not understand. What if I want to have a conversation with him at some point during that week, hmm? Or need help with the chores? Nope, it's not growly-sexy, tough shit me, I guess. And he'll kill me if I don't like it.

Rhys and Cassian continue to fight.

“They’ll be at it for a while,” Mor said, leaning against the threshold of the house. She held open the door. “Welcome to the family, Feyre.” And I thought those might have been the most beautiful words I’d ever heard.

Because when I think "wholesome family vibes", the first thing that springs to mind is a full-blown domestic on the front lawn. Sure. Whatever.

Anyway, we get a summary of the end of the fight, Rhys banging Feyre again, and then winnowing to Velaris. Everyone's waiting for them for dinner, apparently, and they all bow. Because ugh. Then, it's time for banter.

Amren clicked her tongue and instead jerked her chin at me. “I heard you grew fangs in the forest and killed some Hybern beasts. Good for you, girl.”

Hey, remember how Feyre was all traumatised about having to kill those two faeries? And how the IC was supposed to be so supportive and understanding of said trauma? Yeah, neither does the book.

More banter, more wanking over sexy primal mating shit, and then they all fly to the mortal lands (except for Amren).

As we went to show the queens the secret [the Inner Circle had] all suffered so much, for so long, to keep.

It's literally just their bougie party city. It negates absolutely none of the queens' concerns. The CoN still exists and is still doing exactly the same shit irrespective of Velaris also existing. Also, that they'd all suffered "so much" to keep? The Inner Circle haven't suffered shit for it! They were all just sitting pretty in Velaris while Amarantha decimated the rest of Prythian!

Only the eldest and the golden-haired queens came this time.

Yeah, the book is done pretending it can be bothered with icky human side characters. As you can see, they still don't have names, nor do we even know what they're queens of.

Rhys did not so much as lower his head to them as he said, “We appreciate you taking the time to see us again.”

So, Rhys is starting off this important diplomatic meeting where they prove that they're totally secretly good guys by being rude? Good to know. Yes, I'm sure this is meant to be the book getting all hot and bothered over how he's so dominant or whatever. It's just rudeness. Plain and simple. Nothing more or less.

The ancient queen, surveying us all with narrowed eyes, let out a huff. “After being so gravely insulted the last time … ” A simmering glare thrown at Nesta.

Okay, I admittedly don't remember the specifics, but somehow, I doubt Nesta was the rudest of the bunch last time. I mean hell, we've just seen Rhys here, refusing to observe propriety because I guess the book thinks it would make him look like a soyboy. And yet, no such glares will be thrown his way.

I said with surprising calm, “If that is the worst insult any of you have ever received in your lives, I’d say you’re all in for quite a shock when war comes.” The younger one’s lips twitched again, amber eyes alight—a lion incarnate. She purred to me, “So he won your heart after all, Cursebreaker.”

..............what the fuck does that have to do with what Feyre just said? The book just couldn't help itself, could it? I mean, we've gone like..... two-thirds of a page without being reminded that Rhys and Feyre are maaaaaaaaates now, so obviously that couldn't be allowed to stand. But seriously. How the fuck would the unnamed mortal queen know this? And why the fuck would she care?? The aren't meant to be here to discuss Feyre's love life. No one older than a middle schooler thinks love lives are important enough to discuss at diplomatic meetings.

Well, the golden unnamed queen goes off on a tangent about how it's so unfair that Feyre gets to be immortal, or something (only it takes like, a paragraph), and then the old queen tries to get things back on track by asking if the box Mor is holding is the proof they asked for. Thank you, old queen. It really shits me that I have nothing to call you but that.

Don’t do it, my heart began bleating. Don’t show them.

For fuck's sake, Velaris is not that fucking special! No, really, it isn't. I mean sure, I disagree that showing them Velaris actually has a point, since it proves nothing except that they've been lying for hundreds of years, but whatever. If we accept the premise that Velaris is ~*~somehow~*~ going to prove that the queens should trust them, it's still not special enough to be worth all this melodrama. Sorry, book. It's literally just a rich kid's secret party town that his daddy gave him.

Before Mor could so much as nod, I said, “Is my love for the High Lord not proof enough of our good intentions?

Why the fuck would it be? All it proves is that he brainwashed you. His mind-control powers are infamous, after all.

There's a bit of bickering about Elain's engagement and Nesta's presence, which only serves to make me wonder why the fuck we're having these meetings at their house to begin with again, and then we get back on track again. Again.

Feyre continues to bleat about how Bad and Wrong it is that they should be expected to actually prove that they're trustworthy.

War is sacrifice, Rhys said into my mind, through the small sliver I now kept open for him. If we do not gamble Velaris, we risk losing Prythian—and more.

I mean. You didn't have a problem with it during Amarantha's reign, Rhys. In fact, you threw the rest of Prythian under the bus to (allegedly) protect Velaris, and then, by your own admission, were "glad" to carry out her will. What changed?

“This is the Veritas,” Mor said in a voice that was young and old.

God, shut up with these non-descriptors. It doesn't mean anything, and you know it, book. You just think slapping it on there automatically makes your fantasy epic. No. You have to do the legwork for lines like this to be epic, and you simply have not.

Anyway, Mor says some vague, dramatic things about Truth, and also that she's the Morrigan, another non-descriptor. Then Rhys starts talking about how having one (1) peaceful city in his entire court totally proves that he's a nice guy.

But the clouds continued roiling as the truth of it, of Velaris, leaked from the orb,

The truth that it's a bougie segregationist hell?

Anyway, Rhys uses the Veritas to show them some drone footage of Velaris, which..... proves nothing except that it's not a ruin. Like, even this:

People, happy and thoughtful, kind and welcoming, waved to him.

All that proves is that people physically waved when Rhys flew past. For all the queens know, not waving to Dear Leader is punishable by death. Showing them Velaris proves fucking nothing. And the Court of Nightmares, the one the queens were worried about, STILL FUCKING EXISTS!!!

“That is Velaris,” Rhys said. “For five thousand years, we have kept it a secret from outsiders. And now you know. That is what I protect with the rumors, the whispers, the fear.

And the actual, real brutality that occurs inside the CoN (and Illyria) every day. Don't forget that part.

Okay. Okay, that's actually (one of) the biggest problem(s) with Rhys's whole "it's just a mask" shtick. The book speaks of his bad guy side using words like "rumours" and "whispers." Which completely overlooks the fact that every single rumour and whisper about the CoN is true. Even the part about Rhys being its tyrant overlord, which we saw with our own eyes! He made the whole room watch, kneeling, as he fingered some girl in front of them! He broke a guy's arm in four places because he spat a middle-school level insult at the girl whose whole express purpose in being there was to bait out exactly those insults. You don't get to play the "it's just an act!" card if it's ACTUALLY FUCKING TRUE, RHYS!!!!

[R]"...But if the cost of protecting my city and people is the contempt of the world,

And the contempt of the rest of your people who you are actively shafting just to protect Velaris, don't forget that part, Rhys. The CoN and Illyria are PART OF THE NIGHT COURT TOO! THAT"S WHY YOU CAN USE THEM AS SOLDIERS IN WARTIMES, BECAUSE THEY'RE ACTUALLY PART OF YOUR COURT! FAILING TO PROTECT TWO-THIRDS (and possibly more, we just don't get to hear about any other parts) OF YOUR COURT IS NOT FUCKING PRAISEWORTHY, RHYS!!!!

God, the hypocrisy is so fucking galling.

Anyway, the golden queen drops her handerkerchief, or something, and it randomly receives so much description that I can only assume that it's going to be important. And the old queen says they'll need to consider, which is honestly probably the most sensible thing to do in this situation. No need to be hasty. You can burst out laughing at them once they're out of earshot.

“There is no time to consider,” Mor countered. “Every day lost is another day that Hybern gets closer to shattering the wall.”

Which is naturally why we had time for a multi-day angst-and-sex break, I guess. Maaaaaaates are more important than the fate of the world.

“Do you not understand the risks you take in doing so?” Rhys said, no hint of condescension.

Just because you say there's no condescension doesn't mean it's not kinda an inherently condescending thing to ask, book.

Anyway, the old queen has something else she'd like to say. Apparently, Rhys sent them a letter a while back.

The old woman read, “I write to you not as a High Lord, but as a male in love with a woman who was once human. I write to you to beg you to act quickly. To save her people—to help save my own. I write to you so one day we might know true peace. So I might one day be able to live in a world where the woman I love may visit her family without fear of hatred and reprisal. A better world.” She set down the letter.

And, while I'm sure it's meant to be "heart-warming" "proof" that Rhys was in love with Feyre before (because she makes sure to point out that the letter was written before they were mated), I'm honestly just flabbergasted why he thought it would work. These are political leaders, Rhys. They've got people to look after. They don't give a fuck about your love life. And that's why you don't write to them as a man (sorry, male) in love, you write to them as a fucking High Lord who is in charge of a state, and explain to them why helping is in the interests of both of your peoples. Your love life isn't fucking relevant to an unrelated nation's politics. Shocking, I know.

This is (part of) why these books come across as so fucking juvenile. No one over the age of 14 actually thinks this would work. Probably a fair few people under the age of 14 wouldn't believe it either. And yet, the book presents it not only as if it's a legitimate argument, given the circumstances, but also as if it's just so shocking that it wasn't enough to persuade the queens. But instead of going "oh no, how tragic!" like it wants us to do, we're all just sitting here going "well, duh?"

But then the ancient one said, “Who is to say that this is not all some grand manipulation?” [...] The golden queen nodded her agreement [...] "...Perhaps you are not who you say you are. Perhaps the High Lord has crept into our minds to make us believe you are the Morrigan.”

And I mean. Yeah. There's literally no way the Night Court can prove this isn't some mind-game of Rhys's. His reputation precedes him, and he has no one to blame for it but himself, because he's chosen to expressly cultivate that reputation for 500 years. Seriously. What the fuck did they expect? You can't go around acting like an evil, mind-controlling dictator for 500 years and then, when people don't believe you when you say you're really a nice guy, be all

about it.

And then, of all people, Nesta is the one who stands up for Rhys and co. Yup. Will she receive even an iota of credit or goodwill for this? Probably not. But honestly, given she was immune to Tamlin's glamours, it's not unreasonable to think she'd be immune to Rhys's mind-control, too (I mean, the book would never allow it, but we can dream). So she's like, the only one whose perspective here I'd kinda trust. There's no way to tell if anyone else is being manipulated.

Anyway, Nesta is concerned primarily with the imminent doom of the world, so she demands the queens give them the book. She reasons that, if they have no intention of helping the fight, they should give it to those who will fight. Seems reasonable enough.

The crone sighed sharply through her nose. “An evacuation may be possible—” “You would need ten thousand ships,” Nesta said, her voice breaking. “You would need an armada. I have calculated the numbers. And if you are readying for war, you will not send your ships to us. We are stranded here.”

And look at that. Nesta has apparently calculated what it would take to get every human in Prythian safely out to the mainland. That's interesting. That's veeeeeeeery interesting. Nesta is here, trying to work out how to save everyone in her land, and she's not even in charge of it. Rhysand could never. But guess which one the book wanks over as being oh-so-caring.....

Nesta’s throat bobbed. “Please.” I didn’t think I’d ever heard that word from her mouth.

I mean, I don't remember every instance of Nesta's conversation with Feyre, but I'd be very curious to know if this is actually true. I strongly suspect it isn't. And also, look at this - Feyre is trying to take potshots at Nesta even as Nesta is demonstrating to us that she actually gives a fuck about the people. It is truly astonishing how fucking biased the narration is against her.

The eldest queen remained unmoved. I had no words in my head.

Yeah, the cognitive dissonance has broken Feyre's brain.

We had shown them … we had … we had done everything.

You've done fucking nothing. All you proved is that you've lied about your secret party city for 500 years.

She was still glaring at the queens, her eyes lined with tears—tears of rage and despair, from that fire that burned her so violently from within.

She has tears in her eyes because these queens are basically gonna leave her whole country to die, and the words you want to use are "rage" and "despair?" I mean, neither is wrong, and they're certainly fitting emotions for the scene, but....... it's very telling, what Feyre chooses to project onto Nesta. Very telling indeed.

Anyway, Cassian decides he's going to show us that the Night Court people are Just Better than the stinky humans.

[C]"...I can think of no better way to end my existence than to defend those who need it most.”

Then why the fuck are you working for Rhysand? He literally sold out your entire country to protect the one city that was already safe. By definition, the people who needed it the least.

I watched a tear slide down Nesta’s cheek. And I watched as Cassian reached up a hand to wipe it away. She did not flinch from his touch. I didn’t know why, but I looked at Mor.

I know why. It's because the book still thinks we give a fuck about this.

Anyway, the queens prepare to leave. Mor offers them money for the book.

The golden queen snorted as their guards closed in around them. “We have all the riches we need. We will now return to our palace to deliberate with our sisters.” “You’re already going to say no,” Mor pushed.

And that's actually a really good point. They haven't actually said no, yet. They said they were going to deliberate. All that drama, and there hasn't actually been a hard no yet. God, it's pathetic.

But, it's all a moot point, because actually, the golden queen secretly smuggled in the second half of the book and left it for them, hooray! Much fuss is made about its whispering, but it's not important, just a feeble attempt at flavour.

Rhys flipped back the lid. A note lay atop the golden metal of the book. I read your letter. About the woman you love. I believe you. And I believe in peace.

And of course, that's the fucking reason. Ugh.

I believe in a better world. If anyone asks, you stole this during the meeting. Do not trust the others. The sixth queen was not ill.

Right, because stealing the book (aside from expressly not working in the case of the human half) is really going to pave the way to a better world, uh huh. As is fomenting mistrust towards all the other rulers. This book is so fucking braindead sometimes, I swear to god. Like, it could just be that the golden queen is a shit-stirrer, but we all know that that's not the case and this is meant to be taken 100% at face value. So fucking pathetic.

Anyway, Rhys offers Nesta and Elain the first legitimate choice he's offered anyone in the series, telling them they can either stay here or go with them to Velaris. They choose to stay.

But my mate nodded—kindly. With understanding.

And of course, we're gonna wank over it. Hoo boy.

And [Nesta] said to me, “That was why you painted stars on your drawer.”

Ugh. Don't remind me.

Anyway, everyone presumably leaves, and the chapter ends.

[theneurodivergentwolf]

I was never planning on fully returning to my anti-sjm days but I saw a post that inspired this

Feyre literally gets a drop of magic from every High Lord how did the story NOT go in the direction of her being emissary between the courts??? It’s so obviously RIGHT THERE AHHHH like okay I know SJM’s world-building is lacklustre anyway and she doesn’t know how to write fantasy politics to save her life so it still wouldn’t have been good but it still would have been better???

We could have explored ALL the courts fully and seen different quirky world-building stuff and Feyre could have actually grown without needing to become a warrior. Her skills as a hunter could have translated politically (setting traps, lures, outsmarting her quarry) she could have made allies and friends (and enemies) in the different courts.

In her time at each court she could have practiced with the magic of that HL so that her learning curve would have made sense (how does she master at least seven types of magic in just a few months??? While she’s also busy training with weapons and thirsting over Rhysand???) or better yet just give the timeline a biiiig stretch and have 5-10 years pass by and she doesn’t even NOTICE since she’s immortal now.

God the potential.

[browneyedartist01]

Direbound felt more like a girl being slowly brainwashed by a hive mind cult of pervert direwolves rather than an underdog power fantasy it so painfully wanted to be.

[maladattata]

The beginning of acowar wants to portray tamlin as bad and stupid for believing feyre would or could love him, but it accidentally makes him the only one to not doubt her. Feyre has told everyone that she was abused, but alis says, no, I heard you were smiling in summer, so I won't believe you and doubt you were abused. Tamlin is criticised for believing feyre was abused despite having gained weight and looking healthier. And it is to me a disgusting implication that abuse is always outwardly visible, that the right and good characters doubt feyre's story of abuse, while only evil tamlin believes her unconditionally. Feyre even uses this idea of outward visibility by herself abusing tamlin (bc yes the provocation into a breakdown and then consciously choosing to get hurt to portray yourself as a victim is reactive abuse, feyre is following the darvo pattern). But bc she bears the physical appearance of abuse it must be her that's the victim, there can be nothing psychological going on.

It also fits with Rhysand's powers as a mind manipulator, his abuse never leaves physical marks and is invisible and therefore not real. It is a pretty harmful view on abuse imo, to only view it as physical manifestation, be it malnutrition or wounds. It is repeated over and over again: lucien is abused bc he is seen wounded even though we never see how it happened, nesta is healed bc she is eating again, tamlin only registers as hurt in the narrative once he is physically thinner and unkempt.

The book cannot conceive that nesta and feyre are in abusive relationships as long as they are eating well. This could be an interesting comment on these girls being thankful for incredibly psychologically isolating and controlling situations bc they were starving for so long, the simple fact of not suffering malnutrition is enough for them. But I know for sjm abuse is only men punching and not men sweet talking and keeping information from you and controlling your food, your body, your location, your sexual behaviour, etc etc.

[fairiesandanxiety-deactivated20]

Cough *Rhysand and Cassian* cough

[dontknow666]

And can I say that Nesta and Elain are isolated in Velaris?

Because they are. They never saw the world–Prythian–outside Velaris, they went to the Hewn city one time and Nesta went to a few meetings with Cassian when meeting with Eris. They do not have money of they own, we never even learn what happened to their inheritance from their father. As far as I know Nesta does not get paid for her work in the library or with the Valkyrie's. Quiet frankly they live on Rhysand and Feyre's money, and "kindness".

(Remember in acofas where Feyre made Nesta go to their solstice party using her rent money?)

Elain literally lives with them (how uncomfortable it must be to live with your little sister and her husband, and they famously like to solve their arguments with sex), and has nothing of her own. Her friends are their spies/maids that Feyre paid extra for befriending her and "helping" her.

They live in Velaris where Rhysand can tell any employer not to hire them, where Rhysand rules from.

But Nesta likes Velaris and Rhys offered her multiple jobs before locking her up!

Yes, he offered her jobs that most likely served him and where he would be her full-time boss. As a girl with a brother in law(that is like a brother to me no matter how much i shade him) I would not want him to be my boss, and do as he says.

If they wanted to escape the city they couldn't, because they do not know anyone outside of Velaris(someone they could trust). The reason they could lock Nesta up was because she had no other choice, had never saw the rest of Prythian or the Night Court.

The concept of it all is just wierd and uncomfortable for me. They live on Rhys and Feyre goodwill, and we all saw what happens when they do something they do not like.

And while we're here: WHAT THE FUCK IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT VELARIS?

[snarkformysanity]

On Narcissistic Writing in the Works of SJM

Was browsing the news today and came across an article talking about narcissism, covert narcissism, specifically. I've often said in my reviews that there's a lot in SJM's books and characters that comes across as narcissistic. Thought I'd pull some quotes from the article and discuss how they come up in her work. The article is here, for the curious:

The covert narcissist: Charming on the surface, destructive beneath

As "narcissist" becomes the catch-all insult of the social media age, here is the crucial difference between everyday selfishness and a seri

Most of my thoughts will come from ACOTAR and CC, as I've not read TOG yet - feel free to chime in with any thoughts on how it fits in the comments! I'm curious.

Anyway, without further ado. Let's begin.

“People with Narcissistic Personality Disorder see life as a vertical hierarchy,” leading American expert Elinor Greenburg says, “where the goal is to get as close to the top as possible. Everything is about status.” 

One of my greatest pet peeves with SJM's works are around the portrayal of status and inequality. It isn't just that her protagonists end up rich - ACOTAR is essentially a billionaire romance with a fantasy coat of paint, and CC has most of its characters receive "considerable inheritances" or other such excuses to give them a lot of money. It's in everything.

Every relevant character is the Best and Most Awesome and Dangerous and Scary ever. A common tactic to discredit characters we're meant to dislike is to imply that they're fakey-fakers just trying to copy the "real" elite. E.g. as part of the demonisation of Tamlin, we learn that apparently all his fighting techniques are Illyrian techniques he learned from Rhys, and even his damn knives are suddenly of Illyrian make. Nowhere else in Prythian has ever made a knife, I guess. Amarantha, as well, is only copying the "real" atrocities of the Night Court.

Most egregiously, it's in the portrayals of conflict between the powerful elite and the oppressed masses, usually humans. How often do both ACOTAR and CC try to "both sides" their respective conflicts? Despite the situations being not even remotely close to a "both sides" situation? It's an element of the covert narcissist - victimising themselves in order to gain sympathy from their target (in this case, the audience). The poor, poor fae/Vanir, victimised by these evil, evil humans! Jurian tortured a fae woman, tortured her I say! And the human rebels killed some Vanir children one time! Weep! Weep for the oppressors! And yet, we get curiously little mention of the (significantly worse and more numerous) atrocities committed by the fae/Vanir side...

Both ACOTAR and CC make attempts to ingratiate their protagonists with the "lessers", primarily for cheap victim points (see above point about covert narcissists). Feyre with her family situation and living in poverty, Bryce with her half-human status. But it's clear the book doesn't *really* think they belong in that filthy class. The portrayals of poverty and class dynamics are laughable at best. In CC, Tharion is even "punished" by having to pick up rubbish! And having him whinge at the indignity of it! And it's *that* incident that makes him start thinking there needs to be a leadership change! Despite pretences to the contrary, it's clear the books think that such tasks are "unworthy" of their protagonists, despite how fundamental and important such things are in reality.

At best, The Poors are something protagonists can use (and discard) in order to make themselves look good, to pose with for cheap Good Person cred. Feyre when she's oh-so-generously handing out money (that she's conveniently just received a bottomless supply of) to the families in her village who are apparently Even Poorer than she was - families who were never mentioned even once when trying to build up Feyre's victim cred, note. Bryce does this as well, with her book setting up centrepiece moments for her to "fall to her knees" in grief at the plight of the Lesser humans, but having her not give a shit at any other time. Even going so far as to only even entertain the idea of helping the rebellion on the basis that she might be able to personally gain something out of it. The Poors are tools to be used, according to these books. The overwhelming majority of them never even get names!

An exaggerated sense of self-importance, preoccupation with fantasies of success, power and brilliance, a belief they are special, excessive need for admiration, sense of entitlement, pattern of taking advantage of others, a lack of empathy along with envy and arrogance are the criteria to look out for. 

The criteria list is very interesting. It's painfully obvious to us how well it fits many of SJM's characters - Feyre puffing herself up about what an awesome High Lady she is, how she deserves to have the other High Lords (her alleged equals) bow to her, how she's such a brilliant spy, how she deserves to be calling the shots on running a nation and Tamlin is Wrong for suggesting otherwise, her complete inability to consider perspectives other than her own, etc, etc, etc.

But what makes it interesting is how the narratives will twist and contort themselves in an attempt to justify and make true some of the narcissistic delusions. Giving Feyre all of the High Lords' powers, for example. Or Bryce and her constant power-ups as the Super Awesome and Magical Starborn Princess, or however it went whenever the book wanted to be cute by lampshading it. All the faceless masses *do* fall on their knees in admiration; failure to do so is used as justification for all sorts of atrocities e.g. breaking multiple bones in Keir's body because he took Rhys's (carefully and deliberately crafted) bait and called Feyre a whore. Failure to think the Main Characters are the Greatest People Ever is a fault to be corrected, at best, and a one-way ticket to irredeemable villainy, at worst. The framing of the novels are a narcissist's wildest fantasies made manifest, in a world where literal god is on your side.

We all know about the balls-out, boasting, shiny, charismatic braggadocio of the overt or grandiose narcissist who creates stories and causes chaos and confusion. But vulnerable narcissists are a sub-species that can appear fragile and charming. This is a mask.

They are insidious and pernicious, says US psychologist Ramani Durvasula. “Quietly hostile, passive aggressive, sullen, brooding, victimised. A covert narcissist’s tactics only show up when there are no witnesses, apart from the victims.”

They can appear needy, brittle and dependent. “It draws us in,” Ferguson says. “It makes us want to help and protect them.”

But this is weaponised weakness. By getting people to feel sorry for them, covert narcissists are gathering the sympathy and support to isolate their victim.

Says Durvasula: “Covert narcissism is essentially a manipulation through victimhood.”

A long quote, but a telling one, because how often are SJM's characters making sure to play the victim for us? Probably the most egregious examples are the in-universe ones with Rhysand. He uses sob stories to dodge all sorts of responsibilities, from what he did to Feyre Under the Mountain, to the murdered Winter Court children, it's all classic DARVO to try and make the other characters (and the audience) feel sorry for him and therefore cow to his will (usually by dropping whatever thing they were trying to make him take accountability for).

But of course, it's not just him. Every character and their dog has an extremely traumatic backstory (no, really, Bryce's dog does too), to the point that it's kind of excessive. Said backstory is often the very first thing we learn about a character, in an attempt to prime us to feel sympathy for them regardless of what happens after this point. Our first chapter in Hunt's POV is a multi-page infodump of his Tragic Backstory. Feyre's first dinner with the Inner Circle is full of them positively tripping over each other to share details that make them sympathetic, and this continues in the chapters immediately afterwards as various characters tell her about the other characters' respective Tragedies. As if a sad past is a replacement for a personality (which we'll get to in a bit).

Also, note the specific use of the word "mask" in the quote. How often are the Night Court banging on about "masks" and how they "have" to use them?

Instead, [the narcissist was] studying you, learning how to become your perfect companion by mirroring your traits, mimicking your behaviours and flooding you with praise and admiration, says Robert, who also asked to use a pseudonym.

When the real person emerges it looks like this: “The gaslighting is constant. Mood swings and outbursts of anger are frequent. It is a cycle of highs and lows. The narcissist lives in chaos and confusion, and they need you to live in confusion as well,” Robert says. 

The parallel between e.g. Rhysand's lip-service to Feyre's wants and the subsequent constant gaslighting is obvious. But I want to talk about it more on a meta level. Most of SJM's works pay lip-service to topical issues - feminism, gay relationships, abuse, class struggle, slavery, and so on and so forth. We all know they're poorly done, but that isn't really the point here. In a way, the narratives are making sure to provide a constant feed of things it assumes we want to hear, rather than establishing a consistent setting that the characters inhabit and are true to. Arranged marriage, for example, seems to be a staple for prominent persons in CC... but the characters are still complaining about it in a way that's very in-line with our modern views on the practice, that it's oppressive patriarchy at work and it's a girl-power thing to throw a fit about it. Even though it should be a normal thing in that world. But the book doesn't care about that; it's saying whatever it thinks it needs to to make us like it/its characters. It's also why it keeps insisting that e.g. Rhysand is such a feminist, despite all evidence to the contrary.

The gaslighting is obvious throughout the narratives. See everything concerning what happened UtM from MAF onwards, as an example. Or the slow appropriation of the human rebellion by the Vanir over the course of CC. But even the rest of that paragraph in the quote - mood swings, outbursts of anger, highs and lows, chaos and confusion - is honestly pretty representative of the style of narrative as a whole. Very little makes sense in a contiguous way. The book oscillates between self-congratulatory preening and self-righteous anger at the drop of a hat, performative emotions dismissed as soon as they're no longer needed. We're told whatever it thinks we need to be told to think how it wants us to think in the moment, and damn whatever came before. Motivations and plot points do not exist, they are merely tools to make us feel a certain way about the main characters, usually to get us on their side. And so on. E.g. CC expecting us to both be self-righteously angry over the mystics situation with the protagonists... but also on the protagonists' side when they're complaining Karen-style about how much the mystic service cost. People who are legitimately so horrified by the situation wouldn't use the service at all. But the book attempts to milk both kinds of angst from the situation, and cares not a whit that the two types don't really fit together. It's all in service of making the protagonists look like heroes, but also like victims. And on that note...

The covet narcissist will use “rat cunning”, she says, and go to any lengths to be in a dominant position, even if another person’s self-esteem is eroded to make them feel better.

“They create a new version of reality where they’re always the victim, the hero, or the innocent party,” she says.  

Yeah. How often do we see this play out with Feyre and Rhysand? Rhysand essentially attempts to re-write everything from the first book in order to establish himself as the Selfless Hero who Sacrificed Himself and became Amarantha's Victim in order to save Everyone Else (read: only Velaris). How many elements in Feyre and Tamlin's relationship is appropriated and re-framed in a Feysand context? E.g. dancing with the will-o-wisps being replaced by Starfall, insisting Rhysand crawled for her but not Tamlin, even insinuating that Feyre and/or Rhysand were the ones who killed Amarantha, at times. Or when Rhysand is confronted about the Wonter Children, and tells us that a heretofore unmentioned and never spoken of again daemati is responsible, while he himself is an innocent victim (and isn't everyone else just such an asshole for assuming otherwise!).

Eroding someone's self-esteem to make themselves feel better is an almost verbatim description of what Cassian does to Nesta throughout their relationship. SF is devoted to tearing her down, so she can be rebuilt as he/the Inner Circle desire.

CC isn't safe from it either. Bryce and co often get stroppy about not receiving the treatment they think they are due for "helping" the rebels (e.g. insisting the rebels need to rescue the "valuable assets" that are Hunt and Ruhn from captivity), while completely ignoring all the times they've actively sabotaged the rebel efforts. Or when Bryce is telling us all about how it was So Hard for her to lie to her parents and dump them in Prythian as collateral for a bargain of dubious use beyond powering her up further - all without telling them! But damn if we aren't expected to feel sorry for her for "having" to make such a Difficult Choice.

The High Lord meeting is another interesting example, and shows the narrative warping itself to accommodate the narcissistic fantasies. Despite having absolutely zero reason to trust the Night Court, every other High Lord is immediately on board with the Tamlin Bad campaign, and spend most of the meeting bashing him and creating openings for the Night Court to look Better. All previous history the Night Court has established for itself is irrelevant - they are The Heroes now, and the book does not give a shit if it makes sense with anything else.

“They remove the context, erase the lead-up and cut out the things they did or said to push you over the edge,” Shaw says.

Suddenly you are presented as an unstable abuser.

“It is a clever, cruel trick,” says author Debbie Mirza. “They have effectively vanished from the crime scene they created, leaving you standing there holding the evidence of your own emotions.” 

And this, I think, is very evident in a few places. Rhysand manipulating Feyre's (and the audience's) perceptions of the events UtM being the most prominent one. And the book helps him. Feyre's outfit during those events are not "the clothes Rhysand forced her to wear", but "the clothes she was made to wear Under the Mountain." Rhysand carefully admits to *some* wrongdoings, but is very careful to avoid acknowledging others - he'll admit (without apologising) that he made her drink the wine, for example, but never mentions any of the subsequent sexual assault. He reframes what he did as "protection", conveniently leaving out that the protection was only necessary because he dragged her out of her cell in the first place. And thus, when Feyre has any notions of maybe holding him accountable for that behaviour, she's instead twisted into feeling that she misunderstood him, and is thus Wronging him for daring to think he might have been anything less than a hero. All with a copious side-helping of Rhys attacking himself for being So Terrible - we're dealing with a covert narcissist here, after all. Baiting Feyre and the audience into wanting to comfort him and assure him that he's not terrible at all.

This same pattern is also very clear with Feyre and Tamlin. The book frames Tamlin as abusive, and Feyre as his victim (and using this to justify her later atrocities in Spring). But often, her own actions inform and exacerbate much of what goes on. More subconsciously in MAF, and then deliberately in WAR when she starts manipulating and baiting him. But returning to MAF, Feyre staunchly *refuses* to communicate with Tamlin for much of her time at Spring. She's upset when he buys her paints, but at no point has she communicated her new-found distaste for them to him, before or after the event. Instead, she resents him for not Just Knowing. Yes, Tamlin's explosion during that scene was not good, irrespective of whether he did it deliberately or as a result of a loss of control or whatever. But it doesn't change that Feyre is, unconsciously, setting up little tests (and only telling the readers about them) that are designed for him to fail. I don't remember which MAF post it was, specifically, but there's one where I listed a whole bunch of quotes from earlier in the book that show Feyre engaging in this avoidant behaviour, and blaming Tamlin for not being able to work out what she wanted anyway. This is a very common form of manipulation and abuse. It's not physical abuse like Tamlin's explosion. But it's also not about one-upping who was the Most Abusive. That's what the book wants us to be doing, and is precisely why it's framed things as it has - so that we see Feyre as the bigger victim in this situation, and thus overlook her own shitty behaviour. But all it really proves is that they were both abusive, just in different ways. The book points to Tamlin's overt behaviour and cries foul, when really, it's mostly just to distract us from Feyre's covert acts. I'd even go so far as to say that the bulk of her victimisation and suffering here is presented to us with the sole intention of smearing Tamlin, because most of it disappears *immediately* once she is in Night. Lucien's hair and flower petals trigger her, but not Mor's red dress? Okay, book. Okay. But speaking of smearing:

But if you expose a vulnerable narcissist and leave the relationship, the smear campaign can begin.  

The demonisation of Tamlin is the prime example. The NC even shit talk him to the other High Lords before the meeting, classic smearing.

But it happens in more subtle narrative ways as well. How often are we told that Hewn City and Illyria are Evil and full of violent, sexist assholes before we get to see either place for ourselves? We learn all about Mor's Tragic Backstory in HC, and how Cassian and Azriel were abused by the Illyrians, long before we get to meet any of the people there and decide for ourselves. And the book is very careful not to show us too much of either place when we are there. The only named character from HC is Keir; the only named Illyrians I can remember are Devlon and Emerie. And most of the time, we're being "shown" behaviour that (the book thinks) "proves" its assertion about them. There is no room for nuance whatsoever. Only the smear campaign, conducted by both the book itself and its characters.

CC is not immune either. Pippa Spetsos, and the human rebellion more broadly, are victims of it. We're told that Pippa is insane and evil and is leaving strings of bodies behind her..... all well before there's even a shred of evidence to suggest that it's true. But, the book wants us to hate her, so that we cheer the protagonists on when they blow up the rebel base, instead of questioning why our alleged of-the-people heroes would do something that's so blatantly in line with the oppressors.

“I hate myself. But I am better than anyone else. I need to be better than everyone around me. My life feels like an act. I feel like a shell, a patchwork of traits that I stole from other people over the years. It feels like being dead, emotion is deeply uncomfortable and distressing. Emptiness is safe.” 

This quote is from a diagnosed narcissist interviewed for the article. But it goes back to what I mentioned earlier about a lack of personality. We learn all about the (external) parts of a character's life that are meant to make us feel sorry for them..... but very little about who *they* actually are. External measures of suffering (verified as abusive by popular consensus) are being used as a replacement for an internal world. Many of SJM's scenes lack an emotional component when they would really, really need one - Feyre's re-enactment of UtM when they first visit HC is one of the most egregious offenders that springs to mind. We get very, very little from her about how she actually *feels* about the situation (apart from feeling horny). It's mostly her gushing about how awesome and selfless Rhys is - becoming an external validator for what the book wants us to think about him. Emotions are uncomfortable and distressing to narcissists. Thus, the book avoids writing about them deeply at all costs.

And it's very clear the book has no understanding of proportionality of emotion. The Rage at being wronged is absolute and all-consuming, no matter how minor the offence. Bryce "falls to her knees" in grief upon realising that human women were abused 15000 years ago (even though it's still going on, and she's allegedly aware of it, to this day). Feyre sits in the dead Summer faerie's blood until it goes ice cold, too numb from grief to even move, even though she didn't even know him. And so on. Aping genuine emotion, rather than considering how and why characters might feel the way they do.

And on the topic of being a "patchwork of traits stolen from other people." I already touched on how Rhys appropriates many of Feyre's scenes with Tamlin. But Tamlin's not the only victim of it. The first time we hear about wanting equality for lesser fae is from Tarquin - and wouldn't you know it, right after that Rhysand claims he's secretly wanted the same thing all along. Even though he was pretty noncommittal to Cassian's resentment of the Illyrians being considered "lesser fae" earlier...

And if we look at Rhysand's "inspiring" speech in WAR, it's all about how he's gotten things from the rest of the IC and become better because of it. Nothing about their own merits. Only the parts that serviced him. The fact that the book frames this as "inspiring" is very telling.

Many believe the more important question is whether the narcissist can even recognise that they need to change. Ferguson suggests that the reason NPD is rare is that so few make it to therapy in the first place. 

Complete lack of self awareness is another common flaw in SJM's writing. Not understanding how the Night Court would come across to the other Courts is the obvious example. The book cannot conceive of how the Night Court could ever be perceived as in the wrong - it is blind to the faults that are so blatantly obvious to the rest of us.

“Many others joined in [the smear campaign], including my friends and even my own brother, spreading rumours, attacking my credibility. It was a coordinated effort to destroy my reputation.” 

And this last quote is interesting to me, because it shows how far-reaching the impact of a narcissist can be. And I think this is part of the reason this fandom is in such a toxic state of division. In the same way that IRL narcissists cause fractions and divisions amongst real groups of people and turn them against each other, so too does the narcissistic writing in these books turn factions of the fandom against each other in kind.

So yeah, to sum all this up, I believe there is an inescapable narcissistic element to the writing of the books themselves, and this goes a long way to explaining many of its faults. Was this writing style a deliberate decision on SJM's part? Hard to say. And I don't know which answer is worse, tbh.

[senu102929]

👁️ Rhysand sees Feyre as the victim, blaming her sisters for her hunting for them while they did "nothing".

👀 Tamlin sees Feyre as fulfilling the dying wish of her mother, having honorable values and sees a kindred spirit in someone who cares for duty and taking care of others/their responsibilities.

I think this translates into the way they treat the sisters - Rhysand sees them as a burden he must support because he is magnanimous and they are his mates family, but he hates Nesta because she won't do what he wants her to and wants them both to be useful to him, holding their dependence on him over their heads as a bargaining chip.

Tamlin sees them as someone he left vulnerable by taking away their source of food and income, and so provides for them to be self sufficient, even in the human lands, even not doing anything to benefit himself, and while taking no credit for it. He holds no ill will towards them, until he and Nesta start arguing at the HL meeting and his only gripe is that Nesta can be cruel with her words, not that he thinks they are useless.

The sisters are not truly self sufficient in the Night Court, they are not free to travel where they'd like, date who they like, act how they'd like. Their jobs are all to serve the Night Court IC.

I'm doubting the narrative of who actually empowers women in this series.