The ACOTAR fandom deciding every abusive ex anyone has ever had is "basically Tamlin" will never not be funny to me. Like I'm sorry your ex was terrible. Genuinely. I'm glad the books helped some of you recognize that and get out. But turning a character into a stand-in for your personal history and then insisting that interpretation is the objective reading of the text is kind of the definition of narcissistic self-projection. Especially in a first person POV series where we are literally inside one character's feelings and biases the whole time. Part of reading fiction is extending empathy beyond your own experiences instead of flattening complex characters so they neatly fit the narrative you've built around your ex. Characters exist within the context of the story they're in, not as therapy metaphors for the fandom. And no, the author agreeing with that fandom take doesn't magically make it more legitimate.
Elain's pity parade after seeing Nesta in the House of Wind in ACOSF is honestly so cringe. You're a grown woman and you're talking like you're seven years old. You pack up her things and facilitate locking her away, so you know she's in rehab, you know it's bad enough she has to go to rehab, you turn up without an invitation, you ignore all her boundaries, you push a subject she doesn't want to talk about, she lashes out, and you immediately then take that for confirmation that she isn't trying to recover (even when Nesta is literally training and working in the library each day and trying to get the priestesses in the library to train too) then go running off in tears wailing that you "want to go home!" because mean, evil Nesta is being so horrid to you. She's in fucking rehab. You helped put her there. People in rehab tend to be on edge. Going barging in without permission, making them talk about things they don't want to talk about, then throwing a wobbly when it doesn't go how you want, is just pathetic.
Like, if Elain isn't being manipulative or intentionally cruel here to Nesta, then she's just being thick.
The scene in ACOWAR where Azriel says Elain is a seer isnāt the āgotchaā people think it is.
Yes, Madja said that a mate would know whatās wrong. Elainās confusion over her visions was just a part of what was wrong with her. She was also severely depressed and traumatized.
āShe doesnāt need anything,ā Azriel answered. āWeāre the ones that who need.. a seer.ā
This quote doesnāt prove Azriel is her ātrueā mate because heās only focused on one aspect of Elainās problem. Instead of attempting to help her, he focuses on how she can help them. For someone like Elain who pushes her pain aside instead of dealing with it, this isnāt beneficial for her. And mind you, the Inner Circle (including Azriel) never attempts to train her magic and help her control the visions.
In comparison, Lucien is focused on Elainās mental well being because he understands that she went through something horrific.
āTake her to the sea. Take her to some garden. But get her out of this house for an hour or two.ā
Instead of focusing on how they could benefit from Elain, heās focused on what could help Elain.
For @tamlinweek Day 4 - Family (YEAH I'M LATE AGAIN, AND WHAT OF IT?)
I massively fell out of love with the original concept for this since I failed to render it how i wanted. i'm just not skilled enough yet. a shame because how these two meet has always been very vivid to me. Maybe I'll try to do a better job way down the line in procreate or smthn, I think it's a good exercise.
I'd originally had Tam and Rhys meet immediately after the human war under the pretense that Tam was in his teens when it concluded, but learned later that Tam would've only been 7 lol. So the interpretation has changed a bit...
This occurs at the Dawn court like a whole decade after the human war for independence is won. Tensions had mostly died down between Prythian and the Spring Court, the only court that fought staunchly in favor of slavery. They had lost plenty and faced significant indictments during the negotiations that followed, to the extreme displeasure of Tam's father. And yet, there are still negotiations to be made. Dawn Court was considered a neutral touchpoint.
Tamlin himself was silently grateful for the warās outcome. Heād always been the softest brother, never having been able to stomach his familyās treatment of their slaves. When Tam is asked to shadow the rest of his family as a scribe, he doesn't complain.
Spring and Nightās families pass by each other in the halls in between meetings. Neither would have courteous words to say to one another, as such, everyone is silent despite the palpable tension in the air.
Rhysand, hair still cut close to his scalp from his time commanding the military, stays close to his mother, and pointedly ignores the glares of the Spring royal family. He never let the brutish appearances of the southern slave-owning court ruffle him, despite his burning contempt. Celyddon was easily the strongest high fae male heād ever seen, and his sons had all inherited his build. Their bodies blocked the sun from his eyes as they walked past.
As the two groups had almost completely passed each other, Rhysand double takes when he spots the unfamiliarly small figure at the back of the entourage.
Since when did Cel have a third son?
The male young, likely no older than fifteen; a child. He has the awkward lanky build of one experiencing their first growth spurt, and Rhysand distantly wonders if this one would grow to be as tall, broad, and violent as the others. The boy's hair is as golden as his motherās and falls like a messy mop about his shoulders. Heās underdressed compared to the rest of the group; almost plain looking. Instead of gripping a court sword, he holds a stack of parchment in his arms.
Eyes like newleaf glance towards him warily, and Rhysand notices the purple swelling around his left eye.
One could not expect even basic courtesy from Celyddon, such as to glamour the obvious hand he or his ilk had laid on his youngest child, but nevertheless Rhys cannot keep the look of pity from his face.
Hello yes I am the evil king of Hybern who wants to take over prythian but I am going to sit back and do nothing while my general has all of the high lords imprisoned without their magic for 50 years because I didnāt exist until book 2
Everyday I remember one new thing I hate about Acotar and today it's Nagas
and Bharat
So you are telling me you took "inspiration" (idk if it counts as inspiration the character design is literally the exact but ok) from hinduism and made it the most vile creature?
Naga means snake appear in three forms- humanoid body with snake tail, completely as snake and a snake head with humanoid body. How does Naga look in acotar male humanoid with serpentine features.
Nagas which are worshipped in hinduism (literally have a national holiday for Naga panchmi for yk worshipping them) their blessings are sought for the welfare of family, their statues are bathed in milk, live snakes are offered milk. The Protector of the universe, Vishnu rests on a Naga the Sheshnag and the Destroyer of the universe, Shiva has Vasuki, another naga that coils around his neck. Both of the snakes are worshipped and seen as protectors.
Sjm took a deity and made them the most vile creatures? They enjoy "torturing and eating humans"? Way to disrespect a culture.
World building of acotar this and world building of acotar that. There's no world building in Acotar she just steals takes inspiration from different religions and makes it offensive. The world building of acotar and it's just Britain and its colonies. Papa Archeron does trade in Bharat. He trades "valuable spices and textiles" from Bharat? Bharat? As in India? One of the names of India? "Valuable spices and textiles" like yk how India has been famous for spices (your chicken tikka masala) and textiles (that these white people are still stealing. Scandinavian scarf? No it's dupatta, "Vintage accessories" on Ralph lauren and it's just jhumkas, open toe braided sandals? You mean kolhapuri chappal?). And everyone and their mother died from malaria in colonial India set stories like the Archeron cousin.
I swear this series doesn't have a single original creative thought.
There's no world building in Acotar. This is just faerie prn.
I will never understand how Tamlin locking Feyre in the giant manor to prevent her from following him into an active war zone when she had severe ptsd and would have been a danger to herself and everyone around her was more triggering to her than Rhys putting a shield around her entire body making it impossible for her loved ones to even touch her.
Feyre is in one massive cage and yet because itās Rhysandās doing, itās the best thing ever. Velaris is warded, their homes are warded, her body is warded.
And unlike what Tamlin did that was 100% temporary given a very specific circumstance that could have gotten people or herself killed, Feyre is caged by Rhys 24/7.
Interesting how we never hear about Feyre doing anything except paint as her hobbies. What happened to hunting for sport? What happened to visiting villages and stuff? Does she even leave Velaris alone or is she always accompanied by the Inner Circle in some capacity? Guards are still guards even if she calls them family now.
Hearing Feyre laugh about having a cage around her body so strong that even her scent canāt be detected and being like āOh itās just Rhys being sillyā is actually kind of horrifying. She makes it pretty clear this is something Rhys insists on.
I really canāt stand the hypocrisy sometimes. I swear, everything Feyre complained about Tamlin, Rhys does the same thing so much worseā¦
I see people excited that Tamlin's not going to get a happy ending because abusers don't deserve it, but why doesn't SJM and this fandom extend that logic to all the other abusers SJM writes? There's Aelin, Rowan, Manon, Rhysand, Feyre, Cassian, Az, Amren, Mor, Ruhn, Lidia, and I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting about. Why is Tamlin the only one who doesn't deserve a happy ending? Why is his abuse unforgivable, whereas the other's abuse are labeled "mistakes?"
I also see people say that Tamlin and Nesta deserve to suffer. Okay...but why only them? Rhysand has caused 99% of his court to suffer for centuries; he's caused people across Prythian to suffer for centuries, especially during Amarantha's reign, so why doesn't he deserve to suffer? Feyre's destroyed the lives of thousands of innocent people across the Spring Court, Summer Court, Night Court, and human lands, yet she can just forgive herself rather than suffer? Cassian can mass slaughter an entire village, displace innocent women, children, and elderly from their homes, yet he's not allowed to suffer? Amren is rude, disrespectful, cruel, abusive, and racist to everybody, yet she's submissive to Rhysand, ergo she doesn't deserve to suffer?
I could go on, but the double standards that SJM holds her characters to bleeds into this fandom to the point that people will absolve characters of crimes far worse than what Tamlin and Nesta have done while simultaneously saying Nesta and Tamlin don't deserve forgiveness or happiness, and that they deserve to suffer...and it makes no sense.
seeing sjm stans just rolling over and being like š„ŗš„ŗ oh sarah is TRAUMATIZED and she wrote about it in her books now I understand why nesta and feyre were treated so poorly
NUH UH
at the risk of sounding like a whole ass insensitive bitch I think her projecting into her books and writing so irresponsibly to where two young women are repeatedly abused by their male love interests who faces ZERO accountability makes it WORSEEEE
ESPECIALLY when she wrote such harmful mental illness stigma AND wrote harmful and inaccurate depictions of alcoholism and alcohol abuse and also sexualized emaciated bodies from eating disorders and MULTIPLE SAs to the SAME female character
NOT INCLUDING writing that whole fuck ass pregnancy arc DURING the overturning of Roe v Wade
there are WAYS to write and process your trauma through your writing ESPECIALLY if youre going to PUBLISH IT TO MILLIONS OF READERS RESPONSIBLY. miss me with that shit
The absolute flex for Tamlin to sit down in his chair in beast form at dinner before shifting for Feyre the first time.
A massive horse-sized dog just lounging in a chair, wood creaking under his weight, and then poof, it's Tamlin. What a reveal. What absolute disregard for furniture.
Okay, shipping Nesta with the House of Wind more and more. Too bad it canāt make a humanoid avatar cause goodness, this House can flirt. Every time she interacts with the House, I get all giddy. The bath, the books, the cake. Iād swoon. The House is green flag boyfriend/girlfriend(?) material. I swear, if the House drops her a toy some dayā¦ lmao
But itās also clear the House is a Nessian shipper.
Iām seeing Nesta softening and being understanding to people like Gwyn and especially Cassian when he opened up about what his mother went through. Hoping (possibly in vain) to see him extend a similar grace to her.
I will give Cassian a half point for actually apologizing about saying everyone hated her. Step in the right direction. But Iām only 1/4-ish of the way through the book so who knows how Iāll feel by the end.
I swear, if SJM shatters Cassian completely for me, I will take MAF/WAR Cassian and run. We are not letting my golden retriever die!
I just wanted to contribute here with Rhysand's Slander.
Meet Potential Most powerful High lord.
This guy is a fraud. The most powerful High Lord, yet he always gets beaten every book. He committed fifty years of crimes under Amarantha command but receives no punishment. Children of the Winter Court were killed, but magically it was another Daemanti who was never even mentioned in the story, and we don't even know his whereabouts or who he is.
He sent a severed head to the Spring Court, but it's okay, apparently Feyre doesn't find it terrifying.
He angrily claims that Tamlin contributed to the death of his family, but he is primarily responsible for the death of Clare Beddor's family. She was tortured to death and her body was defiled. But he said he's very sorry š (We didn't see him show any remorse for this; he only says this because Feyre asked.).
All the defenses his stans make about what he did in UTM are basically: "He's a sex offender, but with a good reason!!"
Over 500 years old, but apparently doesn't know how to respect the reproductive rights of others. "Still learning". š
The most incompetent and negligent leader in his own court. His own court hates him. He doesn't protect the women of the court enough to prevent wings's clipping.
Get horny inside a sanctuary for victims of SA. Sex in a tent while people died around fighting the war (gross).
"if" and "when" but never "is".
dragged him. called him a flop in 45 different ways. absolutely no notes, 10/10. speak ur truth anon my ask box is always a safe space for rhys slander šāāļø.
Smug SJM fans being like āwhat Tamlin supporters got to say now?ā
The exact same thing weāve been saying. Just because SJM is a shallow, privileged vibes writer who makes excuses for one man while condemning the other, AND canāt bother with any complexity regarding her character doesnāt mean we canāt xD
Quit acting like her limp noodle of a tell-all is a smoking gun
