some flavour of fruity

[ominousobserversblog]

The high lord of night court is such an amazing feminist king, he's encouraging illyrian women learning combat so when tragedy strikes and he abandons the whole court again, the women can use it to protect themselves and he can then get his general to slaughter them too along with the illyrian men #equality

[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.

[livinforthetea]

It's unbelievable that this has to be repeated but apparently there are many many women out there that do not get it: Rhysand and Cassian not telling Feyre and Nesta (before they start having sex with them) that High Fae women die trying to give birth to winged babies is like a man sleeping with a woman and not telling her that he has an STD.

And NO it does not matter if Nesta or Feyre initiated the sexual activity.

And NO it does not matter if they are taking precautions against pregnancy.

And NO it does not matter if pregnancy is rare.

No matter what way you look at it, it is an incredibly selfish gross violation.

(And frankly it's pretty gross that these guys seem to not want anything to do with the women that would be able to procreate with them and why they don't seem to be interested in them....).

[hibikibiruby]

Idk what SJM is doing here but she's testing my patience

Eris literally warned Nesta that if she stayed with the Night Court, she’d risk her ruin… and honestly the narrative keeps proving him right.

JUST A REMINDER THIS HAPPENED AT HER OWN HOUSE :

“face was nearly vacant”

“She sounded thin, brittle”

“Nesta had that look, too. Like she was processing a lot of things.”

“Nesta’s shoulders tensing, her head bowing.”

“her fingers surprisingly cold”

“that bruised look lingered in her eyes”

“The pain in her eyes-the guilt-seemed to deepen.”

“A muscle ticked in her jaw. Like she was holding back a giant wave of raw emotion. Only a wall of steel kept it at bay.”

like oma?? this is NOT a woman who is okay 🙄 every single description is giving “barely holding it together” but we’re supposed to believe this environment is good for her??

[wishcamper]

maybe the real friends were the ships we wrote out of spite because someone told us not to along the way

[maybeiwasjustjade]

I do find it absolutely hilarious that for someone who decimated potential Nescien (Nesta/Lucien) due to fear those two would rip each other apart, SJM’s grand plan was to introduce Nessian—a pairing so contrived and ill-matched that it takes the cake for Most Toxic Relationship, in a series filled with toxic relationships. Yet in the same breath, introduced the potential that is Neris, which is basically Nescien ramped up to a 1000, with none of the dreaded setbacks.

And yet, somehow, it’s Nessian I’m supposed to root for 💀.

[themadmorrigan]

"Now stay still, and don’t read deeply into what I’m about to do next..."

So in We Both Go Down Together, my "Eris pulls a Rhys and saves Nesta from her own wedding/mating ceremony" - which is getting a one shot sequel soonish focusing on the aftermath of that disastrous event, btw! - my favorite scene comes near the end, when Eris finds Nesta after she runs out of the chapel and offers her a boon: a one way bargain to take her out away from the Night Court, which must be sealed with a kiss.

Well, my lovely friend @lizzytish25 gave me one of the nicest presents I've ever received - the opportunity to bring that scene to life! And so I commissioned the amazing @froggybogwitch, whose fabulous and unique painting style I have always admired, to create this absolutely incredible masterpiece that gives me chills when I look at it:

I mean, just LOOK at the details: the fire opal parure Nesta is wearing (the glow on those stones?!) and the severity of her gown, plus her exhausted, anguished expression; Eris' "let's get this over with" expression and his Landsknect-inspired wedding guest outfit, with the hint of a leaf cape peeking out - and look at his crown!

Ahhh, I'm so happy I can finally share this piece with the world at large!

From the bottom of my heart, @froggybogwitch and @lizzytish25: thank you so, so much. It's so surreal - in the best way - seeing this Neris scene brought to life so beautifully, and with so much emotion. I love it to pieces! <3

[gwynsnes]

what I like most about neris is that we barely have any content of eris only that he is hot, a cunt and proposed to nesta so all the content of them is always centered around her as it should always be

[laxibbeb]

nerisss

[phantomrose96]

wow this scene in my head is great. once i write all 50,000 words to get there then you'll understand too

[moonnogginn]

My little headcanon is that they get together once in a while to make crafts with Xie Lian's scraps and some mysterious sea shells that keep showing up wherever Shi Qingxuan goes

Design for old Feng because I think they would still like to look cute once everything is settled 🥺

A little extra Hua Cheng being supportive

[siriuslyobsessedwithfiction]

Writing YA books about Faes/Faeries: Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas

I’ve started to notice this trend and discussions on how some hardcore SJM fans didn't enjoy The Cruel Prince, whereas the Cruel Prince fans tend to be critical of SJM’s work.

Some of it can be blamed on tiktokification of reading, essentially wanting to just read porn, which would be fine, if people would admit to it instead of shitting on good YA books and making them unpopular, which results in publishing of more mediocre smut with problematic undertones with no consistent plot, which in turn dumbs down the audience. There's no need to turn an entire age category of books into Wattpad fanfics.

I’ve seen ACOTAR fans on tiktok (before I deleted tiktok) say they “didn’t get” Cruel Prince or had to DNF because it was “boring” and "too much politics, no smut”. I had heard all of that before I read either Holly Black's or SJM's work so here's an objective take because I'm not a hardcore fan of either of them.

If you think The Cruel Prince has a lot of politics, you have been tiktokified or don't remember a book that wasn't romance or YA to begin with, so please go read one. It's good for you to broaden your horizons. It doesn't have a lot of politics even for YA. But I will say this: the pacing was slow and the romance was practically nonexistent. You'll have to really look into details and speculate. I wasn't digging it at first at all. I had to come back and reread it again after finishing the trilogy. I fell in love with Jude x Cardan only during the second reread. The Cruel Prince trilogy is not for smut seekers.

However, what some fans don't realize is that unlike SJM, Holly Black doesn't excuse Cardan's or Jude's actions to make them look like great people and leaders or forces the narrative and other characters' pov's to do that. Holly actually writes Fae as what they're supposed to be - actual different creatures from humans with different ways of thinking and feeling. I read somewhere that humans have black vs white morality they navigate, while the fair folk have orange vs blue morality. It's not the same for them, and yet, ones who are actually evil are easily distinguishable. Holly manages to pull that off beautifully. The writing in that regard is masterful. I would also say that Jude and Taryn have adapted to and adopted orange vs blue morality in their own ways. Which translates in them seeking security in the world that's not designed for them, as well as their ambitions.

SJM, on the other hand, writes Fae as way too powerful, constantly horny, conventionally hot people. There is no orange vs blue or even grey morality, they're just selfish people with victim complexes. Their backstories serve as an excuse, not as an explanation. Everyone yaps about how powerful they are but always need their asses saved. PTSD is written unrealistically and the author only whips it out when she needs it. Characters' grand gestures of growth feel shallow since they always go back on their words or ignore the actual root of problems. Faerie folklore is not properly explored, random mythology is tossed in, plot bends backwards to make the perfect ending for protagonists...I would call it porn with plot except the smut isn't even good.

SJM also can't write politics, so instead she feeds her readers propaganda so they won't question the rulers' incompetence and incapacity to make a change in centuries. The whole thing feels like a parody of making fun of filthy rich people. It would be at least somewhat clever if it was.

Lastly, a shout-out to Margaret Rogerson for writing the best and loveliest way I've seen about what it's like to give up humanity to become Fae and grapple with remaining humane in her book An Enchantment of Ravens. Fair warning though, the book is pure fluff, no smut.

[vnfadinglight]

People give Eris shit for asking Rhysand for Nesta's hand and not her and honestly, fair, but there is another side to it.

Eris was raised in the Autumn Court and the whole scene took place in Court of Nightmares. He did was he was taught is respectful - asking the closest male relative (in Nesta's case it was her brother-in-law)

He was told it will be Nesta's decision and you remember what he did? Left her alone. Simply asked her if she came to decision next time they met.

Now, was he pissy when she rejected him? Absolutely. Definitely had to spend some time thinking about gravitational field of Cassian's schlong that ruined his chance for marriage TWICE. He didn't pressure her to marry him or even to "give him a chance", he didn't insult her - he insulted Cassian. He left her alone with an open door to "let him know if she changes her mind."

You know what Cassian did after being rejected? Insulted her repeatedly, stalked her and ultimately forced her to live with him 🙃

And honestly? If someone was stalking me I would be terrified of them. Traumatized Nesta is braver than me.

[silver-flames-of-dusk]

We need to remember that Nesta rejected Eris's marriage proposal (and thus the prospect of possibly becoming High Lady of Autumn) to promise Cassian forever.

Nesta changed her anatomy so she could bear Cassian's children.

Nesta kissed the last scrap of her humanity goodbye by accepting the mating bond to Cassian.

Yet people don't think he should support her or prioritize her or defend her or care about her well-being because she hurt his feelings before they even got together as a couple?

[hibikibiruby]

What if Nesta looked Rhys dead in the eyes and pulled a full Carmilla, Queen of Styria, "Fuck you Rhys and fuck everyone, I WIN" and proceeded to become the narrative's worst fucking problem. not for power. not for peace. just waking up every morning and choosing to be everyone's worst nightmare.

[merelyamateur]

I just remembered that when Feyre was exhausted and sore from overtraining, Cassian and Azriel practically set up camp outside her room. They brought her salve and gave her a day off. When Nesta fell down the stairs because of the IC itself that locked her in (and she decided to go down because she wasn't strapped in, mind you, so she should have been able to get down easily, but of course that's not what happened), Azriel held back his laughter and Cassian greeted her at the top of the stairs practically laughing and mocking her. She didn't get any salve, not even a "are you okay?", even though her injuries could have killed a human.

Cassian cared more about his adoptive brother's wife's back pain than about the partner who is bonded to him, who he spent his whole life waiting for, who he has a bond with that is supposedly a gift from the goddess.

Cassian never loved Nesta, the person. He doesn't even seem to care about the bond.

[tamlinmybeloved]

one of my biggest issues with both feysand and nessian is the fact that both relationships are so freakin sexual.

to be clear, it's not the fact that the couples are having sex that bothers me, it just feels like that's the foundation of the relationships.

breakdown of the relationship/rant below the cut:

the moment Feyre accepts the bond, she and Rhysand have sex, but the foundation for their sexual relationship was laid when she was still with Tamlin. As much as the pro crowd loves to disregard the first book, feysand's first sexual interactions were nonconsensual. Rhysand reads her sexual thoughts aloud to Lucien and Tamlin the second time they meet. He SAs her UTM by coercing her into a bargain where he "owns" her, drugs her, forces her into skimpy clothes, has her on his lap while she's drugged, and has her dance under the influence until she can't even remember what she did.

The first time he kidnapped her, he forces her to write sentences about how he's a perfect lover. He projects sexual fanfic of them into her brain to the point where she initially doesn't even realize it's not her thoughts.

During his infamous pity party monologue, he says that he assumed that Feyre would figure out they were mates WHEN they had sex. Gave no thought to the fact that she might never want to have sex with him, nope! For Rhysand it was a forgone conclusion that of course Feyre would want to sleep with him. And once you read that, all previous sexual interactions seem like either grooming or manipulation on his part. Predatory attempts to warm her up or open her up to the possibility and once she got there, he kept laying it on thick until she gave in, notably after he spun his sob story and included a significant amount of emotional manipulation.

Was Rhysand telling the truth at all? Potentially. A lot of his stories conveniently happen a long time ago before Feyre was even born and she doesn't bother to verify anything for herself. But seeing as the whole setup of that chapter is essentially "Convince me, and I'll accept you as my mate" why wouldn't Rhysand lie in order to achieve what he's been after since he coerced her into a bargain under the mountain? We've seen that Rhysand isn't above deception (Summer Court) and frankly, he has all the reasons in the world to try and lock down Feyre, seeing as a) she has every High Lord's power, including his daemati powers and b) she's proved willing to help him and easy enough to manipulate into doing things his way. As an added bonus, she's young and impressionable and his to shape as he pleases.

Finally, she's only been in the Night Court, his court, since leaving Tamlin and Spring. He showed her Velaris and has a vested interest in that particular secret staying secret. Ergo, she can't leave. She hasn't learned to winnow yet and doesn't stand a chance against Rhys or any of his cronies.

Like it or not, Feyre has about as much agency or power as she did in Spring, and I'd argue less because Tamlin often caved to her on various issues (the tithe, having people in the manor) and didn't have as many people in his circle. Tamlin not being her mate means that there's no biological factor that attracts her and compels her into sexual activity. Tamlin not being a daemati means that he can't go rooting around her brain and see her her sexual thoughts or plant any sexual thoughts of his own. He still restricted her movement which, regardless of how much of a red flag it is for a romantic partner to do, it was a reasonable move for a leader.

This isn't to say that she should've stayed with Tamlin. She has every right to leave, but there are clear issues with how Rhysand behaved towards Feyre that are never addressed or even recognized as bad. And until they are, feysand will always be an imbalanced and problematic relationship with a rotten foundation.

(this went long, so I'll tackle nessian another day)