#feyre meta

[imlisaok]

This isn’t foreshadowing, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.

So we know how Feyre got past Tarquin’s mental shields; she used his own power against him.

“I became that sea, became the whisper of waves against stone, the glimmer of sunlight on a gull’s white wings. I became him---became that mental shield.” pg349, ACOMAF

But what about the time she slid through Lucien’s mental shields? (I don’t believe for one second Lucien---or Tamlin either, for that matter---have not trained their mental shields to avoid damaeti, especially considering Rhysand repeatedly states how deadly and dangerous they can be.)

“Those words, the look he gave Lucien and the way Lucien lowered his head---my temper was a burning river in my veins. Look up, I silently beseeched him. Push back. He’s wrong, and we’re right. Lucien’s jaw tightened. That force thrummed in me again, seeping out, spearing for Lucien. Do not back down---

Then I was gone.” pg 95, ACOMAF

and then...

“I could have sworn I beheld two burned handprints on the wood, peeking out from beneath my napkin. I prayed neither of them noticed.” pg 95, ACOMAF

Her temper was a ‘burning river’ and she ended up leaving two burned handprints on the wood. Coincidence? I think not. In that moment, I believe she summoned some Autumn Court magic (because let’s not forget Lucien is not exclusively from the Day Court and does have some fire abilities. At least I think so? haha) and used it against him, like she did with Tarquin.

I’m not sure if I was the only one, but I always wondered how she’d slid into his mind. I do think her powers were all over the place at the time, but it just seemed too simple.

It’s far more subtle and less controlled, but that’s understandable because her powers were still fresh at that point.

Anyway, that’s it. lol

[rowyndodendron]

I’d begun it yesterday, an idle study of the rose garden lurking beyond the open windows of the studio. Through the tangle of thorns and satiny leaves, the brighter green of the hills rolled away into the distance.

Incessant, unrelenting spring.

If I’d painted this glimpse into the court the way my gut had urged me, it would have been flesh-shredding thorns, flowers that choked off the sunlight for any plants smaller than them, and rolling hills stained red.

This right here...is an excellent example of the way Feyre’s brain works. It’s black or white. It’s good or it’s bad. There is no grey area in either of these things. She cannot appreciate the beauty of the scene around her as she once did because it’s now tainted. Her memories of this place but more importantly her feelings towards it alter the way she sees it. 

This is the way Feyre is an unreliable narrator. If she likes something she goes blind to all of the negative aspects of it (See: Tamlin) if she dislikes something she goes blind to all the positive aspects of it (See: the way she reacted upon first seeing Velaris while hating Rhys: ‘oh and you didn’t think maybe everyone else could have done with some protection? You’re alright jack, that’s fine then.’ compared to how she comes to see it when she understands Rhys and his sacrifices) Things are good or things are bad but she struggles with the in-between and that’s something to keep in mind...Especially during this book. 

[rowyndodendron]

That they believed 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.

Feyre, child, you’re so beyond black and white I can’t breathe. Because this is one of the things I think was done well in acomaf - Rhys accepts what he’s done. It’s a difference to Tamlin, who uses the mask of the High Lord the way abusers use other things (anger, alcohol, fear etc) to say ‘it wasn’t me it was this’ It’s a blame shifting thing, which Feyre accepted from Tamlin but that Rhys never tried to lay claim to. 

Rhys is both the good and the bad parts of himself. He’s both the martyr who sacrificed himself, his freedom, his body and sanity for 50 years to protect his court...But he’s also the mask he wore those 50 years, and in the Court of Nightmares, and to most everyone outside of Velaris. He takes responsibility for what he does as both of these people because he made a choice to become that monster and he lives with the consequences. 

Feyre struggles more. Feyre understands why he employs that mask and she condemns others for not understanding it too. Even though Lucien especially has never seen Rhys as anything other than a ruthless, cunning conniving bastard who was willing to sleep with Amarantha to be close to her and have just a little bit more power. 

This is the monster Rhys chose to become and he accepts what that does, how isolated it makes him and his court, how hated. Feyre sees that lack of understanding - a lack of understanding she herself once had - as an insult, and a reason to hate them. 

[rowyndodendron]

Hey, hope you are well :) 13, 14, 28 & 36 for the ask thing x

13) Any theories about where Amren came from and what her real form is?

The short answer is ‘no’ because....well I suck at theories to be honest with you (really) and I just...I feel like firedrake might be a bit too easy? Though I know that’s a popular theory. I see her more like a force than anything else but that’s not...entirely helpful. WE WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE. 

14) How do you view Rhys’s actions UtM?

Fascinating tbh. I get it and I will stab anyone who calls them ‘abusive’ this kind of details most of my thoughts about it (through a lens of criticising it as abusive but, still, most of it is there.) 

28) Thoughts on Fenrys and Connall?

See my thoughts are kind of confused....to the point that sometimes I wonder whether or not I’ve hallucinated half of EoS but...I’m not sure it’s the healthiest?? We obviously haven’t met Connall yet but..I don’t know I think this dynamic just makes Fenrys even more tragic as a character? I mean, idk the way I read it Connall sort of...worships Maeve. In a similar way to Lorcan except, unlike Lorcan, she let Connall into her bed. Which...when you consider that Fenrys took the blood oath in order to protect his brother..is kinda messed up given the fact his brother seems utterly devoted to her. It’s an interesting dynamic, definitely, but I also don’t think it’s the healthiest thing in the world? Fenrys is trapped in this hellhole, bound to a woman he despises, forced to do her bidding - all to protect his brother from her but his brother embraces her and reveres her. It’s twisted af and I’m..curious to see how it plays out in EoS. 

36) Do you forgive Nesta and Elain for how they treated Feyre?

No. Because I never felt they needed forgiveness in the first place. I’ve ranted about this six thousand times, if I want anything in ACOWAR I’d like maybe acknowledgement and gratitude...not grovelling or apologies or forgiveness. But I was having New Thoughts on it this morning (god help you all) when I saw this message again so...here we are, now you have to suffer them. (This’ll wander for a minute but just bear with me)  

I was actually thinking about Elain/Nesta with regards to Lucien. And I...understand why people assume Nesta would be protective and wary of Lucien and why she might not want him to approach Elain but...I feel like she’d yield depending on what Elain wanted. I think the only time she’d protect Elain would be if Elain was uncertain/didn’t want anything to do with him but if Elain chooses to get to know him/be with him Nesta’s not going to block that. 

Wtf does this have to do with Feyre??? you’re probably asking but...I find it interesting to..compare and contrast things, which you may have noticed, and I started thinking about Nesta/Tamlin (I have no idea why it just happened) I’ve seen people claim that Feyre’s sisters/family were abusive towards her (which was the moment I decided to write to the makers of the English language to demand they did a full recall of that word because :) no) But the fact is that Nesta respects Feyre’s choices, her abilities, her agency and independence to the point that she’s actually envious of them. 

Feyre has Issues with regards to independence and, most importantly, value. She needs to feel like she’s doing something, she has to feel like she’s contributing, she needs purpose (and actually so does Nesta. These two are actually...a hell of a lot more similar than people give them credit for and this dynamic FASCINATES ME OKAY SO SUE ME) 

Point is, Feyre and Nesta understand one another. On a fairly deep level, actually. Can you imagine Feyre being happy if Nesta had tried to coddle her? Tried to tell her that she couldn’t hunt, that she shouldn’t, she should just sit at home and let herself be taken care of? Yeah Feyre’s really good at that, she really excels under those conditions so she does, they do wonders for her mental health and well-being. When Tamlin tried that it worked out SO WELL didn’t it? 

Look, I’m not saying that this was entirely Nesta’s purpose here (or Elain’s) but...certainly from a Nesta/Feyre perspective I think it’s interesting to consider this aspect, this understanding; 

Not me, because Nesta had always known and hated that she andI were two sides of the same coin, and that I could fight my own battles.

and: 

 Icouldn’t take care of us, not the way you did. I hated you for that.

These are interesting to consider, (I’ve probably done so before but idc) especially if you flip it on its head and reverse their situations. imagine Nesta did her ‘older sister duty’ (I...dislike this idea but...anyway) Imagine that she was the one who was capable of hunting instead of Feyre, imagine she’d done that, imagine Feyre had been left alone at home all day, every day with the constant knowledge that she was failing her family over and over and over again, that she was nothing but a burden that had to rely on everyone else to take care of her....

I think she’d actually have reacted...very similarly to Nesta.  She resented Tamlin for this after less than three months. She was taken care of, she had everything she wanted, everyone was waiting on her hand and foot, and she had nothing to do, nothing to contribute. She was desperate for that, enough to defy Tamlin and risk his anger several times for the sake of that. And the thing that finally made her snap was Tamlin locking her in the house and refusing to let her go out and do things. 

 Nesta’s lived like that for years. Nesta has in fact, lived like that pretty much her entire life. Her mother died, they lost their fortune, were driven into poverty, her youngest sister was forced to care for them, over and over and over again she’s had this shoved down her throat and I think she hates it. Multiply Feyre’s agony in ACOMAF by five years with the added knowledge of being an older sister and I think Feyre would come out somewhere damn near Nesta in ACOTAR if she’d gone through that. 

...I kinda forgot what the point of this was beyond ‘Feyre and Nesta are actually super similar and it fascinates the ever loving fukc out of me’ OH NO WAIT I DO. I don’t think people pay enough attention to the way Nesta respects her sisters’ and their choices. 

Perhaps she should have paid Feyre more heed, should have shown more gratitude and support (though Nesta’s difficulty verbalising her emotions is...interesting but that’s a meta for another day) But I think she understood her sister and what she needed. (As evidenced in ACOTAR when she tells Feyre that they don’t need her, that she doesn’t have to carry that weight any more, that she can be free. She understands what motivates Feyre, what divides her and upsets her - she just...demonstrates that more through action than anything else. And Feyre ain’t that good with people either but that too is a meta for another day) 

THE ACTUAL POINT is that...I don’t think either sister (I focused on Nesta because....she seems to get the most direct hate on this point) needs to apologise to Feyre...and I don’t think Feyre feels any need to...forgive them either? In saying that I...can’t wait for their scenes in ACOWAR like I need more Archeron sisters scenes more than life itself especially Feyre/Nesta (because what we all need is more content for me to meta on. ahem. anyway) I just...I think that the dynamic between the sisters is a lot richer and more complex than anyone really considers? Everyone just...talks about Feyre forgiving them for what happened but there’s a lot more to it than that, the parallels and the dynamics and the way they work and feel about each other it’s....fascinating. anyway. this concludes my incoherent meta ramble for the day, carry on. 

questions from here