Ok, wolf's here again with another quick ask (sorry I couldn't resist!) but... I actually believe that Rhysand doesn't really love Feyre. He's obsessed with the mating bond (he begged and dreamed of it), and here she is: his mate. He tries so hard to make HER fall for him, to keep her but at the same time she has to PROVE to him she's worth it (I'm sorry, but making her steal the ring from the Weaver? MHM) and to see she's over Tamlin (HMMMMMMM) and her tattoos, their death pact (the stupidest thing EVER it really doesn't even make sense in the narrative, like 0 to 0 sense) then the BABY.
I can't stress it enough about that plot (truly, my hate for it is beyond, that book? It's better if I do not speak on it) and overall he is... unhappy. He looks even more so after everything. In the bonus story of Hofas he literally loses his cool, he's brash - more so than in the past. His powers do explode. (Yes, yes, bc of the risks and all that, but still... even some of his stans saw it as a surprise and not IC for him, so...)
To me, he looks like a caged beast that should be happy. HE IS HAPPY, or so he says. But then, with Tamlin in that novella... he says No. When Tamlin asks him "Isn't that enough," he says No. And - as someone just reminded me - even when he leaves Nesta and Cassian in Spring, he looks toward the mansion. He's always, in a way, thinking about him.
Feyre let go of Tamlin. As she said, she wants him to be better (personal eye roll here) and be happy.
Rhysand isn't. Rhysand can't let go of him.
He needs to taunt him, to see him explode, a reaction. He says he hates him, he is obsessed with him.
He cooks him a meal. He asks Summer to make sure someone is patrolling.
He says it's for the good of Prythian. He says it's for a better cause.
But is it really? I know that SJM probably (99.99%) doesn't even see the subtext she almost implies, but I do really wonder if Rhysand is actually in love with Feyre, if it's not their 2 years honeymoon phase (longer maybe because they are Faes) + the mating bond and him trying to reinforce over and over that he is happy.
He loves her. He has everything he wanted, begged, and dreamed for. He has all of it, while Tamlin doesn't.
And he still said no. It's not enough. He needs more.
I fear this man will never be happy until he has Tamlin under him, and loves him.
But we will see, this is how I came to think of it all because I read Crescent City, I did read Throne of Glass at the time and I know that she can... sell me a love story. With Rhysand and Feyre? I see it from her, but sometimes even from her POV it feels forced, but from Rhys? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Like, truly, a Honeymoon phase that is coming to an end, but she is his mate, so he IS happy. He must be.
I won't say he doesn't love her at all, but still. Mhm. Maybe it's my dislike for how SJM pushed the narrative (retcons, errors, etc etc) and the fact that in the book I do dislike the two as characters (how no matter what they do the narrative won't punish them, when IT SHOULD! She even does so in her other series, maybe not in a really deep way, but still. Here in acotar - after the first book - nothing the main characters do is ever seen as bad when it's clear some repercussion must be seen/happen)
Aaaand, I said quick but I lost the plot, sorry!!
TDLR: Rhysand doesn't really love love Feyre, it's more the mating bond and his expectation and I think so for many reasons, but most of all, because he said, with Tamlin, No. It isn't enough when it should be.
(Another thing: Tamlin is truly the one who sees him as he is, and they both know it. I'm sorry, but nothing will change my mind about that dfdfsdfsdfs
And the other "love story" she isn't able to sell me is... Cassian and Nesta. Their bond even sounds fake in the narrative, and what love? My man is in love with Rhysand, Azriel and Mor if anything lol)
Aaaand sorry for this long rant and rambling about this! Hope it didn't bother you too much!
Again, sending you all the love and good vibes I can! ♥
AHHH OKAY I WAS SO SO SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS (I love long asks!!) BUT I BAD AT ANSWERING LONG ASKS, SO I WILL DO THIS PARAGRAPH BY PARAGRAPH
I actually believe that Rhysand doesn't really love Feyre. He's obsessed with the mating bond (he begged and dreamed of it), and here she is: his mate. He tries so hard to make HER fall for him, to keep her but at the same time she has to PROVE to him she's worth it (I'm sorry, but making her steal the ring from the Weaver? MHM) and to see she's over Tamlin (HMMMMMMM) and her tattoos, their death pact (the stupidest thing EVER it really doesn't even make sense in the narrative, like 0 to 0 sense) then the BABY.
YES OMFG YES, THIS RHYSAND DOESNT TRULY LOVE FEYRE THEORY, BUT IS OBSESSED WITH THE MATING BOND (I see a version of this kind of theory in regards to Azriel with Elain, but I really like it in terms of Rhysand) He is absolutely obsessed with the idea of Feyre, but couldn't really handle the wildchild she truly was, so at her absolute lowest he swooped her up and molded her into a version he preferred.
I can't stress it enough about that plot (truly, my hate for it is beyond, that book? It's better if I do not speak on it) and overall he is... unhappy. He looks even more so after everything. In the bonus story of Hofas he literally loses his cool, he's brash - more so than in the past. His powers do explode. (Yes, yes, bc of the risks and all that, but still... even some of his stans saw it as a surprise and not IC for him, so...)
Ooooooh I really like this idea!!! (pls correct me if I am misunderstanding) But Rhysand deep down being unhappy with the bond and his relationship with Feyre because it isn't the dream he imagined it to be, and has its issues and complications which despite being normal for any relationship, is not the perfection he imagined, and at their core, no amount of molding is ever going to make Feyre compatible to Rhysand, unless she has absolutely no drive at all, he has to resort to manipulation tactics to get her to do what he wants, and I dont think anybody could be truly happy like that. Rhysand obviously wants someone who *thinks* like him, and Feyre just plain doesn't. She thinks like TAMLIN
To me, he looks like a caged beast that should be happy. HE IS HAPPY, or so he says. But then, with Tamlin in that novella... he says No. When Tamlin asks him "Isn't that enough," he says No. And - as someone just reminded me - even when he leaves Nesta and Cassian in Spring, he looks toward the mansion. He's always, in a way, thinking about him.
Feyre let go of Tamlin. As she said, she wants him to be better (personal eye roll here) and be happy.
She's over him.
Rhysand isn't. Rhysand can't let go of him.
He needs to taunt him, to see him explode, a reaction. He says he hates him, he is obsessed with him.
He wants him to die.
He cooks him a meal. He asks Summer to make sure someone is patrolling.
He says it's for the good of Prythian. He says it's for a better cause.
Oooooooooh yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
Rhysand cannot let go of Tamlin, absolutely, he is in a way always revolving around him. All his decisions, in the end, have Tamlin in mind in some way or another. Or end up with him near Tamlin again. I wonder if this could link back to a time where Rhysand was another, freer, better version of himself, where Tamlin's thinking and personality was not a clash but a compliment. And now that he can no longer have that person, Tamlin's gentler, kinder but strong-willed and stubborn personality now uncomfortably scraps against Rhysand, but still Rhys wants him back. But since Tamlin will never ever go crawling back to him, the closest thing he can get is Feyre. But again, Feyre resembles Tamlin, and Tamlin and Rhysand no longer work. So neither do Feyre and Rhysand (I AM SO SORRY FOR HIJACKING YOUR THEORY MY BRAIN IS GOING 100 MILES PER HOUR)
But is it really? I know that SJM probably (99.99%) doesn't even see the subtext she almost implies, but I do really wonder if Rhysand is actually in love with Feyre, if it's not their 2 years honeymoon phase (longer maybe because they are Faes) + the mating bond and him trying to reinforce over and over that he is happy.
He loves her. He has everything he wanted, begged, and dreamed for. He has all of it, while Tamlin doesn't.
And he still said no. It's not enough. He needs more.
I fear this man will never be happy until he has Tamlin under him, and loves him.
Oh SJM is useless in this scenario, I don't even mention her when I talk about possibilities between Rhysand and Tamlin. I make my own rules. Canon is my playground.
I adore this theory, one of the best I've seen for Feyre and Rhysand, it just works so well. If this were to happen between them, I would love to see how Rhysand handles the fallout. It would be gradual ofc, but seeing everything unravel slowly around him, leaving him in the same lonely place he was before the fifty years. *chefs kiss*
But we will see, this is how I came to think of it all because I read Crescent City, I did read Throne of Glass at the time and I know that she can... sell me a love story. With Rhysand and Feyre? I see it from her, but sometimes even from her POV it feels forced, but from Rhys? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Like, truly, a Honeymoon phase that is coming to an end, but she is his mate, so he IS happy. He must be.
AHH YOU ARE COOKING WITH THISSSSS, SJM does know how to write romance, so I am still left very confused on how she went so horribly wrong with Feysand.
But the angst of the honeymoon phase slowly coming to an end for Rhysand, just sounds delicious, and I would love to see this happen in canon, but alas I will settle for a fic!
I won't say he doesn't love her at all, but still. Mhm. Maybe it's my dislike for how SJM pushed the narrative (retcons, errors, etc etc) and the fact that in the book I do dislike the two as characters (how no matter what they do the narrative won't punish them, when IT SHOULD! She even does so in her other series, maybe not in a really deep way, but still. Here in acotar - after the first book - nothing the main characters do is ever seen as bad when it's clear some repercussion must be seen/happen)
Rhysand definitely has affection for Feyre, but I struggle to see how it runs deeper than the forced affection from the mating bond and general empathy for her. SJM I think probably rushed Feysand because she got obsessed with it (cough, guilty here, cough) but her editors should have caught that, and, tbh I think if she really wanted to sell Feysand, she should have ditched the "Tamlins an abuser! So Rhysand by comparison is the (only) better option!" and stretched ACOMAF over two more books. We should have also had more worldbuilding with the Night Court, and been shown Feyre intergrating with the Night Court in a similar, preferrably deeper way, to the Spring Court. Plus, I would have killed to have some real education classes for Feyre. Tutoring would have been cool, in House of Hunger, Marion has actual lessons on the Houses in the North. The scenes on page didn't go super deep into what she was learning, but we knew she was learning, and we got some cool scenes of it. I think something like that for Feyre, would have been wonderful. Plus, I think having Morrigan as like a history teacher would have been fun and opened a deeper level of friendship between them, further opening Feyre to the Inner Circle, but Ill shut up now, cause Im ranting
Aaaand, I said quick but I lost the plot, sorry!!
TDLR: Rhysand doesn't really love love Feyre, it's more the mating bond and his expectation and I think so for many reasons, but most of all, because he said, with Tamlin, No. It isn't enough when it should be.
(Another thing: Tamlin is truly the one who sees him as he is, and they both know it. I'm sorry, but nothing will change my mind about that dfdfsdfsdfs
And the other "love story" she isn't able to sell me is... Cassian and Nesta. Their bond even sounds fake in the narrative, and what love? My man is in love with Rhysand, Azriel and Mor if anything lol)
Aaaand sorry for this long rant and rambling about this! Hope it didn't bother you too much!
Again, sending you all the love and good vibes I can! ♥
DONT WORRY ABOUT LOSING THE PLOT IN ASKS, I GET IT, I DO IT TOO!!! DONT BE SORRY!!!
I do like Tamlin being the one to truly see Rhys, he would most certainly know him the most intimately, because he's seen Rhys at his absolute best and his absolute rock bottom worst. Truly the toxic, doomed yaoi we were so horribly denied!
Ugh, I won't even get started on Cassian and Nesta. Nesta deserves so so so much better, end of dicussion!
IT DID NOT BOTHER ME, I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TO REPLY TOO, THANK YOU FOR SENDING IT, I AM SENDING YOU ALL OF THE GOOD VIBES AND LOVE AS WELL!!
