#acowar critical

[reblogandlikes]

SJM discarding Tamlin’s character to make way for boring, manipulative 'shadow daddy' Rhysand with thick author bias armour. I'm sick.

I wish some hyenas would come and eat Rhysand like they did scar.

[Scar is far more interesting than Rhysand and actually stands on business.]

#sjm critical #acotar #acomaf critical #acowar critical #pro tamlin #anti rhysand #anti ic #Im worried Tamlin is either going to die to 'redeem' himself or SJM will make him another Rhysand stan #sarah j maas #if i dont laugh ill cry

[simmanin]

Feyre’s lack of political awareness and need to dickride the IC in any circumstance is actually astounding. Especially during the High Lords’ meeting when she just assumed her little gang is somehow better than everyone else

Feyre during the HL meeting: yeah Mor & Azriel could take on all 6 High Lords in a battle, no problem🥰

MY GIRL YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THESE PEOPLE!!! YOU’VE KNOWN EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM FOR LIKE 6 MONTHS MAX!!!! And you were a human who knew nothing about them before that!!!!

Genuinely, have we even seen Mor or the Bat Boys do anything that warrants them being stronger/better than the guys who are literally magic personified??? The mfs who have been picked specially by a higher power, mind you. I’m sorry, but the Inner Circle is getting obliterated if it’s them against the High Lords 😭

#acotar critical #feyre archeron critical #rhysand critical #inner circle critical #high lords meeting #acowar critical #critical sjm

[litnerdwrites]

"You shouldn't criticise/analyse SJM's characters/worldbuilding because it just isn't that deep." Is a take I see a lot when someone analyses or criticises SJM, and while I get where you're coming from, I do have a couple of issues with this take.

First of all, it's important to be able to criticise all media, even your your favourites, no matter how good or bad they are. Media of all formats is a product of it's time and goes a long way into helping us learn about the sociopolitical climate of the time it was written, from the past, present or future. As a result, no piece of media can be considered 'perfect' or without points to criticise, and analysing it can give us perspective on issues we may not even realise exist. This is true for most, if not all media, from books to news channels to music or tv shows.

If you don't want to analyse or criticise it though, that's fine. Just ignore posts and videos of people who do, since there's no use in telling them that they're wasting their time. Some people enjoy criticising/analysing the media they consume, but if you don't, then just let them be.

Now, here's the bigger issue I have with this take. It might really not be that deep to you, but it might really be that deep for other people. Especially since SJM books have a pretty young fanbase. The books are YA, and are advertised as being for ages 12 and up.

Many kids, young girls mostly, that read, even just the first book, are shown Feyre forgiving Rhys at the end of the book after SA-ing her for three months or Feyre getting back with Tamlin after he watched her get tortured for three months, and romanticise it. Then there's the second book, where she ends up with Rhysand despite what he did, and even lets him do it again at the CON.

Nesta is pressured by Elain and Feyre to let her use their home for something incredibly dangerous despite her very reasonable concerns, only to then be insulted by Feyre's friends for a situation he wasn't even there for, only for some romance to between them to be hinted at. In Acowar she's further pressured by her sister, and strangers who hate her, to put her healing and coping from her trauma aside to push her clear boundaries to help her sister even more despite her and her friends not having a great track record of holding up their ends of deals from Nesta's experience.

And don't even get me started on the train wreck that was ACOFAS- ACOSF. If these actions and behaviours were acknowledged as being toxic or wrong, that would be fine, somewhat. However, the narrative paints these characters and behaviour in a positive light, despite the fact they aren't. For young readers to look at this, and to idolise these characters and their behaviours, thinking that it's what they want in a partner, is disturbing.

It's fine to not want to critique or thoroughly analyse a book, but discrediting people who do, especially if they're pointing out harmful behaviour being perpetuated in said books, is not. Ignoring the harmful behaviour these books perpetuate is making you a part of the problem, and I truly hope that your view on this behaviour would change if it was coming from a living person instead of a fictional one. Be it towards you or somebody you know.

#sjm critical #acotar critical #acomaf critical #acowar critical #acofas critical #acosf critical #inner circle critical #nesta deserves better #anti rhys #anti inner circle #anti rhysand #pro nesta #anti acosf #anti amren #anti mor

[bookishfeylin]

For people who are genuinely still confused I’ll provide a quick collection of all of my responses so I am 1,000% clear on this:

My point is not that Feyre herself is racist, but how Sarah is writing racist tropes using Feyre as a vehicle.

Again my point is that the scene in particular in which Feyre attempts to provoke Tamlin into harming Lucien on the basis of them having sex is tone-deaf at best for a white woman to write, especially given this is the book where she decides to make him a MOC. Him being retconned into a MOC alters the whole dynamic throughout the entire series, and it makes *that scene* in particular grotesque, and it fits a horrific pattern of Sarah treating POC like crap in her books. I didn’t say it excuses Lucien, I said him being a MOC affects their dynamic and that scene in particular illustrates how—he is beholden to both Feyre and Tamlin.

And my main point here, as per usual, is about the FANDOM’S racism towards Lucien. There’s this weird expectation that he act like Feyre’s servant and is at fault for not doing so. I am pointing out how powerless he truly is here and how limited he truly is.

Sarah has (unintentionally) recreated a toxic real world dynamic here. She specifically made it so two white people have power over a MOC and then has the white woman attempt to provoke the white man into harming the MOC by alleging they have sex. For whatever reason, she thought that was… ok. And I wholeheartedly disagree, even more so with the fandom who ALSO seems to think it’s ok. Again, that note was mainly directed at Lucien antis, mainly because I want them to think a little more about where Lucien truly stands in that scene and overall and how limited his power is before they blame him for not being Feyre’s perfect little ~colored servant~

There are three issues here:

1- Sarah is opting to recreate a racially charged real world dynamic between Feyre, Lucien, and Tamlin, and no amount of “there’s no racism in the ACOTAR universe” changes the racial dynamic here because it was written by and intended for people in this world and she has, with a real world audience in mind, still chosen to write this particular plot point

2- Sarah, a white woman in this world, is glorifying said racially charged action as badass and feminist

3- The fandom opts to ignore the power imbalance here and blames Lucien for Feyre's abuse if not labeling him an abuser himself for failing to help Feyre in ACOMAF and ACOWAR, ignoring he himself is being abused by Tamlin and is himself at Feyre's mercy especially in this scene

#Lucien vanserra #anti acomaf #sjm critical #ACOWAR critical #anti sjm

[spacerockfloater]

The way people switched on Tamlin the moment Rhys was introduced is diabolical.

“Tamlin never really loved Feyre, it was all a trick from the start”: It is stated that Tamlin was disgusted by the idea of forcing someone to fall in love with him and considered it slavery, but ended up being so in love with her that he ultimately lets her go and choses her freedom and safety over that of his own people. Rhys confirms that Tamlin loved Feyre too much. And he loved her truly. Not because he had to. Tamlin treated Feyre with dignity when she was engaged to him. He introduced her as his lady, to be respected and cherished by all. And she really was loved his people, too. Rhysand uses her as his lap dog to scare Hewn City and parades her as his whore.

���Tamlin never did anything for Feyre, he just used her”: He improved her and her family’s life in every aspect and offered her everything he had.

“Tamlin had sex with someone else in Calanmai”: Out of duty and responsibility because he didn’t want to force Feyre, who still wasn’t sure about her feelings, into it. All of the High Lords perform the Calanmai. Lucien says so. How convenient that this is never brought up with Rhysand. He surely does perform it as well. All the theories in here, “Lucien doesn’t know what he’s talking about/ This is a SC ritual only/ He probably just passes the duty on to someone else” are just a way for people to villainise Tam and glorify Rhys again. All of them inaccurate. The Calanmai is canonically performed by every High Lord. There’s no evidence that proves otherwise. As the son of one High Lord and the ambassador of another, Lucien would know. He is 500 years old. It’s just more convenient for SJM to never bring this up again because it raises the question of “Who was Rhysand fucking all these years?” and it makes her favourite character look bad. And once he is engaged to her, Tamlin flat out refuses to do it. Let’s be real for a second.

“Tamlin didn’t help Feyre under the mountain”: He literally could not. He was bound by a curse. He was forced to be Amarantha’s consort and a consort cannot oppose you. His powers were bound. Alis warns Feyre that Tamlin will not be able to help her. Stop acting as if he didn’t want to help her. He decapitated Amarantha the moment he got his autonomy back. Claiming that there’s no proof that Tamlin was under the influence of a spell when he literally didn’t break the curse and Amarantha’s magic didn’t allow him to use his powers is crazy. And even if he tried, he could never provide actual help. We see this when he begs Amarantha for Feyre’s life. Him showing he cares about her would only make Amarantha more jealous and vicious towards Feyre.

“Tamlin made out with Feyre instead of helping her”: He couldn’t help her run away. No one could do that. She would never make it, Amarantha would find her. In fact, Tamlin specifically could not help her in any way. He could only assure her he still wants and loves her. And she wanted that just as much. Rhys abused her physically, mentally, verbally, drugged her and much worse. And he enjoyed all of it. If he didn’t want to raise suspicions, he wouldn’t have placed a bet in her favour. Rhys is a masochist, SJM just decided to mellow him down in the next book so that we’d all like him over Tamlin.

“Tamlin ignored Feyre’s wishes and only wanted her to be his bride, he didn’t let her be High Lady”: Both Tamlin and Feyre were bad communicators going though trauma and Tam had a whole court to care for. Tamlin was unaware of how Feyre felt because she barely spoke up once. Rhys knew because he literally lived inside her head and had all the time in the world to focus his attention on her since his court suffered zero consequences during Amarantha’s reign. And Tamlin simply told her the truth: there’s no such thing as High Lady. Even her current title is given to her by Rhys, the magic of Prythian has not actually chosen her to be High Lady. The title and its power are decorative. And she said she didn’t want that anyway.

“Tamlin locks Feyre up and uses his magic to harm her”: He locks her in his humongous palace to keep her safe, after she just came back from the dead and his worst enemy is kidnapping her every month, while he runs off to protect his borders. Rhysand lock Feyre in a fucking bubble. Tamlin loses control of his magic. He doesn’t want to harm her. That’s not abuse. Abuse is intentional. Feyre and Rhysand lock Lucien and Nesta up. They lock the people of the Hewn City up in a cave. Feyre loses control of her magic and harms Lucien’s mother. Double standards I guess.

“Tamlin is a bad and conservative ruler”: Tamlin is such a beloved ruler that his sentries literally begged to die for him. Feyre had to fuck with their minds to finally turn them against him. They were his friends. He was so progressive that the lords fled his court once he became their ruler because he wouldn’t put up with their bullshit like his father did. He loved all of his people. He is against slavery. The Tithe was just tax collection. Rhysand practically rules over just one city, while ignoring Hewn City and Illyria. He treats 2/3 of his realm like shit and everyone except the residents of Velaris hates him. He collects tax, too, but we conveniently never see this. He ranks the members of his inner circle (my 1st, my 2nd etc.) and reminds them every moment that they are his slaves first and anything else second, while Tamlin treats them equally and even gives Lucien an official title by naming him Ambassador.

“Tamlin conspired with Hybern”: He was a double agent and his short lived alliance, two weeks all in all, not only didn’t harm a single soul, but ultimately saved all of Prythian as he was the only one who brought valuable information to that meeting. He dragged Beron to battle. Rhysand’s alliance with Amarantha harmed thousands and only helped save one city, Velaris.

“Tamlin is responsible for turning Nesta and Elain into Fae”: No, that was Ianthe, who got the info from Feyre. Tamlin was fooled by her, just as Feyre obviously was, or she wouldn’t have trusted her. Tamlin was disgusted by that act.

“Tamlin is less powerful than Rhysand”: Rhysand himself says that a battle between them would turn mountains to dust. Tamlin killed Rhysand’s dad, the previous High Lord of the Night Court, in one blow. He is just as powerful as Rhysand. SJM again just wants us to believe otherwise. And he is smarter, too. He was the only one not to trust Amarantha. And he was a good spy for Prythian against Hybern.

All of these takes are cold as fuck. SJM was testing the waters with ACOTAR and she made sure the main love interest, Tamlin, was insanely likeable, so that the book could be a satisfactory standalone story in case she couldn’t land a trilogy deal. She didn’t know it would be such a big hit. But once she realised she could turn this into a franchise, she had to figure out a new story to tell. She may claim otherwise, but there’s just too many plothotes to convince me. And in order to make her new main love interest seem like the best choice, she had to character assassinate the old one. There was no other way. ACOTAR Rhys was too much of an evil monster to be loved by the majority of the audience. But Tamlin was introduced to us as such a heroic and passionate man that is literally impossible to turn him into someone despised by all. Feyre’s relationship with Rhysand reads too much like cheating on Tamlin. That’s why anyone with basic analytical skills is able to realise the flaws of the narration.

#acotar critical #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosf #acofas #anti sjm #sjm critical #tamlin #tamlin week #pro tamlin #he deserves the world #tamlin my beloved #anti amren #anti rhysand #anti morrigan #anti ic #anti inner circle #anti feyre archeron #anti feyre #anti feysand #anti night court #pro spring court #anti cassian #pro lucien vanserra

[wannabewriterlol]

I want tamlin and Nesta to start a therapy group and just work through the copious amount of gaslighting they’ve faced by Rhysand, Ferye, and the his merry band of idiots.

#and let’s be honest #just the whole of #prythian #like I just want them to sit down with a cup of wine and just open up #and recover together #I also want Nesta to help recover the spring court #pro nesta #nesta archeron #nesta acosf #tamlin #pro tamlin #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosf #acotar critical #sara j mass critical #acofas #anti inner circle #anti rhysand #feyre critical

[littlefeltsparrow]

Schrödinger’s Feyre: Where Feyre is simultaneously a cunning and badass girlboss with a mind of steel and a fragile little lamb who doesn’t know any better. When they’re proud, she’s a skilled strategist and competent High Lady, but when it comes to facing the consequences of her actions and the implications of her power, suddenly she’s a little baby waddling through fairy land.

#And the perfect case study? just look at the indecisiveness of her stans when it comes to her culpability in the downfall of the Spring Cou #In one camp Feyre is an excellent and clever strategist who expertly infiltrated enemy territory to destroy those who wronged her #She exacts righteous revenge on her enemy with her wits…but when Tamlin points out the collateral damage wrought upon the innocent civilian #of the Spring Court suddenly it wasn’t Feyre’s fault at all and it was ACTUALLY entirely Tamlin’s fault that the Spring Court fell #Suddenly Feyre had nothing to do with it…how convenient lol #sjm critical #anti sjm #anti inner circle #feyre archeron #anti feyre #acotar #acomaf #acowar #anti feysand #anti acosf #anti rhysand #tamlin #pro tamlin

[yaralulu]

Don’t remember ever hearing an apology either.I know she doesn’t feel bad about what she did to the SC (crazy) but she doesn’t feel bad about what she did to her friend and how she destroyed his home and his life basically ??

#girl boss moment right 😍 #no it was just gross #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #lucien vanserra #pro lucien vanserra #acowar #feyre critical

[yoddhasblog]

Just got called disgusting and illiterate because I compared nesta's imprisonment in the House with those wilderness therapy camps. The insulter said that they were actually forced into such a camp and how dare I compare the two? I have the deepest sympathies for anyone who went through something so horrible but

1) I don't understand how someone who went through abuse can turn around and justify it even if it's in fictional settings?

2) Why do the acotar stans with the history of abuse believe that they own diagnostic manuals and any one who disagrees with them is stupid?

Again, I wish nothing even remotely hurtful happens to anyone but I just don't understand their defence

#sjm critical #anti sjm #anti sarah j maas #anti acotar #anti acomaf #anti acowar #anti acosf #anti ic #anti inner circle

[nestaislife]

I can’t believe Feyre was shocked in acowar that Tamlin and Lucien would so easily believe Rhysand would SA her…when… he literally did, multiple times utm and they both saw it?? Get your head out of your butt Feyre, Rhysand made you shove it too far up

#anti acomaf #anti feysand #anti rhysand #anti sjm #anti acowar #tamlin deserves better #sjm critical #get out of here with the retcon sjm #anti feyre

[wishcamper]

How is this the same man invoking Nesta’s dead ass dead father for putting sugar on her oatmeal. He’s jamming a muffin in his head. Sarah how could you do this to my boy. Where are his muffins.

#nessian #pro cassian #pro nesta archeron #anti sjm #sjm critical #acosf #acowar

[reblogandlikes]

Where the fuck are the magical consequences in the ACOTAR series?

I have two main examples, and the first being the pivotal change that kick-starts the whole Feyre and Rhysand storyline. That being, the Bargain.

Aren't bargain in general Fairytale lore cross the board mostly non-negotiable? That being said, Rhysand forced the unnecessary Bargain on Feyre while UTM so she has to spend 1 week a month with him for the rest of her life. I'd say the shit should have been void since the damn girl died and the bargain was made while she was human. Now she isn't; she's Fae and it still stayed and thus, has to spend 1 week of her now immortal life with him per month. OK, I'll bite. But then the first two or was it three (who cares) months...that didn't happen, adding to everyone's paranoia in SC. Had Tamlin searching high and low of ways to break it, and in the end, the Cauldron was needed to break it.

...so, what's the point in a bargain if you can pick a choose how it works? There were no stipulations. 1 week a month. That's it. The magic should respond violently/whimsically/something each time it's breached on one party or both. Does the magic of bargain mean nothing then if it's not fulfilled? And if so, couldn't Feyre had just told Rhysand to piss off when he came to collect her seeming nothing bad happened after missing the first couple of months initially?

Anyway, moving on.

The High Lord meeting.

They all go to Dawn to talk about Hybern and it was stated that the HL's can't harm or attack or do whatever to each other because the magic of the room prevents it, but that's...not true.

The NC got away with so much magical shit. Rhysand stealing Tamlin’s voice/mouth, Feyre losing control and harmed the Lady of Autumn and then didn't care and deliberately went to harm Baron. And then Azriel straight up attacks Eris. Like, the actual fuck?

Not a single consequence or magical interference in a space that's meant to be neutral. The whole scene just made the NC look dumb, though I'm sure Sarah wanted me to be on their side, but like, get a grip. Use your words than having an emotional outburst, but I guess those are only allowed and excusable for the NC.

So, does the magic in the room all the HL's and those in attendance, I guess, are beholden to only reacts with legitimate life-threatening ordeals than petty squabbles?

Anyway, magic holds no weight in the direct moments they're meant to and its weird.

#acotar #acotar critical #sjm critical #Rhysand #Feyre #anti ic #anti inner circle #azriel #acowar #acowar critical #wtf sjm #shit magic system #fantasy world #world building #anti feysand #acomaf critical #acomaf

[simmanin]

oh Rhysand I will see you in HELL. Believe that.

(mind you, he continued to keep many more secrets after this quote in ACOMAF 🙃🙃)

#acotar #acomaf critical #acotar critical #rhysand critical #anti rhysand #pro feyre archeron #feyre deserves better #feysand critical #anti feysand #critical sjm #acosf critical #acofas critical #acowar critical

[bangtanjjks]

I have this irrational fear that the only reason why Lucien is so good as a character is because Sarah leaves him alone. Because I saw what happened with her male leads (Tamlin, Rhys, Cass) and how they went from characters with a lot of potential (ACOTAR Tam and Rhys, ACOWAR Cass, I am a firm believer that ACOWAR Cass would sucker punch ACOSF Cass for his appalling behavior towards Nes) to the hot mess we have now.

I am scared shitless that the reason why my baby Luci is so good is by accident. That because Sarah didn't focus on him since he's not the main "love interest" is precisely why HE'S SO GOOD AS A CHARACTER. And that's why I'm kinda dreading the next book (if it's really going to be about Elain because that means Lucien is bound to be showing up a lot in it no matter what she chose to do with the mating bond).

God pls protect my man Lucien Vanserra. Sarah have a track record of ruining her own male lead (for me!!! They're kinda ruined for me) and I can't have that happening again. THRICE IS ENOUGH HEARTBREAK FOR ME

#sjm critical #rhysand #lucien vanserra #tamlin #seriously this have been in my mind since 2019 after i finish acosf #i NOTICED THE PATTERN #ANYTIME SHE LASER FOCUSED ON THE ML HE GOT RUINED FOR ME #sarah. it's bad when your side characters are more interesting than your MC #y'all maybe we should do a prayer circle #rip. im already grieving for my man #THE BEST MAN PRYTHIAN HAS TO OFFER #acotar #acowar #acosf #a court of thorns and roses #a court of wings and ruin #a court of silver flames #acowhattt #cassian

[lorcandidlucienwill]

Remember how SJM made up some random daemati to make Rhysand seem more innocent in that Winter Court dead kids scandal?

Well @thrumbolt made the Fandom wiki picture for Amarantha’s daemati which I thought was fucking hilarious so I’m reposting it😭

#sjm critical #anti rhysand #anti inner circle #anti acowar

[spacerockfloater]

“Rhysand is the most powerful High Lord” this and “Rhysand is the strongest fae” that, but are we just gonna forget that Tamlin, within 30 seconds of becoming Spring Court’s High Lord, was able to fucking annihilate Rhysand’s father, who had been Night Court’s High Lord for fuck-knows-how-long and was able to kill all of Tamlin’s brothers and father?

Like, aren’t strength, valour and power Tamlin’s thing? Why did we have to take away all of these qualities from him and give them to Rhysand?

It just seems so… odd, to me at least, that Tamlin had to be nerfed in order for the reader to be convinced that Rhysand is superior in every way and therefore the better choice between them.

#acotar #pro tamlin #anti rhysand #anti feysand #anti feyre archeron #acotar critical #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf #sjm critical #tamlin