#is sjm racist? maybe

[shadowqueenjude]

Everybody talks about how SJM has terrible representation of African-Americans and Arabs, etc. and I'm not going to argue with that, but what about INDIANS??? We have over 1.486 billion people within the country alone, plus countless immigrants across the world. The most populous nation in the world. But there's not one Indian character. NOT A SINGLE ONE. Is there even a South Asian/Southeast Asian character at all? I don't think so! Ridiculous. Simply ridiculous.

#indians rise up #india love #more indian characters in books please #sjm critical #anti sjm #sjm universe #sjm books #is sjm racist? maybe #bombastic side eye

[danaedanette]

About racism in ACOTAR

I hate the expression "lesser faerie". It's really horrible to name entire species like this, and more so to call them "lesser" to their face. Plus, we already know that you're racist and arrogant, it's in your name : High Fae. We get it, you're better than everyone else, blabla. No need to overkill it and call others the "lesser" beings, it's insensitive and frankly, if we think about it, it can also come across as insecure. "I'm a HIGH FAE I'm BETTER than you, you're LESSER" yeah yeah, we know.

SJM did not think real hard about this and it's sadden me, because writing about fae is really about limitless opportunities. Faes have some rules like no lying, or the time in fae realms is weird, and some others (and we all know that SJM followed and respected exactly zero of those rules). But as with their appearances and their powers, writers can go crazy and do almost anything they want. And we have SJM, renowned all around the world for her ACOTAR series and her fae writing, and what does she serve us ? Bland ass character. The most human looking her fae are, the most powerful they are. The most "high". Like, not only her faes are raging misogynists, they're also racists. We want escapism, not a carbon copy of our own world with a pinch of glamour

Also, I want to talk about Cassian. Now, we know that Illyrians are considered with contempt by about everyone, so I won't bother pulling quotes from the book. We also know that Cassian, as a bastard, know what it's like to be rejected and hated for something he has no control over, here, his birth. He was just born this way, exactly like "lesser faeries" are born this way. And yet, all Cassian has to say on the matter is : "and we're not lesser faeries, though some try to call us that. We're just — Illyrians". (ACOMAF, chapter 16 page 151) Maybe he doesn't mean anything but it's just feel so... condescendant to me. I feel like there is a subtext of "we're better than lesser faeries" in his phrase.

So. I guess there is no real point to this rant except that SJM is a shitty author. She can't name a specie (or rather, specieS, plural) "lesser faeries" and just leave it there and expect the readers to merrily keep on reading about Feysand fucking in the sky. There is so many issues with using the name "lesser faeries" that need to be adressed. And I genuinely think that SJM just didn't understand that there were issues in using this name in the first place. It's kind of impressive having so little thoughts about your own worldbuilding and about the words you're using when, you know, you're a writer.

So... yeah. If you have thoughts about it, I would love to exchange !

#acotar analysis #acotar critical #anti acotar #sjm critical #anti sjm #anti cassian #lowkey but to be sure

[angel-maybe-alive]

Today I went to the towns library (had to go to the dentist and the library was close so I decided to go because this is the first time in two years I had a excuse to go out)

And I really think it's funny how booktok people act like there's anything groundbreaking about the female gaze (misused term) spicy (I fucking hate this term) books

Because I am sorry but my towns library has mostly old books and there's a whole shelf of violently 80s erotica and it's hilarious how nothing changed from horny white women in 1985 and horny white women today

(to not say nothing really changed there's less mainstream erotica about native(they do not use the term native) fetishism and orientalist power fantasies about vaguely arab kingdoms who came direct from Disney's Alladin also they have less faes and the men are bigger and more manly(also the hair because it's the 80s and all women love a guy with neck length curls)

But it's all there the criminal porn (they seemed to be more into pirates and cowboys) the royal porn(king's knights and a Lancelot/Guinevere fanfic that I almost wanted to read) the monster fucking but not really (it seems like it's being almost 50 years of women wanting to bang wherewolves ) the rapey themes the bland self inserts all of it

It was always there and you know I respect those books (minus the racist ones because holy shit I'm not joking about the fetishism part) because they were truth about what they are it's mommy porn for lonely middle-aged women

But like booktok books seem so afraid of being just erotica like they have to have something else going on Sarah j Maas didn't wrote a bad fae porn it's a epic fantasy lightlark isn't a bad courtly porn it's a hunger games with royals (it isn't)

And I actually believe that why the authors do this (not sell their clear erotica as erotica but bullshit some feminist mcguffin quest thingy in the background to justify the porn) because they are afraid of being called what they are mommy porn authors

(literally one of the authors looked just like a older sjm )

And this is my problem there's nothing wrong with writing mindless pornography I do have a problem with trying to pass mindless pornography as something else

Anyway I'm still a little numb of the anesthesia so this is just a rambling

But I also want to say the men they put on those old covers are fucking hot maybe it's the slutty half open frilly shirts and long hair maybe it's that look of a guy who smoked a pack of cigarettes before breakfast but god they look so fine

#anti booktok #anti acotar #anti sjm #writing #books #lightlark #libraries

[a-court-of-moonlight-and-ire]

yknow, a lot of people say that they wish SJM had just invented a new character to be Rhys' love interest for the Acotar sequel or paired him off with Nesta or something, but I actually think she shouldve gone further and just made Feyre get with a different high lord every book. Just imagine:

ACOTAR 1: Feyre/Tamlin, Feyre recovers from her childhood trauma but then oopsie, UTM happens and now shes got a bunch of new trauma oh noooooo

ACOTAR 2: Feyre/Rhysand, Feyre recovers from her UTM and also learns about feminism and how to fight good, I would prefer if instead of ignoring the part Rhysand played in her trauma like in canon, they actually leaned into it and made it so that Feyre reconciling with Rhysand and even falling for him was somehow symbolic for her reconciling with her UTM trauma

ACOTAR 3: Feyre/Tarquin, Feyre learns how to politics and maybe she learns about the injustices that the common faeries have to deal with as well, maybe there couldve been some seeds planted for this in ACOTAR 2 with the illyrians but she was too busy wth her trauma to deal with it at that point, but now shes ready

ACOTAR 4: Feyre/Eris, Feyre helps Eris with his political machinations culminating with her helping him kill his dad and become high lord, and its kind of a foil to the previous book where Feyre was doing like normal politics with a good guy but now shes doing fucked up and evil politics with a morally gray guy. Also, i havent met Eris yet but I do know that hes racist in canon so maybe we could have a subplot where Feyre helps him with that idk. helps him get over his racism i mean, not helps him to be more racist

I dont know enough about the other guys yet to come up with potential plots for their books, but in my perfect world they would all definitely get one

The final book would be Feyre getting together with one of the super powerful non-court fae like one of those freaks who lives in the middle like the weaver or something, except it has to be one of the male freaks because its a SJM book and we cant have a queer MC. So I guess that limits our selection to Koschei maybe? I actually dont know anything about that guy other than he exists, is he hot? cuz if hes not hot then we can strike him out imo. Then theres that demon-god that sent Nesta a horny vision in ACOSF I think his name was Lanthys, and I know for a fact that hes conventionally attractive so thats our first candidate. I actually quite like the idea of Feyre getting with Suriel and the way that would work is that it would be this reoccurring character that appears atleast once in each book when Feyre needs some information and she goes to catch it, and at the start of this last book shes just broken up with her latest high lord and shes like "that suriel has helped me so many times, I should do something kind for it" so she does that and theres this very fairytale-esque moment where it turns out this is the first time someone showed it a genuine act of selfless kindness to the suriel, and that causes it to transform into a really hot guy. And then Feyre and the Suriel start their grand romance

Also, I just realized if we wanted to keep with the theme of Feyre falling in love with a powerful fae* from a specific court, the capital p Prison island is described as almost being like its own court, so maybe Feyre could get with the Bone Carver which would be great because he can transform into like, the hottest of hot guys if he wanted to

So yeah, thats my pitch for an alternate ACOTAR Series. Would it be good? No. Would it be fun? Yeah, I think so. Certainly more fun than the series we currently have where we mostly just hang out in the same boring city with the same annoying guys

*the bone carver isnt a fae but you get what i mean

#miscellaneous acotar thoughts #acotar rewrite

[bookishfeylin]

Hello, I came across this post about sjm racism the other day and was wondering what your thoughts on it were.

https://www.tumblr.com/eco15/721616702450909184/is-sjm-racist-ive-seen-hella-posts-saying-that

Not trying to stir the pot or anything. I don’t agree and I’m genuinely curious as how to respond.

Ok so firstly guys. No bothering OP, alright? NO BULLYING OR HARASSMENT.

Anyway… OP is a one of those people of color who's “white aligned.” They’re HAPPILY playing that role—ignoring and downplaying what OTHER people of color have been saying so their white friends don’t have to :) Pointing out racial stereotypes SARAH IS CHOOSING TO PERPETUATE does not make you the racist, actually, especially because white characters who are likewise depicted as aggressive and hyper sexual like OP decided Tamlin is have adequate representation in all forms of media INCLUDING THE MOSTLY WHITE CAST OF SARAH'S BOOKS LIKE THRONE OF GLASS to counter those narratives. OP is not stupid and clearly knows representation matters and knows representation of POC is limited—after all, they snarkily finish with “maybe you just don’t want love interests of color” so it’s clear they get the importance of representation. They just don’t care because they want to defend thieve favorite white author I guess. They should know and listen to other POC who are disturbed by Sarah's portrayal of Black and brown people in her books. And personally, I have a whole slew of posts about the racism in her books, AND I personally have been doing my best to uplift Black fantasy authors and books because I WANT protagonists and love interests who aren’t white contrary to what OP says but you know. They gotta defend their white fave and attack other POC I guess.

#I remember visibilityofcolor used to call people like that white aligned so that’s the word I’m using #ask #anon #anti sjm

[ae-neon]

I wonder if people know they don't always have to preface their criticism of SJM or Taylor with "I love them but"

Like I understand how vicious fandom can be and how quickly you can be painted as a hater but

Saying "I LOVE HER BUT maybe she shouldn't be racist and use the name of a murdered black woman to boost her post about her new book / maybe she shouldn't be dating and parading around a man whose favourite porn is 'brutalisation' and says derogatory things about women"

makes you look kinda weird because why do you love her? You can love her book/song but what about her, aside from the performative white feminism, do you love so much that it must be mentioned before you condemn her actions or inactions?

[fandomshatepeopleofcolor]

I love that you have this place for us Poc! ❤️ Just discovered your blog

it bothers the hell out of me that some people read fiction and sometimes can also assume that an author is using something from real life ALL the time. this is referring to the white/eurowhite readers when it comes to acotar. the eurowhite readers (which there are alot of ofc) white wash all of the bat boys and lucien vanserra DESPITE knowing that for one, lucien is part black from his father. the second which is my main point with the eurowhite readers in acotar is that because SJM uses the name of a race called “Illyrians” in her books to refer to a race of poc and because “the map looks just like the UK/Europe!” they all ASSUME that because illyria (where balkans are, no longer referred to as illyrians) looks like the Prythians map and because it’s the same name that it means they’re eurowhite characters. There’s been no confirmation of them being europeans but they ASSUME they are when telling other poc readers that “they aren’t Poc” DESPITE SJM referring to them as “golden brown skin” “brown skin” “Light brown skin” multiple times the ENTIRE series. Most arts they’re in they’re brown too! Aside from the ones that whitewash them. Maybe she stole the name (which is like her taking the name of a race and denying they’re that race) BUT STILL she never confirmed they’re european in her fantasy version of illyrians they just assume and use this argument whenever someone says they’re poc. racist asses unable to accept the fact that they’re canonly referred to as BROWN. not WHITE. not PALE. GOLDEN BROWN. does that sound like white to you?

Im a a poc who doesn’t mind SJM not being clear about race, it’s somewhat refreshing not to have it be so “black white asian” like it is IRL, and I don’t mind her using the same name, but she makes illyrians her OWN and made them brownskinned even if people in europes “Illyria” were “Olive skinned” and not brown. It’s obvious she tweaked it and made them darker so either way they aren’t white like these readers want them to be. And if there are White casted for these roles in her possible Acotar Tv show? It’s only going to piss all her Poc readers off so I hope her team is careful and Hulu when they do casting. Bc I know they would all get canceled for whitewashing, whole show burned to flames via twitter for it, regardless of her using an IRL country’s name.

Also don’t believe those that thinks she’s racist again as a black reader they woman’s best friend is black, she’s a obama supporter, Anti republicans and trump, Young and super modern and she’s not a dumbass. People call her racist for her blurred lines of race and for supposedly “Posted about Breonna taylor for Attention and more money from Poc readers” When …where tf is the proof that was her reasoning? Maybe she just wanted justice for her. As a poc I hate seeing poc acotar readers act like she’s racist like use your brain and not bias to make it seem like something it’s not. Idk your stances on her but this is just mines.

Ok so here's the thing... I'm trying to read more diverse books. Like my white bestie from college wanted me to read acotar and the rest of the series but i honestly just watched a youtuber do a rundown of the first 3 books. and it was fine? so I will say this about sarah j maas: like her books do seem v white to me. BUT I also can't really say anything definitive about her works because I'm experiencing them through a white youtubers lens. so if she didn't pick up on diversity in the books I didn't think of it as diverse. you're welcome to have your opinion though but in general.... don't stan white authors.

Like I'll give you an example.

a favorite author of mine that wrote american gods, good omens and coraline is on this v site so that's why I won't name him but like even he's done some problematic stuff. like ok the biggest example is the marvel comic 1602 where he had a chance to race bend steve rogers but instead had a white steve rogers that was raised by native americans.

like just please don't waste your time stanning white authors. next thing you know they turn into jkrowling.

mod ali

[witchthewriter]

I hope this isn't a weird question but do you have a list of sjm characters that you headcanon as poc? Because I want to see what you think and if they line up with my own. I had never seen manon fan casted as asian, but im in love with it!!

I love this question! I've been re-reading the three series, getting ready for CC3 to come out. I have so many things to say, but I'll leave all that to another post - also thank you for this question, it's awesome. Please comment how you feel/what you think in the comments xx

𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐑

First of all, the Bat Boys are NOT white. If I see another person fancast Matthew Daddario as Ariel, I will implode! I know it's difficult getting the perfect cast for a story we all adore.

Another point, the Bat Boys are Illyrian, and they are actual real people. Their usual features are tan skin, brown eyes and brown/black hair.

Also, Lucien - who I have fancasted in the past with Martin Sensmeier. I thought it was an interesting idea for a Native American to have that role.

And Amren is MOST DEFINITELY Asian. Without a doubt. There is no ifs, buts or maybes about it. She is most definitely Asian, and I will take offense if someone thinks otherwise.

Also, I don't want the Archerons to be so conventionally pretty, or petite. That's why Alycia Debnam-Carey is my Feyre, Dagmara Bryzek as Elain and Jessica Brown-Findlay as Nesta. I want women who aren't models!

The Valkyries;l Emerie is described as brown, as she is an Illyrian woman. And I'm completely fine with Gwen being red-haired, freckled and pale.

I'm curious about Mor, her physical features are fine - but her 'power' has yet to be revealed. Because it doesn't make sense???

𝐓𝐎𝐆

There are a lot more cultures in this series than the others. For me, it was so interesting because I'm desperate to know how different countries/continents, experience magic.

Learning about the Ruk's, with Nesryn and Sartaq, that was amazing.

I thought Manon was Asian, I always thought she was?! I mean from that link, that's how I imagined her. Whenever I see fanart where she isn't Asian, I just don't see them as Manon.

I definitely think the Cadre could be more than "tanned from hours of training in the sun." I think Lorcan could be a black man! And I def think Fenrys is half-black. Maybe with a white mother though. I hope I'm not coming off as insensitive! Please tell me if I am, because that isn't my intent.

Honestly, I don't care about what's 'canon,' I think there are way too many white characters in every part of literature. I know about history and when it comes down to fantasy worlds, I think black people should be allowed to indulge themselves as much as they want, without having to think about their awful history and what their culture has gone through.

𝐂𝐂

I actually thought Danika was black, it was a surprise to see fanart and she isn't??? For some reason, it doesn't sit right with me to have a white Danika.

Again, I feel like there aren't enough people of colour. We have little fire sprites, we have a lion-dog pet, a serpent queen, angels, and barely anyone who isn't beyond tan.

I don't think this series has a black character ... other than a few background characters that are only mentioned here and there ... if anyone wants to weigh in - I'm still learning about cc, I forget A LOT.

But in no way has SJM been as horrible as J.K. Rowling. Not only was she racist, but cliche', and a pick me. There was too much pick-me energy among the female characters. I'd like to think that at Hogwarts, the girls stick together no matter what (for me, female friendships are so important. It's sisterhood).

#anon #sjm #sjm poc #acotar #tog #cc #witchthewriter #headcanons #anon qs

[sappholovell]

TW: SA, r@pe, and discussions of abuse and violence particularly in romantic relationships

Also spoilers for ACoTar and Shadow and Bone

This is just a tangent that's been on my mind for a while, so take this as me shouting into the void. There's been a few trends in YA literature that have caught my attention, but none as much as "you're a bad person, hence you are a rapist." My best example of this is A Court of Thorns and Roses, or ACoTaR, by Sarah J. Maas. Nearly every character who is a bad person has either sexually assaulted another character or offered to keep a female or underaged character for their followers or minions or some shit. Amarantha, Ianthe, and many of the Illyrian soldiers (who are supposed to be GOOD GUYS, might I add) are like this, and others are just neglectful or abusive to their partners or families (Beron, Tamlin, Kier, and even Eris, to an extent.) Now, stories about SA survivors are always good to tell, but that's not what this is. This is the lazy ability to make a character a rapist in order to make them unlikable, even against their own personality.

This happens in Shadow and Bone as well with the Darkling. Before the fandom gets their pitchforks and starts running, let me finish. Making Genya spy on the king at the age of eleven, knowing that he would sexually abuse her? That is something that the Darkling would do. But astral projecting into Alina's room and pretending to be her boyfriend to get in her pants? His whole thing is trying to make her stronger and more confident so that if (when, in his mind) she chooses to leave Mal and join the Darkling they can rule as equals. She's the Persephone to his Hades, in his mind. He's a horrible person. He's committed genocide, created abominations, and tried to torture some guy while his girlfriend watched in order to steal the girlfriend, all out of a twisted and selfish love for his people and himself. Writing him coercing Alina just feels like a lazy way to make him eviler, and it takes all of the depth from his later character arcs.

In SJM's case, Rhys as an SA survivor comes up, but it isn't a major part of his story arc. His experiences (as well as Mor's, Gwyns, and Nesta's) are only brought up in long, performative rants that are supposed to be empowering but lose purpose after the first six hundred words. And the rapists themselves? I have no idea. They have no personality after that point, except for maybe Amarantha. I thought that it fit Amarantha's personality okay. But seriously, this idea that all men are creepy sex addicts who can't control themselves and hate women unless they are the four conveniently attractive magical men SJM has lined up for us gets old really fast, and it takes all the fun out of the villain. Oh, there's a female rapist too? That's neat. That could open a discussion. What else does she do? What does she want? What are the villains' motivations? She doesn't know, and neither do we. It's power or something. We could have guessed this ourselves. Even Tamlin had to be violent and mentally abusive.

In conclusion, in order to write a good villain please think about the direction you are going to take them in, and give them a personality and backstory as you would any other character before making them do evil things; Make those evil things line up with their motivations and experiences. And please, please, please don't make them ALL rapists and sex offenders if they are a nomadic or indigenous civilization because that comes off as really really racist. Thank you and good night.

#Writing #Shadow and Bone #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #The Darkling #aleksander morozova #TW: SA #amarantha

[pearblossommina]

ToG Read-a-Long, Queen of Shadows, day 4

Ch 20

I’m starting to get bored

My feeble brain can only handle so much

(When are we gonna stop being introduced to new characters… This is fine. Hi Elide.)

I have enough of a crush on Manon that I can stand to go through this brand-new-change-of-perspective, brand-new-character-introduction nonsense

But really I just wanna get back to the main story

“The valg kidnapped and stole whatever Fae they could; and because your eyes are getting that glazed look, I’m just going to jump to the end and say the offspring became us. Witches.” How did she know my eyes were getting that glazed look

(I feel like SJM herself wrote that sentence just for me Lmao)

(I am not sorry)

(This is HALFWAY thru the series why are you still doling out brand new information in such a boring plot infodumpy way) (imm BORED) (let’s go come on can we please get back to the story stop wasting my time)

Ch 21

Doriannnnnnnnn

Shh

No one’s gonna kill you, baby

Not now, not ever. Hush your sweet little babygirl head and wait for your daring rescue. Dorian. Baby. Babygirl. They are coming for you.

Ch 22

I love you Chaol

I want to rescue him too

What is it all for - vanquishing evil, if we can’t expect good to triumph! Why fight, if we can’t stand to *gain* anything! Hopes and dreams are stronger than sorrow and fear! HOPES AND DREAMS.

We can save him I KNOW that we can

Ch 23

This very soft moment between Aedion and Aelin is all I could ask for, tysm.

It actually feels like we were owed it even though we never saw them together before this. The emotions of it is like *chef’s kiss* and I want to see more soft moments like this.

Ch 24

I’ll never get enough of watching Aelin kick ass and murder ruthlessly and unstoppably. She’s so cool.

Chaol buddy you’re kinda on thin ice. I support you in a let’s-rescue-Dorian kind of way, but I *don’t* really understand your fear of magic and your enthusiasm for humans over other beings.

Like

We are all people

Even the people who aren’t humans are people, get over yourself

I feel like someone needs to sit both of them down to have a long conversation because they are both being so dumb. Chaol is like “I’m a high fantasy racist and anyone who is partially fae needs to be without magic or I can’t trust them” and Aelin is like “Dorian is over and even if he’s not death is preferable to demonic possession, I must murder him and the fact that you don’t want me to makes you my enemy.”

And it’s just like

Listen Shh

You both need to take a fucking second and think about your values and what makes you similar: remember? Remember how you loved each other once? Remember how you’re both *people* and how Dorian is special to both of you? Also stop being racist, Chaol, it’s unforgivable behavior and you’re better than that

Ch 25

Ok Elide.

I changed my mind.

Now I love you.

(Shh, listen, I reserve the right to change my mind - I have a small feeble mind but I changed it)

I need to stop comparing this series to Game of Thrones

It’s not like Game of Thrones but it gives me a similar feeling, samish category, especially with the introduction of new characters all the time and all i wanna do is go back and see the characters i already care about, and i have trouble seeing how it ties together, and maybe it *doesn’t* tie together, but i should just sit down and enjoy it because who tf knows where this is going

Anyway idk

#tog read along 2023 #queen of shadows

[ecileh]

theory about the vanserras and why they breed like gerbils

i wrote this into my nezris fanfic and now that it’s revealed in world here’s my crack theory about the vanserras

(contains spoilers for chapter 13 of a court of rage and fire if you care about that at all)

i might be missing details bc i haven’t read the books since last year except to search and reread every single passage about eris butttt

my theory is that beron is half-fae, half-human and hides his heritage.

(omg also this painting shows him with a beard. was he described as having a beard in the books?? fae are mostly hairless. edit: he’s not described as bearded in the books but apparently we’ve all assumed that because he just has half-fae vibes.)

he’s old enough that most fae who remember his birth would be ancient, dead, or lost to any of several wars. the fae courts still kept human slaves at the time of his birth, and half-fae were more common (and oppressed). if he were his father’s only child and heir, his father could have hidden beron’s origins by killing anyone who knew or ordering their silence, and by now, with beron being close to 1000 or more and having lived through multiple wars that decimated prythian, there’s probably no one left to remember.

he has SIX SONS. what other high fae can claim that? maybe two at most, and tamlin’s father had a few, but SIX. it’s unheard of. fertility goes both ways—yes, fae females have fewer cycles per year, but if the male is *more* fertile he’s still going to have a higher chance of impregnating her.

he HATES lesser fae and visibly resents the archeron who were made fae from human. i feel like sjm rarely creates a villain without giving them *some* kind of tragic backstory, even if it’s just sketched, and this would make a lot of sense as to how he became so cold and cruel (remember how rhysand said half-fae were treated in prythian? they were ostracized, oppressed, and forced into SW). especially with his hatred for humans & former humans like feyre who got to be made full fae (he’s jealous!) and lesser fae (he’s worried about having grandchildren/heirs who would experience the racist treatment of half-breeds like rhys & other half-high fae have!)

finally, beron has a cruel side directed toward his family, yes, but he is also tempered by a strangely strict sense of morality. at the high lords’ meeting he calls out rhysand and the IC for their behavior, for rhysand’s evils under the mountain. beron implies that there were atrocities he refused to commit and shielded others from utm, even as rhysand compromise his morals to shield his own. and he’s the first high lord to contribute his power to resurrect feyre, a human girl, under the mountain. we know that humans have a stricter sense of morality than fae—they’re less prone to violence, to territoriality, more empathetic. we also see this strict morality and empathy in characters who hold onto their humanity—like feyre and to a much greater extent, nesta.

#acotar theory #acotar #beron vanserra #eris vanserra

[elevatorladylady]

Critical Reread - ACOTAR Chapter 6

Join me on a reread of A Court of Thorns and Roses

Chapter 6

Feyre gets a bath.

“What wretched power did they possess to make their lands so different from ours, to control the seasons and weather as if they owned them?”

I'd be curious to get more of an exploration on this idea. Are the high lords bending the will of the land? Does the magic balance out with having all of the seasons represented? What would happen if a high lord just didn't want to use their power to create a perpetual season? It would be really interesting if the land itself chose the season, even though we know it's tied to the high lord.

“Only a fool would run with no food, no strength.”

This is what I tell myself every time I try to convince myself to exercise.

“If misfortune forced you to keep company with a faerie, you never drank their wine, never ate their food.”

It's like SJM wants us to know that she does know the lore, but is actively choosing to exclude most of it from the world building.

“This beast was not a man, not a lesser faerie. He was one of the High Fae, one of their ruling nobility: beautiful, lethal, and merciless.”

I still struggle to believe that she knows the difference between any fae races when 95% of info she has on faeries is inaccurate. And really, do humans consider every other kind of fae "lesser faeries" too?

“That promise to my mother, cold and vain as she was, was all I had.”

Again, you'd think the idea of her family dying of starvation would be enough without the asinine promise.

“The Treaty’s summons led me to the mortal. I gave her safe haven.”

Is the Treaty's summons a real thing? If it is, why wouldn't it work to magically protect humans as well? Cause they mention several instances of the fae crossing the wall to attack humans, but humans don't have any recourse for when that happens.

“Perhaps he wore it out of solidarity.”

I looove the idea of Tamlin wearing a mask in solidarity with Lucien. Tam definitely would if Lucien felt self conscious about his scars.

“Well,” the red-haired one seethed, “now we’re stuck with that, thanks to your useless mercy, and you’ve ruined—”

What does it ruin? Am I forgetting something? Isn't actually what they were hoping for by sending Andras out there? Maybe it's all for show?

“While these faeries also looked human, save for their ears, I’d never learned what the High Fae called their servants.”

How can she tell a High Fae from "lesser fae" if they both look human with pointy ears? Are the high fae just prettier? Also, it'd be pretty cool if they had actual names for the different races of fae instead of just calling them all lesser. Feyre still uses the term as high lady and damn does that seem racist as hell.

“A bit fancy, but I didn’t complain when I donned the white shirt, nor when I buttoned the dark blue tunic and ran my hands over the scratchy, golden thread embroidered on the lapels.”

I want some fan art of Feyre in this outfit.

“I was too young to remember much before my father’s downfall.”

Didn't we establish that she was 11 when they lost their wealth? The narrative treats this as though she was 5/6 when she lost their wealth, but there is a huge difference between the two ages.

#ell reads #sjm critical #ell reads acotar

[saltandstarlight]

As a former fan of the series who is still in the fandom and engages very critically, I would actually like you to visit @/worldsnotsaid 's blog because they really do point out the heavy racism in sjm's books so that quip about 'not that SJM is racist' in the tags of your post is simply not true. Just be sure to not send them hate. (I was pretty oblivious about these issues in the books & went in thinking that there would be baseless arguments but they make some pretty good points.)

(Also your post appears when you search up 'sjm racist' on tumblr so maybe the previous anti anon was because of that)

I feel like sjm did create a very nice world in her books (if I heavily ignore the racism & homophobia) and it's fine to engage in the fandom (I do) but I also know that a lot of people in the fandom are racist & homophobic themselves but they will always be there in every fandom I fear. And furthermore, we should demand sjm to do & learn better.

Oh thank you, I will go check that out! And as a White person I will admit that calling things “racist” still sometimes feels wrong even when it is absolutely correct. That tag reflects that and I apologize. We should be demanding SJM to do better - I don’t know if she has acknowledged that racism baked into her world building but she definitely should. I don’t mind the anti-anon because as they said in a subsequent message - antis also provide a key piece of information in the fandom and we should be critical of the media we consume.

As someone who was deeply involved in the Supernatural fandom, I have sadly seen the racism & homophobia in fandoms. I learned about queerbaiting from Dean & Cas ya know? While people exist those prejudices will also exist. But it doesn’t mean we cannot demand removing overt AND covert racism and anti-LGBTQ+ in the media we consume!

As I said before, I don’t “stan” anything. At 32 years old I have come to see that no piece of media created by a person will be perfect, but we also should be holding creators accountable for the harmful media they create. I’m a White woman and so I will always have some level of internalized bias & prejudice to overcome and I sadly might not see the racism right away, but once it’s brought to my attention I will try to never unsee it or brush it off. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#anonymous #racism in media #homophobia in media #acotar

[nestasgalpal]

“Illyrians are too misogynistic to accept Feysand's dynamic, but Feysand are too classist and racist to even try to change that.”

This largely sums everything up. Illyria won’t cause them to split per say, but it will cause many issues for them. Feyre and Rhysand’s dynamic is interesting and I think it would be interesting to see how it manifests during the crossover and while they are dealing with Koschei. I want Feyre to be involved in the crossover but I do not know if she really will be. This is a bit different than the think question everyone keeps asking, as I know logically she will be involved as she is a prominent character with lots of power but I don’t know how much of a focal point she will be during the crossover. I think Rhysand would allow her or even encourage her to be, but I think she will only have a small role.

I think Feyre’s involvement had certain implications about SJM at large. If she lets Feyre be heavily involved, then this will send the message that the lives of women do not need to end once they have children. But it also raises the question of how much time is too much time away from a persons child? If she does not let Feyre be involved all together, then she is essentially saying that she is okay with women stopping their lives once they have children, which is a strange message to be sending to the readers of this series. I can understand why Feyre would not be involved as the things they do have a lot of death involved, but it is disheartening to see. I want to see authors break the mold. I would not be disappointed however if Feyre was hardly involved, as she is a mother now and must be alive to be apart of Nyx’s life. I think the main thing preventing Feyre from being involved will be Rhysand, which is logical. I know I am contradicting myself here but the best way I can explain it is that I want to see females breaking the mold and being the best part of themselves. I think the main reason why I am so sad to see the trajectory of Feyre’s life is because I knew she could have been something great if she just waited to have children. Children are a blessing but I think Feyre is going to be stifled and ignored. Life does not end for women once they have children but for Feyre, that is certainly true. I think SJM has a lot too juggle with Feyre and her involvement in the crossover and the rest of the series. As the books are so popular, it will set the tone for how pregnancy and motherhood is handled in the YA and NA genre.

I think Feyre and Rhysand’s “egalitarian” dynamic will be explored again once they arrive to Windhaven. From what we know about the Illyrians, it is that they do not treat woman well at all. Feyre will not like to be confined but I think Rhysand knows the nature of the Illyrian men. I do not think he will tell Feyre what is on his mind, as he is very prone to secrecy. I think he will wait until the last moment to get her to understand how much danger she is in if she treats the camps the same way she treats Velaris. If she is too trusting of the men there, then certain “things” will happen (if you know what I mean).

What are your thoughts on Feyre’s involvement in the following books? I think I will be disappointed no matter how much Feyre is involved, because I think her character could be way better utilized by SJM. How do you think Feyre will be treated in the Illyrian camps? I worry that bad things will happen to her, but SJM is not the type of author to write about things that are so graphic.

Wait I think you guys know more than I do. What crossover? Are Feysand actually moving there?? Lol I haven't read Crescent City and kind of had enough of SJM after acosf fiasco, so I think I'm not updated. Would you mind telling me why are they going there?

Maybe I need that piece of info to answer your question, but overall, from reading ACOFS I got the impression that SJM doesn't give a fuck about Feyre. She was barely there although many of the plot points revolved around her, and it was her feelings what started the action of the book itself. Her autonomy as High Lady, wife, and woman was taken from her by SJM, who has decided she doesn't want to pretend the story is about Feyre and is finally ready to admit ACOTAR is about Rhysand lol

I assume she will have a mayor role in theory, just as she did in ACOSF being the reason for everyone to do what they did, but she won't actually do anything beyond showing up as High Lady and agreeing to other character's ideas, just as she has done for a while now. And sadly, I think Nyx will be the excuse for that, and also for any bullshit behavior coming from her or Rhys.

As to how I think Feyre will be treated, I think illyrians will be nasty and disrespectful as always, and the inner circle will go full "watch how you talk about my high lady" every time/use intimidation and Feyre being the girlboss gatekeep gaslighter she is will take turns with them using her power as a threat... becasue at the end of the day, neither of them have the respect of their subjects, brute force and fear is what keeps Rhysand on the throne.

Extra point if somehow illyrian female see her as a saviour Khaleesi style.

[acourtofthought]

Thanks for answering me!

Follow up question. I have seen many arts depicting both helion and Lucien as proud black men with braids and loc. i have also seen many fans stating that both Lucien and helion are BIPOC, and getting real heated when it’s debated, mostly on tiktok. would that be an accurate depiction and description or not? I am from a small rural town, and perhaps it is small minded og me..but I have not known anyone from an Egyptian or middle eastern background..are they accurate depictions of the people? I read moononastrings reblog, and it was very interesting to note that SJM envisioned helion as Persian. I’m also confused by SJMs use of “golden brown” skin tone. I’ve seen people say vassa depictions are racist..but I don’t know, I think “golden brown” is sort of ambiguous to be honest, which is annoying and that’s on sjm.

I’m so sorry. I just get really confused by some of the arts I see, and the discourse and accusations of racism around them.

You're welcome! Thank you for the asks 😊

First off, I don't love when anyone in the fandom maliciously accuses someone of being racist. I have no problem with anyone of any race, of any sexuality, of any gender (and so on) however, as a straight white individual, I do not doubt that at some point in my life, I have inadvertently said something that someone who is a POC, LGBQT, etc. might have found offensive. Not because I would ever want to insult someone or say something inappropriate regarding those above things but because I am not 100% educated on something that I am not. I will never fully understand what others have experienced or everything that might be considered tactless because I will never completely understand the struggle they have experienced in a world that makes things easier on white straight people. I do my best. I TRY to be aware of what I'm saying. But I know I will unintentionally put my foot in my mouth at times for the rest of my life.

And I hope that someone who can understand what it means to be any of the above will take the time to educate me. I hope they will see enough of who I am and how I say things to kindly point out why whatever I've said might not be the best.

There are people that are very obviously racist or homophobic and of course there should be no tolerance for that. However I do think a majority of readers really are a bit uninformed about certain things or unaware because we really haven't been in a position to fully understand why our thinking might be wrong. And in those scenarios it does bother me when the Go To response is aggression especially because SJM is very unclear and a bit confusing when it comes to descriptions about her characters. I honestly don't think it's that people don't like the idea of Lucien looking a lot like Helion. I think it's that when the author gave us his description as - sharp, elegant features, golden skin a few shades darker than his notably pale brothers, big mystery surrounding who his real father is where only one character has had an "Ah-Ha" moment regarding it, it has truly created a lot of confusion for readers. Because it doesn't make sense to them that Lucien could look so much like Helion that others wouldn't notice. That Lucien himself wouldn't have noticed.

As far as fanart, I do think an attempt should be made to get the golden brown coloring somewhat accurate though I understand that even that has a sliding scale. Would that be somewhere along the lines of Halle Berry? Darker than that? Beyond that though, "sharp, elegant features" and Helion's nose and mouth are very difficult to capture accurately. Maybe I'm an idiot for this but I've searched through pictures of mixed race Egyptian men, Persian men, and Black Men trying to get a better image in my head of what he's supposed to look like but that really doesn't help because I still worry about whether I am doing justice to his fathers side while also paying mind to the fact that it's still a mystery for most of the characters.

I think that might be a problem a lot of artists / commissioners are having. If you lean too far one way, people find it unrealistic that other characters wouldn't have known by now. If you lean too far the other, you're racist. There's a middle somewhere but it's a bit of a struggle to figure out what that looks like. It's a very uncomfortable position to be in and unless we have outright proof that someone is in fact racist, I don't think it hurts to be a little more gentle in how we approach our discussions and to remember that maybe the person is truly confused on exactly what SJM has in her head for Lucien. At the end of the day, it's her character and unless she can show us a picture to show "THIS is Lucien", then we're all just making guesses.

#lucien vanserra #helion

[ae-neon]

Elain is Elain. Nesta is...Illyrian??

Sjm's attempt at a slur? Maybe.

There's this moment Feyre tells Rhysand he has to either forgive lol both her sisters or treat them both badly girl if you don't

And he says "Elain is Elain"

I don't think he meant anything bad by this. Like somehow, good and bad, he can accept different sides of her. It probably has to do with the way Elain shrinks herself, doesn't get in his way or step on anybody's toes. It's probably just misogyny.

BUT I have seen good takes on how this is condescending bs so that's probably up to personal interpretation. It's probably just misogyny the remix.

Then he says something like "Nesta is... Illyrian. And I mean that as a compliment." but he definitely doesn't mean that as a compliment lol?? In fact more often than not "Illyrian" as a reference to people and culture (not weapons or fighting) is used as a derogatory statement.

Like what is Rhys trying to say? Illyrian women live in an extremely misogynistic society that mutilates them as common practice. So it's not exactly like they're known as fierce and independent. And if they were wouldn't that be a good thing considering how they're treated? Is he talking about the men then ?? Is he saying Nesta has the spirit of an Illyrian warrior or some shit?

Essentially all Nesta did was openly not like Elon and the Gang but lots of people do that? Is Tamlin an Illyrian too? Beron?

It's not a compliment.

Everyone in the IC is racist towards the Illyrians and that attitude is perpetuated by the 3 bat bitches themselves. That's how Feyre, who didn't even know what an Illyrian was, comes to form her own prejudices against them - because she's taught racism. All the while appropriating their culture.

It's obviously more nuanced irl but it's like constantly degrading black people and black cultures and then saying you called someone "ghetto" as a compliment. (From an own voice perspective)

Like in the mouth of someone else? maybe, but with a track record of prejudice and racism?? it's highly unfucking likely.

Even tho at the end of the day Rhysand's beloved fridge women were Illyrians too? Is he saying his dead mother and sister acted like Nesta? Probably not. It's a common hypocrisy shown by moc who approximate whiteness. So him being Illyrian and having female Illyrian relatives means nothing. Ask any woc.

"Nesta is Illyrian" was a derogatory statement on both ends.

*

One hilarious thing about sjm being a typical white feminist is that her subconscious commentary on moc is so spot on because moc and white women are each other's natural equal opposites

#acotar #sjm critical #anti rhysand #anti azriel #anti cassian #anti ic #nesta archeron #elain archeron #anti sjm #anti inner circle #racism in fantasy #nesta deserves better