#nesta deserves better

[litnerdwrites]

"Cassian would be such a good father!" "He's such a girl dad!" "I hope we get a Nessian baby in the next Acotar book!"

That would be the start of a horror story. Not because of the risk of death thing, since it was taken care of at the end of ACOSF. No. Nessian are not ready for a kid, and quite possibly never will be at this rate. There are 101 reasons why neither Nesta or Cassian would be good parents at this current stage in their relationship and their personal development, especially if the dynamic we see in the HOFAS bonus chapter is anything to go by.

When you become a parent, you are responsible for your child's physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, and should provide for them within the best of your abilities. That goes beyond food, shelter and clothing. It means support, love and encouragement, fostering a safe, nurturing environment for them to grow up, free to be themselves.

Nessian can't give that. Not entierly anyway. I don't believe that either of them wouldn't love their child. What concerns me is if they would love their child enough.

Cassian has proven time and time again that he will chose Rhysand over Nesta, no matter what. If he can't chose his damn mate, how could he chose his child. What would he do if it came down to choosing between his Rhysand and his mate & child?

We've established that the mating bond is likely to be the Cauldron's form of selective breeding based on power, so it's highly likely that their child would be incredibly powerful too. The IC have been shown to go as far as lie and manipulate their own in order to exploit their powers. That is what happened to Nesta in ACOSF time and time again. Hell, it's been happening since the IC met Nesta in ACOMAF.

It's not beyond possibility for the IC to lie and manipulate or guilt trip Nessian's child the way they did to Nesta, so they can exploit that power. The worst part is, Cassian, thus far, hasn't given us a reason to think he wouldn't go along with it. If Amren, or Rhysand decide they need Nessian's kid to do something "for the good of the court" but Nessian's kid doesn't want to, or is reluctant? Would Cassian really stand up to Rhysand for the sake of his child? He doesn't love Nesta enough to stand up for her, why would he try to stand up for his kid?

Even if he did stand up for NK, (I'm calling his and Nesta's hypothetical kid NK from this point on, to make things easier) what's to stop the IC from going behind his and Nesta's back? What's to stop Cassian, from going behind Nesta's back on the off chance that he agrees with the IC but Nesta refuses to allow it (assuming NK isn't an adult, which in this world is about 50-80 years)? I wouldn't put it past Nesta's own sisters, and so-called family to undermine her rights and position as NK's mother by going behind her back and making the kid do what they want anyway.

They might not even bother hiding it from her and, like the intervention, tell her it's happening, regardless of how she feels. What proof do we have that Cassian would stand up for her or NK? Would stop the IC, for his child's sake, and defend his mate's right as Nk's mother? He wouldn't. Current, cannon Cassian, wouldn't. He simply doesn't care for Nesta enough to defend her rights and boundaries as his mate, so we can't believe he would defend NK from the IC, if it came down to it.

Then there's the issue of Illyria. Some people are of the opinion that the bat boys would send their kids to Illyrian war camps because it's their culture, while others argue that they wouldn't because it was traumatising. Personally, I think certain parts of Illyrian culture needs to become part of their history instead, like the child soldiers, and wing clippings, for example, but that's not the point.

Rhysand claims to advocate for change and equality in Illyria by thrusting a sword into a woman's hand, and basically forcing them to train too. Based on the argument with Devlon in ACOFAS, it's safe to assume that some level of force and authority is being used to make the women train. But handing them a sword and making them train, presumably in skin tight leathers, while men gawk and stare at them, isn't Equality.

Equality, by definition, means that men and women have the same status, rights and opportunities.

Opportunity, by definition, is "A set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something".

Equality in Illyria won't exist until men and women alike have the choice to not be warriors. Women like Emerie are lucky enough to inherit businesses, but the social circumstances mean that while women may, technically, run businesses, social pressures prevent it. They either wouldn't get business, or other Illyrians might refuse to sell business licenses or stock to them.

These same social pressures are what the IC apply to women when they make them train with the men, without considering what they want. These are the same social pressures that the IC would apply to NK if they decided that they wanted her at these camps. Not only would they consent to leaving one of the youngest members of their 'family' with a people who are so openly hostile to them and to women in general, what are the odds that they would hear any objections from NK?

If NK said they didn't want to train, but the IC wanted them to become a warrior, either to help protect Velaris or to, once more, exploit their powers, or their potential strength (Illyrian killing power, whatever that is).

Cassian claims to love his people, but won't provide them with the opportunities they deserve. He doesn't look or listen to find out what they need, and he did the same to Nesta. He forced her to do things she didn't want to, without asking or understanding what she wanted or needed. If his child were to refuse training, or express interest in other areas, would he ignore them too? Would he force them to train as well?

If his child went through something traumatic (which is pretty much guaranteed with the IC as their family), would he resort to the same methods they used to break Nesta? Once again, we have no reason to believe he wouldn't strip his children of their personal choices, all so they become loyal, complacent weapons of the IC.

What's worse, is that those children may even become weapons to use against Nesta. Who's to stop the IC from telling Nesta's own kids lies and stories to turn them against her? They isolated her in an attempt to break her into compliance, what are the odds they wouldn't bar Nesta from her children? They used Elain to strong arm Nesta into doing their bedding, who's to say they wouldn't use her children? Or manipulate her children against her in some way? Who's to say Cassian wouldn't just let it happen, or even actively participate in the manipulation.

Cassian's loyalty and dedication to the IC would always come before Nesta and their potential children. He's not ready to be a father because he could never put his children before his brother or the rest of his family. The truth I'm seeing is that Cassian, clearly, doesn't love his mate, and probably wouldn't love his child as much as the IC. He wouldn't love them enough to stand up for them. He wouldn't love them enough to not manipulate or coerce them into using their body or powers in a way that the IC approves of (yeah, I also never thought I'd have to read, much less write, that a parent wouldn't love their kid enough to not manipulate them). He's unfit, at this point, to be a parent.

Moving on to Nesta, who still has several unresolved mommy issues, clearly. Her mother raised her to marry a prince and, assumedly, be the perfect wife. Given that the way women are treated in the mortal lands, it's not a stretch to imagine that part of that training would mean obeying her husband (or in this case, mate,) and looking the other way if he cheated, amongst other things.

These values may explain why Nesta isn't as assertive against the IC or Cassian as we'd like. Even if it's subconsciously, some of those values seem likely to be so ingrained in her that she can't break away, as we see when she takes Rhysand's abuse in HOFAS bonus chapter. It's also a fair to assume it may be part of the reason she does what the IC ask when searching for the trove. I'm not saying that those traditions and her mommy issues are the only reason why, there's plenty of other reasons why Nesta acts in these ways, including the brainwashing she got in ACOSF, but it's reasonable to assume that they're at least part of the reason why.

Speaking of brainwashing, Nesta was brainwashed in ACOSF. She was beat down and forced into submission to the point where she even tells Gwyn that she's glad Feyre did that for her. Nesta gave up her dream and desires to travel, her power, her autonomy, and her aspirations just to be subservient to the IC. She became barely a shell of who she was by the end of that book.

That's not to say this is Nesta's fault. Not by a long shot. This is a result of abuse at the hands of the IC, her mother and Cassian. Abuse that left Nesta way more vulnerable and malleable than she was before, stripping her of anything the IC didn't approve of. Meanwhile Cassian did nothing. She thought that she had to earn Cassian's love, despite him being her so-called mate. She seriously thought that she, as her parents' daughter, had to earn their love, for fucks sake people.

What happens if the IC decide that they don't like way NK is growing up, or that they don't like how the kid is dealing with potential trauma? Will they push Nesta into believing her own child doesn't deserve her love? Will Nesta, at any point, consider if her child doesn't deserve her love if they don't have an interest in training or court affairs or training their powers? f

Nesta, like Cassian, is unfit to be a parent, for similar, yet very different reasons. Nesta's self hatred and the lack of ability to stand up to the IC (not saying that's her fault) would bring into question if she would be able to stand up for her children. If Cassian won't stand up for either of them, then how would she, if she feels that her kids deserve better, and that the IC are better. If she feels powerless, and weak, because of their abuse, she likely wouldn't be able to stand up to them. If they come after her together, she wouldn't be able to stand up to them.

I'm not saying any of this is Nesta's fault. She is a victim of abuse. Plain and simple. However, it's also reasonable to decide that she'd be unfit as a parent at that point in time, in large part, due to the environment that was created around her. It's not an environment to raise a child. Especially since Nesta is so brainwashed that it took a stranger from another world (Ember) who knew nothing about her pointing out how messed up her situation was for her to begin considering it as a possibility.

Nesta's own self hatred wouldn't allow her to see anybody but herself as the problem, so she likely wouldn't stand up to the IC or Cassian for her kids, in part because it was so ingrained that she had to obey her husband, but also, in part, because she's less likely to be able to fully understand if or how the IC or Cassian's actions hurt them. Or to consider those actions unnecessary. Even if it came down to mating bond divorce being the best option, if kids are involved, she might not end up going through with it, which can often be worse for kids than a divorce.

Nesta would love her kids so fiercely, but it would be difficult for that love to outweigh the brainwashing, self hatred and abuse that has been engraved into her mind for practically her whole life. She wouldn't love them enough for it to overshadow those voices in her head, through, once again, no fault of her own.

Then the kid themselves. Bringing a child into that mess would be just as torturous for the poor kid.

Imagine what it would do to a child, seeing your uncle threaten to kill your mother, while your aunts, and father and rest of your family let it happen. All because your mother tried to do the right thing?

Or, another scenario, is if NK overhears their aunt (Mor) complaining about how horrible their mother is, and how she belongs in a place you were taught was terrible and evil because she's just like them.

What would it do to NK, to grow up hearing Amren, somebody their Uncle and mother trust and love, refer to their mom in reference to how useful her powers are, or to NK themselves by how useful they are to the court.

NK would likely be forced to do things they don't want to 'show a united front' or to train because it sets an example to the Illyrians. NK would be exploited for their potential power, an initiative likely spearheaded by Amren, and trained to be just as blindly loyal to Nyx as Cassian is to Rhysand.

The child would likely be left to Amren to train, with or without Nesta's consent, and even if she did find the strength to vehemently reject the IC's methods of trying to raise her kid, she'd be punished. She'd be locked up and told she was bad for her own child's wellbeing, while breaking down the poor kid the way they broke her down. They stripped Nesta of her autonomy and freedom. If she had a kid, it wouldn't be long before they stripped her of her role as a mother.

At the end of the day, Nessian wouldn't be great parents, because the IC aren't a great family. They have issue upon issue to work through before they can consider their relationship even somewhat functional or healthy, much less bring a child into it.

So no. Nessian doesn't need a kid. They'd be terrible parents and need to figure their own shit out before they even consider having a kid. Nesta isn't in a good place, mentally, physically, or emotionally, to be able to act with the kid's best interests at heart. Meanwhile Cassian is either delusional enough that he thinks Rhysand's best interests equal everybody's best interests, including his kid's. So, he won't bother to stop Rhys or the IC from using the kid however he wants.

Which is why I'm begging you. Please. No. No Nessian kid in the next book. Not in any book. Not unless SJM somehow fixes the relationship between Nesta and Cassian, and by that, I mean figure out how to fix Cassian's character from ACOSF.

(On a side note, Nesta's basically still a kid by fae standards, and so is Feyre. So why? Why would they not wait anyway? Cause ew.)

#anti inner circle #anti rhysand #anti acosf #nesta deserves better #pro nesta #anti ic #pro nesta archeron #anti amren #anti mor #nesta acotar #anti rhys #acotar critical #anti cassian #anti feysand #anti morrigan

[bookishwithathought]

{Day 3} Self-care

@nestaarcheronweek

• I think, by the end of ACOSF, we learned the ways in which Nesta had begun to care for herself in the things she did alone and with those she loved. And I know self-care is often thought of as something you do alone, but does it have to be? As someone who deeply relates to Nesta, I myself have come to learn that caring for oneself can also be found in the company you seek.

• I wanted to capture everything that has fed her mind, body, soul and spirit. Her love of books and music (soul), training with her friends and the touch of her mate (body), Mind-stilling and breathing (mind) and I’d like to think she continues to explore the mountains when her (spirit) is restless.

A personal note about the line “She faced herself, and for once she cared”:

• Last year was hard. I had a pretty severe episode of depression and it was extremely difficult to care. In the wells of despair, where your only thought is to survive in that darkness and all its depth, all you can do is keep yourself alive for moments, days. Once you find your way up, and let light shatter the bindings of darkness, you can care once more. This is why Nesta will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Keep reaching out your hand, friends. Even to yourself 🩶

#nestaweek2024 #nesta acosf #pro nesta #nesta archeron #nesta acotar #nesta deserves better

[simmanin]

thinking about how Nesta got over her bathing trauma, alone, while also simultaneously being at her lowest

that takes a lot of strength & resilience and I genuinely tear up every time I think about it because girl, I’ve been there too ❤️‍🩹

#pro nesta archeron #nesta archeron #nesta acotar #nesta deserves better #nesta acofas #nesta acosf #acowar #acofas #acosf #sjm

[nocasdatsgay]

Have y’all notice that in canon, everyone who meets Nesta that isn’t tied to the IC likes her? Just me?

#cc hofas #house of flame and shadow #hofas spoilers #acotar #nesta archeron #pro nesta #nesta deserves better #I’m on my bullshit don’t look at me

[kataraavatara]

these were a little too real for tiktok. maybe someday…

#carly’s pro nesta propaganda #nesta deserves better #feyre critical #anti inner circle #anti ic #anti nessian #anti cassian

[houseofwindbookshelf]

Feyre And Rhys🖤🌙

cr:found it on pinterest!

#nesta acosf #nesta deserves better #nesta is a queen #rhys acotar #azriel #rhysand #high lord rhysand #nesta #acotar #rhys art #feyre supremacy #pro feyre #feyre cursebreaker #feyre deserves better #feyre archeron #elain art #cassian acotar #acofs #a court of thorns and roses #acosf #acowar #a court of silver flames #a court of mist and fury #acomaf #a court of wings and ruin #acofas #nesta acotar #nyx archeron #nyx acotar

[hereathemoment]

I just remembered that Cassian sat across from Mor sipping tea while she talked about how Nesta should be in a dungeon or being tortured by being locked up in hewn city and he’s just there blown the fuck away by Mor’s beauty AND THEN LATER she winnows to Illyria where Cassian is training, ogles him and talks to Nesta about how she’ll never deserve him and how attractive he is

Nesta stood up for Cassian during the high lord meeting, in front of EVERYBODY and he can’t take his family aside and tell them to stop starting fights with her? He’ll stand in front of Mor when Eris is around but sit by and do nothing when Rhys threatens Nesta’s life?

He. Does. Not. Love. Her. Funny also that his attitude changed toward her after the war when she was taking other men to her bed. Sjm made her sleep around out of character so that nessian can have hate sex but sjm still virtue signals feminism as if Cassian in acowar wasn’t calling her sweetheart and Cassian in acomaf didn’t wipe away her tears in front of the queens and everyone. He promised her time together as his would-be last words. But then sjm writes that Nesta uses sex to cope and now all-of-a-sudden Cassian is telling her that everybody fucking hates her and that he never asked to be shackled to her. Making it clear she can only use sex as a coping mechanism if it’s sex WITH HIM.

Suddenly he’s not understanding. Suddenly he isn’t gentle with her. No, now he’s an incel who locks Nesta up until she caves and sleeps with him.

It’s hard to imagine a being with wings, who flies in the air, would want to confine his MATE to a house she can’t escape from. Azriel, too, was locked up as a boy and then acts as a prison guard against her? And for Feyre to be the one to do it when she was supposedly traumatized when Tamlin locked her in his mansion? I understand why elain packed her clothes and sent her on her way— she’s the type to save herself and if she sided with Nesta she’d be locked up alongside her.

I’m just saying, ACOSF is a lot to unpack and I’m still processing my shock and disgust years later. I truly can’t believe it happened.

#also the fact that Nesta can’t winnow is insane because she was super powerful and a high fae like there’s no reason she shouldn’t have #been able to except to keep her locked up in Velaris where Rhys and Feyre have access to her power #nesta deserves better #anti acosf #anti inner circle #anti sjm #anti mor #anti cassian

[bunnyshideawayy]

always insane to me how everyone is jumping to blame Nesta for her families poverty instead of their father?????? this happens the entire series and then when Papa Archeron shows up last minute for the finale battle everyone is just like “🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹” expect* for Nesta who can only remember how he actually never really cared for her and how she is the one who holds his mantel for not doing anything/providing for them. its okay though he gets a pass bc his knee! its shattered, expect it was miraculously healing before his sudden death! but that’s okay Nesta suffers and becomes violently depressed/traumatized by his death in which no one helps her progress through! it takes Cassian the entire book to finally realize the fire sounds like a snapping neck and that’s why she flinches around it. but he sure noticed her huge boobs on her sickly thin body!! absolute himbo frat boy chad of a man. guys on a serious note when are we going to stop holding Nesta accountable for their father’s actions? im getting sick of having this discussion. 

also i find it hilarious Cassian sticks up for Feyre here when he literally does not care about her, if he did he would’ve done the same when Rhys told him to keep the wings secret. just like if he truly cared about Nesta he’d stick up for her, too. instead he insults her and sets himself up to look like a fool all in one go.

#acotar #nesta archeron #acosf #nesta acotar #feyre acotar #feyre archeron #nesta acosf #elain archeron #sjm books #sjm multiverse #cassian #nesta x cassian #cassian acotar #nesta stan #nesta supremacy #pro nesta #nesta deserves better #nessian #a court of silver flames #high lady feyre #sjm universe #sjm fandom #cassian critical #the ic critical #lady death

[nestaismommy]

“The inner circle locking Nesta up is rehab”

“It was an intervention”

“Safe and comfortable.”

She kept her spine straight, her chin high, hating that they all eyed her as she opted to sit on the couch beside her sister. Hating that Rhys and Amren noted her filthy shoes, and probably still smelled that male on her despite the bath.

Nesta tried to master her uneven breathing. One of the few choices she’d made for herself, stripped away.

“Anger, blame, shame and judgement.”

“You look atrocious,”

“Though I bet it’s hard to look good,” Amren went on, “when you’re out until the darkest hours of the night, drinking yourself stupid and fucking anything that comes your way.”

“You don’t have a life,”

“All you have done is help yourself to our money.”

“You spent five hundred gold marks last night!” Feyre exploded, shooting to her feet to pace in front of the hearth. “Do you know how much money that is? Do you know how embarrassed I was when we got the bill this morning and my friends—my family—had to hear all about it?

“It is about how it reflects upon me, upon Rhys, and upon my court when my damned sister spends our money on wine and gambling and does nothing to contribute to this city! If my sister cannot be controlled, then why should we have the right to rule over anyone else?”

“What things? A few clothes and some rotten food.”

“Friends and a professional.”

“People with a history of attacking or criticizing your loved one shouldn’t be present.”

This one’s pretty self explanatory. Or are you gonna try to say they are her friends? I don’t know what to expect from you people

#pro nesta archeron #pro nesta #nesta deserves better #anti inner circle

[litnerdwrites]

Who would chose Nesta?

Cassian doesn't deserve Nesta. Fight me on this. Nesta would risk life and limb and death all over again for him. She'd face her trauma, climb mountains (regardless of how ethical it may be), and put her pride aside for him.

She would face her traumas and search for the cauldron for Elain and Feyre. For the court they love. She gave up her powers for Feyre and Nyx. She fought a war for Feyre. She faced Braylin, and found the trove so Nyx wouldn't grow up in a war-torn world.

Yet not a single Character would put her first, the way she puts them first. They didn't even try to accommodate her trauma by finding an alternative for baths, despite her telling them the issue and them promising to help.

Not one would love her unconditionally the way she loves them, or sacrifice for her, what she'd sacrifice for them.

#anti rhysand #anti acosf #anti ic #anti inner circle #nesta deserves better #pro nesta #nesta acotar #pro nesta archeron #anti feyre #anti mor #anti rhys #anti morrigan #anti amren #anti cassian #anti elain #anti azriel

[yoddhasblog]

One thing that makes me rage about ACOTAR every single day is that there is no mention at all about who did the household chores when Feyre was hunting.

It's canon that Feyre doesn't know how to cook. She doesn't do household work. She would spend the day in the forest hunting, which of course is a great thing in itself for a child( she was fourteen I think when she started hunting) but who took care of the house(hut).

Something tells me it wasn't Papa Archeron or Elain. In the first few chapters of Thorns and Roses Nesta had chopped wood twice(I think, it's been a while since I read the book). I'm assuming as there isn't much info about this that Nesta was the one to do all household work. There's cooking, cleaning, laundry, chopping wood, mending clothes, doing repairs around the house if required, groceries, and about a hundred other little tasks that keep a house running smoothly. Feyre didn't do it, Papa Archeron didn't do it, I can bet my life Elain didn't do it. Did magic faeries come to their house at night to do all this.

I don't understand where the narrative that Nesta was a spoiled and lazy girl who sat on her ass and didn't do anything came from. You know, my father had always told my sister and i, that whatever conflict we have between us, we should resolve it amongst ourselves. If you let a bunch of strangers know about the weaklinks in your relationships they will break you both apart. Of course, he tells us this due to our snake-ish relatives but honestly, when I had read about the relationship between the sisters, I wanted to scream at the book to not let the IC exploit their issues for personal gain. Which they did. That's exactly what Rhysand has been doing since he met the sisters.

#anti ic #anti inner circle #anti rhysand #anti sjm #anti feysand #anti acotar #anti acomaf #anti acowar #anti acosf #anti cassian #anti amren #anti mor #anti sarah j maas #nesta deserves better #pro nesta

[lorcandidlucienwill]

One thing SJM portrayed accurately with Nesta is that she stands there spitting nothing but facts, and everyone gets mad and calls her mean. But she's not even mean or malicious or anything. She's just saying the truth and everyone gets mad; sounds like a skill issue, buddy. The truth hurts sometimes. How about you just sit back and deal with it?

#nesta archeron #pro nesta archeron #keep spitting facts my girl #no one gets you like i do #nesta deserves better

[wingsdippedingold]

Nesta: says mean shit to feyre and doesn’t contribute to household chores (though that’s highly unlikely)

Feyre: murders innocent civilians for petty revenge over I still don’t know what

Cassian: massacres an entire village because his mom died from a specific group

Rhysand: is rhysand

NESTA IS EVIL KILL HER

like..?? 😭😭

#anti sjm #anti acotar #anti sarah j maas #anti rhysand #anti inner circle #anti nessian #anti feysand #anti cassian #pro nesta #nesta deserves better

[kataraavatara]

there’s something about a fourteen year old Feyre hunting in the woods for her family being absolutely horrifying to the inner circle but a fourteen year old nesta forced to use her body to seduce older men so she can get a marriage alliance for her family is just a funny little story for the inner circle to have a giggle over that gives them the idea that they should have adult Nesta use her body to seduce an older man into a marriage alliance. for her “family”.

#nesta archeron deserves better #carly’s pro nesta propaganda #pro nesta archeron #nesta deserves better #anti ic #anti inner circle #carly’s anti rhysand manifesto #anti amren #anti cassian #anti rhysand #and fuck it #anti elain #cause she was there and in on the plan too

[belle-keys]

Ember Quinlan is the realest one for stepping into Prythian just for five seconds and realizing how horrifying Rhys and his treatment toward Nesta are.

#she just like me fr #i miss the 2015 days when rhys was just unapologetically morally dark grey #without the narrative trying to frame him as jesus every two second #anti rhysand #anti rhys #anti feysand #anti cassian #nesta archeron #nesta deserves better #nesta i love you #ember quinlan

[hereathemoment]

The Nessian ship doesn’t hold any water. Their relationship is built on his sexualization of Nesta’s trauma. If nesta were plus sized he would be done with her. Her body is all he’s interested in and based on how he reacted to her wanting sugar and his sexualization of how she looked when she was starving herself— it would be all over tomorrow if she started baking. He found her setting up boundaries against him hot and refused to listen to what she wanted

ACOFAS and ACOSF set up an entirely different dynamic from the original series. Ding dong, the bat is dead. I think Nessian had too much smoke and sjm couldn’t stand people preferring them over Rhsyand (*ahem, sorry, feysand*)

#what fourth wall. #nesta deserves better #anti sjm #anti acosf #anti cassian #stop defending this man for the love of