#rhysands not as great

[copypastus]

I was very amused when through fandom events I realized starfall is supposed to take place at the first day of SPRING. How could I not insert a lil Tamlin? Works for either @starfallweek or @feyreweekofficial

#my art #acotar #acotar fanart #tamlin #rhysand #feyre archeron #my heart yearns for a timeline where everyone gets along #or at least they have fights that are more silly #honestly great event timing! made me want to participate #starfall week #feyreweek2024

[lainalit]

Feyres Story times:

• How my husband assaulted, drugged and humiliated me the first time we met😍🥰

• How he made me fetch my own engagement ring in a death trap🤩💍

• How my husband and I purchased our fifth mansion 🤑✌️

• How I got back at my ex by endangering innocent people😇🙌

• How my husband dresses me like his wh0re and beats people up who call me that💅

• How my husband wants to kill my sister🤪

• How I found out that my husband and friends lied to me about my pregnancy that will kill me☺️💖

#what a great husband #who doesn't want a man like that #anti ic #acotar critical #anti acotar #anti rhysand #sjm critical #anti sjm #anti inner circle #anti feysand

[kataraavatara]

“ohhhh so nesta can be MEAN to the IC but they can’t do it back” i’m twenty. if a sixteen year old got under my skin that much to the point i was beefing with them i would end it all out of sheer humiliation. i don’t even want to imagine how embarrassing it would be if i was over 500 and a girl in her twenties got to me that bad. like was it really that serious.

#like someone has more of a responsibility to be emotionally mature here #and it’s not the person who’s 1/20th of your age #ever notice how Azriel doesn’t provoke her and they get along great #carly’s pro nesta propaganda #pro nesta archeron #anti inner circle #inner circle critical #inner circle slander #anti morrigan #anti mor #carly’s anti rhysand manifesto

[ennawrite]

genuinely how it felt when Rhysand told Az to back off of Elain in that ACOSF bonus chapter

#acosf #rhysand #azriel acotar #anti e/riel #pro elain isn’t an object to fight over #pro lucien vanserra #lucien vanserra #pro elucien #pro gwynriel #the worst person you know just made a great point #pro elain

[arcaneillusion]

illyrian women being given the opportunity to train while nothing is done to challenge the systems behind their oppression has similar implications to women being given greater opportunities in paid employment while capitalism, racism & patriarchy remain fully intact.

it seems ‘progressive’ on the surface but in reality it:

a) does very little to combat the systemic causes of oppression;

b) merely results in what some sociologists call the dual burden, or women’s triple shift.

essentially, in heterosexual relationships, gender roles have remained largely unchanged, with women continuing to do the vast majority of housework and child-rearing. thus, the move into employment means that women now typically have two jobs (unpaid domestic labour and paid work) to their male partner’s one (paid work). this is the dual burden that many women face under capitalism.

the triple shift is a similar concept; however, it also considers women’s role in carrying out the emotional labour necessary to maintain close bonds within the (nuclear) family unit. this notion instead suggests that women have three jobs (paid employment, unpaid domestic tasks and emotional labour) to their male partner’s one.

there’s a lot of evidence to support both theories, but that’s not the point of this post.

to relate this back to acotar: rhysand giving illyrian women the opportunity to train is about as effective in alleviating their subjugation as access to paid employment was for women.

to be clear, i’m not saying that women shouldn’t be in paid employment (obviously), nor am i suggesting that access to work has done nothing to help improve women’s lives.

perhaps a better way of framing it would be this: did patriarchy collapse when women were granted access to the workplace? did paid employment ‘solve’ gender inequality? it has been decades since women started to transition into paid work, and is misogyny (and a whole other host of issues that stem from patriarchy) any less prevalent?

rhysand granting illyrian women access to training while the roots of their subjugation remain intact simply creates a dual burden. now, instead of just doing the domestic labour, they get to learn to fight so they can go die in wars waged by a ruler that cares very little for their existence beyond their use as cannon-fodder. yay! feminism!

there is obviously room here for a much more in-depth conversation about capitalism, racism and patriarchy & whether such systems are truly any weaker than in previous decades as opposed to having just changed forms/adapted to the modern world. additionally, much more can be said about the subjugation of the illyrians in acotar and rhysand’s role in it, and parallels can be drawn between this and real world contexts. but, for the sake of brevity, i’ll leave that for another time.

my main point here is simply that illyrian women being allowed to train causes further harm and very little progress. they face oppression at the hands of illyrian males, but all illyrians are oppressed by the unequal hierarchy of power that dominates the night court - a hierarchy that rhysand sits at the very top of.

just as in our world patriarchy will continue to function so long as racism and capitalism do too, so will, in the night court, the subjugation of illyrian women continue so long as the unequal distribution of power persists.

rhysand cannot, and will not, fix a problem when said problem is merely a symptom of his power. if illyrian liberation is contingent on the abolition of unequal hierarchies of power, it is therefore contingent on the abolition of rhysand’s position as high lord. freedom for the illyrians is quite literally against his interests.

any solutions he attempts to provide (such as granting access to training) are about as helpful as sticking a plaster on a broken bone.

#anti sjm #anti rhysand #anti acotar #acotar analysis #this has been sitting in my drafts for a while now #i’m not great at articulating my thoughts so apologies if anything is unclear

[mia-nina-lilly]

What did Tamlin really go through in UtM?

I don't know about you guys, but given Tamlin's personality, I don't think he just stood by watching Feyre go through her tasks, and I have reasons for it: Amarantha spent half a century pretending to be someone different from the one who tortured and then imprisoned Jurian in a ring for the High Lords of Prythian, that is, half a century plotting to then trap them all at once under her will. When Tamlin refused to be her consort, Amarantha, at the peak of her vanity, gave him another 49 years, 49 years for him to break his curse, 49 years she spent thinking of how to have him. If ACOTAR and other mentions of her throughout the books made one thing clear, it's that Amarantha is someone very ingenious, creative, and determined. And her obsession with Tamlin reached such a point, it's hard to believe she just left him there to watch Feyre helplessly. Understand, it's not that I don't find it plausible, in fact, I think such an idea is very much in line with Amarantha's character. But a woman who waited 49 years to have him in her bed wouldn't just make him a trophy to be shown off; she would use him, and I don't think I need to mention the implications of that, as Rhysand has already made his experience with her quite clear. Imagine then someone who said they'd rather sleep with a human than with her? Another point is that Feyre arrived days after the captivity began, so until then, assuming that after her arrival the only torture Tamlin endured was watching her, what did Tamlin go through? If his reactions in ACOMAF are any indication, Feyre's death and his inability to help her don't seem to have been the only things that affected him. From here, I go a little further, I believe Tamlin didn't even truly witness some things. In fact, I think only when Feyre was on stage in the throne room was Tamlin truly there, as it would have been torture for both, otherwise, Amarantha would have kept him occupied. Remember, faeries heal fast. That's why I think much more happened to Tamlin than what we see in ACOTAR. I was very disappointed when I read ACoMaF, where Tam is completely ruined in his psyche, and at no point is this mentioned or even considered by Feyre, who only focuses on what she's feeling and what Rhys says to her.

#Tamlin #tamlin acotar #thinking about ACoTaR #SJM #a court of thorns and roses #acomaf #ACOMAF and its prevalence in Feysand #sarah j. maas #sjm books #nor pro or anti #just thinking #We don't know everything. #That's why a book focused on Tamlin would have been great #Feyre don't know everything #Rhysand don't know everything #Even Lucien don't know everything

[reblogandlikes]

The Great Rite...?

I've always wondered how the Great Rite (Calanmai) is performed across the other Courts. Are they all basically sex based ritualistic magic thats tipping the line of consent non consent as it is a duty? Borderline possession when the *magic* channels and uses the body of the host, if you think about it. Does it differ between courts?

And what happens when it's not performed? Maybe it was already written in the text, but I'd assume, or would like to think, the magic of the lands would become wilder. Unpredictable. Consequences curating in some form that couldn't be ignored. Maybe making the land less fertile, transfiguring usually harmless creatures into something horrid and vicious to attack the fae settlers; or even weaken the High Lord of that particular land as it was the *Land* that chose them, thus making them/the court vulnerable. A collective punishment, so to speak.

And then the Rite being done, but not by the High Lord themselves. Like how Kier has been the one to perform it in Rhysand’s stead for however long (Don't care for him, but it not Kier's responsibility) and how Lucien replaced Tamlin. Maybe the magic would simply view them as place holders - satisfied, but not fulfilled. Eventually, it would get tired and lash out by feeling slighted. Decide to strip the power of the HL and give it to another without death required.

I dunno, just some random thoughts. Not asking for the most world building, but just a comparison. Even in the places we've been the most (Spring & NC), there's not much depth. Just surface level explanations that are never recounted again. Though, that could be mostly due to SJM being more character focus. But still, the books get thick. Something could have been substituted to add more otherworldly aspects of a literal faerie book.

#Great Rite magic is kinda suss #sjm critical #acotar #acotar critical #acomaf #acowar #Tamlin #Rhysand #the high lords of prythian #fantasy world #world building #magic system #What happens if no one does shit? Would the land die? #random thoughts #How does Calanmai actually work?

[galaxyofstars]

"the inner circle is a wonderful found family" kaz brekker and matthias helvar have a healthier relationship with each other than that mess, and matthias is genuinely half convinced kaz is a literal demon

#the trick is kaz and matthias are at least honest with each other #something the ic take great pains to avoid #acotar #acosf #sjm critical #anti inner circle #rhysand #six of crows #soc #matthias helvar #cassian acotar #azriel acotar #mor acotar #amren #kaz brekker

[flowerflamestars]

Effloresce snippet

“How did you,” Nesta had managed to surprise her, “How did you come to meet this woman?” Nesta let out a ragged, half-mad laugh. “I tried to hire her to smuggle me into the Spring Court to save my sister.” She twisted, looking straight at Kali. “Why do they call Rhysand a pretender?” Warmth, whatever warmth Nesta had garnered, evaporated. “The heir died,” Kali pronounced. “The current High Lord prevented us from vengeance. We could not- the Lady Shahar did not return to the sky. You cannot lead the clans without honor.” Nesta’s honor was tarnished in every direction. Her father, her sister, her dead uncounted. “Who is the next heir?” Kali sucked in an audible breath and then, just as careful, off as the way Koram had touched her, clapped the back of Nesta’s shoulder where bone and muscle would meet in wings were she something else. “That pale bitch who’s been dragging Cassian around by his throat for centuries, my lady.” Morrigan. Of course, it was Morrigan. Nesta wiped her face. “Will it cause problems?” “Your friend, the mercenary? The mortal child of an Illyrian?” Kali shrugged, motion half wings, “It will be strange. Not violent.” “And probably good for them to see.” “Them,” Kali echoed. Nesta pressed hard against her wet eyes, once, the pressure twinned with pain in her face. “I’m not going to tell anyone who they can or cannot consort with,” Nesta nearly hissed, before she reeled herself back in. “I am not a High Lord. These things happen, and there is nothing wrong with them.” Kali, quite obviously cautious, squeezed Nesta’s shoulder like it was made of bone fine porcelain. “Lady Nesta.” It was kind, and utterly unbearable. “Why do you need her?” Kali asked, after a long moment. “The mercenary?” Nesta, feeling like the expression cracked her, bleeding open, smiled. “She travels in the company of Jurian,” Nesta told her, one more Archeron secret laid bare, “Breaker of chains and kings. I have need of him.”

#hi hello for anyone new to this au I HAVE NEVER FOUND A THREAD I DONT WANT TO YANK #yes forever and always on my personal Rhys was not meant to be heir bullshit #Nesta is about to have the worst week of her life while Elain is on her wartime sedition themed honeymoon #Kali has known Cassian since he was ten! #she hates Mor! #(I do not...exactly. But this story is not great for her) #Jurian and Lucien friends if not lovers in every au #culture clash! #Azriel slow motion losing his shit completely #something something Rhysand's sister having a NAME #and her death rebounding all the way back to ruin his shitty government beloved #effloresce

[chunkypossum]

Come Hel or High Lord: Ch 15

Chapter 15: Returning the Favor

Words: 8700 (real chunky bby)

Reminder: This is a crossover between all SJM series. So spoilers for TOG, ACOTAR, and CC

Summary:

I don't know where all this plot came from but if y'all could look past the fact that it's held together with two pieces of chewed up gum and some glitter that would be great. Just here for the vibes...

More of the snippet below the cut. Read on Ao3

Azriel slumped down onto the sharp shards of slate at the edge of the lake and looked out at it’s glassy surface. It was more than a little reckless coming here of all places after what he had just done, but it’s the only place he wanted to be. Going home wasn’t an option until he had calmed down and he couldn’t stand the thought of being around another living soul anyway. Shame washed over him and he buried his face in his palms, pressing them tightly into his eyes.  Then he began to laugh. Laughing at himself, his situation, the past, he didn’t know, it didn't really matter all that much but he couldn’t stop. It wasn’t until he found himself pounding into the slate with bloody fists, that he snapped back into his body, letting his mania of laughter subside in gulps as he worked to calm himself. 

The blood dripped lazily from the ends of his fingers as Azriel stood and walked to the edge of the lake. The water would be freezing but he felt numb anyway and needed to wash the blood from his hands. Just as the tips of his fingers skimmed the water, Azriel felt a burst of power split his mind down the middle. He fell backward from his crouch, clutching the sides of his skull. Feyre was screaming into his head.  AZRIEL PLEASE AZ WHERE ARE YOU What’s wrong?  His panicked thoughts raced out to meet her but he found only empty space.  FEYRE?! Nothing. Fuck.   Azriel took a deep, calming breath, readying his shadows to take him to the River House when she found him again.  HOUSE OF WIND… NOWHERE ELSE  Feyre. What’s going on?  Az… you’re too far away .. I can’t ..  Feyre I’m here, I’m here. His heart was racing and he didn’t want to leave until it was clear what she needed from him.  Go … House of Wind ….  She must have been expending a tremendous amount of energy to communicate with him from such a distance. It’s why her message was broken into pieces.  I’m coming Feyre!  He screamed down the weakening link between their minds, hoping she heard it. Briefly, he thought about running back to Eris, wanting to tell him something was happening and to … to what? Be safe? Help him? Azriel let out a rattled breath, shaking his head at his stupidity and willed his shadows to take him directly to the House of Wind.  It was too far of a jump with the house wards to also contend with but he poured raw magic from his siphons into the jump, impressing upon them that they had to make it work. There wasn’t time.  In a mass of black and cobalt, magic swirled around him, lifting his sweaty, blood-coated curls from where they were plastered to his face. His hazel eyes crackled with energy as it built up in his veins, his body preparing to move and with a shuddering boom, he was gone. 

This is a cross over fic so a giant cast of characters and a big stupid storyline but Azris is my main bitch in this fic so ... Holla at ya boi if you want on or off the Azris tag train : @talibunny30 @iftheshoef1tz @born-to-riot @fell-in-luvs @fieldofdaisiies @aktrain @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @secret-third-thing @acourtofladydeath @pippsmcgee @youvereachedthenearest-lovergirl @baileybird71 @skyesayshi @yanny-77

#I actually don't know what I'm doing #If you could just go with it #that would be great #high lady feyre #high lady of the night court #azriel shadowsinger #azriel spymaster #azriel supremacy #he is so stupid #but it's ok #feyre archeron #feyre acotar #feyre cursebreaker #feyre x rhysand #pro feyre #rhys acotar #acotar #acotar fanfiction #azris supremacy #azriel x eris #azris fanfiction #eris vanserra #eris acotar #azris #rhysand #a court of thorns and roses #azriel #acofas

[shallyne]

#Having raccoon energy is a great thing btw #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #feyre archeron #feyre #feyre cursebreaker #high lady of the night court #high lady feyre #feyre darling #rhysand #rhys #high lord rhysand #rhysand archeron #rhys acotar #high lord of the night court #feysand #the morrigan #morrigan #morrigan acotar #mor #mor acotar #azriel acotar #amren acotar #cassian acotar #bryaxis #Bryaxis acotar #The bone carver #the weaver #the suriel #acotar poll

[theartofmischief]

ACOTAR Courts as ASOIF Houses

Okay so I'm going to do this little series where I compare acotar courts to respective A Song of Ice and Fire houses. So first off the bat (hehe) is the night court.

I feel like this one is pretty straight forward but the night court reminds me the most of the targaryens.

Similarities:

Targaryens have always been regarded as the most powerful house, and the night court has been known to covet power

The existence of Illyrians kind of reminds me of dragons

Lilac eyes of the Targaryens, Rhysand has violet-ish eyes

The Mor-Azriel-Cassian debacle reminds me of visenya, aegon, and rhaenys (with mor being aegon in this scenario)

Also truth teller = dark sister

Let me know your thoughts x and tag me if you also want to do this series with connecting courts to different houses!

#acotar #great houses #house of the dragon #night court #azriel #rhysand

[lainalit]

Valkyries Stans knowing that their faves are staying relevant to the plot while Antis faves are being sidelined

#what a great day to be a Valkyrie Stan #the girlies are here to stay and slay #I hope next book is even more valkyrie stuff and nothing for the inner circus #anti rhysand #acotar #anti ic #anti inner circle #the valkyries #pro emerie #pro gwyneth berdara #pro nesta #pro nesta archeron

[ireneherondale24]

I hope everybody agrees that Ivy is Elriel, The Great War is Nessian and Call It What You Want is Feysand

#elriel #elain x azriel #nessian #nesta x cassian #feysand #feyre x rhysand #acotar #taylor swift #ivy #the great war #call it what you want

[mossytrashcan]

dude I wish I could animate cuz I just thought of the funniest shit ever

#dramatic Great War animatic of rhysand genuinely tweaking over nesta doing the most normal shit ever #“got a sense I’d been betrayed” she handed feyre a fork

[foxcort]

acotar & asoiaf au collection || The Night Court as House Arryn.

"As High As Honor." // Rhysand Arryn of the Eyrie, Lord of the Eyrie, Warden of the East and Defender of the Vale.

ft. Morrigan Frey of the Twins (formerly), Emissary of House Arryn, cousin of Lord Rhysand Arryn, daughter of Lord Keir Frey and Heir of House Frey (formerly, disowned after her exile and annulled betrothal to Eris Baratheon).

ft. Ser Azriel Stone of the Vale of Arryn, a Knight of the Vale, bastard son of the late Lord Arryn, half-brother and personal bodyguard of Lord Rhysand Arryn and illegitimate member of House Arryn. A Shadowbinder, making it possible that his mother hailed from Asshai.

#rhysand #night court #house arryn #acotaredit #acotarasoiafedit #originally house arryn were known as the Kings of MOUNTAIN and Vale (im crying why does this sound like it was written by sjm) #and their sigil has a white crescent MOON #also!! the Knights of the Vale as the Illyrians!! #honorable mention: House Dayne who's seat is named Starfall but there were still more reasons to go with House Arryn #the most important being i wanted to make sure all the courts were chosen from the Great Houses or at least very influential houses #dw there's a reason cassian emerie amren aren't here #and obviously moriel is platonic in this au!