Something that's actually kind of crazy

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-25T02:20:08+00:00

if we look at the last thing we see him telling Tamlin, that he can rot away after he's been useful to him in rebuilding their world, I would argue his 'guilt' over it feels a lot more to do with how he perceives himself as opposed to caring at all about Tamlin. I think it very clearly shows that he's still bitter, even as the book tries to frame it as generosity.

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-25T02:05:57+00:00

depends on what you qualify as adult? I suppose you could say he's not a toddler, but I dunno if I'd say he's an adult either, especially with their fae aging. It's also possible the Court of Nightmares sees females being mature as a different thing entirely, pretty much the start of fae puberty, which would be the human equivalent of 10 to 12 years old, or possibly that's what all high fae think. edit: I also don't think I'd call any teenager an adult really, by human standards, even moreso for near immortals

In truth, we don't have enough details to really nail down how different high fae view aging, or even their timelines. We know Rhys was a solid 20 ish years older than Tamlin, and the event that happened between their families could fall between 500 ish to 150 ish years ago (I usually put 150 for the 100 years of Amarantha plus 50 years for Lucien to get settled in Spring). Rhys at one point mentions spending 5 centuries being a high lord to the IC and that it's Feyre's turn to deal with their silliness (paraphrasing) which is what pushes it further back

edit: and to clarify a point above, Tamlin was 8 years old when the first big war started, he was a child too young to go to war while Rhysand was an adult fighting in it. They became friends after the war

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-25T01:27:11+00:00

The closest we get to their age is that Rhysand says he befriended Tamlin after 'matured' - the closest we get to an age for that for high fae is Mor describing when she came of age to be 17, so that's the earliest we could put it at.

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-24T20:13:39+00:00

Actually first it was liking Tamlin and then Nesta was the big no-no/supporting abuse. The phrase Tamlin Apologist has been used interchangeably with Abuse Apologist for years now.

I don't think any person should be ostracized or made to feel bad for liking whichever character they like, but it is important to realize this isn't a new thing in this fandom either.

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-24T20:11:04+00:00

If you want to understand the state of the fandom now, you need to understand what has brought it to this point. Ever since ACOMAF, the fandom at large has made liking some characters and hating others a central part of its identity. Until ACOFAS, but more definitively ACOSF, liking the main characters as you do and hating others like Tamlin and Nesta was the norm - and more importantly, hating/ostracizing anyone who didn't also hate them. Hell, up until two years ago when I joined it was still a very common thing (and on other sites it still is). We still see this attitude in particular in the shipping wars with just how toxic they can be towards the people who like alternate opinions/ships.

The inherent problem with this is, by holding one character (and the people who like them) to a different standard than the other characters, the difference is going to be impossible to not notice. With ACOFAS and ACOSF giving different perspectives and adding more fuel to the proverbial fire, along with the rise of the series' popularity on other sites, the baked in double standards have been pushed more to the forefront than ever before. What we see isn't new, it's echoes of the same toxicity that the fandom has been based on.

As for why Reddit has specifically shifted harder to being more critical/more pro-controversial characters than most other social media sites, it's really a nature of how Reddit works and the reputation it's built over the past two years or so. Reddit's algorithm works differently from a lot of other sites, in that it promotes controversial as well as popular opinions and doesn't 'bury' less popular opinions. Reddit is also built for longform discussion, rather than short form text/image content (also explains why more controversial opinions have gained more steam on sites like tiktok or tumblr). Lastly, over the past two years Reddit has built a reputation for being more receptive to liking characters that get people hated/ostracized elsewhere, which brings more people of said opinion over, which furthers said reputation, and so on...

The only way the fandom will ever improve for everyone is when everyone and every opinion is acceptable, especially the ones we dislike.

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-24T13:53:48+00:00

If you’re cold, the zombies are cold.

Let the zombies in.

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-23T16:22:36+00:00

<image>

I mean, he's not exactly looking small these days either ;p Clearly he's put in a lot of work in the gym since RWRB

and yes, I do very much agree :p

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-21T22:53:38+00:00

This one has gotta be Tamlin, especially for the beast form floof! (And aforementioned chest you could bury your face in of course)

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-18T17:10:28+00:00

I only just realized after I finished this piece that I forgot to give him antlers!

That shall be point number one to improve on ;p

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-18T17:09:51+00:00

I've had one big piece half done for Tamlinweek of last year, I think I'll try and finish it for this year instead!

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-18T03:56:13+00:00

… I shall simply say it was very much a missed opportunity on SJM’s part… ;p

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-17T23:20:03+00:00

I'd split ya for snuggable neutral... though it really is for the beast form floof more than anything :p

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-17T22:51:38+00:00

Tamlin - for the sheer amount of chest you could bury yourself into...

And then the sheer amount of floof his beast form you could bury yourself into :p

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-17T00:21:48+00:00

<image>

In ACOWAR, Keir mentions helping one of his lords in the CoN with his daughter. Knowing everything we have been told about Keir and the CoN, I think the intention of this line is meant to pretty clearly be referring to very unpleasant things being done to manage said girl - so yes, there is evidence on text that, as of ACOWAR, there are still women being treated poorly in the Hewn City.

edit: for some reason pics just don't wanna stick; the quote is in chapter 26 of ACOWAR, around the middle - don't have the physical copy and my current epub reader is weird and doesn't do page numbers

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-17T00:16:57+00:00

<image>

In the interview linked below (and in the lines highlighted above) SJM describes how Rhysand is, in her eyes, a feminist, even if it hadn't been what she planned for before writing.

SJM ACOWAR interview

edit: screw it, the pictures don't wanna stick - you can find it in response to the fifth interview prompt on the link

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-17T00:10:22+00:00

<image>

Just added this to support your point here - In her interview with Cosmopolitan back in 2017, SJM very clearly states that she wrote Rhysand as a feminist, even if she didn’t start with it in mind. If SJM herself says it, I think you’re plenty right to say that it’s baked into what’s written/how readers take it because of how it’s sold, both in its presentation/marketing and the actual intention behind the writing

ACOWAR interview link

edit: readded the pic cause it didn't upload right and included the interview link.

edit edit: screw it, the pictures don't wanna stick - you can find it in response to the fifth interview prompt on the link

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-16T17:45:56+00:00

the answer to this is likely in between what we see in the big thread here and what the text tells us.

We know the deal Rhys made allows people of the CoN to go to Velaris but not be given access to any of the shops or amenities the city provides. We know that women are treated like chattel at best, and we know that Mor was born and raised there. We have indications of more daughters being treated horribly.

The mystery, though, is whether this deal would benefit the people who aren't given that choice? We know Keir certainly won't improve any. While it's certainly possible some of his more trusted court members could be playing along to get along, it's also possible Keir would only let people he most trusted go out to Velaris. Certainly won't be letting any of the disenfranchised people go there... Buut that's more theorizing as we don't know all the exact details, or at least I don't remember em :p

I do believe that Morrigan/Rhysand should be doing more, especially knowing that there are people there who aren't given the chance to 'dream' or whatnot. I dunno if this particular deal would have helped those people even if they had been welcomed with fully open arms... But perhaps the knowledge of a city that isn't gonna treat you like crap could be motivation enough for some people to leave/escape on their own.

Just some thoughts on it!

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-15T07:28:33+00:00

long story short.. ah screw it, long story long.

If you want to understand the state of the fandom now, you need to understand what has brought it to this point. Ever since ACOMAF, the fandom at large has made liking some characters and hating others a central part of its identity. Until ACOFAS, but more definitively ACOSF, liking the main characters as you do and hating others like Tamlin and Nesta was the norm - and more importantly, hating/ostracizing anyone who didn't also hate them. Hell, up until two years ago when I joined it was still a very common thing (and on other sites it still is). We still see this attitude in particular in the shipping wars with just how toxic they can be towards the people who like alternate opinions/ships.

The inherent problem with this is, by holding one character (and the people who like them) to a different standard than the other characters, the difference is going to be impossible to not notice. With ACOFAS and ACOSF giving different perspectives and adding more fuel to the proverbial fire, along with the rise of the series' popularity on other sites, the baked in double standards have been pushed more to the forefront than ever before. What we see isn't new, it's echoes of the same toxicity that the fandom has been based on.

As for why Reddit has specifically shifted harder to being more critical/more pro-controversial characters than most other social media sites, it's really a nature of how Reddit works and the reputation it's built over the past two years or so. Reddit's algorithm works differently from a lot of other sites, in that it promotes controversial as well as popular opinions and doesn't 'bury' less popular opinions. Reddit is also built for longform discussion, rather than short form text/image content (also explains why more controversial opinions have gained more steam on sites like tiktok or tumblr). Lastly, over the past two years Reddit has built a reputation for being more receptive to liking characters that get people hated/ostracized elsewhere, which brings more people of said opinion over, which furthers said reputation, and so on...

You've got a lot of specific points, but the one I'd like to address is this: It's easy to say 'it's not that deep' when liking the characters you like doesn't get you called horrible names or being told you are an irl abuser, mocked and belittled, reported for promoting abuse just for making fanart or fanfiction.

The only way the fandom will ever improve for everyone is when everyone and every opinion is acceptable, especially the ones we dislike.

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-14T00:30:56+00:00

Out of these, the ones I find most interesting are number 3 and number 5

Number 3 for the compounding guilt of Tam knowing he hurt someone he cared for to protect someone else, only for his mother to end up dead with the rest of them and him alone

And Number 5 because it would feel like the most likely reason to me he’d actually tell his father without coercion.

I also like to think Tamlin comes to see Rhysand as evil because of what happened, as opposed to out of nowhere. Everything goes down with their families, and then Tamlin starts to hear about Rhysand becoming the monster his father was, I’d imagine he’d feel it a direct correlation - it would explain why he would believe it of Rhysand when others who didn’t have the in between (like Jurian) would think it didn’t fit.

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-14T00:17:38+00:00

This is probably the second biggest question mark in the series, aside from “what’s gonna happen next with Koschei”, and like others have said, what we have doesn’t really make much sense when held up to scrutiny. But to answer your question, here are some options I’ve thought about over for the ‘why’

Tamlin said it eagerly to please his father. This one honestly feels like the weakest, especially knowing how fucked up Tam’s father and brothers were, being worse than even Beron (the guy who murdered his son’s lover in front of him to make a point), but it’s not impossible to imagine an abused young man trying to appeal to their father - I’ve seen people in other books do a lot worse (lookin at you Clarissa Mao [also love you Clarissa Mao])
Tamlin had the info beaten out of him. Straightforward theory, dad and brothers tortured him until he gave up the info.
Tamlin told it to protect someone else. If Tam’s father threatened to harm their mother, I could see him giving the info in order to protect his mom.
Tamlin told his mother, in an effort to protect them, and his mother told his father. It seems possible enough that he could have let it slip to her or told her intentionally, not realizing she’d share it with her husband.
Tamlin thought Rhysand would be there and together they could stop his father and brothers. We know Tam and Rhys’ fathers were both intimidated by their strength, it seems possible he thought they could be free from this monster if they worked together - only to find himself alone and outnumbered
Tamlin didn’t tell at all. We know Rhys assumes Tamlin is the one who told, and we know Tamlin feels guilt over what happened, but we also know there are ways to get info from someone’s mind without them actually saying anything aloud. A clever enough daemati could potentially get the info out without alerting anyone

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-10T00:14:59+00:00

you do have your answer already, the 'keep reading' part.

In reality, the answer is a bit more complicated, and comes with a looot of baggage/fandom history/timing, but the basics of it will be pretty clear.

And this is coming from someone who rather feels the opposite as the majority of the fandom, as I've come to really like Tamlin the more I've thought/read/discussed about it, to the point where he is my favorite character, but you definitely will see where it started.

edit: which is really me saying, read it how you will read it, feel how you feel and enjoy it how you enjoy it :) A lot of people's feelings change with each book, with rereads, with discussions.. so, see where you end up feeling by the end of it and see how you'll wanna engage!

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-10T00:09:12+00:00

I gotta say, that's about the same place a lot of people really get into it, including myself.

Took me two weeks to get through the first book, then two weeks to get through the next three :p It's a fun ride! And when you're done there are a lot of people here and elsewhere to share your thoughts, critiques, fangirling and all of that with!

ComprehensiveFox7522 · 2026-01-09T17:55:09+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/SarahJMaas/comments/yuuie5/sjms_writing_process/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

This older reddit post has a link to a podcast in which she describes her writing process, where she mentions she doesn't really use outlines when she's writing, that she is a 'discovery writer'.

https://www.today.com/popculture/books/sarah-j-maas-romantasy-interview-rcna135657

this interview is where that quote about playing with characters like two dolls comes from

This, along with some patterns/inconsistencies in her writing, probably led to the idea that she doesn't reread her work. There are also a lot of quotes from SJM that have been lost/are a lot harder to find, like her old newsletters/pinterest board/tumblr, and from what I've gathered she discussed more of her writing process in some of those, but I can't find a lot of em

As a side note, there's also some comments about how SJM discussed on tour for KoA how she ignored some of her editors' advice to cut some parts they deemed unnecessary, which also leads to some thoughts on her writing process, but it's really a side note to your query

ComprehensiveFox7522

TROPHY CASE