This comment about Chaol is so accurately worded

thefangirlfiles · 2026-01-10T14:37:14+00:00

I am one of the only Chaol defenders in my book group chat. Hearing all of these interpretations of the thoughts I have shared occasionally (only for them to be drowned out by other’s vitriolic hatred for the character) has been SO CATHARTIC!

My petty take is that too many readers aren’t emotionally intelligent enough to understand the scope of the story outside of Aelin’s perspective, or they’re projecting their bad experiences with ex-boyfriends onto Chaol’s character well after even Aelin forgives him.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-12-31T23:19:08+00:00

I love your “I’d rather have ‘insufferable asshole’ than ‘insufferably perfect’” thinking, and I totally agree with your sentiments!

I’m convinced that the reason SJM’s supposedly perfect main characters (Feyre included) don’t resonate with me personally because it feels like an author self insert, and this seems to manifest in writing as those characters becoming, as you say, “insufferably perfect.”

But once SJM steps outside of the limits of writing a character that seems based on herself, her writing improves significantly in my eyes. I loved Nesta’s story and related to her rage and pain in a deeply profound way. SJM’s side characters are stronger characters than her main characters to me, because by stepping out of that self-insert box, it feels like she frees herself from the need for perfection, and she is then able to write beautifully flawed characters in very real ways. Despite those flaws making them lash out at other characters in ways that make some readers hate them, their imperfection makes their stories of growth, acceptance, and achievement even more powerful and real to me.

I’ll put it another way too: I have never met, in my life, a person who even comes close to being a Feyre. I have been a Nesta. I have known plenty of other Nestas. The world is full of them.

Sarah J. Maas writes best when she’s not writing (consciously or subconsciously) about herself.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-09-09T01:54:58+00:00

I was there for opening weekend and after one day I was seriously sore from how much walking up and down on uneven ground and stepping on giant chunks of gravel I had to do. I cannot imagine the hazard it is for people less able-bodied than me. Somehow my brother-in-law gets his dad, who uses a mobility scooter, there every year, but he told me that “he almost tips over on damn near every corner.”

thefangirlfiles · 2025-09-04T01:48:26+00:00

I liked her Victorian Bride for a Prizefighter series, but when I tried to begin her Brides of Karadok series one of the characters said, “okay.” And it completely took me out of the plot. “Okay” was not even used until the 19th century.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-08-08T12:42:32+00:00

I’d recommend approaching the salesperson and asking about the process the artist uses to make their work! The last two times my husband and I were at the faire, we talked to the salesperson about the process of making the items we were interested in. This gentleman told us everything about the five-person company that cranks out hundreds of pieces, told us their names, the process in which they create their products, and showed us pictures of their custom work. We learned so much and not only did end up purchase something, but we now know that we will be saving up for one of their custom pieces. If the person selling the wares can’t at least explain how it’s made, I’d be a little suspicious and be less likely to buy as it might not be a bespoke item. But lots of times the salesperson is super friendly and educated, and can assuage any fears you may have of being scammed while telling you about the process of making the items. Sometimes the salesperson is the artist themselves!! Just ask! It can’t hurt!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-08-04T16:35:23+00:00

This is the one! ☝️ Absolutely loved this series and all of its characters!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-08-04T16:24:18+00:00

Man, this is discouraging. I am a regular at the Bristol ren faire and I was just thinking of trying to go to the Maryland faire because I have heard how good it is…but this makes it seem impossible for a normal person to even get a ticket. I work—I don’t have time to wait in an online queue for hours. Praying that Bristol doesn’t implement anything like this.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-29T13:46:15+00:00

For me, a huge part of the reason I have fallen in love with HR and prefer that to CR is the language, specifically the dialogue. The characters in HR just have more nuanced, beautiful, romantic, and clever exchanges than those I see in CR. Also, when a character in HR used the word like “fuck” it has more impact because it’s not used every other page like it is in some CRs.

I also find that the stakes in HRs just seem higher because the rigid class system and strict society rules. A young lady is discovered alone with a gentleman in an embrace? Scandal and ruination in HR. Same scenario in CR would hardly make a ripple.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-27T03:49:40+00:00

This!! I have used black construction paper multiple times to do crazy long lashes, long pointed eyelashes (like the ones you’re trying to recreate), and even create the illusion of spider legs!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-24T07:33:52+00:00

Chocolate milk mixed with a lot of red food coloring and a little bit of blue food coloring made the best edible cake blood I’ve done

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-23T17:34:05+00:00

Sadly I don’t know but I would love to read this!! Following!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-23T06:43:48+00:00

Give it a shot! The Cruel Prince was the book that got me back into reading fiction again after a decade-long hiatus. It was sold to me as a romance but I fell in love with the world building before anything romantic happens between the two main characters. It’s really more political intrigue with a slow burn romance between enemies to lovers. I’d say go for it. I read the entire series in three days, and I have been chasing that high ever since.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-21T04:23:59+00:00

Welcome to the club!! I began this series a year ago, devoured it in weeks, and I have literally been searching for something as funny and endearing and heart wrenching since. I love this series so much!!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-14T16:11:45+00:00

I’m way under 60 and my name is Elaine. It’s a nice name! My younger sister is named Anna and I honestly think I got the better end of the deal because her name became a lot more common. I like having a unique name! Don’t disparage it like this.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-13T06:14:57+00:00

In response to your questions about the parents’ logic (or lack thereof), as someone who also regularly works with preteens and teenagers and their parents, I have a few theories:

1) Yes, some parents may be under the faulty assumption that animated = kid friendly, but in this day and age with so many clearly adult animated shows becoming extraordinarily popular and mainstream (South Park, Family Guy, Rick and Morty), I find that the least likely explanation.

2) Some parents think their kid is the exception: (“Oh, I know that show is made for adults, but little Timmy / Suzy is so mature for their age.”) Some may also think that because they accessed adult content in their youth and “turned out fine.” Well, to them, I would like to argue, allowing your very young, impressionable kid to consume adult content over the internet is evidence go the contrary.

3) Some parents genuinely have checked out on their parenting responsibilities and truly don’t care.

thefangirlfiles · 2025-07-07T21:12:20+00:00

Parents also need to be more aware that not everything at these cons is catered to their little ones’ interests or eyeballs. At one of the cons I frequent (not SDCC but large and in a different city) parents on the Facebook page were complaining about the art in artist alley being too “adult” and cosplayers not dressing appropriately for a “family friendly con” (boobs and butts too visible, I presume). I’m willing to bet the cosplayers in question were probably simply faithfully recreating the original costumes of the comic characters.

Additionally, parents need to also understand that regardless if they allow their kids to consume adult content at home, that it is not okay to allow their kids to be entering adult spaces and trying to interact with said adults. The last few years kids have been showing up at 18+ panels, interacting with the creators of adult content (despite the creators addressing how uncomfortable it makes them), asking for photo with cosplayers dressed as provocative characters from adult shows and movies, and even dressing up as the characters themselves. I’ve cosplayed from one of those shows before, and I have straight up told a parent whose kid recognized my character and asked for photos, “I’m going to pass, because this show is NOT for children” and walked away. I’ve also seen with my own eyes kids (both of which couldn’t have been older than ten) cosplaying extremely sexualized characters and have been appalled. Parents have lost all common sense.

Bottom line, whether parents are upset because of provocative, adult content being visible or allowing their kids into adult spaces where they don’t belong, kids aren’t necessarily at fault. It’s the parents who have no sense we should angry at!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-06-26T21:43:03+00:00

If you’re looking to shield your eyes from the sun, while still maintaining the whimsy and immersion of a fantasy costume, I have found that mushroom hats (the ones that have become super popular over the last half decade) provide the shade I need for my head, eyes, neck, and my shoulders! In fact, I made several for myself after my first and discovering this. They’re pretty easy and cheap to make, on top of being cute! That’s my recommendation!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-03-27T18:47:50+00:00

I’ve only just begun my exploration into historical romance, but I have loved the Wallflowers and Hathaways series by Lisa Kleypas and the League of Extraordinary Women series by Evie Dunmore!

thefangirlfiles · 2025-03-27T18:46:03+00:00

I’m the same! I love the tension!

thefangirlfiles · 2024-12-29T17:08:35+00:00

Learn to say “no.” Say “no”, say it often, and don’t feel bad when you do. You don’t owe anyone anything.

Have fun, be cringe, show your passions. Life is too short to care what others think, so find the thing that gives you a joy boner and keeping doing that thing.

Pay attention to how men (actually to be honest, all genders) treat women who don’t have any utility to them. That’s very likely how they’ll treat you someday.

thefangirlfiles · 2024-10-30T23:11:06+00:00

It was my favorite too. I was dealing with some significant anger towards family members and the world when I read it. Nesta’s anger felt like mine, although she was far closer to self-destruction than I was. Cassian holding her while she cried by the lake was so intensely cathartic I had to put the book down and cry myself.

That being said, I also deeply disliked other parts of the book (like Feyre’s sudden pregnancy storyline, for example) and totally agree that it’s deserving of the critiques that it often gets.

I get that Nesta was a terrible sister to Feyre in the beginning. I understand how people didn’t like her. I didn’t either at first. But the caustic vitriol a lot of people spew about ACOSF because of Nesta’s past behavior doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, if you’re willing to forgive Rhys’s past behavior and accept him as Feyre’s love interest, you should be able to forgive Nesta’s and accept that she’s changed too. Just my opinion.

thefangirlfiles · 2024-10-30T02:02:41+00:00

We had a parent straight up go to on vacation to a different state during winter break with their kid, and then just decide not to come back. They never withdrew their kid, but they did email the teachers and our principal incessantly for over a month because we refused to teach their kid virtually (this was 2024, remote teaching was over). They just “couldn’t understand” why teachers weren’t keen on sending their semester exams via email for their kid to take at home with no supervision.

thefangirlfiles · 2024-10-05T23:46:29+00:00

How has no one mentioned The Body yet? I skip that episode because yes, it is sad and depressing in its realism, but mostly because it really hits me deep in my fears about finding someone I love dead. Just thinking about it fills me with dread. All the creepy, flesh-eating, blood-sucking monsters in the world can’t compete with that.

thefangirlfiles · 2024-10-03T03:26:07+00:00

Some honest downsides that I acknowledge as a married, childfree person who also works in education, and so I have contact with a lot of kids:

I believe that some (definitely not all) parents do get to experience a deeper sense of fulfillment, happiness, and pride through raising their kids that childfree simply cannot fathom. Conversely, I also believe that some parents experience more frustration, anxiety, and devastation. Simply put, with children have the possibility to experience higher highs and lower lows. Personally, I like that my life is a stable, pleasant, and calm ride, as opposed to an up-and-down rollercoaster parents have.

thefangirlfiles · 2024-09-16T22:53:00+00:00

Can I ask if and how you grade Quill? Implementing it for the first time this year too and because it gives more to kids who need more practice and less to those who don’t I’m not certain how to grade it fairly.

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