u/Culture-books-n-such

I read ACOTAR and when I finished ACOSF, I restarted the whole book over because I loved it so much. Anyway, I went online to find other people to talk to about these books and learned that people read these books completely differently than I did. So here are some things that I saw differently:

1. Fae children being rare. I assumed that this was because fae live really long lives, so they typically don’t have a ton of children the way humans do. Or else there would a massive population of fae. At some point someone (maybe Rhys) said that humans forget quickly because they have shorter life spans and lots of children.

2. Mating bonds being rare but everyone in the story having one. I interpreted this as a select few people having mating bonds. Meaning that your average fae that farms in Autumn Court or tinkers in the Dawn Court probably doesn’t have a mate from the Cauldron. However the characters in this story all seem to be fated to rule or be nobility in some way. So they are not the average fae. The fandom seems to see this as an oopsie for SJM because she’s a “vibes only” writer.

3. The Cauldron makes mistakes. This was in the context of a conversation between Feyre and Rhys about Elain and Lucien. Rhys was basing it on his parents’ mating bond and Feyre at some point I think connects it to Tamlin’s parents being mated. In both relationships there was problems in those relationships. Tamlin’s father was abusive to everyone. Rhys’ father was also abusive. I interpreted that they were the reason their marriages were bad not the Cauldron. As it’s mentioned many times in the series, people have choices even though there is fate. Rhys’ and Tamlin’s fathers are most likely the same misogynist generation as Baron.

Anyway the fandom calls the Cauldron corrupt or unreliable.

4. Feyre as High Lady. I understood that Rhys called Feyre a High Lady because he was naming her as an equal. He even says it has nothing to do with her power. >!In CC, Silene refuses to be called a High Lady and chooses a lesser role that became precedent for the women that came after her.!< I interpreted that the wives of High Lords should be High Ladies, but traditions of misogyny corrupted the natural system.
   Somehow many in the fandom believe that Feyre didn’t “earn” the title. Because Rhys earned his title???

Here’s my take on all of it: The mating bond has been abused in the past by rulers who are power hungry. Women became oppressed and used only to create powerful sons. For example, Mor and the Lady of Autumn are incredibly powerful but are pushed into marriage as a consort rather than ruling as a High Lady. (Of course Mor didn’t marry.) The efforts of the IC, the Valkyries, and the Bat Boys will allow for the balance between male and female to be restored.

Was there anything that you interpreted differently from the typical fandom interpretation?

This is for the parents of toddlers who seem like outliers to all other toddlers in parent/child programs for ages 2-5. Your child probably isn’t an outlier and you are doing a great job.

In the past few years I’ve spent plenty of time scouring Reddit, the internet, ChatGPT trying to figure out why my young child wasn’t cooperating or acting like the other kids at the library/ recreation program /etc. When other two-year olds cleaned up the toys at the end with simple soft instructions, my two-year-old was running away from any instruction. When other three-year-olds were making whatever craft projects, my same aged child absolutely refused to do it. Even at home, I set up projects for us to do together. She screamed and ran away. I felt like crap because it seemed like my child had no interest in anything. Several people (not trained professionals) suggested certain diagnoses which I would be fine with if they actually applied.

Instead, I let my daughter just be. Before my daughter turned 4, my husband and I decided not sign her up for anything but swimming. When she wasn’t at preschool, she was at home doing free imaginative play. The tantrums began to subside.

My daughter is five now. She doesn’t resist activities anymore. She sits for story time. We just finished a parent and me class series. We took the class when she was 3, but took a year off because she attended preschool. Coming back at age 5, my daughter got complimented by the staff for her “improvement.” She wanted to do activities on her own the entire time, but often the activities required parental involvement. She didn’t want my help to color, cut or construct anything. Now that I’m not running after my child to calm her down, I can see the other parents pretty much doing the entire activity for their child while their kid sits there semi-engaged.

It’s possible that nothing is “going on” with your child. It’s also possible that these planned activities are not age appropriate for very young children. I understand that parents are encouraged to be involved but very independent children don’t want or need that. You might have one of those children. They need their time to play.

I really wish that someone told me this three years ago.

Based on the way the clothes and building are described in ACOTAR I assumed it takes place in a Disney-esque version of medieval times aka what Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella look like. Meaning it’s not accurate to the Medieval era and is actually closer to the clothing of the nineteenth century. Also, there are potted plants which was wildly popular in the nineteenth century. In ACOMAF, it seemed like the NC was inspired by Arabian Nights, which I loved. But of course that got lost and Feyre ended up in a sweater and leggings. 😬

When I read CC4 [spoiler alert] >!Bryce describes the River House as looking like the gallery she works for. Notably she doesn’t describe it as Avallen which is described as ‘medieval’ or something like that.!< I figure that if Prythian looks like stuff that people in a modern society use, it’s probably nineteenth century era stuff and not medieval stuff. This could explain the toilets and the townhouse Rhys lives in.

However I see that most people see Prythian as default fantasy world medieval style. I do think that TOG’s Erilea is in the medieval era because I remember descriptions of jerkins and tights.

Let’s take a poll. What era do you think Prythian is in?

View Poll

I tried this last week but I didn’t make my point clear.
I believe that Prythian, Midgard, and Erilea are stacked realms populated by recurring souls. They aren't identical people, but the same souls living different lives under different circumstances.
Evidence 1: SJM repeatedly establishes that the worlds are stacked onto each other.
Across all three series she describes worlds lying on top of one another and characters crossing between them.
Evidence 2: Souls may move between lives and worlds.
When Bryce asks what happens after death, Azriel answers:
"They return to the Mother... until she finds another purpose for us. Another life or world to live in."

Evidence 3: Once you look for recurring souls, entire relationship and storyline constellations repeat.
For example:
Rhys = Ruhn = Dorian
Not just because they're all handsome princes but because their stories have the same bones underneath:
-rebellious prince who rejects his father's values
linked romantically to a powerful heroine
-friendship with the elite warrior (Cassian/Hunt/Rowan)
-friendship with the loyal rule-follower (Azriel/Ithan/Chaol)
-shapeshifting and mind magic become important within their relationship network
twins or twin imagery repeatedly appears around them

Likewise:
Nesta = Bryce = Aelin
Not just because they are snarky but because their stories echo each other:
-They lose a close female friend whose death changes their life
-hide plans from allies
-cope through partying, drinking, music, and dancing
-are transformed or Made
-are trained by and mated with tattooed winged warriors
-eventually become leaders despite resisting the role

Another example: every version of these two characters is related somehow.

Step 4: The mate relationships repeat.
It's not just individuals, it’s the relationships between them that shows that in these stacked worlds certain souls are interconnected.

Feyre/Rhys = Lidia/Ruhn = Manon/Dorian: They are all described as starlight/daybright together with night/shadows
Nesta/Cassian = Bryce/Hunt = Aelin/Rowan Cassian/Hunt/Rowan are often compared within the fandom as either adorable golden retrievers or boring af. I think fans are picking up on their similar vibes.
The details change. The emotional dynamics don't.
My conclusion
I don't think SJM is simply reusing character types. I think she's hinting that the same souls keep living different lives across the stacked realms.

Let’s talk about the realms stacked onto each other. What if they are parallel realms with each character having a parallel version of themselves in different situations. Let’s start with the easiest example:

Rhys, Ruhn, and Dorian. They are all pretty, party boy princes with a similar look. Rhys and Dorian are extremely powerful but Ruhn is weak because of the >!parasite .!< We know that Ruhn and Rhys look alike and are related but what if they are actually a paralle of each other? They are >!mated!< or at least linked to Feyre, Lidia, and Manon who have similar personalities. All three have a survivor mentality, prefer pants, and have been on the wrong side of history before switching teams (iykyk). The details of all three stories change but there is a throughline. For example, Dorian is a shapeshifter in TOG, but in ACOTAR, Feyre is the shapeshifter and in CC Lidia is the shapeshifter. In all three series these characters are connected to twins somehow.

This is divisive, I know…Nesta= Bryce= Aelin. All three love clothing, parties, music, and substances 😅. They are all abrasive, but in CC Bryce is considered sarcastic and likable whereas in ACOTAR Nesta is misunderstood for her personality. Aelin is both loved and hated for her personality. All three face the hurdle of getting past their own trauma to be the leader they are supposed to be. And all of their >!mates!< have wings or have a winged form. That said, Cassian, Hunt, and Rowan are very similar grumpy but secretly golden retriever personality and all three happen to be generals. Wild 😜 Hunt and Rowan have been bound either to a person or as a slave. They were released because of their mates. All three are the most physically disciplined of all the characters.

There are many other examples with other characters. Here are a few and I know that some characters are liked more than others (here’s looking 👀 at Azriel being compared to Ithan)
A character who loyal to a fault: Azriel = Chaol = Ithan
A character who is underestimated: Elain= Elide= Sathia
A character that is distrusted because he spies for other side: Lucien = Lorcan = Therion
A character focused on work above all else: Gwyn= Yrene=Hypaxia

What do you think? Do you see the pattern? Or should I stop connecting the dots like some crazy conspiracy theorist? 😆 please no ship wars because I know what some of these comparisons imply and I’m not here for that.

Let’s talk about the realms stacked onto each other. What if they are parallel realms with each character having a parallel version of themselves in different situations. Let’s start with the easiest example:

Rhys, Ruhn, and Dorian. They are all pretty, party boy princes with a similar look. Rhys and Dorian are extremely powerful but Ruhn is weak because of the >!parasite .!< We know that Ruhn and Rhys look alike and are related but what if they are actually a paralle of each other? They are >!mated!< or at least linked to Feyre, Lidia, and Manon who have similar personalities. All three have a survivor mentality, prefer pants, and have been on the wrong side of history before switching teams (iykyk). The details of all three stories change but there is a throughline. For example, Dorian is a shapeshifter in TOG, but in ACOTAR, Feyre is the shapeshifter and in CC Lidia is the shapeshifter. In all three series these characters are connected to twins somehow.

This is divisive, I know…Nesta= Bryce= Aelin. All three love clothing, parties, music, and substances 😅. They are all abrasive, but in CC Bryce is considered sarcastic and likable whereas in ACOTAR Nesta is misunderstood for her personality. Aelin is both loved and hated for her personality. All three face the hurdle of getting past their own trauma to be the leader they are supposed to be. And all of their >!mates!< have wings or have a winged form. That said, Cassian, Hunt, and Rowan are very similar grumpy but secretly golden retriever personality and all three happen to be generals. Wild 😜 Hunt and Rowan have been bound either to a person or as a slave. They were released because of their mates. All three are the most physically disciplined of all the characters.

There are many other examples with other characters. Here are a few and I know that some characters are liked more than others (here’s looking 👀 at Azriel being compared to Ithan)
A character who loyal to a fault: Azriel = Chaol = Ithan
A character who is underestimated: Elain= Elide= Sathia
A character that is distrusted because he spies for other side: Lucien = Lorcan = Therion
A character focused on work above all else: Gwyn= Yrene=Hypaxia

What do you think? Do you see the pattern? Or should I stop connecting the dots like some crazy conspiracy theorist? 😆 please no ship wars because I know what some of these comparisons imply and I’m not here for that.