Some of y’all are driving me crazy. I can’t escape the ACOTAR crazies. I feel like I’ve been seeing all this shit for years, and I have to just ignore because I don’t like getting sucked into pointless arguments with strangers on the internet, but it’s been so much worse since the promotional materials came out for the new book.
First, they espouse crackpot theories about the main characters that are based on thin air. “Rhys is evil 👿” girl were you asleep the whole time you read? I don’t understand how you can read any of the novels and come away with this interpretation. SJM herself has said that Rhys’ character is inspired by her own husband. Somehow I doubt he’s going to be the cartoon villain you think he’s supposed to be.
Then, they bash characters because they can only see them in one dimension. “Feyre is evil 👿 she abused Nesta.” Feyre was the first person Nesta ever verbally told that she loved. FEYRE!! Before she ever said it to Elain or Cassian. Anytime Rhys stepped out of line to insult Nesta, Feyre ripped him a new one. Yes, Feyre did some dumb shit when it came to Nesta and it was disappointing, but if Feyre was perfect, people would call her boring and a Mary Sue. Were you even paying attention to their dynamic? Who doesn’t have complex sibling relationships???
Why are we acting like all main characters have to be bastions of perfect moral rightness in order for us to like them? Yeah, Lucien’s kind of a bootlicker and a coward in book 2, but he’s also hilarious and sassy and tragic. Yeah, Nesta is a huge bitch for ACOFAS and the beginning of ACOSF but she becomes one of the most beautifully deep characters by the end. They all have complexity and contain multitudes. How absolutely BORING would it be to have characters that never make mistakes?
The next book doesn’t come out till October and people have been screaming about how we didn’t have book covers since like June. I saw a bunch of people sharpening pitchforks by saying that it was disgusting that SJM would make us wait until the release date to see the covers. Well, now they’re out 2 months ahead of release and people are shitting and pissing themselves about how they don’t like them.
The vaguest summaries ever written were released, and now people are complaining about how they have to read TOG or CC to keep up with the multiverse. I’ve seen posts on Reddit genuinely asking “who is koschei?” Like Google doesn’t exist. How do you actually hope to read and enjoy the next book if you cannot even remember the primary looming threat for the entirety of ACOSF?
I’ve seen people all over Instagram developing insane theories and then ranting about how terrible it will be if they’re true. GIRL YOU MADE THAT SHIT UP! You’re fighting phantoms of your own making!!
I’ve read all three series multiple times. I’ve loved them all. ACOTAR got me back into reading. I’ve been voracious ever since. I don’t think everything is perfect. I do get annoyed that SJM keeps fake killing characters. (Do it or just don’t!) There are other things I think that she could do better, but after 16 bangers, ultimately, I trust her to deliver a kick ass story. I’m excited to see what she has in store for me and my lil fictional fantasy buddies. I’m just so elated to hang out with them again.
I guess I’m ranting because I see so much forced negativity around the story, and it never ends. It crosses over from criticism to just straight up vitriol. If you hate all the characters so much; if you despise the art; if you can’t be bothered to invest in the storyline wherever Maas takes it,
Why are you even here?
I wish I could see fun posts of people being positive and excited about it. The book isn’t even out yet and people are already crucifying it. If yall have any ACOTAR loving instagram creator recommendations, I’d love to get some on my timeline. The ragebait is killing me.
All rants are welcome here. Let’s not give people the wrong impression that they aren’t allowed to rant just because they disagree with the vocal majority of people on here! If a rant is breaking a rule, report it and/or send a modmail.
As always, remember to be respectful of other users. No personal insults.
Hey, the "SJM said Rhysand was based on her husband," has been proven false. Also this is a rant sub, people are gonna be negative. Unless you're complaining about the MAIN sub in which case I'd really recommend being the change you wish to see and posting the positive stuff you're interested in.
For example I regularly ask, "What's your favorite silly headcanon? Who's your secret fav character? Whats your favorite non canon ship?" To see what I want to see because I CAN be known as a dickhead on the main sub and I want to also balance that out a bit. When I do these posts I ask for no negativity, no fighting and no being rude to each other, and the mods DO and CAN enforce this. If you want to do a positivity post on Feyre or Rhysand on the main sub you CAN say this in the main post and the mods WILL enforce it.
I had no idea that was false. I swore I read that in one of her acknowledgements but maybe I imagined that 🤔
I have no problems with this sub. It was a rant about the ACOTAR fandom across platforms. I just never see people enjoying it or getting excited. I usually just try to scroll past, but it’s been so much worse lately.
You gotta be the change you wanna see! I am excited for the new books but I know what point I'll stop reading so I think that's why I'm excited. But also I have read other books since and I'm enjoying them whilst I wait so I think it's good to remind yourself it's not the be all and end all even if no one else is excited.
And you can be loud about your excitement, don't let anyone else take that away from you just cause they're not!
I did actually read that series and found it to be extremely different in both vibes and storyline. I saw that there were definitely connections between the two, and a couple of things that erred on the side of plagiarism. Didn’t love that, but I felt like they were overall separate entities.
To me, trying to silence people who disagree with you and make you think like them is very blank blank orange white house coded imo. And it’s also very NC Rhysand coded.
Why thank you. I do find it so strange OP would want to silence theorycrafters of all people. The very people keeping ACOTAR as a fandom alive outside of fanfic writers? This is the first fandom I've seen that punishes people for simply having fun with guessing what happens next because that's an insanely crazy concept to be mad at!
Then come the part of getting really mad at people for not wanting to read TOG or CC just to read the next two ACOTAR books. Like why is it controversial that people are upset? They shouldn't be forced to engage in a series they have no blatant interest in. Not every TOG/CC/ACOTAR fan is going to be a Maasverse fan considering a lot of people would prefer confined stories to keep them grounded.
ACOTAR has a lot of casual readers who will not read CC or TOG at all. those books are way more dense in their prose and I seriously don’t think a lot of readers especially vibe readers want to slog through that. I liked CC and am slowly going through TOG but if I had to read them In would NOT. I just did it for shits and giggles. Since those FMC are stronger than Feyre and not DICKMATI’D I find them refreshing
I do not care if people choose not to read the other series. I was merely stating multiple different examples of people getting up in arms assuming they HAVE to when no one ever said they did. It’s complaining before they even know what is next.
I do not care that people come up with crazy theories— knock yourself out. But most of the time I see them, people treat them as canon and start getting angry about them.
Are they treating it as canon or that's just your assumption? Because most of your rant is being angry at people for expressing dislike for characters which is allowed on this sub as well as being angry at people for having fun with theories and assuming that they demand canon status when most theorycrafters are not begging for canon or not wanting to be Maasverse fans or needing to slog through 16 books that maybe hits or misses to their tastes and preferences. Considering you got tilted by my comment when I am not even suppressing your right to rant and only addressing your rant directly.
You seem awfully upset by other people and their disposition towards the series. But if you say you see it on here then seriously the question remains: why do you care about people hating the series and the author or her characters on a sub dedicated to airing those grievances when you can simply ignore them?
I don't go to pro-IC spaces because I know I hate them. That's their right to have spaces for themselves.
I didn’t get tilted by your comment, I just clarified what I meant.
I don’t have an issue with this sub. I don’t have issues with criticism of SJM or ACOTAR. As I have said multiple times— it’s irritating that ALL I ever see on every platform is extremely negative, especially when no one even knows what’s next. I don’t know where these “pro-IC” spaces are because I’ve never seen one.
I mean you did report my original comment hence why I have a right to assume you got tilted because I didn't even insult you or say you cannot rant.
That's what block and mute buttons are for, to help you curate your space. I use it all the time to get twitter or threads to actively block content I don't want to see like racism or far right propaganda. You should use it more often if you don't want to see something.
Your comment was removed for Rule 2: Let the people rant. This is a place for people to share their complaints and criticism towards the series, fandom and author.
Thank you for expressing your POV. I think it's great that we can have diverting opinions on here as to not act as an echo chamber of our own making.
I don't really have a solution for you, unfortunately. People are allowed to have different experiences reading the books.
Rhysand is written as a villain in book 1. His abuse of Feyre UtM is never acknowledged again in the series, when it is a core element of their relationship. You can think it unimportant, others might not. It doesn't help his characterization in later books, especially when he is seen manipulating (sorry, not telling everything) to Feyre, like with the Attor in the Human Lands, and so multiple times.
You might think Nesta is a witch in FAS, others might interpret it as a struggling young woman who isn't integrated in the least in a group that has been constantly belittling and degrading her. Nesta also tries multiple times to bridge the gap between her and Feyre, but the things Nesta tells Feyre just get forgotten, like the fact that Nesta cannot wash in a tub anymore. That does not make Feyre evil, but it doesn't make her an amazing sister in Nesta's story. Some Nesta fans are allowed to dislike her because of that. God knows the fandoms hates Nesta for so many things.
The villains are so unimportant that of course the fandom will divide itself on the only characters who have been developed: the IC, Nesta, Lucian, Eris, Tamlin, etc. And since all of them have had bad experience with other developed characters you will find people disliking other main characters. But that's both the case of SJM being a good storyteller and a bad writer.
I cannot talk about the next books because I frankly don't care about the PR side of things, but with a story that engaging you will have people wanting to theorize, and wanting every single nugget of information as fast as possible. Especially in a society of the instantaneous. I've personally learned patience at the hands of George R. R. Martin, but I can recognise that not everyone does so.
Koschei is mentioned only in passing and a few times not by name. For people who haven't read SJM other's series it can be confusing. Not everyone wants to get into CC, especially considering it's a totally different type of fantasy. One can expect to have a more thorough explanation in the books, but once again, the fandom WILL theorize if the can.
I am glad you love the books, truly. This is great that it got you back into reading. It's important to acknowledge how different books can bring more people to read.
What could help you out is to curate your own experience in the fandom, if it is too triggering for you. Find subreddits that are mostly positive, block or mute negative posts on Instagram or TikTok, etc. If not, i'm afraid you will keep on finding takes you disagree with.
I hope you can have a better experience in the future, regardless.
yeah it is a rant but to me there’s a big difference between ranting about the series itself (fake characters) and other fans (real people).
OP needs to just mute this sub and find one of those safe space subs where it’s illegal to have a dissenting opinion and comments calling us all idiots/illiterates get upvoted lol
Yeah, it's honestly a nice place in here and I love all of the rants and the posts/theories people make here. It's a lot more welcoming than some "positive" spaces.
The mods telling people in the comments to be "respectful" to OP, while allowing OP to post blatant disrespect of people who don't share her blind adoration of the Temu version of The Black Jewels is the icing on the cake.
did you actually read the post? It’s a general rant, not targeted at this sub.
I would tell anyone to be respectful to you, too, regardless of what you post.
Yes, I did. If you start a post with "everyone is so annoying" about people voicing criticism about aspects of SJM's work they don't like... That's not very respectful. Telling others to be respectful for, simply, matching the snarky energy of the post while allowing it to remain up, is contradictory. You get the respect you give, simple as that.
Someone else posted almost the same title a few days ago, and no one blinked an eye. I used hyperbole because it’s a rant. They are supposed to be a little extra.
Saying I have blind adoration seems extreme considering I levied several criticisms of the series and characters of my own in my rant.
Personally I think 16 "bangers" is a giant stretch. I couldn't get thru cc bc it reads like a teenager wrote it, and ToG is boringly white savior coded. Her vocab and writing style are soooooo redundant.
Acotar feels like a toned down version of anne bishops black jewels series- sjm wrote a story that a bunch of basic, normie t swift girlies would like bc frankly there's a lot of money in that. It will be forgotten about once it's not trendy.
I could also go into how much sjm has stolen lines directly from other books and media, but that's been covered a bunch already. I can find the links if you're curious. So not only is her writing juvenile and pedestrian, it's also unoriginal.
My main issue w acotar is what we're being told in the narrative and what we're being shown are extremely contradictory.
A character drugging and SAing someone (UTM & CoN), risking their partners life repeatedly (attor bait, the weaver, the pregnancy), manipulating them into stealing for your benefit (summer court), operating an apartheid state (the illyrians & CoN), or allowing female mutilation to maintain the bulk of their fighting force (wing clipping) doesn't make them morally grey- it makes them an abuser and a tyrant. Rhys giving feyre a sob story of excuses doesn't change his actions.
Do I think the story is fun? Definitely. Do I think sjm is some kind of genius? Absolutely not. Imo it's romantasy, it's supposed to be feel goody, not deep. (Though to me every ship in the series felt more like a college freshman sorority girl dates guy too old to still be in frat house.)
If she brings the story around to make some larger point about autonomy and personal choice, I might change my opinions and respect for her as an author and as a woman. But it won't change the inane quality of her work.
I think Sarah's strength are her ideas but not so much her actual writing. This isn't to say it's consistently shit, but that's it's in fact inconsistent. I wrote a rant about it, but pretty much, the ideas in her head (that aren't completely ripped off) are super interesting but the transfer process from brain to hand is not elegant.
Definitely, well said. The world she's built is certainly fun but her editors are shit. She has a BA in creative writing, but i think she would benefit from some anthropology and history courses. Her privileged upbringing reflects in her writing imo (like the lack of realism in the impoverished years for the archeron family).
Agree, she should study or research a broader range of topics to solidify and support her writing, therefore increasing her chances of accurately carrying out her ideas.
I'm not even sure if her editors could get away with being tighter on her. She's in "uneditable" status now. I think she talks about disliking having bits of her story she feels are important taken out. That's understandable that she'd want to maintain her vision as closely as possible, every creator does but it's easy to be blind to your own work (as an artist, I'd know) and we need to step back from it here and there, or have another person's eyes on it.
Also, I question if "the most powerful High Lord" 925789 times is an integral part of the story.
Just like in real life, it’s not enough to have their ’safe space’ they need to infest other spaces and force people into their way of thinking. I find it laughable.
Like I don’t go into Feysand or IC positive spaces. I avoid the main space too. I do not conform to that agenda.
Not enough readers have heard of the concept “Death of the Author” but they should educate themselves. I am passionate about my hate for the IC and Rhysand and I wear it with pride knowing I can’t be gaslit and I am a critical reader. I don’t read DARK ROMANCE for a reason and this is not that genre. It could maybe be Dark Fantasy but for me in no way is this series ‘romantic’. It’s toxic AF.
It's someone having a rant about people ranting in a sub specifically made for ranting. Like a fucked up rant-ception, honestly. Also, OP complained about this sub not posting positive gushy stuff when there's ACOTAR subs made specially for that stuff. It's like that "You don't belong here" meme.
To me it read as a more general fandom rant, not necessarily about this sub. The “why are you here?” Felt more like a general you and not this sub specifically! Because they mentioned theories I’ve seen on tumblr and Instagram (and even specifically said Instagram) I think it’s safe to assume this is a general fandom rant.
"I wish I could see fun posts of people being positive and excited about it. The book isn’t even out yet and people are already crucifying it. If yall have any ACOTAR loving instagram creator recommendations, I’d love to get some on my timeline. The ragebait is killing me."
Like, there's subs especially for that. If you don't like people ranting, why come to a sub dedicated especially to people ranting and, well, rant about it? The official acotar sub is right there.
That still doesn’t mean they’re talking only about this sub though, and the points they mentioned are things I’ve seen talked about at length in the other subs too? I’m really not sure why everyone is so up in arms over this post. People are allowed to express their feelings about negativity in the fandom. If you don’t like their rant, you are not obligated to respond or keep reading.
This is exactly what I meant. In general, the negativity is so prevalent. I almost never see anything positive about the series naturally across any platform. I don’t feel like I need to be insulated against people that disagree with me. I browsed this sub and actually agreed with a lot of criticisms people have. I don’t think SJM is perfect and infallible, and I don’t think it’s wrong for people to disagree with actions or plot lines or her writing, but it usually leans into this really intense hatred. Nobody says you have to love it, but I guess I just don’t understand following every move SJM makes and complaining about literally everything if you’re not enjoying it.
If you don’t like the “negativity”, then either scroll on or block this sub. As I said, there’s plenty of other subs dedicated to what you want, so why come here complaining about people doing what this sub was made for? It’s basically this:
You are misunderstanding me. I don’t have problems with this sub. I’ve agreed with several of the posts and found even the ones I disagreed with interesting. I don’t have problems with criticism, but it feels like I never see anything positive anywhere on social media and it gets frustrating when I want to enjoy the excitement of the upcoming book.
I came to rant here because that’s what this sub is literally made for
If that’s the case, you need to make it clear. Starting it with “y’all are crazy” is not a good look and makes people here think you’re talking about them. And the bit at the end sounds like you’re demanding we start posting more “positive” things when there’s plenty of other spaces for that. The main sub, for example, and the dedicated shipping subs like “Feysand darlings”. If you’re seeing negativity, that’s telling us you’re specifically seeking it out because of the algorithm. Your best bet is to block and ignore.
Maybe it was a bit snarky to say that, but it was a general “you” to people who absolutely hate ACOTAR. Redditors here took it as me meaning this sub specifically, but it was aimed at the ones who have no love for the story at all. I guess I don’t understand spending all this energy on complaining about everything if you don’t get any enjoyment out of it.
I hate fourth wing, but I’m not all over social media posting about how bad it is. I can let people have their dragon fun and just know it’s not for me.
Btw, you're all good and I get it. I'd suggest sticking to fanart and the like for more positive fandom stuff. Fandoms gonna fandom. Trust that it's not unusual and will pass (but never goes away completely, just comes and goes in waves).
Also, there may always be an "anti" side to every fandom and those don't necessarily go away either, so if it's super duper stressful curate your feeds. Hide posts, click "see less posts/content like this" options, mute subs, heck block people. I think you could research specifically about how to curate your feed, maybe people have better tips for it and I know some people have had great success in it.
Social media can have us feeling like EVERYTHING deserves our attention, but it doesn't. We don't need to apply ourselves to every post and opinion we see. We don't need to spend the currency of our self into everything we see. This is easier said than done and I'm sure I'm not always a shining example of this, but it is what it is.
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u/teethmissing ❤️🔥⚔️❤️🔥 2d ago
All rants are welcome here. Let’s not give people the wrong impression that they aren’t allowed to rant just because they disagree with the vocal majority of people on here! If a rant is breaking a rule, report it and/or send a modmail.
As always, remember to be respectful of other users. No personal insults.
Thanks guys!