aurora

We hear how Amarantha tortured Rhysand under the mountain, about his past and the loss of his family.

We hear how Keir brutalised Morrigan for her choices, how she was shunned and abandoned.

We hear about Cassian’s childhood, what was done to his mother, and how he struggled in the camps before Rhysand’s mother took him in.

We hear about Azriel’s captivity, how his half-brothers tortured him, how he was released into the camps only because of his powers, and how Cassian abused him before he offered help.

We see Tamlin falling in love with Feyre, sacrificing his people and court for her safety and sending her away, watching the woman he loves die, trying to protect her after her rebirth, begging her to not throw herself in danger, making a wrong choice in a moment of weakness. We see Tamlin apologising to Feyre without excuses, trying to do better by involving her in court matters and taking every one of her advice, and finally getting his court destroyed by the woman he gave up everything for.

We see Lucien accepting and growing fond of the mortal girl who killed his friend, willing to die for her when all Amarantha wanted was a name, risking punishment by helping Feyre after the task, be used as a bait in one of the tasks. We see Lucien fighting his friend and saviour and High Lord for the same mortal girl, get sexually assaulted by Feyre in her schemes, be only rescued in the last minute because Feyre hated Ianthe for hurting Rhysand. We see Lucien lose his only friend and home he ever had.

We see how traumatising the days of poverty were. We see Nesta and Elain kidnapped by the fae, thrown into the Cauldron and killed, be dragged into a war by Feyre and her friends, lose their home and lives.

We see Nesta being harassed by her sister to gain alliances in the war, forced to work for the fae, thrown into a battlefield because she has powers that they can exploit. We see Nesta watch her father die in front of her eyes, kill someone for the first time. We see Nesta being preyed upon by a fae/man in her room when she didn’t want to be touched, stalked when she asked to be left alone, locked in a tower with the same man because she was self-sabotaging, forced to train, work and live a life she didn’t want. We see Nesta be coerced by Cassian right after she was sexually assaulted by an ancient creature, almost dying too many times under the Inner Circle’s ‘care’.

Not that the Inner Circle and Feyre don’t deserve the sympathy for their past, they do. But there is a huge disconnect in how trauma is viewed and treated by the fandom. Despite watching it all play out on the pages, the others are said to ‘deserve’ the abuse and mistreatment. If there is more than what meets the eye or in some ways these characters warrant this, shouldn’t the Inner Circle be held to that standard given we only witness how poorly they treat others outside of their little club and betray everyone around them? All we witness is how horrible the Inner Circle is and never once their real plight. Still they get the most empathy and validation.

Why a man essentially stripping a woman naked and parading her in a room full of strangers is hot.

Why a woman in her drugged state forced to grind up against a man is hot.

Why a woman being dressed up in the same clothes she was traumatised in and kneeling to a man is hot.

Why a woman sitting on a man’s lap and getting off in front of people who have zero interest in such shows is hot.

Why a man keeping secrets about a baby growing in a woman’s body is romantic.

Why a man locking a woman in an inescapable tower is romantic.

Why a man controlling what and when she eats is romantic.

Why a man forcing her into clothes she isn’t comfortable in and taking her to a place she won’t be comfortable at is romantic.

Why a man training a woman in a skill she has no interest in is caring. Or to the point she is so physically exhausted she passes out later.

Why a man laughing at a woman with bruises is fun and flirty.

Why a man having sex with a woman, who is forcefully isolated from society and hurting, under his supervision is hot.

Why a man punishing a woman for her issues with her sister is caring.

Why a man dragging a suicidal woman up a hill, isolating her even more, without even checking on her once is romantic or healthy.

Why a man pushing a woman to be vulnerable when he never did so ever with anyone is romantic.

Eris held Nesta's hand once when they danced and he's already calling her his wife