darcyelain

[darcyelain]

You just have to know that the Acotar series will always be about three brothers and three sisters 🦇🌹❤️

Art by: @gracerstudios on Instagram🌹❤️

[darcyelain]

Feysand, Nessian, Elriel

Art: diielliee

[darcyelain]

Btw - this scene where Gwyn is looking at Azriel - is in no way romantic.

It's actually kinda concerning that people are willing to overlook context SO MUCH to get any scrap for the GA ship. It's deadass embarrassing that they're out here flaunting their poor reading comprehension with these types of takes.

I can't believe I have to explain straightforward writing to people but:

Gwyn is distracted by Azriel's presence. Not because she's feeling butterflies and shy and giggly that he's there like a twelve year old girl strutting around in her tankini around a hot lifeguard -

But because she is NOT COMFORTABLE. She is reminded of the worst day of her life. This is the first day Azriel shows up to help train the priestesses and she is genuinely feeling off balance by just the sight of him. The reminder of her rock bottom.

It's not a mating bond clawing at her chest. It's not her blushing and getting nervous because hotty Azriel is supervising training. It's literally her own trauma creeping up in her mind when she sees the man who saved her from SA.

STOP MAKING EVERYTHING ABOUT A NONEXISTENT SHIP. Its explicitly stated how Gwyn is feeling out of sorts - and her reaction is pointed out to us clearly because Azriel was the one to save her.

ok I'm done 🥴

[darcyelain]

Friendly reminder:

Elain doesn’t need to explore the bond before she decides she doesn’t want it. She doesn’t need to give Lucien the time of day before deciding she doesn’t want him. In fact, she could go up to him the next time he’s in Velaris and say, “I reject the bond.” It’s as simple as that.

Hope this ✨helps!✨

[darcyelain]

"Elain doesn't want the necklace."

Damn, how does it feel to be worse at reading than Feyre 😔

[darcyelain]

nothing annoys me more than when gwynriels act like they're victims.

they’re so used to playing the victim cards.

First they try to find ways to rile up or antagonise elriels, create a whole drama “omg elriels are so mean! They’re such bullies! Ughhh” then top it off by being hypocritical and saying mean, backhanded things towards us elriels.

and most of the time its always antis that are starting something and I have come to the conclusion its because they’re bored.

They’re bored of their mediocre, lackluster and stale ships, i mean come on, there’s only so much content you can come up with between a ship where the two characters are awkward and uncomfortable around each other whilst the othet ship…lmfao well the characters don’t even like each other romantically. Its why they’re so obsessed w elriels and the ship is always on their minds.

[darcyelain]

Bloomsbury trolling elriels now lmao especially when theres a 🧛 emoji already

Tho a queer vampire murder mystery does sound interesting tbh 😂

[darcyelain]

✨Reasons why I Think Gwyn isn’t getting her own POV✨

1) We already know so much about her.

In acosf we get a ton of information about Gwyn. We get her reveal of her deep rooted trauma, how it affects her and her starting to overcome her fear. We also get background info on her lineage. We learn alot of about her personality and we see her start to really grow. If she was getting her own POV SJM would have saved most of that for her story and her POV. Let’s look at Lidia and Yrene for example. We got little bits and pieces of info about them before their POV but we didn’t get to learn their true story or traumas until their pov. We see them start to grow and overcomes their pasts through their pov. Let’s contrast that with characters like Asterin & Fenrys. They are strong supporting characters but we got their trauma and start of their growth from Manon & Aelins POVs. We got their feelings about what they went through, through someone else’s POVS. Just like we did for Gwyn.

2) She is not tied to the over arching plot.

Gwyn has never even met Feyre, the main character to the story. Gwyn is tied to the Valkyries and to Nesta but not to the over arching plot. Let’s look at Yrene for example. Yrene came in in Assassins blade in Aelins storyline. She was directly tied to the over arching plot through Aelin and being a healer. Now contrast that with Asterin. Asterin was important in Manons story and she was tied to the 13. While a important character in Manons story she was not tied to the over arching plot. Just like Gwyn is important to Nesta and the Valkyries.

3) There was no hints to her in Hofas.

When SJM is bringing in a new main character she leaves little hints leading up to it before we get there. Again Yrene we got hints to her in assassins blade and aelin remembers the healer she met then at different times, Lidia had building up since the first CC book. Now since Gwyn came in in Acosf the only other book she could have had some hints to is HOFAS. And we got absolutely nothing for her. Which honestly suprised me regardless because this would have been the PERFECT time to give a little something something about Gwyn seeing as this was the world crossover and Gwyn had been working with Merrill studying the possibility of other worlds.

If you go but SJMS writing style it doesn’t seem likely Gwyn is getting her own POV. I know anti elriels like to try and equate Gwyn to Yrene but Gwyn is acotars Asterin. Both great characters and important as supporting characters but we get their story through someone else POV. If Acotar was written in multiple POVs (3+ POVs per book at times)like TOG or Crescent city then I could see maybe but since SJM has said the last 2 remaining books & Novella will be focused on 2 different couples I don’t think it’s likely Gwyn who is the newest character, is not tied to the over arching plot and has already had a growth arc is going to get one of those.

[darcyelain]

Anti Elriels are all: OMG, we need Azriel's POV! I want to understand him. I want to know his character! I want to understand what drives him!.

Newsflash: YOU SAW AZRIEL'S CHARACTER. You saw it in his own POV which was from his own head AND you saw it in HOFAS.

What drives him? ELAIN

What he wants? ELAIN

What he is consumed by? ELAIN

What he desires? ELAIN

He is kind of rude, quiet, sarcastic, touchy and the only thing that he wants in his life is Elain. Literally. He doesn't have any great ambitions, he doesn't want to be known, he doesn't care about titles or money.

The ONLY thing we saw him actually wanting is...Elain.

Things Azriel cares about: Elain

Things Azriel doesn't care about: everything that's not Elain.

I don't know how much clearer his POV can be.

The only thing you'll get more of in 'his book' and his POV is that he wants Elain and would do anything to make her his.

[darcyelain]

I find it so funny how people say a gwyn and az book has the potential to be the best book. like girly they arent getting a book. even then, it wouldn't be the best book.

Four years later and I still don't think Gwynriels know what the book would be about...

They'll make bracelets and sing together! Cute but comes across very juvenile.

They'll train and heal! ACOSF 2.0

Gwyn will know they are mates but Azriel won't! They say this about the man who apparently "desperately" wants a mate and it'll be omg so funny he doesn't realize Gwyn is his mate. Also, Feysand already did it.

They'll fix Illyria! How will they fix Illyria? They don't know but Az and Gwyn will fix it when Azriel hates Illyrians and Gwyn is not part of their culture. (And tbh for how much people bitch about wanting to see new places, Illyria? Again? No lie, I'm lowkey sick of Illyria as it's just brutal mountains. At least Velaris as a location is interesting.)

They'll spy! Okay, who are they spying on? They don't know that either but they'll spy!

And I'm sorry but Azriel and Gwyn together do not have enough plot points around them for a solid book.

All of Azriel's plot points and conflicts are tied to Elain and what is Gwyn tied to? Nesta and being a priestess/Valkyrie, which is why some of them say it'll be a Nesta book but just through an Azriel and Gwyn pov? What?

And let's not forget that a chunk of Azriel's story if it was Gwynriel is going to be resolving two situationships -- Mor and Elain. Yeah, so romantic. It can happen with one, we've seen it with Tamlin and Feyre...and we've had major hints that Azriel is no longer interested in Mor...because of ELAIN. Idk, I don't want to see my MC have to reconcile with two previous love interests in 1 book.

It would never be the best book even if willed into existence with a paper string and glue as we would once again be in Illyria, having a Nessian plot, with Feysand mate romance, and stolen/retread scenes from Elriel.

[darcyelain]

“i don’t understand why people ship these two characters together” and it’s two characters who are canonically down bad for each other

[darcyelain]

Can we talk about the irony of antis claiming that Azriel overprotects Elain, when he’s the one who put a weapon—his weapon—into her hands so she could defend herself and get her hands dirty, while Lucien gave her gloves to keep her hands clean ?

People don’t see the parallel ?

Especially since Feyre and Rhys talk about it in their bonus chapter :

« Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hands dirty along the way »

Some people don’t understand Elain’s character at all. She wants to get her hands dirty, she doesn’t want to be a doll anymore (as her mother used to treat her); she wants to do something.

[darcyelain]

Me: BF please read this (Azriel Bonus) and tell me which chick the guy is interested in.

BF: what is it?

Me: fucking read it

BF: he loves that Elain chic and Rhysand is a cockblocker

Me: What about Gwyn?

BF: What about her?

Me: ���Does he have a romantic interest in her?

BF: Umm… No. He said shes not even his friend

Me: He barely calls her a friend

Bf: Rhys cockblocked him

Me: again, 😫 What about Gwyn?

BF: what about her?

Me: Does he like her?

BF: Did you read it? He loves that Elain girl with the long hair (glares at my short hair), he thinks about her day and night. He’s pissed off but he didn’t run to Gwyn about it. They didn’t even talk about it. They aren’t like that? I thought you read a lot.

[darcyelain]

Anti-Elriel Excuse Translator

"We don't know who Elain wants because we don't have her POV" =

I am hoping Elain is just pretending not to want Lucien and her actions/words for some reason are contrary to her true thoughts that show she secretly does want her mate

"Elriel ended in the BC" =

I am hoping the misunderstanding between Elain & Azriel was enough to make Elain change her mind and finally give Lucien a chance. This will allow Azriel to finally be free to go after Gwyn

"Elain & Azriel are going to get together but then break up because they're not endgame"

All signs are currently pointing to Elriel and that scares me so I'm holding onto hope that SJM will throw us a curveball for no reason whatsoever

"Shadow dance/Spark/Ribbon/Sunshine"

There is no actual foreshadowing for this ship so I will latch onto this word/vague concept and force it down everyone's throat till they are just as delusional as we are

"Elain is a fictional character she has no wants but she needs growth"

I believe only Lucien can cure Elain with because <insert head canon>. It's not her book yet but I don't care. I am going to ignore canon evidence because it does not fit my ship. Don't you dare say Lucien is a fictional character too, though.

"Elriel is too predictable"

I also saw Elriel evidence in the books but decided to ignore it because it doesn't fit my ship. Instead, I will dismiss it and say that Elriel is both TOO obvious and nonexistent

"It's just lust for Azriel"

I can see Azriel clearly wants Elain. But this does not suit my ship so I will turn his attraction and desire into a bad thing

"Elain can't handle Azriel's darkness"

I don't know what Azriel's darkness is but Elain is too nice and sweet she can't handle Azriel but Gwyn can because I just made that up and decided it

"Elain needs to go travel/explore throw balls/ Cassian said she looks bad in black"

Her connections to the NC means she will stay with Azriel which doesn't support my ship so I will ignore all canon evidence and say she doesn't belong here and say she needs to go host a ball and travel

"Gwyn will heal Az"

Idk what this means exactly or how this would occur but it's vague enough that it sounds like a good thing

TLDR: every excuse is not based off canon fact but rather opinion and ignoring the text in favor of their own headcanons.

[darcyelain]

Azriel being protective: “Azriel stiffened, an outright sign of temper from him as he said quietly, “There is an innate darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to.".

ANTIS: "oh my gosh, thats so icky" "what the heck? he doesn't believe in her." "he thinks shes so weak" "he's so possessive"

Cassian being protective: “But Nesta should?” Cassian growled.”

THEM: "what the hell? thats so cute!" "he's so protective of her!" "i love cassian" "he loves her" "i love how he is so protective of her, its so cute" "i want my man to be like that"

yall confuse me! CONFUSE ME! cause what??

[darcyelain]

"Elain returned the necklace so she rejected Azriel in the BC she doesn't want him!!"

Hhahaha except if that's the case then why did she even accept his necklace in the first place?

If she didn't want Azriel - why did she say "Put it on me"?

If she didn't want him, shouldn't she have given his necklaces the same treatment she gave gifts from her mate? Aka. nod politely and set it aside?

Are yall telling me - she was so ready to kiss him, getting aroused when he touched her neck, and then in the next 10 seconds she just out of the blue decided to give the necklace back and rejected him?

No, that is not what happened. It's very clear that Elain only gave the necklace back after Azriel said "This was a mistake". After he was FORCED away from her by Rhys.

If Rhys had not interrupted, Azriel would've been on his knees, ready to feast on Elain within the next 20 seconds, flat.

They ONLY stopped because of Rhys. Whatever reservations Azriel had, they withered to nothing the moment Elain reciprocated his feelings.

All the BC did was introduce the forbidden love trope for Elriel. It made it clear that Elain & Azriel are very much going to be the next couple.

A simple misunderstanding and order from Rhysand is NOT going to stop Elain "I hope they burn in hell" Archeron and Azriel "Chain me to a tree /I'll fly with it on my godsdammed back"

[darcyelain]

now theyre mad elriels are talking about elain being a lightsinger (crazy take cause what?, never thought elain could be a lightsinger) yet they were the ones who hated that theory. SISTERS, which way are you going?? Like do you hate the theory or not?? do you like gwyn as a lightsinger or not??? whats going on??

I think @elainsgirl summed it up pretty well. For the longest time Gwynriels were adamant against the Lightsinger theory because then it would torpedo what happens in the BC--explaining it was her magic and not "mates" (which even without LS never made sense either) which is what a lot of people have been saying for years.

Now they see that Lightsinger and Shadowsinger can play off each other, some now want to claim it for the aesthetic?? Idk tbh, I stay out of their tags but I'm not surprised.

I just think it's funny that for years Elriels got shit for that theory and now that some want to entertain it for Elain it's now, "NOOOO MII AESTHETIC"

I don't think Elain is a Lightsinger but I see no harm in people genuinely theorizing about it cause we've all mined these books to death for details and we just want to talk about these books.