#Dain Aetos apologist

[dragons-library]

fine…FINE! FUCKING FINE!!

I’ll say it, im a Dain Aetos apologist now through and through.

I fucking love the guy now, I can see why he was Violet’s best friend for so long. Damn it. (Also is it just me or does he low-key wanna be friends with Xaden now lol)

This just makes me hate Daddy Aetos even more, fucker.

[intairnwetrust]

Love her for that. After Iron Flame also a Dain apologist.

But also the mention of Liam 😭

[wishfulimaginings]

"Dain is out of breath while trying to get out of Montserrat. "

You say Shady.

I say Riders Survival Course (RSC).

Give the guy a break!

[skyfallscotland]

Dain is too overprotective, Dain needs to back off and leave her alone, Dain—blah blah blah! Don't pretend you weren't cheering him on for the exact same behaviour right here with the rest of us:

"Take one step toward Violet, and I'll throw you off this fucking cliff myself," Dain warns, his voice low and menacing. "Unlike Riorson, I don't give a shit who your uncle is."

[contententhusiast]

okay but has anyone else thought about what it must have been like to manifest a signet that is basically a death warrant except for one small caveat and then how do you explain and prove that to the people in charge who literally would not hesitate to kill you in an instant if your story does not check out? Because I can't stop thinking about how scared Dain prob was when he started manifesting

[justallihere]

dain threatening cat makes me all warm and fuzzy inside 🥰

[bestbookfriends]

Just finished my reread of Fourth Wing and need to unequivocally state Dain could not be responsible for Xaden being sent to Athenyne.

1) After the attack on Resson, Xaden says it's a 12-hour flight back to Basgiath.

2) Dain read Violet's memories at the Unification celebration probably some time after dinner (let's say 7pm despite it likely being later).

3) Cadets were called to formation around 5am where Xaden was given his orders

4) By the time the riders get there, Athenyne is empty entirely

Even if we take it that Rebecca slipped up on the travel time (because it's clearly not 5pm when they run into the drift, more like 1pm), that's still a good 6-8 hour flight time.

Dain tells Daddy around 8pm (again, probably later given when the party starts). Colonel Aetos mobilizes things and sends a missive ahead to empty the outpost.

Missive gets there around 2am (at the earliest).

You're telling me the entire outpost can become a ghost town in less than 12 hours? With no trace? Because the riot posted there and the infantry stationed there, the healers and scribes... everything and everyone cleared out in less than 12 hours?

I don't buy it.

And that 12-hour window only works if Dain reads Violet early and Xaden overstates the flight time.

[b3anieperson]

Song post

Inspired by @siobhanbooks

Mercy - Sir Chloe

If I don't sleep I'll never dream

If I could beg, would you do it for me?

Outside your house, down on my knees

Swollen with doubt and animosity

I, I try to be careful one last time

Open wide, take so long to say goodnight

Mercy, are you still with me?

I'll give you anything

Take it all the way

Mercy, can you forgive me?

I want your everything

If I don't sleep, I'll never dream

If I could beg, would you do it for me?

Outside my house, down on your knees

How could I know I'd turn you into me?

How could I know I'd turn you into me?

I, I try to be careful one last time

Open wide, take so long to say goodnight

Mеrcy, are you still with me?

I'll give you anything

Takе it all the way

Mercy, can you forgive me?

I want your mercy

Are you still with me?

I'll give you anything

Take it all the way

Mercy, can you forgive me?

I want your everything

Dain trying to apologize to Violet for the entirety of Iron Flame. He wants her to forgive him, he's sorry, but he knows that he doesn't deserve it. Dain is begging for mercy, on the mat, on Parapet, in the Wardstone Chamber, he is trying, but he doesn't know how to fix it.

[romanticatheartt]

Y'all can't tell me RY didn't get inspired by this...

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A post shared by Ace (@acequotes.__)

DAIN AETOS EVERYONE!!

Dain Aetos the man that you have become 😩

A smart-ass captain snaps something back at Cat that I can’t hear over the din, and Sloane charges. I nearly jump over the table, but Dain gets there first, hooking his arm around her waist and hauling her back as she swings. The second he sets her on her feet, those fists are aimed in his direction, and I wince as he lets two make contact before trapping her wrists and leaning in low.

Onyx Storm chapter 57

[krispypajamalady]

List of loved characters who are in danger with Rebecca:

1. Violet Sorrengail

I'm not trusting ANYONE with my girl, especially when I have read Divergent series.

2. Xaden Riorson

I REFUSE-

3. Tairn

Violet may not need two dragons. . . But Xaden and Sgaeyl will definitely need him.

IM GONNA CRY

4. Andarna

Do I REALLY have to give you a reason?

SHE BETTER NOT HURT HER

5. Mira Sorrengail

I do NOT trust Rebecca with her. At ALL.

6. Bodhi Durran

I will RIOT if anything happens to my baby istg-

7. Ridoc Gamlyn

. . . I'm gonna JUMP INTO THE BOOK AND KILL WHOEVER HARMS HIM- THAT PERSON WILL FALL FACE FIRST IN AOTROM'S MOUTH SO FAST THAT EVEN A DISTANCE WIELDER WILL NOT BE ABKE TO SAVE HIM.

8. Sawyer Henrick

Once again, no one shall survive. Imma kill EVERYONE-

9. Rhiannon Matthias

She is Violet's bestie 😃

10. Garrick Tavis

Nope. I REFUSE.

11. Imogen Cardulo

Yall be too trusting if you think she will not be harmed in any manner. . . Or killed. SHE IS LOVED FOR GOD'S SAKE

12. Brennan Sorrengail

Please go die in a ditch faster, son.

13. Aaric Greyscale (Cam Tauri)

It's him. WE LOVE HIM-

14. Dain Aetos

I'm a Dain apologist and NO ONE CAN TELL ME HIS DEATH WONT HURT JSJSJSJSJSJS

15. Quinn

Nah yall she is another slay bestie imma riot-

[chocogigi]

I have so many SO MANY thoughts, I don't know how and where to begin. I'll have to re-read the book at least twice: one for my Italian clummy brain and one to catch the hundreds of things I missed. I wanted to do a hot take, I didn't take notes while reading (I winged it), BUT I kind of needed a tiny bit time to """process""".

Anyway, SPOILERS under the cut part 1 of The Good and the BAD (part 2) in my humble opinion 🌩⚡️🌩⚡️

THE GOOD (ish)

1. Ridoc was the MVP of Onyx Storm. I always loved him but in this he SMASHED IT. I loved his humor, sense of loyalty toward Violet, the QUEST SQUAD thing made me cackle, the ride or die thing when he discovered Xaden's little venin secret. The jokes, the comments, HIS POWER, everything!!!

2. Sawyer's journey and his rehab, although I hoped we could get more. He obviously disappears at a certain point and the moment he reappers he has a prosthetic. I loved the sense of guilt toward Sliseag and the scene with Violet, it felt very real. But then it also goes from 1 to 100 and the moment he's back on his dragon it's: "well look at that, everything's back to normal, let's go slaying some venin!!". Kudos to Jesinia, I love them your honor!! 🥹

3. Ridoc and Sawyer's relationship!! My boys!! 🥰🥰

4. We didn't get much Rhiannon - Violet BUT what we got satisfied me. And I'll tell you when the book switched to Rhiannon pov, I legit SCREAMED.

The "Let us be menaces" being Feirge's. I think we'll get more and more povs in the next two books. It makes sense if the battles and the fights will be as fragmented as the one in Draithus. She is exactly EXACTLY how I imagined. Fierce, loyal and a great leader, who got the meaning of following orders no matter how much we care for others.

5. I got Quinn's death right on my OS bingo. It made sense to me as a "secondary" character, but IT SHATTERED ME, because of Imogen. Imogen's chapter was by far my favorite and I love, LOVE, her. She's so much sharper than I thought and I appreciate it. The "only person I truly love on this battlefield" quote makes sense: Quinn is just her friend and doesn't expect nothing out of her. She's not a marked one, not her signet and not her abilities, just someone to love and care for. I cried during her death.

6. FEARSOME FOURSOME!!! 🥹💗 Second squad lore was unmatched and I appreciate how the squad expanded to the gryphon fliers.

7. DAIN AETOS IS MY SECOND HUSBAND 💍 and I will die on this hill because I proudly wear the apologists club badge and he's in it deep and I love him, love him, love him!!! 💗💗💗

8. Amy gave us Dain/Sloane before it was canon and I sailed months ago. But their bits in the book made me scream. SHE GAVE HIM THE MIDDLE FINGER (she hates that she'll love him).

"Someone like you shouldn't have this much power" "Good thing I do"

and

"You're not venin. You're the artery power chooses to flow through. You're life".

YES.

Slone needed to realize her power is a good thing. I liked how it balanced out taking one Sorrengail's life away and giving another Sorrengail (Mira 😭) a new one. I liked it was Dain delivering that note to her.

9. I liked Cat's arc and truly felt sorry when Trager died. Also the "thank you" line was harsh and raw and I liked it.

10. Aaric Graycastle I love you too. You can be my third husband 💍.

After Garrick's big revelation, I knew we would get some big ass signet for him. I'm not a fan of how the precognition thing got on the page, but I'm glad it's his signet.

11. Xaden's fully turning venin chapter was beautiful to me. And it made sense.

"In my final act of resistance, I become the very thing I despise".

It broke me. There's chapters I liked Xaden so much and the fact that the loss of control is not over power per se, but over the ones he loves is well played. In the end he turns for the only two things that could descend him into madness even normally: Violet and Sgaeyl. I felt so sorry for Sgaeyl, it was so bitter sweet that ending and the fact she "accepted" what he did to save her life.

12. Violet my baby, I love you. She grew so much from the first book and she was shrewd to bits in some chapters it left me speechless (hello, are we menacing kids now? yes, we are apparently). She's very Lilith in some parts, very "ask me again when you're a mother what you'll do" (gods, spare us from the pregnancy trope in book 4 please), but there's obviously nothing she wouldn't do for the people she loves. AND IT SHOWS.

13. WELL, we got a marriage cliffhanger!! (more on the bad part on this), but the foreshadow was there throughout all the book. "duchess", "consort", "the one who stands at my side"...eeeeeh our girl really realized she had a massive ring on her finger and went "WELL AWWWW 🥰🥰💍💅" and then "oh shit I do not remember any of it". LOL

14. The world Riorgail made it to the page, I'm not okay. Screamed, cried, swooned. Their relationship in this: 1000000/10

15. The Duke of Angst™️ LOL

16. Bodhi my boy, I'm so happy you're alive (ish). Are you the brother? Speak to the mic, come forward, let us know. I'm happy I got you wrong on the bingo!!

17. Tbh, I'm still settled on the Garrick or Ridoc theory. Thought of Brennan but Xaden wouldn't leave him alive to come back to Riorson House (maybe...)

18. DRAKE/MIRA (and Broccoli). They're practically a family already, they just need like a farm to raise their cat and house their dragon and gryphon. I wanted to see more of Drake, though. But I'm happy he's exactly like everyone thought.

19. The Mira/Drake encounter deserves a point on its own, sorry.

20. For the same reason Professor Riorson, deserves one too. Bye.

[somewhere-in-the-rain]

I’m very curious about what the results will be because I’ve seen a lot of posts in defence of him recently

[b3anieperson]

I literally told my friend during my halfway readthrough of IF in May of 2024, that if I EVER became a DAA (Dain Aetos Apologist) to backhand me until I got to my senses.

I told her when I finished OS that I was officially a DAA- she told me she didn't believe me-

(Also I love your fics! I just read through them today)

oh if you went back and told summer 2024 me (reading FW and IF for the first time) that I would have a 5+ part smut fanfic about Dain Aetos… I would honestly probably believe you because I can’t lie, he’s totally my type, and he’s always been hot

[wishfulimaginings]

That's what I'm saying too Rebecca!!!

[skyfallscotland]

genuinely nothing gets me more heated right now than the continual "dain really redeemed himself in onyx storm" comments, like babe where tf have you been????? did you read iron flame???

[contententhusiast]

I finished Onyx storm so I'm here to give a silly little Dain Aetos theory

I have a little bulleted list of thoughts from the whole book i'll post later as well but I like this one lol so it gets it's own post

I'm happy to see so many people coming around to Dain after this book! I've had a theory ever since the middle of Iron Flame when he helped kill Varrish and I feel like this book helped solidify it.

I think Dain is actually meant to be a full on memory reading inntinnsic. I think he self imposed the touch barrier during manifestation without knowing it. Because think about who his father is, besides being a grade A asshole, his father is also extremely strict and abides by the rules above all else. He doesn't hesitate to disown Dain just for deserting with the Areatian Riders, imagine what would have happened if Dain had been manifested as an inntinnsic his freshman year. His father would have put him to death himself. So I think when it was time to manifest Dain unconsciously held back his powers because he couldn't be an inntinnsic.

It really solidified for me in Onyx storm when Solane says "Someone like you shouldn't have this much power" and Dain basically says I know. He also refers to the power she takes as his excess power. If he has never properly wielded his signet and used his full capabilities then of course he would have all this excess power in him still. It seems similar to manifestation, if a cadet doesn't manifest the power just keeps building up until they implode. Well what if Dain never fully manifested??

I think now since he has already disappointed his father and is gaining this new confidence of his own, he'll be ready to fully manifest his powers. I could see him and Violet working closely together next book to figure out her inntinnsic dream walking abilities as well as his own. I feel like she may trust him with the secret and even if his power doesn't change he is still the closest thing she knows to another inntinnsic besides Xaden and will want his help. Perhaps Dain can even learn to use his abilities to get Violets memories back!