#Gwyn and Azriel are definitely not in love (yet) but there are crumbs and there is a possibility and a strong hint that it could go there

[yazthebookish]

This is your occasional Yaz post about the shipwar since there is no escape but one manages to keep a safe distance.

Like, I don't understand why some people get so mad about others liking Gwynriel and thinking it's going to happen?

Ship what you want but don't invalidate other shippers.

I get why Elr*els ship Elr*el, it doesn't appeal to me and I don't think it's happening but I'm not gonna jump at every person that ships them and say "stop clowning yourself it's not happening" or get triggered every time I see someone says "I ship Elr*el" or take a screenshot and call over my clique to slander those individuals publicly "I'm not only talking about myself".

For example, Vass*en doesn't make much sense to me because as far as I have noted, there was not one romantic coding for them and last I checked, Lucien was staring at Elain with longing so I'm not sure how Vassa would feel about someone she is intimately involved with looking at another person, his mate, with longing. But, I'll not jump at those shippers and say your ship doesn't make sense don't ship it.

Shipping is fun until it isn't or people stop making it fun because it gets too personal.

There are some annoying Gwynriels I have to admit, especially some Gwynriels on Tiktok which is why I avoid Tiktok and the ones on Instagram that write unecessary comments under any Elr*el art. Each group has bad apples on its side but also each group makes sure that such behavior becomes less and not enable more of it? For example, my friends and the gwynriels I know do not agree on the "womb argument" because it's ridiculous and harmful whether the author intended it or not. So, when someone whether it's a Gwynriel or casual reader uses that argument we do have a little chat about why it's wrong to use such argument to make others stop using it to prop up a ship.

Just because you shipped a couple for months or years or you believe they had build-up in more than one book and the author can't back off now doesn't invalidate other ships and doesn't mean that they are endgame. If there is anything about Sarah is that if she wants something to happen or she wants her story and characters to go on a different route she will make it happen. We are talking about the same author that retconned Mor not being at Sangravah to her being there in ACOSF during Gwyn's rescue "for a reason" and then you have her retconning Lucien meeting Papa Archeron and an already freed Vassa on his way to the continent to ACOSF mentioning that Lucien was there with Papa Archeron at Koschei's lake to bargain with Koschei for Vassa's freedom "for a reason".

It doesn't matter whether a couple had or did not have build-up, it does not guarantee endgame. You know who is Azriel's endgame when you get his book or if Sarah mentions it in the synopsis. I personally think it's Gwyn for reasons I already stated many times before and I'm confident it's her based on how Sarah wrote ACOSF and Azriel's bonus chapter.

The only couples Sarah ever spoke about besides Feylin and Feysand were Nessian and Elucien. That's not speculation that's a fact because there is evidence of her saying it. She never spoke about Elr*el, Gwynriel, or Vass*en. Does that mean any of them do not have a chance? No, Sarah has her own rules but she'll even make new ones if she wants to.

We can argue and disagree on theories and opinions but it doesn't mean we get to keep chasing people or make fun of them to stop them from shipping a couple you personally think won't happen but let's not kid ourselves, anything can happen at this point. I was a casual reader once so I didn't ship Gwynriel out of spite of any ships, I wasn't a shipper of anything in ACOTAR, I just picked up on the crumbs and it made sense to me.

[nikethestatue]

So heres the thing that i found really confusing is why the hell some people call Az bonus chapter “uncomfortable and “ toxic”. The first time i read it i mean..that Elriel scene was hot 🥵🥵but toxic?? Thats the last thing i’d think of because u know why?? It is a freaking NA book.

For me the chapter compare to any other NA books i’ve read ( lj shen, rina kent, pen. douglas) is sooo vanilla like only the cherry on top. The antis do know right that now acotar being market into NA instead of YA so darker content is expected and there will be A LOT OF SEX, THINKING ABT SEX AND AT ONE POINT WILL DO SEX!!!

We’ve seen Elriel soft moment in the four books ( truth teller, “do u want me to show u the garden”, “i’’m getting her back atc..) like their feelings towards each other does not come from nowhere. Everything Azriel’s said or think abt is the same as what Nessian did in acosf.

For me in a NA book if two characters feel lust towards each other then that is a good thing like that what makes the book NA in the first place. Sjm wants to write abt Azriel kinky fuck thats why the crumbs that he’s a freak and Elain is aroused/ not a virgin were mentioned like if they would bang right away then its not surprising for the readers *cough*offer and permission *cough*. So the argument abt Az is toxic and etc makes me assume 3 things

1. They still in the YA zone

2. Their fantasy abt Az is diff from whats written in his chapter

3. Because it is Elriel

Your thoughts??

Hi,

I think I agree with all 3 points, but I also feel that the author herself has changed--she is older now, she is writing things that are different, and despite how people feel about ACOSF, she basically devoted an entire book to someone dealing with PTSD and self-hate. That's very different from TOG or even ACOTAR. Hence her writing would be different as well, and probably not as appropriate for the YA crowd. I don't like generalizing, but the majority of what *I* have seen out there, when it comes to Gwyn adoration, are younger women--teens, early 20s. Gwyn is a typical YA character--spunky, very young, determined and 'unburdened' by female characteristics, such as a family, children, running a household, cooking, taking care of life, taking care of others. What's the most common complaint about Feyre now? She is boring. All she does is stays home and is pregnant, and why did she have a baby at 21? and now she is a MILF. Perhaps, perhaps not, but she certainly isn't the spunky, adventurous 19 year old of ACOTAR. The YA crowd loves Gwyn, and it's understandable.

Elain is a more cerebral character. You already know that she is probably not going to swing a sword, which is great. Because there is a place for characters like that. But I think that's one of the reasons for the hate -- she is 'boring'. However, I think SJM wants to write characters like these now, because with them, she can explore a variety of different ideas, even what femininity is, how a non-fighting woman can make a difference--she already began that journey with Elain in previous books. Ultimately she writes books about her version of female-empowerment and the difference all women can make. She's written like 10 books with fighting females. Yet, some of her more interesting characters are people like Yarne and Elide and even like Amarantha and Maeve, because they don't rely on the swords, but mostly their knowledge, cunning, abilities.

I think sexually, SJM is also ready to explore other avenues. I don't see her writing the same as she did 7-10 years ago. I don't see her writing scenes like earthquakes and tumbling mountains and snapping palm trees when a male character orgasms. It's a little (a lot) ridiculous, but I feel like we'll see a lot more of Cassian-like sex, than Rhys.

I feel like what disturbed some readers, especially the younger ones in the POV, is the 'realness' of the thoughts. It wasn't 'prettified' with some fanciful language (btw, like the REST OF THE BOOK). Nothing at all different between Cassian and Azriel, both think of and ponder and want sex. But I feel like people, for some reason, aren't as emotionally invested in Cassian, or maybe he was always viewed as 'lusty'. Azriel is mysterious and less obvious, but suddenly reading purely sexual thoughts from him was a wakeup call. And thoughts about the 'boring' Elain and not the girl-boss Gwyn.

I think SJM wants to explore some more unconventional, 'weirder' sexual things with Az, and I simply don't think that he'll be doing that with a character like Gwyn. Not because of Gwyn, but of who identifies with her--teens, young adults.

Listen, for all I know, it might not even be Elriel--it might not be Elain and Az (though I highly doubt it), but it wont be Az and Gwyn either. Like, Az is NOT spanking or tying up Gwyn, and again, not because of Gwyn, but because of Az. Just yesterday I read some comment about someone arguing that maybe 'Gwyn is ready sexually' and all that. And I don't argue that, though I didn't see any indication of it in the books. But the question is, is Az ready? Because it takes two to tango. And it seems like everything revolves around Gwyn and her readiness in those canons. He is never mentioned--like he is just a stud put there to penetrate. But I don't see that interest or willingness in his character for her at all.

Let's remember that 'offer and permission' came from Elain. Elain willingly slept with Graysen before marriage. Elain has been putting gentle moves on Az. SHE is ready. He is ready.

I think it's definitely an amalgamation of things, but these will not be YA books going forward. And if the POV was so controversial, then yikes, I don't think that the actual book would be palatable for some readers.

[julesherondalex]

Hello! Have you read azriels pov? If so what are your thoughts?

Hi! 💕 Excuse the late reply but I took a week to read acosf and some more days to actually clear my head on this topic and come up with theories. Beware, this is a long post. Let's jump right into it. 🔎

My thoughts on the Az POV

The first thing coming to mind when I think of Azriel's POV is the fact that Az isn't in a very good place mentally right now. He's jealous, frustrated and angry. He doesn't sleep much and longs for someone while thinking it's so wrong. This only adds to his low self-esteem - he's feeling like he doesn't deserve Elain anyway, he's done "unspeakable things". He feels so low of himself that his presence taints Elain's. I feel like if we're reading his POV, we should keep this perspective in mind.

Now, when I first read the chapter, I'm not gonna lie, it felt wrong somehow. While I was hoping for the tiniest bit of elriel crumb, we got actual steam, sexual tension, and the confirmation that both are attracted to each other and Azriel thinks of Elain with longing and need. They've been exchanging glances and the occasional brush of their fingers and we clearly saw in acosf those encounters are somehow "charged". There has been something in the air for a long time. It's gotten to the point where Az seems to have forgotten Mor. (On a side note: I don't think he's ever addressed his feelings for Mor so unless he does that, I don't believe he's truly done with the Mor chapter, sadly.) The POV had all this Elriel confirmation, the steamy scene, Rhys ordering Azriel to stay away, the Gwyn scene and the regifting.

At first, I was livid with the POV because at face value it reads...not good for elriel and twisted all the softness, fateful, healthy moments into something that is pure lust and just...obsessive. Unhealthy. All of this is - intentionally - contrasted quite well with how Azriel feels in the Gwyn scenes. Yeah, I was disappointed as. hell. and feared for my ship.

Then, I came on here and talked to my friends, my mutuals, and voila - I'm definitely feeling better, safe in my bet for elriel again. As safe as it gets with us not knowing Sarah's plans 😅

The thing is, I don't believe the POV should be read at face value. We/I automatically assumed there's a romantic connection between Az and Gwyn - which might very well be set up - but in reality, we also only have a single scene they talked to each other and had an understanding, it seems. Okay. But this could also be platonic given they've known each other for months and it didn't mean anything all this time.

However what makes me hold on to my hope for elriel is the fact we have 4 books full of foreshadowing. Sarah began laying crumbs for the sisters' stories in acomaf, and since then, we had lots of moments in favor of Elriel. I feel like it wouldn't make good storytelling if all of this were thrown away with a single POV, and certainly not the instance a new side character pops up and has a understanding with one of them.

With the POV, Sarah actually set up lots of things and the plainest being: ANGST. For Heaven's sake, I was so sure elriel was going to be endgame from all we got till acosf that maybe Sarah knew and wanted to shake things up. Without angst the next book would've been boring, right? We know (and after acosf it seems even more clear) that Elain has no interest in Lucien or the mating bond whatsoever. Are we really thinking that in her story Elain will magically realize she's been silly this entire time and everyone else was right, having a mate is wonderful and she'll get together with him? Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love them getting along and being bffs. It hurts me so much what Lucien must go through. But I just don't think Elain will get together with Lucien romantically. The bond rejection has been set up for a long while. In my opinion, there's no way the bond will be accepted. Acosf only made this clearer, but we've been also saying this before acosf.

With Gwyn as a potential love interest, sjm brought in the unexpected, and quite frankly, successfully made us (me) panic. And now I think that's what it was supposed to do. I think the Azriel POV was meant to set up the forbidden romance trope, steamy scenes between Elain and Az (the virginity comment by Nesta during acosf hasn't been for nothing y'all!), jealousy and misunderstandings.

Now, we get that steamy scene and I don't think there's anything wrong with it beyond Azriel's thoughts of how lowly he sees himself. Up until that point in Rhys' office, there wasn't anything truly problematic with the scene in terms of elriel. They are attracted to each other, and both wanted to act on it.

The Rhys conversation was what put things off at first glance. Made it seems like it was purely lust for Az. All the talk of Rhys thinking Az thinks he deserves to be Elain's mate. For the record, only a minute ago Az didn't even believe he deserved to touch her. Her presence tainted by his. For the life of me, he doesn't think he deserves to be Elain's mate. Come on. Not Az. That assumption is OOC.

He does question the mating bond between Elain and Lucien and whether the Cauldron might have been wrong. He questions how that aligns with the fate of the Archeron sisters with the Illyrian brothers. That's entirely different and valid, if you ask me.

What I will say is that the regifting was bad. It was an asshole move and I don't believe for a second that neither female would be okay with it. So why did he do what he did? He would know it to be a shitty thing to do. There are a few options here that come to my mind: 1) he enjoyed the moment with Gwyn, whether romantically or platonic, and decided to make her happy with the necklace (but then again, if Gwyn knew where it came from, I bet my ass she wouldn't have accepted it) 2) Az wants to stir shit up, kick something off - which might happen if Elain ever sees Gwyn wearing her necklace. It might give him the opportunity to speak up and talk to Elain. 3) Az isn't ready to let go of the necklace - therefore of Elain - and he can't bear to give it back. He can't let Elain go that easily. Keeping it might hurt too much, so he regifts it to Gwyn out of a hunch.

I'll leave it to you to add to this list and decide which one is the most probable option but I think we all know I'm going with 3) because it makes absolute sense to me even though it's shitty (but all of the options are tbh). Az would never give a potential love interest he's serious with a gift he's given to another female who rejected him. Duh. Gwyn also deserves better than that.

Let's sum up:

We have Azriel who's feeling shitty right now, frustrated with fate and his endless longing for mutual love. He can't have what he wants with Elain and it manifests in the bond between her and Lucien. He can't bear it, yet Elain seems to bring him back from his obsessive longing for Mor. Rhys orders Az to stay away from Elain, and unwittingly sets up the forbidden romance trope (thank you for that Rhysie). With Gwyn coming into this, it distantly seems like we have a love quartet, but also a set up for misunderstandings and jealousy. I feel like Sarah is cackling with delight because she got to us so easily with her messy Az POV. She knows what she's doing y'all.

What do I expect from the next book?

I expect forbidden lovers, and surrender. I expect misunderstandings and jealousy. I expect a rejected bond, or an Unmade bond. I expect a grand, epic arc of choice and deciding ones own fate. The themes of choice and fate even find their ways into this Azriel POV. It's Az who points them out. Again, I think Sarah knows what she's doing, and she'll give us some grand scenes and I believe elriel has the best chance to deliver them.

Could I be wrong with all of this? Sure. Could Elriel be doomed to sink with the Az POV? Maybe. All I'm saying is that we have so much foreshadowing and a grandiose set up of angst, we have an overall scheme of choice and we have a pairing that would, simply by getting together, decide their own fate against all odds. And at this point, there are lots of odds against them. If this doesn't make the perfect set up for their story, I don't know what does! 💙

Before anyone comes for me, I will say that I love Gwyn and absolutely adore Lucien. I think they're both great, so no shade for them. If you ship any of these with Elain or Azriel, go ahead and do you! This is just my opinion and I would love anyone sharing your thoughts!! It's so exciting that this fandom is alive again lol. 👌🏼😁

On another note: Thank you to @rhysanoodle, @high-lady-elains and @silver-flames for keeping me sane and providing your theories. A lot of this came from discussing with them and reading their posts. 💙

[hxmmatron]

Heavy Azriel pov spoilers you’ve been warned

ok, I am back with more analysis, and I’m speaking out of my conviction that sjm deliberately devided the chapter 50/50 between two equal love interests, and both ships can happen. I’m not taking any sides. don’t come for me I’m sensitive.

What I want to address is one of the things that irked me the most at first, and it was the contrast between the way he viewed Elain vs Gwyn . And I know it bothered so many people, and I personally took it as a clue that Gwyn would be endgame.

But upon reading the first half again, I think it’s mainly sjm’s writing that gave us that creepy vibe? I was already uncomfortable wih some of her smut scenes, and how she feels the need to describe them. I genuinely think it’s just her writing that was such a turn off, the uncomfortable degree of objectification(and I don’t excuse that), but if you read slowly, you can actually see some indications of his emotions. I definitely missed all of these in my first read.

The faelights gilded Elain's unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn. This could be read as an Elucien reference, but we can appreciate how cute is is

He didn't need his shadows to read her tone, the slight tightening of her face: he sees her

The headache powder he kept, unused. Could be a bad indicator, but he cherished it for a year.

because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of of leaving if it became too much. Again, could be a bad indicator, but someone had pointed out that he never had that reaction to being around Mor. This could mean a lot of things, but it also shows that it’s been brewing for a while. And Nesta noticed.

Elain sucked in a soft breath that whispered over his skin. His shadows skittered back at the sound. They'd always been prone to vanish when she was around. I can’t read this, really. There’s been enough posts about his shadows, but I don’t think we can judge just yet which option sjm thinks is the right one. 

I won’t even talk about the necklace scene because it was just peak yearning, ok? The tension and yearning, Az’s feelings? Literally if I had stopped reading here I’d be calling their wedding bells. Giving me very much A Line Without A Hook

But he could have this. This one moment, and maybe a taste, and that would be it. longing culture in one sentence

Azriel was left standing before Elain, who still awaited his kiss. His stomach twisted as he pulled his hand from her hair and stepped back. Forced himself to say, "This was a mistake.” to me this is more than lust, he felt bad for pulling away, and probably because he knew what would come next

“You don't-Don't apologize,” he managed to say. "Never apologize. It's I who should ..” He shook his head, unable to stand bleakness he'd brought to her expression. This to me, again, just says so much? Why else would he feel bad for hurting her feelings, if it was just lust. 

He had never before dared speak the words aloud. when talking about the cauldron. As fucked up as it was all worded, I can understand how he’d quietly wonder if it was all a coincidence? And, again, I think he’s using the cauldron and Lucien bc he doesn’t yet know how to process his emotions? (which could go both ways). But it’s the fact that he never spoke up about it.

“I think Lucien will never be good enough for her” Not the best thing to say for sure, but, doesn’t read pure lust to me. It wasn’t even an “I think I’m a better fit then Lucien”, though he could be thinking that, idk

Azriel said nothing. He hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to. Ok, I hear you, I hear you. I was sick to my stomach when I read this at first. It really did seem to reduce Elain to a sexual fantasy. But, I’ll blame that on sjm’s smutty writing again and say: Maybe it’s because he never allowed himself to think of her as attainable? Obviously, he tried to avoid her, refused to keep tabs on Lucien, and only pleasure himself when completely alone, even from his shadows. I can see it from him believing it would never happen, and only rarely allowing himself the guilty pleasure fantasy. 

I’ll say, comparing the blood duel against Lucien to the one against Eris? could be a lil sign of *toxic by brittney spears*, I used to think Mor-Elain comparisons were good, but, I’m not sure anymore. Could be a pattern of Az’s toxic emotional attatchements

Until he felt nothing. Was again nothing at all. Could be toxic attachement, could be true feelings, but it’s for sure not lust

He found Elain's necklace amid the pile. He pocketed it. Spent the rest of his day, even the blasted snowball fight, with every intention of returning it to the shop in the Palace of Thread and Jewels. I also was irked by how little he reacted at first. But I think it can mean more? especially with him actually losing the snowball fight he’d been so confident in, and “Your eyes are sad, Shadowsinger”

I think we should point out that all the “heavy” words where spoken by Rhys, “deserve to be her mate”, “Seduce”, “If you need to fuck someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her." It woudn’t be fair to immediately attach them to Az’s intentions, not just yet at least? Aside from Rhys’ hypocrisy (again, due to the writing choice imo and creating conflict), Rhys has been pro-Lucien since acowar, which makes me wonder if he and Feyre would butt heads, since she she’s clearly pro-Elriel. Also, the fact that she herself brought up the possibility of the Cauldron being wrong? Azriel isn’t the first to question it (I’m just gonna blame the whole thing on bad writing ok)

As for Gwyn’s half, I know it’s less than half the chapter, but the lil crumbs sprinkled all over, and the fact that the chapter ends with her, and the softer, fonder feelings? I think that levels up the chances of both ships. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, or random that it ended on her. Nor the parallels in both parts (ie his shadows’ behaviour, a thing of secret lovely beauty)

TL;DR I think both ends of the ships are valid in their arguments and it was done on purpose by SJM, and I just wanted to offer a deeper look into Azriel’s thoughts.

[ieatcrystalsforbrunch]

ELAIN/ELRIEL HATERS RANT

I’m very disappointed of all these haters! I have so much to say but Idk how to start and so I’ll try my best to group it in a coherent way as much as I can.

ELRIEL

First of all, it’s already pretty obvious that Elain will be getting the next installment of the series. It’s also already VERY obvious that Azriel is going to be her love interest in her story! Why?

• Little bits and crumbs of interaction that’s been described in the text with the atmosphere of sexual tension and chemistry! You’re in denial if you do not see/sense that!

Mind you these are only from ACOSAF only! Not including the ones from the previous books! What does this imply? These heavily support the idea of their feelings for one another! Look at Azriel being so defensive in the most subtle way! Even his shadows were ready to attack after Elain was getting verbally attacked by Nesta! He “stills/stiffens” at the mention of Elain’s name! He doesn’t want Elain to be exposed to danger! (Cough, mate reflexes???) I’m not even gonna talk about the mating thing right now cause again, it’s all a bundle of complications!

• It’s been confirmed in Azriel’s pov that they BOTH have feelings for one another! Their situation is just very complicated and THAT is what makes it interesting! How they overcome it! Will they overcome it? Will they have the courage to chase after it? Will they face their fears and traumas to attain what they want? Will they even admit to one another regarding these emotions? Will they choose love over duty? Or duty over love?

The appearance of Gwyn in the bonus chapter definitely stirs some questions (relationship wise) but if you step back and look at the whole thing. Really, will you disregard all those small crumbs left by the author across the series, the build up for the next couple, just to be stomped? I don’t think so!

Do I think Gwyn will play an important role for Azriel and Elain to progress? Yes! I feel like Azriel and Gwyn will develop a friendship! This is definitely possible! With the theory that Gwyn IS a lightsinger, makes it even more possible! I can sense misunderstandings, miscommunications, pent up emotions! With Rhys orders to Azriel regarding Elain and Elain misunderstanding Azriel’s kiss rejection, I can already smell it!

ELAINE

I also want to BRING ATTENTION the people who are BRINGING DOWN ELRIEL BECAUSE ELAIN IS “NOT WORTHY” “ WEAK” “USELESS”.

HOW DARE YOU?

I would feel bad if I was the author! Just because WE ONLY SEE GLIMPSES of Elain in the series, just because she GARDENS, just because she’s soft spoken, DOESN’T MEAN THAT SHE IS EITHER OF THOSE THINGS!

Rhys says so himself that what we know of Elain is not all of it! That Elain probably only acts like that BECAUSE IT IS WHAT’S PUSHED FOR HER TO BE. She is portrayed as all those things because they make it so! But we see glimpses of her actually standing her ground and it shocks everybody! Why? Because they never expect it from her! They only see her as this fragile baby but IT’S NOT WHO SHE IS! AND WE FINALLY GET TO FIGURE HER OUT IN HER BOOK JUST LIKE HOW WE FIGURED NESTA OUT IN HER BOOK! Don’t you dare deny that you hated Nesta before she opened up about her trauma and issues! How you judged her as also WEAK and SPOILED before she had the courage to stand up and admit her demons! How you hated that she pushes everybody away because of all that hate in her heart! We are YET to know Elain and YALL ALREADY THROWING HER OFF THE CLIFF.

And this is where GWYN comes in again! Because it’s VERY APPARENT that most of the readers want GWYN X AZRIEL because she’s this badass-sword wielding-dark past female-turned fighter! Because she’s like Feyra and Nesta and NOT ELAIN. Don’t you deny it! Because she doesn’t GARDEN but TRAINS. She isn’t soft spoken but hard edged! Yall are bullies!

“ Just kill her off, it wouldn’t make a difference.”

“ She doesn’t deserve Azriel!”

“ Azriel needs someone who can handle him.”

“ I’m dropping the book if Azriel ends up with Elain.”

Are you KIDDING ME?

Again, we know SO LITTLE of Elain! Her traumas, her secrets, her demons, her struggles, her past! HER TRUE SELF.

It’s just soooo infuriating reading these comments and reviews!

But one thing is for certain and that’s ALL WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS.

I stand by what the author had sprinkled all over the series and stand by my love for Elain and Elriel! I know there’s an edge beneath all that softness. Thorns on her roses! She has a long way to go JUST LIKE FEYRA AND NESTA. I am all here for it and I cannot wait!

HATERS GONNA HATE BITTER FEKS

[bookofmirth]

i think we all read sjm for the characters, not the plot, putting that aside, yeah, it's obvious that in acowar she set up the next books that were not hinted at before.

as for mor and az tho, i don't really know what sjm was thinking, bc when i first read acomaf (2016?) we all shipped moriel, but looking back, they had 500 years to solve their issues and didn't. maybe mor is eris' mate and sjm was planning to have that be what stopped mor from being w az? and then she was called out for the lack of rep and decided to make mor sapphic? i don't really know and maybe i never will. i love sapphic mor tho, and i'm glad that sjm chose to have ff rep (bc usually female authors tend to chose mm every fucking time).

also, i can see that in acowar sjm started building up the azriel x elain x lucien conflict. and I'm a firm believer that the next 3 books she sold were nesta, elain and mor, but that's just speculation.

my guess is, with the hints we've been getting since acowar, next book is elain, azriel and lucien pov (bc i know about marketing and this is the perfect way to get both eluciens and elriels to buy the book), and then we'll see what happens.

now, emerie was introduced in acofas and she will be mor's love interest, that's for sure. as for gwyn, we don't know when sjm came up with her, but since there weren't crumbs (that i could find at least), maybe it was during acosf. that doesn't mean she won't get her book though.

i just want sjm to have an interview when the last acotar book is out and spill the tea like she did with tog😭😭

There are definitely clues in acomaf that something was rotten in the state of moriel, but if the issue was that Mor is fundamentally different than we understood her to be, then she needs to stay that way for the next two books. We know she’s gay! Maybe sjm did have another reason to make that not happen, idk. Maybe it was never her intention - perhaps she never intended it to become a thing and just didn’t know *why* it wouldn’t become a thing yet. Then once she did, she threw the queerness out there like a “here’s the explanation!” without then thinking about how that should change the way we and the characters interact with her from that point on. I, too, doubt that we’ll ever get the answers we actually want.

Personally, I also appreciate that Mor is queer. From a writing standpoint, wtf. It was fine when all we had was acowar. It’s not longer fine with me when we have acofas and acosf and no whisper of it since.

I really wish that the next full length books would be Elain and Mor, because tbh I don’t want to read about Az being toxic. I had enough of that having to read Chaol’s POV. I only read ToD once, but I remember being genuinely uncomfortable until he and Nesryn broke up because he was treating her like shit. I don’t want that experience again! Idgaf how much I used to like Az, or how intriguing he is as a character (because he is, I just.... don’t really care about him like I care about Elain, Gwyn, Lucien, and Mor). 

TBH I really like that idea though, of the next book being a split between Az, Elain, and Lucien? Because then tbh, everyone would be happy, at least initially. I don’t like the idea of it being a love triangle - not even, considering Mor and Gwyn it’s more like a love pentagon. I would totally enjoy that if we just knew right away that it was going to be elucien and gwynriel in the end because like I said, even though I theorized that he and Elain could be a thing before they all get their HEA elsewhere, I don’t want to see that happening on the page! He’s not in a place for a healthy relationship and so I 100% don’t want to see him taking out his shit on Elain, or on Gwyn, à la Chaol! 

Good point about Gwyn and there not being crumbs. I’ve seen people suggest that she only exists to make people doubt el*iel which is GROSS I’m sorry, but can this wonderful, intelligent, adorable, lovely female character exist for reasons other than to just fuck with the readers who ship that one ship??? 😅 wtf Let’s just ignore her entire character development and arc in the whole book. She’s really only important for what she does or doesn’t mean for a ship. 🙄

Maybe we will get our wish and she’ll explain all these decisions later on. Even better, maybe she won’t have to because it will make sense! I’ll hold out hope mostly because I’m stubborn.