#SJM said spring birthday

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Happy (unofficial but we ball) birthday to our favorite Lady Death and queen 😌

[acourtofthought]

considering elain's motif is literally flowers, I need to know why anyone things she'd be anywhere but the day/spring court?? from the beginning the drawers feyre painted and the cake she got for her birthday all painted a very clear picture of the sisters, not only as people but who they end up with. feyre obv is with the high lord of night thus the stars, nesta herself is fire but so is cassian, elain needs sunshine and flowers and has from the beginning. e/riel was never going to be endgame.

The drawer wouldn't even be the ace up our sleeves because initially she imagined Nesta with Lucien which is where "fire" might have come into play with her drawer. Or at least imagined her in the Autumn Court. But once she realized Nessian was going to be a thing she changed the flames into "Silver Flames" that are meant to indicate her power of death and tied that into Cassian being a warrior who has "walked beside death his whole life."

It's the fact that SJM has never shifted Elain's motif in the way she did Nesta.

Book 1, she has Feyre paint flowers on Elain's drawer and has her the prettiest she'd ever seen when Elain was outside in her garden at their estate.

Book 2, Feyre reminds us that Elain is a gentle grower of things and that she's as soft and lovely as a summer dawn.

At that point in the series, there's nothing major to suggest that Elain would be happiest in Spring or Day.

But it's book 3, after the big Elucien are mates reveal that SJM really starts driving things home.

- The suite was filled with sunlight. Every curtain shoved back as far as it could go, to let in as much sun as possible. As if any darkness was abhorrent. As if it chase it away. And seated in a small chair before the sunniest of the windows, her back to us, was Elain.

Feyre then tells us that Elain is wearing a "moon-white" dressing robe and that her face is so pale it looks like fresh snow and that these things that are white for Elain are "the color of death."

Of course there is a moon in all the courts but the NC is known for it's nights. Claiming that the night sky and the moon aren't symbolic of the Night Court because other courts have them too is like saying New York beaches are the same as the beaches in Florida's because they're both beaches.

And snow is probably in a few of the courts, Night Court, Winter....but we know the Spring Court does not have any.

So after telling us how Elain is sitting in the sunniest window, as if darkness (Night Court, it's not rocket science) is abhorrent, she tells us white like the moon and white like snow are the colors of death for her. All things associated with night and the colder courts.

We're then told "she had always been so full of light".

Later Elain comes out of her room for the first time. Two days after Lucien's arrival. And she just happened to make her first stop in how many months the library, after hearing Lucien's heart beating through the stone where Lucien himself randomly decided to visit, a big deal since he says he hasn't been able to read for pleasure in a long time. You know, her mate with those hidden sunshine powers, the ones SJM retconned in book 2 after realizing Elucien would be mates. She's again sitting by the windows.

Lucien demanded they take Elain outside for fresh air and lo and behold, she began eating, drinking and sleeping as soon as they did.

We all know Nesta asked Elain what she could get her and Elain replied, "Sunshine."

We know the gates to Elain's mind are sleeping buds and what do those need to bloom? (SUNSHINE! SUNSHINE!)

At the end of ACOWAR, Elain says the world needs more gardens.

In the novella, we're reminded of how much time Elain spends tending to Feysands garden, that now that winter has fallen she's lost the color in her face and Rhys said that Elain took a spot by the windows which was typical for her.

In SF we're told she's been helping the elderly fae in Velaris with their gardens, she's again caught standing by windows, and SJM (clearly for no reason at all of course) told us that Elain's scent is a promise of Spring. That the Spring Court had been made for someone like Elain. That Nesta would have told her to visit if they weren't arguing. That NC black sucks the life out of Elain and leeches the brightness from her face.

So yeah.

The drawers have held up as being true to Elain's character but I'm not sure how anyone can look back over everything SJM has told us about Elain and think, Yes. The Night Court which is associated with the color black, darkness, shadows, the moon and stars....THAT is the best place for Elain to thrive. Just like Feyre stared out her window at the Night sky while in Spring, Elain is always staring out the window craving sunshine while in the NC.

[nikethestatue]

Have you heard of what someone said about the birthday thing? Remember when Acosf was released and everybody was saying that SJM put Gwyn’s birthday in Acosf because she was going to give Azriel’s mate Steph’s birthday? I have been hearing that it was unlikely for SJM to go back and edit the book. Acosf was released almost a month after the instagram live in which Steph and SJM talked about it.

Bloomsbury was already printing hofas 2 months prior to the release date. There were videos proving that they were already printed. Do you think it would have been possible for SJM to write Gwyn’s birthday in, even with the book being a month away from release at that time?

i think what people dont remember or realise about this whole bday thing is that it was done in jest?

It wasn't a serious thing. Steph asked SJM on camera to do this--have Azriel's person's bday be the same as hers. SJM kind of made a face, and then responded 'o-kay'. Kind of like, why are you asking me this?

None of this is remotely serious.

Gwynriels weirdly latched on to it, and started counting from Calanmai conception to January (which is when Stephs bday is). To show it could be Gwyn.

But it's not actually a thing. More of a joke.

Btw, Elain's bday could also be in January, because we know there less than 2 years in age difference between her and Nesta. And Nesta's bday is in the spring (per ACOSF). Therefore, could easily be that Elain's bday is in January.

But also, I a, confident enough in Elriel not to care about this nonsense.

[shitwillnotbegiven]

When i say this kind of things are easily debunked, it's because they are.

Sjm had already written Acosf when she said she would give Azriel's person Steph's birthday.

Also Calanmai is on May 1 following the Welsh calendar. If we pay attention to the timeline in Acomaf, we can clearly see that there's a passage of time between Nynsar/Starfall and Calanmai so Calanmai is not on March. Nynsar is supposed to be the Spring equinox (March, 20).

So if Gw*n was conceived in Calanmai (May, 1), she would have been born in February/March, not in January since fae pregnancies are 10 months.

[once--upon-a-blog]

Gwynriel.

And why I want them, their compatibility aside I want to see a SA victim shine, show us that they can have a healthy normal relationship ( let's face it... Whatever Az feels for Elain isn't healthy)

Gwyn is also this adorable little feminine sunshine despite everything that went down and I WANT MORE.

Granted we know nothing about Elain yet but the fact that Gwyn has more of a storyline in just ONE book tells us she probably won't be side lined.

Also SJM in an interview stated that her next book is about Azriel and his girlfriend.

His girlfriend who was born in Jan

Guess who was born in Jan???

Gwyn trivia --

Since she was conceived on Calanmai (which takes place at the beginning of Spring) and we know that Fae pregnancies take 10 months, her birthday likely falls in January. The exact date is still unknown.

Just the number of free smiles and proud looks Azriel gives her.

He pays attention to her, UNKNOWINGLY.

His shadows, born from his trauma LOVE her.

He isn't insecure about his hands around her.

Just the free being he seems to be around her, like he doesn't feel the need to pretend.

How his siphons glowed like colbalt fire when Cassian said terrible things were probably happening to Emerie, Nesta and Gwyn., how despite that he sadly said that he trained them

Showing his undying belief in her.

Calling her a thing of secret lovely beauty.

How he challenges her

How he freely shows emotions not limited to ONLY amusement.

'Cassian turned to look at Azriel but his attention was fixed on Gwyneth, quite pride glowing in his eyes'

That quote isn't entirely accurate, I don't remember the actual quote but he was looking at Gwyn proudly.

And their BANTER

Their friggin Banter

[onceupona-chaos]

Sarah said recently that she likes writing stories about disliked characters, which makes sense considering how long Nesta was hated (really long).

With that in mind, every time I reread ACOSF, I have the feeling Sarah was deliberately talking to the readers about Elain.

"Elain is boring"

You think Elain is boring?

I think she's kind, I'll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven't seen all she has to offer yet.

"Elain doesn't have what it takes"

“Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don��t underestimate her.

"How will she get a book? All she does is gardening, she's better off doing that"

“Shall I tend to my little garden forever?”

“You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

"Sarah will have a hard time to make me like her"

We'll see a different side of her emerge.

Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.

"Nesta was by her side for weeks, she's ungrateful"

I went into the Cauldron, too, you know. And it captured me. And yet somehow all you think of is what my trauma did to you.”

Elain was right. We’ve become so focused on how her trauma impacted us that we forget she was the one who experienced it.

"She doesn't even care about Nesta"

You have your lives, and I have mine, she’d said to Elain last Winter Solstice. She’d known how deeply it would wound her sister.

She’d passed her sister in the bustling market square they called the Palace of Bone and Salt, and though Elain had halted, no doubt intending to speak to her, Nesta had kept walking. Hadn’t looked back before vanishing into the throng.

And plucked the cerulean-and-cream scarf Elain had given her for her birthday this spring off the hook on the wall.

She’d been as riveted as Feyre to hear Cassian tell of it: first of Nesta and the others’ interest.

I’m happy that Nesta finds interest in something again.

"But what would she even do?"

Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, “Using me.”

I think she’s got you beat for secret-keeping.

She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends.

And because you are Made by it, you are immune to the influence and power of the Trove. You might use them, yes, but they cannot be used upon you.” A glance to Elain. “Either of you."

and Elain, with whatever powers she has—is here.

All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match your own.

All three sisters were now High Fae with considerable powers, though only Feyre’s were let loose. (And now Nesta's, which means...)

"She can't even make her own decisions"

Elain remained in the doorway, her face pale but her expression harder than Nesta had ever seen it. “You do not decide what I can and cannot do, Nesta."

Elain cut in sharply, “I am not a child to be fought over."

Elain said, “Then I will find it. I might require some time to … reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.”

"She doesn't belong to the night court, Cassian said it"

When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court—and would do whatever was needed.

*Sight* I could go on and on but I have a limit of how many of those comments I can read.

Sarah probably knew what kind of reaction to expect, since she already experienced that with Nesta. If Nesta was hated, why wouldn't Elain?

But also, if Nesta surprised us, why wouldn't Elain surprise us as well?

Elain is an Archeron, do you really think Sarah wouldn't write her a journey just like she did with Nesta and Feyre?

Therefore, SJM made herself clear in ACOSF, by contradicting every hateful comment towards Elain. So, we are going to see another side of Elain - and be surprised af.

[ladynestaarcheron]

The Deal - Prologue

ao3 - master post

hello, dears. so this is basically my proof that rhys and nesta could have been friends, just not the way sjm wrote it. i'll post the first chapter tomorrow. enjoy!

---

When Nesta Archeron's magic reawakens, it shakes the earth. A terrible quaking, like the dead are all clawing their way back up to the surface.

Feyre knows it's her the moment he does, and she cries out in fear for her sister's life. Rhys doesn't have time to stay and comfort her, and wastes only a second checking her shields before throwing himself out the window and launching himself into the night.

He hears Nesta's screams from outside the House--terror, heart-wrenching terror. The same word, over and over. NO, NO, NO--

His magic erupts into the room with him. Nesta is writhing on the bed, burning alive. The flames are silver, like they were plucked right from her eyes.

His blackness does nothing to stop the fire, but it does contain it. To Nesta.

Her screams turn pained. Cassian, held back by Azriel, bellows at him to stop, stop hurting her, let her go--but he can't. She'll burn the city to the ground. Burn the whole court.

Rhys shouts to her to wake up, that it's a dream, it isn't real, but she doesn't believe him or can't hear through her screaming sobs.

When Cassian approaches, sure in a way he shouldn't be, Nesta quivers, and Rhys lurches. Spots the entry inside her mind, intending only to quell the fire--and then he feels it.

Nesta.

She clings to Cassian's presence; it is enough to calm her, to tie her down. To keep her away from...the pain. To drag her up out of the icy waters of the Cauldron.

He feels it ending. Feels what was.

Total, terrifying darkness. Nothing like the starlit beauty of night. Only a lack of life. And yet, there is life. There is a man, pinning him--her, Nesta, not him--against a wall, there is shame before an elderly woman, there is loss, such profound loss, and fear, and pain, over and over, never ending, without reprieve, without mercy, and with every second, it grows greater, fear and pain and loss and grief and despair and hate, all thrust upon him--no way out, no way out--

He feels Cassian along with her, feels her latch onto him, desperately. She can breathe again. The pain is there but the burning stops.

Distantly, he pulls her along away from the horror. To the hills near the cabin where he and Feyre had consummated their bond. In the springtime--Nesta's birthday is in spring, Feyre said. The hills are thick with anemones, the flowers a soft bed of dark purple in the night. The air is warm around her; she doesn't need a blanket. If she were to look up, she would have an entirely unobstructed view of the Night Court's sky, but she doesn't need to, she can just sleep here. She can rest. She is safe...

Pulling out of her mind entirely, Rhys shudders. Cassian asks if they should bring Feyre--no, no, she can't be here. She can't...he's been stupid, letting Nesta's walk around with power like this, unchecked. That ends now.

It's only a bit of her power, Rhys tells them. But--fuck--it isn't really hers, is it? One's power bows to them, a tool to wield how the faerie sees fit. Not to torture you in the night...all day....

What it took from her. Rhys shudders again.

She looks young like this, young as--well, as young as she is, he supposes. Far too young to have lost that much. To be hollowed out by a-a monster. And left with death in return.

No wonder she drinks.

[helion-ism]

I know that when asked about Gwyn's birthday, Sarah doesn't know how Gwynriels came up with the math.

However, she pretty much avoided the question instead of denying it. Her reaction to that question was rather positive for us.. or at least unclear. It most definetely did not confirm El/riel

The math we did about Gwyn's birthday and Elain's birthday makes perfectly sense. Well.. it may just be a coincidence, but let's remember something:

• Feyre's birthday (longest night of the year on december 21) + Rhys, the High lord of the Night court = mates

Elain's birthday (x) + Lucien, the heir to the Day court = mates

Wouldn't it makes sense for Elain to have her birthday on the longest day of the year? (June 21)

It was mentioned in the books that when Nesta turned 12, Elain was barely 11 (Nesta's birthday is in spring).

Which means she can't have her birthday in January, February, March nor April.

• The math we did for Gwyn's birthday makes sense. She was definetely born in January -> Azriel's love interest has her birthday in January.

She and Catrin were concieved on Calanmai (Start of spring, March 20) × (Fae babies take 10 months until birth instead of 9)

March + 10 months = January

...

...Well, Elain doesn't give me winter vibes anyway.

I'm sorry, but if Sarah makes El/riel happen, meaning her birthday would be in January, even though the math doesn't add up she clearly needs to work on her shit because she can't just give information and change it in the next book.

I wouldn’t worry about that too much, anon

as you said, the math makes sense. though I have to add that I don’t particularly care for elain having her birthday on the longest day of the year — simply because I don’t think sjm will grant anyone that honour but feysand. but I don’t think it matters much anyway? elain’s birthday is very likely in summer and that makes a lot of sense because she is the summer type of girl in the series. she craves sunlight (summer), she loves flowers (spring), so if her birthday is somewhen between spring and summer, I’d be totally fine with it :)

I hope we get to know when gwyn’s birthday is soon tho cause sjm put emphasis on that, which is interesting considering we barely know anyone else’s birthday (LUCIEN???????? CASSIAN?????)

[moprocrastinates]

Look, authors don’t write what they don’t mean. SJM *wanted* you to feel a certain way about Az, Gwyn, Lucien, and Elain. It has been EDITED by her and her editor(s) to get you to think a certain way that will inevitably lead you to buy her future ACOTAR books. She is not lying to you or tricking you. She’s telling you exactly what she thinks in the exact way she can without spoiling it for future readers. And for the couple that won’t be named, she shot it down. I’m sorry, but she did. What she wrote on the page is the truth, as far as we know. That is all we can interpret. Anything else did or did not happen, but we’ll never know unless she writes about it in a future book. 

Az does not end up in a good light. He doesn’t. He only wants to have sex with Elain. There weren’t any verbal/mental expressions of romance in that chapter, other than the necklace, and that gift, which is *romantic itself* (necklaces always are in relationships), is passed to Gwyn, who we’ve all grown to love. This is where SJM wants you to start with him, especially in the next book. She’s saying he’s got a lot of work to do, and if you’ve ever been someone’s second choice, or found out you were being played for the fool, or only had someone be attracted to you bc they wanted to fuck you, you know how that feels. You can’t defend Az here. Trauma is an explanation, not an excuse for his behavior. Elain, Gwyn, and Az are all going to be hurt by this. Gwyn, after all she’s been through, does not deserve to be someone’s second choice. And she will refuse to be. Same with Elain, who has also been through so much. Elain will not settle for being someone’s second choice, and neither of them will not be used to hurt another. You cannot tell me her perception of Az won’t be ruined not only when she finds out he gave it to another, but that he would use another girl to get to her like that. That won’t fly, especially as Gwyn is Nesta’s sister-in-arms. Elain loves her sisters. After all Nesta’s been through, and after Gwyn and Emerie helped her through it, I highly doubt Elain would screw over Gwyn like that. If you really think how many people will end up hurt because of the Couple That Won’t Be Named happening, you will realize it’s not going to happen. SJM likes HEAs. The Couple That Won’t Be Named does not bring everyone a HEA.

And also, because I’ve seen this argument as of late: SJM promised her friend Steph that Az’s love interest will have Steph’s birthday, which is in January. We found out in ACOSF that a Fae’s gestation period is 10 months. People have been saying it can’t be Gwyn, who was born during Calanmai, so ten months from that will roughly be March. First of all, SJM said at her US tour that she sent ACOSF off to the printers (”the very last date because I was still editing and writing”) in early fall 2020. Steph and SJM had the Instagram live in Nov/December. She’s just going to retcon and make Gwyn’s birthday in January, having moved Calanmai that year to a different date bc of Amarantha’s reign or something. Nesta’s birthday is in the spring, and she and Elain are a year apart or just a little more. March is when spring technically begins, so... Elain’s birthday is in spring, summer, or fall, not January.

Once I feel up to writing my Elucien meta, I will. 

[vidalinav]

Hi! First, how are you? Second, I have a question/idea and I don’t know who else could answer/take it easily..

So, people are saying Gwyn can’t be Az live interest because she is not born in January.

But if the Great Rite IS indeed during Calamnai as people say, then Gwyn’s mother got pregnant in March (Calamnai celebrates the beginning of Spring). And with a 10 months pregnancy, she was born in January...

So what do you think? (I really don’t care much about these ships honestly, but I like the draamaa)

And another opinion. If we end up getting the love triangle between Az, Gwyn and Elain, which part do you think Nesta would take? Because Elain is her sister, but right now their relationship isn’t really okay, while Gwyn never “turn her back” on Nesta..

Thank you for asking! I’m good! Hope you are too. 

You know this is a funny ask, because it encompasses everything I find hilarious about these ships and I hope it doesn’t stop, because it’s a good laugh. People are pulling things out of a hat right now that are like ehhhh.... is that a really good argument in support of your ship? like I’m sorry, but do any of us fully 1000% believe that we know who the next book is about? No. So, we 1000% cannot prove who is ending up with who. SJM is so untrustworthy with who people end up with. Nessian was obvious. Feysand became obvious at the second book. No one at that point could say they weren’t going to end up together, because it wasn’t hinted. IT WAS OBVIOUS. It was spelled in big fat letters. Nessian has a whole scene to themselves (Wings and Embers) long before their book had even been discussed, SJM had said already that she paired Lucien with Nesta but Cassian made more sense, looooong before this book. The amount of questions related to Az/Lucien/Elain/Gwyn are not obvious enough to really pair people off, otherwise we wouldn’t have different pairings that could be put together. I think there are some things that are obvious because of plot and structure, but none enough to say for sure that this person will end up with this person. And I think it should be noted, that SJM won’t tell us, so I really think everything should be taken lightly. However, it’s entertaining, so take your ships seriously lol. 

Now related to this birthday thing, because I saw this post, it’s even more hilarious to me. Because like... SJM hasn’t even written the next book it sounds like, is she not allowed to change her mind? But also have y’all been following all the problems that we have been talking about, about how SJM needs an editor that knows her book lore because she keeps having missteps in the information she’s provided us in previous books to now. So much information is off. Like, okay yeah I’m sure I’m going to take a birthday and be like oh yeah this is my ship, I’m going down with it. If I liked the ship, maybe I would. But I don’t care for either one of them. I tend to stray towards the ship that makes more sense to the story plot, the evidence we have, and character development progression. Because I have no emotional attachments to these ships. Not like nessian. 

IMO I don’t feel there’s going to be a love triangle, because one it’s never done well. And second because also it wouldn’t make sense. Like Gwyn doesn’t go outside of the library. She doesn’t even want to now, she’s all of a sudden going to just hook up with this shadow singer because he saved her??? The only way I see gwynriel happening is Azriel airing out his mess with both Mor and Elain and then having growth and being like it’s Gwyn after the end of the day, or her just being an emotional barrier between him and Elain if that ends up being the case, or her being a comfort where he goes to see her or what not when she’s training or in the library, but they’re not going to have sex. This is an assault survivor retreat like... but then we would still have the issue with Lucien and we would still probably need more on the plot to have Gwyn be actively involved with Azriel to end up being a love interest pairing, otherwise it would just be more of training...training...and training... But all of this situation is very messy and we already have a messy plot. To fit into one book? Please. And then we have another one? How would that work? We have so many plot points now that this love square that is not confirmed would take up most time based on all sides of character development and thoughts and feelings and then the drama itself that arises, and how then would you move to the plot. So, that’s why I’m like look have your theories, have your ideas, but at a certain point we’re all going to have to take a knee lol for SJM, but also logical reasoning and narrative structure. I think it would be cool if it ended up being like A Midsummer Night’s Dream situation, but would that make sense really? It’s just a cool idea. 

Like look at her other characters in other books with this situation. Chaol and Aelin were not going to happen, OBVIOUS. He hated everything we already knew about her--the magic, the power, the fact that he was under the crown’s thumb. I know some people still are like we were bamboozled. I was like how did you not see it??? It was already set up. 

SO... I don’t know. Defend your ships I guess, but just know (not you specifically-but the fandom) that at the end of the day, you must bow to the ship that wins. I mean you’ll always have fanfiction. I don’t care who ends up being with who, but fucking have it make sense. Make it work without losing development, plot, romance, etc, because something will be lost for this love square thing to be resolved if that’s the route that happens without us knowing anymore information than what we do now. 

But yeah, Nesta I feel would care if she knew Azriel was playing them both, then she’d probably be like “Hold up honey” because it would seem like he’s playing both of them, if he couldn’t decide between the two for a love triangle to work, or if he was holding on to one and not letting the other go, especially a s*** as***lt survivor!!!! Like I don’t see how Azriel wouldn’t look like a dick and then wouldn’t that ruin his character (reputation) to her and to maybe his friends? Sigh. Again messy!!!

[propshophannah]

I CONNECTED THE DOTS HEAR ME OUT

so gwyn was conceived i calanmai, and fae are born 10months later so gwyn was born in march, but sjm said az's love interest is from january, just like her bff (who's fav character is elain btw)

now, we don't know when elain's bday is, also i know that gwys is a twin so she could've been born a few months earlier, also idk if sjm pays attention to this things tbh,,, but this was fun lol

Hi Nonnie! @petrawood and I were talking about this the other day! She actually made a post (see below!). It all hinges on when Maas places Calanmai in the Prythian world (May 1st or the 1st day of spring?). And you’re 100% correct about twins tending to come early! So I think it’s so—soooooo—close either way. If twins tend to come early in ACOTAR world, then it’s an argument for Gwynriel. If they don’t, it’s an argument for Elriel. It also comes down to when she places Calanmai. So many options!

( https://petrawood.tumblr.com/post/643695065634570240/about-gwyns-birthday-and-why-it-is-important-for

[highqueenesta]

Tbh Elain is whack for not caring about Nesta's mental health and brushing her off as if they never shared a strong sisterly bond. It's been said to us multiple times that Nesta is willing to protect Elain at all times: from Tamlin in the 1st book, from Hybern and Co in the 2nd before and after they get tossed into the Cauldron, then all throughout Acowar (where she actually cares about Elain's mental breakdown) - but Elain never even bothers to visit or stand up for Nesta...

I really wish we got more background into the Archeron sisters’ relationship in ACOFAS. Because all we get is that Elain visits Nesta, but is generally not too happy with her sister. We see Elain’s annoyance with Nesta’s situation when she talks to Feyre but SJM doesn’t make it clear whether Elain is annoyed with the situation or Nesta herself (but I feel like it is the latter). The only times I saw Elain being thoughtful towards Nesta in ACOFAS was getting her a Solstice and birthday present. (Also, sidenote: Nesta was born in the spring, which means by headcanon of Nesta being a summer baby like me is false. Oh well.😂)

But regardless, it has ALWAYS bothered me throughout the series how Nesta seems to love Elain more than Elain loves Nesta. I don’t know if Elain just isn’t a “protective” person like Nesta is, and shows her love in different ways, BUT like you said Nonnie, Elain never sticks up for Nesta, which really irks me. It really makes me wonder how SJM is going to approach the relationship between the sisters in the next books, especially with how tumultuous it is right now.

Also, does it bother anyone else how Elain is basically Feysand’s cook & gardener? Lol it really bothers me. Just like how Rhys can be civil to Elain because she keeps her mouth shut, but is triggered my Nesta because she is unapologetic.

What are your guys’ thoughts?

[nikethestatue]

Just fyi, Steph asked in the live if she herself could havr the birthday of Azriel’s person. Sjm said sure and wrote it down. So it wasn’t just a vague “SJM’s best friend” thing. it’s Steph. It’s on one of the lives before acosf. Her birthday is in January. Elain’s a Capricorn now! (And Gwyn couldn’t have been born then, The other side doesn’t understand calanmai is in May, not March)

I mean, I don't know how 'scientific' any of this is. Of course SJM is going to say 'yes, of course' and not be like 'oh fuck off Steph'.

That aside, we know that Nesta's bday is in the spring and that she and Elain have less than 2 years difference in age. So Elain could very well be born in the winter, which gives them about an approximately 20 months difference.

Though I don't take the whole bday thing with any degree of seriousness.

[kiminicricket]

Tag Games... Multiple

Aloha friends! After a HUGE absence I am back and responding to a bajillion tags… first one tagged by @lovely-starfall

1. Favorite fairytale? This would be Beauty and the Beast – I am a sucker for the idea of seeing the beauty/value within an individual despite the mask they put out to the world 2. Favorite alcoholic beverage? Ok, so someone served up Trackers Crossing Moscato at a wedding I went to recently, and I swear if I didn’t have to drive, I would have gotten very drunk on that! It went down sooooo easy! 3. Movie you can watch over and over again? George of the Jungle and anything Disney

4. TV show that you don’t understand the hype about? I’m not too sure.. I mean I understand the hype but don’t watch Game of Thrones myself.. I guess I never really caught the big bang theory hype… 5. Favorite subject in school English  and Music 6. Smuttiest/hottest book you ever read? Hmmmm… I mean there was one that was pretty much pure smut from start to finish, but I don’t remember what it was called, and it had a really bad storyline, so I probably wouldn’t recommend anyways.. I obviously like SJM books and there was another one that I think was called ‘His Captive Bride’ that I read that had an actual interesting storyline as well as some good ol’ smut. 7. Favorite quote of a book/show/movie? I’m not sure on this one.. different quotes jump out at me at different points in my life you know? I like anything that is uplifting and encouraging people to be true to themselves, or to be brave and do something good 8. Actor/Actress crush? 50000000% crushing on Matthew Daddario (my sister was legit going to get me a cardboard cutout for my birthday!!!) 9. Currently reading? Tower of Dawn (again) to see what I missed the first time through 10. If you would win in lottery what’s the first thing you would buy? Wait, how much did I win in the lottery? I guess I would firstly pay off all my debts and then buy out my parents’ house for them. Then, depeding if I still had money left over maybe a nice car, or a horse, or a farm… I have no idea really!

The following questions came from @endlessworld246

1. What’s ur favourite book ? Who’s ur  favourite author ? Ok, favourite book is probably Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, that or her Mark of the Lion trilogy  I guess that makes her my favourite author? But I love so many others! Marissa Meyer, Ted Dekker, SJM, C.S. Lewis… 2. What’s ur most frequently opened app on ur phone ? aaaahhhmmm… probably facebook.. I had to delete the tumblr mobile app because I WAS spending so much time on it :/ haha 3.Who is ur favourite character who is contrversial ? oooooohhhhhh… Tamlin… 4.What is ur favourite colour ? This changes almost daily. At the moment it is the deep chocolate brown of someones eyes 5. If you could have pets what would they be ? Well I already have two cats and a dog, so if I could, I would get a horse 6. Which is ur favourite place to hangout ? I love chilling at home. 7. Would u prefer being fast or Accurate ? Can I say both?? If I HAD to choose I would say fast probably, because I am impatient :D 8. Ur favourite subject of interest ? Music! 9. The trait u cannot handle people with ? Arrogance… It just makes me NEED to take them down a peg or two… which makes me the bitch but what can you do? 10. Are u a person who has too many friends or few friends ? I have a few close friends, and a lot of casual friends? 11. Tea or Coffee ? I don’t like hot drinks  I’ll take a chocolate milkshake over either of those :P

These questions come from @tragically-broken 1. When’s the last time you wrote for fun? It has been toooooo long! Probably since the last time I posted a fanfic on here which is… gosh.. six months or so? 2. Growing up what did you want to be? I could never decide as a kid.. I only recently figured out that I want to be an editor   3. How many bottles of water do you drink per day? Not enough! I need to start drinking more water and less soda! 4. Fav way to exorcise?  Horse riding :D of course, that is not usually viable for me, so I like to do a bit of yoga 5. Do you think you’re good at texting? I’m great at texting! Will get back to you ASAP and wont leave you hanging! 6. What is your go-to outfit? For chilling? I have my favourite chill-at-home sweater that I wear with tights. For going out, I like block colours 7. If you could have any pet what would it be? Ok, so I answered this previously, but if I already had the horse, I would get a turtle 8. Do you use bar soap? *shudders* nope.. 9. What are your thoughts on winter? Love it! Snuggling in blankets, cute beanies, bed socks, and my recently purchased unicorn slippers, whats not to love? (plus I live in Australia, in an area where ‘winter’ gets down to a minimum of about 15 degrees c and usually have tops in the 24-26 range… not exactly freezing) 10. When’s the last time you felt pure joy?  Uuummm maybe this morning when this boy I’ve been talking to texted me first? Maybe on Tuesday when I was out with said boy’s family on the boat and I was watching the children go flying off the tube?

The following questions came from @courtofpainteddreams

Name: Kimberly Nickname: Kim, Kimmi, Kimini, Kiminiminimini, Kiminicricket, rubber ducky, Kelly, oi you… Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Height: 5′6” Nationality: Australian Favorite Fruit: Mangoes

Favorite Season: Spring

Favorite Book: Redeeming Love Favorite Flower: probably the orchid

Favorite Scent: Lemon

Favorite Color: As above – chocolate brown right now :D Favorite Animal: Giraffes

Coffee/Tea/Hot Cocoa: No to the hot drinks   Average Hours of Sleep: uuummm like 6-7?

Cat or Dog Person: I like both, but probably lean towards cats, plus I own the cutest cat in the world

Favorite Fictional Character: at the moment it is Alec Lightwood. I love how salty he is XD

The Number of Blankets You Sleep With: Coming up to summer? None.. Dream Trip: round the world! Blog Created: I don’t actually remember?? About a year ago maybe? Or it might have been created a while ago, but I’ve only really been active recently.. Number of Followers: 218 (waves excitedly) Hi guys :D Random Fact: I have been to six weddings so far this year

I’m pretty sure that’s all the tags, but if you tagged me in something and I’ve missed it, let me know and I will fix my mistake!!

I’m going to tag my 10 most recent followers  @randomsevens46890 @urbisie @dreams-of-feysand @liamsmithbobo @alexandrabacaliaa @andrada123456789 @libby-bibby1 @kokiss @smogandtea @irrelevant5 your questions are below

1. Do you have any siblings? 2. Dream travel destination? 3. Oldest book that you’ve read? 4. Newest book that you’ve read? 5. Weirdest book that you’ve read? 6. Weirdest fanfiction that you’ve read? 7. One big dream you hope to achieve in your lifetime? 8. something that you are really proud of? 9. something you regret? 10. something you are looking forward to?

[kitashiwrites]

I'm sorry my post was really aggressive. I still stand by my point that it ISN'T fair to dismiss Mor's romantic feelings (or lack thereof) towards Az, but how I acted was really awful. You don't have to post this publicly, but I hope you know I'm very sorry. My intention wasn't to try to start drama, but just receive an explanation over WHY you still ship Moriel. My way of going about it was TERRIBLE. I know sorry is just a word, but I'M SORRY.

2/2 I didn’t send you three asks. I only sent you one? Just to clear that up.3/3 I also didn’t send more than one ask. :/ 

Okay Anon. While I find it extremely hard to believe because of the timing (especially because for as long as I have been on here, I have RARELY gotten asks, let alone 3 in such quick succession that are so similar), as well as the fact that you clearly don’t stand behind your words because you felt the need to do this all on anon/have to make sure we know that you still think we are wrong, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt & accept your apology.In regards to your question, why I still ship Moriel, @sarahviehmann honestly said it best in her original answer to you: “ACOMAF was written in a way that intended for them to be shipped. So those people spent a year building up their fanon and meta and so forth, only to have the rug pulled out from under them.”

(For the sake of everyone, I’m putting this under a cut. It got way long.)

I hated ACOWAR. I’ve made no secret of that. I’ve also made no secret as to WHY. I’ve been writing fic for this series for over a year, & heavily focused on ACOMAF. I started when there were literally 7 fics posted to Ao3. Basically all of my free time at home & all of my breaks at work were spent either writing fic, discussing the series/meta with people here/talking my poor friends’ ears off over dinner, or planning fic for characters I wanted to explore in POV fics like Rhys, Tamlin, & Tarquin. Hell, I still have a 10 chapter Amarantha POV pre-ACOTAR through ACOTAR fic that’s over half written at 16k that I originally wanted to try as a surprise for my readers. I read ACOMAF enough times that I honestly would have said that I knew those characters as well as my own family, knew exactly what happened in which chapters, & got many comments here & on Ao3 from people who felt I’d captured the characters correctly, so I felt pretty good about what to expect going forward.

When ACOWAR spoilers came out, absolutely nothing made sense with what we knew or had been prior established canon. Most of all in regards to Mor, Rhys, Feyre, & Lucien, but I’m going to specifically focus on Mor, since she’s at the crux of the issue at hand. In Mor’s case, we took a woman who is described in ACOMAF as “a queen who owned her body, her life, her destiny, and never apologized for it�� & says to Feyre, “I once lived in a place where the opinion of others mattered. It suffocated me, nearly broke me. So you’ll understand me, Feyre, when I say that I know what you feel, and I know what they tried to do to you, and that with enough courage, you can say to hell with a reputation. You do what you love, what you need”, & in ACOWAR made her a victim in circumstances that make absolutely no sense for the character we had known up until that date. Queen of the Hewn City? She wasn’t even treated with enough respect to be prepared to go into a meeting with her abusers, let alone shown that she is in charge. The first real female friend Feyre has ever had? Regulated to acting like a jealous girlfriend around Cassian whenever Nesta got too close. And speaking of Cassian, it was pointed out in another post (I’m sorry I don’t have the link right now) that the Cassian & Mor moments read like they were originally Az & Mor moments & were hastily changed when suddenly they weren’t supposed to be even friends. Nothing in this book read like it had been edited for continuity.

There are many bloggers who are far more qualified than I am to speak on Mor’s coming out scene, & while there was a divide, there were quite a few I know & follow who felt it was poorly written/bad rep, & I agree with their reasoning. Besides the fact that I don’t believe for one dang second that no one in the Inner Circle at a minimum would have picked up on something bothering Mor in 500 years or that she wouldn’t have at least told them even if she hid everything from Keir, there is the fact of Azriel. Azriel is in love with her, no disputing it. But it is mentioned by Rhys that Az has always thought himself unworthy of her, & Mor says that she could take her clothes off in front of him & he wouldn’t do anything. Does that sound like someone who is trying to avoid him because she isn’t interested, or someone who is creepily stalking her? In the Nessian short Wings & Embers, Cassian speaks on their relationship as well: “He wasn’t stupid. He knew she and Azriel were … whatever they were. Knew Azriel had been in love with Mor from the moment she’d strutted into the war-camp five centuries ago. And Cassian had been jealous—of Mor’s shy glances at Azriel in those first few weeks, and the fact that his dearest friend and brother … was looking at someone else.”

I’m not going to rehash Wings & Embers or ACOMAF for you. But as Sarah said, it was clearly written with them as a ship in mind, & this is from the POV of a character that has known them since the beginning, not just a few months like Feyre.

Why I still ship Moriel at this point? Because I ship it in any form. I love her & Az together period, even as friends. This ship was one of the ways @illyriantremors & I bonded originally, before we found out how much else we had in common & she became as good as a biological sister to me (I call her my Threadsister for a reason), because we shipped it back in the beginning before there was really any fic for it because it was overshadowed by Feysand, Nessian, & Elucien. Moriel was our Nessian; the unconfirmed side-ship with so much potential & evidence to back it up. When Sierra met SJM at San Diego Comic Con last summer, SJM dedicated Sierra’s copy of ACOMAF to Moriel. Why the af would an author do that if they planned to destroy a ship in the next book from the beginning?

We still love Moriel because it is hard to let go of something you’ve loved that much after you’ve been strung along & then had the rug pulled out from under you with no actual basis in ACOMAF to say “oh, it was there all along”; like when rereading ACOTAR through the ACOMAF filter, as I like to say to people, & seeing the clues that were left to the deeper story for Rhys. For me, those were not in ACOMAF upon reading it again after ACOWAR. I noticed you using my tags in your defense of yourself to Sarah regarding why I wanted to ignore ACOWAR &, by your interpretation, erase Mor’s sexuality. If you had read any of my blog at all after ACOWAR, you would have read that isn’t true, but I’ll spell it out for you: I want to ignore ACOWAR & what it did to my favorite characters’ personalities/their interactions with each other. I want to forget that Mor’s agency was taken away from her & that she was regulated to a plot twist. I want to forget that Az has been made out to be a creepy stalker. I want to forget Rhys treating Mor like she would be too emotional to deal with the negotiations with Kier & Eris & so he & Az didn’t tell her. I want to forget Feyre using Lucien to make Tamlin jealous in the Spring Court while she dismantled it from within & putting him in danger. And so much more.

I personally hate the book for multiple reasons, ranging everywhere from inconsistent characterization to grammar/editing issues. But I’m stuck with the facts it gave us, which is why writing fic is so hard to even consider anymore. It made everything about the series, not just Mor & Az, something I no longer can love with the intensity I once did, & the fandom diminishes that love more & more everyday with their bullying of people for not believing exactly the way they do, which is exactly what you contributed to when you sent those asks to myself & Sierra. And honestly, I couldn’t care less what you think of me. But if you had even looked at one of Sierra’s actual written posts/answers to asks—just one—you would have seen how quiet she’s been about her love for them as a ship & how determined she’s been to not to offend people while she’s been trying to come to terms with losing something that has been a lifesaver for her, to the point she has mostly stopped contributing to the fandom at all. She posted two Moriel drabbles during her birthday week because she was inspired by the Azriel candle I got her for her birthday, & as she said to you in her response to your original message, they were her way of saying farewell to Moriel. And guess what: even though it isn’t canon, people liked them.

I view Mor as bi, & if she’s given a healthy, happy female love interest in a future installment, then awesome. I want Moriel at least as close friends because I genuinely don’t think Az (at least the one from ACOMAF that actually made sense) would begrudge her if he knew the truth. Would he be sad? Sure, but I think he would support her nonetheless, just as the rest of the Inner Circle would. But I have absolutely no faith that SJM will give Mor anything good because she can milk the drama and turmoil she’s created, & I have no desire to see the characters & ships (across the board) I have loved so much destroyed any further.

I think @my-name-is-fireheart put it perfectly in her chime in on Sarah’s post: “Also, we should keep in mind that Mor expresses sexual attraction to men, she just prefers women. How she feels about men romantically is also blurred, though it’s slightly more clear. She says she doesn’t think she loves Az romantically but she doesn’t want to try it just to see.” SJM didn’t even know how to break her own ship apart properly to fit what you suggested, which is a good chunk of why we are even having this discussion right now.

I know Moriel is no longer canon. Cazigan (Cassian/Azriel/Mor) isn’t canon either, but I still love that. I have enjoyed their interactions with each other more than anything else since they were introduced in ACOMAF. The entire Inner Circle made me so happy for their closeness & how much of a family they were. I feel for a plot twist & a couple extra Benjamin Franklins, SJM destroyed everything that made one of my favorite characters in the entire series who she was (a strong, independent woman who didn’t let her circumstances break her & showed Feyre how not to let hers break her) & made her a poor caricature of herself, & made Az something he never has been before either because SJM hastily had to make her new & poorly executed addition work.

I shouldn’t be surprised though. This is the woman who attempted to retcon Eris of all characters into a decent person. And also took away any modicum of being able to read Tamlin as the multifaceted antagonist he had been & just turned him into a completely hateful ass with no loyalty to anyone to further drive home how perfect Rhys is supposed to be (which he definitely is not in ACOWAR, & I say that as someone who loved the morally grey character of Rhys).

TL;DR I ship Mor with Az in any form, even as friends, Mor being bi is not an issue, & I have lost all respect for SJM as an author after ACOWAR for giving us a poorly written/poorly edited product after the anticipation/hype this book had. Make of that what you will; I don’t care. I’m out of effs to give, & your ask & the other Az one I received, no matter who it was from or what your intentions were, pretty much tipped the scale in favor of me wanting to step back even further & have nothing to do with this fandom ever again.

I would ask that next time you think you have a problem with someone (because I doubt Sierra & I will be the last people you do this to), please think about how it comes across & think about your target. Your original ask was terribly hateful, & there is no amount of apology that can take that hurt away. And you would be amazed how far a little kindness & grace when asking a question instead of an accusatory message can go.

This explanation is more than you probably bargained for when you started this yesterday, but that’s the last I’ll say on any of this.