#Valkyries appreciation week 2024

[miseryreads]

My first ever commission of my most favorite ladies! Happy Valkyrie Appreciation Week! 🩵💙💜

Thank you @valkyrieappreciationweek for hosting this amazing event for my favorite SJM friendship group!! I’m so glad I got to participate.

I am obsessed with how these portraits turned out. @ghosted_ivy brought all three of them to life even better than I could have imagined.

Characters belong to Sarah J Maas.

Please ask before reposting. Please do not use these arts for anti content.

AC: ghosted_ivy on IG

CC: misery.reads on IG

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[positivewitch]

Valkyrie Week | Day 1 - Sisterhood

@valkyrieappreciationweek

Gwyn/Em: We have made this friendship bracelet for you!

Nesta: I’m not really a jewelry person

Gwyn/Em: you don’t have to wear it?

Nesta: NO!! I’m gonna wear it forever! Back off!

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[gwynweekofficial]

CYBERPUNK × VALKYRIES is a match that is perfect and so cool 😎 this next commission by the_valkyries_trove and artist guilia_blue is just a dream come true

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[thevalkyriesshadow]

@valkyrieappreciationweek

Day 3: Domestic Life

What are the Valkyries doing on their days off from being badasses?

emerie of illyria is

an entrepreneur | finding connection | brewing tea from her garden

nesta archeron is

an avid reader | spending time with cassian | at girls' night, every night

gwyneth berdara is

a researcher | exploring her sensuality | at the beach

[westrangecollectionkoalaposts]

Valkyries Appreciation Week 2024: Day 1 | Sisterhood | @valkyrieappreciationweek

My babies in chibi ❤️

[sonics-atelier]

Threads of the Heart: Gwyn's Tapestry of Love

For @gwynweekofficial Day 1 : Friends and Family

In Gwyn's world, threads intertwine,

With bonds of love that brightly shine.

Her tapestry of life, so fair,

Woven with care, beyond compare.

Catrin's laughter, a melody sweet,

In childhood days where hearts would meet.

Sisters by blood, but more by soul,

Together they made each other whole.

Nesta and Emerie, where they belong.

Then came the Valkyries, fierce and strong,

In battles fought and trials endured,

Their sisterhood grew, deep and assured.

With Nesta's strength and fiery grace,

And Emerie's courage, no fear to face.

Gwyn found in them a sacred kin,

A sisterhood that burned within.

Each thread a story, each knot a bond,

Of moments shared and times beyond.

In Gwyn's world, these gems so bright,

Illuminate her darkest night.

For in the heart where love resides,

No distance vast, no time divides.

Her cherished ones, both past and near,

Remain with her, forever dear.

Gwyn's tapestry, a work of art,

Woven with threads of the truest heart.

In every fiber, love is spun,

A testament to connections won.

So let us honor, let us cheer,

These bonds of Gwyn that we hold dear.

For in her world, so rich, so grand,

Her cherished ones forever stand.

- @sonics-atelier 2024 ( do not repost or reuse in any way shape or form, I will decapitate you )

[morningstarprints]

@valkyrieappreciationweek @valkyrieweek2024

[valkyrieappreciationweek]

Emerie is such an inspiration to young Illyrian girls! First Illyrian female Carynthian!

Sobbing thinking about little Illyrian girls calling themselves Valkyries bc they look up to Emerie and want to be just like her when they grow up 🥹😭

AC: @jmoonjones on tumblr; jmoonjones on IG

[sadiegirl2021]

They definitely gave her tips at a sleepover, and taught her how to kiss too!

---

Happy Valkyrie Appreciation Week 2024 (since it's 12.10 in the UK!)

@valkyrieappreciationweek

[maased-out]

Hi everyone and get ready for another year of SJM fun! Below, you'll find a list of events for 2024.

See the upcoming events for 2025 here.

NOTE: These events are meant to foster positivity within their respective fandoms. Negativity towards any specific event is not welcome.

NOTE: If you would like your event to be included on the maased-out calendar, please click here.

January

February

SJM Romance Week (February 8th–February 14th)

March

Gwynriel Appreciation Weeks (March 10th–March 23rd)

Feyre Appreciation Week (March 18th–March 24th)

Starfall Week (March 19th–March 25th)

April

Feylin Week (April 1- April 5th)

Poly+ ACOTAR Week (April 7th–April 13th)

Tamlin Appreciation Week (April 14th–April 20th)

Nesta Week (April 21st–April 27th)

May

Elriel Month (May 1- May 31)

Ruhn Danaan Week (May 19th–May 25th)

June

Azris Week (June 2- June 8th)

Gwyn week (June 16-22)

July

Elucien Week (July 14th-July 20th)

Cassian Appreciation Week (July 22nd–July 28th)

August

Acotar Omegaverse Week (August 4th-10th)

Tristan Flynn Week (August 4- August 10)

Rhysand Appreciation Week (August 18th-August 24th)

Neris Week (August 24th-August 30th)

September

Rowaelin Month (September 1st-September 30th)

Eris Vanserra Week (September 8th–September 14th)

Nessian Appreciation Week (September 15th–September 21st)

October

SJM Villain Week (October 1-October 7)

Feysand Week (October 13-October 19th)

Valkyrie Week (October 20-October 26th)

November

Lucien Week (November 3- November 9th)

Mor Week (November 10th-November 16th)

Azriel Appreciation Week (November 10th- November 16th)

December

Acotar Advent Calendar (December 1 - December 31)

Winter Court Week (December 15 - December 21)

[hlizr50]

I didn't predict my first contribution to Gwynriel Weeks 2024 being an all-consuming sequel to a friend's fic, but here we are @gwynrielweeksofficial

It's just convenient that it fits well enough with Day 9: Music

This is a sequel to Humming of the Heart, posted by @sunshinebingo for Day 6: Mates. It was such delicious, heartbreaking groundwork that I felt the overwhelming need to give it a happy ending.

So, without further ado, may I present:

A Symphony of Two

Read on AO3

Two years.

Two years since that hum had begun, low and steady. If his heart was a metronome, the beat that guided the rhythm of his life, then the quiet thrum of the mating bond was the long, sweeping notes of the cello, just waiting for the orchestra to enter. To match their melody to his sorrowful, lonely harmony.

Two years since his mate had run from him, the salt of her tears bitter on his tongue. Or perhaps those were his own.

From all the stories he’d been told – the legends – Azriel had expected the loss to drive him nearly mad. True, the year that passed between that fateful day and his first day of training had been long and bitter and dark, but he’d been perfectly able to appreciate the bright moments, too. The addition of Feyre into their circle, into the family. The victory over Hybern and the Cauldron. There were so many things to be grateful for. So many times he had grinned.

And yet, that humming in his heart remained.

He’d realized, after a solid month of wallowing, that Gwyneth Berdara hadn’t rejected the mating bond. At least not officially, apparently, by whatever great magic decided those things. Did that mean he stood a chance? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But at least he hadn’t been made feral.

Well, perhaps he was feral.

Not because his mate had denied him the bond that he’d craved for centuries – the proof that he was a male worthy of love and happiness. No, the potential loss of his Cauldron-chosen partner warranted little of his attention anymore.

No, it was that he’d spent the last year watching Gwyneth Berdara bloom before his very eyes, a beautiful, delicate lily that had finally been showered in sunlight. Gone was the timid priestess who had given him an uncertain smile the first day he’d assisted with training. Now, in the pastels that were lighting the dawn sky, stood a warrior with a quick wit, a mischievous glint her eye, a powerful body, and a confidence that could outshine the sun.

Every day he’d watched, keeping a polite distance whilst his heart and mind and soul warred, that hum a constant undercurrent to every moment of tension, every glance, every smile, every proud observation. Azriel couldn’t deny that there was something that tugged at him ceaselessly, pulling him toward the Valkyrie who was the first to cut the ribbon.

But it wasn’t the mating bond. It was just… her.

To his surprise and his utter delight, their estrangement hadn’t lasted long. Azriel had been charmed by her irreverence from the moment she’d had the courage to show it, and he’d been practically enamored ever since. They’d become friends over daggers and punches during sleepless nights. Gwyn had gifted him smiles more luminous than the moon could ever hope to be, and she’d pulled so much laughter from him that he almost feared for his infamous Spymaster reputation.

The shadowsinger had never told her about those long, sleepless nights, poring over reports and maps, when he’d felt the pluck of that constantly thrumming chord. Sharp and sudden, the fleeting, phantom terror and desperation almost real enough to grip between his scarred fingers. He wondered if Gwyn felt his nightmares as keenly as he felt hers, and cursed himself that they might add to her sleepless nights. If she did, she never shared. But they would both inevitably find their way back to each other in the training ring, where they would battle their demons together.

“I’m sure that, as Spymaster, you’ve developed quite a talent for lurking, Shadowsinger. But it is quite impolite.”

Gwyn hadn’t turned to face him the entire time he’d been perched at the edge of the doorway. But, of course, that never seemed to matter. Was it the bond that made her so aware of him? Or was it more than that? With a chuckle he stepped into the morning light, flaring his wings to feel the warmth of the sun’s first rays as he joined her at the edge of the ring, her feet dangling precariously over the edge.

“You shouldn’t sit like that. You could fall to your death,” he mused, sitting down next to her. Close enough that he could feel the warmth of her body, but far enough to be proper.

Close enough for her to bump her shoulder against his playfully. “But I have a big strong male with wings sitting right next to me. Surely he would be chivalrous enough to take flight and save me.”

Azriel couldn’t help but huff a small laugh, even as he rolled his eyes. “Chivalrous winged males cannot save you when you’re sitting on a ledge alone, Berdara,” he scolded, earning nothing more than an apathetic hum in reply. So stubborn, she was. Nearly reckless in her contentment. His shadows danced lazily around them both as he gazed upon her, drinking her in like a male dying of thirst.

The priestess had tilted her chin, angling her face to be warmed completely by the sun as it continued to rise over the horizon. Her skin had taken on more color as training had progressed, staining her cheeks a near-permanent pink, and her freckles had multiplied, splattering over her cheeks to outnumber the stars in the night sky. Azriel often found himself wanting to count them, connect them, commit them to memory.

Clarity struck him like the tip of a spear, aimed at his heart. While the bond had thrummed incessantly behind his ribs, what he felt for the redhead beside him went far beyond mystical magic and power matches. The deep pit of despair and icy rage that had sharpened him when she’d been stolen and dropped into the Blood Rite – those were not the bond’s doing, but his own thawing heart. The smiles and the laughter and the heated debates over the best way to take one’s tea – those intimacies were not forged by a mystical cauldron or a deity in the heavens.

It was her. It was him. It was them.

The Cauldron didn’t always choose mates that were compatible beyond the power games of the fae. His brothers had just been extremely lucky.

Perhaps Azriel was just lucky, too. But only if Gwyn felt the same.

The silence stretched, with the Valkyrie smiling gently into the sun as his shadows drifted and his lungs filled and the hum lifted, singing to him with a siren’s song. Beckoning. Encouraging.

“Do you still feel it?”

He didn’t know if it was a question so much as a plea. Please, still feel it, his heart beckoned. Please want to.

Gwyn’s eyes were wide and gleaming like the Sidra at midday as she jerked her chin toward him, rosy lips parted in surprise. Her expression softened after only a moment, a sad smile lifting the corners of her lips.

“Every day.”

Azriel swallowed, an effort to dislodge the lump in his throat. He’d wondered about this for a few weeks, now. Wondered whether he should tell her. Whether he should try to reach out to her, try to acknowledge this link between them.

Mother knew where the courage came from, but he summoned it with a deep inhale and placed his scarred hand over hers on the stone.

“I feel it, too.”

He hated the way that her eyes shuddered, growing dark with uncertainty. “Az—”

“You told me two years ago…” his voice drifted off, realization dawning on him.

Fuck… this was really it. He was doing this.

“You wished for me to find someone that could see all of me,” Azriel continued, thumb absently drifting over her knuckles. “Do you?”

“I do,” Gwyn whispered. He smiled, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

“Of course I do, Gwyn. I could never forget that day,” he admitted, then continued before she could respond, “You also told me that you wished for me to find someone who could match my beauty and strength and courage. Someone truly deserving of me.”

“Azriel—”

He lifted his hands before her eyes, a silent question, and her breath hitched even as she nodded, silver tears flowing over her lashes. Azriel cupped her cheeks in his palms, brushing away those tiny droplets as he stared deep into her stormy blue eyes.

“Gwyneth Berdara. You are the strongest, bravest person I think I’ve ever known. You could have stayed in the Library forever, shielded from the outside world, and nobody could have ever judged you for it. And yet… you didn’t. I have watched you build your confidence and hone your body. I’ve been blessed to get to know you and laugh with you, to call you my friend. I’ve had a spectacular vantage point to watch as you have blossomed into the fierce, incredible female that you are.” The words were a declaration. A vow. A plea. Everything. Azriel laid himself bare before her, praying that she understood how wrong she was those years ago. “If anything, it’s me that doesn’t deserve you.”

His favorite Valkyrie sniffled, doing her best to shake her head as he held it. That was the only sound, and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest if she didn’t answer, and soon.

Gwyn’s palms were warm over his fingers – holding him, holding her. “You deserve the world, Azriel. I just,” she hesitated, taking a shaky breath, “I just don’t know if I can give it to you.”

It was Azriel’s turn to shake his head, his unruly hair falling in front of his eyes until he shook it away again.

“I don’t need the world, Berdara. I just want you,” he murmured, watching her expressive face for every twitch and hit of reaction. She was never able to hide her feelings from him, not with the way her eyes would widen and her lips would hitch for a moment. A tiny smile lifted one corner of her mouth, but her gaze was still unsure. So he plunged onward, “You said back then that you were broken. I think you know, by now, that I am, too. Maybe our broken pieces will fit together. Maybe that’s how it was always supposed to be.”

He pulled away for only a moment before reaching for her again, grasping at her fingertips and gripping one of her hands between his.

“There’s no pressure. No expectation. I care for you deeply, Gwyn. Not because some magical relic proclaimed it, but because I have been blessed to know you. I only humbly pray that you might want to give this a chance. Because the only person who fits all those criteria you so thoughtfully laid out – what feels like a lifetime ago – is you.”

Azriel had always known that Gwyn’s smile was a wonder, incandescent and genuine and joyful. But seeing it now, as he begged her to step fully into whatever this thing between them could be, felt like flying.

“You want me, Shadowsinger?” she breathed on a wet little disbelieving huff. He grinned back at her.

“I do, Berdara,” he confirmed. And then she laughed with all of her voice, a melody of bells and harps and strings finally joining that cello humming in his heart, and threw herself into his chest, her arms circling his neck.

“I want you, too,” she whispered as he wrapped her in his embrace.

And his shadows sang along, the symphony complete.

[valkyrieappreciationweek]

In addition to our rules above, we wanted to provide a little more information for submissions below:

Our hosts are most active from 8 AM - 11 PM EST, but if you submit anything outside of these hours we will accept them as soon as we can.

Content doesn’t have to include all 3 Valkyries, but must be positive.

We’ll accept late collaboration requests until October 31.

Our inboxes are open here and on Instagram if you have questions or need clarification on any of our rules. Our team is so excited to celebrate the Valkyries with you in just a few short days!

🗡️✨𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓴𝔂𝓻𝓲𝓮 𝓦𝓮𝓮𝓴 2024 ✨🗡️

Just a few rules before we begin. We look forward to having a fun week with all of you!

[positivewitch]

Valkyrie Week | Day 4 - Hobbies 🔮

@valkyrieappreciationweek

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Just a sleepover 😉🔮

[azsazz]

ACOTAR Appreciation Weeks

I found most of the weeks! If I'm missing any lmk and I'll update! TY! 💙 Also, idk if these are reoccurring but it's what I found.

SJM Romance Week: Feb 8-14 (@sjmromanceweek)

Gwynriel Week: Mar 10-23 (@gwynrielweeksofficial)

Feyre Week: Mar 18-24 (@feyreweekofficial)

Starfall Week: Mar 19-25 (@starfallweek)

Poly!ACOTAR Week: Apr 7-14 (@polyacotarweek)

Tamlin Week: Apr 14-20 (@tamlinweek)

Nesta Week: Apr 23-29 (@nestaarcheronweek)

Azris Week: Jun 4-10 (@azrisweek) (2024 dates TBD)

Gwyn Week: Jun 11-17 (@gwynweekofficial)

Elucien Week: July 9-15 (@elucienweekofficial)

Archeron Sisters Week: Jul 16-22 (@archeronsistersweekofficial)

Cassian Week: Jul 30-Aug 5 (@cassianappreciationweek)

Mor Week: Aug 6-12 (@morweekofficial)

Valkyrie Week: Aug 14-23 (@officialvalkyrieweek)

Feysand Week: Aug 21-27 (@officialfeysandweek2023)

Neris Week: Aug 28-Sep 3/Aug 26-Sep 1 (@nerisweek)

Elain Week: Sep 3-9 (@elainappreciationweek)

Nessian Week: Sep 10-16 (@nessianweek)

Eris Week: Sep 17-23 (@erisweekofficial)

Rhysand Week: Sep 24-30 (@officialrhysandweek)

Lucien Week: Oct 8-14 (@lucienweekofficial)

Azriel Week: Nov 5-11 (@azrielappreciationweek)

Emerie week: Nov 12-18 (@emerieweekofficial)

[thevalkyriesshadow]

@valkyrieappreciationweek

Day 4: Hobbies

I think all three Valkyries love to participate in each other's hobbies! Here are some of my headcanons:

Dancing

They dance to Nesta's Symphonia at sleepovers

You can often find them in the training ring on solstice and other sacred nights, or dancing beneath a full moon. They'll also welcome the day with a sunrise dance, or end their day with dancing at sunset

Gwyn loves a more lyrical/contemporary type dance

Emerie likes quick, sharp movements, like jazz

Nesta, as we know, loves a ballroom dance, whether it's a slow waltz or a sultry tango

Singing

The Valkyries go to Rita's every other week for karaoke

Gwyn, as Nesta guessed, is a mezzo-soprano

Nesta and Emerie are altos

They provide incredible back up vocals to Gwyn's singing

On top of that, they often sing with her when she's doing her warm ups for service or if she's practicing for a new song

Gardening

The Valkyries get together every week to garden at Emerie's

They make soups and breads with the veggies and herbs they pick

They all have their own little plot, and although it's not a competition, Gwyn can't help but boasts when hers yields more

They all wear custom aprons with their names on it, made by Emerie

If any section of crop is under-performing, the Valkyries tend to that section like it was their own child. Sitting with it, talking to the plants, holding umbrellas over it on particularly sunny days, etc.

Other hobbies I think they'd share:

Pottery | Surfing | Book binding

Pottery: Gwyn makes dagger holders. Nesta makes book ends. Emerie makes vases.

Surfing: Gwyn likes a shortboard, better for sick tricks. Nesta likes a nice long wave ride, so longboard for her. Emerie started with a longboard to get used to the balancing with her wings, but is now attached to the versatility of a funboard.

Book Binding: Gwyn loves using ribbons and intricate patterns on her covers. Nesta likes a classic, leather-bound look, giving her smutty books a more sophisticated aesthetic. Emerie uses shiny gold and silver embellishments -- maybe too much sometimes.

[westrangecollectionkoalaposts]

Valkyries appreciation week: Day 7 - Free Day | @valkyrieappreciationweek

Slumber Party!

They purposely came in matching sleeping dresses, and yes, Nesta made them a cake and is showing them as they just arrived, and that weird thing in the background is House's pegasus form