#also mean elain is my favorite thing

[really-fanny-longbottom]

only in my dreams

azriel x reader | love has two sides. it can be pure, beautiful, and exciting, but it can also be lonely, painful, and the worst of all—unrequited. warnings: mentions of heartbreak, unrequited love, alcohol, death and a curse word. words: 3.3k

series masterlist | general masterlist

you should have stayed at home.

you knew you shouldn't have come.  

you knew it was a bad idea from the moment you walked through the threshold of the balcony of the house of wind.

it was sad to know that this house used to be your safe haven — a place where you were happy and felt safe, where you could be yourself. 

but now it makes you want to leave as quickly as possible and never come back.

because that was the only solution to not having to see the scene that was unfolding in front of your eyes. 

your eyes — the same ones that used to contain love and happiness, were now sad and empty.

the same ones who used to shine with excitement every time you entered a room looked now absent — as if something had sucked away their vitality and left nothing behind.

even your kind and warm smiles had started to appear less frequently until they disappeared completely.

that's how you looked now — no sparkles in your eyes and no smile on your face as you moved the food on your plate with a fork from side to side.

you stopped listening to the conversation a long time ago. 

it was another dinner night with the inner circle at the house of wind. you were sitting between rhys, who was at the head of the table on your right side, and nesta on your left side.

you were trying everything to keep your eyes on your plate so you didn't have to watch elain being courted by azriel — the owner of your heart and the reason it was breaking little more day by day.

he wasn't to blame and you didn't blame him for his feelings towards the middle archeron sister, afterall, no one has the power to choose who they like or love — but it didn't make it any less painful.

pain — you were feeling it a lot now.  

every time elain laughed at something azriel whispered to her made it hurt even more.  

your power wasn't helping you at all right now.  

Being an empath had its advantages — it allowed you to feel and understand the emotions and feelings of others and increase and decrease their intensity. it also allowed you to know when someone is lying or telling the truth and to control and manipulate them, despite not using the last two (unless it was necessary) because you believe it to be incorrect.

but the thing most people didn't know about being an empath is that it affects your emotions and feelings, too.

it makes you feel everything more intensely — meaning that you felt everything ten times more than everyone else.

a good joke that made others laugh until their stomachs hurt — made you cry with laughter. 

simple things that made others happy — made you jump with joy.

and when others felt passion — you felt love. 

you loved with more strength and intensity than everyone, but you also suffered in the same way.

and when you suffer, it's like your light has been turned off.

a hand on your knee took you out of your thoughts — nesta.  

she was the only reason you were here — literally, she dragged you from the library when you told her you wouldn't be joining them for dinner.

the older archeron sister had become one of your favorite people. 

nesta was the one who had the most difficult time in adjusting and accepting this new life, so instead of ignoring her as some did, you decided to be the first to extend your hand to her.

it all started with your mutual interest in books. it started with book recommendations, then exchanges and finally reading them together.

by the time you noticed, you were training together, sharing meals, and adventuring in the city.

your friendship was not easy — nesta made sure of that.  

at first, she tried to push you away with cold stares and nasty comments, but you knew better than anyone that it was nothing but a defense mechanism.

you knew that when she said she was better off alone, she really just wanted someone to hug her.

so, knowing better than anyone, you fought for her.  

you ignored the cold stares and faced her nasty comments, and when she tried to push you away, you stood your ground and didn't let her.  

little by little, she let you in, and you got to know her — the real nesta.  

over time, the staring stopped, the comments disappeared, and instead of trying to push you away, she started looking for your company.

your friendship turned into a sisterhood, and now, Nesta would fight for you just as much as you fought for her. 

your sisterhood grew, and short after that, you were welcoming emerie and gwyn — your girls.

quickly, a friendship was formed between the four of you, and there was no one you trusted more than each other.  

they told everything about themselves, their past, their fears, and even their secrets.

so, you did the same — except your feelings for the shadowsinger, nesta was the only one who knew about that.

you joined the inner circle one hundred and fifty years ago when you moved to velaris to live with your great-aunt madja.

despite being an empath, you also inherited a natural talent for healing just like your aunt.

that's how you met rhysand and his family.

there was an enemy attack in windhaven with several fatalities and many injured illyrians, which required all the healers who worked at the clinic, including you and madja, to be winnowed there by morrigan.

as soon as you arrived, it was total chaos. the soldiers who were not injured, and even some who were, did not stop running from one side to the other, nor did they stop shouting or grabbing weapons and demanding to go after those who fled making it impossible for the healers to help. 

the enemy had already been defeated before your arrival, so you were not in danger and for that reason, you did not hesitate to use your powers.

you made your way so you could stand right in the middle of the soldiers. 

you raised your arms to the sides and closed your eyes, and with a little bit of focus you let the soldiers' emotions start to invade you from head to toe.

then with a long sigh, you took control of their emotions and released your power.

the soldiers immediately stopped in their places and went limp before starting to fall to the ground unconscious.

you put them to sleep.

it was the only safe way for the healers to be able to do their work even though you didn't like having this kind of control over someone.

the only ones who were not affected were the high lord, his brothers, and his cousin.

their eyes were fixed on you, who remained standing among the sleeping soldiers.

and when they turned to you for an explanation of what had just happened, they were even more shocked when you revealed to them what you were and what you had just done.

they had never met anyone with that kind of power, and so they were having a little trouble getting their faces back to an expression of neutrality.

impressed wasn't enough to describe how they were feeling at that very moment.

qs a thanks, rhysand offered you a position in his inner circle. after some hesitation and several lectures from madja about how it would be a bad idea (and lack of education) to refuse such an offer, you accepted.

moving to the house of wind, you established friendships with all the members, but azriel was the one you became closest to.  

you became best friends over time, and before you could stop your heart, you fell in love with him.  

even when he was already in love with mor.

despite knowing about his affections towards the blonde female, it hadn't hurt as much as it does now because azriel had never acted on his feelings for her.

but you decided to wait. you believed that one day the mother would smile upon you, and she would grant you the wish you carried in your heart every day.

therefore, during that time, you were content to love him from afar — and in the shadows.

you thought that day had finally arrived after noticing the change in azriel's behavior towards mor after the arrival of the archeron sisters.  

you couldn't be more wrong.

you couldn't help but find this whole situation ironic. after decades of seeing azriel in love with mor and hoping that one day he would notice you, he was now courting elain.

the archeron sisters came into your life and turned everything upside down. you were grateful that feyre and nesta's path led them to you, but you couldn't feel the same way about elain.

before you could wander in your thoughts even more, nesta squeezed your knee, getting your attention again. 

you looked at your best friend and noticed the worry on her face, so putting your hand on top of hers, you murmured to her a small "i'm okay" and gave her a small smile. 

"are you sure?" she murmured too, so no else could hear it. 

you nodded your head at her and returned your attention to your plate.

rhys' voice made you look up, and you regretted it immediately because in that exact moment, you saw azriel and elain's hands intertwined on the top of the table.

you shook your head and looked at your high lord — who had become a very good friend of yours.

"are our plans at rita's still on for tomorrow night?" rhys asked. 

everyone — but you — said their agreements before azriel spoke, "actually, elain and i have plans for tomorrow night." 

your breathing got caught on your throat, and nesta's hand flew immediately to yours, grabbing it gently.

it was Feyre who asked, "where are you going?" you could've sworn there was a hint of surprise in her voice.

"to the new restaurant that just opened by the rainbow. it's supposed to be very good," elain's eyes moved from her younger sister to the male sitting next to her, "so we decided to try it." 

cassian cleared his throat, and he looked in your direction before looking at the people in front of him. "it's that a date? are you going on a date?"

azriel chuckled and squeezed elain's hand. "i guess we can call it that." 

you stood up abruptly, attracting everyone's eyes, "sorry. i just remembered that madja needs my assistance to visit a patient tomorrow, and i forgot to prepare the medical bag." 

you excused yourself before leaving the dining room and making your way towards the stairs. 

you heard cassian and nesta calling your name, but you didn't bother to turn as you started to descend the ten thousand steps.

through your power, you were able to realize that no one — with the exception of your best friend and her mate — noticed your lie. 

Just as they didn't notice the tears that filled your eyes as soon as you turned your back on them and left the room.

••• 

you went to your aunt's house.  

the last thing madja expected to find at her door at that time of night was her niece with red eyes and tears running freely down her cheeks.

she barely let you walk in before she wrapped your figure into a tight embrace. 

she had noticed the change in your mood recently but decided not to comment because she knew very well that as soon as you were ready to talk, you would tell her everything.

and that's what you did.

you told her everything as you both rested on her pink couch with your head in her lap while she caressed your hair, listening to your words attentively.

you ended up falling asleep with your cheeks stained from the tears, and madja didn't dare to move. she refused to awake you from your peaceful slumber.

she bent down to kiss your head, and when she raised again, she saw a piece of parchment on the top of the table next to the couch, reaching for it.

it was rhysand asking where you were. 

madja answered for you, saying that you were with her and spending the night at her house. 

it didn't take long until your aunt joined you into your slumber.

•••

the following night, you made your way towards the House after a hard day at the clinic. 

the day got worse when the patient you went to see at his residence didn't make it.

sometimes, you hate your job, especially because of your powers. when things got too much for you to handle, you had to put a shield around you to prevent you from feeling your patients worries or pains.

the patient you visited was heavily sick. it was too late to do anything medical, so you did the only thing you could.

you used your powers. let his emotions invade you, and then, with a long sigh, you took away his pain and transferred it to you.

that was the only thing you could do for him at that moment, and you are more than relieved that you were able to provide him comfort while he left this world, making his passing easier for him and his family.

you climbed the ten thousand steps, but it didn't even bother you. you were too busy thinking about your patient and whether his family would be okay.

you made a mental note to visit them the next day and help where you could.

you pushed these thoughts away as you opened the door and entered the House.

all you needed right now was to be with your friends and forget about this awful day.

when you walked into the living room, you remembered that everyone went to rita's.

well, everyone, but you, azriel, and elain. the two of them were on their date tonight. 

and like a snap of a finger, all your emotions and feelings from the last few months and days came flooding back.  

your eyes fell on rhys's expensive drinks cart.  

you wiped your tears and everything you felt turned into anger.  

"fuck it."

you went to the cart, grabbed the first bottle that was in your reach, removed the cork and drank, sinking the drink down your throat and your sorrows with it.

•••

three hours later, cassian, nesta, rhys and feyre finally arrived at the house.

amren had departed to her apartment after they left rita's and mor stayed behind saying that her night wasn't over yet.

the two couples had come talking about you on the way. they had waited for you but when you didn't show up, they assumed you were with madja or still at the clinic.

rhys had sent a letter to madja a few minutes ago asking for you and when your aunt said she was looking for you too, they left hoping to find you here.

they just didn't expect the state they were going to find you.

as soon as they passed the threshold of the balcony and into the living room, they saw you.

you were laying on the couch with your legs off of it, an empty bottle was in your hand, and another on the floor by your feet.

"oh my god," the high lady whispered.

cassian moved and kneeled next to you by the couch. his hand made its way to your arm and tried to awake you.

"y/n." he shook you lightly.

after a few seconds, you opened your eyes and were faced with the General looking at you.

"cass," you said with your voice dragging, "you're here." you moved to sit and wrapped him into a hug, one that he didn't hesitate to reciprocate.

"are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked you while caressing your back.

"i am now that you're all here," you released a breath. "my dear friends", you looked at your other three friends who were looking at you with concern. "you're so beautiful. all of you. did you know that?" you giggled.

it was rare for you to drink and when you did, you never got drunk.

nesta sat down next to you and put an arm around your shoulders. you took the opportunity to rest your head on her shoulder, finding comfort in your friend's embrace.

"what happened, y/n?" she asked you.

you started laughing before replying with irony in your voice "what didn't happen?" 

you pushed away from her and stood so you could face all your friends "my patient died. the male I've been in love with for decades won't even look at me and this house that used to be my safe haven, it's now the stage of my pain."

"oh! not to mention that elain is mated but does she care? no! does azriel care? of course not. i've been in love with him for decades. decades! and he doesn't even look at me." you started laughing, "by the cauldron, u'm pathetic."

your family didn't seem surprised by your revelation.

cassian pulled you into a tight hug and rhys and nesta moved to do the same.

if it weren't for this situation everyone would've thought that the world was about to end from seeing rhys and nesta hugging each other.

morrigan arrived in the moment you were in the middle of your friends with tears in your eyes.

"what's going on?" mor whispered to feyre who was still in the same spot since she arrived.

feyre explained everything and by the moment she finished, both females had tears in her eyes at the sight of her friend being hurt.

"what's wrong with me?" you asked them, your voice breaking.

"nothing is wrong with you. nothing." that wasn't your friend speaking — it was your high lord.

feyre and morrigan joined the hug in the moment you said, "i'm never going to be good enough for him. i'll never be her." 

tears rolled down feyre and mor faces, and both females were asking the same question in their minds "how long has she been feeling like this?"

your high lady spoke this time, "y/n, what can we do? what do you need?"

you hugged cassian tighter before locking eyes with nesta "i just need my girls."

nesta nodded her head at you and looked at the blonde female "can you take us?" 

mor didn't hesitate in agreeing. 

anything to make you feel better.

•••

two hours later, you were in the middle of the bed with nesta and gwyn on one side and emerie on the other, all of them with their arms around you.

the three of them had fallen asleep a few minutes ago after one hour of you telling them everything about azriel and a lot of cups of tea and tissues.

you thought they would've been mad at you but they didn't. 

they reassured you several times that it was okay and that you could take all the time in the world until you were ready after you tried to apologize too many times.

now you were staring at the ceiling thinking about your options.

you couldn't live like this anymore, knowing that azriel would never love you back. 

so you were going to do the only thing you could in order to protect what was left of your heart.

there was something about your powers that no one knew. something that you never had shared.

you had a switch.  

one that you could turn on and off whenever and wherever you wanted.  

in the same way that you could feel everything, you could also feel nothing.

the only problem? everything that made you, you, would disappear.

but it was also your solution to your situation.

you closed your eyes and gave a deep breath.

you focused on your breathing for a minute and then. . .

no more emotions.

no more feelings.

no more love.

no more sadness.

no more pain.

no more tears.

you turned it off.

when you opened your eyes again, you were numb.

you didn't feel a single thing. 

good.

a/n: thank you for reading!

general taglist: @emryb @fantasyandshit @azrielover @shadowsingercassia @brieflyclassymortal @lilah-asteria @lure-of-writing @pruvii @olive-main @mybestfriendmademe @anuttellaa

dividers by @cafekitsune

[junelovesaz]

Unspoken words

Note: Hey loves! I'm sorry for disappearing again, I was on vacation, and I'm terrible at managing my time. I finished my first semester at university and have started the second one (send help, please 💀), so all the accumulated stress made me want to write. Thank you for taking the time to read this! 💙💙 I'm sorry if it's a mess, but I hope it entertains you a bit! I've discovered that I enjoy writing angst, so I think that's my path.

P.S.: Azriel will always make me sigh, but I admit that Cassian is my favorite bat boy, so I'll include him everywhere.

Anyway, I love you all!💙💙 Every like and reblog is appreciated! Just a reminder that English isn't my first language, so if there's any mistake, don't hesitate to tell me!

Words: 1k+

Warnings: None, just angst

Summary: The reader saw at the family dinner how Azriel and Elain worked together. It made something inside her stir, and the feelings she had been hiding became painfully unbearable.

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For the Mother.

It was the only thought that came to mind before I dodged Cassian's blow. My reflexes definitely weren't at their best today, and we both knew it. So, I just rolled my eyes at the smug smile on Cassian's face.

I had slept less than three hours because every time I closed my eyes, the image I so desperately wanted to get out of my mind was the only thing I saw. So, I had tossed and turned in bed until dawn, which is why my body was so exhausted and dodging blows felt like torture. I wasn't even trying to attack him, just to hold my ground. That's how pathetic I was being today.

I didn't even anticipate Cassian's move until I felt his legs sweeping mine out from under me, and my back hit the ground. I gasped as the air left my lungs and let out a groan from the impact.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" I heard his voice ask before his wings spread out above me, shielding my eyes from the direct sunlight.

I sighed, exhausted, and gave up, stretching my arms out and relaxing my muscles. He just crossed his arms and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Since when are you so bad at fighting?"

I huffed and pulled my limbs in until I was sitting up. "Don't feed your ego too much. I'm just not having a good day."

I felt him scrutinize me with his eyes, narrowing them before he sighed and dropped his body next to mine.

"What's going on?" he asked softly, even his hazel eyes had turned gentler.

I could tell him, I knew I could, just as I knew he would keep quiet. But verbalizing what I felt, how I felt, would make everything more real.

"It's nothing. It's just my head, you know" I lied, downplaying it.

Cassian stayed silent next to me for a few seconds before I felt his hand press my shoulder. Of course, he had read the lie.

I sighed. Maybe I could tell him what I had seen yesterday, the connection between a certain shadow singer and the youngest Archeron sister at dinner, but telling him would mean explaining why it affected me so much.

"It's nothing, Cass. It's just that…" I paused to think a bit. "Have you ever felt cornered? Like you're running away from something you don't want to face… But once everything happens before your eyes, there's nowhere left to run."

I looked at him uncertainly, trying to hide the feeling of desperation and sadness. He came closer to me and put one of his arms around my shoulders, ignoring how sweaty we both were, before giving me a look of understanding and nodding gently.

"It's not a pleasant feeling" he agreed. "But I also know that if there's no place left to run, all you can do is face it, or whatever is haunting you will devour you."

"It's not that simple."

"It never is," was his only response before he shrugged "Being over five hundred years old doesn't make things easier."

"It's just that…" I swallowed thickly and finally decided to show him my vulnerable side. "Yesterday…"

However, before I could utter a word, the sound of boots hitting the ground alerted me, and I forced myself to keep my mouth shut. Cassian reacted by frowning and turned to see who it was. I mimicked his action, and when I saw a pair of wings accompanied by dark tendrils, I tensed a little.

I understood that Az had wanted us to hear him coming. So, I didn't flinch when he stood there studying us for a moment.

"Am I interrupting?"

I gave Cassian a quick, discreet glance, trying to convey that we'd finish the conversation later. He looked at me confused, but I shook my head, and he nodded in agreement without insisting.

He pressed my shoulder again before changing his position, still on the ground, but his attention now directed to his brother.

"So, your ass remembered we had training today and decided to show up, huh, Az?" he let out, instantly changing the mood of the place.

"I had a meeting with Rhys" Azriel replied simply, with one corner of his mouth lifted. "You look defeated."

Cassian's wings twitched, and I had to hold back a smile to speak. "He kicked my ass, actually, and now he's here on the ground pitying me."

Az smiled, and for a moment, I had to remind myself that this was nothing, that I shouldn't get any ideas in my head that would only go one way. He was off-limits, and continuing to think that way made my chest ache, so I forced myself to look away and focus on his shadows, some roaming the space, others coiling around his neck, whispering things in his ear.

"Hard to believe after the beating Rhys gave you yesterday" he mocked.

"That's not true" Cassian made an indignant noise before getting up from the ground and heading to the secluded area where we could rest for a while.

Grateful for the distraction from my own thoughts, I laughed as Az approached, and my joy faded a bit when I noticed he was stretching out his hand to help me up. I looked at him and hesitated, but I didn't want him to misinterpret my hesitation, knowing how his mind would tell him it was because of his scars. So, I took his hand, preferring my pain over his, even though these small gestures were what hurt me the most at the end of the day.

I thanked him without looking at him to soften the blow and prevent him from noticing my expression.

"I'm ready to fight you. Whenever you want" Cassian said as he drank water and tied his hair again with the leather strap Nesta had given him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the competitive flame ignite in Az's face. Then I knew it was time to leave and pray to The Caldroun that neither of them would bleed today.

I walked over to Cassian, with Azriel on my heels, and took some water too, while looking for a towel to dry off. Az guessed what I wanted and handed me one that was next to him.

"Thanks" I repeated again without looking at him.

I said nothing more because I feared the lump that was slowly forming in my throat, but I could feel his gaze scrutinizing me. Nevertheless, I ignored it. I was determined to get rid of all the damn feelings.

As much as it hurt me more than I let on.

"I have to go, Cass. See you later" I said, patting his shoulder.

He nodded, smiling, looking for my gaze. "I'll look for you in the library" he replied, referring to finishing the conversation.

I nodded, and he returned to the training ring. So I turned to Azriel, who was already taking off his shirt, and I had to swallow hard. Seeing him in all his glory was always breathtaking, seeing his bronzed skin, every sculpted muscle, scar, and Illyrian tattoos.

But I would have to learn to forget him. There was no other option.

"See you later, Az" I said, also saying goodbye as I walked past him.

Or rather, trying to. Because he gently took my arm and spread his wings a bit, halting my path and blocking my way.

I had to hold back a shiver and looked at him, full of confusion.

"Everything okay?" he asked softly.

I could feel his eyes searching for answers in mine, even the cold brush of one of his shadows on the arm he still held. The only thing I could think of was to look away and nod.

"Yeah, why?" I replied in the calmest tone I could muster.

He said nothing, but I could still feel him trying to decipher something. As if he were searching for answers somewhere in me and couldn't find them anywhere.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded without saying anything, trying to bury my feelings deep inside. I was terrified; nothing good would come of letting anything surface. I'd rather spend a thousand years in The Prison than ruin the peace that existed in everyone's lives.

Still, I knew I hadn't convinced him that everything was fine, but I also knew he was kind enough not to push me. So finally, after a moment of doubt, he let me go and lowered his wing to let me pass.

"See you later, Az" I said again, escaping so quickly that he had no time to hold me back again or even say anything.

Once a few steps away, I felt the tension leave my body, and I let the expression of concern take over my face. I tried not to look back, I swear I did, but before going down the stairs, I turned my head a bit, only to find Az's worried gaze.

Maybe I should have bothered to change my expression, but, anyway, it didn't matter. Nothing would change, so I just continued my way down the stairs while a feeling of sadness took over my chest.

Let me know if you want me to add you to the tag list. I wasn’t sure if those who had previously asked still wanted to be included, so just let me know if you still want to be tagged!

[gracie-rosee]

This is one of my favorite Elriel scenes. It’s just so simple and sweet.

I love how Elain stands immediately as the words leave Azriel’s mouth and he takes a step towards her. Like maybe she was already planning to stand and greet him? Or she’s just that eager for him to escort her out.

Also, another thing I love about this scene? She’s already risen from her seat, meaning Azriel doesn’t need to offer her a hand at all. He didn’t need to touch her at all. And he could have offered her his arm. But no. He offers his hands to her.

And they walk outside, hand in hand. Even though it’s clearly not uneven terrain that he needs to offer his hand for. Even though Elain clearly knows where the garden is. Even though there’s absolutely no reason for them to touch each other. Other than them wanting to.

[olenvasynyt]

For @elainweekofficial Day 4: Seen & Unseen — Elain with Jesminda

Here’s Elain basking in the sun with my version of Jesminda from my fanfic A Court of Embers and Sunlight. I have to insert Jes into everything but UGH I can’t help it I love her so much. One of my favorite things to see in Elucien fics or Gen Elain fics is when Elain gets visions of Jesminda from the past, or she sees and speaks with her spirit. So I felt inspired to draw that for this prompt.

And now a ramble about me gushing over these two girls:

I have so many headcanons for Jes that she’s basically become my OC, and I did accidentally incorporate Elucien because I think that symbolism is important for Elucien’s journey. Lucien thought that Elain is “nothing like Jesminda” when he officially met her, and I think their new mating bond brought back a lot of complicated feelings like guilt. But I do have headcanons that she is similar to my version of Jes: they are both connected to nature and sunlight. They love to garden but can feel confined because of the pressures and assumptions that are put on them, though Jesminda as a lesser fae has had less opportunities in that regard. They’re both filled with hope and joy and Lucien brings that out for both of them. They both would love to travel and see the world. Jesminda is very lively, social, and wild, and Elain might not be the same as she was when she was younger, but she does love balls and parties so I can see Elain growing back into that social life and Lucien seeing glimpses of Jesminda… Also the name Jesminder can mean many things including Jasmine, God’s Gift, and Queen of Flowers. And all of these scream Elain too and I think that’s such an interesting connection. I think their opposing symbolism is so perfect too: Spring and Autumn, Life and Death, Ends and Beginnings.

I love these girls so much 🌷🌻

dividers are also by me :)

[acourtofthought]

If we do get a book announcement tomorrow, Congratulations 🎊📢🎉 to people who will be excited for the main pairing because it will have been a long time coming regardless of who it is.

There will be others who are disappointed and that's a valid emotion too. Every single person in this fandom spent a lot of time, effort, and money hoping their favorites story was going to be next and not everyone is going to be 100% happy with "well at least this ship confirms my ship" (I know I'll probably fall into this camp, where I'd have excitement over Elucien still being a possibility if Gwynriel is next but also feel sad at the thought of waiting longer for them. And if Elriel is next I'll be happy for Elain's story while still feeling sadness over the lost potential of Elucien).

In the end I don't think anyone was delusional for thinking it was going to be Gwynriel, Elucien or Elriel. When there are still so many opinions on whose book is next that means Sarah intended it to be a surprise, it means Sarah wanted there to be multiple possibilities and it means there were multiple interpretations possible for the text given. While I do think some interpretations held more weight, that still doesn't mean Sarah didn't provide supporting evidence for each and every pairing and nobody was in the wrong for arguing / debating why they believed their couple was endgame / next.

No matter the outcome, I do hope there are no attacks or threats against Sarah or others in this fandom. While we all got heated on many occasions and at times were guilty of less than favorable behaviors, these are still just books. We will still have our pets, our friends, our family to turn to and live our lives with. There are still delicious desserts to taste, beautiful hikes to take, good books to be read and for intense as things got, this was still an overall happy experience for me as I've never really had people to talk books with in my day to day life.

[thehighladywrites]

- “if it is so wrong, why does it feel so good?”

pairing: stalker/perv!azriel x reader, nesta, elain and feyre mentioned

summary: stalking and perving is azriel’s favorite activities. What happens when you finally drop the oblivious mask and confront him

warnings: dark content, stalking, perving (on literally everyone), breaking and entering, stealing panties, az having a darker side, getting turned on by your fear, az eating you out, reader being bold and hot as fuck omg,

amara’s note: okay this is very short bc it’s my first time writing a dark fic. Also i hope you like it and pls read the warnings.

Azriel knows he is some sort of sick freak. He knows he should resist his sinful glances at Feyre when she's cozied up on Rhysand's lap. He flexes a little extra just to spark Nesta's desires, fully aware of her fantasies. And as for Elain, well, let's just say he's playing a forbidden game of spying while she bends over to plant her greens.

Azriel's is extremely aware he shouldn't be harboring forbidden desires or indulging in the secret pleasure of stalking someone as seemingly innocent as yourself.

Azriel, the ultimate mastermind, keeps everyone guessing. Who would suspect the quiet, brooding and publicly respected spymaster to be a closeted perv and sick stalker? It's his most guarded secret hidden beneath the intimidating exterior.

Little does Azriel know, you're fully aware of his perverse behavior—his wandering eyes and spying shadows. It surprises you that no one has figured him out yet; after all, it seems quite apparent, doesn't it?

You don’t miss his lurking shadows following you around for hours. A regular fae would’ve missed it but not you. You’ve grown accustomed to him and his ways. You know him better than anyone else and you definitely know of his stalker tendencies.

Azriel believes he's smooth, avoiding outright ogling. Instead, he strategically glances at you during training with Cassian and while sharpening his weapons, subtly appreciating the way your body moves.

Pervert azriel walks up to you, complimenting your form, claiming while it’s good there’s something you need to fix. You don’t mind if he needs to grab your waist while fixing your pose right? And of course you’ll excuse him if he accidentally brushes against your boobs and ass. I mean he just wants to help you perfect your form!

He watches you walking through Velaris from the shadows, always hiding one of his shadows with you. He tells himself that he does it for your safety. Who knows, you might be attacked and he needs to be ready.

He absolutely doesn’t want to hear how much of a hypocrite he is for also stalking you in the safety of your home aswell.

Azriel steals your panties, silently breaking into your room as he looks through your drawers, skimming through the collection of panties. He promises himself it’s the last time, though he’s made the same pledge seven times before.

Azriel's stalking tendencies lead him to roam through your belongings, touching everything to become familiar with your world. He goes to your vanity, picking up your perfumes, and indulges in the forbidden pleasure of smelling the one thing he desires most—you.

Lying in your bed, his head on your pillow, he starts shifting in the sheets, inhaling more of your scent. He revels in the trespass and wrongness of being in your bed, knowing that you might catch a hint of his own scent lingering there, a twisted thought crossing his mind that it could confuse, frighten, or even arouse you.

His cock swells at the thought of you scared, heart beating fast, trying to place who the scent belongs to.

He looks around and finds one of your shirts on the bed and picks it up to his nose.

Then he does the one thing he swore he would never stoop to. He pulls out his already hard cock and strokes it while inhaling your scent from the shirt.

—

He has timed you and learned your schedule hence why he now knows that you’ll be in the shower for the next twenty minutes, giving him the perfect opportunity for his perverse activities. He’ll pick up the laciest most intricate pair, keeping it in his room as some sort of trophy with the other stuff he has taken from you. No one can enter into his room anyways, it’s safe…

Pervert Azriel looks through the little crack in your door as you stand there posing infront of a mirror while wearing pretty much nothing. A lacy little lingerie set as you touch your body, hands traveling all over your tits, waist, ass then up through your hair as you spin around, admiring yourself.

You know Azriel is standing at your door, he isn’t really all that subtle with his hand down his pants as he jerks off at the sight of you.

It’s almost enough to make your eyes roll back into the back of your head, fucking gods, he’s pathetic.

You wanted to fuck him for the longest time. He could just ask you to fuck and you’d say yes yet here he is thinking he’s slick as he pervs on you. Even with all that in mind, there’s a sick, twisted adrenaline rush spreading through your body at the thought of the esteemed and highly respected spymaster doing something so dark and wrong like this.

“I know you're there, Az. Come out,” you say, a wicked smile forming on your face as you plot to utterly humiliate him.

His entire body freezes and Azriel cautiously emerges from the shadows, realizing he's been caught. You maintain that mischievous grin, ready to unleash your plan. The air thickens with anticipation as the confrontation unfolds.

“Az?”

He looks like he’s about to jump out of the nearest window as he looks at you through the mirror.

“Yes?”

“Why are you such a disgusting little pervert? Here I am trying on some clothes and you’re just perving on me. How do you think that makes me feel? I mean I could be super afraid and you wouldn’t have any remorse? Who does something like that?”

Azriel's face heats up at the mocking question, flushing as he tries to respond.

“Az, I asked you a question,” you assert, walking over to him. His embarrassment is palpable as he apologizes, rambling about not knowing what came over him, begging you not to tell anyone.

You already know the answer, and a knowing smile plays on your lips as he seeks forgiveness.

“You’ve done a very bad thing, Azriel. Bad people deserve to be punished. You of all people understand that, right?”

Pushing him back onto one of the sofas in your room, you creep closer, leaning over to whisper. Looking down at him, you place your hand on his cheek, letting your nails dig in a little.

“I think you deserved to be punished.”

Azriel's heart raced, fearing exposure for his hidden activities. Was this it? Would you punish him by revealing his actions to everyone?

Before he could plead for forgiveness, you stood up, walking back to your bed and beckoning him over with two fingers.

As he approached, ready to sit, you extended your leg, placing your foot on his stomach, halting him in his tracks..

“Not so fast,” you assert, a wicked smile playing on your lips. “The bed is reserved for me. You can kneel on the floor.”

Azriel complies, gracefully sinking to his knees. His gaze meets yours, his beautiful eyes revealing a mixture of submission and desire.

“You’re going to eat my pussy. If you manage to make me cum, I won’t tell anyone about your disgusting behavior, understand?”

He couldn't believe what was unfolding. Was he really about to taste you? About to experience the fantasy he'd daydreamed about every single day? He nods, but a disapproving tsk follows.

“I need more than a nod, Azriel. Do you understand?”

A quick, “Yes, I understand,” escapes his lips.

You can't help but smile at the swiftness of his compliance.

“That’s good. Now, I’ll be taking off my bra and panties and they’re very expensive and new so they better not go missing.”

Azriel affirms his understanding and then proceeds to drool over the way you slowly strip infront of him before you spread your legs and tell him to start.

He grabs your thighs and pulls you closer to the edge as he dips his head down to run his tounge up and down your slit, tasting you before playing with your clit.

You gasp in pleasure, letting out moans as your hands find their way to his hair, urging him to keep going.

Azriel’s hands dig into your thighs that are currently smushing his head. He decides to let you continue, telling himself that if he dies like this, he'd go down as the happiest person in history.

“T-that’s it, right there.”

A breathy moan escapes your lips as you feel two of his fingers enter you. Your hands grab his dark soft hair as he started pumping his fingers, relishing at the way your soaking cunt is squelching and squeezing him.

You whimper at the way his thick fingers strecth you out then curl against that secret spot, making your eyes roll to the back of your head. You start to slowly fuck yourself on them, eager for more of him.

“You taste even better than I imagined, fuck.”

His desperate voice only spurred you on.

It doesn’t take much longer for that feeling to build up in your stomach, the tight cord eventually snapping. You squeeze and throb around his fingers as you cum hard, letting out whines and mumbles.

Azriel helps you ride out your high, memorizing every facial expression in case this is the last time you ever let him this close again.

He pulls out his fingers and lick them clean then goes back and licks your pussy clean.

You let out a giggle at the sight before you, casting him a look of fake sympathy as you pull yourself together.

“Well, look at that. Seems like I’ll be keeping your secret after all. I mean, what a shame to loose such a good little pussy eater, right? I might just keep you around.”

You beckon him to rise, tossing your underwear onto the sofa before heading to the bathroom to clean up.

Glancing back at his flushed face and heavy breathing, you offer a secret smile.

“Who knows, next time I might even let you fuck me.”

Turning around, you leave him to his thoughts as the shower starts.

Azriel stands there for a moment, his desire evident. Unable to resist, he takes your panties and bra, always craving something of yours.

He promises to himself that he won't do it for an eighth time before hurrying back to his room, to finally help himself

🏷️ taglist: @stasiereads @clairebear08 @daycourtofficial @historiaxvanserra @rowaelinsdaughter @acourtofladydeath @acourtofwhatthefuck @redbleedingrose @danikamariewrites @readychilledwine @nocasdatsgay

[cressidagrey]

AO3 Masterlist

All of these link to my AO3, mostly because that's my personal favorite site to read fan fiction on, and it's much easier to make multiple stories into a series!

Unless otherwise noted, all my series/stories are ongoing, which means…if you have a prompt for any of them, shoot them my way. 

The Court of Gold and Shadows*

you'll be made of ashes too

Elain Archeron makes the most beautiful bride.

Azriel copes.

for the first time, what's past is past

Of all the ways, Azriel expected to meet his mate, this wasn't it. 

something good and right and real

Azriel had spent centuries believing that he of all people didn't deserve a mate. And if anything, the last three years had just galvinised that particular belief. And then he meets her.

The first time Oriana met Azriel, she thought that he reminded her of a skittish cat. Shy and a little bit broken. Good for him that she absolutely excelled in fixing the things around her.

Romance is not dead if you keep it just yours

5 Times Cassian thought that Azriel had feelings for somebody and then the 1 time he finally met the girl his brother was in love with. 

I breathe flames each time I talk

The story of how Oriana Fireborn Belmont, Third Daughter of the First Daughter, met her mate's family.

Also the story of how Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court finally recognises that by the cauldron, there is no fury like that of a female scorned.

Meanwhile, Azriel would just like everybody to get along.

The Unexpected Series*

“If you need to fuck someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her.”

What if… Azriel actually takes Rhys at his word? And does exactly what his High Lord ordered? With unexpected consequences.

Unafraid

Azriel does exactly what his High Lord ordered him to do. (Well, kinda.)

Unprecedented

This is Azriel finding out about said unexpected consequences

Unknowing

This is the Inner Circle finding out about said consequences. Azriel is very good at keeping secrets

Indelible*

Indelible Scars

Azriel knew pain. So did Galena.

Also known as: Azriel’s mate is a healer and the first time they meet, he nearly dies on her.

Glorious Sunrise

So what happens after the mating bond snaps?

Well-meaning interfering family members, deep conversations and nights spent brooding on the roof like some kind of gargoyle…this one has it all.

(The Smutty Sequel y’all asked for ;) )

A Pocketful of Stars*

New Pursuits

The shadows decide that Azriel needs a hobby.

5 times when said hobby-related shenanigans didn’t end so well…and the one time where it may end up better than Azriel could ever have imagined.

Welcome to the World 

The quickest turnaround time between finding your mate and having a kid anybody in the history of Prythian has ever managed

The Starlight Princess*

The Starlight Princess

There is a Pool of Starlight in the Spring Court. A piece of the Night Court that has no business being in the land of Eternal Spring. So how did it come to be?

Or: How the Spymaster of the Night Court starts hearing a voice, realises that no, he is not insane after all, frees a princess, kills a High Lord…and finds his mate all at the same time.

The Prophecy

Lightning in a Bottle

Eira Archeron was neither a Valkyrie, nor a Seer, nor the High Lady of the Night Court. She was actually pretty much useless. The only thing she wanted was to be somebody's first choice for once in her life.

Also known as: Azriel's shadows decide that if he doesn't treat his mate right... they'll just do it for him.

Looked to the Sky

Eira Archeron was neither a Valkyrie, nor a Seer, nor the High Lady of the Night Court. She was, however, Azriel‘s mate with her own mysterious, untrained powers.

Also known as: Azriel tries to court his mate the human way.

Recipe for Love

Peach Cobbler

Azriel finds a bakery and creates his very own reward system.

Honey Cakes

The Beehive Bakery is out of Peach Cobbler. This leads Azriel to make some very impulsive decisions. 

Don't wait for the Sky to Clear

The Fourth Archeron sister makes herself a life in the Dawn Court.

dust of your highest hopes

Eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves, goes the idiom.

When Solana hears an admission from the High Lord of Day, she’s ill-prepared for it. She doesn’t believe in fairytales any longer, but maybe there was a happily ever after for Solana and Helion somewhere

The Ties that Bind

Shadowsingers were made, not born. Made out of trauma and loneliness and desperation.

So when Cilla and Azriel meet and their shadows entwine, they both meet the only other person that could understand these particular childhood scars.

The last thing Azriel had ever expected from his mate, however, was for her to have a surprising connection to his brother.

The Witching Hour

5 Times members of the Inner Circle get absolutely terrified by Azriel's...whatever she is, and 1 (of many) times Azriel thinks that his witch was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Bound by Blood

Azriel's witch has some very smutty plans for Samhain.

Tear the World Apart

Eris’ mate decides to get rid of her father-in-law. Also known as: If Eris Vanserra married a very bloodthirsty Margaery Tyrell.

Brighten Up the Sky

A Mating Bond between her younger sister and the Night Court’s shadowsinger was the last thing Feyre had expected to spring up…but then, maybe it did make sense.

Stars all aligned

If there was one thing that both Azriel and Zahra Archeron had in common, it was that they were both very good at blending into the background.

It's a Love Story

Azriel's shadows find their master a wife.

Azriel would just really like his heart not to get broken again.

And Sky...well, she's just really surprised that that far too handsome male is interested in her at all.

Holy Ground

Nobody knew that Azriel found his mate. Until she nearly died. This is the aftermath.

(Super pretty dividers thanks to @tsunami-of-tears !)

[littlemisssatanist]

my acotar unpopular opinions

taking this time to come out as an acotar reader. yes i've read all the books and i've spent way too much time thinking about it. i enjoy the books in the sense that i enjoy hating on many of the characters and loving a few of the others.

be forewarned inner circle fans. you will not like this.

rhysand is not a 'morally grey' character. he's a rapist and a groomer. he sexually assaulted feyre utm, he groomed her (reminder that she was 19 in acotar), and he withheld important medical information from her. 'you'll always have a choice' my ass.

nesta telling feyre about her pregnancy was not a bad thing. why do people act like it is? 'oh she did it to hurt feyre' hurt her by doing what? revealing the lies that her beloved husband had woven? revealing the fact that she'd die giving birth? the fact that rhysand told literally everybody but feyre?

mor is not the champion for women everyone thinks she is. this i will give to sjm it is truly impressive to make a character like women and still be a pick me. i'm not even going to go into her whole weird ass relationship with her dad (i still don't understand why she wouldn't just kill him. 'oh rhys needed the army' rhys is supposed to be the most powerful high lord ever. either admit he's a fucking loser or give me an actual good reason for this) or the fact she's seemingly incapable of doing anything to help the women in the court of nightmares, but everytime she was mentioned, i had to let out a heavy sigh and rub my temples.

on a similar topic. i liked eris. like a lot. out of all the acotar characters sjm has written, eris is by far my favorite.

the inner circle needs to sit the fuck down. they are the most hypocritical bitches i've ever met. they like to think themselves high and mighty. reading them make fun of lucien's band of exiles while their name is literally 'court of dreamers' was the most infuriating thing ever. and then they have the gall to be insulted when called out. don't dish what you can't take.

out of all the inner circle, the only one i don't hate is azriel. this is simply because he is the only one who hasn't opened his big fat mouth and done something bad (except if you maybe count his whole thing with elain). cassian is on my hit list. it's on sight with cassian.

nessian is sjm's worst ship and i will stand by that. lucien/nesta could have been so much. 'nesta would have ripped lucien apart' and cassian was your first choice? not even azriel was considered? like be so for real right now. sjm didn't see the potential of lucien/nesta and i will forever mourn that.

sjm is a terrible writer. i'm not saying this to be mean but she seriously just sucks at it. that being said i admire her ability to still make millions of dollars off her shitty writing. as a woman, i am rooting for her. as a reader, every day i wake up a shoot a prayer to the heavens begging the gods to not let sjm write any more books from the inner circle's pov.

lucien/elain is better than azriel/elain. argue with the wall.

eris/azriel is better than azriel/elain. you can kiss my ass.

NESTA/ERIS IS BETTER THAN RHYSAND/FEYRE. i know this because i have been enlightened.

feyre is a victim to rhysand. that being said, she is also a major bitch. both can be true because these things are not mutually exclusive. i wish she could make friends outside of the ic like nesta did, but i know that's unlikely.

feyre's pregnancy storyline was completely useless and went against her whole character.

acomaf retconned everything about tamlin and feyre's relationship in order to make more money. idc.

tamlin gets a ridiculous amount of hate. rhysand is hypocritical. so tamlin locking feyre in a house because she wants to ride out with him into potential danger is terrible and abusive, but rhysand locking nesta in the house of wind for... *checks notes*... having sex and spending money on alcohol is helping her? what?

[queer-ragnelle]

hello! hope you're having a good day :)

I'm slowly introducing my girlfriend to arthurian legend and I was wondering what films you would recommend for a complete beginner (her). I will be next to her explaining things but I also wanted to start off with something more digestible. We've already watched the green knight (2021) (I know) and excalibur (1981) together. thank you for all you do!

Hello, I am and I hope you are too!

Oh yayyy this is so awesome. I'm going to suggest things that I personally feel really give a newbie a grasp of the characters in such a way that if they were to watch something else afterward, it would actually aid them in understanding. There are some films that are so experimental they're unrecognizable (like Knightriders (1981) or Shadow of the Raven (1988)). Those are amazing, visionary films. But they're entrenched in their respective cultures (American and Icelandic respectively) so they don't really help someone new grasp the foundational lore like the things I'll be suggesting will. This list offers self-contained stories with solid writing, great acting, and entertainment enough to keep one engaged, without any requirement for prior knowledge to appreciate.

Here are the beginner friendly options listed in order of release:

Knights of the Round Table (1953)

Details the rise & fall of Camelot from Arthur pulling the sword from the stone to his & Mordred's deaths. It has everything, the A/G/L of all time, adorable Percival & Elaine as siblings, Orkney bros Gawain, Agravaine, Gareth, & Mordred (who is not a product of incest), sassy clever Morgan beefing with fatherly sweet Merlin, gorgeous costuming, moving script.

BBC The Legend of King Arthur (1979)

This is technically a show but hear me out. It's only 8 episodes, half hour each, & covers the full Arthurian story from Uther's battle with Gorlois to take Igraine all the way to Arthur's passing. Morgan is a central character & fascinating. Arthur raised by Ector alongside Kay. Goes to battle against Lot & Accolon & the other rebellious lords. Great Lancelot & Bors. Guinevere is strong & interesting & sympathetic. Orkney bros Gawain, Agravain, Gareth, & Mordred (who is not a product of incest). Elaine of Corbenic & Elaine of Astolat both present as separate women. Grail quest led by Galahad (no Percival unfortunately). Mador’s brother Guido poisoned “by Guinevere” like in Le Morte d’Arthur & a trial by combat ensues. It’s a really compelling version of events that can give a beginner a great overview of the legends.

Sword of Lancelot (1963)

Opens with an older Arthur looking to marry. Lancelot is his bestie & champion. Other knights include Gawain, Mordred (who is not a product of incest), Bedivere, Dagonet the jester, Lamorak, Kay the seneschal, & eventually Tor. Lancelot/Guinevere have great chemistry they were married irl.

Gawain and the Green Knight (1991)

Faithful adaptation of SGATGK complete with three days of kissing! Unique by having Gawain recount the reason for his journey as he’s already on it. Flashbacks show Gawain at the high table with Arthur & Guinevere, sitting next to his brother Agravaine, when the Green Knight comes in, & is beheaded. The events at Bertilak’s castle play out just like the poem with the lady coming to tempt Gawain & then he forwards those kisses to Bertilak in exchange for the animal of the hunt. Colorful & fun!

Tristan & Isolde (2006)

One of my favorites. I think the leads have great chemistry & gives a decent overview of the Medieval story without too much access. Mark here is morally way better than in Medlit but it does make the live triangle more juicy. Brangain is really funny here too. There is no magic in this version, so no love potion. Just pure unaided adultery.

Sir Lanval (2011)

Short & sweet indie movie adapting Marie of France’s lay of the same name. Great casting, beautiful costuming, pretty sets. Lanval’s rags to riches story thanks to his fairy lady Tryamour. Sport but well-meaning Arthur not doing his marital duties gives Guinevere sufficient motivation to try & seduce Lanval. Kay is here as Arthur’s foster brother & seneschal but sort of acts like an attorney? Lol? Great movie.

Sire Gauvain et le Chevalier Vert (2014)

Another SGATGK poem adaptation, this time in French (with English subtitles) & condensed to a mere 28 minutes run time. Visually stunning & beautifully acted. A little more mature than the 1991 version, bc of course the French have to get freaky with it sexual style (this is a good thing). Another awesome adaptation worth checking out.

Okay I think those are all my suggestions! Hope that gives you and your girlfriend a solid watch list and you both enjoy them. Take care!

[claws-and-all]

Unpopular opinions

Today’s been one of those days where all my least favorite theories regarding Tamlin have been popping up, so I thought I’d share some of my unpopular opinions in case anyone else feels the same.

1. Tamlin should not get his own book

From all the male povs we've seen thus far, it's evident that sjm struggles to write male characters with complex feelings. They tend to lack depth, have the libido of a teenager, and the romance aspect is nonexistent. This coupled with the way she handled Nesta's "healing" journey (a character she supposedly loves) - suffice to say, she will not do justice to Tamlin's journey nor his inner monolog.

On top of that, we don't need a Chaol 2.0 book. The only people I've seen enjoy Chaol's book are the haters who became slightly lenient towards him. I feel like that book was not meant for the fans who actually loved Chaol from the get-go (like me). It was yet another "healing" journey that did not heal him 😒 (it's been 7 years since it's release and I'm still mad at it 🙈).

Also, just like Tam, Chaol is another character that is hated by 90% of the fandom. His book had the worst timing. In-between a high stakes book where you NEEDED to know what happened next and instead, you're forced to read a book that took you completely out of the action. It garnered more negativity towards a character that was already so heavily hated upon. It was such an unfair thing that occurred, and his fans were the ones that had to deal with the backlash of our favorite character being torn apart by the fandom. I truly hope history does not repeat itself with Tamlin. The fandom is waiting for the elriel/elucien confirmation, and I can just see the hate pouring in if it's a book about Tamlin instead. He deserves infinitely better!

2. Tamlin and Lucien should never be friends again

I'm sorry, I know a lot of you love Lucien, I'm rather 50/50 on him. If elucien happens, it will mean Lucien is now a part of the NC family, bil to Rhys, friendly with the ic, uncle to Nyx, already friends with Nesta and Feyre. That's not the kind of energy Tamlin needs in his life nor the constant reminder of everything that he lost (Rhys is doing a fabulous job of that already).

I liked Lucien and Tamlin's relationship in book 1, but I was not a fan of how he kind of abandoned Tamlin for Feyre. It's like he became more her friend than Tams as the series progressed. I think Tamlin deserves a better friend - someone who will have his back and not his partners back. And someone not so heavily intertwined with a court that has caused so much pain to him. I can almost see Lucien slowly trying to convince Tam that the nc guys are actually "the good guys". Who knows, maybe he'll also pull a Feyre and compare Springs food to ash since nothing can come close to precious NC food, you know.

That being said, I have no idea where such friends will come from because every character we've met thus far automatically dislikes Tamlin and are fans of nc guys (still waiting for the explanation as to why Jurian, Vassa, Eris, and even Nuan are Tam haters?? Make it make sense, Sarah!).

Alternatively, I do love angst. I would love a storyline of Tamlin moving on with his life without Lucien. As in his future wife/mate/partner doesn't even know who Lucien is. Whilst Elucien is also thriving in the human lands/NC/DC/AC. Yet the entire time, they both feel like there's a missing piece in their life. They would see each other at HL meetings or balls. Yet they're too stubborn to speak to each other. Until decades later when one of them finally breaks the ice. The yearning and the hurt, love that shit lol

3. Tamlin x Briar?

Let’s keep that in the dark where it belongs. - nuff said!

4. Elain should not even look in the direction of Spring

Just because she likes gardening doesn't mean she should be spring queen 😑 I'm sure she can follow in the footsteps of her sister and brother in law and trespass into Spring if she needs to see flowers in abundance. It is afterall, nc tradition to lecture Tamlin in his own court and kick him in the shins. I really don't want to see her becoming friends with Tamlin, helping him rebuild Spring, making it her second home, etc etc etc. Like the point above, she and Lucien have enough homes to go back to. They don't need an extra one in Spring. And Tamlin doesn't need any more nc "friends".

[lovemyromance]

Now this has likely already been analyzed and theorized over the course of the past 3-4 years in this fandom, but since I haven't seen it before I am presenting a theory:

We all read the Elriel moment with the potato dish in ACOSF and clocked it as something interesting. It's not necessarily romantic per se, but it's thoughtful. It's odd enough to call attention to such a normal scene of serving dinner that I raised my eyebrows and wondered why SJM even wrote this.

Now, bear with me while I present the same content for the 308th time probably, but this time, like a tour guide at Jurassic park:

A few things to call out here:

See how Elain goes still at the sight of Azriel? It's parallel to that scene in ACOWAR where Cassian & Azriel both go still at the sight of Nesta & Elain.

Then we have Azriel. He "just moved towards her", like it was instinct. AND THEN - here's the real keep-you-awake-at-night point: Mor tenses

Why does she tense? Why are HER reactions to Elriel moments always so peculiar? Even in ACOWAR, we have this moment when Azriel disappears (where did he go?) and Mor stares at where he had been standing? What is Mor thinking?

It's interesting because we don't know what her powers are other than "Truth" - whatever tf that means. What if she sees something between Elain & Azriel that surprises her, even?

The story gets even deeper when you combine Azriel AND Feyre questioning the cauldron. I cannot stress this enough when I say that no other pair of mates has been questioned in this series other than Elain & Lucien. You have MULTIPLE main characters describing their relationship or lack thereof as uncomfortable and questioning their bond.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and say the Elucien bond is fake. I don't think it is, but I genuinely think Elain - as the cauldron's favorite - might have two bonds. One with Lucien - Cauldron Made, likely to provide strong offspring but not necessarily an ideal love match, like Rhys & Tamlin's parents. But then also one bond with Azriel, which is blessed by the Mother, which is more similar to what Feysand and Nessian have.

And I think that entire scene with the potatoes, everything from describing the potato steam like "Azriel's shadows" to Azriel not letting anyone eat before she sits down - I think it's a big hint that Elain & Azriel also share some kind of bond. I think Azriel, at least, is more aware of the traditions and religion so he has an idea of what he's feeling. It's what leads him to ask the question "What if the cauldron was wrong?" (And then later discover it was, in fact, wrong)

I have a theory that Azriel at least suspects there's a bond between them. Maybe that's why he took the potato dish out of her hands, so she couldn't serve him. He didn't want to give her another "You're my mate" PTSD. Or he might not realize WHAT it is yet, be he can feel it. He knows there is something there between them.

It's why he questions the cauldron (nobody is questioning their religion over 'just lust'). It's why Mor sees it too. It's why Azriel can smell the Elucien bond and it makes him sick. It's why he went sicko mode when he realized she had been taken by the Cauldron. It's why Elain knows him so well, even though we only see a handful of their interactions on the page. It's why their BC encounter was so hot and full of UST. Like they are down bad for each other and it is CLEAR.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Robin!Duke Thomas headcanons/rewrite because i'm in my feelings about him.If you think Duke's not a 'core Batkid' DNI and take your segregation somewhere else

He's the 5th Robin instead of Damian and The Riddler plot still happened but Elaine and Doug got jokerized during it so Bruce adopted Duke way earlier and he was 11 at the time

He is also trans,autistic,femme and afropunk!!2nd and 4th are canon coding but it's explicit here.Egg cracked pre-meeting Bruce so trans Batdad gets trans Batson gender affirming care like puberty blockers and makes sure nobody misgenders him.His Robin suit is Tim's Btas suit for proper repurposing,though it's adjusted from tighties to shorts and the pants/leg parts are ripped and the gloves are fingerless for that alt look

Alfred loves feeding him sweets and Duke always gives him the most adorable star eyes and thanks him because he may be rude but he'll be damned if he's mean to his granddad(his favorite sweets are lemon flavored frosted animal crackers)

He was pretty traumatized by loosing his parents and resisted Bruce's parentage at first due to it but came to embrace it as ultimately he's still a little boy who needs a parent to love and care for him.Bruce's reveal of his own orphan status certainly opted him to give him more of a chance but like a true Batkid,he never stops rebelling despite his unstoppable love for him

He arrives post-Under The Red Hood(movie compliant)but during Batgirl 2000(less racist and gayer)timeline wise so he bonds with Cass,Stephanie and Tim and they invite him on hangouts with 'the big kids' and Young Justice takes in Duke as an honorary little brother similarly to how Traya is treated as their little sister.Stephanie shows Duke all kinds of cool funky/cutesy/edgy things she's into which rub off on him per black siblings bonding and Cass seeks to protect Duke in addition and in thanks to him for teaching her some stuff about 'normalcy',like introducing her to arts and crafts and candy bars.Duke's Batgirl is not Babs,although they do get along-It's Tam and we'll get to that in a bit

Duke employs his powers in his Robin work and it earns him the nickname 'The Robin Signal' in reference to how often he uses his light to guide citizens to safety after him and Bruce take out the danger

His first solo/Year One Run is 'Robin 2007',literally,to distinct from Tim's run that wouldn't end for two more years.They got a crossover mini ofc ofc and it was called 'Robins 2009'

Robin 2007 had 53 issues and featured the introduction of Duke's love interest,albiet her debut as her own character was a good while before it in Aquaman:Luna 'Aquagal' Vásquez!!Luna is the Starfire to Duke's Robin i.e a black non-human girl who's bubbly,soft and princess-y but also extremely hardcore,well-hardend and lowkey mean and his longtime best friend from his sidekick days he's a slowburn perfect MADE soulmateisms couple with!!Their ship name is Thomquez but they're purely platonic until their mid-teens when new feelings ignite and riple into existense.Luna had her own run,Aquagal 2007 <3 Robin/Aquagal:Pals in Disguise was a super cute jumbo issue too!!(Notes:Luna is afro-argentinian,half atlantean half human and has white parts in black hair in a pattern that make her look like she has a constant moonglow halo on her)

Also Duke ships Stephcass so hard😭He was ooo'ing and making cheeky comments as soon as he figured out what was going on when Tim pointed it out to him and NEVER stops until they actually get together,which dosen't happen until Duke-yes,11-12 year old Duke-is an adult.He gives Cass tips on how to rizz up Stephanie after talking to Stephanie to figure out what would work best(turns out Stephanie really likes goth x pastel dynamic images/videos,mocking cheesy flirty memes,whimsical love quotes and X-Ray Spex lyrics)

Duke owns a walkman Tim gifted him and talks into it as a 'Robinlog' and it pops up frequently throught his entire existense as a character as soon as he gets it.Duke is also a big fan of My Chemical Romance,hip hop and disco music,black indie shit,classical literature(canon),video games,writing poetry and 'cutesy' diy(bedazzling,scrapbooking,homemade stickers,etc)!!As he grows up he takes up solarpunk bit by bit and same with glamrock!

Duke got exactly one year as Batman's Robin.On his one year adoption anniversary,him and Bruce had a fight over a case that scared him so bad he thought he was gonna fire him like he'd done to Stephanie so he ran away in the dead of night,straightup out of Gotham City(he was also smart enough to pack an oversized backpack of essentials to carry with him).He was found as the sun set as he tried to sleep in a cat alley with a family of fat calico cats he'd been taking care of on his lap by a 20 year old Jason,his departure taking place during Volume 2 of Red Hood and The Outlaws,a 2010-2020 release 120 issues run that takes place over 3 in-universe years.They have a short conversation that leads to Jason finding out Duke is his brother and combined with knowing he has nowhere else to go at the moment and Summer's(my dcsona)yapping about him thanks to their friendship,takes him with him to The Fortress,The Outlaws' base.Duke joins the team and finally makes friends his age in the other Kid Outlaws(which includes other black kids of all genders!!)but Jason is the member he's closest to

Luna comes in a significant amount of Rhato issues and even enough to be an honorary Kid Outlaw but mostly sticks to Aquafam stuff to avoid reducing her down to Duke's love interest.Duke isn't forced to kill but is a brutalist in his tactics thanks to growing up beating up bullies,Bruce's training and the influences around him and it scares him sometimes so he vents and asks for reassurance and they all gladly give it to him,including Luna,who tells him:'You could never be a monster or evil,Duke.You'll always be my best friend in the ENTIREST MULTIVERSE.And even if you were a monster or evil?I'd save you.You saved me when i didn't know i needed somebody to be heroes with to go on.I'd go there-ANYWHERE! for you too'Least to say,Duke is pretty sure this is the point he started seeing Luna in a different light(a girlfriend light.From 'I need her' to 'I need her to be my babygirl')(in the aave way.don't be weird)

The Kid Outlaws are a bunch of punk ass kids with a thirst for anarchistic justice,the fall of the crime system and extra thick milkshakes.They got the punk drips(including piercings done by the adult Outlaws!!)and everything and call eachother siblings and Duke is their leader despite being the youngest as he's the most capable and suited for the job.The KO includes Thad so they're kinda a 'sparkly sunshine boy/bad but sad boy' buddies duo and their inhereted powers and legacies are a source of bonding along with just liking eachother as people.Duke calls him 'The Thadman' and Thad had no choice but to warm up to it and Thad gets Duke to try out energy drinks with him and they collect trinkets and graffiti public property together and them and Jason are Prime Earth's variant of that picture of three black trans guys who just got their top surgeries all smiling together with bandages on their upper bodies

Duke and Jason are so inseperable.They do soul bounding over soul/dominican food(their 'this and yap' /hj),help eachother with hair care(Duke has a twists out and Jason is a dreadhead),are inside jokes lockout between them and their girlfriends,share a bed more often than not,play Animal Crossing religiously together and even got matching icons in The Outlaws group chat(set to Aang and Zuko because they're literally them!!'If we knew eachother back then,do you think we could have been friends,too?' is how Duke feels about Robin!Jason to Red Hood!Jason,,,,,).Jason loves Duke so fucking much and can't stop himself from doting on him and hyping him up nonstop and encouraging him to stop holding back his rage and impulses and jumping people for him and stealing/diy'ing gifts for him a lot and Duke does the classic 'i make fun of you to show you i think you're the coolest ever and how important you are to me' little brother moves to Jason and is protective of him back as he feels he deserves it after all he's done for him and will eternally do for him,most of all making him feel secure in his Robinhood(ha!!)

All the overexposure to so much and such intense science-y proterties and magic jazz and trazz caused Duke's powers to mutate from just dark and light powers to straight up reality warping(to add onto them-he still has his og power palette,it's too iconic to leave out).He gets stuck in a pocket dimension for a hot sec but Summer and Jason pull him out with Thad's help as an expert on that situation.The universe was trying to create the New 52 but Duke's Robinhood was stopping it so in a 20 issue arc to symbolize the 20 core Outlaws aka the 'Outlawed Robin Arc',even the slimest posibility of the N52 ever happening is erased headfirst headon by our titulary gang!Including Honorary Outlaw for two and a half months at the time Tam aka Batgyal!She awoke from her RR2009 coma and it lead to escapades of adventures with both Tim and Stephanie and she was given her own mantle by Luke,who thought it was about time she joined him officially and was her secret keeper on her vigilante life and sneak offs to reunite with Duke as her initial only motivation

In issue 39,Jason snarks he was just 'The Replacement Robin' and Duke defensively cuts him off with 'You were always my favorite Robin when i was little!I never even got to see you in action but you're my favorite for good now!' and Jason is struck clueless,completely unable to come up with a response but touched beyond words on top of his shock.And in issue 110,Duke sadly says '.........I was never a real Robin.I've been with you guys way longer than i ever was with Bruce-' and Jason cuts him off with 'Yeah,no shit you were never Batman's Robin.You're The Outlaws' Robin-You're my Robin and you always have been and you always will be' and Duke gets extremely teary but does a toothy grin too as they're happy tears so Jason smothers him in a hug in comfort and Duke's face takes up most of the final page and a text box reads on the same one:'Duke Thomas is happy.Jason Todd is happy again,thanks to him.They're eachother's Robin,on purpose and by choice'

When Rhato concludes(and The Outlaws stay in touch forever),Duke comes back to Gotham to discover Damian's now Robin and literally laughs at the ridicilousness of the situation,quipping he's glad he already had a new mantle in mind and offers him a hat he thrifted when they meet,along with a smile and affection in his eyes.Damian snatches it from him,huffy and embarrased over the unexpected warm welcome by him but appreciate it and liking the hat only in secret(a yellow one with floppy cat ears strings and an edgy styled strawberry charm).Robins and Batgirls(2022-2023)was a helluva run starring Dick,Jason,Tim,Stephanie,Duke,Damian,Maps,Babs,Cass,Tam,Alysia and Nell and Jason's the only one who got thirst trap covers as it should be(Okay that's a lie,there were Stephcass thirst trap covers too LMAO.Faggot rights!!)

Duke has two core runs post-Robin:The Signal(2020-)and The Lights(2021-),the latter of which is his own team!!The members are Luna as Moonguide and his right-handwoman,Kiran Singh from the Wonderfam,Tanya Spears aka Power Girl ||,Jenni Ognats/XS,Mar'i Grayson/Nightstar,Jennifer Williams/Batika,Sin Harper as Arrowette ||| and the team baby,Darla Dudley as Shazam Girl and two upcoming ocs,a black male Star Sapphire who had his heart broken by a white girl💔and an X-Gene mutant from Earth 616 who ran away from their home dimension!!Duke's reputation as Robin proceeds him as it increases the shenanigans both in his civillian life and as The Signal and Thomquez are my fave classic black love tropes:'Thick baddie who stays keeping her mans fed' and 'Cocky ahh and playful but sweet and soft black dude who accidentally comes across as mocking x Nerdy feminine black girl who's not mean but pretends to be annoyed by his flirting with her because she's too embarrased to admit she actually likes him'.They do matching superhero names as adults to show they're married:Eris(Duke)and Selene(Luna)

Naturally,Duke is enrolled at Gotham Academy at now 15 and he mentors Maps when she comes along,including playing his game of Batwingman for her and Damian.Big hit with the GA girlies but unfortunately for them he only likes Luna and dudes who're mean to him(Woah,he's bisexual!I knew that!Also a Sonic The Hedgehog fan and his faves are Amy Rose,Shadow The Hedgehog and Sticks The Badger and he stans Penny Parker and draws gijinka fanart.Before i forget he also had his own youtube channel pre-Rhato and all his subscribers thought he died and he became a Creepypasta-)

And Batburger is his childhood happy place dating back to pre-Jokerization.He still visits Doug and Elaine and met Gnonom in Rhato only to pull a Percy Jackson and be spiteful and tell him off for his abandonment with zero forgiveness but realistically was still sad and hurt over his neglect so he let himself cry when he got back to The Fortress so Jason and Summer took him to Batburger to cheer him up and that led to his first visit to his parents in a long ass time.It and Batburger trips are part of his lifestyle obligatorily bi-monthly now

Oh the Gotham Police still hate him btw.He does all the work they gaslight people into thinking they do and none of the racism and assaults😔

[theshadowsingersraven]

so @gwyns (correctly, in my opinion) observed that e/riels are normies. i've also held this belief, as well as close friends of mine who have been in fandom and done things like RP'd on Tumblr, wrote/read fanfiction back in the day for things like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc. And @tsundoku-life asked this brilliant question: do you think this was inevitable, with how the idea of fandom has become more widespread?

I am someone whose been here for a while. This has been my one and only mainblog through the literal upwards of a decade I've been in fandoms. This blog has seen me through Harry Potter phase, dips back into Naruto (where my crippling addiction to emo boys started, if you stanned Sasuke when you were 12 also, I see you and I love you) Superwholock phase, anime phase, Fire Emblem, etc.

And genuinely? Yes. I think so. If it wasn't ACOTAR, it probably would've been something else with equally as popular, or easily marketable aspects. However, I do think there is a unique aspect to Elain and purity culture that makes this debacle particularly irritating. Essentially, I'm "Yes, and"--ing this question.

So, I think the thing with Elain is that, to E/riels, she is counter-culture. She's unique, she's the refreshing "not like other girls" character because this genre, understandably, has a lot of female characters that are trained in combat, politically savvy/trained to be spies, or have skills in areas that would otherwise be considered traditionally masculine. Aelin, Bryce, Nesta, Feyre, Manon, Lidia, etc. are often highlighted as being people's favorites, and often times are in positions where they have to regularly take direct action to get the plot moving.

(However, to be fair to Elain, she has not gotten the benefit of rotating POV and therefore more reason to take action like the CC and TOG cast. She is still waiting in the wings for her moment, and I want to give her a fair shake here.)

While I would not say these female characters are traditionally masculine overall, or that their feminine traits should be dismissed, if we're comparing on a scale of 1-10 (1 being most traditionally feminine and least masculine and 10 being most vice-versa), they are all closer to 10 than Elain is, if that makes sense.

However, if we step back and look at least American society overall (I can only speak to my experience, ofc), characters like Elain are the ideal. Traditional femininity, despite how it's also demonized, it's still "correct" to patriarchal society. And with the rise of conservatism everywhere and prevalence of purity culture, Elain is the perfect fictional sword to fall on to further conservative ideology. No one is immune to propaganda, but I don't think it's a coincidence that Elain having such overlap in purity culture via E/riel ship dynamics (she's so pure/perfect/untainted and she'll "save" him, etc.) and her traditionally feminine hobbies that tend to misalign with adventure/fantasy as a genre (you can look at how people treat Sansa from GoT, for example), can appeal to a more conservative mindset.

The poor, overhated, down-trodden female character that just wants to be feminine and refuse the role of a mate in a sea of "masucline" female characters kicking ass, taking names, and falling in love with their fated mates.

I don't think anything sounds more like a conservative woman daydream than that, tbh.

Conservatism thrives on the belief (mistaken one at that) that they're the underdogs, that they're counter-culture in this zeitgeist when in reality...they're just not central focus in a particular format or setting. It's hard not to notice the massive overlap in the love for E/riel, the E/riel version of Elain, and the current rise of conservative values. I don't think it's a coincidence at all that these all interplay. Does that mean that all Elriels are conservative? No, definitely not. I won't pretend to know their values, and I'm sure they believe that their insistence on a ""woman not owing a man anything"" actually applies to Elain directly without the nuance the subject requires (you know, about fiction and depiction versus endorsement, what it means to have a soul bond to someone, how fate is something SJM uses regarding mates and what it means to avoid something inevitable, etc).

But I do think said massive overlap is worth examining and does require critical thought. There's nothing wrong with liking Elain in the first place. I do, too. But I think the reasons why people like Elain and how those certain things can be weaponized against other people are uniquely conservative-coded when it comes to Elriels and their interpretation. Recognizing these overlaps isn't about policing who likes what but about being aware of how broader societal values influence our consumption and interpretation of fiction. E/riels will be the first to point out the "misogyny" in Elucien and that "fiction affects reality" (a statement that can and often times is true, but is irresponsible to use in a blanket statement without examining the subject in nuance), but they ignore the other side of this coin that reality also affects fiction.

[azrielsfavoriteshadow]

I'm still new to fandom and I'm trying to get the gist of gwyn and azriel. I read the bonus chapter and I thought their scene was truly lovely. I love the way Azriel thought of the way of how Gwyn might smile if she received the necklace.

But- As of now, I ship both Elain and Lucien and Elain and Azriel. I honestly can't choose between them both. I feel like both have potential. I want to ship Az and Gwyn, too, because I feel like they also have potential but I'm not fully sure about them yet. I just want to understand the Gwyn and Az ship, because I didn't think of them together before the bonus chapter. I haven't read much theories about them, but I'm open to know more!

Hi Anon!! To clarify, I never shipped Elriel even before acosf so there was nothing tying me to that ship when Gwyn walked onto the page. This is going to be long, but these are the things that made me ship Gwynriel.

During ACOSF, there were so many little moments were Cassian and Nesta took notice of Gwyn and Az’s interactions. Even little things like glances or facial expressions toward one another. It was very reminiscent of Feyre telling us about Nessian in the previous books. The repeated drawing of attention to Gwyn and Az was very obvious to me and grabbed my interest.

The BC takes place at solstice which is around the middle of acosf. After the BC, we get the ribbon cutting scene where Gwyn takes the first attempt. Azriel’s attention is fixed solely on Gwyn. His face is shining with admiration and quiet encouragement (I mean come on).

When Gwyn cuts the ribbon, Cassian feels as if the universe has shifted. This moment indicates that the Valkyries have been revived. Cassian notes how Azriel seems to notice this shift as well. SJM is intentionally always pointing out Azriel’s reactions to Gwyn. This moment specifically seemed so important to me and the way Azriel was described to have his attention fixed on Gwyn, his face shining with admiration and quiet encouragement, was so adorable and sweet.

My favorite part about Gwynriel is the playful, competitive banter. Gwyn’s always the one to be poking at Azriel and we see he’s entertained by it. We even see him poking back at her.

Note his shadows dancing (I’ll come back to that).

We also got the infamous “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger” line and Nesta telling Az “You’re the new ribbon, Az”.

The banter 😭 See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger is a call back to the BC when Az tells her that being a shadowsinger isn’t just some title. He is a shadowsinger. She’s being cute and playful, mocking him just a little bit and he loves it. This line made me scream the first time I read it and this was before I even knew the BC existed.

Next, Nesta likens Az to the ribbon. Gwyn was so dead set on conquering the ribbon and she completed that achievement. Now she’s moved on and Azriel is the next target. He is Gwyn’s new ribbon. Ribbons are also very symbolic for mates. During mating ceremonies, a ribbon is used to bind the hands of the pair together.

Then during the blood rite, Gwyn tells us about how she spied and just a few pages later Azriel reiterates to Cassian the importance of spying. Cassian says spying bores him and Azriel says it suits him. It just so happens to suit Gwyn as well.

Now onto the BC:

I won’t focus on the Elriel portion of the BC too much, but it is littered with negativity from my perspective. It talks about how wrong it is. How tainted Az is. All of his insecurities are hyperfocused when he’s in Elain’s presence. Then after his interaction with Rhysand, Azriel feels even worse. He wants to go out into the cold to numb himself. Until he feels nothing. Until he is nothing, again.

Then he runs into Gwyn. He makes note of how his shadows did not warn him that she was there. This tells us that Az would expect the shadows to tell him something like this, yet they chose not to. Also, in the beginning of the BC, before Elain comes down the shadows are whispering to Az telling him to go to sleep. The stark contrast in how the shadows react to Elain vs Gwyn is so telling.

Az decides to stay and takes notice of the Gwyn standing before him. How far she’s come since the day he rescued her. How she’s now a warrior standing before him. I love how he recognizes her strength and how much she’s grown to overcome her biggest trauma. Gwyn also is comfortable in his presence. We know do to her trauma that being around men can be difficult, but she is at ease and comfortable with being alone with Azriel.

They have some cute back and forth banter. A shadow even darts out to dance with Gwyn’s breath. Remember with Elain he tells us that his shadows are always prone to disappear. With Gwyn they are very playful and even calm. They settle in her presence and perch on his shoulder as if content to watch. Gwyn also acknowledges his shadows and Az thinks she smiles at them. The shadows behavior with Gwyn is unique to only her and it is one of my favorite things.

I love Azriel’s shadows. They are what make him unique and he created them as companions during his darkest trauma. The fact that they are so interactive and playful with Gwyn is adorable and special. I want him to have an endgame that his shadows love too.

In the BC we also find out that Azriel is a singer. As we know, Gwyn is also a very talented singer. I’m supposed to believe that this is just a random coincidence? Music is used as symbolism by SJM repeatedly throughout all of her books. Here is a post I made talking about some very similar quotes between mates including music symbolism.

This line about “something restless settling in him” is also repeatedly used by SJM between her mates. After two interactions with Elain and Rhys where Azriel hated himself, Gwyn is the one who settles something restless in him. She is the one who brought him peace on a night where he wanted to feel like nothing again.

Then the next day, Az goes to Clotho after he has decided to give the necklace to Gwyn. He thinks about her teal eyes lighting with joy and it makes a spark in his chest which is another example of mating bond language SJM consistently uses. That image of Gwyn’s eyes glows in his chest and brings a smile to his face conscientiously. That image continues to glow in his chest as a thing of secret, lovely beauty.

Look at how similar this quote is to a Feysand quote:

In that BC, SJM basically pulled out all of her most consistently used mating bond symbolism and used it on Gwynriel. She also chose to start the BC with Elain and filled it with negative connotations. Then she chose to end the BC with Gwyn having so much positivity. The only POV of Azriel’s we get ends with him thinking and smiling about Gwyn’s eyes and joy.

This is all the canon stuff I could think of. There are many theories and other parallels that I enjoy about Gwynriel as well, but I have already typed up so much lol. Feel free to search #gwynriel on my blog and you’ll see posts I’ve reblogged or made.

Anyways, they are my favorites and I am convinced they are mates. No one in Prythian deserves a mate more than Azriel and there is no one more perfect for him than Ms. Gwyneth Berdara. They are both loyal to a fault. They have been through so much trauma yet risen from it as warriors. They are strong and resilient. They have banter and charm. His shadows love her. She loves his shadows. They’re perfect.

[acourtofthought]

I forgot who I saw this from the other day but it really resonated with me for anyone who continually undermines the possibility of Elain (and Lucien) having the next book

Someday, the ACOTAR series is going to be sold as a boxed set. Maybe it's a gift for an 18 year old from a parent who "heard there was a lot of buzz about this series".

That person is going to start with ACOTAR and work all the way through ACOMAF, ACOWAR, ACOFAS, ACOSF, and whatever the next book(s) is / are.

That means they'll finish SF and move directly into the next book. They're not going to pause to read the CC series, they probably won't know of any bonus chapters, they won't even know to go back and scour the internet for Interviews where Sarah said "she was excited to write Az's journey" or "because she knew early on where Elain's story was going it allowed her to plant seeds throughout ACOWAR and even SF".

The only thing that will exist for this particular reader are the books. And the end of SF says the following:

"Maybe not." Eris shifted on his feet, and grimaced again. "But you and yours have more important things to worry about than ancient history. My father is furious that his ally is dead, but he's not deterred. Koschei remains in play, and Beron might very well be stupid enough to establish an alliance with him, too. I hope that whatever Morrigan is doing in Vallahan will counteract the damage my father will unleash."

That line comes before Cassian thinking:

And one day, when the time was right.....They'd take the next steps. They'd walk down whatever road lay ahead of them together.

Of course Sarah hinted at Nesta and the Valkyrie having more of a story to tell in SF but based on the above which comes at the very end of the book, it seems a clear delineation of what the focus of the plot currently is.

If you were reading SF and moving right into the next book, would you think that the restoration of the Dusk Court was a more pressing issue than what Eris is talking about? Would you really know anything much about the Dusk Court at all having moved right from SF into ACOTAR 5/6?

If you're reading these books back to back, you'll have also just finished the novella where Feyre says to Mor:

"I want them to be happy. All of them."

And that is in reference to Nesta, Elain, and Lucien. She follows that up with "And you - are you happy?" speaking directly to Mor.

Yes, the Valkryie were introduced in SF but would a reader automatically assume that suddenly their stories are more worth telling than Elain's? Than Lucien's? Than Mor's?

It's as if just because people have grown attached to those characters (which are great, of course), suddenly nobody else's story is important.....at least not until Gwyn and Az get a HEA together first. But I don't think a reader going straight from one book to the next would honestly see it that way. Not when the Elucien bond has been an unresolved issue since book 2. Not when Vassa and those other girls are still Koschei's captives. Not when Spring has been falling apart for multiple books, not when Mor was clearly not 100% happy in the novella. Just because we have our personal favorites, it doesn't mean Sarah cares more for them than she does all her characters.

With that said, Sarah could ABSOLUTELY write Gwynriel next but I have to say, if you're reading the series straight through, they would not be the "obvious" answer to me. They would actually be more of a "What??? But what about everyone else? What about Elain and Lucien? Vassa? Mor? What about Spring falling apart? And Koschei and Beron?" "Lucien still doesn't know about Helion??" "What do you mean people can time travel now?" Because those plots were not only introduced multiple books back but we were reminded of them in SF.

And that's why I say I still feel Elucien could possibly be next because they do make the most sense to me if we're looking at the ACOTAR series as a series and not just a single standalone book.

[49436]

Taking on @batmanisagatewaydrug 's 2025 Book Bingo (along with my wife & housemate, so it's now on our fridge. Taking me back to summer reading lists from the library)

I tend to work down my to-read list in order, unless there's something I really want to get to, so most of this list is 'what's the first thing I'll hit that fills the criteria'. But some books earn the right to skip the line, for one reason or another.

Going for a full board, which means actual bingo might take a minute lol

List below-

Literary Fiction - TBD

Short Story Collection - Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Chain-Gang All Stars was on my top 10 from 2024 so even though short stories and I don't tend to get along, this one I'm excited about. Will also try Drinking From Graveyard Wells by Yvette Lisa Ndlovu

Sequel - Either A Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik or Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao. A matter of which one I get first; My library doesn't have physical copies of Heavenly Tyrant yet, and my wife owns all of Temeraire, so it might win.

Childhood Favorite - Might be Watership Down by Richard Adams, which is always a banger, but I reread Watership just a couple years ago, so it might be The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander instead, which I read many times with my mom and still have the whole series of.

20th Century Speculative Fiction - TBD

Fantasy - A Taste of Honey by Kai Ashante Wilson. I read so much fantasy, BUT I already have A Taste Of Honey on my side table. So here we are.

Published Pre-1950 - The Iliad (and The Odyssey) translated by Emily Wilson. Heard a lot of noise about her translation, and haven't read these two since... idk but it's been over a decade. Also going to hop on the Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier train.

Indie Publisher - The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. I read a LOT of indie publishers and Jemisin if one of my all-time favorite writers. I've been putting off this series for a time I can really get into it and burn down all three.

Graphic Novel - Dorohedoro by Q Hyashida. Currently on volume 8, will probably finish the series in the next week or two. Love love love Hyashida's work

Animal on the cover - Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. Despite my aforementioned childhood obsession with Watership Down I never got around to Plague Dogs. Looking forward to it!

Set in a country I've never visited - TBD

Sci-Fi - Another genre I'll read a thousand of in a year. Currently I have Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie on my side table (which I fear may be mid, but time will tell) I'm also VERY excited to read The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

2025 Debut Author - TBD

Memoir - Love Is An Ex-Country by Randa Jarrar. Memoirs aren't usually my thing, but this one made it's way onto my to-read list last year so this is good motivation.

Zine - TBD. Browsing all the other posts from people doing this challenge for recs

Essay Collection - How To Read Now by Elaine Castillo. Literally the only essay collection on my to-read list and it jump scared me. Thought for sure this would a TBD, but How To Read Now should be interesting.

2024 Award Winner - TBD. Will trawl award lists when I have time

Non-Fiction - Facing the Wave: A Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami by Gretel Ehrlich. Specifically chose something that doesn't also count as social justice/activism, which is most of my non-fiction reads. I've found a real appreciation for good non-fiction the last few years (Everyone go read Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox). Learning stuff is cool!

Social Justice/Activism - Everything you Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America by Vegas Tenold. Excited for this one.

Romance - TBD. Tend to read romance that's also another genre (romantasy side eye at myself) so I've inevitably got one on my list. But maybe Akwaeke Emezi will write another romance and sweep me off my feet.

Recipe - Steak wrap pinwheels. My wife has been watching Food Truck Race (lol. lmao even) and one of the contestants made these. Stealing the idea with impunity.

Horror - Fever House by Keith Rosson. I've got a rich vein of horror novels on my to-read list, but this will be one of the first.

Published in the Aughts - TBD I'm old. I read of lot of 00's work.

Historical Fiction - Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Is the 70's historical? I think the 70's is historical now. One of the final 3 books of Moreno-Garcia's I haven't read, and she's never let me down. Might read another Phryne Fisher Mystery or two as well, because they're quick and fun.

Librarian recommendation - TBD. I love my library and there's a few librarians who know me, will have to ask their opinions. Talking to a person! Not just taking one off the recommended shelf! Wild!