#and ananke was bright

[avaetin]

My friend, who I talk with about the Primordial AU, was saying, "What if Erebus loved Ananke? And he settled for Nyx just because Ananke's already with Chronos. He loves Nyx a lot, but Ananke will always be his biggest what-if."

Me: Me likes where this is going. Tell me more. (Imagines Erebus offering Nico protection by becoming his consort)

[freyjas-musings]

Azriel and his competitive nature...

"Right,” Cassian panted through gritted teeth as he blocked Az’s kick and bounced a step back, circling again. “Whoever lands the next blow wins.” “That’s ridiculous,” Az panted back. “We go until one of us eats dirt.” Az had a vicious competitive streak. It wasn’t boastful and arrogant, the way Cassian knew he himself was prone to be, or possessive and terrifying like Amren’s. No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal.

Gwyn and her intense competitive nature....

The three of them made it to the third stage only once in the next two weeks. Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s.

Now, the two with each other ...

Artist Jinrozenrot Commissioned by The_Valkyries_trove.

Gwyn asked Az, her teal eyes bright, “What do we get if we finish the course?” Az’s shadows danced around him. “Since there’s no chance in hell any of you will finish the course, we didn’t bother to get a prize.” Boos sounded. Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.”

.

.

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder.

The way these two tick off every box SJM likes having in her couples ... their competitive nature and associated banter ... Chef's kiss

[olenvasynyt]

Parallels between Gwyn and Az

People don’t often realize this, but Gwyn and Az have a lot of things in common.  And imo, it points to Gwynriel.  So let’s talk about it!

Dynamics with Nesta

They have similar dynamic with Nesta.  It’s not identical but neither of them shy away from her bluntness like others do.  They both seem to admire it and at some points, it gets Gwyn and Az to open up.

Page 251 of ACOSF: “Nesta watched the shadowsinger with a frankness that most people shied from. Azriel returned the look with the stillness that most people ran from.”

Page 114 of ACOSF: “ I don’t need to be coddled.  Only spoken to like a person.”  “I doubt you’ll enjoy the way I speak to most people.” Nesta said. “Gwyn snorted.  “Try me.”  Nesta looked at her from under lowered brows again.  “Get out of my sight.” Gwyn grinned, a broad, bright thing that showed up most of her teeth and made her eyes sparkle in a way Nesta knew her own never had. “Oh, you’re good.” Gwyn turned back to the stacks.  “Really good.”

Page 101 of ACOSF: “I hope you’re not giving my brother a hard time.”“Is that a threat, Shadowinger?” Azriel said coolly, “I don’t need to resort to threats.” Nesta gave him a smile, holding his stare.  “Neither do I.”

Page 348 of ACOSF: “Nesta scowled, and Az offered her a slight smile.  They could be allies, that smile seemed to say.  Against Cassian’s utter insanity.  She found herself answering Azriel with a slight smile of her own.”

Competitiveness

 They’re both competitive.  Cassian says that Az gets really competitive, and you can see the competitiveness in the bonus chapter where he has his plot to win the snowball fight.  

Page 254 of ACOSF: “Azriel had a vicious competitive streak.  Wasn’t boastful or arrogant… or possessive and terrifying…No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal.”

Gwyn is super competitive with cutting the ribbon and when the Valkyries are doing the obstacle courses.  

Page 624 of ACOSF: “Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder.  She wanted to be the first.  Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces.  Especially Azriel.”

Knowledge

They both get pretty fascinated by things, they both like to learn stuff. Cassian said that Az was really fascinated by the solar system and other-worldly stuff Rhys likes to research.  

Page 37 of ACOSF: “At the far end of the room, a little dias led into a broad raised alcove…and in its center, a massive, working model of their world, the stars and planets around it…Az, of course, had been fascinated.”

Trauma / light and darkness

Quote page 113 of ACOSF: “If marks of trauma lingered, any evidence was hidden by her robe.  But Nesta knew how invisible wounds could be how they could scars deeply and badly as any physical breaking.” 

This is a really big one: Gwyn’s healing seems like the kind of healing Az had.  Az was hidden in darkness and he was brought to the Illyrian camps which might have been the first time he saw true light in a while.  He found Cassian and Rhys who took him in and they trained together. And Gwyn hid herself in the library for years and saw true light for the first time in a while and trained with Nesta and Emerie and found true healing and confidence in herself.

This quote really got me:

Quote page 272 of ACOSF: “Gwyn’s hands were shaking as she took another step into the ring and peered into the open bowl of the sky.  The first time she’d been outside—truly outside—in years.  She met Nesta’s gaze and smiled.  "I forgot how it feels to have the full sun upon my head.  Forgive me if I spend some time gawking at the sky.”

I can just imagine Az having a similar reaction when he’s at the Illyrian camps for the first time.  A little 11 year old unsure of how to hold his wings up right just…looking up at the sky.  And he’s hiding his hands.

The main difference with this is Az was locked up in the darkness and Gwyn chose to be in the darkness, but I think the fact that light and darkness are key parts of their healing process is important to note.

Fear of making mistakes, and their loyalty to loved ones

Another super significant thing about them is their sense of loyalty to the people who took them in, and their fear of making mistakes and failing.

This quote from Gwyn really got me because it just screams Azriel to me.

Quote page 148 of ACOSF: “because I don’t like to fail I can’t…” Gwyn shook her head.  “I don’t want to make any more mistakes.” “These females took me in. Give me shelter and healing and family.” Again, her large eyes darkened.  “I cannot stand to fail them in anything.”

That just seems so much like Az.  Rhys and Cassian took him in, gave him shelter and healing and family, so he’s super loyal and he hates when he fails them.  Az seems to often feel guilty when one of the plans goes wrong; he thinks he didn’t do as much as he could have.

Page 346 of ACOWAR: ”Hybern had made its grand move at last.  And we had not anticipated it.  I knew Azriel would take the blame upon himself.  One look at the shadowsinger…told me he already did.”

Unworthiness 

Another thing is they feel unworthy.  You can see this with Gwyn and her invoking stone she says she doesn’t deserve to wear it, she is ashamed of her history and is afraid of people finding out things that she hates about herself.

Quote page 173 of ACOSF: “Why don’t you wear that stone on your head like the others?”  Gwyn pocketed the gem.  “Because I don’t deserve to.”

Page 521 of ACOSF: “I understand,” Gwyn repeated, “what it is to fail the people who mean the most.  To live in fear of people finding out.  I dread you and Emerie learning my history.  I know that once you do, you’ll never look at me the same again.”

Page 696 of ACOSF: “But even training these months hasn’t erased the fact that I let my sister die.  You asked me once why I don’t wear the hood of the Invoking Stone.  That stone is a sign of holiness.  How can someone like me wear it?”

That’s just so similar to Az I feel like, specifically this quote in the bonus chapter where he feels like his hands are tainted and that he’s unworthy of touching her.

ACOSF bonus chapter: “She looked up at him, her face so trusting and hopeful and open that he knew she had no idea that he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars.  Such terrible things that it was a sacrilege for his fingers to skin, tainting her with his presence. 

He also feels guilty for not doing enough, to fail the people around him.  You see this with Mor a lot.

Page 429 of ACOWAR:  ”As Azriel turned his face toward me—The frozen rage rooted me to the spot.  But beneath it, I could almost see the images that haunted him: the hand Mor had yanked away, her weeping, distraught face as she had screamed at Rhys.”

Now kind of diverting from the topic: I see people make debates about why Gwyn thinks she’s unworthy.  There are theories that she’s actually an inside spy for Koschei and maybe she feels guilty for that but there’s literally a quote that says she thinks she let her sister die and that she’s guilty that she lived and her sister didn’t.  I dislike the evil Gwyn theories, I think they’re gross.  I also kind of think her SA made her felt tainted, that’s a very common thing among SA survivors.  

Coping skills / being unbreakable 

And this is kind of a looser connection than the others I mentioned but we see moments from both where they tell themselves that they are unbreakable or hard to break.  When Gwyn cut the ribbon, she quoted the Valkyrie mindstilling technique:

Page 621 of ACOSF: “I am the rock against which the surf crashes.  Nothing can break me.”

"Nothing can break me" is something that Gwyn added, it was not part of the original Valkyrie passage.  And it reminded me of something that Az says to Feyre when they are doing their flying lessons in ACOWAR.  

Azriel tells Feyre Page 305 ACOWAR: “You’re immortal.  You’re very hard to break.  That’s what I told myself.”

The Blood Rite, friendships, and healing journey

And this similarty pertains to the Valkyries and the batboys in general, not solely Az and Gwyn, but the Valkyries during the blood rite is a reflection of the batboys during their blood rite.  It was the beginning of their journey when it came to healing and finding their strength and proving people wrong.  It was a pivotal point in their friendships, both groups fought like hell to reach each other.  

Page 693 of ACOSF: “I don’t want to take the safe road.  I want to take that road.  To prove to them, to everyone, that something new and different might triumph over their rules and regulations.”

And this is the start of Gwyn’s journey, this is the start of her friendship with Nesta and Emerie, who have become very important to her. She’s still struggling with her fears, she tells Nesta that she might come out of the library to go to her mating ceremony.  

And Az is kind of similar.  He has had centuries to heal and be with his brothers.  But he is absolutely still healing, he’s got tons of issues to sort out still.  You can say they’re aloof and they lock themselves up in a similar way: he doesn’t seem to want to go out to bars and parties unless his friends go.  

Page 377 of ACOMAF: “And when I pointed out that he did go to Rita’s with her whenever she asked, Mor simply informed me that it had taken her four centuries to get him to do that.”

He seems content to brood but he opens up because of his friends.

Differences

There are obviously tons of differences, I think the main ones being Gwyn is significantly more joyful than Az, she smiles and laughs a lot while it’s very rare to see Az smile or laugh.  He’s super broody and aloof.  Gwyn seems to open up a lot more easily.  She has a lot of hope.  She doesn’t seem to want to suppress herself.  Even though she struggles she is trying to break free.  

Page 524 of ACOSF: “ Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn’s—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn, but she couldn’t quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world.”

And with Az: literally impossible to get him to confess anything.  There are a lot of things that Cassian doesn’t know about his brother.  He is content to brood.  He shuts his feelings down until they build up to a point where they almost explode sometimes.  There are some points where he suppresses his shadows on purpose, I feel like.  I don’t know how his shadows work but he can control them at some points.

I feel like whether or not you believe these parallels point to Gwynriel, you can’t deny that they are very similar and can be very good friends and heal together because of that. 

But also, Gwynriel is endgame 🤷‍♀️

[offtorivendell]

Some Friendly Teasing...

🌸 Elain Archeron Week 2023, Day 2 - Sister and Friend 

This headcanon/theory is based on a few things:

This brilliant crack theory by @wingedblooms, and the subsequent thoughts reblogged by @ladynightcourt3, which posit that Elain may have shifting powers, and have taken the form of Balthazar in ACOSF's Blood Rite (the OP), as well as the priestess Ananke during Valkyrie training (the reblogs).

This corresponding crack theory by @psychologynerd, which hypothesises that Nuala and Cerridwen may be Roslin and Dierdre, two of the other training priestesses who are frequently seen with Ananke.

I highly recommend reading both theories by these supremely lovely and talented people, they make a lot of sense! But let's go...

Azriel’s presence helped. He now trained the newest recruits, quiet and gentle yet unfaltering, and if she didn’t know better, she’d swear at least two of the priestesses—Roslin and Ilana—sighed every time he walked past. - ACOSF, chapter 40

I can't think of anything more appropriate for a trio of besties than for two of them to tease the third - lightheartedly, of course - when they discover a crush. Now I know the names Roslin and Ilana don't match up exactly with Roslin and Dierdre, but this could be explained by one of a few things:

The wraiths don't always wear the same bodies, and at this point they were Roslin and Ilana.

Only one of the twins, as Roslin, was teasing Elain at this time, and Ilana just has good taste.

Ilana, which means "torch, beautiful, light, bright, shining," is Elain (or she was on this day, instead of Ananke).

In the beginning, Elain thinks she's slick, asking for information about Azriel, like his favourite foods, or whether he has any aversions. Nuala and Cerridwen see through her falsely casual interrogation in an instant. But hey, we all have to start somewhere.

I can just imagine the glee lighting up Nuala and Cerridwen's eyes when they realised for whom Elain was developing feelings. Their boss, of all people! Who they probably know well and have a fairly good relationship with after a few centuries of being his personally trained spies, so I anticipate Azriel will cop his fair share from them in an Elriel book, too.

Nuala may have suggested that Elain train as a way to improve her balance for stealthy walking (if she is Ananke then she was as bad as Nesta initially) and self defence, but she conveniently forgot to warn her that Azriel would be taking the other priestesses through their exercises, not Cassian.

Cue the silent snickers and not-so-subtle looks when his back is turned, and Elain's ever blushing face.

That's something she'll obviously have to work on, pipes in Cerridwen.

Elain doing her best to balance, planting her feet in the dirt, yet still toppling over, only for Cerridwen to accuse her of doing it intentionally when Az is looking the other way, saying that she just wanted Azriel's undivided attention.

And when Elain does finally begin to improve, Nuala will give her a teeny, tiny nudge, just to see if they can get her to falter.

And maybe blush some more. For spy training.

At which point Cerridwen will say, deadpan, that Elain may be great at keeping others' secrets, but she sure as shit wears her own on her face.

I am really and truly hopeful that we'll finally get to see the two spies who masquerade as Rhys' own handmaidens at home and abroad for who they really are, through the eyes of their good friend, Elain, rather than someone who doesn't know them well. I think they'll have a lot of fun together, and we'll also see them all open up about their pasts, and their hopes and dreams for the future.

@elainarcheronweek

[tato-acm]

gwynriel weeks 2023 - ​week 1 - day 6 | personalities - competitive

acosf - ch 23:

“Right,” Cassian panted through gritted teeth as he blocked Az’s kick and bounced a step back, circling again. “Whoever lands the next blow wins.” “That’s ridiculous,” Az panted back. “We go until one of us eats dirt.” Az had a vicious competitive streak. It wasn’t boastful and arrogant, the way Cassian knew he himself was prone to be, or possessive and terrifying like Amren’s. No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal. Cassian had lost track of how many games they’d played over the centuries, with one of them certain of a win, only for Az to reveal some master strategy.

acosf - ch 60:

Gwyn asked Az, her teal eyes bright, “What do we get if we finish the course?” Az’s shadows danced around him. “Since there’s no chance in hell any of you will finish the course, we didn’t bother to get a prize.” Boos sounded. Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.” [...]

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder. Az stared after her, brows high with amusement. When he turned back, Nesta grinned. “You have no idea what you just started,” she said. Az angled his head, hazel eyes narrowing as Gwyn reached the archway. “Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?” Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder. “You’re the new ribbon, Az.” [...]

Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s. [...]  

And when Gwyn reached the finish line, bloody and panting and grinning so wildly her teal eyes glowed like a sunlit sea, she only extended her battered hand to Azriel. “Well?”

@gwynrielweeksofficial

[lesewut]

THE WORLD OF PARMENIDES – ESSAYS ON THE PRESOCRATIC ENLIGHTMENT by Karl Popper

On the traces of our thinking - Part One

„Bright in the night, with an alien light, Round the Earth she is drifting. Always she wishfully looks Out for the rays of the Sun.”

Philosopher of Science Sir Karl Raimond Popper admired the Presocratic philosophy throughout his lifetime. Popper considers the Presocratic speculations and cosmogony as the beginning of our history of science, especially with regards to epistemology and theoretical physics. It is believed that speculative philosophy began with the Ionians, including Thales of Miletus and his disciple Anaximander. They developed the method of critical approach or critical tradition: To approach an explanatory myth (critical revision of mythical poems such as Homer or Hesiod’s "Theogony") with critical eyes. Even today, the verification of a theory for its truthfulness is a special feature of science. However, one should not underestimate the importance of incorrect theories, which were able to justify the problem and refine the explanation in the first place through falsification, since they can lead to a finer awareness of the problem again through the refutation. With this following book, Popper wants to contribute to a better understanding of the Presocratic. In addition, he wants to illustrate with his explanations the thesis that "history is- or should always be, the history that serves to solve the problem (...)." Popper discusses the basic ideas of the early Greek philosophers and shows the development of a critical methodology with the legacy of the search for truth, illustrated in particular by the didactic poem by Parmenides and the parable of the two paths.

The importance of Presocratic ideas in today's science is found in the reconciliation and unification of contradictory assumptions: Nothing changes (Parmenides) and everything changes (Heraclitus). But how is change possible in the first place and how do we come to knowledge? It is a remarkable intellectual achievement to define different forms of knowledge and to distinguish intellectual thinking from knowledge in general. The revelation of the goddess (Ananke? Dike?) is a journey to the real and deceptive world. An experience of rapture must have distorted Parmenides' reality of life in such a way that he depicted this lightning-like illumination in this dualistic conception. The goddess, who describes the human world as false and deceptive, wants to reveal to Parmenides the secret truth about nature and reality, but also the false opinions of mortal men. As mentioned above, the dualistic concept can also be found in the textual form: The poem is divided into two parts and begins with an introduction (Proömium). The first path is described as the Path of Truth (or the Path of True Knowledge) and the second path as the Path of Human Conjecture (Path of Conjectural Knowledge). The second part has survived only in fragments, the incompleteness is illuminated by Plutarch's reports, whereas the first part caused a sensation and was often quoted and copied. In the first part, "The Path of Truth", the Goddess presents a radically rationalist and anti-sensualist epistemology and then leads to a purely logical proof, culminating in the thesis that there can be no movement and that the world is in truth made up of a motionless, gigantic, homogeneous and massive spherical block where nothing can happen:  Neither past nor future. This world stands in sharp contrast to the world of apparitions in part two, The Path of Human Conjecture. This is the world as ordinary mortals experience it, the rich and varied world of movement, change, development, the colourful world of opposites, the world that distinguished night and light. Dualistic-World-Concepts arise from the preoccupation with the question of the first substance, or in this particular case, one assumes a twofold building material (e.g. spirit > < body ; subject > < object).

“Listen! And carry away my message when you have grasped it! Note the only two ways of inquiry that can be thought of: One is the way that it is; and that non-being cannot be being. That is the path of Persuasion, Truth’s handmaid; now the other! The path is that it is not; and that it may not be being. That path- take it from me! – is a path that just cannot be thought of. For you can’t know what is not: It can’t be done; nor can you say it.”

[Character limit :/ ...text continues in the second part]

[necrosin]

hermes is so —— it's less that they have a soft spot for him and far more that they're fascinated by his circumstances, by the whole of his existence, by the way that he carries and bears himself and the love and care he seems to express for all the creatures that they ( the multitude they, the infinite they, the eternal they ; though isn't AZEM, TOO, ETERNAL? well, if they have their way, surely ) create and then discard and then create again. isn't it such a terrible cycle? isn't it so sad?

sometimes phuong-mai thinks that they would be sad about it, too. perhaps they are sad about it. ananke doesn't care quite as much, and hadn't phuong-mai been discarded so very long ago? you are now a convocation member, you were given the seat of azem. wouldn't it be easier, to become a full amaurotine? —— fuck you.

oops.

their smile widens as hermes wades into the water, as if they've won something, and really it rather feels like they have, hermes is here, hermes is wading into the water, and azem loves winning. ❝ oooo, ❞ they say, wanting badly to grab at the adamantoise, just to look at it more closely. ❝ A WHALE? you should've seen the bureau of the architect when whales were popular, the floor collapsed at least a dozen times, ❞ hythlodaeus had both found it hilarious and trying and ananke is still trying to get phoenixes to catch on. only to see the fires raging for fun, of course. they splash closer to the adamantoise again, grabbing hermes's wrist as though an afterthought, pulling him along. ❝ well, that's doing SOMETHING for the ecosystem, isn't it? ❞ their voice is bright as anything, laughter ringing as they glance over their shoulder at hermes for a second, eyes aglow as ever. ❝ it's adorable, i say we should keep them —— perhaps whales need a touch of competition at the top of the aquatic evolutionary chain. ❞

Even though he had been the one doing the approaching, curious to see what had brought Azem to Elpis, his name startles him somehow--Hermes's shoulders stiffen and don't fully relax, his eyes snapping from half-lids into open circles. Watery, cerulean, deep. Not like the sky he loves, but rather the tidepools the two of them are standing in. Azem, bright, bright Azem--their visits are always a welcome one. Even with the seed of dark in Hermes, the curdle of jealousy that is consistently reminding him how radiant everyone is, how especially bright they shine when they are standing next to him. "Ah...that's an aqua species of adamantoise. One of our colleagues was curious to see how they would fare in the water when they reach to their full height." Hermes smiles a little embarrassedly. "Of course, that one is just a baby...but when it reaches maturation, it will rival the size of even a whale."

It occurs to him, although a little belatedly, that Azem is inviting him to join them in the water. His heart jumps. Not quite a flutter. Not yet. Hermes stops only to gather the hem of his robe gingerly in one hand, dipping a toe gently into the water to test its chill ( perfect, as all things in Elpis ought to be ), and then he wades out to stand next to Ananke in the pool. As he comes to stand next to them, Hermes adds, "They aren't sure if they'll keep it--they say it doesn't do much for the ecosystem and might cause trouble for certain aquatic habitats, like coral reefs, if they fight with whales as often as the adults seem to do."

@necrosin

[ink--theory]

Ananke Iluka “Agent 3″

Tidbits

- 17

- She/Her

- Selective Mute (so far only Lua, Cap’n, and the Squid Sisters know what her voice sounds like)

- Taught herself sign, semi fluent in it

- Demiromantic (in a queerplatonic relationship with both Anita and Shion)

- Is X rank in all modes and now refuses to touch it (prefers league and turf)

- Mains most of the slower weapons, likes Hydra and Explosher the most.

- Thinks of and refers to everyone in The New Squidbeak Splatoon as her family and can get quite protective of them at times during missions

- Quite talented in cooking

- Is a workaholic, sometimes has to be reminded/forced to take a break from whatever she’s doing and catch up on eating and basic hygiene

- Is quite serious at times but isn’t afraid to goof off with the other agents

- Pretty self conscious of her eye and the markings surrounding it, uses masks and sunglasses to help cover it when in public

- Secretly still guilty over the events of OE, occasionally gets nightmares

[royal-wren]

Muses, sing of all our primordial mothers that make or break our daily existence

Sing of Khaos, greatest mother of all that we appreciate with every breath

Sing of Ananke, even above the Fates as our all-wise mother overseeing and dictating all as the drive and inevitability from beginning to end before her might

Sing of Nyx, a mother so fair and equally loving to every child as innumerable as the very stars she wears proudly

Sing of Gaia, above all the mother watching us all, the one who gives, gives, and gives with the greatest love and devotion to nourish us all

Sing of Hemera, our warm, bright, light-bringing and all-seeing mother who reminds us all to open our eyes and rouse from heavy sleep with a chorus from every bird loud and alert

Sing of Thalassa, mother at sea to all life inhabiting her depths -- and to all that dare to cross and tred her great waters

Sing of Tethys, mother to all bodies of fresh water found in Rivers, Clouds and Water-nymphs, the wing-browed nurse who remains the source of it all

[achristopaganbreviary]

Orphic Hymn to Aphrodite

Heav'nly [Ourania], illustrious, laughter-loving queen, sea-born, night-loving, of an awful mien; Crafty, from whom necessity [Ananke] first came, producing, nightly, all-connecting dame: 'Tis thine the world with harmony to join, for all things spring from thee, O pow'r divine. The triple Fates [Moirai] are rul'd by thy decree, and all productions yield alike to thee: Whate'er the heav'ns, encircling all contain, earth fruit-producing, and the stormy main, Thy sway confesses, and obeys thy nod, awful attendant of the brumal God [Bakkhos]: Goddess of marriage, charming to the sight, mother of Loves [Eortes], whom banquetings delight; Source of persuasion [Peitho], secret, fav'ring queen, illustrious born, apparent and unseen: Spousal, lupercal, and to men inclin'd, prolific, most-desir'd, life-giving., kind: Great sceptre-bearer of the Gods, 'tis thine, mortals in necessary bands to join; And ev'ry tribe of savage monsters dire in magic chains to bind, thro' mad desire. Come, Cyprus-born, and to my pray'r incline, whether exalted in the heav'ns you shine, Or pleas'd in Syria's temple to preside, or o'er th' Egyptian plains thy car to guide, Fashion'd of gold; and near its sacred flood, fertile and fam'd to fix thy blest abode; Or if rejoicing in the azure shores, near where the sea with foaming billows roars, The circling choirs of mortals, thy delight, or beauteous nymphs, with eyes cerulean bright, Pleas'd by the dusty banks renown'd of old, to drive thy rapid, two-yok'd car of gold; Or if in Cyprus with thy mother fair, where married females praise thee ev'ry year, And beauteous virgins in the chorus join, Adonis pure to sing and thee divine; Come, all-attractive to my pray'r inclin'd, for thee, I call, with holy, reverent mind.

[silverflameataraxia]

All SJM's endgame relationships challenge each other. And what do we call this? 👇

Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel's and Cassian's faces. Especially Azriel's.

And when Gwyn reached the finish line, bloody and panting and grinning so wildly her teal eyes glowed ike a sunlit sea, she only extended her battered hand to Azriel. "Well?"

Her eyes shone bright above the dirt smudged on her face.

Also, can we talk about all the times Gwyn's eyes glow/shine brightly in Az's presence? Since Winter Solstice. When the thought of her glowing teal eyes caused something to spark in his chest and caused the emotionless Shadowsinger to smile.

Just saying. There's a reason SJM had Az tuck away the image of Gwyn's teal eyes glowing in the bonus chapter and then mentions them glowing every time the two of them are together afterwards.

[deitiesmasterlist]

Goddesses

Achlys : Goddess of poisons, and the personification of misery and sadness.

Amphitrite : Goddess of the sea.

Ananke : Goddess of destiny, fatality and necessity.

Aphrodite : Goddess of beauty, love, desire, and pleasure. Symbols : myrtle, roses, scallop shell, doves and sparrows.

Artemis : Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, animals, the Moon and young girls. Symbols : hunting spears, animal pelts, deer.

Athena : Goddess of reason, wisdom, intelligence, skill, peace, warfare, battle strategy, and handicrafts. Symbols : olive tree, owl.

Asteria : Goddess of nocturnal oracles and falling stars.

Brizo : Patron goddess of sailors, who sent prophetic dreams.

Ceto : Goddess of the dangers of the ocean and of sea monsters.

Chaos : personification of nothingness, origins of existence.

Demeter : Goddess of grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment. Symbols : cornucopia, wheat-ears, the winged serpent, and the lotus staff, pigs and snakes.

Eos : Goddess of the dawn.

Eirene : Goddess of peace.

Eunomia : Goddess of law and legislation and spring-time goddess of green pastures.

Gaia : Goddess of earth, mother of the titans.

Harmonia : Goddess of harmony and concord.

Hekate : Goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, and necromancy. Symbols : torches, key, snakes, dogs.

Hemera : The goddess of day.

Hera : Queen of the gods, and goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, heirs, kings, and empires. Symbols : diadem, heifer, peacock, and cuckoo.

Hestia : Goddess of the hearth, home, domesticity and chastity. Symbols : hearth and kettle.

Leto : Goddess of motherhood.

Macaria : Goddess of blessed death.

Metis : Goddess of good counsel, advice, planning, cunning, craftiness, and wisdom. Mother of Athena.

Mnemosyne : Goddess of memory and remembrance, and mother of the Nine Muses.

Nemesis : Goddess of revenge, balance, righteous indignation, and retribution Symbols : whip, dagger.

The Nesoi : The goddesses of islands.

Nike : Goddess of victory

Nyx : The goddess of night.

Persephone : Queen of the underworld, wife of Hades and goddess of spring growth

Phoebe : Goddess of the "bright" intellect and prophecy, and consort of Coeus.

The Potamoi : Gods of rivers and streams of the earth.

Rhea : Goddess of fertility, motherhood and the mountain wilds.

Selene : Goddess of the moon.

Styx : Goddess of the Underworld river Styx and personification of hatred.

Tethys : Goddess of fresh-water, and the mother of the rivers, springs, streams, fountains, and clouds.

Thalassa : Goddess of the sea.

Theia : Goddess of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky.

Themis : Goddess of divine law and order.

Tyche : goddess of fortune, chance, providence, and fate.

Gods

Aether : The god of light and the upper atmosphere.

Aion : The god of eternity, personifying cyclical and unbounded time.

Anteros : God of requited love.

Apollo : God of music, arts, knowledge, healing, plague, prophecy, poetry, manly beauty, and archery. Symbols : laurel wreath, bow and arrow, lyre, roe deer, swans, and pythons.

Ares : God of courage, war, bloodshed, and violence. Symbols: helmet, spade, sword, vultures, venomous snakes, dogs, and boars.

Astraeus : God of dusk, stars, and planets, and the art of astrology.

Chronos : The god of empirical time.

Coeus : God of intellect and the axis of heaven around which the constellations revolved.

Crius : God of constellations.

Cronus : God of harvests and personification of destructive time.

Dionysus : God of wine, fruitfulness, parties, festivals, madness, chaos, drunkenness, vegetation, ecstasy, and the theater. Symbols : thyrsus, drinking cup, grape vine, crown of ivy, dolphins, serpents, tigers, and donkeys.

Epimetheus : God of afterthought and the father of excuses.

Erebus : God of darkness and shadow.

Eros : God of love, attraction and sexual intercourse.

Hades : King of the underworld, the dead and wealth. Symbols : drinking horn or cornucopia, key, sceptre, the three-headed dog Cerberus, screech owl.

Hedylogos : God of sweet talk and flattery.

Helios : God of the sun and guardian of oaths.

Hephaestus : God of fire, metalworking, and crafts. Symbols : hammer, anvil, donkey, fire.

Hermaphroditus : God of unions, androgyny, marriage, sexuality and fertility.

Hermes : God of boundaries, travel, trade, communication, language, writing, cunning and thieves. Symbols : herald's wand or caduceus, winged sandals, traveler's cap, tortoise.

Hymen : God of marriage ceremonies, inspiring feasts and song.

Hyperion : God of light.

Hypnos : God of sleep.

Iapetus : God of mortality

Menoetius : God of violent anger, rash action, and human mortality.

Ouranos : God of the heavens and the sky.

The Ourea : The gods of mountains.

Pallas : God of warcraft.

Perses : God of destruction.

Phanes : The god of procreation.

Phorcys : God of the hidden dangers of the deep.

Photos : God of sexual longing, yearning, and desire.

Pontus : The god of the sea, father of the fish and other sea creatures.

Poseidon : God of the sea, rivers, floods, droughts, and earthquakes, king of the sea and the waters. Symbols : trident, horse and dolphin.

Prometheus : God of forethought and crafty counsel, and creator of mankind.

Proteus : Shape-shifting, prophetic old sea god.

Zeus : King of the gods, ruler of Mount Olympus, and god of the sky, weather, thunder, lightning, law, order, and justice. Symbols : royal scepter, lightning bolt, eagle and bull.

Tartarus : The god of the deepest, darkest part of the underworld, the Tartarean pit.

Thanatos : God of death.

[angelic-ish-phantom]

Danny has been having the same dream every full moon since he was five.

He doesn’t know why it’s so specific in its timing, but it’s one of those things that he doesn’t really want to think about too hard.

It’s not an unpleasant dream. It’s warm, like a cherished memory. It’s a little to strange in places to truly be a memory, but Danny knows it so vividly he thinks of it as one.

It’s always the same.

There is a man sitting in the grass, wearing the most purple cloak Danny has ever seen anyone wear. But then Danny hasn’t ever seen anyone wear a cloak that wasn’t on tv.

He walks over to the man.

He knows he’s not supposed to talk to strangers, but this man looks cool, and Danny wants to talk to him. If he asks his name, they won’t be strangers anymore.

“Hello.” Danny says walking into the man’s space, coming closer until he’s right next to him.

The man turns looking perle- purplex- a tiny bit confused. He tilts his head and Danny notices sees he’s smiling. It’s a small, thin smile, like it was drawn on in marker.

Danny doesn’t think about that very hard, because he almost immediately notices the man is blue.

People can’t be blue can they? Danny doesn’t think so. It’s probably face paint. Maybe he’s a clown? Would it be rude to ask if he’s a weird clown? What if it’s a mask and this guy is an actor. Actors wore all sorts of things.

He’s so busy contemplating over clowns and actors he almost doesn’t hear the man speak.

“You aren’t supposed to be here.” The man says, which Danny thinks is ridiculous and says just as much.

“Everyone is allowed in the park. And my sister said I could.” Danny argues.

The man hums, staring at him. His eyes are red. This guy looks so cool. “I suppose you do then.” He says simply back to Danny after a while. Danny feels like he’s impressed by something.

Suddenly, A dog rushes into the brush and it’s huge and brown and angry looking. All at once, it stops running and looks towards the man.

“Back the way you came little one, we all have places to be.” The man says and Danny’s pretty sure he’s talking to the dog.

It stares for a second, before trotting back in the direction it came, calm. That was neat. The man must be one of those people that whisper to dogs. Only that guy didn’t whisper at all so maybe he’s something else…

The brush is silent again until Danny asks, “Are you a magician?”

He chuckles quietly, “Of sorts.” The stranger says mysteriously. Danny remembers he still doesn’t know his name.

“What’s your name?” Danny asks simply.

“It’s rude to ask for someone’s name before you’ve given your own, child.”

Danny pouts, because that is a stupid rule he didn’t know about. He opens his mouth to give his name but…

He does not think that he should give this man his name.

“I’m Daniel.” He says anyway, because that is what his teachers call him; his name is Danny.

The man pats him on the head as though he’s congratulating Danny for something. “Very well then Daniel, you may call me Ananke.”

Danny feels kind of guilty about telling Anana- Anka- the cool man the long name he doesn’t like. But he’s happy they’re sort of not strangers anymore.

“It’s very nice to meet you.” Danny adds, because he knows all the manners and is in fact not rude at all.

The man rises from the grass, “You are quite the polite child aren’t you.” He says as he begins to walk. He has the sharpest teeth Danny’s ever seen.

Danny beams and nods, making to follow the man, but stops. He hadn’t noticed it before, but there is a ring of (glowing?) mushrooms on the ground.

It doesn’t feel like he’s allowed to leave.

But then the Anananaka man calls him over with a short, “Come along.” And it’s like a weight is lifted.

They walk in a happy silence for a few minutes before the man speaks again. “Perhaps, young one,” he starts, “The next time we meet, I’ll give you a truer name.”

That’s a good idea! Then Danny can tell him his name too. “Me too.” Danny answers, entirely forgetting the man shouldn’t know he half-lied about his name.

Danny scowls a bit. The man looks all colorful and cool now, but what if he looks boring later? How will Danny know it’s him?

“What if I can’t remember your name?” Danny asks shyly, not wanting to upset this man, his friend?

He stops and crouches down. “You will.” Is all he says before kissing Danny on the forehead.

Danny blinks. It feels like ticking clocks and rising suns. It’s warm.

The man holds out his hand to Danny and it feels like a bit like goodbye, but more like a promise. Danny grabs the too-large gloves with both hands and shakes.

“Okay.” Danny says and he too is sure he will.

And Danny does remember. He hears the name spoken over and over in his repeating dream.

He remembers the ring of mushrooms as he looks into the mouth of his parents portal and can’t help but notice how similar they look.

It doesn’t quite make sense, but it feels just as inescapable, just as bright with foreign energy.

And as Danny hesitates, he thinks he can hear ticking.

The portal feels like a cashed in favor, like inevitability.

It feels like it’s calling Danny in to dance forever.

[tato-acm]

gwynriel week 2022 -  day 2  - different yet similar   @gwynrielweek2022

acosf - ch 23:

“Right,” Cassian panted through gritted teeth as he blocked Az’s kick and bounced a step back, circling again. “Whoever lands the next blow wins.” “That’s ridiculous,” Az panted back. “We go until one of us eats dirt.” Az had a vicious competitive streak. It wasn’t boastful and arrogant, the way Cassian knew he himself was prone to be, or possessive and terrifying like Amren’s. No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal. Cassian had lost track of how many games they’d played over the centuries, with one of them certain of a win, only for Az to reveal some master strategy. 

acosf - ch 60:

Gwyn asked Az, her teal eyes bright, “What do we get if we finish the course?” Az’s shadows danced around him. “Since there’s no chance in hell any of you will finish the course, we didn’t bother to get a prize.” Boos sounded. Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.”

[...]

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder. Az stared after her, brows high with amusement. When he turned back, Nesta grinned. “You have no idea what you just started,” she said. Az angled his head, hazel eyes narrowing as Gwyn reached the archway. “Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?” Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder. “You’re the new ribbon, Az.”

[...]

Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s.

[...]

And when Gwyn reached the finish line, bloody and panting and grinning so wildly her teal eyes glowed like a sunlit sea, she only extended her battered hand to Azriel. “Well?”

[yazthebookish]

I love that in one book, Sarah had shown how perfect Azriel and Gwyn are for each other:

Az had a vicious competitive streak. It wasn’t boastful and arrogant, the way Cassian knew he himself was prone to be, or possessive and terrifying like Amren’s. No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal. Cassian had lost track of how many games they’d played over the centuries, with one of them certain of a win, only for Az to reveal some master strategy.

Roslin, Ananke, and Deirdre were close on their heels, propelling Gwyn to push her group harder. She wanted to be the first. Wanted Nesta and Emerie and her to be the ones who wiped the smirks from Azriel’s and Cassian’s faces. Especially Azriel’s.

...

Gwyn asked Az, her teal eyes bright, “What do we get if we finish the course?” Az’s shadows danced around him. “Since there’s no chance in hell any of you will finish the course, we didn’t bother to get a prize.” Boos sounded. Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.”

And when Gwyn reached the finish line, bloody and panting and grinning so wildly her teal eyes glowed like a sunlit sea, she only extended her battered hand to Azriel. “Well?”

...

“You are immortal,” he said quietly. “You are very hard to break.” A pause. “That’s what I told myself.”

Gwyn whispered, “I am the rock against which the surf crashes.” Nesta straightened at the words, as if they were a prayer and a summons. Gwyn lifted the blade. “Nothing can break me.”

“I have been broken once before,” Gwyn said, her voice clear. “I survived it. And I will not be broken again—not even by this mountain.”

...

Azriel sharpened Truth-Teller. The black blade absorbed the dim sunlight trickling through the forest canopy above. “It seems you’ve forgotten how much of spying is waiting for the right moment. People don’t engage in their evil deeds when it’s convenient to you.”

She smiled crookedly at Nesta. “I kept to the trees the first two nights, watching the beasts, and I spotted that horrible male and his companions this morning. Saw they’d found my nightgown and displayed it, and I knew they were hunting for you. I thought I’d take them out before they could find you.”

...

"Do you sing?” He blinked. It wasn't every day that people took him by surprise, but... "Why do you ask?" "They call you shadowsinger. Is it because you sing?" “I am a shadowsinger--it's not a title that someone just made.” She shrugged again, irreverently. Az narrowed his eyes, studying her. "Do you, though?" she pressed. "Sing?" Azriel couldn't help his soft chuckle. "Yes."

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder. Az stared after her, brows high with amusement. When he turned back, Nesta grinned. “You have no idea what you just started,” she said. Az angled his head, hazel eyes narrowing as Gwyn reached the archway. “Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?” Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder. “You’re the new ribbon, Az.”

...

“Tell me you found their secret to cutting the ribbon.” “You and that ribbon,” Nesta muttered, shutting the tome. Of all of them, Gwyn had become the most relentless about succeeding.

Gwyn stared the ribbon down like an enemy on a battlefield. It rippled in the wind, dancing away, its motions unpredictable as any foe. [...] Cassian glanced over at Az, but his attention was fixed on the young priestess, admiration and quiet encouragement shining from his face.

...

For whatever reason... he could see it. But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face.

Gwyn let out a high-pitched noise that was nothing but pure excitement. Azriel, on the other side of the ring with the rest of the priestesses, half-turned at the sound, brows high.

...

Best couple in the history of ACOTAR.

You just know it.

[zombunnys]

talking about ananke and lyra cus it MY blog and i talk about whatever

- lyra has done vocals for a few songs in ananke's band, she can scream rlly loud and hold it for a while

- lyra's eyes r blindingly bright and would very probably cause permanent damage to a humans vision. she keeps her eyes closed most of the time

- OH YEAH ananke is rlly good with kids, very trustworthy babysitter. he just lets them hang out on his shoulders

- ananke comes from a big family (lots of sisters) whereas angels dont rlly value a family dynamic and dont get attached to their parents/kids, so lyra likely finds it weird that he's so close with his siblings

- ananke's species doesnt have to eat often actually, probably because its such a pain. he has to undo the bandages to get to his true mouth then redo the bandages after eating. i think they generally can go 1-2 years without eating? when they eat its a BIG meal though

- ananke's eyes dilate and contract kinda like a cats ^__^ they can also rotate them like a goat (purpose of this isnt rlly clear)

- lyra has sort of talons, ananke has claws

- angels shed their feathers all at once - it looks similiar to how a deer sheds velvet (comes off in sheets of blood, looks horrific!!) its only once a century and isnt painful but it probably scared ananke so bad when he saw lyra shedding

- lyra and ananke met at a concert for a band they both like called infected shrines.. lyra was doing a very poor job disguising herself as a human to attend