#bonus points if tied to it but we knew that already

[b0amagination]

fucking obsessed with a chair in the bathroom in a whump scene. the kind that belongs in a dining room or a kitchen.

this chair Does Not Belong Here. something Wrong is happening here. why is so much time being spent in this room that a chair is suddenly so necessary that one would drag it from The Other Room

sitting on the toilet simply would not suffice, no no no. it's CHAIR TIME

[bigassmoonchild]

night team here

can we request ghost with a daughter that is the mini verison of him like soap thinks shes gonna be sweet and nice and she bullies him worse than her father does

bonus points

price already knew ghosts daughter was a complete savage but soap annoyed him that morning and price decided the consequences of his actions was being brutally roasted

(daughter is gonna be leaning teens just bc i said so. also, thank you so much for the request!! love the night team 🫶🫶)

soap wasn’t supposed to know. this wasn’t something anyone was supposed to know, but simon was decently okay with price knowing. price knew to keep secrets, hell, price had his own.

but simon accidentally let it slip.

‘i’ve gotta get home, early morning,’ he’d told the 141 when they wanted to go out for drinks after a successful mission. they gave him odd looks (one of them was a knowing one, but he’d ignore price being offered to come watch a recital).

soap didn’t let it go, no he didn’t. ‘got the missus waiting back there?’ and simon was exhausted, it was a long mission and all he wanted was to sleep in his own house.

‘kids got a recital,’ he’d muttered and had walked away. what he didn’t expect was to find a huge amount of messages from soap the next morning. most consisted of the same things.

kid??

who’d have a child with you??

what’s the mother look like?

what’s the kids name?

son or daughter?

maybe i wanted to come watch too

i’m technically their uncle

and simon had to leave, collected you from your grandmother and took you to the recital. you were beautiful, the pride and joy of his life. someone he’d never thought he’d ever had, someone he never knew he could love more than anything.

it took months for simon to wear down enough ti even allow any of them to see a picture of you, let alone know your name.

‘beauty, that one is. you sure she came from you?’ simon shoved soap off the chair for that comment. soap continued to rave about being an ‘uncle’ and as much as simon didn’t want it, he had to tell you.

you looked at him weird when he admitted he’d spoken about you to the 141. you knew, generally, what he did but you didn’t get details.

‘ok and?’ you’d asked. ‘what’re they gonna do? it’s not like they’re gonna do something behind your back, not like price has said anything,’ and he worried. maybe he coddled you a little, but you were his girl.

and you’d agreed to meeting them, but told simon you didn’t want to know when. ‘i’ll be thinking about it too much,’ you told him.

simon finally dropped a few names for you, late one night when he’d finally relaxed with some whiskey (he didn’t mention the watered down taste).

‘what kinda name is soap? he drop it or something?’

it took some time before simon had grown any sort of comfortable letting anyone but price be around you. it wasn’t common that you stayed by price when simon was out on a mission, but the occasion happened when it was possibly a fatal one.

it was early morning when you’d sent a text to simon, he hadn’t meant to go to the compound at all that day but had made a lunch. it was a picture of the lunch, still sitting in the fridge with the caption ‘you forget something?’

and he’d groaned, mentioning to price in passing that he forgot his lunch at home. soap and gaz had been there, and a little smile came from soap.

‘just have the lass bring it ‘round, i’m sure she’s dying to meet her uncles,’ price gave a little grimace. ‘what? she’s probably a sweetheart, i cant imagine a girl like her would turn out like ghost,’

you’d relented to bring it around, especially after price messaged you about soap not being able to shut up about meeting you.

he’s pressing me for information. -john

if you bring the food, i’ll give your dad an extra day of leave. -john

please, i’m about to make him run. -john

you always laughed a little when he signed off after each text. it was his own little thing, and you secretly enjoyed having a fatherly figure text you more than three words.

when you got to the compound, you found price waiting outside for you and you waggled the bag of food at him. he let you in, guiding you through the halls to where simon and the others were.

‘try not to forget it, next time,’ you told simon. he gave you a small grunt, one that sounded like his ‘thank you’.

soap walked up to you, giving you a cheeky grin and swinging his arm around your shoulder. ‘how’s it been, lass?’ he asked you and you shook his arm off.

‘you know it’s not the 80’s anymore, right?’ he blinked at you. snorting softly with an eye roll, you sat down in the nearest chair. ‘mullets back in style, you know. might fit you better,’ you commented.

soap was left with his mouth open, gesturing faintly to you then to simon. ‘she can’t be like you,’ he nearly hissed.

‘don’t act so surprised, she said damn near the same thing to me,’ price lamented, thinking back on his first time meeting you.

‘you from the 1800’s? christ, i haven’t seen anyone willingly have that beard,’ you’d told him oh so long ago.

you looked around, leaning towards him. ‘who else am i supposed to be like? i’m pretty sure he’s my father,’ you hissed back.

all soap could do was blink. a little ghost? no, he couldn’t believe it. he saw simon give you a little fist bump, almost saw a few dollars being passed between you two.

simon pulled his mask off to eat and you looked at him closely. ‘you get a haircut?’ you asked, squinting your eyes suspiciously.

‘nope,’ he responded. ‘got ‘em all cut,’ and you snorted a short laugh. soap couldn’t do much but watch the interaction, realization slowly settling in.

‘that’s why you tell those shitty jokes?’ he announced. ‘you’re actually a father telling dad jokes,’

you gave a little smile and he could see the admiration in your eyes. god, you were just like your father but the confidence came off of you so easily.

‘yknow he came to my parents job show and tell once,’ you told everyone and simon stared at you. almost daring you to finish. ‘he didn’t take the mask off and had to leave, he scared too many of the kids,’

you spoke so fondly of him.

‘but he’s a prick, so he just left,’ simon lightly kicked your leg and you made a big show of it. you might be his kid, but you had your own personality in there.

and simon would be dead before anyone took that from you.

[elrieldreamer]

I just read the BC and feel so sad. Maybe I’m not paying attention, but what was the reason for including so much Gwyn and conflicting things in a single chapter? I specially don’t understand that last part. Does Azriel really like Gwyn? Did he forget about Elain so quickly? I don’t know what SJM was thinking. Was her objective to end the book in an ambiguous way to start a ship war? I don’t get it.

Hey, Anon. Don’t feel sad! This is a pretty common question, BUT Elriels have EVERY reason to be confident, even after (and even BECAUSE OF) the infamous bonus chapter.

I’d like to start with a little setup for Elriel leading up to the ACOSF Solstice. We see across multiple books that Elriel have a special relationship. Azriel seeks out physical touch from Elain, which is unusual for him. He spends time with her, sitting in the garden while she works, talking late into the night on Solstice, watching her through windows, etc... He actively helps her discover her gift (when Madja said a mate would know), trusts her with the prized weapon that he’s never let another soul touch, is protective of her physically (insists that he WILL save her from Hybern’s camp), and even peacocks for her, sunning his wings in her presence. By the end of ACOFAS it’s pretty clear that there is something special building between these two.

In ACOSF, we see more development for Elain and Azriel’s feelings, though it is more subtle since Nesta and Cassian are front and center. We see Cassian notice that Azriel has moved on from Mor, Elain and Azriel sharing shy smiles, Azriel becoming agitated and protective of Elain when Nesta verbally lashes out at her, and worrying about her offer to attempt scrying. He’s staying at the House of Wind to chaperone Nesta and Cass, but also to put some distance between himself and Elain. Because he knows that she’s considered a female off limits to him. At the Solstice celebration, Azriel struggles to be in the same room as Elain and Lucien, and Nesta is sympathetic as she realizes that Azriel has feelings for Elain.

Which brings us to the bonus chapter. Bonuses are meant to reinforce what we’ve already seen in the main text, but because they have a limited release (and this one had a very limited printing), they generally don’t introduce new concepts. In this BC, we learn that:

- Azriel and Elain have mutual feelings and attraction for each other.

- If Az and Elain were to pursue each other, it could start an inter-court war.

- The priestesses have powers that we should be cognizant of.

So - confirmation of the feelings that we knew were growing between Az and Elain, to the point that Azriel bought her a gift usually given to mates (ACOFAS) and Elain drives a sexually charged encounter forward. The language in this portion is soft and romantic.

Rhys stepping in set up conflict that we will likely see play out in an Elriel story. Elain is a female mated to an Autumn Court (well, Day, but Autumn for this purpose) male. If Az is found pursuing her, a Blood Duel could be called, with the potential for massive, inter-court drama. Additionally, we have to remember that Rhys was under incredible pressure at this point, his mortality tied to Feyre who was in the middle of a potentially life threatening pregnancy.

An example of what we’ve already seen in the main text - that Gwyn has latent powers that she may or may not be cognizant of. In this portion, we start to see use of power and siren language. Azriel’s shadows don’t alert him to Gwyn’s presence (which is unusual). They dance in her breath “like it heard some silent music”. Her hair goes from “coppery brown” to “shining like molten metal” as she starts asking him questions, after he’s already made it clear that he wants to limit the interaction as much as possible. He hears music as he leaves the ring. In a book where we’ve been introduced to lightsingers, it’s interesting that she seems to both light up and emit music.

Then, the interaction with Clotho again hits home that the priestesses have magic that we shouldn’t ignore, and we see more siren type language. Azriel has been meaning to return the necklace to the Palace of Thread and Jewels all day, but “finds himself” at the library. Coincidentally, it’s 7 bells, so it’s likely that the priestesses are singing in their evening service (much like they were when Nesta was lured into her vision of the Harp). It had been previously conjectured that Clotho could possess some form of daemati powers. Nesta mentions when she first meets her that it felt like she could sense her thoughts/emotions. Rhys has also told us that the priestesses are not all trustworthy, and that they’ve “burrowed” their way into multiple courts. We know that Koschei has been “receiving information on the wind”, and Merrill has power over wind. I’m not saying that Gwyn, Clotho, and every other priestess in the library is villainous, but I am saying that SJM seems to be reminding us that we should pay attention to them.

The final portion of this chapter is often misconstrued as a romantic moment between Az and Gwyn, but when we look at it a little deeper, this scene isn’t romantic at all. Azriel isn’t even in Gwyn’s presence, but Clotho’s. Clotho, who likely has daemati powers. The image is of Gwyn (who he said he wouldn’t even consider a friend) wearing a necklace that was clearly chosen especially for Elain. It’s important to note the language here - the image of Gwyn wearing the second-hand necklace is said to “glow quietly” after that spark. “Glow” being a measure of LIGHT and “quietly” being a measure of SOUND. Azriel CONCIOUSLY tucks the thought away (as if it had happened UNCONSCIOUSLY). Suspicious, no?

I saved the “spark” in Azriel’s chest for last because it gets brought up time and time again as a “mate” moment by antis. “Spark” is often used by SJM in relation to power. We see multiple examples of its use throughout the three series (Tamlin/Feyre, Rhys/Bryce/Amren, etc …), but this example is the most compelling in comparison to what we see in this particular BC, because the wording is even very similar:

Lorcan barely tolerates Aelin. There is absolutely nothing romantic between them. Lorcan is describing the interaction of POWER when taking the blood oath. In a BC that is already hinting at hidden powers, it makes much more sense that the spark Azriel feels is related to interaction of power, not love.

Finally, what happens between Azriel and Gwyn after the Solstice?

Nothing.

If Azriel had a “mate moment” in that BC or realized that he was attracted to her, wouldn’t we expect more interaction? A sweet moment or two as noticed by Nesta or Cassian? You’d think so. Instead, we know that Azriel is still upset after Solstice. He won’t even give Nesta a smile. SJM herself said that Azriel was throwing snowballs full of rocks at Rhys in anger and frustration. When the ladies are taken for the Blood Rite Cassian is losing his mind with worry because his mate is in danger. What about Az? He tells Cassian to trust in their training and heads off to deal with Eris. He’s not having a big, emotional reaction. If SJM wanted to set Az and Gwyn up as a “thing” this would’ve been the PERFECT moment for her to add in a little aggression/emotion. But … there’s nothing. No “I’m getting her back”. No churning eyes. Nothing that we saw when it was Elain in danger.

That ended up being way longer than anticipated, and I apologize if it is disjointed. 😂 I wrote it in multiple sittings, so I’m sure it got away from me. Have a great day, anon!

[shinysmolivgarden]

I'd like to preface this post by saying

I think the toxic chain theory was interesting, and no hate to the people who believed it, but...

I find it kind of funny that SO many people believed it.

MY FIRST POINT:

That would have been a very big plot point. And that would be kind of weird considering the Indigo Disk was obviously about Terapagos and not "Dokutaro", as it was named at the time. A thing I've seen is that people thought taking the championship title from Kieran is what would "reveal" that he had been possessed or whatever, but like... Kieran was the most important non-player character in the DLC. You'd think that if he had actually been possessed by Dokutaro, that would be the main focus of the Indigo Disk. But it clearly wasn't. Pecharunt (up until the epilogue) was only found in the files and hidden when Kieran's grandpa tells us Ogerpon's story, which is something that'd be weird to do for a legendary so important to the DLC's story. Even with Ogerpon, despite the fact that it was a reveal that it wasn't evil and a reveal to the characters in the story that it actually existed, we knew it existed because it was announced BEFORE the Teal Mask came out. And, I was right about that! Pecharunt was announced BEFORE the epilogue was released! (Again, no hate to people who thought this, I just think it's a bit weird.)

MY SECOND POINT:

A big piece of "evidence" for the theory was that the trailers for the indigo disk showed that he "dyed" his hair purple. (And that's the same color as Dokutaro! :0) Like... that was always his hair color. The underside of his hair was always purple. He just tied his hair up. You can still see his black hair from behind. I guess it made sense if you already believed the theory, but if you didn't (like me) it is easily explainable.

MY THIRD POINT:

Another theory I've seen going around (especially on tumblr) is that Kieran was not outright possessed by Pecharunt but was still influenced by it as part of his descent into... I don't want to say madness but basically madness. (This would also explain why Ogerpon did not go with Kieran during the Teal Mask. I've already created a post on MY opinions on that, but you can read that later.) A reason for this I've seen is that "there must still be some poison under the Loyal Three's grave even though their bodies have decayed" (yes I still call them the Loyal Three and not the Lousy Three, cry about it /j). Which... what? How would that poison get up to Kieran after he punched the grave? Poison is weak to ground for a reason. And as to why he wasn't fully possessed is because Pecharunt's dex entry says that its mochi draws out desires and capabilities, and Kieran of course didn't have any mochi so he wasn't outright possessed- stop. Listen to what you just said. Pecharunt's mochi draws out desires and capabilities, and Kieran didn't have any mochi. Are you beginning to see the problem? tbh toxic chain believer copium /j (I'd like to say again, I. HAVE. NOTHING. AGAINST. THESE. PEOPLE. I just think the THEORY is a bit wack. Please don't hate me.) (I will add the people who made the posts I'm referencing once I find them again.)

References:

@jadeazora for one of the posts.

https://www.tumblr.com/2oul2ilver/753739784490532864/yes-i-was-just-thinking-about-writing-a-post-on?source=share for the other.

BONUS POINT:

One of the people I saw supporting the theory before the Indigo Disk came out (It was a yt video but I can't find it again so I'll link it if i find it) said that Kieran might be possessed because "he looks crazy". That's it. That was their evidence.

IN CONCLUSION,

The toxic chain theory is a theory that I believe to be fine in concept, and I think it is an interesting idea. But, as with any theory, it had its faults and I personally didn't believe it because a majority of its evidence I believed (and still believe) to be just a tad bit wack.

Thank you for reading!

[devildompossum]

Gahh the more we learn about solomon the more I want to study him under a microscope!!! Dude he's such an insane character!!

I love that they finally gave us the option to confront him about how scummy his pact with asmo was, it's just so so so in character for him

Solomon is so lonely. So disconnected from any sort of community that he's lost sight of everything. He protects humanity but he has absolutely no real ties to it, even the sorcerers academy (Guild?) He founded wants nothing to do with him

We already knew all this information, we knew asmo was drunk when he made the pact, we knew solomon not only sees nothing wrong with that fact but also actively doesn't see demons as people so much as potential threats to humanity (and ways to combat that threat by making yourself more powerful) but it's so fascinating to hear it so directly from him (because he's also drunk)

Let's take a look at the dialog options after this. If you choose to call him out on it:

He points out how literally everything about mcs situation is an outlier and not the norm. Anyone who's making pacts with demons (presumably! We only have a sample size of two and Solomons word. I know about mammon and the witchs but u feel like that's a bit of a different situation) is trying to trick the demon into making a pact in the humans favour. Let's take that at face value for now

Mc is direct proof that it doesn't have to work like that. Pacts can be beneficial to both parties, they don't have to be fights for power where both sides are trying to come out on top. It's real, tangible proof that humanity is already on the level that solomon thinks they need to be to compete with the other realms.

Solomon doesn't see it that way. He absolutely thinks the only reason mc got so far is because there is something uniquely special about mc (presumably being Liliths descendant, if he knows about that)

Also notably, if you agree it was lucky that he found a drunk asmo

He comments on his power levels again, along with giving mc an affection bonus. His sole goal is to accumulate power to protect humanity. He doesn't care how, he doesn't care if it isolates him and makes him less and less human as time goes on. He can't care that the one person who could ever hope to understand his situation, maybe even join his quest, refuses and sides with who he sees as his enemies (or his tools)

Hes just.... so sad. I want to smack him upside the head

[romanarose]

Hello whore! Happy birthday in advance.

What if ROF Frankie were Beatriz's bio son and Santi were the adopted kid? How would that affect their current personalities?

Also, (within the canon timeline), what if Ben weren't a slut? (Lol) Do you him and Frankie might have run away already? Or maybe Santo would murder Ben?

Rooms on Fire

RomanaVerse Birthday Bash

Okay lets get to thinking here.

Firstly.....

thats a great question. I swear I'm not trying to punish our baby here but I just don't think Frankie would fit what Beatriz would want from the savior either. Honestly I think Will would have been best suited for the role, he woul have been what Beatriz invisioned in a jesus figure; he's calm, rational, compassionate and even tempered generally but is not afraid to do what needs to be done to protect his family. As we see with him killing Melanie, he could have made it hurt... but he didn't. Yes, he hit Rey and that was shitty, but he didn't do it for funsies or rage, he did it to correct behavior. Reyansh is a.... point of contention amoung Ben, Will, and Santi, as is JOnah but Jonah is more careful. Jonah knows not to be caught alone in close proximity, not to be too goofy and silly. He know more boundaries since yes are on him after the whole delilah hollbaloo

Rey is not careful. He's a lover. Wether iris or his friends or even frankie and jonah, he's a touchy, smiley, biiiiiiiig hug kinda guy. Will is trying to manage this relationship, remind Rey he is a guardsman, not her little friend and certainly should be watching himself around Madonna. Will is naturally suspicious after Delilah.

I'm rambling omg this has nothing to do with the story

anyway Frankie in this story is passive, quiet. to quite. He's not wht beatriz wants from a god, and certainly not the savior! I havn't gone into it but she absolutly hurt that poor baby trying to make him tougher, and Santi used to stand up for him. Santi is a lot of things and certainly not a good person or partner but he is very much "mine" when he thinks he owns someone, he owns them. Madonna, frankie, Ben and Will are 'his' and in his teens did not let Beatriz hurt him.

I think Santi would be less..... like that. Santi's psyche broke with the idea of being a god and the savior constantly being ripped away and changed, mixed with his mom raising him to beleive these things, and her own mental illness passed down to him.

I personally think of Santi has BPD, maybe some other stuff. He talks about suffering meltdowns like madonna had and Frankie being the one to calm them. Madonna is autistic coded but i dont think santi has signs of autism, but rather has meltdowns from his BPD. If Beatriz wasn't a shit mom she wouldn't have done things like try to beat it out of him or lock him in closets when he was screaming as a kid. A good mom could have worked with him and he could have turned out fine. but that wasn't int he cards. I think without the uhhhhhhh "hey your a god hey no your not actually your the savior no ur not" all the time he wouldn't be this bad but ti think he'd still be rough. I think his possesiveness of frankie might be toned down. I think Santi knew what beatriz was doing sexually to frankie and since he was also fucking Frankie behind the scenes I think it was just a MESS

As for the other part....

I stand by that Ben loves Frankie. I know that most of yall dont believe me but i think he does XD in the fishben bonus chapter, symptom of being human he clearly cares... but i think he's bit of an hydrenalin junkie. Ben does crazy shit, he has no fear. he's an alcohalic and a drug user Madonna desribes him mostly in fun terms, he's childish and immature. Perpetual teenager.

I think even without the cheating... it couldnt work. I think ben could potentially run away with Frankie, because the high of the run would excite him... but theres 2 problems

1, the main reason he doesnt try to leave now isn't because he wants to fuck others. Ben could fuck anywhere lololol he certainly isnt sexually abusing Iris because he cares about hr in anyway, and all the women in delta he fucks are interchangeable

its because he thinks he's a god. he thinks they all are, he has a loyalty to santi he wont let go of. While Frankie and Santi were beaten and frankie sexually abused, the millers didn't suffer that fate. They were essentially adopted later, im thinking Will at age 10 and Ben at 7 or 6. they were on the verge of death when beatriz rescued them, leaving them both with extreme fealty for the garcia's. Ben fucking frankie behind his back is as far as he will go.

2. The high of running away would wear off, and Ben would want his life of luxery, all the dick and pussy he could ever want, and Iris's food. Hes a pretty boy, not to the most skilled in survival. he'd get bored.

I think if santi wasnt the way he was, maybe ben and frankie could live happily together in delta..... but santi is.... like that

[acourtofthought]

People talk about Azriel having a bonus chapter in both ACOSF and CC2 and say that points to his book being next, but Elain was heavily featured in both bonus chapters in ACOSF. I also found her absence in the CC2 final chapter interesting. Nesta, Cassian, Rhysand, and Feyre were all there. Azriel too. But Elain wasn't. Neither was Lucien. I think CC3 and the next ACOTAR book are going to be on the same timeline. While the Night Court deals with the Bryce thing, Elain and Lucien are going to be busy saving Prythian!

I have a feeling my response is going to get lengthy so I'm just going to start off with:

I agree with you!!

(that way if someone wants to avoid my long monologue they can stop reading here 😂)

If we go way back to books 2 and 3, it's pretty clear the direction that SJM was going to be taking Nesta and Elain's stories. Not necessarily the specifics (like Nesta with the Valkyries) but that Nesta would end up with Cassian in the Night Court and that Elain's journey would involve Lucien, Koschei and Vassa.

At that time SJM had done an interview saying she knew the direction she had wanted to go with the sisters so she was able to plant hints early on. She had also said she knew who the first two spin-offs would be about (safe to assume Nesta and Elain) but that she was leaving the third open, that she was even considering a story set in the past.

To me that means she wasn't focused on Azriel during ACOWAR, that she wasn't planting any major hints for him to have his own book. I think she was adding minor details for all the characters like Mor, Eris, Amren, etc. because she ties up most loose ends for all side characters of a series but I don't think Az got the same focus that both Nesta and Elain did (and Lucien).

I do think sometime between the release of ACOWAR and the drafting of ACOSF she decided that Az would be getting a book and with SF having Cassian's POV, it gave her a chance to add details starting to build up Az's story.

But the thing is, it didn't build him up all that much compared to the 2/3 books of buildup the sisters / Lucien have gotten. There are hints for sure but nothing quite so specific as we got for Elain and Lucien "Spring had been made for someone like her" and "we need to permanently station Lucien in Spring, Lucien setting his sights on his target and Nesta wondering if Elain would travel to the continent, the knowledge that Lucien's father still hasn't been revealed, his friendship with Tamlin still at odds, Elain's powers still unexplored. With the possible hints she's given us from ACOWAR through SF, I'd bet money on the fact that Elucien's story will take them to the continent, Spring, Day, the human lands and possibly the Prison.

Az was featured a great deal in SF but where else would SJM have the chance to continue buiding his story? An Elucien book is probably not going to give us much because there's no reason for him to have major page time if their story takes them away from the IC.

But even now, what would Az's story be outside the Illyrians? We can theorize and take guesses but there weren't flashing neon signs the way there have been Elucien. So I think SJM could also use the crossover and maybe the Bryce / Nesta / Az bonus to further set up future ACOTAR books (plots outside of the ones she's already given us, plots that come AFTER Koschei, Spring, etc though I don't think there will be any major reveals in CC3 considering it's still happening in a different series. She'd still need to find a way to deliver the same information into the ACOTAR series itself for those who don't read CC.

I think Elucien will be busy dealing with everything outside the Night Court which means the IC and Az are going to need a storyline to keep them busy. I don't think the IC is going to involve themselves with the human queens / Koschei / Spring and if SJM plans on continuing the ACOTAR series beyond the two remaining spin-offs, she needs to start laying crumbs for the next major plot.

It is notable that Elain was absent from the crossover scene in CC2. 6 - 9 months after the end of SF. That's a long time for the characters to have been hanging around doing nothing when they're worried about another war.

So it's not impossible to think that in that time, Elucien could have set off on a journey to secure the peace treaty, save Vassa from Koschei who said her time was up, and get Spring back on it's feet and while they're doing that, the IC (and Az) will be tackling the newest threat to their world, an even bigger threat than Koschei (that threat being surviving Daglan / Asteri trying to reenter).

As far as the bonus chapters (because you're right, that's a big argument for some), ACOTAR bonus chapters are a bit different than the bonus chapters we've gotten in any other series.

i.e. Chaol's bonus chapter did not hint at his endgame person and took place immediately before his book picked up. Also, I don't think the Crescent City bonus chapters have hinted at endgame relationships, have they?

In comparison, the ACOTAR bonus chapters, seem to introduce future mating bonds. They aren't so much plot related as giving us the heads up that a specific pairing might be endgame in the future. But just because a mating bond is introduced doesn't mean that couple will get together anytime soon. Nessian didn't end up together for 18 months after their bonus.

So yes, Az got a bonus chapter but that doesn't mean he's ready to end up with his endgame person. The introduction of Az's mate has come well after the introduction of Elucien's bond AND their storylines. We're now aware of the possibility of Gwynriel but that doesn't necessarily mean they're ready to end up together just as Elucien hasn't been ready to end up together though we found out about their bond in book 2.

And you're right, both bonus chapters featured Elain. One was her dealing with yet another rejection / loss of something. Elain lost her father and was rejected by Graysen. I think she convinced herself she could be fine with whatever the Az situation was, that if she just focused on that she could avoid dealing with how upset she was over other things but with Az's rejection and Nesta's believing she shouldn't do anything dangerous I think they're the last straws that are going to force her to confront things and make changes.

And the Feyre bonus was Elain finally being acknowledged as someone who hasn't been given the credit she deserves, that she is capable of more. They wanted to help one sister before the other and with Nesta's POV now done, it's not a wild leap to think that means it's time for Elain's.

Az's POV may have set up his future love interest but Elain being the conversation of both POVs further set up her arc, with her needing to finally deal with her bond with Lucien and her being ready for more.

I'm sorry I rambled, I'm going to go back in a few and double check that it all made sense 😂

[itsdappleagain]

tis time for the need for speed caper!

notes under the cut as always

if you saw my boston tea party caper post you will already know that this is not my favorite episode. potentially one of my least favorites in the season. still has some fantastic moments though, and I'm excited anyway!

cool foreshadowing for next ep with neal. bellum likes him

THE WAY BRUNT'S FACE LIGHTS UP WHEN MECH WALKS IN

these bitches really ARE gay

THE SIGHS AND FORCED POLITE GREETINGS ARE SO FUCKING FUNNY

i love how snarly they animate mech's face. her lip is curled or her nose is wrinkled

poor mechanic. so british it hurts a little bit

a choice of playdates 😭

cs: you can work remotely from my latop! the season being released in 2019: 👁️👄👁️

god why do they always make carmen's hottest and most showstopping outfits only get like a minute of screentime

the complete 180 from barfing at fish to proclaiming his love for a vile operative. fantastic

also mmmmmmmmmmmmmm the driver is a fantastic character. she's set up just enough w/ the green outfit and the mechanic letting us know that there's an operative already in dubai. plus she's milking trey without anyone suspecting a thing. she's so cool. imagine having to play dumb about your specialty for this arrogant little white boy

anyway trey sterlings little earrings

bonus points for how the driver only smiles when trey is looking at her

im a duke and ivy's a rocket scientist wheeze

god that cape on carmen is everything

who voices sterling sterling

okay 1. daddy sterling 2. ITS MR GROUPER FROM BUBBLE GUPPIES JIDSHH. he's been in a ton of shit. soggy joe from amphibia, benzo in arcane, phineas and ferb and a lot of stuff as the amazing hulk. i wonder why they had him do the role GOOD LORD THIS GUY HAS BEEN IN A LOT OF STUFF

so has trey's va

and then the driver throws herself on trey as soon as she confirms that he's the one driving its so good

love how trey uses the wrong names just to be a dick

not entirely sure why zack and ivy went to the party at all when they could have just gone with carmen but whatever

ah, the part of the episode which makes me hate it. zack acting like a homicidal toddler

carmen and the fastest change of clothes in the world

i love how ivy is just glaring at him the whole time

my favorite part about cs being a kid's show is that when characters get arrested the cops just stand there really menacingly because they can't point guns at anyone who isn't dexter wolfe

i love the next few episodes of player and shadowsan bonding/gaining trust with each other tho

i love when carmen gets pissed off about stuff

i also like seeing how on edge she is- flattening herself against the wall on the roof when a car goes by and stuff because she's trying to figure out how she's going to get them out of jail

i love her

HAHA okay i do love to see carmen yell at them because its SO emotive and GOOD but also IVY DID NOTHING WRONG SHE GETS THE SHORT END OF THE STICK

what was possibly worth risking your necks and mine and giving VILE a chance to win RNGRH its such a good line to show carmen's mentality. we see it in stockholm a little too with how she would almost literally rather die than let VILE win

how do they get home

mmmm this show is awesome with the setup for the driver

why would zack and ivy be knocking on his door if they knew he was supposed to be driving the car btw

man this show really tried to go for more refined themes in the depths of the episode. its implied that the driver seduced trey in his trailer and then stole all of his shit once he was undressed but obviously they can't do anything else with it but imply

NO WAY DID THAT CAR STOP THAT FAST BJSDJDGJH

i love how mad carmen is about literally everything in this episode she just snarls about things

PLS THEY JUST STOLE SOME MORE SCHMUCKS CAR

the motorcycle driving animation is so slick though

the driver is underrated actually im realizing

HAHAHA CARMEN'S ANNOYED LITTLE LOOK

i LOVE the animation of the car speeding up to rocket mode its so cool

you can hear the tires squeal every time carmen/the sibs turn their vehicles around

carmen sandiego tragically dies in a 60 mile per hour head on collision atop a parking garage

"whats she going to do, give us both a piggyback ride?" carmen five seconds later:

split up gang! lets look for clues

GIGANTIC AUTOPILOT BUTTON <3

carmen's hips. thank god for this shot

also i love the implication that carmen was just dramatically positioning herself against the wall and waiting for the driver to turn around

i love this fight scene with carmen and the driver btw its good. they are pretty evenly matched

uhhh...where in time is carmen sandiego?

i also love the driver v carmen fight because they are like. clawing at each other. just brawling

those are the fighting moves of a bitch who has been mad ALLLL day and needs to take it out on someone

ivy constantly being terrified of zack's driving because she's seen him flip the car completely upside down before is my favorite

SEEN SOME SHIT

asami is that you

boston tea party and need for speed are truly a two part episode

i love frames of carmen jumping off things before she deploys her glider

she's literally so hot. also her forearm is disconnected from her elbow

THE GLARE DADDY STERLING GIVES HIM SHDGSDS

who still talked to carmen about a headquarters after she screamed "WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO SO WITHOUT A HEADQUARTERS" into the phone and then hung up in a fit of rage because i wouldnt have

yeah they tried to fake us out didn't they

we got to see that workshop in s4 when carmen was brainwashed..

THE FLIGHT TIME FROM SAN DIEGO TO MOSCOW IS 21 HOURS NO WAY DID THEY MAKE IT IF IT WAS HAPPENING TOMORROW MSGDJKDGJDS

I KNOW A PLACE i love shadowsan

alright theres need for speed. im going to try to crunch out crackle goes kiwi maybe tonight but we'll see how it goes lol

[annetictac]

Like I used to watch you sleep - Chapter 5

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 5

They closed the video call, smile dropping instantly. Anna massaged her cheeks profusely after spending twenty minutes forcedly smiling nonstop.  Lorena, one of her lawyers was tipping quickly on her phone barely glancing the screen, as she sighed. “I think it went well,” she adds when she notices Rachel and Anna are looking at her for a reaction. “We knew cancelling wasn’t on the table, so this is a good thing!” she finishes, glancing once quickly to the screen with a bright smile. “And after you finish signing the virtual contracts, it will be finally all wrapped up!”  

“I just thought it was going to be a bit longer, to be honest,” Anna mutters standing, brushing her skirt’s sides. It had been twenty minutes of reading he new contract and the clauses they had already negotiated. Both parts had played the role of being complacent with everything, bright smiles not wavering as they both took a clause or two at first they hadn’t fully agreed. Like her participation in some of the media the drivers had to shoot before season started. Or the bonus payment her crew would be getting directly from them. Neither part had wanted for any problem to stop them from finally signing after finally getting something that made them both happy.

Lorena tsks before shrugging, closing her phone with a louder click.  “Big bargaining had already been made, that’s why you pay us, this was just a formality”. She quickly ordered her things inside her designer bag, her heels clicking to the door getting ready to leave.  “Only something really bad could have stopped it”.

The last few weeks had been filled with last minute recording sessions, last minute meetings about the old F1 contract, last minute Christmas shopping, last minute practices. Everything has been last minute, but every minute had been accounted for. And even when Anna’s very organized persona loved her millimetric schedule, it had been comforting to see how the whole team had been able to wing it without letting anything falling behind. She was in good hands. Rachel by her side was distracted by her own phone, probably finishing the schedule for next week.  

The F1 contract had been once again signed to complete the alterations. The biggest conflict that had been holding up their end to fulfil it had been the very open ends of the contract. Once she understood what her first firm had made her sign, she had cursed them for days. Now with Lorena’s firm, one who’s sole purpose was profiles like Anna’s everything had been tied down nicely. The vague description of the performance she owed the organization from the fatidic first contract had been reassessed. They had been trying for the last couple of years to force her hand down with paying the same amount they had paid for the first run she had done four years ago. Now she would be performing once again, to which she had no problem to do so but she would be paid accordingly to her current status, not the former which had been the problem from the beginning. She was sick and tired of feeling exploited first for her age when she was younger and for her being female. She didn’t need the money, but she hated how they had tried to slip it past her as if her team would be stupid enough to accept it. To make her point, she had made the effort of automatically giving over a considerable part of her payment for a foundation, helping female talent for entering to F1, as drivers engineers and more meaningful positions. It was long due and much needed.

The F1 on their side had agreed in an effort to keep trying to increase the followers of the sport, trying to Super-Ball it. A performance from a rising star looked promising when they hired her first. Two performances had been considered a great success from them then. Now a full home run with the plus side of also having her participate as sponsor – even if it was more female orientated -.

Lorena left quickly, speaking with Rachel to arrange any other signature that was needed within the week. Once out, Rachel gave her a look. Her petite assistant was her right hand and partner in almost everything from her work persona to her more private matters.

Deal signed and done for, there were a couple of things in her mind she had been fighting to keep out of her head. She gave a short glance to some of the pamphlets laying over the table. They were examples of the 2022 season, mostly propaganda of the drivers. The protagonist being the reigning world champion, who she had to admit had only grown finer in the last few years.

“Now what do we do with that ex-boyfriend of yours?”  Rachel interrupted her assessment of Max’s smirk, making her flinch away from the poster she had taken absently.

“Max?” Anna asked confused, guiltily pushing the photo of her former boyfriend with the other drivers. Rachel and her hadn’t talked at all about Max. Rachel had arrived to her team a year after they had dated and Anna had avoided the subject of speaking about him except a drunken night, she had spilled the beans about him. It was true that the firsts few years after the break up, avoiding F1 had been the healthiest way Anna found to stop thinking about him. She had been more open to negotiations last year because she thought she was over it. She had been apparently in love with her newest ex, she had even seen his first championship win without feeling the familiar clench in the stomach she would get before.   

Rachel laughed loudly, interrupting Anna from her musings about the current world champion. “As much as I wish to know what’s in your head about him… I meant Robert,” Anna huffed annoyed, that was a sourer subject. And that was a more logical subject of discussion for their current media problem.

“I’ve blocked him already,” Anna said walking into her room with Rachel close behind. “It’s been six months since we –“

“You” Rachel corrected, shacking her head.

“- broke up,” Anna finished lamely. “I just, I’m tired of how this whole thing is being dragged around…” Robert had decided to make the first and only statement of their year long relationship on his own, claiming to do it with her. She felt used, which she hated. Now that the media was all over the gossip, the paparazzi had been increasing by the days, taking away any privacy she had left. They had argued more in the last 6 months than during their whole relationship, as he claimed he had done it to help them both, subtly threatening to accept the many invitations he had for talk shows and well-known magazines. Lorena had tried to suggest putting a restraining order on him but Anna had forbidden it, knowing the press would throw a field day with it. There was also the NDA he had sign when he began his pursuit of her that should keep him from any smearing he had planned.

It was Rachel who had suggested leaving for Europe, making the paparazzi chase a bit harder. Anna had agreed quickly. She would miss the holidays at home but she didn’t mind, after her Nana’s death she usually would stay with friends or stay home alone. Her house at the outskirts of London could probably serve well as planning centre for the big events they had coming up and recording studio for the last tweaks they had to deliver after new year’s. She would get the isolation she craved from the gossip circus until the next scandal distracted them away from her.

Once they arrived to London, routine was easy to follow. She woke up, trained and meditated in the morning, leaving the afternoons for voice training, writing and recording. She mainly stayed home, which she appreciated. The little free time she had, she would spend it enjoying the big state she had bough some years back.

The plan had been for her to be mostly alone, perhaps Mikah who was in London would come by to try new sounds or practice old ones. Rachel was supposed to stay with Anna only for a week but at the end she had been forced to stay the whole holidays away from her childhood town due to weather conditions. It had been the only reason Anna had agreed to going out for New Year’s. She had no problem of welcoming the New Years at her sofa drinking champagne on her own, but Rachel had been blue about not being back home, trying her best not to show it. For Anna the sofa was enough but she didn’t want moppy Rachel looking at her Instagram all night wondering what her family and friends back home were up to.

“Mikah says it’s the party of the century!” Anna exaggerated as she tried to pull Rachel out of the sofa. “We’ll dress pretty, do our hairs, drink the good stuff…” Anna pulled again as Rachel giggled and leaned back to stop her from her work. “Maybe there will be a cute guy…” she continues grinning, wiggling her eyebrows in a suggestive matter. “And who knows where we might end up waking up!” She wiggles her eyebrows again, Rachel still sniggering away.

“But you were looking forward to staying home!” Rachel countered as she calmed her giggles pulling back with her whole weight, making Anna stumble.

“I want to go out now! I’m fleeting like that!” Anna continued batting her lashes. Rachel rolled her eyes, knowing Anna would say anything for her to agree, and let her self be pulled out of the couch.  Two hours later they were in the foyer waiting for Mikah to pick them up. Rachel had taken one of her short black dresses, silver details accentuating her waist, one of her own long coats stylishly covering her. Her blonde locks had been curled and ironed to a half do. “I heard there will be some ballet dancers,” eyebrow wiggling.

“Stop it!” Rachel scolded without any force. Anna had been chattering away while they were dressing, trying to hype the soiree. Maybe she had been honest with some, and there had been some little white lies along the way.  There would be a Cirque du Soleil performance. Truth.  There would be a presentation by the Rolling stones. False. Fireworks. True. Parachute arrivals. False.

Anna hadn’t really put much effort into choosing her own look, having more fun playing dress up with Rachel and selling her the night. An old dark blue dress, backless but with long tight sleeves, make up simple but always with red lips. She had left her hair down without bothering to style it much, golden earrings brightly shimmering through her dark locks. Rachel had been more worried, like always into Anna’s look than her own adding and taking off necklaces, bracelets, rings, blush, etc.

Mikah came to pick them up on time. Exiting with drama the car he had hired, whistling and cat calling loudly at them – luckily she had no neighbours within hearing range -, given them long kisses on the cheeks before helping them on the car. A fifteen-minute drive had them at the reception.    

Anna had been surprised for the chic décor and the way they had distributed the different areas. There had been clearly a separation between inside – the music much more animated and party like- and the gardens – instrumental music with people promenading in style- . With champagne glasses they had walked to the gardens, coats forgotten thanks to the warming devices smartly spread. There was a no phone nor camara policy, and even Mikah whispered he had seen distributed the cancelling machines that avoided unwanted photos or recordings.

She had seen familiar faces, even greeted a few – a couple of actors, a former dancer she had on tour, a duchess -. She noticed excited glances going her way as she was recognized by most, she tried brushing them away looking down. She knew it came with the job but sometimes she missed being able to lose herself in the crowd.

Music she liked had begun playing inside, the first rush of excitement finally reaching her. It could be a great night if she let herself enjoy the moment. She had been about to suggest going to the livelier zone of the party when Mikah interrupted her train of thought.    

“Martin!” Mikah cried, taking her attention from the dance floor as he pulled her in a different direction. She drank the last sip of her champagne glass when she saw the waiter nearby, dropping it over the tray. She was lucky she had swallowed the remains before she saw Martin and his crew. Rachel gave her a hurried pat on her bare back but before she could turn to her friend to see what it was about, it had been too late.   

She hadn’t expected him at all, Max Verstappen. He most certainly hadn’t expected her either, if his widened blue eyes were anything to go by. Both standing in front for the first time in so much time. She felt time stopped and suddenly came back with force as Mikah pushed her to Martin breaking her frozen state.

Mikah had hugged and back clapped at Martin enthusiastically, saying something that didn’t reach her gaining a loud laugh from the dutch DJ. Once his eyes settled on her she smiled, having met him before many times. She had met Max at one of his soirees, hadn’t she?  

“You remember Anna, oi?” Mikah asked Martin who nodded as excited as Mikah.

“Of course mate! It’s been some time though!” She pulled her extended hand into a quick hug. “VMAs last year right?” he asked with a hand casually on her bare back. She nodded, still short for words and it was now Martin’s time to introduce her to his companions.  “This is Lando Norris, F1’s king of terror,” Martin said dramatically.  

The boy – man between Max’s and Martin had taken her hand within both of his to shake it eagerly. “I’m Lando!” he had hushed beaming widely, impossible not to return with out of her own. “I’m a fan!” She felt strangely shy at the attention, her eyes like magnets finding Max’s staring at her with the same determination she remembered.  

“Thank you!” she had said fondly to Lando, who she thought had a personality easy to love, reminding her a bit of Daniel Ricciardo whom she hadn’t seen in some time. “That’s very sweet of you!”

“Stop hovering!” Martin scolded Lando who was very fixated into staring at her with awestruck eyes. “I think you’ve met before?” Martin dropped subtly as he pushed her softly in the dutch driver’s direction. There was no need to confirm what Martin already knew well.

 “Hi,” she had muttered in Max’s direction, a small tentative smile playing in her lips, eyes meeting. He had smiled, which had also been unexpected. Anna had entertained the idea that this time it would go as the last when he had avoided her at all costs at some award show he had gone with his new girlfriend. Max seemed to sense her hesitance.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he dropped also hesitating with half a smirk while taking the hand that had stayed mid drop from Lando’s. They were still as warm as she remembered, a bit more callused. The smile didn’t leave his lips and hers widened in result. A bit of miscommunication had her pulling him for a hug like Martin had done to her, while he shook his hand and hers, ending in yet another awkward hug that ended soon. It still left his cologne all over her and the feel of his warm hand on her bare back. Anna felt her cheeks warming up, his eyes not leaving her.

Chapter 6

[gold-rhine]

What’s your thoughts on Nahida quest act 2? Tbh at first I thought they would make it into Cthulhu-esque Eldritch horror infection of the mind twisting the soul into unrecognizeable shape kinda deal after the trailer and half way into the quest (I love the Apep design so much it’s a beautiful natural disaster). After finishing it I just. I have many rants and conspiracy theories and I don’t know where to start.

i really like this quest! I've been huge fan of dragons lore since Enka. we didn't actually learn a lot of lore we didn't know before, but its good that it was spelled out loud instead of buried in side quests. Like, we already knew from "before sun and moon" that vishaps were native or teyvat and primordial one defeated them and we knew that Deshret fucked with the forbidden lore.

We did learn new things tho, frex, that dragons had a king named Nibelung, which ties to Nibelungian saga where Alberich and Rhinedottir names are from, so like I'm really interested to see how they gonna connect Khaenriah to dragons. Also we learned that vishaps can kinda like process?? purify?? forbidden knowledge, but the doses too big would still harm\corrupt them. Also, the fact that Deshret willingly let Apep eat his body (with added bonus of her being a buffer from inflicting his own forbidden knowledge corruption onto his ppl) I think adds to the theory that Deshret succeeded with uploading his conscience into Golden Slumber and is gonna be a major player in a story (or mb we already met him without knowing who he is, bc like Sinner from Caribert?? pretty sus, insists that he's not god and that was Deshret's major ideological point too, he even refused gnosis from celestia despite being so powerful, he was offered it without having to fight in archon war)

overall, lots to think about, and you can send me your theories if you want:)

[thornofthelily]

standing in front of a corkboard covered in video thumbnails and red string frantically tapping with a telescopic pointing stick: Okay here’s where I think the Bowling with the Bois video falls in Freelancer Season 1. (Yes this will almost definitely contradict the official timeline, no I do not care, yes this will include Patreon-only content as evidence.)

In Bowling with the Bois, we see Gavin being introduced to Damien and Huxley for the first time as Freelancer’s partner. (He’s also introduced to Lasko but we all know they met much earlier on their own.) Now, here we have a very open Gavin, intimate and willing to confess he has not only never been in a partner-like relationship before but has never been introduced to anyone’s friend group at all, living his life until now as a free-roaming, free-loving incubus with no ties and no relationships. This leads me to believe that this falls after his confession video, which of course we all know happens after the confrontation with Vega and the third wall break by Echo, because the “cost” of our canon Gavin relationship is the end of Ivan’s story. This would obviously fall after Freelancer has “maxed out” friendship points with the other boys. Gavin and Freelancer are romantic partners, and this is all a first for Gavin, who has never done this before, and their relationship status is official. This partner thing is something special, meeting close friends Freelancer has spent lots of time with, and not just “hey let’s introduce this demon I fool around with sometimes to some people I met recently.” So, “Bowling with the Bois” is clearly towards the end of the Season. With me so far??

What has been driving me up a tree is how this contradicts an earlier video called “Sneaking Kisses With a Dom Incubus At a Party.” This, like most Gavin videos, was removed from Youtube but is still available on Patreon as a freebie. In this video, Freelancer is nervous about hosting their first party, with Gavin hanging out in the kitchen, comforting and distracting them. We don’t know everyone who is attending this party, but Lasko does make an appearance. Now, this may not seem to be contradictory at first, because Lasko and Gavin definitely already knew each other before this, and they acknowledge they knew each other in “Bowling with the Bois.” However, two things:

1. In “Bowling with the Bois,” Lasko mentions he and Gavin met before, twice - twice in one day, Gavin deviously clarifies, referring to their 7/11 rendezvous. This suggests to me that they have not yet met in “Sneaking Kisses” because if Lasko could refer to literally any other meeting with Gavin he probably would have to redirect attention away from how he definitely got fucked at that 7/11.

2. In the Gavin Age-Restricted Bonus Audio 1 - I won’t go into huge detail since that’s paid content - Gavin and Freelancer are fooling around after serving dinner to a party of guests. Crucially, at some point, Lasko interrupts here too and mentions that Damien is also attending this party.

Now, with regard to Point 1, this could be relatively weak, because maybe Lasko wouldn’t have said “I met Gavin at a party Freelancer held and none of you guys were there,” because that also would have been awkward. Even if they weren’t friends yet, seems kind of rude. (Not that breech of protocol ever stopped Lasko’s babbling, but let’s just say for sake of argument.) Now with point 2... Bonus Audios aren’t listed on the official timeline as far as I’m aware, and some can be placed just, wherever, they don’t need plot. But the fact this one is about a party, where Lasko is attending, and Gavin specifically mentions Freelancer is “getting back at him” for teasing when no teasing happening earlier in the audio, suggests this is the unofficial conclusion to “Sneaking Kisses.” Gavin, Freelancer, teasing, party, Lasko. All connected.

But remember, in the BA, Damien is also mentioned to be in attendance. Gavin even says “if Damien’s patience is what I remember it to be,” so he clearly met Damien. Which means “Sneaking Kisses” and Gavin’s Bonus Audio must fall after “Bowling with the Bois,” which logically would follow after Gavin’s confession at the end of the series as stated above.

I downgraded my Patreon membership this month so I don’t have access to the index with all the videos listed, but last time I checked the official timeline had “Sneaking Kisses” (and, presumably, the Bonus Audio) happening sometime before Kody’s introduction which would have been before Huxley was introduced as well. All well and good, but I just can’t see Freelancer hosting a party with Damien, a classmate they are tentatively working on a project with; Lasko, their guidance counselor; and a demon they are fooling around, along with some other randos. Gavin even says in “Sneaking Kisses” that “these people are your friends, they’re here because they care about you,” and there’s barely been any time to get to know Lasko and Damien at this point.  

So for my timeline, we would have the usual introduction with Caelum, then meeting Gavin, then later a study session with Gavin that ends with them becoming casual FWB for a while, then Freelancer has all their individual hangouts with each of the boys, separate, without any of them meeting as friends, until the confrontation with Vega. After that, Gavin confesses, they begin dating, Freelancer introduces them all as friends, and Season 1 ends with the party and Gavin’s Bonus Audio.

Literally the only contradiction to this I can think of is, in the Bonus Audio, Lasko says, “We finally convinced Damien to give Smash a try,“ suggesting he’s never played, but in Bowling with the Bois, Huxley correctly identifies that not only does Damien play Smash, but has a main. I will consider this just a slight wording choice, where maybe Damien just didn’t want to or hasn’t played in a group setting before. (Considering Damien iirc said he really has never had friends before Freelancer, maybe he never actually played with others.)

tldr the Bowling video made my head spin when it came out when I tried to put in on the official timeline, but it makes sense that it is almost at the very end 

[misccy27]

Since everyone is talking about Belos' past anyway with the Hollow Mind portraits, I thought I might as well share my ideas/receipts about how Belos concealed his past when presenting himself as Emperor.

Like he's been a public figure in the Boiling Isles for a long time. So I was wondering how much others knew or suspected about the truth. Here's what I've come up with:

1. There are traces of Philip still around.

S2E4 Gwendolyn tells Luz, “Humans are rare. My great-grandmother told me about a human who once lived here. But one day he just vanished. Rumor has it he left something in the library.” 

S2E5 Luz finds an article in the library that tells her: “Hundreds of years ago, there was a human named Philip Wittebane living in Bonesborough. And he donated his diary to this library.”

The diary is so old that it’s kept in the Forbidden Stacks, only accessible by library staff members. It seems unlikely that many people have read it. But even if they did, there doesn’t seem to be anything really connecting it to Belos. Because:

2. Others think Belos is a witch

S1E18 Willow says, “the Emperor is the most skilled witch that's ever lived.”

S1E19 King says, “a mysterious witch appeared who declared that he, and he alone, could speak to the island.”

S1E19 King also says, "He's the Emperor! He's the most powerful witch alive!"

S1E19 Lilith says, "Being in the Emperor's Coven was my dream. I wanted to work alongside the most powerful witch on the Isles and make the world a better place."

I don't remember anything contradicting this. There are demons on the BI that look pretty similar to witches, and demons (like Hooty) can be immortal ig, so it matters to me that Belos was specifically presenting himself as a witch.

That said, the lifespan of witches is never officially confirmed afaik (and I do hate that thanks). Bump gets that throwaway line about 300 years until retirement or whatever. But since we are shipping witches and humans, they have to have similar lifespans. You cannot convince me otherwise lol.

So that makes it even more implausible that the human that showed up and vanished centuries ago is at all related to Belos, the ~most powerful~ witch on the Boiling Isles.

The fact that the Emperor also has a 16 year old nephew lends further credence to the idea that he's a normal witch, aging normally, with normal (if mysterious) family ties.

3. Belos’ appearance

S1E19 The Unauthorized Boiling Isles History reads, “Before he ascended to the throne, Emperor Belos gained prominence as a crusader for unity during the Savage Ages.”

S2E16 We get to see Belos during this crusade period. He definitely already looks old:

We also know that Belos has been Emperor for ~50 years:

S1E17 a Hexside teacher says, “Over 50 years ago, Emperor Belos appointed a head witch to each coven.” [Bonus fun: this means Terra could be the first head of the plant coven]

S1E18 Kikimora says, “Up until 50 years ago, witches and demons practiced wild magic during what we called the Savage Ages [...] until our great Emperor ascended to the throne, and taught witches how to use magic properly.”

So that's 50 years on top of his age when he was crusading. Hasn’t anybody noticed that Belos is unreasonably old for a witch yet? (And if so, what did they think he was?) 

I think Belos could have handled this discrepancy by carefully planning how he travels around the island and changing his name as he goes; standard secret immortality stuff. This would also serve the double benefit of making it seem like he has a broader base of support from the start, if there’s the appearance of several crusaders going around spreading the ~good word~. 

At some point, though, he did start covering his tracks. By present day (s1), Belos’ Emperor outfit makes his age much more ambiguous:

This is also how he appears in all the official, state-sanctioned portrayals of the Emperor that I remember seeing. Examples:

Which brings me to my main point:

4. History is written by Belos

Lilith is a historian and the former head of the Emperor's Coven. She didn't seem to know any truths about Belos' past. Hunter had access to and was actively reading restricted books about wild magic from the Savage Ages. We get no hint that he came across anything, either.

But they also weren't looking. So let's say you're highly suspicious of Belos and actively digging into his past. How much could you find out about him? We already have the official narrative: Belos ended the Savage Ages and united witchkind 50 years ago. So what about the unofficial narrative?

This brings us back to The Unauthorized Boiling Isles History from S1E19. This is a book owned by Eda, the most infamous wild witch on the Boiling Isles. Here's King's full narration from this scene:  

A mysterious witch appeared who declared that he, and he alone, could speak to the island. He said that we were using magic all wrong. His teachings took hold, his strength grew, and he became... Emperor Belos. Belos said that mixing magic was wrong, that only he had that right. So he created the coven system. And there, our knowledge was restricted, and our potential sealed away. Those who resist are called wild witches, and they face harsh punishment. Emperor Belos has since retreated into his castle. There are whispers that say he's planning something big. 

King's narration is different from the text on the page. Here's the page on Belos:

“He rules by fear and an iron fist, and his past remains largely unknown.” 

So it sounds like Belos has indeed done a very good job of establishing and maintaining information control. He has erased his past so thoroughly that even an unauthorized history book offers no real rumors or speculation. Both inside the castle and in pockets of dissent, we find no trace of the truth of Belos' past. It is believable to me that even highly-ranked coven officials who are suspicious of Belos and actively looking for information about his past from inside the castle still wouldn't be able to find anything at this point.

With that said: there are probably rumors. There probably are witches who remember Belos from his crusades and grew suspicious. They probably did try to spread the word and warn others.  

At the same time, I’m sure that there are plenty of witches saying plenty of things about Belos. Belos is the most influential and powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, after all. So looking at it from the perspective of someone trying to piece together the truth:

How plausible does it sound that the witch ruling the Boiling Isles is actually a human? How plausible does it sound that he’s actually 400+ years old? How do either or both of those rumors weigh up against all of the other scraps of information and official propaganda and baseless conspiracy theories that you’re also coming across?

How much are either of these rumors worth considering if your primary concern is to, say, try to figure out what’s actually going to happen on the Day of Unity?

(At what point do you decide to just go straight to the source?)

[subqtaneoussmut]

The Tea Girl's Gambit, Bonus Smut Chapter Teaser

So this is just a teaser ;p

check out my patreon for the full chapter! (https://www.patreon.com/chaoticarmcandy)

.........

I felt a tap on the shoulder and I startled and let out an undignified yelp. I already knew who I was going to see, as I turned, color rushing to my cheeks.

He was grinning insufferably at me.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything. Also, not my fault you make such cute noises.”

I blushed, this time with pleasure. I did really like it when Alexi called me cute. It was kind of a first for me, and it never failed to make me feel a little dreamy-eyed around him.

He looked around with annoying confidence. “Come on, follow me.”

We began walking downwards, on the Ramp. As it bored deeper into the earth, it gradually narrowed and steepened, and we saw fewer and fewer people. I glanced around at the shelves on the levels we passed and noticed that the books looked older and older.

My pulse continued to race. Where was Alexi leading me? Was he really going to fuck me here? The idea was kind of hot, I had to admit.

Finally Alexi led us away from the Ramp, deeper into a wing of shelves that juked back and forth as it tunneled horizontally. There were empty reading holes scattered along the way, but Alexi passed them by. Finally, the tunnel stopped at a dead end. There was one last reading hole—a couple steps leading down to a door that was currently propped open, a couch and a desk visible beyond it.

Alexi dropped his bookbag and flopped down on the couch with a sigh of relief. I followed suit, but attempted to climb right into his lap and stick my tongue down his throat. I was already so horny.

“Mmph! Ah, Ellie!” He fended me off.

“Sorry!” I squirmed, then tried again a moment later.

He slipped one hand up to my throat and I looked at him with wide eyes. I could still breath, but he had me firmly by the neck. He squeezed lightly and I melted like butter in his hands.

“You must think you can just do whatever you want, hmm?” He shook me by the throat a little. I shuddered, so turned on my eyes rolled. At this point, he knew all my weaknesses.

“S-sorry,” I gasped.

He released me. “You’re wearing too many clothes, Ellie.”

I shivered with lust. “But, what if someone—?”

“Then all they’ll see is a naked girl, being tied up,” he interrupted smoothly.

I almost choked. “Tied...up??”

He winked at me. “I thought you would like that.”

I reddened.

He grinned. “C’mon, I bet you’re soaking your underwear right now, just thinking about it.”

I groaned. I was unutterably turned on by the idea. I jumped up and began taking my clothes off as fast as I could.

......

[whereforartthoumisthios87]

WIP Game: Surprise—I would like to hear about Surprise, Surprise.

Sure thing!

"Surprise, Surprise" is the 3rd chapter to my Kass x Natakas story (it is posted on ao3 but I am literally constantly going back and adding things to chapters LOL)

It is about Kassandra's family - Myrrine, Nikoloas, and Alexios (all Spartans 👀) meeting Natakas for the first time. As you can imagine, things are a little hairy at this discovery. Added bonus, Kassandra is already pregnant (and showing) when everyone meets up, so there's no going back. It's a nice dose of drama. ✨ Small snippet under "read more" for anyone interested!

“Come, let’s meet your betrothed and see your home!” Myrrine said, proudly already.

“Of course...It’s nestled up on top of a big hill in the next town. It’s a bit of a walk to Dyme, though,” Kassandra said pointing in the direction they needed to walk. That is when Myrrine turned around to face the way Kassandra was pointing, as did Nikolaos. And by extension, they had turned to face Natakas and Darius. Alexios stayed behind Kassandra. He had much less ties to this whole “Sparta” thing. He walked and stood beside Kassandra with his arms crossed, trying to show his support in case things went south. Kassandra could see him out of the corner of his eyes which made a smile tug at her lips. But, it was in vain. Myrrine saw Darius and Natakas at that point. Their skin was darker than Kassandra’s. Natakas had black hair. Their clothes were different. They just did not look...Greek, much less Spartan. They almost looked…Persian. Myrrine shook her head. Couldn’t be them, right? She gave them a smile that was as polite as she could make it, while walking past them.

“Pardon, Persians, we are just on our way to meet my daughter’s husband. The father of her child,” she said, without much empathy for them. Kassandra crossed her arms. Just as she was about to say that it was Natakas she was looking for, he spoke up himself.

“Pardon, ma’am, but that would be me,” Natakas said firmly, crossing his arms and putting on a more powerful stance. Myrrine stopped. She delayed turning around for a moment and looked at Natakas. She looked him up and down.

“Come again?” she said, in utter disbelief.

“I am the child’s father. I am Kassandra’s husband,” Natakas said proudly, making eye contact with Myrrine, but not Nikolaos. He could only handle standing up to one Spartan today. Kassandra was impressed with Natakas. She knew she did right, yet again.

“It’s true, mater…” Kassandra spoke up, taking a few steps toward Natakas. She stood beside him.

“This is Natakas,” Kassandra said firmly, looking at him, then looking back at her.

“He is my husband. We share the home, we share the child - all of it,” Kassandra crossed her arms, getting into defensive mode.

[meep923]

༻Your Appearance Messed Me Up(yuyeon)༺

Chapter 7/25 + bonus chapter

1 week after the story started

So, summary of what happened. Soyeon was accepted into X Company and Soojin tried to interfer with those results so that Soyeon could stay out of this but she did not succeed. Soojin helped Shuhua and Yuqi get onto the name list and be employed as interns in X Company.

Time skip to first day at work

Soyeon was really happy to get her internship at X Company. She had wanted the spot for a long time. She quickly dressed herself, took her computer, her bag, her essentials and ran out of the house. As usual, the train was crowded with a lot of people in each car cabin. Soyeon squeezed into one of them and travelled to X Company. 

When she arrived, she was shown to a room on the 3rd level of the company. She was surprised to find Yuqi and Shuhua already seated at one of the desks. Yuqi looked up when she heard someone enter the room. "The last one is here." She said to person standing at the front of the room. "Take a seat." The man said. 

"So, we have two sections in this place. The three of you are all interns here and applied for the category of song producer. Some of you may know that there is a hidden category. If you wish to participate in this hidden category, please raise your hands and tell me now. Your briefing will be conducted somewhere different."

Yuqi knew at that moment that it was the mafia side of things at X Comapny. She had already discussed with Shuhua that she would be going to the mafia side while Shuhua will stay in the normal side of the category. "Can I just double check what the hidden category is?" Yuqi asked.

"Of course. It is running errands for the song producers and some other things." The man said. Yuqi knew that it was the secret code word that they use, Soojin had told her a few days back when the pair and Shuhua were planning what they were going to do. Yuqi raised her hand.

Soyeon's POV

Why did she raise her hand? Does it have anything to do with the gun shot she had gotten? With a thought of helping Yuqi, and without thinking much, I raised my hand too. I glimpsed the shocked face that Shuhua had and the... worry? What was that expression on Yuqi's face? I did not have the time to think more about it. "Please follow that man over there and go to a separate room." The man said, pointing to the back door. 

Yuqi got up and brushed past me. I followed. I had no idea what was I getting myself into. The room that we went to was dark and there was barely any light. We were told to put down our bags and sit down on the two chairs in the middle of the room. "Why are you here?" Yuqi whispered to me urgently after we sat down.

"I don't know. I like the feeling of an adventure." I lied.

"You can't even take a can of beer. How can you even take the things that are likely to happen today?" She said. Just then, a man walked in. "Hello, new recruits. I am in charge of this side of things. Boss is out on a private mission so he will not be here to greet you. Before we welcome you completely, we have a special ritual." The man smiled. 

Two figures with potato sacks covering their heads and their hands tied behind their backs were dragged in by two well-built men. They took out a.. gun. From their pockets. I was shocked. So this was Yuqi meant? "Recruits. These people are traitors and spies from other branches. Kill them with the gun. One prisoner each. Don't worry about the sound from the gun. This room is soundproof." He smiled.

Yuqi quickly took a gun from one of the men and loaded the gun. BANG! The sound of a gunshot sounded in the room. One of the men that was tied up instantly dropped to the ground. There was blood, a lot of blood, coming from his wound. It seems to have hit his head. I stifled a scream. This is the real deal. No wonder Yuqi wanted me to stay out of this. I looked at Yuqi. So this was what the girl was capable of.

"Ruthless. Cold-blooded. Obedient. I like this recruit." The man said. One of the well-built man handed me the gun in his hand. I lifted the gun up. There is no turning back now. I aimed the gun at the 'prisoner' as the man had called him. I looked at him and pulled the trigger. BANG! The poor guy dropped dead. I was shaken by the fact that I had just killed someone. I had the blood, the dirty blood of a poor innocent soul on my hand.

"Good shot. Perfectly in his heart." The man said." From now on, call me Mr Jung. I am your superior and you are to listen to me. Before going out for missions, the both of you will be trained for all kind of fighting techniques. You will report at the 10th level every morning at 9 everyday. You will end your training at 6 everyday. This is the access card to go up there. You can go up today and check in. Train well recruits."

During our way up to the 10th floor, we were finally left alone. "Are you okay?" Yuqi said. I almost did not recognise her tone. It was so soft. "Um... from what?" I asked.

"Killing." She said, looking at me for the first time for the entire encounter since we went into that room.

"I don't know. I don't if I should feel regret for choosing that hidden category. I don't know if I should feel terrible for killing that man. Not that I don't, it's just... I don't know what will happen to me if I didn't kill him." I muttered. Finally spilling my thoughts out was so nice. Yuqi looked concerned.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through all this. I know how it feels. You're lucky you did this only when you are of a legal age. I killed the first person when I was 16. I was forced to. It was either me or him. I will help you train and get past the exams that they hold. Promise me. We will walk out of this place at the end of everything perfectly fine. Okay?" She looked at staring deep into my eyes. I looked into those soft, dark brown eyes of hers. I finally got to see the vulnerable side of her. I nodded. She pulled me into a hug.

"Be careful... It's dangerous here. I will teach you to survive. It will be hard. Trust me." She muttered. I blushed. I do not know if she loved me back but I was really glad that she cared about me. We pulled away after a few more moments. Her hard demeanour  came back when she pulled away and we boarded the elevator. When we reached the 10th floor, the entire place was surrounded by black opaque glass. I saw a machine at the left side of the lift lobby. Yuqi was already there. She tapped her card and the machine gave her a full-body scan." Welcome. Yuqi." The robotic voice said and the door opened with a quiet hiss and she walked in. The door closed behind her. I followed suit.

When I walked in, I was taken aback by what I saw. There were about 10 more young men and women that seemed to range from the ages of 18 to 23. There were some at the shooting range, at the workout corner and at the wrestling court. We were greeted by a woman in a cleanly pressed suit. "I am Samantha and I will be your coach and mentor here if you ever need me. There are other coaches but I am the one assigned to the two of you." She said.

"I'm Yuqi."

"I'm Soyeon."

"Nice. Welcome Yuqi and Soyeon. What are your ages?"

"21"

"22"

"Okay. So this is the locker and changing room for the two of you two change into your mission suits. It has many pockets for you guys to keep weapons and stuff." She pointed to the rows of lockers. "Those are yours. Keep all your belongings there. No phones during training. You have 1 hour for lunch everyday at 12 to 1. Lunch will be provided for you. Bring big water bottles, you will need them. These are your training schedules." She handed us a timetable. "Write your name on your lockers." She said. 

Yuqi took a marker from her and scribbled her name quickly on her locker. I followed suit. She unlocked hers and changed the password. She also slotted the timetable into a clear slot on the door of the locker. "You will report tomorrow at 9. Training will start tomorrow." Samantha said.

Yuqi nodded curtly and walked out the area and to the lift lobby. We went back to the third level and retrieved our things and walked to the train station. We did not speak our entire way back to our apartment. I walked back home alone while Yuqi walked to the convenience store. 

Yuqi's POV

While I was heading to the convenience store, I texted Minnie

yuqi

Hey. we need to talk

Im at the convenience store

sent

I walked in and saw her at the counter talking to that waitress. I dragged her away. "We need to talk. Now." I whispered. 

[acourtofthought]

Hey! I was watching sjm's interviews and in a recent one she said it was pretty obvious who the next book was going to be about, in your opinion, who do you think she meant by "obvious"?

This is the million dollar question, isn't it?

If you're an E/riel, it's obviously their book.

If you're a Gwynriel, it's obviously their book.

If you're an Elucien, you are one of two camps. It's obviously Elucien's book that's next or you want Gwynriel's book next so that Elucien can end the spin off series in peak position as the closer.

So honestly, it's really not that obvious at all and as SJM is under contract with Bloomsbury not to spoil anything, my guess is that she knew her declaration of "it's obvious" was anything but.

I was always under the impression that Elucien's book would be next for the following reasons:

SJM has been building Lucien's story from book 1. A tragic backstory, not having really found where he belongs, she originally thought Nesta would be his Mate (then realized what a poor match that would be). In book 2, she realized Elain was the person for him and she made them Mates which led to changing who his father was and setting him up to be the future Heir to Day.

SJM also spoke of how the sisters were originally meant to be cardboard cutouts of "the bad" sisters from a fairytale until she realized they'd have their own journey's.

She dropped major hints for the sisters journey's in books 2 and 3. She got signed on by her publisher to continue the series with the spin off novels and said that she knew who the first two books would be about but was leaving the third open as she was still deciding between a possible 5 other couples. She also wrote about doing research for Elain's book and tied Elain into the Vassa / Koschei storyline back in ACOWAR.

We know Nesta received the first of the spin off books so to me, there's no way Elain wasn't the second considering she had already done research for her book which wouldn't make sense if Elain was going to be the third (considering SJM said she didn't know who the third would be about). To me that also means she knew Elain's book, including the Koschei storyline, was always going to be the second book. Because again, she still hadn't decided anything for the third book.

In the novella, we're told that the NC is going to need Spring as an ally before the dust has settled and as of SF, Tamlin still isn't getting better. We're told they need to figure out what's going on in Spring before Beron tries to take over that land to expand his territory so they permanently stationed Lucien there and Nesta makes it a point to mention how Elain had been MADE for Spring, how she would have told her to visit if Elain was talking to her. We also have Lucien "setting his target" across the sea to the continent where Koschei is, the reminder that Vassa's freedom is coming to an end and we have Nesta remind us that Elain had always wanted to travel to the continent and "would she still go?".

We have Feyre and Rhys's bonus chapter where they say "let's help one sister before helping the other" and the final scene of the book where Nesta takes the carved rose her father Made for Elain and places it on his gravestone as a "permanent marker of the beauty and good he tried to bring into the world.". Which in my eyes means Elain (represented by the rose is about to leave her own mark on their world.

I know there are loose Az and Gwyn threads in SF and I know that Elain wasn't that present but....the loose threads for Lucien and Elain have been unanswered since ACOMAF (when they first realized they had a bond), ACOWAR, and beyond. To me, it seems more pressing to resolve those storylines before moving on to Gwynriels (especially since we've been hearing about Vassa needing to break her curse for a long time now, the Tamlin issue and Lucien finally finding out about Helion. Would SJM really drag those out for yet another novel?).

As far as Elain not being present, that makes sense considering she's not supposed to be an integral member of the IC. It's why we're building to her not belonging there. And if we didn't see much of her in Nesta's book, we'd see even less of her in a Gwynriel book.

I also think SJM could have easily come up with a new "Big Bad" for the final book. People think Koschei has to be it but, wasn't Lanthys a Death God? Didn't Nesta easily wipe him out? So why would Koschei be more of an obstacle that he needs to be in the final book? The Weaver and the Bone Carver (Koschei's siblings) died in ACOWAR with no big fanfare so again, he doesn't strike me as that much of an obstacle that he's got to be finale material. When she did the HOSAB spoiler interview she told us that with the arrival of Bryce, it's going to make the IC question who else can enter their world. To me that speaks volumes that in the final ACOTAR spin off, someone else will enter their world that they'll have to defeat. Possibly many others that will result in the major war between the Queens, some humans and the others from another world against the Fae and other Humans.

And any final battle that occurs would make the most sense from a Gwynriel pov as they are the most connected to Rhys. I know Elucien is going to be amazing but as characters who prefer to avoid fighting and war, it wouldn't make sense for them to have the main POV while preparing for war.

Just like TOD stepped away from the main characters for a book only to bring us back to Aelin and everyone in KOA, I could see the same being done with ACOTAR 5. Taking us away from the IC only to end the series back with them.

But, that's just my opinion and I know it doesn't really line up with many others! One day, we'll FINALLY clear up the confusion 😊