#i've not fully read acosf yet

[illyricnbcby]

starter for @moondevoured

Intimidation was not something he'd felt...possibly ever. Amren had come close, but her softer streaks, even though they were few and far between, had given him enough incentive to treat her with the standard casualty reserved for his inner circle.

His relationship with Nesta, however, was strenuous at best. And Mother above, he'd be lying if he'd claim he wasn't at least a little bit intimidated by her. Nobody knew exactly what the Cauldron had brought forth, what she'd taken from it, but he shuddered at the sheer thought of just how deep that power ran, even with the Cauldron being unmade.

She had changed, that is all anyone could conclude. And he saw the weight of that change on his mate's shoulders as well as her sister's. It was frustrating for an outsider to behold at the best of times.

There was a moment's hesitation before he willed himself to knock on her door. Not for fear of being faced with her, but concern for the state he would find her in. He'd seen it in Feyre, those long months after Under The Mountain. The trauma eating away at her, her mind as well as her physical body wasting away. But at least he'd managed to get her back on the track to recovery. With Nesta? He could only try.

First things first. He had to make another attempt to get her to warm up to him. To involve her. He owed the sisters, all three of them, that much after what they'd been through.

[offtorivendell]

Is an oily residue corrupting Azriel's hypothetical mating bond and making him feel off kilter? Is it related to Valg-type magic?

Disclaimer: this theory is a continuation of a few of my others that I've been too lazy to post until now - first I was going to post it for Elriel Month 2023, then Azriel Week 2023... it never happened - but like everyone else I'm having massive FOMO before HOFAS, so here we finally go, even though I know I've forgotten something lol. As usual, this makes no claims of being accurate, it's just theorising for fun.

A massive thank you goes out to @wingedblooms, @tswaney17, @silverlinedeyes, @psychologynerd, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and anyone else I've forgotten (sorry!) for all of our discussions that finally became this post. Love you guys. 💜

Spoilers: this is a Maasverse post, and draws from the ACOTAR series, CC 1 & 2/HOEAB & HOSAB, and the TOG series. It is CC 3/HOFAS spoiler free, as I'm waiting to read it in its "original English" 🤓 on the 30th of January. Please be respectful of that if engaging in the comments before it's published!

Plenty of people, including @silverlinedeyes, @icedflames and myself, have posted our thoughts on mating bonds in the Maasverse, and this theory builds on those previously established - though again, as yet hypothetical - ideas. Specifically, this post about the use of “oily” throughout the ACOTAR series is recommended reading.

What we do know is that:

Mating bonds contain threads, and so do spells.

Mates are the song/music of the soul, and their laughter is likened to music.

Different fae, and magics, contain different scents, be that personal or regional

First, let's go back to ACOWAR, when Feyre described the Ravens' entrance into the library as being like an off-kilter chord:

I felt it at the same moment she did. The ripple and tremor. Like … like some piece of the world shifted, like some off-kilter chord had been plucked. We turned toward the illuminated path that we’d just taken through the stacks, then to the dark far, far beyond. - ACOWAR, chapter 30

Initially, I had wondered if the King of Hybern had had Jurian use the Harp to infiltrate Velaris, but it was @merymoonbeam (I think) who theorised that the Cauldron might be mimicking the Harp, and maybe not doing the best job of it. Which made me wonder, could it do the same with mate bonds?

He left the rest unspoken. Because her mate was here, sleeping a level up. Because her mate had been in the family room and Azriel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving if it became too much. - ACOSF, Azriel's bonus chapter

Looking at her now … She was pale, yes. The vacancy still glazing her features. But he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Betrayal, queasy and oily, slid through his veins. He’d said the same to Jesminda once. But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. - ACOWAR, chapter 24

What if the Elucien bond, as either a spell or piss poor Cauldron-Made approximation of a bond, causes Azriel - and maybe Elain, possibly Lucien - nausea when Lucien is around because it's constantly changing, or reverberating over the top of, what remains of a hypothetical Elriel bond?

What if it's making the Elriel bond off-kilter, out of whack, imbalanced?

Does this make Azriel feel sick, nauseous, or simply overwhelmed/overstimulated?

When people are feeling off-balance, for whatever reason, they can feel sick or nauseous. It's one of the symptoms of vertigo, which can be triggered by severe headaches such as migraines. And guess who rubs their temples? Azriel!

Alternatively, certain chords played loudly enough on a string instrument can really mess with your chest - and where do mating bonds attach - if you're standing close enough for them to vibrate through you (at least, they do for me haha). It can be weirdly disconcerting, and I'd imagine that if Azriel or Elain feels something like this, no wonder he describes such severe discomfort that he needs to leave, and she shrinks away from Lucien, the unintentional cause of her pain.

Same with the smell; if the magic of the Cauldron, in whatever way, is messing with the smell that should be there? Contaminating it? Unbearable.

Is this too crack for you? Well, let's get even crazier.

I have previously suggested that the Cauldron's actions throughout the series could be tracked, in part, by SJM describing a feeling or quality as “oily,” and I've also wondered if the dark maker of the Cauldron - Koschei? - could have hijacked it in some way, as the Book of Breathings being made from leftover iron gave me “One Ring” vibes. I still stand by that, but with a clarification (and here is where the TOG and CC spoilers come in, FYI). I think it's only half of the magic belonging to the Cauldron that is "oily":

Throughout TOG, the Valg are heavily associated with “oiliness,” in terms of their blood and magic. The smell “reeks” and always results in the involved characters experiencing extreme revulsion, including headaches. Sound familiar?

Wyrdstone has an oily, hideous aftertaste.

Even in CC 1/HOEAB, Danika was described as oily when she came into Griffin Antiques.

Celaena looked at the sealed door, her stomach turning. A half-dried pool of blood lay at the base of the door, so dark it looked like oil. She crouched, swiping a finger through the puddle. She sniffed at it, almost gagged at the reek, and then rubbed her finger against the pad of her thumb. It felt as oily as it looked. - COM, chapter 45

“What the hell is that?” Rowan demanded, kneeling beside her, sniffing her outstretched hand. He jerked back, snarling. “That’s not dirt.” No, it wasn’t. It was blacker than night, and reeked just as badly as it had the first time she’d smelled it, in the catacombs beneath the library, an obsidian, oily pool of blood. Slightly different from that other, horrific smell that loitered around this place, but similar. So similar to— “This isn’t possible,” she said, jolting to her feet. “This—this—this—” She paced, if only to keep from shaking. “I’m wrong. I have to be wrong.” There had been so many cells in that forgotten dungeon beneath the library, beneath the king’s Wyrdstone clock tower. The creature she’d encountered there had possessed a human heart. It had been left, she’d suspected, because of some defect. What if … what if the perfected ones had been moved elsewhere? What if they were now … ready? - HOF, chapter 45

The overseer roared, thrashing as her magic swept into him, melded with him. But there was nothing inside to grab on to. No darkness to burn out, no remaining ember to breathe life into. Only— Aelin reeled back, magic vanishing and knees buckling as if struck. Her head gave a throb, and nausea roiled in her gut. She knew that feeling—that taste. Iron. As if the man’s core was made of it. And that oily, hideous aftertaste … Wyrdstone. The demon inside the overseer let out a choked laugh. “What are collars and rings compared to a solid heart? A heart of iron and Wyrdstone, to replace the coward’s heart beating within.” - EOS, chapter 15

* Side note, it's giving Tamlin and his stone heart.

Danika didn’t just look like she’d been rootling through the garbage. She smelled like it, too. Wisps of her silvery blond hair—normally a straight, silken sheet—curled from her tight, long braid, the streaks of amethyst, sapphire, and rose splattered with some dark, oily substance that reeked of metal and ammonia. - CC HOEAB, chapter 1

The Hind held Ruhn’s gaze as the game began. She was the spitting image of Luna, with her upswept chignon, the regal angle of her neck and jaw. As coldly serene as the moon. All she needed was a pack of hunting hounds at her side— And she had them, in her dreadwolves. How had someone so young risen in the ranks so swiftly, gained such notoriety and power? No wonder she left a trail of blood behind her. “Careful now,” the Harpy said with that oily smile. “The Hammer doesn’t share.” The Hind’s lips curved upward. “No, he doesn’t.” - CC HOSAB, chapter 33

I think the dark maker of the Cauldron could have been Valg, whether that's Koschei or someone else I don't know though Koschei currently makes the most sense. I also don't know when the dark maker would have had the chance to influence the Cauldron; was it always made from dark and light, or - as @fawnandshadows theorised a while back - did Koschei bastardise it after the fact? Where the Valg would fit in with the Daglan and the Asteri is also a mystery, though my current train of thought is that they could be family names or allegiances, like different clans of the same parasitical species, thanks to the description of Danika in HOEAB.

But, back to Azriel and his severe reaction to the Elucien bond.

I know I'm not the only one who wonders at the very Valg-ish themes with which Rhys and Azriel's powers have been described - maybe one day I'll post my thoughts about the possible link between lightsingers, shadowsingers, daemati and the Valg (but it is not this day lol) - and how that may have come about. For example, are the Valg interwoven, genetically, with the Avallen people, or is it because the Princes of Hel are also involved, and have similar magics? Are the Princes of Hel a similar species as the Valg, Asteri and Daglan, or completely different? Ugh, let's stop this spiral here.

Oily: the obvious train of thought being that oily things are slippery, which can lead to an imbalance… ie. becoming off-kilter.

Sounds like Azriel could be suffering from some sort of vertigo, of which symptoms can include nausea; severe headaches, such as migraines, may trigger an episode… and who rubs his temples enough that Elain noticed it?

Maybe Azriel can sense the corruption in the bond, either the current Elucien bond, or the hypothetical original bond between Elain and himself; if like calls to like, and his shadows are Valg-ish, maybe it is because his OG bond was fucked with. So, what if:

Azriel's shadows can slip away from spells and binding magic (Slippery > oily > Valg).

The guards at the prison know what he is.

Valg magic making Azriel nauseous and Elain sourcing/making a healer's powder for him? It's giving Chaol and Yrene. Especially since Elain (and Mor) make his shadows brighten.

So, we have in-text mentions of Azriel feeling overwhelmed due to the proximity of the Elucien bond, as well as Elain shrinking from Lucien - an action that parallels Azriel hanging out in the doorway, and even Lucien retreating to the human lands, if he feels any bond-related discomfort around Elain. But what about his initial response to seeing Elain, and thinking she was the most beautiful female he'd ever seen? The quote that sent me down the “oily” rabbit hole to begin with?

Looking at her now … She was pale, yes. The vacancy still glazing her features. But he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Betrayal, queasy and oily, slid through his veins. He’d said the same to Jesminda once. But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. - ACOWAR, chapter 24

Well, Aelin felt oily disgust at the thought of marrying someone who wasn't Rowan:

“There are no allies,” Darrow said. “Unless Her Highness decides to be useful and gain us men and arms through marriage”—a sharp glance at Rowan—“we are alone.” Aelin debated revealing what she knew, the money she’d schemed and killed to attain, but— Something cold and oily clanged through her. Marriage to a foreign king or prince or emperor. Would this be the cost? Not just in blood shed, but in dreams yielded? To be a princess eternal, but never a queen? To fight with not just magic, but the other power in her blood: royalty. She could not look at Rowan, could not face those pine-green eyes without being sick. - EOS, chapter 5

This example from Aelin could describe Azriel and Elain’s potential future if Elain accepted a theoretically Cauldron spelled bond to Lucien, but also for Lucien and Jesminda, if they were originally true or fated mates before she was murdered.

Some final thoughts:

We know from TOG that healing light is known as the Valg executioner. In a parallel to Yrene killing Erawan with her healing light in KOA, Elain killed the King of Hybern - who I suspect was possessed or assisted by a Valg, as Feyre described his magic as a “galaxy” in his palms - with Truth-Teller, which had recently devoured the (her?) sunlight; does this mean that Elain could heal or purify Valg possessed things, with or without the magical, Made dagger? Could this be extrapolated to Azriel's magic, the Dread Trove, or even the Cauldron (possibly with Feyre and Nesta for the bigger ticket items)?

If the Asteri are the same species as the Valg, and the Valg somehow had a hand in making or twisting the Cauldron, it could follow that they used the Cauldron to create offspring bonds for a more powerful food source. If this pans out then Elain, bright light, could hypothetically heal the Cauldron. Maybe that is why Azriel describes her with purity language? Not because SJM wants to display Azriel's apparently toxic thoughts about her (🙄), but because she, along with her sisters, will be his/their salvation? Rhys once said as much to Feyre!

@mrspettyferr has suggested that Azriel's shadows ability to hide him from binding magic - see: the High Lord's meeting in ACOWAR - could have prevented his true bond from snapping with Elain when she came out of the Cauldron. This could be supported by any Valg/shadow link.

Thank you for reading! Please don't mention any CC HOFAS spoilers in the comments or reblogs until after it has been officially published. 💜

[princessofmerchants]

I just had a revelation as I continue to reread ACOSF post-HOFAS...

The bargain between Nesta and Cassian, that produces their eight-pointed star bargain tattoos, is what finally causes Nesta to start training.

(HOFAS spoilers after the break)

I know this sounds obvious. I've read ACOSF a bazillion times at this point.

But in the past, whenever I thought about their bargain, I have always had at the forefront of my mind the personal impact of the bargain on both of them — how much it means to Cassian that she give training a try, and the fact that Nesta calls in her side of the bargain as part of their lovers' quarrel about their mating bond.

But without this bargain (i.e., Nesta trains for one hour in exchange for a favor from Cassian), Nesta Archeron would not have begun to train.

And if she had not begun to train, the priestesses, Gwyn, and Emerie would not have begun to train.

And (you see where I'm heading with this), this means that without this bargain, the Valkyries would never have been reformed.

The fact that in HOFAS, Bryce connects Nesta's eight-pointed star bargain tattoo to Gwydion/the Starsword, and challenges Nesta to go find out what they may have to do with each other... 🤯

And also given the fate-laden way the scene where Gwyn cuts the ribbon is written, as a turning point that everyone senses but can't fully understand yet...

I'm one of those readers that absolutely thinks the Mother / Urd is a deity who acts in and through the lives of those in these stories. (I would probably be a priestess if I lived in Prythian...)

I'm just in awe and totally hyped to see, on this post-HOFAS reread of ACOSF, all the ways SJM has imbued Nesta's personal story of healing with significance related to the wider magical conflict.

And maybe part of what Nesta will find out is that the eight-pointed star tattoo represents the moment she made a choice that would change everything, and that maybe the Mother made the tattoo that shape to both honor and reveal that change.

[ofduskanddreams]

HO HO HO SANTA'S HERE AGAIN!

What headcanons do you have for Azriel and Eris, like, for one and the other, not as a couple?

What do you not want to see, like, a no-go?

Happy week

Hi Santa!! Always so happy to hear from you :)

I hope you're ready for another long response lol. None of these replies are comprehensive, just the things that first come to mind ( I've barely touched my coffee yet so bear with me.)

Eris headcanons:

-Eris has short hair!! Even when I first read the series and didn't particularly like his character, I never could picture him with long hair the way he's canonically described. Idk why that is but my brain made a choice and I stand by it.

-Eris is protective of his mother and [some of] his brothers but he can't always act on it. (An aside, but I feel like there's at least one or two of his brothers who are fully loyal to Beron.) Canonically Eris's motivations for taking power are layered, many of them veiled; with the context of him subtly shielding his mother at the High Lord's meeting, I believe that one of the reasons he's so eager to become High Lord is because it will ensure his mother's safety.

-Eris was close to Lucien when Lucien was a child. I also headcanon that Eris knows who Lucien's bio father actually is. Lucien is easily one of my favorite characters in the series and he's been through so much shit that I like to imagine there were a few happy brotherly moments in his childhood. Eris obviously cared enough for Lucien that he tried to stand up to Beron to stop him from harming Jesminda, he took a risk by reaching out to Tamlin to meet Lucien on the border too. This ties in with the previous headcanon.

-I headcanon that Eris smells like wood smoke and warm spices (think cinnamon, cardamom, cloves.)

-Cassian was correct in chapter 79 of acosf when he said that Eris 'wasn't a monster,' he 'might even be a good male' but I don't agree with how simply Cassian wrote it off as he's 'too much of a coward to act like it.' I think the situation in Autumn is a lot more complicated than that. Yes fear likely (and understandably) factors into how Eris conducts himself, it's also likely that it's not safe for him or for those he cares about to act any other way.

-ALSO--while I do believe that Eris, at his core, is a far better male than his father I don't think he's like a golden retriever marshmallow either. I like nuanced and flawed characters. I think Eris can still be a "good male" without having to be a Nice Person--the male is no saint and I wouldn't want him to be.

-Last one for Eris, I swear. I headcanon that he's a person who craves control, especially since his entire lived experience has been spent knowing that Beron has the final word on everything and could ruin him whenever he chooses to. One of the ways Eris's desire for control expresses itself is in the bedroom ;)

Azriel headcanons:

-Azriel is a mess, and I say that affectionately. Canonically he has trust issues, authority issues, and self-worth issues; he's emotionally immature at times, and healthy communication is a stranger to him. Azriel is also a dark character: he's angry, he's violent, and there's who knows how much blood on his hands. I realize none of that was a headcanon lol but you also asked what I don't want to see: I don't want Azriel's edges smoothed out, and I don't want that messiness erased--similar to what I mentioned earlier about nuance.

-I headcanon that Azriel's shadows are sentient and that they can be annoying little shits at times sticking their figurative noses where they don't belong.

-Azriel has anxiety. This is a headcanon present in all of my fics. It's never stated outright in canon but given what we do know, especially when combined with these lines from Azriel's acosf bonus chapter (to me, a person with anxiety not in any way qualified to diagnose it,) it rings true: "Too many razor-sharp thoughts sliced him any time he grew still long enough for them to strike. Too many wants and needs left his skin overheated and pulling taut across his bones. So he slept only when his body gave out, and even then only for a few hours."

-Azriel is a momma's boy. Everyone who writes Azriel has different takes on his mother and what her situation looks like now. I like to think that she's happy with whatever form her life has taken on and that Azriel loves her a lot, but he often feels guilty when he spends time with her (that she wouldn't have suffered so much if it weren't for him, that he should have gotten her out sooner, insert deprecating thought here, etc) so he doesn't visit her nearly as often as she would like him to.

-I firmly believe that Azriel is a switch who almost exclusively stays on the dominant side of things because it's what people expect from him and he perceives it as being the less vulnerable option, therefore it's easier for him. However, I don't think he enjoys it that much because, in his daily life, he's constantly in control or at least trying to be. But, because Azriel has many misconceptions about himself and others, it's hard for him to give control over to someone else because he thinks it's a weakness (it's the opposite) so he only allows himself to give up control when he perceives the other party as being equal to or more powerful/better than himself.

my no-go-s:

-The thing I really hate to see (and this goes for many fandoms and pairings, not just Azris) is heteronormativity in queer relationship dynamics. What I mean by this is when heteronormative roles are imposed upon a pairing and it warps one or more of the characterizations. In many cases, this is unconsciously done, but that's all the more reason to discuss it. In the case of Azris, the reason I was drawn to it in the first place was that, personality-wise especially, both Azriel and Eris are portrayed as the traditionally masculine alpha-holes that SJM fills her books with and that meant their dynamic was an interesting detour from the canon pairings in the series so far :)

I know this was likely more than you asked for Santa, but thank you for reading my ramblings <3 I hope you have a good week as well!

[lady-winter-sunrise]

Sincerely... CONGRATULATIONS!!! All of this fully ties in with the theories I've made about Nesta, but since I didn't get to fully read Crescent City I think this whole post complements all the holes in my theory.

Just to summarize... I believe that Nesta has been possessed by The Mother since she fell into the Cauldron. The silver flames symbolize The Mother's power, that can both give and take life. This theory also complements Feyre's line in ACOMAF about the "Dark Mother" and her duality of darkness and benevolence.

This theory became more evident to me when Nesta was asked in ACOSF "which Death God are you? ", also due to Ataraxia. It's said that Magical Swords were only created by the caldron' s power, so a 00 7if Nesta made a sword with the power that she "stole", it means that this power never belonged to the Cauldron in the first place, it was taken by it.

And not just Ataraxia, but also The House of Wind, Nesta brought these objects to life, only a God can create life from nothing. And all Dread Troves are sentient magical objects, just like the Cauldron.

From now on these are ideas are from my theory...

The Mother made the Cauldron to creat life and magic in the world, but it has got out of her control. Because an object cannot be good or bad, it only an function and the Cauldron creates power, regardless if it's good or bad.

I believe that the corruption of the Cauldron is what brought the Daglans to power in Prythian. And I don't belive that the Daglan are truly Gods. Because the Asteri, despite having impressive powers, continue to have "limitations" for their existence. Which makes no sense, as a God should have omnipotent powers.

The Daglan and Asteri are the same alien species that roam the universe in search of power, just being called by different names. And I see this as confirmation when there is a supposed lost Asteri in Midgard and a powerful sorcerer imprisoned in Prythian.

The Daglan took the Cauldron and all the power they found, enslaving Fae and Humans until they rebelled.

PS: Following Norse mythology, Prythian could be "Alfheim" the land of the "Elves" or Fae as we called. While Midgard is the land of humans. So even if there are humans in Prythian, they always were outnumbered by the Fae, because they were brought into Prythian through the Daglan invasion. Which is the same in Midgard as humans are the majority as the Fae were brought by the Asteri.

Yggdrasil is the tree of the nine kingdoms. A multitude of universes were mentioned in Crescent City, so I imagine these realms are at least part of it.

The worldbuilding in Prythian, according to the reports seen by Bryce, were very different from the Courts of the High Lords, which is actually a consequence of the rule of Fionn as the High King that divided Prythian in Courts like "states" and made High Lords as "governors" of these regions. And with the end of Fionn's reign these Courts became independent of each other.

But long before the High King, it's possible that the Fae had reigns and times of peace before the corruption of the Cauldron and the Daglan invasion. This is where I see the Starborn People and something I would call the Dusk Realm. Because before the High King, Courts did not yet exist, but Prythian possibly had independent reigns.

According to Bryce's reports Prythian were forever enchanted, so Dusk was always in Dusk, as well as Night, Day, Dawn, Winter, Spring, Autumn and Summer. It seems that only the "seasonal" lands had periods of day and night.

From Nesta's vision when she found the harp. I think that the Prison was the castle of Dusk's kingdom and that the Starborn came from Prythian and were "imprisoned" by the Asteri as the first Fae of Midgard. So Queen Theia was not only Bryce's ancestor, but also Queen of Dusk.

Aelin, Nesta, Bryce: the secret of the eight-pointed star.

My all time favourite SJM universe theory.

[Spoilers for ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City!]

In Empire of Storms, Aelin is seen wearing a Wyrdkey around her neck. Because of this, a temporary gate is opened inside of her, allowing Deanna to possess her body.

Within the Throne of Glass world, Deanna is a god.

When Aelin attends a religious service to honour Deanna and the other gods, it is noted that the High Priestess bears the marking of an eight-pointed star above her brow.

In the ACOTAR world, it has been widely speculated that the Cauldron - with its three magical legs - is also made from Wyrdkeys (thus creating a Wyrdgate). Items dipped into the Cauldron, such as the Dread Trove, also appear to take on similar properties to the Wyrdkeys.

When Nesta uses the Dread Trove items - just like Aelin and the Wyrdkey - a god-like being appears to possess Nesta.

Nesta also bore a tattoo of the eight-pointed star. The symbol of the gods.

Many believe that the fourth Dread Trove item is the Horn in the Crescent City world.

The Horn is embedded into Bryce's back. Just like the Wyrdkeys, it allows Bryce to open up doors to other worlds.

When the Horn was repaired... Bryce also gained the same marking of the eight-pointed star.

Thus, it appears that Wyrdkeys and the Dread Trove (including the Horn) allow gods, or higher beings, to possess the bodies of those wielding them.

However, unlike Aelin or Nesta, who can remove their access to these items, Bryce is stuck with the Horn permanently inked into her back.

In the final chapters of CC2, when Bryce reaches the Asteri palace, it is said that an eye opens within her soul, and "snarls."

This begs the question; is there someone inside Bryce as well...?

Interestingly, after the Horn was healed and Bryce is racing to save the humans, the Prime of the Wolves looks at Bryce and refers to her as a "wolf." As he says this, he points to his heart.

Similarly, when Bryce meets the Prime again in CC2, he once again refers to her as a "wolf" and taps his chest - his heart.

But, the Prime isn't referring to Bryce. He's referring to Danika.

Bryce's best friend, the wolf-shifter... the one who is always inside of Bryce's heart... literally.

Danika told Baxian that she was trying to find a way into a new world. But, she also knew that she was going to die before this could happen.

Perhaps it's then no coincidence that Danika inked the Horn on Bryce's back; creating a gate inside of Bryce - one that she could enter, even after death, should she need it.

Danika inked the Horn in the "language of universes" - Wyrdmarks.

In doing this, she spelt out the phrase "through love, all is possible." When Hypaxia asks Bryce about this very phrase on her back, Bryce explains the meaning: that she and Danika will never be parted.

Danika says the same thing herself; that even if Bryce cannot see her... she will always be there.

And, I don't think these are just pretty words. Because, through the Horn - a gate into Bryce's soul - Danika's own soul resides.

This explains how, after the Horn was healed, Bryce was able to the Drop.

The Drop is a descent into one's soul. When Bryce does the Drop, when she descends into her own soul... she found Danika there.

But, this raises an interesting question; can any deceased or otherworldly being enter Bryce through the Horn?

Or... is Danika someone important?

Given the theme of reincarnation within the SJM universe... it is possible that Danika was once a god, or a higher being, herself?

Well, the name Danika means "morning star." Or, otherwise known as Sirius.

In the Crescent City world, Sirius was the seventh (and long deceased) Asteri.

Sirius was known as the WOLF STAR.

Further, within various strains of mythology, Danika is known as the Goddess of Dusk.

...Danika's search for Dusk's Truth.

...The Horn, given to Bryce by Danika, is a beacon to Prythian. To the Dusk Court.

The Dusk Court (most likely situated on the Prison Island), with the same marking of the eight-pointed star.

The symbol of the Starborn fae.

The symbol of the Gods.

With SJM's next (multiverse?) series speculated to be called Twilight of the Gods...

Twilight being another word for dusk...

It's all coming together.

(And, as an additional headcanon - if this theory is true - I wonder if this is all leading up to Starfall - the migration of souls. That we will see Danika's soul leave her place inside of Bryce, and join the other souls in the sky - destined to be reborn once more).

[bookofmirth]

Nothing about the valkyrie winning was believable, it’s really that simple..Three very out of shape, inexperienced women trained for a few weeks, and suddenly they’re proclaimed valkyrie? winning a competition that requires them to kill fully trained illyrian warriors and out survive them. oh and the bracelets helped them find eachother, and they also went to the mountain no one dares to go to, not even rhysand, azriel and cassian. this isn’t even being stated to shit on the girls I love the girls, but their storyline is the worst sarah has ever written, besides the triggering secret keeping baby storyline she came up with. every other storyline she’s written went smoother than this book. as an aspiring writer it’s actually embarrassing writing to have those girls win the rite, and no hate to anyone it’s just a laughable writing decision..if I were sarah I’d be embarrassed to even explain the ending of that book with the “valkyrie” if it’s ever brought up, they are adorable strong characters but they just have a horrible climax that made no sense 😕 it’s hard to even re read it. people who like, LOVE that book are real troopers. I wish I could enjoy the book, but it’s just a mess. All that sex, like 6 sex scenes, yet.. no conversation between the sisters or nesta and feyre (who is a big part of the reason why nesta had so much self loathing) but sjm had nestas main issues seem like it was her father and not being worthy of cassian..while her issue with feyre was in the backround 💀

I hope this next book isn’t a mess like this one was, and I hope she actually listens to constructive criticism because I have a sense this author is just in her own world and doesn’t care about criticism even if it’s justified. she’s probably living her best life, but I guess when you have so much success you can afford to have one kinda shitty book. i don’t mean to be mean but yeah. all the potential she has to ruin things by having bryce’s pov in prythian will be interesting to see. all CC is about is every character thirsting over bryce, acting like she is capable of being a “queen” and corny one liners “yeah boys we’re doing this screw you alphaholes I have a nail appointment” like???? I’m sorry 😭😭😭 I’m on the side of being optimistic but also filled with dread. no point though ik, she’s gonna write what she’s gonna write..

Nothing about the valkyrie winning was believable

*to you. It was believable to other people, the anons I got and myself included. It's fine if you weren't able to suspend your disbelief! We don't have to agree on this. I get where people are coming from, it's just not one of the issues that I really care about in acosf, I suppose.

I've definitely pointed out ways in which acosf fell flat for me, mainly in terms of plot. The Blood Rite is just one of those things that personally, made sense to me. There are things I look at harder in acosf than other things. The pregnancy plot clearly made no sense, we can all come up with 12 reasons why it was nonsense without even trying. The sex and alcohol thing... I hate. Hate hate hate.

Here's something, Nesta just happening to be at Emerie's the night she gets kidnapped? For some reason to me that's way more eyeroll-worthy than them winning the Rite. Actually I know why - it's because Nesta and Gwyn also being kidnapped relied 100% on coincidence, whereas they had been training for months to be Valkyries, and they had also passed the Qualifier in front of Declan. Darrow. Whatever his name is. Douchebag. Az and Cassian also set it up so that the Valkyries could take the Qualifier, meaning they had confidence they would complete it.

the bracelets helped them find eachother

This was set up though? Nesta wished on them, and we know she can make objects all powerful and stuff. This is why I am 99% that Gwyn will leave the library, btw, them finding one another was just one part of that wish. The other part was that they felt comfortable going out into the world when they were ready.

I have a sense this author is just in her own world and doesn’t care about criticism even if it’s justified.

Oh 10000%, sjm does what sjm wants to do, and yeah, that's great for her but some of us are looking around the room like John Travolta over here.

CC is about is every character thirsting over bryce

She drives me nuts 🙃 I hope that now sjm has all these pieces set up for the crossover between the two series, the plots will start to make more sense. If acosf was a mess in part because she was shoving pieces in so she could reference them later (e.g. Gwydion) then hopefully she's doing messing around now.

I am the same as you, optimistic but not holding my breath? I just figure this isn't the only series I read, there is plenty to keep me entertained in the meantime, and if things were better thought out then tbh, I probably wouldn't be on tumblr scratching my head trying to figure it all out every day.

[princessofmerchants]

Yes that was me who made the point about the fairness or ethics of putting something vital in a piece of the story not everyone has (ethical) access to.

More thoughts on this after the break bc I'm still trying to be mindful of visible ACOSF SPOILERS in my own feed for a few more weeks.

The thing about this Ask, that is the aspect of the "ship war" I find really interesting, and in a way I think is the crux of the matter, is the part that asks why Sarah would use a bonus chapter to kill a ship/tell us it's not going to work out? (paraphrase)

This question assumes it was a ship to begin with. It was a ship in fanon, absolutely no question. And I have read the first four books so many times I've lost count (except ACOFAS, which I know I've read three times, but for the first three books, it's been at least six times possibly more). I have read the same scenes everyone else has. And I just don't, nor have I ever, come to the same conclusion that there was anything romantic building between Elain and Azriel that folks who ship them do.

A friendship developed, absolutely, and it was one of my favorite friendships in the series until all the lovely moments of connection between them have been framed in most fannish conversations as romantic or nothing, so there isn't really a space to talk about what they both were gaining from their burgeoning friendship. But I digress.

The Ask assumes the stakes were so high going into the Az POV that there was an obvious ship to sink or confirm. Many feel that way, but not all do, and we all have read the same books. So a bonus chapter sinking or launching a ship assumes there was a definitive ship to sink or launch before we got the bonus chapter from the author. I don't believe there was. Others would probably disagree. And I think that's A-OK. ✌🏻

(I also think we each bring our personal experiences to our readings of the same books and come to different conclusions because of that, and I think this is very OK, in fact it's amazing and the reason I read fiction.)

Last thing I'll say is to fully acknowledge the same can be said of Gwynriel and even Elucien, that there aren't yet fully built ships in either case to sink or sail either (though the first time Elain and Lucien meet during the Cauldron scene and the first time they have a conversation in ACOWAR are really compelling scenes that will be filled with a lot of meaning in retrospect should their ship sail in canon). I acknowledge this fully. And I'm not worried by it because I always assumed Elain's romantic arc would be largely confined to her own book. I want it to be that way. And if it's Elucien in the end, I want to be able to pick up the Elucien book and read it cover to cover and get the bulk of their arc from that book, not scattered also in bonus chapters not every reader has access to. And if it winds up being Elriel, I would feel the same way.

the bonus povs are treats for the fans, and so far they've been used to hype up couples for future books or as fanservice. the rest of the readers don't even know about them. so why would anyone think Sarah would use that bonus pov to kill a ship/tell us it's not gonna work out??

this is a genuine question bc i don't get it, and you always have very reasonable explanations plus idk if you're a teacher or what but you know how to word stuff to make it easy to understand.

thanks

In a word, I think people are desperate for confirmation one way or another, that their ship will be canon or not.

However, you’re write about why they exist! If we made a list of all the bonus material she’s written, from what I can remember we’ve had: 

two for rowaelin, 

the nessian one Wings and Embers, 

the feysand one in acosf, 

the Az one in acosf,

and then the Nesta sneak peak in acofas ended up changing and becoming part of the main storyline. 

Basically, none of them served any purpose other than to give us a small glimpse into another moment of a character’s/ship’s lives. They were scenes that fit into the story we already knew, and taking them out didn’t add anything to plot or ships. nessian still would have had plenty of content and ended up together. feysand obviously just did it a whole bunch, which we’ve come to expect from them. We learned that Aelin was jealous of Remelle and ran into a little girl with magic. The Nesta one was more important but it ended up changing a lot to fit into the actual story.

And I think that @princessofmerchants-reads mentioned in a comment on a post somewhere that it’s not exactly ethical to have vital content appear somewhere that’s not available to all readers? Obviously we put it online and the publisher might assume that will happen, but that would be a really weird to have something super important to the story that not everyone would know about or be able to read.

The Az one is a bit different because we’ve never had his POV before. But it was character development. It didn’t do anything to further the plot or tell us what’s going to happen next or who will/won’t be together. People are trying to take clues from it because they (we heh) are desperate but? That’s our interpretation, and not an explicit part or purpose of that scene.