#nesta is with cassian in canon do you see me shipping them?

[achaotichuman]

Y'all canon really aint that serious.

[justthinkinboutbooks]

It is absolutely wild to me that there are people out there who read all 4.5 ACOTAR books and then read Azriel's bonus chapter and went, "WHATTT??? Elain and Azriel? Since when do they like each other???"

Like how did you miss that, babe? Sure, their attraction wasn't as in your face as Nesta and Cassian's, who are two extroverts that wear their hearts on their sleeves--the exact opposite of Elain and Az--but all the signs were there.

If it came as a surprise, then you missed something. You didn't pick up what SJM was putting down because the BC wasn't written to introduce us to that potential pairing. It already existed.

And look, Elriel doesn't have to be your ship, but they are canonically interested in each other and have been for a while. The BC did not "end" whatever attraction there is between them. Its purpose was to show was to see that attraction in action.

If you didn't see Elain and Azriel coming, that's on you.

[lovemyromance]

SJM: I thought it was obvious??

AKA - No analysis needed. The clues are there. Things are already happening.

Please keep your 80 page PowerPoints and highlighted words from your “8 books of canon” (none of which are actually from ACOTAR, btw) to yourself.

“I thought it was obvious” = no deep dives needed. No extrapolation or analysis necessary. The words are already on the page. You don’t have to work harder than SJM to come up with your own theories (*cough* see HOFAS crazy hype theories vs actual book)

“I thought it was obvious”

The ONLY couple currently mutually attracted to each other is Elriel. They have had moments since ACOMF. ACOSF did not end them, it gave them the setup for the next book. They are set up for the greatest tortured forbidden romance of the series, how can you dispute that? Why would you WANT to dispute that love story? I don’t want ACOSF 2.0 which was all physical and no substance. I want an angsty, slow forbidden romance. I want to fall in love when the characters fall in love. Elriel will give us that.

“I thought it was obvious”

The other ships do NOT exist on the page at the moment. Elucien, I will give credit to because they are still mates so that COULD happen still. But right now, where ACOSF ended, they had barely even seen each other in a year. The only romantic coded interactions have been between Azriel & Elain thus far.

“I thought it was obvious”

Elucien & Gw*riel have not shared any romantic moments. There is no romance between them at this current time in the series. I am not talking about “what could happen” or “what could Sarah be setting up” because she said it was obvious. That means it’s there already. There’s no reason to hypothesize and theorize about ships that don’t currently exist in the book. Because - and say it with me-

“I thought it was obvious”

What is obvious about elucien? Other than the fact that they are mates. That’s it. That’s all they have. Not even a conversation on the page. Not even a shared shy glance or brush of their fingers. It’s the equivalent of an arranged marriage neither of them seems to want. Analyzing 20 sentences about flowers and sunlight, going out of your way to prove feyre is an “unreliable” narrator when she questions the bond (but Cassian, fashion police of Velaris, is a very very reliable narrator)-Why? Is any of that obvious to the casual reader? No.

“I thought it was obvious”

I’m not even going to spend many words talking about Gw*nriel, as I don’t see it as anything more than a crackship. They have like 4 platonic interactions. Friendly. Banter, sure. But not all banter is a clue that people are predestined soulmates. Most people who read their interactions are not going to overanalyze spark and glow and shadow behavior. They shouldn’t have to because - again - none of that is obvious.

“I thought it was obvious”

Shy glances and subtle scenes in the background wasn’t enough for those who claim to be reading experts. So SJM released a bonus chapter where in clear black and white text, you see both Azriel and Elain desperate for each other. This man is willing to BEG on his knees for a taste of her/ the end. Why would you even want him with anyone else after that?

“I thought it was obvious”

All these characters I’ve mentioned have been supporting characters this entire series. Nothing concerning them is going to happen in someone else’s book-but the seeds have been sewn. Any scene with Elain could have been written with Lucien or her sisters instead of Azriel - but it wasn’t.

Ex: when majda says, “if anyone can figure out what’s wrong, it’s a mate”

Lucien is THERE. Feyre is THERE. Nesta is THERE. But who figures it out - not her mate, nor her sisters - Azriel.

Lucien could’ve shown her the garden, feyre could’ve sat with her and listened to Elain’s garden plans till 3am - but no - it was Azriel.

And this man is the only one in the NC I’m convinced that has an actual job and responsibilities. So he is choosing to spend what little free time he has with ELAIN. What’s not clicking, folks?

“I thought it was obvious”

Sarah-we love her-but she is Queen of cliches. Her writing is not some insane thriller level that has you gasping every page turn. She likes threes, she likes happy endings, she likes her male LIs desperate for their female counterparts. The answer to Amarantha’s riddle was LOVE. CC had “through love all is possible”.

You really think she wrote the line “hoped love would trump even a mating bond” and it meant nothing?

SJM doesn’t do anything easy. But she said it was obvious- because it IS.

[lifeisabiscuit]

It will never not bother me how people are like Elain doesn't owe Lucien anything, she doesn't want him, he should take a hint, leave her alone and stop stalking her (even though he moved to the human lands and only comes when requested and doesnt even see her everytime hes there or at solstice where he kindly brings gifts for her and Feyre and she barely acknowledges it. Like, no girl the gifts don't make him entitled to your affections but aren't you supposed to be the kind sister? He hasn't done anything wrong). Even in canon, Feyre barely tries to meddle in their relationship (or lack thereof) and even questions why not give Elain and Azriel a bond instead. They never clear up that he was not the reason they were taken (and neither was Tamlin but of course they would let them keep blaming him instead of taking responsibility for their part), they just dangle her in front of him to make him compliant and keep doing things for them (sounds a lot like what they did to his brother with Nesta).

But then, when Nesta clearly makes it known she wants nothing to do with Cassian (like Elain has about Lucien), they let him follow her around and lock her in a house with him. Don't even get me started on the bonus chapter where he cornered a human woman and asked about her virginity. No matter what Nesta wanted, Cassian wanted Nesta so they had to be together, ignoring every thing she's said and every sign she's made that she wanted him to leave her alone. No, let's lock them up together instead and force proximity. I don't care if deep deep down she wanted him too, she told him to leave her alone. He found glee in locking her up with him where she could not go anywhere without him. And so many people think this is romantic and goals? They think Nesta deserved to have her wants ignored because Cassian wanted her.

I don't believe the problem was that Nesta was sleeping around, but because she wasn't sleeping with Cassian and he was throwing a pity party. Because as soon as she started sleeping with him even though that was another of her vices, all of a sudden no one had an issue with it.

Like, it seems like just another way to punish Lucien for 'not helping Feyre' against a high lord (something everyone excuses Cassian from because Rhys is his high lord) and punish Nesta for being a child "letting" her sister hunt (even though Feyre made her mom a promise and was never going to listen to Nesta whether she told her not to anyways).

Cassian didn't even really want Nesta more than physically, they had to break her to make her more what he wanted and then he never even said he loved her. He wanted a mate, Nesta wanted Cassian. And the thing is, I don't even have a preferred Elain ship, I just want Lucien to stop being toyed with. But I don't think Lucien even wants a mate, so I could see him actually falling for Elain for who she is, not just her beauty. If anyone would give him a chance. Like, even if she still wants to break the bond, at least talk to him.

I dunno, The double standard between how people treat the sisters is annoying.

[quietmonologues]

So. I hate shipping discourse and I try to keep it off my blog nowadays. I also don't consider myself a part of the fandom. But, I find discussions about this series particularly engaging and interesting, and Elucien do have me in a bit of a chokehold these days so I feel the need to get this off my chest and put this out into the world.

A common question I see is "why do people ship Elucien? They don't even like each other". And to that, I say this:

What about it? This is why shipping discourse in this fandom (and in general) is so ridiculous, because why is there confusion as to why people ship Elain and Lucien together? SJM literally wrote them as a potential pairing, that's why she made them mates. Pairing = shipping. It's not rocket science.

Two characters not liking each other is never gonna be a deterrent for them becoming canon or for people liking them as a ship. That's why enemies to lovers is such a popular trope. However way you define enemies (on opposite sides of a war like Zuko and Katara, or thinking ill of one another based on misunderstandings and assumptions like Darcy and Elizabeth), when it's done well, the story of two characters changing their opinion about each other, getting to know each other on a deeper level, and growing to love each other after their initial discomfort/hatred/loathing/indifference is a compelling story. It's about the journey, the development, and overcoming all the hurdles and bumps that are in their way.

Another reason for why the "they dislike each other" argument is so weak is because you literally have two other canon couples in this same series who had very rough starts. No matter how you feel about these two pairings, it's blatantly clear that Rhys and Cassian did put Feyre and Nesta in uncomfortable situations and have hurt them (physically/emotionally). But clearly, that was not a deterrent for them getting together in the end. So why the heck are Lucien and Elain different? Why is "Elain is so uncomfortable around Lucien" a continuous argument? It's so hypocritical given the fact that Lucien is the only guy that isn't forcing himself upon his mate.

Also, I'm sorry but some people (me...I'm some people) are tired of the "dark, battle-born, winged-warrior brother" and "previously human, traumatized archeron sister" pairing. Elain and Lucien are both associated with nature, they're both social and like interacting with people, they both experienced a deep love previously, they both abhor violence, they are both overlooked by others yet have the ability to see what others can't. They are a compatible pairing to me because they share many characteristics that are harmonious and complementary. They are the anti-thesis of Night Court aesthetics and thought, and if they ever have a book together then I can only hope it's the best one in the series.

And yes, the "Elain needs sunshine" and "Lucien is the heir to the Day Court" connection is important, my goodness. That's what symbolism is!

Sometimes it's that simple.

Okay, that's enough shipping discourse from me.

[acourtofthought]

hi, so.. i'm genuinely curious. why do you ship gwyn and azriel? because for me, i don't think gwyn has shown any romantic interest in azriel, and even he himself thinks they're not close enough to be friends. do you think sjm is going to throw all of elriel's moments away in previous books just for a ship built off of a spark in the chest and a private dagger lesson which happened off page?

because if she does, i think it will be fan service. major fan service.

thank you.

You say all the E/riel moments but if you really care about what I have to say (as you felt the need to message me) I hope you'll actually pay attention to the things I'm telling you.

It's not all the E/riel moments. It's all the E/riel moments that were almost instantly followed up by Az's fixation on someone else or lack of true interest on his part.

Az figured out Elain was a Seer? He then went on and agreed that they shouldn't bother following through on her visions.

Az announced he'd get Elain back only after Cassian first said they'd get her back? He went on to disobey Feyre's orders to get Elain to safety so he could stay behind and save Feyre, risking Elain's life in the process. He also said he'd be the one who could also take Briar though it was Elain who helped save her, something Az never acknowledged. Just like he never acknowledged her saving him too when kicking the hounds and Cassian, Nesta when she stabbed the king.

Az gave Elain TT? That's because Mor begged him to sit out of battle. He sat out of the one thing he's known for, being the first to throw himself into danger, because the female he in canon loved at the time had tears in her eyes and asked him not to enter the fight. Also, he didn't bother to check on Elain after the war or provide his condolences for the loss of her father.

Az was so sweet taking the potatoes from Elain's hand? Only a few chapters before he was relieved not to have to get her a gift to help her celebrate her first Solstice after being turned fae and he went on to stare at Mor with heat and yearning while Elain sat in the room with them.

He stared at Elain's headache powder for a year while he imagined what she'd look like during sex? He was pissy towards Helion because of Helion's question on where Mor was. He interrupted Nesta's question to Feyre on whether Elain knew about the pregnancy to ask if Mor knew. And because he STILL looks at Mor with longing glances. "Few and Far between" doesn't equal Zero. It means they still exist though to a much lesser degree......all while he's supposed to be so captivated by Elain. He didn't bother asking Elain how she was doing after her fights with Nesta, didn't bother saying he'd help her train her powers. You know, important things when it comes to endgame couples.

Not to mention Az wasn't remotely affected by Elain's catatonic state, where she was withering away. Lucien was DEVASTATED. Az drew straws so he didn't have to stay behind and guard her. THAT'S supposed to be who I want for Elain? The IC was not allowed to enter the Rite otherwise it would guarantee death to them all. Nothing prevented Az from staying with Elain to guard her.

Did you read the TOG series? Did you see how many moments existed between Dorian and Celeana? Beautiful moments too. Did you see what transpired between Celaena and Chaol? She literally tells Chaol that she'd always choose him, she says that he is her home.

Tell me how anything that happened between Az and Elain is any more poetic than what we witnessed between Celaena and Chaol yet Sarah had no problems chucking that out the window.

How about the buildup between Nesryn and Chaol? Sarah had her travel with him to the Torres Cesme, she was willing to accept him with his disability yet Sarah knocked down that house of cards in Tower of Dawn.

Dorian and Sorscha?

Feyre was engaged to Tamlin for gods sakes.

I truly don't understand how you think buildup means anything in Sarah's books. Unless two characters are mates, Sarah will easily tear down whatever buildup once existed between two non mates.

Theia and Fionn were forbidden lovers yet she went on to stand by impassioned as he was murdered only to later be willing to give up everything for Aidas, her mate.

And though you'll refuse to see it, I think Sarah already ended them on Solstice. Az and Elain were doomed from the start and there has now been 7 months that have passed from Solstice until the events of HOFAS. We are given absolutely no buildup for the E/riel ship in all that time, not since Elain returned his necklace. There has been no on page bantering between them, no longing glances, not even an indiscernible peak out of the corner of their eyes at one another.

"All the E/riel buildup" except it's already gone? E/riels entire buildup amounted to an almost kiss that never happened in a bonus chapter which makes it pretty easy for Sarah to move on from considering she tore down Feyre's engagement to Tamlin within the span of a few chapters. And Feyre and Tamlin had an entire book dedicated to them.

You can ship E/riel still, of course, but you can't honestly act like it would be difficult for an author like SJM to walk away from whatever they had going since she had no issues breaking apart multiple other characters who shared so much more.

Serious question for you.

How many books do you read where at the very start of the novel, the two characters instantly want one another?

Did Claire want Jamie at the start of Outlander? Pretty sure she was married to and in love with her husband. She also tried to escape back to said husband after marrying and sleeping with Jamie.

I just read a book where the guy ends up helping a girl who was homeless and she's worried that he'll expect sexual favors from her as she's seen happen on the streets and he says and thinks "she's not remotely my type" though of course they end up together and she's the most beautiful thing ever.

Off the top of your head I'm guessing you can't tell me 5 books where the endgame couple starts the book already in love or romantically interested in one another. So why would Az and Gwyn not being true friends yet be a problem at all?

As far as Gwyn's interest or lack thereof, I don't even need the bonus but if after 2 years and knowing what Elain did during the war he still doesn't think she's capable of handling the darkness of the trove but after a few months he believes in Gwyn's ability to make it through the Rite, it's pretty obvious who the author is setting up as his love interest. Sarah's writing and preferred behavior for her MMC with his endgame person is not difficult to spot at this point.

While we don't currently have confirmation of physical attraction (something that could easily change with a simple change of pov), we do have confirmation of curiousity on Gwyn's part. And a lot of admiration on Az's side.

How is that not a wonderful jumping off point for these two characters? Az is no stranger to lust for beautiful females but he doesn't often give them credit for standing on their own two feet. And Gwyn's curiousity about Az, a male, after what happened to her, is a huge step forward already.

Gwyn started SF not having left the library in 2 years but by the end she was fine being alone with Az on the top of the roof in the middle of the night. She was teasing him over his title, "Shadowsinger."

I'm not sure how you don't see that as being playful / flirtatious. Does that mean she's in love with Az and wants to jump his bones? No, it's just the first hints we're seeing. I'd rather only see hints of something before two characters are ready to bang one out on page before they've even had a POV and shared any sort of meaningful conversation (which Az and Elain have never done, they have never spoken about anything of true importance). That's the difference between a romance book with sex and a book with smut.

As for Az, I'd much rather wait for his romance to build on page, where he's only focused on one female, rather than the shit-show that has been the Mor / Elain situation. Where he can't even admit to his best friend that he's over Mor in the same chapter he thinks how he's not thought of a plan on how to be with Elain beyond his sexual fantasies.

Elain deserves a hell of a lot better than that. And so does Gwyn. Which is why I'm glad Az isn't romantically interested in her at this point in time. Have you ever liked a guy who was panting over you and another girl? It's really not the romance E/riels like to pretend it is and I'd rather Az truly come to terms with his past with Mor and letting her go (something that he has not fully done) before he shows any romantic interest for his endgame person. But with Gwynriel I see that future potential. The banter already exists, she's a bit bloodthirsty like Az, she's seen him slaughter which means she's seen a little what Az is capable of versus how he's behaved around Elain, and his shadows are happy around her (which is better than how Az notes they tend to vanish around Elain after telling us how they're his companions). Not to mention Az won't suffer being around someone who already has a mate and will forever have that mate.

Crying fanservice because you don't get your way rather than paying attention to the author you're reading is a copout and I hope you respect Sarah's writing more than that.

[iocaisaint]

Random ACOTAR takes

cw*: my unsolicited opinions

I agree with #that woman that canon Lucien and Nesta (and I mean pre-ACOSF) would've been terrible for each other sorry

As of right now Nesta is the only Archeron sister with direct connection to the Dusk Court, like her and her alone 🤷🏾‍♀️

Out of the love square (?) Lucien is lowkey the only one with a storyline that isn't made out of paper mache and hope. There's so many angles you could go: Beron, Eris, LOA, The Autumn Court or Spring Court, Tamlin, or Day Court, Helion, being an heir, or helping Vassa with Koschei + his overall friendship with Jurian + Vassa + humans as a whole and that's without touching on the mating bond even once. Real set-up wished she'd done that with everyone else

That being said, I disagree with a bunch of Lucien's stans when it comes to his characters, y'all have a power fantasy for him that's in direct contradiction to how he's actually written (I mean I get it the books treat him like trash)

If Nesta is pregnant I'll have a crash out to end all crash outs.

Everybody in this fandom bar maybe Feysands are shipping fanon, the scenes that y'all talk about and the ones that exist on page are either not the same or straight up don't exist.

I hate the HK/HQ plot even for Nesta, like is blatant colonialism.

Everybody here is a hypocrite when it comes to their faves we'd all be happier admitting then bending over backwards.

I do not care for Elain, simply because fanon Elain is so far removed from what's on page, that most her pro arguments simply don't make sense to me.

There's no reason for Helion to give up his Pegasi but I know HOFAS was a mess but when the place was revitalised after the Asteri were murdered they came back, my guess is that place and the prison are mirror worlds so the same will happen once the Prison is liberated

Azriel isn't boring but he also isn't extremely interesting. If he was a girl no one would gaf about him, but there are enough concepts of an idea where I could see his book not being awful.

Neither the pro or the anti side gives a fuck about Emerie, double points if you're engaging in that ship war. No I won't expand on this, I'm right.

Nessian sucks, that's all.

Actually no I'm expanding on that point, the fact that people defend no "I love you" from the MMC is crazy, that fact that people defend Nesta being threatened without Cass stepping in even worse, the fact that Rhys knows he can berate Nesta in Cassian's presence....like they had an 800+ page book and I'm still having to hear about how they need to "grow as characters" y'all aren't serious people

I've become more neutral-positive to Feyre because some of the arguments against her are just crazy but on that note she'd be deeply more entertaining if the narrative wrote her refusal for self reflection as a flaw

Gwyn cannot be a evil light singer and irrelevant at the same time please pick one.

Also I don't hate the light singer theory, sorry. Monsters not actually being monsters is this series's bread and butter. It'd be great if a woman finally got that treatment

I can already tell Eris is about to be retconned to hell because SJM hates a character not being vindicated by the narrative to redeem them (she already started by implying Eris wants his father dead for #feminism). Let it be known I like/d him as is

I don't get into arguments about Rhys cause I find him boring. Y'all are fighting day in day out about faerie Ronald Reagan

Nesta should've been bi, how tf did we get stuck with Mor

I have more but that's it for now.

[offtorivendell]

Do you think Nesta/Cassian have a true mate bond or a corrupt cauldron bond? I see a lot of people say they think Eris is her true mate and some people say the complete opposite 😅

Hi anon!

Disclaimer: more word vomit I'm sorry.

TW: discussion includes birthing winged babies and all that entails. If this is a sore topic for you, then I recommend giving this a pass. 💜

Spoilers: I'll be discussing the entire Maasverse, please beware.

I think both Nessian and Feysand have true or soul bonds, which I suspect may be a type of carranam bond, rather than corrupted Cauldron bonds.

Whether or not true/soul bonds are equivalent to carranam bonds - though as I have said before, it appears the sisters may have powers "to match" the brothers (per ACOSF) - it would make ZERO sense for Feyre and Nesta to be mated to Rhys and Cassian respectively for the sole purpose of creating more powerful offspring, given the risk to mother and child when a winged bub is born to a woman with the (I'm sorry) incorrectly shaped uterus/birth canal. And wasn't there a 50/50 chance of a winged baby, with a full Illyrian procreating with a high fae female? Those aren't great odds for the Asteri. But both couples do share bonds consisting of multiple golden threads, ergo: I suspect they share the true or soul bonds about which @silverlinedeyes and @icedflames originally theorised years ago now.

Personally - and imo this was supported by HOFAS, with what we learnt of Hunt's ancestry and design - I lean towards Feysand, Nessian and Elriel all being foretold as a way to free their land from the magical chains left by the Asteri/Daglan of the past. I think that what is most important is the pairing's ability to support each other, and make each other more powerful, rather than to create stronger children from which the Daglan can feed, hence why they complement each other's magic so well and, if I'm right about them being carranam, they can act as conduits for each other as well, further amplifying their strengths.

To complete the poetic balance of 3x3 being fated, I think Elriel were also meant to have a true/soul bond until Koschei (or Someone) loaned his (or Their) otherworldly magic to the King of Hybern*, allowing him to control the Cauldron. This hypothetical, new ability to Make powerful spells, combined with Azriel being downed by Jurian's poisoned ash arrow to the chest, may have created an opening for the corrupted Cauldron to cast a thread between Elain and the next best male, Lucien.

* My thoughts are that Koschei is either a prince of Hel and/or a Valg-type creature (how that plays in with the Daglan I'm unsure), and the King of Hybern was possessed in a way similar to what we experienced in TOG. But if the King of Hybern was a Valg prince, or had the borrowed powers of a Valg king (or queen), then it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could have tweaked the threads of fate to generate a false bond between Elain and Lucien in order to keep Elain and Azriel apart, as Maeve did between Rowan and Lyra to separate him from his true mate, Aelin. There are great theories that delve into the parallels between Elriel and Rowaelin, I recommend checking out @riddlecrux (I'm 99% sure).

It's always fun to theorise, so as always, no hate to anyone who thinks differently than me - shipping with your heart is absolutely valid, even if your fav pairing doesn't end up being canon - but I really do not think that SJM is splitting her loved up pairs with accepted mating bonds. This goes for Feysand, Nessian and Bryceriel Quinlar (hooray fatigue), all of whom have made strong declarations of love for each other. That would cheapen SJM's romances so much.

Besides that, while I understand focusing on ships - because this is romantasy after all, and the couples are integral to the overall plot - I don't see how Nesta and Eris would work into the poetry of a prophecy that we already know:

Life and death and rebirth

Sun and moon and dark

Rot and bloom and bones

Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me.

Madness. Where the first half had been cold cunning, this box … this was chaos, and disorder, and lawlessness, joy and despair. [...] Rhys picked up the Book of Breathings.

Light and dark and gray and light and dark and gray— - ACOMAF, chapter 57

The Book of Breathings gave us this beauty back in ACOMAF, and while there are many attempts to make sense of it (and I think many could be right), if we're talking about romantic pairings, I don't see how it could encompass any ships other than those of the brothers and sisters present. Where would the balance be in that? While there are certainly plots that people have theorised for pairings other than these three (and of course, I acknowledge that Elriel isn't canon endgame at this point in time), I haven't read any that would tie into the themes of three we have seen established by SJM: sisters, brothers, mountains, stars etc.

Eris is an intriguing character and Neris a fun ship (I don't hate it at all), but in canon it wouldn't flow, at least to me. Though of course I could be wrong.

Anyway, sorry for the mess of this response. I hope my thoughts make at least some sense lol.

Edit: I was about to post and then @wingedblooms and her beautiful mind struck again. Anon - and anyone else - please read her reblog of my post about the Asteri corrupting mating bonds, it's beautifully written and I have similar thoughts (as usual).

[elrielffs]

The amount of hypocrisy I see in this fandom is RIDICULOUS. "I dont like elain because shes boring and bland. az deserves someone who is strong and not a flower girl." I guarantee you that once that next book comes out.... bro, many people are going to switch up so bad. They did this with nesta. Mind you, people HATED nesta and now when nesta book came out, everyone switched up and started hating feyre, rhys, cassian, and the inner circle. its so laughable.

And with elain not being a warrior or fierce girl bootok seems to love 24/7... because 2 b really h... YALL ARE THE BLAND ONES. We need something different for once! Like i love the badass fmc but bro, lets see a different fmc for once.!

It really is.

I def agree that we will see a switch up on Elain when her book is out for sure, if they bother to read it when their ship doesn't happen.

It always amazes me that people think there is nothing deeper to Elain than we have witnessed so far--that she is entirely surface level and SJM will not flesh her out even though she's dropped HEAVY HEAVY hints about it.

Also, I don't get why people hate on Elain so much when they are trying to steal her plots, her friends, her family, her place in the IC? Most antis really want Elriel/Elain but without Elain and a Frankenstein not even accurate/canon Gwyn in her place.

And as for Eluciens? They want Elain to be a side character in her own book and just support Lucien and strip all her choices she is making and just be as boring and bland as they imagine her to be.

I always found people who switched up on the IC and Feysand really gullible or influenceable. You got 4 books of people loving the IC and Feysand (or those people that for some reason hate read the trilogy because what do you mean you read the whole series but hated Feyre????) but suddenly they are shown in a less than positive light and it's fuck them, they're awful?

And I'm not saying they are above criticism or they never make mistakes but that's what good characterization and narrative tension are made of! Nobody wants to read a book where everyone always says/does the right thing and everyone gets along.

AND YES. I really feel the shift happening in the genre. People are tired of the girl bosses. I'm so excited for Elain and her gentle femininity.

It really feels sometimes like people in the fantasy/romantasy genre can't like a female character unless she shows male/masculine traits. (People are also wayyyy more forgiving of male characters than female. Elain v. Azriel being a good point) Not that being a warrior is inherently male but that it's more traditional but all that's a whole separate topic.

But anyways, I feel like the genre is ready for FMC's like Elain and when her book is here people will be singing a different tune and we'll see the switch up on Elain like we did with Nesta.

And more books will have FMC's like Elain because SJM is THE romantasy author and sets the trends.

[darklinaforever]

Why do I see a lot of people who are fans of Gwynriel and Elucien getting excited about the bonus chapter of the new SJM book when in fact there is absolutely nothing about these ships in there... Seriously, they're becoming embarrassing with so much.

Like, the disillusionment they're going to have when Elriel becomes canon is going to be crazy and honestly I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it. No, because they become ridiculous with their ships fanon.

We're tired of this excuse about "but they're soul mates" when it was proven in SJM's ACOTAR that soul mates don't always work.

Damn, in several books Lucien and Elain have not had any positive interactions and don't even want to see each other otherwise they are uncomfortable. DO PEOPLE CAN READ ?!

Once a pro Elucien told me that it's not because Azriel and Elain spend time together that they will be endgame, like... Yes, it's certain that SJM will make Elain end up with a guy that she avoided several books. You have to wake up after a while.

Then, recently I saw people saying that Elriel interpreted lust as equal to love, because it's obvious that Azriel only feels sexual attraction to Elain. Like... in several books we only had one scene like this, everything else showed them spending time together, respecting each other, listening to each other, etc. Damn, Azriel kept Elain's gift without touching it and simply looked at it every night for a whole year but yes he only feels sexual attraction to her. These people really need to wake up, because they look so ridiculous.

Also, I love the fact that they act like it's not a particularity of SJM that its male characters are turned on to death by the women they love. Like... did you see Cassian's thoughts about Nesta ?! But yes, act as if Azriel was a perverse exception...

These people are pathetic and can't read. Once again, I can't wait to see the disillusionment they will face when Elriel becomes canon as has been planned for several books !

[nikethestatue]

One of the most common questions that we--Elriels--ask for the past going on 4 years, is HOW. How can (you) not see Elriel? How can (you) not see the buildup throughout the books? How do (you) not see the development of their relationship? HOW? Because, in the words of the author, it's pretty obvious.

We've heard things like 'SJM changed her mind!' 'SJM is a fated mates author!' (we'll come back to that later) 'SJM set up a new ship in the bonus chapter!' "Gwyn and Azriel are so similar and have the same powers! They are equals!' "Gwyn and Azriel have banter!!!' 'It's only lust between Azriel and Elain!'

And that brings me to Nesta and Cassian.

Nesta and Cassian had a whole VERY long book. We've all read it. It's a book of lust and love between the two of them. Of LOTS of banter. Of sex. Of becoming 'equals' and Nesta taking on military-style training, becoming an Oristian to Cassian's Carynthian. We find out that Nesta's been madly in love with Cassian since the moment she saw him. We get 'golden threads' binding them on Solstice and them being revealed as fated mates.

You might say--yes, we know all this! why are you wasting our time with the synopsis?

I'll explain.

Lately, especially post HOFAS, I've been seeing more and more 'theories' about how Nessian is a 'fake bond' and that Nesta and Cassian aren't actually mates. No. Apparently, the Cauldron, enraged at Nesta stealing some of its power, threw out a fake mate bond at her and Cassian as a curse and in retaliation. She's been shackled to Cassain. Whereas her one true love is Eris. Her real mate. And in the next Nesta book, Cassian is going to get killed and Nesta will move on to Eris and live happily ever after.

Which brings me to another couple--Bryce and Hunt. Who are chosen mates and who've gone through unimaginable trials and hardships, only for people to ship Bryce with Azriel (unironically). In this case, we had the same story--the Quinlar bond was fake. Hunt was going to die. Bryce would find happiness with Azriel.

The same people who foam at the mouth with 'ELUCIEN are fated mates and SJM is a fated mates author' are writing metas about how Nessian have a fake bond. The same people who scream about Gwynriel's 'BANTER!' and how they are equals, now say that the Nesta and Cassian have nothing in common, and apparently, she has more in common with...Eris?

And my point is simple--no matter what SJM says or writes, there will always be absolutely deranged detractors of everything that is canon, of everything that she had said, of everything that's been published.

So, it's not us. It's actually them. We are not the crazy ones who happen to read the text and come up with logical conclusions. We are not the ones who don't have 'reading comprehension'. We are not the ones 'who've never read a romance'. We are not the ones who 'never had a relationship'. No. We simply read what SJM put down on paper and we have a rational approach to canon.

But it also means that even if she made an announcement TODAY, saying out loud, online, in writing--the next book will be Elain's and she will be paired with Azriel--there will still be thousands of people out there denying it. They will be coming up with scenarios of how that will absolutely, definitively, 100% never happen.

In this fandom, fanon rules. Not the author's own words. Not the books. Not any logical conclusion. Not anything rational.

The more I see of this nonsense, the more I understand why SJM pulled away and why no matter what she says, she will be disregarded and people will flock to BookTok and listen to insane 'theories', disseminate them and then argue until someone gets a heart attack about how the theory is 'correct'.

Basically, cheer up Elriels. You ain't crazy. Don't let anyone gaslight you into believing that you are wrong. You are every, very right.

[theshadowsingersraven]

It’s interesting to me that E/riels often bring up Elain’s agency, but overwhelmingly have no issue with the lack of agency Nesta had in her relationship with Cassian, or how Rhys and Feyre’s relationship started with a kidnapping. Or they insist Gwyn can’t have a relationship because she’s a rape survivor, but that somehow doesn’t apply to Rhys’s abuse by Amarantha. Fandom (and this is a widespread issue, not specific to ACOTAR) can never just say “I don’t like this ship” anymore. They always have to bend over backwards to make it problematic and immoral. I prefer Elucien because I think it’d be something new, while E/riel feels too close to Feysand and Nessian. That’s really it! I don’t see the need to insist it’s the morally correct choice, or to twist canon to paint E/riel as abusive and shippers as abuse apologists. Can we all just calm down?

I got this before Elaingate and forgot it was sitting in my drafts lol

EXACTLY. I feel like because of the prevalence of unspoken or sometimes fully spoken online morality litmus tests puts people in a mindset of "I have to have a reason to like/not like something or someone is going to say I'm wrong."

Which I don't fully blame people for, but I definitely would like them to be a bit more self-aware about it? Like...why are we bringing someone's actual personality to what they enjoy in fantasy? That's the point of fantasy, it's not real. It's a safe avenue to explore things you normally wouldn't in real life.

I think there's a unique aspect to this fandom that leans super conservatively and rigidly to canon. There's very little gay representation, and every time people try to invalidate Gwynriel based on Gwyn's trauma because "Az is kinky" without realizing that kink is not just Christian Grey's Room of Pain or whatever tf it's called. Kink can be very empowering for survivors and can help them heal through having very clear sexual boundaries, dynamics, and safe words. It's exposure to sex that stops when they want it to, and that can be so healing.

I think a big issue in this fandom is that people are trying to use real-life comparisons to fictional characters on a morality scale, while completely glossing over their psychological complexity. Especially to invalidate or validate ships. It's just giving half-baked arguments online with the equivalent of rumor-mill-level veracity information to people about characters that fans can't analyze thoroughly.

I just can't take a lot of people in this fandom seriously when they get so up-in-arms. People can just say "ship bad" and go on their way, but they definitely do not lmao.

[nestastits]

I just want to let yall know that even though I’m an elucien and gwynriel person, elriels are welcome to follow me and interact with my page so long as everyone is respectful to each other. And I say this because most of the time when I see threats regarding the ship war, it’s always an elriel saying something horrible about sjm or people who ship elucien/gwynriel. Not saying that there aren’t some bad eluciens/gwynriels out there, it’s just everytime I’ve personally received hate or seen on another post that has to do with the ship war it’s always been an elriel😭. But this goes for any of the characters/ship stans cause some of yall be crazy lols. I’ve seen “Feyre stans” tell Nesta fans that they should die bc they must be an abuser too😭. I’ve seen “Nesta Stans” tell Feyre Stans or ic stans that they should go die for liking “abusers”.

I at the end of the day like ALL of the acotar characters☺️. And I appreciate each of them for their depths and diversity. It pains me to see people in this fandom think they can only like one character and the rest must be shitted on. If you can’t like more than one character, or if you don’t like any of the main characters to the point of not liking the books or sjm, please stop reading the books😭. That is just plain stupidity to continue with the books and be in the fandom if you literally hate everything. Go be miserable with yourself and stop projecting onto others in the fandom. And stop putting the characters up against each other, especially when in canon they all try to uplift one another and don’t have as much beef as what fanon creates between them 😭.

But the point of this post is to say everyone is welcomed here so long as they are respectful to each other and to me.

The only people I’d rather not have here are anti Nesta’s, anti Cassian’s, and anti Nessian’s. I love Nesta and cassian as individuals and as a ship and I don’t want to see unnecessary and stupid hate against them. 😭. Also anti Valkyrie people, if you hate them please just block me now.

[gwandas]

Hey! I saw your Nessian commission and I think it’s beautiful art. I was wondering what your stance is on Nessian because I found it intriguing. I know you’re very Cassian critical (me as well). How do you manage it while still holding love for and engaging with the ship? I have a hard time doing it (as a former nessian shipper) and it made me wonder. What parts of Nessian do you enjoy, what makes it still worthy of love, what do you wish for them in the future? Such interesting topics.

Anyway love your blog have a nice day!

Hello!!

Uh honestly I don't love it 😅 and even pre-ACOSF I was neutral on both the ship and Cassian as his own character. The extent of me engaging with it is reblogging art where I think she looks hot. I commissioned that piece because I'm a big fan of that particular artist's versions of both Cassian and Nesta and I wanted to participate in a Nesta-centric event.

The redeemable parts of canon!Nessian to me are all Nesta. I'd even say all the way back in ACOMAF she was doing all the heavy lifting to make the ship look good (@ae-neon wrote this post on pre-ACOSF Nessian that I think summarizes it perfectly). I've never once doubted that she loves that man. His POV feels very empty to me compared to hers. At the end of the day, she's stuck with him, so when I'm in an optimistic mood I'll try gaslighting myself into liking it 👍🏾 it's hard though when I was never obsessed with the ship in the first place. Like, I barely read fanon!Nessian because I'm not clinging onto what the stans wished it was (and because I'm picky and can't read fics where he's the exact opposite of who he is in the book. I basically only read the post-ACOSF/HOFAS fix its where there are some consequences for canon events)

I am pretty optimistic about the Ember and Randall chapter leading to some sort of reckoning for them. Although what gives me pause is that they're probably not getting another book, so I'm not confident SJM would write something as dramatic as Nessian temporarily being apart or whatever from another character's POV. I don't know. It's the only reason I'm interested in her finally announcing what the next book will be about because I'm hoping? It'll give us some clarity on what direction Nessian is going in? It's funny because after ACOSF I was ready to move on because I assumed SJM would pull her usual move and just make them randomly healthy going forward after the atrocities committed while getting together but then she wrote HOFAS which both pissed me tf off but also gave me an ounce of hope for some actual growth for Cassian who has been the exact same guy as when we were first introduced to him but like I said that all depends on what the next book is. My Roman Empire is SJM saying her reaction to rereading ACOSF was "wow I was really mean to myself back then" which made me go HUH like,,, should I get my hopes up that she sees something wrong with what she wrote? Maybe! The HOFAS bonus chapter makes me think there's a chance.

TLDR I'm not just Cassian critical I hate his ass but she's stuck with the guy so I'm willing to make the best of it.

[wolfnesta]

I just felt like putting some of my pent up feelings into words in the most simple way I could think of on Cassian and his character because I’ve been having such a hard time staying anchored and sometimes putting it down to words helps. It’s long so, under the cut.

I feel like it is worth to start off by mentioning that blatant plot armor is a peeve of mine but I’m aware that acotar is also a series that caters to some high strung romance aspects of fantasy that would otherwise be a huge red flag in real life, example, being super aggressive and protecting of their mates, the frenzy, etc. Basically what I’m trying to explain is that while I hate some aspects in acotar (like the plot armor) I’m willing to accept others parts some might find unsavory (like the red flags behind matehood) but by all means I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind or opinion of those things rather just stating how I chose to go forth reading the series.

With this in mind I want to point out the highlight of Cassian’s relationship with Nesta at it's initial stages.

In WaE he’s basically horny for Nesta the entire time which as I said I’m okay with overlooking, even find enjoyable, because of the whole matehood concept, but what intrigued me the most was Nesta’s reaction where she feels threatened that he can ‘see’ her—

‘then it had all stopped, the eye of a storm with them in it, and there she was.

And in those blue-gray eyes, he could see the thoughts swirling in her as if they were smoke under glass.’

And everything going forward since— when Nesta shows vulnerability to the queens in her passionate bid to save the humans he seems to react to her in a way that suggest he understands her passion and promises her his protection. In front of everyone. He explains how he fought in those lands and declares he’ll do it again. For her and the humans she’s desperately trying to save. Doesn’t try to pull her into a hug or remove her from the situation he simply wipes her tear because he seems to understand her. When she agrees to scry and he offers his solid presence silently, he knows she’d never ask it of anyone, he walks up to her half wounded and places one hand on her back. That touch is enough. How he knew she would need to see her father sailing through the water, the boat at the helm having her name on it and wordlessly grabs her and lifts her so she can witness all this.

I felt like he had this understanding of Nesta that no one has likely offered to her before because of her fickle nature. I lived for the idea that no matter how unreasonable she might be, that he would allow her to be as crazy and raging as she needed to be, without being terrible to her as his brother and Mor are because it would seem he saw her. I thought it was a neat character trait to be often misconceived as the brute, all brawn’s no brain kind of guy, when these actions with Nesta portray his emotional intelligence, even with Feyre when she’s punching and punching him and he knows to let her. That he would not think of walking away or leaving.

Just for the sake of not wasting my time or others I want to mention there is a difference between allowing your S.O. to step all over you vs being supportive and understanding. Cassian and Nesta are not together at this point. They are in that will they, will they not, stage very entertaining for the reader with Nesta being the one of the two that is undergoing recovering from trauma he himself admits to have lived and healed from. So I don’t find it to be some turn off for Nesta to be snarky and rude to him for the same reasons I can forgive the whole hornyness from Cassian. I’m not going to be swayed into thinking Nesta calling him names Amren has been calling him for centuries (*cough* like dog *cough*) is enough to give Cassian any superiority over Nesta (which the story tries to imply hence the plot armor I mentioned) which is one of the many things that sort of sent the canon ship asunder for me. Which leads me to vent more on some of the rest below.

Acofas/acosf was a mixture of what could have been but just sort of trailed in bloody ribbons from the butchering of the dynamic as a whole. In the way that he was suppose to be her silent supporter as he had been up until the awful gift giving scene. It was suppose to be in the way he could’ve defended her and took up for her, yes even when he knows she's wrong. Because this is the Nessian dynamic we were set up for. I’m not arguing about wether the moral compass of the reader thinks it’s the right thing to do or not. It’s because his character had already shown traits to fulfill these unmet needs in Nesta. So much so that she felt unnerved, as most people that have never met anyone feel the want or desire to understand them because of the thick walls behind an icy bitch face have—

Perhaps that was what unnerved her, made her want to slice at him. The utter sincerity. That he honored his promises, and did not make them lightly.

But oh the butchering when the emotional intelligence he had shown since is just radically wiped off the table when he insinuates she’s not trying enough and should maybe leave then, can’t understand why her sisters love her. It’s like being thrown a bucket of ice water. Like it’s jarring— whoa wait I thought he could see through her? How can his confession— ‘ I will find you in the next life and we will have that time’ suddenly be wiped off the map when he has shown emotional intelligence towards her knowing much less. At this point in the story she is not his anything to feel any sort of entitlement of her affection either. It’s just awful all around.

It’s almost as if sjm ( because at the end of the day me being anti cassian is me being critical of how sjm chose to go forth writing him) had this rough draft idea where Cassian could handle anything Nesta threw at him but it would be oh so sexy of him to throw some back. But instead it manifested into Cassian just kicking a down person all the while losing his most cherished quality, his emotional intelligence.

It’s so difficult to watch how this carcass is dragged further in hofas. As I mentioned this is my opinion of the Nessian dynamic we had been set up for pre acofas/acosf not if you agree with me on how it should be. I had thought Cassian’s strength and intelligence would give him the opportunity to be someone that was able to withstand Nesta’s ice and fire, that he would be strong enough to not call her out about being wrong in front of other people but rather weather telling her in private. Because in public he's on her side and makes sure everyone knows it but he is not also losing his own opinions and voice, on the contrary, he explains and talks to her not to everyone else in the room. That hofas chapter gave no indication of either thing happening. Even going back to beginning with the whole matehood concept being a red flag he doesn’t show any of those ‘protective’ instincts whatsoever. Sjm critical or whatever, I guess. It’s tiresome to keep seeing it’s partly because she keeps on picking and choosing when certain concepts apply if they don’t or do serve her purpose instead of like idk consistency. She chose to keep him in this torn position of bro’s before ho’s middle school ass concept because Rhysand is his brother or whatever not the more adult idea of being husband and wife/ mates and Nesta having honest reasons, him addressing the dangerous aspects of her choice with her only all the while not allowing his bro to step all over his mate in front of him.

To conclude, Nessian to me was about Cassian being strong yet patient, firm yet supportive, to someone like Nesta. For Nesta it's about having someone being beside her when everyone else is against her, about seeing her amazing heart even when she herself does not. For him to use these traits unique to him and be able to pick her up when she can't stand. To love ALL of her. Any attempt to keep this dynamic up in acosf doesn’t even serve the purpose to show me this but rather it just seems like a way for sjm to remind the reader Cassian is the one trying oh so hard to help Nesta and Nesta is the big evil who has/is being mean to this poor male. It’s the plot armor I mention instead of a harmony of character dynamics coming together to make a wonderful relationship. The hike scene is an example of sjm poorly trying to portray this when he tells her there’s nothing broken to be fixed but only after having witnessed Nesta being okay with dying from falling off a cliff and literally croaking over from dehydration not to mention how at this point his and the rest of the IC’s intervention has so many problematic points that have changed Nesta’s character to suit the weird idea sjm has of wish fulfillment for feysand on Nesta’s ‘punishments’. It’s just a bloody trail of ribbons all of it.

Well atleast there’s enough substance left for me to play with but also at the same time it’s enough for me to mourn the loss which can get tiresome at times. But it is what it is and I choose to carry on 😊

[aldbooks]

TW:SA Gwynriel

This topic gets brought up every few months and while I don't expect it to stop anytime soon, even after the next book is released, I want to talk about it for a minute, specifically in relation to the most recent post that's circulating.

If you haven't seen it, the poster claims to be a 'licensed professional' and is giving their 'professional' opinion on SA trauma recovery in regards to ACOTAR ships. This person makes it very clear they are an e/riel, and as evidenced by their own comments on the post, found Gwyn to be 'sus' even after reading ACOSF multiple times....

For a moment, let's set aside a few points:

The fact that labeling an SA survivor (real or not) as evil or manipulative is very harmful to readers that are actual SA survivors

The fact that this never seems to get brought up in regards to Rhys, Lucien, or Nesta who were all canonically SA'd - only Gwyn

The fact that a 'professional' opinion given by a clearly biased party isn't very reliable

I find it galling that a supposed professional who claims to work 'extensively' with trauma survivors, couldn't comprehend why Gwyn would feel responsible for her sister's death, as if survivor's guilt is not a majorly common response to that sort of event

Let's focus on the main point, which is that this person seems to be insinuating that trauma responses and recovery are universal, even after specifically stating they don't think this is the case...

---

No one asked, or is owed it, but I'm going to talk about my own experience a little here, for context. You don't need the details, other than I'm a walking statistic. SA'd twice before the age of 25. The experiences were not particularly violent. One involved heavy doses of alcohol. Once was by a stranger, the other by someone I knew.

Now, I know the common belief is that people who experience sexual trauma usually develop an aversion to touch, specifically sexual touch, and by specific genders. This may be true for a lot of people, I certainly know women (and men) who this is true for. Some people, however, like me, are the opposite. I dissociated heavily from my experiences and had no aversion to touch or sex (one reason I related to Nesta so much).

I'm not saying this is a healthy coping mechanism- it absolutely is not. I was so desperate to prove I wasn't a victim, I actively harmed myself by putting myself in dangerous situations in seeking out intimacy because I (mistakenly) thought I was in control. It wasn't until I finally began seeing a therapist that I realized how harmful this was.

Even still, I never developed an aversion to touch or sex, I just became more mindful of my choices. Like many SA survivors, I turned to BDSM. When done properly (I'm looking at you 50 shades... 🙄) with people who actually know what they're doing, it can be very therapeutic for survivors of SA because it puts the control in your hands.

Again, I will spare you the details because you don't need them. That's not the point of sharing this. It's to point out- once again- that not everyone handles trauma the same.

The truth of the matter is, we don't actually know how Gwyn feels about any of this. Other than the little bit she tells Nesta and Emerie during the Blood Rite- which mostly amounted to 'my choice was taken from me in a violent way and I'm angry about it- she never speaks about her thoughts or feelings regarding that night, or men/sex in general, and we have not seen her POV.

The only men we know she's interacted with since that night are the bat boys. Other than her initial encounter with the Illyrians during the Blood Rite, she mostly keeps her distance from them and actually remains mostly level headed throughout the whole ordeal, even trying to sacrifice herself (knowing what will likely happen to her) to allow Nesta and Emerie to get away after she's shot at the bridge.

She's never really uncomfortable around Cassian or Azriel, maybe a little wary at first, but she warms to both in no time and is in fact a big reason why other priestesses eventual join. By the end she is quite comfortable with them both. Even with Rhys she just blushes (I know I've seen people try to use this as a 'gotcha' like she can't be into Az when she's attracted to his brother *groan* Rhys is hot, we know this, and personally, I think it's more celebrity shock like 'holy shit that's the High Lord of the Night Court' than a crush lol) And she wasn't all that bothered by having the men watch them while they did the Blood Rite qualifier, even after being warned. She literally shrugs it off.

She shows no discomfort when Emerie and Nesta discuss sex and even participates in the conversation which doesn't exactly scream to me that she'd uninterested in sex.

They like to point out that Gwyn went back to the library at the end of the book. This was her home for the last two years after her's had been desecrated (remember it wasn't just about what happened to her. Her sister and many of the people she knew in the temple were killed in front of her. There are several bad memories associated with it now, beyond her SA), and it's where she's been healing. It's perfectly reasonable she'd be wary about leaving, it's all she knows and she has no other home currently. Not to mention that she's said herself she doesn't want to stay in the library her whole life and she's already left it once. Granted, immediately after she left, she was thrown into yet another traumatic event so again, it's perfectly reasonable she'd be wary. It's unreasonable to think she'll never leave or that it will take a very long time before she's ready, she's already close to it, just needs a little more time to process what literally just happened to her.

Gwyn has also shown an interest in sex so it's not unreasonable to think she might try again in the near future. This is the sort of narrative we should be encouraging, that SA survivors are capable, and deserve to be able to move on and have normal, healthy lives. Not every SA survivor may want that but the vast majority do.

To say, as a professional, that an trauma survivor should be on any sort of timeline in terms of their recovery is irresponsible. It puts undue pressure on the survivor. They may take longer and feel something it wrong with them, or they may not feel they need as long and again, feel something is wrong with them.

It is irresponsible, as a professional to insinuate that trauma survivors should display specific traits or symptoms (such as anxiety or touch aversion) when everyone responds to trauma differently. Some develop severe disorders like anxiety and some function mostly normal aside from maybe the occasional episode. They may dissociate completely like I did.

Trying to put all survivors into the same box is a disservice to them all. Period. And we should not be using these sorts of opinions as basis for proving or disproving ships... let's be serious please and remember we're talking to real people about fictional people...