#sjm ignores canon why the fuck can't i?

[thedomesticanthropologist]

Can someone tell me why Tamlins accidental ragecplosion of magic that destroyed the room and scared Feyre was evil and bad BUT Feyre exploding and burning the Lady of Autumn Court isn't bad and how Rhys explains you go crazy if you're extremely powerful but don't use your power and Tamlin was restraining himself and not using outlets leading to bursts of explosive energy but even tho it's canon in text we are supposed to ignore it??

How... how are yall justifying your faves as morally Grey but villainizing Tamlin who didn't do anything that any of the other characters haven't done (and worse?? Cassian slaughtering a village after his mom died Anakin Skywalker style? Mor and Rhys torturing the entire Hewn City whenever they want because of something HER DAD did? That's a whole ass city!!! What the fuck!!)

I nearly died at the Inner circle being like TITHE? GROSS, WE DONT HAVE A TITHE WE JUST HAVE TAXES and feyres like oh that's better I guess. Baby girl those are just two systems of government to collect income for the ruling class they didn't even measure if one takes more than the other for their court and - AUGHVGhh

I don't excuse ANY character, I don't play ones better because x reason is better, if you're gonna analyze text ANALYZE THE ENTIRE THING CRITICALLY not just the one fall guy that SJM seems intent on slaughtering for ??? Poorly executed reasons

Tamlin and his comment about Feyre at the High Lords meeting ISNT being compared to Rhysands Apple Tits comment to Tarquin or what he told Feyre they HAD to do in Hewn city? (They didn't have to do it! There are ways to distract Keir without publicly molesting someone!)

This fandom is insane! I can't!!!

[ae-neon]

i am writing a fic that was supposed to have been done in halloween, in that nesta dies, yet cassian brings her back, not bc he misses or loves her but bc of the bond that is making him let's say "insane" ( it is said it can happens to males if the bond is rejected, now imagine how worse when the other side passes away) like, it is a terrible idea, but he doesn't think about the consequences or her suffering and just wants her back bc in his head everything will be back to normal, and when it doesnt happen, he blames her (and also acts as if it was her fault she died)....

Some days ago i saw somewhere that some fics kinda making cassian out of character by making him too much red flag or something, and like, this fic i am doing is dark and supposed to be a horror movie and like make the reader feel "bad(?) so okay it might applies to this case the person was talking about, yet most fics i see are fine... like, there is this fanon verson of cassian in which he is a sweet himbo teddy bear, but in reality, the guy fucking enjoys fighting war, he killed an entire village (it is literaly said he killed all males and left only some females alive), he hates eris for being it and that so he protects mor but he also told nesta to go ahead and marry eris only bc he got angry at her, in wings and embers he was cornering her agaisnt a window even as he knew she was afraid and noticed someone had assaulted her before, then there is az, who knows cassian long enough, 500+ years, and asked nesta if she got pushed downstairs, implying that it was cassian, and they know each other very well, he knows cassian is capable of it... it feels that people can't diferentiate the fanon and canon version, like, i even thought that maybe i was exageration, but not it seems pretty possible...

No you're absolutely right

Sweet, adoring, apologetic, loyal to Nesta Cassian is just as ooc as straight up unremoseful insane Cassian anon. Which is to say they both have a basis in canon and are perfectly good fanfic representations depending on the story the author wants to write

Why are ppl policing fanfic these days and especially in this fandom??? Sjm changes half the characters personalities with every book but we can't reconstruct them around already canon facets of themselves??

Cassian literally breaks her down because he doesn't have the patience or the love to see her through healing. He doesn't even "help" her through by appealing to things she likes, he just moulds her into something manageable and useful to his BigBro™

She's an object of desire on which he vents his frustrations and feelings of inadequacy

She is given/assigned to him by ppl who have power over her life and have ignored that she has verbally stated MULTIPLE TIMES she would rather work with or be around someone else

Anyyyyways

This sounds so fucking good please tag me in it when you put it out. It's definitely going in the top 5 Nessian centric fics for me. Especially since I looove dark fics

[acourtofthought]

listen you have no idea how much I appreciate you!! How you always have an answer to everything those bitches (I'm sorry I'm at my limits) have to say that makes absolutely zero sense. And how they always want to stir some shit to get a rise out of us so they can say "hey look they're rude to us :(" but you always answer with certainty and respect unlike some ppl (even tho we have so many SS from them telling us to k*ll ourselves)

But I hope you're looking out for yourself. Bc me personally can't handle them. I can't deal with stupidity and argue with a grown ass person who feels like arguing with a wall, incapable of changing for an ounce and act all childish. I know how tiring and harmful it can be.

I and so many others have read enough sjm books to know who will be the next couples of the series and I really think the only thing that will make the shut the fuck up is waiting for the next book confirmation. Time will tell.

Thank you for the check in ❤️

Honestly, I have it easy compared to some of the other peoples experiences on here so it's not fair for me to complain. And it's on me for engaging with some of the stuff they put up because I am capable of turning my head and leaving it be.

Which I usually do because I don't go searching for their posts. However I do occasionally check my "Your Tags" section and the Elucien / Lucien tags were used in a clearly Anti Elucien post. This isn't the first time this week I've seen it happen across the fandom so the repeated behavior tends to spike my argumentative side and that in of itself is childish to a degree but at times it feels like you want the other side to be heard too, you know? They go around shouting the loudest thinking it means they have something on us, more proof of something, and I guess something about that feels unfair to me.

It's always canon this and canon that for them while ignoring all the other canon that exists. Being selective with canon is going to be the thing to bite them in the ass in the end because these books are not just what happens when Elain and Az are on page together. They definitely don't like "canon" when it tells us Az hasn't thought of a future with Elain. They don't like canon when the thought of Gwyn's happiness sparked something in his chest.

And SJM doesn't talk about all the little hints and crumbs she laid out for Elain's journey only for some in the fandom to think that the things that are wide out in the open (like Az and Elain wanting to kiss) are the full picture. Feyre saying, "why not make them mates?" wouldn't be a crumb or a hint, that would be SJM leaving nothing to the imagination. A crumb is something like "what can I get you Elain?" "Sunshine", then later revealing that her mate is the heir to Day. Or "Spring had been made for someone like her" in reference to Elain and later being told Lucien is permanently being stationed there. Crumbs are SJMs way of laying out the mystery of what's going to happen and she wants the reader to be clever enough to spot them. Thinking Elain has no interest in Lucien and it's clear she wants Az because she was willing to hook up with him and currently ignores Lucien doesn't take any sort of genius to figure out. But a clever reader who look a little deeper to see if maybe the "obvious" isn't really so obvious at all, that there is more going on beyond what we're seeing.

But you're right, there's no point in arguing. It doesn't matter how logical your response is, it doesn't matter how much proof you can provide based on past endgame couples and how that means Elucien (while not a guarantee) is not a lost cause, they don't want to hear it. They want to only fixate on the moments that support E/riel and nothing that possibly throws a wrench in that ship and that's like trying to talk to someone about a movie where they only stepped into the room every 20 - 30 minutes, catching 5 minutes at a time.

[highfaelucien]

Babysitting the Heir - An Inner Circle Fic

Repost from 2016 (god I’m old) that I redrafted bc it’s cute and wholesome af. And after all the salt and angst I have provided, I felt it was only fair to bring some fluff to the table.

Title: Babysitting the Heir

Summary: Azriel and Mor babysit Feyre and Rhys’ young son, Nyx, so the two of them can have a little time to themselves. He ends up taking quite a strong liking to Az... Fluff, pure fluff.  

Teaser:  ‘The moment he slips into Azriel’s arms again he pillows his head calmly against his chest and settles completely, gazing up at him with big, innocent eyes.

Mor grins.’

Notes: No content warnings to speak of. Originally posted in 2016. Rewritten to update with (some) current canon, but also with some of my own additions, like happily queerplatonic Moriel. Because I can. And because this shit is adorable.

AO3: Link

“Be good for Aunt Mor, okay?” Feyre says, dipping forwards to kiss her son's forehead. “Does he understand the concept of ‘good’ yet?” Mor chirps conversationally. 

Tilting her body she shifts in place and adjusts Nyx in her arms to allow Rhys to kiss him goodbye as well. “Why don’t you debate that with him this evening over some fine wine, Mor?” Rhys drawls. 

The soft smile on his lips is very patently for his son; the words dripping with sarcasm very obviously for his cousin. Irritated by the baby balanced in her arms and her resulting lack of free hands with which to offer her cousin some obscene gesture, she makes do with snapping at him. “Why don’t you take a long walk off a very short balcony. Without wings. You sardonic pri-“ “We,” Feyre interrupts pointedly as Rhys starts smirking in a way that would have forced Mor to hand Nyx back to his mother so she could do something about it, “Are leaving,” she announces. 

Grabbing her still obnoxiously smiling mate by his upper arm she begins to firmly drag him away from Mor before serious damage is done to his pretty face. 

“Now,” Feyre adds in a slightly threatening growl as Rhys looks more than ready to continue bickering. “Thank you for this, Mor!” Feyre calls over her shoulder as she frog-marches Rhys to the door at the other end of the corridor. 

“And you Az,” she adds with a smile and a wave, both hello and goodbye, tossed in the shadowsinger’s direction as he drifts serenely down the stairs to see what all the fuss is about in the hall. Mor lifts Nyx’s little hand with her first two fingers and has him wave goodbye to her parents while Az presses quiet kiss to her temple. His eyes fix on the baby in her arms with an air that suggests he’s seriously considering the possibility he might suddenly explode at any moment. “I’m going to the roof to train for a little while,” he murmurs quietly into her hair, his voice smooth and cool as ever. She nods, softly kissing the top of Nyx’s head, “We’ll be fine,” she says, shooing her partner upstairs, suppressing her eye roll with difficulty as she does so. “I’ll give you a shout if we need anything.”

Az nods his agreement then retreats silently back the way he had come leaving Mor to take Nyx into the living room alone. It’s not surprising. He does this every time they babysit for anyone. She knows that he’s more uncomfortable than the rest of them around any of the children, even if he secretly dotes on them, and she’s never pushed him into keeping her company unless she’s overwhelmed on her own. Which doesn’t happen often; usually only when Elain and Lucien’s twins are staying with them. Two years older than Nyx and already holy terrors in their own right. She chuckles to herself at the thought. She and Nyx have a nice afternoon that involves nothing more strenuous for Mor than setting him on her knee, holding his hands and bouncing him up and down until he giggles. 

“Your parents are going to have so much fun when you start flying,” she teases as his small wings furl and unfurl excitedly. After an hour or so a servant interrupts politely to ask Mor if she could deal with something that’s arisen from some Court of Nightmares emissaries staying with them.

Nodding, Mor apologises to Nyx before gently popping him into the cot in front of the large floor to ceiling windows. Then she turns and hollers up the stairs for Azriel. He appears in moments and she stands on her toes to press a soft kiss to his cheek and give him her most winning smile, which immediately makes him look nervous. As it should.  

“Would you keep an eye on Nyx for me?” she asks him, nuzzling affectionately against his taut chest. “I have to deal with the idiots from the Court of Nightmares. It shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes or so.” Azriel frowns at this. 

Mor sighs. “He’s a baby not a bogge, Az,” she reminds him, thinking that he’d probably rather tackle the latter on his own. She keeps that to herself however, looking beseechingly up at him. “Are you sure?” he deadpans, looking down at her, hazel eyes glittering. Mor beams and presses a hasty kiss to his lips that catches more cheek than mouth in her hurry as she darts for the door. “I won’t be long, thanks!” she’s calling over her shoulder at him, without him ever having quite agreed to this plan of hers. Then she winnows from the house and Az sighs; though he’s unable to entirely banish the small, affectionate smile that tugs at the corner of his lips in response to her. Padding into the room he gathers up the toys strewn around the room from earlier, wondering both how they ended up with so many and also how Mor had managed to scatter them so widely around the room in such a short space of time. He shakes his head slightly as he fishes one out from underneath the breakfast table, eyes twinkling at the whirlwind that is his Morrigan as he does so. He’s just setting everything back into the box in the corner when Nyx starts crying. Wincing at the sound he pads tentatively towards his cot, his wails increasing in volume with every moment. 

Crouching down he gently rubs his tummy with his hand to soothe him. Trying not to cringe at the sight of the twisted, burned flesh touching the young child. Gentle hushing has no effect on him whatsoever and when his cries could more accurately be described as howling Azriel finally decides there’s nothing else for it. 

Standing he tentatively reaches down into the crib and scoops him up into his arms. He’s held him before, naturally – neither Mor nor Feyre gave him any choice in the matter when he was born and continued to coax him into it afterwards – but it still feels...wrong somehow. His rough, scarred hands, hard with the calluses from his training are stained with more blood than he cares to remember. They were shaped to hold blades and handle the violent killing power that burns in his blue siphons, not children. He’s never been entirely comfortable with something so small and precious and fragile entrusted to his battered arms. Morrigan was one thing, but the little one... Slowly, he starts bouncing Nyx in his arms, the way Mor does to get him to quiet down. This plus the fact that he’s holding the child close to him seems to help. 

He still sniffles faintly but he’s stopped screaming as though he’s trying to bring the place down at least. After a few minutes of gentle rocking and soothing murmuring he settles against his broad chest. “You were just being dramatic because you wanted some attention, weren’t you, little one?” Azriel muses quietly to him. 

Mor, he’s noted, seems to talk away to him. all the time. Regardless of whether he understands, it's something he appears to like, so Azriel continues.

“That’s your father’s fault,” he informs him placidly.  A broad smile spreads across his face as though he’s understood what he’s said and Az can’t help his own smile at the sight of it.

Nyx bats happily at his cheek, searching and grabbing at every bit of him he can reach from his arms. 

Then the little fingers start to grab at his wings and he tenses, blinking down at him. “No, no,” he says in alarm as one small hand grips tightly onto the hooked, pointed talon at the crest of his wing and the other just grabs at whatever other part of it he can reach. “That’s not- No! Nyx, please-“ he tries hopelessly.

Prising his surprisingly strong grip off of him gently while still keeping one arm locked tightly around him proves to be near impossible. 

He wonders vaguely if all children his age have such stubborn, iron grips or if this is a trait he can thank his mother for. 

“Nyx-“ he pleads hopelessly as his small, nails dig into a sensitive spot of the membrane of his wing. A low, throaty chuckle interrupts his helpless floundering and he looks up to see Mor leaning artfully against one of the broad wooden pillars in the room. He’s rarely seen her looking so amused. “He’s one, Az,” she smirks at him, seeming to find his current predicament immensely amusing. “You can’t reason with him.” “Would you please-“ He gestures mutely for her to take Nyx back and somehow have him release his hold on him. Still laughing, her warm eyes dancing with merriment, Mor steps forwards at last and obliges him.

She scoops Nyx smoothly into her arms, detaching him from Azriel’s wing with ease. 

Azriel shakes out his wings with relief and tucks them very firmly against his back. More so than he usually would. Something that's not missed by Mor, who gives him a wicked grin that has him groaning. 

"Poor baby," she croons, voice playful and teasing. 

Az gives her a half-hearted scowl in answer, starting to tidy the room again.

Mor's voice returns to normal as she kisses Nyx’s head and chuckles, “Wait ‘til we tell Uncle Cassian that all he has to do to bring the fearsome shadowsinger to his knees is not let go of his wing.”

Az shoots her a playful growl at the remark and Mor laughs again. Nyx, who had taken fairly well to being handed from one to the other of them like a solstice gift, had merely reached behind Mor to find something else to occupy himself.

While being obviously displeased by her lack of wings, he soon seems to decide that grabbing fistfuls of Mor’s beautiful golden hair will do just as well. 

As Mor begins to carry him away from Azriel, however, he starts fussing again, his large, striking violet eyes fixed firmly on the retreating form of Az. Arching an eyebrow Mor wanders experimentally back to him and Nyx immediately reaches out for Az again, little fists grabbing the air insistently. 

He blinks in surprise as he continues to squirm and fuss in Mor’s arms until she hands him over and coaxes him to take him again.

The moment she slips into Azriel’s arms again he pillows his head calmly against his chest and settles completely, gazing up at him with big, innocent eyes. Mor grins.  “No,” he protests feebly, looking from one to the other of them and knowing he’s beaten long before he gets out, “No, Mor, I don’t want-“ She pats his shoulder consolingly, ruining the effect by laughing through it. “You can’t say no to your future High Lord, Az,” she trills, grinning broadly at him as Az blinks down at the baby nestled peacefully in his arms. “Mor, I,” he stumbles, looking down at her again, fear gripping him as he says, “What if I drop him? What if I hurt him?” He’s being as gentle and as careful with him as he can but... “You won’t,” Mor says, the laughter instantly easing from her voice as it drops, becoming even and soothing. “Come on,” she says, tenderly hooking her fingers between his forearm and Nyx’s soft, warm body and leading him over towards the comfortable couches by the fire. Patiently, Mor shows him different ways of holding Nyx to help him become more comfortable with the babe and stop him worrying about dropping or hurting him somehow. 

To his credit, the little one is incredibly patient with being pushed and pulled into various different positions and doesn’t seem to mind as long as Azriel is doing most of the holding.

He snorts when Mor mentions he’s lucky he decided to discover this new side to himself with the very placid Nyx rather than the twins. Neither would have been nearly as accommodating of all this poking and prodding. When Nyx finally does seem to tire of training Azriel in how to deal with him and starts to become fussy again, Mor heads to the kitchen and brings back a bottle for him to feed him. 

She watches the two of them fondly as Nyx sucks contentedly at the warm milk, his big violet eyes blinking serenely up at them both. 

Az smiles down at her the whole while, his scarred hands cradling him gently. When he looks up and catches the faint gleam in Mor’s eye he carefully slides an arm around her shoulders and gathers her in against him. With a faint, contented hum he presses a soft kiss to the top of her head. Nyx successfully keeps Az in thrall all night. Each time he tries to leave him for more than a few minutes he makes his displeasure about his departure known to most of Velaris. “

You’re a devious little one,” he murmurs softly to him, after the third or fourth instance of this, tickling his tummy as Mor did, and watching him giggle happily in his lap. “That’s Rhys’s fault too.” Mor smirks. “What else was Rhys’s fault?” she enquires playfully, arching a golden eyebrow and plastering a wicked grin across her lips. Azriel smiles faintly. 

“His flare for drama and need for constant attention,” he responds simply. Mor tips back her head and howls with laughter at that, so loudly that Nyx blinks at her and nuzzles in against his chest, alarmed by this outburst. Azriel gives her a gentle nudge to coax her to stop for the babe’s sake and she desists. “Well he’s clearly fond of you.” Mor observes, looking down at the small, placid bundle in his arms. “That level of sense can only come from his mother.” Az chuckles at that and the shadows that flit around him gather around his chest at the sound. “Do that again,” Mor says suddenly, her head tilted slightly to the side as she peers down at Nyx. “What?” Az asks, confused, not aware that he’d been doing anything more than absently rocking Nyx back and forth in his arms, something that seemed to soothe him “With the shadows,” Mor says and he tightens at the mention but she shakes her head, “Make them gather around your chest again,” she instructs and he obliges her uncertainly. At once, one of Nyx’s little hands shoots out, trying to grab them. Blinking in pleasant surprise, Az coaxes the shadows a little closer. He had deliberately kept them light, something that was never hard with Mor around, and away from Nyx in case he scared him. But he seems oddly transfixed by them. Again he reaches out, trying to grab at them, his little fists closing over air. Azriel starts to make them dart around him in little bursts and he keeps swiping for them, like a cat chasing a mouse, until he’s giggling wildly and Mor is laughing beside him at the sight. 

Cautiously, Azriel reaches down and brushes Nyx’s soft pale skin with his shadows. His eyes go wide and his whole body stills. He repeats the gesture and he begins to laugh again as he tickles her with them.

Mor beams with delight, the unreserved joy on her face more intoxicating to him than a bottle of faerie wine at the Solstice. As the evening begins to draw to a close, both Mor and Nyx fall asleep on top of Azriel. Nyx sprawls flat against his chest. Meanwhile Mor presses in against his side, her head tucked into the crook of his neck, her legs curled up under her as she presses in against him. 

Azriel smiles quietly at the sight of both of them, one hand underneath Nyx to keep him supported, the other trailing absently through Morrigan’s golden curls, absently stroking them and soothing her in her sleep. That’s the position that Feyre and Rhys find them in when they knock on the door and Azriel calls for them to come in several hours later. 

Feyre smiles at the sight of them and hurries over to Azriel. She leans down and trails her fingers through Nyx’s soft, downy black hair. Mor stirs at the arrival of Feyre and Rhys and stretches away from Azriel like a cat, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and smiling dozily around at the scene. Azriel gets carefully to his feet and very gently hands Nyx to Rhys who soothes him almost instantly with a few quiet words when he wakes in response to all of the movement around him. 

“That’s typical of Aunt Morrigan, isn’t it?” Rhys murmurs to Nyx, grinning at Mor over his son’s head. “Falling asleep and leaving poor Uncle Az to do all the work and cover for her.” Mor looses a rough growl at him and Az hastily snakes a hand around her waist, tugging her gently to his side and pressing a calming kiss to the top of her head while she glowers good naturedly at her smirking cousin.

“Well if that’s how you feel, cousin,” she says loftily, all anger suddenly smoothed away by a thought, which should only ever be read as concerning, “You won’t need to ask me to babysit when you want a date night again. You can just ask Az to do it all by himself, since he’s done ‘all the work’.” 

Az felt himself pale at that, in spite of himself. Something his brother must note, because he quickly cuffs Mor on the back and says, “I don’t know what I’d ever do without you, cousin.”

“That’s what I thought,” Mor mutters under her breath, and Az gives her another small squeeze and a smile. “Was everything all right?” Feyre asks, looking between them, fondly stroking Nyx’s cheek as she moves to stand beside Rhys. “Everything was fine,” Azriel says smoothy, giving her a soft smile that instantly seems to reassure her. “Thank you again for having him,” she says, leaning forwards and embracing Mor then kissing Az’s cheek. They both assure them it was no problem and they’d be happy to do it again. Once Feyre and Rhys have left the two of them tidy up then flop down onto the couch. Mor immediately settles herself in Azriel’s lap, sprawling across him as though he’s a cushion. Az waits patiently for her to make herself comfortable and then settle down against him. Her smaller, more delicate form melts easily against his as she drapes her arms lazily around his chest. “So,” she says, a clear smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth, “You’ll be happy to help me the next time we babysit for Feyre and Rhys?” He smiles faintly “Feyre and Rhys?” He says, arching an eyebrow and lightly tapping her nose, “Yes,” he agrees, “Not Elain and Lucien.” He clarifies with a shudder at the thought of facing the twins alone. Mor laughs again and burrows affectionately in against him.  “It’s okay,” she promises him, arching up to press a soft kiss to the tip of his nose, “We’ll tackle the two of them together.” 

Azriel just wraps his arms around her, lightly kissing the top of her head and humming contentedly, closing his eyes. He’s asleep with his arms around her in minutes.

[rosenecklaces]

I'm gonna take one for the team and say that many gwynriels don't give a fuck about azriel like they say they do, the only aspects they like of him are headcanons or made up bullshit that they think is canon

First was the he feels so off in the last book and in the bonus,like Sarah forgot who he is

No . She didn't forgot, shes giving us an insight of how azriel has being feeling and about who.

He's still polite as always,attentive to his family and helping them in what they need You guys aren't his personal friends to be this bold and say "this isn't how azriel is" lmao we barely know things about him and even less what he thinks, what your talking about?

The biggest difference in his pov is that now we know more of how he feels for elain, the fact he's being yearning for her to the point he watch her gift all night and that he's frustrated and confusing of why lucien is her mate and not him when they obviously like eachother...thats all. We also have a set up for the next book since the discussion with rhys that is pretty obvious he would not follow his order of staying away from her

Second they came with the actually is kinda predatory how he thinks of elain in my opinion...like makes me icky how he sexualized her and that's why I can't ship them, and she also haves a mate! how he could not care about that? That's not Az! he gives me toxic vibes-blahblahblah

I hate hate HATE this takes and i think any actual azriel stan do too. sighhh okey idk who came with this stupids takes first, if eluciens or gwynriels, i don't care but like?

This types of opinions come from people that either doesn't know how attraction works, doesn't know how sjm writes about male characters, doesn't have reading compressions or all three lol

This has been said before by elriel and azriel stans: is completely normal that men gets horny about their loved one,is normal they think of them sexually, jerk off and have fantasies of wanting to sleep with them is NORMAL even in those fae books. Especially in those fae smut romance books ( examples: rhys,cassian)

So coming back to what i said: how the fuck do you like azriel but choose to ignore completely that this is a 500+ man, who is intelligent, so by now he knows what he wants and when he likes someone, that even had sexual partners before? he obviously isn't the type to not think sexually of someone he's attracted to.

I dare say he desires elain like no other i mean ( an pardon my french) bitch have you read how he was thinking about her? like did you actually did?

He would beg on HIS knees for a taste of it,he wants to see her face of PLEASURE and let's not forget his hands shaking when he was putting the necklace on her How is any of this creepy or toxic behavior? He even thinks of HER pleasure first i-

This is a man so beautiful that he would get who he wants if it was just lust what he feels for her, so is pretty damn insulting to his characterization to think he only would see elain as a sexual partner when he spend a lot of time with her,is protective of her and they both shared glances and little touches all this time

Azriel is not a fucking child, he KNOWS the difference between being horny and genuinely liking someone for fucks sake

And with the elain being mated? She doesn't want lucien and neither he she, so this whole "do you guys want him to be a homewreker?" is pure bullshit also

Wrong. it was so wrong. HE DIN'T CARE gotta remark the last part because giving even the chance that elain was with lucien as a couple he wouldn't give a fuck anyways at least while she likes him back!

Then there's this az deserves a mate,he even vocalize that he wants one! he haves to fall for someone that offers him pure love and loves him for who he is, and isn't afraid of what he does so gwyn is perfect to be his mate so he could feel truly loved ~eww, I hate this one as much as the az being toxic one

Let's unpack all this...

1. He wants ELAIN as his mate,not a MATE perse. Also with context you should already know that he said the "yet why isn't she my mate?" because he obviously is upset that his brothers are with archerons yet the archeron he wants to be with is mated to another, simple. He's questioning "what if the cauldron was wrong?" since that said archeron doesn't want anything with his mate, yet she responds to azriel touches,looks and knows him for some time so she definetly likes him back is perfectly normal that he's confused about the cauldron decision

2. What's the obsession of some gwynriels of az having a "pure love", what the fuck that even means? Elain is a good person,soft but with character and friendly so I don't understand how can az being in love with elain inpure? Is it because she haves a stupid mate? Because we already talked about that...

3. Elains already knows what he does and loves the way he is (to her and to his family) enough said

4. Just because azriel haven't being in a romantic relationship doesn't mean he isn't loved and i hate when people says that with gwyn he will feel loved for the first time in his life, while he already is! He haves friends and his brothers. Also elain is his romantic interest so miss me with that bullshit

Is very clear to me that most gwynriels shippers completely erase parts of az to make gwyn fit with him just so elain gets out of the picture. They claim to love him and understand him and yet forget who he is as a person and as a man

Azriel has made very clear he wants elain, he's a grown ass man of 500+ and he knows already that he haves feelings for elain and now he and we know she also haves them for him

He haves a family that loves him so hes not some desesperate man who needs a mate to give him love or he dies

Azriel deserves to be loved romantically? Yes, but most importantly he needs to be chosen by that person and i don't think a mating bond to gwyn will be considered being chosen by the person you love, but rather a cauldron doing it for him

Hes not a baby or stupid, stop invalidating his feelings

So my doubt is, how is it that people who said all that about az and treats him like a kid who doesn't know what he does or wants, like him? How can you ignore how he feels and for who and claim you like him?

Don't make me laugh...

[bookofmirth]

Why are people having a gotcha moment with that argument that Elain is nothing like Jesminda (wild and carefree), which would mean that he would never love Elain but Vassa because she's wild like Jesminda?! Tf?

Rowan is nothing like Sam, yet Aelin fell in love with Rowan. Aelin had loved Sam more than anyone else, even Chaol!

Yrene is nothing like Celaena, yet Chaol, the guy who couldn't stop loving Celaena and couldn't just forget her, fell in love with Yrene and all feelings for Celaena vanished.

Tog is the proof that Sarah can do literally anything she wants, for example kill the ship that has been there for like 3 books for a entirely new ship, yet the other side chose to be blind about it and still scream "4 books of build up". Or the fact that we got a bonus chapter entirely from Chaol's POV and the next book was his, yet they still try to convience anyone that Azriel's bonus chapter is not relevant. Or Rowan training Aelin (some sort of teacher- student thing) and Rowaelin is now endgame, yet the other side believe that since Azriel trains Gwyn, it's disgusting because it's like a teacher- student thing, even tho it's not. Then the fact that Rowaelin wanted to literally kill each other, yet the other side cries that Elucien can't happen cause Elain ignored Lucien + the canon fact that Rowan told Aelin straight in her face that they aren't friends, yet the other side laugh at Gwynriels for Azriel saying that he wouldn't so far as to call Gwyn a friend.

Why do they pretend like Tog doesn't exist?!

(It all may be in ToG, but many things in acotar are ignored by the other side as well. Is it because these things don't back up El/riel?)

Honestly, this is sooooo fucking funny to me, because Elain being nothing like Jesminda is literally what sjm said about Elain, and why she said that she paired Elain and Lucien as mates, and why they would be able to heal and grow together.

Let's take a journey back, shall we? To what sjm said about Elain and Lucien:

And I realized that Elain was kinda the person both Lucien AND I didn’t see coming - and without getting too spoilery, there was actually a great deal of tension, growth, and healing to be found for both of them (together).

That's not a gotcha, that's pointing out a detail in acowar that corroborates Sarah's statement about why elucien are perfect mates. 🙂

They've got the tension now. She fucking told us it would happen. Kinda like she had the tension between rowaelin, and feysand, and nessian, and lysaedion (even though personally I'm 🤢about that one) and elorcan, and etc. That's tension that Eron and Aarica have never experienced for a second.

Elain and Lucien have a hundred and one reasons why their personalities fit together. Like you said, all of her couples complement each other, and that's pretty dang normal. Sometimes opposites can attract, but generally she writes complementary ships. It's why she retconned Lucien to being the heir of the Day Court - that fits Elain's personality and what she needs. I would love an explanation as to why she would do that, if it wasn't for elucien.

yet the other side believe that since Azriel trains Gwyn, it's disgusting because it's like a teacher- student thing, even tho it's not

This is one of the dumbest fucking takes I've read in this fandom, ngl. I can't even mince words about it. Az is in no way an authority figure over Gwyn. He just isn't. If anything, she has all of the social capital because she is High Fae - he's Illyrian. Which one is more highly regarded in that world? (We don't need to argue about why that's not great, but it is a canon fact.) And don't get me freaking started on the fact that she is more than a survivor of her assault, yet for some reason that one moment is supposed to define her entire damn life and every single relationship, platonic or romantic, from that moment on. I've explained their so-called "uneven power dynamic" so many ways, but it's just like most other points in this fandom. Some people just refuse to listen, and at this point I'm ready with my bucket of popcorn and the five boxes of seltzer water I accidentally ordered this afternoon.

[separatist-apologist]

God can I add that like, Azriel HAS a mate too. If Elain rejects the bond with Lucien for Az, what happens when/if he finds his mate (which he will, this is SJM)? He wants a mate more than anything, he literally tells the reader this. He wants to be loved unconditionally, he wants a soul mate. If/when he finds his, he'll leave her and then what?

He cannot stand the smell of Elains mating bond. She will always have that, even if she rejects it, the smell will still be there in some capacity. This is all canon and it gets ignored in favor of an endgame that is doomed to fall apart. Either Az bails because he can't stand the scent of another male on Elain or he bails because he meets his mate who will always be more important to him than her. He's grown up with the idea of mates being the ultimate connection.

They can have sexual tension, they can have chemistry, they could even fuck each other for months and it wouldn't change the fact that at the end of the day, Az does not want leftovers. What he wanted was for Elain to not have the bond at all and thats never going to be her scenario. And Az never once said he wanted her to not have it because he loved her. He just wants SOMEONE who would love him like Nesta and Feyre love Rhy and Cassian. He wants a fucking mate. He wishes the cauldron had paired them all up with all three sisters because he's lonely.

This is all in Azs chapter. The insight, the turmoil, the angst is ALL RIGHT THERE. Elain is around, she's lonely, she's interested in him. Az is lonely and resentful and tired of not being chosen by the people he feels affection for. "why couldn't it be her?" He asks Rhys miserably. He wants a mate. Lucien and Elain seemingly do not. "why not give me what I want? Why give it to them?"

Az is getting a mate. It's not Elain. It will never be Elain. Az deserves to be someone's first choice, he deserves a mate and if you think SJM isn't gonna give one of the bat boys a happy ending with someone compatible (Elain is fashionable and extroverted an Az is quiet and wears one outfit over and over) you're deluding yourself.

There was no need for SJM to throw the sexual tension/want between Azriel and Elain in that POV if they weren’t endgame. She could have kept it all platonic, friendship only… but she chose not to. She chose to show the reader how much they want each other.

Alexa, play the last paragraph in Azriel's chapter:

🎶🎶🎶Something sparked in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to  the House proper. How Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason... he could see it.  

But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.

A thing of secret, lovely beauty. 🎶🎶🎶

[ae-neon]

Nessian Rant part 3

First I wanna say the looneys in this fandom make it so unbearable to be here and just have fun. I used to post whatever I wanted without a second thought but now everything has to sit in the drafts for 3 days while I stress over how people might react.

Fuck that.

I'm gonna scream about what I wanna scream about and if you take it personally that's your problem. These are just characters, clock in to reality and stop acting like they raised you.

Now...

I always see my Nessian mutuals talk about acowar Cassian and trilogy Cassian as a whole being so great but...

To be clear I don't mean Cassian as a standalone character, he's literally amazing alone but in Nessian? Be serious

He's also amazing with every other woman he comes into contact with except Nesta... 🤦🏻‍♀️ can't believe yall stan this ship, stand up rn please 😭 lolol jk. This is just a rant, ship literally whatever the fuck you want, luv u 🫶🏼

I said in a recent answer that the key to enjoying SJM's books is abiding by the Sarah Says rule.

Listen to what Sarah Says even if you read with your own eyes that in canon that "character A got shot by character B", if Sarah Says "well actually B doesn't have fingers so he couldn't pull the trigger and A actually shot himself from 3 feet away being both the victim and the gunman" then that's that.

I'm gonna refer to the facts on paper as canon and what Sarah Says as the narrative and what fans think as fanon.

The thing with a lot of (anti Feysand pro Nessian) fans is they can break the Sarah Says rule only when they want to.

They see past the narrative and fanon to look at the canon and say "I don't like that/ I don't think that's healthy/ that guy sucks/ they both suck"

But then will say acomaf and acowar Nessian was great. What was sooooo great about it? I'm not gonna act like they don't have good moments but they definitely aren't as good as fanon or the narrative makes them out to be.

Let's look at their first meeting

Narrative/ Sarah Says/ Feyre's Mind: Cassian is looking at Nesta and Nesta is ignoring Cassian. There's a little back and forth. Nesta tries to ignore him, he doesn't like that. Do you feel some tension? I feel some tension

Fanon: Cassian was the only one brave enough to call Nesta on her BS and dish it back to her/ he got under her skin/ finally someone tells her off etc you know what I'm referring to

Canon: Feyre and Elain frequently challenge Nesta and she more often than not gives in to them. The IC are in the house because Feyre wants to be there and Elain said to hear them out. In that same scene, Feyre essentially tells Nesta she's living her best life and to fuck off. And power to her. That's just their dynamic.

But Cassian? Cassian is a stranger. He's in her house. He's asking for her help. His HL is asking for her help. So why was he antagonising her?

The narrative and fanon loves to act like Cassian is at best an equal and at worst below Nesta in some way and he's just stepping up to meet her energy but ???

Nesta didn't want them in her home. She worried that just working with them would put herself and others in danger. She didn't want to become Fae. She didn't want to share her story to garner sympathy for the NC. She didn't want to kill or use swords.

But all of those things happened anyway??

She's always the one backed into a corner and then treated like she was on equal ground just cause she's still got her pride? That single sin of not breaking is always punished again and again.

Do you see how you've bought into what Sarah Says?

Hybern and the Cauldron?

Cassian was twitching trying to reach for her, this was the moment we knew for sure they were gonna be mates omg

And Nesta? She was right. Everything she feared would happen did but even worse? She and Elain have been kidnapped and she doesn't know why they're being dunked like chicken wings but the fucking pot tried to kill her. She's the one who fell for an eternity and fought her way back to life.

No offense but not the greatest moment to base your romance on since you have to swivel the camera away from a woman in a traumatizing situation to point at a man and say look how seeing her hurt hurts him 🤕

And acowar??? The supposed golden era of Nessian?? Babe, that's just spray paint

It's Nesta who stands up for Cassian at the HL Meeting. You know what she also does? Recount her trauma to strangers, she isn't feeling well, she stands up for innocent humans and fae, she commands a room full of the most powerful men on the Continent.

It's Nesta who calls for Cassian, saves his life, and covers her body with his. These are Nessian moments yes but they are Nesta's actions. It was her who made Nessian shine.

Cassian? He promised her forever and then ignored her? Pulled away, got embarrassed or something who the fuck cares.

But this is your man - look at the canon - this is your man??

And you said yes.

That's why you got ACOFAS. That's why you got your 500 year old man telling a shell shocked, dying woman that he didn't know why her sisters loved her. That's why you got a leader of legions raging like a 14 year old league player. A whole r/AITA villain

And that's why he embarrassed y'all in ACOSF. That's why you got EIGHT HUNDRED PAGES AND NOT A SINGLE I LOVE YOU because you already accepted less than the bare minimum

Because you failed to apply the rule equally for both ships.

Cassian is also in a power imbalanced relationship with Nesta, he's also 500 years older than her so why suddenly have issue with him having control over her and using it to break her and reshape her how he wants?

Again. You can ship what you want. You can indulge in fanon all you want. I support that. Just hope you know that that's what you're doing.

Mutuals don't hate me 😭

[acourtofthought]

E/riels’ wet dreams about Azriel killing the “abusive” Lucien and “freeing” Elain are so dumb, especially considering he’s just not gonna live long enough to even regret killing him. We’ve been given multiple reasons to believe Eris cares for Lucien - mainly not participating in Jesminda’s death, which got him tortured, and warning Tamlin about his brothers being close to his borders (which got 2 of them killed) when they were chasing Lucien to kill him.

We’re supposed to believe Eris isn’t gonna say a big fuck you to the NC and march his ass to Helion’s doorstep to tell him his son is dead (because there’s no way in hell Eris doesn’t know who Lucien’s father is)? Rhys and Helion aren’t gonna be so buddy-buddy if that happens. Similarly, if Lucien kills Azriel, Rhys and Cassian are not just gonna let it slide.

Even if E/riel happens, it’s gonna be underwhelming and boring. If they get a “forbidden” romance, it just makes them trashy - reject the bond and get it over with. Elain does not owe Lucien a bond or a relationship, but fucking around without rejecting the bond that has snapped for both of them is just shitty. And if she rejects the bond, then nothing stands between her and Azriel, so that book will be, what? 50-60 pages?

And what would the plot of that book even be? Azriel will probably deal with his feeling about being Illyrian, but what about Elain? SJM has said she’s getting her own book, not that she’ll be a sidekick to someone else. The only storyline for her I see in a book like that might be Koschei. And that will still put her in close proximity to Lucien, because he’s pretty determined to help Vassa break her curse.

They can bend over backwards to defend their their ship (that’s comfortably resting at the bottom of the ocean next to Bryceriel, as far as I’m concerned), but if we actually look at canon personalities and hinted storylines, nothing points to E/riel, but a good amount point to Elucien.

There are canon moments of Eris looking upset over the interactions (or lack thereof) he has with Lucien so yeah, I'm not sure why anyone is imagining a scenario where Eris wants to get rid of Lucien.

They truly have the capacity to imagine something that doesn't exist.

In what world would SJM ever reward Azriel by having him kill one of their ally's? A friend of Feyre's? Elain's Mate (not only because she doesn't like cruelty but it would cause her physical pain to lose him)?

I would love Elucien to happen but it doesn't do me any good to imagine a plot that is completely out of character for SJMs writing. It does me no good to take everything she says at face value (i.e., "I'll defeat him with little effort = Az will kill Lucien!).

I'd love for them to provide examples as to why they think Elain would be down for a forbidden romance. The female who just told her sister she has no right to decide what she can and can't do. That's the female they think would allow Rhys to tell her who she can or can't be with?

There is no forbidden love anyway. There's Rhys looking out for his sister in-law and not wanting to risk an ally over his brother who all but told him he's looking to just get laid and who is still not over Mor. That is CANON. Az never spoke of having feelings for Elain, he never convinced Rhys he wasn't still in love with Mor and he never denied it when Rhys told him if he's looking for sex to go to the pleasure hall and pay for it. Had Az said anything about having feelings for who Elain was as a person, had he said she makes him forget about Mor than the conversation would have gone completely different.

But it doesn't matter how much logic and fact we use, they're going to continue to ignore and deny. SJM is going to be our real life superhero the day finally puts E/riel to rest.

[bookofmirth]

I don't understand people who ship gwyn with eris or lucien or balthazar or tarquin while saying gwynriel doesn't have enough of build-up to be a couple and shipping them isn't ok????? you all literally throwing her onto men she had never even met while trying to guilt trip us for shipping her with a man she had on-page interactions and canonically comfortable around!!! how does it work?? not to mention most of them perfectly fine with shipping mor and emerie, I love emorie too, but let's not be hypocrites, they had no real interactions in the book!!! and god damn it for the people who pretend to care so much about textual evidence and sjm's interviews can they pls stop ignoring the fact that sarah said gwyn is not a child and not a teenager, she is grown ass woman, like, in our human twenties, just like the archeron sisters and she also gave us a hint in the same live she's going to write about her in the next books too, she's not disappearing anywhere

It's the "you can't ship this and here are the moral reasons why" that kills me. How about those people go sit on a tack and I'll keep on shipping whomever and whatever I want. 😌

"It makes me uncomfortable" or "I don't like it" are perfectly valid reasons for not shipping something. People keep trying to cross the line and tell others what they should feel, though, and they're trying to put it into moral terms. It's nasty.

"I don't ship Gwyn and Az because he trains her and he's in power over her" well sorry you live in an alternate reality where nessian didn't just spend all of acosf in that exact same dynamic, and it's literally untrue that Az has power over Gwyn, but okay. You do you.

"People who ship Az and Gwyn are supporting an unhealthy relationship because x, y, and z" lol no. Fuck off. It's so easy to just talk about one's own feelings, and not try to shame others about theirs. So easy.

Mor and Emerie literally didn't talk, they were super far apart from one another when Emerie saw her, and we all know - we aren't going to pretend to be stupid - that that's reason enough to ship them, because we can ship whomever we want for whatever reason we want.

she also gave us a hint in the same live she's going to write about her in the next books too, she's not disappearing anywhere

I've been meaning to bring this up again - not only did Sarah say that Gwyn is not a freaking child, she said something about thinking of Gwyn in diapers when she writes her in the future (as a joke, in an "I can't believe this" kind of way.) Gwyn isn't gone. There are multiple possible hints in acosf that she won't stay in the library.

Imo a lot of what you mentioned here comes down to people being super inconsistent in their engagement with fandom and canon. And I admit that there is a lot of crossover, obviously we are in a fandom basing all this content on canon, but it's the inconsistency between recognizing what is canon, and realizing that we are in a fandom, which is inherently going to diverge.

[bookofmirth]

disclaimer: this is not for e*riel stans. please ignore and do not engage because you will most likely disagree.

i truly don't understand why e*riels think we call azriel toxic bc of ship war reasons? like they genuinely think we're like "lol az doesn't want gwyn and only wants elain so let's call him toxic for fun!" we literally think he's toxic bc of how he has repeatedly made mor uncomfortable for 500 years.

Calling some - not all - of Az's behaviors toxic is about Azriel. It's not about ships, it's not about who is going to fuck, it's not about plot. It's about his character as an individual person/bat, and it's about his history and the way he views his heritage, his family, his behavior, his anger at others and how he handles that, his trajectory, and how all of that ties up into a messy mess that makes him who he is. Most importantly, and we have said this so many gd times I have lost count, it's about his behavior, not his feelings.

The fact is, Az has been toxic towards Mor way more than he has towards anyone else, so no, it's not about ships because no one actually thinks that's viable in canon. I agree with you. The fact that I have several friends who see the toxicity and don't ship Az with anyone at all proves that it's not about ships.

We throw this word "toxic" around a lot, and I still don't like it because it doesn't have a precise definition that we all agree on. But when I use it, I mean that Azriel has a habit of behaving in ways that cause harm to others, whether he intends that harm or not. I think that habit will change, and I genuinely don't think that he means to do anyone harm, especially not people in the IC. Nesta displayed a lot of similar behaviors, and that was literally the point of her story; she was well aware of how she was rude and cruel in order to push people away, and she sat there in silence berating herself for her behavior. I think a lot of their unspoken understanding comes from recognizing those habits in one another.

Az can have all the feelings he wants, and they are all valid - I understand them, even. He resents the Illyrians for perpetuating a culture in which his father and half-brothers could be abusive (which is putting the blame where it does NOT belong, but that's another post), he is hard on himself for not having been able to protect his mother and then later for failing to protect Mor. He barely made it out of the Illyrian camps and now he sits at Rhys's right hand - you can't tell me he hasn't had some major, persistent imposter syndrome, and it wouldn't be surprising if he pushes himself harder than necessary because of it.

All of that is clear, and it's understandable, and it's stuff that he will likely work through when sjm tells his story.

That is not the same thing, at all, as how he treats other people because of how he feels. Sorry, but I am of the opinion that someone having a shitty day does not entitle them to treat people around them like shit. Maybe it's a result of having been an adult for a while, but reasons why someone is rude, or cruel, or whatever, hold very little water. And he doesn't intend to be that way, he just is. Arguing with Feyre and Rhys for hours at a time? Using a stupid snowball fight as an excuse to take his aggression out on Rhys? Exploding at the High Lord meeting? Not telling Mor about Keir? Pushing Cassian and Rhys away constantly? None of those are okay ways to behave.

See how I just wrote that whole post and didn't mention Elain once? Because it's not about ships, it's about how Azriel behaves towards certain people in ways that he doesn't behave towards others. Not that I expect certain portions of the fandom to notice! Their minds are made up at this point, and I just used this post as excuse to rant about Az because that's apparently my mood for today 😂