death, devourer of worlds

sideblog for the SJM. elucien, gwynriel, Nesta and Manon own my life

[evalinashryver]

Imagine a character saying to the other "I'll always pick you" and for them not to be endgame...

Oh wait.

[evalinashryver]

Beron: The Spring Court is weak and their lands are ripe for the taking. Oh, if I could just get rid of those pesky Night Court kids and their High Lords allies! 😡

Beron: Oh, what's this? One of Rhysand's illyrian thugs is the reason that made girl broke a mating bond to — what's the name of my unfaithful wife's brat name again? Lucas? Luthor? Jeremias?

Beron: Well doesn't matter THIS MEANS WAAAAR!

Beron: *Attacks the night court*

Other High Lords: Come to Rhys aid because Lucien himself agrees that his bond isn't worth the stability of Prythian.

Beron: Oh no *summons bigger fish Koschei*

Meanwhile, a Spring Court citizen to another: Wasn't Beron's goal to take our lands?

Other Spring Court Resident: Well, whatever. Better for us if he fights night it leaves us alone *goes back to their gardens*

[bookofmirth]

So, Leslie, what have you to say to us about flower foreshadowing in SJM's work hmm?

The word "flower" appears 11 times in acosf, 14 times in acomaf, 1 time in acofas, 15 times in acowar, and 25 times in acotar. It's probably used in Wings and Ruin, too. Every single time flowers are mentioned, it is about Elain, even if you don't think it is, look closer, it is about Elain I swear. Everything in the entire series has been leading up to Elain's moment.

[evalinashryver]

E*riel has been planned from the start and has been everything the book are about, the couple of couples, Elain is the true main character, in this essay I will—

[bookofmirth]

It’s so funny to me that people are still trying to claim Gwyn is immature or something when you had Nesta literally thinking that Elain and Feyre were “taking sides”, like let me tell you how many times my siblings and I would basically team up against each other growing up. As children. But for some reason no one is worried about Nesta being too immature for Cassian, is she?

The whole argument that Gwyn is a child died and it died hard. Just accept that your “analysis” wasn’t well done. This new “argument” is just a thinly-veiled attempt at reviving the claim that Gwyn isn’t mature or old enough to be with Azriel, and it’s dressed up in “oh no we are Concerned about this potential Problematic Dynamic” which could be An actual, important, critical thing to talk about. Those relationships exist and they have the potential to do a lot of damage. But it’s being made a mockery. So congrats, I guess, on downplaying real world problems in your quest to find reasons why your ship is valid.

[evalinashryver]

You know what's worse? This started with the talk about friendship bracelets which, turns out, Sarah herself did them too! Nevermind the underlying ableism of this take. I have ADHD, and do you know how often I've had to listen people call me childish? Immature? Yeah. It's frustrating and infantilizing.

Also, people calling Gwyn immature because she had to be carried up Ramiel? She was knocked out cold because she refused to leave Nesta's side. How is wanting to stand by your friend to the bitter end immature? I don't see people calling Cassian childish for helping Rhys climb the slope and Az for giving them cover!

It's infuriating how people try to warp such good qualities and keep pushing and argument that does way more harm than good :/

[elains]

Elucien at Day Court by ig:ellyness5

So, Elly did this absolutely amazing, gorgeous, breathtaking commission for me and I’m FLOORED. Like I’ve still not recovered. I’m In love <3

 Please give her some love ♥

[hellacioushag]

a rainbow of bullshit: an in depth look into the potato conspiracy

disclaimer: this is an analysis of the acotar world and in no way should anyone actually read this garbage and think it’s fact. now let me go at length about the true meaning and symbolism of something super fucking insignificant and pretend it means something more because i use pretty colors to highlight a stupid point. 

as many of you may know potatoes are a common theme in the acotar world…but why? what are potatoes really if not dirty little gremlins growing in the ground poisoning unsuspecting people? some people may say potatoes are associated with happiness and joy, but those people would be liars. the great potato famine of 1845 leads me to believe that sjm must be trying to tell us something sinister is afoot when potatoes are mentioned.  is sjm trying to tell us those who are linked to potatoes are secretly evil? are they an omen of bad to come? if you aren’t suspicious then you haven’t been paying attention.

Continuar lendo

[bookofmirth]

Elain & the mating bond

In this post, I am going to examine one of the theories going around regarding what Elain does and does not know regarding the mating bond that she has been aware of for about 2~ years in canon time. Moreover, I am going to argue that she does know that it can be rejected, and why it would be incredibly OOC for multiple characters to have not told her.

Elain’s agency and inaction regarding the bond are a separate issue, and so they won’t be discussed here. 

Now, let’s proceed with evidence showing what we know about the characters, namely Feyre and Elain. Elain is obviously the one whose knowledge is in question, while Feyre is presumably the one telling (or withholding) information because she is everyone’s mom.

Let’s start with Feyre.

She would not keep any information about how the mating bond works from her sister. She has lived in Prythian longer than Nesta or Elain. She knows more about how the world works, and she prepared her sisters for it on multiple occasions throughout the series:

“They can lie,” I say, giving her information I hoped she would never need. “Faeries can lie, and iron doesn’t bother them one bit. But ash wood - that seems to work. Take my money and buy a damned grove of it for Elain to tend.” (ACOTAR chapter 31)

Fae fertility cycles had never been something I’d considered, and explaining them to Nesta and Elain had been uncomfortable, to say the least. (ACOFAS chapter 5)

Fae bargains were no idle thing. [Cassian] knew that Feyre had already versed Nesta in them, when her sister had first come here. As a precaution. (ACOSF chapter 12)

In addition, we have the fact that Feyre was the one going out to hunt and feed the family since she was a child. She has proven, time and again, that she would do anything to protect her sisters.

So if we were to say that Feyre never told Elain about how the mating bond works, then that would indicate a sudden, frankly OOC shift from what Feyre has been known to do before. If we were to argue that Feyre withheld the information for political reasons, that would also be counter to nearly every single decision she has ever made about her sisters in the series. Since her childhood. In a word, Feyre would not withhold this information from Elain unless she were suddenly a very different person, or a huge asshole. Or both.

Now, Elain. 

There is no evidence to provide here because she has been on the page so little. Many times when her name appears, she isn’t actually in the scene. However, it’s important to think about the potential reasons for why Elain wouldn’t know she can reject the mating bond, and what that implies about her character (just as we looked at Feyre’s character above):

Scenario 1: Elain hasn’t asked. This doesn’t look great on her because it puts her in a state of extreme, frankly irresponsible complacency about her own life. Could she be afraid? Worried? Feeling a down-low tickle she doesn’t know what to do about and doesn’t know who to ask? Perhaps. But considering how much of an impact the mating bond has on her life, again, it would be irresponsible and dare I say spineless not to ask. Not a super good look.

Scenario 2: Elain was lied to, for political reasons. This doesn’t look great on Feyre (and likely Rhys, since we know he likes to stick his nose in her family business). In fact, it goes counter to everything mentioned above regarding Feyre’s character. It would potentially victimize Elain, vilify Feyre, and be incredibly detrimental to their relationship. Also, it’s likely that Feyre would have mentioned it in the feysand short when they were discussing Elain and the gloves.

Scenario 3: No one, ever, has talked about their own or other’s mating bond experiences around Elain. This would include Feyre and Rhys, him talking about his parents, Viviane and Kallias, talk about Miryam and Drakon. Unlikely. She’s probably wondering why her sister is so horny all the time. And as the biggest feysand shippers of all time, Mor, Cassian, and Azriel definitely would have talked about the months and the cabin and the soup and the frenzy, all the while grinning at feysand and slapping Rhys on the back.

Scenario 4: Elain knows that the bond can be rejected, but is leaving Lucien on the hook for the sake of the Night Court. I don’t think I have to explain that this also paints her in a really poor light.

Overall, there is no explanation for Elain not knowing that spares her, except for Feyre having lied, which wouldn’t happen. Especially with everyone then witnessing the nessian bond coming together. Saying that Elain doesn’t know how the mating bond works means that she is utterly passive, an observer of her own life at best. 

And for fun, Nesta.

And just for another example, we can take a quick glance at Nesta’s character. Nesta, who had nothing at risk regarding mates, as far as everyone knew, was still well-informed enough to know how the bond worked.

Nesta considered. Then pulled something out of her pocket. A small biscuit, swiped from a tray in the birthing room. “Then here. Food. From me to you, my mate. That’s the official ritual, isn’t it? The sharing of food from one mate to another?” (ACOSF chapter 78)

They are alone during this scene. There is no indication that Nesta learned how the bond works after finding out that she had one. In fact, when Nesta finds out that she has a mate, she knows exactly what that means already.

In conclusion

The idea that Elain is uninformed about the mating bond is not canon. It is a theory. And in order to support that theory, we would have to disregard the characters’ past behavior and completely change the way we think about their values and motivations - namely, that Feyre would suddenly have decided to put something or someone else above her love for her sisters, or that Elain doesn’t have enough curiosity or drive to better understand her own life. Or both.

[evalinashryver]

As usual, Leslie serves piping hot and delicious tea 🍵 

I would also like to point out something that, I think, supports the idea that Elain is NOT an ignorant plant that if not told, will not seek out relevant information.

 In ACOFAS, chapter 12, when the conversation lands on Amren’s newfound faedom and the day-to-day changes that come with it, it is Elain who inquires if she could have chosen another form. It is Elain, unprompted, who persists in this line of inquiry, questioning Amren's choice and the possibility of changing. 

 When the opportunity presented itself, Elain did not shy away from it. Quite the opposite: she raised her voice and made her questions, so much so that Feyre thinks how unlike her it was to be so vocal. Elain held Amren's gaze, unflinchingly. 

 This whole interaction tells me two things: 1. She wants to be Human again and 2. She is passive, yes, but not so much of a doormat that she cannot ask questions that concern her. The mating bond is an intrinsic part of being fae, a hurdle in her way back to humanity, and you mean to tell me she never asked Feyre about it? Never discreetly steered the conversation that way when she had no trouble with Amren? Never even walked into the library and looked for a book on the subject?

Yeah, I don’t buy it. This  whole  “she does not know/hasn’t been told/didn’t look it up”  doesn’t line up with what we’ve seen of canon Elain at all and, frankly, would only serve to infantilise and diminish her agency even further.

[azrielisababe]

Rant Time

I’m going to go on a rant because I’m tired of seeing this. All I’m constantly seeing is “Lucien is nice, why doesn’t Elain give me a chance?” “Why doesn’t she just reject him?” “Lucien’s her mate she has to be with him”. I’m sorry but fuck no to that. No man is entitled to a woman ever . Just because he’s nice doesn’t mean she has to be with him, a man can be nice and a woman still has the right to say no to him. He may be her mate but they are not together , and the bond does not define her.

Elain does not know she can reject the bond but why can’t he be the one to say let’s reject this ? Why is it that the woman has to fix the man’s problems and get blamed for it ? He’s a grown ass man and knows more about the bond than she does . He can do something about it but no it’s always why hasn’t Elain rejected the bond ? Why doesn’t she end this? There are two parties in this situation, three if you count Azriel but Lucien can do something about it but he hasn’t. He could’ve walked away or said he doesn’t want this but he doesn’t do anything about it , he just’s ignores her .

What happened to feminism? What happened to Women supporting Women ? What happened to she can say no ? All of that disappears the second you force Elain to be with Lucien. I don’t care if he’s nice , she still has a right to say no to him and she has every right to not talk to him. Elain said it herself, he’s not entitled to her affection because he gets her gifts and is nice. She does not want him and that’s completely ok. She does not want the bond and that’s ok . She wants someone else and there is nothing wrong with that .

We live in a society where we aren’t supposed to say no to men. There are so many Women that are afraid to say no to man and there are woman who have had horror stories from saying no to a man . For the fandom to be filled with women and knowing what it’s like to live in a man controlling society ,it is absolutely disgusting for you hate on Elain for not being with a man she doesn’t want . It is disgusting to call her a bitch because she won’t give your favorite character the time of day . It is disgusting of you say she has to be with him because he’s her mate . She does not want him and it’s not ok for you to force her or act like Lucien is entitled to her . This is her choice and you have to respect that .

[bookofmirth]

So I need to address a bunch of stuff here that is just blatantly untrue, because you can’t just make these claims about a huge portion of the fandom, insulting them in the process, and throw catch phrases around without that part of the fandom responding. 

NO ONE WANTS ELAIN TO ACCEPT LUCIEN JUST BECAUSE HE’S A “NICE GUY”.

NO ONE THINKS THAT ELAIN SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SAY “NO” TO LUCIEN.

NO ONE IS TRYING TO “FORCE” ELAIN TO BE WITH LUCIEN. (sidenote, that’s a super weird claim since they aren’t real and we can’t force them to do anything lol)

And who is calling Elain a bitch for these things? If that’s a statement being made, take it up with the person who made it. Don’t act like a majority of the fandom is making these statements.

I can only think of three reasons why people would throw claims like this around:

you aren’t actually reading what we say thoroughly

you don’t actually understand what we are saying, or

you get it, but you don’t want to and it’s easier for you to misrepresent our arguments than to actually deal with them.

I don’t know which one you fall under. Take your pick.

Our issue is that she is saying nothing. And considering the fact that the entire fandom knows that Elain is coddled af and needs to assert herself, it seems like an odd take to not want her to take control of her life. But maybe that’s just me. 

Elain does not know she can reject the bond 

This is fanon, not canon. It’s not even widely accepted fanon, so really it’s just your headcanon. There is no reason to think she doesn’t know that she can reject the bond. Next.

We live in a society where we aren’t supposed to say no to men. There are so many Women that are afraid to say no to man and there are woman who have had horror stories from saying no to a man.

Literally NO ONE is saying she can’t say no! NO ONE. Even in canon, no one is telling Elain she can’t say no! Who tf do you think is saying this!!!!

We are 100% aware of what it means to feel afraid of telling a man “no”, but thanks for your condescension. You are trying to use the fear of male violence to make us what, ashamed of shipping two fictional characters? So I guess that’s a choice you went with.

It is disgusting of you say she has to be with him because he’s her mate . She does not want him and it’s not ok for you to force her or act like Lucien is entitled to her . This is her choice and you have to respect that .

She hasn’t made a choice. No one is saying she has to be with him!!!!! NO ONE. 

Plus, again, she isn’t real lol. No one can “force” a fake character to do anything, at least not in the fandom. But you are calling actual people disgusting, real, flesh and blood people. And based on shit no one has said. 

Please take a moment to reflect on the fact that you feel comfortable talking shit about real people in order to defend a fictional character.

If someone has said these things, then call that person out. But don’t try to paint the fandom with this broad brush because it’s absolutely not true. I talk to a solid 20+ people in the fandom every day, and not a single one of them thinks the things you claim we think.

Don’t throw around “but feminism!” unless you make a concerted effort to understand the nuances of gendered power in this discussion. The acotar world was explicitly built so that the woman has the power to reject the bond. Rhys never said anything about men being able to. It has been heavily implied that it’s on the woman, likely in sjm’s attempt to make the mating bond, as a trope, less problematic, less “me Tarzan you Jane *headbonk back to the cave*”. 

Elain (and any other character) is not responsible for Lucien’s feelings as an individual. She’s not responsible for making him feel better, or coddling him, or anything else that you are implying we think. She does not, as you mentioned, owe him her affection. She is, however, responsible for letting this mating bond go for two years without resolution. That is indisputable. Lucien goes, he makes an effort, Elain avoids him. That’s just canon. So she is responsible for the impact of her actions. Her impact is amplified because of the mating bond. If Lucien was just a guy with a crush, you know we’d all be telling him to fuck off already. Kinda how Az should fuck off when it comes to Mor. We would say that because then the responsibility, the onus, would be on the man to… fuck off and leave Elain and Mor alone and get over their feelings. 

But that’s not what is going on with Elain and Lucien. And you know that. It’s not just a simple case of unrequited feelings, it’s “hey magic has linked us and this link is just kinda here and we should maybe do something about that because I could go crazy.”

So back to feminism. Switch Elain and Lucien’s genders. If a man was doing something that was causing harm to a female character, what would your reaction be? What if Elain were the one who could potentially go insane from this bond being unrequited or unresolved? Would you tell Lucien to take his time, then? Because if not, you’re not actually being feminist. Feminism is not just about Girl Power Boss Yeah! It’s about gender equality, and those genders include female, male, non-binary, trans, and others, on top of women of color, trans people of color, etc. It’s not all women versus all men.

Women should support women! And sometimes, that means calling each other out on our bullshit. If my friend is bullying people online or commits a crime, I’m not going to shrug and say “oh well, girl power! I’ll support you because you’re a woman, bestie”. Elain is potentially causing Lucien harm, and even if it’s not really her fault, it is happening indirectly because of her (in)action. We are calling it out. 

For anyone who has this big of an issue with the mating bond as a trope, idk why you’re still reading sjm. It’s everywhere. It doesn’t just come and go when it fits with your ship. It’s weird af for certain portions of this fandom (idk you OP, maybe you hate the nessian and feysand bonds too) to have no issues with feysand and nessian being mates, but suddenly trying on their feminism pants when it comes to elucien. That tells me people aren’t actually concerned about the woman’s choice. They’re just mad about who is mated.

People who ship elucien have been putting up with this misrepresentation of our reasons for shipping it for 5 years now. You’ll have to do a bit better if you want to be taken seriously.

[tangledinmysoul-deactivated2022]

Why you are claiming that Helion is Middle-Eastern--which is not indicated anywhere--because he is mostly likely Southern Mediterranean (Greek or Italian), since his name is Helion, from the Greek Helios, meaning Sun, and him wearing a golden crown and a toga hints heavily on him being modeled after Apollo. Lucien, is NOT bi-racial. He is a red-head who is slightly darker than his brothers. Hence, he can pass as Beron's son. LoA wouldn't have a child with a man who is clearly of a different race. Vassa is not WoC. She is a red head with light eyes and tanned skin. She is likely based on a Russian character Vasilisa. Hardly a WoC. Stop assigning 'races' to obviously white characters to make them 'more interesting'.

Hello, anon

So aside from your racism, tell me why would LoA never be with a brown man??? Where is it stated in canon that she’d only ever be with a white man? I’ll answer your ask, ignoring your insistence on erasing canon POC

Why do I believe Helion is middle eastern? Because it’s been confirmed

Read this explanation from @ladyvanserra to understand better.

I’m going to this response very short anon cause I don’t like to bother with people who are unnecessarily rude, insist on whitewashing canon people of color, and clearly isn’t looking for an actual answer from me.

If we’re going off of Helion’s name. That means Thesan is Etruscan and oh a woman. Because Thesan is an Etruscan goddess.

The origin of names means very little to SJM, and she has a tendency to mix cultures. Which is in very poor taste but she does it none the less

Also gonna jump in here with a pagan perspective. The gods can present however they like. As someone who’s devoted to multiple sun deities, Helios and Apollo included.

Helios presents to me as a dark-skinned man

Apollo presents to me with light brown skin but is very clearly still a POC.

Him being named after a god (actually a titan but I’ll excuse your mistake) means nothing because they don’t have human forms

Also saying he’s named after Helios and then modeled after Apollo is extremely stupid of you.

Also the Titans and primordials can take on human forms but that’s not their natural form. They don’t naturally look human. In Greek mythology humans were created in the image of the Olympian race, who look human but on a much more divine scale.

Helios is more likely to be a burning ray of sunlight that you can’t actually look at, no indication of race there.

As for Vassa, read this post here from @juniiper-hemlock which will explain the whitewashing of her that is prevelant in the fandom.

Your welcome for the response, I didn’t have to spend my time answering to someone so rude and unwilling to listen, and yet I did. I won’t be doing it again, so stay out of my askbox (and if you insist on coming back, at least do it off of anon)

@arinbelle @moodymelanist if you have anything to add please go ahead.

[bookofmirth]

I’m sorry? But my brain short-circuited at the sentence “LoA wouldn’t have a child with a man who is clearly of a different race.” Can we take a beat and recognize how incredibly racist this is?? 😅 Is anon saying that LoA wouldn’t want a non-white child? 😅

Even if anon is alluding to a child of a different skin tone being a signal that she had an affair, I think we all might need to step back and think about how nasty and racist this whole ask is. Claiming that we want to ensure proper representation of Lucien and Vassa so they are “more interesting” is… why doesn’t anon just say “exotic”, it’d be closer to what they intended. Sorry, but people of color don’t exist to be “interesting” or to serve some spice in a story. 🤢

Okay and finally, sjm takes inspiration from a lot of places but she’s the last person to be faithful to those references and inspirations. She sprinkles them in and forgets them. I also didn’t know there are zero POC in Greece or Russia, anon!!!! Wow!!!!

[nikethestatue]

I think it’s time for a RANT

Why is it Elain’s responsibility to reject the bond with Lucien?

Here is an example from my own life–when I was a kid, I grew up in a lot of different places, but primarily in countries, where engagements did not exist. There was no concept of an ‘engagement’. There was no dropping on one knee, no formal proposals, and certainly no ring or other expensive jewelry. Men asked women to marry them, hopefully it was a ‘yes’ and then they maybe planned a wedding celebration, if there was enough money. And if not, then they went to to justice of the peace, signed a paper and went home to celebrate. That’s it.

So, once I moved to the US, for the longest time, I couldn’t understand the concept of engagement. Like what was it for? Why the waiting period? If you want to get married, just marry, and that’s it. (There was also no 40K weddings where I lived that you needed to mortgage a house for, to afford). It was just a weird cultural thing and it took a while and acquaintance with the US culture to begin to understand.

Why would Elain, who grew up a human, and has no knowledge of bonds, and places no importance on them (much like Nesta, mind you) be the one who should be dealing with this bond fiasco?

Just because Rhys explained it to Feyre, doesn’t mean that Elain is aware of everything that this stupid bond entails. Does she know that Lucien can potentially go insane or some other dramatic thing like that? All she knows is that she doesn’t really like him or want him, he is part of the reason her engagement fell through and she was rejected, and she clearly doesn’t feel pressed by this bond. She isn’t feral, she doesn’t miss him, she isn’t going crazy if he is hurt (or feels it at all)–none of the ‘normal’ bond emotions and cravings apply to her. She is also desiring another male, and doesn’t care that Lucien is even in the same house when she engages in a romantic interlude with this other man. 

Of course it beckons the question as to what is wrong with their bond, but that’s a whole different conversation.

But, let’s ask this–if Lucien is so invested in this bond (which he clearly isn’t, since he is shacking up in the human lands with 2 other people), then why doesn’t he sit down with her and explain it to her? Why does he not offer to court her? She comes from a certain background, where it’s clear that there are  formalities that have to be acknowledged and followed around engagement and matrimony. But does HE know about any of it? Does he try to find out how courtship/engagements/marriages work in the human lands? Doesn’t seem like it. Yet, the expectation is that Elain spends hours in the Library poring over tomes, learning about the bond.

So, if we are asking the questions ‘well, why doesn’t Elain reject the bond? why doesn’t she give Lucien a chance? why doesn’t she learn more about it?” then why are we not asking the same questions of Lucien–why doesn’t he take her on a date? Yes, she could decline, but then, at least he tried! Why doesn’t he ask Feyre, for example, to talk to Elain about the bond and how to operate within its confines? 

Why do readers, and characters, have this expectation that ‘Elain should deal with the bond’? Elain is not obligated to make Lucien, or any other male feel good about themselves, or make them comfortable, or not hurt their feelings (though again, I don’t feel like she is hurting his feelings, because he doesn’t seem to care). 

Elain was brutally rejected by her fiancé, in front of a crowd of people, she was also thrown at this other male that she doesn’t know anything about and isn’t attracted to. As far as we know, she was also called a ‘mistake’ by another male, to whom she is clearly very attracted. Her brother-in-law, unbenounced to her, has made all these detrimental decisions about her life, without giving two thoughts about her or her wants. Did anybody care about Elain’s feelings? Elain is expected to be nice to Lucien? Why? Because he is a nice guy? Do we, as women, go out with every ‘nice guy’ that asks us out? No. We should have a say to whom we offer our affections. And we are not obligated to make any and all ‘nice guys’ feel good, and acquiesce to their desires, at our own expense.

 Elain should not be expected to traumatize herself further, by entangling herself in some bond-related brawl, with indifferent Lucien, and freakin’ Beron snapping at the heels, and power-hungry, politically motivated Rhys, and the pining Azriel. The bond is not her thing. The bond is not her responsibility. She can do whatever the hell she wants–ignore it, accept it, reject it, breaking it, because the onus should not be on her, as a female to please all these males around her and offer them an answer. 

Nesta had the bond actually snap into place, and still she didn’t want to acknowledge it, standing in front of angry, puppy-eyed Cassian who is melting with love for her, and she is enflamed by love for him. And she was basically ‘yeah, I don’t want it. I am calling in the bargain! I don’t care. I wanna go be with my girlfriends! We are not discussing it.”

Feyre, while clearly in love with Rhys, who is also badly injured, leaves him in the mud in an Illyrian training camp and demands to be hidden, because she can’t deal with the bond. 

Yet Elain, who is barely a participating party in this fiasco is somehow expected to make firm declarations and quick decisions. 

Hey, but that’s just me. 

[spell-cleavers]

So because this is tagged Elucien, I’m going to swing at it.

I don’t think Lucien is uninterested. Far from it. If Lucien wasn’t interested in Elain, he wouldn’t have stayed at all once he came to Velaris. He told Feyre in ACOWAR that he just wanted to see her once, to see if she was worth fighting for. Whatever he saw apparently convinced him, because he IS trying. Do I think he’s going about it the right way with the gifts? Nope. But Lucien is a complicated character who fears rejection and being unwanted and I *personally* think this is why he’s not being more assertive. That, and I think he genuinely thinks space and time are what Elain needs. But Mor made a good point in ACOFAS—he isn’t ready and neither is she. So here we are, with a guy who feels lost and adrift and a girl who resents being Fae and everything that comes with it (including her mate).

No one expects the bond to be Elain’s responsibility. In fact, if there is a rejection (which I find unlikely and have detailed why in previous posts), I would prefer it to be Lucien who disengages from the bond. I do think that Elain is informed about the bond and the implication that Feyre or Rhys or Nesta haven’t had a conversation with her about her options seems…off. She doesn’t need to spend time pouring over books—the bond is what it is and rejection is what it is and I’m confident that Elain knows that. She just isn’t actively confronting it at this point. I will admit that I find this frustrating because I personally am frustrated by avoidant behavior, but I understand why Elain is acting the way that she is. I just wish that SJM would have added more movement towards resolution in ACOSF because the suspension of this storyline is starting to become annoying.

I really dislike the narrative that Lucien is a “nice guy” who needs to be rewarded because no Lucien stan that I know views it that way. I do think that NARRATIVELY, Lucien has become a trauma receptacle and I am not open to seeing a careless mating bond rejection because of that. I do not need or want to see him damaged any more than he already has been. But I don’t think he DESERVES Elain. And most people acknowledge that yes, she is attracted to Azriel. I don’t personally understand it because I think he sucks, but sure Elain! Knock yourself out. Also, Lucien is biracial and disabled and the narrative that he’s like…stalking Elain or making her uncomfortable is super problematic and I very much hate it. Personally, I think SJM is setting up tension between the two of them that needs to be resolved and it’s not intended to make Lucien look like some creepy incel or “nice guy” that needs to be rewarded.

I also want to clarify the political stuff because I don’t think Azriel’s POV made it as clear as it could have been. No one cares if Azriel and Elain get together. Lucien might care because he feels “disappointment and longing” towards the Elain situation, but I think he’s a good enough dude to stand back if Elain said she wanted to be with Azriel. I don’t even think Rhys cares beyond the fact that he doesn’t seem convinced that Azriel’s heart is in the right place. Politics asidex, Beron would probably think it’s funny that the son he hates is in this situation. That isn’t the problem and it’s not what Rhysand was talking about when he told Azriel this was dangerous. The problem is if Lucien were harmed (via blood duel or Azriel just attacking him) because of this situation. THEN Beron would have an excuse to declare war, Tamlin would have an excuse to…do whatever it is he can do at this point to cause problems, and SIGNIFICANTLY, Helion could get involved if Eris or LoA tattled to him that Azriel damaged his son and heir. The danger or stakes doesn’t lie with Elain and Azriel’s relationship—it lies in how they deal with it in regards to Lucien and significantly, his safety and well-being. Is that fair? No, but Lucien also didn’t ask to be a political bomb on the Prythian chessboard.

I personally think this is set up for a reluctant soulmates trope in book six. I don’t think Elain’s book is next because of the vast underdevelopment of her character, but I do think we will see movement on this bond stagnation in the next book because we have to at this point. It’s sucking the life out of the story where both Lucien and Elain are concerned and it needs some movement.

To me, Elain is not oppressed or a victim. She’s dealing with a shitty situation and a ton of trauma and we’re going to explore that in her story. But she has agency and she has a choice. We just have to wait and see what she does with it. It could be that her choices lead her to Azriel or it could be that they lead her to Lucien. But no one expects Lucien to be rewarded or entitled to her and I think it’s really important to stress that when we’re having this kind of discourse.

[bookofmirth]

I want to add a couple of things! Because there are some issues here I think with how the mating bond has been described but also because there are some huge differences between not owing men time or attention (which, yes!), and the mating bond (meh).

I think we are all working on the assumption that it’s Elain’s “job” to reject (or accept) the mating bond because that is what canon has told us. If we, as a fandom, were just making that assumption out of nowhere, then that would be odd. However, Rhys tells us in acomaf that the female offering the male food means that she accepts the bond. This isn’t coming from nowhere.

“It’s an… important moment, when a female offers her mate food. The first time matters. Some mated pairs make an occasion of it. […] But it means that the female… accepts the bond.” (acomaf chapter 54)

I want to point out something @exiledelain​ said:

To me, Elain is not oppressed or a victim. She’s dealing with a shitty situation and a ton of trauma and we’re going to explore that in her story. But she has agency and she has a choice.

Elain is one of the most sheltered characters in this series, if not the most. That’s not to say that she hasn’t gone through shit, because she has. But anyone can be traumatized. Going through trauma and being privileged are not mutually exclusive. And Elain absolutely has agency right now. She’s just… not doing anything with it, and I hope that changes.

However, I wonder if you @nikethestatue were thinking less about the mechanics and more about an implied burden on Elain to make that decision? Because I think that there is a huge (HUGE) difference between someone like Mor being expected to tell Azriel that she isn’t interested (🤢) and Elain telling Lucien she is or isn’t interested.

The difference comes down to what Mor and Elain can control. Mor cannot control Azriel’s emotional response or healing after being rejected. She says the words, and then the rest is on him. He’s the one who has been pining and brooding over her for 500 years, and once she says the thing, she has zero responsibility for how he is affected because Azriel is in control of how he responds. (And just to add, she’s 100% not responsible for even saying those words now. This interest or attraction or obsession is on Azriel.)

However, if Elain does not tell Lucien anything one way or another, then she is indirectly responsible for harm because of the mating bond. 

“Even so… There will always be a… tug. For the females, it is usually easier to ignore but the males… it can drive them mad.”

The thing that I think a lot of the fandom is concerned about Elain not bothering to get to know Lucien to make that choice. It’s not the only thing she is avoiding - she has ignored her powers, she began avoiding Nesta, she doesn’t seem to be close to anyone in the IC so she seems to be avoiding integration there. 

If Mor doesn’t say anything to Azriel, then he can pick himself up, go to therapy, and move on with his life.

If Elain doesn’t say anything to Lucien, he could go insane. It’s not a matter of will or finding the right therapist. He literally has no control over how this magic impacts him. 

While this distinction makes me cringe a bit, that’s how the world was built, and so that’s a criticism against sjm. But it does put Elain in a position of responsibility, whether we like it or not.

It does make me wonder if that “insanity” will exist whether the bond is rejected or not. The phrasing is vague there. The “even so” does make me think that a rejected bond is going to suck. 

I personally like Elain - I’ve made many posts analyzing and exploring her character post-acosf. But in regards to the bond, right now our options are 1) she is ignorant about how it works, which seems unlikely given the care Feyre took to explain periods and fae bargains, or 2) she just isn’t able to take anyone else’s feelings into account right now. And for the second option, I sorta don’t blame her. But at some point, it has to stop.

The final point is about what Lucien can and can’t do, because you asked why he doesn’t try. He does! Lucien is there, he’s respectful, he keeps getting kicked in the emotional face. We don’t know that he hasn’t done anything of the things mentioned, like learning about how marriage works in the human lands. We do know that Feyre and Nesta were extremely hesitant to allow Lucien anywhere near Elain post-acomaf, so he’s likely trying to respect their wishes as well. He’s between a rock and a hard place, with no tools to get himself out.

You also made this statement, but we don’t actually know if it’s true or not:

She isn’t feral, she doesn’t miss him, she isn’t going crazy if he is hurt (or feels it at all)–none of the ‘normal’ bond emotions and cravings apply to her.

We have never, not once had Elain’s POV. She rarely expresses her emotions unless she is blowing up at Nesta and Feyre. Any supposition of how she feels about anything is a headcanon at this point.

I think it’s worth noting overall, that the bond in the Night Court, under Rhysand and Feyre, is in no way going to be forced - but it still has to be dealt with. In acowar chapter 24, Rhys emphasizes that there is choice in the matter. Honestly, sjm is laying it on thick with the choice because if she doesn’t, then mating bond acceptances fall flat. It teeters into dubcon territory. And I don’t think that’s the story she’s trying to tell, at all.

[onceupona-chaos]

Random thoughts about the Blood Duel

(And why it won't be between two males. Check out this post)

The more I think about the possibility of a BD, the more I think Elain will participate in it, possibly against Beron.

When I first saw the idea of Elain participating, I didn't think it could actually happen, but... after rethinking, it is VERY plausible. So here me out.

Elain cut in sharply, “I am not a child to be fought over.”

I will begin with the line that was the start of my thoughts.

We all know SJM'S patterns, so just the ideia of two male characters fighting over a female is ridiculous. I can't see it happening, not when these books are supposed to be about strong females. So yes, when Elain said she wouldn't be "fought over", SJM was telling us that the agency will be Elain's, she won't just sit down like a pretty doll and watch as two males fight for her.

Even when I read the bonus chapter for the very first time, my first thought was "this is not going to happen like this, SJM will somehow make it different".

So that's why the possibility of being between Beron and Helion seemed more likely at first, however it makes no sense from a narrative perspective. None.

First, we need to have in mind that the Blood Duel would be the major conflict. Therefore, it needs to be responsible for two things: 1) the climax of the story (speaking plotwise) and 2) characters' growth.

Not any character, however, but the main characters. Why? Because it's their stories, their journeys, therefore the climax, the most important moment, has to be about them as well. It can't be about any other character, so that's why I don't believe is going to be between Helion and Beron, because neither of the main characters would grow from this experience.

It would be like reading a sports commentator narrating the most important moment of a story that isn't his: this is not the role of a literary narrator, especially considering that SJM uses internal monologues (we can see the line of though of these characters, we are in their heads, so why on earth the climax of their story would be them just casually watching a fight between two people they don't care about?).

If they are main characters, they have to be responsible for moving the plot forward and for the climax of the story. Not to mention: these are standalones were talking about, so the main characters need to be the ones participating in the biggest event, so they can have their growth in their books.

But why Elain? Because it follows SJM's pattern: the female always holds more agency in her books, especially in ACOTAR.

In ACOTAR, Feyre fought her battles and did the three challenges, not Tamlin or Rhysand. In ACOMAF, she was able to steal the Book of Breathings and kill the Attor, not Rhysand. In ACOWAR, she was responsible for fixing the Cauldron, (ok, Rhysand helped a little, but you know what I mean). In ACOSF, Nesta tracked the Trove, fought in the Blood Rite and kill the queen, not Cassian.

You could say: Elain isn't a warrior. I agree, she isn't (and I hope SJM agrees as well). However, SJM never gave us details of how this Duel happens. She didn't say it's a fight with swords, she just said it is brutal, could end in death and it's an Autumn Court tradition. That's it.

We assumed that is a Duel with weapons or physical strength, however SJM never, never told us how it happens. It could very well happen with magic or other abilities could be useful as well, we don't know.

Besides, Elain is a Seer and most likely to find the Fourth Trove, so maybe she could use it. In ACSF, it's said the sisters have powers to match Rhysand's, so we don't know the full extension of her powers.

But why Beron? Because if he's dead, the NC honors their deal with Eris and the possibility of the truth about Lucien's father is still there, since the Lady of Autumn wouldn't have to deal with Beron anymore.

So the villain, Beron, dies without killing the plot, because Koschei is still there, the possibility of Lucien learning who his real father is remains open, we get a climax of the story and Elain's growth.

NOTE: I think this could happen, but I don't have an opinion about it, I don't know if I like it or not. I think I would have to see how this plays out in the book, to decide it.

[silvernesta]

What in the white saviour trope is this? Lucien has been abused by Beron for years and Beron is also the person who decided to kill his lover, so it does not make sense for Elain to fight Beron for Azriel. Being free of an abusive person in your life matters more than Azriels feelings towards Beron in this case. A blood duel between Helion and Beron makes more sense because he would be fighting for the Lady Of Autumn who has been constantly abused by Beron and his son Lucien who has received the same treatment.

Now which argument makes more sense? Elain fighting Beron so Azriel could feel loved or Helion fighting Beron in the name of his family who has been constantly abused by this male?

The blood duel makes no sense in Elain's journey but in Luciens. Protecting your son and the LoA matters more than Elain, our lil white saviour to fight in a battle that is not hers.

And yes. It would make sense even politically for Helion to fight Beron. But with Elain it doesn't. What will Eris think of the nc? And i think that in this case, the ones who have been abused by piece of shit beron have more right to fight him. Y'all still taking storylines that clearly belong to POC characters and give them to white characters? This, for WHAT?

[evalinashryver]

I find a Blood Duel as the height of her arc just so in contrast to the character herself. Elain is intelligent, and observant, but she is no warrior and she need not be. The height of her arc should be her standing up for herself using cleverness and diplomacy to triumph, not in a brawl against a High Lord.

I would also like to point out that Elain is constantly portrayed as the sister who is least likely to engage in violence. She's the nurturer, the one who supposedly sees the good and beauty in things, the one who dislikes blood and suffering and violence. She hates brutality, and she shies away from it. Her killing the King of Hybern is an extraordinary act, when there's little choice left.

So no, I don't want to see a Blood Duel with Elain fighting in it OR being the reason for it— because she's not an object to be fought over, and because I think the climax of her arc shouldn't make her just one more warrior when she's never shown to want this.

[bookofmirth]

E*riel forbidden love trope/true mates

I already did the forbidden love one but this theory drives me crazy. It could be interesting in a different world, but in acotar there is zero grounding or evidence for it. It's an interesting headcanon but not a great theory because it has no support.

There is no such thing as a true mate in the acotar world because there is also no such thing as a fake mate.

No.

In all of sjm's writing, in 14 books, there has been one (1) fake mate, and that was not a normal thing. That was an intentional plot point. That was a plot twist.

If there was a possibility for there to be fake/true mates, then that would throw the whole system into chaos. The people like dudes in the Autumn Court or Hewn City wouldn't be able to claim anyone because they could cry "fake mate!" and how would anyone ever know? Would there be like a Fake Mate Test, like "come in before noon for your FMT and the first 100 newly-mated fae to come in get a free donut".

We would also need to know more about the mating bond itself and how/why it chooses them. From sjm's mouth, Nesta and Lucien couldn't be mates because they wouldn't have gotten along. Elain and Lucien were the appropriate mates because of their potential for growth and healing together. So ultimately, it's not going to be about babies, or power. That's not why feysand are mates, nor why nessian are mates. The Cauldron = sjm, okay.

Okay and one more thing!

I know people point to Azriel realizing what powers Elain has and Madja saying "her mate will know what's wrong" as leading them to think this.

No.

Azriel figured out what Elain's powers were. He did NOT know what was "wrong" with her. Elain had lost her fiancé and been Made and forced out of her home and into Prythian. That's what was wrong with her. It doesn't take a freaking rocket scientist, tbh. Everyone was just so used to Elain being okay that when she wasn't that when she dared to publicly express her trauma, they were shocked pikachus.

Lucien, after going into her mind, said that she needed to get outdoors. Which we all know is actually what she needs. They were all looking for some mysterious cause, some secret disease or illness or whatever, but he saw her experience for what it was. No underlying secret or mystery. Just plain old trauma that for once, she couldn't suppress for the sake of others' peace of mind.

On top of that, when Azriel realized what her powers were, he thought, "Oh hey that's useful for us!!!!"

(btw, Lucien was barely allowed to be around Elain, like at all. Him not seeing that she has seer powers is hardly surprising when he barely had supervised visitation rights.)

Even if I were to accept the premise that Elain's powers were what was wrong with her and that Azriel is the one to notice it, that's a shitty reaction to have 😅To be like, "Oh hey this is your problem, how convenient for me and my friends!!!! Let's see how we can use your huge life-altering problem to our advantage. 😀"

Why.... why and in what world is that romantic or shippable. 🥲

[aelingalathyniusrailme]

GUYS ITS NOT FUCKING GWYN’S BOOK. IT IS AZRIELS. GWYN WILL BE THE SUPPORTING LI. WHAT IS SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT. BY GIVING GWYN A POV SJM IS NOT SOMEHOW WRONGING ELAIN. SHE WOULD STILL GET HER OWN BOOK. “sjm is not giving some side character we just met her own book” YOU’RE RIGHT IT WONT BE HER BOOK IT WILL BE FUCKING AZRIELS. A CHARACTER WHO HAS BEEN THERE SINCE BOOK TWO.

IT’S LIKE TOWER OF DAWN IS NOT YRENE’S BOOK. IT IS NOT NESRYNS BOOK EVEN THO THEY BOTH HAVE POVS. IT IS CHOAL’S

[evalinashryver]

TWO BOOKS LEFT. ONE COUPLE PER BOOK, AS HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY SAID.

"Sjm would not tell her sisters story just not to tell Elain next!"

YEAH, ELAIN IS GETTING A BOOK: THE LAST ARCHERON SISTER GETS, YOU KNOW, THE GRAND FINALE.

But not with Azriel.

[underseabookish]

I love the Elain and Lucien art we've been getting lately, but damnit. Can anyone please put them together? Daddy Day Court Lucien with his mate sitting on his lap with Day Court attire? Anyone???

[evalinashryver]

I may or may not have commissioned a piece like this hehehehe

[brycesstar-deactivated20220630]

me thinks the "professor" needs to reread the series because all of that stuff with feyre didn't happen in one book😹😹

Deadass is this serious?

Feyre gets engaged: Mist and Fury chapter 2

Feyre wants to call it off and Rhys comes: Mist and Fury chapter 4.

Feyre permanently leaves Spring for the Night Court: Mist and Fury chapter 14

Feyre and Rhys start developing a connection: Mist and Fury chapter 17

Feyre and Rhys go the Weaver and her feelings begin to manifest: Mist and Fury chapter 20 and 21

Lots of flirting between Feyre and Rhys: Mist and Fury chapter 23-28

Feyre realizes Rhys is the one who sent the music down to her cell while UtM: Mist and Fury chapter 29

Feyre breaks down about Tamlin and Rhys is there to help her: Mist and Fury chapter 30

Feyre becomes unhappy seeing Rhys flirt with Cressida and realizes she’s lonely: Mist and Fury chapter 33

Rhys gets jealous of Tarquin: Mist and Fury chapter 34

Feyre comforts Rhys after what happened during Summer and they grow closer: Mist and Fury chapter 38

Feyre goes to the Court of Nightmares and realizes she wants Rhys: Mist and Fury chapter 42

Starfall: Mist and Fury chapter 44

Feyre almost gets captured by Lucien, decides that if they tried to hurt Rhys she’d kill them: Mist and Fury chapter 47

Rhys fingers Feyre: Mist and Fury chapter 48

Rhys gets shot down from the sky and Feyre freaks out trying to help him: Mist and Fury chapter 49

Feyre discovers the mating bond: Mist and Fury chapter 50

Feyre and Rhys talk about the bond and he tells her his life story and what she means to him: Mist and Fury chapter 54

Feyre and Rhys consummate their bond and she tells him she loves him: Mist and Fury chapter 55

Feyre sacrifices herself to go back to Spring so that her new family can escape Hybern: Mist and Fury chapter 67

Rhys reveals Feyre is High Lady: Mist and Fury chapter 68

One book, as proven. Come off anon next time. Or was the first time too embarrassing?

[owensesandlunels]

APPRECIATION DAY!!

Tagging my favorite bloggers because I want them to know that their existence is one of the best things about this fandom:

@acotarprofessor @yazthebookish @azrielsbxtch @bookofmirth @faiurytale @bittermuire @sansastarkloyalist @the-bookish-deer @aelingalathyniusrailme @lucyspenvensie @twigoftrust @exiledelain @sisididis @gwynkyrie @jennysofoldstone @lord-of-perranth @ayshasn @evalinashryver @hellacioushag @erisvanserrarailmepls @latersmores @ratabrasileira @heyovivi @nesemryn @gwyns @gwynrielsupremacy @gwynethvalkyrie @gwynrielz @vanserrasvalkyrie @katiebellf @daevastanner @tealnymph24 @v-anserra @ladyvanserra @ladygwynriel @faithisilliterate @trashforazriel @starbornsinger @secretlovelybeauty @whereisvaughan @latersmores @sirendeepity

[sylusmybelovedd]

were u not the girl saying she was black then when u got exposed that u werent THATS when u deleted ur acc instead of taking accountability??🤨

You’ve got the wrong person for this. I had nothing to do with that twitter drama.

Both of my twitter accounts are : @/zahirareads & @/cresswellswife.

So please, before coming in my anon box blaming me for the things I never did, make sure that you’ve done the research and that you’re blaming the right person.

[evalinashryver]

Anon, you're factually incorrect on both accusations. Zaza never once claimed to be black. Never. Not once.

What you're talking about is another drama that happened on Twitter and you are, again, misinformed. The person in question IS PoC who was doxxed by a certain group and, might I add, decided they weren't "PoC enough" by the pictures they found and so they must be white. How's that?

In short: stop spreading misinformation and accusing people of shit they didn't do