gwynriel’s ribbon

future blood rite loser

[flowersandelephants]

Back when I first read ACOTAR, I excused the sexual assault UTM on the basis that Rhysand was just trying to rile Tamlin up to get him to kill Amarantha.

Looking back, I now realise how silly that was. If I could go back, I'd shoot myself in the head for thinking that.

Tamlin would've killed Amaratha either way, regardless of how Rhysand acted with Feyre. It doesn't even matter whether Tamlin loved Feyre or not. He still would've gotten rid of Amarantha for thousands of different reasons.

Rhysand assaulting Feyre was just unnecessary and uncomfortable. I feel like its only purpose was to push the enemies to lovers trope.

I genuinely like Rhysand's character, and I feel like he could've been so much better if only the author wasn't so into writing problematic themes. He was so much wasted potential, just like this whole story.

[azrielsdefenseattorney]

What do we have here? Elucien-esq type official merch perhaps? The flowers? The pink? The quote? I think sooooo.

Let’s all remember that quote is a Lucien quote, he taught it to Feyre in book one. 🤭🤭🤭

[cyrastory]

🩷Valkyrie x Pilates⚔️

One of my amazing friends @_banannikacos suggested this idea based on the @bloomsburypublishing promos and I couldn’t get it out of my head, so here’s a silly little doodle/comic.

Hope you enjoy it! Major thanks to @miseryreads for the concept creation!

Gwyneth Berdara, Emerie of Illyria, and Nesta Archeron from A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

[sadiegirl2021]

Sarah saw this scene and thought "but what if this was Koschei's view of the Valkyries!"

[8nin]

"There's millions of Tumblr users" to you. To me There's only about 12 and we all reblog the same five posts from each other

[torchwood-99]

Cassian throwing a rare antique book into a river because Nesta rejected his solstice present.

Rhysand having a 500 year old building torn down to force Nesta into rehab.

How many historical gems are going to be destroyed by the Inner Circle's in their vendetta against Nesta?

[girlbossinglikejudeduarte]

Violet: Xaden is like ice-cream. Mira: ...explain? Violet: He's cold but he makes me really happy. Brennan: That's swee- Violet: Also, I can lick him- Mira, wheezing: V I O L E T Brennan, choking: WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!?!

[elainstulipgarden]

One of the cutest parts of the ACOTAR series is that it’s Lucien who introduces readers to all of these colloquialisms. He uses them repeatedly throughout the series.

By the Cauldron

Cauldron boil me!

Cauldron boil and fry me

Cauldron, no.

Thank the Cauldron

What in the bottomless depths of the Cauldron—?

In case we needed reminding that using Cauldron colloquialisms is Lucien’s signature, when he visits the training ring at the House of Wind the first thing he says is “By the Cauldron” when he sees Nesta training.

[starborn-heir]

"What in the bottomless depths of the Cauldron?" indeed.

[chartreusevermillion]

I have to laugh at the fact that they’re saying us getting excited about the Valkyries Pilates is erasing Emerie and Nesta, as if all three of them aren’t Valkyries and we haven’t literally been saying their stories aren’t over. Sorry but I’m gate keeping, they’ve never done anything but make fun of the group and say they don’t want to see anymore of them in the future books, never talked about them outside of trying to villainize Gwyn and make people out to be selfish for liking Gwyn. Shut the fuck up, you don’t like any of those girls and never have, so keep their names out of your mouth.

[itsblobross]

[torchwood-99]

Nesta's Role Goes Beyond the Valkyries

Nesta fans don't give a damn about Gwyn getting credit for being the one to bring about the formation of the Valkyries through her research and her being the first to cut the ribbon because we know that being a Valkyrie is only a part of her arc, and that between being Lady Death and the wielder of the Trove, and the current holder of Gwydion and the one with a connection to the eight pointed star, Nesta has plenty going on for her that we can give credit to Gwyn and her efforts and her achievements. It's the same reason no Nesta fan feels cheated that Gwyn and Emerie won the Blood Rite and she didn't. Gwyn got the Valkyrie ball moving, and Emerie was a victim of violence brought about by the misogyny of the Illyrians, so conquering the Blood Rite was way more significant and impactful for their arcs, than Nesta's.

I suspect Elriel fans think recognising Gwyn's role in forming the Valkyries is the highest insult to Nesta because for years they've been insisting that being a Valkyrie, leading Valkyrie troops on Rhys and Feyre's behalf, is the furthest she is going to go, which is why she can now take a background role, and therefore acknowledging the importance of Gwyn's role in forming the Valkyries is taking away the only thing they allow to be Nesta's.

They've spent so long trying to reduce her role, and claim that plot points that are significant for her are actually about Elain, convincing themselves that being a Valkyrie is all Nesta will ever achieve, that now fans are talking about the importance of Gwyn, they think it's an insult to Nesta.

In being the loudest voices for reducing Nesta's significance, they've convinced themselves that her role is as small as they wish it was, and they've circled around to suddenly believing themselves the ultimate Nesta defenders.

[torchwood-99]

When you try to take away key parts of Nesta's story and make them about Elain, leaving her with only the Valkyries, then get offended on Nesta's behalf when the importance of another Valkyrie is recognised.

[sadiegirl2021]

Walk with me!

Let's look at the timeline of events:

HOFAS ends with Bryce giving Nesta Gwydion and telling her to go find out what the 8-point star means. 30 Jan 2024

SJM goes to the mountains to write in April 2024

ACOTEN promo happens. May 2025

Giant ACOTAR book opened to Chapter 21 appears in bookstores (Chapter 21 corresponds to the Valkyrie chapter in the book Merril wrote)

Also had pink bags, Joy bookmarks and the Mask on display

Emily from the marketing department at BB dreams up the Valkyrie event (safe to assume that they have had Sarah's pitch for the new books and a vague idea who will be in them at this point). May/June 2025

Sarah J Maas posts that she's finished the first draft in July 2025

Her friends, who are in a chat group called the Valkyries, fly out to celebrate with her. July 2025

Long, quiet gap where we all lost our minds.

CHD podcast happens. Sarah finally tells us there are two books, and that she couldn't tell us the POV and that was surprising (because people were assuming it's Elain). Sarah also tells us the importance of friendship and says she hates when people put down things that bring women joy. March 2026

Bloomsbury Hard Launch ACOTAR 6 & 7 with a Valkyrie Promo event! June 2026

More to come!

[gwynrieldefenseatty]

Wait so

Sarah starts finishing up her ACOTAR 6 (now we know 7 as well) draft…. Bloomsbury marketing team plans for a Valkyrie Pilates class at the same time.. Sarah finishes draft and invites her besties that she calls her Valkyries?!!

[nestasbxtch]

The official Bloomsbury Valkyrie promo has them all spiraling 💀.

I can’t wait to see how the Illyrian males react to Emerie and Gwyn winning the Blood Rite and becoming Carynthians, and Nesta becoming an Oristian.

History <<<< Herstory.

Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn are so iconic.

[my-maasverse]

Dain has a point again

Funny how the guy the heroine dislikes always has a point. 🤔 Tamlin was proven right so many times throughout ACOMAF and ACOWAR about Feyre’s safety and readiness for war, among other things.

Now listening to Dain and he flat out tells Violet she gives Xaden a free pass when he is controlling. She doesn’t know Xaden well but she has switched to trusting him so fast and yet she’s known Dain her whole life and their communication is in the toilet. I like Violet but I see why many have warned me she gets dickmatized by her love interest, giving him the benefit of the doubt that she doesn’t afford others.

Crossing my fingers she’s not as bad as Feyre. I just want to keep liking Violet since I hate Feyre’s character so much.

[extremely-judgemental]

People are using "betrayal" fast and loose in this fandom that they are forgetting what it actually means.

betrayal: violation of a person's trust or confidence

Lucien had no prior relations with Elain. Lucien didn't know of Elain's existence as more than Feyre's human sister. Lucien probably didn't even know her name until Elain was dropped in front of him. Because ELAIN WAS A NOBODY TO HIM.

Just like Elain knew squat about Lucien.

The sisters weren't kidnapped because Tamlin or Lucien sold them out. It came to pass because the sisters played a vital role as mediators between the mortal world and the fae world, and that happened because Feyre dragged them into it.

Anyone, if they wanted to punish or lure Feyre, would settle for Tamlin or Lucien or Rhysand, someone she cares about and not the human family she left behind like a year ago for a fae.

The mortal Queens had no interest in these women. Nobody in Prythian, including Hybern, knew who Feyre's family was or if she had one. Until Feyre decided her helpless sisters are perfect candidates to be in the crossfires of a war between invincible faeries and weak mortals.