#antigwynriel

[mabevil]

“why would SJM introduce gwyn as azriel’s love interest if it’s going to be elriel?”

guess what! she didn’t. gwyn was never introduced to be a love interest for anyone, she was introduced to support nesta through her journey.

the only character who has canonically been introduced as a love interest for azriel is elain. that is what’s written in the books, that is the direction SJM is going.

it’s no one’s fault but your own that you’ve gaslit yourself entirely out of reality.

[elrieluniverse]

I don’t care who you are. How smart you claim to be. How many degrees you claim to have. How many times you have reread the same series. How popular you are on a social media platform.

If you think that there is nothing wrong with saying that Elain and Azriel cannot be together because she cannot have his children, you are a disgusting person and dumb as fuck.

[theseeingfawn]

We know exactly how Azriel feels about Gwyn...

"It was too late to bank without appearing like he was running." He literally wanted to run away from her.

“Fine,” he said, and realized a heartbeat later that it wasn’t a socially acceptable answer. “It was nice.” He could barely manage civil conversation.

"She opened her mouth to ask more, but he didn’t feel like explaining. Or demonstrating, since that was surely what she’d ask next." It's almost like he knows Gwyn will keep prying despite his obvious disinterest.

"He wouldn’t go so far as to call Gwyn a friend." Ooof.

"Gwyn let out a high-pitched noise that was nothing but pure excitement. Azriel, on the other side of the ring with the rest of the priestesses, half-turned at the sound, brows high." This isn't because he's drawn to the sweet sound of her voice. He's irritated at the disruption.

Azriel finds Gwyn annoying.

[professionalfandomshipper]

Elizabeth Evan’s, who does SJM’s audiobooks has said sometimes SJM will give her insider information to properly portray certain emotions and things. Gwynriel’s love to use that,saying there was a pause before Azriel said her name in hofas and that it’s supposed to be mean something. So I went to listen… theres no pause. Then they claimed it was in the silver flames one when Cassian said her name. I went to listen.., there’s no pause. And while I’m on topic, Azriel’s shadows and siphons reaction was to all 3 being in danger, he’s a good guy, he does care. Gwynriels truly make up so much shit they’ve convinced themselves it’s real.

[lovemyromance]

Show me in the text where Azriel wants Gwyn. Actively. Not YOUR interpretation of what "spark" means or signifies - but an actual textual line where Azriel shows clear romantic interest in Gwyn.

It doesn't exist.

Everything about that ship is based on stringing together out of context scenes to create fanon theories. If Gwynriel were going to happen - SJM had plenty of chances to do it when ACOSF was literally focused on Azriel and Cassian training Nesta and the priestesses.

Every single day was spent with Gwyn and he doesn't even think of her as a friend. Every single day was spent with this alleged mate, he has rescued her from a terrible fate, and STILL - he does not pursue her romantically. Doesn't bend any rules to get her out of the blood rite.

Everything in ACOSF shows Azriel is pining over Elain. It is obvious. There IS not other interpretation of why he wants to fucking go down on her, listen to her talk about the garden, why he follows the sound of her laugh.

Be so fucking real. Saying something is canon because you interpreted a line a certain way is NOT ACTUALLY CANON. It is your interpretation, therefore it is fanon.

Here are a list of things that are canon:

Cassian was interested in Nesta before he thought they were mates.

Elain and Lucien are mates.

Azriel follows the sound of Elain's laugh.

Azriel gave Elain truth teller when he has never let anyone touch it in 500 years.

Azriel yearns for Elain. He wants her BAD.

Azriel was willing to die if it meant he would be able to get Elain back from Hybern.

The only reason Azriel didn't completely ravish her in the hallway is because Rhys interfered. He had no intention of stepping away otherwise.

Please don't kid yourselves people. Don't make yourself look like such clowns because you want your ship to be canon when it's literally NOT. Just ship them happily, and if it's not canon it's not canon!! Nobody is stopping you from shipping them but the argument comes when you insist your ship is printed in the text at the same level as Elriel (clear mutual romantic interest) or even Elucien (canonically mates).

Like goddamn it's just embarrassing atp.

[emmitaaa4]

HELPPP all this talk about “private dagger lessons 🤭” and i’m just now realizing that it happened BEFORE THE BONUS??

So bro was losing sleep thinking about another woman & longing for her… while interacting one on one with “his endgame”?

“But Chaol and Nesryn—” please. Not only were they never built up, but they started hooking up off page—during HoF while we only met Nesryn in QoS—prior to him even meeting Yrene. People are so eager to sink elriel that they make superficial comparisons with no nuance or understanding of narrative structure.

[adifferentsortofstrength]

A few weeks ago I came across a video of a woman asking people to explain why they liked Elain. She seemed earnest and genuine so I jumped at the opportunity to straighten out my thoughts regarding this character enough to put it in writing, and as a bonus hopefully help someone see her how I see her.

It boils down to two main points:

1) Elain is written to intentionally be overlooked and underestimated by the average reader, to showcase how she is overlooked and underestimated by most of the other characters.

2) Just like every other gods damned character in these books, Elain is traumatized. She was groomed from birth to become a meek and mild wife to some lord or another, whomever would be the most socially advantageous for their family. There’s a reason she’s associated with a deer or doe or fawn, because that is her trauma response.

To (greatly) expand on these for those interested:

SJM has stated that she realized Nesta and Elain would get their own stories when writing ACOMAF. To me, this means that their characterizations in ACOTAR should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, Nesta’s brusque cruelty and Elain’s laissez-faire attitude.

In viewing the story as the Beauty and the Beast “retelling” that it was sold as, you would need to be aware of the original story, not the Disney film. In the Brothers Grimm version, “Beauty” is the youngest of six children, with two older sisters. The sisters are said to be very prideful, vain, and jealous of her. They look down on her when she takes the loss of their family’s fortune in stride, taking on all of the housework and cooking, while they chose to lament over the loss, dwell on the past, and insult her.

This is where the inspiration for Nesta and Elain came from. This is how SJM intended their stories to be, until ACOMAF. In their first appearance in the second book, their personalities shifted. It was no mistake that they seemed to become almost completely new characters, separate from who they were before, because no one would want to read the stories of two evil elder sisters. Sure, they were still complex, but that gave them room to grow and blossom while SJM figured out who they were meant to be.

Elain was shaped from infancy to be docile and pleasant and “boring”, because it would secure her an advantageous marriage. She became a pathological people pleaser, a pretty ornament to be viewed at surface level, someone for her future husband to continue molding into the perfect domestic housewife. When she cowed to Nesta’s wiles and waited in the wings while Feyre took on the burden of keeping them alive, it’s because that is what she knew how to do.

Feyre herself says that she only learned how to hunt and process animals by watching other hunters, or by being taught by them. Nesta and Elain did not have those lessons, and its unlikely unclear whether Feyre had attempted to teach them or simply been too exhausted, too mortally overwhelmed by the responsibility that fell on her young shoulders, to do so.

When she (in ACOTAR) thinks something to the effect of “Elain never considered the fact that she might be capable of getting her hands dirty”, looking back now, all I can think is of course she didn’t think herself capable! She was never allowed to step foot out of the role of a proper debutante for fear of ridicule and punishment from their mother.

I could go into Nesta’s psychology, but this post isn’t about her, so I won’t.

Once SJM decided to continue the stories of Feyre’s sisters, she began to weave the building blocks of those stories into the main narrative.

She undoubtedly took the time to form full identities and goals and flavors for them.

This led to Elain, simple, pleasant, quiet Elain, being written as she is. Someone who resents the fact that she has had no agency in her life. Someone who puts the needs of others before her own, until she reaches a breaking point. Someone who fears failing to live up to the expectations placed on her, because all her life she has been told that her only worth comes from how she looks, what she can do to elevate the family’s standing in society, and not who is truly is on the inside.

The deep rooted indoctrination of these beliefs fractures more and more as the story goes on. We see it in the way she accepts Feyre after finding out she’s become Fae. How she is the one to convince Nesta to allow them to meet with the mortal queens in their manor. The fact that she initiated conversations with the two imposing Illyrian warriors when they came for dinner. Took responsibility for their lack of action in the years after losing their fortune.

And all of this is before she was Made. All of this was when she was still human. Her subtle accolades only grow in number as the books progress. I could write an entire thesis on the secret, quiet strength she exhibits throughout the course of the story.

But it was subtle on purpose. It was hidden within the narrative on purpose. She was written in this way so carefully, so delicately, because that is the way almost everyone has always seen her. Surface level. Pretty face. Lovely, quiet, pleasant, polite, demure, bland, boring.

So that when she breaks, when she finally has enough, it shocks the reader as much as it shocks the other characters. The internal world of Elain Archeron is one that no one is privy to, and that is intentional.

Because Elain is capable of getting her hands dirty. She struck the killing blow on the Big Bad KoH. She works without gloves in her garden knowing the dirt will soil her skin, that the thorns will draw blood. She embraces her place as the Seer of the Night Court by scrying for the trove. She labors over meals for her family, staining her dresses and mussing her hair.

She is strong and kind and clever and wants to shape the path of her life. And now she has every opportunity to do so. Elain will surprise everyone by seizing control of her destiny. And I can’t wait to witness it.

[shluha-da]

You are a new/casual reader and you decide to join the ACOTAR online fandom. Canonical and inevitable experience: 😟👋

You like Emerie (me, love her) but when you discover that the big talk is about Gwyn being the next love interest like Cassian:

You read the series and love Feysand/Nessian/IC. But online fandom be like — anti-Feysand, anti-Nessian, anti-Inner Circle, anti-Night Court, anti-Elain, anti-ACOTAR. But! they are pro-Nesta, pro-Valkyries, pro-Tamlin, and pro-Leave the NC but it doesn’t work only for the “golden couple” who will go to Illyria for the third time (no, the FMC is not Illyrian who lived there for 70+ years):

You read the main series (three books + novella); however, you don’t care about Nesta, so you don’t bother to read ACOSF.

💝 friendly passive-aggressive reminder: “You must read a huge spin-off because the next main character is a Nesta’s friend who appeared only in one book. Not that female from the novella but the other one.”

You are curious about Vassa because she was promised since ACOWAR with her connection to Human Queens, Koschei, and Lucien. But one loud part of the fandom says she’s a throwaway character:

You read Feyre + Rhysand books, Nesta + Cassian, and, whether you like it or not, you expect Elain + Azriel. Or maybe Lucien. But the fandom says that it’s too obvious (foreshadowed):

You like Elain and think the next book will be about her choice, Seer powers, two spy friends, cooking, gardening, and her growth.

But you discover that actually Elain will have to move from Velaris (her already building there life) to Spring Court bc she likes flowers/Day Court/Human Lands, maybe fuck Azriel but understand that they are wrong for each other, dump her friends to become besties with Lucien’s friends (Feyre getting hated for this), and become an emissary or High Lady of the Court with a healthy living HL:

You come to ACOTAR online fandom and see #anti-SJM, but then they expect the author to rewrite everything so the plot will be about perfect four side characters:

You simply join any ACOTAR related platform these days: