#I am not looking forward to rereading acowar

[helion-ism]

Hi,How are you. so I was wondering do you think SJM will have to retcon something’s on Elain and Lucien current relationship to make them endgame because I am rereading the acotar series and their situation in ACOFAS book is so depressing and sad, I almost flinged my book 😂especially because they were sort of okay in ACOWAR but ACOFAS came and suddenly from ferye’s perspective we are told that Elain literally did not care when Lucien came back injuried, I guess what I am trying to say is that their really in a bad place and I think their’s is worse than feysand and nessian because while those two couples antagonizing was filled with passion elucien’s antagonizing is somewhat passive, it’s just like elain doesn’t care at all even reading the bonus chapter Azriel basically implied that Elain knew Lucien was upstairs while they were about to kiss, knew that Azriel was acting angsty because Lucien was around, knew that she didn’t get Lucien anything for winter solstice but she got Azriel something and through all that it seemed like she just didn’t care. I hope maybe when we get her POV we find out that she actually cared but for now their situation is just all over the place😭.

hey, thanks for the question!

I honestly think people are dramatizing the current status of their relationship 😅 that's why I don't think sjm has to retcon anything. they are in some kind of stasis at the moment, and while their development from acowar to acofas SUCKED, I think sjm did so because she has plans for them - and probably because she wants to wait until their book to develop their relationship. it sucks for us as fans and readers, but I get it. it also adds to the slowburn 😌

I don't think they're off worse than feysand or nessian. elain has made perfectly clear that at the moment, she is not interested in a mate or male in general. whatever got her into thinking hooking up with assriel would make her feel better, Idk but maybe we'll find out eventually. I am convinced if he had been her mate, she would have treated him exactly the same as she has been treating lucien. because it's not about lucien as a male, I think many tend to forget that.

elain doesn't know him enough to reject him for who he is. but she knows who he is to her, and she can't deal with that right now. I think elain is still hung up on her human life, on graysen and the kind of life she would have had with him. I don't think you can simply move on from a change in life like that, especially if this was something elain had been looking forward to her entire life. I also think she still needs to deal with her trauma. @elucien actually explained it in this post and I agree with it. if you think about it, elain is kinda like isabela from encanto. 

elain is simply not ready to move on, she is not willing to do so, but she hasn’t rejected the mating bond yet. this is a fact. there is a high possibility she can still feel lucien, she can still feel when he is in town. and she hasn’t done anything to get rid of that either :) 

lucien is also mostly keeping his distance. he doesn’t feel particularly comfortable at the nc and that’s why he’s sticking to vassa and jurian at the moment. but he is still showing her his interest and giving her attention by e.g. giving her gifts she probably likes (which we as readers have picked up on). if elain had gifted him something, it would have been as generic as azriel’s gift for her has been because she doesn’t know lucien. and it would have meant she is ready to actually talk to him, and to receive his attention and return it. 

so don’t give up, anon. I know the other side of the fandom that shall not be named is loud, but that’s all to it, really. if you look at it, you can see elucien be subtly set up. it’s constantly pointed out how lucien doesn’t really have a place to be, doesn’t have a home. he’s with vassa and jurian because where else would he be? at the autumn court, where his lover was killed and his father and brothers tried to murder him too? at the spring court, after everything that’s happened? at the night court, where his own mate does not seem to want him and where feyre laughed at him for the trio calling themselves band of exiles? no. 

and remember, it’s been pointed out in acosf (literally RECENTLY) that elain does not belong into the nc. that she does not fit. which also shows in her few appearances in acosf. or nesta saying the spring court looks more like a place for elain. etc. etc. 

I personally think the next book is going to set up elucien as a pairing even more, so that we can prepare ourselves for what is going to happen in their book (plot-wise and romance-wise). 

I hope this helps!

#elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #my asks

[yazthebookish]

Outside of shipping, what do you think about Elain? I know this is a super general question, but I’m curious

Also I love all your posts, keep going queen ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you anon🤍!

I want to clarify one thing, I don't dislike Elain because she is being shipped with Azriel. I know I'm pretty enthusiastic about Gwynriel because Gwyn is the person I've been waiting for Azriel to be with. Prior to ACOSF and joining the fandom I did not have strong feelings towards Elriel or any other ship, I was pretty neutral. I didn't ship Azriel with anyone.

So, Elain.. Elain.. Elain.. I'm not a big fan of her. Not to say I am not looking forward to her journey because I am very interested in her journey and her future development or else you wouldn't have seen me theorize about her. I think SJM could make me love Elain by the end of her book. I honestly thought by the end of ACOSF I might end up liking Elain and even remember telling a friend that because I reread ACOTAR months before ACOSF was out.

I read ACOTAR years ago so my feelings for her didn't change much. ACOSF made me dislike her more because I thought her actions with Nesta were so insensitive. You can agree or disagree with it, but that's how I saw it.

The first impression we ever get of Elain in ACOTAR is that she is self-absorbed (said by Feyre herself). I don't like characters that have that trait but that does not mark her as a bad character entirely. I didn't like Nesta back then either but there were some moments in ACOWAR that redeemed Nesta a little for me after my reread last year.

I struggled to connect with Elain although I felt for her when Graysen broke her heart, I read that scene yesterday and it still hits me. I know how raw heartbreak feels like and I hope for a scene in the future where Elain smacks him in the face because it will be so, so cathartic.

I'm mindful of the trauma Elain went through but at the same time I think her role was there for plot-convenience more than fleshing her out more and so I didn't care for her presence much in the books but I guess that's the author's fault more than the character itself. But even before she could've done more for her sisters but didn't and I always have issues with charcaters that allow others to constantly coddle them. Nesta was ready to sell her body just to feed Elain but why should Nesta go that far? Elain is an adult not a child.

I don't know how to explain it but as of now I don't like Elain especially after ACOSF. I think her actions in ACOSF solidifies to me that she is unfit for Azriel because Azriel being the one that's coddling her will constantly let him do that and I just see a clear imabalncr between the two with one of them doing more for the other. That's how Elr*els made me dislike their ship and I think they ruined Elain a bit for me.

I think those are valid reasons for me not being a fan of Elain that has nothing to do with her being feminine or gardening. But I'm keeping an open mind and the next time I reread ACOTAR I'll focus on Elain's scenes and see where the appeal comes from or maybe I'll look at her with a new perspective.

#asks #acosf #acosf spoilers #elain archeron

[lily-mj-fae]

Do you ever wonder why you like characters that you either previously hated or feel like you should hate (whether because of author intent or other reasons?)

Like. i fully admit. I hated Nesta when I first read the ACOTAR series. I thought her attitude, especially towards Feyre was uncalled for. Feyre was literally the only reason Nesta was even able to survive and to think she treated her like that. I didn’t think she deserved a redemption arc (though was willing to deal because i like nessian).

And then she wasn’t willing to do the right thing at first in acowar. she didn’t want to do what was right. She hadn’t changed at all. She was still willing to sit on the sidelines and let others do the hard, dirty work while she reaped the benefits.

And she was so back and forth. One minute she’d be calmer...almost even warmer to Feyre and then snap she was back to being harsh. I got whiplash as many times as Nesta’s attitude changed

And i admit, i was mostly blind to everything else about her. I didn’t really give her or Elain a second thought after my first couple reads. (first read was pre acofas and first reread was when acofas came out. only am now on another reread and finishing acofas again). I just wrote them off because of the first book, like so many others.

And then there was the fact that Nesta very much reminds me of an old friend. Someone i less than affectionately refer to as my ex-bitch of a friend. We’d get along and then she’d belittle me. Berate me. Put me down. Would be especially kind to the mutual friend we had between us. Would belittle and berate me in front of this friend despite the requests for both of us to keep our problems away from her. I tried, she couldn’t be bothered. So i had this especial dislike for Nesta.

This more recent reread though, I have a greater appreciation for Nesta. And while I still discuss that awful behavior, it’s because you can’t have Nesta without it. And I don’t want to erase it. I don’t want to ignore it. Or defend it. I don’t think it’s defensible or justifiable the way she treated Feyre in the first book. Because i wouldn’t be able to see or acknowledge any growth if we don’t acknowledge her behavior. Especially when she full on admits to doing it on purpose. In an attempt to see if their depressed, disabled father would do anything. (which is a whole other level of understandable but extremely mess up behavior...that is not how you get someone to do stuff when they’re depressed).

And even through this reread, most of what I said was true still. She didn’t want to do what was right at first. But ultimately, seeing Feyre continue to go out and help others, purely because it was the right thing to do, convinced her to try. Convinced her to go to the meeting with the high lords and at least try. Convinced her to do the right thing. So she did.

And I have more information this time in the background. (I need to give the Wings and Embers a proper read. But part of me doesn’t want to on principle because I think it was really messed up that it was only put in one version of the book. That was super exclusionary on Sarah’s part [her publishers?]. at least i don’t feel guilty about reading it illegally online) about some of her behavior in acomaf and acowar. 

And I see the parts where she grows a bit. And takes those steps back because not everyone goes forward the whole recovery process. There are setbacks. And we see that she does care about people, even Feyre and Cassian, but she’s also fighting that caring feeling.

I certainly don’t relate to Nesta. The idea of intentionally treating people the way Nesta does, hurts me. So i definitely related to Elain more. But much like Snape, I have a greater understanding and appreciation for Nesta. And I’m more than happy to look at her faults., in order to see how they were shaped and how they shape her and her view on the world.

I do hope that in Silver Flames we get a chance to learn about Nesta’s motivations in her human life as well. Just so we have them. 

But while Nesta still reminds me of that awful ex-friend. And while I don’t agree with a lot of her actions. I look forward to seeing more of her. And i certainly like her more. I don’t even really understand why i like her more. Maybe because this time i was more open to things. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because i view her more like Snape. 

I almost want to write fanfic for her too. But i don’t know if I could do her justice. Or Cassian. Maybe him. But we’ll see. I want to write an Elain and Nesta fic with them discussing Nesta’s response to Elain’s invitation for solstice. 

#nesta archeron #elain archeron #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas

[dana-mil]

Nesta's behaviour

I am looking forward to the acotar spin off books SO MUCH because I ADORE cassian and I want him to be happy with nesta. But now im rereading acowar and I sometimes just cant get over the fact of what a fucking bitch nesta really is. I know she is traumatized and lonely and its hard on her, but even before the cauldron. She will always have this tiny bit of an asshole sentiment to her because she treated everyone so badly. The way she would dismiss feyre. The way she showed such disdain towards cassian. The way she disrespected rhys. I just, i really have a hard time forgetting that about her.

#nessian #cassian #nesta #feyre archeron #feyre cursebreaker #rhys x feyre #rhysand #azriel #elain #lucien #acofas #acowar #acomaf #acotar

[pageturning]

My thoughts on A Court of Frost and Starlight

Ok, so I have been seeing on Tumblr and Instagram and all other social medias about how bad ACOFAS was. I understand that everyone has their opinions and are entitled to those opinions, I just think it was taken in a really negative way.

I am in love with this series, I have reread all the books about 3 times, and will continue to do so. So as you can imagine I was excited that ACOFAS was coming out and could not wait! I thought going in that the book would kind of continue the story forward and would give us on some insight on what is going on with the Inner Circle after the War from ACOWAR. I also thought that maybe we would figure out who would be the main POV in the next book as it won’t be Feyre anymore. 

So I am finished the book and I have to say I do not think it is as bad as everyone thinks it is, it for sure was not what I was expecting but it was not as bad. The things that I did not like about the book are as follows:

Feysand’s baby

I think this one was the most shocking to me because of the fact that in Mist and Fury Feysand agreed to not have children quite yet because of the war coming but also because Feyre and Rhys wanted to spend time with just each other 

I do realize though that this change in events does have a reason and why I also don’t think it is that bad because 1) what happened with Feyre at the weaver shop and how she realized that she could lose her mate at any moment, had actually lost him, and wanted to live life to the fullest 2) it is next to impossible that a Fae can have children and if they do it’s because they have tried for years so honestly let them be, we know they are going to have a son anyway so it’s bound to happen and you know what.....why can’t they be happy with having a child 

The wall scene/mind fucking

I think this scene was really really intense and upon first reading the scene I was very..... SHOOK like very intense, I had to put the book down because I felt very intrusive of this moment. It was also very detailed, I feel like more detailed than the other books

This is what we were asking for, also it is literally them giving themselves wholly to each other. We asked for a wall scene and we got one. Also the mind fuck thing is kind of hilarious because of the fact that the sex was “mind fucking” good, yeah. 

Rhys’s dirty mind

Kind of a bit off putting because we are used to him being sweet and feminist. Like he shouldn’t have the feeling to be horny with his mate (sarcasm)

K so he is allowed to have a dirty mind. Was it kind of off putting because it is different when he is seen from Feyre’s POV? Yes. But also he is a male that only thinks about his mate and loving her and wanting to be with her. He also did show his usual side of him being sweet and letting Feyre, and anyone in his life, have a choice. So like let him be a horn dog

Nesta

What is going on? The Inner Circle is being really mean to Nesta because she does not want to be part of the family. Also not realizing that she is suffering from PTSD

My thing with Nesta is that she is always the one to be cold and care too much but show it it in the worst ways. She did go through trauma that would scar her for the rest of her immortal life. I feel like she also feels she wants to have control over something in her life because she hasn’t had that since before Feyre left for the Spring Court in the first book. I feel like she just wants to have control and wants to make decisions for herself without going wit the crowd. Yes, Elain chose to do that but that is her choice and I also feel like she needs to heal around other people. Nesta needs less people who will let her just scream and punch it out. I think the Inner Circle is trying to fix it the way that Feyre and Elain were fixed, that just isn’t going to work. So let her figure out what she needs, even though they’re sending her to the Illyrian Mountains with Cassian, let’s see how that goes because she might need the solitude to figure her shit out with people she can physically fight it out with.

So what I am saying is there are flaws but I don’t think they made or broke the book. I am looking forward to the other books and what happens with my little bats and babies. I am still in love with this series and hope this story takes me on more adventures. 

I will post an actual review of the book soon but for now I will leave it at this.

Happy Reading!!

#acofas #reading #acotar #acomaf #ya novels #feyre archeron #rhys #rowan x aelin #throne of glass #tower of dawn

[lorienkittybooks]

Just came home from church, and the freezer on our main fridge broke. We've had to throw out a whole bunch of our food that we were storing, in particular for the holidays. Fun times! At least I have cool books to look forward to. I am particularly excited for A Court of Frost & Starlight. I absolutely love these books. Have you pre-ordered the YA Chronicls specialty box? It looks so good, even though shipping is going to be through the roof. It's coming from Australia to where I live in the United States. But I believe it is worth it, because what I have seen from previous boxes. While I am waiting for that your ride, I'm going to continue staring at my old books. I recently reread ACOMAF and ACOWAR. Now I need to reread Queen of Shadows and Empire of Storms, as well as read Tower of Dawn to get ready for Kingdom of Ash. #bookstagram #books #ACOTAR #ACOMAF #ACOWAR #bookblogger #booklr #bookseries #sarahjmaas #ya #youngadult #newadult #personal

#bookstagram #acomaf #newadult #bookblogger #acotar #bookseries #youngadult #sarahjmaas #personal #books #ya #acowar #booklr

[dumpsterfirebooks]

Tag Thing- 11 Questions (from a bunch of people)

Rules: always post the rules, answer the questions given to you, write 11 questions of your own and tag 11 people. I’m not going to tag anyone and write questions because this post is already crazy long.

@runesandfaes​

My Questions: 1. When is your birthday?

8/27

2. Favorite season?

Fall

3. Favorite villain?

Umm of movies or books it’s super early and my brain isn’t fully functioning yet.

Books I love The Darkling and I suppose Heathcliff is deemed a villain.

Movies- Jareth the Goblin King.

4. Stars or the Moon?

Stars.

5. Favorite book?

Wuthering Heights.

6. An unpopular opinion?

Nesta Archeron is a completely normal character. She’s been through shit, yeah she’s not the nicest but if you reread her 4-5 chapters she’s in in ACOTAR you’ll see that precious Feyre actually started that fight at dinner.

7. If you could be any mythological/magical creature, what would you be?

Siren for sure. Power to use your voice to make shit happen can’t pass that up.

8. Which book character can you see yourself in the most (Personality/Character traits-wise)?

Nesta Archeron. Although Callie from the Bargainer has some solid inner commentary I relate to.

9. Which book character, in your opinion, do you think would be the best partner for you?

Well shit umm I always fall for the troubled, morally questionable men in real life and fiction. So I’d probably go for Des or Cass but the healthiest option would probably be someone like Gideon Lightwood.

10. If you could control any one of the 4 elements, which would you choose?

Fire and water would probably be the most fun but air and earth have more power. I’d go with air, you could put fires out by lowering the oxygen or push it forward with wind. You could use the wind to cool places down or move heat around.

11. Your OTP?

Hmm Nessian from ACOTAR, Elorcan from TOG, Delypso from The Bargainer. Wissa? (Will and Tessa) from TID, Warenette from Shatter Me, I haven’t started Lady Midnight but I’ve heard I’m going to ship the hell out of Emma and Julian.

@feyre-and-aelin

My questions:

1.How did you get into SJM?

Amazon kept recommending ACOTAR and I’d seen it on bookstagram a lot with the “stars that listen” quote. I read both ACOTAR and ACOMAF about 2 months before ACOWAR. When I got done I immediately bought the TOG series and the rest is history.

2. What would you do with a million dollars?

I’d love to say I’m a wonderful person that would do a lot with it and help a lot of people but I’m going to be realistic. I’d pay off all my parent’s bills, my brother’s bills and student loans, travel the world, buy a small piece of land up in New Hampshire, and build a small house next door to my parents. Make a donation to The Progeria Research Foundation, small things for my friends like a plane ticket for B to see her family for Christmas, a year of diapers for my friend who has a little monster. Then I’d save whatever is left.

3. Do you consider yourself a morning or night person?

Morning by default. If I had any say in the matter I’d be a night person. Unfortunately 6 years of having to wake up at 4:30 AM every morning has turned me into a morning person.

4. What tv series are you into right now?

Actually good shows: Game of Thrones, Black Sails even though it just finished, Law and Order: SVU, HTGAWM, Grey’s Anatomy.

Trash t.v.: Vanderpump Rules, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Cheshire, Below Deck and Below Deck Med.

5. What’s your favorite tumblr blog(s)?

I’m going to forget people I know so I’ll just go with the ones I’ve talked to lately or can remember off the top of my head. @catastrophicallyinlovewithbooks, @cassiancalore, @highladyofdreamcourt, @dr-woodsprite, @regularlyconfused, @feyre-and-aelin(I know that’s you), @paperbacktrash, @lronteeth, @rowan-buzzard-whitethorn, @modernbookfae, @runesandfaes, @highladyofnorta@highladyofnorta

I apologize in advance you guys are going to get a notification that you were tagged in a super personal post with my answer to Luna below.

 6. If you had to pick one fictional character to spend the rest of your life with, who would it be?

Yikes umm I’d go with Cassian or Desmond Flynn. Cassian can cook and that’s helpful as hell because I don’t want to be the only one cooking for the rest of my life. He’s funny, good looking, and he could teach me how to fight. We don’t know much about how he acts in a relationship though so idk. Des on the other hand can’t cook but he can do magic to make your favorite foods appear, and he remembers shit like that. He’s great at dirty talk and always seems to leave Callie satisfied but wanting more. At this point in time I’d have to go Des because I know more about him.

7. If you were stranded on a deserted island and there was one naturally growing thing there for you to eat, what would you want it to be?

Super hard question. Cashews because they’re high in protein and other vitamins. And you don’t have to cook them.

8. How many followers do you have atm?

909

9. What would you say is your favorite thing in the world?

Books because people and pets aren’t things. Otherwise I’d say my family.

10. Would you go back inside a burning house to save your pet(s)?

Yes.

11. Have you seen/did you like Spiderman: Homecoming?

Not yet. I’m slacking on my Marvel movies I still haven’t seen Doctor Strange.

@lronteeth asked

1)    Which event in history you’d want to witness if you could time travel?

I used to say Salem Witch Trials but then I went and visited and a solid number of the women killed were named Sarah/Sara so that’s not a thing anymore. So I’ll go with the War of the Roses because English history fascinates me.

2)    How did you meet your best friend?

We went to the same day care as babies and were in the same kindergarten class.

3)    If you can be invisible for a day, what would you do?

I’m boring I’d hide and read uninterrupted.

4)    Your first kiss story

So this isn’t going to be cute or romantic at all fair warning it’s dark as hell. I’m usually a super distant person and I love pushing people away so my first kiss didn’t happen until I was 16. It was my guy best friend Adam. We were hanging out after school and we fell asleep on the couch in my living room. Sometime around 2AM I woke up to him on top of me kissing me with his hand down my pants. Yay violating someone without their consent. Because I was young and stupid I was freaked out but not for the right reasons. At the time, I cared less that things went down the way they did and more upset that I thought we were just friends. He informed me that “it was romantic like a fairytale where the guy wakes the girl up by kissing her.” So yeah there’s that.

5)    Most embarrasing memory

I once texted an older guy friend in a band “good luck” but my phone corrected it to “good lick” and I didn’t even notice the typo until he questioned it.

6)    Best 3 books you’ve read this year

-A Strange Hymn, Heir of Fire, The Sun is Also a Star

7) Worst 3 books you’ve read this year

-Local Girls, The Fall Guy, 14

8) Make your basketball team out of book characters

I have no idea how many people are on a basketball team, yikes. I fill my spots with SJM’s fae men because they all seem tall and physically fit enough to play basketball.

9) Book trope you hate

It’s all a dream

10) Describe your style

Put all the things in a blender, hit puree, pour into cup.

#tag game #11 questions tag game

[dorianthekinkymf]

Mid Year Book Tag

I was tagged by the beautiful @readinglikewildfire who is one of the nicest, sweetest people i’ve ever met on tumblr and she is just amazing <3

1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2017

ACOWAR. Like my whole reading year was just looking forward to it and I know this is kinda an unpopular opinion, but I feel like i liked it more than ACOMAF because I am a huge fan of books involving war and military strategy etc (although i will have to reread the series to confirm hahaha) 

2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2017

Crooked Kingdom! I adored it because I loved them causing trouble all over Ketterdam and like Wesper, my loves

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

Flame in the Mist 

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

I don’t really have one right now.

5. Biggest disappointment

A Thousand Skies above you. The pretty cover is deceiving af

6. Biggest surprise

The Martian. I heard it was good and but was surprised at how much i actually enjoyed it since it wasn’t from my usual genres. I loved all the science talk and it made me laugh soo much

7. Favourite new author. (Debut or new to you)

Leigh Bardugo. I read both Six of Crows and the Grisha Trilogy this year and i really enjoyed her work 

8. Newest fictional crush

See with crushes I either go 110% or nothing. No new characters have hit obsession level for me yet hahah 

10. Newest favourite character

Rose Hathaway my badass fave 

11. Books that made you cry

Fangirl, The Sun is also a Star (but only in the final epilogue chapter)

12. Books that made you happy

The Selection Series. It’s just like watching a trashy reality TV show but in a more refined book version hehe 

13. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)

My bestie Bridge bought me a hardcover edition of Six of Crows for Christmas (in Aus we generally buy paperbacks because hardcovers are hard to find) and the black lined edges are just stunning <3 

14. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

So for some reason i have not touched a Cassandra Clare book yet. My aim is to read every single book by her this year and I bought the Mortal Instruments box set and am ready to go hehe 

15. Favourite Book Community Member

I love so many people that I can’t pick just one!!

I tag: @feysandsmut @a-song-of-stars-and-dreams @cassianandfenrysaremyboyos @fiery-feyre @findserendipity @rowanrhysand @seeliequeenofprythian

#tag games #krish

[kitashiwrites]

I'm sorry my post was really aggressive. I still stand by my point that it ISN'T fair to dismiss Mor's romantic feelings (or lack thereof) towards Az, but how I acted was really awful. You don't have to post this publicly, but I hope you know I'm very sorry. My intention wasn't to try to start drama, but just receive an explanation over WHY you still ship Moriel. My way of going about it was TERRIBLE. I know sorry is just a word, but I'M SORRY.

2/2 I didn’t send you three asks. I only sent you one? Just to clear that up.3/3 I also didn’t send more than one ask. :/ 

Okay Anon. While I find it extremely hard to believe because of the timing (especially because for as long as I have been on here, I have RARELY gotten asks, let alone 3 in such quick succession that are so similar), as well as the fact that you clearly don’t stand behind your words because you felt the need to do this all on anon/have to make sure we know that you still think we are wrong, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt & accept your apology.In regards to your question, why I still ship Moriel, @sarahviehmann honestly said it best in her original answer to you: “ACOMAF was written in a way that intended for them to be shipped. So those people spent a year building up their fanon and meta and so forth, only to have the rug pulled out from under them.”

(For the sake of everyone, I’m putting this under a cut. It got way long.)

I hated ACOWAR. I’ve made no secret of that. I’ve also made no secret as to WHY. I’ve been writing fic for this series for over a year, & heavily focused on ACOMAF. I started when there were literally 7 fics posted to Ao3. Basically all of my free time at home & all of my breaks at work were spent either writing fic, discussing the series/meta with people here/talking my poor friends’ ears off over dinner, or planning fic for characters I wanted to explore in POV fics like Rhys, Tamlin, & Tarquin. Hell, I still have a 10 chapter Amarantha POV pre-ACOTAR through ACOTAR fic that’s over half written at 16k that I originally wanted to try as a surprise for my readers. I read ACOMAF enough times that I honestly would have said that I knew those characters as well as my own family, knew exactly what happened in which chapters, & got many comments here & on Ao3 from people who felt I’d captured the characters correctly, so I felt pretty good about what to expect going forward.

When ACOWAR spoilers came out, absolutely nothing made sense with what we knew or had been prior established canon. Most of all in regards to Mor, Rhys, Feyre, & Lucien, but I’m going to specifically focus on Mor, since she’s at the crux of the issue at hand. In Mor’s case, we took a woman who is described in ACOMAF as “a queen who owned her body, her life, her destiny, and never apologized for it” & says to Feyre, “I once lived in a place where the opinion of others mattered. It suffocated me, nearly broke me. So you’ll understand me, Feyre, when I say that I know what you feel, and I know what they tried to do to you, and that with enough courage, you can say to hell with a reputation. You do what you love, what you need”, & in ACOWAR made her a victim in circumstances that make absolutely no sense for the character we had known up until that date. Queen of the Hewn City? She wasn’t even treated with enough respect to be prepared to go into a meeting with her abusers, let alone shown that she is in charge. The first real female friend Feyre has ever had? Regulated to acting like a jealous girlfriend around Cassian whenever Nesta got too close. And speaking of Cassian, it was pointed out in another post (I’m sorry I don’t have the link right now) that the Cassian & Mor moments read like they were originally Az & Mor moments & were hastily changed when suddenly they weren’t supposed to be even friends. Nothing in this book read like it had been edited for continuity.

There are many bloggers who are far more qualified than I am to speak on Mor’s coming out scene, & while there was a divide, there were quite a few I know & follow who felt it was poorly written/bad rep, & I agree with their reasoning. Besides the fact that I don’t believe for one dang second that no one in the Inner Circle at a minimum would have picked up on something bothering Mor in 500 years or that she wouldn’t have at least told them even if she hid everything from Keir, there is the fact of Azriel. Azriel is in love with her, no disputing it. But it is mentioned by Rhys that Az has always thought himself unworthy of her, & Mor says that she could take her clothes off in front of him & he wouldn’t do anything. Does that sound like someone who is trying to avoid him because she isn’t interested, or someone who is creepily stalking her? In the Nessian short Wings & Embers, Cassian speaks on their relationship as well: “He wasn’t stupid. He knew she and Azriel were … whatever they were. Knew Azriel had been in love with Mor from the moment she’d strutted into the war-camp five centuries ago. And Cassian had been jealous—of Mor’s shy glances at Azriel in those first few weeks, and the fact that his dearest friend and brother … was looking at someone else.”

I’m not going to rehash Wings & Embers or ACOMAF for you. But as Sarah said, it was clearly written with them as a ship in mind, & this is from the POV of a character that has known them since the beginning, not just a few months like Feyre.

Why I still ship Moriel at this point? Because I ship it in any form. I love her & Az together period, even as friends. This ship was one of the ways @illyriantremors & I bonded originally, before we found out how much else we had in common & she became as good as a biological sister to me (I call her my Threadsister for a reason), because we shipped it back in the beginning before there was really any fic for it because it was overshadowed by Feysand, Nessian, & Elucien. Moriel was our Nessian; the unconfirmed side-ship with so much potential & evidence to back it up. When Sierra met SJM at San Diego Comic Con last summer, SJM dedicated Sierra’s copy of ACOMAF to Moriel. Why the af would an author do that if they planned to destroy a ship in the next book from the beginning?

We still love Moriel because it is hard to let go of something you’ve loved that much after you’ve been strung along & then had the rug pulled out from under you with no actual basis in ACOMAF to say “oh, it was there all along”; like when rereading ACOTAR through the ACOMAF filter, as I like to say to people, & seeing the clues that were left to the deeper story for Rhys. For me, those were not in ACOMAF upon reading it again after ACOWAR. I noticed you using my tags in your defense of yourself to Sarah regarding why I wanted to ignore ACOWAR &, by your interpretation, erase Mor’s sexuality. If you had read any of my blog at all after ACOWAR, you would have read that isn’t true, but I’ll spell it out for you: I want to ignore ACOWAR & what it did to my favorite characters’ personalities/their interactions with each other. I want to forget that Mor’s agency was taken away from her & that she was regulated to a plot twist. I want to forget that Az has been made out to be a creepy stalker. I want to forget Rhys treating Mor like she would be too emotional to deal with the negotiations with Kier & Eris & so he & Az didn’t tell her. I want to forget Feyre using Lucien to make Tamlin jealous in the Spring Court while she dismantled it from within & putting him in danger. And so much more.

I personally hate the book for multiple reasons, ranging everywhere from inconsistent characterization to grammar/editing issues. But I’m stuck with the facts it gave us, which is why writing fic is so hard to even consider anymore. It made everything about the series, not just Mor & Az, something I no longer can love with the intensity I once did, & the fandom diminishes that love more & more everyday with their bullying of people for not believing exactly the way they do, which is exactly what you contributed to when you sent those asks to myself & Sierra. And honestly, I couldn’t care less what you think of me. But if you had even looked at one of Sierra’s actual written posts/answers to asks—just one—you would have seen how quiet she’s been about her love for them as a ship & how determined she’s been to not to offend people while she’s been trying to come to terms with losing something that has been a lifesaver for her, to the point she has mostly stopped contributing to the fandom at all. She posted two Moriel drabbles during her birthday week because she was inspired by the Azriel candle I got her for her birthday, & as she said to you in her response to your original message, they were her way of saying farewell to Moriel. And guess what: even though it isn’t canon, people liked them.

I view Mor as bi, & if she’s given a healthy, happy female love interest in a future installment, then awesome. I want Moriel at least as close friends because I genuinely don’t think Az (at least the one from ACOMAF that actually made sense) would begrudge her if he knew the truth. Would he be sad? Sure, but I think he would support her nonetheless, just as the rest of the Inner Circle would. But I have absolutely no faith that SJM will give Mor anything good because she can milk the drama and turmoil she’s created, & I have no desire to see the characters & ships (across the board) I have loved so much destroyed any further.

I think @my-name-is-fireheart put it perfectly in her chime in on Sarah’s post: “Also, we should keep in mind that Mor expresses sexual attraction to men, she just prefers women. How she feels about men romantically is also blurred, though it’s slightly more clear. She says she doesn’t think she loves Az romantically but she doesn’t want to try it just to see.” SJM didn’t even know how to break her own ship apart properly to fit what you suggested, which is a good chunk of why we are even having this discussion right now.

I know Moriel is no longer canon. Cazigan (Cassian/Azriel/Mor) isn’t canon either, but I still love that. I have enjoyed their interactions with each other more than anything else since they were introduced in ACOMAF. The entire Inner Circle made me so happy for their closeness & how much of a family they were. I feel for a plot twist & a couple extra Benjamin Franklins, SJM destroyed everything that made one of my favorite characters in the entire series who she was (a strong, independent woman who didn’t let her circumstances break her & showed Feyre how not to let hers break her) & made her a poor caricature of herself, & made Az something he never has been before either because SJM hastily had to make her new & poorly executed addition work.

I shouldn’t be surprised though. This is the woman who attempted to retcon Eris of all characters into a decent person. And also took away any modicum of being able to read Tamlin as the multifaceted antagonist he had been & just turned him into a completely hateful ass with no loyalty to anyone to further drive home how perfect Rhys is supposed to be (which he definitely is not in ACOWAR, & I say that as someone who loved the morally grey character of Rhys).

TL;DR I ship Mor with Az in any form, even as friends, Mor being bi is not an issue, & I have lost all respect for SJM as an author after ACOWAR for giving us a poorly written/poorly edited product after the anticipation/hype this book had. Make of that what you will; I don’t care. I’m out of effs to give, & your ask & the other Az one I received, no matter who it was from or what your intentions were, pretty much tipped the scale in favor of me wanting to step back even further & have nothing to do with this fandom ever again.

I would ask that next time you think you have a problem with someone (because I doubt Sierra & I will be the last people you do this to), please think about how it comes across & think about your target. Your original ask was terribly hateful, & there is no amount of apology that can take that hurt away. And you would be amazed how far a little kindness & grace when asking a question instead of an accusatory message can go.

This explanation is more than you probably bargained for when you started this yesterday, but that’s the last I’ll say on any of this.

#kitashianswers #Anon Answers #Moriel #Mor deserved better #Az deserved better #anti-SJM #anti-acowar #long post #sorry to my followers #discourse & meta aren't my thing #but seriously #sending hateful messages to people is never the answer #especially on anon