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#heir to the starborn fae
bryceandhunt · 2 years
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this is so sweet!! but also Bryce’s comment about her brother being 20 years older than her mom is so weird, ha.
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ircnwrought · 7 months
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sjm book prompts
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❛ Don’t feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy. ❜ // @homebehind (danika) !!
__________✷    SHE KNEW SHE'D NEVER BE A PROFESSIONAL DANCER LIKE JUNE. though what she may lack in grace, she more than made up for it in passion. something about the music, about the rhythm clears every thought from her head until all that is left are the notes that pull her body in time. only she had burst through the apartment door, tossing her bag across the room after practice today. she knew she'd never be top of the class, she knew it'd never be a career. to be forced to stand against the barre in front of all the other students, to be berated for missing a step, to be told she doesn't have the body to succeed && might as well quit ... she suddenly became aware of every curve, every eye in the room assessing.
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✷__________    IT IS DANIKA'S WORDS THAT PULL HER OUT OF THAT SPIRAL. her bruised pride && temper disguising the deep hurt over the episode. she offers her friend a small smile, bravado trying to replace what seems to have cracked open in the embarrassment. ❛  fuck them, right ?? they can stick their opinions up their asses.  ❜ a sigh as she buries herself deeper into the couch, honeyed eyes rising to the ceiling above. ❛  does it make me a coward for wanting to find a new studio ?? i don't think going back there is particularly at the top of my list of things to do.  ❜
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rainingriversofyou · 2 months
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Lidia Cervos, The Hind
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Ruhn Danaan, Crown Prince of the Valbaran Fae
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Bryce Adelaide Quinlan, Heir to the Starborn Fae
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Hunt Athalar, The Umbra Mortis
Crescent City - Art by Lua / luaartiste
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starssborn · 2 months
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character poster ☽ bryce quinlan
“I am Bryce Quinlan,” she said to the Gate, to the void, to all of Hel behind it. Her voice was serene—wise and laughing. “Heir to the Starborn Fae.”
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deadlything · 2 months
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“Elain is Starborn!” “Elain will wield the Trove!” “Elain will get Gwydion/Truth-Teller!” “Elain’s found family will be Nuala and Cerridwen!”
Does nobody… want her to have her own story? Her own side characters, her own powers and magical items, something that makes her uniquely important to the greater plot? Why this insistence on finding ways of giving her another character’s hand-me-downs? Why jump through hoops to make her relevant to the plot happening in the Night and Dusk Courts when there’s a whole subplot brewing between the human queens and the fae of Vallahan and an unnamed weapon that could turn the tides of that war, Koschei, her mate and her ex-fiancé and the woman she’s had multiple visions about, a coup in Autumn, and her mate being the secret heir to Day.
There’s so much ground left to cover in this series, so many juicy side plots we haven’t finished yet, and you want to… see her learn to wield the Trove, after Nesta’s already done that? See her learn how to wield Gwydion and Truth-Teller together, after Bryce has already done that? Come on.
She’s been the most sheltered sister since book one, I don’t want her getting another FMC’s leftovers.
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sydneymack · 2 months
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The light was coming from- her chest, had been pulled from inside it. Like it had dwelled inside her all along. Bryce’s eyes were closed, her face serene. Her hair drifted above her head. Bits of debris floated up around her, too. As if gravity had ceased to exist.
The light she held was so stark it cast the rest of the world into grays and blacks. Slowly, her eyes opened, amber blazing like the first pure rays of dawn. A soft, secret smile graced her mouth.
Her eyes lifted to the Gate looming above her. The light between her hands grew stronger. Ruhn fell to his knees. “I am Bryce Quinlan,” she said to the Gate, to the void, to all of Hel behind it. Her voice was serene- wise and laughing. “Heir to the Starborn Fae.”
Bryce Quinlan - Crescent City
Artist: @alexandrabrlm_art
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emilystheories · 1 year
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Bryce Quinlan's true home: A compilation of all the evidence.
[ACOTAR, CC and slight TOG spoilers!]
It seems that the consensus among fans is that Bryce will return back to Midgard at the end of CC3, and that most of the story will be wrapped up. On the contrary, I think it's just getting started, and instead believe that:
Bryce Quinlan's true home is Prythian. She will be the Starborn Queen, and ruler of the Dusk Court.
And not just Bryce. I think Hunt, Ruhn and everyone else will be joining her too... because (to put it bluntly).. Midgard is fucked.
Allow me to go through the evidence.
Bryce is repeatedly connected to dusk.
One of the first thing Hunt notices about Bryce is that her scent is of the "first stars at nightfall." Nightfall is another word for dusk. SJM often uses scent to foreshadow a character's home (ie. Rowan of TOG smelling like Terrasen, and Rhys smelling like Velaris).
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Bryce has been obsessed with Pegasus dolls since book 1. It's then no coincidence that the Pegasus's in Prythian came from the Prison Island... where the Dusk Court (most likely) used to be. (And... think about that Pegasus doll that SJM included in the CC3 reveal video...)
Bryce often has her nails painted in "twilight" colours (another word for dusk), and even her damn nipples are described as "dusk pink" (lmfao).
"Dusk's Truth" seems to be of great importance, and I'm willing to bet that everything Danika did - from giving Bryce the Horn, to even her own death - was so that Bryce could escape Midgard and reach Prythian and the Dusk Court. Recall Baxian's words; that Danika was searching for a way into a new world - one without the Asteri.
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The home of the Starborn fae isn't Midgard, it's Prythian - the Dusk Court. Bryce Quinlan is heir to the Starborn fae. She is Queen Theia's descendant.
Bryce is also connected to Prythian.
The star on Bryce's chest is a "beacon" for Prythian, and glows for people who also originate from the ACOTAR world (I don't think people understand how big a deal this is...). If Bryce returns to Midgard permanently, then she'll forever wear a star on her chest that glows for another world.
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Bryce is the Horn. If you subscribe to the theory that the Horn is the 4th Dread Trove item, with the other 3 being in Prythian, then she is obviously needed there - especially when ACOSF hinted that all 4 items joined together allows for something big to happen...
The prophecy about the knife and the sword suggests that the ACOTAR and CC fae are going to be reunited. Bryce owns this prophetic sword - she has a big part to play (one that surely can't be fulfilled if Bryce just pops into Prythian for a quick visit, and then leaves again... and really, what would be the point of that?)
Foreshadowing that Bryce will be a queen.
It is repeatedly stated that Bryce bears the exact light of the Starborn Queen.
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Bryce's name in Hunt's phone is 'Bryce Is a Queen.'
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Hunt himself often remarks on Bryce's queenly demeanour:
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And in CC2, Hunt again thinks to himself that the 'princess' title isn't enough for Bryce... that she is something more...
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Then in the final CC2 chapters, we see Ruhn pleading with Bryce to become Queen:
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To which Cormac agrees, and then says that the future of their people moving forward, all depends upon Bryce...
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And most importantly, Ruhn's last words to Bryce: "Long live the Queen."
And now that I'm thinking about it, it is repeatedly stated that Hel's armies strike at Bryce's command. The entirety of Hel... await Bryce's orders. As if she too is their Queen. (It won't surprise me if the Dusk Court is strongly intertwined with Hel, there's SO much evidence... but that's for another post).
Other characters and their connection to Prythian.
Bryce isn't the only one with ties to Prythian. We also have:
Ruhn and Rhys looking identical.
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The Asteri originating from Prythian, and making clear that their true goal is to go back there to get revenge (so the plot is likely to follow in this direction...)
The Princes of Hel are connected to Prythian: the Illyrian's and Hel's armies have the same wings, we have a "Lord Thanatos" in the Hewn City, the 7 layers of the library, that "cat presence" watching...
When Bryce is taken to the town house in Prythian, she remarks that the interior decorating is the same as Jesiba's and the Autumn King's - they are both likely from Prythian.
The Bone Carver drew three interlocking circles in the sand, which is the exact symbol of Parthos (and the symbol of Bryce's Archesian amulet). The Bone Carver's brother is Koschei (the upcoming ACOTAR antagonist) - he is also likely connected to Parthos.
The Under-King is described exactly like The Suriel (they're likely the same species). Bryce's star even glows for the Under-King, which tells us he is from Prythian.
Bryce's star also glows for Cormac and the Avallen fae; they're likely from Prythian also (and the Dusk Court). In fact, one of the first thing Bryce notices when she lands in Prythian, is that everyone is wearing the same clothes as the Avallen fae.
The Thunderbirds (and likely Hunt) were connected to "Dusk's Truth." (So, Bryce ending up in Prythian isn't just about the Bryce x Azriel theory...).
And this leads me to my most controversial opinion of all: although unbeknownst to readers, Crescent City is an ACOTAR spin-off series. That's not to say it can't stand on it's own, or that is has lesser value - but rather that almost all characters have ties back to the ACOTAR world - and this is surely not a coincidence.
I truly believe that SJM is planning a full multiverse crossover series between all 3 of her worlds, and CC was the series needed to bridge ACOTAR and TOG together. But, more on this later...
We don't want the characters staying in Midgard. They need to get out.
Midgard is entirely different to the ACOTAR and TOG worlds. The Asteri entered Midgard, absolutely obliterated everyone and everything, and then built their own world from the ground up. Every building, road, every inch of this world - was created and orchestrated by the Asteri. Their power and influence is absolute. Bryce realises this too:
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We see the death camps in Kavalla... but I would argue that the whole of Midgard is one giant death camp. Any sense of freedom... is an illusion.
And because the Asteri control everything, they see everything, and know everything. I can't see how any of the CC characters will overthrow the Asteri in Midgard (I mean, they get close to Rigelus at the end of CC2, and Bryce has to world jump to escape, and Hunt and Ruhn are facing slavery, or worse. And yet we're to believe that SIX Asteri will be defeated in one book...?)
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However, if this is all part of a larger scheme, where a multiverse book series in the works, and ACOTAR, TOG, and CC characters will rally together to defeat the Asteri (TOG Spoilers - as well as Orcus and Mantyx... they're still out there, don't forget), then maybe there's a chance.
And, let's not also forget that Bryce bargained away her resting place to the Under-King. If Bryce dies in Midgard... she's screwed. She has no chance of reincarnation, or eternal peace, or... whatever happens after death. But, if she dies in Prythian, it's a different story...
Midgard is doomed.
Following the final chapters of CC2, it is clear that Midgard is heading towards imminent destruction.
We know that Bryce has been thrown into another world. Ruhn is in the Asteri dungeons, his future uncertain. Cormac was killed. Do we really think the two fae kings; the Autumn King, and The Avallen King, are just going to sit back and accept this? Let the Asteri murder and torture their children?
We also know that the leader of the human rebels, Pippa Spetsos, was killed. I can't think of anything that would enrage the rebels more (and their mech suits, the synth - everything they've been brewing, feels like it's reaching its climax...)
Then we have Apollion mentioning that the 'Northern Rift' is groaning, and that he senses war approaching. (And for what it's worth, I'm not sure I trust Apollion...)
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Lastly, we are still yet to see the consequences of Tharion's actions, and the River Queen's wrath. It is stated multiple times that the River Queen has the power to flood Lunathion if she wished, and I can't help but feel that is relevant.
The flooding of Midgard.
When reading CC1 and CC2, did you happen to notice the sheer amount of times it is raining?
SJM even makes a point to tell readers that there is record rainfall... (and thank you to @/highladyfeyre on TT for her theory on this!)
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Then, in Throne of Glass, Aelin falls through the worlds, and sees the ACOTAR world and the Crescent City world. However, she also sees a world entirely covered in water.
Linking to this, in ACOSF, Merrill explains that all of the worlds are stacked on top of each other, even sharing the same space - but what separates them is TIME. Again going back to TOG where Aelin falls through the worlds, it says this; "She was falling. Falling and being thrown. The Wyrdgate sealed behind her, and yet she was not home. As it closed, ALL WORLDS OVERLAPPED. And she now fell through them."
If the worlds are separated by time, then it can be argued that Aelin wasn't looking at separate planets - she was looking at the same world, throughout differing time periods (more evidence for this here). Meaning, the world covered in water... is still yet to happen.
And following CC3, what is the final Crescent City book to be called...?
House of Many Waters.
The Multiverse series.
You might be thinking - what the hell is the point of Midgard flooding?
Well, the 'flooding of Midgard' is a key event in Norse Mythology, and signals the arrival of Ragnarok (a huge war across all of the worlds, that resulted in the end of life as they know it).
Another term for Ragnarok, is "Twilight of the Gods."
The same name as Sarah's WIP book series... one that she appeared to draft at the same time as Crescent City...
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Twilight is another word for DUSK. It all just fits too perfectly to be a coincidence.
Thus, I wholeheartedly believe that CC3 and CC4, as well as the final ACOTAR books, are the precursors to SJM's endgame series - Twilight of the Gods. Where the ACOTAR, CC and TOG characters will unite for a universal war, in order to stop the end of the world.
"But SJM said ACOTAR and CC will be standalone!"
Firstly, with all due respect to SJM, her word in interviews is not always gospel. She is known to deceive fans in interviews; for example, in 2020, SJM said a multiverse crossover would never happen, and in her most recent interview, she revealed that she has actually been planning the crossover for years. I'm not suggesting SJM has malicious intent, if anything, it's the opposite - she does not want to spoil the books for us.
Secondly, SJM never confirmed that ACOTAR and CC are both entirely standalone reads (if they were, she'd never go forth with the crossover). Instead, she said that you don't need to read ACOTAR to understand CC3. That makes sense, and to me just means that she is going to include extra contextual information to help out those fans who are indeed standalone readers (which won't be hard, because Bryce will be learning everything about Prythian for the first time too).
But the most important point is this - the multiverse crossover changes everything, and 100% changes the ACOTAR world as well.
As proof of this, consider Rhys. He has been studying the universe intently for years now. He even built his own orrery - his own map of the universe. As of CC2, he has just met a girl from another world. This girl will almost certainly be telling him about the Asteri, and that their true goal is to go back to Prythian - Rhys's home - and exact revenge.
So, do you really think that Rhys will learn about the existence of other worlds, the existence of the Asteri (who actively want to hurt his loved ones), and then just.. forget about it in future books? Send Bryce back to Midgard alone, simply wishing her well, and then going back to his ordinary life? No.
Elain's book.
As even further proof of this, consider that Elain's story will be the centre of the next ACOTAR book.
In ACOSF, we are told that there are three prominent mountains in Prythian, known as the "three sister peaks." The mountain where 'Under the Mountain' took place (and where Amarantha held people captive), Ramiel, and the mountain of the Prison Island.
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Feyre conquered the first mountain; when she defeated Amarantha.
Nesta conquered Ramiel.
Which leaves the third mountain, the Prison Island mountain, to the third sister... Elain.
And what is the Prison Island most likely to be....? The Dusk Court.
I'm willing to bet that Elain's story intertwines heavily with Crescent City also.
That all of this... is so much bigger than we can imagine.
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The importance of the number 7 in crescent city
Throughout the entirety of the crescent city series, the number 7 plays a huge role in both a symbolic and a literal way
⚠️ House of Flame and Shadow spoilers ⚠️
7 Asteri on Midgard
Rigelus (title- The Bright Hand)
Eosporos (title- The Morning Star)
Hesperus (title- The Evening Star)
Polaris (title- The North Star)
Octartis (title- The Southern Star)
Austrus (title- unknown)
Sirius (title- The Wolf Star)
7 Princes of Hel/ Circles of Hel
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Hunt also mentions that “Type-Seven is only for the princes themselves, and given what this thing can do, I’d bet it’d be deemed a Six” in chapter 29 of HOEAB, when talking about the demons and princes of Hel
7 districts in crescent city/ city heads/ gates
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7 “Made” objects *
Mask (made by Cauldron)
Crown (made by Cauldron)
Harp (made by Cauldron)
Horn (made by Cauldron)
Starsword (made by Cauldron)
Truth-Teller (made by Cauldron)
Ataraxia (made by Nesta)
*now while nesta did make another sword and dagger, we don’t know if they possess any magic and they don’t have any names either*
7 members of the Pack of Devils
Danika Fendyr (alpha)
Connor Holstrom (second)
Nathalie (third)
Bronson
Thorne
Zach
Zelda
7 courts in prythian
Night Court
Dawn Court
Day Court
Spring Court
Summer Court
Winter Court
Autumn Court
7 tog books (not including novella)
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows
Empire of Storms
Tower of Dawn
Kingdom of Ash
Known starborn fae *
Fionn
Theia
Pelias
Helena
Silene
Bryce Quinlan
Ruhn Danaan
*The term Starborn describes the descendants of High King Fionn and High Queen Theia.
1. Also when bryce traded places so Danika would get into the Bone quarter, she said the vow (“I wish to trade my place.”) 7 times:
“She’d tossed a Death Mark into the Istros, payment to the Under-King—a coin of pure iron from an ancient, long-gone kingdom across the sea. Passage for a mortal on a boat.
And then she’d knelt on the crumbling stone steps, the river mere feet behind her, the arches of the bone gates above her, and waited.
The Under-King, veiled in black and silent as death, had appeared moments later.
It has been an age since a mortal dared set foot on my isle.
The voice had been old and young, male and female, kind and full of hatred. She’d never heard anything so hideous—and beckoning.
I wish to trade my place. (1)
I know why you are here, Bryce Quinlan. Whose passage you seek to barter. An amused pause. Do you not wish to one day dwell here among the honored dead? Your balance remains skewed toward acceptance—continue on your path, and you shall be welcomed when your time comes.
I wish to trade my place. For Danika Fendyr. (2)
Do this and know that no other Quiet Realms of Midgard shall be open to you. Not the Bone Quarter, not the Catacombs of the Eternal City, not the Summer Isles of the north. None, Bryce Quinlan. To barter your resting place here is to barter your place everywhere.
I wish to trade my place. (3)
You are young, and you are weighed with grief. Consider that your life may seem long, but it is a mere flutter of eternity.
I wish to trade my place. (4)
Are you so certain Danika Fendyr will be denied welcome? Have you so little faith in her actions and deeds that you must make this bargain?
I wish to trade my place. She’d sobbed the words. (5)
There is no undoing this.
I wish to trade my place. (6)
Then say it, Bryce Quinlan, and let the trade be done. Say it a seventh and final time, and let the gods and the dead and all those between hear your vow. Say it, and it shall be done.
She hadn’t hesitated, knowing this was the ancient rite. She’d looked it up in the gallery archives. Had stolen the Death Mark from there, too. It had been given to Jesiba by the Under-King himself, the sorceress had told her, when she’d sworn fealty to the House of Flame and Shadow.
I wish to trade my place. (7)
And so it had been done.”
- HOEAB, chapter 62
2. Hunt was in the Asteri dungeon’s for 7 years
“How long did they do that to you—after Mount Hermon?”
“Seven years.”
She closed her eyes as the weight of those words rippled through her.
Hunt said, “I lost track of time, too. The Asteri dungeons are so far beneath the earth, so lightless, that days are years and years are days and … When they let me out, I went right to the Archangel Ramuel. My first … handler. He continued the pattern for two years, got bored with it, and realized that I’d be more useful dispatching demons and doing his bidding than rotting away in his torture chambers.”
“Burning Solas, Hunt,” she whispered.” -HOEAB, chapter 35
“We need to get out of here,” Ruhn said, and nothing had ever sounded more stupid. Of course they needed to get out of here. For so many fucking reasons.
But Athalar cracked open an eye. Met his stare. Pain and rage and determination shone there, unbroken despite the halo and slave brand on his wrist. “Then talk to your … person.” Girlfriend, the angel didn’t say.
Ruhn ground his teeth, and his ravaged mouth gave a burst of pain. He’d rather die here than beg the Hind for help. “Another way.”
“I was in these dungeons … for seven years,” Hunt said. “No way out. Especially not with Pollux so invested in ripping us apart.” -HOFAS, Chapter 11
3. Apollion (7th prince of Hel) ate the Sirius (7th Asteri)
“No one would dare say his name, not after the Prince of the Pit became the first and only being to ever kill an Asteri. His butchering of the seventh holy star—Sirius, the Wolf Star—during the First Wars remained a favorite ballad around war-camp fires. And what he’d done to Sirius after slaying her had earned him that awful title: Star-Eater” -HOEAB, chapter 51
4. The slave tattoos has seven stars in it
“For there was also no hiding the second tattoo, stamped on their right wrists: SPQM.
It adorned every flag and letterhead of the Republic—the four letters encircled with seven stars—and adorned the wrist of every being owned by it.” -HOEAB, Chapter 6
“Ruhn spied their own solar system in the center of it all. Seven planets around a massive star. Seven Asteri—technically six now—to rule Midgard. Seven Princes of Hel to challenge them.
Seven Gates in this city through which Hel had tried to invade this spring.
Seven and seven and seven and seven—always that holy number. Always—” -HOSAB, Chapter 25
5. 7 is a holy number
“Seven—the holy number. Or unholy, depending on who was worshipping. Seven Asteri, seven hills in their Eternal City, seven neighborhoods and seven Gates in Crescent City; seven planets, and seven circles in Hel, with seven princes who ruled them, each darker than the last” - HOEAB, Chapter 19
“Micah had left the latter’s body up. Justinian would hang there for seven full days and then be pulled off the crucifix—and dumped into the Istros” -HOEAB, Chapter 69
6. Hypaxia and necromancy
“So this is it?” Ithan asked Hypaxia, gesturing with a hand to the seven candles she’d arranged on the ground. “Light the candles and wait?” -HOSAB, Chapter 61
“It took Hypaxia seven hours, seven minutes, and seven seconds to raise Sigrid.
Ithan barely moved from his stool the entire time Hypaxia stood over the corpse and chanted. Jesiba left, came back with her laptop, and worked for some of the time. She even offered Ithan some food, which he refused.
He had no appetite. If this didn’t work …” -HOFAS, Chapter 48
7. Sailings happen on the 7th day after the death
Don’t come to the Sailing tomorrow. You’re not welcome there.
She’d listened to it over and over, the first words to echo in her silent head.
Her mother hadn’t woken from the bed beside hers when Bryce had exited the hotel room on Fae-soft feet, taking the service elevator and leaving through the unwatched alley door. She hadn’t left that room for six days, just sat staring vacantly at the floral hotel wallpaper. And now, with the seventh dawning … Only for this would she leave. Would she remember how to move her body, how to speak.” -HOEAB, Chapter 7
8. Midgard geography
““Seven—the holy number. Or unholy, depending on who was worshipping. Seven Asteri, seven hills in their Eternal City, seven neighborhoods and seven Gates in Crescent City; seven planets, and seven circles in Hel, with seven princes who ruled them, each darker than the last.” -HOEAB, chapter 18
“Bryce didn’t wait for them before trailing the old male up the walkway as the seven planets aligned themselves perfectly, stars glittering in the far reaches of the room.” -HOSAB, chapter 38
“Bryce halted after a turn in the stairs and assessed the long hallway ahead. When it revealed no guards, she stepped into it.
There were no doors. Only this hall, perhaps seventy feet long and fifteen feet wide. Likely fourteen feet, to be a multiple of seven. The holy number.” -HOSAB, Chapter 71
“She’d studied Fury’s rough map of the palace layout. This area was seven levels below the throne room, where the Asteri sat on crystal thrones” -HOSAB, chapter 71
“They could fly no further. The massive black wall stretched for miles in either direction before curving northward, with wards protecting the airspace above it. Hunt knew from maps that the area the wall encircled was forty-nine miles in diameter—seven times seven, the holiest of numbers—and that at its center, somewhere in the barren, snow-blasted terrain, lay the Northern Rift, shrouded in mist. Barriers upon barriers protected Midgard from the Rift, and Hel beyond it.” -HOFAS, Chapter 70
9. Ithan & the number 7
“Sabine stared down at the seven shards the Fendyr sword had broken into, then lifted her furious gaze to Ithan.
Ithan shifted back into his humanoid body with a near-instant flash. “It’s just a piece of steel,” he said, panting, the metallic tang of the blade lingering in his mouth. “All those years you obsessed over it, resented Danika for having it … It’s just a piece of metal. - HOFAS, Chapter 74
“You have seven minutes” -HOFAS, Chapter 81 (when Ithan was talking to Connor)
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stargirlbryce · 6 months
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Moodboard: Bryce Quinlan
"I am Bryce Quinlan,” she said to the Gate, to the void, to all of Hel behind it. Her voice was serene—wise and laughing. “Heir to the Starborn Fae."
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psychee92 · 1 year
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Why Elain giving back TT is significant [ACOSF & CC Spoilers] 
In ACOFAS, we learn what happened after Elain used TT to stab (or kill) Hybern.
“You honestly think he’d ever give up Truth-Teller?” “He gave it to Elain,” Mor said, admiring a moonstone necklace in the counter’s glass case. “She gave it back,” I amended, failing to block out the image of the black blade piercing through the King of Hybern’s throat. But Elain had given it back—had pressed it into Azriel’s hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And then walked away without looking back. Mor hummed to herself.”
I have seen many people using this argument against Elain having a connection to TT—when, in fact, it means the opposite, especially considering what we learn in both ACOSF and (most importantly) HOSAB.
But first, let’s recap what we know about Elain’s (alleged) connection to TT:
Azriel had never before let another person touch that knife—until Elain.
Elain, who had never used a weapon, accepted it, despite having rejected other options before (remember, Cassian had offered her a weapon prior to her accepting TT from Azriel).
Elain actually used it—and by using it, answered Feyre’s plea for help, thus saving Nesta and Cassian’s life.
When using TT, Elain stepped out of a shadow, something we have only ever seen Azriel do.
And by using TT, Elain ultimately changed the course of the war.
What is also interesting is that we see this scene through Feyre’s eyes—and the Cauldron’s, so we get a glimpse of how the Cauldron feels about Elain.
Now, at the end of HOSAB, we learn that TT is connected to the Starsword.
And what do we know about the Starsword?
That it actually answers to two people, not one. It recognizes and chooses both Ruhn and Bryce.
Yet Cormac glowered at the Starsword peeking over Ruhn’s broad shoulder. “Rumor has it that the sword sings for my bride, too.”
Ruhn seemed to force himself to look at Bryce as he said, “It’s true.” So he’d seen her glare, then. “The sword’s as much yours as it is mine.”
The Starsword deemed Ruhn worthy, and recognized Bryce as kin.
“That your son, not you, retrieved the Starsword from the Cave of Princes in Avallen’s dark heart. That your son, not you, stood among the long-dead Starborn Princes asleep in their sarcophagi and was deemed worthy to pull the sword from its sheath.”
Her sword—it was her sword, and Ruhn’s. And with that light in her veins, with the star that slumbered inside her heart, the Starsword had recognized her not as a royal, worthy Fae, but as kin. Kin to those who had forged it so long ago. Like called to like.
So we now know that TT can also have two owners: one deemed worthy, and one it recognizes as kin.
Because what else do we learn about these weapons?
“That sword belongs to Theia’s female heir. Not the male offspring who corrupted her line.”
These weapons are passed down the female line, not the male.
I am still surprised when I see readers connecting Bryce to Azriel through TT, when we know from HOSAB that the weapons belong to the female descendants of Theia, NOT the male.
Also interesting to note: Bryce does not want the Starsword—does not want to claim it.
“I don’t need a fancy sword to add to it.” “But I do?” “Honestly? I think you don’t know how special you are, Ruhn.” His blue eyes flickered. “Thanks.” “I mean it.” She grabbed his hand, and light flared from her chest. “The sword came to you first for a reason.”
The sword came to Ruhn first—just as TT came to Azriel.
And even more interesting: the scene where Bryce uses the sword.
The Starsword sang with light, her power flowing into it. Activating it. And nothing had ever felt so right, so easy, as plunging the blade into the bony chest of the wounded Reaper. It arced, bellowing, black blood spurting from its withered lips. The others screamed then. So loud she thought the sewer might come down, so loud she nearly dropped the blade to cover her ears.
Which mirrors the scene where Elain uses TT:
But as a black blade broke through the king’s throat, spraying blood, I realized someone else had. Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.”
The Cauldron purred in Elain’s presence as the King of Hybern slumped to his knees, clawing at the knife jutting through his throat. Elain backed away a step. Choking, blood dribbling from his lips, the king gaped at Nesta.
Unlike with Bryce, however, we do not have Elain’s POV of the events leading up to this scene, or how she felt during it, so we do not know if the knife responded to her in the same way.
But it does make you wonder: did it feel as right to her, as it did to Bryce? Given how afraid she had been up until that point—vomiting from terror—she appeared as an avenging angel in this scene, almost as if she’s done this before, almost as if it felt right.
Also similar is the return of the sword and knife to the men who found the weapons first, who were deemed worthy to possess them. Despite Bryce using the sword, it returns to Ruhn, and stays with him until he asks her to take it with her.
Similarly, Elain returns TT to Azriel after using it. Will TT find its way back to her? Will Azriel, like Ruhn, offer it to Elain again?
Remember: when Azriel picks up the sword in HOSAB, it does not react to him. We do not see a change in him when he touches it, nor do we see any change in the sword when near the other IC members.
The male’s face didn’t soften as he picked up the sheathed Starsword, then gestured for her to step closer.
Elain is, of course, absent, and I am 99.99% sure that Sarah hinted at her being somewhere nearby (bread and roses) for a reason. Could this be it? Will the sword react to her the same way it reacts to Bryce? The same way the Cauldron reacts in Elain’s presence?
Could Elain activate the Starsword? Did she activate TT the way Bryce did, the way Nesta infused other swords with her power?
“Yes,” Amren said. “Only the Great Powers could do that—Gwydion was given its powers when the High Priestess Oleanna dipped it into the Cauldron during its crafting.” Cassian’s blood chilled, waves rippling over his skin. “One touch from Nesta’s magic while the blade was still hot …” “And the blade was infused with it.”
I still think that Nesta losing most of her powers at the end of ACOSF was done on purpose, to make Elain take center stage in future events. At this point, she is the only being alive who has Cauldron-given powers, similar to the Starsword and TT.
“You stole from the Cauldron,” I said to Nesta, who seemed ready to jump between all of us and Elain. “But what if the Cauldron gave something to Elain?”
And what does Bryce need at the end of HOSAB?
And she had no way to get home. Unless Aidas or Apollion knew how to use the Horn. Had magic that could charge it.
Bryce ends up in Prythian because she is looking for someone who can help. Sarah mentioned during one of her interviews that her ending up in Prythian while looking for help is not a coincidence—help is in Prythian.
With Nesta’s Cauldron-stolen powers mostly gone, Elain is the only one who can both use the Horn and the only one who has the power to charge it.
“Once, the High Fae were more elemental, more given to reading the stars and crafting masterpieces of art and jewelry and weaponry. Their gifts were rawer, more connected to nature, and they could imbue objects with that power.”
“When Briallyn was Made, it likely removed from her the Dread Trove’s glamour, for lack of a better term. Recognized her as kin. Where she might have glanced over a mention of the items before and never thought twice, now it stuck. Or perhaps called to her, presented itself in a dream.” All of them, all at once, looked at Nesta. “You,” Amren said quietly, “are the same. So is Elain.”
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boundtoletters · 10 months
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📖 books i read in 2023: house of earth and blood (crescent city #1) by sarah j maas
“I am Bryce Quinlan,” she said to the Gate, to the void, to all of Hel behind it. Her voice was serene— wise and laughing. “Heir to the Starborn Fae.”
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bryceandhunt · 11 months
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OKAY
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brycekicksass · 3 months
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Disclaimer: this blog contains spoilers to ALL books of Sarah J. Maas, due to the content only interact if 21+, personals DO NOT interact, all interactions are preferred in german, trigger warning for alcohol abuse, drug abuse, violence, sexual themes, suicide, murder, racism, sexism (no I do NOT wan't to talk to any racist, sexist, homophobes), strong languages, this account has a low activity and mostly for writing novels, i am not interested in any smalltalk, therefore highly selective
Name: Bryce Adelaide Danaan Quinlan
Titles: Princess of the Autumn King, Heir of the Starborn Fae
Race: Half-fae, half-human
Job: Working in an antiquariat and assistant to a witch, who she is highly indebted with
Family: Ember Quinlan (mother, touch her and you are dead), Randall Silago (step-father, the only one that matters), Einar Danaan (father, King of all Alphaholes), Ruhn Danaan (half-brother, i love you more than i hate him), Cooper Silago (adoptive brother, cinnamon roll)
Characteristics: sassy, daddy issues, reckless, highly intelligent, sarcastic, headstrong, loyal until death and beyond, caring
Mental state: suffering from survivors guilt, ptsd and depression, formerly a heavy use of alcohol and drugs
Powers: starlight, teleporting, absorbing magic, opening gates to other dimensions, sharpshooting,
Weaknesses: weaker and slower than all magical creatures, property of the Autumn king, protector of the weak
Likes: dancing, parties, music, reading, trash tv, her chimera
Dislikes: all alphaholes (aka most male), quiteness, anyone talking trash about her friends (especially danika), racism, sexism, fae
Enemies: literally everyone?, the Asteri, the Autumn King (her father), the wolves
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bookofmirth · 8 months
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I’m not an elriel, but I strongly disagree w your post suggesting that Elain isn’t tied to any ACOTAR and CC connections (and thus won’t be featured in HOFAS). I’m also a lil confused as to how being a Valkyrie, or having connections to Ramiel, indicates that a character will have a part to play in HOFAS.
But as for Elain, there is substantial evidence to suggest that she is a mystic. In SJM’s old Pinterest board, there was a plethora of imagery that tied Elain to Sleeping Beauty - the mystics ‘travel’ to different worlds via sleep and dreaming. There was even an image in SJM’s Pinterest board of a girl with her eyes closed, but you could see a galaxy with different planets whirling underneath her eyelids - an image that SJM labelled as Elain.
Additionally, there are three sister peaks in Prythian; the mountain that Amrantha ruled from (UTM), Ramiel, and the Prison Island mountain. Feyre’s story featured UTM, Nesta’s story featured Ramiel… which leaves the third sister mountain - the Prison Island mountain - to Elain. As I assume you’re already aware, the Prison Island is the Dusk Court - an area that hosts the most pivotal connection between ACOTAR and CC (and the broader multiverse). It’s also the area that most strongly connects to Bryce, considering that she is the heir to the Starborn fae, and Queen Theia’s direct descendant (Bryce’s scent is even of dusk!)
Elain is also Cauldron-made. She too is connected to the Dread Trove (and ACOSF hinted that Elain is more than willing to be involved in this narrative). This is significant, as the Horn on Bryce’s back is heavily theorised to be the fourth Dread Trove item.
Although nothing is a guarantee (especially knowing SJM!), I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Elain’s importance to the story. Given that SJM has said multiple times that she has plans for Elain’s book… I’d assume that SJM intends on tying Elain to the upcoming multiverse in some way - perhaps more than any other Archeron sister! :)
I've said in a few posts that I don't think Elain will feature, so I'm not sure which one you are referring to. I suspect it is this one, since it's been going around? It was written over a year ago and there is some context for it - namely the post that was linked within it. That might answer some of your questions. Either way, I'm definitely not quick to dismiss Elain's role. I've put way more thought into it than I should have, considering I'm not even a CC stan haha.
Sorry my response got quite long, it's just that I don't think I've articulated a lot of this before!
Your third paragraph answers your question about Carynthian/Valkyries/Ramiel! Because that mountain is probably going to be important at some point; this post that I had linked within the other also talked specifically about why the Illyrians are important, as well as Ramiel. The Blood Rite is a Rite to get to the top of Ramiel and touch the stone. There seems to be some connection between Illyrians, Ramiel, the daglan/Asteri, and the Blood Rite, perhaps Enalius? I don't think I have a full post about Ramiel and the Illyrians post-hosab. I did write this one before hosab came out, and I should probably update it. I might have somewhere, but I can't remember. But basically I absolutely agree with that third paragraph, and that's why I think it's important that certain characters have made it to the top and touched the stone. There is something there, and the characters who already have a connection to Ramiel seem the most likely to continue being connected. The Blood Rite/being Carynthian is just one way that some of them are connected.
Also, fwiw, I think that it's important that Bryce learned this information just before going to Prythian. There is a difference between what we, the readers, know, and what the individual characters know. That's going to bring me to a point about Elain being a seer in a minute. But before I get there, Byrce learned a lot of this information about the land of dusk, about the Asteri experiments, about them creating what we presume are the Illyrians before the Illyrians rebelled, she learned about the Starborn fae coming from Prythian. All of that was basically dumped in her lap before she ended up in the land in question, which to me, makes all of that information incredibly important in what's to come.
I don't think we know that the prison is where the land of dusk was? (Not to be picky, but it's not the Dusk Court - the land of dusk existed before the courts were established.) People have theories, but we don't know yet. All we know is that it's an island off Prythian. I asked bookclub to be sure and @yazthebookish thinks that it could be the island that is to the west of Prythian, in between the Night and Day Courts - because dusk.
Okay so back to the Elain issue - of course it's possible that she will play some role in hofas. I just don't think it's likely. A lot of things are possible, but that doesn't mean they will happen, and based on what facts we know - not speculation - other characters have a much clearer, solid connection to what is going to happen in hofas.
The thing with her being a seer could be a potential link, but I have a few counterpoints:
What Bryce knows about the mystics is not positive, and she may not connect that practice with Elain's seer powers. When I mentioned before that Bryce's knowledge going into Prythian is important, this is part of it. The way that Elain is living and using her powers is a far cry from what is happening with the mystics as they create their map and wander through the worlds all drugged up and having given up their autonomy in exchange for financial security. Plus, we don't know for sure that seer powers and mystics are a one-to-one correlation. Which leads me to my next point:
Elain hasn't been using her powers. Not only that, but the IC has been very reticent to letting her help them in any way. IMO her story is going to require breaking away from the way that they coddle her, and that's not going to happen in another series.
We don't know that seer powers in Prythian would have anything to do with traveling between worlds, and that's the main goal right now - Bryce needs to get out of Prythian and to Hel, or back to Midgard. Is it possible that Elain's seer powers could help? Yeah, it is. But just because things work one way in Midgard doesn't mean they are going to work the same way in Prythian. And let's be honest, sjm does the absolute bare minimum explaining the magic in acotar. It seems much more likely that the people who have already been researching other worlds, explicitly, in Prythian, would hold those keys to answering Bryce's main challenge right now, which is getting the eff out of Prythian.
Regarding Elain being Made, there is the second point I made above about people not allowing her to help, but there is no reason that Elain would be required to use her Made status to find the fourth trove object when, as you mentioned, it likely doesn't really need to be found. It fell into their laps. Plus, Nesta and Feyre are still Made. Nesta is in a bonus. Nesta also has the tattoo. Nesta is still a more likely candidate to work with any trove-related things.
My thinking that Elain won't be very present in hofas is based on the things we know for sure: she wasn't present at the end of hosab, she isn't present in a bonus (that we know of yet), she hasn't been using her powers, she hasn't been allowed to help, and there are other characters who already have a much clearer connection to what is happening in CC.
If we were to do this in a mathy way, I think that we could give each character a point for how many things they have that potentially connect them to the hofas plot, but I would give more points to facts we are already sure about, over speculation. And while Elain wouldn't have zero points, other characters would have far, far more.
I am aware that sjm has said she's working on Elain's book. I think most of us are, and it would be pretty poor planning if sjm hadn't been thinking about how Elain will fit into all of this, but I just don't think that we have reason to believe it has anything to do with other worlds, not when the visions we know she's had thus far are related to the current acotar conflict. Is it possible? Yes!
But sjm has also said that she came up with the crossover where the characters would interact with each other to this extent while she was writing hosab, not before! Which means that if she does connect Elain to other worlds in the ways you are suggesting, it's a retcon. It wasn't planned ahead of time. She literally changed acosf to make space for the crossover in hosab (e.g., Rhys worrying about someone else coming through à la Aelin in the feysand chapter), and yet nothing happened with Elain in acosf to make her connection to CC seem more likely. It would have been the perfect opportunity to have done so, and yet if you remove Elain from the acosf plot, nothing would be different.
fwiw, I don't really care who you ship! As long as you aren't rude, and you weren't!
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wingedblooms · 10 months
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Blessed by fate and gifted with powers
This is a Maasverse post, and as such, there are spoilers for all Maas series. Proceed with caution.
I know many have have spoken about the Archeron sisters and Starborn heritage at length (this post is essentially the cliff notes version of posts by @silverlinedeyes, @offtorivendell, myself, and probably others), but this has been on my mind since posting Elain’s witch series. I believe the sisters are going to be important together (like the entwined aspects in the witchy Three-Faced Goddess) and will work together, especially with Bryce. In acosf, Amren confirms that they are special, unique:
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She says they were blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match the most powerful High Lord in history…who just so happens to rule the Night Court, which likely absorbed an eighth court, Dusk.
Then, Bryce—human and fae like the three sisters—drops into Prythian at the end of hosab. Bryce bears Theia’s light and is connected to the Dusk Court. We know that Theia was Fionn’s unnamed queen, and the heirlooms she supposedly stole, like the Starsword (Gwydion), belonged to the female heir of her Starborn line.
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We’ve heard about an unnamed female leader or warrior before, haven’t we?
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The unnamed female warrior trapped the Bone Carver’s death-god siblings, and it probably required the use of Starborn heirlooms. History seems to have been twisted for Theia as it was for Elena in Erilea, whose true role in the war was forgotten. What happened to Theia’s line, the second daughter who vanished into the night with Truth-Teller? Where is that line now?
For some reason, Rhysand looks like Ruhn, the male offspring, and Feyre glows like Bryce. Nesta and Cassian’s bargain tattoos resemble the Starborn symbol. Azriel possess a Starborn heirloom, and after hundreds of years, has only relinquished it to one female whose role—appearing like an avenging harpy on the battlefield to bring Hybern to his knees—is already being forgotten like those ancient queens. It may have been Elain’s mighty Sight, a truth teller in its own right, that animated the deadly accuracy of the Starborn blade.
The Bone Carver laid it out nicely for us earlier on to connect these dots, like crumbs of bread:
Her bloodline is long-gone now—though a trace of it still runs through a human line.
Her line is long-gone, but a trace lingers in a human line. What can bring back something that is long-gone? The Cauldron. And who has been reforged by the raw magic of the Cauldron, either through the High Lords or the ancient womb itself? The three sisters for each face of the Goddess. They are paralleled with the female Starborn heir through their mixed heritage and unique connection to Cauldron-Made heirlooms. There is a reason for that. Together, they are blessed by fate, gifted with powers, and reunited with their line at just the right moment in time.
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nikethestatue · 2 months
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I’m sorry if you’ve said this already, but who do you think will wield Gwydion? I think there’s foreshadowing that Rhys will as High King Fionn did, as Amren said, and since he is star born. I think there’s also a chance Feyre could, since she technically is also star born from the drop of power Rhys gave to her when the High Lords resurrected her as Fae… and it seems like women are the only ones able to tap into the full star born power. And it would go along well as a mirror to Fionn, except it would be High Queen instead of High King. (I wonder how Fionn could wield the sword though, since he’s a male… do we know if he’s star born as well, or no?) At the same time, I also think there’s a chance Elain could wield it. It’s the light to Truth Teller’s dark. I think Made people are able to wield the weapons just as Star born people are able to. The swords also always call to each other, so I think it would work well since Azriel has Truth Teller for Elain to have Gwydion. I’m not sure how I feel about her learning to wield a sword though 😅 And of course I suppose Nesta may, since Bryce gave it to her… but I don’t think so. I think she has Ataraxia and will stick with that.
I think anyone of them could, but I suspect it will be Mor.
All in all, she is also the rightful heir to Night. She is a warrior. She is very probably starborn. I wonder if Darkbringers will fall under her command?
I can see SJM giving Gwydion to her.
Also, if Rhys becomes High King, I don't think I could handle that. As much as I love Rhys, he isn't qualified to be a High King, and unless Feyre kills him and history repeats itself, I don't want it.
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