#that didn’t happen with nesta you think it would happen with elain 😂😂😂

[nikethestatue]

Hi!

This isn’t really a question, but I think the gywnriels are spiraling this hard after reading hofas because they have clung to their theories for three years now. As much as it is fun to create and read theories, I think the gywnriels have began to put their viral theories on pedestals. They believe that since they get the most likes and social media traction that they are bound to happen. They really aren’t.

So many people have already given hofas a terrible rating because their theories didn’t come true. People were legitimately pissed that Feyre didn’t make an appearance or that Gwyn did not take on the role that Nesta played in hofas. I think people need to calm down with the theories and stop treating them like they are the law.

The gywnriels are starting to become too entitled to me. It’s scary actually. I see why SJM has a team now. People are becoming crazy and obsessed, and these women are grown! 😂😂

It’s hilarious how they are spiraling, and we are as clam as the spring breeze. 😂 that shows a lot.

The 'critical thinking' and 'reading comprehension' that they all love talking about so much is actually right there, staring them in the face, asking, why arent you utlising it?

Because yes, I may have my theories, and yes, many have come true, because they were based on canon. But what I've noticed about them, is that they'll take a headcanon, attach some canon elements to it, and then dress it up as a valid theory. And then push it relentlessly until all the followers agree.

Here is an example of how it works. Say I did the same for Elriel.

My theory is that since azriel's mother lives in Rosehall, and Elain is associated with roses, Azriel and Elain would marry in the rose garden of Rosehall.

It sounds good! and it sounds desirable. There are some true elements and deductions: there is a place called Rosehall (mentioned in ACOFAS). Based on certain hints in various books (ACOFAS, bonus chapter of HOFAS, and a brief mention by Cassian in ACOSF) we may deduce that Azriel's mother is alive. Again, based on ACOFAS, we can deduce she might be living in Rosehall, based on Rhys's question to Az on whether he'd be going there.

So far so good.

Elain is associated with roses. She was a rose in a mud field. Her mental shields have unopened rosebuds on an iron wall. There was a rose carved by her father for her in the hovel. There was a rose necklace that Azriel gaver her.

Having established a bunch of canon facts (as GAs tend to do) we then descend into headcanon territory.

Well, Azriel and Elain like/love each other and therefore surely they'll marry. Elain always wanted to get married, her engagement was broken and Azriel would want to give this to her (it SOUNDS realistic, but it's a headcanon).

And it would make sense that they'd marry in Rosehall, because of course as Elain is associated with roses, it would only make sense, and Azriel's mom is there, and rose garden would be a perfect place for them to wed. (Pure headcanons--we don't know if there is a mother living there, we don't know if there is a rose garden, there is no wedding yet to be had.) But it sounds so good, so palatable, so real then why wouldn't I, as a fan, want to believe it?

And that's the thing--once they've repeated the same headcanon which is presented as a theory, it becomes a valid canon-based theory, and then it's taken as fact.

And I think even the creators begin to believe it. And any dissent is frowned upon. But the problem is that they become very upset when headcanons dont become reality. They start screaming at SJM on IG telling her that she didn't write according to their 'perfectly presented theories' (if you are wondering, it did happen).

If they'd leave some room for doubt, things would be so much easier for them.

[duskandcobalt]

wip wednesday 💕

u already know the drill... at this point, I'm just going to publish a snippet of this elriel modern au every wednesday and leave you guys to piece it together like a chaotic little puzzle instead of actually publishing full chapters 😅😂

“I think I need to lie down,” she said after a moment of silence. “I feel a bit dizzy all of a sudden.”

“Come upstairs.” He found himself standing up and stepping towards her, one hand outstretched. 

Azriel didn’t miss the look Feyre gave Nesta. A silent enquiry as to whether they should let him take her upstairs, as if the two of them knew exactly what had happened the last time he’d been left alone with Elain on Christmas. Nesta just nodded, one subtle dip of her chin that had Feyre watching in silence as Elain accepted Azriel’s hand.

He pulled her up easily, keeping her hand in his as his other arm looped around her waist to keep her upright as he slowly led her upstairs, guiding her to the guest room a couple doors down from his own bedroom. 

He flipped back the duvet and sat her on the bed. He could feel her eyes on him as she silently watched him unzip her boots and slide them off her feet. 

“Lay back.” Azriel tapped on her calf, hands hovering around her in case she needed help.

“Not the first time you’ve said that to me.” Elain quipped, laying down and turning onto her side to face him. There was the tiniest smirk on her lips, the smallest bit of amusement shining in her eyes. He almost found himself smiling at the drunken comment until her expression changed, those pretty lips of hers turning down at the corners. “Will you stay with me? After everyone goes?”

Azriel grimaced, ignoring the pull from the part of his heart that would be more than happy to bend to her every whim. “I can’t.”

“Why?” She pouted, a deep line appearing on her forehead from the way her eyebrows pulled together.

“You’re not mine, Elain.”

#wip wednesday #elriel fic #my writing #i wanted to get the first chapter out by christmas because this largely takes place during the holiday season #but whether or not that happens remains to be seen lol #anyway enjoy! #im leaning into the tropes with this one bc i love drama

[freyjas-musings]

I don’t get why people say elains book is safe the next ? Sjm said she will write for all sisters but she never said they will come out right after the other? And for why she didn’t said yes immediately after asked if we know elains love interest and said it would be lucien, well why would she? What author already tells people what is going to happen in their book before it even comes out?

Its not obvious to me that elain will be next because in the last acotar book their was more of azriel and gwyn then elain?

Nesta and cassian had a bonas chapter and they got their book, azriel has a bonas with both elain and gwyn but who in their right mind still thinks az an elain are “soulmates” after that bonus chapter. The whole time i got the ick while reading how he behaved will elain it was just fuckboh behavior. Rhys is his brother i think id azriel would be sooo in love with elain he would find a way for them? But azriel couldn’t even say anything, he didn’t think about a future with her, just where he pleasures himself to the thought of her and who does that? Fuckboys who don’t want a future with someone sorry but i wouldn’t want to date someone who thinks like that about me.

Sorry for rambling but i just had to get that of my chest 😂😂

Elain hasn't been set up enough to have the next book , I am not sure what popular stuff people are on these days but it must be potent in order to come to that hallucination but its really ok , it's not the worst assumption or theory out there. People can assume whatever they want and have fun while it lasts .

Personally I believe it will be Azriel's book. I often have people trying to pull me into debates but its just obvious its silly to argue about it.

Also, I do condemn Azriels thoughts on Elain in the bonus , it's never ok to treat anyone like an object you feel entitled to. It's still beyond me how someone can read that bonus and think it's romantic, reading badly written books and inexperience in life would explain it though. Clearly they both barely know each other and its not love . As an Azriel stan I would like Az to find that epic , intense , all consuming love that doesn't need to be hidden , for a guy that was locked away as a child for 11 years like some dirty secret it would just not make sense that he has to be a part of " forbidden romance " its just cruel.

Also, I think this fandom takes it too far with the "Fuckboy" image of Az , he is desparate and lonely , he also has a whole lot of unresolved trauma that has left him feeling rejected all his life, Elain lead him on , made her interest obvious so he would obviously think it was worth a shot. I don't think Az even knows what a healthy relationship looks like and Elain clearly has her own set of issues she is dealing with , they are at the best each others rebound.

What makes Az look worse is the fact that SJM changed from a Moriel endgame in ACOMAF which compromises the way the characters look in ACOWAR and I mean both Az and Mor. I am hoping after his book some of that will be amended.

Azriel is a grey character but he certainly is a lot more interesting compared to some other characters from the series who often seem very one dimensional and lack complexity and depth and seriously lack appeal . I truly believe Azriels story will the most intriguing, complex and satisfying journeys and I look forward to it .

And as for the whole Elain book or Az book? As long as people realise it's one OR the other who cares ? We will eventually get both the Gwynriel and Elucien book 🤗

#gwynriel #gwyneth berdara #pro gwynriel #gwyn acosf #acotar #gwyn x azriel #azriel shadowsinger #azriel #post acosf #acosf theory #elucien

[acourtofthought]

Have you been shipping Elucien since the beginning (ACOWAR, since ACOMAF didn’t really have them interact except at the end)?

I didn't ship Elucien at first.

Not that I was against them. When they were made mates then we got Lucien's POV and later Elain invited him back to Velaris, I was fine with where the story was headed.

But then it looked like things took a turn in a different direction in ACOFAS and I was ok with that too. I was just going whatever way I thought the author was pointing me in me because I wasn't invested in anyone beyond Rhys and Feyre. Really, I've never been one to ship a couple outside the endgame couple (to this day, I will always be 100% fine that Ron and Hermione ended up together and have never imagined her with Draco or Harry) so it's not often that I want to see a couple get together unless it's the authors intended plan.

I also never thought that there could be things going on in the story beyond what the author was telling us so when SJM had a character say one thing, I assumed that's all there was to it. I never realized she placed messages within messages and had little hints scattered all over. I never realized that two characters could be talking about one character and what they're talking about would be important down the road, but for an entirely different character than the one they were originally talking about.

So I went into SF assuming that she decided against Elucien and was going the route of E/riel. As soon as I read the Bonus Chapter, I remember thinking, "that doesn't sound good". 😂 I couldn't understand it because it did feel like she decided on E/riel but all of a sudden Az was coming across as a loose canon who wasn't interested in Elain for the right reasons.

Still, I didn't feel that strongly about who Elain was going to be with until I joined the FB fandom and saw all the Elain slander. I saw the mentions of how she could never end up with Az because she wasn't good enough for him, how she was definitely evil because his shadows hid from her but not Gwyn, how Gwyn was brave for leaving the library after two years while Elain was a giant crybaby for mourning Graysen and the loss of her humanity for 2 months. How it was ridiculous that Nesta wanted to protect Elain but it was so sweet how Nesta felt protective of Gwyn. How Gwyn standing up to Nesta and demanding she treat her like a person was amazing but Elain standing up to Nesta made her a bitch. How Elain's gardening was pathetic but Gwyns bracelet making was adorable. I remember getting into some pretty intense arguments with Gwynriels and I set out to prove that Elain was good enough to end up with Az and the Bonus Chapter didn't mean E/riel was over.

Again, it's not that I even cared about E/riel so much as I hated seeing some tear apart Elain while raving over Gwyn even though their characters weren't that drastically different.

I started deep diving into the books and I joined Tumblr to keep a record of my thoughts. But what ended up happening is I started to realize how poorly matched Elain and Az are. It's not that Elain isn't good enough for Az; if anything both Gwyn and Elain are too good for Az right now. And both Elain and Lucien became my absolute favorites, even more than Feysand. Their personalities became more rich each time I read over their scenes and I completely understood how their mating bond took SJM by surprise. SJM was happily writing Lucien while Elain was a world away, them being together not a thought in her mind yet there were parallels even then. And I could see all the fun little hints that SJM planted once she did realize they'd be mates, things I never noticed the first time around. Lucien taking those first steps towards Elain before she was turned, Elain finally coming out of her comatose state within days of Lucien's arrival. Her never leaving her room until the day he ended up in the library. Her saying she needed sunshine before SJM dropped the Helion is Lucien's baby daddy bomb, the fact that while SJM has Feyre talk about E/riel being mates, the personalities of Rhys's parents (who had an ill suited bond) are identical to those of Elain and Az. And if someone pays any attention to SJMs books they realize that just because an Archeron pushes her mate away, there is still an extremely good chance they're ending up together regardless of how impossible it seems before their book.

Reading back over the series, I was also able to appreciate Gwyn in a way I hadn't before (I think we all understand how certain sides of the fandom can make us dislike certain characters. I have Gwynriel friends who aren't fans of Elain for this very reason). I could see how compatible she and Az seem to be and how their interactions make him so much more likeable than he's been as of late.

As it stands, Elucien is the first couple I've ever truly shipped without knowing if they'll end up together and it's awesome because I'm so excited for their story but it's also frustrating because I hate being kept in suspense and this has been a LONG wait 😂

#elucien

[eudaimonia83]

Chapter three is up! It’s a bit info dumpy, but I am THAT person who wonders how populations recover in the wake of war, if the birth rate is really low…how roads and rivers and weather and crops determine migration patterns and survival…how municipal government functions…so I had to fill a little of it in myself. 😂

The Gift

CHAPTER THREE: ELAIN

WARNINGS: Mildly NSFW. Includes descriptions of graphic violence.

The House of Wind, for all it was high in the sky and subjected to buffeting gales of the upper atmosphere, felt as stifling to Elain as lying under a blanket. It was safe, she knew, and she was grateful for that, but Mother’s tits — she was frustrated enough to think the curse, even though it made her look around in guilt, as if the goddess could hear her — she just couldn’t get comfortable.

After Lucien left, she paced. For two hours. Hours of feeling wound tighter than a winch, wanting his presence so badly she hadn’t just ached, she physically hadn’t known what to do with herself. Feeling the whisper of his touch on her legs, over and over again, until her whole body was alive with gooseflesh. Thinking to herself he’s just down the hall and then recoiling in horror at what would happen if Nesta could hear her thoughts, or worse, if the House could, and somehow disclosed it to her older sister. She’d lain down and gotten up a dozen times, locked and unlocked the door, washed her face with icy water, tossed back and forth under the sheet, opened the window, shuddered at the cold, closed it again, and laughed bitterly at her own madness.

It finally occurred to her, as she sat on the edge of the bed twisting her fingers and tapping her foot against the floor, that there was one thing she hadn’t tried yet. Cerridwen had alluded to it, in that lyrical way of hers, as “solving her own problem.” When Elain, thinking it a difference of phrase from the wraith language that she hadn’t learned yet, had asked her to clarify, Cerridwen had whispered with a wink, for those times you need a man but one isn’t available to you. Elain had flushed crimson and spilled hot water all over the floor. Cerridwen had laughed and said, as they mopped it up, “maybe you can think of Lord Azriel while you solve your own problem? Most of us do, after all,” and winked.

And she had tried, alone at night, to think of Azriel, his beautiful features and hooded eyes; but it always felt rickety, or rushed, like reading one of Nesta’s dirty books back home while always being afraid that someone would catch her. Unsafe. Elain wondered if maybe something was broken in her, that she didn’t like the thought of risk or danger when it came to sex, when obviously everyone else lusted hard after that, but even though she had imagined kissing him many times — and almost done it once, a moment she tried hard not to think about— she simply couldn’t push her mind to go any further.

But this? This made her feel as though she had some kind of damnable itch.

Eventually, she lay down on the bed and pulled up her borrowed nightdress, breathing slowly. She knew what to do, in a manner of speaking…she’d spoken in whispers with her human friends about it before they’d all dissolved into embarrassed giggles, and she’d been intimate with Graysen, but she’d never actually done this before. She squeezed her eyes shut and slid her fingers up her leg, toward her hip. How would this feel? Would it be different? Could she imagine that her own touch was…someone else’s?

Mismatched gold and russet eyes squinted at her in amusement behind the dark of her own eyelids. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. This would not be an accidental dream, or a vision, or whatever that last encounter had been. This would be her, in her real body, with her mind conjuring him up. To think of him while she brought herself to climax. This would be a decision. Her face burned.

Slowly, ever so slowly, her fingers crept between her legs, starting on the tops of her thighs and sliding up the soft, soft skin between them. She tried to make them as soft as his touch had been against her shins, right below her knees. Ghostly little circles, twining their way up ever so slowly…so gently. She thought it’d feel ridiculous, to pretend like this when she’d felt the real thing, but his face took shape in her mind without any effort at all. The fox-like tilt of his eyes…the lopsided, dimpled grin that revealed his sharp white teeth in a vivid, sudden, heart-pounding flash…the narrow braid that always hung down in front of his ear, tied with a scrap of bright blue leather. She was surprised to find she was wet. Hesitant, she advanced her touch, and her finger slipped between the folds of her flesh so easily, she stiffened and drew back. She tilted her head back and imagined the water running down over his back in soapy rivulets, tracing the jut of his shoulder blade and the bulge of the muscle above it…and the scars. Ghostly and smooth, most of them old enough that they no longer creased his rich bronze skin, just etched faint pathways along the surface. He had healed from so much. Oh, to let her fingers run where the water did…she tightened her hand muscles, wondering how it would feel…

Her finger slid inside her, quicker than she’d intended, all the way to the knuckle. She froze and let out a tiny sigh. It didn’t hurt. It felt…unusual, not natural exactly, but good. Like her body was excited for the touch. Like it had missed something, even though it had never known it before. She shifted, and felt herself clamp, squeezing against her finger. What would it be like to have his hand where hers was now? She eased another finger next to it, slowly, slowly, imagining those long fingers, rough at the pads from archery and swordplay, sliding into her, all the way in…

She gasped, her fingers sinking inside her to the palm. Oh…

Keep going, she pictured him saying, his eyes bright with delight. Don’t stop.

She swallowed and pressed her hand against herself. Her folds spread from the pressure and suddenly, a jolt rocked through her. An electric pulse. Breathless, she relaxed the pressure, and the sensation faded. She pressed again, and her fingers curled inside her, and all of a sudden there were tingles in her spine, gooseflesh smattering along her stomach…this was wrong, so wrong. Wasn’t it?

Keep going, she could almost hear him whispering. If it’s wrong, I’ll gladly be the reason, Elain…Blossom…

The thought of the nickname he’d bestowed upon her so gently sent another coil of pure sensation through her gut. She’d thought of one for him, too — Blaze, to call to mind the flare of his fire in the dark, lighting up his face, and the clench of her heart that had answered that sight — but she hadn’t been brave enough to say it to him, had gone quiet with her tongue tangled, had spent nearly an hour in the bath thinking of how to sweetly, gently, teasingly tell him that, so they could laugh and the chill between them could thaw. But then Nesta had burst in, and their sisterly acrimony had soiled her moment with…with Lucien…oh fuck…

Sweat dampened the skin on her neck and chest. She felt cold and hot at the same time, her eyes fluttering open to see the sky through the window, midnight blue, flush with high clouds. So cold. She’d need a blaze to keep warm.

And in her mind, he was there, his skin so warm and sleek, bending over her, that bright hair sliding off his shoulders. Her hand contracted and her fingers rubbed faster at the inside of her walls. The heat inside her grew. What if he’d kissed me in the bath? she wondered, picturing him pivoting and pulling her into the water dotted with little clouds of soap, fast enough that she’d have to hold on to his neck to stay upright…and then, the water swirling around them, his lips on hers, his hands sliding around her waist and up her back, leaning her backward. There was heat swelling inside her, her heart threatening to escape from her chest with the force of its beating…a feeling like she was falling from a great height…

“Oh,” she whimpered, her hand become his. Her body, his. Her hips rocked desperately against her hand, her core clamping hard and rhythmic against her fingers, and all the air rushed out of her lungs in a wrenching gasp. Give it to me, Blossom, his voice murmured, silky against her ear. I know you feel it. You’re so close. I want your pleasure, it’s all for me. It’ll be so easy. Just give me what’s mine. She couldn’t stop it now; she arched, her legs pushing hard against the mattress, warmth inside her and around her and billowing through her until she slumped, spent, her wrist aching and her legs quaking as though she’d run as fast as she could up a hundred stairs...

She rolled over, weak and shaking, but oddly, much calmer; and passed out cold from exhaustion in the wake of her release. Only to see a gold eye in her dreams, crinkling at her in a sardonic smile. But it didn’t wake her sweating or screaming, or feel as invasive as the dreams had. It felt like she was quiet in her own mind, and he was lying next to her, awake and close, with a hand on her back to keep away the night terrors.

Sleep, Blossom, she imagined him whispering. And await the dawn.

————————

A few days later, Elain awoke on the morning of the winter Solstice with a faint pounding at her temples that had not quite grown into a headache. The sun hadn’t dared to peek over the horizon yet, not on the shortest day of the year, but the River House was already abuzz with activity. She crept down the huge front stairs, footsteps muffled by the thick navy carpets, and slipped the back way down the servants’ stairs. It was her favorite way to navigate the massive house. Even when it was busy, the stairwells were thickly insulated to prevent guests from hearing the movements of the serving crew. She’d slipped out of countless stuffy gatherings that way, desperate for a breath of fresh air at her own window, or the silk sheets of her own bed. Or a moment of privacy from her sisters’ sharp eyes…Rhysand’s constant sly probing at her thoughts…or Lucien, quiet and elegant and always addling her senses, disturbing her focus.

The fire in the kitchen was banked, but warmth still beat from the coals. She set the kettle to boil and stretched her hands toward the great dragon of a stove, its giant potbelly shimmering with heat and all of its oven doors opened to feed the seething coals. She’d barely gotten her rose petal tea mixed and brewed before Nuala slid in, mumbling in her own language, carrying a huge load of table linens that had been freshly laundered. She didn’t even see Elain until she threw them down on the stone counter with a low curse.

“Good morning,” Elain murmured, and Nuala turned in that slow pivot of hers that indicated surprise.

“Elain,” she said, and her low voice was rich and full. “Why are you awake so early, cariad?” She used the term of endearment from her own language, that she usually only spoke with Cerridwen. She raised her head, catching the scent of the rose petals in the cup Elain carried. “Headache?”

Elain nodded and took a careful sip from the mug, breathing deeply as the steam curled up. The heady floral of the rose was balanced by the smoky black tea and the sharp acid of hibiscus. It felt familiar somehow; reminding her of something. She added a pinch of sugar crystals. Always a little sweetness in the morning, to begin your day with beauty. One of Cerridwen’s aphorisms. She was sometimes overly whimsical but she had a point. Beauty was dismissed as trivial, but it had a function like everything else: to enrich what surrounded it.

Nuala was still talking, her rich voice rolling gently around her vowels. “Go back to sleep, young one. We will need your eye for the flowers later.”

“That won’t be for hours,” mumbled Elain, taking another long sip.

“The High Lady’s party lunch will need a few centerpieces,” Nuala said, with a smile. “And then the gift exchange later…”

“What’s later?” Cerridwen asked, entering through the door to the greenhouse, her hands full of herbs, the smell of sage and rosemary suddenly thick in the air. Elain concentrated hard on the scent of the tea, so the dueling scents wouldn’t overpower her senses and send her running with acute nausea. She had almost gotten to the point where she could select which smells to attend to. After finding her sobbing and sick on the floor her first week in the house, Cerridwen had held her in her slender arms and rocked her like a helpless babe, murmured gentle, wordless sounds of comfort, then given her a sachet of honeysuckle to focus her newly-sensitive nose. Nuala had taught her songs and told her stories to distract her from the vivid flashbacks that occurred without warning, and taught her to keep her hands busy. Even her sisters hadn’t known what to do, Elain remembered thinking, but the wraiths had; and she would forever be grateful for their kindness.

“The High Lady’s party,” Nuala smiled. “But our sweet Elain has a headache so I suggested she go back to sleep til then.”

Elain’s fondness disappeared in a rush; she couldn’t believe they were counseling her to go back to bed like a naughty little girl. A burst of indignation sent warm fingers down her neck; she edged closer to Nuala and murmured, “I went to the place you told me about. To find Bronwyn.”

The wraith’s skin was too dusky to see if she’d paled, but her eyes went round with surprise. With shock.

Elain continued. “She tried to attack me. What is she? What manner of magic does she have?”

Nuala clasped her hand and her dark eyes pooled with tears. “I’m so sorry, cariad,” she murmured. “I did not…”

“You didn’t know?” Elain said, voice brimming with emotion. “Or you didn’t think?”

“I didn’t think she’d hurt you,” Nuala said, clutching her fingers tightly. “I thought she might tell you about dreamscapes, or counsel you on vision interpretation. She knows many signs and symbols that appear in dreams, and many stories that can shed light on them. I’ve asked her many times about remedies, or medicines, and even once about your nightmares, though I told her they were my own. I didn’t know…”

“You didn’t know she’d try to suck away my strength and imprison me in that rickety little houseboat?”

Nuala’s jaw dropped, horror all over her face. “Elain…no, love. No!”

“But you knew she could do such a thing, and didn’t think to warn me?”

Cerridwen, who had watched in stunned silence from near the doorway, tossed the herbs onto the counter and approached the two of them, folding her arms in front of her. She looked anxious but also furious, a combination of emotions Elain had never seen from her; she was used to the wraith being merry or mischievous, not mysterious and depthless like Nuala, who seemed to harbor endless secrets. “I told you it wasn’t wise, sister,” she said, staring at Nuala, her voice thrumming with intensity.

“She said that she was a skimmer,” Elain squeezed the mug hard enough that the handle left an imprint on her thumb. “But what does that mean? Who is she?”

Cerridwen shook her head. “That’s not for me to say. Skimmers are secretive and many don’t understand their own powers. I’d be doing you a wrong to tell you rumor or hearsay. Just…just don’t go back, Elain. Promise me you won’t go back.” Her eyes also shone with tears.

Elain slammed the mug down onto the counter. Nuala and Cerridwen both flinched, and the mug began to leak hot tea from a long crack in its side. The silence that fell was thick as cream. Elain heard power in her own voice as she replied, “I don’t think I will. I’m not interested in dying. Not yet. I have too many things to find out,” and walked out, back up the stairs, her pulse racing but her head oddly, mercifully clear.

She slipped out through the concealed paneled door and turned to go up the grand staircase, her feet sinking into the thick pile of the carpet. The faint scent of winter roses hung in the air, and a clatter of activity came from the drawing room. Elain pulled her robe around her and hurried up the stairs, only to run headlong into Morrigan, dressed in her leathers and clearly about to leave. Everyone was at the River House today, and the sun wasn’t even yet above the horizon; the light of the dawn was still anemic, a watery, diluted blue.

Mor’s face moved fluidly from surprise to warmth, her lovely brown eyes crinkling in her characteristic bright smile. “Goodness, Elain, you gave me such a start. What are you doing up this early?”

“Might ask the same of you,” Elain replied.

Morrigan didn’t seem to be offended, though; she winked, and slipped past her and jogged briskly down the great stairs. “I’m going up to the House of Wind for some training with the Valkyries. Come join us if you’d like to watch, I don’t think it’ll last long. Most of the priestesses have Solstice duties today.”

“No thank you,” Elain said, pulling the velvet border of her robe closed over her nightgown. “Too cold. And it’s very busy here today, even this early. Lots to do.”

She caught the barest glimpse of an expression slip across Mor’s face. It was too quick to read, but Elain knew the truth of something when she saw it. Relief?

But it was gone as soon as it appeared, and Mor smiled indulgently. “What are you getting up to then? Helping with the flowers?”

Elain nodded, casting about for something that would take all morning. “And shopping…some more presents to buy.”

Mor laughed, loud and free, the sound bouncing off the walls. “I do my best shopping at the last minute too. Can’t get the most ridiculous present unless you’re waiting for the most ridiculous time. And Rhys and Feyre will be scarce today, so that’s a good time for wrapping.”

Elain frowned. Why would her sister not be home today? “Where are they going?”

Mor made a face. “Over to the Hewn MonstroCity, for the last week of the yearly tithe. They moved it over there after they gave the House of Wind to your sister. It’ll take hours, it’s very dull. If they know what’s good for them they’ll make the appearance and then leave.”

Elain thought of the lines of people that would stretch through the caverns, the dark malachite halls that sucked up sound and always seemed unsettlingly quiet, waiting to give their tribute. It seemed…ungrateful, somehow, for Rhysand and Feyre not to stay to witness the event. And also…her brain caught at a brief memory…“Don’t they need to stay to hear disputes and dispense justice at those?”

Mor shrugged. “Well, they can, but mostly it’s a ceremonial duty. The castellains will oversee the tithe and the exchequer will handle the majority of the complaints. Rhys hasn’t stayed at most of those things since he was first imbued with the High Lord magic. It’s a good thing really, because people do bring in the silliest disputes. And it is Feyre’s birthday, after all, so she’ll want to get back to her party, and to Nyx, and to you!” Mor adjusted her gloves and unfolded a long red cloak from a tiny pocket realm that she opened with a swish of her elegant fingers. “The celebrations must go on! I’ll see you at the party later, then.”

Elain wasn’t sure that that made much of a difference. Things didn’t stop just because it was a holiday. Or the High Lady’s birthday. The world kept turning. But she stepped aside as Mor waved merrily and bounced out the door with a spring in her step. Elain caught a glimpse of the decorators working in the living area as she continued upstairs. It did look beautiful, and once she would’ve joined in, artfully arranging the evergreen branches into a sweeping bower for her beautiful little sister. Maybe adding ribbons and holding them in place with those curious sparkles that generated no heat, that Nuala had shown her.

But today it didn’t seem like it would be enjoyable. She just felt irritable. Tense. Perhaps it was the full knowledge of her own ignorance, she thought sourly. Everyone seemed to know something more than she did.

Or perhaps it was the weight of keeping a secret.

She had gone with Gwyn to the library the morning after her terrible experience in the Palace of Ships and Shadows, but despite tedious hours searching the towering stacks, they hadn’t found much. Elain wasn’t sure how much she could trust Gwyn, who did seem to have a sharp and observant nature, and had been kind in offering to assist her — though how much of that had been at Lucien’s behest, Elain didn’t know. But that intelligence made it difficult to keep things from her. When she had seen a reference book called Tribes of the Lesser Fae, a thick volume gathering dust between two reference series on Prythian history, and attempted to sneak it into her pile to research what on earth skimmers might be, Gwyn had immediately noticed and demurred. “There won’t be any information about seers in there,” she’d said, tapping the spine. “The only ones known to history have been High Fae.” She’d moved down the stacks with a sure, soft gait, the faelight glinting in her copper hair. “But it is a fascinating book. The dryads and sirens and nymphs and urisk and even the demifae, whose powers are so amorphous depending on their surroundings and the species they’re mated with. It’ll make you marvel, really.”

“At what?” Elain had asked.

Gwyn turned her head away to look at a different title, and Elain almost wondered if she was embarrassed to have shown her excitement. “Oh. Just…that there are so many ways that magic can exist in the world.”

Elain looked down at the page she had open — some dry biography of a known fortune-teller — and thought, I know nothing about magic. Nothing about this world, which is enough to fill this and a thousand other libraries in the Day Court. She felt despondency creep cold fingers up her neck. And I never will.

Gwyn had pulled another thin volume off the shelf and blew lightly on it to clear the dust, but cast a worried look at her under her eyelids. Remarkable eyes, Elain thought. I wonder if she shoots arrows as accurately as she shoots glances. “Should we take a break?”

“No,” Elain said stubbornly. “I want to find out about…” she trailed off.

“You got hit with a distraction, didn’t you,” Gwyn said with a bright, rakish smile.

“A what?”

Gwyn smiled and closed the book with a snap. “When you find something interesting enough to distract you from your original research question. It happens to me all the time, it’s why I’ll never be as good a scholar as Merrill, for example. I haven’t the discipline. I find things interesting all the time, and it steals my attention like a thief in the night.”

Elain cast her eyes down, consumed with shame and irritation. So now Gwyn also thought her weak and undisciplined.

“Elain?” Gwyn approached her, and extended a hand. A hand with a book: Tribes of the Lesser Fae. “Here. Take it.”

“But —“

“We’re not finding anything on our original research question,” Gwyn spoke lightly, but there was weight behind the words. “So maybe your distraction will be more productive. Who knows, after all. Merrill is a tyrant, but she keeps saying that true knowledge has no road map, and in all honesty, I think she might be right.” She smiled and gestured toward the book that now sat clutched in Elain’s cold hands. “You should read about the Ashkeloni, and the Nereids. When I first read that book, I wished I could draw, or paint like the High Lady. I would’ve drawn them like characters in a story. I could see them, even though I’ve never actually laid eyes on one.”

Elain opened the book, whose covers were stained and parchment pages smelled faintly of mildew. “Is this book old?”

Gwyn shrugged. “Not terribly, a few hundred years at most. But the Lesser Fae are a sort of boondoggle of a research topic. Antynus— the author of that book — was ridiculed by his fellows for his interest in them. Not many write about them.”

“Why?”

With a short little trill of a laugh, Gwyn opened her own book and pulled her quill from the inkwell. “Several reasons, I think. Lesser Fae tend to guard their lore carefully, lest it be used against them as it has in the past. Which means much of their magic is mysterious, or secret. But also because High Fae number most of the scholars, and their studies of magic concern their own magic, however shortsighted that might be; academics often are just as prejudiced as those who aren’t as well educated. They just hide it better.” Her voice darkened ever so slightly. Bitterness?

Elain turned the first page to the preface.

Prythian is a land of magic.

This may seem obvious. Books on the subject are long and varied, after all, covering topics from the tilt of the planetary axis to the sub-ecosystems of the seasonal courts, protected by atmospheric bubbles penetrating down into the topography and up into the realms of the upper air, to the emotional psychology between the rulers of those courts, the natural processes maintained within them, and the powers that can and cannot transcend their borders.

But significantly less well-documented are the details of the inhabitants of the land itself. The land is distinct from its people, but also a part of them; and the magic it possesses may well be the same.

The High Fae populate these realms, but they form a privileged minority within them. Even including the powerful warriors and magicians of the High Fae rulers and cities, there is as much magic — possibly more — contained within the land itself, and belonging to its indigenous inhabitants. It is these for whom I compiled this volume, in admiration of their survival and in deference to their plight, which is as varied as the species that exist but inevitably tends toward violence and oppression. Many, like the Demifae Pegasus herds, have been hunted close to extinction; the Urisk tribes at the borders of the Summer Court have been indentured into magical servitude at the behest of High Fae masters. The Lotusae, whose blood induces deep sleep and amnesia in their prey, have endured centuries of being bred and slaughtered to use their blood as a weapon; the few remaining wild ones have been slowly pushed out of their natural habitats and homelands. Some groups have adapted well to the political realities of the High Fae rule, like the Illyrians, whose warrior traditions and warlord-ruled tribal social structure dovetailed neatly with the historical military isolationism of the Night Court. Some, like the kelpies or the witch-bred ilken, whose natural behaviors were predatory, were deemed monsters and forcibly relocated to the desolation of the Middle. Still others attempt to live apart and hold on to their lives, traditions, languages, and folkways, even when conquered, assimilated, or summarily neglected.

This work is by no means comprehensive. It is intended as a beginning. I dedicate it to them, whom the High Fae call Lesser. I have chosen a different term for them: Iriadeni, after the ancient name for this land.

The Ashkeloni of the Western Sea worship a goddess named Mezumiiru, whose cosmology is loosely analogous to the goddess the High Fae call the Mother, though they believe she drifted to earth as celestial dust when the moon cracked open in the chaos of creation. They have a proverb that says “intilit ead loroto ni Mezumiiru, bakairat ead voluridad.” It roughly translates to “marvelous are the ways of all Mezumiiru’s children; endless is their variety.”

It is my hope that that variety will someday be appreciated.

Elain looked up from the page toward Gwyn, who was assiduously scribbling in the margin of one of the pages, her copper hair draped in a wall over her face. “Gwyn?”

“Hmm?”

“How did the High Fae come to rule Prythian?”

Gwyn looked up, eyebrows jutting into an expression of surprise. Elain’s ears rapidly went hot with embarrassment. “Is that a stupid question?”

Her eyebrows relaxed, and her remarkable eyes glowed. “No, no, of course not. I just sometimes forget…”

“That I’m newly Fae, and ignorant as a summer fawn?” Elain tried to make her tone light and amused, but couldn’t be sure her shame didn’t seep through at the edges. It was so frustrating to always have to ask. To reveal the gaps in her knowledge. To never be confident in her own mind, because there were always so many incessant, important questions…

Gwyn turned toward her with an emphatic bounce. “Elain, you are not. How could you know any of this, unless it was taught to you?”

Elain didn’t know what to say.

Gwyn continued, “The history of this world is something scholars have studied for millennia and still haven’t found exact answers to, because so much of it occurred before written texts existed, when oral tradition was the only method of passing things forward, and is bound up with legend and myth.” She leaned forward and put her hand on Elain’s, meeting her eyes in a direct, challenging stare. “So without any basic instruction, there’s no way you’d have a grasp of it. Honestly, I’ve been doing historical research with Merrill for a few years now and I still come across inconsistencies in accounts that make cohesive narratives impossible. It’s maddening.”

Elain managed a watery smile. I see why Nesta likes her, she thought, shamefaced at her own initial reaction to Gwyn. She’s strong. But kind.

Gwyn sat back with a thoughtful expression. “But I think I can condense the little that I know into a brief story for you, if you want…”

“Yes,” Elain said eagerly.

Gwyn let out a little huff of air. “Where to begin,” she murmured, half to herself.

“At the beginning?” Elain knew it was facetious of her to say that, but she couldn’t help wanting to make her laugh.

Gwyn stretched her hands in a helpless gesture. “But…no one really knows what that is. The legends talk of the Daglan, who were godlike creatures that crafted the Fae like sculptures, from mixing the waters and the elements of the air, the earth, and the stone into a clay that transfigured into flesh. They were hugely powerful, and beautiful; but in their power they were careless and damaged the land until their own shadowy echoes came forth that were more monster than god. In those stories, the Fae were innocent and were created as willing servants to the masters they’d eventually overthrow. But that’s a myth from religious texts,” she said, leaning her head against her hand and squinting into the middle distance. “Did you want legend, or history?”

Elain sat up and shifted so her back was braced against the bookshelves. “History, I think,” she said, thoughtful. “Legend is lovely but…it’s mostly what the storytellers want you to hear.”

Gwyn nodded. “It’s not that it doesn’t have truth in it —“

“— but it’s not verifiable.”

Gwyn grinned, her eyes aqua and alight. “Why, Elain Archeron, you’re nothing but an untrained scholar. How have you hidden it all this time?” She drew back from her own book, carefully marking the page before she closed it. “There may very well have been sentient creatures here before the Daglan arrived, when Prythian was as new and unsullied as a forest brook. But the High Fae did not come from these lands. Whether they originated from other continents on the planet, or from somewhere else altogether is not understood, although a few theories exist. The only certainty is that they arrived as conquerors; they’ve found preserved longships buried along the coastline. We do know that the Lesser Fae did come from these lands and the surrounding islands. Their blood and their magic is tied to the land and the environment inextricably; some so closely that if they leave their homelands, their magical abilities disappear. There was a very sad story about the conquering of the Sithmaril, a race from the Western Oceans, who were amphibious and gifted fighters. They refused to accept the terms of surrender crafted by the Hybern fae, who claimed to speak for all the oceanic tribes. The High Fae warrior king Lidior took his warriors out on boats and lured them into battle. He detected somehow that if their feet were not touching the lands or waters of their birth, their strength could be depleted. So he captured the warriors in snares that sprung backward when engaged, and drew them up into the air; he then drained their blood and slowly killed them.” Her face looked blasted, and she swallowed hard before continuing. “The worst part isn’t that; the worst is that he tied the civilians of their settlements to the masts of his ships, even the women and children and elders, hanging them in the open air, and sailed around the open sea until they died in agony. The entire tribe was wiped out in the space of a few days.”

Elain couldn’t keep her mouth from falling open in horror. “That was recent?”

“No,” Gwyn said, shaking her head, averting her eyes to contain her emotion. “That was in the First Age, which is the first written evidence we have of High Fae in the territory that we call Prythian. Back then it was called…”

“Iriadeni?” Elain asked, thinking of the passage from the book she still clutched in her lap.

“Iriaden,” Gwyn corrected. “Yes. We don’t know if that referred to a region or was interchangeable with the word for ‘homeland,’ but it appears often enough in different languages of text to know that it was commonly used.”

Elain was quiet for a moment, thinking. “So that king…Lidior…”

“Yes,” Gwyn said. “He was one of four.”

“Four warriors?”

“Four Kings of the First Age,” Gwyn said. “Lidior, Armenton, Carteret, and Melchiades. But yes, they were warriors. There’s not much difference between war and kingship in those early days. They were charismatic and zealous and violent. They believed the Mother had blessed them enough to make their every decision holy. And as long as they kept winning, they felt they were vindicated and safe in her esteem.”

“So where in Prythian did they all rule?”

Gwyn stood and reached above her head to pull down another volume, which she opened to a detailed map of Prythian and the surrounding islands. “It seems as though their borders weren’t as absolute as we experience them today, which must mean that thousands of years ago, even the seasonal courts didn’t have the same sorts of magical environments as they do now. They’ve found artifacts from the First Age naming all the kings in Hybern and all over the Prythian courts. But it seems that Lidior took the west country and Hybern, which likely included dominion over the Western Sea; Carteret took the south, Armenton the east and the islands and the Channels, dominating trade routes from the continents; and Melchiades took the Northern territories. He was the most cruel of the First Age kings, with the largest army, and he had proved he could vanquish the remaining Daglan, who took the forms of monsters throughout the lands. He sold the chances for that to his lieutenants, and would supply them for quests against the populations of monsters and indigenous Fae. He wanted a realm he could rule without interference; so he took the lands north of the Amu Darya — the Dark Hills. That was where the Daglan amassed to reconquer, and they threw most of the land back into chaos as the Fae fought them for centuries, but none could band together with enough strength to rout them entirely. Not until Fionn, who became High King under an alliance with a southern general and an unnamed but powerful queen.” She sighed. “Every High Fae child knows that legend. But as far as the end of the First Age, Melchiades’ original realm was almost unchanged, and later became the Night Court, after the dissolution of Fionn’s high kingdom.”

She paused, her finger tracing the border of the northernmost part of the great island. “In all the ages that followed — some fifteen to twenty thousand years, I think is the most accurate estimate — the Night Court is the one whose borders have changed the least. Maybe in other ways too. There are still fewer permanent settlements and cities than in any of the other courts, and less reliable means of transportation, and ways of tracking the population. The lesser Fae in the Night Court are also much more transient in their lifestyles, so it’s harder to tell how many of them there are. It’s helped keep invaders away, I suppose, but it means there’s still very little structure beyond Velaris and the Hewn City. And very little unity, outside of the times that war poses an overwhelming threat.” She grimaced: rueful, regretful, sad. “Sometimes history doesn’t even repeat itself. It doesn’t have to. It just doesn’t change.”

In the back of her brain, stirring like echoes, Elain could almost hear the slash of iron spears through flesh, the screams and coughs and gags of dying soldiers. No, she thought, clenching her fists, no visions now. Please, no. She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palm, relishing the pain, focusing on it. She felt soaked in it, sticky with blood and heat, the taste of iron in her mouth, the ebbing away of life, the loss of vital energy as it screamed back into the darkness of death. She squinted her eyes tight-shut and concentrated, inhaling the scent of the millions of books, the cool smooth parchment under her fingers. Her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. The tang of battle faded from her tongue. She opened her eyes and saw Gwyn watching her intently.

“Are you able to keep your visions away?” she asked, half keen interest, half wariness.

Elain wasn’t sure how to answer her, but in her weariness and confusion, she chose the truth, if only because it was the easiest thing to remember. “I can sometimes.” She stretched her fingers and rubbed her palm, where a vicious cramp had set in. “But the more intense it is, the less I can manage it.”

“Was that an intense one?”

“I think it might have been. If I didn’t realize it was coming.” Elain hesitated; she had lied to Nesta about this, had avoided telling Feyre or Rhysand, but somehow it was aching to come out, and once she decided, the pressure eased ever so slightly. “I was attacked last night and…well. Can I tell you a secret? Since then I think I’ve been more anxious. Edgier. It’s like it gives the visions a way out, like a drain opened in a tub.”

“Attacked?” Gwyn’s eyes went round with horror. “When you came back to the house with Lucien?”

“Yes.” Elain couldn’t stop the flow of words once they started in a tiny uncontrollable avalanche. “We’d only just gotten away. I went down to the docks to talk to someone, looking for answers about my dreams and visions and the person I asked — she tried to attack me. I don’t know if she could see what I saw, but she pulled my power toward her and…and I think she took some of it.”

“How?!” Gwyn’s voice was hushed, horrified.

Elain shook her head. “I don’t know. Perhaps it was her sort of magic. She was a Lesser Fae. Maybe she has magic that isn’t understood. But Lucien; he saved me. He felt me through the…the bond…” - she pressed her chest hard, feeling it stir again - “and he came to get me.”

She looked over at Gwyn and reached out, covering the pale freckled skin with her own. “Please don’t tell anyone,” she said in a rush of worry. “My sister won’t understand and she’ll tell Rhys…”

“Nesta would never,” Gwyn insisted.

“No. No, I mean Feyre.” Elain pushed her hand against her forehead, the headache that had vaguely threatened her since dawn beginning to throb in her temples. “And what if she…what if they…didn’t like that I was searching around? Snooping for answers? Maybe they’d put me in a house by myself? Without anyone around me? I’m not sure I could survive it.”

Gwyn’s eyes filled with tears, and she wiped the back of her hand across her face. “Do you really think they would do that to you?”

Elain opened and closed her hands, the weight of her uncertainty making her feel like a butterfly pinned to a page. Maybe she was beautiful, maybe she was decorative, but she was also always under scrutiny. Did it feel better to tell Gwyn about it, or worse? Was it a liability, or a freedom?

“I don’t know,” she said finally. “I think…sometimes I think they believe they do things for the right reason. But they don’t take the time to see if that’s really true?”

Gwyn reached into her pocket, coming up with a crumpled handkerchief. She blew her nose and laughed, a short, bitter sound. “It makes me think of…how I came here. It felt safe, especially after…” her voice faltered, and Elain could sense bright sparks of pain like needles at the edges of her voice. “…but maybe in the end a safe haven is only temporary. Maybe we’re meant for other things, you and I.”

Elain took a breath in and squeezed Gwyn’s hand. They were quiet for a moment. Elain thought she could feel the massive bookshelves holding their breath, the collective weight of knowledge around them waiting for their living brains and hearts to take it. To use it. To turn it into something breathing.

“Can I borrow this?” Elain asked, smoothing her hand over the book in her lap.

Gwyn laughed, a real laugh this time, merry and buoyant. Listening to that sound, Elain felt like she could see what she had been like before she arrived here — bright, persistent, unbowed, brave, her intellect incisive, her heart unhurt — and also that those things were still there. Damage had not eliminated them, for all it had buried them beneath rubble.

“Yes,” Gwyn said, “and if you need any other references — or help of any kind — you let me know, do you understand? You can send word with Nesta, or have Lucien tell me or Clotho, or even just come up here yourself. You’re always welcome.”

Elain felt a warmth in her chest. It wasn’t like the bond. It was gentle, like a tight hug. Like how Cerridwen had held her after she was turned Fae.

“Thank you,” she whispered, and it felt like too much and not enough at the same time.

——————————

Elain returned to her room in the River House and lit a faelight before reopening Tribes of the Lesser Fae. The table of contents showed it was organized by region. She flipped quickly through it to the Night Court, which was broken down further into regions: the southern mountains along the Day Court border, the Eastern and Western Islands, the midcountry, the Eastern Steppes, and the Illyrian mountains. Each tribe had a brief chapter describing their physical characteristics, their powers, and the way they connected to the land. She bent her head over the page and read.

The southern reaches of the Night Court are primarily dominated by mountains that form a near-impenetrable barrier between it and the Day Court. They are not as sheer or forbidding as the Illyrian Mountains to the north, but their innumerable ravines and lack of formal roadways make them impassable without a guide. Since the First Age and the vanquishing of the Daglan, these mountains have been called the Amu Darya: the Dark Hills. They are full of secrets and powers. Paracelsus, the early Day Court metaphysical scholar, identified light within the very stones of these mountains, trapped within pyrite ore.

Here dwell several tribes of Iriadeni. The primary group is the Vættir, who live a seasonally nomadic life between farming the upper grasslands that they call the Zeimastan (which translates to Windswept) and living off their stores downmountain in winter, in the stone caves that they have cut into extensive tunnels and houses at the bases of the mountains. The light from the pyrite in the stone appears to have affected their powers; they can glow, mimicking the dark stone shot through with light, and giving themselves perfect camouflage. They can also manipulate shadow for concealment. These talents, along with a superb knowledge of navigation in the hills of their birth and great strength cultivated by living along the cliffs, made them indispensable to the High Fae conquerors at first, who used the caves to make a stand against the remaining Daglan. Melchiades, the first Night Court king, passed through the Amu Darya on his way north to the mountain that would become the Hewn City, his first military outpost and greatest fortress. It is impossible that he would have reached his goal without assistance from many groups of Iriadeni, including the Vættir.

However, the Vættir’s use to the High Fae ran dry when the Daglan dwindled in number and became less of a threat. The other large group of mountain Iriadeni, the Illyrians, joined in a military alliance with the High Fae and used it as an excuse to purge the mountains of all but their own tribes. It was a bloody civil war that lasted at least two centuries. The enmity between the groups has never faded. [There are limited works about this conflict, but some historians have hinted that the slaughter bordered on genocide.]

But despite their storied military might and the wings that bear them aloft, the Illyrians were never able to dispatch the Vættir completely. The Amu Darya are dangerous territory, full of predators, abrupt weather changes that do not conform to known mountain climate patterns, and difficult terrain; and their native Fae have the great strength of knowing their land like it is an extension of their own flesh. They are able to melt from place to place like the shadows they can pull around themselves like cloaks. Their settlements, which are easy to dismantle and move in a migratory pattern, are impossible to track from place to place; and in the event of true peril, they can fade into the caves among the pyrite ore, where no one will ever find them. This is not to discount their physical strength. All Vættir adult fae are well-trained in hunting, tracking, and guarding, and can be singularly ferocious in defending their homes.

They share the southern mountains with at least four other distinct Iriadeni tribes, identified later in this volume (see: Croaden the Dwarrow, “Ancient Songs of the Stone”) with whom they have generally positive and peaceful relationships; but it is not known if there are more extensive peoples living in the Amu Darya. The hills and valleys are pockmarked with tunnels and it is entirely possible that there are earth- or stone-fae whose existence has yet to be discovered…

Elain looked up, pondering. That tribe didn’t sound like the skimmers, although she couldn’t truly be sure, but they did sound formidable, and she could understand defending your home with singular ferocity.

And it sounded like a beautiful home, too. She let her fingers smooth over the lines of text, imagining the ripples of grass sweeping up the mountainsides, and the dark sky over the darker silhouettes of the hills, and sparkles gleaming inside the mountain, so bright in some places that you might not even need a torch to walk through the tunnels…

I want to see it, she thought, and was surprised when her throat choked up a little. I want to see all these beautiful places.

Lucien has seen many of them…maybe he’d tell me about them. What it was like to be there, what it smelled like, how the air stirred, what the people were like, what it felt like…

The thought of the Autumn prince sent a thrill over her skin, followed by warmth. There hadn’t been any vivid dreams in the past two days that he’d been back in Velaris, but now, all she had to do was think of her decision to feel her cheeks grow warm, and the tiny hairs at the back of her neck prickle. That had always annoyed her, how easily even the thought of him could fluster her; it almost still did, although now it was tinged with excitement. But maybe now, she didn’t have to be afraid of him any longer. He had blithely gone along with her lie to Nesta and Cassian, born of panic in the House of Wind, and even used it to try to get her more information. After trying to save her life.

He still unsettled her. He knew too much. Saw too much. It wasn’t fair, when he was such a mystery to her.

But he had saved her…

She glanced back at the book, and in a moment of inspiration, flicked through the pages to a chapter on the Autumn Court, then bent to read again.

The Autumn Court is home to the greatest variety of Iriadeni in all of Prythian. Magical creatures abound in its rich, layered forests, where the temperatures can vary from an almost-Summer warmth to massive hardwood groves whose branches drape with snow. The classic presentation of High Fae magical powers in this court — epitomized by their High Lords — is the use and manipulation of fire. As a destructive force, it is perhaps unmatched. The High Fae lords extend an iron grip over their subjects and demand absolute loyalty and obedience.

But fire is far from the only presentation of magic here.

There are spirits of the air and earth and water who reside in the great forests. Many of them are insular or solitary — a protective strategy, as they have been hunted and persecuted. But many are also deeply powerful. And in this court, more than any other, the powers are mutable when the Iriadeni who own them are in diaspora. They seem to morph and adapt to their surroundings with more agility than Iriadeni from other courts; though of course the powers are in full bloom when they are in their natural habitats. Magic is as much an ecosystem as physical environment and climate. Nowhere is that as easily visible as in the Autumn Court, where seemingly every niche has a power uniquely adapted thereto.

In the great oak and rowan forest at the center of the court, dryads have the greatest numbers. They are divided into Root and Bough, creatures who inhabit the tree limbs and forest floor, and Wind and Whisper, who inhabit the leaves and plants that depend on the trees for shade and sustenance: moss, ferns, lichens, fungiforms. Fire is deeply harmful to all of these fae, so the fear of the High Lords is pervasive. But there are Guardians of the forests as well, who keep natural wellsprings of power safe and concealed, and protect the vulnerable trees and their spirits from harm. Most of the Guardians are air and water fae, far less vulnerable to fire damage, and even in some indirect ways, capable of vanquishing it.

Elain bit her lip. Guardians of the forest? That sounded noble, beautiful. She turned the page to find a list of air and water sprites.

The air sprites of the evergreen Vilderavian Groves guard and tend the Wind and Whisper creatures who somehow are able to cross the border between Autumn and Summer. One of the largest migrations on the planet occurs here: hyraeths, butterflies with wings of condensed light, fly from their hatching grounds in Summer to their mating groves in Autumn. It is an arduous journey to cross the seasonal borders, especially for creatures so small. They mostly travel at night, illuminating the sky in a stream of tiny wings, and descend upon the great hemlocks in a gently glowing mass. Their Guardians, who have wings resembling butterflies and move effortlessly between ground and air, remove moss and buildup from the bark to give the hyraeths enough grip to perch; and when the swarm becomes too numerous for space on the trunks and branches, they spin silken strands into massive tents around the tree trunks to make perches for the exhausted creatures. Thus they have kept the trees and their occupants healthy for millennia. Their lore states that the hyraeths carry lost memories within their tiny bodies, and when their bodies die, the memories are released into the air, to be captured again by those seeking a home. Is it any wonder, then, that these forest Guardians are accomplished in storytelling and myth, and when the hyraeth caterpillars are sleeping in Summer, and they are not acutely occupied with their well-being, they write devastatingly beautiful books of song and poetry?

Elain’s vision blurred with tears, picturing the beauty of such a sight. Living stars, fluttering through the sky, alighting on the trees until they themselves looked made to be made of light, with strains of songs lilting in the background…she wasn’t sure it would ever let go of her imagination.

And it didn’t, even as she dressed in her warmest cloak with the rabbit fur lining, and politely declined the offer of company from Nuala, who gave her a guilty stare as she closed the kitchen door and set off through the beautiful gardens she had helped to grow. In summer the hedge walls would be an impenetrable maze of green, the only light coming from above. She noted a few gardeners, slight in stature with limbs the grey-brown of bark, weaving the limbs of the hedges together. More Lesser Fae servants — Iriadeni, she scolded herself silently — that she had never noticed before. She wondered what tribe they belonged to; if they were natives of the Night Court, or from another place. Had her brother-in-law taken in any refugees from the recent war? She’d never asked. But then, she mostly avoided him, preferring to talk to Feyre if she needed anything. She shuddered, thinking of him. He had given her a place to stay, it was true…but he was never anything but cold, like the stars above the mountains he called home. Even when he was pleasant or accommodating, if she were truly honest, she feared him. How he never stopped probing into her mind with strokes like claws along the edges, even in casual conversation. How he seemed bored with her, like a cat with a mouse, and might just dispatch her at any moment when he tired of the game. She preferred him distant.

She wandered around the bustling Palace of Bone and Salt, feeling disconnected and unsettled. She bought Nesta a set of small but viciously-sharp knives that could tuck into a sleeve or a pocket, hoping that such a gift would lessen the strain between them; a set of magical bubbles for Nyx that could be filled with light or water or smoke, and then, hesitating only briefly, climbed the steps of the jeweler’s shop she heard Amren liked to frequent.

When she left two hours later, a small blue box clutched in her hand, her cheeks were pink, but she kept her eyes up, looking around her in determination. She was going to notice everything she could from now on. Everything. If she wasn’t educated or knowledgeable, she at least could be observant.

There are many ways to be strong, she heard echo inside her head, and resolved to read more of Antynus when she got back to her room, just to have more to talk about when…if…he came to the party.

#fix with fics #elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #acotar #fanfic #prythian #gwyneth berdara #sjm critical #lesser fae #a history of magic

[cassianfanclub]

Can you explain what you meant about SJM considering future readers when it comes to the books?

Sure!

Ok, so right now the fandom is crazy, yeah? But it’s not always going to be like this and SJM has to play the long game with these books, not just cave to what’s “popular” in the here and now (not that I ever think she would cave in, but some think Gwynriel’s popularity is going to make her change her entire story and that’s not happening).

I read all 4.5 books in one week last September. Didn’t have any desire to be in the fandom (didn’t even know there was a fandom) until I went looking for when the next book came out. That’s also how I found out about all 3 ACOTAR bonus chapters. So imagine someone who picks these books up for the first in 5+ years. They, like a lot of new readers, will blow through the books and not go looking for info about the series until after they finish.

That means they read about Elriel’s cute meeting in ACOMAF, and Feyre’s thought about how cute a couple they would be.

That means they read about Elain calling Az’s scars beautiful and him blushing in ACOWAR. They read about him taking her into the garden, finding out she’s a seer, her not balking from him, him and Cassian going still around Elain and Nesta, Az risking his life to save her and cradling her in his arms even after they were safe, Az letting Elain use TT during the final battle, etc.

That means they read about Az getting flustered at Rhys pressing Az about not spying on Lucien in ACOFAS. They read about him stumbling over his words when asking about gettin the sisters presents, him grabbing the potatoes from her and making everyone wait for her to sit down before they ate, beating Feyre to the window to wish her Happy Solstice, him throwing his head back to laugh at her gift, them staying up till at least 3am talking, etc.

It means they read about Az getting upset when he thought something happened to Elain. They read about 3 different reminders that he went into Hybern’s camp to save her, read about him and Mor’s relationship having changed and him not pining for her anymore, his shadows readying to strike at Nesta for being mean to Elain, their charged look, Elain looking shyly away from him, him following the sound of her laugh, him being protective of her well-being when in came to finding the troves, etc.

And then they would have read about Az and Gwyn interacting in one chapter, where there were no romantic moments, and just Valkyrie training. That’s it. They at best have a trainer/trainee relationship, and nothing more.

No reader is going to read the first 4.5 books, buy/rent/borrow the next book and think it’s going to be a story about Gwynriel. A pair that had all of 3 scenes together in the previous book. A book where Az was clearly pining for Elain and Elain was very receptive, a la the charged look. Elriel’s don’t need the bonus to make sense and Gwynriel’s even with the bonus, don’t have anything. We were just shown that, once again, weird things happen when Gwyn opens her mouth to sing.

The hype around Gwynriel right now is quite prevalent in the active fandom. But, thankfully, it won’t always be and SJM needs to write a story that makes sense now, to both the fandom and casual readers, but she also needs to write a story that will make sense in the future. And that is 100% not Gwynriel 😂

#elriel #elain archeron #pro elriel #pro elain #azriel shadowsinger #i thought it was obvious #acotar 5 #azriel #thetruthhurts

[moononastring]

What are some of your headcanons for pregnant Elain? I feel like she would be so cute and then super emotional. Also eat every sweet in site when she really didn’t eat sweets that often and omg everything smells horrible 😂😂 I saw you comment on the other anons fox and fawn about season 3 of pregnant Elain and it just got me thinking 😌

Ahhh you guys are getting me in my feels with this haha!

I think Elain would love being pregnant. It’s a vibe and she is rocking it and enjoying every minute of it completely!

That being said, I feel like she’d be really cautious in the beginning especially. She’s extra careful and is super mindful of what she puts into her body at all stages. Like Feyre was careful sure, so would Nesta but not…like that.

She has a phase where she gets hella mean to people (key people she terrorizes are Rhys and Cassian) and then bursts into tears because she hates that she does that. The only people she isn’t mean to is Lucien (because she loves him and also he knows how to avoid her wrath tbh) and Eris (because that asshole is not impacted by it at all and is mean right back 🤣)

I actually think the opposite would happen with sweets! I feel like because she likes to bake, she always enjoys eating them but suddenly…they don’t taste as good and oh boy 😬😬😬

These are just some of things I’ve thought about when it comes to pregnant Elain. I picture her being really mean and it’s just funny as hell because who is she 😂

#elain archeron #elucien #the rest will have to come via those snippets…that I am suddenly interested into opening 👀 #asks #‘nonnie #elucien headcanons

[ephemeralsx]

nesta is less impressive than feyre 1000% but we don’t gotta agree! for me? nesta was a straight mary sue training for a few weeks and sjm having the audacity to have the three of them compete in that blood rite and “earn” a title tbh. feyre died and actually earned her powers utm by winning those trials and figuring out the riddle then saving their entire country, therefore being gifted with her resurrection/powers.

what else has nesta done…kill a kelpie? chop off a choking man’s head after he got stabbed by elain and hold his head up in a cool savage way..? feyre helped saved adriata, an actual court, from hybern with mor in combat and winnow style, helped saved the citizens of velaris by using her powers to freeze all her opponents and choke them, jumped mid air to brutally kill hyberns lieutenant’s that helped lead the raid, she saved prythian a second time by her and rhys forging the cauldron back together with her hands. im just trying to tick through them while also being fair..nesta told beron to help with the humans is that one? eris ultimately had to force his dad out to go help in the war and said that’s how it happened himself when he told feysand how they ended up there, there was no mention of “nesta convinced beron and autumn to come help in the war” did she help with the human queens? ultimately they ended up betraying the night court and only helped with the book bc of rhys sending the letter about being in love with feyre and wanting to save the humans for her.

she barely trained with the powers she had..am i missing the impressive parts? people make her sound far more impressive than she is funnily enough but again we don’t have to agree. if i’m missing any badass moments feel free to help me out here. she walked to the wall for feyre? feyre would’ve kept going back to the wall and wouldn’t have given up on trying to find her sister, might be a bit unfair but true, she went once and gave up, the gesture was sweet and heartfelt but what did she do? she never saved feyre and anytime elain got saved? it was feyre and az saving her

her one standout moment is saving feyre, rhys and nyx’s lives. and the other was when she weilded the trove in the prison (but anyone can wield the trove so we’ll get to see another character so the same thing in the next books, bc we know someone else likely will be using the crown, mask or harp, the swords are nesta’s but not the others. she’ll have the rest of the powers that are left over and her swords or im guessing that’s how it’ll go. maybe she’ll raise another dead army? that was cool too and would be sick? aside from this, feyre again easily is more impressive as a character.

just because nesta lashes out with her emotions at others and that’s relatable doesn’t make her the most complex character either, we’ve seen all of them lash out in anger or have cold/badass moments, again some of y’all make her sound WAY more interesting and badass than she really is. She did a few things in one book and suddenly she’s a warrior to her fans despite barely being trained? Please 😂

first of all let me just say that i love your strong opinion and that you don’t beat around the bush. kinda refreshing hahaha

i do agree with the fact that feyre had more accomplishments if you list everything from the past 4 books. however i think nesta is impressing not because of her accomplishments but because of her growth in her character. she obviously had/has a lot of mental problems and to overcome them is not an easy thing, especially if you don’t have anyone you can rely on. trauma is a bitch. so yes, feyre was more “badass”, but for me nesta is equally impressive in other matters.

i do agree with the warriors part. training for like not even 4 months and winning the blood rite? ehh, i was proud of them but it was so unrealistic and i would have preferred it if they didn’t win. BUT what i too find unrealistic that feyre became high lady so easily. don’t get me wrong, i love that for her, but she was illiterate not even 2 years ago and now she has this great responsibility that is definitely too big for a 21 year old. but she seems to manage pretty well, so i’m not trying to demean her or anything but the hugh lady situation is the same as the warrior situation with nesta: both pretty unrealistic.

but i think that’s digging too deep since it’s just fiction so i guess anything is possible.

#feyre archeron #nesta archeron #acotar

[thelonesomequeen]

I didn’t know they were developing a ACOTAR show! I’ve been thinking about fancasts (mostly for Rhysand) and have not been able to pick anyone I think is good enough! However, Alexander Skarsgard as Tamlin (which I don’t see Askars ever agreeing to) but physically think he’s perfect for Tamlin 😝

Agree! When I was reading the books, I kind of kept picturing long haired 90s Brad Pitt (think Legends of the Fall era) as Tamlin. I saw someone else recommend Alexander Skarsgard on TikTok and I was like. Ope. YEP! I like it! 😂 but I do agree with you, I don’t see him signing on. I’ve heard Sam Heughan (from Outlander) was rumored to play Tamlin based on an interview he did, but when I watched the clip I didn’t take it as confirmation like others seem to. I think whoever they pick might need to be a name just to get fans on board to watch because so many readers hate Tamlin after book one.

I also agree with you on Rhysand. I haven’t seen a suggestion I’ve liked so far. There’s just always something that’s a no for me with some of the suggested actors. I think they’re going to have a hard time casting him more than anyone else honestly. Jason Momoa is a big pick for Cassian but I don’t know if I see it?

Some other fan casts for random characters I’ve seen and liked (but I don’t think would happen) include Vanessa Kirby for Nesta, Florence Pugh for Elaine, Jessica Chastain for Amarantha, Blake Lively for Mor, and Zendaya for Emerie. 🦎

#Pascal talks ACOTAR

[yazthebookish]

YAZ! What do you think about this comment?

"I’m pretty sure it’s Elain. Compared to Azriel she’s gotten the most foreshadowing in ACOSF, she was also talked about the most in that book. The fourth dread trove? Come on that’s Elain whose gonna find that. The people behind the wall? The person who claimed they wanna do greater? The person in both endchapters? Not one. Both. Rhys saying we gotta help one sister before the other? I do not wanna read about Gwyn training again it’ll be ACOSF part 2 especially since she hasn’t left the library at. They had two scenes together and Azriel sitting by being Cassian’s wing man. He clearly is still trying to discover who he’s gonna love due to him being confused right now but is that enough for a full blown story?"

My heart needs to calm down

I'm calm I wonder why you aren't 😂

Let's speak facts here:

• Elain had no dialogue after Solstice and was a background character in the two scenes she showed up by the end of the book. Sarah said by the end of the book, she thought it was obvious who the next book is about and in the SAME line she says Azriel's journey is one she's very excited to write about. Here is my post analyzing the ending of ACOSF and Sarah's words.

• So, what foreshadowing for Elain? We know she is likely up to something in the background but... did she get actual development compared to others? Not really. Showing some backbone is a small development for someone like Elain but she isn't set up as a protagonist yet. Look at the number of times she was mentioned compared to others.

And why does she need a book now? She didn't hit rock bottom like her sisters. Nesta didn't get her book until she hit rock bottom, and who is hitting rock bottom now? Azriel.

• You know Anon? I love it when they bring up the "Gwyn did not leave the library" point because they contradict what the canon text says.

“You’re the one who’s been in a library for two years,” Emerie said.”

“Gwyn didn’t flinch. “I have. And I am tired of it.” She surveyed the blood-soaked leather along her thigh.”

And what happened at the end of the book?

“Gwyn, despite the Rite, had returned to living in the library.”

Gwyn wants to leave the library. Why do you think SJM had to mention she returned to the library at the end of the book? Because if she didn't you'd assume she did leave the library. That is literally setting up her journey.

• Elain will find the Fourth Trove? Elain will free the people behind the Wall? And... Koschei? You really think SJM won't make an Archeron play a role in defeating Koschei? Especially Elain who is the one that had the visions about him, the Firebird and the Swans at the lake? Do you think SJM would write a book half would be Lucien's POV and the other half... a Firebird's? And if they're not happy with that answer they'll push for Multipov which we know won't happen because... SJM... confirmed... each... book... is... about... a... couple... getting... together...? She might play a role with the fourth trove or the other plots but it's unlikely that it would happen in the next book.

• What's also funny is SJM's editor asked SJM to pull out the Feysand's POVs since they added nothing to the story and add one of them as a bonus. Both bonus chapter were advertised as Feysand and Azriel bonus chapters, not "Elain-focused exclusive chapters". The Feysand chapter spoke of the sisters for like one to two pages because it happens right after Elain and Nesta's confrontation. They mentioned Lucien's gloves too, oh my Elucien confirmed??😂 and on the other hand, Azriel's chapter features four charcaters and ended with Azriel thinking of another female's smile that isn't Elain.

• And let's look at the other things SJM said about the next book and Azriel:

• They don't want another book about Azriel training Gwyn, sorry but canonically the end of ACOSF mentions that. However, they don't mind Azriel training Elain to become a spy and create their own "totally spies" circle with Nuala and Cerridwen. They don't want any training stories unless it revolves around Elr*el Lol.

• I know SJM said Nesta will still play a big role in the spin off books and she is the one that can control the Trove. Let's not forget that the series is about the secondary characters from ACOTAR as SJM said. She never specified it was about Archeron sisters. She said she was excited to write Nesta's journey, she happens to say the same thing about Azriel.

• Illyria will be clearly involved in the next book especially with the mysteries under Ramiel. This is something Azriel will have to deal with since ACOSF did present Azriel's hatred of Illyria as an issue. The Valkyries are involved because they won the Blood Rite. Gwyn is a Carynthian so she will be connected (also because Emerie is an Illyrian so Nesta and Gwyn will be there for her). And the Autumn Court no doubt will be a big part of the next book, so how do you connect the two plots in one book? By having one of the characters connected to Autumn and that's likely Gwyn.

It's crystal clear Azriel is next with Gwyn as his supporting protagonist and love interest. It's not Elain's turn to shine yet. Let's hope she gets some development to set her up as a protagonist for book 6, but ACOSF didn't add much to her character. I honestly expected her to be heavily involved in Nesta's book but she was gone 80% of the time.

#asks

[nikethestatue]

Firstly I love yr blog♥️♥️. Sorry this is just a bit of a rant. In regards to the “dolls kissing” and realising characters don’t have/do have chemistry comment in sjms recent interview. Sjm did a YouTube live in mar 2020 and in a question about hunt @ about the 19min mark she literally talks about this exact scenario happening, as we all know Bryce was originally going to have a diff L/I but the wording/explaination in the live about what happened with him and then hunt was so similar, almost identical in places, to her recent interview. To me, it’s clear this was what she had in mind when making those comments. I honestly think anyone who took that comment and applied it the the az/el/gw bonus chapter is being deliberately obtuse. Sjm didn’t write the az/el (who are both central characters) part all steamy and stuff and go you know what, actually that didn’t wk/they dnt work, i could/should just not include it, but nah imma leave it as is and just immediately have him go to another character and have her be his next love interest, that’s super hot right?? people will dig that right?😂😂😂. Come on now. Plus she then decided not to go back and start making it clear, dropping hints in the ACTUAL book that perhaps something is happening/brewing between az/gw after the bonus scene was set🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ and start alluding to what their story arc would be and how gw would have connections to the next books plot, for all 190+ countries in the world that didn’t even get the bonus chapter🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️.

Thank you!

Oh, of course. She wasn't even probably talking about ACOTR or Elriel. She was discussing CC in general, and as you mentioned, in that interview, she said that she was gonna be matching Bryce with someone else but then during the interrogation scene with Hunt, it was just too good a chemistry and she changed her mind. i suspect that she was meant to be with Tharion. Not sure why, but the fact that he became so aimless as a character tells me that there was something else initially planned for him. Once he was no longer with Bryce, SJM sort of semi-gave up on him.

But with Elriel--it's not the case at all. There's been consistent, steady build up and then it culminated with an almost-kiss.

IF there was any kind of serious LI change and Azriel and Elain were moving apart, then obviously, SJM would've introduced more scenes between Elain and Lucien, and between Az and Gwyn. Especially with Az/Gwyn, it would've been hilariously easy, since they are hanging out together, she is Nesta's friend, they are training, and basically all live under the same roof. It would've been IN the actual book, since Nesta would've been able to observe it all. Instead, Nesta watched the other priestesses go all mooney eyed over Azriel, and Gwyn is like 'I wanna cut the ribbon!' Zero interest. From both of them. Nothing happens, other than he is tormented more and more over Elain. And almost every scene with him is strangely tied to Elain --what happened with Elain? Watching Elain. Worrying about Elain. Elain should not be exposed to the Cauldron (btw, he was so right). Elain smiles at him. Has he EVER asked after Gwyn? Nope. He legit forgot she was in the Blood Rite. Elain got into a fight with Nesta and he was about to fight Nesta.

SJM had said this a couple of times, how she changed her mind about a few of her couples, but Elriel is certainly not one of them. Slow and steady is what they've been.

[acourtofthought]

Just saw a post that says Elain and Lucien won’t be together because…

1. She loses her boldness around him and not with Az. (When? You mean when she was recovering from being thrown in the cauldron against her will and her fiancé leaving her?)

2. SJM also hasn’t set up anything romantic with them. (I would argue she hasn’t set up anything significant with Az either since they were both in love with other people for at least two books but ok)

3. The bonus chapter is irrelevant (then why even write it at all?) 4. Az and Elain are a unique couple…(you mean…3 bros and 3 sisters?)

5. Az doesn’t consider Gwyn a friend (Neither did Feyre and Rhys at first but ok…)

6. He saved Elain bc he wanted to, he saved Gwyn bc he was told to? (You think Az wouldn’t have stepped in anyways…Jesus) 7. Out of all the couples, only Eriel has consistent foreshadowing & an actual plot. Huh?????

I swear I try to ignore a lot of the tik tok “reasons” to why Eriel is sooo “obvious”. It’s like I didn’t even read the same book. Though I understand difference in interpretation and SJM hasn’t written the book yet…there are so many things that I feel like certain people just make up in order to force this to work for them. Out of all the reasons listed, the most bothersome to me is implying that Az only saved Gwyn bc he was told to and he saved Elain bc he wanted to. That comment was icky to me.

I think they're referring to SF when Lucien gives her his Solstice gift and Elain shrinks back into herself, "no trace of that newfound boldness to be found".

And Elain has been showing boldness as of late. When she stood up to Nesta. When she went to the Hewn City even though the cruelty bothers her. When she offered to find the Trove (which Az didn't believe in her ability to do).

But you know where else Elain hasn't been bold? Around Az.

Azriel offered her a small smile that Elain quickly looked away from. Cassian tucked away his puzzlement.

She extended the wrapped gift, her hand shaking. “Here”

as she said softly, "put it on me?"

She opened her eyes, hurt and confusing warring there before she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Does any of that read as the same girl who told Nesta she wasn't a child to be fought over? Does that sound like the girl who squared her shoulders and declared she'd do what was necessary for this court?

Elain shies away from Lucien but we don't know the exact reason. It could be that their bond and the draw to him scares her, it could be that she wants to be stubborn and refuse to get to know him because she hasn't fully gotten over what happened with Grayson. We do know she's avoided getting to know him at all possible costs though so her drawing away is not her drawing away because she doesn't like the person Lucien is. She doesn't even know Lucien well at this point.

But after a year of being in close proximity with Az, after being receptive towards conversation with him, she's awkward as hell around him (and he her). Nesta and Cassian had more meaningful conversations before their near first kiss than E/riel has had. We've seen them talk about gardening, that Az rubs his temples, whether flying is scary for Illyrians and how Elain can use TT because Az was sitting out of the war. I mean, that's the stuff love is built on right there 😂 Obviously her being made into an entirely new species isn't something they should have spoken of. Whether she's over Graysen, what she's going to do with her bond, how he feels after Mor's rejection, his feelings of self worth, etc. Why talk about those things when there is headache powder!?!

So yeah, I'm more worried about the status of Elain and Az's behavior around one another than I am around Elain and Lucien at this point. It's par for the course for an Archeron to refuse to get to know the male she'll end up with it at first, to push him away, to ignore him (are we forgetting how Nesta acted towards Cassian multiple times? Gave him a look then walked away as if he were nothing?) to tell him she hates him, and so on. But no FMC has ever spent a year getting to know an endgame MMC and still be in the awkward phase that E/riel are in.

2) Why does SJM need to set up anything romantic with Elucien? She started off Chaol's book where he was romantically coded with another female yet he still ended up with someone entirely new? And Chaol had met Yrene yet he still kissed Nesryn after that.

3) I think we all know the bonus chapter is relevant, just as Cassian's bonus chapter was relevant to the future of his story. It's basically a sneak peek at the direction SJM will be going. No you don't have to have the bonus chapter but it doesn't change the fact that those who do are getting an early glimpse into where she's heading with the series.

4) Az and Elain are a unique couple because they are a YA romance done by an author who doesn't write typical YA romance. Which should concern them.

SJM does not do couples who are shy and quiet with one another. She does couples who argue before getting together, where they talk about the real and the raw before getting together. Where they call out the other for their behaviors. The fact that E/riels say E/riel is in love yet we've never seen any of that heat from them, in my opinion, spells doom for E/riel. Az telling Elain she was a mistake? An endgame SJM couple would have had the female turn around and give the male a peace of her mind, not whisper "I'm sorry." 🤢

5) And neither did Rowan with his mate. He literally said, "we're not friends and I'm still training you". Which should be very concerning for anyone who doesn't ship Gwynriel because that has literally been their exact setup so far.

6) He saved Elain because he saw Cassian tell Nesta they would save Elain. Nesta told him it would be impossible for Cassian to retrieve her with his injuries and only after watching Nesta crying and hearing that Cassian couldn't go in did Azriel offer to save Elain. Sorry but that's not all that romantic to me considering Nesta and Cassian had an entire conversation before Az ever spoke up. And he KNEW Elain at that point yet he still wasn't the first to say something When he was ordered to Sangravah, he'd never even met Gwyn in his life. They don't realize how poorly their arguments stand up to actual scrutiny.

7) E/riel definitely has romantic hints. But so did Feyre and Lucien. So did Feyre and Tamlin. So did Azriel and Mor. So did Celeana and Dorian and Celeana and Chaol. Dorian and Sorscha. Chaol and Nesryn. So do Graysen and Elain.

And just as some of those romantic hints led to friendship only, just as some of those romantic hints led to a relationship, they all ended up ENDING. So to me it doesn't matter what romantic hints there may have been, it doesn't mean anything. E/riels have never shown me an argument that can't be easily dismissed by every other SJM book and what happened with those characters.

Does anyone honestly think she was going to make Elucien mates in book 2 and spend the next 2 books making it blatantly obvious to us that they were going to end up together? A good author would have created a "will they? won't they? situation and that's exactly what she's done. Created a rebound(ish) between Elain and Az to throw us off.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #anti e/riel #lucien vanserra #gwynriel

[acourtofthought]

You missed my most fundamental point: both the elucien and gwynriel ship both operate as the “second” choice.

For elucien to become canon, something has to happen between Elain and Azriel for their attraction to fizzle out, or to not pursue their desire/feelings further. There is no way around it - Azriel is Elain’s first choice, and Lucien will always be second - even though they have a whole damn mating bond. You can’t even deny it either - if Lucien was Elain’s first choice instead, we’d see them already connecting in the books, and Azriel wouldn’t even be in the picture.

Similarly, for gwynriel to become canon, something has to happen between Azriel and Elain, for Gwyn to even be considered as an option. So far, Elain is Azriel’s first choice. We literally see that in the bonus chapter, right there on the very pages; Azriel only gave the necklace to Gwyn because Elain rejected it first. He didn’t buy the necklace for Gwyn - he brought it for Elain.

Would Rhys ever give Feyre a necklace that he actually meant to give to another girl….? No. What decent romance ever starts off like that??

In fact, there’s not a single SJM endgame couple that has ever been the “second choice.”

Sure, Nesta was sleeping with other random men - but that’s not the same as whatever is going on between Elain and Azriel; they are buying each other gifts, Azriel insinuates that the Cauldron is wrong and they should be mates, they have a heap of romantic coding etc.

Sure, Aelin had a relationship with Chaol before she met Rowan, but they were kept separate. In fact, as soon as she met Rowan - her true mate - she pretty much cheated on Chaol and abandoned their relationship straight away. Elain meets her mate, yet still chooses to pursue someone else.

If you care about Lucien and Gwyn, then why do you ship them in relationships that put them as the second choice? I don’t even care about shipping, but they both deserve better than that. They deserve to have someone choose them from the start.

Because let’s flip the script; let’s say the Cauldron made Elain and Azriel mates, but Elain wasn’t interested in him. Instead, after meeting Lucien, Elain grew to desire him instead, and both Elain and Lucien grew their bond slowly, but secretly throughout the books. Would you then advocate for Elain to end up with Azriel instead…? Just because they’re mates, and he is a good person too? Or Lucien - who she actually wants to be with?

I want you to really think about the kind of author SJM is.

She is not a "first choice" author. She is a "FMC explores multiple options before ending up with the RIGHT CHOICE" author.

"Something has to happen between Elain and Azriel for their attraction to fizzle out"? You mean like Az telling Elain they were a mistake before he even went to see Rhys? You mean like Elain giving Az a Big Ole F- You when she returned his necklace?

My girl Elain is O-V-E-R Az already.

And you are fooling yourself, telling yourself LIES if you think Elain was Az's first choice 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Mor was Az's choice for CENTURIES and the only reason he looked in Elain’s direction was because she never returned that interest.

It's honestly a waste of time for you to message me if you're going to say such blatant falsities.

I'm glad Elain didn't immediately jump to Lucien because he'd then be a rebound to Graysen. Graysen who was Elain's first choice and she (by default) got swept up in a crush on Az. Not because Az was her first choice but because she couldn't have Graysen and she's desperately trying to move forward even if she's not really ready.

It's very obvious that Az and Elain are the ship to be concerned about because they are each others rebound since neither could have who they really wanted.

And Jesminda was Luciens first choice. That doesn't mean they were meant to be forever.

You're really hammering home this first choice argument but that doesn't matter to me because our first choice or even second choice isn't always the right choice. I'd rather have something be lasting for the right reasons than look down on a character for not seeing the best option right from the start (again, Tamlin, Feyre, Rhys).

If an author told me that Mates will always feel drawn to one another despite not choosing one another and those two characters have been written as compatible than yes, I would absolutely hold out hope for an ending where the two Mates made it work. Especially when as individuals (as in the case of Elain and Lucien, they are EXTREMELY compatible. To the point its smacking you in the face). I wouldn't expect it to happen right away because instant love isn't my thing. But if two characters who would obviously get along really well if they learned to let go of their pasts which is preventing them from moving forward with their future, end up accepting their bond and have the ultimate kind of love? Why wouldn't I enjoy reading that? 😂. As it stands Elain hasn't rejected the bond so there's still hope and it's weird you knock Eluciens for believing that all will work itself out in the end.

Antis love to throw Rhys and Tamlin's parents as an example of an unmatched bond but SJM isn't writing a love story about Rhys's parents. She's writing a love story about Lucien, Elain, Az, Feyre, Nesta, etc. Does it really make sense to you for a Fated Mates author to give a main character a sucky Mating Bond where they'll always feel the pull to their Mate? Just because some of the main characters evil fathers had one?

I've already explained why I ship Elucien and also Gwynriel. I'm OK giving these characters time to figure out whats right for them rather than having to end up with their "first choice" (which actually isn't their first choice as I've stated above). Because right now these characters are not who they're meant to be. They're still learning who they are and their current love interests reflect that immaturity. When they finally have growth, I want their love interest at that point to reflect the newer, more mature version of themselves.

It's not about first or second choices. It's about the right choice at the right time in their lives.

You want to keep Elain stagnant. I look forward to the growth we know is coming and who she'll realize is the best fit for her at that time. (hint, it's not Az).

Also: "Would Rhys ever give Feyre a necklace that he actually meant to give to another girl….? No. What decent romance ever starts off like that??".

I think you just shot yourself in the foot with that because Rhys would never give another female a necklace he intended for Feyre. Obviously Elain should not be with a Male who didn't think twice about giving her gift to another female. That gift must not have meant all that much to Az if he could give it just anyone 😁

And to wrap it up, Elain is the only female in an SJM novel to instantly feel the bond snap well before she was remotely ready. Of course there will be differences because of that and one of those differences is convincing herself she doesn't have to accept the bond. That she can try and be with someone else.

She can test out that theory all she wants but it doesn't mean she won't eventually realize Fate knew what it was doing.

#pro elucien #elucien #elain archeron #pro elain archeron #pro lucien vanserra #pro gwynriel #gwynriel #mating bond #lucien vanserra #anti e/riel

[acourtofthought]

I think it’s going to be Elucien book > ACOTAR novella where she sprinkles some Gwynriel-are-dtf hints > Gwynriel book.

If CC3 is set 6-9 months after ACOSF and, as SJM herself said, sets up the next ACOTAR book (which maybe starts a few months after the Bryce stuff is done?), that’s not enough time for Azriel to sort out his situation with Mor. I consider the Elriel stuff done after the bonus chapter. Maybe they’ll have some type of conversation in Elucien’s book to clear the air. I think it would be nice if they grow to have a casual friendship, but I don’t care that much.

But getting over 500 years of pining in what seems to be less than 2 years? Even if the bond snaps for him/both of them early on, that’s too unrealistic even for a fantasy book. At most I think 2-3 years of NO pining and apologizing to Mor is good. Otherwise whatever he starts with Gwyn, bond or no bond, will seem like he’s moved on to using her as a rebound after he failed with Elain. And Az seems to feel very strongly (he and Nesta are very similar in some aspects), especially when it comes to women, so he could be crawling on all fours after her for 800 pages, but it still isn’t going to be genuine unless the Mor situation is 100% done.

All that + we’ve been waiting FOREVER for an Elucien book. I’m not gonna pretend like I’m not 100% sure, based on CANON and not “but this might have happened off page”, that Elucien and Gwynriel are endgame. If it was any other author, I’d say there might be a chance for Elriel to happen, but SJM heavily favors mates. She loves both Lucien and Azriel (duh, she created them), so why put them in this situation? Lucien, who feels out of place and has experienced so much abuse and pain, to have to suffer a rejected bond, too? Azriel, who has also suffered horribly and is literally dying for a mating bond of his own, to have NO mate and end up with someone who will always have the connection he craves, but to someone else? Awfully cruel fates for characters she claims to love.

Hello!!!! I saw your additional anon and I'm going to include it below so everything is all together 😁

"Hi! Same anon about the order of future ACOTAR books (sorry for offloading on you but I thought of something else 😂)

I saw some Elriel claim a while ago that Gwyn’s entire life is financed by Rhysand - except she actually works for it. She’s literally WORKING for Merrill at the library. She and the other priestesses are not just fucking around, shelving books for fun and having an endless girls’ day/night. Rhysand definitely isn’t gonna charge a bunch of abused women rent (he’s gonna go from good High Lord to shitty landlord quick) and I can’t imagine they don’t receive some kind of salary. Gwyn is also a Valkyrie and keeps training. She’s most likely going to fight in future wars/conflicts and she’ll be fighting for the NC. It’s possible women from other courts will join, but as of now at least, the Valkyries reside in the NC so it’s not much of a stretch to say their loyalty lies with the Night Court’s High Lady and Lord.

People were making the same remarks about Elain (life financed by Feysand), except Elain works for it, too - she’s tending the gardens + helping other Fae with their own (gardening is not easy or quick), she seems to cook a lot and I can’t imagine she doesn’t often take care of Nyx when Feyre has to tend to High Lady duties. So she’s not just sitting on her ass, buying dresses and making herself pretty. I think Elain’s story needs to come first because if she decides to move, she’ll need money. Although I don’t understand how at least Nesta and Elain didn’t inherit their father’s (/Tamlin’s) money after his death.

It’s almost like some people keep comparing Gwyn and Elain to determine which one of them is “good enough” for Azriel while completely ignoring the fact that right now, thanks to his spiraling behavior, he’s not good enough for either one of them.

Azriel’s bonus chapter wasn’t about ships, it was to show us that he’s down BAD. The guy is headed toward rock bottom and ain’t nothing stopping him. He hates himself, he’s miserable, both of his brothers got their mates within a few years of each other while he’s been waiting and hoping his whole life. The fact that his own brother had to threaten him (which Az himself admits happens rarely) to curb his behavior speaks volumes. Because let’s face it - Rhys respects Lucien, he’s obviously fond of Elain, but Azriel has been his brother since they were kids and he loves him. Rhys also knows him the best; he’s literally protecting Az AND the Night Court, not setting up a no-stakes, bland “forbidden” romance."

Back to the response!

I do love your idea about an Elucien book, then a novella then a Gwynriel book, especially if any of the four additional books she was recently contracted for will take place in the ACOTAR world. It would wrap up the sisters journey's, slows things down for a hot minute, than gets right into back into the ACOTAR world where it's not so Archeron focused.

Do I think that's what SJM will do? Honestly, I'm clueless these days because even though she said CC3 was the next book in the words, I still thought she'd surprise us with ACOTAR 5 first.

And I agree with you, I think Elain and Az will be able to talk about what almost happened between them, acknowledge that neither was in the place to be moving forward with someone, and part as friends. Because what they had was nothing compared to her lost engagement and his past with Mor. SJM isn't going to need to spend a lot of time showing that they've moved past one another.

But I would much prefer Elain / Lucien to have their journey before Azriel's. It's not that he doesn't eventually deserve his HEA, but with his behavior recently, does he honesty deserve it before Lucien? Does he honestly deserve it after being the second male to reject Elain? It doesn't matter that Rhys called him up to his office, Az still chose to tell Elain she was a mistake and the entire time all he could think about was how wrong it was that he was about to kiss her, yet still went on to think nothing of killing Lucien.

He has pined for Mor for 500 years then became fixated on Elain and basically has an all around super unhealthy view on woman right now.

Compare that to Lucien who had his past love murdered and is struggling with an unfulfilled mating bond though he's been nothing but respectful to Elain.

I know it's not a contest but it kind of is in my mind and I don't think Az deserves to be the winner right now. He can sit down, stop being creepy over women for a few years, and let Lucien have a little good luck for once. At least Az has his family and friends, people who have loved him for centuries.

But in the end, how weird would it be if Elucien and Gwynriel didn't end up together as mates? Because SJM has told us that a true bonded pair is the best it gets in the ACOTAR world. So why would she only make Feysand and Nessian true bonded pairs while sticking the other main characters with someone they just love on a regular not magically special level? Especially when the bond is important to the males? You can't say a Mate is the best it gets then only give 2 of the 3 sisters and 2 of the 3 brothers a happy bond. That's just odd.

On to your second part, definitely agree! Feyre even tells Nesta she will "work" in the library. Gwyn was assigned to "work" for Merrill. And they all "work" for Clotho. Seriously, the word work is used a hundred times in references to what they all do in the library so people are being ignorant in ignoring that fact.

And thank you for including Elain because she takes care of Feyre and Rhys's garden. That's not her house. She's not going to live there forever. She might enjoy it but she's still doing it for a home she doesn't own. And like you said, cooking for them? Serving them? Helping the residents around Velaris? It's almost like people forget that there are jobs outside of being a warrior in their world.

And YES! Seriously, yes to both your posts. Elain and Gwyn are not the issue in the Azriel situation. I mean, at least he's treating Gwyn normally and that's why they read as soooo much healthier than E/riel does but Az is not the prize that some think he is. He's jealous, controlling, and possessive when it comes to Mor and Elain. He doesn't know how to communicate and his focus is always on how much he hates himself rather than focusing on why the female is special (the key to every good romance, right? 🤮). Maybe that works in another authors book but not one written by SJM.

I can't imagine her suddenly switching up everything she's ever said about female empowerment and being a feminist and rewarding the way Az is acting towards Mor and Elain right now.

#elucien #gwynriel #pro elain archeron #pro gwyneth berdara

[acourtofthought]

I just have to say that I clearly need to read the books again bc I’m missing evidence in the argument that it’s “obvious” Elain/Az have “been building for several books.” They had some moments, sure. However, (correct me if I’m wrong) they didn’t meet in the first book. The second book, and possibly third, they were still individually in love with other people. Elain/Grayson and Az/Mor. Once they were kind of the odd ones out, they seem to come together in a comforting/rebound sort of way. Nesta and Cassian were together or at least arguing lol. Feyre and Rhys were together or at least good friends… so who is left? Elain and Az. That doesn’t mean love or even romance? I also understand that Az is so desperate for a mate & that he kind of would gravitate towards Elain bc he feels like it “makes sense” to have the third sister. That also doesn’t mean love or romance. Idk…. Maybe I’m not seeing it or maybe I just interpreted things differently from the start. Though Elain/Lucien and Gwyn/Az all have some healing and growth to go through… I think they can actually eventually be very healthy couples. And I like them all individually, so I’m hoping for a happy ending for them all. Also, not to be dramatic….but the 3 brothers and 3 sisters thing makes me gag and if that happened, idk if I would recover. 😂

 

Their big moment from ACOMAF is Azriel answering Elain's question about Illyrian's flying.

But.....Elain was only trying to cut through the tension between Cassian, Feyre, and Nesta so she turned to Azriel to ask him the question. And Azriel was only self-conscious because he doesn't like when the attention is on him (which is PROVEN later in the series when Mor and Cassian laugh at a joke he made. This characteristic of Az has NOTHING to do with romance or Elain).

And before that we have, "but Azriel's attention was on my sister, a polite, bland smile on his face."

Ain't no romance like a bland smile romance 😒

That's the thing with E/riel. Everything is "peace and quiet, soft, gentle, bland, polite." And if you have ever read a fantasy book, especially a fantasy book by SJM, THESE ARE NOT GOOD THINGS TO INDICATE AN ENDGAME COUPLE!!!!!!

And in the same novel, we have:

"Mor breezed to my side. She wore a gown of pure white, little more than a slip of silk that showed off her generous curves. Indeed, a glance over her shoulder revealed Azriel staring blatantly at the back view of it, Cassian and the stranger already too deep in conversation to notice what had drawn the spymaster's attention. For a moment, the ravenous hunger on Azriel's face made my stomach tighten."

And.....

"Not the cold, beautiful shadowsinger who tried so hard not to watch her with longing on his face?"

And....

"The issue, actually, wouldn't be me. It'd be him. I could peel off my clothes right in front of him and he wouldn't move an inch. He might have defied and proved those Illyrian pricks wrong at every turn, but it won't matter if Rhys makes him Prince of Velaris - he'll see himself as a bastard-born nobody, and not good enough for anyone. Especially me.

And....

"Azriel's head lifted from where he was sprawled in his own blood, eyes full of rage and pain as he snarled at the king, "Don't you touch her." Mor looked at Azriel - and there was real fear there. Fear - and something else. She didn't stop moving until she again kneeled beside him and pressed a hand to his wound. Azriel hissed - but covered her bloody fingers with his own.

So what's really romantic coding here? Azriel staring with hunger and longing at Mor and never being willing to make a move because he doesn't think he's worthy or Feyre thinking Elain would seek out Az for peace and quiet? One is passion and one is what I'd do with my grandma.

I am almost positive SJM originally planned on Az and Mor ending up together in ACOMAF until she decided she needed more inclusivity in the series and made Mor bisexual in ACOWAR. Which means when she made Elucien mates in ACOMAF, she wasn't remotely thinking about E/riel being a thing.

And then she changed the direction of Mor in ACOWAR which means she needed to created a new storyline for Az and a way that Elain and Lucien needed to avoid one another until it was time for them to accept the bond in their own book. They needed not to fall for one another while she was still mourning the loss of Graysen.

SJM couples do NOT fall in in love with their endgame person while still in love with someone else. She ALWAYS makes sure the reader knows the FMC is over their past love before falling for someone new.

Enter....the E/riel rebound!

Every single moment people think E/riel has in ACOWAR is followed by imagery of why they wouldn't match. It's followed by the fact that he's still hung up on Mor and she's still hung up on Graysen. There is NO love building between them. Then by the end of that book and in ACOFAS, we see Az starting to realize he may never be with Mor and Elain realize she may never get to return to Graysen. So they latched on to the convenient other single person within their orbit that they're "fine" with. That they feel "comfortable" with. Again, not SJM endgame material. And for God's sakes, Elain is in the room on Solstice while Az looks at Mor with yearning! What the hell kind of romance is that?! Elain's obviously chopped liver when Mor's around 🤔

That's why Gwynriel and Elucien's arguments are so strong, because we don't even need to add Lucien or Gwyn to any of this to make it obvious as to what's going on. And that's why Lucien and Gwyn will be endgame because they are separate from the Mor / Az, Elain / Graysen mess. There are no feelings of love involved with Gwynriel or Elucien right now but there is absolutely an overlap between canon evidence of Az being in love with Mor and Elain being in love with Graysen and E/riels saying Elain and Az are in love.

I'm about tired of their "go back and read the book" arguments considering we can refer back to multiple scenes involving multiple characters outside of just the Elucien or Gwynriel ones versus them, who can only recite E/riel moments. I think it's pretty obvious which readers have actually read the book.

#elucien #gwynriel #moriel #anti e/riel #antie/riel

[nikethestatue]

Ok controversial opinion

Of all the sisters to have threesomes with the bat boys I felt like Nesta was not the sister to do it with.

When SJM said there was a threesome with Nesta x Cass x Azriel , I was not for it at all. I did a scrunchy face 😖

But Elain x Azriel x Cass 100%

Feyre x rhys x cass yep that’s good too

….. and so on.

Maybe it’s because I like when the people involved have strong feelings for each person.

I just don’t think in the books Nesta was at the level of emotional love to care (strong feelings) about anyone other than Cass and that took a long time too. Probably the reason I didn’t connect with a lot of their sex scene until they were open about their emotions.

Where as Elain and Feyre love all the bat boys!

Thoughts? I am probably solo in my opinion but I just didn’t like and still don’t like the idea of a Nesta threesome ( I need more emotional connection) lol 😂

So, if you know anything about me, you know I am hardly a prude. LOL

I am literally writing a Reverse Harem fanfic with 3 dudes and one gal.

BUT

In canon, I cannot deal with the Archerons being in any threesomes for like 200 years. I think there will be such disbalance in experience and expectations between these 20s girls who've had 1-2 boyfriends before, and these dudes who have had probably thousands of lovers.

This is probably a bad analogy, but it's like taking someone with say Elain's experience (a grand total of ONE man, and potentially ONE sexual experience) and putting her in a 3/4some with male porn stars.

I don't want that with any of them--including Nesta, who's had a much more robust background with sex (but unhealthy sex) than Elain or Feyre.

To me, it always feels like of vaguely non-consensual and forced?

Maybe in a hundred years, I can totally see it happening. But not 2 years after they've become Fae.

Ultimately, I think it stems from my distrust of SJM writing a scene like that. I think she'll make it weird and uncomfortable.

her regular sex scenes leave much to be desires--with roars that shake mountains, seed explosions, forest fires...all that crazy crap that she puts into her sex scenes, and yet, can't incorporate a sex toy into the act.

Also, once you start throwing mate bonds into the sexual Fae inferno, then 3somes make less and less sense. Like, OMG, I love you so much, Elain! I will go to the ends of the earth for you! I will die for you! You are the only woman for me! You were created by the Mother just for me before there were stars in the skies! Cass and I would like to DP you.

Yeah, it makes no sense.

But that's just me.