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korkiekenobiconfirmed · 10 months

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I'm on a roll with the s/j/m hatred tn so I'm going to compile a masterlist of all her shitty lgbt/poc representation and why it sucks booty cheeks. it should be noted that none of this is meant as shade on any of the characters themselves... I actually happen to like quite a lot of them

EDIT: there are some nice additions to this post in the notes you can check out

LGBT rep

Aedion (Bi/Pan)

Literally known as “Adarlan’s Whore” (a nickname that references both his allegiance to the king and his tendency to sleep around)

His only same-sex relationship is with a vaguely-mentioned unnamed lover from the past (it’s not even said straight-up that they’re a man, but I’m assuming they are bc they’re mentioned to be a commander of the Bane)

He’s shown being attracted to women and only women for two and a half books. He’s a womanizer retconned into the slutty bisexual stereotype

His liking men & women is compared to prostitution

It’s insinuated in koa that he slept with an ex while he and Lysandra were fighting (because the cheating bisexual trope is such a new & creative one!)

Helion (Bi/Pan)

He’s always trying to have 4somes with three of the main characters

Realistically he’s probably one of the most powerful/interesting High Lords but this gets sidelined in favor of him flirting with eVeRyOnE

All we really know about him is his name and the fact that he’s a bit of a manwhore… very 2-dimensional

He has an affair & a child with a married woman… just the Slutty/Cheating Bisexual Trope (Volume 2) :/

Mor (Lesbian? Possibly bi?)

She’s never shown in any real relationships (with men or women)

She had tragic off-screen relationship with a mortal queen a few hundred years ago

We get literally no hints that she’s gay throughout the series, she just randomly mentions she likes women at the end of book 3

She gets no happy relationship, she stays closeted to spare Az’s feelings (as though he’s not a grown ass man), she’s retconned into her sexuality most of the way through the series… just shitty shitty rep all around

Hasar (Lesbian)

She’s a villain, and a shitty one at that

Lesbian rep from a side character in one novella that half the fandom didn’t read? What’s even the point?

Thesan (Gay)

A very minor character & his unnamed “lover” who serve no narrative purpose whatsoever… thanks for nothing sarah

Emrys & Malachai (Presumably gay)

Oh look! More minor, background mlm that might as well not exist for all they do for the story :/

They are cute though, I’ll give them that

POC rep

Nehemia

First (and only) black main in ToG

She dies to fuel the white protag’s character arc… a very tired trope

She was actually a pretty well-written, likable character up until her brutal murder, which made it that much worse to hear about her organs strewn all over the room

Sorscha

Described as “plain” (particularly in contrast to the white women like Aelin & Lysandra)

We know she’s POC because of where she’s from, but the way her features are described suggest she could still be white

Dark hair, gold eyes, “tan” skin

She really just fawns over white-boy Dorian every 2 seconds before dying a violent death to fuel Dorian’s arc…

…Aaaand I’m sensing a pattern here

Nesryn

Much of her character (especially in QoS) is reduced to her beefing with Aelin (and thus being villanized by the narrative) because of jealousy over Chaol

Simply described as having “tan” skin (again). I think sarah is allergic to calling people brown

She is also described as plain compared to white protagonist

She has a (presumably middle eastern) family that only wants her to stay home and be a baker/someone’s wife

Yrene

Once again very racially ambiguous to the point where she could even be white, with “tan/golden” skin, golden hair, and golden eyes

She almost immediately ties her literal life force to a white man she hated like a month ago. Seriously, can WOC not fawn over a hunky white man for once?

She defeats erawan in the end — considering she’s been a character for such a short time, this just feels more like a deus ex machina the anything really set up by the plot

Helion

Not going to fully rehash what I said above but generally… he has great potential, but is basically not a character

Tarquin

He’s portrayed as very nice and reasonable, if young and naive, yet he literally only exists to get manipulated/robbed by the main characters

He seems like such a sweetheart. He deserved much better than Riceman and Feyrug doing him dirty like that

I’ve heard rumors of a High King/Queen F*ysand plotline in later books…if that happens, Tarquin will likely be bending the knee and forgiving the people who fucked him over just a short time ago

Lucien

He’s described as very caring and loyal (yay!) which seems to always get him taken advantage of (damn!)

He’s portrayed (especially in ACOWAR) as someone we’re supposed to dislike when all his actions are perfectly reasonable

He’s literally retconned out of being white when it’s revealed Helion is his father instead of Beron. I’ve seen ppl get mad at “white-washed” fan art but it’s hard to expect much else when his original character description was straight red hair, amber eyes, and “tan” skin (holy shit agAIN)

The people of the White Fangs from TOG

They’re described as having black hair, black eyes, and “tan” skin

They live isolated in the mountains (away from civilization) and are described as “savage” and warlike, always raiding villages in the mountains and stealing women away from their homes…

Cain, who’s from these people, dabbles in dark magic/religion nobody else understands

This is feeling, intentional or not, like a horrible Native American caricature. Idk maybe that’s just me

#anti sjm #anti acotar #anti tog

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acourtofthought · 1 year

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Contains TOG spoilers........

⬇️

But first....... Lucien ☀️🔥

Thoughts slammed into me, images and memories, a pattern of thinking and feeling that was old, and clever, and sad, so endlessly sad and guilt-ridden, hopeless—

"all the sounds that Lucien so carefully sorted through while he kept watch."

Like Rhys, he usually opted for words to win his battles.

“I trust in the fact that we currently have possession of the one thing he wants above all else. And as long as that remains, he’ll try to stay on our good side. But if that changes …"

"His talent was wasted in the Spring Court."

"There was a reason he had that fox mask, you know."

No wonder he’d been so eager to head alone into Velaris that day he’d gone to help us research. I shot a look at Rhys. Seems like Lucien can still play the fox.

“Lucien can’t be entirely trusted anymore.”. “Lucien might mean well, but any reports would be skewed—even if he isn’t aware of it—in their favor.

Lucien stared out the window—as if he could see the lake across a sea and a continent. As if he were setting his target.

“Eyes can be blinded,” Nesta said. “Not the ones under my command,” Azriel said with soft menace.

"Lucien will never be good enough"

“There are others in your court as delusional as you are. They’ll get it for me one way or another, with the right incentive.

I'd be surprised if we don't get a super clever scheme in Elucien's book, courtesy of Lucien.

SJM has previously said Dorian and Lucien would be great friends and we know that Dorian was not only extremely powerful with raw power that be could shape as he desired but he was also very cunning. In KOA, he took two of the Wyrdkeys and tracked down Maeve to find the third. Maeve asked Dorian to work with her, explaining that she wants the keys so she can get rid of Erawen and his brothers for good.

Dorian agrees, asking her to bring the spiders to his side and he will marry her, giving her a new Kingdom to rule over.

In a later chapter, Maeve slips into Dorians mind, using her powers to control him but the entire time he's been tricking her, using her own power against her (a Valg!) to learn how hers actually work, taking over her mind instead.

There's already notable similarities between Dorian and Lucien, their polished persona's, their fathers both had them held down and forced them to watch the execution of the woman they loved, unknown magical powers, hints at Lucien being extremely powerful as Dorian was powerful, and their intelligence.

SJM has also pointed out how Rhys and Lucien share a likeness in how they use their words to fight battles and we know Rhys often schemes, having others question his intentions only to find out he had some wildly clever plot going the whole time.

I could easily see her having Lucien do something similar. Maybe he'll have a plan for Koschei or the Human Queens that he didn't inform the others of, something Elain becomes suspicious about and starts following him (Mr. and Mrs. Smith anyone? It would be even better if this followed the arranged marriage trope 😂).

The others acknowledge Lucien is clever and insightful yet they still underestimate him. You can tell they look at him as a tool for when it benefits their own purpose rather than viewing him as an equal, a force to be reckoned with.

I'd also love if it led to Az eating a bit of humble pie. He's so certain of Lucien being unworthy, imagine if Lucien managed to outsmart Az and his shadows.

#elucien #pro elucien #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #elain and lucien #pro lucien vanserra #lucien spell cleaver #Elucien book

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bookofmirth · 3 months

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I’m wondering since I haven’t read ToG and idk how Chaol’s book was structured- would an Azriel book with Gwyn be split evenly? Like 50/50 for the two of them or more like how Nesta/Cass book was mostly focused on Nes?

I gotta say- I want a lotttt of Gwyn. I want her to be super important to the story lol, guess we’ll see

Personally, I think it would focus on Azriel (edit) and then have Gwyn in the same way that acosf had Cassian. I did read Tower of Dawn when it first came out and then attempted a reread but... it's been ages. Having read the other books in ToG multiple times, though (with the exception of KoA), I will say that the narrative in ToG is much more similar to CC than it is to acotar. From what I remember of ToD, there are chapters for Chaol, Yrene, and Nesryn.

In ToG and CC, you have sections and chapters that are dedicated to completely different characters. In acotar, even in Nesta's book, 99% of the book follows either Nesta or Cassian, with Nesta taking precedence.

For example, in HoF, whenever I reread, I only actually reread about 2/3 of the book because I completely skip the chapters with Chaol, Dorian, and Aedion. Well, sometimes I will read the ones with Dorian. :)

And when I was reading hofas, it was really easy for me to see "oh, this part is about Tharion" and then just skip to the next section :) Although his parts did end up giving me relief from Bryce and I stopped skipping them.

But with acotar, that isn't ever really possible. I think that acosf is a better indication of what that book would look like! In the sense that it will probably be tighter, focused more closely on the two main characters than ToG, which could jump around much more easily.

Gwyn is so positive, I almost can't stand how adorable she is. How determined and supportive and curious she is, and excited about her research and writing. I would never skip a Gwyn chapter. :D

#gwynriel #tog #acotar #ask #anon #acotar5

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harperbrynne · 7 months

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MY 9/26 SJM LIVE Notes

***This is not a full summary of the live. Only some notes I took that I thought were the most interesting to me that I wanted to share. Everything is broken down based on the series mentioned and not in chronological order.

ACOTAR:

While she was working on the book she’s writing right now, she spent a whole day writing a scene and thought it was dumb. She didn’t believe it was even good enough for bonus scene material

Now that CC 3 is done, what are you working on now? SJM is working on drafting the next ACOTAR novel. She’s become so obsessed with writing this book that she’s thinking about the book nonstop. She’s not sure when the draft will be completed

CC:

Hunt’s parentage and origins: Readers will learn more about Hunt in the next book. SJM makes no promises for his well being

The Autumn king and possible connection to the Autumn Court– SJM knew who Bryce’s biological father was, but in the process of writing and editing, he became one of her favorite characters to write because he’s so horrible and is capable of doing the right thing but doesn’t. SJM thinks it’s fun to put opposing characters like Bryce and Ruhn with the Autumn King. She didn't say anything about the Autumn Court

How much of Bryce's powers has she accessed? SJM said you will see in next book

We know magic is weaker in the modern world, does a mating bond mean the same thing in CC as in the ACOTAR books? SJM chose not to answer

Is Hunt really Bryce’s mate? SJM said yes they are mates and when she was creating the series she knew how ToG and ACOTAR went with their similar romance tropes. She wanted to do a doozy and make the guy in the beginning be the guy in the end for CC

ACOTAR/CC

Can we expect to see additional POVs from ACOTAR characters in HOFAS? She wouldn't say, but said you would see the ACOTAR world for sure and it will pick up after that final scene in HOSAB

SJM was asked if she still stood by her comment that people did not need to read ACOTAR to start CC. She did not stand by that statement. She said you should read ACOTAR, but for readers who haven’t yet, she hopes they will get to the end of HOSAB and read it

ACOTAR/ToG/CC

Has SJM known all along about the idea of the worlds crossing? Was it intentional all those years ago? SJM claimed she is not a genius. She’s known for a while that the world overlapped even before working on KoA. CC was already a story in her mind so when she wrote the scene with Alien, she knew she wanted her to go through the ACOTAR world and thought it would be cool if she went through the CC world as well. For the most part, CC was a fun side project SJM wasn’t taking super seriously at the time when writing ToG. When she was actually really working on CC, she began daydreaming about the idea of the worlds being connected. Out of the blue, everything clicked in terms of the worlds being truly connected based on what she had already written. That’s when she really started planting seeds for the worlds overlapping in the first CC novel

Other information I thought was fun or interesting not directly related to any of the series:

Taron calls SJM: Sarah J Mask. Taron is obsessed with TS and SJM said she is too. She's always loved TS, but now that Taron is obsessed with her, they’ve only listened to her music in the car. In the eyes of her son the only creative genius in the world is TS

SJM confirmed she doesn’t use social media/lurk on the internet. Friends will text her theories from fans, but that’s all she will see

She used to only edit physical copies of her manuscript and she remembers having tear stains on the manuscripts from crying. She loved seeing the tearmarkers showing just how much she loved the characters as she was rereading what she had written

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acourtofantumbra · 6 months

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Was doing a deep dive for a future post about *gestures wildly* witches... Manon's lineage... cross-world connections... something I've found that feels actually tangible, maybe. Anyway, despite only dipping a toe into the ToD reread so far (I am not a ToD hater lol I'm just busy) I found myself checking a moment from KoA and took a nosedive into something immediately shinier. But it was so sudden I didn't have time to do my usual highlights/scribbles on my (currently dead) ipad so... enjoy my measly Kindle highlights.

I KNOW many folks have beautifully analyzed SJM's repeated character names because at one point SJM herself basically said, "I keep a record of all of them and I know what I've used."

I've seen folks flag important repeats for years now (we've seen this film before, A+ work, it keeps me up at night!), but the heavy hitters have been Briar, Thanatos, Cormac and even Ruhn (you know... the Erilean mountains and the hottie who knows 3 things).

So it stands to reason that repeated names might deserve some extra scrutiny... And I pray we get some pay off with that in CC3.

Anyway, as I'm pulling at the thread of ToG witches via our (my) favorite queen - Manon - I hadn't realized I fully forgot her dad's name. Frankly, of all the plot points from ToG, Manon's story's specifics were the haziest... except where Dorian is concerned I'm a mere mortal... and that has me suspicious regardless. Anywayyyy, as you can see above, it's Tristan. Tristan Crochan.

I cannot fully explain the cartwheel flip my brain did thumbing through the roladex of SJM's characters... because Tristan Flynn was not the energy my brain was ready for after reading this really sad passage about Manon's murdered family.

On my first read of the SJMU I went ACOTAR (long break between the original and ACOSF) -> CC -> TOG. And on my first TOG read, this passage triggered no alarm bells. I probably just didn't remember Flynn all that much. But after my CC reread... oh. I remember him. Don't you worry.

Now I am fan of Flynn. He's got a rakishness I simp for, I root for him and the dragon, and clocked his lordship woes despite having what we've all decided is a "hot dad". He's a good time. And Flynn feels like someone to watch! He makes an appearance in not one, but two, CC bonus chapters... and he's got a crush on the aforementioned dragon, who either was introduced for no reason or is gonna be a key player going forward. Or SJM is fucking with us. I don't have the answers.

But what I'm struck by Tristan-wise is a) the similarity in the little physical descriptors we get - brown hair, brown eyes and b) not actually Flynn-related... but a deeply similar sounding story to none other than the Autumn King. Daughter you didn't know was born to a woman you claim was your real love... check. Searching far and wide with a singular focus on recovering your daughter... check. Having another kid out of obligation and duty to continue on important bloodlines... check!!!

It might not have anything to do with Flynn at this current moment... but it's not implausible. Lord Flynn is of course a beloved frat-pack member living in a dump with his fellow bros. He specifically pops up in these bonus chapters going through the motions necessitated by his aristocratic bloodline. His mom/family is eager to marry him and his sister off - of course he seems miserable about the whole idea. But also resigned to it? It seems complicated. TLDR there's a world where Flynn's like "woof, yeah I gotta get married off but the heart wants what it wants!" There is precedent!

Also, I've been 👀 Flynn since it was flagged that he has "super rare earth powers" not commonly seen in Valbaran Fae... first off, what does that mean? Second, hot?!

Well I've done it again, so many words and nothing really of note to take away haha. I'll be honest, my mind was not in a Tristan Flynn headspace!! I'm kind of bogged down in my own thoughts about the witchier women of this multiverse... but in my dragon theory speculation Flynn popped up again and I really can't explain why random dead ends are turning up Tristan!!! I'm not mad about it, but I wish I understood.

#sjm multiverse #throne of glass #cc3 #sjm multiverse spoilers #sjm theory #manon blackbeak #tristan flynn #tristan crochan #crochan witches #rhiannon crochan #crescent city #house of sky and breath #kingdom of ash #autumn king #bryce quinlan

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anarchiii · 1 month

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What could of been… —TOG (canon) AU

Stand-alone fic | Warnings: angst | Rowan x Aelin

…

What if Rowan had known Lyria was pregnant and didn’t go of to war?

Fenrys would have most likely trained Celaena, not Rowan.

Would Celaena be the person she is in KOA?

…

Note: this is an AU this isn’t in the books.

Masterlist

“Rowan! We’re ready!” Lyria’s called from the entryway pulling him back into reality from where he’d been lost in thought. “Coming love!” He echoed back, walking out of the shared bedroom to his wife and their youngest daughter, they were going out to Mistward to visit Emrys and malakai for a party. They were celebrating something along the lines of peace. Since Wendlyn hadn’t been in any conflicts which Rowan was grateful for as that meant Rowan got to spend more time with his family, His daughter Maisie—only eight—had not been pleased at the idea of going out but had begrudgingly accepted after the promise of good food.

He kissed his mates cheek before grabbing his jacket and walking out the door his family trailing behind, he was going to be meeting with Fenrys to see how he was going with the task their queen had given him.

He was tasked with training a girl to control,wield and hone her magic. And not to mention shift. Though from what Fenrys had said the girl was a real spitfire. He knew that because Fenrys had been ranting non stop about her for two hours straight while drinking a monumental amount of ale and then passing out onto Lorcan, he’d feel bad for the male if he wasn’t such a bastard.

Soon enough they were passing through the gates of Mistward heading for a particular building, walking through the door and discarding his jacket on the nearest hanger before doing the same for his mate, kissing her cheek and ruffling Maisie’s hair before going to greet Emrys.

…

Celaena was grateful for no training today so were her limbs, the gods new they were on the brink of death. She’s been staring at the ceiling on her pathetic excuse of a bed when Fenrys had walked in. She turned her head to the side and stared at him intensely, annoyed that he had interrupted her daily existence check session.

Fenrys rightfully looked a little intimidated but brushed it of as he sat down on the bed next to her. She hated that about him, he was so carefree.

“So…there’s a little party going on in an hour and you’re kind of required to be there” he said. Great just great, she had to go socialise with some fae, how better could her day get?

She’d been getting dirty looks from all the Fae since she’d arrived, if they didn’t stop soon she’d surely end up burning them to a crisp and as much as she wanted to do that. She couldn’t.

She needed to go to Doranelle and learn everything about the wyrd keys and the Valg as she could, if she killed somebody her majesty Maeve would not be very pleased. “Earth to Elentiya you there?” Fenrys voice pulling her from her thoughts.

“Yeah I’m here” She answered, “Right, I want you to meet one of my friends.”

“Very well” she replied blankly,

Fenrys led her through the crowds of Demi and full blooded Fae and Faeries—even a few humans—all together, no fighting no conflicts. Just co existing for this one particular night.

After walking through the crowd for what felt like hours, they finally found Fenrys friends.

“Celaena I’d like you to meet my good friend Rowan and his mate Lyria, Rowan, Lyria this is Elentiya”

She looked to the Fae finding them already staring at her, awkward, the man—Rowan was beautiful really, with long white hair and dazzling emerald eyes she couldn’t help gaze into—but she wasn’t interested in men—males right now, the female, Lyria. Was a stunning woman, with a head of brown hair adorned with pearls, cascading down her shoulders and gold-brown eyes that reminded her of the freshest honey. She wasn’t a very envious woman but even she couldn’t help feeling jealous of such beauty, it had her looking away to the child clutching her mothers frilly pink dress, the girl couldn’t of been older than ten, her shoulder length light brown hair adorned with lime green bows and crystal clear gems, she was a natural beauty that even Celaena couldn’t help notice. “And this is our youngest daughter Maisie.” Lyria said, even her voice was beautiful, it was unfair really.

“It’s lovely to meet you three” Celaena said trying to sound as polite as possible, even mustering up the energy for a smile, she didn’t bother to think about how dirty her teeth must be or be embarrassed by them. The gods knew she probably looked like she was half dead, she didn’t care. Maybe a few months ago she would’ve but not now. She tried not to linger on the thoughts of if she’d ever care about her looks again.

“Celaena, I hear you are training. May I ask what for?” Rowan asked

Rowan worked for Maeve so there was no point in lying about it, besides Fenrys would call her out for the lie anyway. “I’m trying to get into Doranelle, Her Majesty Maeve insists I learn to wield my…gifts if I want to receive passage to her city.”

“What magic do you have? How much?” Lyria inquired. Almost looking bored with her. Did she not know it was rude to ask about those kind of things?

“Uh, fire magic. I have. Uhm just a small amount.” Celaena was getting uncomfortable with these questions, the female had no business knowing about her magic. She was getting ready to bolt when Rowan said, “well I won’t keep you here all night, I want to greet some old friends, if you’ll excuse us.” —practically dragging his wife away—She could’ve kissed the man for that, he most likely saw her getting uncomfortable. “Very well, it was lovely meeting you guys” she said. They were walking away when Lyria turned and gave her a dirty look. What the hell was that about? She hadn’t been that rude, for a matter of fact she’d been downright delightful.

She tried not to take it to personally as she made her way to the drinks table, grabbing a bottle of faerie wine as she walked over to a shady spot, swigging from the bottle as she surveyed everyone. The taste of the wine was a welcoming sensation as it slid down her throat. She was going to have a mad headache tomorrow but it was a small price to pay for the reprieve it brought.

Two hours and three bottles later Celaena was ready to leave, She didn’t remember why she’d even came in the first place, then again after all the wine she’d had she couldn’t remember much of anything. She was figuring out if she should just leave the bottles of faerie wine where they were or discard them somewhere appropriate when she saw Rowan make his way toward her. Shit? She didn’t have time to wonder if that was a bad thing as he was already in front of her, he had no business being that fast. “Hey, can I talk to you outside for a moment?” He said, “yeah sure” she answered back.

When they were away from everyone he turned to her, his beautiful eyes catching in the fae lights making them shine a bright emerald. She couldn’t help but be entranced in their beauty. He broke the silence first, “I’m sorry about my mate earlier, it was rude to ask such personal questions like that, I had a talk to her about it. I can get her to apologise if that’s what you want.” the idea of making the female apologise was appealing but she’d be a decent person today. “No it’s Alright, if I was her I most likely would’ve asked the same thing, there is no need to make anyone apologise.” She said, Celaena wondered why she was in such a good mood, maybe it was the wine or the dazzling male in front of her, she could get drunk off looking into his eyes all day, that’d be better than any wine. Why was she so..attracted to him? He had a mate and a child for gods sake she couldn’t be like this.

“Thank you for being so understanding Celaena.” He echoed back, god, the way he’d said her name—her alias— she wondered what it’d be like to have him say her name—her real name—to wake up next to him every day,to bear his children—She shut those thoughts away so far that they could only escape in her dreams, her wicked, cruel dreams. Filled with screams of beloved friends—and some of her own—of brown hair that shined in the sun, of sun kissed skin, bloody beds and tables, The scent of lotus and lavender. She shivered at the thoughts. “Anyway, it was nice meeting you, good luck on getting to Doranelle.” Rowan said before he walked back into the crowd—back to that mate of his, and child—She didn’t understand why this was bothering her so much, she didn’t even know his last name and yet she felt like she could, and would. lay down her life for him.

She walked back to her room and plopped down on her bed, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. —To try and deter the cold— as she tried to drift off to sleep. Ignoring that golden threaded feeling blooming in her chest.

Finally the Sandman came for her and she fell into a dream filled slumber, dreams full of sparkling green eyes and a head full of silver hair lying beneath a crown of blue flames…

The End.

»Bonus chapter«

~~~~~~

@leiawritesstories

@mariaofdoranelle

@throneofglassmicrofics

@aelinschild

@elentiyawhitethorn

@tomtenadia

@rowanaelinn

#throne of glass #rowan whitethorn #aelin ashryver galathynius #aelin galathynius #books #sarah j maas #aelin x rowan #heir of fire #sarah j mass #fantasy #oneshot #celaena sardothien

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mentallyinwalmart · 4 months

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TOG TANDEM READ RANT (spoiler free! My recommendation for first time readers)

There are two major issues with the EOS/TOD tandem read ESPECIALLY the way everyone is pitching it to first time readers. I originally read the series in order, and did the tandem read on my reread. My opinions/two major critiques are as follows:

1. TOD is not a completely terrible book like some people pretend, it is interesting, and stands just fine on its own. EOS however is the best paced and one of if not the most exciting and thrilling books in the series. While swapping between the two stories can improve some of the more tedious or frustrating parts of TOD, so much more of the magic of EOS is lost when you constantly jump back and forth from the incredibly well written book that Empire of Storms is. Tower of Dawn doesn’t suck badly enough to warrant chopping up one of SJM’s best books across the board, and objectively lowering the quality of the cohesion of the writing/story progression.

2. they were literally released in this order on purpose, if you’ve read the series already you should know why it’s so important that the length of time between EOS and KOA is and feels so fucking long and that certain characters fates are ALWAYS on your mind… SJM emphasizes that and effectively ups the stakes by choosing to write the penultimate book from the POVs/geographical locations she does, so far removed from our typical POV protagonists

If you want to tandem read, that’s fine go ahead! If you want to skip TOD completely, slay, that’s what my sister did and frankly idgaf! But the whole “tandem read is the BEST way to do it” trend I’ve been seeing was making me angy :)

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starsreminisce · 4 months

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I don't typically delve into many theories, and when I do, I usually keep them to myself because, honestly, I have that much faith in the author to craft the story much better than I can. However, Elucien has pretty much become my brainrot, so here we are with theories and fanfics!

Below is my HoFAS Bingo Card!

While I hadn't initially considered rereading ToG, I'm starting to feel like maybe I should at least read ToD and KoA. If I find the time for it, I suppose.

Anyway, today marks the beginning of my ACOTAR and CC reread! I'm having trouble deciding whether to place ACOSAF after ACOWAR or between the two CC books. After HOEAB for that breather and give that illusion of time passing but it's so short ...

I love how, as a collective, we all subscribe to the "no body, no death" rule for Cormac haha.

Lord, help me understand the whole First Light Second Light concept because that just flew over my head when I first read it. Bryce's power also just flew over my head.

Also, going to be looking for some things pertaining to Lucien (duh), Elriel (because apparently, if I dig deep and really look for it, it's there), Multiverse ideas, etc.

I've got my Notion Board for my annotated notes all set up. I've requested Thursday and Friday off since my book will hopefully deliver that Wednesday. Hopefully, I get to pick up on more things!

#crescent city #acotar #rereading #personal

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smolandweirdwriter · 1 year

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Everyone Shut Up It’s The Middle Of The Night So Whatever I Say Here Has No Reasoning Beyond Rage And Sleep-Deprivation (and also a cold)

Name one SJM book ship— that has THUS FAR SAILED—which wasn’t enemies-to-lovers. I’ll wait.

Actually, yknow what, name an SJM character in ToG who LIVED was NOT in a relationship by KoA? A SJM ship which has been accepted by the characters in which the mating bond has been rejected? Even Rhys (SPOILER FOR THE ACOSF EXTRA SCENE WITH AZ!!) says that he needs the mating bond to stay between Elaine and Lucien even though he previously stated that relationships should be about love and the mating bond is mainly about genetics and magic like wtf???

and while we’re on the topic of all the reasons I hate SJM:

name ONE acceptable reason for her to market ACOTAR as “YA Fantasy” which had my 13-year-old ass reading chapter 55 of ACOMAF?

And why the hell does Rhysand have Feyre paraded as basically his sex toy Under The Mountain, getting her so drunk she can’t remember anything whilst he is 500+ years old, she is 19, and HE HIMSELF has been sexual abused for 50 years? Wouldn’t he know what that’s like??? What was the point? (See also: when they go to the court of nightmares the first time) I don’t give a shit if it was “for her own good” or “to help her not lose herself to madness” or whatever the hell people are saying about SJM.

and don’t even get me started on mor being token lesbian (6 pages of shit and I don’t even know if she’s bi or lesbian or pan) just so what??? she’s not a bitch for stringing a guy on for 400+ years? sjm can rack in diversity points? hahahahahaha wtf about Nehemiah? Fucking Dorian and Manon coming out of nowhere when Manon was so CLEARLY not into men??? Like what can your characters not have happy endings if they’re not in a relationship?

Did I somehow forget big chunks of her books? Because from what I recall they were toxic, poorly written, and, what else? oh right MARKETING PORN TOWARDS CHILDREN

seriously if I’m wrong in any way, inform me but right now I am tired and angry (and also really fucking congested but that’s not the point)

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wingedblooms · 1 year

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Song of the wind

This is a Maasverse post, and as such, there are spoilers for all Maas series. Proceed with caution.

There once was a dark cottage at the edge of the forest, and in that cottage rested a bed:

The room was large enough for a rickety dresser and the enormous ironwood bed we slept in. The sole remnant of our former wealth, it had been ordered as a wedding gift from my father to my mother. It was the bed in which we’d been born, and the bed in which my mother died. In all the painting I’d done to our house these past few years, I’d never touched it. (acotar)

A bed made of ironwood, as @offtorivendell pointed out a long time ago. This is the only mention of ironwood in the acotar series. And as you may remember, ironwood is connected to Ironteeth witches:

Leaning into the breeze was the closest she came to flying these days—save in rare dreams, when she was again in the clouds, her ironwood broom still functioning, not the scrap of useless wood it was now, chucked into the closet of her room at Blackbeak Keep. (hof)

A fierce, wild thrill pierced Manon’s chest, sharp as a knife. Following the Matron’s gaze, Manon looked to the horizon, where the mountains were still blanketed with winter. To fly again, to soar through the mountain passes, to hunt down prey the way they’d been born to …

They weren’t enchanted ironwood brooms. But wyverns would do just fine. (hof)

Unlike Crochan witches who use redwood for their brooms, Ironteeth witches make their brooms from ironwood. It is unclear what wood is used for brooms in Midgard. Queen Hypaxia's broom is quite intricate, carved with clouds and flowers and stars, and turns into a broach of the earth goddess, Cthona, when it is not being used.

It is no coincidence that the Archeron sisters were born in an ironwood bed; it’s the only possession they kept from their past. If that doesn’t scream witches, I don’t know what does.

In tog, we learn that Ironteeth witches carve their own brooms, as Manon recalls:

Manon could still feel how her own hands had ached during the long days she’d whittled down her first broom from the log of ironwood she’d found deep in Oakwald. The first two ventures had resulted in snapped shafts, and she’d resolved to carve her broom more carefully. Three tries, one for each face of the Goddess. (koa)

This instantly made me think of Papa Archeron and his skill with wood. He bought the ironwood bed for his wife, and in it she birthed three sisters, one for each face of the Goddess. @starswhogaze suggests that he might even possess the gift of Sight, his eyes lost to memory, clouded. Is he a rare-born witch prince (of merchants), and did he See something in the future that compelled him to find the missing queen, Vassa, and gather an army? Or was he influenced by Koschei on the wind, as @offtorivendell has discussed before?

Ironteeth witches and their ironwood brooms are linked to the wind:

She’d been thirteen, mere weeks past her first bleeding, which had brought about the zipping current of power that called to the wind, that flowed through the brooms and carried them into the skies. Each stroke of the chisel, each pound of the hammer that transformed the block of near-impenetrable material, had transferred that power into the emerging broom itself. (koa)

Not only does this make me think of Papa Archeron and his chisel, spreading love and beauty with his carvings, but it also reminds me of Nesta’s trove of death-swords. She hammers raw magic into the swords like more elemental fae once did.

I also can’t help but think about Elain imbuing objects or the land itself with power. Is that what her carved rose might foreshadow? Is it made of ironwood? Nesta describes the rose as a dark sort of wood with solid weight. Ironwood is known for being strong and dense, making it more difficult to carve. (And I just love the juxtaposition of something so delicate being so strong and solid, near-impenetrable.)

Nesta takes the dark rose from the cottage mantel and places it next to a figurine of the Mother in the House of Wind; the Mother is one of the faces of the Goddess that witches in Midgard and Erilea worship. Blooms are an important symbol for witches in Erilea, too:

A few bore flowers, but many brought small stones to lay on the site. Those who had neither laid down whatever personal effects they could offer. Until the blast site was covered, as if a garden had grown from a field of blood.

[…]

“Be the bridge, be the light. When iron melts, when flowers spring from fields of blood—let the land be witness, and return home.” (koa)

@offtorivendell pointed out that this imagery is similar to the way Elain is described in the witch accusation. She's a rose bloom among soldiers in a mud field, and at the end of the original series, she expresses a desire to create gardens after so much bloodshed and death.

Could Elain’s ironwood rose might mean we'll see her travel on the wind? Like Illyrians, Ironteeth witches fly and have a deep connection with the wind. Their power calls to the wind, and as we see with Manon, the wind sings to them in return:

Hurry northward, the wind sang, day and night. Hurry, Blackbeak. (koa)

When Elain meets the Illyrians, the very first question out of her mouth is about their ability to fly, and we learn they hear the song of the wind from birth like Ironteeth witches.

Elain said to Azriel, perhaps the only two civilized ones here, “Can you truly fly?”

He set down his fork, blinking. I might have even called him self-conscious. He said, “Yes. Cassian and I hail from a race of faeries called Illyrians. We’re born hearing the song of the wind.”

“That’s very beautiful,” she said. “Is it not—frightening, though? To fly so high?”

“It is sometimes,” Azriel said. Cassian tore his relentless attention from Nesta long enough to nod his agreement. “If you are caught in a storm, if the current drops away. But we are trained so thoroughly that the fear is gone before we’re out of swaddling.” (acomaf)

We see the frightening scenario Azriel describes above play out when he rescues Elain and Briar, the former notably silent when they briefly lose the current. It’s as if she was Made to travel on the wind.

Azriel turned, the girl moaning in terror as he lost a few feet to the sky—before he leveled out and soared beside me. (acowar)

There are so many possibilities for how the song of the wind might connect to Elain’s powers. She might transform into a winged predator, as Blodeuwedd does, and/or she might move through the world like the Cauldron, a force that is travels unseen and constantly shifts form. Her power is repeatedly paralleled with Azriel’s abilities, and we already know that he learned the language of shadow and wind and stone when he was trapped in darkness. Elain’s sense of sound is also heightened after she is Made in the dark depths of the Cauldron:

“When I sleep,” she murmured, “I can hear your heart beating through the stone.”

She angled her head, as if the city view held some answer. “Can you hear mine?”

He wasn’t sure if she truly meant to address him, but he said, “No, lady. I cannot.” (acowar)

[…]

“There is a garden—at my other house,” I said. “I’d like for you to come tend it, if you’re willing.” Elain only turned toward the sunny windows again, the light dancing in her hair. “Will I hear the earthworms writhing through the soil? Or the stretching of roots? Will the bird of fire come to sit in the trees and watch me?” (acowar)

She can hear, see, and communicate with things that others cannot. It would not be a surprise if this extended to the wind, among many other things as @silverlinedeyes suggests in her Singer post.

“Don’t,” Elain said flatly, starting once more into a walk, veils of steam drifting past her shoulders from the roasted rosemary potatoes in her hands, as if they were Azriel’s shadows. “She won’t listen.” (acofas)

Another word for steam is mist and mist can create a a murky environment. Both oracles and mystics use murky environments, such as smoke-filled rooms or cloudy tubs of liquid, to access their gifts and respond to specific questions. I believe this environment is meant to mimic the murky waters of the Cauldron. The oracle in Midgard listens to answers in the smoke, much like Elain listens to a voice in her murky realm. When asked a question she cannot answer, she says it is all mist and shadow.

Mor leaned forward. “Do you know why the other queens cursed her—sold her to him?”

Elain studied the table. “No. No—that is all mist and shadow.” (acowar)

Mist and shadow. Like @offtorivendell, I believe Elain will need to use the language of shadow and wind and stone, or its counterpoint, for travel through the void as well as clear visions, which brings me back to witches. Ironteeth witches blink clear eyelids into place for protection, like owls. These eyelids allow them to see clearly in murky conditions while they fly.

The smoke of countless forges stung Manon’s eyes enough that she blinked her clear eyelid into place upon landing in the heart of the war camp to the sound of pounding hammers and crackling flames. (qos)

In the Blodeuwedd post, I theorized that Elain blinks like an owl when she uses her gift of clairvoyance. Clairvoyance means clear sight or vision. Like an Ironteeth witch, she might blink to to see clearly, or focus her vision, in her murky realm. Does she possess an inner light, like owls of legend? Or can she hunt on sound alone, like an owl who has adapted to her dark environment? Move like a pale wraith through the darkness of the Void?

Her skin was so pale it looked like fresh snow in the harsh light. I realized then that the color of death, of sorrow, was white. The lack of color. Of vibrancy. I left Cassian and Rhys by the door. Nesta’s rage was better than this … shell. This void. My breath caught as I edged around her chair. Beheld the city view she stared so blankly at. Then beheld the hollowed-out cheeks, the bloodless lips, the brown eyes that had once been rich and warm, and now seemed utterly dull. Like grave dirt.

[…]

Perhaps that was why she now kept all the curtains open. To fill the void that existed where all of that light had once been. And now nothing remained. (acowar)

Void is darkness that devours all light. A Night Court weaver wove dark fabric in her grief and called it Void. Dark fabric is also linked to movement earlier on in the series, when Feyre learns to winnow:

“How does that … vanishing work?” I said softly. I’d seen only a few High Fae do it—and no one had ever explained.

Rhys didn’t look at me, but he said, “Winnowing? Think of it as … two different points on a piece of cloth. One point is your current place in the world. The other one across the cloth is where you want to go. Winnowing … it’s like folding that cloth so the two spots align. The magic does the folding—and all we do is take a step to get from one place to another. Sometimes it’s a long step, and you can feel the dark fabric of the world as you pass through it. A shorter step, let’s say from one end of the room to the other, would barely register. It’s a rare gift, and a helpful one. Though only the stronger Fae can do it. The more powerful you are, the farther you can jump between places in one go.” (acomaf)

Void seems to be the dark fabric of the world that characters weave through as they winnow.

Darkness gobbled us up, and it was instinct to grab him as the world vanished from beneath my feet. Winnowing indeed. Wind tore at me, and his arm was a warm, heavy weight across my back while we tumbled through realms, Rhys snickering at my terror. (acomaf)

And this tumbling through realms in darkness sounds like the description of Wyrdgates, black areas where life passes between worlds, that Baba Yellowlegs gives to Aelin.

“There are gates—black areas in the Wyrd that allow for life to pass between the worlds. There are Wyrdgates that lead to Erilea. All sorts of beings have come through them over the eons. Benign things, but also the dead and foul things that creep in when the gods are looking elsewhere.” (com)

@silverlinedeyes theorized that Elain may use the Void to travel unseen. In the space between, I talk about the opposing forces of Azriel and Elain and the balance, or harmony, in the place where they meet. Could Elain become a force of light and wind and color that penetrates the deepest darkness?

Azriel arrived first, no shadows to be seen, my sister a pale, golden mass in his arms. He, too, wore his Illyrian armor, Elain's golden-brown hair snagging in some of the black scales across his chest and shoulders. (acowar)

But sunlight on gold caught his eye—and Elain slowly turned from her vigil at the window. (acowar)

Even in the middle of winter, she was a bloom of color and sunshine. (acofas)

From the edge of my vision, purple and gold flashed—Elain. (acofas)

Elain stood at the wall of windows, clad in a lilac gown whose close-fitting bodice showed how well her sister had filled out since those initial days in the Night Court. Gone were the sharp angles, replaced by softness and elegant curves. [...] Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health.

Elain's smile was as bright as the setting sun beyond the windows. (acosf)

The River House had finally fallen quiet after the raucous Winter Solstice party, the Faelights dimming to cast little pools of gold amid the deep shadow of the longest night of the year. [...] The Faelights gilded Elain's unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn. (Azriel's bonus chapter)

Did she track Hybern and her family through her Sight, and then—like a pale wraith on the wind—weave through the dark fabric of the world to strike true? Was she Hope shining through the Void, as acofas may have hinted?

Before she appears out of shadow to rescue Nesta and Cassian, she comments on the movement of one of my favorite creatures:

Her eyes shifted beneath her lids, the skin so delicate and colorless that the blue veins beneath were like small streams. “It moves …,” she whispered. “It moves through the world like … like the breath of the western wind.” (acowar)

Is this simply a poetic turn of phrase she uses for the Suriel’s movements, or does Elain understand the wind better than we realize? Is she familiar with the western wind specifically? Merrill, who is referred to as a witch (and reminds me of Manon), informs Nesta in acosf that she is descended from Rabbath, Lord of the Western Wind. Like witches, she too seems to have a special connection to the wind and presides over the spell-like ritual of the dusk services. Where is the Lord of the Western Wind from? Could it involve Dusk…or the Witch Kingdom in another world? All signs point to witches, as @psychologynerd reminded me of this:

Sometimes, Manon dreamed that she was in that room in the Omega, her half sister’s blood on her hands and in her mouth. Sometimes, she stood beside her grandmother, a witch fully grown and not the witchling she’d been at the time, and helped the Matron carve up a handsome, bearded man who begged for her life—his offspring’s life. Sometimes, she flew over a lush green land, the song of a western wind singing her home. (eos)

It's even more interesting that Elain specifically names the breath of the western wind, as though she has heard its call too. Though this list below is not exhaustive, the number of characters and creatures in the acotar series who are linked to the wind has grown immensely:

Suriel moving like a shadow on the wind and the western wind;

Illyrians hearing the song of the wind;

Azriel learning the language of the wind;

Mor's blood calling her to go on the wind;

Koschei influencing others on the wind;

Beron getting wind of Briallyn’s plans;

Queens scattering to the winds (like witches in tog);

Autumn’s smokehounds moving as fast as the wind to sniff out any prey; and

Merrill hearing the wind through stone, a descendant of Lord of the Western Wind.

And because I was curious (and love to come back to connections between the Suriel and Elain), I reviewed how the Suriel traveled.

Like a shadow on the wind, the Suriel was off, a blast of dark that set the four naga staggering back. (acowar)

I glanced toward the river, as if I could see all the way to the cave, to where Rhysand slept. When I looked back at the Suriel, it was gone. (acomaf)

I drew my Illyrian blade, the metal singing in the thick air. But an ancient, rasping voice asked behind me, “Have you come to kill me, or to beg for my help once again, Feyre Archeron?”

I turned, but did not sheath my blade across my back.

The Suriel was standing a few feet away, clad not in the cloak I had given it months ago, but a different one—heavier and darker, the fabric already torn and shredded. As if the wind it traveled on had ripped through it with invisible talons. (acowar)

The Suriel moves like a shadow on the wind, appearing and vanishing silently and suddenly, as Elain does now:

Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.” (acowar)

“Feyre?” Elain was again at my side. I hadn’t heard her steps. Hadn’t heard any sound for moments. (acofas)

Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, “Using me.” (acosf)

“You came,” Elain said behind her, and Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach. She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends. (acosf)

Elain seems to move like the breath of the western wind too, and I have a feeling that if we could hear it as she might, it would sound like a chant.

Next: The sense chanted, or Elain's connections to witchy rituals.

Series: seer. wise woman. witch.

#witch elain #witchy elain #witchy archeron sisters #elain archeron #azriel shadowsinger #acotar witches #tog witches #cc witches #maasverse witches #song of the wind #the void #the suriel #the western wind

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