#acotar5

[princessofmerchants]

"Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn's—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn that she couldn't quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world."

This is how Sarah J. Maas writes artistic expression in her main characters. Aelin. Feyre. Bryce. Nesta. A description of them like this is in every one of their book arcs—where artistic expression originating from that character needs to be in the world.

I don't think SJM gifts this experience, this need to express artistically, to women characters if she doesn't plan to give them the space to tell their own story, where typically artistic expression is a key into who her main characters are and what they need.

[bookofmirth]

What could happen to the Prison in acotar5?

As a preview, this post is going to be hella long. It focuses on things we learned primarily on acosf and hofas. It also discusses the Illyrians and the Valkyries, Pegasuses, the 8-pointed star, and the fallout from Avallen being restored by Bryce. 

The tl;dr is that I think that the Valkyries (and potentially some Illyrians) could serve as guardians for the Prison, along with being a neutral political force and army in Prythian, not aligned with a specific court but rather being a balance between them all. 

Before you proceed, be aware that I tend towards analysis of the current content of the books, not theorizing about what will happen in the future, so this may not read like theories that other people in the fandom come up with. A majority of this is facts from the books, with me tying things together to think about the implications.

Part one: what we know based on HOFAS

First, it's helpful to get some context for what we know (for sure) about the Prison:

It was the land of dusk (not a Court in the way Prythian currently has courts).

After the events with Fionn, Theia, Helena, Silene, and Pelias, the land was mostly abandoned.

When Silene returned from Midgard, she created the Prison in order to hide the Harp, using the monsters she put there to deter anyone from looking for it. Silene decided if this place was seen as cursed, then let it be cursed.

We also find out that Silene left her portion of Theia's light under the Prison, which Bryce then took.

There is also a large cache of firstlight remaining under the Prison.

When Bryce used Truthteller and Gwydion/the Starsword to heal Avallen, Pegasuses appeared again.

Avallen and the Prison are in "thin" spots in the universe that make it easy to travel from one planet to the other (fwiw, this idea is not unique to sjm. See: Stephen King.) These spots are identifiable by the mists that surround them.

These thin spots are also on the nexus of ley lines, where energy flows.

It stands to reason that when Bryce "unlocked" Avallen, the energy and magic that it now experiences will flow to other places along the ley lines, IE the Prison. It's also implied that the land keeping the power imprisoned is one of the reasons it grew sick.

Bryce's actions in hofas have implications for Prythian. While the above is related to the Prison, we also have:

Nesta now has possession of the Starsword/Gwydion

Azriel's reaction to Truthteller and the Starsword being together

The 8-pointed star (more on that later)

Part two: what we know based on ACOSF

So based on this information, we need to go back to acosf and look at what sjm left for us. 

The main thing to keep in mind is that Nesta found the Harp in the Prison, and that it was laying on an 8-pointed star. 

One of the main dangling threads from acosf - that we know to be canon, that is not a theory or supposition - is that the Illyrians and the Valkyries are going to continue training together. We know that Mor is interested in training with the Valkyries. From hofas, we know that Nesta is every bit as well trained now as she was in the months since acosf.

Now, there are a couple of partially-fulfilled statements from acosf that I think are relevant here, in addition to Valkyries and Illyrians continuing to train.

The first is the wish that Nesta made on the friendship bracelets. 

"I wish for us to have the courage to go out into the world when we are ready, but to always be able to find our way back to each other. No matter what." (chp 59)

We know that in the Blood Rite, the second half of that wish was fulfilled. The first half has not been fulfilled yet. That gives us very good reason to assume that the first half will be fulfilled.

All three of them, Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn, will go out into the world at some point in the future. 

There is another, much larger implication that was made in acosf:

Nesta smirked. “If we are to be Valkyries born again,” she said, “maybe we should combine the Illyrian and Valkyrie techniques.” She’d meant it in jest, but the words rumbled through the space, as if she’d spoken some great truth, something that made fate sit up. Azriel turned to them fully this time, eyes narrowed. Like those shadows had whispered something to him. A chill breathed down Nesta’s spine. Cassian stared into their faces. Like he beheld something he hadn’t seen there before. (chp 44)

And the later on:

Gwyn whispered, “I am the rock against which the surf crashes.” Nesta straightened at the words, as if they were a prayer and a summons. Gwyn lifted the blade. “Nothing can break me.” Cassian’s throat tightened, and even from across the ring, he could see Nesta’s eyes gleaming with pride and pain. Emerie said, “Nothing can break us.” The world seemed to pause at the words. As if it had been following one path and now branched off in another direction. In a hundred years, a thousand, this moment would still be etched in his mind. That he would tell his children, his grandchildren, Right then and there. That was when it all changed. Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too, had felt the shift. As if he, too, were aware that far larger forces peered into that training ring as Gwyn moved. (chp 60)

SJM used similar phrasing in the same book for which we know the consequences: 

Strike after strike, and Cassian could have sworn the world paused as she unleashed herself with the same intensity she brought to training.

This is when Nesta is Making the weapons, which we find out later is actually a significant moment, not just Cassian being hyperbolic about how great his mate is. Then, when Nesta is using the Mask and Harp to heal Feyre, the world also pauses. This phrasing is used when something important is happening - even if we don't know what the implications are, yet.

Given that we know for sure that the Illyrians and the Valkyries are going to continue training, and there are loose threads because we don't know the implications of fate/the world standing up at Nesta's, Emerie's, and Gwyn's statements and/or actions, there is a very, very good chance that the Valkyries will continue being a big part of acotar. 

My final point about the Valkyries is that in myth, they rode horses through the sky - not Pegasuses because those are from Greek myth, and Valkyries are Norse. But they fly through the sky on horses nonetheless. (This is literally the only piece of evidence I have coming from outside the books.) Pegasuses are connected to Avallen and likely the Prison. We know that Helion keeps some, but they are struggling to breed/thrive. (We also know that sjm loves to take what she wants from myth, so it’s not a stretch to think she’d shrug at the Greek/Norse distinction.)

All of this together tells me that the Valkyries have more story coming, and it is connected to the Illyrians'.

Part three: The 8-pointed star

A common thread between both series is the 8-pointed star. There are a few ways in which it is used:

Nesta and Cassian's bargain tattoo in acosf. They both had this tattoo on them - an Illyrian and a Valkyrie. 

Bryce also has the 8-pointed star on her chest that glows when she is near people who will aid her or who are part of the Starborn line. When she took the piece of Theia's light, it went into her star and powered her up.

The Harp was resting on an 8-pointed star in the Prison, where Silene left it.

In HOFAS, Bryce put Truthteller and Gwydion into the slots of an 8-pointed star in order to revive Avallen.

When training, Cassian teaches the Valkyries the 8-pointed star sequence. This is a series of moves that they make with a sword, and is an Illyrian technique.��

Cassian walked her through eight different cuts and blocks. Each was an individual move, he’d explained, and like the punches, they could be combined. (chp 38) “I’d thought today would be a good day to integrate the eight-pointed star, but if you’re already complaining, we can wait until next week.” (chp 44) Nesta lifted the sword and executed a perfect arcing slash. Her weight shifted to her legs just as she flipped the blade, leading with the hilt, and brought up her arm against an invisible blow. Another shift and the sword swept down, a brutal slash that would have sliced an opponent in half. Each slice was perfect. Like that eight-pointed star was stamped on her very heart. (chp 50)

And finally, at the end of HOFAS, Bryce gives Gwydion to Nesta and tells her to explore the 8-pointed star:

“I think that eight-pointed star was tattooed on you for a reason. Take that sword and go figure out why.”

Note that it’s not just a matter of the star, anymore. Both Cassian and Nesta were tattooed with it; Bryce used Gwydion and Truthteller to activate the star in Avallen. And now, Nesta is in possession of Gwydion with knowledge about the Prison and a connection to the star. There are elements coming together, and those elements are connected to both Illyrians AND Valkyries. 

My thinking is that the 8-pointed star is the symbol of the dusk land, the Starborn Princes in Midgard (Theia) and in Prythian, of the first and only High King. If that land is where the Valkyries will be reborn and where Starborn power is from, and we know it is the source of a huge cache of firstlight, then that star is a symbol of what has been lost - and what is about to be revived.

So now the question is - what part will the Valkyries and Illyrians play?

Part four: What might happen to the Prison?

To sum up the above, and adding on a couple of small points that don’t fit elsewhere:

We know that the Illyrians and Valkyries will continue training

We have very heavy-handed phrasing around the world/fate paying attention to the idea of the Valkyries being reborn and working with Illyrians.

We have the connection between Valkyries, Illyrians, and the 8-pointed star because it is also an Illyrian sword technique that is being taught to the Valkyries.

We know that the Prison is going to go through some changes akin to puberty.

In addition, we have Gwyn being allowed to write the Valkyries into the books she is researching. 

SJM has also said that Nesta’s story is going to continue.

Since we know that the Prison is going to change and there are these characters and groups poised for action - I haven’t even touched on Ramiel and the Illyrians being created by the Dagsteri, Azriel and his connection to Truthteller and Enalius, and his reaction to the TT/Gwydion, and will do that in a separate post - we can make some predictions about how that might look. If it’s going to make sense, sjm has to think beyond the magic system that she has��� sort-of established, and past the involvement of individual characters. There are a few things to take into consideration with the Prison.

It is very likely that Pegasuses will return to the island as it is suffused with magic and energy again. 

There are also other, unforeseen magical consequences as the magic flows back into it, thanks to the ley lines being “unblocked” by Bryce. 

It may become easier for people/creatures to travel between worlds, given that it is a thin place that has been "unlocked". 

The Prison is still full of prisoners! They are monsters that Silene gathered to hide the Harp, but... does that mean they just get released? Get slaughtered? Do they now have access to the power of the island? What is going to happen with them? 

The High Lords cannot all be trusted to stay within their own courts, minding their own business. Beron is the most obvious example, as he has his eye on Spring while Tamlin is Suffering. 

If there were another court established, one that sits on a huge reserve of firstlight, that could be a huge point of contention amongst the courts. Even if the High Lords don’t want it for themselves, they wouldn’t want anyone else to have it on the chance that one of them would use it against the others. In acomaf, Rhys explains that the Prison is keyed to his blood and that he has jurisdiction of it; however:

“Do all the High Lords have access?” My words were so soft they were devoured by the dark. Even that thrumming power in my veins had vanished, burrowing somewhere in my bones. “No. The Prison is law unto itself; the island may be even an eighth court. But it falls under my jurisdiction, and my blood is keyed to the gates.” (chp 18)

We don’t know yet what that reserve of firstlight is going to mean for the island.

To me, it makes sense for us to have a more neutral third party come in. One who doesn’t have ties to a specific court, but could act in all of their interests. 

Enter: the newly reformed Valkyries. 

I have had a personal headcanon that the Valkyries, once fully established, could create another political/martial entity in Prythian that can help balance the power between all the courts, and provide support when needed. This is how they worked before, which Cassian talks about in acosf: 

“The Valkyries fought when even the bravest males would not. The Illyrians tried to forget that. I fought against males who were my superiors, arguing to help the Valkyries. They beat me senseless, chained me to a supply wagon, and left me there. When I came to, the battle was over, the Valkyries slain.”

Valkyries and Illyrians don’t have the best history, but given that Cassian tried to help them, and that they are working together now, this could be a way of righting a wrong. It could help to explain why fate/the world is taking note. 

The Valkyrie ethos makes sense for this sort of neutral position, too:

“A clan of female warriors from another territory. They were better fighters than the Illyrians, even. The Valkyrie name was just a title, though—they weren’t a race like the Illyrians. They hailed from every type of Fae, usually recruited from birth or early childhood. They had three stages of training: Novice, Blade, and finally Valkyrie. To become one was the highest honor in their land. Their territory is gone now, subsumed into others.”

An improved Valkyrie force, especially if they continue learning Illyrian techniques and recruiting from women across Prythian, could be a big factor in upcoming conflicts with Kochei or any other villain sjm comes up with. They would ensure that the firstlight would be used fairly, so that no court is advantaged or disadvantaged unfairly. It would continue the threads that sjm has left for us, while also giving us space to explore questions that have yet to be answered (such as Azriel’s connection to Truthteller and Enalius). While I think that Nesta would keep her home in the House of Wind, the Prison island would be a good place from which the Valkyries can work - both guarding the monsters that are there, and keeping the firstlight safe.

I believe that Nesta will be the most important character when it comes to reviving the island; while it is heavily implied that the island is already going to have access to its powers thanks to being impacted by Avallen's healing - it is likely already on its way to healing - Nesta with her connection to the 8-pointed star, the Harp, possession of Gwydion, and the Valkyries can help bring stability to the place.

Thank you a million times to the people who helped me fact check and keep things straight, or just listened to me rant about this: @hellacioushag @lily-thesuriel @elains @aionuel @yazthebookish @fracturedarkness and @/michaelanoelreads on TikTok :) @highqueenmorrigan (Mary I forgot you brought up the sword technique thank you for that!)

[slytherhys]

"What if the Cauldron was wrong?"

We are SO back. 🌸🦇

[mayi-lau]

Sarah J Mass said it's pretty obvious!!

🔥 Cassian's bedroom habits thinking about Nesta.

He had no idea how it had happened: how he’d gone from mocking Nesta to taunting her with his own bedroom habits. Then imagining her hand wrapped around him, pumping him, until he was a heartbeat away from exploding out of his chair and leaping into the skies.

🔥 Azriel's bedroom habits thinking about Elain

He had only allowed himself these thoughts in the dead of night. Had only allowed his hand to fist his cock and think about her then. ===============================

▪️These clips are precisely from the promotion of Acosf, days before the book with the Bonus chapters is published. Chapter where the author precisely shows us Azriel's bedroom habits and his voracious hunger while thinking about ELAIN!!😉 🗣️🗣️

[hereforelriel]

The amount of articles coming out recently mentioning Elain/ Elriel is obvious in having the next book is insane. people wanna say sarah didn’t confirm these articles and such, and thats true. but she said that it was pretty obvious who the next book is about. and the people that wrote these articles read the books, and they think its obvious.

its not about what ship i want or what character i want the book to be about. its about what’s canon. even if i didn’t like Elain and Azriel i would still see them as most obvious.

[lost-in-fictionn]

Okay alright, I updated that little gwynriel hc I had. I still have the continuation in my mind, but this is all I could manage to write right now. I posted the first part loong ago, but I'll post it again cause the second part wouldn't make sense without it. Anyway, here goes

~~~~

One morning, before the training starts, Cassian tells the trainees that today they are going to fight with either him or Az, with their chosen weapon. If trainers win, nothing happens, but if the trainee wins, whoever they fought with (Az or Cass) will owe them a favor. Whoever they fight with is decided by picking a stone from a bag. There are two stones, one blue and one red. Red obviously means Cassian and blue Azriel. Whoever drops their weapon first, loses.

One of the trainees shouts "Is cheating allowed?" There are chuckles and then Azriel says "If you think cheating is gonna help you then why not?"

So the game begins.

A few priestesses fight, some with Cass some with Az. They all lose, some even with cheating in different ways. Nesta picks the red stone and fights with Cass. Cassian gives her a smug smile when she loses despite all her dirty moves. Emerie picks the blue stone. Azriel shakes his head as if to say another time when she loses. And then Gwyn picks the blue stone.

She looks at Azriel and says with a big smile "Ready to lose Shadowsinger?" Azriel, with a little smile of his own, says "Sure."

They fight. Gwyn tries a few dirty moves too, but they do not help her disarm him. After a small eternity of fighting, she finds an opening and gets closer to Azriel. Much closer than an opponent should. She kisses Azriel's cheek and he stills in shock for a few seconds. When he's aware of his surroundings again, his sword is on the floor and all the trainees are laughing and congratulating Gwyn on her success.

Gwyn looks at him with an even bigger smile and says "You owe me a favor!"

Azriel, who is still feeling faint, clears his throat and says "It would appear so."

*************

That night, Gwyn and Az are sitting on one of the training mats they dragged next to the wall after a grueling training session. They are sipping their waters quietly when Gwyn suddenly looks at Azriel and says "I want to call in my favor!"

Azriel looks around and cautiously asks "You do? Now?"

"Yes. What better time than the present, right?"

"O-kay" he says, still a little unsure. "What is it you want?"

Gwyn, a little unsure herself about whether she should ask this or not, says "Can you sing something?"

Azriel is surprised at that. He doesn't know what he expected her to say, but it wasn't this. "What do you want me to sing?"

"You can sing anything, really. I'm not picky" she says with a smile.

Azriel is silent for a while, then clears his throat and starts humming a melody. A few seconds later, lyrics come. The song is a haunting one, the way he sings the lyrics is like he is fighting something or someone but losing the fight...

When the song ends, Gwyn is speechless, she just looks at Azriel open-mouthed. Azriel looks at her too, like he's told her all his secrets. After Gwyn collects herself a little bit, still looking at Az, all she's able to say is "Can I kiss you?"

Azriel doesn't even blink, "Yes."

Gwyn sits up slowly, rising to her knees. Then she leans into him, still looking into his eyes. She lifts her slightly trembling hands to his cheeks, holding him gently. His own hands are on his sides, forming fists. Then slowly, so slowly, she puts her lips on his. Just that. She doesn't move her lips, and neither does he. They stay like that for a few seconds. When she pulls away, putting a few inches between their heads, they look at each other like there's nothing else around them.

Gwyn, heart in her throat, asks "Can I kiss you again?"

Azriel, again without blinking, says "Yes."

Gwyn leans forward once more. When she kisses him this time, she moves her lips a little bit. But she doesn't know what to do exactly, how to kiss properly. Because as much as she read those smutty books, they didn't teach her how to kiss. She pulls away again, frustrated with herself. This time she asks, "Can you kiss me?"

And this time Azriel answers with a question of his own, "Can I touch you?"

Gwyn swallows, then nods once. Azriel lifts one of his hands to her cheek, not yet touching. He pushes a strand of her hair behind an ear. Then he grabs her nape gently with that hand. His other hand comes to rest on her cheek. And he pulls her toward him and starts kissing her like he's been waiting for this his entire life. Hard but gentle at the same time. A lot of nipping and sucking. Gwyn's hands wander to his shoulders, then to the back of his head, pulling at the hair there. When her knees feel so weak that they won't hold her up any longer, Azriel grabs her waist and sits her on his thighs, both her feet where her knees had been a moment ago. Never once breaking the kiss. It lasts for an eternity.

When they pull apart, they're both breathless. Looking at each other like it's the first time they see the other one. Like the ground has shifted beneath them, though they both are sitting. Gwyn, still trying to control her breathing, says "Wow."

Azriel, still breathless himself, chuckles and says "Wow indeed."

[illusionovertime]

Haven’t seen anyone really mention this on Tumblr, so here I am putting on my clown mask hoping for an announcement soon teehee

SJM’s website has been updated with a “Reading Guide” section under her About header. It lists all her books and series in pub order (TOG, ACOTAR, CC). Then, at the end of the page it has this lil’ tidbit about following her insta to find out what’s coming next.

me thinks announcement soon??

Jkjk, unless👀

Info: tagging all ships for visibility, pls no fighting I don’t post like ever and just wanna engage in our collective delulu

[rosesfox]

elain's book is closer than ever 💅❤️ she's one of a kind.

[elrielbliss]

~words unspoken: "and i think elain—elain would like it, too. though she'd probably cling to azriel, just to have some peace and quiet."

all characters belong to @sjmaas

commissioned by me: @elrielbliss

art by: @.biting.lemons on IG

Happy Elriel Month! So happy to have commissioned my first Elriel art. I'm SO happy to have worked with this artist as they went above and beyond for me <3

No reposts please. Pro-Elriel edits allowed with credits.

[xxvalkyriesxx]

I haven’t read A Song of Ice and Fire but if The Winds of Winter releases before the next ACOTAR I’m going to cry.

[highladyjane]

While we're waiting for the announcement, what's your guess for the title of the next acotar book?

Lol, you sneaky nonnie! I've seen this Ask all over my dash today yestereve (I fell asleep writing my response to this)😆 Thank you for letting me join in on the fun!

I've actually had a theory about this hiding somewhere in my drafts for a couple of months now, but I've been too lazy to dig into it because 1. Structured writing, and therefore theories, is not my forte 2. I'm a perfectionist but my mind's messy - so it's all a bit messy, 3. so I might sound like a loony... 4. and I'm too insecure about my thoughts at times to even post about what goes through it 😅

But since you Ask'd... Here's a "shorter" version of that draft, at least:

My theory is that Elain's book will have something to do with ✨️Vines✨️.

Like... A Court of ✨️🌿Golden Vines🌿✨️(which I'm leaning the most towards), ACO Twining Vines, ACO Tangled Vines, ACO Blooming Vines, ACO Shadows and Vines... etc. I'm still trying to figure out where to lay my theory 😅🤣

It may sound very Elucien or even Tamlain, but ✨️Vines✨️ are described as "a plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining or creeps along the ground" which, if you read or search through the books, also hints and applies to the movement of Azriel's shadows in many instances... @wingedblooms absolutely brilliant post that I quite recently came upon, especially supports the 'Twining'... So I think it's the perfect title to confuse people about her endgame 😜

Anyways, to back up my guess/theory...

Elain's scent is of Jasmine (and Honey), which seems to be the bloom of the Night Court 👀, grows as climbing shrubs or ✨️vines✨️. But I'm feeling specifically strongly for the ✨Vines✨ because

Aaaaand because:

1. Ivy is a ✨vine✨ and Sarah has mentioned it in relation to Elain's book in an interview presented at the back of ACOFAS.

2. Nesta's drawer had flames🔥. Elain had...

🌿✨Twining Vines of flowers✨🌿

We often see the beautiful petals (Elain's softness & beauty), but we don't think about the strength, resilience, and foundation of the vines underneath and........ 👇

3. ✨️Vines✨️ symbolise:

Strength & hope & resilience = Elain's quiet strength.

Determination = Elain has shown determination to help in ways she can, but is yet to be given the chance to...

She also has shown a determined disregard and opposition to having a mate...

Connection = Goes well along with my guess on "Golden" or "Twining" Vines which are often used as adjectives in relation to bonds, threads, and even spells.

Also, Elain is an Archeron sister, Cauldron-blessed, and a Seer - connected to basically every plot and possible subplots in the books (The Cauldron ➡️ Ramiel in Illyria ➡️ Made Objects & People ➡️ The Middle & The Prison/Dusk Court ➡️ The Dread Trove ➡️ Koschei ➡️Vassa ➡️The Human Queens etc.🔁); not just for who she is and her Cauldron-given gifts and abilities, but also possibly through her LIs and family. She's the one sister left unexplored and it all leads back to her. She's basically at the beginning (She's the first sister mentioned by Feyre at the beginning of ACOTAR) and in the end (She's the last sister mentioned by Nesta at the end of ACOSF) of everything. So I don't know if that supports her book being next or last...

Life = the meaning of which also applies to her scent of Honey and "Golden" -the colour of (sun)light, honey, her eyes, her hair.

3. ✨️Vines✨️ are also mentioned/connected to the earthen powers described in CC3 that Sathia & Tristan Flynn + Bryce have, which I believe many has already theorised Elain to also have... I quite like those theories (can't remember exactly where I read them as of rn) and would like to believe that it's something the Cauldron has blessed her with since she's associated with gardening and life...

I also read somewhere in a biblical text (which I wasn't too keen to delve into tbh, so don't trust my word for it, but it's Googlable) where ✨️Golden Vine✨️was associated with Life, Rebirth, and Free Will... But if Elain turns out to be the next Messiah/Saviour/Prophet of Prythian, then it's quite perfect 🤷🏻‍♀️

So... that's sort of my take so far 🫣 Hope it makes sense to you, nonnie 😅

What's yours?

[bookofmirth]

You don’t have to post this if it could be a spoiler.

“HOFAS also takes place three months after acosf ends, not the nine months that sjm had originally said in an interview. Not sure what the implications of that are yet.”

If Azriel’s book is next then maybe that’s why she did that. I could be wrong, but just a thought.

Editing to add that the comments are full of spoilers so don't read them if you are trying to avoid them <3

100%, absolutely. There are a lot of reasons that I think that Az is even more likely to be next, but the time lapse being less than she initially said is actually one of them.

One of the issues I had before was that it felt like we had all of these urgent issues at the end of acosf:

The Spring Court being without a real leader and being prey to other courts

Eris trying patricide on for size and causing problems in Autumn

The fallout from the Valkyries winning the Blood Rite and potential related Illyrian unrest

Whatever Koschei is up to, probably regrouping after Briallyn was killed I guess

So all of those things just being on the back burner for nine months was a bit ???? to me.

Having less time between acosf and acotar5 means that the issues at the end of acosf do indeed have more urgency, to me. And those issues are relevant to Azriel as spymaster, Valkyrie trainer, and Illyrian.

If you go back to the interview where she said that hofas would be about nine months after acosf, she mentions that Nyx would still be a cute baby, but... we don't see Nyx in hofas, at all. She said that her editors would have to approve that timeline, and if seeing Nyx being cute was her main reason, then that's not a good reason lol.

And a side note, the reason we know it is three months after hofas is because Nesta mentions having killed Lanthys about seven months before. She killed him a month before Solstice, putting the events of hofas in June. acosf ended around March/the beginning of spring. That does mean that Midgard and Prythian are on different timelines, but they are different planets, so. It's either that or she didn't care about making that consistent.

[slytherhys]

it baffles me to think there are people out there who truly believe the next acotar book will be centered around a necklace and two women fighting over a man...

That just tells me you either never paid attention to any of SJM's books or you're just so blinded by crackships you refuse to see how dumb that is

[mayi-lau]

Shadows dance and flames dance.🔥

CC3 SPOILER ��⛔⛔

No, I don't mean Ruhn and Lidia. Ruhn's shadows don't even peek out when Lidia is present.

I am referring to a certain ship that believes that the powers dancing with each other are proof of the existence of a mate bond and not a recognition of powers that share similarities.

Here I share with you textual evidence of how the powers of characters who are not mates act in the same way as Azriel's shadows. They DANCE.

--The powers (Azriel's shadows) content themselves, respond and DANCE to Gwyn's voice.

--Lydia's powers content, respond, DANCE and even glow with the flames of Irithys.

*Irithys is the queen of the fire elves.

Personally I think the powers act this way because they recognize similarities between them. For example:

▪️ Lydia's powers are fire and so are Irithys'.

▪️ Azriel is shadowSINGER and Gwyn is literally a singer with a particular voice🤔

▪️Nesta's powers answer to Gwyn because Nesta has fire and Gwyn has lineage from the court of autumn(fire) and so on...

Obviously, as we can see, this is NOT an indication of a mate bond.

Sorry for English is not my native language😊

[this-is-madnesss]

This is crazy how everyday I see at least few people asking "WHAT BONUS CHAPTER". Still, after what, 2 years since ACOSF release? Yet certain part of this fandom is acting like the BC was so important that it would change the course of the next book.

Also why focus only on the Azriel's BC, and completely ignore the Feysand one. And you know what links those two chapters? Our flower power girl Elain 🥰

[lost-in-fictionn]

Truthteller to Azriel at the end of hofas