#ch: eos

[lavampira]

exploring the crescent 🌙🧚

[fleshfractals]

i NEED podcast recommendations. running out of things to listen to

the podcasts i've listened to are

The Magnus Archives

Midnight Burger

Malevolent

Wolf 359

Red Valley

Archive 81

Camp Here & There

Welcome To Night Vale

EOS 10

Sherlock & Co.

The Bright Sessions

And podcasts im in the process of finishing, (basically, my brain hasn't latched onto them yet and i might not gain an interest in them)

Woe.begone

The White Vault

The Penumbra Podcast

[fujii-draws]

(Animation WIP) bats my eyelashes…. Sighs dreamily…. I need to kill him ❤️

[crosshairs-dumb-pimp-gf]

These idiots, featuring @eobe 's Eo.

This exchange just became funnier the more that I thought about it.

Liberties taken, (Like lots) hope you don't mind. I never drew this species before and it lent itself to some... expressiveness.

[acourtofquestions]

EoS Chapter 58:

spoilers below the “more” line of safety

— “Kaltain Rompier had just turned the tide of the war.” — THANK👏YOU👏 (she deserved this line🥹)

— “Lady Elide of Perranth” 😍 — they had all survived🥹

— “The queen was now flanked by Lady Elide, Manon on the dark-haired girl's other side, Lysandra sprawled in ghost leopard form at the queen's feet. The power in that cluster alone was staggering. And Elide ... Manon had murmured something to Aelin on their walk back into the ruins about Elide being watched over by Anneith. Watched over, as the rest of them seemed to be by other gods.” — QUEENS (and yes the whole watched thing is getting fishy)

— “Scions-each of them touched by a different god, each of them subtly, quietly, guided here. It wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be.” — but I wish it was 😅😭

— "I have a bad feeling about this." — yeah me too especially now that you said that (though props to Manon for not only reading him well but checking on him🥹

— IS IT A DEAD TROVE??? — this is giving “nameless is my price vibes” with the “past present future & sister glass” vibes (or the Feyre “face the true monster” one) and I’m scared

— TOWERS? Like… of Dawn?😂 … hmm

— they are all too tired, she DID find a drain to the power, and I’m just worried😅

— guys stop shaming her for a “lack of” war experience GIRL WAS AN ASSASSIN SHE KNOWS A THING OR TWO

— "You're not taking Elide anywhere. Not now, and not ever." Lorcan rose to his full height. And before they could wreck everything with their brawling, Elide laid a delicate hand on Lorcan's arm--his own hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword. "I choose this, Manon." — I love big sis Manon (just also respect Elide please)

— NO ITS NOT THE MATRON IS IT? (I can’t if it is)

— ITS GONNA BE ANSEL ISN’T IT?! PLEASE

— QUEEN of the wastes

— wait okay I haven’t read CC but isn’t Bryce described as having wine red hair??? (just curious cause it’s so specific… just a thought🤷‍♀️😁)?

Time to go full circle, can’t wait for the next chapter!

[womanexile]

Rowaelin/Elriel similarities and parallels

Aelin and Elain Similarities

When they both start getting to know Rowan/Azriel they have both just gotten out of a relationship where the male (Chaol/Graysen) considers them being Fae as a monster. They both keep the rings that they gave them.(Chaol ring/Graysen engagement ring). 

Every time she glanced at the ring, rubbed it, caught it gleaming, it punched a hole right through her. HOF  ch 21

Especially as Graysen said to Elain, "Take that ring off." Elain's fingers curved into a fist. "No." ACOWAR ch 54

Aelin and Elain both smell like jasmine.

She slid onto the bed beside him, her scent caressing him. Jasmine, and lemon verbena, and crackling embers. QOS ch 29

 her sister's delicate scent of jasmine and honey ACOSF ch 17

Elain is an anagram for Aelin. 

Aelin's home of Terrasen is watched over by an immortal stag called the Lord of the North and Elain is referred to as the fawn.

Rowan and Azriel Similarities 

How Rowan's wind power and Azriel's shadow power are described. 

He could hear more than mortal ears, but the wind no longer sang its secrets to him. QOS ch 29

"this wind told him no secrets, had no song to sing" KOA ch 5

Perhaps the shadowsinger gift had come to him then, perhaps he'd taught himself the language of shadow and wind and stone. ACOMAF ch 28 

"you hear it?" a shake of the head. "no - but the shadows, the wind…they recoil." ACOWAR ch 63 

Rowan again snaked his magic through the many tunnels and stairs. EOS ch 8 

Azriel said cooly, "I don't need to resort to threats." The shadows coiled around him, snakes ready to strike. ACOSF

Nesta saw the blow land, like a physical impact, in Elain's face, her posture. No one spoke, though shadows gathered in the corners of the room, like snakes preparing to strike. ACOSF

Rowan always hiding in the shadows.

But then a deep male voice chucked from the shadows behind her. HOF ch 1 

There was no escaping him as he emerged from the shadows yards away. HOF ch 2 

But it was not some fell creature who waited in the rain. A large white-tail hawk was perched in the shadows. HOF ch 17 

"this plan is absurd" Rowan said for the hundredth time, stopping in the shadows of a tavern by the docks. HOF ch 68 

Aelin withdrew far enough to study the harsh face shadowed by his hood, the tattoo peeking out along the side of it, and the grim line of his smile. QOS ch 28 

Aelin leaned against the door, as Rowan paused in the center of the bedroom, his face darkened by the shadows of his heavy gray hood. QOS ch 28 

Aelin scrungged up some dessert from the street vendors while Rowan waited in a shadowed ally. QOS ch 34 

She stopped at the Royal Bank, warning Rowan to wait in the shadows across the street QOS ch 34 

Not waiting for Aedion or Chaol to climb down, Aelin began following the tunnel, Rowan silent as a shadow at her side--looking, listening. QOS ch 49 

Rowan and Azriel being very stealthy.

"You don't have to give those to me," Rowan said from behind her. She started a bit, and twisted in place to face him. He was so damn stealthy. QOS ch 28 

Dorian hadn't even heard him stand, let alone draw the sword, or the elegant hatchet in the other hand. EOS ch 22

"What did you see," Azriel said, and I tried not to flinch as I found him at my other side, not having seen him move. Again." ACOWAR ch 29 

Rowan and Azriel being very stoic and having an unreadable face

She bit back her retort as Rowan's hand grazed hers beneath the table--his face bored, uninterested. EOS ch 4 

Rowan's expression remained unreadable, eyes intent--near glowing. QOS ch 27 

Azriel's own face revealing nothing while he stood, keeping a careful, too-casual distance from her side. ACOWAR ch 15

"You mean to tell me that you weren't bluffing when you said you didn't track Lucien's every movement?" Nothing. Absolutely nothing on that face, on his scent. ACOFAS

Choking people when enraged

There was a choking sound, and a slam and rattle of glass. She looked slowly to find Rowan with his hand around Rolfe's neck, the captain pressed into the map, the figures scattered every where, Rowan's snarling teeth close to ripping off Rolfe's ear….Rowan leaned in, murmuring something in Rolfe's ear that made him blanch, then shoved him a bit harder into the table before stalking for Aelin. QOS ch 33 

One moment, Azriel was seated. The next he's blasted through Eris's shield with a flare of blue light and tackled him backward, wood shattering beneath them…Azriel squeezed, Eris thrashing beneath him…Azriel dug his knee--and all his weight--into Eris's gut. He was silent, utterly silent as he ripped the air from Eris's body…And the shadowsinger leaned down to whisper something in his ear that made Eris blanch further. ACOWAR ch 45 

Rowaelin and Elriel parallels 

questioning the mating bond

Rowan "I wanted it to be you. For months and months, even in Wendlyn, I wondered why you weren't my mate instead. It tore me up, wondering it, but I still did. All this time, I wanted it to be you." KOA ch 41

Azriel "What if the Cauldron was wrong? ACOSF bonus chapter

Manipulated mating bonds

"Why Lyria had been so frightened of him for those initial months, why it had been so damn hard to court her, even with that mating bond, it's truth unknown to Lyria as well. She had been gentle, and quiet, and kind. A different sort of strength, yes, but not what he might have chosen for himself." KOA ch 5

Maeve "it was so easy to tug on the right psychic thread that day Rowan saw Lyria at the market. To shove him down that other path, to trick those instincts. A slight altering of fate. So your mate was given to another." EOS ch 71

"The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of the sisters, yet the third was given to another." ACOSF bonus chapter

***Now I know that it isn't confirmed that the Elain/Lucien mating bond is manipulated but we have Azriel questioning the Cauldron about the mating bond in ACOSF then have him finding out in HOFAS that the Asteri corrupted the Cauldron for their own purposes. 

Rowan rescuing Aelin and Azriel rescuing Elain 

Rowan "I will find you" KOA pg 2

Azriel "I'm getting her back" ACOWAR ch 64 

He had come for her. Rowan. Rowan Whitethorn. Now Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius, her husband and king-consort. Her mate. She mouthed his name. He had come for her. KOA

She shook her head, devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it. "You came for me" The shadowsinger only inclined his head. ACOWAR ch 65 

Also both females were being held in a tent in the middle of the enemy's encampment.  

Silent Communication

Rowan and Aelin are able to convey their thoughts to each other with just their facial expressions, often having both playful and complex conversations. 

Elain's large brown eyes flickered, well aware of all that. Just as he knew she was well aware of why Azriel so rarely came to family dinners these days. ACOSF bonus chapter 

Lie. Well, the second part was al lie. He didn't need his shadows to read her tone, the slight tightening of her face. . ACOSF bonus chapter

Suffering

"It made sense, I supposed, that Azriel alone had listened to her. The male who heard things others could not…Perhaps he, too, had suffered as Elain had before he understood what gift he possessed." ACOWAR chapter 33

"Aelin, who had known suffering as he did. Who had been shown peaceful lives and still chosen him, exactly as he was, for what they had both endured." KOA chapter 114

Almost first kiss

Rowan "Don't do that - Don't touch me like that" Aelin "I'm sorrry"   QOS chapter 44

Rowan "about last night" Aelin "it's fine. It was a mistake" QOS Chapter 49 

Azriel "this was a mistake" Elain "I'm sorry" Azriel "you don't - don't apologize. Never apologize. It's I who should…" ACOSF bonus chapter 

Forbidden Love

"just this once he would let himself hold her" Rowan QOS ch 44

"But he could have this. This one moment, and maybe a taste, and that would be it." Azriel ACOSF bonus chapter

"She was off-limits--completely off-limits, for about a dozen different reasons" Rowan QOS ch 29

"Wrong-it was so wrong" Azriel ACOSF bonus chapter

These past weeks of travel have been torture-- the need to claim her, taste her, driving him out of his wits. EOS ch 8

He needed to know what the skin of her neck tasted like. What those perfect lips tasted like. Her breast, Her sex. He needed her coming on his tongue--. Azriel ACOSF bonus 

Quiet head

"put it on me?" His head went quiet. - Azriel ACOSF bonus chapter

She emerged moments later in one of those flimsy little nightgowns, and all the thoughts went right out of his damn head. - Rowan QOS ch 49 

Cradling/holding to chest when injured

She'd burned him again And yet he had held on to her--had run all the way here and not let go once. HOF ch 41 

Azriel still cradling Elain to his chest. He dripped blood behind him the entire time--a trickle compared to the torrent that should be leaking out. ACOWAR  ch 65 

Yearning

And how utterly unaware of the control he had to exercise every day, every hour, to keep her at arm's length, to keep from touching her. QOS ch 39 

Then he flew to the House of Wind, knowing that if he slept in the riverside manor, he'd do something he regretted. He's been so vigilant about keeping away from Elain as much as possible, and had stayed up here to avoid her and tonight…tonight had proved he'd been right to do so. He aimed for the training pit, giving in to the need to work off the temptation, the rage and frustration and writhing need. ACOSF bonus chapter

[elainem-art]

Azriel can smell the bond? Ramblings

Adding to this reply from @nikethestatue

- We know Nessian's bond didn't merge until Winter Solstice night when they fully accepted eo and slept together (they never had a snapping/ click moment). We know the only person who smelled it was Lanthys who was a death god.

- We also know that Feysand had a snapping bond but no one could smell it except Amren cause she was “other". The others finally were able to smell it after the bond became a living thing (2nd bond) and merged in ch 55 when Feyre rode him to erase the memory of Amarantha, they unleashed both of their powers and Feyre began to glow.

- We also know that Elain/Lucien have the same snapping moment/bond as Feysand so it is likely that no one can smell the bond since it's not accepted and they've had o physical intimate interactions.

- So it is strange that Azriel can smell the Elucien bond unless he's also connected to Elain in some way (2nd bond?). It’s clear the bond makes him ill or uncomfortable, so maybe it’s some sort of parasite making them both (Elain and Az) uncomfortable. Az never smelled Feysand’s bond so why can he smell Eluciens?

[wellwhatnowlove]

I reread Light Bringer then Golden Son back to back... and I noticed a parallel that lead to (yet another) long winded essay... (spoilers for red rising saga up to Light Bringer) (its way too long im so sorry)(no im not)

“When you’re on your heels, you’re a liar. On your toes, you spit truth.” She swings again. “Now spit.” She hits my kneecap. (Golden Son, Ch. 33)

First and foremost, can we appreciate that Virginia literally chases Darrow around his bedroom with a practice razor to make him talk about his feelings. Pro tip for ladiez dealing with emotionally unavailable men... have you tried interrogating him about philosophy while trying to take out his kneecaps with a blunt weapon?

It’s hilarious

but only mildly effective bc Darrow starts to hit his ✨power off✨button. So Mustang pivots:

“Then her. The girl you lost.” I say nothing. She’s never pried. … How stupid of me. How could she forget? How could it not linger there inside her, forcing her to wonder, as she lay with her head on my chest listening to my heart beat, if it didn’t belong to another girl, a dead girl. “Silence isn’t the answer right now, Darrow.” (Golden Son, Ch. 33)

Virginia corners him and what spills out is everything she’s never said. She’s always known about Eo (if not the full scope of the situation). She’s always wondered if there’s a part of Darrow she’ll never reach.

And Darrow wants so badly to say something, anything, but he doesn’t. He stays quiet.

It’s not malicious. It’s not cold. It’s fear. It’s the same silence that will haunt their marriage for the next decade.

Now jump to Iron Gold. Years later. Married. MILF and DILF respectively. Survivors of ten thousand heartbreaks. And yet the same wounds are there. Ready to surface when they find themselves stretched to their breaking points.

“What is the point of this- marriage-if there’s no faith between us?” she asks. “No trust? I know you love me. I know you love our son. But love isn’t enough. You can’t hide things from me just because I’ll disagree with you.” … “But maybe you think you’re meant to die. Maybe you think you’re supposed to follow her.”

I feel sudden pain for my wife. “This isn’t about Eo.” “No, it’s about you praying for storms, believing that when they come they’ll bring you peace.” (Iron Gold, Ch. 33)

When I read this fight I almost felt awkward for intruding which is why it’s brilliant. Because it’s not about who’s right…. it’s about how long these two have held onto insecurities and grief they never truly voiced aloud. Darrow still carries guilt like it’s armor. And Virginia? She still wonders if she’s second. Still fears that part of him is trying to disappear.

“It’s like you want me to shut myself off to you. Is that what you want?”

She’s begging. And beneath the anger, it’s the same plea as back in Golden Son:

“Why do you pull me back if you’re just going to push me away?”

They are still asking each other the same questions. They are still hoping the other will finally answer.

And then Light Bringer. After so much death. After distance, horror, regret and loss...

Darrow comes home. He’s broken, battered, and finally ready to stop hiding. He says to Virginia in their almost-reunion post Battle of Phobos

“I thought one last push would see us through. Numb myself. Put it all on me. Get it done. Then we’d get to live the life we’d promised ourselves. Experience the future we wanted Pax to have. […….] But I know I tend to shut down. Sometimes for years. That’s not right. It’s not…the path I want to walk anymore. It’s lonely, and we’ve always been stronger together.”

It calls back the scenes in Golden Son and Iron Gold down to the wording! The boy who let Virginia walk away rather than tell her the truth finally confesses and confronts a fear he's been battling for YEARS: the way he shuts down to protect others. The way he shuts her out. The way he believes he has to carry it alone.

And now? He doesn’t want to anymore.

But here’s the irony, the tragedy, the exquisite twist of the knife. Virginia says, voice strained with grief and tears:

“Darrow, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. The hardest thing—” My voice breaks. I fight back the tears. “Every morning you are my first thought. Maybe news has come as I slept. Maybe you’ve just landed in Agea…” I can’t keep the strain from my voice.” And then she sends him away. : “But we need you out there, beyond their siege line until you can return at the head of an armada.”

This is why I love them.

Because this isn’t a love story built on grand gestures and perfect timing. It’s built on pain. On misunderstandings. On missed chances and trying again anyway.

Darrow’s deepest insecurities? They echo across six books. Virginia’s? She carries them silently, always rational, always in control.. until she isn’t.

And they don’t learn to just forget about those deep insecurities, they linger, especially in dark times (Dark Ages? lol) despite all the self awareness and intelligence imaginable,

They both falter. They both withhold. But they also learn. Slowly. Brutally. Truthfully.

From:

“You shut me off.” To: “I know I tend to shut down..”

This isn’t resolution. It’s recognition. It’s love as a process- not as a performance.

They’re not perfect. But they’re real. And that makes me love them more.

[salanaii]

Learn Korean with me - Week 20 - 5.19.25

Weather

Korean Journal Entry Prompt - What is your favorite season?

Let’s Speak Korean

Ch 15 – Weather

날씨가어때요?

Nar ssi ga eo ddae yo

How’s the weather?

날씨가정말좋네요!

Nar ssi ga Jeong mar juh ne yo

Literal – The weather is really nice!

= What beautiful weather!

매일 날씨가 이랬으면 좋겠어요.

Mae ir nar ssi ga I raess eu myeon joh jess eo yo

I wish the weather were like this every day.

날씨가 왜이렇죠?

Nar sii ga wae I reoh jyo

Literal – Why is the weather like this?

= What’s wrong with the weather?

비가 오려나?

Bi ga o ryeo na

Literal – Will rain come?

= Is it going to rain?

하늘이맑아요.

Ha neur I marg a yo

The sky is clear.

햇살이따갑습니다.

Haes sar I dda gab seub ni da

Literal – The sunlight stings.

= The sun is hot.

구름이많이꼈네요.

Gu reum I manh I ggyess ne yo

Literal – Lots of clouds hang over.

= It’s overcast.

눈이 내린다!

Nun I nae rin da

Literal – Snow’s falling down!

= It’s snowing!

첫눈이다!

Cheios nun I da

It’s the first snow!

비가쏟아지네요!

Bi ga ssod a ji ne yo

Literal – Rain is pouring down!

= It’s tipping down!

일기 예보가틀렸어요.

Ir gi ye bo ga teut ryeoss eo yo

The weather forecast is wrong.

우산을 가져올 걸!

U san eur ga jyeo or geor

I should have brought an umbrella!

너무 덥네요/춥네요.

Neo mu deob ne yo/chub ne yo

It’s too hot/cold.

굉장히습하네요/건조하네요.

Gwing jang hi seub ha ne yo/geon jo ha ne yo

It’s very humid/dry.

비가/눈이그쳤나요?

Biga/nun I geu chyeoss na yo

Literal – Did rain/snow stop?

= Did it stop raining/snowing?

이제안오네요.

I je an I ne yo

Literal – It’s not coming now.

= It stopped raining/snowing.

내일은날씨가어떨까요?

Nae ire un nar ssi ga eo ddeor gga yo

What will the weather be like tomorrow?

날씨가 정말 이상하네요.

Nar ssi ga Jeong mar I sang ha ne yo

The weather is really weird.

서울날씨는 어때요?

Seo or nar ssi neu neo ddae yo

How’s the weather (in) Seoul?

비가/눈이올것같아요.

Bi ga/neun I or geos gat a yo

Literal – It seems like rain/snow will come.

일기 예보 들으셨나요?

Ir gi ye bo deur eu syeoss na yo

Have you heard the weather forecast?

일기예보에따르면화창할예정입니다.

Ir gi ye bo e dda reu myeon hwa chang har ye Jeong ib ni da

Literal – According to the weather forecast, it’s planned to be sunny.

태풍이오고있어요.

Tae pung I o go iss eo yo

The storm is coming.

소풍가기에날씨가어때요?

So pung ga gi e nar ssi ga eo ddae yo

How’s the weather to go on a picnic?

오늘몇도예요?

O neur myeoch do ye yo

Literal – What is the degree today?

= What’s the temperature today?

최고기온은/최거기온은30도입니다.

Choe go gi on eun/choe geo gi eon eun 30 do ib ni da

Literal -The highest/lowest degree is 30 degrees.

날씨가차차좋아지고있어요.

Nar ssi ga cha cha joh a ji go iss eo yo

The weather is gradually getting better.

아침 내내 흐렸어요.

A chim nae nae heu ryeoss eo yo

It’s been cloudy during the whole morning.

날씨를 예측할 수 없네요.

Nar ssi reur ye jeug su eobs ne yo

I can’t predict the weather.

해가점점짧아지고/길어지고있어요.

Hae ga jeom jeom jjarb a ji go/gir eo ji go iss eo yo

The sun is gradually getting shorter/longer.

= The days are drawing in/out.

오후에비가/눈이올거예요.

O hu e bi ga/neun I or geo ye yo

Literal – Rain/Snow will come in the afternoon.

날씨가오락가락하네요.

Nar ssi ga o rag ga rag ha ne yo

Literal – The weather is going back and forth.

= The weather keeps changing.

곧좋아질거예요.

God joh a jir geo ye yo

It will get better soon.

하루종일비가/눈이오네요.

Ha ru jong ir bi ga/nun I o ne yo

Literal – Rain/Snow is coming all day long.

= It’s raining/snowing all day long.

기온이 많이 떨어졌어요.

Gi on I manh I ddeor eo jyeoss eo yo

The temperature dropped a lot.

날씨가따뜻하네요.

Nar ssi ga dda ddeus ha ne yo

Literal – The weather is warm.

= It’s warm.

날씨가 맑겠습니다.

Nar ssi ga marg gess seub ni da

The weather will be clear.

일기 예보는 믿을 수 없습니다.

Ir gi ye bo neun mid eur su eobs seub ni da

You can’t trust weather forecast.

한국나씨어때요?

Han gug na ssi eo ddae yo

How’s the weather (in) Korea?

어떤계절이가장좋아요?

Eo ddeon gye geor I ga jang joh a yo

Which season do you like the most?

봄이/여름이/가을이/겨울이가장좋아요.

Bom I / yeo reum i/ga eur i/gyeo ur I ga jang joh a yo

I like Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter the most.

곧 봄이 올거예요.

God bom I or geo ye yo

Spring will come soon.

잎이붉게물드네요.

Ip I burg ge mur deu ne yo

The leaves are turning red.

황사가옵니다.

Hwang sa ga ob ni da

The sandstorm is coming.

황사때문에눈이따가워요.

Hwang sa ddae mun e neun I dda ga wo yo

Eyes sting because of the sandstorm.

비가 오면 좋겠어요.

Bi ga o myeon joh gess eo yo

It’d be nice if rain comes.

지금은 장마철이에요.

Ji geum eun jang ma cheor I e yo

It’s rainy season now.

이번 주부터 장마가 시작됩니다.

I beon ju bu teo jang ma ga si jag doeb ni da

The rainy season starts from this week.

쾌적한날씨네요!

Kwae jeog han nar ssi ne yo

Literal – It’s pleasant weather!

= What pleasant/ideal weather!

날씨정말좋네요!

Nar ssi Jeong mar joh ne yo

The weather is really good!

구름하나없어요.

Gu reum ha na eobs eo yo

There isn’t a single cloud.

땀이나네요.

Ddam I na ne yo

Literal – Sweat is coming out.

= I’m sweating.

안개가자욱하네요.

An gae ga ja og ha ne yo

Literal – It’s filled with fog.

= It’s really foggy.

바람이 많이부네요.

Ba ram I manh I bu nye yo

Literal -Wind blows a lot.

= It’s very windy.

공기가안좋아요.

Gong I manh I ssah yeoss eo yo

The air (quality) is not good.

눈이많이쌓였어요.

Nun I manh I ssah yeoss eo yo

Snow has accumulated a lot.

= Lots of snow have piled up.

길이얼었어요.

Gir I eor eoss eo yo

The road is frozen.

길이미끄러워요.

Gir I mi ggeu reo wo yo

The road is slippery.

[thegorydamnreaper]

Darrow vs Lysander - symbolism and favored weapons

Okay this I a bit of analysis that has been turning around in my brain since I finished Light Bringer. There will be major spoilers for all of the books, so read on at your own discretion.

And of course if anyone has points to add please do! This is by no means exhaustive, just a compilation of my main thoughts on the whole thing!

Darrow basically grew up with a weapon in his hand, since he started mining at age thirteen. It becomes part of his identity, an extension of himself. It’s also a symbol of his people, as all Red miners are given one. So as a Red, he already closely identifies with the slingBlade as a weapon, as a cultural symbol, and as a means of protection.

“I wonder what Eo wants of me. Does she want me to take my slingBlade and start a rebellion? I would die. My family would die. She would die, and nothing would make me risk her. She knows that.”

(RR Ch 4)

“This is your slingBlade, son. It will scrape the earth’s veins for you. It will kill pitvipers. Keep it sharp and if you get stuck in the drills, it will save your life for the price of a limb.” So said my uncle.”

(RR part III intro)

Lysander, on the other hand, is trained by his grandmother from childhood to use his mind as his weapon. He is capable of using a razor after spending a decade with Cassius, but his mind was his first weapon. It’s also a callback to the Jackal losing his hand and being mostly unaffected - because all Golds are taught that their mind is their first and greatest weapon.

“He sighs. “I told you. I am something different than you. A hand is a peasant’s tool. A Gold’s tool is his mind. Were you of better breeding, you may have realized this sacrifice means so very little to me”

(RR Ch 41)

“Skipping supper. No wonder you’re a little twig,” Cassius says, pinching my arm. “I daresay you don’t even weigh a hundred ten kilos, my goodman.”

“It’s usable weight,” I protest. “In any matter, I was reading.” He looks at me blankly. “You have your priorities. I have mine, muscly creature. So piss off.”

(IG Ch 8/ Lysander 1)

“My memory is a formidable thing. In many ways it is my grandmother’s great legacy, her teachings preserved in me.”

(IG Ch 8/ Lysander 1)

But the mind isn’t a symbol on its own, there’s no cultural gravitas to it. So to him physical weapons are tools that are an extension of his intellect. In that world view, a gun is the most practical choice of tool. Firearms are the great equalizer - you can be smaller, weaker, less trained than your opponent and there’s still a VERY good chance that you will win any fight.

This leads into another similar understanding that he and Darrow share: their rise must be meteoric. Darrow accomplishes this the hard way, through pain and training and failures. He builds himself as a symbol because he knows that’s the only way to start the chain reaction of bringing Gold down. He is a symbol, and so are his tools. The slingBlade becomes a symbols of liberation when once (as just a razor) it was a tool of the enemy.

Lysander? He cuts corners, because the tools don’t matter only the endgame does. He’s not trying to build something new, or inspire his followers to fight for something they never thought possible. He is fighting to reestablish the status quo as swiftly as he can. He doesn’t need to fight from the ground up to become a symbol - as a Lune, he already is a living breathing symbol of Gold, and that’s enough.

“Dancer would want me to accept the offer. It would guarantee my survival. Guarantee my meteoric rise. I would be inside the halls of the ArchGovernor’s mansion. I would be near the man who killed Eo. Oh, I want to accept. But then I would have to let the Proctors beat me. I’d have to let this little whorefart win and let his father smile and feel pride. I’d have to watch that smug smile spread across his bloodydamn face. Slag that. They’ll feel pain.”

(RR Ch 41)

“He sneers at the gun. “No honor.”

“No time.”

I shoot Alexandar in the head”

(DA Ch 81)

He studies those who came before him, flipping their symbols and methods against them instead of doing anything new. He quotes poems like Roque, uses Darrow’s Morningstar as his flagship, claims to be honorable like Cassius - but it’s hollow because these aren’t his achievements. He doesn’t subvert the paradigm like Darrow does constantly, he just borrows and steals to get his way.

Darrow sees himself as the sword of his people, but he’s more than that because he put in the work to be more. He questions if he’s a good man, but the we see the weight his decisions have on him. But because he built himself up, he has a community that loves him, friends and family that are truly loyal and will check his worst impulses. He is the symbol, but he’s anchored by those he represent. It’s real and has meaning because of all the sacrifices he has had to make.

Lysander can’t even unite the Golds because he is built upon lies. His parents and their deaths, a lie. His grandmother’s teachings, all lies and propaganda. The Golden lies of the Society he so desperately wants to restore. He is built upon lies and hollow promises, of course he collapses into Gold dogma at the first sign of pressure. He has no idea what he’s doing, but he’s sacrificing everything and everyone to prop up this dying system, because that’s where he feels safe. He has no symbols to look up to, no culture to give him strength and community. Anything that could have grounded him is gone (often because of his own actions). Pytha and Cassius were his only family left and he rejected them and their teachings. More than ever before there’s nothing holding him back. He has his mind and it is telling him the only way to be safe is to double down and become the worst of Gold.

[saiainokage]

my son... my son...!! (ch 2 spoiler) doodle under the cut :^)

was my first time drawing him; i think i did him mostly justice!!

(also please look at my last t9 textpost about the game going EoS, sign the petition, i want the game to remain afloat, or at least for us to keep getting story for it somehow!)

protagonist being ooc/saying smth horrible/potentially actually being a horrible person trope my beloved. him being an amnesiac makes it so much better too. like what hte fuck is wrong with him(/pos) i really genuinely wanna know. even HE doesn't know. what Exactly triggered the behavioral switch!

[highladyjane]

Colour me delulu and lost, but I love how these 2 passages between 2 endgame couples from TOG and CC who CHOSE each other as mates follow it with

"I thought it was obvious" 👀

and how both scenes parallel with Elriel - which is by now more than obvious who the next Maas-novel will be about 😉

Does that perhaps hint and mean more than intended, Sarah? 😏

Funny how, in all 3 scenes they all were about to do "something" but suddenly can't go through with it right there...

Lorcan and Elide (EoS, ch. 60)

Probably don't mean much in context, but the same exact wording is also found in Elain and Azriel's very first interaction btw 👀 (ACoMaF, Ch. 24)

But just Who was Azriel willing to offer up his life for? Read 'A Court of Wings and Ruin', Ch. 64-65 😉 And in ACoSF, ch. 22...

... where in the very next page, Az says...

But, reading further, What (and Who) does Azriel really and actually want?

Bryce and Hunt's scene in HoSaB, ch. 17 has wordings that parallel well and has the same energy as Az's BC during Solstice in ACoSF where we find out exactly What and Who Azriel wants.

And it's pretty obvious who Elain wants - and she herself knows it too.

Another fun parallel is that Bryce is formally engaged to Cormac; while Lorcan is bound by the Blood Oath to Maeve at the time in both scenes - just like Elain formerly was with Graysen and then bound through the Mating Bond with Lucien - which were all the reasons why they couldn't do what they wanted to... Yet. 👀

Yet, will you look at that... Elorcan and Quinlar were endgame.

Through ✨️Free Will. Choice. True Love.✨️

I can't wait for Elriel to both finally figure it out and prove the Cauldron and "the forces that be" wrong and trump any predestined mating bond 😌

🥖🫓🥨🥐🍞👥️👀

*this has been in my drafts for a month while re-reading, and I haven't finished HoFaS yet, but pretty sure it still applies well 😜

[romanticatheartt]

The most beautiful thing

Feyre: "Standing before me was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen"~acotar, ch.20

Rhysand: “You are,” he said. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I thought that from the first moment I saw you on Calanmai." ~acomaf, ch.55

Lucien: "She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen."~acowar, ch.24

Cassian: "In the moonlight, before the silvered lake, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen."~acosf, ch.50

Nesta: "The music was no longer the most beautiful thing in existence. He was." ~acosf, ch.57

Hunt: "She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen."~hoeab, ch.69

Ruhn: "Ruhn found himself faced with the most beautiful female he’d ever seen."~hosab, ch.31 (and so many times in hofas! 4 times to be exact)

Aelin: "He was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen." ~EoS, ch.38

Rowan: "The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Aelin." ~KoA, ch.5

Dorian: "It’d be a shame to lose the most beautiful woman in the world so soon into her immortal, wicked life." ~EoS, ch.42

Chaol: "The most beautiful he’d ever seen." (About Yrene's eyes) ~ToD, ch.39

Chaol: "Chaol thought it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard." (About Yrene's laugh) ~ToD, ch.43

Elide: "and his smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen." ~KoA, ch.117

First of all, I still haven't read TOG but my sister has, so I asked her.

Second, idk if anyone has noticed this… but Feyre and Rhysand both thought they were the most beautiful thing they laid their eyes on when it was night and under the stars. Cassian while she was under the moonlight and Nesta when they were at Court of Nightmare. But Lucien… he Thought Elain was the most beautiful female he'd ever seen when it was daytime and sunlight was streaming from the window! maybe it's a consequence but I love the detail nonetheless.

Third, 7.5 couples -expect for Manon and Dorian which their story ended with a cliffhanger- out of 9 are endgame... I don't see how Elucien is any different. (This might not seems a very strong reason but it's one of the many pattern sjm has for her endgames) Even when Chaol and Yrene are human, they have a very deep connection. (my sister's words hehe)

And last, I read somewhere that in the books we normally have the MCs to call the LI the most beautiful because in their eyes, they are. And I agree with that so much! Because they're in love, they're their person so that's why they're the most beautiful thing they've ever seen<3 and I think maybe that's why sjm keep using this phrase specifically.

Yeah anyway… I love how sjm copy+paste her mating bond (aka endgame) language.

[h34vybottom]

This is Akiba Ichinosuke.

He was supposed to be released through gambling, but TRIBE NINE's EoS announcement cancelled his release.

Unlike his brother, Ichinosuke was fully implemented in-game and was playable during the story mode for Ch. 3. So, here's a very odd situation, Akiba Ichinosuke is a finished character and is playable for a brief period. They could just release him (and his brother) through some sort of all-purpose EoS banner (There has been zero tell of this happening). Other dead services release whatever they have finished when EoS is announced, so the precedent is firmly in the opposite of what Too Kyo is doing.

W/ that all said, the video below is gameplay of Akiba Ichinosuke. I didn't play him very well, especially w/ his awful parry mechanic (reflect parries are not very useful in a game w/ barely any ranged attacks). Ichinosuke is generally quite fun to fuck around as. His special is stupid and he fits the gameplay pretty well. Maybe one of the better characters they've made, though I'm not too certain how that'll hold w/ all 2 of the die-hards.

[dapurinthos]

the thing is, the archives are not a library. the jedi temple has to also have libraries where you can take the books out, not just the archive where you can't check things out. yes, the 'halls' divide the archives into sections, but everything in there is probably written by jedi, not just their journals (the entire top floor is probably just journals).

the corps probably have their own libraries, each. and the crèche. and the initiate & padawan dormitory sections, for academic assignments and the like. i imagine checking a holobook out is more like someone authorizing it to display its contents as the equivalent to scanning a barcode, going from the concept art from jedi: survivor.

the main text is on one screen and the other one shows you highlights you've saved, is where you can zoom in on images, and interact with the text in ways that you might be able to save to a datacard, if you can insert one in the bottom where that particular dark section is (it looks like a floppy disk drive).

so far i'm going with the aurebesh digraphs for ch, kh, sh, and th as indicators for which hall the book belongs to. the top category/facet is indicate by one of the vowels [a, ae for the 1st - history, philosophy; e, eo for the 2nd - math, sciences, o, oo for the 3rd - geography, politics, & i, u for the 4th - flora, fauna], followed by permutations of the percentage sign where º/ indicates the upper floor and the circle on the opposite side, on the bottom, indicates the main one.

so the beginning would look like: ʧæº/ (except in aurebesh) for something that's in first hall, categorized under philosophy, and located on the upper floor (this also has the advantage of reading like a word - chæ-2). also part of this section would be the alphanumeric sequence that further separates the work's subject from others, e.g. philosophy of the ductavis period concerning planetary shielding, and encodes its chronology/era, the school of philosophy it belongs to, etc. without being hierarchical in design (like the library of congress and dewey), so: ductavis period: philosophy of defence : protection, with something like a cutter number for each section. if i wanted to be really ornery, it would all be in individual tythonese glyphs separated by colons.

the next part would be something like publication year : language code : author code : which # publication of the author it was during that year : volume number. the journals would have a slightly different way of doing this, where it indicates what type of publication it is.

[queersrus]

astronomy witch theme

(nick)names:

astra, astro, astre, astera, astel/astelle, astella, ariel, aura, aurora, aurore, aure, aurelie/auralie, auralia/aurelia, atlas, aristar, aries, altair, astreaus, aether, apollo, apolla, artemis bila, boreals, boreal comet, cosma, cosmic, cosmo, celest/celeste, celestia, celestio, callisto, calypso, Cassiopeia, claudius, caelum, caelus, cassio dusk, dawn estel/estell/estelle, estella, elera, elio, esther, eclipse, eclipsa, eclipso, eostre, eos galaxy, galactica, galactico, galactix, galactic, galacta, galaxius hecate/hekate, helios, hemera, hera iris, ira juno, jupiter, janus kepler, keyra/kayra lune, luna/loona, lunar, luno, lunette, lyra moon, moona, mars/marz, miranda, meno nova, nix/nyx, nox, nuit pandora, pallas, pulsar, pollux rhea stel/stell/stelle, stella, steller/stellar, star, stella, stary/starie, sol, soleil, solar, solette, solina, solana, solace, solstice tian vesper, vega xian zorya

surnames:

astra, ayla, airy, array, aquila, antlia estrela/estrella, eddington, eridanus kepler, kuiper herschel, halley, hale, hypatia, hevelius drake starcatcher, starwatch, stargaze(r), starlight, scorpius, spellman Cassiopeia orion ursa delphi, delphius pictor fortune le fay/fe/faye nightingale, nighwatch, nightmoon moon brightmoon gloom, gloam

titles:

the witch of the stars, the witch who studies the stars, the star watch, the astronomer, the witch, the astronomer witch, the stellar witch, the witch who knows the sky, the witch of the night sky

(prn) who knows the stars, (prn) who studdies the stars, (prn) who knows the magic of the stars, (prn) who practices witchcraft in starligh, (prn) who studdies magic by starlight

1st p: i/me/my/mine/myself

si/star/stars/starself sti/stell/stellars/stellarself ai/astre/astros/astroself ai/astronome/astronomy/astronomine/astronomyself wi/witch/witches/witch's/witchself wy/witch/witchs/witchself ci/conste/consteli/constellations/constellationself mi/magi/magics/magicself

2nd p: you/your/yours/yourself

sto/star/stars/starself sto/steller/stellers/stellerself astro/astr/astrs/astrself astro/astronomer/astronomers/astronomerself wo/witcher/witchers/witcherself co/consteller/constellers/constellerself mo/magicr/magicrs/magicrself

3rd p: they/them/theirs/themself

star/stars, sta/ar, star/stary, stary/sky, stary/night, star/light stell/stella, stell/a, stel/la, stell/steller, steller/stellers, stellar/stellars astro/astros, astro/astronomy, astro/nomy, astro/nomer, astro/astronomer, astronomy/astronomys, astronomy/astronomer constellation/constellations, constell/constellation, constell/ation wit/ch, witch/witches, wit/witch, wi/witch, witch/witchy, witch/craft, witchcraft/witchcrafts magic/magics, ma/gic, magic/magical