cowswineandtea

[cowswineandtea]

Ridoc: I wanna be on quest squad :(

Violet: just to clarify to everybody present we have not decided on the name quest squad

Violet, 10 minutes later: QUEST SQUAD ASSEMBLE!

[cowswineandtea]

“I like a woman that makes me feel alive, but also lets me know that it might not be for long.”

- a quote by Garrick Tavis, Drake Cordella and Tairn.

[cowswineandtea]

The reason I love the Xaden POV chapter: more Garrick!

“Just you and me today, honey bear.” Garrick swings his arm over Xaden’s shoulder. “ Don’t worry,” he leans in and whispers. “I’ll take good care of you.” He flashes a dimple.

Can we get more Garrick comedy pls&ty

[cowswineandtea]

Non-Spoiler Spoiler, just in case anyone is avoiding entirely:

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When I said I wanted to see just how much Xaden’s bond with Sgaeyl meant to him in Onyx Storm

THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT

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That one scene in Onyx Storm 💀

[cowswineandtea]

Hey, so I have a massive soft spot for Mira. Like after the last big battle, I just have this headcanon of Mira and Imogen decompressing together and just kind of processing all the crap they've been through.

Hi!

I love, love Mira too. I feel like she is kind of underrated even if she has so many cool moments in the books that are just 🤌 I'll happily fold for that woman btw.

I can totally see that too! I will admit I'm personally more a Mira - Drake ally but both Mira and Imogen went through so much in that last battle. ❤️‍🩹

I can see them both sitting together in one of their rooms while they just try to process everything that happened to each other individually 🥺

They could have the best friendship though. Like those two as besties would be so entertaining.

I probably forgot to add something but I can only see hazy rn so...nothing in my vision is clear.

Let me know if you wanna talk more about them! My messages are always open 💐

[cowswineandtea]

[cowswineandtea]

Thinking about how Violet always says her mom IS the storm, how she finds storm sounds comforting, how her power manifested as lightning because that’s the form she’s most comfortable with—

(No spoilers past iron flame please!! As a matter of fact don’t even mention the end of iron flame I’m not ready to talk about it 💀)

[cowswineandtea]

I'm pretty sure something is wrong with Brennan. I don't know if he's also venin but sth feels off and I also don't believe he'll make it out alive by the end of the series.

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"Brennan would hate all of this." I gesture to the crowd. "He was more about getting the work done than celebrating its completion.

"Yeah, sounds like—" His words die, and I squeeze his arm tighter as I note the separating crowd before us.

First time reading I interpreted this as Liam stopping because he spotted the king. On rereading I am certain he almost spilled a little secret here.

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I’m desperately begging everyone in the Empyrean fandom to pick up a pencil and draw instead of using those fuck ass AI crapshoots.

[cowswineandtea]

My grandma's cat slept using her back paw as a pillow, and it made me think of Andarna

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heard someone say that when sgaeyl cries "i chose you!" she doesn't mean that she chose xaden as a rider, she means she chose him over anyone, including tairn - the love of her life. sgaeyl chose xaden, in a way that so deeply matters. she truly loves him, almost like a mother, but something deeper, something chosen. it makes me emotional 😭❤️

[cowswineandtea]

shout out to that mystery contraception potion they get in fourth wing for being the real mvp of the series

[cowswineandtea]

I absolutely don't understand when people are like "Xaden only cares about Violet in the last two books, he doesn't even seem care about this revolution anymore"

First. He still cares a lot about tyrrendor and his friends. Violet happens to be his priority number 1.

Like...that's the whole point of his character. This dude gave up his life to protect and continue his father's ideals. Sacrificed his emotional well being for tyrrendor and the cause. Then Violet comes along and he gets to have something for himself after years of selflessly giving for others and Tyrrendor. The guy is panicking. He has a taste of being selfishly loved and not having it is not an option anymore.

Of course he still cares about tyrrendor and his friends, but Violet looked at him only and not at an heir, a revolutionary, a shadow wielder, a weapon, a bloodline. She saw Xaden as Xaden and he never had that.

I'd put her as my high priority too if I went through what he did and then someone came up on my life giving me devotion and love like she does to him. I'd be just as devoted too!

[cowswineandtea]

Liam ”It‘s been. My honor.” Mairi

[cowswineandtea]

Can we take a moment to appreciate Dain’s development?

He is faced with a true that breaks everything he was always taught to believe and he embraces it

His biggest inspiration, his father, becomes an unreliable person and someone he disagrees deeply with

He chooses to use his position as a wingleader to call formation and exposes the true to every rider, even if it exposes everything he learned to value along his lifetime

He follows the riot to Tyrrendor, a place where he knows he will be despised

He is forced to align with Xaden and the marked ones, people he was always taught to hate and who basically hated him right back

He faces Varrish more than once trying to save Violet. Let’s not forget Dain had a closer relationship with Varrish due the training of his signet

He keeps helping Violet with whatever she asks, giving her his trust and trying to redeem himself for actions who weren’t exactly his fault (telling his father, who he trusted completely, an information that he thought would protect his best friend. Can you blame him?)

He gives his best translating the journal even if he is overwhelmed and exhausted (Violet points it out)

He is part of the quest squad without questions asked

He is fully invested on his wingleader duties, doing his best to prepare the first years and making clear he changed some conducts (for exemple, he tells Sloane she needs to train her signet and he doesn’t coddle first years anymore)

He learned to trust Violet’s choices and capabilities (for exemple, he obeys when she asks him to put her arm back into the socket instead of calling Brennan to mend her like he would have preferred)

Overall, he is dealing with his world turning upside down and is still focused fulfilling his duties, making the hard decisions and dealing with the consequences. Even if the consequences include losing contact with his own father. Dain is growing beautifully.