feyredarlinq

[feyredarlinq]

"So I'm your huntress and thief?"

"You are my salvation, Feyre."

credits: quote; Sarah J. Maas, fan art; wavyhues on Instagram

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old fairy book covers

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ya lit meme: throne of glass series by sarah j maas

“They joined hands. So the world ended. And the next one began.”

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wip thursday | wbitd ch. 41 by ehoney

Azriel’s eyes traced the glittering stars overhead.

“There is a word for it in the old language,” he uttered, drinking in their splendor. “The need to be beneath them. The Illyrians revere it still,” his voice lowered devoutly. “Eirenocții.”

A heartbeat passed, and waves lapped the distant shore.

“What does it mean?” Elain asked quietly.

“The luring of the night.”

She watched him beneath soft eyes. “That is very beautiful.”

Azriel nodded wordlessly. 

Silenced prevailed as together they admired the place the stars met the sea.

“Does it ever fade for you?” she whispered after a while. “The beauty of these lands?”

Azriel didn’t hesitate before admitting his truth.

“Not ever.”

Another bout of quiet followed. Until her voice slipped delicately through it.

“I think sometimes that I could listen to you speak for hours, you know."

Azriel’s pulse slowed. He was careful not to look at her as she continued.

“You say such beautiful things. And you don’t seem to share them with anyone.”

He was grateful that the night was dark enough to hide the flush now crawling up his neck.

“No,” he admitted. “I don’t.” 

“But you do with me,” he could feel her studying him carefully. “When we’re alone.”

When we’re alone.

The words sounded dangerous and holy. His eyes slipped to her. Clandestine and infinite.

“You are a paradox,” he remarked, too gentle.

Elain’s mouth twisted in the shy beginnings of a smile that refused to show itself. “That seems…” she chewed her cheek. “Problematic.”

“You have no idea,” Azriel uttered honestly.

He held her there, in his gaze. Far too unabashed, far too long.

And far, far too softly.

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me, experiencing the sudden anguish that comes with living: alright

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I really enjoyed your latest post on mates. It made me think of a theory I've seen. Sorry if you've talked about this before. The moment when Elain is describing vision of the ravens in WAR when "Azriel’s hazel eyes churned as he studied my sister, her too-thin body. And without a word, he winnowed away." Do you think it could be the same reaction when Rhys stumbles and winnows away in TAR after he realized Feyre was his mate? The moments seem very similar.

The moments do seem similar and I definitely can see the parallel for sure!

However, I think much like Elain and Azriel themselves and their relationship as it's been built, it all lies in subtlety.

I don't think there is one moment that can be pinpointed as Azriel himself "realizing" Elain could be his mate, like a shock like Rhysand had. Especially considering for all intents and purposes, Elain already has a mate.

We also didn't get a big moment like that for Cassian and Nesta.

But both couples from the jump were intrigued by the other. Cassian and Nesta were more obvious because of their personalities while Elain and Azriel's were more...subdued.

I think it was a gradual process for Azriel because Elain was human when they first met and when she was turned fae, it was revealed that Lucien was her mate.

So, I think there was a lot of confusion to sort through on his end and I definitely think he recognized some feelings and instincts but wasn't sure what it could mean until he got to know Elain more and sat with it longer and finally began to think--Elain is his mate and the Cauldron is wrong--this is what is building in Azriel throughout all of ACOWAR, ACOFAS, and through ACOSF up until Solstice.

But that's such a radical thought in of itself among their culture that it makes perfect sense why he hadn't even spoken of it before to anyone before Solstice and when he does when it's confirmed that Elain wants him back definitively, he gets shut down by Rhysand, his HL and best friend. It's no wonder that he's grumpy and distant afterwards from everyone and is feeling crazy or dumb or disillusioned but in true Azriel fashion, he's not going to talk about it and definitely not after what happened with Rhysand.

(also lowkey, hope there is a "I told you so" from Azriel to Rhysand after finding out about the Asteri corrupting the Cauldron in HOFAS)

The next bit is just my interpretation.

I think that scene above could be when Azriel was just confused and frustrated. He sees Elain as she's struggling and there's nothing he can do to help that he knows of at the time, which is already bad enough, but it's probably effecting him way worse if he indeed is to be her mate and there's all in the back of his mind too.

I think him disappearing is his way to try to go do something-anything-research, check his sources to match what she said--cause let's not forget that Azriel is the one that listened and took her "crazy mumblings" to heart.

Either way, I think it's just one more puzzle piece we can add to the expansive Elriel ship. I can't imagine it's not important, especially when SJM writes that Mor, who has Truth magic, stares at the empty space afterwards.

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Imagine Elain having the time of her life frolicking in the private gardens at Rosehall in this dress, driving Azriel out of his mind.

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Batboys, Their Wings and Their Girls

We've talked many times about the batboys having an almost uncontrollable need to peacock in front of their chosen girls. But there is another very interesting commonality between Rhysand, Cassian and Azriel, and between the three sisters.

There are many parallels between how the romances between each couple progressed, but this one particular thing is unique to the batboys and the Archeron girls.

Each batboy sacrificed his wings for his own respective Archeron girl. And then each Archeron sister, in return, defended, protected and then saved her Illyrian warrior.

We'll start with Rhysand:

Rhysand, once attacked and knowing that he was gravely wounded, his wings shredded, flung out his power in order to save Feyre.

He protected her with his body, his wings and eventually his power, throwing her as far as possible away from him, as he began to fall from the sky.

Feyre, in turn, went feral.

She tracked him down, killed all the Fae who were guarding him and then tended to him...and, well, we all know how that went and what the Suriel informed her of.

On to Cassian and Nesta. During the final battle, Cassian's wings were shredded by the King of Hybern.

And in foreshadowing of what she would become in her own book, she grabbed his sword and stood her ground, protecting him when he couldn't do it himself.

In order to protect Cassian, Nesta was willing to die, and she did everything in her power to save him from assured destruction.

And finally, we have Azriel and Elain. Yet again, we have an instance of a bat boy, and an Illyrian protecting how own Archeron girl and sacrificing his wings in order to save her.

And then we have Elain, and her bare feet, slamming into the snarling naga, protecting Azriel and his wings.

All six of them are willing to do anything and everything for each other. The men would sacrifice their most precious and guarded assets, which are their wings, for the girls that they love. But the Archeron sisters aren't just damsels in distress. They fight their battles alongside their own Illyrian warriors, and they are just as vicious and rabid when it comes to protecting their men.

That's why they are so well paired. No hesitation. They fight for those they love.

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A Z R I E L + E L A I N | Hideaway at the Museum

Moodboard Request for @anon

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Feyre and Rhys, as Hades and Persephone

«Hades, god of the Underworld, fell in love with Persephone, daughter of Demeter and goddess of spring. One day, he kidnapped her and took her to the Underworld to make her his queen. Her mother, desperate, stopped the growth of the earth until the gods intervened. Finally, it was agreed that Persephone would spend part of the year with Hades in the Underworld and part with her mother on Earth, thus marking the cycle of the seasons.»

I had forgotten what I had planned to do with uploading the rest of the fanarts created in 2024, this being 2/3 of those based on Greek mythology.

Rhys is extremely difficult to draw, but especially to paint. I remember erasing the sketch about five times, so I send a huge hug of admiration to those artists who do it so well.

I only have one more to upload! Remind me to upload it, ideally this week. What characters from Greek mythology do you think the fugu is about?

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🎨 art by coralie.renards

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Rapunzel character designs for Tangled by Jin Kim

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Thinking about how Az was being so gentle and slow with Elain in the bonus chapter even though every instinct he had was roaring to claim her immediately. This guy may be the freakiest of the bat boys but he is also the softest.

This is also the same guy who says I don’t have to resort to poetry but with Elain he does.

Elain brings out all his soft sides. 🥹

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the dark artifices is just THAT shadowhunters series for me, like not only did it introduce and lay down some wild stuff for the wicked powers to take over, but everything happened in there. malec wedding, clace proposal, two parabatai falling in love (the literal bible verses said IN BED ahem), robert lightwood's past with michael, literally all the couples stories being fire (kieraktina, diana and that guy from the hunt, kit and ty, julian and emma ofc), jem and tessa (no explanation needed, i just love seeing them), and the whole vibe at the L.A. institute and in the seelie and unseelie courts, and THULE which was insane. if the wicked powers can't beat that, then i'm afraid nothing else comes close to it for me

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i am a big believer in letting music (and other media) come to you when you're ready for it. you may only know vaguely of an acclaimed beloved artist and suspect that you'd be into them but just... not ever get around to it. and then in 15 years one of their songs just hits you the right way and what a gift to suddenly have all of their works to explore! there is no hurry; what is good is always good.

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