gwynethberdarasupremecy

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

So many e/riels seem to forget that in order for e/riel to happen we wouldn’t have one rejected mating bond. We’d at have 2. Because even IF e/riel becomes endgame, I don’t believe sjm would leave the plot hole of Azriels mating bond unresolved.

And I just don’t see two rejected mating bonds for two amazing characters since it’s a miserable trope. I just don’t see it happening we have to go through that twice in the same book. It’s double misery. And then I’m not even talking about the fact that Azriel would never reject his mate. His whole reason for perusing Elain is the mating bond.

So not even talking about their conflicting personalities, I just don’t see e/riel happening. It doesn’t make any sense to me from a writing perspective.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Why in my opinion 3 brothers 3 sisters would be lazy writing, but mates ending up with mates wouldn’t.

SJM didn't just randomly assign the bond between Elain and Lucien. It was deliberately chosen because mates mirror each other in key ways. Elain and Lucien both are socialites, for example. Both are always underestimated. Both hate violence. Them being mates isn’t random. It’s deliberate because they mirror each other. Because they are equals. So when mates end up together, especially after tension, growth and healing (SJMs words), it makes sense. It’s earned. It’s storytelling.

Now let’s go into 3 brothers 3 sisters. Elain and Azriel would be matched not because of actual compatibility or narrative depth, but because they're conveniently available. The last brother ending up with the last sister. ACOMAF makes clear that during that time, Elucien and Moriel were the endgame and mate ideas. Elain wasn’t created with complimentary traits to Azriel in mind. And Azriel wasn’t created with complimentary traits to Elain in mind. Therefore, if 3 brothers and 3 sisters were to happen now, it’s just convenience. In this case, the only real reason for pairing the last sister (Elain) with the last brother (Azriel) is to symmetrically match the other two couples. There's no deeper narrative arc there, only convenient symmetry.

In SJMs own words about Elucien, (mates) are about tension, healing and growth. They aren’t randomly matched. They are deliberately chosen by SJM. 3 brothers 3 sisters ARE randomly matched. They weren’t chosen because their personalities match so well. Therefore, in my opinion, mates ending up with mates isn’t lazy writing. It’s chosen deliberately by the author to show compatibility. 3 brothers 3 sisters? Thats lazy since it’s randomly decided to be convenient.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Gwynriel weeks day 4: to be loved is to be…

For Gwyn and Azriel to be loved means two things.

1. To be loved means to be worthy. Azriel finally feels worthy and love and lets Gwyn all the way in. In return, Gwyn finally realizes she’s worthy too. Worthy of her invoking stone.

2. To be loved is to be accepted. Gwyn accepts Azriels for all he is. Darkness and all. Shadows and all. Scars and all. That’s why she’s helping him put the invoking stone on. She’s touching his hands to show she accepts him, but also to show she accepts herself by putting on the invoking stone.

A big thank you to @kloartz for making this beautiful piece. This is my first ever commission, and you were so lovely to work with. Thank you for answering my endless questions:)

Characters belong to Sarah J Maas and Bloomsbury

Please only repost if you give credit to the artist but DO NOT use this for AI

Artwork for @gwynrielweeksofficial

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

“SJM always does things in 3 in acotar! The number 3 is a constant pattern in acotar!”

So Gwyn being Azriels “THIRD love interest” is a good thing then right?

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

As much as I love Gwynriel, Gwyn as a character on her own is so inspiring. She, like I do, is shown to suffer from some agoraphobia and just reading the progress she made in ACOSF really resonated with me.

The line during the sleepover scene when she goes “I sometimes wonder if I shall ever have the courage to go out there again. I fear every day that I won’t.” has made me cry more times than I can count because I can relate to that so much. Granted, I didn’t develop my agoraphobia from the same circumstances as Gwyn did, but just to see the bravery in her journey to fight her fears really hit close to home. Even though she went back to the library at the end of ACOSF despite having left a few times—something I’ve done, made it out a few times but have not made much more progress yet—it shows there’s still much more to her healing journey as I know there is to mine.

Reading about her overcoming her fears and growing even more brave and strong is going to be so emotional and powerful. I want her to heal and be able to go back into the world again like I too hope to someday be able to.

I know she’s impacted so many readers for many different reasons and I absolutely love that. I also think it’s important to remind some people (not in this ship that is) that we DO actually love Gwyn for more than just being a love interest.

I decided to send this anonymously because I know some people from other ships are absolutely horrible and hateful with personal or serious stuff, but I wanted to share my story and just one of the many reasons I love Gwyn so much.

First of all thank you so much for sharing such personal information. I resonate a lot with what you said. I don’t have the same exact trauma as Gwyn (luckily) but I have been through something traumatic that made me scared of a lot of things..

I really saw that part of myself in Gwyn. She really reminded me that there is hope for people like us.

I would read a 900 page novel of just Gwyns story without Azriel there. I would read about her past, and how she’ll overcome her trauma. All without love interest.

So many people think Gwynriels only reduce Gwyn to a love interest. But actually it’s Gwynriels who see Gwyn as so much more than just a side character. We see her as this brave character who has been through so much and her healing process isn’t over yet. We see her as a character whose arc is being set up. As someone who will likely have a POV in a later books. I’d actually argue that it’s the antis who only see Gwyn as a love interest. Because they don’t acknowledge her arc being set up. They don’t acknowledge that her healing isn’t over. They have to reduce her to “just a side character” just to reduce her relevance to the (future) series

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Do you have gwynriel fic recs? Explicit preferably.

A court of light and melody

A court of whisper and song

The symphony of shadow

These are probably my top 3 (not in order) Gwynriel fics

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

With Gwynriel weeks coming up, what’s everyone favorite Gwynriel fanfic??

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Something I think I'll never understand is Elriel's claiming that Azriel sees Elain for who she is, and he can even see her darker side. Last time I checked Azriel claims Elain can't handle the darkness from the dread troves. Elain hasn't had the chance to show what she can do, but Azriel is confident she can't be near that power, it's too much. So he either is treating her like the rest of the cast, "she is fragile and has to be protected at all costs," or he doesn't believe in her abilities.

It’s just always so full of contradictions with them. That’s why I never can get behind e/riel even when I have really tried to see their side. But either canon isn’t in line with what they say (like your example) or they contradict themselves (we want a rejected mates trope yet Elain and Az are true mates).

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Another confession: I know everyone thinks Az is gonna call Gwyn by her surname but I'm a firm believer it will be "Gwyneth"

Ohhh I never thought of that. I wouldn’t mind that at all though😂

I’m team “priestess” but sjm is probably gonna surprise it all and let him name her something completely unexpected.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

I wonder if when Azriel saved Gwyn during Sangravah, he was somehow guided to her by the mating bond. That he just felt like he had to be in that specific room and he didn’t understand why. It was just this strong gut feeling. And his shadows reinforced his gut feeling. And he didn’t understand why his shadows were acting more frantic than usual. Since the adrenaline and his low self esteem he didn’t wonder on it too long.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Confession time but I watched Kpop demon hunters and when I listened to Free for the first time my mind immediately went "Ooh Gwyn and Azriel would sing this together!"

I’m gonna start watching it today! Very excited. My confession: I always imagine gwyn and az when there’s a duet in a musical.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

I’m locking in some potential book titles. This is all for fun. Just trying to see if I’ll get it (partly) right. (SJM will probably pull something totally random that gives nothing away like with acomaf and acowar). Please feel free to add some titles!!

Gwynriel book titles:

- A Court of Singing Shadows

- A Court of Dancing Shadows

- A Court of Whispered Secrets

- A Court of Shadowed Light

- A Court of Withering Shadows

- A Court of Shadowed Songs

- A Court of Withering Songs

(There’s definitely an “S” somewhere in there lmao)

Elucien Book titles

- A Court of Blooming Visions

- A Court of Golden Threads

- A Court of Blossoming Sight

- A Court of Golden Visions (to tie in with silver flames)

- A Court of Golden Sun

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

I love being a Gwynriel because we can actually admit that Azriel and Gwyn don’t have romantic feelings yet. They have chemistry that sparks on page (no pun intended).

We see the seed for them being planted while acknowledging Azriels difficult feelings regarding the mating bond , and therefore Mor and Elain. We recognize the pattern sjm follows with her endgames and we see that same pattern for Az and Gwyn.

But we’re not delusional in the way that we pretend Az and Gwyn already have these conscious feelings for each other. They’re curious about each other. Always aware of each other. And because of this, their book is gonna be so good. We can follow them every step of the way. Every step in their journey together. We will witness them falling in love on page.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

I’ve been stalking your Tik Tok lately forgive me your content is just so addicting and amazing. My Gwynriel love is being FED 😩

But while scrolling and watching one of your tik toks, it reminded me of how I’ve seen older comments and some being thrown even recently on there from E/riels that seem absolutely gleeful that Azriel is still single as of HOFAS which…obviously. No matter who his end game is Sarah isn’t stupid and is gonna have him fall in love on page.

What baffles me is that as much as they use that as an insult to Gwynriels, it’s no better for their ship. Like…he’s still single. Not with either one of them. Or anyone. Although there are some I’ve seen say they’re convinced he’s been seeing Elain in secret and that’s why “xyz reason” happened in HOFAS 🙄 My point is these were the same people who a year or more ago were convinced that in HOFAS he and Elain were mated or married or together, living together and clearly we get the ACTUAL book and they’re proven so wrong. And what do they do? Double down even more on the fact that it’s good for Elain because he’s single although they’re probably secretly dating or hooking up.

I don’t know man I just had to get those thoughts out to someone lol like I’m newer to being a part of the online fandom so I know this is all old news to you guys, but I can’t with their logic.

On the flip side, especially after finding you guys on here and other logical fandom members and taking what I’ve read into consideration, I’ve never felt more at peace. I don’t get mad or upset at the other ship people for who they ship, I don’t feel the need to attack them or others who don’t see it—although I do stay baffled lol—but like…I know what I know. I know what Sarah has given us. And yes, she could always surprise us. But there’s something peaceful about knowing you can back up your ship with actual canon evidence from the text.

Also, keep on creating amazing Gwynriel content on TikTok I absolutely love it and appreciate your dedication and love for the page 💙

Ahh thank you so much for the compliment that means a lot🩵 I’ve (only) been making TikTok’s for a couple of months but it’s so nice to see how people can come together on all different types of platforms.

Unfortunately TikTok is less shielded than tumblr and I often have e/riels in my comment section when the video had nothing to do with them. And you’re so right. They always make all these theories but then when the actual canon comes out they double down and twist it to make them fit their narrative again and again. If azriel is still single (and hofas takes place almost a year or so after the famous solstice) he’s not suddenly after a year break rhysands rules and see Elain in secret. It would make no sense. Either he disobeys his order from the start, or he doesn’t at all. It wouldn’t make any sense to have him avoid elain for a year, only to start sneaking around afterwards again. Plus, it was just a few glances between them. Do they really think Elain would wait a year for someone she isn’t even in a relationship with?

They always go on and on as to how Elain doesn’t owe Lucien anything, but Elain doesn’t owe Azriel anything either. She’s not gonna be hung up for more than a year over a male she found attractive.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

I know a lot of people think SJM stopped the whole Moriel thing because she was getting backlash for not including enough LGBTQ characters. I have another theory however. I think SJM stopped Mor+Azriel when she finalized her ideas for the spin-offs. I think she realized then that Azriel and Mor wouldn’t work, because too much has happened between them off page, to write a whole book about them. Their relationship would only work in the background of Feysands story, but it wouldn’t hold on its own.

And then she made Mor bi, to also include more queer characters.

I think that’s also why e/riel won’t be a thing. It could only work in the background of another characters story, but right now, it can’t stand on its own. Too much has happened between them off page. All the important developments and feelings would already be there at the start of the book. That wouldn’t make any sense. If e/riel was supposed to be a thing, it should’ve happened before nessians story. Now, it’s too late.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Okay the second ask is definitely heavy Gwynriel so I saved the best for last 😅

I think it’s hard to ignore the absolute change in Azriel from the beginning of ACOSF to the end, even if he was a side character, even if it was subtle. Then again he IS my favorite and despite loving all the characters he’s the only one I actually have counted down pages to get back to, so I probably pay a bit more attention to him than most. Apparently it’s been that way for me since I first read about him in 2017. What can I say, at least I’m consistent 😂

But I’ve noticed with this current reread I’m doing, just how much we’re subtly shown how he is NOT doing well.

At the beginning:

He’s staying at the House of Wind clearly for an extended period of time before Nesta’s arrangement was made. No one seems to know why, he never tells anyone what he’s suffering with or why, Cassian assumes it’s just because he likes his space.

He’s moody and more distant. Something noted by Cass at least a few times, especially when he notes it would be easier to get a mountain to move than to get Azriel to open up.

That conversation he and Cassian have after they find out that Feyre’s pregnant and Cass asks if he wants a child. Az’s “it doesn’t matter what I want” was heartbreaking. Also I’ve seen some from the other ship argue that he meant he didn’t want kids in this statement? I get we all interpret things differently, but to me, I truly felt like that was him at his lowest mindset yet. He’s used to wishing and hoping and desiring things he never gets so it came off to me a lot more like what he wasn’t saying was “it wouldn’t matter if I said I did, it’s never happening for me so I’m not going to bother to hope”.

Azriel tells Cassian he’s been in the training ring at night when he can’t sleep—which is then confirmed how much he’s struggled to sleep lately, in his BC so I assume a lot of that was spent up on the roof training

He’s more combative when defying orders in that scene where Rhys and Feyre no longer want him or his spies watching Briallyn. Like it didn’t just stop with the scene we read on page, Cassian even mentions they go on to have a further argument later where he finally relents though he’s not happy about it. Yes, he’s defied orders before but he’s never done it sounding like a petulant child before. This and the way he acted before Rhys in the BC was clearly his lowest against his High Lord and High Lady.

He continues to torture himself by staring a hole into Elain at Solstice and dwelling on the fact that he has to be near her. This might be an unpopular take, but I don’t think we’ve ever truly seen him feel sorry for himself with everything he’s been through, his awful early childhood, the challenges he faced getting a late start to training and flying, heck even the situation with Mor, until this point with Elain. Which makes me believe it truly was his lowest point at this time during the book.

It’s definitely a lot more subtle, but I truly think there was a minuscule shift in him from the moment he and Gwyn enter each other’s orbits. Yes, there’s two or so other scenes after that with Elain (I can’t remember if the him not wanting her around the dread trove thing was before or after him and Gwyn’s first time seeing each other again) but I know the dinner smile and the solstice night was the only other two. So no, he’s not over Elain at this point and obviously not even considering Gwyn as anything other than a priestess he and Cass are training and probably just Nesta’s friend. But his first reaction to her—obviously remembering who she is and the day they last saw each other—was to offer her comfort and stability. The small, reassuring smile he gave her, especially when he was more aloof and quiet for the sake of the other Priestesses he had began training wasn’t because he resented himself or was afraid to be himself around them/her like he does with Elain (and Mor frankly) but it was because he knew it was something she needed in that moment. He wasn’t thinking of himself and it was a teeny, tiny, selfless gesture but obviously that led to so much more. It just impresses me even more how she comes into his life and already she’s changed it for the better even if he’s so oblivious to it right now lol

Which also makes me so curious to know what’s been happening when we left off in ACOSF up to HOFAS. Cause he’s got an even stronger friendship with Nesta—I honestly love their friendship so much—but he’s also more open than we’ve ever seen him. More relaxed, more happy and even more comfortable in his skin he seems. All I could think of is, is someone busy catching some feelings out here? 😏

This is such a beautiful take and so spot on. That tiny moment when Azriel offers Gwyn that quiet, grounding smile is so easy to overlook, but it’s actually a huge deal for someone like him. He’s in this new, careful role, surrounded by trauma survivors, and yet when he sees her, his immediate instinct is to reassure. Not to perform, not to hide, not to brood but to show up for her in the smallest but most meaningful way.

And you’re right it’s not romantic in that moment. It’s not some instant spark of realization. But it’s kindness without calculation. It’s empathy. It’s safety. And when you look at how Azriel operates how guarded and internal he is that choice to offer comfort says so much about what Gwyn brought out in him from the very beginning.

It really highlights the quiet power of their connection. No mating bond, no obsession, no possessiveness just two broken people slowly building something unspoken and genuine.

[gwynethberdarasupremecy]

Definitely don’t mean this in a hateful way as anyone can ship whatever ship they want, but I found it extremely hilarious when Jordin Sparks commented on SJM’s post last night something about she could already feel the next book “A Court of Seeing and Shadows”—or something like that—in her hands, clearly indicating her preferred ship. But what was really funny was someone commented back to her “your last name is literally Sparks! Sparks don’t mean anything to you?”

I mean I get the people that probably prefer Elain in the ship but I cannot get over the amount of people that bypass the fact that only one woman caused a spark in Azriel’s chest and we all know it was the fabulous Gywneth Berdara. 😏

Definitely. Anyone can ship whoever they want but the irony here is chefs kiss.

Also the irony in the name: seeing and shadows. Because canonically Elains visions become more prominent when Lucien is there, and Azriels shadows come more alive around Gwyn. His shadows skitter back from Elain so the word “shadows” being in an “e/riel” book title doesn’t make any sense.

So is she actually saying she subconsciously ships Elucien and Gwynriel 😂