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The Valkyries are so ignorant that they don't even realise that they aren't assets to the court, but liabilities . No one was willing to risk their lives to save theirs, so really, how important are they

I dislike how Emerie and Gwyn were fine with Nesta berating their High lord infront of them

I don’t really gaf about gwyn and emerie not caring because at the end of the day the only reason they’re thriving is because of rhysand’s generosity 🤷‍♀️

but the valkyrie thing is a hobby so i don’t know why people are like “they’re girl bosses” it’s a hobby just like doing world war 2 cosplay is. and the fandom is racist asf so they give nesta and gwyn all the credit while ignoring emerie lmao.

they wouldn’t care about gwyn if they couldn’t use her to get in the way to elain + azriel. why are people obsessed with the bus driver characters ?

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The thing with the whole "El*cien regency" delusion is that like. Yeah, it kinda is the setup for a Regency romance, but not in the way they want. In that framing, Lucien is the expected "for duty and society" arranged marriage the heroine had no choice in and doesn't want, and Azriel is the "I want to marry him for love" MMC. It's literally right there in the context?

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If Elain dares to reject the bond, we should all start preparing for evil Lucy. How dare she choose what she wants?! After everything he’s been through, the audacity to think she has agency?? No, clearly, if lu*cien goes full villain, it’s 100% her fault.

Only Elain could save us from the wrath of an angry Lucy. The fate of Prythian rests in her hands.

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Gwyn being a lightsinger does not disprove Gwynriel. It just shows that they complement each other. Why do you think Sarah chose the name lightsinger instead of siren or rusalka? The lightsinger is a counterpart to a shadowsinger.

Azriel’s powers singing and dancing in reaction to her powers is a positive thing. It means they could be carranam. Like Rowan and Aelin whose powers danced with each other.

The thing that disproves Gwynriel is that Azriel is obsessed with Elain and Elain is obsessed with Azriel. And Gwyn isn't romantically interested in anyone.

If Gwyn is a Lightsinger, it's just what she is. Has nothing to do with a ship.

Carranam is power sharing. His shadows reacting to her sound doesn't indicate any power sharing.

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“The bonus chapter was meant to build an obstacle for Elucien.”

Girl… the obstacle is Elain not wanting Lucien and the bond.

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Never getting over Azriel telling us that they have been subtly and mutually flirting with each other

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Azriel absolutely torments himself every night over getting caught. He's the spymaster,the shadowsinger. The master of staying undetected. If anyone was supposed to avoid getting caught, it was him. And yet in that moment with Elain he completely let his guard down.

He definitely spiraled replaying that moment over and over in his head, punishing himself for that vulnerability. Because he knows he could've masked them in shadows. Could've sensed Rhys approaching. Could've bought them a few more seconds. Maybe they would've kissed,maybe he wouldn't have hurt her with "It was a mistake."

Because the only reason he said those words was because Rhys was there. Because he was reminded of everything he wasn't allowed to want. But Elain doesn't know that. She thinks he regretted, that she was the mistake and that is what hurts him the most, the look on her face when he pulled away, the pain she tried to hide...

If he had just done his job, if he'd kept his guard up the way he always had, they might've had that moment. He might've let himself feel what he buried for so long ,so now he lives with that torment.

Once Elain and Azriel are finally sneaking around together, it's going to be so fun. They'll plan everything perfectly. Rhys will know something's up… but he won't be able to prove a thing.

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“healing together” isn’t a plot point.

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“No. I … I was sleeping, but I heard …” She shook her head. Blinked at our formal attire, the dark" .... ". “I didn’t hear you.”

Azriel stepped forward. “But you heard something else.”

Elain seemed about to nod, but only backed away. “I think I was dreaming,” she murmured. “I think I’m always dreaming these days.”

I love the connection between Elain's power and Azriel's power. I love the fact that he instantly understood what she was going through. He knew that what she had heard wasn't from them and wasn't a dream because he, too, had once heard the shadows whispering to him. And at that time, he had thought he heard someone or was dreaming, but it was his shadowsinger gift, just like what she was hearing and seeing was her seer gift.

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I am 100% obsessed with the idea of Elain being a spy, so I decided to compile all the evidence that alludes to her becoming one in the future and the traits she has that would be useful because why not?

Up first is Elain's charm.

When we see her again in ACOMAF, it's Elain who convinces all of the servants to leave the house so she and Nesta can meet with the bat boys. Rhys even comments that the servants left the house as if a plague had befallen it, which just goes to show how efficiently she got the job done. Feyre then says Elain can convince anyone do to anything with just a few smiles. This is obviously a useful quality for a spy, and when combined with Elain's kindness and beauty makes her less likely to be suspected of any wrongdoing. Her charm would also make people more willing to talk to her, which makes it easier for her to gather information.

We can also see that Elain is stealthy.

Both Feyre and Nesta comment on how silently Elain moves at various points in the series. Nesta even wonders if she's learning stealth from either Az or the twins. We also have to remember that the Fae have enhanced hearing, yet they still don't hear sound from her steps. I'm sure I don't need to tell you guys why this is an amazing quality for a spy.

Third is Elain's wisdom.

Elain has been referred to as wise by both Mor and Feyre. Wisdom means having knowledge and good judgement, which is essential when you're a spy. You have to know how to navigate whatever situation you find yourself in while preventing people from finding out what you're doing. Having good judgement helps you solve problems more efficiently, and wisdom also enhances your ability to influence others because people listen to you.

Elain is also good at keeping secrets.

Elain was the only one who knew Feyre was pregnant, and did not give any indication of it whatsoever. Feyre even says that she might have Az beat for secret-keeping, which is no small feat considering Az is a spymaster and shadowsinger.

There is also the fact that Elain seems to have good observation skills.

Cassian says that Nesta was wrong in her assessment of Elain, that Elain had seen "every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why." Additionally, in Az's POV, he says that Elain is well aware of why he stood by the doorway when Lucien was there and of why Az rarely came to family dinners anymore. I think this is super important because Az doesn't seem like the type to give himself or his motives away like that, but Elain could still tell. Elain being able to read Az like this is a big thing. This indicates that Elain is observant, and she is at least somewhat adept at reading people, analyzing their actions, and determining why they do what they do, which is definitely an important skill. I also think Elain being able to read and understand Nesta is important, since she's such a complex character.

Then there's Elain's connection to Az's shadows.

We all know about the iconic scene where Elain literally steps out of a shadow to stab Hybern, so I figured I didn't need to add that one. I don't think SJM would make an attempt to connect Elain with Az's shadows like this if it wasn't important. I think this is pretty self-explanatory as well, and if Elain does indeed have the ability to use Az's shadows, that alone gives her the potential to be a formidable spy.

This one is pretty obvious, but I can't not talk about Elain's powers. We know that Elain can see the future, but it's evident that Elain can also see the present when Feyre asks her to track down the Suriel in chapter 57 of ACOWAR. She's able to see exactly where the Suriel is just by focusing on the image of it that Feyre planted in her mind. And she figured out how to do this on her own, with no training. Like y'all, baby girl doesn't even need to be present or next to you to spy on you. That's huge.

Last but not least, Elain is patient. Az tells Cassian that waiting is a big part of syping. And you're probably wondering how I know Elain is patient, and the reason is that Elain is a gardener. Take it from me, gardening requires a large amount of patience, which was exactly why I wasn't cut out for it. The same way that people don't engage in evil deeds when it's convenient to you, flowers don't bloom when you want them to. Feyre talks about the beautiful garden Elain cultivated at her house, which undoubtedly took a lot of time. She even talks about how Elain would kneel in dirt weeding, which scandalized the servants. Some plants take years to grow, and each seed takes its own sweet time to sprout. Tending to a garden is absolutely an exercise in patience. It requires planting, watering, mulching, weeding, watching and waiting in order to get results.

I also think it's important to note the other parallels between her and Az besides her connection to his shadows. In chapter 16 of ACOMAF, Feyre calls Az "the knife in the dark." But who ended up actually becoming the knife in the dark? Elain, when she stabbed Hybern.

I also always think about this part.

It reads so similar to the moment Elain stabs Hybern. Elain snarls at Hybern "Don't you touch my sister" while Az snarls "Don't you touch her." I live for Az and Elain snarling at Hybern not to touch the people they love. Honestly, I'm probably reaching and this might not mean anything, but I figured I'd add it just because.

Damn this was long as hell, and if you've made it this far, you're amazing. Honestly, this is just me trying to manifest spy Elain, and if it doesn't happen, I will die. SJM better not rob us like that. Az and Elain would be the ultimate spy couple, and no one can convince me otherwise.

The credit for coming up with this amazing theory goes to @ladylochan

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Azriel dancing the waltz beautifully, and we know the waltz is one of Elain favorite dances. The details about these two give me butterflies.

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Really, when Sarah wrote "... if anyone can sense if something is amiss, it's a mate." and then have Azriel figuring it out, that was her being obvious...

😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

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— Blodeuwedd: Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty

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Just remembering when I was in a discussion with the other side of the fandom and they asked "why I was bringing the books into the conversation" when we were discussing about the books. Crazy day!

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There are certain fallacies that are so ingrained into the fabric of this fandom that they are being treated as some kind of 'fact' or truth, and it drives me crazy!

Azriel wants a warrior! (because his first love Mor is a warrior)

Azriel met Mor when she was 17 and he was 19. Mor wasn't a warrior of any kind. She just came into her powers and was about to be married off to Eris.

Azriel fell for her as she was. Basically at first glance. He hardly knew anything about her. Her eventually becoming a warrior had absolutely no impact on his attraction to her. He never mentioned her even being a warrior (unlike Cassian, who admires that quality of hers very openly). In fact, Azriel, despite Mor being a warrior is openly protective of her and doesn't want her to be put in situations where she could be hurt. Never has he acknowledged any need for or attraction to anyone who fights with a sword.

Azriel only wants a mate because his brothers are mated

This has been mulled over to death, but just as a reminder: the ONLY couple that Azriel is aware of being mates is Feyre and Rhys.

During Solstice and his fight with Rhys, no one was aware that Nessian were mates, because it was literally happening as they were speaking. So this assumption that 'Azriel only wants a mate because his brothers are mated' is automatically false. He might have suspected that Nessian are mates, but it wasn't official.

What's more, as it stands now, Azriel is aware of 3 mated couples: Feysand. Rhys's parents. Elucien.

Only one of those couples is a happy mated couple. The other two were/are miserable.

Again, Azriel is angry that Elain was given to Lucien, whom she doesn't want and who is undeserving of her.

Azriel goes after unavailable women (because he doesn't want an actual relationship)

We only know of Azriel going after 2 women. Mor and Elain.

Mor, in fact, seemed very much available after he brought her back from Autumn. She was rejected by Eris, she was technically free. She was no longer pure, she was no longer promised to anyone, she was no longer engaged.

Mor was available. When it comes to her sexual preferences, Azriel had no idea, especially back then. (I will not address how sloppily and nonsensically SJM wrote the whole thing, because technically speaking, Mor literally JUST hit puberty. Like a month ago. She was not only a virgin, but also essentially an equivalent of a 12 year old girl. So for her to already know that she was into women, and into men, but with a deep preference for women, is highly doubtful. She had sex once, with Cassian. For her to suddenly realize that she was basically a lesbian and walk away from Az, knowing that she will definitely prefer a lesbian relationship, is...unlikely. But that's a different conversation.)

Elain is mated to an unwanted mate. Does that make her 'unavailable'? I don't know. it's been over a year since Elain was Made and in a year and a half, she displayed no interest in Lucien. This is exactly what Azriel acknowledges 'and she has no interest in him anyway'. Azriel waited for 1.5 years to take a step to pursue Elain. Only AFTER making sure that she isn't into Lucien.

Does that qualify him as 'going after unavailable women'?

Azirel doesn't want a mate. He doesn't want a warrior. He doesn't want an unavailable woman.

He wants Elain.

End of.

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I belonged to her in a way that I didn't belong to anyone else. We found each other without looking for one another. She made me want to forgive myself for all the years I've spent alone.

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Wonderfully said! 🥰

To be fair SJM mostly has complementary than contrasting couples . Elriel is one of the few contrasting couples , Feysand and Nessian are both complementary . They're stars and the night sky and the general and lady death . Elriel are light and dark , death and the lovely fawn . Very Persephone and Hades like couple

I would say yes and no.

I think that with Feysand, and Nessian, and Elorcan, and Rowaelin (and Elriel, ultimately)--the outside is very different, but the inside is very complimentary.

For example: Rhys is cultured, debonair, a High Lord, extremely wealthy, super powerful, witty, conceited. Feyre is poor, barely literate, powerless, in many ways naive and inexperienced in the world. But when you look at them and their relationship, they are very complimentary. They care about the same things, they display similar traits, they laugh, they joke, they support each other.

Elorcan: Lorcan is a huge warrior demi-Fae, again, wildly powerful, angry, solitary, immortal. Elide is small, mortal, with a permanent injury, locked in that tower, powerless, quiet. But together, she is the bossy one. And suddenly we realize that not only does he love being bossed around by her, but she has grit and she is brave like him, and they share a ton of internal commonalities.

With Elain and Azriel, yes, the surface is very different: he is a massive, decorated Illyrian warrior, a shadowsinger', a spy, a torturer, dark and frightening, and Elain is a little ray of sun and smiles, baking bread and planting flowers. But as we've learned, they share a sense of humor, they share an understanding between each other that they don't share with anyone. She is stronger and steelier than what most assume about her, and he is softer, kinder (not just to her, but his friends), more 'human' than what people assume about him.

So I personally think that SJM likes this duality with the characters. Very different on the surface and very compatible behind the surface.