#I might need to tag this as anti Gwynriel because I don’t think some will want to consider this possibility

[ataraxiasflame]

Ok, I don’t want to stir the pot here, but I was having a conversation with my sister (who is in no way connected to the online fandom or under any ‘ship’ influence at all) and we had some very interesting discussions because of her lack of ‘influence’. It was really refreshing to hear opinions from someone who is (for the sake of this point) 100% ‘neutral’.

Though there were several interesting points in our conversation, there was one I HAD to share because as soon as the point came up, it made my mind go into overdrive.

Those of us who have read the CC series from the start….do you all remember after book 1, the Ruhn fans (those of us who loved him before Ch 3 of HOSAB) were very much pro-Ruhn-Hypaxia because of all the subtle clues in HOEAB. There was a lot of admiration and appreciation of Hypaxia from Ruhn, dare I say, very similar to Azriel’s appreciation of Gwyn in ACOSF?

And what happened in the next book? Hypaxia/Ruhn was a smokescreen for the real endgame which was Ruhn and Lidia, a character who was already introduced in book 1 though there were zero clues that she would be important to the rest of the series.

So what’s my point? I don’t really have any investment in Gwynriel (I think they’d make a cute couple but I won’t lose sleep over it), but given that SJM has proven in the past few books she’s released that she’s not above an unpredictable plot twist (even ones that don’t make sense), I think it’s not entirely impossible that Gwyn could have a different LI, maybe one who has already been introduced but without any clear reason why….say a Balthazar for instance?

I’m not trying to discredit any ships at all (if you come for me, I’ll just point out that Gwynriel would support my own ship)…what my sister and I did realise is that SJMs writing has changed since her ToG days and this kind of manoeuvre does feel like a possibility now.

(Now, logically, I know that the infamous bonus chapter might seem pointless then, and the argument that Azriel is hinted at getting a book, therefore who is his love interest if not Gwyn, and to that I say, you’re probably right. But could it be a smokescreen just like Hypaxia was?)

My point is just that SJM has developed a taste for throwing curve balls (Ahem…the million involving Danika come to mind) and I think it would actually be hilarious if after all these years and the insane ship wars over Azriel, if he doesn’t end up with Elain OR Gwyn.

(Also, I can laugh at this because I’m not an Azriel fan, but if you don’t see the humor in this, I apologize 😅)

[unhealthyfanobsession]

How would you compare the ACOTAR ships to TVD ships? Some people say Feysand is like Delena.

This is SUCH A FUN ASK!! Don’t mind if I do! I’m going to compare the general dynamic of the characters as well as archetype/ story parallels.

This is a crossover post so SPOILERS FOR BOTH ACOTAR AND TVD BELOW.

Stefan-Elena-Damon = Tamlin-Feyre-Rhysand

I don’t mean to do Stefan dirty like this, but the parallels are really undeniable. Stefan and Tamlin both were the kind, caring, magical first introduction to this whole new world for Feyre/Elena. They fell in love with them easily and it was a pure, beautiful love but while they were in it there were darker (Damon and Rhys) forces pulling them in another direction. Both women loved these men SO fiercely and sacrificed for that love. Feyre fought the 3 trials with Amarantha where she ended up being helped by Rhys. Elena went looking for Stefan in his ripper days even though Klaus would kill her if he found her and she was helped by Damon. Both of them fought for this love but then once they had it back... either they or the man or both had changed too much from the trauma and their relationship simply couldn’t work anymore.

I totally agree with the Feysand= Delena point because I think they are both relationships that are very “this person over everyone else no matter what” and that is romantic, but at we see, can also be overbearing/toxic at times. They both do awful things that the heroine has to later learn their motives for and forgive them for. Damon “kills” Jeremy and tries to compel Elena to kiss him early on. He feeds Elena his blood against her will when Klaus might kill her but then he ultimately makes it right through self sacrificing hero acts. Rhys does... everything he did under the mountain and he doesn’t tell Feyre she’s his mate, but then he helps her heal after Tamlin and ultimately saves Prythian. Both characters are also haunted by an abusive relationship- Rhysand a sexually abusive relationship with Amarantha that he endured for 49 years and Damon and emotionally abusive/manipulative relationship with Katherine that defined his life for 150 years.

Damon has a quote in season 4 that I think really describes both couples. He says: “if you’re going to be bad, be bad with a purpose. Otherwise you just aren’t worth forgiving.”

Klaroline = Nessian

This one is more based on character interactions and a bit of my own bias. I struggled to find a TRUE nessian parallel couple but I think Klaroline is the closest for a number of reasons. Largely because Caroline and Nesta are very similar characters. Both start off as shallow, superficial mean girls who we get an early glimpse of their heart (Caroline crying and her I’m never the one monologue and Nesta being on Feyre’s side when she returns in ACOTAR) who then get changed into something they never wanted to be and it helps them grow and OWN THEIR P O W E R. Even Caroline’s stint as emotionless mess after her mom’s death parallels Nesta’s destructive actions after losing her father.

Cassian and Klaus both have the whole “I’m a worthless bastard that no one wants and I killed my father but I am STRONGER THAN EVERYONE so you can’t hurt me even though I’m really just a soft boi who needs love” vibe going on.

And the CHASE. That’s the biggest parallel here. These are both couples where this powerful man walked in and said “that one” re the beautiful woman who hated them and then did not give up. But with both of them it’s a gentle chase. Klaus knows that Caroline is constantly trying to trick him but he doesn’t care because he just wants to spend time with her and whenever she is in danger he is there on the DOUBLE and does things he doesn’t want to do for her (ex- graduation, hiding/ protecting Stefan in season 6). Cassian knows that Nesta is going through a hard time after ACOMAF and he flies up to the House of Wind every damn day to see her even when she pushes him away and he instantly goes into fierce general I will kill mode if anyone threatens Nesta. Also both couples are prone to lashing out at each other (Caroline “terrible people” line; Klaus with his biting. Cassian “everyone hates you”; Nesta with her well... being Nesta LOL)

Bonus points for pet names and relentless teasing when they aren’t trying to kill each other.

Quote for them is when Caroline tells Klaus “anyone capable of love, is capable of being saved” I think that also has big Cassian @ Nesta in ACOSF energy.

(PS I did consider Nessian being Steroline but 1. I fucking hate that ship and 2. Stefan was never there for Caroline during the hard times which is the anti Cassian AND I think the for me it’s always you vibe just fits the intensity of Nessian better)

Kennett = Elriel

I’m not tagging this Elriel so don’t COME FOR ME. In my opinion, these are both ships that had some fun ~tension~ and are kinda sexy/enticing. Kol with his love of witches and their little graduation ghost adventure and Azriel with his attraction to Elain and saving her from Hybern. BUT ultimately I think the most interesting thing about these ships was their convenience. I think fans liked to put Bonnie with Kol in fanfics because it was an easy way to make Bonnie understand Elena and Caroline’s choice for a dark boi and it was just convenient. Likewise I think that Elriel is convenient in writing to simply throw Elain with the other bat brother and tie everything up in a neat little ribbon.

Mabekah= Elucien

In this comparison Rebekah is Lucien and Matt is Elain. This was a couple where one person started off with bad motives (Rebekah wanting to kill Matt at the ball; Lucien plotting with Hybern) but they have genuine feelings for the person once they get to know/are mated to them and you see that person is a much more complicated character than we previously saw. Rebekah and Lucien are both lost, lonely, and struggling to find where they fit in while Matt and Elain are both struggling but ultimately the much beloved “sweet” character who everyone is willing to die to protect. At first the sweet character avoids the villain character like the plague, but eventually things turn around and they see past their previous bad actions.

BonEnzo= Gwynriel

Talk about characters who have some trauma to heal together. Enzo was literally kept in a cage by the Whitmore’s for 50 years and abused much like Azriel in his dungeon. Gwyn has had to make unspeakable decisions in order to protect the greater good and suffer the horrible consequences for it- losing her twin to protect those children much like how Bonnie lost her grams to protect Stefan and Elena. Enzo started off interested in Caroline (like Azriel and Elain) and getting over an obsession with Lilly (Azriel and Mor) but was ultimately drawn to Bonnie for her strength, determination, and good heart despite everything she had been through. These are really all just characters that have been through the RINGER and need to find healing in each other’s arms but would never admit that’s what they are doing so it just happens slowly and one day they realize things don’t hurt as much anymore.

AND FINALLY:

Damon and Caroline= Nesta and Tomas

You know why. Damon doesn’t get off that easy just because he “changed”. He abused Caroline and I won’t be pretending in 2021 that he didn’t.

[hacawijo]

Hi there

I just saw your post about the whole elithianart situation and it’s pretty sad that this artist is getting harassed. I completely agree that this harassment does absolutely nothing positive.

I’m not sure as a fellow Elriel how to navigate the ACOTAR fandom in the midst of this ship war. What can we do (not just elriels) to make the energy less negative in this fandom because currently it’s very volatile.

Anyway, just keep up the wonderful posts and I hope you’re staying safe👋

Hi!

Thank you so much for this question, I think it’s so good to be thinking about ways that everyone can reduce toxicity in the fandom. I got a LOT FOR Y’ALL. I’m a Gemini sun with a Gemini in Mercury and a Cancer rising, I usually have a lot of feelings and a lot to say 😂 (my Taurus moon keeps me sane).

I have a bunch of ideas for everyone:

More often than not, you can save it for your private discords and group chats. I understand that folks need to blow off steam and talk about takes they can’t stand, but we need to be doing the vast majority of this in private, safe spaces, because sub-blogging someone on Tumblr or commenting on something that doesn’t live in your ship tag is needless. You are NEVER GOING TO CHANGE THAT PERSON’S MIND, and very few people are ever going to respond positively to being publicly called out. DMs work when you want to talk to a specific person about what they’ve said, they’ve worked for me! If you’re having trouble finding a safe group chat or discord, please feel free to DM me. I won’t judge you for the ship you’re looking to discuss! I’ll just connect you with someone involved in that ship who might have some more info about a private chat :)

Now, sometimes there are things we need to say out loud, and sometimes we need to publicly call out posts that are in the wrong tag or to defend someone being harassed in real time. I get that, but folks need to remember that online communication doesn’t have the advantage of being face-to-face, which means we REALLY need to hold ourselves accountable, because the look on someone’s face or their tone or tears isn’t going to do it for us. Be respectful, speak from personal experience, and try not to assume that someone is sub-blogging/vague-ing you and only you. Most of the time, people have seen an idea repeated over and over, and that’s why they need to independently post about it.

I also see a lot about “bad faith” communication. It does absolutely happen, and people are well within their right to express it if they feel that’s what’s happening. But there is a reason that the word ‘faith’ is in there. It sucks and feels annoying and maybe even like you’re “giving in,” to assume best intentions, but this fandom is not gonna work if we don’t make an effort to do that. At the same time, EVERYONE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTENT AND IMPACT. If someone tells you that your post hurt them, your first reaction should not be to defend yourself or tell them they read it wrong. Your first reaction should be something like “it was not my intention to cause harm, but nonetheless I did, and I’m really sorry about that.” That will only make you look like a good, thoughtful person, there is no downside to that apology.

Now for stuff that’s a little more fun. There’s no way we all love these niche books by this niche author and have less in common than we do. We can take some armistice times and days to discuss things that aren’t so heated. I often try to comment on the non-ship-related posts of folks who are die-hard Elucien or Gwynriel, because that’s how we remember that we’re all just people and that none of us are defined by a single opinion that we have. Appreciation weeks are a great way for us to come together! I also think that we could definitely spend more time finding common jokes and laughs as opposed to mocking others. There’s plenty to discuss, from Sarah’s most-used phrases to Cassian the Clueless. If there’s one place we must be able to find common ground, it’s in humor.

Also I want to be clear, there’s a difference between shipping specific couples and stanning specific characters AND being anti- for the sake of being anti-. A lot of people hate Elain, and a lot of the time it seems like it’s because she’s feminine. A lot of people seem to hate everyone but Nesta, and in that case I TRULY am curious as to why they are reading these ensemble-based books 😂 I also don’t like it when people put down Sarah and her writing and others for trying to find clues in that writing. YOU DON’T NEED TO TELL PEOPLE SHE’S NOT SHAKESPEARE, WE ALL KNOW THAT. Doesn’t mean her writing doesn’t have merit, and it definitely doesn’t mean what she does doesn’t require skill. If what she did were so easy and cheap, I doubt this many people would be so attached to her work - which is pretty much unlike anything else I’ve ever read (I’ve never quite found a romance fantasy that I love the way I love Sarah’s books). With this kind of negativity, my advice is to block-block-block. You don’t need that on your dash.