#acotar thoughts

[creativelydani]

So, everyone thinks Feyre = Mother, Elain = Maiden, Nesta = Crone, right? WRONG.

Well, Feyre DOES = Mother, but I argue that Elain & Nesta should be switched. Why? I’m glad you asked.

NESTA = MAIDEN

was an actual maiden when she went into the Cauldron (notably the only Archeron sister who was still a virgin)

prythian quivered when she was "born" or Made

canonically, the only character who can Make things

persephone, the greek goddess represented the Maiden, is associated with death and destruction as well as life and growth

part of her growth & healing journey was embracing girlhood and expression of self, a reclaiming of things the Maiden is associated with

ELAIN = CRONE

is a Seer, pertains to wisdom and endings (she predicted death but also prevented it with some of her visions)

crone is associated with midday (her mate is Lucien)

associated with nurturing - Elain gardens

Elain must learn to accept change and come to terms with the "death" of her old life, things the Crone is known for representing

hecate is known as the Crone, goddess of witchcraft, ghosts, necromancy, etc

Seers in the Maasverse are first introduced with the Ironteeth witches in TOG, and remain strongly associated with them throughout that series

[rizzoreads88]

✨It’s interesting Sarah gave Azriel and Elain both incredibly rare powers.✨

We know a seer is very rare but rereading acomaf and I picked up on this..

“shadowsingers are rare—coveted by courts and territories across the world for their stealth and predisposition to hear and feel things others can’t.”

So Azriel can hear and feel things others can’t and Elain can see and sense things others can’t. She gave them both rare but complimentary powers to one another…

[theegemini92]

When feyre died, Tamlin did nothing

So what the fuck did you want a bleeding dying male with little to no power do? His freaking bone broke as well With an Ash Dagger.

When people say he did nothing I physically scream. It’s like telling someone with one leg to race against someone with two legs. What the hell is wrong with people? 😹

Stop this bs narrative and let’s think like grown adults. Read and comprehend don’t just read and comeback and say nonsense.

Also I want to talk about the last bit:

“Stop. I’m sorry—I’m sorry for what I said about Clythia all those years ago. Please.”

My sweet sweet High lord… what did you say about clythia? Was he with clythia at a certain point? Was she more evil than Am? So many possibilities?!!!! This is why I don’t like crossing over theories. There’s so much to unpack right here in prythian. Jurian also hated Rhys with passion. However Tamlin didn’t take part in the war and the treaty but heaven after the war he was part of his father’s war band.

[1800naveen]

Another opinion cause I'm bored.

People only ship Mor and Emerie because they're one of the canon queer characters.

Yeah, I said it. Sue me.

Yes, Emerie blushed Mor during solstice but she also blushed at Rhysand. And since it's Rhysand, he's so handsome and beautiful and blah.

Blushing at someone doesn't imply they will end up together.

Mor said that Nesta should be tossed in the court of nightmares and to toss her back to the mortal lands.

The court of nightmares where she was heavily abused by her father?

Nesta, who is Emerie's best friend and sister?

And people think Emerie would like her, let alone be with her?

This ship is ASS but do what you wanna do.

Anyways, what about Cressida? That's a good ship.

Remember, this is my opinion, you don't have to agree with it.

[kataraavatara]

the cognitive dissonance involved with rhysand’s mom dropping him off to get the everloving shit beat out of him at eight years old and him seeing absolutely nothing wrong with it vs him not being over nesta being mean is untapped comedy potential. if nesta knew more about illyrian culture she could have simply told Rhys & co. letting feyre hunt was part of a master plan to turn her into a warrior and been home free.

[msbrownwithacrown]

This has been mentioned before, and said better than this...

But Rhysand showing up with his entire entourage to the High Lord Meeting will never not be funny to me!

Like no other High Lord did that. Other than Beron bringing Eris. Meanwhile, Tamlin showed up by himself in a hostile environment, like a whirlwind with receipts and the only Hybern intel in the meeting. How can anyone not love that 'fu-rebellious-I'm still going to do the right thing-courage?

[shittalkingwiththesuriel]

I still can’t get over how Mor’s POV in ACOFAS was just collectively forgotten…

Like, she was in the woods and there was a powerful dark entity STALKING HER

And then we get no further information and it’s been like six years

I’ve never heard any one even mention it

[extremely-judgemental]

Rhys isn't good guy playing bad. He did bad things and sometimes felt bad about it.

Eris technically doesn't do anything wrong. People believe he did. He doesn't deny the rumours and plays along.

Eris is the real good guy playing bad.

[harperbrynne]

“Tell me about her—about Elain,” Lucien said quietly. As if the death that squatted in the dark beside us had drawn his thoughts to his own mate as well.

Reminder than Lucien chose his final dying thoughts to be that of his mate.

[lainalit]

RIP Rhys you would have loved making street interview videos where you ask women what they think about feminism

RIP Cassian you would have loved going to the gym and filming a bunch of homoerotic tiktoks with your gym bros

RIP Azriel you would have loved Sims 2 emo machinimas with my Immortal playing in the background

RIP Tamlin you would have loved going to Anime conventions and walk behind cosplayers while playing the theme songs on your violin

RIP Eris you would have loved going to dog parks and instigate drama between dog owners

RIP Lucien you would have loved fishing with a bunch of middle-aged dads and trying to make them laugh with dad jokes

[blaircmorgan]

Numbers in ACOTAR

This is the first time I'm sharing a theory of mine... I had posted this before on tiktok and Instagram (November 24th, 2023) I am reposting it bc I wasn't satisfied with the layout and it wasn't as detailed as this one. Oh and also English isn't my first language so pls don't mind if theres anything wrong in the grammar or if im bad at explaining xx

There will be SPOILERS for the entirety of ACOTAR series and House of Sky and Breath aka HOSAB!

SJM is known for using numbers like 3, 7, & 13 as symbolic constants in her worldbuilding. They’re familiar, but they’re also intentional. She uses these numbers like most fantasy authors.

However, there are some additional numbers that she has used, which are unusual of her to use and that make them stand out. Let’s take a look at these numbers:

21 & 5

In ACOSF chapter 56 (I will get back to this number later on) Gwyn gifts both Nesta & Emerie a book at Solstice. She tells them both to look at chapter 21 and page 5 (will come back to this number too).

She then tells us that this chapter is about the Valkyries death & Rebirth (aka herself, Nesta and Emerie).

“At the top of the first page, it merely said, Chapter Twenty-One.”

Notice how Twenty-One is written in cursive? Coincidence? I think not. SJM wanted us to notice this.

I noticed the unusual use of number 21 & 5. This was the first time SJM had used these numbers, so I did as Gwyn said. I checked chapter 21 and page 5 of each ACOTAR books to see what the key points of each chapter and page were. Then I also did some research on the number (21) itself as well.

Symbolism of 21

The number 21 in literature isn’t just a number. The number has been found in various works like art, mythology and literature. The number has been used to serve as a symbol of “completion, transition, or personal growth.”  More so the number has also been used to portray “characters’ coming-of-age, spiritual evolution, or a turning point in the narrative.”

As we hear from Gwyn, she made Merill add the Valkyries in a book, in chapter 21. We see that there is a turning point in the narrative with the Rebirth of the Valkyries.

The number is also used in the Bible. It is associated with resurrection. Death and Rebirth.

Now let’s ask ourselves this: Which two characters are associated with Death & Rebirth in ACOTAR?

Answer: Azriel & Elain

“I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.” - A Court of Wings and Ruin

(Fawn symbolizes Rebirth)

CHAPTER 21

ACOSF

In ACOSF chapter 21 we see Nesta having a conversation with Elain. The conversation is about wether or not Elain should be scrying for the Dread Troves.

Elain wants to do it, but Nesta doesn’t want Elain to do it. With this they have an argument and Nesta says:

“Look at who decided to grow claws after all (...) Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.”

We see that Elain doesn’t want to just sit and be quiet anymore, she wants to do more, be more involved with helping. There is a turning point in the narrative here and perhaps even a hint at who the next book is about

Let’s also not forget the Feysand bonus chapter is right after chapter 21 so it could count as 21.5 & Feysand talked about Elain: “Let’s focus on helping one sister before we start on the other.” A hint to say  we will first read about Nesta, then Elain.

“I think she’s kind, and I’ll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven’t yet seen all she has to offer (…) Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hand dirty along the way.” “And thorn up by thorns” - Feysand Bonus

Feysand are talking about how there is more to Elain than we know.

ACOTAR

In ACOTAR chapter 21 we see Feyre at Calanmai.

“Everything about the stranger radiated sensual grace and ease. High Fae, no doubt. His short black hair gleamed like a raven’s feathers, offsetting his pale skin and blue eyes so deep they were violet, even in the firelight. They twinkled with amusement as he beheld me.”

This is the moment Feyre meets Rhys. This is the moment where we the readers get introduced to him as well. With Feyre meeting Rhys, there becomes a turning point in the story and as readers we knew Rhysand was going to have a bigger impact on Feyre’s story.

ACOMAF

In ACOMAF chapter 21 we see Feyre at the Weaver’s cottage.

“I froze, the ring now in my pocket of my jacket.”

Feyre gets the ring Rhysand’s mother had given to the Weaver. Rhys’s mother had said only his bride would be able to retrieve it from the Weaver (Which Feyre ofc did) and this ring ends up being Feyre’s engagement ring. Rhys had told Feyre about the ring after she had retrieved it. When they got engaged this ring was important (It’s even on the cover of ACOMAF). Feyre become the first High Lady wearing this ring. A turning point in the narrative; High Lady of Night Court.

ACOWAR

In ACOMAF chapter 21 we see Nesta is starting to train her powers (after being Made) with Amren. Not only that, but we also find out that Feyre is going to the Prison.

“To find my sister and Amren. To see which of them was still standing after their first lesson” “The fewer people who knew about my trip tomorrow to see the Carver, the safer it was”

Nesta training with Amren becomes important for Nesta’s character arc in ACOWAR, but it also becomes important for ACOSF. It also can be seen as a hint given by SJM about Nesta potentially getting her own book (Which she eventually got and again her training her powers were important.

And with Feyre going to the Prison, we get a climpse of Feyre’s future. The Bone Carver shows himself as her son to Feyre.

ACOFAS

In ACOFAS chapter 21 we get into Cassian’s POV for the first time (If we don’t count Wings and Embers). We see that there is something going on between Cassian and Nesta (hinting on the next book is theirs as SJM said; She put breadcrumbs in ACOFAS for the upcoming spin-off books in this book)

“He remained staring after her, that present in his hands. Cassian’s fingertips dug into the soft wood of the small box. He was grateful the streets were empty when he hurled that box into the Sidra.”

Cassian throws away the gift he had gotten for Nesta as she rejects it. This gift was important enough for Cassian to give to Nesta, but when she rejects it, he gets rid of it (seems familiar to another moment right?) The gift gets brought up once again in ACOSF.

(Added: Oh, I just remembered this; let’s not forget Feyre’s birthday is on the 21st of December! And she is 21 when she gives birth to Nyx! Again, Feyre’s birthday was a turning point in the world itself, if Feyre hadn’t been born that day, Prythian could still have been under Amarantha’s rule. with Nyx’s birth, we get a turning point in Feyre’s story, she’s having her own family with her husband/mate and the kid is the heir of Night Court —> Next High Lord)

PAGE 5

Cassian throws away the gift he had gotten for Nesta as she rejects it. This gift was important enough for Cassian to give to Nesta, but when she rejects it, he gets rid of it (seems familiar to another moment right?) The gift gets brought up once again in ACOSF.

ACOTAR & ACOMAF

In ACOTAR, page 5 is where Feyre shoots the wolf (Andras) with her ash arrow. This becomes the beginning of the turning point in Feyre’s story. She shoots a Fae, which leads to her ending up in the Spring Court.

In ACOMAF, page 5 we see Feyre struggling and dealing after everything she had endured Under The Mountain. This also becomes a turning point in Feyre’s story, it’s important for us readers to see, to understand and feel with her. We see that she isn’t doing well mentally.

ACOWAR & ACOFAS & ACOSF

In ACOWAR, there isn’t any pages with the number 5 and that is because Part 1 of the book is there. The Part is called “Princess of Carrion” which is a title given to Feyre.

In ACOFAS, page 5 the twins Naula & Cerridwen get’s mentioned several times. (Who are they friends with? Elain. And who do they get trained by and work for? Azriel.)

And last but not least, ACOSF, page 5 does not exist once again. The fifth page is Part 1 of the book and the Part is called: “Novice”

Novice means: a person who has just started learning or doing something.

This is an indication to Nesta’s journey, her being a Novice in the beginning of her book.

NUMBER 56

(HOSAB SPOILER!)

Now let’s get back to this number before we conclude this whole theory.

Did SJM also give us a hint from HOSAB?

In HOSAB there is someone called BansheeFan56. Now look at the username/address once again... Number 56!

Again, this isn’t a number SJM typically uses and for some reason this number stood out and then I noticed something...

In what chapter did Gwyn give the Solstice gift of Chapter 21 to Nesta & Emerie? (and basically us)

Answer: Chapter 56.

I guess SJM do love to use numbers as a hinting tool

CONCLUSION

Now with everything we know about Chapter 21 & page 5, we can come to the conclusion of who the next book is going to be focusing on.

In ACOSF chapter 21, Nesta notices that Elain is growing. In the bonus chapter 21.5, Feysand talks about how they will focus on helping Elain, after helping Nesta. Nesta’s self healing journey has been written, but her journey may not be over yet. I do think we will see more of her, but I don’t think there will be huge focus on her again like in ACOSF.

It’s time for us to focus on Elain now and there is a lot to discover about Elain.

SJM did say each book in the spin off will focus on a couple and Nessian has had their book now, so I’m certain that Nesta won’t get another book or trilogy.

Numbers has become a pattern in the ACOTAR series.

3 brothers, 3 sisters, 3 stars, 3 peaks, 3 mountains, 7 courts, 7 High Lords etc, but now we can also add 21 & 5 into this.

Chapter 21 gives us a hint for something important that is happening or going to happen

page 5 shows us some turning points as well.

The 21st chapter becomes key to the book and the upcoming one. And the 21st chapter of ACOSF hints for the upcoming book to be Elain's and most likely have Azriel as the love interest since he got a bonus chapter in ACOSF, like Cassian got a bonus chapter in ACOMAF.

Plus both Bonus chapters are focused on Elain as well.

With all that said, I want to say thank you to my friends who has helped and supported me with this theory. And also thank you (reader) for taking your time to read about my theory about SJM’s use of numbers. I hope it makes sense for you guys as it does for me and I hope you enjoyed reading this <33

I also like to thank our Gwynie for giving us the hint that the next book is focusing on Elain <3

[elainsgirl]

Imagine being R4ped, SA and tortured for 50 years. Apart from your family, isolated and alone. Having to put on a mask to make everyone hate you but deep down you’re just trying to survive. Imagine being locked up in a cell deep within a mountain; where you’re tortured, made fun off, mentally and emotionally drained, day by day you’re losing your humanity and eventually you die only to be brought back to life as a strange new being.

Imagine going through all of that hard journey; losing yourself, losing the ones you love, fighting for a chance to be happy and once you finally get your happy ending it’s invalidated. You dont “deserve” it. You’re villainised and hated. Since other characters have gone through “more” trauma or deserve their happy ending more then you deserve yours. Or to make another character seem better, your entire story is undermined. Your trauma minimised compared to theirs.

Idc what this fandom says; Feyre & Rhys went through literal hell. They had to make tough choices and decisions but it was all for the ones they loved. They deserve to be happy & don’t deserve the treatment certain parts of the fandom are giving them.

[rizzoreads88]

The E/uciens who supposedly “love elain” sure seem to get upset when she gets any sort of recognition….

You “love Elain” but tried to fight w the publisher when she got recognized for killing the king of Hybern?

You “love Elain” but you’re trying to down play the fact that Elain merch is being given as prizes for the acoten waterstones event?

You “love Elain” but won’t read her book if she doesn’t end up with Lucien?

Interesting to see all this from e/uciens who”love elain”…

Call me crazy but when you truly love a character you should be glad they are getting recognition for canon events and getting brought into the spotlight a bit. You should be excited for her book regardless of who she ends up w…

But that’s not the case. And we all know why…

[theegemini92]

The logic of these vibe readers. Sometimes I wonder how these people did in school when it came to reading comprehension. 🤣

[1800naveen]

I saw this Tik Tok talking about Feyre and Tamlin's love story/beauty and the beast and it was a good one.

As everyone knows, the first love story is based on beauty and the beast; Feyre being Belle (hg can't read so I don't know why she's Belle) and Tamlin being the beast.

The og creator said that Feyre is actually the enchantress, the woman who cursed the beast (she "cursed" Tamlin by ruining his court which is one of the reasons why he's in his beast form).

Meaning that Tamlin is still waiting for his "Belle". (Gave me more hope that he'll get his healing arc)

Thoughts on it?

[creativelydani]

Hear me out, y’all. Nesta rolling up to a war council in THIS as General of the Valkyries with Gwyn and Emerie.