#also ✨foreshadowing✨

[flock-of-cassowaries]

“Capture bonding. A passive psychological response to a new master. It’s been a essential survival tool for a million years. Bond with your captor, you survive.”

Tell me more, Serial Dog Thief  Will Graham. Tell me more.

[egophiliac]

LET THE BOY HAVE AN EDUCATION

officially at the point where we're starting to see where it's all headed and I am just going NYEEHEEHEE in delight at it all. ahhh...next week can't come soon enough...

[nottoonedin]

At the end of this story, there is only a cold spot,

stained with blood and empty air.

[protocabbit]

doing extermination bounties with amir is always funny cuz when he starts aiming at some random part of the ceiling im like ‘what is it boy?? what do your amir eyes see’ and then we get ambushed by techrot

[ninjacat49]

Rewatching the bucktommy first kiss scene and something about Tommy saying “I won’t stay long” is making me emotional 😭

[quiverymango]

Guys, Ship in a Bottle by fin is SUCH an Omori and Sunny flavored song. 

The rest of this post is just me dissecting the song practically line by line under an Omori lens because I have a vision in my head that needs to be let out into the void, so keep reading if you’re interested in that lmao. Long post ahead!

—

So as a preface, I think Omori would be the one singing this song to Sunny/Dreamer as he is the “captain” that’s truly in command of it all. I think you could easily flip the roles though and have Sunny singing to Omori if you wanted more Hikikomori route vibes! Ok, let's continue:

------------------------------------

“You can fit everything you know

In a bottle for you to show

Pick your brain apart and put it in

And build it again with needles and pins”

So here we have the creation of Headspace. It is made up of everything Sunny allows himself to know as he takes his broken reality and builds it up again in his head–painstakingly cherry-picking and crafting aspects of it to suit his idealistic vision. The "bottle" in this is the confinement of the Dreamer only allowing happy childhood memories to dictate what is created in Headspace. Severely limiting its potential.

—

“Everything you have earned is a ship

With blue waves crashing into it

But nothing can touch your happy thoughts anymore

With your glass ceiling, walls, and floor”

Again, this is generally about Headspace, which is a "ship" in this context. The blue waters crashing into the ship could be see seen as all the times the truth got through in various ways and Headspace had to be reset. The line “But nothing can touch your happy thoughts anymore” is a real standout here because, ya know, Headspace lol. It also emphasizes that no mater how many times Headspace has to be reset, it will still be a place to protect Sunny's happiness. The “glass ceiling, walls, and floor” showcase how fragile this world is though, and could allude to Black Space, which is clearly visible right outside the boundaries of Headspace, as seen in the game.

—

“Sailing on a ship in a bottle

Anchor all your thoughts to the bottom”

The first line highlight's that, while Headspace is a vast place, it is confined to the "bottle" that Sunny put it in when he only allowed for vivid childlike memories/scenarios to be lived out. It could also call attention to Black Space lurking just outside the boundaries of Headspace, meaning it can't really grow or expand past what it is. The second line is obviously all the Deep Well layers and the truth at the bottom lol.

—

“Pulling ropes and pulling your head back

To see what is breaking the foremast”

This was a little harder to interpret with the Omori lens, but I take it as Omori searching for Stranger since he’s “breaking the foremast,” aka the illusion/purity of Headspace. I take “Pulling ropes and pulling your head back" as Omori willingly going towards areas close to Black Space to try and stop Stranger.

—

“You set sail alone, there is no crew

No one on the deck who can help you

This is all your own battle to win

This is your ship and you are the captain”

Here we have what I envision as a “flashback” to Sunny isolating himself from the real world. He “sets sail” alone to combat the fear of those he holds close learning the truth. Due to this, no one in the real world is on deck to help him, so the battle’s are all his to fight. This life he’s created for himself is the ship, and he is the captain. 

—

“Oh, captain, let's make a deal

Where we both say the things that we both really feel

I feel scared and I'm starting to sink

And I only sink deeper the deeper I think

Oh, captain, oh, captain, deal

Oh, captain, deal, oh, captain, deal, oh”

I picture this as Omori pleading to Sunny. He’s terrified of the things he’s learning the deeper the Dreamer is commanding him to go. He’s sinking, losing control over Sunny as he remembers the truth. Honestly though, I feel the line “Where we both say the things that we BOTH really feel” is greatly up to interpretation. I mainly see it as a manipulation attempt on Omori’s end to get Sunny to stop searching for the truth by making a deal to tell him what he truly feels–which is that Sunny’s only going to regret what he finds, and that he should just give up. In return, if Sunny tells Omori he feels that he should continue forward, Omori could try and use that against him to preserve Headspace. The use of the word “both” could be taken literally, like something they both truly think, but I take it as Omori’s warped sense of reality talking, and again, another attempt at manipulation as he tries to get Sunny to wrongly believe he wants to give up the fight.

(These are also the lines I could definitely see Sunny singing to Omori. Sunny’s grown terrified as, the deeper he goes, the more he sinks into the truth. He sees Omori as the captain and is pleading with him to make the pain stop–definitely during the Hikikomori route and or Bad Ending. As for this version’s “Where we both say the things that we both really feel” I think the “both” is more literal since in these routes Sunny wants what Omori wants–which is to suppress the truth forever. Sunny would be feeling hopeless at this point in the story and Omori would remind him they both want to stay in the sanctity of Headspace forever and that only he has the power to make that happen.)

—

“There are red spots under your eyes

From when you cry into the sky

Ocean waters rising above your neck, mmm

You feel the glass start to crack”

First lines are pretty self explanatory lol. Someone PLEASE give Sunny a hug. The next two lines are again the Deep Well layers, as the waters “rise,” aka the group travels deeper down. In doing so, the glass walls of Headspace are beginning to crack and the truth/Black Space starts to seep through. 

—

“Sailing on a ship in a bottle

Water's leaking through holes in the bottom

Flying flags of ships that have long since

Sat at the floor of the sea, but in defense

You set sail alone, there is no crew

No one on the deck who can help you

This is all your own battle to win

This is your ship and you are the captain”

Like I said previously, the truth/Black Space are leaking through the cracks in Headspace. I picture this line more as the waters/knowledge from the Deepest Well/The Abyss, as it’s leaking from holes at the bottom. Not really an important detail, I just thought I’d add it lol. As for, “Flying flags of ships that have long since sat at the floor of the sea,” I love the idea that the other ships are the previous versions of Headspace. We know Headspace has been reset many times by the Dreamer whenever the truth seeps through, and we even see a reset happen when Basil sees the polaroid of Mari in the prologue and begins to remember the truth. Every new variant of Headspace is another “ship” setting sail–the old ones left to rot in the deepest parts of Sunny’s mind. The last three lines once again reinstate that even though Sunny created the Headspace versions of his friends, they can not truly help him. He has no crew and is sailing alone–fighting a battle he must win. 

—

“Oh, captain, let's make a deal

Where we both say the things that we both really feel

I feel scared and I'm starting to sink

And I only sink deeper the deeper I think”

Another plead from Omori as Headspace #crumbles.

—

“Oh, captain, make up your mind

Before the salt burns your eyes and you run out of time

'Cause you're popping the cork, you get lost in your brain

And you lose touch with all the things that made you feel sane

Oh, captain, oh, captain, deal

Oh, captain, deal, oh, captain, deal, oh”

This part was the part that inspired me to write this as I can so vividly imagine Omori angrily/frustratedly begging Sunny to make up his mind on whether or not he truly wants to break away from Headspace and remember the truth, or instead give up and go back to repressing it once again. I picture this happening during the Red Space portion of the True Ending. I like to think “Before the salt burns your eyes and you run out of time 'Cause you're popping the cork, you get lost in your brain And you lose touch with all the things that made you feel sane" is some sort of scare tactic against Sunny as Omori doesn’t want to disappear or loose control, so he argues that Headspace is the only thing that is keeping Sunny “sane” and if he breaks away from that he’ll lose touch with his sanity due to the guilt/possible rejection from his friends. Omori truly doesn’t know/think that Sunny is capable of handling the truth since he was practically “programmed” to think that way when he first came into existence, so it makes sense he believes that Sunny would be worse-off without the blissful escape of Headspace. He’s a coping mechanism after all, and those aren’t always healthy unfortunately. Omori’s truly trying to keep Sunny safe, it’s just that he was created with a deeply troubled mindset. Also “Before the salt burns your eyes” could totally be seen as foreshadowing to Sunny loosing his right eye lol. But obviously it can be more easily read as the salty waters of Deep Well properly submerging him in the truth.

 —

The last two stanzas of the song are repeats of the “Oh, captain, let's make a deal” and the “Oh, captain, make up your mind” stanzas so I see them collectively as the fight between Omori and Sunny at the end of the True Route. Sunny having made up his mind about wanting to uncover the truth, properly forgiving himself in the process no matter the outcome once the truth is revealed to his friends. Meanwhile, Omori can not yet accept the fact that the “captain” has once again sunk another ship. However, this time, it was for the greater good. In the end, Omori fades away as Sunny stands strong in the face of the unknown.

------------------------------------

OK, WOO, that was a lot. Sorry if I didn’t go as in depth as expected, this was just made on a whim and the lyrics of the song really aren’t that deep lol. If you have any thoughts or a different take on this, please let me know! I’d love to hear them!

[kelpiemomma]

Back on my peas in a pod bullshit

[colderdrafts]

i discovered your writing while looking through different tags and i just had to tell you: wow, wow, WOW!!!! i've literally blown through both TGA and UV in a matter of 48 hours altogether, you are seriously so insanely good at crafting these wonderful characters!! youve made incredible worlds for these characters and their lives and i just cant get enough. ive had moments where i'm audibly going "WHAT NO WAY!!" as the plots in each progresses, with each twists and turns and realization of foreshadowing making them a joy to read. if you ever feel like your work and creations arent "all that great" please know that you are a wonderful writer and i hope you never lose your creative spark ✨✨ cheers!

Thank you for such an insanely nice message, woah

[fangaminghell]

Going off from what I said before in the last post, Leo's early opinions of the rivals

Victoria - I remember saying once Leo tried to force himself to have a crush on her lol. I don't think that's necessary, not anymore. Going off from what I previously said I think he...wishes to be more like her, honestly. She's like the ideal he strives for, someone who is kind and tries to do the right thing just because they can. I think he admires her from what he's seen of her, and maybe a bit envious of how "good" she is.

Cain - Cain brutally reminded Leo that he was very much in denial about his sexuality, lmao. Though for their first meetings, it was actually easy to ignore how he felt about a guy flirting with him so openly and just play along. This won't always be the case, as time goes on Cain is practically at war with Leo's internalized homophobia, but right now, Leo honestly thinks Cain is fun. Forward, but fun.

Fern - It feels like looking into a mirror and he doesn't like it. Learning that Fern, too , has a successful older sister just makes it worse ( though he hates how Fern talks about her. Leo would die if he talked to Raya the way Fern talked to Florina). Leo isn't really combative with Fern, not yet anyway. If anything, because of how he sees himself in Fern, he tries to be more patient( again, he's trying to be a better person + Fern kinda makes him uncomfortable). Maybe even be a bit nicer than he should have. Though, both him and Fern have egos and both seem to get annoyed with each other by simply existing. But they're not combative. Not yet.

[letsgoricciardo]

an fe fic you say? and it's long 👀👀

I didn't think anybody would read my tags lol 🫣 but you got me

yeah it started as a one shot but now it's spiralled out of control and it's already at 20'000 words and I'm not even half-way through. I'm honestly hesitant to post about it bc I do want to talk about it! I'm working so hard on it! but also I might lose my drive and not finish, or finish it and then not be satisfied and then get too lazy to edit (this has happened before unfortunately..). so I don't want to get people's hopes up if that make sense? but then again I could just talk about it even if I don't even up posting it, and it will only exist on this small corner of the internet 🤔.

but here's the pitch if you're interested: it loosely follows the 2023 fe season, but what if magic was real? so basically everyone in the paddock is some kind of magic user or creature (lots of animals shifters in this one hehe). each chapter takes place during a race weekend, and there's actually someone trying to like, curse or hurt the drivers, so they have to try and figure out who is wishing them harm. but of course there is still general mayhem and magic-induced sillyness and a good dose of dysfunctional found family <33

[rayroseu]

OH SO IT WASNT ENOUGH TO DO IT ON PRE-GROOVY HE HAS TO DO IT ON HIS GROOVIFIED VERSION TOO AJFIWOFIOWJ!!!!!

HIS POSE IS LIKE MALLEUS ON HIS NORMAL SPRITE.... IM SOBBING AT THE MUSEUM SILVER ‼️‼️‼️😭😭😭🤍🤍🤍🤍

Never beating the Malleus' brother allegations, I think at this point he's just blatantly admitting it JDJKAJFJW !!

The profound contrast between Silver's love for Malleus and Lilia when almost the entirety of his "true nation" hated them, will always make me crash LILIA'S SON AND MALLEUS' BROTHER IS GROWING UP WELL 😭😭😭✨✨‼️‼️‼️

But isnt this a great card that showcases he's truly a "child of peace"?? The 3 good fairies spell on him was that he'll wake up on an era pf peace (and ofc when he meets someone that truly loves him), He is someone that carries "the face of Silver Owls (Knight of Dawn)" but his actions pays tribute to Briar Valley (to Malleus)

MIND YOU that this pose is almost exclusively to Malleus only yet they made Silver do it !! 😭😭JDJAJDJ And yk whats more profound about this pose is that in Silver's case.... his hand placed on the left side where the heart is KEJQKJRKWS !!!! Ohhh he's truly accepted that it can't be changed that hes from Silver Owls but he can always dedicate his actions to the ones that cares for him despite that (Lilia and I know Malleus as well (even if he finds out the truth(copium)💥💥💥)

AND I KNEW THAT OUTIFT SUITED HIM!!!! DO YOU SEE HOW SILVERS HAIR BLENDS SO WELL WITH THAT SUIT!!! LITERAL EYE CANDY, HE'S LIKE AN ANGEL HERE WITH HOW GLARING THE LIGHT SOURCE IS BUT ITS NOT A DEMURE TYPE OF ANGELIC LOOK, ITS A KNIGHTLY ONE!!! 🥲🥲💕💞✨✨✨

KFJQJRJW THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE PLATINUM CARD PLEASE... 😭🤍✨✨

Edit: Also PAUSEEE THE BOOK 7 FORESHADOW THIS CARD EXUDESSSSS SILVER CQLM DOWN AJFJAJE

The Knight of Dawn doomed to fight the Evil Princess.....

The Knight of Dreams doomed to fight the King of the Abyss

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭BUT BUT TRUE LOVE WILL END THE CYCLE RIGHT RIGHT... WJUTIQ😭😭😭😭

source

[goldenrulemotherfucker]

Ghoulcy: Why?

Okay, I've had this in my drafts for ages and I'm going to use the show's first anniversary as an excuse to hit post. (Important disclaimer that I'm just one person who enjoys this ship. Whatever appeals to you about ghoulcy and their dynamic is good and valid and worthy of exploration even if it's completely different from me!)

In my first watch, I immediately clocked this as the breakout ship for this show. She's a sunshine nerd with a lot of courage; he's a broody loner with a complicated past and a fucked up face. (Can I make it anymore obvious?) They have that ETL potential that is ship kryptonite for so many people, plus a lot of shared screentime thanks to a hostile forced proximity scenario followed by a profound act of kindness. When I hit the finger-sewing scene, where we see that Cooper will literally have a piece of Lucy attached to him him at all times, I laughed out loud. I wasn't actively on board yet, but I knew there was no way this ship wouldn't catch on like wildfire. Truly, if you watched this entire show and you've been active in fandoms for at least a few years, I genuinely don't know how ghoulcy's popularity could possibly come as a surprise at all.

So, there I was on my couch thinking, "oh yeah people are FOR SURE going to want them to take the F train to Pound Town," but that was still in third person since I was naively referring to other people who weren't me. ETL isn't typically my own weakness, so I thought I was safe. I loved all three main characters, but I wasn't feeling super shippy about anyone, just impressed by the show and performances and curious to see what unfolded.

Then I watched ✨ the finale. ✨

For me, Lucy and Cooper's final scene is the hook that makes them not just ship-worthy but brain-melting. Four eps earlier, the moment where she shows him kindness (and saves his life) by giving him the chem vials is a great scene on its own, but the show gives us an even better payoff: Cooper invites her to travel with him by choice this time, warning her that she's in danger and offering to help her find the answers she's seeking. And, fully of her own free will, Lucy does follow him. This could have easily gone differently! Lucy could have looked at him and said "I'm not going anywhere with you" and escaped in another direction. But after his final question, "You comin'?" (which is delivered with the soft earnestness an actor might also use for lines like "I'm sorry" and/or "Please"), she weighs her options and goes with him. This is, inherently, an act of trust for both of them, which is a brand new element for these two. Safe to say I wasn't laughing anymore. Ahem.

Oh, and it also turns out there are roughly 60493 parallels between these two that you only fully catch on rewatches, not to mention tons of foreshadowing, and suddenly their unlikely alliance starts to feel A LOT like fate, which............IS my kyrptonite. ❤️‍🔥

[tizeline]

Ahhh waiiit!!! Is this some really fun like foreshadowing stuff (though we already know the foreshadowed stuff) where you put Leo and Raph facing away from Draxum to symbolise them turning on his ideals first????? And like Leo is in the shadows cause I guess he‘s really formed his own opinion about Donnie and destroying the humans while Raph doesn‘t share his beliefs but still follows him!! And Mikey is facing Draxum symbolising that he and Drax are still gonna pursue their dreams of getting rid of the humans?? Is that what this is?????✨

You're like the third person so far to point out the potential foreshadowing in this panel, which lemme tell ya, is very funny considering it was basically entirely unintentional on my part! XD

BUT!!! I am a firm believer that the audience can find meaning in a piece of art regardless of whether it was intended by the creator or not, and I'm honestly loving your analasys because dammit it works!

That being said, I drew Mikey looking to Draxum for reassurance, while Raph remains more internally contemplative because I thought it fit their personalities. Then again, their differing personalities obviously also effect their actions later on in the story when they're forced to confront their flawed ideology, so in that way this panel kinda naturally parallels their whole character arcs?

NGL, I very much threw Leo into the panel last minute haha. In the panel before, he was still sitting on the ground-

-and the way I drew the perspective in the following panel led to Draxum blocking the view of him. But then it felt weird that he was the only one not visible so I squeezed him into the background right at the end lol (I guess he decided to stand up or whatever). As a result, he's not as clearly visible, but it does kinda work in my opinion. Both in the way that you pointed out, him being turned away from Draxum foreshadows to him turning his back on their mission. But my own thought process when drawing him this way was less metaphorical and more focused on wanting to portray Leo's current emotional state. Leo is arguably the most upset about Donnie rejecting them, which is why he after this starts acting so hostile towards his estranged brother, and while I'm not putting a ton on focus on Leo's reaction specifically in this part of the comic, I still wanted to include it. All of this is to say, Leo is standing with his back turned towards the rest of his family and obscured in shadows because he's being angsty. Lmao.

ANYWAY, that was my actual thought process while drawing this, but I want to make it clear yet again that I absolutely love that you guys are coming up with your own interpretations because fuck yeah!!!

[rizzoreads88]

✨The first big foreshadowing we get for Elriel all the way back in Acomaf (IMO)…✨

Acomaf-

And I think Elain—Elain would like it, too. Though she’d probably cling to Azriel, just to have some peace and quiet.” I smiled at the thought—at how handsome they would be together. If the warrior ever stopped quietly loving Mor.

This was when Elain was still human and everyone thought she would happily marry Graysen. At this point she was never going to go to prythian nothing. But where are we books later?

Azriel has moved on from Mor slowly over all the books since and him and Elain are now into each other…

It’s also interesting Feyre was the one who caught on to Nesta & Cassian first too in Acomaf…

I’d asked what, exactly, Nesta had said to him to get under his skin so easily. But Cassian had only snarled and told me to mind my own business, and that my family was full of bossy, know-it-all females.

[emmitaaa4]

“Elriel is too predictable! It’s boring & lazy writing!”

… 🧍‍♂️

My sibling in Christ. You call SJM the fated mates author. Through 15+ books and 3 series she hasn’t diverged from that trope. Elain has a “mate”.

If an Elriel outcome is predictable, it’s because the author willed it so and therefore ✨wrote scenes✨ to ✨develop their relationship✨.

and by that i mean…

(long post ahead…. bear with me)

SJM wrote that despite how different they may look, Elain does not balk from Az. She never has: from their 1st meeting she finds comfort in him, and he in turn notices her—she’s never been afraid of him, he has always seen her.

SJM wrote Mr. “I don’t need to resort to poetry” going all Azriel Allan Poe, flustered as he tells Elain “we are born hearing the song of the wind”. She wrote him uncharacteristically open, while when he 1st met Feyre he deferred all her questions to others.

SJM wrote the 1st coherent thing to come out of Elain’s mouth in WaR to be “beautiful” as she beholds Azriel’s scarred hands. In turn, she wrote our gardener not minding imperfections on hers, for despite her lady-like conditioning, she prefers to get her hands dirty.

SJM wrote Az spending time with her in the sunshine: no forced conversation, no one hEaLinG anyone, just them both doing their own thing as a relaxed Az suns his wings. Just two pals comfortable with one another… which SJM foreshadowed in MaF through Feyre’s “Elain would likely cling to Az for some peace and quiet”.

SJM wrote Az and Cass both stilling at the sight of El & Nes, she wrote Az cutting in to set Elain up in her garden even as Feyre was about to do it, she wrote the mention that Elain was safe after the twin raven’s attack bc Az had stayed with her at the townhouse.

SJM wrote Azriel’s eyes churning as he looks at Elain and her too-thin body, before abruptly winnowing away, and we’re left with Mor looking at the spot where he left. Wonder what that was about (it certainly did not remind me of Rhys in TaR).

You know, Elriels are not just making stuff up and theorizing about the E/ucien bond cause we’re desperately pulling at straws…

SJM had Madja say “a mate would know if something is amiss”, then wrote a scene juxtaposing both Lucien’s and Azriel’s reactions/assessments of what was going on with Elain… and she had Azriel be the one to know nothing was “wrong” with her—no, she just had rare powers and needed to be heard, to be taken seriously. He didn't let her be misunderstood, for he was the ONLY one that listened to her, that took her visions/ramblings seriously right from the get go. And so he gave Elain the understanding she needed to free herself from the dream-like murky realm she was trapped in. Through it all, SJM emphasizes that Azriel also understands what it is like to struggle with rare, strange, prized powers in silence; what it’s like to be othered by them. I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: she sees everything and he hears everything.

SJM wrote that “Elain had hoped that love would trump even a mating bond” and had her characters question the Cauldron in relation to Elucien *twice* (years apart!).

…

SJM wrote Az being the only one—in a room full of Made beings speaking of being Made—to notice that Elain was missing. A reassuring but empty statement by Cass to Nesta that they’d get her back….but then it was Azriel that stated, eyes glowing golden, that HE would be getting her back, despite the girl’s own sister discouraging him & telling him he’d die. Hell, Feyre had this whole deliberation on whether she’d join him only after he’d say he’d go. His initiative.

The Hybern scene is too long to add, but this post and this theory break it all down brilliantly.

Yes, Az has sacrificial tendencies. Yes, he’d risk his life for loved ones in general. But we have never seen him this affected, and it is because SJM purposely used language to emphasize Elain and Azriel’s meaningful reactions to the other… despite it being wholly “unnecessary”

It is all intentional… lazy’s antonym.

SJM wrote the Truthteller scene. She emphasized the exchange, which left Cassian gasping and Rhys flabbergasted; it also left Feyre with a significant painting in her mind, that Rhys urges her to paint after the war. It lead to Elain, aka “my God has answered me,” stepping out of a shadow to save her sister. Azriel, aka “God is my help”, indeed helped armed Elain so she could answer her sisters prayers.

SJM ended WaR with Elain’s smile literally lighting up Az’s shadows.

SJM had Elain’s thoughtful gift to him make his eyes the brightest we’ve seen—and by doing so gave us the most beautiful description of his earthy eyes, “the hues of green amid the brown and gray like veins of emerald.” We have never seen Az so joyful & carefree throughout the entire series—he literally throws his head back and laughs, and "Feyre had never heard such a sound, so deep and joyous."

SJM wrote that Azriel beat Feyre to Elain’s side as she was looking out into the night. She wrote Elain stilling at the sight of a dashing Azriel—her throat bobbing—while Az “just moved towards her”.

SJM wrote the potato scene—“sit i’ll take care of it”—Azriel again being the one to respect Elain’s presence & contribution as he makes a room full of his “superiors” wait until Elain finishes tidying herself up (cause girlie wanted to look put together for a certain shadowsinger). Mor gapes, Amren smirks, Rhys talks of Az’s mom… all because of that surprising, singular behaviour from him.

SJM wrote Az making a joke at Amren’s expense upon noticing Elain’s discomfort; our girl’s shoulders indeed relax in relief. THE LIGHT RETURNS IN HER EYES.

SJM has Azriel staying up past 3am with Elain, listening to her speak of something she is passionate of.

SJM wrote Azriel spending an entire convo with his brothers looking out into the garden from the window (SJM mentioned it 4 times yet some still missed it).

SJM wrote Rhys goading Az for a reaction as he quizzes him on Lucien and Grayson; wrote Rhys realizing that Azriel did not want to know what Elain did with Lucien (in the case she did anything). She wrote Azriel nervously stuttering as he asks risks if they need to get the sisters a present… I wonder why.

And Rosehall… SJM wrote ROSEhall: cracktheory this cracktheory that, to the gwonriels I’d say we both know you wouldn’t say it’s irrelevant had SJM chosen to call his estate Tealhall.

~~~~

Keep in mind: SJM could have written those significant scenes and ultimately kept it PG: she could have chosen language that built up a profound platonic relationship.

Yet… in MaF she has Feyre comment that they would be good together—as in make a good *couple*. WaR roles in and they’re both dealing with the very public rejections they went through—but SJM had them build a quiet companionship in the background, while giving them a wealth of scenes of great significance for both their characters, and while using language like “she DEVOURED the sight of him” “he CRADLED her to his chest”. In FaS they are slowly but surely getting over their last loves, and SJM continues developing their connection.

And in ACOSF, in the book that supposedly “ended” Elriel…

SJM wrote Az following the sound of her laugh (😭). “ It’s just lust” PLEASE BFFR.

SJM chose to remind us—THREE times—of the Hybern rescue scene... then had Az tell Cass that he’d know, in his chest, if something happened to Nesta.

SJM had Az longingly stare at the gift Elain gave him every night for a YEAR—mind plagued by thoughts of her—made him so affected by her that he had reactions to every mention of her name in SF, so affected that it took Nes one look at them to notice his feelings, to reach out in comfort upon noticing the pain that keeping himself apart from to her caused him. As SJM said she would, Nes saw through his secret in ACOSF, still it is “his secret to tell, never hers”. After Solstice we are met with a grumpy Azriel, who lost the snowball fight for the 1st time in centuries (i wonder why…).

SJM chose to link his every secret back to his feelings for Elain, as per the bonus . Why does he stay up so late and wake up so early? He longs for Elain so much he can’t sleep. Why is he staying in the HoW? It is too hard to be close to Elain given their circumstances; he must physically distance himself from her. Why has he moved on from Mor after centuries? Elain. Why is he grumpy post Solstice? The argument with Rhys concerning Elain.

~~~~

Ultimately, SJM wrote for Elriel:

- Complementary imagery (flowers and death? light and dark blending together to form something new… DUSK, anyone?)

- AND plot altering scenes

- AND chose to liken them to one another multiple times

- AND genuine moments of companionship that slowly bloomed into something more…

… Is it so insane to believe that maybe SJM spent so much page time and effort building connections & common ground between them because she intends for elain & az to find peace and quiet within one another?

Or idk, maybe it was all for shits and giggles… and if it was i salute her commitment to the shits and the giggles🫡

Either way, it is the opposite of lazy writing…

It’s SJM’s world & words, and we are just reading them.

P.S: This was all just typed on my cell phone from the top of my head… yes remembering all this is probs concerning, yes I am obsessed. Please correct me if I got anything wrong.

[theknifeandsword]

Bryce & Azriel: Fated Mates✨🖤⚔️

Why do I believe Bryce and Azriel are going to be fated, true mates? Because SJM made some interestingly deliberate choices and intentional connections between Bryce and Azriel when writing their interactions and time together....

I have a full breakdown of all the hints, clues and foreshadowing for Bryce and Azriel being mates over on Tiktok: theknifeandsword 😊

But as a little taster, out of all the characters she's written, SJM chose...

- Azriel as the wielder of Truthteller, the mate to Bryce's Starsword/Gwydion

- Azriel as the sole character to find Bryce when she lands in Prythian, no one else.

- Azriel to know when Bryce, the "master of spinnning bull shit", is lying and call her out on it

- Azriel to watch Bryce as she slept

- Azriel to hold Bryce's hand in the prison (and refuse to let go), not Nesta's, his friend.

- Azriel to somehow know Bryce's hands aren't healing, but her knees are

- Azriel to catch Bryce when she fell...twice

- Azriel to hold Bryce steady her in the river

- Azriel to be the one who begged Bryce not to leave, the one and only time we ever hear him beg in 7 books

- Azriel to dare to cross the line Bryce drew at his feet

- Azriel to laugh, snicker, chuckle, sigh, get exasperated around Bryce

- Azriel to be connected to the Dusk court, Bryce's court and the court she has started to wake

- Azriel to be the one whose wings twitch constantly around Bryce because of the "weapons" (SJM loves hiding mate bonds beneath other things...)

- Azriel to question Bryce's parents about where she's going

- Azriel to be the one who Bryce says would get on with her brother and his friends and who also gets on with her dad

- Azriel to be the one who loves club music like Bryce does and has her call him "club rat" (to her Party Princess)

- Azriel to wield shadows...the opposite and partner power to Bryce's starlight

- Bryce to meet Azriels icy rage with her own ..and Azriel to smirk in return

- Bryce to look at Azriel's hand and internally ask herself "who did this to you?"

- Bryce to say that when she landed on the lawn at Azriels feet it felt like an "answer", just like how Rowan and Rhys described finding their mates

- Bryce to be the one who Azriel opens up around (including about his Mother, who he has never spoken about before!)

- Bryce to be who Azriel feels comfortable enough to sing around for the first time (and it's her favourite song)

- Bryce to be the one Azriel admits to and confirms that he doesn't have a mate or romantic partner

- Bryce to be the one who turns back in the caves only AFTER she knows Azriel is in pain

- Bryce to trick Azriel just like how Azriel tricks others...and for Azriel to say he doesn't know whether to be impressed or worried

- Bryce to open up to Azriel about what her father did to her brother

- Bryce to beat Azriels shadows...and Azriel to joke seeing her go into the cold river made him feel better about it

I could go on and on and on and on 😊