#az clearly is possessive and wants to claim her

[haveihitanerve]

i would like to point out- since many people tend to use this as a reason for why azriel and elain are meant to be together- recognizing someones power does not mean that they are destined to be together or that they are perfect.

beron was the one who realized luciens power. so did his brothers. they try at every turn to kill him. (except eris but that a different matter for a diff time)

rhys was the one who first noted nestas power

lucien and tamlin recognize feyres power

just because azriel is the one who recognizes elain is a seer does not mean he truly sees her.

we get an inside to luciens mind through feyre, when he comes to visit her in the library. his thoughts are about how shes so thin. and she needs to eat more. he has no bad thoughts aimed at her, not that i think azriel does but diff point again, and afterwards tells feyre she needs a healer. just to check. he has been through traumatic experiences before. he knows how mentally it can ruin you. he wants to help

when elain starts talking about the firebird, lucien offers help. he does not know her that well, she avoids him like the plague, but he asks feyre, her sister, if she needs something, if he can do anything. azriel cuts him off and says she does not need anything. then he says, we need.... a seer. he realizes what elains power is. yay. wow. good job bud! (no hate to az) lucien was concerned about elain. worried for her mentally and physical state. az was able to see from afar what her words meant, because he wasnt actually looking at her. he didnt truly see the gauntness, he cuts lucien off before he even realizes what elain needs, or if she needs something.

we learn in the bonus chapter az has a poor opinion of lucien. maybe because he is in love with elain, maybe because he was in love with mor, whatever the reason, he doesnt think highly of lucien. he didnt cut lucien off because he had a better idea of what elain needed, he cut him off because he didnt like lucien being the one to say it. (again not necessarily hate towards az)

literally just because az realized that elain was a seer does not mean he is meant to be hers. we can see/hear in the bonus chapter that az wants to claim elain. he believes he is entitled to her because lucien doesnt deserve her and his two brothers both have an archeron sister of their own. he does not deserve her just because no one else realized her power.

[starsreminisce]

I've seen a lot of E/riels say that they can see Elain and Az having a book together because Lucien has so much going on that it makes sense for him to have his own book, so he can then add healing a broken bond with Vassa. Vassa can get the "Yrene treatment" when she's being introduced as Lucien's love interest.

Simply put, Lucien has too much going on that it'll remove Elain's importance from his journey as he goes from Emissary to the Night Court to The Heir of the Day Court.

Three issues with this:

Firstly, SJM spoke separately about how she is looking forward to telling Elain's story, and then a couple of years later, she starts speaking about how she's excited to explore Azriel's story.

Why would SJM emphasize Azriel if he were going to be told at the same time as Elain while she's keeping extremely quiet about exploring Lucien's story?

Why would SJM hype up the MMC in Elain’s story?

Secondly, Elain's story is already tied with Lucien. Rhys already stated Lucien's list of responsibilities. Tamlin is not getting better if he could not "master his guilt and his grief to become what he once was". If there was anyone who could speak to Tamlin, considering that Elain had benefited the most from Tamlin's generosity, who can persuade anyone with her words, and who would have an understanding over his motives considering she expressed to Nesta that Nesta's lack of action was not her fault, it would be Elain. The canon that was described that even her scent invoked Spring and how the Night Court black sucked the life out of her is enough to show that she'll be instrumental in bringing the Spring Court back.

Also, Elain's powers were only shown clearly twice: when Lucien was near her to the point that feeling her through the bond was enough to bring forth a vision that came to pass and considering that she was able to track the Suriel psychically and it was revealed that Helion had found Feyre "using whatever gift he possessed that allowed him to sense such things."

Lucien claims his eye can be able to sense things, but is it really a coincidence that he got his eye around the same time Helion became High Lord of Day for him to have the same powers as his father?

Lastly, Azriel's story is diverging away from Elain.

The Yrene treatment is already given to someone else. Did Gwyn not develop the same way as Yrene did? Backstory? Check. Relevance? Check. Development? Well, she was right next to Nesta when she went from being scared to leave the library to wanting to climb the peak to her yelling at Nesta that she refuses to leave her here.

Gwyn holds an Illyrian title, Gwyn has an interest in the 26 worlds, Gwyn wants to travel somewhere new.

"Not as Illyrians, not for their titles, but as something new. To prove to them, to everyone, that something new and different might triumph over their rules and restrictions."

And maybe Az, with his issues over his background as an Illyrian, to explore more its beginnings, especially more about Enalius, to join Gwyn on that journey when they finally decide to combine Valkyrie and Illyrian techniques.

The amount of concrete parallels between Lucien and Elain and Azriel and Gwyn far overshadows the curiosity of how a broken bond would look like.

What e/riel bring to the table is small potatoes to compared to what both elucien and Gwynriel offer to the overarching story.

Both Elain and Azriel made their choice already. Accept it.

[acourtofthought]

So Much More Than a Gift

And he's not just talking about physical gifts.

Azriel "offered" Elain TT, an extension of himself, but that transaction and any meaning behind it (whatever that meaning actually was) ended the moment she returned it.

Elain "offered" her body to Azriel and he, even before speaking to Rhys, told her their almost kiss was a mistake. Then after speaking with Rhys, he confirms that had he gone back and kissed her, he would have regretted it.

And that necklace he offered to her?

It is no longer Elain's necklace. It stopped being Elain's necklace the moment she gave it back (a recurring theme between Az and Elain)

It then rightfully belonged to Az but when he later gave it to Gwyn, it rightfully became hers (if we really want to get technical about it, any fanart of Elain wearing that necklace outside of the Manor House would indicate theft since she would be wearing stolen property 😂).

Elain no longer has claim to anything of Az as she returned everything he offered her.

And Az no longer has claim to anything of Elain as he rejected whatever it was she was offering him.

This is a complete reset in their arc and the only ones who still hold offered pieces of another (from a possible romance standpoint) are Gwyn who now is unknowingly in possession of a gift from Az, (gifts being an extension of the giver) and Elain who is still in possession of multiple items from Lucien. His jacket, the gloves and the pearl earrings.

It doesn't really matter that Az once intended it for someone else because the intended person chose to return it.

The gift bought and initially given was clearly not what was meant to be (we all make mistakes in judgment from time to time) but when it found it's way on a path to another and that action sparked something in Azriel's chest, it became clear what was.

And that Elain so easily returned everything Az has lent / given to her yet she still holds on to everything from Lucien is telling.

Of course Az probably did not intend for Elain to keep Truth-Teller but I'm guessing Lucien didn't intend for Elain to be wearing his jacket after Hybern either. She's had many opportunities to return it as she has no further need for it. Not to mention, if she holds Lucien accountable for Hybern as some claim, you'd think she'd want to be rid of the reminder. Yet SJM chose to only write about Elain returning things that were given to her by Az and despite her withdrawing from Lucien, she doesn't seem willing to part with anything he's given her.

Things that make you go hmmmm......

[tswaney17]

Ok so after reading Az’s bonus chapter in ACOSF, I’m kind of annoyed with him. He acts like he is entitled to Elain because the other two sisters are mated to his brothers, and even says so much to Rhys when he calls Azriel out, and THEN HE REGIFTS the necklace he chose for Elain to someone else when Elain decided she didn’t want it. There was like a good paragraph detailing the necklace and why he chose it for Elain and then he decides to just give it to Gwyn. I don’t know, it just rubs me the wrong way and I’m interested in your take on the situation?

Hello Nonnie,

Oh, the dreaded bonus chapter. Probably the worst thing Sarah could have put into this world for it has left this entire fandom in an absolute shitshow, dumpster fire. I’m going to pre-apologize for how long this is. I didn’t intend to let this get out of hand, but here we are. 

First off, I want to say that this response is my opinion, formulated based on how I read the text, conversations I've had with others, and theories, comments, thoughts and ideas that I've read that have resonated with me. I am in no way trying to change yours or other people’s opinions.

I don't feel like Azriel is acting entitled to Elain. I saw him questioning things because he's confused, he's falling for someone who's mated to someone else but clearly does not want. He can read Elain easily, he can pick up on her discomfort around Lu*ien. He can smell a mating bond that nobody else can and it makes him so sick that he has to leave the room. Azriel has displayed typical mate-like behavior towards Elain throughout the series. And while I'm open to a double mates theory, I would hope that Sarah doesn't just drop yet another bomb on Elain because she's clearly made it obvious that the bond is not something she wants. If there is a second bond, I hope it comes much later, after Elain and Azriel are together.

Now, I also want to address the behavior as well. Sarah's male LI's always, ALWAYS, display a territorial, possessive-like quality over their females. Aelin consistently calls out Rowan's "territorial fae bullshit" in TOG, but nobody bats an eye over it. Rhys displays it when Kier insults Feyre (Feyre has similar thoughts over Cressida before they were even together), Cassian displays it when he calls Nesta out on the bridge about being mates, hell, even Lu*ien displays it in ACOWAR when Azriel escorts Elain to the garden and he snarls in their direction. So why is it only toxic when Azriel displays it? I think @nikethestatue did an excellent job rebuffing the "toxic Azriel" claim here. I’m also going to link @icedflames post that goes into detail about how Azriel isn’t toxic. They break down his actions over the last four books and counter the “entitlement” argument better than what I can do. You can check it out here. 

I also wouldn't say Rhys calls him out on it, but more picked every single thread he knew would hurt Az and pulled. Instead of asking Azriel about his feelings for Elain, he asked about Mor. We know that every single character goes through their self-doubts about feeling unworthy, but for Azriel, it's worse. You can tell in his POV, the way he describes himself and his hands in comparison to Elain's "immaculate skin" that he believes himself unworthy of her. All of SJMs main couples have gone through periods of where they find themselves unworthy of their respected partner. @rhyssescups explains it well here.

The necklace - First, Elain didn't decide she didn't want it, she returned it because she was hurt. She thought she had been rejected again and instead of holding onto the piece of jewelry like she did her engagement ring, she returned it to Azriel. Second, Azriel did not originally intend to re-gift the necklace. He had every intention of returning it to the store he purchased it from, but somehow found himself at the library to give the necklace to Gw*n (or to whoever else might like it). I don’t know about you, but that seems a bit suspicious to me - like he was drawn there. Lured. I’m not going to go down the Lightsinger rabbit hole, but there are many signs pointing in that direction (and that doesn’t necessarily mean Gw*n will be evil. There’s still a lot we don’t know.).

Anyways, I’m going to apologize again because I’m sure you dropping this ask wasn’t looking for a novel-like response. There’s a lot of things at work here, and I truly believe that many of the issues and concerns we all have could’ve been avoided if ACOSF was better written. Let’s face it, the plot basically was annihilated when the Illyrian piece was taken out. 

So, to summarize - no, I don’t think Azriel feels entitled to Elain. I think he’s hurt, confused, has feelings for her that he knows he shouldn’t, and doesn’t quite know what to do about them. I think Rhys played a bad part in the POV that was very OOC for him and will likely continue to play the antagonist in Elriel’s book. I don’t know if the necklace will even make an appearance in the next book, and if it does, it will likely be similar to how Cassian’s original lost Solstice present did. It’s an ugly loose end that I can’t imagine Sarah wants to clean up. 

[elriell]

Some jumbled up thoughts about Elain, Lucien and Azriel + Mating Bonds

There have been a lot of conversations regarding this topic and I thought I’d flesh it out a bit myself, but these are facts/observations that as a fandom many have noticed, discussed, analysed. I just wanted to dive in myself fully.

I want to talk about each of them individually as well as, as a whole. Their emotions and mindsets, as someone who loves all three characters and wishes for all of them to get a happy ending. I will preface this with saying I will be discussing why it is very likely Elain will reject the bond and such things, so along the lines of Anti-Elucien. If you are a fan of them, thats cool, just skip this one if you happen upon it. 

We are going to dive in to the following;

Lucien & Elain  (their choices)

Lucien & Azriel  (contrast)

Rejecting the Bond

New Bonds

Fate & THE POV 

and why the writing is basically telling us everything we need to know...

Lucien 

Lucien is noble male, he has a good heart and has suffered his plenty, and this is why people want what is best for him, to be the happiest he can... Unfortunately I think that in this case Elain is not it. 

He is right to feel that way, just as Elain has a right to feel as she does. I think it is incredibly interesting that when we finally see from his POV we see that in a way he feels as though this has been thrust on them. 

That with his last love he had a choice and so did she.

It reminds me very much of this line about Rhysand’s parents, who were an example of an unhappy mating bond.

We will deep dive in to wrong matches further down, but the fact is that mated couples are not always indicators of true paired souls, that they very well could be the couple that do not end up happy together.

I speak on Elain and her agency a lot because I feel like a large portion of the fandom like to discard it as if it means nothing, and even judge her for it but if we actually take a look at Lucien’s behaviour he is not all that more happy.

There are some key differences between them though, Lucien as a male feels their bond to a different degree than she does, and he also has been raised to believe and respect the bond. And thus he feels a certain obligation to honour it in the best way he can. 

This doesn’t mean he thinks she is right for him, any further than his attraction to her (which like same dude same), he hasn’t displayed any signs that they actually aline as a couple. And I feel like SJM clearly highlights this when she sets examples of his gifts not being... well right for her. 

The gloves we know she never wears show us how little they know each other as she loves to get dirty [which Feyre had told him] and the pearl necklace is then contrasted by Azriels which was very personalised to Elain. 

(The rose, the secret beauty of it hitting the light etc...)

These are all deliberate moves by Sarah to showcase their misaligned bond.

And during Elain’s section I will also be pointing out some Lucien moments that really don’t read well for him. I genuinely believe he is much happier amongst the Band of Exhiles than he is when he is seen with The Inner Circus.

Elain

Here is the thing, this situation isn’t any easier on him that’s true but people need to respect Elains feelings, and the fact is she does not like him. Not only does she not like him but she shrinks in on herself, she looses all the progress and confidence she has made since the Cauldron. That is not a good sign of anything healthy.

If this is suppose to be a romance we root for why is she doing everything in her power to make it seem the opposite? If she genuinely was playing the long game she would have at least started to make them comfortable around each other, goodness they don’t even have to talk, but she does the opposite.

She emphasises that he brings out the bad in her. Again, no bueno. She quite simply does not want to be around him and with SJM’s writing I think this is highly deliberate on her part. 

[And let’s be clear there are countless quotes from the other books that do NOT reflect well on their relationship but I am trying to stick to ACOSF, as it is her most recent work, otherwise I would be here all day.] 

Rejecting the Bond

We have almost a two page discussion on why mating bonds are not an exact science, and that they can be more harmful than good. We are given two examples of it, with both Rhys’ and Tamlin’s parents. And then we get a very subtle hit at Azriel. This is all in the book Sarah said she began planting the seeds for the sisters journeys.

We also know from this there is a choice. But that many force it, because they feel it it right, (much like Lucien is probably doing right now, because he feels a duty and hope that it will work out.)  

Then we have the fact thrown at us that a lot of males believe that their mate belongs to them and will challenge the other male, which we now have a call back to with Rhys’ mentioning “The Blood Duel”. 

There is literally not one reason Sarah would put this in TWICE only for it never to happen or come close too happening. How anyone can question at this point that Elriel will happen is confusing to me, she has laid all the groundwork for it.

Now I don’t believe for a second that Lucien wouldn’t respect her choice, I think it will most certainly come down to Beron forcing his hand to wage the war we know he wants.

I think despite what Rhys said in Azriel’s POV under immense stress, TNC will protect Elain and ultimately stand by her decision. 

Not only does ACOSF spend a great deal of time creating a further divide between Elain & Lucien it also add a shockingly large quantity of easter eggs about “Elain choosing bonds” “Other Mate” “What if it chose wrong?” and again in this book like in ACOMAF we bring back up a failed mated pair to remind you of it’s existence.

All possible signs lean towards them breaking the bond.

And frankly from a storytelling perspective having three perfect bonds that are basically the same overarching love story (enemies to lovers) is boring, she would want to shake it up and throw a little curveball.

Lucien + Azriel  &  Why I think Azriel will have a bond with Elain.

“If anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate” And low and behold it is Azriel who figures out what was going on with her. Not to mention in the reveal SJM further displays that Lucien has no clue what was going on with her.

I don’t know what bridge holds their bond but I wouldn’t trust crossing it personally... :/

Further still, Lucien cannot hear her heart. Their bond is definitely not strong but you could also argue that is not an element of the bond at all but rather of her abilities perhaps. Since we know she could hear the sea too though it was nowhere close by.

But Azriel did hear her, he did pay attention and he figured out what was amiss. 

It is interesting to me that people took such issue with this when I believe very few have issues with Rhys or Cassian fighting for their respective partners. Now I have gone in to it in depth about how I think that this was pure emotion and illogical on Azriel’s part, and I don’t believe he would kill Lucien so carelessly.

I think it speaks to the same blind emotion a lot of them have displayed for their mates, Lucien may have wanted to see if she was worth it but Azriel knows she is worth the fight.

And for all intensive purposes in that moment he was willing to fight for someone he believes shares his feelings.

Now let’s tackle the whole “Possessive” crap.

First of all, all of the male pairings in this series have shown moments like this, so if it is bothering you here why isn’t it bothering you at other points?

Lucien has been just as instinctively possessive from their bond, and let me clarify, I am not shaming him for that anymore than anyone else. What I am pointing out is the double standard, if anything Azriel has more reason to feel like he can fight for her because she has actually shown him care, interest and attraction. 

They have actually bonded a lot more than she has with Lucien thus far.

And if they truly do have an upcoming bond then judging him on three paragraphs when we don’t know what the heck is going on is just ridiculous.

On the same note of that scene, let’s talk about “deserve”

First of all he never said he deserved her, Rhys implied that is what he was gleaning from the conversation and that it is just lust, which we know is not the case. Clearly Rhys perception is not accurate at all so to take his statement at face value and call it fact is a bit disingenuous.

Azriel wasn’t claiming he deserves her, did you read his POV at all?? He didn’t even feel like his hands should touch her let alone deserve her. Please go back and read that chapter again if you can’t see that.

Not to mention I think that the idea of FATE, and believing in hope even when the odds are stacked against you (AKA her having a mate) is actually very consistent with SJM storytelling and Az. Remember this;

The fact that he is hopeful despite the despair of his situation is exactly what people have valued about him. Not to mention after Rhys says this to Azriel he says to them;

So Rhys too believes they were brought in his family for a reason, some sort of fate.

Amren too thinks they are blessed by fate. Why is it so shocking and offensive that Azriel have a little hope that there is a reason they came in to their lives? Because he isn’t with your fav?

Let’s be honest he didn’t exactly get over Mor in ACOMAF, ACOWAR and then even ACOFAS there are slight moments, thats over a long period. Three sisters didn’t just arrive and he went TAG “I want one.”

No, he genuinely grew to care for Elain, and let go of his past, and in watching Elain not find any connection with her mate he saw it as a sign that the Cauldron was wrong, which we know it can be. 

I don’t know if people are selective readers but if you think that he doesn’t care for her as a person beyond being a “sister” I don’t know what to tell you, we are not reading the same books.

ANYWAYS back on topic.

I think Sarah has laid a lot of groundwork for her breaking the bond and perhaps choosing a new one. I know not everyone is keen on another bond as they feel her free will and choice is enough, that’s fair and I agree to a point. 

I just wanted to analyse the data at hand, and I do believe after ACOSF (I never thought it prior really) that they are mates in some capacity, whether that is because of the Cauldron or something that will occur... I think she has laid enough groundwork for them being Soulmates at the least. Hence why I love the idea of a Carranam bond.

There are so many parallels between Rhys, Cassian & Az that could be taken as little signs but honestly this is long enough I am sure you all want to kill me already for making you read all that hahaha 

One last little morsel, it very well might be nothing but Az shouting after they take Elain is an interesting choice, it’s ambiguous enough that you can take it to mean the pain but it could also be another little crumb.

Basically with all said and done I think she will give Elain her agency back and break it.

And potentially something will occur with Azriel as a result but thats certainly more grey than the rest of it.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk!

Obviously, to each their own opinion, have fun and ship whatever you want these are just my thoughts on the text at hand!

(Also I am sorry I got like 20+ messages to get to in my inbox, yeah I kinda ignored everyone and worked on this today, sorry!!! I’ll be back tomorrow)

[starbornsinger]

Elriel/Gwynriel/Elucien Theory Time :)

Ok so in regards to the Az POV chapter, I have some thoughts. This is super long and detailed and also tearing down ships, so uh, beware.

⚠️ACOSF spoilers (duh)⚠️

So I was re-reading the thing and as I was reading the conversation between Az and Rhys, it kind of hit me. I used to be an Elriel shipper until ACOSF, and I was really all for it.

But I don't think they're in love.

See, earlier in the chapter, Az is thinking about how jealous he is of the other couples. We know he isn't very lucky in love, and seeing Elain and her mate and their mating bond upsets him. I think he fancies Elain because she's beautiful and sweet, but I don't think he's in love with her. I think she's another thing he can't have, and he feels frustrated and it only makes him want her more. Because he thinks, why shouldn't he have her? Why is the Mother so cruel as to deny him love? And he thinks, "well all my other brothers have Archeron mates, why don't I? It must be a mistake!"

I think what Azriel's biggest issue is though, is that he wants love so bad, he's willing to risk it all for the first girl he feels attraction too. It also feels relevant that the primary thing we see in his POV is his physical attraction to her, his sexual attraction. We don't see much of how he thinks she's so sweet or so clever or so gentle, but instead how nice her tits are and how badly he wants to kiss and fuck her. I think he doesn't particularly want Elain, and while he likes her, I think what he really wants is love. True love, just like his brothers and friends. He thinks the Mother must be wrong because they both got Archeron sisters while he didn't, and his attraction to Elain makes him wish they were Mates so he could finally have that true love that's entirely his own.

But she's not. And he can't. I think what Azriel wants most isn't Elain. He wants her sexually, and he admires her and has a crush on her, but the thing he focuses on and gives him the most emotion is that she has a Mate and he doesn't, and that everyone does but him. I think he wants someone like Elain and wants to feel happy, but I think he doesn't exactly want Elain. When he thinks of her, he doesn't seem to be truly in love as we've seen other SJM couples are. And sure, it's early, but it's also been like— 2 years. I don't think they're in love sadly, I think Azriel just wants to move on from Mor and finally find love. He has a type, and when he found someone who loosely fit into the mold of his ideal partner, he jumped at it because he's desperate to have someone love him. All his life, he's struggled with self-love and love from others, and I think that it's deeply affected his relationship with love itself.

Physical attraction and desire and interest isn't love. And the idea of her being mated already only makes him mad— that of course the first girl he likes for the first time in 500 years, of course the girl that could help him move on from Mor, is mated. I think that only makes him feel more passionate towards her; and Rhys notes how he seems to think he has a claim to her, when he doesn't. It makes Az angry, not because Rhysand thinks he's being possessive and reckless, but because it's true. He genuinely can't have her.

As for Elain, I think she's far too hesitant to be with him. She reminds me of Daisy in The Great Gatsby, and how she claims to love Jay but she won't leave Tom, or jilt him. Now this is a different situation, because Daisy was selfish and didn't want to give up her comforts and stability and fame. Elain, on the other hand, doesn't seem ready to have a serious relationship with Az. I think she is still severely affected by Graysen's rejection, and is still clearly not over him. I don't think she's ready to accept Az fully and be with him, and I also don't think she's ready to reject her mating bond with Lucien.

I don't know 100% what's going on with Elain, but what I do know is that clearly she is intrigued by Lucien in some capacity. Ok Elriel shippers, don't come for me, but there are several scenes in which Elain seems to want to talk to Lucien, or whatever the heck. But also seems disinterested, like when she dismisses his Solstice gifts and doesn't speak to him.

However, I don't think she's resentful towards him exactly, or at least that isn't the main reason she's like this. While we know he was helping Tamlin lowkey, Feyre and the IC all understood he was on their side, and was their friend. So it seems kind of odd to still bear a grudge against him, but who knows.

But funnily enough, she has yet to reject their mating bond. If she's so disinterested, or hates him so much, why hasn't she turned him down? Mother, she's barely spoken to him at all. I think the obvious reason behind her disdain or distancing from Lucien is her connection to Graysen and her human life. Of all the sisters, Elain has not yet adapted to or accepted that she is Fae— or if she has, she's sure as hell not happy about it. Even Nesta in ACOSF mentioned how she actually likes her ears now, and we know Feyre has totally accepted being Fae. But with Elain, she had the most human connected life of them all, and to have it taken away from her is shitty.

For Elain, her happiness seems to come from a love of gardening, of family, of people. She has very little human things to hold onto, and adding a Mating bond to the mix right as she's made Fae is like she's had all her humanity stripped. She doesn't hate Lucien, she hates the bond. She dislikes that it's chained her to someone and taken away her choices, which we know is a big deal for the sisters after being imprisoned, kidnapped, and Made. I think Elriel is an infatuation, because even though she doesn't love Az, he's helping her rebound from Graysen (and giving her control and power over her love life). He's a choice she (can't really) make, but a choice nonetheless. With Lucien, she feels she has no choice with him, and no control over her obvious attraction I say obvious because mates have a primal attraction of some level to each other , and is probably afraid that accepting the Mating bond will remove any last connections she has to who she used to be, and the human she feels she really is.

But she also hasn't rejected it, because I think she realizes that Lucien is a genuine and kind and hot guy, and that rejecting him would be a stupid idea. He's been very patient and very kind and accepting, and has always given her the freedom of choice when it comes to the bond. I think Lucien is the kind of guy that would be very easy to fall in love with, and I think Elain sees that and knows it.

Also, I think with ACOSF, it feels relevant that Cassian pointed out specifically how Elain looked beautiful in black at the ball, but it looked horribly wrong on her. With SJM the devil is always in the details, and I think it was a clearly accentuated bit of symbolism. Although Elain looks beautiful, the black dress wasn't for her. And although Elriel is very sweet, it won't work out. She won't thrive in the Night Court, or with Azriel. Az doesn't challenge her or meet her as an equal (like all other SJM ships), and they don't push each other to be better or to accept themselves or whatever etc etc.

And I really used to like Elriel, but I think that surprisingly, Elain will be the one who says "stop, I can't do this" to Az. I think she knows she isn't ready, and I think she knows they aren't meant to be. Even if a Mating bond was put in place between her and Lucien, I still think their relationship wouldn't work because they're both too insecure, too closed off, too non-communicative, and too stagnant together to be a healthy or good match. I think with Elain they would struggle to understand each other even if they were fond of each other and can relate on some level, but at its rawest form I think they won't truly be able to be themselves with each other.

With Elain, Azriel's shadows— a key part of him— disappear. While I initially thought, awww that's so cute, she's a light in his life, I soon realized I was wrong. Az's shadows are not just a part of him, they're an extension of him, of his will and subconscious and emotions. So Elain chasing them away, while chasing away the shadows and darkness seems cute, isn't a good thing. Most of the time with shadows, we think "ew bad!" Because they have an inherent connotation of negativity or sorrow or depression or darkness etc etc. And while this is partially true, Azriel's shadows and darkness are a part of him. His sadness and struggles are a part of him. And his shadows aren't just representative of that, they're also a representation of how he overcame his abuse and turned that fire (pun unintended) and anger and trauma into something beautiful and powerful and a weapon. I think they can serve as an armor and a shield, and while that's not good, I also don't think they should fully disappear.

More on that: with Azriel's shadows, we know they're a part of him, right? So I think an important part of self is self-regulation. Rather than be consumed entirely by shadow, or totally exposed to the light, I think he just needs his shadows to be calm and present, but not controlling or hiding. I think the whole "Elain bringing him out of the shadows" bit sounds cute at first, but then you have to think of it like this. In order to be with Elain, he would have to change. He couldn't be a spy or a shadowsinger or a torturer, and he couldn't be dark and introverted. With her, he has to push that aside. Those are key parts of him, key parts that would have a big impact on their relationship. Elain can't be with someone with so much blood on their hands or a history of violence or darkness. We know that, because we know that sort of thing upsets her and she doesn't like it.

Azriel can't just be himself with her, he has to become someone else. And while he's attracted enough to not care, after awhile, that grows exhausting. Being in love and not being your true self, all of it, is exhausting. And while some might argue "why can't he be his true self?!" well my slime, I think we both know that even if we wanted him to, Elain would be silently resigned about it. I don't think— no, I know— Elain can't be with someone like Azriel. Even if they have feelings, even if they have lust or affection, it isn't love. They aren't in love, and they won't work out no matter how much we want it to.

Onto Elain: with Elain, this all ties back to what Cassian said in Hewn City. She looks beautiful in black, but it's wholly wrong for her. The Night Court is wrong for her, and darkness is wrong for her. While some yin-yang relationship tropes can work very well, I don't think this will. She doesn't like the darkness or accept it, and she doesn't want to be a part of it. I think the Night Court is good and happy for her when she makes her own little garden world, and only then, really. It's like living in the middle of the desert and only thinking of the beach: it's not the right place for her.

I think the Spring Court needs her, and I think she needs it. Here's more on that.

So we've seen the set up and execution of the fall of the Spring Court. We know that it's in shambles and is weak and needs a new/better leader than Tampon. I feel like SJM is setting things up for a new book focused in the Spring Court, because in a lot of ways, it's becoming the centerpiece for action in Prythian (aside from the Night Court). I genuinely believe that as Tamlin's second, Lucien will take over the Spring Court as High Lord. He doesn't fit in with Autumn, didn't fit in with Night, and wasn't really a part of Spring. But with Spring, it was where he was happy, where he felt safe, and the home he chose. Chosen homes and chosen families are a big deal for SJM, and I think that Lucien will return to the Spring Court to try and help it, because Mother knows it needs it. I think Elain belongs there, not only because she needs to be in an environment suited to her, but because she needs to heal.

We've seen a theme of helping others heal in order to heal ourselves, and I think a good book idea (and what I think an Elain book would be about), is healing the Spring Court and helping it. Elain is a gardener. She wants to see things grow and blossom, wants to get her hands dirty and dig in! But she can't do that in the NC. I think she needs something new and fresh and blossoming that she can help and tend to, and I think the person that can be at her side for that is Lucien. I think with Azriel, she can't see growth and life and flowers. He's a different kind of person, far too different, and the two wouldn't mesh well. Elain isn't like Persephone and Azriel isn't like Hades; although she's flowers and he's death and they're attracted to each other, they don't fully accept those roles and cross into each other's. Elain could never be a killer or someone who wears black or thrives in a darker place, and Azriel couldn't be someone who is in the full heat of the light and wear bright colors and be cheerful and flowery. In a dream world, yes, but I think in this one, no. SJM loves to create realistic relationships and realistic relationship conflict, and I think we'll see this here. Even though they want it to work, and in theory it should, it won't. I think they know it too. Azriel's shadows vanish when she's around, and Elain struggles to feel comfortable in the darkness and Night Court, and fit in with the others in the black dress that is wholly un-Elain.

I also think that this relationship doesn't bring development to the table. The forbidden love concept is adorable and a trope I love, but this love isn't one that will push them to grow. Azriel can feel loved and happy, but can he feel fully accepted? Can he stop being ashamed of his shadows, of his violence? Of who he is? Can Elain break out of her shelf and be more assertive, and truly grow and change? Can she be herself and be happy? The answer is a sad no. Their relationship is sweet and cute, but it won't truly work. I genuinely believe Lucien is a better match for Elain, and while the Cauldron isn't always right (like Rhysand's parents), it usually is. If he isn't, then I'm all for independent Elain.

Now onto the moment you've all been waiting for: who should Az be with?

Gwyn. :)

[onceupona-chaos]

SJM setting up a forbidden romance

(And why I think ACOSF was written to set up Elriel)

This is my interpretation and obviously an Elriel post. So if that's not your cup of tea, be warned.

I made this post to basically organize my thoughts and then I decided to post it (lol). Here I talk why I think Elriel will be endgame based on my perspective that SJM already set up a lot of things that point to Elriel and a forbidden romance.

ACOSF is the first book of a new trilogy, which means SJM wrote it with an overarching plot in mind that we began to know in ACOSF. So whatever happens in ACOTAR5 is a direct consequence of the events in ACOSF.

For example, SJM won't kill Koschei and write another plot. She made her decisions when she was writing ACOSF and the overarching plot already started to be established.

I already made a post talking about the plot. I think Elain is the only character that can move the plot forward, because she's Made, therefore she can find the fourth trove and she has a connection with Koschei, which combined with how little we know about her and her powers makes her the perfect main character. But here I want to talk a little about how Sarah wrote ACOSF preparing Elain's character in terms of romance and how she set up a future forbidden romance.

At this point, it is canon that Elain is Azriel's secret, I'm not going to talk too much about, because you can check this amazing post here.

SJM structured the first book of the new trilogy around the ideia that something is deeply tormenting Azriel to the point he can't sleep and then we find out he has a secret. The bonus chapter made it canon: his secret is Elain, so there's no going back from that.

Just from the book, we know that there's something wrong with Elain and, whatever it is, she is hiding it.

Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly faerie’s garden. Cassian didn’t exactly know why he suspected this wasn’t true. There had been some tightness in Elain’s face as she’d said it.

Alright, so the regular reader knows something is up with these two characters. (That alone is already a reason for the next book be about them, but moving on)

But when ACOSF is read with the perspective of a future forbidden romance in mind, we understand precisely why SJM needed us to know some very specific information.

Azriel's personality traits

SJM highlighted specific personality traits of our bat boy:

Az had a vicious competitive streak. It wasn’t boastful and arrogant, the way Cassian knew he himself was prone to be, or possessive and terrifying like Amren’s. No, it was quiet and cruel and utterly lethal. Cassian had lost track of how many games they’d played over the centuries, with one of them certain of a win, only for Az to reveal some master strategy. Or how many games had been reduced to only Rhys and Az left standing, battling it out over cards or chess until the middle of the night, when Cassian and Mor had given up and started drinking.

Sarah made a show to tell the reader the fact that Azriel is competitive, so she needs us to remember that.

That whole scene had one job: to emphasize that Azriel is competitive and strategist.

Now, if Azriel is giving up on Elain and moving on to another character, why bother to let the reader know he doesn't give up easily? If he is going to just give up on the only female that is making him get over his five hundred years passion, why bother to write a scene where he spares with Cassian only to tell the reader that?

Mostly important, why tell the reader that in countless times, Azriel seemed to be loosing, but he turned things around and won?

He's a strategist. Don't forget he planned his strategy for the snowball fight for a year.

“It seems you’ve forgotten how much of spying is waiting for the right moment. People don’t engage in their evil deeds when it’s convenient to you.”

Cassian rolled his eyes. “I stopped spying because it bored me to death. I don’t know how you put up with this all the time.”

“It suits me.” Azriel didn’t halt his sharpening, though shadows gathered around his feet.

When I read this for the first time, I honestly hadn't understood the meaning of the shadows gathering around his feet and it clearly had a deeper meaning.

But reading again, SJM used Cassian's character to emphasize that Azriel waits for the right moment all the time. Not only when he is spying. Being patient, calculating, persistent are arguably Azriel's strongest personality traits, at least the ones that are highlighted in ACOSF. Sarah is letting us know Azriel plays the long game and doesn't give up.

Every information SJM is giving us regarding Azriel (and Elain, more on her later) is essencial for a forbidden romance story. If you know what's going on with these characters, all pieces of information just... click together.

Elain's personality traits

This is a bit more complicated, mostly because Elain is passing through an inner change, which means being prepared for her arc.

However, SJM compared Elain to Azriel in ACOSF:

“Elain was the only one who guessed. She caught me vomiting two mornings in a row.” She nodded toward Azriel. “I think she’s got you beat for secret-keeping.”

We already know from ACOMAF that Elain is good at secret-keeping. But here SJM not only reminded us that, but she compared Elain to Azriel in secret-keeping, emphasizing both of them are probably the best in secrecy among the IC.

Remember: these two characters are clearly hiding something in ACSF. It's not a coincidence that SJM compared them in this case.

She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friend.

SJM compared Elain's abilities to Azriel's (and his spies) not once, but twice. And if you take into consideration the previous books, it's not the first time she compares these two characters.

Both of them showed defiant behavior

Defiant: refusing to obey authority

Elain:

“What happened.”

When Rhys spoke like that, it was more of a command than a question.

Elain waved a hand in dismissal before flinging open the veranda doors and striding into the open air.

And of course, he have that fight with Nesta. Nesta isn't exactly authority, but she was described as "Elain's guardian", which means their relationship was at least a little hierarchical.

Azriel:

“No,” Feyre and Rhys said at the same time, in the same breath.

Azriel’s eyes shuttered. “I wasn’t asking for permission.”

“We take no risks,” Feyre said, voice flat with command. “Pull all your spies out.”

“Like hell I will.”

Honestly, is this the guy people are thinking that's going to give up on Elain because of Rhy???????

SJM deliberately let us know about them getting over their previous LI

I've seen a lot o people arguing that "they can't be endgame, because the first couple never is".

But... are we forgetting that they were in love with two different people before?

When Elain met Azriel she was deeply in love with Graysen, and he was still into Mor. The readers didn't even know about Mor sexuality then.

Until ACOFAS, we can see that both of them are not entirely over their LI yet.

Elain:

“I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a male.”

She wanted a human man.

Azriel:

Azriel choked on what I could have sworn was a laugh, his normally shadowed face lighting up as Mor bustled in.

Az, to his credit, gave Mor a smile of thanks, a blush creeping over his cheeks, his hazel eyes fixed on her. I looked away at the heat, the yearning that filled them.

However, we get to see that they are slowly getting closer. Azriel shows he's uncomfortable in spying on Lucien, Elain's throat bobbs at the sight of him, he seeks her out to wish happy Solstice, she gives him a present, they stay up past three in the morning talking and on and on.

Months go by. We already knew they are getting closer and then we have this:

Elain:

She knew Elain had given her maidenhead to Graysen a month before they’d been turned Fae. Elain had been glowing the next morning.

Elain cocked her head. Didn’t dissolve into the crying mess she usually became when Graysen came up.

Elain was glowing: she was in love, happy. She loved Graysen. And now she is getting over him. Not only that: SJM made sure to tell us she has had sex before (and enjoyed very much lol). Elain is clearly being prepared for her arc in terms of character development, plot and romance.

And Azriel:

Mor no longer sat beside Cassian, draped herself over him, and Azriel … those longing glances toward her had become few and far between. As if he’d given up. After five hundred years, he’d somehow given up.

Few and far between. It's a process for both of them to move on. At first they were friendly and then it became something more.

Azriel didn't wake up one day, realized that his brothers were mated to Elain's sisters and went: WAIT A MINUTE I WANT ONE. I would argue he showed interest in Elain since their first meet, just like Cassian showed interest in Nesta. However, Nesta and Cassian weren't in love for anyone else, differently from Elain and Azriel.

Also, Elain and Azriel are very much quieter in comparison, so... it makes sense that they needed more time to get closer and be romantic interested in each other.

But again: why bother to tell us both of them are moving on from their previous LI? Why tell us Azriel doesn't give up easily? Why tell us they are both good at keeping secrets and are hiding something?

SJM knew exactly what she was doing.

[bookofmirth]

E/riels are claiming we dislike any theory of Elain that makes her powerful (for example: Spy Elain, Elain defeating Koschei (???), Elain/Az ruling the Dusk Court.) Huh....? I'm pretty sure most of us want to see Elain thrive without her sisters and the IC coddling her, and make friends outside the NC. All the books have been mostly confined to Night or Spring, so wouldn't it make sense to have a different setting at some point?

Personally, I dislike any theory that goes against what we know to be consistent with Elain's character (being a spy or doing anything that could require violence, since she clearly abhors it) or is based on things that aren't canon (the Dusk Court). The main one that annoys me is theories that would require her to start acting ooc, though.

Personally, I think that Elain will:

Be a High Lady or mated to a High Lord/future HL by the end of the series, giving her a position of political power.

Have major diplomatic sway in some way, shape or form. This is consistent with her ability to see what people need and persuade them to her cause. Again, political power.

Retain her seer powers and not only that, but will have better understanding and control of them. Magic power.

Will learn to assert herself, including her wants and needs, to people who had previously underestimated her. Personal agency/power.

I also think she will have a role in saving Vassa - not in defeating Koschei by herself, because Koschei is a much, much bigger issue that everyone in Prythian needs to get in on, and would require skills that Elain does not possess and does not want to possess. But I think that Elain will help to free Vassa, and discover a lot about herself in the process. And hey, maybe her diplomatic skills and seer powers could make her play a major role in actually defeating Koschei! But she's not gonna charge in there like a one-woman army.

People can say all the crap they want about others' ideas. In fact that seems to be the main fandom pastime lately. Talking shit about each other. Doesn't make their mischaracterization of those ideas true.

[ryuu-to-sobakasu-hime]

Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime (Belle) Novel | English Translation | Chapter 4

**This is a machine translation. I put it together by extracting text page-by-page from a .pdf version of the Japanese novel, and running it through Google translate. I have only minorly edited some of the more confusing lines to make it more read-able. It is still a very rough translation, but it’s good enough to understand what’s going on. If there is anyone out there who wants to properly translate the novel, I am more than happy to edit it, if you’ll contact me.**

———————————————

Chapter 4: U

I went home and opened my MacBook. While shivering in the cold, I clicked on the link sent by Hiro-chan. The letter "U" slowly emerges on a pitch-black screen with a wave-like sound. ".......U?" My tattered face covered in vomit was illuminated by the light of the monitor. The invitation page will be launched and a message will be displayed.

[ "U" is another reality

"Az" is another you

Reality cannot be redone

But with "U" you can start over

Let's live another you

Let's start a new life

Let's change the world ]

I forgot about the cold and was looking forward to it. The smartphone placed next to it was linked and the app started automatically. A registration screen appears on my MacBook monitor. It says "NAME".

"Name...."

I hesitated. There was a feeling of resistance. However, contrary to my feelings, I reach out towards my keyboard.

"S" "u" "z" …….

I type in steadily.

"U".

At that moment, a strong anxiety arose. I impulsively press the delete key. I slammed the keys to erase it and closed my MacBook.

[............]

I curled up and sighed, shivering. "I'm next to Luka" I found Luka on the bench in the courtyard. The girls are gathering together and surrounding Luka-chan. The first grade is almost over, so it seemed like everyone was going to take a picture.

"Mr. Watanabe's Yokozaro"

"Eh~? No fair!"

"I like Luka-chan's soba." Ako was envious of the shining Luka-chan from behind the pillars of piloti. I was jealous of the girls who could be photographed with Luka.

"Mr. Watanabe, look over here. I'll take a picture," urged the girl who played the role of the camera, and Luka looked in front of her. Then she waved towards us as she suddenly noticed.

"Ah. Suzu-chan!"

"Eh?" Luca beckoned to me, who was scared.

"Suzu-chan is also included!"

The girls looked at me all at once. Why? Is written on the face. I'm in a hurry

I hid in a pillar, then I looked a little and turned my palm.

"No, no, I", but Luca continued to beckon me.

"It’ll be fast!” Later, the image was sent. A group photo of girls with cute V signs, centered on Luca. There is my face full of freckles mixed with it. The position just behind Luka. Like the spirit behind her, I have an awkward V sign. When I tried to register for "U" again, I was asked for a photo of my face. I don’t have a photo of my face. I don't bother to point the camera at myself.

So, I used the image at this time for registration.

Face recognition markers are displayed on everyone. Which one are you? I moved the cursor and selected the freckled face behind Luka.

The text "A / I automatically generates a new Az" appears. At the same time, there is an annotation, "What is Az?". << The name of the avatar in "U" and another you >>

Another you.

Soon, the rendered Az was displayed.

"That ...?" There was a terrifyingly beautiful Az, far from me. You can say it's just like Luka-chan, not me. "Luka-chan? Why ..."

AI was confused with Luca, who was right next to my image. If so, what an awkward artificial intelligence! While the difference must be corrected. I hit the back button repeatedly.

"No. Back, back. Cancel ...", but suddenly I stopped pressing the button. Red spot-like patterns were clearly drawn on both cheeks of the Az.

"Freckles ..." I put my hand on my cheek. Isn't it my freckles? "Maybe I .....?" I slowly typed in each character in the "NAME" field of the registration screen. This time it's not "Suzu".

"B" "e" “l” “l” “e”

"Bell" = “Suzu”

When I decide on the name "... Bell", the Az in front of me suddenly seems to be adorable. "Cancel" and "OK" buttons are displayed on the screen, prompting you to make a selection.

"What should I do..…"

To make this beauty Az me, I'm not courageous and I'm afraid. On the other hand, no matter how far she is from me in reality, I also think. Rather, it is the world of the Internet that is far away. There are many examples of flashy names and icons on SNS.

"U" is a virtual world and Az is a virtual personality. Privacy is strictly protected. It claims that anonymity is strictly guaranteed. Then no one should blame you. Then, at the next moment, I'm at a loss. In the first place, why did AI of "U" automatically generate such a beautiful Az for me? Is it just a coincidence created by uncertainty? Or is it deep inside my heart? Are you seeing through your true desires? Or ...

It's time to select "Cancel or OK".

A late-night study room with only desk lights. In front of the MacBook screen, I decided to take a slow breath and trim. --Now, let's live another you-in my head, the message of "U" was refrained. "Click" I clicked OK.

At that moment, as if you were preparing, the "U" app on your smartphone started automatically. You can hear the announcement of a calm tone voice.

"Please attach the device"

As per the instruction screen, take out the earphone type device from the case and take it out. I put it on my ear.

"I'm reading your biometric information ..."

The letter "U" on the device glows blue and shimmers. With just one vise, you can get all the information about human beings as living things. It seems that you can do it. And in a very short time. "Done," the announcement said. Then I continued as if I was checking.

"Start body sharing"

It sounds like something is spinning at high speed. Head circumference. There was a feeling that the surroundings were covered with dense air. It seems that it was brought about by the strong magnetic field developed by the device, and perhaps because of that, the hair lifts up softly as if it were in a weightless space.

"First, vision comes under control."

The feel of the magnetic field seemed to concentrate on the back of the head. I slowly open my eyes. "Ah!" A dazzling white light rushed into my eyes.

It's a cloth. White cloths that were more than 10 meters long overlapped, fluttering and fluttering in the wind. I looked at my body as if I were checking my body, and was shocked. My feet are floating in the air. The announcement echoes, as if it were an announcement from heaven.

"Other cognitive functions and deep limb sensations come under control."

What do you mean? There were no words in that unrealistic space. Sweat gushes from the whole body, and the heart beats.

"The feeling of physical independence and physical possession moves to your registered Az." Something slowly approaches from behind. Pink hair. It was the "shadow" of Az that I registered earlier. However, it’s face is flat and white like a plate with nothing on it.

[.........]

I'm just stunned. "Shadow" overlaps. The feeling that another body gets inside me is unpleasant. The shadow of Az was fine-tuned by moving the position back and forth so that it would be in focus, but it fits perfectly immediately. Immediately, the discomfort I had just disappeared somewhere. Beyond the fluttering white cloth, I saw a large white door. I reach out my hands as I slowly approach. The announcement announced. "Welcome to the world of 'U'"

I pressed my hands against the door and opened it vigorously. When I jumped out, I saw a group of skyscrapers that filled my view. "Ah!" On the bustling boulevard that intersects three-dimensionally, a large number of people, not humans, Az-- are floating in the air. Az that imitate animals, insects, marine life, vases and set squares, Az that imitate bicycles, half-beasts and goddesses that are likely to appear in fiction, Az that imitate warriors ... , Az in all kinds of shapes are flying around while chatting loudly. When I look up at the night sky, the lights of countless windows blink, not from the twinkling stars, but from the skyscrapers hanging upside down. Another reality. Another world. Is this "U"? Powder snow is dancing. It's a little chilly. When I opened my hands to take the powder snow in the palm of my hand, I saw a white arm and long, thin fingers in my eyes.

[...]

I was surprised at the difference in physical sensation and looked as if I was checking my body. Her slender body and long legs are wrapped in a white dress that looks like a newborn.

Is this me?

Let's live another you.

The message of "U" was refrained in my head.

[............]

There, I noticed multiple eyes and looked forward. Some Az in the crowd are looking at me. However, as soon as I glanced at it, I went there. You may be a little beautiful, but this is "U". To that extent, nothing is unusual here. That was convenient. No one cares. Then you might be able to do what you've always wanted to do. When I raise my face, I take a deep breath and try to speak out.

The voice was undeniably my own voice. It's much more relaxed than I expected. I tried humming so that the nasal cavity would resonate instead of stretching. Sounds smoother than I imagined. Is it conveniently corrected because the body is virtual? But I don't feel that the sound is far from my consciousness. Is it because the scanned biometric information is accurate? Anyway…

I can't believe it. "I could sing ...!"As the powder snow dances fantastically, my voice rebels against the skyscrapers. It is echoing. How many years has it been since you sung properly? It was irresistible that I could immediately make a voice as I imagined, even though there was a blank and I hadn't done any preparatory movements. It feels like I've got a lot of freedom, and at the same time I'm a little scared. How is biometric information transformed into this output? What is Az? Anyway,

"Oh, I finally sang ...!"

I was very happy about this. I decided to sit down and sing a song with the lyrics properly. Of course there is no accompaniment, but is it okay?

[ I want to see a world where such a small melody pierces through a happy song

I wake up every morning and look for a future without you

I don't want to imagine the unpleasant singing ]

The lyrics translated into various languages ​​around me. Many languages, it surrounds me as a belt. Gaelic, Thai, Persian ...

All languages ​​overlap. If a song is detected, will it be displayed automatically without any settings? In addition, the synthetic voice singing in some languages ​​sounds faint, although the types are limited. Maybe because of that, "Hmm ...?"

Az and others who should have ignored me, suddenly look back and look at me.

"Ah ...?" Many Az in the building area are standing in the air one after another. I didn't mean to do that. I was just trying to check the condition of the technology called body sharing. However, it seems that more Az are gathering and listening than I expected. It's very embarrassing to think of myself as a street musician in a virtual world. However, it cannot be stopped on the way. Let's sing to the end, for myself. I continued thinking so.

[But I don't know the correct answer anymore.

It seems that it's going well except for me. Will it still come tomorrow?

Song, guide me, whatever happens, song, beside me, love, approach ]

From the Az who were listening, balloons displaying comments one after another appeared.

"What is this?" "Who is singing?" "Mysterious song"

At first, the content was cautious, as if watching the situation.

However, it gradually became less reluctant. For some reason, the only people who made comments such as "noisy", "strange songs", and "don't be pretentious" were Az with a cute appearance that I couldn't say such a thing. Wearing a frilly pink dress, a little animal, or a baby holding a teddy bear.

"Her looks aren't bad" "What's that freckled face (laughs)" Various tweets fly while singing. I do not mind. I'm singing for me. However, I was hurt by the words thrown at me. It ’s hard to say that only a small number of people will say

You can see it from here as well. hard. It may have appeared on the face. Furthermore, the words escalated. "I feel bad" "Stop it!" "Stop it!" I managed to finish singing before my feelings broke down. The noisy Az sighed and sighed, sighing and leaving. I had no choice but to see them off with disappointment,

"Belle"

Called my name, I looked up.

"……ah"

Something slipped in, "Eh? ... Ah," once I sprinkled the glittering scales, and once I went all the way down, it slowly stopped on my hand. It was a mysterious Az, like a white fairy, like an angel, like a clionidae. If you look closely, you can see that the body is transparent with the delicacy of warabi mochi. While swaying the wings of both hands, he said in a slightly traumatic tone.

"You are wonderful. You are beautiful."

That said, I felt saved.

"....... Fufufu. Thank you."

When I woke up, it was morning. Before I knew it, I was lying on my bed. Was last night a dream? It still has a fresh feeling. I looked at my smartphone to make sure. I have a profile page for Belle. It wasn't a dream. If you look under the bell icon, there is a column showing the number of followers.

《Belle: 0 followers》

That number is zero.

"There are no followers ....." I muttered while staring at the screen. "The world doesn't change anything." I didn't ask for it, but I felt a little disappointed.

When I thought, a beep sounded. The number of followers became "1" in front of me. That angel Az. A comment balloon appears. It was a blank space with nothing written on it. I laid down my smartphone, lay on my back on the bed, and remembered last night. There were many unplanned things. However, "But I finally sang ..." Above all, my heart was refreshed. The light of the winter morning looked dazzling. It's been a while since I've had such a refreshing feeling. Then there was a second follow-up notice. It was Hiro-chan. A cute bird-shaped Az with a round hat.

In the comment of "Re: I tried it for the first time"

<< This is Hiro. Belle is the best. I'll do anything >>

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dcx2NedPVBEdbfQaU-WC0pJMRmn20ASn7HSC0KY9R7E/edit?usp=sharing ~ Google Doc of the English-translated novel.

ryuutosobakasuhime.wordpress.com ~ English fan-site for Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime where translations, scans, and other content is posted.

[feysandfeels]

I'm surprised that feysand "I choose to see the good in everybody" feels is not in the committee of the Eris Vanserra apologist reform.

looooool, well if I'm being known for something I like that it is that Nonnie.

Let me ramble on a bit about Eris Vanserra, soon to be High Lord of the Autumn Court. This will not be organized though.

Right now all the information and interpretations that I have of Eris is a solid 40% canon and 60% fanon. Now, that fanon is nicely supported and has solid solid backing but is fanon nonetheless.

I think it is highly agreed that he is clearly a "more than meets the eye" character and he has been deliberately cultivating a façade, and that this façade is distanced from who he feels he is in his #Heart.

With what I see of Eris, through the blogs I follow, I think it is also very clear that he has been as good brother to Lucien as he can be without putting himself at risk. Most of the interpretations, headcanons and general focus have been concentrating on the speculation on how Eris has helped Lucien behind the scenes and how he is trying to make the Autumn Court into a Velaris. Which heavily implies that he has done positive things and has been an even better brother to Lucien, than he could possibly acknowledge publicly.

This view of Eris, breaking free from his father's toxic discourse, trying to be a better man, helping Lucien, being a good son to his mother and also playing the mean brother, being a tad selfish and having ulterior motives that might benefit him first and then everyone else (I do not believe that he is a selfless selfless person): I can see happening. Honestly, the headcanon that he helped mask Lucien's true parentage and powers is only one Sarah J Maas away from happening.

I agree wholeheartedly that he is a very complex character very much in a Rhys path, and truthfully I am here for that.

I will say I do care for him more than I did before ACOSF came out, before I was intrigued by how he behaved in ACOWAR, but now I'm like

I have my ticket to board the Eris train.

Here is why I haven't boarded and why I will not board yet.

Mor. (❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛)

I am first and foremost a Mor stan (again ❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛), she is top three characters for me and I love her beyond words and measure. Her word and her healing come above many things in this series, Eris' arc included.

And I know that you will say that there is clearly more to the story and more to his involvement in the abuse Mor went through and that we've only had a very carefully curated version of the events: That we have yet to hear *his* side of the story.

Nonetheless, I will forever prioritize Mor's account of the events and how she has interpreted them in the centuries after they happened.

It has been stated, by Eris himself no less, that Mor is in possession of information, that could make Eris appear in a kinder light than he has thus far -at least where Mor is concerned-. As readers we can guess or imply that this means that Eris knows that Mor prefers women and by leaving her to bleed out in the autumn court border and refusing to marry her, he was helping her escape a life of misery in the same way he tried helping Lucien: by finding loopholes and playing around the rules. And this may very well be.

Yet yet yet, she still acts around him and around his presence in a way that suggests that even with this information she still sees him as an abuser -if not a direct one then a "you stood by the abuse" abuser-. In 500 years she has never corrected Az, Rhys or Cass when they reference how much they dislike Eris' actions or lack there of: they all, palabras más palabras menos, hate him. To me, this is very telling of the weight that "piece of missing information" has on his "innocence" or at least his claim to innocence.

It is true, that we might be facing a situation whereby not even Mor herself is aware of the larger context of her betrothal and subsequent abuse, and Eris did very well try his damn best to help her in anyway he could or whatever. It could also be a case that Mor associated him with her trauma and wants him at arms length. But I don't think this is it. I think Mor's distaste of Eris is more than wrong place wrong time and she has a clear justification why she doesn't like him and felt he had a hand at what happened to her.

Personally, it is clear that while Mor is not a character that very carefully created a façade of herself that distanced from their "true self" like Rhys or Eris, she is also not a "wears her heart and all of herself on her sleeve" character like Cassian. She has indeed held somethings close to her heart; this situation being one of them. This means that as of now we know only the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot of context that we do not have. One of those missing pieces is how Eris fits in Mor's abuse and how she truly feels about him and not how others interpret how she feels.

I doubt very much that this missing piece of information will do a 180 and make Mor (and me) go, "you know what, you truly are blameless #TeamEris". I think it is more likely that he apologizes or shows some regret at his involvement or some sort of apologetic behavior.

But regardless, I think that until I get Mor's views on the matter and her green-ish light on Eris I cannot be fully on board with "Eris Vanserra apologist reform" as you put it hahaha

Ps: I agree very much with what Cassian said to him at the end, I do think he is a coward. But I also think he is aware of how his lack of action and sense of self preservation lead into a cowardice that has affected people he cared for (Lucien) and affected the common decency, if you will, he owes anyone (Mor).

[acourtofthought]

I have a headcanon about Elain and I need you to tell me I'm not crazy.

Elain is the most jealous and possessive among her sisters and she would probably be the type to accidentally growl at anyone who touches her mate.

Look, I have reasoning and it makes a lot of sense (at least to me), firstly, in my head in a threesome there is always the jealous one (And for me, Elain is "that jealous one" of the trio of sisters). It has already been shown that Feyre is not the very jealous type, yes she was a little jealous of Cresseida but it was not an aggressive jealousy and soon after she became more melancholic. Nesta is clearly not the type of person to show her jealousy, Acowar showed her discomfort towards Mor, but it was just small perceptions of Feyre (In the end she never showed aggressive and possessive jealousy towards Cassian, she always kept any discomfort to herself). So only Elain is left and her being a jealous and possessive person would be extremely ironic with her demure and "maidenly" personality and would show that she is not always 100% perfect. And it would be even more ironic because the fear of the inner circle and Feyre is that Lucien would suddenly claim Elain or act possessive towards her, and her being the possessive one in the relationship would be hilarious. Besides, I also have a headcanon in which Az is the jealous one among the three brothers and that, for some reason at some point, Lucien and Gwyn became friends and Elain and Az would look on, pissed off.

So please tell me I'm not going crazy and that this headcanon makes at least a little sense. 🥲

I would kind of love it if she were a bit possessive of Lucien 😂

But I think SJM would have to set it up where Elain had a valid reason for it.

She and Lucien are both really social and we know he has female (and male) friends across the courts and in the human lands. So I don't think we'd see Elain losing it over seeing him chat with another female since it would then create an uncomfortable situation anytime he had courtier business to attend to.

But I could see her being the one to lay claim to Lucien if a particular female got a bit "too friend".

I love that for him and for her. He's spent so many years being unwanted by his family in Autumn, coming in second to Tamlin while in Spring, not necessarily wanted in the NC by any of the IC. So it would probably feel amazing to see the evidence of Elain's desire for him. And it also be amazing to have Elain break free of her calm persona when it comes to her mate.

[elriell]

What’s with everyone going crazy of Az’s pov? I was so worried when I saw spoilers and then I read it... and it was barely anything? Lmao ok yeah he was a little horny - not nearly as horny as cassian and rhysand have been imo. At no point did he force anything on Elain, or try to posses her. I don’t get it.

Right I am sorry because I need to let a little rant of my chest....

Human beings as a species are very emotion driven creatures, our first instinct is to !!!! before we sit back and think about it.

I said earlier too, we have spent 4 books inside Feyre’s head so our perception is very warped, we see a lot of this when people say Nesta is OOC in acosf, when the reality is we have never known her thoughts. 

It is even more potent with Azriel because he was on such a pedestal unlike Nesta, she at least spoke a lot so you got a higher level of understanding about her character. Azriel by contrast has always been a mystery and very quiet, so the abrupt leap inside his head poses a shock to many.

I think that is a massive part of it.

As for the other I genuinely think it is very much selective outrage, Cassian & Rhys have pulled all manner of shit, possessive and otherwise, hell lets not be divisive. Feyre and Nesta too. Yet I have not heard half the uproar.

Same applies to these claims that all Elriel fans hate Gwyn. A lie. I follow honestly a giant chunk of fans and not one said a bad word about her... Not leading up to the book and not after. A minute portion in a big fandom and yet it is made to be as if all Elriel fans are the spawn of Satan.

Woman POWER! Support woman! Support victims of trauma.

Where was this energy when the fandom was being disgusting to Elain for years. Calling her down right awful words simply because she was gentle and kind. Or because she wasn’t with their fav.

Listen always support your fellow woman, especially those who have suffered unforgivable acts, I don’t think any reasonable person would disagree. 

But the selective aspect of it in the ACOTAR fandom is a down right joke, and then people have the audacity to say we are tearing a woman down because of a man? Sorry, what have you been doing with Elain for years?

Also to clarify, if you are reading this on the other side and thinking, “Well I never did this!” then this is clearly not directed at you. I don’t have a issue with you, move along.

What happened between Elain and Azriel was a consensual moment, stop treating Elain like a helpless child because it doesn’t fit your narrative. Or because it didn’t happen with your fav.

Sorry *deep breath* I feel like I have been holding that in for so long.

I have no issues with Gwynriel, I have a few people on my dash that ship it or say (Elucien) and have been posting about and I just smile and move on, there is nothing wrong with loving different things.

And to my mutuals or just people who I have interacted with about different ships and we have had lovely eye opening conversations this is not you clearly, I have loved seeing things through your perspective and a lot of you have taught me a lot about why you love *insert whatever* ... 

I genuinely do not understand why it needs to turn so nasty and hostile. 

Just love what you love, enjoy what you enjoy. Stop seeking out uproar. 

Stick to your tags, respect each other. If someone fucks up then have a genuine conversation and patience with them, treat them like a human being who is going to have good and bad moments.

Listen to be frank with you I fucked up the night I read his POV and made a post summarizing it, and in the moment and excitement I wrote something about being right about Gwyn being a secondary love interest (and by proxy although not intentionally) being used despite her definitely not deserving that.

And a kind soul in the replies let me know why my reaction was wrong, and I realized and the next day I apologized. That is what disagreement should be, taking the time to see peoples point of view, not always coming to resolution but respecting that.

I think we all, have the tendency to let things get to us... anyways ill shush and leave it at be kind. 

And sorry you probably where wanting a simple reply lmao not on this tumblr you wont hahahaha

[liightningbug-blog]

Sorting out the Elucien vs Elriel ship

After ACOWAR Lucien - "She is my mate!" "She will learn to love me!" * grabs sword* "I will fight for her love" Azriel - "Clearly we have more of a connection." "You can't MAKE her love you" * grabs Illyrian blade* " I will fight for her honour" Cassian - *Stands between Az and Luc with his wings out* "Okay, you can fight for her but no magic" *looks at Lucien* " And no shadows or flying" *looks at Azriel* "And don't kill each other." Rhysand - "Nobody is fighting anybody!" "Elain can love whoever she wants" Nesta - "SHE IS NOT A POSSESSION!" Mor - *whispering to Feyre* "If they kill each other, how long should I wait before I stake my claim on Elain?"