#fourth wing fan theories

[callsign-rogueone]

ok but!! ive been reading some fw theories in the subreddit, and one that has a lot of diff opinions on is whether liam has a second signet or if he was wielding ice in that scene, especially since deigh’s name means ice. what are your thoughts, do you think it was just a mistake?? and what about liam in your universe?

[insert that clip of Cardi B going: “I’m glad you brung it up because I’ve been dying to talk about this for a minute”]

FOURTH WING AND IRON FLAME SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT. this ramble is not going to be proofread, nor supported with textual evidence, because I have a migraine. but if anyone wants to jump in with page numbers and quotes or things I missed / got wrong, please feel free! 

in short: I think it’s possible that Liam did have a second signet.

first, my only hangup on this theory: what are the odds of two riders in the same squad, in the same year, having the same signet (Ridoc and Liam)? I know some signets are more rare than others, but that’s still a very slim chance when there’s 20+ signets out there that we know of, and RY will probably come up with more (fr, I need to know what Garrick and Aaric's signets are. I hope they're something unique, that we haven't seen yet.) but here are a few arguments in favor of two-signet Liam:

one: I don’t think it was just “RY putting the wrong name”.

Ridoc wasn’t there at Resson, so RY would have to have confused the two boys entirely for it to be a mistake. besides them both being perfect little bbs and adoring fans of Violet, they’re not alike in appearance, dragon color, nor backstory -- what is Ridoc’s deal? like why did he want to become a rider? I need to know for my next gfverse chapter 😭 and the mistake would also have to slip past multiple rounds of editors and proofreaders as well, which is possible, but not probable.  and was Ridoc's signet even confirmed at that time? maybe this is me forgetting things, because ADHD, and it’s been a while since I’ve read FW in full, but the first time I remember hearing about Ridoc’s signet is in Iron Flame — when they’re at RSC and he’s like “I could force the locks open with ice”. that confused me at the time because I didn’t know about (or remember) his signet. and then it really clicked for me later, when he makes an ice pack for poor Brennan after Mira decks him lmao. is it mentioned earlier than that? when I search “ice” in my FW ebook it shows me every instance of “voice” and "nice" and “office” etc., too, and I'm not scrolling through all that 🙄 and neither of the reference sites I like to use have a page number listed for him getting his signet or the first time it’s mentioned. as another aside: look how gorgeous Ridoc is here. smash. EDIT TO ADD: it is mentioned in Fourth Wing, in one line on page 289 (as identified by @hockeyspiral23 - thank you!) but he doesn't actually use it. no wonder my adhd brain forgot about it when there were bigger issues at hand lol they also pointed out that it could still have been a mistake, if RY meant to have it be another one of the barely-mentioned marked riders who aren't part of the main gang, as ice-wielding is "a common signet" (FW p. 289), and there were a few students we never really met apart from Resson (including Masen and Soleil. RIP.) so it could have been one of them. another possible explanation that I just came up with for the mistake category -- unreliable narrator? the events of that day were incredibly distressing for Vi, and she literally gets poisoned and loses consciousness and doesn't wake up for three days (following the theory that FW and IF are her diary, written in an ancient language and translated by Jesinia later) so it could have been a blur / hard to remember and VIOLET could have gotten it wrong. If I were RY, and it was a genuine mistake, this is the explanation I would give lmao

two: Deigh meaning ice is another tally in the “not a mistake” column.

RY likes to have the dragons' names refer to their current rider's signets. (Tairn = thunder, Aimsir = weather...) but not all of them match (Tiene = fire, I think, and Mira makes shields.) Liam and the ice is only mentioned once, at Resson, but there are many characters who we don't see getting their signet -- really just Vi's sex-induced lightning, and a mention of Sawyer nearly killing someone in a swordfight on accident. and Sloane's siphoning, too. okay, maybe this isn't a great point. but I still want to hear how they figured these things out! especially Bodhi. and Xaden's second one. poor thing couldn't tell anyone, even his best friend, and had to figure out how to manage it entirely on his own (he had Sgaeyl, but that's it.) and maybe Liam didn’t realize he had the ice until Resson, and just started slinging icicles at the wyvern once he figured out that he could. though that's kinda unlikely, I guess, since he would have channeled in November or December and Resson wasn't until July... hm.

three: Deigh could have been the dragon of Liam's relative, giving him a second signet like Xaden has with Sgaeyl.

it’s my understanding that Liam, like all the marked ones (except my addition of Darling and her little sibs) were military kids, and his mom is mentioned in IF as being the one to weave the protection runes, which I believe requires a level of magic that only a rider would have. so he has at least one relative who was a rider, and therefore probably more. ngl, at first I thought it was mad suspicious that his parents were executed separately from everyone else’s, but then we didn’t meet them in Aretia, so I guess they really are dead. but how mf heartbreaking would it be if they were alive -- and the first time they see their son in a whole year of him being gone at Basgiath, it’s Xaden carrying his body into the fortress 😭 and Vi and X crying and apologizing to Mama Mairi for not being able to save him… I’M SO SORRY. IT JUST CAME TO ME, AND I HAD TO WRITE IT DOWN. if any FW writer wants to write that AU, go for it. we could all use another good cry. there seems to be a trend of the dragons who had Tyrrish riders purposely (and "illegally") bonding the descendants of their previous riders. - Xaden has a second signet from Sgaeyl as his grandfather was one of her former riders, allegedly, but he "didn't make it out of the quadrant"? so he had a kid (Fen, Xaden's dad?) before graduating? is that why Xaden mentions that his dad hated dragon riders in one of his letters to Vi? - and then I believe Imogen has the dragon of a relative, but not a direct relative, so she doesn't have a second signet, but the one she does have is just really strong? I feel like they glossed over that a little too quickly, and it remains unclear to me how that whole thing works. - and now maybe Liam, too?

I might tack more stuff on below as it comes to me, or RB with commentary, but I think that's all I've got for now.

but regardless of if it was a mistake or not, I’m not planning on putting it in Liam and Spark’s story — just his farsight, which is confirmed multiple times. if Spark believed in the gods, she’d thank them for not giving him something as destructive and deadly as her water, but Li’s still gonna have some issues with it, because I feel the need to project my issues onto my fave characters, and everyone loves some mild hurt/comfort that’s resolved with cuddles and a nap, right? 🥰

[alice-jakson]

Fourth wing/Iron flame theory!

If a person becomes venin by channeling power directly from the earth instead of from a dragon/griffin, (theoretically) could a siphon take that stolen power from the (now) venin and give it back to the earth, thus reverting the venin to who they previously were.

[the-eternal-child]

I love these opening chapter blurbs so much! Super insightful, I dunno how anyone was skipping over them.

This one broke my heart.

My impression is that Fen Riorson was a very respected man, the Duke of Aretia and apparently loved by the people. I'd like to think he was a good ruler and that plus his charisma got people to follow him in his plan for succession.

Considering he was actually on the right side of history, trying to fight the real problem and help the neighbouring provinces, it's heart breaking to read that blurb and see how Markham absolutely ruined Fen's name - saying that he went mad of all things!

And the audacity to write 'an unedited history' 😒😒😒😒😒

I'm curious about how much the Tyrrish knew about the truth of venin. Did Fen grow up knowing the truth or only found out when he got into leadership? Is it common knowledge amongst the people, like it is for the marked ones, or do they only know because of their parents?

The Tyrrish were the last to join the unification. I wonder why that is....

And of course because I can't stop thinking about my new favourite boy, my heart breaks imagining what it was like for Xaden (and the other marked ones) to go from respected nobility- with a great reputation- (I think that's important to note because it doesn't seem like people like King Tauri - not even his son), to being besmirched and hated, dragged from your home and thrown into the heart of the enemy. Having to pretend that yes, your father was indeed mad, that he wasn't a good man, that the truth you know isn't real, and having to bear the brunt of everyone's hatred and you can't fight back or defend your name or the name of the father you loved lest your loyalty be called into question.

That whole cover up is insidious af and reckless to a stupid level imo. You secure yourself to the detriment of everyone else... But that's just a stop gap against the very real threat that still exists.

But what they did to the Tyrrish leadership was down right unforgivable. No wonder those kids were so mad.

[sexypantsriorson]

VIOLET IS SCARED OF THE DARK! BUT WHY? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

🚨 Spoilers for Fourth Wing and Iron Flame Below 🚨

When reading Fourth Wing one of the many times I've read it I noticed that Violet seemed scared of the dark on several occasions. However, the newest Xaden POV bonus chapter (Ch 27) solidified my crack theory that may mean nothing at all even further.

Fourth Wing:

⚡️Chapter 1: "The Captain nods and points to the open door into the turret. It looks ominously dark in there, and I fight the urge to run like hell."

-> This is the weakest evidence but I wanted to include it. Even though the majority of the fear probably stems from having to cross the parapet and going into the riders quadrant I can't help but notice how the darkness of the turret is pointed out in relation to her wanting to run away.

⚡️Chapter 19: "'Hope you're not afraid of the dark.' He pulls me inside, and suffocating darkness envelopes us as the door closes. This is fine. This is absolutely fine. 'But just incase you are,' Xaden says, his voice at full volume as he snaps. A mage light hovers above our head, Illuminating our surroundings. 'Thanks'"

-> side note: as Nicole from FFG would say ITALICS! Is this a Xaden intinsic moment or is this similar to Ch 27 where he senses her fear down their bond?

⚡️Chapter 27 from Violet's POV: "Xaden lifts a hand a few inches above the table, and shadows pour from underneath our seats, filling the room and turning it dark as midnight in a blink. My heart jumps as my sight goes black."

⚡️Chapter 27 from Xaden's POV: "I lift my palms just enough to clear the table and summon the cooling darkness of the shadows. They stream out from under the table and blanket the room in less than a heartbeat, devouring all traces of light. Panic skitters down the silver bond."

Iron Flame:

⚡️Chapter 36: "He steps forward, raises his arms, and shadows rush in from the wall at our backs, engulfing the formation - and us - in complete darkness. Theres a glimmer of a caress across my cheek, right where it's split to what feels like the bone, and more than one cadet screams."

-> The structure of the first sentence, the emphasis on 'and us' is what clued me into the fear in this chapter. And once again Xaden, who is also the source of the darkness, uses the shadows to comfort her. Based on Ch 19 and Ch 27 of Fourth Wing he likely knows she's scared of the dark at this point.

Noooowwwwww - What does all this mean? Well.... I have no idea!

As mentioned before it might mean nothing at all. Rebecca might have just thrown it in there as a quirky personality trait of Violet's. I personally just don't think that's the case.

According to a study done by John Mayer (the clinical psychologist, not the singer) only 11% of adults in the US are scared of the dark. So, its not that common of a fear. Also the amount of times it's brought up throughout the two books we've had so far makes me think it might be significant.

On July 8th Rebecca Yarros and Red Tower Books released a joint Instagram reel with a small video showing the cover of Onyx Storm for the first time. The caption has the tag line "Are you ready to BRAVE THE DARK?" written just like that with 'brave the dark' in all caps. 'Brave the Dark' is also written on the cover of the book in the same way 'Fly or Die' and 'Burn it Down' was used as a tag line of FW and IF respectively. This is another one of the most prominent reasons I think that these allusions to Violets fear of the dark are more than just a basic character trait. In each of the scenes mentioned (with the exception of chapter 1) Xaden comforts Violet in the darkness. Furthermore, if you search 'dark' in the FW ebook there are over 80 occurrences of the word and almost all of them are in relation to Xaden (I couldn't search IF because I don't have the ebook). We know that OS is going to focus on Violet trying to find a cure for Xaden. Is Xaden part of this darkness Violet is scared of?

The Empyrean Series is my current hyper fixation so I couldn't get this spiral out of my head since yesterday.

Please weigh in on what you think Violets fear of the dark means or where it comes from! I'd love to hear other peoples opinions. Also, if you know of any scenes I missed where Violet is scared of the dark please let me know.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk TairnTalk. (I stole that from someone else but I can't remember who said it first but credit to them you are hilarious).

[googlekins]

Fourth Wing/Iron Flame head cannon (or fan theory).

As Violet is crossing the parapet, a storm is drenching the candidates as they cross.

What if: that storm was created by Gen. Sorrengail to further test her daughter.

OR

What if: Gen. Sorrangail created the storm to give Violet more of a chance against Jack, hot on her heels. The rain slowing him down and blurring his vision.

OR

What if the General inadvertently summoned the storm with her internal emotional turmoil. Fearing for her daughter’s life, deep inside the hard shell of a war hardened woman.

[alliehew]

okay I need to get these thoughts out, don’t mind me!

FW/IF Spoilers

I am an audiobook listener, pls be nice about misspellings/misremembered quotes ty

I want to indulge my fan madness as I am itching for Onyx Storm and need to get this out or I’ll chew my own arm off !

Alright, let’s just jump right in: Violet’s signet, Lilith’s pregnancy sickness, and the venin’s taunts

We know from folklore that three brothers (a dragon rider, a gryphon flier, and an average joe) are said to be behind the origin of veninism. Yeah, it’s folklore, but we thought venin and wyvern were too, so.

The venin have emphasized to Violet that she commands the skies, and she could harness ultimate power if she only learned how, and she’d be unstoppable, blah blah blah. Lilith also literally commands the skies through influencing the weather, and had a mysterious “fever” while pregnant with Violet. Lilith’s signet is already relevant to the three brothers parable/veninism, so that’s kind of what sparked this idea.

I’ve seen lots of fan theories about Lilith’s ~illness~ and I think they’re interesting. We’ve got: Lilith turned venin while pregnant, Lilith was attacked by a venin while pregnant, Lilith drained Violet, and variations of this.

I have a question! (fbaa fans wya).

If a venin had a child would they be part venin? Full venin? Are venin capable of having children? Are they only able to have kids under the wards, dimming their channeling abilities? Does Nolan have experience with trying to cure veninism (in Lilith)? Did Lilith turn, or nearly turn, venin while pregnant? Following that train of thought…

Violet’s signet is, at its core, harnessing energy from the environment and channeling it into lightning—Felix’s lessons elaborated on this. The venin, once again, refer to her as the commander of the skies (like one of the three brothers), and venin turn because they harness power from outside themselves. Violet’s signet is fundamentally so similar to veninism that I feel like she walks a thin line here.

It could be an illusory correlation, but Lilith’s mystery illness seems connected to all of this.

Andarna said she knew it was time to hatch when she heard of “the general’s daughter with the mind of a scribe and the heart of a rider” or something along those lines. Did Andarna (from her egg lol) hear about whatever tf happened to Lilith while pregnant? Or did she just know/sense Violet would be a powerful and worthy rider, and could also be instrumental in fighting the venin? Maybe because Violet is part venin/a venin born child/immune to becoming venin?? Some people have speculated that Violet could also be the child of a god, so maybe that’s the direction I should’ve been driving the last 300 miles, who knows.

It’s just an itch in my brain that Lilith and Violet command the skies, there was some mystery sickness that affected Violet in utero, and Violet’s signet can kill venin so effectively. The three brothers from the venin parable are mentioned often enough that I can’t drop the “commanding the skies” veninism thing. And there has to be more to the pregnancy illness, I mean it stole the color from Violet’s hair and weakened her joints for fuck’s sake. What kind of cold does that?? Again, I could be on the wrong track and it’s not related.

furthermore and additionally:

Lightning wielders—whose signet is one of the few that can kill venin—haven’t been seen for centuries. Did the last lightning wielder’s signet manifest because of the venin’s reign of terror? (I think that’s when the dragons started bonding humans? To fight the venin centuries ago?) Are lightning wielders born from venin intervention? Is this like Andarna’s reference to nature ensuring balance? Should I bump up my next therapy session and put down my phone?

Thank you for joining my descent into madness. I just had to get these thoughts out to prevent my brain’s liquification. That is all.

[booklovers-pleasure]

Fourth Wing - Spoiler - Theory

My fw-spam continues!

So, I already posted this theory in an instagram-comment section, but I thought I'll write it down here as well.

"Keep your loyalties clear. You and Riorson both have exceptional, lethal power that any rider would be envious of. But together?” His bushy brows furrow. You would be a formidable enemy who command could simply not afford to let exist. Do you understand what I’m saying?“ ~ Chapter 30

That's Professor Carr's advice to Violet on their first training session.

The first time I read that, I already found that highly suspicous - yeah, he's warning her, that the people in command will either use them or kill them - but the whole interaction gave me the impression, that Carr know's whats up with Xadens rebellion. He was also very, very quick (too quick) to kill of that one inntinnsic kid (That was about to reveal Garricks thoughts: „And you!” Jeremiah turns, his gaze locking on Garrick. “Damn it all to hell. He’ll know about—”) But yeah... fell free to share your thoughts!

[graycious-tea]

I’m done fourth wing… my heart fucking hurts and why did no one warn me about the Xaden POV!? I SHOULD HAVE BEEN WARNED! The theories are buzzing rn y’all feel free to hit me with your favs

[bea28]

i just finished Iron Flame and there are theories ☝️🤓

⚠️ this is your only warning, there WILL be SPOILERS for both books ahead

SO.. i’ve been watching theories on tiktok about violet’s second signet and saw someone talk about this one (and in my opinion i think she already manifested it, she just didn’t notice it yet)

bare with me…

You know how Andarna had her own little secret revealed at the and of IF right? how she is her own “type” of dragon and is basically able to “change colors” as we’ve seen when she was hiding in the rocks, she basically “morphed” into the rocks to hide. So with that, i think her power for violet (or violets signet from her) will be crazy unique and rare. Keeping that in mind let’s proceed.

another little thing that was just thrown out there is how Andarna is always saying “i’ll be where i’m needed” or “im where i need to be” anytime Violet or Tairn tells her to stay safe, and she’s ALWAYS there when needed, she’s always there to help violet (aka saving her life many many times). And thinking about how Rebecca likes to basically hide things in plain sight, just like the fact that Xaden could read violets mind and would sometimes even respond to it and violet wouldn’t notice, i think we shouldn’t ignore Andarnas comments.

we also know that signets are what a riders need the most, just like Xadens need for secrets (shadows)

SO ive been thinking about what violet needs most or moments where she needed something specific, and turns out she needs a lot of things, like when she needed liam to help hold herself together during interrogation (talking to the dead) or when she needed to jump from one dragon to the other during the final war (speed) or how she constantly needs people to tell her the truth so she can make her decisions (truth sayer) or how she constantly needs mending (mender) or how she ran so fast to raise the wards, that someone even said “oh i’ve never seen you run so fast” (speed again)

(i honestly think this are the moments where she has used her signet already ⤴️)

and thinking about the future, she will probably need to talk to the dead again because her parents are dead and they have information she will for sure need, like her mom researching about a cure for venin or her dads research about feather tails, this information won’t be written anywhere, only the people involved will be able to tell her about it (but they’re dead). She will also need the truth now more then ever to be able to save Xaden, no more secrets or lies (i’ll just put it here about how there’s theories that her brother is venin or a traitor, which i kind of believe)

so i think her signet is just like andarna’s color.. changing and based on need

i think she will be able to manifest any signet as long as she NEEDS it (just like the rune xaden used on one of her daggers) and will be able to switch between all signets depending on her need at the moment, i think she’s been doing it since the interrogation room, she just didn’t notice, since every single time she did, she was in desperate need and just did things and kept going, never stopping to analyze anything further.

and since andarna apparently refuses to tell her things based on “if you didn’t figure out yourself, you wouldn’t be worthy” i think andarna is just waiting for violet to figure it out herself while giving little hints with the “i’ll be where im needed”

Also, let’s not forget that Andarna has been waiting hundreds of years to hatch, she’s been waiting for violet “the weaker Sorrengail that has the mind of a scribe and the heart of a rider”

PLUS i cant get Tairns line out of my head “i know exactly who and WHAT you are, Violet Sorrengail” this with the knowledge that her mom has been researching about a cure for venin since before everything happened, i honestly think her mom or dad was venin and Violet is a kind of half blood or something. I really think her parents knew it, given her moms research and the fact that her dad had the ONLY book about venin and wayverns and made it a point to read it to his kids.

thinking now…. “magic always balances itself” what if violets fragility is all about that, magic balancing itself, making her body weaker because her magic or power is too strong.

anyways… that’s it, that’s what i’ve gathered from all the videos i’ve watched on it, and what i think is more likely to be. i wrote this all from memory so im sorry if there’s anything not accurate or if you’ve already thought about this lmao. i’m just writing it here so i can come back to it after Onyx Storm.

i tryed to simplify it the most i could here, so there’s a lot more details to it if we just think about little things that maybe went unnoticed in the books, like how violet seems to always “hear had dads voice” when se needs any information he knew, or how liam taught her that she could show Dain what she wanted him to see in her mind even tho he couldn’t possibly know that, or how she’s always making herself a silver crown with her hair, or how xaden gave her so many daggers with runes we still know nothing about… i don’t know there’s so many things and i’ve only read the books once so i didn’t even notice everything

[ogcno]

Fourth Wing theories I have… these are my opinion.

****SPOILERS****

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Violets mother killed her father… I have thought this since the beginning. Just too weird that his fables book that Violet treasures is actually not fables but real…. Her mom knew he was up to no good and she put an end to him.

The fact that Xaden and Violet can talk to each other in their heads. (Side thought :They are like the most bad ass couple ever.) I think they are meant to be like the dragons that mate for life they are tied together.

Okay last one

The resurrection theory is my favorite… Rebecca Yarros makes a point to mention multiple times in the book that items owned are burned when someone dies. I think Brennan was resurrected not saved. Violet has his journal, the only item that was not burned. In the history lessons they talk about how resurrection can’t happen, that no one is powerful enough. I think they only say this so that they are brainwashed in a way to believe it can’t happen and so no one tries.

[skyfallscotland]

Ok so Rebecca did a one hour panel today in Sydney with Lynette Noni hosting, where she asked questions and then they opened it to fans. I've kind of summarised the things I haven't seen mentioned over and over, but I don't frequent the subreddit anymore or use TikTok, so there might be overlap. In any case, it's long. Settle in. I've sectioned it into plot/character relevant first, then themes and interesting facts about her and her writing. Basically, you all came with me. 💗

• In book three (and every book thereafter) we'll be going to more and more new places. She specifically worded it as "watching the map expand" whether that's significant or not, I don't know. (I was thinking Isle Kingdoms for OS, but maybe that's just my wishful thinking).

• She implied Jack will have a reason (explained) for uh...being a power-hungry prick? lol

• She's hella defensive of Dain, which I love. #DainApologistsClub 😌 Some highlights include:

"You guys give Dain so much shit for the same thing Xaden does. You really do and you're so fast to forgive Xaden and not Dain. Why? Is it because he's hot?"

And, "when push comes to shove, all Dain did—yes he violated her boundaries, as does Xaden—but all he did was trust his dad when his best friend no longer spoke to him. That's it."

"When Dain looks at her (in the interrogation chamber) and says 'if you had just told me, none of this would have happened', he's not just talking about the interrogation, he's talking about Liam, he's talking about if she had just trusted him (in Fourth Wing) it never would have happened." 😢

• She was asked about Liam's appearance in the interrogation chamber and definitively put to rest any signet theories involving that. "She's so alone in that moment and...I don't read fan theories but sometimes they reach my ears; she's completely disconnected from her magic in that moment, she can't even reach out for Tairn or Andarna, which are the bonds that are actually most important to her. She can't reach out for Xaden. And that's the one person who would have prevented that from happening the last year, so it's natural that's who her mind would summon."

• She's thought about a spin-off series, but she's just trying to survive this series.

• Someone asked her if there'd be any redemption and romance for Jack Barlowe and honestly, thanks guys, I don't think she's ever coming back to this country 💀 ("Are you getting enough sleep? Uh...I mean, from his prison cell maybe? No.")

• Someone asked "what is Garrick's signet and why hasn't it been shown yet?" (shoutout to this girl, she's the real MVP) to which Rebecca said "it's very much in book three, I love it."

• Someone asked about the orange dragons and unpredictability re: Amber, Jack, Varrish and then Imogen and Brennan. Rebecca said some dragons might look for traits like their own and some look for balance because it's a partnership; and that Brennan as a strategist needed that little bit of unpredictability in his life (lol, I think he got it).

• She didn't always plan for Violet to have two dragons. Originally it was going to be one (Tairn) and the editor had hoped that she would sway towards a weaker, smaller dragon and she thought that was a little too close to Abraxos in ToG, and so they compromised and gave her both. She also went on to say she doesn't like overpowered heroines and since Tairn is extremely powerful, Andarna balanced that out. (I'm not...I'm not sure how that works out? But that's what was said.)

• We are definitely going to find out more about the original six (and Lynette asked if that was a spin-off possibility and was shushed, so she's thought about it at least, but I get the idea she's thought about a lot of possibilities 😂)

• There's no timeframe for the release of the final two books.

• Someone asked if Violet's dad was Malek to which she was kind of shocked. He's not a god, guys. And low-key I JUST WANT TO KNOW HIS NAME. 😤

• On Sgaeyl: "You do (get more of her) but holy crap is she pissed. So—I'll tell you that about Onyx Storm—she is really, really mad at Xaden and she's not exactly speaking to him at the moment. So it's hard for her to speak into that bond when she's not speaking to him." 💔

• She was asked about the Violet dated Halden theory (which was fucking hilarious because the poor girl misspoke and asked if Xaden dated the prince and we were all really confused about which TikToks the poor thing had seen (note to self: consider cam/xaden), anyway after we got to the bottom of that, Rebecca replied, "I think you should read the third book." Which I'm taking to mean, the man is making a damn appearance and we're gonna find out for ourselves 👀 Hey, if I'm lucky maybe we'll even find out his surname

• Finally she said she has EP on the Amazon series, they've all been exceptionally protective of it and that she's happy with how it's going (they're not near casting yet and she doesn't want to really comment on that ever, to leave each role open to as diverse a cast as possible). She said the production team has come to the signings in LA to meet readers and see what they love and are passionate about when it comes to the series to make sure that's honoured.

"Like I mean, I've seen certain...like what can I say without getting tackled to the ground? Let's just say they've already taken steps to make sure that what you guys love about the story is envisioned and that it's not run amok. And I'm very happy with it, they're super protective of it." Which could just be me reading into it, but the first place my brain went was the dragons 👀🐉 and the CGI or whatever.

• She was asked about where the inspiration for the universe came from and she said that when her Entangled decided they were going to do romantasy they asked her for five pitches and Fourth Wing was one of them (she won't say what the others were because she might still write them someday). She said she likes the fated mates trope but she wondered what that would look like if the dragons were the ones mated, not the humans and the humans who couldn't stand each other were forced to be around each other because of this. 

• Her first ever book was romantasy but it didn't sell

• She's never really written enemies to lovers before.

• She likes found family themes because she was raised in a military family and moved around a lot, so that makes it hard to keep in touch with your extended family, and after she married her husband and became a military wife, it was their found family that was there for her—it was her found family who helped her move her house, who sat with her when her husband was injured in Iraq, etc, so she thinks it's very important to show that your family is also the people you choose and that can be just as strong as any blood tie.

• She was asked (by Lynette) why she wanted to show death and the reality of war and she said, "I've been surrounded by it. My husband's been at war since 2003, he spent 22 years in the army, first as a 19 Delta cavalry scout and then ten years as an apache pilot and we buried our friends. And I saw what it did to him, and I saw what it did to our friends, I saw what it did to our children, to us, and I love being able to examine it from a fantasy perspective just because I think fantasy gives us a unique environment from which to critique our own world by viewing it through the lens of another. And I've always delved into those themes as to why we do this to each other and where is there hope to stop it?"

• As an author her favourite scenes in Fourth Wing were the dagger stealing scene (very important to their chemistry and romantic development—"she's the only person he's taught ever, how to actually kill him") and the first kiss scene.

In Iron Flame it was the interrogation scene and how that ends with Dain and Xaden and everything coming together.

When asked about a similar scene from Onyx Storm that elicited the same strong emotion from her she said "you're not gonna like it" and that's it 💀

• She would consider writing fantasy again after she's done with the Empyrean world, maybe one of her other pitches, but she won't truly think about it until she's survived this one.

• She spoke about the "kill your darlings" writing advice and how if you love a scene but it doesn't move the plot, you've gotta cut it, and how she did that with the final scene in Fourth Wing, which was originally 7k words of Violet POV pulling information out of Xaden.

• When asked about fan theories she actually said something I found a little sad. "I don't listen to fan theories. One, I'm not on TikTok—it's a little bit more important for me to be alive than to listen to what other people think they know about me, and two, I don't ever want fan theories to bleed into my writing."

〰️ And that's it! If anyone's going tomorrow, please voice record the whole thing and report back lmao 🙏 🫶🏼

ETA: part two is here, x

[thechaoticreader]

10 Booktok Books I Refuse To Read (&Why)

I'm feeling a little controversial today and while I'm a microscopic blog might as well!

*Disclaimer: If you like any of these books, slay! I'm happy for you! These are just my own consumer choices, and imo negative book reviews are just as helpful as positive ones!*

1. Any Colleen Hoover

I don't like her as a person and don't want to give her money

Her writing style feels like I'm reading bad 2010's fanfics

Her plots feel half-baked and contrived

It feels like her plot twists are just there to emotionally manipulate the reader not to actually make the book better

Every twist is predictable

I've never met a likeable CoHo character

I hate reading insta-love

All of the male Leeds (😉) are toxic and shitty

The breeding kink that underlies most of her books make me very uncomfortable

The pick me "not like the other girls" attitude of the female MC's makes me hate them when im supposed to be rooting for them

thats all I can think of right now but there's probably more

If you want Verity vibes but well written, read Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier

If you want the writing style, plot points and vibes of the rest of her work but for free, visit Wattpad or Fanfiction.net or even venture further into this very site

2. Haunting Adeline

Hate the writing style

The Q Anon subplot makes me so upset...like if I wanted to hear righty conspiracy theories and propaganda i'd hang out with my aunt...at least id get food out of that

I've been in abusive relationships and I'd find this book triggering and disgusting, not sexy

3. Fourth Wing

I just feel like I've grown out of the genre (I was an avid reader during the Y/A dystopia craze of the 2000's/2010's)

hate the writing style

the world building makes no sense

bad chronic illness rep

in general not a romantacy fan

4. Sarah J. Maas

Not a fan of her writing style

Not a romantacy fan

Don't have the attention span for MASSIVE series

5. Icebreaker

I grew up in Southern Ontario surrounded by hockey boys...theres not much less sexy to me than a bunch of hockey bros

6. Hidden Pictures

its transphobic :)

7. Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I loved the hunger games books and I'm afraid this will ruin it

8. Creedence

not into incest

don't find abuse hot

9. Cassandra Clare

not into incest

not into plagiarism

bad writing

series are entirely too long

10. The Pawn & The Puppet

bad writing

the worst mental illness rep I've seen in a long time

transphobia

badly handled eating disorder

toxic at best love interest

don't like the author

there's definitely more but thinking about this book makes me so mad

[the-eternal-child]

Just noticed something...

This part of Iron Flame noting how Riders are usually discouraged from politics and are discouraged from keeping their family seats.

Xaden's grandfather who was Sgaeyl's former rider was said to have died without making it out the quadrant. We know assassination attempts on students with powerful parents happens. So maybe this was an assassination carried out because of the power dynamics mentioned above. The future Duke of Aretia being a rider? Bonded to one of the strongest dragons out there?! It's what I'm thinking because why else mention the fact that he died while in the school? Info drops like these are purposeful.

My first question is timeline wise... WHEN did he have Fen 🤣🤣?!! I'm assuming he wasn't married since you can't get married until you leave... Unless he was married before entering the quadrant. Maybe marriages don't play that much of a part in the legitimacy of heirs for the Tyrrish 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Next question is, was this a case like Aaric? He found out what was going on and decided having a dragon would help the effort to fight the venin?

It brings me back to my questions in a previous post wondering about how much the Tyrrish know.

They're described through out the series as having been the last to join the unification, seen as troublesome or prone to unrest by Navarrian leadership, the Tyrs describe themselves as being 'loyal to their own' which makes me think of the kind of cultural identity people have when they're discriminated against...

It seems like the Tyrrish have been aware of the fate of the continent for a long time - or maybe only their leadership? They maybe have always had issues with Navarrian rulership decisions and being last to the party of unification and objecting to things would give them the reputation of being 'too proud' or 'thinking they're too good to submit to the king'.

Maybe Fen grew up being aware why his father died and decided to try another route to change. Let us become our own country so we can deal with this problem ourselves.

And the Navarrian top brass like Markham were just waiting to finally have a reason to drop the hammer on the Tyrrish people. Crushing a rebellion is one thing... But to raize a capital city to the ground?! A city described as having been beautiful?

Seems like a purposeful psychological blow to the people. Very publicly defame your beloved leader, take out almost everyone affiliated even loosely with the rebellion planning - Liam's father's execution even though he wasn't involved, and I bet he wasn't the only family member to get that treatment - they'd even wanted to execute the damn children! Cripple their financial centre by burning the capital, which would give them something else to focus on in the years to come, trying to rebuild their lives!

They humbled them, invalidated the claim they fought for, crippled them financially and painted a target on their back for the disdain of the rest of the kingdom. Amber Mavis was literally described as 'one of the good ones' because her family didn't take part in the rebellion!

Jesus fking christ!! Someone stop me! Cue 'make it stooooopp!!' screams like Jeremiah 😅😅

The more I think about this damn series the more insidious things start to look, the more glaring Navarre's crimes. The Tyrrish are entitled to freaking reparations man 😭😭!!!

[helpallthenamesaretakensblog]

E👏P👏I👏S👏O👏D👏E SEVENNNN

We just started off with percy walking his way into crusty’s place like woah hold there buddy we’re starting quickly

the set is so pretty and colourful why couldnt everything else be like them ahem ahem waterland cough cough

Why do they know everything already 😭they’re really taking out the middle school cluelessness out of everyone in this show and its making me mad sometimes

What do you MEAN he casually has an entrance to the underworld?

walker’s acting was rlly good in this ep btw

The whole bed scene was so anticlimactic and quick STOP

”youre lucky we let you keep your head on” YEAH WELL SO IS DISNEY

grover just walking in like is it over now?? DISNEY I BEG OF YOU LET GROVER DO SOMETHING

grover’s squeaky ball to calm himself down😭 🥺

Sally and percy angst was not on my bingo card but here we are

WHEN YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO KEEP HURTING EACH OTHER 😭😭

That transition was neat

wow what a well lit underworld dayum

its confirmed percy and annabeth watched that movie

“Only suckers wait in line” savage

rip ‘we drowned in a bathtub’ hello ‘everyone is dying to some extent’

i dont know if its just me but i feel like the jokes and the humour of the show was more aligned to its pjo adult fans, rather than the books, which rick included middle school humor because that was what the initial audience was. I mean removing the fun of the lotus casino and replacing it with a scene of percy driving a car (which is an activity adults do) and the dying on the inside is something only adults in their quarter life crisis complain about

Idk it doesnt feel like annabeth is scratching cerberus because she genuinely likes dogs, it feels like more of a strategical move which i am not the happiest about BECAUSE I WANT SOFT ANNABETH

squeak squeak

PERCY PULLING ANNABETH UP FROM A CLIFF

”excuse me” i love how professional she is

i read so many fanfics and theories on how the fourth pearl would go missing?? And grover lost it??? Thats it???

I hate that principal why are you taking something a 10 year old said and say he needs ‘psychological monitoring’?? Hon he drew a horsie with wings that he claimed he saw, he doesnt need to go to a psych ward or therapy or something

but imagine percy hearing this in the other room🥺

I feel like all of them have a reason to get rooted and stuff in asphodel but its apparently only annabeth so

not grover seeing two of his friends turning into trees🥺

Idk grover’s not that emotional at all about anything?? Hes supposed to be scared and on the verge of tears 24/7? Not aryans fault just the writers

ANNABETH STRESSING ON THE FACT THAT THEY NEED TO SAVE PERCYS MOM TOO 🥹

Percy rlly just said “periodt💅”

They really copy pasted hades from the musical why is no one talking about that?

walker’s acting>>>>>

why are you trying so hard to get rid of me 🥺

THE WHOLE SALLY AND POSEIDON SCENE 😭 NO SALLY U ARE NOT FAILING

I love the fact that percy’s still chilling there

I WAS ACTUALLY EXPECTING POSEIDON TO GO ACT AS A WAITER TO TALK TO PERCY LOLL

what do you mean they have to find the helm too???

why no one help grover up??

poseidons speech as percy gets up and looks at ares is peak cinema

[eerna]

The thing about nicasia is I don't see a lot of people talk/care about her so she misses most of the vitriol but when HB announced the Undersea book I remember a lot of people saying they don't care or 'don't want to read about that [derogatory word]' so....! But I think most don't have a lot of love for her either they just don't care to talk about her

I have a theory actually since this book series fans overlap with the likes of ACOTAR/Fourth Wing/FBAA romantasy types Most of the "look at this wonderful representation of multidimensional morally grey female rage 🤩" crowd cannot handle flawed women who aren't associated with their man of choice. Idk it comes from looking at the number of tfota fans who reduce jude down to this knife mommy with her malewife cardan who is useless and stupid and alcoholic and [insert some more tumblr fandom buzzwords] etc. etc. like I don't see alot of people understand jude as a character many of them are here for the romance, so, I have a feeling Jude wouldn't be cared about/TFOTA would have been disliked or dismissed as a whole if say Cardan died or if she never ended up with him...

10/10 ask no notes, you are so right in all of it. I also mentioned in a previous ask how TFOTA is an unfortunate fandom to participate in because of what it is at its core, and I still stand by it no matter how obnoxious it makes me sound. The romantasy crowd is making it very hard to find proper discussions (BUT THERE ARE STILL SO MANY SMART WONDERFUL PEOPLE ANALYZING THE BOOKS IN THE FANDOM YALL ARE GREAT AND MAKE IT ALL WORTH IT), and the books themselves aren't helping bc they seem to be feeding into their perceptions more with each entry into the series. No one cares about Nicasia because she wasn't a romance rival so she isn't super hated, but she is too complex to be generally liked. HB if you make the Undersea book a 100% Nicasia POV I will forgive you everything including how you treated Taryn I just want to see all the romantasy girlies' brains explode

[intheshadowsbehindyou]

Medic X gn!Reader: Songe d'Automne

ah yes, A fanfiction that dives into the popular fan theory whether Medic cares about his team or not due to his initial description. Let’s go.

He hated everybody. Or so you often think. It was impossible to catch him without that sadistic grin whenever bathed in the blood of his enemies, or the glare whenever you asked him a science related question he deemed too obvious. But you felt something for him nonetheless. Whether it be pity for his sorry attitude or genuine affection. You didn’t quite know for sure.

The year was 1969. The cold breeze was chilling to your very core. Brilliant colors bringing fourth new sights once again like they do every year. Greeting you warmly with her open arms — autumn gracefully dawns her gown of gold and washes over the mountain base. Being stationed in the cold mountains was the very last thing you suspected from the Administrator. But the Gravel Wars had to move there for whatever reason nonetheless. Just in time for the season. You stood atop the base and looked over the sea of brown, orange, and yellow. Feeling nostalgic for the morning air and the leaves twirling to the ground for you like a million ballet dancers.

But not just leaves were content on riding the wind today. You heard the faintest drag of a violin. A beautiful song that sounded not depressing, not sad, not happy, but pensive.

You turnt your head to the source. Down below on the second floor of the base to the left was the Medbay. The window was wide open and you could hear the sweet melody coming from there.

That’s quite something.

You think Medic’s catholic and overall angelic aesthetic couldn’t get any more blunt. It was no mistake that the doctor carried himself with dignity and poshness. He waltzed around with the mysterious beauty of femininity and the physique of masculinity. His lab coat always resembled wings whenever he jumped down from a high place to rescue a teammate and the beautiful wedding doves that accompanied him reminded you of an angel who spoke to animals. He was indeed by all means an angel of death. A man who appeared as divine intervention but slaughtered his enemies with the insanity of Lucifer himself. — And he was playing a violin.

You made your way downstairs and hurried yourself over to the Medbay. Eager to get a look at what you were hearing. The closer you got to the source, the more you recognized the tune. Without a shadow of a doubt what you were hearing was the blessed Songe d’Automne. You remember hearing it on an old edison cylinder that your teacher had back in grade school.

You peaked through the slightly ajar door. Your eyes on the tall silhouette that stood in the very center of his quarters. His lab coat and medipack were still on him despite it being after work hours. He held the violin against his chin and worked the bow flawlessly without a sheet. His doves watching him from above on various medical tech and the ceiling beams; some laid dormant and asleep whilst some were curiously bobbing their head towards his direction.

For a second, you didn’t want to disturb your own peace. Although Medic was dangerous and you didn’t even know if he was capable of empathy, he certainly conveyed a lot of emotion through that song. Particularly an inherent desire for a clearer mind. You began to wonder as you listened if he maybe overthought stuff, loved, and cried just like you did.

You opened the door to meet him and he slowly took his bow from the instrument. Evidently hearing your approach. He opened his eyes and stared you down for a moment.

“Yes?” He asked.

You didn’t quite know what to say to him. In all honesty, you were enjoying the music. It was helping you relax after a long stressful day. You rubbed your own arm with your other hand to convey your nervousness to him.

“Can you play some more? It makes me feel safe.” You say. You decide that if Medic is going to be difficult with his emotions then you won’t.

You hear a deafening silence for a second. Followed by a heavy sigh. He brought the bow back to the strings and kept playing. This gesture was telling whether he liked it or not. A heartless man would’ve simply insulted you and shooed you away.

You get up on the hospital bed and curl up for a bit. Allowing yourself peace in the dimly lit Medbay. Normally all sorts of shenanigans and chaos would happen around here but it was a house of healing all the same. Medic was capable of breaking every bone in the human body.. But also healing them. If Medic was such a heartless man — why take it upon himself to build something so passionate?

You find yourself nodding off at the indirect comfort he gave you. Drifting quickly into slumber as your body found relaxation. Whatever you were worrying about could wait. Your peace of mind was more important at this moment.

Then you wake up hours later..

With a blanket neatly laid upon your body.