#pro yrene

[reblogandlikes]

Is it a concern that I dislike characters I'm meant to cheer for, but adore/interested in the characters I'm meant to, by the narrative presented, hate? What is this rebellious gene? 🫠😂

Give me dynamic characters, and I'll eat that shit up. But a character that can do no wrong when they have, in fact, done many wrongs...Next.

[ruhnlidiasworld]

“Azriel can't have a book because SJM only have female protagonist”

Chaol Westfall somewhere in the MaasVerse:

[crazy-ache]

It's very, very interesting to me....

Tower of Dawn (September 5, 2017) and A Court of War and Ruin (May 2, 2017) were released in the same year, only months apart. So I don't think it's far-fetched to believe that there was an overlap in writing, plotting, and planning these books. When you really think about it, you can see many parallels that likely influenced each other.

Specifically Chaol/Yrene and Elain/Lucien.

Both books bring to light:

A soft FMC that does not want to be a warrior or wield a sword

A MMC that is dealing with feelings of guilt and worthlessness

"The world needs more healers." / "I think the world needs more gardens. "

Yrene's healing is a form of light / Lucien's parentage to the Day Court HL

A MMC that has been dealing with issues behind the scenes, separate from the main cast, but that significant work is revealed at a later time

FMCs that are living in a place they call home but aren't truly home

FMCs that try to avoid/maintain distance from the MMC due to prejudices in their heart that are related to the MMC but not directly caused by them (Chaol's identity vs Lucien's bond)

Both encompass a love story that is filled with tension, healing, and growth from both the male and female

And what I also take away from this...

SJM surprised her readers with ToD. Chaol was not mentioned at all in Empire of Storms, but she had always planned to bring him back into the story.

Could this have influenced the way she wrote Elucien in ACOWAR? I think so. She has put their relationship/development on the back burner since that book. There are clear parallels between the two ships, and I wouldn't be surprised if Chaolrene foreshadows a similar path for Elucien.

In terms of what their book will be like....but also how their book will come to be...

Meaning that just because Elain/Lucien were largely missing from ACOSF/HOFAS, she is likely taking her inspiration from ToD (which she was writing when she was in peak Elucien mode in ACOWAR)...and has been intentionally planning the timing of their story.

And just like she did with Chaol/Yrene, she'll pull them back into the story when you least expect it. After everything with Nesta/Az/Crossover....I think this means in this next book.

[azrielsbxtch]

Emperor and Empress of the Southern Continent 🏜️✨

Art by @madschofield on IG

[whatisamettafor]

Chaol, my love, my darling boy, and his wonderful, amazing wife.

[wingedblooms]

More precious than soldiers, than any weapon.

@silverlinedeyes’s post reminded me of one of my favorite revelations in tod. I discussed it in the witch series a while ago, but I’m talking about it again because the language is strikingly similar and could be relevant for Elain’s role in acotar. When Yrene and Chaol visit the Oasis, we learn this:

Yrene turned in place, surveying the pillars, the carvings. No caves—none at all. “Nousha knew the location, though,” she mused. “It must have been important—the site. To the Torre.”

“But its importance was forgotten over time, or warped. So that only the name, the sense of its importance remained.”

“Healers were always drawn to this realm, you know,” Yrene said distantly, running a hand over a column. “The land just … blessed them with the magic. More than any other kind. As if this were some breeding ground for healing.”

“Why?”

She traced a carving on a column longer than most ships. “Why does anything thrive? Plants grow best in certain conditions—those most advantageous to them.”

This land was important, but the reason why it important was warped or forgotten over time. Healers were drawn to it and the land blessed them with healing magic more than any kind. We know there is a deep connection between the magic in the land and the magic of those who inhabit and care for it across the Maasverse (and that was likely emphasized in hofas because it has implications for acotar). This description of the southern continent reminds me of the healing land in the Night Court, with its slumbering heart and its full history and purpose forgotten. The peaks like green hands cupping healing waters.

As their exploration continues in tod, Chaol begins to suspect that the Fae settled on the southern continent to hide something, a treasure of a different sort.

Chaol said, “I thought only one group of Fae ever left Doranelle—to establish Terrasen with Brannon.”

“Maybe another settled here during whatever this war was.” The first war. The first demon war, before Elena and Gavin were born, before Terrasen.

Chaol studied Yrene. Her bloodless face. “Or maybe they wanted to hide something.”

Yrene frowned at the ground as if she could see to the tombs beneath. “A treasure?”

“Of a different sort.”

She met his eyes at his tone—his stillness. And fear, cool and sharp, slid into his heart. Yrene said softly, “I don’t understand.”

“Fae magic is passed down through their bloodlines. It doesn’t appear at random. Perhaps these people came here. And then were forgotten by the world, forces good and evil. Perhaps they knew this place was far away enough to remain untouched. That wars would be waged elsewhere. By them.” He jerked his chin to a carving of a Valg soldier. “While the southern continent remained mostly mortal-held. While the seeds planted here by the Fae were bred into the human bloodlines and grew into a people gifted and prone to healing magic.”

“An interesting theory,” she said hoarsely, “but you don’t know if it could stand to reason.”

“If you wanted to hide something precious, wouldn’t you conceal it in plain sight? In a place where you were willing to bet a powerful force would spring up to defend it? Like an empire. Several of them. Whose walls had not been breached by outside conquerors for the entirety of its history. Who would see the value of its healers and think their gift was for one thing, but never know that it might be a treasure waiting to be used at another time. A weapon.”

“We do not kill.”

A treasure of a different sort. Or what one might call a different kind of strength.

Later, when Yrene and Chaol confront the Valg princess beneath the Torre, their suspicions are confirmed:

“Why are you here,” Yrene breathed. “What do you want?”

“You.”

Chaol’s heart stumbled at the word. Duva straightened. “The Dark King heard whispers. Whispers that a healer blessed with Silba’s gifts had entered the Torre. And it made him so very, very wary.”

“Because I can wipe you all out like the parasites you are?”

Chaol shot Yrene a warning glance.

But Duva plucked the dagger off her womb and studied the blade. “Why do you think Maeve has hoarded her healers, never allowing them to leave her patrolled borders? She knew we would return. She wanted to be ready—to protect herself. Her prized favorites, those Doranelle healers. Her secret army.” Duva hummed, motioning with the dagger to the necropolis. “How clever those Fae were, who escaped her clutches after the last war. They ran all the way here—the healers who knew their queen would keep them penned up like animals. And then they bred the magic into the land, into its people. Encouraged the right powers to rise up, to ensure this land would always be strong, defended. And then they vanished, taking their treasures and histories beneath the earth. Ensuring they were forgotten below, while their little garden was planted above.”

“Why,” was all Chaol said.

“To give those Maeve did not consider important a fighting chance should Erawan return.” Duva clicked her tongue. “So noble, those renegade Fae. And thus the Torre grew—and His Dark Majesty indeed rose again, and then fell, and then slept. And even he forgot what someone with the right gifts might do. But then he awoke once more. And he remembered the healers. So he made sure to purge the gifted ones from the northern lands.” A smile at Yrene, hateful and cold. “But it seems a little healer slipped the butcher’s block. And made it all the way to this city, with an empire to guard her.”

Yrene’s breathing was ragged. He saw the guilt and dread settle in. That in coming here, she had brought this upon them. Tumelun, Duva, the Torre, the khaganate.

But what Yrene did not realize, Chaol instead saw it for her. Saw it with the weight of a continent, a world, upon him. Saw what had terrified Erawan enough to dispatch one of his agents.

Because Yrene, ripe with power and facing down that preening Valg demon…

Hope.

It was hope that stood beside him, hidden and protected these years in this city, and in the years before it, spirited across the earth by the gods themselves, concealed from the forces poised to destroy her.

A kernel of hope.

The most dangerous of all weapons against Erawan, against the Valg’s ancient darkness.

What he had been brought here to retrieve for his homeland, his people. What he had been brought here to protect. More precious than soldiers, than any weapon. Their only shot at salvation.

Hope.

The ancient Fae planted a weapon of a different sort—healing magic—in plain sight so that it could be used to protect the most vulnerable from the Valg. They made sure the right powers would rise up and thrive under the right conditions, like plants in a little garden. It could be a coincidence, but we’ve only heard that phrase used elsewhere in reference to Elain:

The little garden beneath the window was hers: every bloom and shrub had been picked and planted by her hand; she would allow no one else to care for it. Even the weeding and watering she did on her own. (acotar)

"Why?" Elain demanded. "Shall I tend to my little garden forever?" When Nesta flinched, Elain said, "You can't have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater." (acosf)

It’s a dismissive phrase meant to belittle the efforts of both the ancient healers and Elain. But in tod, Chaol sees the importance of those efforts and what they ultimately represent for the future: Hope. Hope is more precious than soldiers, than any weapon. And in tod, Hope took the form of healing magic (and is generally connected to healing across the Maasverse). Yrene didn’t need extensive warrior training or to wield a sword; her raw healing power—a weapon of a different kind—was the sword.

Which ultimately brings me back to the questions Sarah planted in acosf. Why, exactly, were all of the Archeron sisters reforged with mighty powers? Why have they been brought to the most powerful court, surrounded by the most powerful warriors? What are they still meant to accomplish together?

We cannot answer those questions without understanding the mysterious gifts of the third sister. Elain has a different sort of strength than her sisters and for some reason, she was given such powers by Wyrd. Maybe her powers are a different kind of weapon that are needed now to address an ancient and familiar enemy. One that buried its secrets beneath the earth and warped the magic of the land to their benefit.

[shadowqueenjude]

Chaorene vs Feysand Pregnancy

A lot of people have pointed out that Feyre’s pregnancy trope is awful, but I haven’t seen anyone compare it to Yrene’s yet and I think it would help a lot of people understand the countless problems with it. First let’s discuss Yrene’s pregnancy: Yrene's baby was a regular human baby so it carried minimal risk to her life. Actually, she hid her pregnancy initially because she didn't want Chaol to worry, but clearly, the baby was entirely her choice. But even after Chaol found out, it didn't stop Yrene from healing a bunch of people on a daily basis, including removing Valg from human bodies. Chaol had an insane amount of faith in her, so much faith that even though he was worried as hell, he trusted Yrene to take on the DEMON KING Erawan which she did and won because she is a baddie. Even Lorcan points out that he's "not sure Yrene is human" because she's such a queen. Clearly, being pregnant didn't stop her from taking action. Now let's discuss Feyre's pregnancy: Feyre was complaining about being seen as a "trophy wife" by Tamlin (I just don't see this at all but go figure), yet after being constantly objectified by Rhysand, being sexually assaulted, and playing his whore, she finds herself a year later isolated from everybody, forced to walk around with a heavy shield and unable to go anywhere without heavy protection, forced to hide her pregnancy from everyone until it was "deemed safe," and she was unaware of the fact that her baby will most likely kill her. Rhysand threatened Nesta into not telling and when she did tell her (as was in her right), he nearly killed her. Not to mention Rhysand was acting like a possessive asshole, antagonizing everybody who got anywhere near her. But canonically, Feyre is very powerful. So why the hell doesn't he trust her? Why does he isolate her? Yet I see Chaol get an insane amount of hate from this fandom and Rhysand doesn't get nearly enough. Yrene's pregnancy is inspiring. Feyre's pregnancy is the upholding of toxic masculinity and underlies the major problems with pro-choice advocacy. It's amazing that both are written by the same author. But it shows that SJM is capable of writing a proper story if she actually tries.

[silly--fangirl]

no, defending my favs on the internet is not enough

i need a gun

[ennawrite]

“four books of buildup” doesn’t really mean much to me when SJM’s best couple (Chaol x Yrene) had ONE book of buildup 🙏

(also, her second best couple (Nesryn x Sartaq) was formed in half of that time so i don’t think books of “buildup” is all that important to Mrs. Maas 🤣)

[tilseptemberends]

Whenever I see Elain and Lucien compared to Yrene and Chaol my soul feels lighter.

It gives me hope that SJM could make another Tower of Dawn for Elucien instead of another Silver Flames incident...

[thenovocianelullaby]

now that i have finished the sjm universe, here are my official favorite characters

acotar

Lucien - no one can make me hate this man i have been there from day 1! i thought he was the most charming and funny character in acotar and i have come to love him more as the series progresses. i think that he is a complex character and somehow the character that makes me feel the most (elucien book will be the death of me) and as i have said before… i don’t even want him to end up with elain or anyone else, I WANT HIM FOR MYSELF!

Nesta- i used to hate nesta and i dreaded reading her book, and then i read it, and i have never seen myself in a character more. i would, im not joking, die for nesta. talk about complex character. i have nothing else to say i love her.

tog

Yrene- i LOVE the way sjm writes mothers (some) but i love the fact the yrene being pregnant did not stop her from ANYTHING. she saved the whole world so that her child and her family could have the future they deserve, the better future that was hoped for by each character. Yrene also made me fall in love with chaol in TOD. yrene is a powerful woman in every sense, from innish to orynth… i loved her

fenrys- he gave a lucien vibe and had some witty little comments throughout the book that i loved. but the emotions that radiated off him after his brother and what him and aelin went through… my heart breaks for him.

aelin- yes she is the FMC but.. oh my god. TALK ABOUT COMPLEX! i cant even put into words how how much i loved her. that is all i can say.

CC

Tharion- again lucien vibes. he is funny and charming and genuinely made me smile each time he was on the page. i felt so conflicted when he started self sabotaging to the highest degree, but i still found myself wanting him to get through and be happy. this boy is an idiot but hes my idiot.

baxian- i.. want.. NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS FOR HIM! i just.. i want him to be happy

Ember- i want her to be my mother? again love the way that sjm writes moms and the fierceness that ember loves her family. i think you can especially see this in the bonus chapter with my girl nesta

[huntquinlan]

there is something so powerful about elain being the sister one who’s been set opposite of koschei. how better to combat a cruel death god than with kindness, compassion? anger begets war which begets death. but elain’s kindness. her kindness begets gardens which beget life. she was so right. the world needs more gardens.

[the-darkestminds]

I feel like people who despise Chaol lack perspective, and empathy. It’s important to understand just how insanely miserable Chaol is in Queen of Shadows. He lives in a constant state of pain and stress and worry over all of his failures, the biggest being Dorian. He feels like he has lost everything and he hates himself so much. So of course he’s going to lash out at people. Try to lessen the burden of his guilt by placing the blame on Aelin. Chaol is flawed and imperfect and human. He’s in a terrible place, emotionally. He blames himself for what happened to Dorian. Does he not deserve a little compassion?

[olenvasynyt]

Okay...I have been writing out this video I'm planning on making and I've been looking up quotes in TOD to compare with Lucien and Elain and aghhhhhhhh!!!

Spoilers for TOD:

The letter Aelin gave Yrene said "The world needs more healers", and that letter and the gift she gave her led her to Chaol, essentially.

For wherever you go--and then some. The world needs more healers. There, in her handwriting... Chaol looked up at last, blinking away tears as he scanned his wife's face. Every beautiful line, those golden eyes. A gift.

And Elain said the world needs more gardens.

"I would like to build a garden," she declared. "After all of this...I think the world needs more gardens."

And I totally think that will lead her to Lucien, given all of the plots surrounding them, the struggles they have that's similar to Chaol and Yrene...

[stargirlie25]

Cardan greenbrair🤝 Jacks🤝 Dante santos🤝 Aaron warner🤝Damon torrance🤝 Eris vanserra🤝  Chaol Westfall 🤝All being our favorite problematic boysies 

[lesolehabitantdelalune]

Elriel & Chaolrene Parallels

I don’t remember if @merymoonbeam posted these yet on her Elriel x SJM Couples thread, but my amazing friend @/Lda9090 on tiktok posted these parallels between Elriel and Chaolrene, and I couldn’t resist but post here too!

Spoilers for ToD