deeaselriel

[deeaselriel]

I’m taking a break… the bullying against Elriels is just too much to handle for me right now. Once again, I get threats for speaking about canon scenes y’all. Can you believe it… they attack me, I defend myself, and in the end, they show me their worst. There’s no space for me, no space for Elriels…

#Elriel

[deeaselriel]

A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes I screamed aloud as it tore through them and now it’s left me blind

–

I took the stars from my eyes and then I made a map And knew that somehow, I could find my way back And I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness, too So I stayed in the darkness with you

[deeaselriel]

I’m like so sure they’re actually TRUE MATES and I’m screaming about it for a long time now. 😂🥺🌸🦇

What if Elain and Azriel are mates?

I know it sounds crazy, but bare with me.

In the Throne of Glass series, Rowan was convinced from the moment he first laid eyes on Lyria that she was his mate. He believed that for centuries and every day since, even after falling in love with Aelin.

However, in the end, it was all a trick orchestrated by Maeve to turn him into her servant. What if that’s what went on with Lucien, Elain and The King of Hybern.

What if the King of Hybern (who we all know is NOT an idiot) saw how faltering Lucien’s loyalty to Tamlin was becoming and how dangerous that could be to him during the war, but couldn’t risk killing Lucien and ruining the alliance with Tamlin and The Spring Court. So, as a way to ensure Lucien’s loyalty, he tricked him into believing that Elain was his mate, because he never expected her to get away with the rest of The Court of Dreams at the end of ACOMAF. He expected to have Elain locked away at his side (as she temporarily is in ACOWAR) with Lucien right there, ready to do anything for The King as long as he didn’t harm her.

The King of Hybern had The Cauldron. He broke an unbreakable bond, turned humans into high fae, destroyed the entire wall in the blink of an eye and he almost cleaved the world apart with it. Creating an elaborate illusion is certainly not beyond him.

It would also explain why Lucien, despite always being concerned with Elian’s safety, wasn’t hesitant about leaving her at The Night Court when he left for The Continent. In fact, when he returned, he didn’t even ask about her or try and find her in the middle of a deadly battle where she could be in serious harm. In fact, Elain shows little to no interest in him at all. She is simply indifferent to him.

If Lucien was not Elain’s mate but Azriel was, it would also explain why Azriel was so quick to take a liking to her. He was supposedly in love with Mor for five hundred years, but if both Elain and Mor were in the same room, his attention would always be directed towards Elain. Even Mor noticed it and pointed it out herself.

Elain trusted Azriel enough to not fear him, even though she knew exactly what and who he was, and exactly how dangerous he could be. She was never scared of him. Oh, and here’s the real kicker, Azriel gave her Turthteller. Remember, that weapon that he has never so much as let anyone touch, not even his high lord, not even his brothers or the woman he supposedly loves? He handed it over to her despite barely knowing her.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I find Azriel and Elain as a couple makes more sense to me then Elain and Lucien together, and perhaps I think Azriel and Elain have much better chemistry. However, there were way too many hints and clues pointing towards Elriel, and we all know SJMaas does not just do that for no reason. They could be each other’s temporary romantic interest, but they’ve both had they’re hearts broken by the person they believed they were meant to be with.

So maybe this isn’t a crazy theory, and maybe they are mates. We’ll just have to wait and see.

#elriel #pro elriel #elriel endgame #elriel supremacy #elain archeron #pro elain archeron #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #pro azriel #azriel supremacy #acotar

[deeaselriel]

Elain’s Lack of Development and The Next Book

I find all the posts and comments I see about how Elain’s book can’t be next because she’s not developed enough really interesting if perplexing. I don’t think this is the case at all for several reasons.

1. A character doesn’t have to be developed to be a main character. Indeed, stand-alone books always feature a character who is completely undeveloped as the main character (because we haven’t met them yet)!

2. SJM appears to have purposefully given Elain little page time in ACOSF, presumably to keep a lot of her thoughts and who she is a mystery until we get her book. That’s what makes her exciting as a main character—that we don’t really know her yet. If we did already know her well, and she’s already had a prevalent arc, that would take away from her story in her book. The whole point is that we get to really learn about who Elain is in HER story, not someone else’s.

3. If gwynriel’s book is next, Elain isn’t going to get significantly more development in the next book. Gwyn has never met Elain, so there is no reason for Elain to have page time with gwyn. And things with Elain and azriel presumably will have ended (badly, or at least not comfortably), so it seems she wouldn’t get page time in azriel’s POV either. Instead, she’ll likely leave the night court and develop off the page (presumably with Lucien).

4. What we saw of Elain in ACOSF suggests her book is next. We saw Elain start to stand up to Nesta for the first time, suggesting that Elain is ready to come into her own. SJM reminded the reader of Elain’s trauma and that she is still healing from that when Elain confronted Nesta about how Nesta has used Elain’s trauma. Cassian questioned the existence and extent of Elain’s powers several times, reminding the reader that we have a lot to learn about her powers. Several characters started to realize that there is more to Elain than they realized. And we saw that Elain has learned to be stealthy and to keep secrets. All of this seems to be setting the stage for Elain’s book.

And one final point. From a plot standpoint, I’m not really sure what Gwynriel brings to the story. More Valkyrie training, which we already got an entire book of? More Valkyrie bonding, which we already got an entire book of? An Illyrian plotline, even though that’s not connected to Koschei at all, and would seem to center Gwyn in a story that doesn’t involve her? A possible love triangle between Elain Az and Gwyn that results in either Elain or Az being rejected AGAIN? I guess an autumn court plotline if Gwyn is related to Lucien or Eris in some way (and that somehow comes to light)? I just don’t see how any of this moves the Koschei plotline forward, and it seems like more of the same to what we’ve already had in ACOSF. It was fun the first time, but I’m not sure it would be so fun the second time.

Meanwhile, an Elriel book allows us to explore different parts of the world to look for the fourth trove. It allows Elain to explore her powers as a seer and whatever other powers she has. We will get to see a new female friendship (Elain and Nuala and Cerridwen) and explore that, along with who Nuala and Cerridwen are and what their powers and backstory are. We will get to see a different kind of strength and power explored—not fighting, but spying and shadow work and stealth. We will learn a lot more about Koschei. We might get the blood dual. We’d get a mating bond rejection, which while painful for everyone involved will be interesting to explore (and we know Lucien will get his happy ending later). And we’ll get a second showdown with Koschei (and presumably see him set free to set up for ACOTAR 6 😱).

The latter sounds like a much more interesting story to me, and is much more connected to the overarching Koschei plot 🤷‍♀️

[deeaselriel]

when I tell you I have been searching through the shadows and trove for this fanart😤

credit to porcelain_art back in like 2017?? 2018??

[deeaselriel]

Sweaty Shadowsinger

[deeaselriel]

The Night Court IC in Velaris vs. Hewn City 🥰😠🥰😠 (There’s got to be other dreamers in the Hewn City, right?! Freedom, sunlight and therapy to the forgotten mountain-dwelling dreamers please!)

[deeaselriel]

So the minute we read Azriel’s bonus chapter and finally get in his head and his pov…that’s when he becomes out of character??

Please be serious. We never had his pov. He barely spoke two sentences together. But the second it’s confirmed he wants Elain and desires her romantically and sexually that’s when you decide he’s out of character lol?.

You convinced yourselves that he never wanted Elain. You “interpreted” every interaction between them as a “sibling” vibes. That he was only being “nice” and didn’t actually care about her in a romantic sense.

And when it was finally confirmed that what elriels had been saying all along was the truth and that Elain and Azriel were attracted to each other and wanted each other sexually and romantically…suddenly it’s out of character?

What would be out OOC at this point would be Elain suddenly wanting Lucien, when she’s clearly avoided him and has been uncomfortable around him for multiple books. What would be OOC is for Azriel to switch from Elain to Gwyn in a single night, when he spent 500 years obsessed over Mor and didn’t stop obsessing until he met Elain (not Gwyn). Forget Azriel supposedly saving his “mate” Gwyn, falling for and obsessing over Elain (the first woman to actually get him over Mor). Like what kind of mate bond is this? That Azriel is obsessed over two females who aren’t Gwyn?

That’s not romance. That’s not how Sarah writes romances. She never would have written a bonus that was supposed to signal the building romance and next couple of ACOTAR by having him obsessing, desiring, and tormented over the thoughts of another woman.

[deeaselriel]

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 togheter.

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.

[deeaselriel]

Gwyn is a Lightsinger Part II: The Bonus Chapter

This post is a follow-up to this one, and is an in-depth analysis of every part of the bonus chapter that I think *might* be a hint that Gwyn is a lightsinger. I realize that some of this analysis might be a stretch, but I’m putting it all out there in this post. This post also includes a few crack theories, just FYI 🤣. Regardless, I believe Sarah might have put the scene with Gwyn in the bonus to plant more seeds that Gwyn is a lightsinger, and also to foreshadow for the reader that Gwyn and Az’s connection in the next book is going to be related to this (and not in a romantic way). (NB: **I fully recognize that this scene also might be hinting at Gwynriel as endgame, and that my theory about this scene might be wrong.)

I will also be explaining how I think the bonus chapter shows that Gwyn lured Azriel with her powers.

As usual, if the Gwyn lightsinger theory isn’t your thing, please scroll past.

💡The scene starts with Az leaving the River House and going to the roof of the House of Wind to get away, but he encounters something unexpected when he gets there:

Gwyn is on the roof, but his shadows for some reason didn’t warn him she was there. He points this out because it’s odd to him—they must typically warn him of these things. So why didn’t they? I think there are two possible explanations:

They didn’t sense her because her lightsinger powers shield her from them; or

She wasn’t there before, and has just arrived. Cassian tells us that lightsingers appear when you are lost, and they appear as friendly faces. Azriel at this moment is very lost—he has just hurt Elain, and his brother and high lord has told him he must stay away from her. So what if (and this is a complete crack theory) Gwyn appeared on the roof right before Az got there because he was lost?

💡When he and Gwyn start talking, we see that his shadows are very curious about her:

It seems like this might be because she’s a lightsinger and they are drawn to her, or interested in her power. And she also smiles at the shadows—is this because she recognizes something in them too, a connection to them because of her power? Or is it possible she recognizes she can lure them or control them too?

💡Then we see his shadows react to her further:

One of Azriel’s shadows darts out to dance with Gwyn’s breath “like it heard some silent music.” So I think his shadows *did* hear some silent music. In fact, this bonus scene makes me suspect that Gwyn can emit silent music that lures people or things, and that she doesn’t have to be singing outloud to use her powers. Indeed, his shadows seem drawn to Gwyn, or maybe even lured by her, when they dart out to dance with her breath.

💡Later in the scene, we get this exchange:

First, it’s interesting that her hair is described as “shining like molten metal” here. I think this suggests that she is using her powers at this point. In ACOWAR, Lucien is described the same way at one point when his temper rises, almost like his power was rising in him.

Anyways, back to the bonus. So Gwyn asks Azriel if he sings, and she points out that he’s a shadowsinger and asks if that’s because he sings.

We all know Azriel is a shadowsinger, so at first glance this exchange seems odd. But I think the whole point of this exchange was for the reader—to remind us that Azriel is a shadowsinger, and that there are capital-S singers in this world. And that there might be a connection between his powers and singing. And, if you were paying close attention during ACOSF, it might remind you of another capital-S singer we learned of—lightsingers. LIGHTsingers. Whose powers might have a connection to singing and light. Sound like anyone we know?

So I think sarah might have put this exchange about singing into the bonus specifically to make the reader think about capital-S Singers and lightsingers in particular, to help the reader realize that Gwyn is in fact a capital-S singer too—she’s a lightsinger.

💡Az then proceeds to train Gwyn to help her cut the ribbon, and after she makes a joke about Cassian and Nesta, she smiles at him and thanks him, to which he reacts:

Something restless in him settles, and even his shadows calmed. Now of course this could be because training Gwyn and her irreverence have made him calm down. But I think it’s also possible she has lured him and his shadows to relax here. And that’s why his shadows are content to lounge on his shoulders and watch her—because they’re entranced (literally).

💡Azriel leaves shortly thereafter, and as he’s leaving, this occurs:

He could have sworn a faint, beautiful singing followed him, and that his shadows sang in answer. Azriel isn’t sure he even hears this music, which to me suggests it again might be silent music that he can only sense because he’s a shadowsinger, which allows him to hear things others cant. Is this another hint that gwyn can emit silent music and use her powers that way? Is she using her powers on Az and his shadows in this moment?

And here’s another crack (and I mean CRACK) theory: did Gwyn lure Az’s shadows to retrieve the necklace from Elain? If she (or whoever is controlling or manipulating her) wants the necklace, I could see a world in which this happened, though of course it seems much more likely that Elain returned the necklace because she felt hurt and rejected.

💡The next day Az spends the whole day intending to return the necklace.

The use of passive language here is interesting. He “found” himself at the library, almost as if he didn’t actively choose to go there, but instead was drawn or lured there. And he finds himself there at 7. Why did sarah tell us the time here of all places? Because the time matters. And that just so happens to be the time the priestesses started singing in chapter 52 (which would occur just before 7 here because the sun sets earliest on solstice). So gwyn would have started singing just before Azriel found himself at the library.

This seems like a big hint that he was lured there by gwyn’s singing.

💡After he arrives at the library, he asks Clotho to give Gwyn the necklace, and the scene closes with this:

We have a lot of language suggesting lightsingers here. Something “sparked” in azriel’s chest. How Gwyn’s eyes might “light” upon seeing the necklace. The image “glowed” quietly deep inside him. Did sarah specifically choose these words to hint to us that Gwyn has lured him? Does the image “glow” because a lightsinger lured him into seeing the image?

I also think it’s important that he sees an “image” here. If you read part one, you’ll know that SJM uses the word “summon” to describe Gwyn’s singing. And here are the definitions of “summon”:

“To call an image to mind.” So did Gwyn summon this image to Azriel’s mind and cause him to see it, just like she appears to have summoned the vision of the harp to Nesta’s mind?

And again, we have passive language. “For whatever reason...he could see it.” He doesn’t understand why this image popped into his head or where it came from. And it seems to me that’s because the image was PUT in his head—he was lured into seeing it. So he doesn’t understand why it popped into his head because he didn’t think of it himself.

Finally, we have the last line. A thing of secret, lovely beauty. When Nesta first meets gwyn, she describes her as having a secret beneath her pretty face. Is this a nod to that line, and Gwyn’s secret—that she’s a lightsinger? And her secret, lovely beauty comes from her being a lightsinger?

So what does this mean?

If this theory is right, and Gwyn did lure Az into bringing her the necklace, I’m not sure why Gwyn lured him there.

Was it accidental because she doesn’t know she is a lightsinger?

If it was purposeful, did someone make gwyn lure him?

And is there a reason she or they want the necklace?

Finally, is Koschei involved in this? And is he going to use Gwyn to try to lure Az to him, since it seem that Koschei wants Az (maybe to find the fourth trove that’s hidden in the shadows?)?

[deeaselriel]

Gwyn is a Lightsinger Part I: ACOSF Proper

Before I start, a bit of a caveat: this post is based on the theory that Gwyn is a lightsinger. I have made several previous posts about this, which you can read here, here, and here (among others) if you haven’t already. I fully recognize that this is just a theory, and I might be totally wrong! And I also recognize that some of these interpretations are crack theories, and might not be correct interpretations of the text. Indeed, many of these passages have innocuous explanations too. But I’m interpreting these scenes under the guise of Gwyn being a lightsinger. If she’s not a lightsinger, then of course these interpretations are wrong.

Another caveat: I don’t think Gwyn will be evil. I could see her being a lightsinger going several different ways. For example, I could see Azriel training her to use her powers, which will allow us to learn organically about his powers. I can also see a world in which Koschei is manipulating or controlling Gwyn to get to Azriel. But in this scenario, I fully believe that Gwyn will break the spell or stop it before it’s too late, and redeem herself.

But ultimately, I do think there is a lot of evidence that suggests Gwyn is a lightsinger, so I at this point think there’s a good chance of it being true, and it will clearly be important to the plot of the next book in some way. This post is about analyzing that evidence. I’m not going to get into any theories here about how I think Gwyn being a lightsinger might come into play in future books, or if Gwyn is even aware of her powers.

Also, this post is long!! Sorry!! But it analyzes every piece of evidence I have found in ACOSF proper that suggests gwyn might be a lightsinger, or that I think might be related to her lightsinger powers.

Anyways, if the Gwyn lightsinger theory isn’t your thing, just scroll past.

💡Before we get into the passages that I think might be hinting at or related to Gwyn being a lightsinger, let’s briefly discuss what a lightsinger is.

When Cassian and Nesta are going to the bog of Oorid, Cassian describes two creatures who live there to Nesta: kelpies and lightsingers. Of course, we meet a kelpie in Oorid, but we do not meet a lightsinger. This is important. SJM is not like GRRM in her worldbuilding. Typically she does not mention things in the world unless they are going to be important or come back up. So the fact that we learn about lightsingers is a really big hint that we’re going to meet one at some point.

And here’s what Cassian says about lightsingers:

“There are lightsingers: lovely, ethereal beings who will lure you, appearing as friendly faces when you are lost. Only when you’re in their arms will you see their true faces, and they aren’t fair at all. The horror of it is the last thing you see before they drown you in the bog. But they kill for sport, not food.”

So we know that lightsingers appear lovely and as friendly faces when someone is lost; they lure you; they have a true face that isn’t fair at all; and they kill for sport not food.

Also, just as background and context for what I’m going to discuss, here is the definition of “lure”:

So to “lure” means to tempt someone into doing something or going somewhere, and it’s synonyms include “entice,” “seduce,” “bewitch,” “ensnare,” “captivate,” and “draw.” As I think you’ll see, SJM uses some of these words to describe Gwyn’s song. And I think it’s also interesting that a lot of the synonyms of “lure” have a magical element or a bewitching element.

I think it’s important to note that Cassian appears to be speaking of the legends of lightsingers, and it’s possible that not all of this is true about all lightsingers. And it also is very possible there is more to lightsingers that Cassian doesn’t know.

I also want to briefly talk about the name “lightsinger.” As Cassian describes them, lightsingers sound a lot like sirens, which appeared as beautiful women to sailors and lured them with their songs before killing them. But SJM didn’t call them sirens. She called them lightsingers. LIGHTsingers. This suggests to be that a lightsinger’s power is likely connected to singing and light, or maybe lightsingers can call to and manipulate the light like shadowsingers can shadows.

With that in mind, let’s look at the hints in the text about Gwyn.

💡We first meet Gwyn when she appears to Nesta in the library. Nesta is at quite a low at this point. She has convinced herself she is a monster; she is barely speaking with Cassian; and she is refusing to eat what the house provides her. She seems quite lost. And at this moment, Gwyn appears. When Nesta first sees her, this is part of what she describes:

High Fae, and yet … Nesta couldn’t explain the way she sensed that there was something else mixed into her. Some secret beneath the pretty face.

Nesta senses something different within Gwyn, that she’s something other than a high fae. I think that this “something else” is that Gwyn is a lightsinger. And the “secret beneath her pretty face” is hinting at Gwyn’s secret heritage and also the face that Gwyn might have an actual secret beneath her pretty face—a lightsinger form.

💡Nesta and Gwyn have a conversation, and at one point Nesta observes:

The priestess drew up to her full height, which was slightly taller than average for Fae females. A crackling sort of energy buzzed around her, and Nesta’s power grumbled in answer.

Nesta notes that Gwyn is taller than average, maybe because of her lightsinger heritage?

And then Nesta describes that a “crackling sort of energy buzzed around [Gwyn], and Nesta’s power grumbled in answer.” This line clearly hints that Gwyn has some sort of power, and the use of the world “crackling” brings lightning and electricity and fire to mind, all things which are related to light. And the fact that Nesta’s power grumbles in answer suggests that it recognizes the power in Gwyn, and maybe sees her as a threat. I certainly think this means that Gwyn is quite powerful for Nesta’s power to react like that.

💡While Gwyn and Nesta are speaking, two priestesses appear to be watching from the floor above.

Gwyn tracked the focus of her attention. “That’s Roslin and Deirdre.” “How can you tell?” With their hoods on, they appeared nearly identical save for their hands. “Their scents,” Gwyn said simply, and turned to the books she’d left on the cart.

This is a crack theory, but how in the hell can Gwyn smell the priestesses a floor above enough to identify them? I think Gwyn might have better smell than average high fae because of her lightsinger blood.

💡When they’re done talking, Nesta says that Gwyn disappears, and she notes:

Quiet settled around her, as if Gwyn had been a summer storm that blew in and evaporated within a moment. Sighing, Nesta gathered the books Gwyn had left on the cart.

I just thought this imagery was interesting. Lightsingers appear when you’re lost. And how Nesta describes Gwyn here, as if she was a summer storm that just blew in and evaporated, suggests to me that Gwyn just appeared and disappeared at will. It’s almost like Nesta wonders if Gwyn was a dream. And maybe she did just appear when Nesta was lost and needed her, and then she disappeared when their conversation was done.

💡In a later scene, the scene when Gwyn tells Nesta that she can’t find a book for Merrill, Nesta is in the library when Gwyn appears again:

Nesta pivoted to discover Gwyn striding swiftly toward her, arms laden with books and coppery hair shimmering in the dim light.

Gwyn’s hair might be shimmering here because of the light, but I also wonder if her hair is shimmering because Gwyn is using her powers here, and that she lures Nesta into helping find the book for Merrill:

Nesta didn’t know why she did it. Why she waited until no one was around before she said into the hushed air of the library, “Can you do me a favor?”

This language is very passive—“Nesta didn’t know why she did it.” This made me wonder if Nesta actually doesn’t know why she did it, because she was lured into doing it by Gwyn. This language also seems similar to the language in the last few paragraphs of the bonus chapter, when Azriel found himself at the library, and “for whatever reason...he could see [the image of Gwyn].”

💡After Nesta takes the book to Merrill, she goes to find Gwyn:

Across the hushed, cavernous space, it was easy to hear Gwyn’s soft singing as she flitted from table to table, looking at the piles of discarded books. Trying desperately to find the missing tome. The words of Gwyn’s merry song were in a language Nesta didn’t know, but for a heartbeat, Nesta allowed herself to listen—to savor the pure, sweet voice that rose and fell with sinuous ease. Gwyn’s hair seemed to glow brighter with her song, skin radiating a beckoning light. Drawing any listener in. But Merrill’s warning clanged through the beauty of Gwyn’s voice, and Nesta cleared her throat. Gwyn whirled toward her, glow fading even as her freckled face lit with surprise. “Hello again,” she said.

This is the first scene we get that has overt lightsinger hints. As Gwyn sings, her hair “glows brighter” and her skin “radiat[es] a beckoning light.” Gwyn glows when she sings. And that light beckons, “drawing any listener in.”

As we know from above, “draw” is a synonym of “lure.” And here are the definitions of “beckon”:

So “beckon” means to encourage someone to come near, or to summon them. Like Gwyn is calling to Nesta to come near, or enticing her. And “lure” is one of its synonyms, of course harkening back to cassian’s original description of lightsingers.

Then, when Gwyn stops singing, her glow fades. So the glowing is connected to her singing.

💡We have another scene where Gwyn sings when Nesta goes to the library one day after she learns about the Dread Trove:

“What do you know of the Dread Trove?” “The what?” Gwyn turned from the desk where Nesta had found the priestess singing softly to herself, situated just outside Merrill’s shut office door. “The Dread Trove,” Nesta said, wincing at her sore body’s protestations as she took a seat on the edge of Gwyn’s desk. “Three ancient artifacts …”

...

She didn’t mention Queen Briallyn, or Koschei, or the Cauldron. Only that the Trove must be found quickly. And that Gwyn should not mention it to anyone. Nesta supposed that in doing so, she directly disobeyed Rhys’s order for silence, but … to hell with him. When she was done, Gwyn was wide-eyed, her face so pale that her freckles stood out in stark relief. “And you must find it?”

Nesta comes upon Gwyn when she is singing, and she immediately proceeds to tell Gwyn about the Dread Trove after Rhys expressly told Nesta she couldn’t tell anyone about it. While there’s no mention of Gwyn glowing here, I can’t help but wonder if Gwyn lured Nesta into telling her about the Trove here. And that’s why Nesta disobeyed Rhys’s order without hesitation.

💡Gwyn eventually explains her heritage to Nesta (or what Gwyn believes is her heritage). But this description appears to have several hints that Gwyn might be a lightsinger.

“My grandmother was a river-nymph who seduced a High Fae male from the Autumn Court. So I’m a quarter nymph, but it’s enough for this.” Gwyn gestured to her large eyes—blue so clear it could have been the shallow sea—and her lithe body. “My bones are slightly more pliant than ordinary High Fae’s, but who cares about that?”

Gwyn tells Nesta that her grandmother was a river nymph who seduced a High Fae from Autumn. But is it possible that Gwyn’s grandmother was actually a lightsinger, and that she lured Gwyn’s grandfather rather than just seduced him? I do think it’s not a coincidence that one of the synonyms of “lure” is “seduce.” So lightsingers likely can seduce others.

Then there are Gwyn’s eyes. It’s interesting because the water wraiths we’ve met do not have teal eyes, but black eyes. Could Gwyn’s eyes also be a part of her lightsinger heritage?

And finally, Gwyn utters this seemingly random fact about her pliable bones. While this seems random, I think her bones might be more pliant so that she can shift into her siren or lightsinger form.

💡Then we have Chapter 52, when Nesta attends the singing service. This scene is full of hints that suggest Gwyn is a lightsinger:

Nesta could only gape at the lovely melody, the voices from the front of the cavern leading it, lifting higher than the others. Gwyn sang, chin high, a faint glow seeming to radiate from her. The music was pure, ancient, by turns whispering and bold, one moment like a tendril of mist, the next like a gilded ray of light. It finished, and Merrill spoke about the Mother and the Cauldron and the land and sun and water. She spoke of blessings and dreams and hope. Of mercy and love and growth. Nesta half-heard it, waiting for the sound, the perfect, beautiful sound, to begin again. Gwyn seemed to be shimmering with pride and contentedness.

Again, more light and glowing as Gwyn sings. A glow radiates from Gwyn when she sings, and she shimmers with pride and contentedness.

Gwyn’s voice soared like a bird through the cavern as she started the third song with a solo, and Nesta closed her eyes, leaning into the music, shutting out one sense in order to luxuriate in the sound of her friend. Something beckoned in Gwyn’s song, in a way the others’ hadn’t. Like Gwyn was calling only to her, her voice full of sunshine and joy and unshakable determination. Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn’s—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn that she couldn’t quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world.

And again, Gwyn’s song is described as luring. Something “beckoned” in her song, like Gwyn was “calling only to Nesta.” Again with the use of “beckoning,” a synonym of “lure”.

Gwyn’s voice rose again, holding such a high note it was like a ray of pure light, piercing and summoning. Two other voices rolled in to join, pulsing around that repeated high note, the harp still strumming, voices whispering and flowing, lulling Nesta down, down, down into a pure, ancient place where no outside world existed, no time, nothing but the music in her bones, the stones at her feet, her side, overhead. The music took form behind Nesta’s eyes as the priestesses sang lyrics in languages so old, no one voiced them anymore. She saw what the song spoke of: mossy earth and golden sun, clear rivers and the deep shadows of an ancient forest. The harp strummed, and mountains rolled ahead, as if a veil had been cleared with the stroke of those strings, and she was flying toward it—toward a massive, mist-veiled mountain, the land barren save for moss and stones and a gray, stormy sea around it. The mountain itself held two peaks at its very top, and the stones jutting from its sides were carved in strange, ancient symbols, as old as the song itself.

And more light and luring language. Gwyn’s voice is like a ray of “pure light” piercing and “summoning.” And in this part of the scene, Nesta does appear to be lured by the song. It “lulls” her down deep into an ancient place where Nesta sees a vision.

And the choice of the word “summoning” here is an interesting one. Here are the definitions of “summon”:

Summon means “to call an image to mind”. And here, Nesta is seeing images. So it appears that Gwyn has summoned these images in Nesta’s mind, and caused her to have this vision.

And “lull” means:

I think SJM is using the term “lull” a little more broadly here than these definitions suggest, though. I think lull here means more like “send”, so like how “lull” means to send to sleep, but with a bewitching or entrancing aspect, here Gwyn and her music is sending or entrancing Nesta down into her mind to have this vision.

Nesta’s body melted away, her bones and the stones of the cavern a distant memory as she flowed into the mountain, beheld towering, carved gates, and passed through them into a darkness so complete it was primordial; darkness that was full of living things, terrible things. A path led into the dark, and she followed it, past doors with no handles, sealed forever. She felt horrors lurk behind those doors, one horror greater than the others—a being of mist and hatred—but the song led her past them all, invisible and unmarked. This place was utterly lethal. A place of suffering and rage and death. Her very soul quaked to wander its halls. And even though she had passed by the door keeping her safe from that one being more horrible than all the rest … she knew it watched her. She refused to look back, to acknowledge it. So Nesta drifted down and down, the harp and the voices pulsing and guiding, until she stopped before a rock.

That vision continues above, and Nesta notes that she is “guided” in the vision by the harp and the voices. Again, a suggestion that the song is controlling this vision and Nesta’s journey in it.

There, in the center of the chamber, sat a small, golden harp. Cold leached through Nesta, clarifying her thoughts enough to realize where she stood. That the music of the priestesses had lulled her into a trance, that her own bones and the stone of the mountain surrounding her had been her scrying tools, and she had drifted to this place … The Harp gleamed in the darkness, as if it possessed its own sun within the metal and strings. Play me, it seemed to whisper. Let me sing again. Join your voice with mine. Her hand reached toward the strings. Yes. The Harp sighed, a low purr rolling off it as Nesta’s hand neared. We shall open doors and pathways; we shall move through space and eons together. Our music will free us of earthly rules and borders. Yes. She’d play the Harp, and there would be nothing but music until the stars died out. Play. I have so long wished to play, it said, and she could have sworn she heard a smile within the sound. What might my song unlock in here? A cold, humorless laugh skittered along Nesta’s bones. It sang again, Play, play— The song halted, and the vision shattered.

This passage confirms again that the music has “lulled” Nesta into having this vision. And when the song stops, the vision shatters with it.

I don’t really know how you can read Chapter 52 and not come away convinced that Gwyn is a lightsinger, and that she lured Nesta into having a vision of the harp. It is the strongest evidence of the lightsinger theory, and I’m not sure what other explanation of Gwyn’s powers, or of what happens in Chapter 52, that there might be.

💡And finally, there is one last scene that I think hints at Gwyn being a lightsinger in ACOSF. It takes place during the blood rite, when Emerie and Nesta are asking Gwyn how she survived:

“How’d you avoid the creatures climbing up to eat you?” Emerie asked Gwyn, who was wedged between her and Nesta. “They were pulling Illyrians off the branches like apples.” “Maybe because I don’t smell like an Illyrian,” Gwyn said, frowning at her clothes. “Despite these.” She nodded to Nesta. “You don’t, either. If we’re lucky, our scents will mask Emerie’s.”

What if the creatures climbing the trees avoided Gwyn because she smells like a lightsinger, a creature that the creatures in the trees would fear? Ultimately, I just think that part of the reason Gwyn was able to survive the blood rite for two days until Nesta and Emerie found her is because she’s a lightsinger.

[deeaselriel]

they're still not gone.

[deeaselriel]

Light upon-Lightsinger theory

if you don't like the lightsinger theory...scroll past. bye.

so awhile back I made a post about the "glowed quietly" part in the Azriel's bonus chapter.

Clotho's pen moved once more. She deserves something as beautiful as this. I thank you for the joy it shall bring to her. Something sparked in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason… he could see it. But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.

Because why something glowing would glow quietly as if it is emitting some kind of sound? and as you can see the image is the glowing thing. and what is in the image? Gwyn's eyes "light upon" seeing the necklace.....normally a person's eyes lighting up from joy is totally normal but the person is gwyn(!). Girl glows when she is singing. (I added my glow = power in there) and at the same chapter one of azriel's shadows danced with her breath as if it heard some "silent music".

"How was the party?" Her breath curled in front of her mouth, and one of his shadows darted out to dance with it before twirling back to him. Like it heard some silent music.

so that light upon is pretty sus to me. so me being me went to look up synonyms of light up. I found this.

radiate.

you are gonna ask why I took this meaning of it....it is because "glowed quietly"

Clotho's pen moved once more. She deserves something as beautiful as this. I thank you for the joy it shall bring to her. Something sparked in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason… he could see it. But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.

lemme explain. azriel can "picture" gwyn's eyes "light up" and it is that "image" that he burries and that "image" glows...it "glows quietly" as if it is emitting/radiating some kind of sound.

so I'm taking that meaning into consideration here.

that's all. thanks for reading. (all the other lightsinger posts are linked in my pinned post you can find them there)

thanks to @silverlinedeyes for her help to get me see the right meaning bc my english does not english sometimes. 💖 also If you want to read about gwyn is a lightsinger theory  @silverlinedeyes made wonderful posts about it. >> part1 part2

[deeaselriel]

PERIOD. PUT SOME RESPECT ON HER NAME!!!!!

EVERYONE would be DEAD if ELAIN:

Did not step out of the shadows to stab and kill the King of Hybern with TRUTH-TELLER

Thank you.

#elain archeron #pro elain archeron #acotar #elain kingslayer

[deeaselriel]

“the sister that Rhysand lost.🥺” When talking about Elain and Rhys? The weird takes are just never ending from you lot aren’t they

I have no idea what this is in reference to, but okay.

[deeaselriel]

What if Elain and Azriel are mates?

I know it sounds crazy, but bare with me.

In the Throne of Glass series, Rowan was convinced from the moment he first laid eyes on Lyria that she was his mate. He believed that for centuries and every day since, even after falling in love with Aelin.

However, in the end, it was all a trick orchestrated by Maeve to turn him into her servant. What if that’s what went on with Lucien, Elain and The King of Hybern.

What if the King of Hybern (who we all know is NOT an idiot) saw how faltering Lucien’s loyalty to Tamlin was becoming and how dangerous that could be to him during the war, but couldn’t risk killing Lucien and ruining the alliance with Tamlin and The Spring Court. So, as a way to ensure Lucien’s loyalty, he tricked him into believing that Elain was his mate, because he never expected her to get away with the rest of The Court of Dreams at the end of ACOMAF. He expected to have Elain locked away at his side (as she temporarily is in ACOWAR) with Lucien right there, ready to do anything for The King as long as he didn’t harm her.

The King of Hybern had The Cauldron. He broke an unbreakable bond, turned humans into high fae, destroyed the entire wall in the blink of an eye and he almost cleaved the world apart with it. Creating an elaborate illusion is certainly not beyond him.

It would also explain why Lucien, despite always being concerned with Elian’s safety, wasn’t hesitant about leaving her at The Night Court when he left for The Continent. In fact, when he returned, he didn’t even ask about her or try and find her in the middle of a deadly battle where she could be in serious harm. In fact, Elain shows little to no interest in him at all. She is simply indifferent to him.

If Lucien was not Elain’s mate but Azriel was, it would also explain why Azriel was so quick to take a liking to her. He was supposedly in love with Mor for five hundred years, but if both Elain and Mor were in the same room, his attention would always be directed towards Elain. Even Mor noticed it and pointed it out herself.

Elain trusted Azriel enough to not fear him, even though she knew exactly what and who he was, and exactly how dangerous he could be. She was never scared of him. Oh, and here’s the real kicker, Azriel gave her Turthteller. Remember, that weapon that he has never so much as let anyone touch, not even his high lord, not even his brothers or the woman he supposedly loves? He handed it over to her despite barely knowing her.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I find Azriel and Elain as a couple makes more sense to me then Elain and Lucien together, and perhaps I think Azriel and Elain have much better chemistry. However, there were way too many hints and clues pointing towards Elriel, and we all know SJMaas does not just do that for no reason. They could be each other’s temporary romantic interest, but they’ve both had they’re hearts broken by the person they believed they were meant to be with.

So maybe this isn’t a crazy theory, and maybe they are mates. We’ll just have to wait and see.

[deeaselriel]

Elriel x Feyre

Art: diielliee