u/Intelligent-Wear4766

Hello all,

I know that STEM has problems with creating a barrier between who they are and what their science is and that the boundaries often get blurred and people make science their entire personality especially in grad school.

I am a second year graduate student and my cohort is very much this way of wearing their science as their life and im just not. I see this as a job. A job I enjoy, is challenging and fulfilling but nonetheless, still a job.

I find myself asking people about them as a person and what they do outside of work, only for it to circle right back to their research and im just wondering if I am just the odd man out. Ive often wondered why im so different from the rest. Anyone else feel that way?

I am really big into mythology and always have been. I know SJM is too and her eye of Ra necklace sent me on a lot of different journeys in mythology.

Personally, I think an Egyptian mythology link would be super cool but anyway moving on.

I learned that there are beings called "Chanteresses" these were, essentially, priestesses that sang sacred hymns and performed rituals for the god Amun Re. I thought alot about Gwyn in how in the 5th book, they sang hyms that were long forgotten where they had come from.

Amun Ra is the "King of Gods" but he was a combination of Amun (the invisible god of air and creator) and Ra (the ancient sun God). He was created by priests which put them together to create Amun Ra to unify the pantheon and symbolize balance.

This got me thinking and itd be a very strange way to do it, but what if Lucien and Azriel have to converge to balance something off kilter in the universe? Lucien has the bond and Azriel has the love and with Gwyns help, they are able to accomplish this?

Certainly this can also be seen as just Elain and Azriel coming together as well to create balance and harmony which would be far more simple than my Frankenstein thought 😂

But yeah, just kind of playing around with mythological theories. What theories have you all came up with? What mythologies have you applied? I also think certain fairytales like Sleeping Beauty will also make its appearance here.

I get that all these characters have PTSD of some level and alot of these individuals get with others that have PTSD of their own.

However, I cannot think of a single couple that worked out in the SJM series, where the PTSD incident was a direct cause of that PTSD or a byproduct of that PTSD where the relationship worked out.

For instance, TOG >!there were a lot of reasons that Choal and Aelin didn't work. But, I think we can all agree that the issue with Nehemia is what started the breakdown of that relationship. He wasn't the direct cause of the outcome but he is a byproduct of it because of Chaols loyalty struggles.!<

In ACOTAR, Tamlin wasn't the reason that Feyre was turned Fae and went through what she went through UTM. She made a conscious choice to go there knowing it was possible that she would be killed. That whole experience, Tamlin was a byproduct of that trauma.

For Elain, she went through the most traumatic moment of her life and at the same time, had everything ripped from her and then stuck in a mated situation she didnt ask for. Tamlin and Lucien weren't the reason that it happened but they were a byproduct of why it happened. Had they never gotten hybern involved, her sisters would not have been turned in the first place. This is a situation that I don't think can ever be fixed. Even if she works past the PTSD, he will forever be a reminder of why she is Fae and that bond is a reminder of that.

For Azriel, its very clear that his PTSD stems from his childhood (low self esteem) but then the physical reactions, obviously took a toll on him. It started with Mor seeing her in that state and then he finds Gwyn in similar circumstances. Its even mentioned in the BC that the memory came up and his siphons flared at the memory of it. Obviously, its a trigger for him. She is a trigger for him. Could he get through? Yeah, sure. But Gwyn is almost exactly like Mor as well in personality, so even if they did get together would he always keep wondering when the other shoe is going to drop because shes just like Mor?

Sidenote: I just wanted to say too that anyone who thinks its "beautiful" or "romantic" that Elain kept Luciens jacket (which we don't even know if she still has it!) And wears it or smells it are fucked up people. That would mean she is reminiscing on that moment where she was traumatized and humiliated. Its not cute, its not romantic and its just disgusting.

Like, you've had on us on hold for literally any news of the new books and the only thing you gave us was a video in what order to read the whole massverse in 😤

Just give us something already lol 😂😂

Anyway, just my mini rant 😂😂

I was just messing around on Amazon and you know they have the pre-order for books 6 and 7 and I was just scrolling through the photos and saw that the genre for book 6 and 7 is classified under "Gothic Romance" I was thinking to myself that I don't think the other books in this series were classified in that way. So, I went back.

ACOTAR-"Fantasy Romance"

ACOMAF-"Fantasy Romance"

ACOWAR-"New Adult Fantasy"

ACOFAS-"Fantasy Romance"

ACOSF-"Fantasy Romance"

Book 6-"Gothic Romance"

Book 7-"Gothic Romance"

Sooooooo whats more Gothic than day and night, light and dark!? Dark romance also encompasses forbidden love tropes. Its sounding more like Elriel to me as end game otherwise, why wouldn't it fall under all the others for "Fantasy Romance"?

Just wanted to know if anyone else has seen on other subs where we are supposedly dictated as a toxic sub.

I don't like Elucien or Gwynriel as ships but ive never really had an issue with the actual individuals themselves.

I know we have a couple of people in here who ship them (Elucien etc) and others but ive only met them with kindness in here as I would anywhere else.

Someone whom was an Elucien, literally stalked me.

Someone was asking a question about the ACOTAR debate sub (which I recently just removed myself from) about how to go about joining these pages when you ship multiple. I just commented that Elucien and Gwynriel will typically block you for other views. Elriel will not as we try to establish a welcoming community overall as long as you ship Elriel in some capacity.

This person commented on mine saying they were blocked from Elriel and that I shouldn't throw stones when I live in a glass house.

Obviously, a very rude initial comment. I noticed the name as familiar and realized we had, had a heated debate not too long ago to which I found them extremely rude and they went out of their way to comment on my comment with rudeness. I called them out on it saying that they were being rude just in their comment judging me when I had been blocked from Elucien though didn't say that in my original post.

Some time goes by. Probably about a week or so and im commenting on someone else's comment on a completely different sub. I wasn't being rude, but this person literally stalked me and said "oh look at how rude you are being" it was so weird. I just said, so you commented to bully me saying how rude I am without anything else to add? Ok. I didn't even know who they were initially because id forgotten about them.

But, it got me thinking, to those that ship multiples on here, do you find strictl Elriels to be mean or devaluing?

If so, I hope I never made you feel that way and if I had, I apologize.

Wondering if anyone has seen these comics. Its supposed to be turning into an AmazonPrime animated series.

Its a modern take on the forbidden love of Persephone and Hades. Persephone is pink and Hades is blue. Ive never read the comments but the few things I have read really seem familiar to me to Azriel and Elain. Especially their personalities and struggles.

Anyone know any details of it or have anything that stuck out to you?

So, im relistening to the ACOTAR series. Apparently, Nuala or Cerridwen smells like Jasmine.

Elain smells like Jasmine and Honey...

Coincidence? 🤔

So, Elain smells like Jasmine and apparently, so does Nuala or Cerridwen (from book 1) interesting 🤔

Anyone else pick up on that?

So, ive been thinking alot about Elain and mental issues and how that develops in childhood and then remembering the "trembling fawn" statement and it got me thinking, this might be why Elain is having such a hard time denying the bond of Lucien right out because of this coping mechanism.

Feyres mechanism-to basically just do what she was told without anythought just go through the motions. Almost zombielike and very depressed.

Nesta mechanism-self destruction

Elains mechanism-fawning also called the "please and appease" mechanism. She knows that everyone wishes for her to try with Lucien. Shes putting her needs on the back burner to appeal to everyone. People with this tend to have difficulties setting boundaries and saying "no"

This is a fear driven response. People say she needs to grow a backbone but I don't think thats the issue at all. Its her body literally responding in Luciens presence that she literally has the inability to say no. So, she says it subtly.

Its pretty clear to all of us she is very uncomfortable and so is Lucien for that matter. I think Lucien is uncomfortable because she is and I think because Elain has this coping mechanism, it hasn't allowed her to speak openly about it leading to Lucien continue to try even though she doesn't wish for it. So, instead she does small things like when he visits, completely ignoring him. When he gifts her things, she sinks into herself. She never gifts him anything in return and she doesn't care about his presence and because of this she doesn't mind that shes about to express how much she wants Azriel because she quite simply doesn't want Lucien.

It all makes so much sense.

EDIT: it also makes sense as to why she was shaking when giving Azriel his gift because shes being assertive and trying to work against her PTSD. Apparently, this mechanism can cause shaking, but we see progress and she still remains with Azriel trying to work through it.

So, I have had this theory for a really long time that Elains story is going to follow a similar storyline to Aurora from Sleeping Beauty.

My reasons are

1. Koschei. He collects women with power and/or beauty and I think he'll admire Elain so much that he will actually put her into a deep sleep so that she might remain in her beautiful state. I think Koschei may use a rose where she will prick her finger on a thorn causing eternal deep sleep.

2. The pink, blue and purple. I don't know if any of you remember, but in the Aurora Disney version, there are 3 faeries in this tale. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Flora and Merryweather give the gift of beauty and song. We have yet to know if Elain has the ability to sing but, I think this is to come. There is a part of the movie where Flora and Merryweather are fighting over the color of the dress. Flora turning it pink while Merryweather turns it blue and mixes to become a clash where meeting in the middle is purple and we even still see this at the end where they are constantly changing the color 😂 I think this matches the color issues beautifully.

3. The singing. We learned that Azriel does sing. I think his song will be the key to her heart causing her to wake and when she does he kisses her and embraces her. After defeating Koschei of course which is going to be an enormous plot to find the box.

Edit: also wanted to add that Aurora Borealis needs the dark in order to shine. It doesn't shine in bright light or the sun (Lucien) but only truly lights up in the dark (Azriel)

All the signs still point to them as a couple.