Images listed as “Manon Blackbeak” from SJM’s now-deleted Pinterest boards. The third image was listed as “Manon & Kaltain” (excuse me while I cry). Provided courtesy of an acquaintance that saved and labeled many of the images SJM had on her profile back in the day.

Spooky season and autumn are upon us! That being said, I wanted to list a few ACOTAR-centric witch theories I see circulate quite often so we can discuss them and express our honest thoughts.

I am very intrigued by the theory the Archerons descend from witches. The theory didn’t click for me until a dear friend created a PowerPoint presentation on the Blueblood witches and how similarly Elain is described to them. I wish I had a link to share with the class.

Nesta is described eerily similar to ironteeth witches and the Illyrians have referred to her as a witch multiple times. She is also commonly associated with having an iron will, and an iron wall protecting her thoughts from daemati. There’s also that scene where she leaves deep claw marks in the stairwell at the House of Wind. I’m not the most well-informed on this theory, but I’m curious to know your thoughts.

There’s also that theory that Briar - one of the thirteen - worldwalked when they performed the yielding in KOA and is actually the human named Briar that is captured and tortured by Hybern. I personally love this theory. Not sure if I believe in it, but it would be a crazy twist and I’m all about a good twist.

The only other instance of a possible witch I can remember is Blue Annis - a creature with cobalt skin and iron claws that Cassian and Azriel teamed up to capture and imprison.

Do you guys think we will see legitimate witches enter the ACOTAR universe? Specifically one of our favorite witches from TOG, Manon mf Blackbeak herself?

My top two theories:

1. He smells Azriel on her
2. He smells her new power (Dusk court powers)

My fave new headcanon. Anyone else grabbing the remaster on November 5th?

Made some Bingo Cards for whoever is interested in doing them! I was really stumped on what to include on ACOSH as it’s such a small book and am prob going to hold off on filling out the ACOFM card until I read ACOSH. I kind of kept it basic and repeated some stuff that happened in previous releases as I think those things could possibly happen again 🤔

Hunt AthaLAR

HamburgLAR

need I say more ?

Huge shoutout to u/bellire for pointing out the name similarities. This chills me to the bones guys

Didn’t get this as it’s like the 10th book in a series but thought this sounded very Bryceriel coded. I mean, the title is “Dark Melody” which is crazzzzzy. Then there is a stone woman holding a harp on the cover.

So happy to see the things us Bryceriels have been theorizing about for years possibly on the horizon 😭

Images from SJM’s now-deleted Twilight of the Gods Pinterest board.

The Valkyries are pretty self explanatory. Love that Bryce’s inspiration (Sailor Moon 😍) is pinned so many times as well. Can’t wait to see what story unfolds in these new books. Will we be seeing Sailor Venus (Nesta) assembling the rest of the Sailor Scouts for our Magical Starborn Princess???

This video was posted earlier today on @happypetsink (the cover artists for ACOTAR) insta story

creds to u/krisjenner4bryceriel sending me this !

Twilight of the Gods ⚔️ 🌅 by @sophia.angelique.art on Instagram

Bryce vs Apollion “The Star Eater”

Commissioned by u/bellire , u/imagine_youre_a_deer , u/expelledwinter and myself (u/lousiferrr)

First of all, a HUGE thank you to Sophia for bringing this Gandalf vs the Balrog-inspired piece to life. We are obsessed with her art style and can’t get over all the details 😍 it’s incredibly beautiful and epic and deserves all the praise. She perfectly encapsulated the demonic/ominous vibes we envisioned for Apollion as well as the ethereal, badass vibes for Bryce! 💖

“The Prince of the Pit wants a worthy opponent this time. One who will not break so easily, as Prince Pelias did so long ago. He insists on facing you, Starborn, at your full power.”

Bloomsbury uploaded this new ACOTAR Court Quiz on their website… I’m curious if they actually uploaded any other possible result besides “Night Court” 🤣 if you guys take the quiz and get something besides that, please share with the class

This is more of a repost of things I’ve discussed countless times but today’s prompt is the perfect opportunity to talk about it even more 🤣

My post with a fuller breakdown of TOG x CC parallels can be found here!

It always blows my mind how closely SJM has written Bryce and Azriel to Rowan and Aelin.

Wendlyn x Prythian

Both viewed as the “Land of the fae”. While Midgard has fae, there’s heavy emphasis throughout CC about Prythian being the original world of the fae and how the fae in Prythian are significantly stronger than anyone on Midgard. It creates the same sense of otherness and separation that SJM conveys in TOG between Adarlan (magic-less without a strong presence of fae) and Wendlyn (steeped in magic and viewed as the stronghold of the fae on Erilea).

A Higher Purpose & Long Journey

At the end of Crown of Midnight, Celaena/Aelin has just suffered the loss of her only friend and - motivated by Elena and Nehemiah’s dying wish of creating a better world - makes the decision to seek out Maeve for answers on the Wyrd keys. To do this, she makes the long journey to the mysterious land of the fae (Wendlyn) under the guise of carrying out one of the King’s assassination request. This officially marks the start of her healing and training arc.

House of Sky and Breath’s ending is incredibly similar. Throughout the entire book, we see Bryce motivated by her dead best friend’s wish: finding a better world. This quest eventually leads her to the Asteri’s palace where she ultimately opens a portal that takes her directly to the “homeworld” of the fae (Prythian).

The Meet Cute

One of the first people our respective FMCs encounters on page is a mysterious, immortal warrior. They home in on every detail of the mysterious male - from the way he looks to the weapons strapped to his body.

Like Aelin and Rowan Bryce has no idea who Azriel is. We see both long-lost fae queens willingly go with them despite never having met them or knowing what their intentions are.

Rowan and Azriel both take their respective fae queens to their violet eyed daemati masters (Maeve and Rhys). For Rowaelin, this was the start of a slow burn romance that was drawn out basically until Empire of Storms when they finally marry and are confirmed as mates (despite Celaena having three books worth of previous love interests between Dorian, Chaol, and Sam).

Rowaelin’s meeting was the start of something incredibly significant to Aelin. It marked the start of her self-acceptance. With Rowan’s help, she conquered her prejudice of the fae, her self-hatred, her lack of control over her powers. She began to develop a strong sense of self-esteem - not just the mask of false bravado she displayed to the world. This was when she finally accepted her place as Queen of her people and the weight that role carried.

The last we see of Bryce, she still resents the fae. She is rejecting her destiny and role as Queen and even states multiple times the fae don’t deserve to be reunited. She has loads of new powers she has yet to explore and train. A good comparison would be if Aelin arrived in Wendlyn and went back to Adarlan only a few days after meeting Rowan. We wouldn’t have had that satisfying arc of healing and self discovery and Aelin wouldn’t have become the character so many of us know and love. With how similar these characters are (see linked post), I have a hard time believing Bryce’s story is over.

Bryceriel art: @palsonart

Rowaelin: @faeriereverie

Something icy and sharp pressed against her throat. A cool male voice spoke above her, behind her, in a language she did not recognize. But the curt words and tone were clear enough: Don’t fucking move.

But the male face that stared through the mists, grave and lethal … it was beautiful, despite the fact that his hazel eyes held no mercy.

Not canon Bryceriel being this iconic scene from Princess Mononoke.

I wonder if there are any more parallels?

Art by @chelzd_art on Instagram commissioned by @bryceriel15010 on insta

First of all, a huge shoutout goes to u/Soft_Bookworm for collaborating with me on this, putting together this amazing video, and helping identify some these parallels!

Zutara x Bryceriel

Zutara is a fan-favorite ship of Zuko and Katara from the TV show “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. Although they never become a couple in canon, many fans support the pairing because of their character development, emotional chemistry, and complementary story arcs.

Even Zuko's voice actor said he felt like the story was building toward Zutara, but for some reason the writers didn't make it endgame. Some fans theorize that the TV network pressured them to change course to appeal to their main audience: young boys. Many of them saw themselves in Aang and had a crush on an older girl friend, so having Zuko— Aang's former rival and older boy—"steal" the girl Aang liked throughout the series may have been seen as a less satisfying ending for that audience. By the time the finale aired, though, Zutara had already built a massive fandom (and it still has one to this day).

Azriel & Zuko: Parallel Backgrounds

Azriel and Zuko have remarkably similar backstories. Both were raised by abusive noble fathers, endured abuse from their siblings, and carry deep emotional trauma.

Zuko is banished by Ozai and sent on the impossible task of capturing the Avatar after a century-long disappearance. Branded by his burn scar - inflicted on him by his own father - he wanders the world in isolation, searching for both his honor and where he belongs. His previous shame is explicitly stated in ATLA S2E20:

"I used to think this scar marked me... the mark of the banished prince. Cursed to chase the avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny even if I'll never be free of my mark."

Azriel's journey mirrors this. His own burns scars are a source of shame and self-loathing, as revealed in the ACOSF bonus chapter:

“...letting his scarred fingers touch her immaculate skin...”

“...he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars.”

Like Zuko, Azriel also struggles with belonging. When Feyre admits she no longer knows where she fits, he replies in ACOMAF Chapter 22:

"I've been alive almost five and a half centuries, and I'm not sure of that, either."

Despite having people who love them unconditionally—Iroh for Zuko and the Inner Circle for Azriel—neither truly feels like they belong.

Both characters also grapple with questions surrounding their parentage. Azriel is revealed early on to be bastard-born. Similarly, in The Search comics, Ozai discovers a letter in which Ursa falsely claims Zuko is not his biological son, which, if true, would have made him a bastard. She does this to expose Ozai's snooping through her correspondence to her family. This deception contributes to Ozai's cruelty toward Zuko and Ursa's banishment, leaving Zuko to believe his mother is dead.

Despite everything they've endured, both Zuko and Azriel remain deeply devoted to their mothers. We learn Azriel visits his mother at Rosehall after Solstice, and in the Bryce x Nesta x Azriel HOFAS BC, we see him fiercely defend her.

The Illyrian snarled softly, "My mother is anything but awful."

Zuko's POVs show us multiple flashbacks of his childhood. We see Zuko and Ursa's bond the most when he experiences cruelty from Azulon, Ozai, and Azula. She is the only person who accepts Zuko for who he is and she regularly encourages and defends him to the best of her abilities. I wouldn't be shocked to learn this is a parallel to Azriel's past.

Like Azula - who is an exceptionally gifted but cruel firebender - Azriel's own siblings were extremely sadistic to him. They are the reason Azriel has his scars in the first place.

When he was eight, his brothers decided it’d be fun to see what happened when you mixed an Illyrian’s quick healing gifts with oil—and fire. The warriors heard Azriel’s screaming. But not quick enough to save his hands.”

Bryce and Katara Backgrounds

Fans of either character know how much Bryce and Katara's mothers mean to them. For Katara, the murder of her mother by a Fire Nation commander is a driving force that motivates her through the entire series. We see this loss fuel both her hope and rage.

Bryce, like Katara, was impacted very early on by the trauma her mother faced at the hands of a fire-wielder. This, too, shapes the way Bryce views the world and even the men in her life. She holds a deep resentment for her father and immortals in general due to the abuse he imposed on her mother.

While Bryce didn't lose her mother, she also is shaped by profound grief from the loss of her best friend Danika. After her death, Bryce goes through some intense mental health struggles - even going as far as wanting to attempt suicide. When Bryce is given the opportunity to find her friend's murderer, we see that grief transform her again and propel her further than she originally intended. What starts out as a murder mystery turns into her continuing Danika's mission to free the world from the imperialist dictators that preside over them - much like with team Avatar.

Both are considered some of the last of their kind. Katara - though not the only water bender left in the world - is the sole waterbender of the southern water tribe. Bryce - though not the only Starborn - is the only Starborn alive with Theia's exact Starlight. She is regularly called the "the chosen one" through the series because of the star in her chest. Katara also is an exceptional healer and Bryce similarly heals people during the drop in HOEAB Ch 92:

As if that pure, unrestrained firstlight could heal the world. And it did. Buildings shattered by brimstone slid back into place. Rubble gathered into walls and streets and fountains. Wounded people became whole again.

Something else Bryce and Katara have in common is their inability to turn a blind eye to injustice. They throw themselves into a crisis if it means someone else can live freely and have hope. u/downwardflexishrekin added this awesome Katara x Sokka exchange that perfectly embodies the dynamic between not only Bryce and Ruhn, but also the undeniable parallels between Bryce and Katara.

Sokka and Ruhn are the older brothers to Katara and Bryce. Both are tan with blue eyes and have the side(s) of their head shaved. Both are viewed as having little to no abilities. While Ruhn does has some abilities - such as shadow walking, daemati powers etc - there is a lot of emphasis on him lacking sufficient power to activate the Starsword. Despite that, Ruhn does everything he can to support his sister and her efforts, often times roping in his Frat Pack to aid them with anything tech related or otherwise. Sokka has no bending abilities, yet he compensates for that with combat skills and innovative/inventive ideas.

Complementary Powers

One of the main things I've noticed when comparing both ships is the complementary duality between each pair. Zuko's firebending and initial rage serves as a stark contrast to Katara's waterbending and overwhelmingly positive outlook. Where Zuko sees the worst in people, Katara tends to see the best in them. It's a balance of light and dark.

We see this same contrast reflected in Bryceriel. Not only are Azriel's shadows intrigued by Bryce's light, but we see her shadows battle his light before Azriel even reveals himself in the caves. Their powers are perfect complements and represent Yin and Yang as light cannot exist without darkness and darkness cannot exist without light.

Then Azriel’s hand, battered and deeply scarred, slid around hers. Light leaked from where their skin met. She could have sworn his shadows hovered, watching like curious snakes.

...the shadows leaping upon her again, a pack of wolves set on devouring her.

Color Scheme

Another interesting parallel are the colors blue and red being associated with both ships. While Katara is mostly in her blue water tribe garb, she is also associated with the red as the Painted Lady. Zuko is mostly viewed in his red Fire Nation uniform, but is also associated with Blue due to his Blue Spirit alter ego.

If SJM truly did use Zuko and Katara as inspiration for Bryce and Azriel's characters, perhaps it is why she gave Azriel the blue siphons and Bryce the deep, wine red hair.

The Painted Lady (red) and the Blue Spirit have similar roles - doing acts for the sake of the greater good. For Katara, that looked like cleaning the river and healing the sick. For Zuko, the creation of the Blue Spirit was the beginning of his redemption arc. We see Zuko - at times - start to act against his own interests and the interests of his father to help/save Aang. Both Zuko and Katara fill these roles in secret and it continues to reinforce the red and blue aesthetic we can observe in both ships.

The Caves

There are actually multiple cave scenes I believe SJM took inspiration from ATLA for the Prythian caves. First being the Cave of Two Lovers and the other being the tunnels/caves under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny S2E20.

The Cave of Two Lovers details the story of Oma and Shu. They were from feuding villages and learned Earth bending from the giant badger moles in order to construct tunnels where they could meet in secret. In order to safely traverse the labyrinth of tunnels, one must extinguish their light and follow a path of glowing crystals to reach the exit. Bryce similarly uses the star on her chest as her guide.

Underneath Ba Sing Se, we see some of the most intimate moments between Zutara that parallel Bryceriel. Katara is enraged at Zuko and reveals to him her mother was murdered by the Fire Nation. When Zuko tells her that they have that in common, it softens Katara and allows her to empathize with him. She offers to use her very small amount of water from the Spirit Oasis to heal his scar, prompting her to look into his eyes and intimately touch the burned side of his face.

In HOFAS Ch 12, we see a similar scene play out between Bryce and Azriel when he notices her hands aren't healing:

“How fast do you usually heal?” He reached for her hand, her starlight washing over the golden skin of his own hands … and the scars there. Covering every inch.

“Again,” Azriel reminded them, “her knees have healed.” Bryce glanced at the thick scarring over his fingers. What—who—had done such a brutal thing to him? And though she knew it was dumb to open up, to show any vulnerability, she said quietly, “The male who fathered me … he used to burn my brother to punish him. The scars never healed for him, either.”

Bryce watched him for a moment before following, heart heavy in her chest for some reason she couldn’t place.

In both scenes, we see the characters lower their emotional defenses by empathizing with each other's painful family histories and connecting through their shared traumas. Azriel allows Bryce to shine her light over his scars. Not only that, but he reaches for her hand over and over again throughout the caves and at one point even refuses to let go of her. Bryce and Katara are seeing Azriel and Zuko in a different light for the first time in these moments.

Conclusion

Whether these parallels are intentional or simply a product of similar storytelling, the similarities between Zutara and Bryceriel are difficult to ignore. Both pairings center on characters shaped by trauma who find understanding in one another through shared vulnerability rather than instant romance. They are built on complementary contrasts—fire and water, light and shadow, hope and cynicism—and their most meaningful interactions occur when they allow each other to see the wounds they've spent their lives hiding.

Art by @alicehert on VGen commissioned by me

The Lovers is often misunderstood as simply representing romance, but its symbolism runs much deeper. It speaks to duality, choice, trust, vulnerability, and two people whose paths fundamentally change because of one another. It represents balance between opposites, a connection that challenges both individuals to grow into the fullest versions of themselves, and the moment when love becomes an act of choosing each other again and again.

That’s why this card felt like the perfect inspiration for this piece. Whether your interpretation is romantic, spiritual, or symbolic, these two embody so many of the themes that make The Lovers such a timeless archetype: transformation through connection, unwavering trust, and the feeling that meeting one another altered the course of both of their lives.

Dusk Court: The Star

Dusk, twilight—that’s what the island was in its long-buried heart, what her power bloomed into, the lands rising with it. It was, as she said, as if the island had a soul that now blossomed under her care, nurtured by the court she built here.

If she could reach out, if she could open her heart to it … it might sing again. Awaken. There was a beating, vibrant heart locked away, far beneath them. If she freed it, the land would rise from its slumber, and such wonders would spring again from its earth—

Bryce had explained how the prism in the Autumn King’s office had revealed her light to now be laced with darkness, as if it had become the fading light of day, of twilight—

Her power shifted, dancing between forms and gifts. She thrust upward with a push of a mighty tail. Twisted and rose with a sweep of vast wings. She was all things—and yet herself.

There was light—around her, from her, in her heart.

A highway of power. Of Bryce’s will. The voids between Midgard and Hel began to shrink. As if the light itself was abhorrent. As if that pure, unrestrained firstlight could heal the world. And it did. Buildings shattered by brimstone slid back into place. Rubble gathered into walls and streets and fountains. Wounded people became whole again.

The light was coming from her chest-had been pulled from inside it. Like it had dwelled inside her all along.

**Art by: @alicehert on vGen**

High King and High Queen of Dusk

art by sabictlali commissioned by me

Art by @kushinada on vGen, commissioned by me

For this scene, I wanted to show the very first moment Bryce is falls at Azriel’s feet.

“Not a plunge down, but a yank across.”

“But the male face that stared through the mists, grave and lethal … it was beautiful, despite the fact that his hazel eyes held no mercy.”

“Something settled deep in her, a loose thread at last pulling taut.”

“Only the dagger - and Azriel wielding it - had been there. Like that was where she needed to be.”

***“***Let’s go,” Azriel said, and released her hand. Because the sword and dagger weren’t merely tugging now. They were singing, and all she had to do was reach out for them— But before she could give in to temptation, Azriel stalked into the dark.

“His fingers tightened on hers, not letting go.

@kushinada on VGen

Commissioned by me and u/nanchey. Idea given to us by u/Jarvis2419

We wanted to combine two scenes from HOFAS for this piece

Bryce and Nesta have just exited the freezing river and Nesta reveals they’ve had a silent winged warrior watching them the entire time. Bryce whirls around to face him and this is the image she is met with:

“His wings were spread so wide they nearly touched either side of the cavern…”

Preening, much?

The second scene:

Bryce peered over a shoulder at the male, trying to calm her shivers. “Those were your shadows against my light earlier?”

“Yes,” Azriel said again.

Nesta chuckled. “And he’s probably been put out about it ever since.”

“Seeing you go into that freezing river helped,” Azriel said mildly, and Bryce could have sworn she caught a hint of a smile gracing his beautiful face.