u/TINYUSAGI

Is it just me, or is it incredibly weird to use leaked information as a gotcha in an argument? I saw some people arguing about the newest quote, and one of them tried to shut the conversation down by basically saying, "Actually, that’s canon in the leaked audio, idiot." I thought that was insane: first, because it’s a story about sexy faerie people CHILL OUT!! and second, because you don't even know if the other person *wants* to know about the leaks. Am I wrong to think it’s messed up to drop a spoiler just to win an argument?

Elain loves cooking and baking; what do you think her signature dish would be?

I just know this girl makes the best cookies it feels right 😂

We’re getting very close to *ACOSH*, and I feel like this place has been a bit forgotten 🥲. We need to refocus our attention specifically on Elain; that’s why I’d love to know what kind of *fanart* of her you all like best.

I know we love them all, but my favorites are the ones that highlight her side as an haunted seer—those with an atmosphere of eerie, almost ethereal beauty. I also love the ones that feature Nuala and Cerridwen 😊.

It’s October 27th, and you’ve just opened or started *ACOTAR 6*; what opening scene or starting timeline would shock the most?

For me, I’d need a second to process it if we started with Mama or Papa Archeron, or if the story took place in the universe of another book 😭.

"Elucien makes sense because Lucien will be the High Lord of Spring" "Lucien will be the High Lord of Day and Elain will be his Lady"... but what if Elain is the High Lady of Spring or Day and Lucien is just husband? 👀😏

I’ve finished CC and ACOTAR, but not TOG yet; I’m currently on Heir of Fire, so no spoilers please.

But Rowan just mentioned that the other Fae males have been avoiding Celaena because she gives off a scent signaling that she doesn't want to be bothered. I wonder if this applies to the Fae from CC and ACOTAR too; I remember they can smell fear and arousal, but I can't recall if it goes beyond that 😭.

This isn't a particularly well-thought-out post, but I don't like the way Feyre talks about humans; it’s hard to explain, but the way she looks down on them and speaks or thinks about them after becoming fae really rubs me the wrong way.

I say this after rereading the scene where the queens come to visit: Feyre reflects on how puny the queens' guards are and how they wouldn't stand a chance against them.

I’ve noticed she does this often, but not from an objective standpoint; it’s as if she's looking down on humans for being weak and small... I don't know.

I just pictured a silly scene:

Lucien gets invited to dinner in Velaris; he sits down to eat with the Inner Circle (probably stealing glances at Elain the whole time), and when everyone finishes, Elain says, "Oh, I almost forgot dessert!!" and scurries off. Then Lucien asks, "Wait, she bakes?" and someone replies, "Dude, she was literally the one who made the dinner we just ate." And Lucien just sits there, stunned to realize his mate had fed him and he hadn't even known it 😭.

Nuala and Cerridwen work for Azriel and obey him even against Rhysand’s orders, so their loyalty lies firmly with Az; but then, why were they Under the Mountain with Rhys?

Rhysand went to defeat Amarantha alone because he didn't want Az and Cass to see what he was about to do—yet he took the shadow wraiths along?! Or were they simply the only ones capable of traveling between the mountain and courts undetected?

That would make sense, given that they are shadow wraiths, but I don't recall anyone mentioning this—especially since they could have relayed information to the Inner Circle that might have allowed Rhysand to be freed sooner.

Does Azriel wear his siphons when he’s spying? Because I’m picturing five bright ass blue stones in the pitch black 😭

People criticize Elain for being so coddled by... well, everyone 😭.

But I find her so interesting because she constantly rejects that dynamic.

When we see her again in *MAF*, she has become more confident and takes charge of the situation: she talks to the fae to ease the tension and contributes to the plan by suggesting they send the servants away and convincing Nesta to let the others use her house.

Throughout the books, we see her trying to regain control time and again, but every time she does, she is silenced, belittled, or attacked.

She volunteered to help find the Dread Trove, and her sister told her no..... Elain is a grown woman, and even Feyre tells Nesta that it’s her choice. But since Nesta didn’t have a valid argument, she chose to use Elain’s trauma to put her back in her place, belittle her further, and subjugate her again. And I’m not just criticizing Nesta; I know she loves her sister, but she doesn’t respect her. Nesta said the Cauldron abducted Elain because it knew she was the one she loved most; Nesta is terrified of something happening to Elain—if she isn’t safe, Nesta has failed her.

Both Feyre and Nesta treat Elain like a child; it’s an extremely toxic and damaging dynamic for everyone involved. And it’s not just Nesta: when Rhysand wanted to use Nesta to seduce Eris, he said:

I’m not letting Feyre get within five feet of him; Mor might kill him, Amren would scare him off... so that leaves you and Elain.

And immediately Feyre says, "Elain doesn't go near him," and then, without a moment's hesitation, adds with attitude: "...and you won't let *me* go near him?" 😐. The hypocrisy was so swift it’s unbelievable no one called her out on it. How dare Rhysand control what you can or can't do, Feyre, yet it’s fine when *you* do it to Elain?

Yes, because everyone accepts the fact that it can never be Elain; they even use this against Nesta to force her to seek out the trove, which was extremely twisted.

She has to tell them, "I’m part of this court too," just to get them to let her help; it’s... It’s crazy.

She desperately wants to be useful and help others, but they always hold her back.

Even Azriel opposed her searching for the trove's objects, arguing that she shouldn't be exposed to such darkness. And Cassian is the only one who says, "and Nesta should?" Well, yes Cass, the Inner Circle would rather have Nesta expose herself to darkness and nearly get assaulted by an evil merman than Elain; Elain is off-limits, under no circumstances. It doesn't matter that she LITERALLY volunteered, or that they were running out of time, or that she possesses the power of knowledge that would make the search easier instead of relying on "like calls to like." No, no, we can't put *her* in danger... although, come to think of it, she probably would have found those objects in five minutes; she found the Suriel in a matter of seconds!! 😭

So, my sister convinced me to read *Throne of Glass*; I didn't want to at first, but since I’d already read *Crescent City* and *ACOTAR*, I decided to take her advice just in case there were cameos or references...

I’m currently reading *The Assassin's Blade*...... I just finished Chapter 12 of "The Assassin and the Underworld" and, I’m sorry, but I hate Celaena. I get that she’s young and bound to make childish decisions, but the way she treated Lysandra made me dislike her so much. I mean, this girl is mature and skilled enough to free slaves and understands how horrible it is to do that to people, yet she can't show that same empathy toward Lysandra? Like, sorry the child prostitute is a bit unpleasant, but honestly, I couldn't care less, dude 😐.

Sam had to tell her that Lysandra was in the same boat as them—unable to choose her own destiny—but it went in one ear and out the other... And on top of that, she slut-shamed her in front of Sam, whose mother was a courtesan!! And Sam didn't care?

And when Arobynn revealed he’d bought her at the auction, Celaena was absolutely furious. I honestly thought it was because she found it despicable that this man—twenty years older than both of them—had abused Lysandra, but NO!!! she was furious because he’d used *her* money to buy a girl she hates... WAIT, WHAT!?!?! And I’m supposed to care about that? Not the fact that this man had been grooming that girl her whole life to turn her into a sex worker and then bought her services... no, no, I’m supposed to care about Celaena’s feelings...

Please, someone tell me the other books are better or that Celaena turns into a likable person as she grows up. 😭

I find it interesting that some people were taken aback by Rhysand’s actions in *A Court of Silver Flames* and Azriel’s bonus chapter—calling him controlling or saying he was acting out of character—but I don’t know how else to put it: that is entirely consistent with who he is 😭. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Rhysand, but I think the narrative’s failure to question his actions has led some of you to believe he’s never done anything wrong. I see him as a morally grey character: he isn’t evil, but he hasn’t always done the right thing.

Rhysand was put in the role of the villain from birth: the Illyrians hated him for being half-High Fae, and the Fae of the Hewn City hated him for being half-Illyrian; he was never liked by either side. On top of that, the whole world hates the Night Court; they assume everyone there is evil, so they act the part. Rhysand has played the villain for so long that he’s comfortable in the role, even though he hates it; he’s good at it, and even when he tries to do the right thing, he does it like a villain.

When faced with a choice between lying, deceiving, and stealing versus being honest and vulnerable, Rhys chooses the unlawful path because it’s what he’s used to.

We see this with Tarquin: he actually wanted to be friends with him; Tarquin saw past his facade and wanted to form an alliance.

But Rhys didn’t want to take the risk—not because he didn’t trust Tarquin, but because the idea of being vulnerable terrifies him, especially after more than 500 years.

So, he manipulated and stole from him, even though he felt terrible about it afterward. The interesting thing is that he did it to SAVE Prythian, yet he still had to act like a villain; it pained him so much that he couldn't go through with the whole plan—he chose not to use his *daemati* powers on Tarquin’s guards, ensuring Tarquin would find out what had happened. And then he did the same thing with Mor and Keir: instead of telling them and asking for forgiveness, he chose to keep it from them, caught them completely off guard, and waited to face his punishment upon returning home.

Rhysand has always been obsessed with controlling the situation from the very beginning, because if he isn't in control, he feels fear.

But when Mor asked, "What if it had been Amarantha?" he decided to lie and say he would have accepted her—albeit reluctantly—even though he later confessed to Feyre that it was a lie and that he would have killed her immediately; Feyre had to ask him to tell the truth and be vulnerable with her.

Rhysand is a liar.

Rhysand is controlling.

Rhysand is selfish.

We see this in his relationship with the Inner Circle; they are his chosen family and he adores them, yet he is terrified they might come to think he is eviljust like the rest of the world believes. And what does he do? He lies to them, too.

He went to see Amarantha alone because he didn't want Cassian and Azriel to witness what he was about to do to her... Cassian, his WAR GENERAL, and Azriel, his spy and Shadowsinger who makes a living TORTURING people!! 💀 They had fought side-by-side in wars, yet he was still terrified they would view him as the evil High Lord of the Night Court the world believed him to be.

And when he was captured, guess what he did? He shot out his power to lock them completely inside Velaris; they could have helped—ESPECIALLY Amren—but noRhys refused to take that risk, so he stripped them of their choice by keeping them prisoner for fifty years.

Finally, he is selfish; the story Jurian tells supports that claim:

"from Jurian

"You forget I knew him in the War. You forget he risked his legion to save Miryam from our enemy's fort. That's how Amarantha captured him, you know. Rhys knew it was a trap—for Prince Drakon. So Rhys went against orders and marched his entire legion to get Miryam out. For his friend, for my lover—and for that bastard Drakon's sake. Rhys sacrificed his legion in the process, got them all captured and tortured afterward. Yet everyone insists Rhysand is soulless, wicked" I think there is a line between the principle of "leaving no one behind" and foolishly leading an entire legion to death or torture to save a single person, when you could fight another day and increase your chances of winning; but Rhysand wanted to save his friend.

He also tried using all his tricks on Feyre, but they didn't work; he attempted to lie to and manipulate her several times—and yes, that includes lying by omission—but Feyre saw right through him and called him out on it every single time. He used her as bait for the attor, lied about the Weaver’s ring, and lied by not telling her they're mates; however, because Feyre saw through him and confronted him, he became more vulnerable with her. She convinced him to take off his mask and tell the truth, and he did—though he still lies sometimes (just not to Feyre). There was one moment in *ACOFAS*, though, where he almost lied about having spied on her, but he immediately corrected himself when she gave him a wry look, saying, "Okay, yeah, I did; I'm sorry" 😭.

That is, until the pregnancy scare completely shattered him and caused him to revert to the lying, controlling man he used to be; this isn't new, nor is it out of character—that’s just who Rhysand is: A terrified control freak.

I’m sorry this is so long, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while; and please excuse any typos. 😭

Could y'all point out some scenes where Elain is "rude" to Lucien? I’m asking seriously, because people keep saying this like it's a consistent occurrence, but the only scene I recall that could be described as rude is the teacup scene in *ACOFAS*; however, that’s an isolated moment. Every other time he greets her, she returns the greeting; he gives her a Solstice gift, and she thanks him. She is always polite to him; she just doesn't act cheerful. Is it really a crime not to want to spend time with a man you don't know? Does that really make her a bad person? Because she doesn't entertain a stranger?? Besides, by some of your standards, Cassian would be a victim of abuse too 😭

This isn't a ship vs ship post, but there are people in this fandom who are very dishonest when it comes to Elain and Lucien, or Azriel; they say completely absurd things that might make sense in any other series, but certainly not in *ACOTAR* 😭

For example: "Lucien was the reason Elain was thrown into the Cauldron, so they can't be together."

For starters, it was Ianthe, not Lucien; but don't you remember when Rhysand *literally* twisted the bone in Feyre's arm until she agreed to make a deal with him, or when he *actually* forced her to wear revealing clothes and painted her body—and Feyre thought he was doing it because he was evil, until they got to know each other better?

Or that whole thing about "Elain feeling uncomfortable around Lucien"... Honey, Nesta practically told Cassian to k/ll himself in every scene!! She constantly said she didn't want to be near him and even kicked him in the balls, and yet...💀

"Azriel feels entitled to Elain." Rhysand sent Feyre to a GOD OF DEATH!! to steal his mother's ring and qualify herself as worthy of being his future wife, and he didn't tell her why. Mind you, they weren't even in a relationship when he did that, but he just had to make sure... isn't that a sense of entitlement over someone?

I’m not saying there aren’t reasons to criticize both Elucien and Elriel, but come on, guys, don’t you see the irony when comparing them to the main couples? 😭

Plus, we need these things to add spice, drama, and tension, and I love ✨DRAMA✨

I just started *The Assassin's Blade*, and I don't know—it kind of bothers me that Celaena is so shocked that Arobynn is a slave trader... I mean, "This is beneath him" ??? Girl, he turned you into a child assassin and did all sorts of horrible things to train you—even forcing you to break your own bones... It’s just... I don't know, I guess none of this surprises me at all 💀

I’ve only read *Throne of Glass* and *Crown of Midnight*, if that matters 💜

I recommended *ACOTAR* to my mom because I thought she’d like it, even though I was a bit nervous; I even got her the audiobook and have been waiting to hear what she thinks... But I just caught her watching some YouTube AI video with omegaverse, alpha mafia boss... 😀

Why do people say Mor is "stringing Azriel along" or "playing games with him," as if in 500 years he couldn't have simply asked, "What are we?" People act as though she’s locked him in a box and is the only person he can see. Five hundred years have passed where she’s used Cassian as a shield; 500 years where she panics whenever Az makes a grand gesture toward her and immediately sleeps with someone else. She’s had many lovers—that’s been made clear—and Azriel has had them too; he just hides them from the Inner Circle. YES, Mor could just come out and say, "I only see you as a friend," but her actions over the years have already been pretty clear, and I refuse to believe someone could be "strung along" or misled for 500 years 😭

Az is simply afraid to ask because he doesn't want to know the truth, but that isn't solely Mor's fault; Azriel isn't a baby, he's a grown ass man 😭

I just finished a popular romantasy series; it was the first one I’d read, and I honestly loved it, but I’m not sure what to look for next. Could you please give me some recommendations? 💜

I don't know if all of these are tropes, but I love them and would like to see more of them 🤧

Tropes/things I like:

The Hades and Persephone dynamic (light and dark, grumpy and sunshine, terrifying man and sweet soul)... yes, it's a cliché, but I don't care 😭

Enemies-to-lovers, of course, but not the "evil, abusive man and sad, depressed woman" kind; I want them to be enemies on equal footing.

I like warrior-like, empowered female leads, but also the shy, gentle, and sweet ones.

I like steamy content (spice) 🌶️ 😶‍🌫️

I don't know if this counts as a trope, but I love it when a man towers over a woman but is simultaneously afraid of her 😏

"Touch her and die"

"Touch him and die"

I like it when he gives her a gift like food, clothes, or jewelry and does the "does this please you? 🥺" Thing.

I like fated mates and mating bonds.

People always complain about the accidental pregnancy trope; I've never read anything like that, but right now, the idea doesn't bother me 👀