#acotar 6 theory
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The Cauldron and its far reaching threads; who is susceptible to the puppet master, and how might it work?
Disclaimer: this is a massive crack theory that I have held off posting since June 2022, but fuck it I guess, let's go! This is not a shipping post.
As usual, I am absolutely NOT suggesting that anyone who is influenced by the Cauldron is inherently evil in any way. This is just a crack theory. If you can't interact respectfully, then please keep scrolling.
Spoilers: ACOTAR series to date, and massive character spoilers for River Song and the Ponds from Doctor Who (if you care about that) in part 2.
Part 1 - Cauldron Made Beings
This first section will be stating some of the obvious, as we know, per Amren in ACOSF, that Cauldron-Made beings are able to be influenced by the Cauldron, though the “how” is not yet clear. @wingedblooms has theorised extensively about the living bond that Elain Archeron may share with the Mother's crockpot, and I suspect that this bond may also tie (terrible pun, sorry) into how the Cauldron can exert control: by pulling the “bond” threads that connect it to its former inhabitants.
Cassian’s breath caught in his throat. “It was a fluke, Amren. Nesta didn’t make it on purpose.” Amren shook her head, hair swaying. “Nothing is a fluke. The Cauldron’s power flows through Nesta, and could use her as a puppet without her knowledge. It wanted those weapons Made, and thus they were Made. It wanted Rhysand to have them and thus the blacksmith brought them to you. - ACOSF, chapter 42
Finding the link would be basically impossible at this point, but I've previously mentioned that I wonder if the Cauldron's dark maker could be Koschei, or another death god/Daglan. To briefly rehash my thoughts: if there is a dark maker, it stands to reason there be a light maker, too… is it the Mother? Could Koschei be the dark mother that the Naga referred to in ACOTAR, as the terms “mother” and “maker” could demonstrate in-universe evolution of the same word? I've also previously theorised that Koschei may have been controlling the Cauldron through the King of Hybern/vice versa, and that is how the Elucien bond came to be, but this is not a shipping post, sorry!
As a quick aside, the above passage also makes me wonder if the Cauldron, or one of its hypothetical makers, wanted the Archeron sisters Made - it's something I've meant to post about, but I think Koschei has had a hand in things since Papa Archeron’s ship was lost at sea, at the very least. They are each a weapon in their own right, as Amren went on to state their powers match Rhys’ own. I know @nikethestatue has had similar thoughts. But I digress.
Look at the use of “bird in a cage” in the following passage, used to describe Nesta, which parallels nicely with Thesan’s use of decorative birds in cages as spies to listen in (thank you so much to @ladynightcourt3 for the first quote).
The amusement only grew, and Helion pushed a finger against his lips in mock warning. “Careful, High Lady. Even the birds report to Thesan here.” I frowned at the birds in cages throughout the room, still silent in Azriel’s shadowy presence. I threw shields around them, Rhys said down the bond. - ACOWAR, chapter 47
“Like calls to like,” Amren countered. “You were Made by the Cauldron. You may track other objects Made by it as well, as Briallyn can. And because you are Made by it, you are immune to the influence and power of the Trove. You might use them, yes, but they cannot be used upon you.” A glance to Elain. “Either of you.” Nesta swallowed. “I can’t.” But to let Elain involve herself, jeopardize her safety— Amren said, “You tracked the Cauldron—” “It nearly killed me. It trapped me like a bird in a cage.” Elain said, “Then I will find it. I might require some time to … reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.” “Absolutely not,” Nesta spat, fingers curling at her sides. “Absolutely not.” - ACOSF, chapter 21
I think Nesta briefly (I hope, though who knows) became a puppet/shell for the Cauldron's puppet master - perhaps a death god such as Koschei, if @fawnandshadows is correct that he bastardised the Cauldron in some way, millennia ago (I think she's onto something) - and that's who we were seeing when she locked herself into her mind while scrying in ACOSF.
“Get her out, Rhys,” Cassian demanded. “Get her out now.” “I can’t,” he said softly, his power a cloak of stars and night around him. “I— The doors to her mind were open the other night. They’re shut now.” “She doesn’t want it seeing her. Or us,” Feyre said, her face tight. “She’s locked it out, but also locked herself in.” Cassian’s stomach twisted. “Nesta,” he said into her ear. “Nesta, open your hand and come back.” Her breathing sharpened. The cold deepened. “Nesta,” he snarled— And the cold halted. It didn’t vanish, but rather … stopped. Nesta’s eyes flicked open. Silver fire burned within. Nothing Fae looked out through them. Rhys shoved Feyre behind him. She shoved her way back to his side. But Nesta’s hand continued to squeeze Cassian’s. He squeezed back, let his Siphons send a bite of power into her skin. She turned her head so slowly it was like watching a puppet move. Her eyes met his. Death watched him. - ACOSF, chapter 31
I think a similar situation - though more high stakes/urgent - could come to play in Elain's book.
Elain is a Seer with mystical powers that are potentially tied to the Void.
She may try to See through mist and shadow, and accidentally make herself known to Koschei or another death god/Daglan?
In ACOSF, Nesta warned her to “stay away from the Cauldron,” and even Azriel suggested there was a darkness to the Dread Trove that “Elain should not be exposed to.” This, of course, makes many of us think that Elain will go after the Cauldron in her own book.
Could Elain mistakenly Look too far and open herself up to the Cauldron's living bond? That being said, it could simultaneously be using at least Jurian and Amren as well, and we have no idea if Made Fae who haven't been inside the Cauldron, such as Feyre and Miryam, are equally susceptible.
Part 2 - Not Made, yet possibly susceptible
I have been wondering for a while if the Cauldron can somehow form bonds, or weave threads, between itself and anyone exposed to it - or a part of it, when it was separated and hidden in different locations - for extended periods of time, or perhaps crucial ages, like somebody's formative years?
His mouth tightened, and he swallowed once before he said, “Hybern was looking for the Cauldron back then—for the pieces of its feet. One was hidden at the temple in Sangravah, its power used to fuel its priestesses’ gifts for millennia. - ACOSF, chapter 14
What if Gwyn - or anyone else - who grew up in Sangravah, a temple that housed one leg of the Cauldron, internalised some of the magic (sort of along the lines of River Song having regenerative abilities because Amy Pond fell/was pregnant while travelling on the TARDIS, and everything that happened after she was born - being taken away)?
All the High Priestesses wore the billowing, artfully twisted and layered robes—though they certainly were far from matronly. Ianthe’s slim waist was on display with a fine belt of sky-blue, limpid stones, each perfectly oval and held in shining silver. And atop her hood sat a matching circlet—a delicate band of silver, with a large stone at its center. A panel of cloth had been folded up beneath the circlet, a built-in swath meant to be pulled over the brow and eyes when she needed to pray, beseech the Cauldron and Mother, or just think. Ianthe had shown me once what the panel looked like when down: only her nose and full, sensuous mouth visible. The Voice of the Cauldron. I’d found the image unsettling—that merely covering the upper part of her face had somehow turned the bright, cunning female into an effigy, into something Other. - ACOMAF, chapter 2
@wingedblooms has suggested that priestesses could be influenced in general because they worship the triple goddess/divine trio, which follows along with what Feyre hinted at when thinking about Ianthe, all the way back in ACOMAF; that they opened themselves up to the divine during their services (in a similar way to how I imagine Elain's Sight may function). That being said, it's hard to say whether the priestesses at Cesere, Sangravah and Itica are more susceptible than their colleagues from other temples due to their prolonged proximity to the Cauldron’s feet, but I suspect it might be the case.
Could they have a deeper connection, or a bond of sorts?
One that remains even when they aren't communing with the Mother or the Cauldron?
One that may be accessed by the Cauldron or its Maker, for such nefarious purposes as letting in enemies to a library sanctuary?
Gwyn is likely already a lightsinger - please see @silverlinedeyes and @merymoonbeam for some brilliant posts that cover the basics of the theory and then some here, here, here, here and here - but if not, or maybe in addition to that, what if she was "Made-adjacent," and so also able to be used as a "puppet" by the Cauldron/the being controlling it, and thus any threads it may share with others? If accurate, this would work for anyone who was born, grew up, and/or lived for a long time in Sangravah, Cesere or Itica. To clarify, I don't think that these priestesses could call to or search for the the Cauldron, as they are likely not true “kin” - as, say, the Archeron sisters are to other Made items - but I could always be wrong about that. Or is this what lightsingers truly are?
Alternatively, what if every Singer (shadowsinger*, lightsinger, or any other type) was capable of the silent song, or had Made/Starborn powers in a way, and/or could be used as a "puppet" by the Cauldron or its master/maker? It would explain how Azriel's shadows could be used by someone else, maybe Koschei, thanks to the hypothetical living bond between the Cauldron and Made beings? So Nesta, Azriel (whose shadows are potentially Made, if not himself), Elain, Feyre, Amren, Miryam, Jurian, Gwyn and a whole lot of priestesses besides...
Too crazy? Probably, but that's why theorising is fun!
TOG SPOILERS BELOW
* Another theory I know I share with others, but at least @ladynightcourt3 and @psychologynerd, is that Azriel's shadows could be Valg. What if Valg have a living bond back to their respectful Valg King? If @fawnandshadows is correct that Koschei/death gods twisted the Cauldron, could this be how? Valg magic?
#the cauldron#dark maker#light maker#acotar#acotar theory#elain archeron#nesta archeron#feyre archeron#priestess#puppet master#acotar 5 theory#acotar 6 theory#acosf#lightsinger#bird in a cage#koschei#koschei theory#death god#daglan
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An idea I've been playing with is if the Elucien book is next, I wonder if SJM will have it set up where it happens before the events of HOFAS/during HOFAS like ToD and EoS. Because that may explain both of their absences in the time Bryce spent in the NC. They could be in Spring, or Day, or even Autumn for the Beron plotline.
I think at one point SJM may have said the next ACOTAR starts a few months after SF, but that might still fall between SF and HOFAS since there's six months between. I feel like that could set sooo many things in motion and explain a lot that we saw in HOFAS.
i.e., Nesta's reaction to Azriel saying Elain was waiting, and the way the Mask flared. (Perhaps tensions between them due to Elain’s conflict avoidance? She did refer to Elain as a wretch for sitting as far away as possible from Lucien during Solstice in SF. Or Elain's departure from the Night Court might've been on partially sour terms?) Azriel being noticeably closer and openly kinder/affectionate towards Nesta. (With both objects of Azriel’s unhealthy, unavailable pining gone, [assuming Mor returns to Vallahan and Elain has left the NC, with or without Lucien] perhaps we see more of who he is when he's not in his worst, 'why don't I deserve love?' mindset. The constant reminders via their presence could be removed, potentially.
#elucien#pro elucien#pro lucien vanserra#antielriel#anti e/riel#acotar 5#acotar 6#acotar thoughts#not really a theory since nothing is concrete nor do i have evidence#headcanons really#headcanon#acotar headcanons#cc hofas#hofas spoilers#lucien vanserra#elain archeron
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Enough about ship wars or wondering who’s pov we’ll get in ACOTAR6
Bryce is the only one that’s asking the right questions
SPOILER HOFAS
.
.
• How come TT, a literal legendary blade, that belonged to Fionn himself is in Azriel’s possession?
But most importantly
WHAT DOES AZ KNOW THAT WE DON’T? who’s Enalius??
Mr. I never lose at cards cause Lady Gaga wished she had my poker face “let out a small noise of shock” and we don’t talk about it?
I think he figured something out. He connected the dots. I also think it goes back to the time he spent working for Rhysand’s father. We know he wanted to keep Rhys, Cass and Azriel apart because he was scared of how powerful they were together, he sent his own son away but kept Azriel cause he knew how rare and precious his set of skills is. I can’t wait to see how working for him affected azriel but also what he learned in the meantime.
#Hofas#Azriel#acotar 6#hofas spoilers#truth teller#bryce quinlan#nesta archeron#acotar#house of flame and shadow#acotar theory
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I genuinely think that there will be two more acotar books and it will be gwynriel and then elucien
Here’s why:
The plot with the Valkyries and koschei and the human queens is already there, its set up, its ready to go, elain has no connection to the Valkyries other than that her sister is one.
So it wouldn’t make much sense for her to be brought into that situation, it makes more for an already established Valkyrie and one of the males who trained her and could develop a potential mor x emerie relationship in the background as well
Then I think it will be elucien and will explore the autumn court eris/beron fiasco and Lucien will discover who his father is and can bond with Helion and we’ll find out the history of him and loa and Lucien will heal with elain (his mate)
Then everyone is happy
Except for the Elriel shippers (don’t care)
Also
I want a feysand-Nyx novella
#sarah j maas#acotar#anti e/riel#anti elriel#pro gwynriel#gwynriel#pro elucien#elucien#azriel#gwyneth berdara#lucien vanserra#elain archeron#acotar theory#acotar 5#acotar 6#eris vanserra#helion spell cleaver#the valkyries#emerie
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“stone mother” and why azriels book is next!
this is the theory I was on about a few days ago!
hofas SPOILER!!
This is the first thing that comes up in google when you search “stone mother mythology”.
if you are unaware this is the song people are claiming is the confirmation of there ship.
I think it shows (if it means anything at all significant) that the emotional journey Azriel would go on his book, if it is the next acotar. Or the journey nesta went on.
The myth is about finding ‘cooperation’ aka not being alone and isolated instead of staying in this ‘violence’ and pain they are putting themselves through.
it’s about opening yourself up to others instead of being depressed and violent on your own.
which to be honest sounds a lot like Nesta’s journey (“reach out your hand” and her new friendships/ relationship instead of how she was after the war).
but it could also be in relation to Azriel who views himself as unwanted and not necessary unless he fulfils his role in the night court (as a violent torture) instead he needs to allow others to help him.
If the Azriel theory is right, then it makes sense for his book to be next, as it links Nesta to Azriel and metaphorically passes the torch. which I personally believe is why they were the main Acotar characters in Hofas.
#acosf#acotar#azriel#gwynriel#pro gwyn#pro gwyneth berdara#azriel x gwyn#gwyneth berdara#pro gwynriel#pro nesta#hofas theory#hofas spoilers#acotar 6#acotar theory#acotar thoughts
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While we're waiting for the announcement, what's your guess for the title of the next acotar book?
Lol, you sneaky nonnie! I've seen this Ask all over my dash today yestereve (I fell asleep writing my response to this)😆 Thank you for letting me join in on the fun!
I've actually had a theory about this hiding somewhere in my drafts for a couple of months now, but I've been too lazy to dig into it because 1. Structured writing, and therefore theories, is not my forte 2. I'm a perfectionist but my mind's messy - so it's all a bit messy, 3. so I might sound like a loony... 4. and I'm too insecure about my thoughts at times to even post about what goes through it 😅
But since you Ask'd... Here's a "shorter" version of that draft, at least:
My theory is that Elain's book will have something to do with ✨️Vines✨️.
Like... A Court of ✨️🌿Golden Vines🌿✨️(which I'm leaning the most towards), ACO Twining Vines, ACO Tangled Vines, ACO Blooming Vines, ACO Shadows and Vines... etc. I'm still trying to figure out where to lay my theory 😅🤣
It may sound very Elucien or even Tamlain, but ✨️Vines✨️ are described as "a plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining or creeps along the ground" which, if you read or search through the books, also hints and applies to the movement of Azriel's shadows in many instances... @wingedblooms absolutely brilliant post that I quite recently came upon, especially supports the 'Twining'... So I think it's the perfect title to confuse people about her endgame 😜
Anyways, to back up my guess/theory...
Elain's scent is of Jasmine (and Honey), which seems to be the bloom of the Night Court 👀, grows as climbing shrubs or ✨️vines✨️. But I'm feeling specifically strongly for the ✨Vines✨ because
Aaaaand because:
1. Ivy is a ✨vine✨ and Sarah has mentioned it in relation to Elain's book in an interview presented at the back of ACOFAS.
2. Nesta's drawer had flames🔥. Elain had...
🌿✨Twining Vines of flowers✨🌿
We often see the beautiful petals (Elain's softness & beauty), but we don't think about the strength, resilience, and foundation of the vines underneath and........ 👇
3. ✨️Vines✨️ symbolise:
Strength & hope & resilience = Elain's quiet strength.
Determination = Elain has shown determination to help in ways she can, but is yet to be given the chance to...
She also has shown a determined disregard and opposition to having a mate...
Connection = Goes well along with my guess on "Golden" or "Twining" Vines which are often used as adjectives in relation to bonds, threads, and even spells.
Also, Elain is an Archeron sister, Cauldron-blessed, and a Seer - connected to basically every plot and possible subplots in the books (The Cauldron ➡️ Ramiel in Illyria ➡️ Made Objects & People ➡️ The Middle & The Prison/Dusk Court ➡️ The Dread Trove ➡️ Koschei ➡️Vassa ➡️The Human Queens etc.🔁); not just for who she is and her Cauldron-given gifts and abilities, but also possibly through her LIs and family. She's the one sister left unexplored and it all leads back to her. She's basically at the beginning (She's the first sister mentioned by Feyre at the beginning of ACOTAR) and in the end (She's the last sister mentioned by Nesta at the end of ACOSF) of everything. So I don't know if that supports her book being next or last...
Life = the meaning of which also applies to her scent of Honey and "Golden" -the colour of (sun)light, honey, her eyes, her hair.
3. ✨️Vines✨️ are also mentioned/connected to the earthen powers described in CC3 that Sathia & Tristan Flynn + Bryce have, which I believe many has already theorised Elain to also have... I quite like those theories (can't remember exactly where I read them as of rn) and would like to believe that it's something the Cauldron has blessed her with since she's associated with gardening and life...
I also read somewhere in a biblical text (which I wasn't too keen to delve into tbh, so don't trust my word for it, but it's Googlable) where ✨️Golden Vine✨️was associated with Life, Rebirth, and Free Will... But if Elain turns out to be the next Messiah/Saviour/Prophet of Prythian, then it's quite perfect 🤷🏻♀️
So... that's sort of my take so far 🫣 Hope it makes sense to you, nonnie 😅
What's yours?
#Pro Elain Archeron#acotar theories#ACOGV#A Court of Good Vibes#acotar 6#acotar5#pro elriel#sarah j maas#elain archeron#acotar#maasverse theory#hofas spoilers
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How It All Comes Together
(contains spoilers for all series)
I have so many posts at this point. So. Many. Posts 😂 And they all touch upon a lot of the same information but I wanted to put every headcannon I've got in one place in the order of events (though the order of events within each book is flexible) that I think could happen.
I have no idea if any or even one will turn out to be accurate but when I combine her interviews, books, and Q&A sessions together, this is how the information seems to best fit together and makes sense to me.
Starting with an Elucien book:
"Let's focus on healing one sister then the other."
Elucien will restore spring together -
My father would think twice before standing against an army of superior strength and size.
"But Tamlin is already hanging by a thread. You and Lucien have made it clear that he's barely improved this past year" "With a new war possible and Briallyn up to her bullshit with Koschei, we need a strong ally. We need the Spring Court's forces"
"No. But we need to summon Lucien," Azriel said, just a shade tightly, as if he didn't like it one bit. "We need to tell him the news, and permanently station him at the Spring Court to contain any damage and to be our eyes and ears."
"I am the first one the others look to - I set the example"
Her sister's delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring"
But Elain...The Spring Court had been made for someone like her. / Too bad her sister refused to see her. Nesta would have told Elain to visit this place. And too bad the lord who ruled these lands was a piece of shit.
Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she'd placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess - perhaps even the Mother herself. Nesta hadn't let herself dwell on why she'd felt the need to set the rose there.
"She pulled the small, carved rose from her pocket and set it upon the gravestone. A permanent marker of the beauty and good he'd tried to bring into the world."
Elain and Lucien will perform in Calanmai aka Fire Night together -
"There's a ritual. But it's...very faerie." / "From their coupling, magic will be released and spread to the earth, where it will regenerate life for the year to come."
It was Spring, and yet it wasn't. / Distant - because on the estate, nothing bloomed at all. / The pink roses that had once climbed the pale stone walls of the sweeping manor house were nothing but tangled webs of thorns. / The Spring Court had felt stagnant. Hollow. Empty ..
"It's his (her) instincts that select her (him)."
"I went in his stead, and I did my duty to the court."
I shook my head, trying not to imagine Elain subject to that....fire.
Elain would faint to hear such thoughts.
Elain will be able to shift into an owl (shifting being a marker of the Spring Court) -
"Your Tamlin has brute strength and shape-shifting"
"And once you were in this body, you couldn't change?"
Elain was again at my side, I hadn't heard her steps.
Elain perched silently on the couch nearby.
Elain cocked her head.
Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her.
"You came," Elain said behind her and Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach.
Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth - Teller to the hilt through the back of the king's neck. (How did she make it to Nesta in time when she was in the far reaches of their camp?
"Glamour for what?" "To look normal." "Being a High Lord, comes with physical markers too. It's why I couldn't hide what I was becoming from my brohters - from anyone. It's still easier to blend it." / "I think she's got you beat for secret-keeping"
Elain, Lucien, Vassa, and Jurian will find a way to get those on the continent to sign the treaty -
We need the humans in others territories to trust us, if we can ever hope to achieve lasting peace.
"He's spent months helping them sort out the politics of who rules Prythian's slice of the human lands."
"He'd already made many friends across the courts and had always been good at talking to people"
"My sister can convince anyone to do anything with a few smiles."
"She (Mor) was still trying to convince them to sign the new treaty."
"I hope that whatever Morrigan is doing in Vallahan will counteract the damage my father will unleash."
"At worst, we'll have proof to justify any conflict and hopefully win allies to our side, avoiding the bloodshed that would carve up these lands once more.
"Jurian..." "Thank the Cauldron for him. I never thought I'd say that, but it's true. "He's keeping everything running. I think he'd have been crowned king by now if it wasn't for Vassa."
Both trying to lead the humans who occupied the sliver of land at the southernmost end of Prythian. Left ungoverned for so long. Too long.
"And what, exactly, does this Band of Exiles plan to do? Host events? Organize party-planning committees?
"She didn't used to be that way." "She loved balls and parties."
but Elain had taken charge of planning
Elain pushed, “We keep it secret—we send the servants away. With the spring approaching, they’ll be glad to go home. And if Feyre needs to be in and out for meetings, she’ll send word ahead, and we’ll clear them out. Make up excuses to send them on holidays. Father won’t be back until the summer, anyway. No one will know.”. / “I’ll do it,” Elain said, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders. She didn’t wait for either of us before she strode out, graceful as a doe.
Eris will join Elain and Lucien on the continent, not only to free Vassa and stop Koschei / Beron but to retrieve Mor and for their past to finally be dealt with (their past being a possible mating bond between them which is why he set her free)-
"My father is furious that his ally is dead, but he's not deterred. Koschei remains in play, and Beron might very well be stupid enough to establish an alliance with him, too."
"I wanted to feel out Vassa and Jurian." He didn't mention his brother, oddly enough. "But they clearly know little about this."
But as Eris strode by...I could have sworn there was something like sadness - like regret, as he glanced to Lucien.
But Vassa's freedom would end. Lucien had said as much months ago, and still visited her often enough that I knew nothing in that regard had improved. She would have to return to the lake, to the sorcerer-lord who kept her prisoner, sold to him by the very queens who had again gathered in their joint castle. Formerly Vassa's castle too.
"Tell my Vassa I'm waiting"
"Lucien stared out the window - as if he could see the lake across a sea and a continent. As if he were setting his target."
"But that was all the western edge of it. Beyond that, the continent was vast. And to the south, another continent sprawled. Would she have gone?"
"Mor left for Vallahan this morning and is out of our daemati magic's range."
"She knows the truth but has never revealed it" "Why?" "Because she's afraid of it."
"You're not the person I want to explain myself to." "I doubt Mor will want to listen." (as for a Mor love interest, I think Emerie could be a possibility but I also think the Golden Queen is another option. As her hair and eyes were taken, there's a chance she was made into something new and Elain said "she's not dead, only changed as I was". I don't think she's talking about Vassa. There's also a line where Mor claim she's always be drawn to things that were wild and free)
I think Elain will be the one to break Vassa's curse which I don't think is a curse at all but a Valg infection. If she can heal as Yrene did than we know a healers light can banish the infection from someone's blood. (I have a longer post on this but this is the Cliffs Notes version) -
I'd never seen such spell work. I'd sent my power over her, Helion too, hunting for any possible threats to unbind it. I found none. It was if the curse was woven into her very blood.
"Black fire raced down his blood" (Chaols Valg infection)
"Will many of these soldiers die?"
Amren was holding Elain upright as she vomited in the grass. Not from the Caldron. But pure terror.
Elain rushed to Cassian. / Nesta was watching them when I reached her and Elain at the tree-lined outskirts. Had she done some healing, somehow, in those moments after she'd severed the king's head? / I didn't ask my sister, and she supplied no answer as she took the water bucket dangling from Elain's still bloody hands.
I think Lucien and Eris will finally kill Beron -
"Beron tortured you?"
Beron had tortured his own son for information, rather than thanking the Mother for returning him.
"The same things he does now." "Belittle her, leave bruises where no one but him will see them."
"I was forced to watch as my father butchered the female I loved. My brothers forced me to watch."
The male had been raised with every luxury and privilege - on paper. But who knew what terrors Beron had inflicted upon him? Cassian knew Beron had murdered Lucien's lover. If the High Lord of Autumn had been willing to do that, what wouldn't he do?
And Cassian didn't need to be a courtier to know his next words would slice deep, but it would be a necessary wound. Perhaps it would be enough to push things in the right direction. "I think you might be a decent male, deep down, trapped in a terrible situation." "I think you might even be a good male." "You're just too much of a coward to act like one."
Lucien will finally discover Helion is his father -
But not the gift of Helion. His true father. I still hadn't mentioned it. To anyone other than Rhys.
In the taut silence, Helion nodded to the bright hall beyond the room. "I would like to remove myself from the Mask's odious presence, and perhaps enjoy your palace, Rhysand. It's been a long while since I was in a place of such quiet. If you'll allow it, I'll stay here for an hour or two." "Something bothering you at home?" Rhys inquired, falling into step beside the High Lord.
I think Elain, if she has healing powers (not to mention her affinity for growing things), will be the one to help the Pegasus. This would provide her a purpose in Day and even connects her to the land where the Prison is located) -
Helion's most beloved pair - this black stallion, Meallan, and his mate - hadn't produced offspring in three hundred years, and that last foal hadn't made it out of weaning before he'd succumbed to an illness no healer could remedy.
According to legend, the pegasuses had come from the island the Prison sat upon - had once fed in fair meadows that had long given way to moss and mist. Perhaps that was part of the decline: their homeland had vanished, and whatever had sustained them was no longer.
She found flowers - somewhere.
It's possible that if she does travel to the Prison, she'll also find where Koschei's box is located (possibly the box that possesses his soul) -
"There is an onyx box that he possesses, more vital than anything...save for them. The girls."
"Maybe...." "Part of me wonders if the Prison was either built or stocked with it's inmates to hide the Harp's (onyx box?) presence. There are so many terrible powers here, and the wards on the mountain itself. I wonder if someone hid the Harp (onyx box?) knowing that it'd never be noticed with so much awful magic around it."
"These are like no wards I've felt before." "They feel old. Incredibly old." "They probably predate this place being used as a prison (remember, we learn that the courts were not actually formed until after the Prison was made).
"But Koschei is as old as the sea - older." "I fear what may happen if he ever gets free of the lake. If he sees this world on the cusp of disaster and knows he could strike, and strike hard, and make himself it's master. As he once tried to do, (hint that Koschei is Asteri / possible Valg?) long ago." "Those are legends that predate our courts."
Lucien will help infiltrate the castle where the other Queens had been staying. Not only did the castle once belong to Vassa but if Koschei's soul is not hidden in the prison, maybe it's hidden there -
"I told you; their castle is too heavily warded, and full of magical traps that would trip up even Helion."
I do think it's possible that Koschei will be defeated in an Elucien book and I think it's possible Lucien's fire will fail him in that scene causing him to tap into his Day powers in full -
"I was getting worried you'd never approach. Poor Eris would have met a very sorry end if that had been the case. His fire wouldn't have withstood Koschei's lake, I don't think."
Maybe Lucien will also be the one to help Rhys and Feyre undo the bargain that links their lives to one another -
"Perhaps Amren was working on some way to undo the bargain - if anyone could think of a way, it would be her. Or Helion, he supposed.
I believe Eris will step into power as High Lord of Autumn by the end of an Elucien book. I also wonder if when they think everything has calmed in the rest of Prythian and the continent, they'll visit Feyre and Rhys only to be informed of Bryce having landed in Velaris (and her subsequent return to Midgard). This will set up the either the final spin-off (not sure if SJM still plans on having the third spin-off set in the past which she mentioned as a possibility in interviews) or the next round of ACOTAR books, some from the ones she was contracted for in her latest 4 book deal. -
A Gwynriel book would then follow -
I think Az's story will first tackle his past with Mor. If she is ready to admit to the truths Eris spoke of in SF in an Elucien book then she'll finally be in a place to have the conversation she needs to with Az -
"What of Mor, Az?" Azriel ignored the question.
I think the majority of his arc will deal with his hatred of the Illyrians, and now their issues with the Valkyries, possibly ending with Rhys leaving him charge of overseeing them in a more permanent position -
Perhaps we needed a permanent presence out here, until the Illyrians remembered things like consequences. / But the war had impacted us all, and with the rebuilding, with the human territories crawling out to meet us, with other Fae kingdoms looking toward a wall-less world and wondering what shit they could get away with...We didn't have the resources to station somewhere out here. Not yet. Perhaps next summer, if the climate elsewhere was calm enough.
"The Illyrians are pieces of shit," he said too quietly.
It was healthy, perhaps, for Az to sometimes remember where he'd come from. He still wore the Illyrian leathers. Had not tried to get the tattoos removed. Some part of him was Illyrian still. Always would be. Even if he wished to forget it.
Az might hunt down Bryaxis who I believe is the thing that guarded a portal to Hel that exists in the library. I think we'll see Bryce enter the portal in CC3 or Aidas exit it and they'll realize they need to close it back up -
"Do you want me to hunt it down?" An easy, unruffled question. "Let Bryaxis enjoy the Solstice as well," I said. A rare smile curled Az's mouth. "Generous of you."
"No, but..." Gwyn's swallow was audible. "I can feel something. Like a cat. Small and clever and curious. It's watching.
And then there was this. Not only the true absence of light, but...a womb. The womb from which all life and come and would return, neither good nor evil, only dark, dark, dark. Nesta. Her name drifted to her as if rising from the depths of some black ocean. Nesta. It slid along her bones, her blood. She had to pull back. Pull away. The darkness pulsed, beckoned.
"The House is good." Nesta breathed. "Is it?" Nesta considered. "The darkness in the pit of the library - it's the heart of the House." Amren nodded. "And where is it now?" "It hasn't made an appearance in weeks. But it's still there. I think it's just...being managed. Maybe the House's knowledge that I'm aware of it, and didn't judge it, makes it easier to keep in check."
I think Gwyn may be a cousin of Eris's (maybe Lucien) which will cause conflict between she and Az as he'll struggle to let go of his prejudices toward Eris (and Lucien) while she will want to build a relationship with the only blood family she has left -
"My grandmother was a river-nymph who seduced a High Fae male from the Autumn Court."
Gwyn will have siren powers that she can use to do her bidding against enemies -
Something beckoned in Gwyn's song, in a way the other's hadn't.
Gwyn's voice rose again, holding such a high note it was like a ray of pure light, piercing and summoning.
Like Gwyn was calling only to her.
"I barely outran that one as I led it toward the camp. My timing was just good luck, though."
Gwyn will pull both Narben and the miniature manuscript from the sea. Seeing as how the book is one of the first printed books in existence, I think it will contain information that will be necessary for future threats to their world -
She would have kept it secret. I only heard from a fleeing water-nymph that it had been done."
"When it would not bend to her, she destroyed it." "It was perhaps in our favor. Had the King of Hybern possessed Narben, I fear we would have lost the war."
A miniature illuminated manuscript, crafted by the skilled hands of the smallest of the lesser Fae- one of the first printed books in existence. / He regretted throwing it into the river the moment it had vanished under the ice, but he'd been foolish that night.
I think Gwyn's song may also be able to draw Azriel back, in the chance he has a different form and maybe that's what he meant when he made the comment that he sings. That he too needs to sing in order to pull himself from his "beast" side -
"Az is different. In a lot of ways." His tone didn't invite further questioning.
I think you'll find that Az is even less forgiving than I am." "With that pretty face?" she crooned. "I have a hard time believing it."
"They were shape-shifters who dwelled in the lakes and rivers and lured unwitting people into their arms. And after the drowned them, they feasted." Nesta stared toward the bog's black surface. "And they live in there?" "They vanished hundreds of years before we were born," Cassian said firmly. They're a myth whispered around fires, and a warning for children not to play near the water. But no one knows where they went. Most were hunted, but the survivors..." He conceded with a nod to Azriel. / "Just don't go running after a beautiful white horse or a pretty-faced young man and you'll be fine."
I think Merrill will be the main villain in Gwynriels story. That we'll find she had been in contact with Koschei before his defeat and gone searching for other survivors in other worlds at his command. She'll be the one responsible for helping them enter their world -
"There are others in your court as delusional as you are. They'll get it for me one way or another, with the right incentive. Granted, I'll need your blood to unlock the wards on the Trove."
"But know that Briallyn and the others sold me to him not through their devices, but his. By words he planted in their courts, whispered on the winds."
"I am descended from Labath, Lord of the Western Wind," Merrill seethed. "Unlike Gwyneth Berdara, I am no lackey to be dismissed."
"Midgard is a base. We opened the doors to other worlds to lure their citizens here." "But we also opened the doors so we might conquer those other worlds as well." "Your Starborn ancestors shut the gates to stop us from invading their realm once more and reminding them who their true masters are. And in the process, they shut the gates to all other worlds, including those to Hel, their stalwart allies. And so we have been trapped here. Cut off from the cosmos. All that is left of our people, though our mystics beneath this palace have long sought to find any other survivors, any planets where they might be hiding."
"Merrill's brilliant. Horrible, but brilliant. When she first came here, she was obsessed with theories regarding the existence of different realms - different worlds. Living on top of each other without even knowing it. Whether there is merely one existence, our existence, or if it might be possible for worlds to overlap, occupying the same space but separated by time and a whole bunch of other things I can't even begin to explain to you because I barely understand them myself." "Honestly, I looked at some of her early research and my eyes bled just reading her theorizing and formulas."
so she supposed that two would take them perhaps a bit farther than that, and Velaris … Well, it seemed like it’d take three strings. She didn’t want to know where all twenty-six strings might take her if strummed. Or if someone made a melody..
I think part of a Gwynriel plot will be Az and Gwyn working together to try to understand what Merrill is actually researching -
- and in its center, a massive, working model of their world, the stars and planets around it. and some other fancy thins that had been explained to Cassian once before he deemed them boring and proceeded to ignore them completely. Az, of course, had been fascinated.
Gwyn let out a breathy laugh. “I mean it. I learned about a new Valkyrie technique last night.
“I don’t know,” Gwyn said. “All I know is that I was assigned to work with Merrill and aid in her research,
By the end of a Gwynriel book, I think we'll be set up for a Multi POV / Crossover Series book(s) in the ACOTAR world. Possible plotlines -
Nesta will raise an army of the dead / World Walk -
And one day, when the time was right...They'd take the next steps. They'd walk down whatever road lay ahead of them together.
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.
He’d think of that another day. Along with the fact that she’d stopped Time with the Harp.
She could feel them around her. The dead. / Thousands and thousands of bodies. But she would not call thousands. Not yet.
I think Lucien will be High King, wielding Gwydion. Yes, I realize it called to Bryce but unless we find out Amren’s recollection of the High Priestess giving it to him was wrong, it seems it first belonged to Fionn and was taken by Theia. Made objects can have others do their bidding, therefore it could have wanted Bryce to be the one to take it home. We know Helion responded to the mask, a made object, therefore Lucien should theoretically be able to wield made objects too -
Rhys as High King: he could think of no other male he'd trust more. No other male who would be a fairer ruler than Rhys. / "But know that the Cauldron's benevolence will be extended to you only for so long before it is offered to another.
"Lucien's goodness"
"He is a good male"
"he'd already made many friends across the courts and had always been good at talking to people."
"Like the Fae male had settled similar arguments between them before."
"But Lucien had learned to keep his cool".
Narben's powers had not been the holy, saviors light of Gwydion" (Side note, SJM tagged Elain under the Blodeuwedd fairytale and the uncle of Lleu (Lleu being the character that seems to match Lucien's part in the tale) was named Gwydion. Gwydion means "born of trees" and in ACOWAR, SJM tells us Lucien looked "crafted from the forest")
SJM once spoke of us seeing more babies in the ACOTAR world and I think this will refer to Elain in any future crossovers (not CC3) -
"But Elain had given it back - had pressed it into Azriel's hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And then walked away without looking back."
I think Elain's war days are over and a pregnancy would provide her a valid reason to sit out of battle. If she does have healing powers then I imagine she'd much rather tend to the wounded.
I also believe that by this time, the food that sustained the Pegasus would be restored and the illness preventing them from having foals would be cured (a possible Elain storyline), making it possible for the Valkyrie to ride into battle on Pegasus.
The End 😂
#elucien#pro elucien#elain archeron#lucien vanserra#pro lucien vanserra#pro elain archeron#pro gwynriel#gwynriel#acotar theory#azriel acosf#azriel acotar#gwyneth berdara#morrigan acotar#eris acotar#vassa acotar#jurian acotar#the band of exiles#acotar 5#acotar 6#crossover acotar#eris acosf#eris vanserra#nesta acosf
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My thoughts on the next ACOTAR books before we potentially learn more today (not sure if that rumor is true but hoping🤞)
1) I feel like next book is probably Elain/Azriel’s. I have nothing against Elain/Lucien and I’m actually quite fond of Gwyn/Az, but I don’t see gwyn ever getting a POV/book before characters like Elain and Mor. Could I see a world where the book is Elain/Azriel’s POV but they don’t wind up with each other? Absolutely! I even think that could be a fun twist, but overall I think most likely next book is an Elriel one, and even if they aren’t endgame it will AT LEAST have both their POVs (maybe Lucien’s too)
2) My dream for the next NEXT ACOTAR book/novella is a TOD style “separate from the main plot line” book for Lucien. I LOVE Lucien and have since book 1 and I think he’s a perfect character to explore the other courts with (autumn, day, spring) which a LOT of people have been wanting. Especially if Elain breaks their bond, I think Lucien getting a side quest book with his own personal journey like Chaol in TOD would be SO good. I’ve seen people bring up this notion for Azriel (that Elain/Lucien will be next book, then Az gets his own) but I don’t see a point in that (ie above) Azriel’s story is very wrapped up with Elain and the rest of the IC/main plot line, but there’s SO much depth to Lucien’s storylines, other characters to explore with him (band of exiles, eris, tamlin, helion, etc) and more than enough plot lines for his own book that vaguely touches the main koeshi plot (like tower of dawn) but has its own focuses as well.
3) The last book (or at least the last one she’s contracted for 👀) a multi-POV KOA style huge AF entertaining book. Ideally this would have all the ACOFAS POV’s as well as others (Elain & Az obv, Lucien, the Valkeryies??) I think this would be perfect, especially for fans who miss characters like Feyre being narrator. I can’t see the last book going any other way honestly, it’d feel wrong to end one person/couples story.
THOUGHTS???
#a court of thorns and roses#acotar#azriel#elain archeron#elriel#lucien vanserra#acotar 6#acotar theories#I would honestly just kill for a Lucien book#that is the moral of this
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why I think the 3 brothers/3 sisters plot makes sense and why Vassien/vassa x Lucien will be the final acotar book
The Death of Koschei the Deathless/swan lake
That’s it. That’s the reason
The Death of Koschei the Deathless:
3 sisters who are princesses (the archeron sisters) marry 3 wizards (the batboys)
The MMC (Lucien) meets a beautiful female warrior princess (vassa) and marries her, she goes to war, gets captured by koschei after the MMC accidentally sets him free (what’s the bargain made for vassa’s freedom, anyone?), koschei kills the MMC but he is revived by the 3 sisters wizard husbands. After he’s revived and gets a magic horse from baba yaga, he kills koschei and lives happily ever after with the warrior princess and the 3 sisters and their 3 warrior husbands
Swan lake:
The prince(Lucien) falls in love with the odette(vassa), but she’s cursed to be a swan. To stop the spell from being broken, von Rothbart makes his own daughter, odile(Elain?) look like odette, and the prince falls for it (manipulated mating bond, anyone?) professing his love to odile and therefore keeping the spell from being broken. There are multiple endings to the ballet, some not so happy, some happy.
I know this isn’t a unique idea or one I came up with on my own but I still wanted to put it out there for everyone to see!
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I need to revise all my predictions for the next ACOTAR book.
I think in HOFAS it’s made clear that SJM is not done with Nesta and there is more of her story to tell.
She gave Feyre 3 books so it’s possible she could do the same with the other sisters.
It could be her and Cassian again, her and Azriel (platonic) or all 3.
Also, I don’t think Elain has been set up enough (like Azriel) for her to be next.
This also means that Elain’s books will probably include Lucien as much it will hurt me and other Elriels to say.
I feel like as much as this sucks for Elriels, it does take some of the pressure off of the next book somehow.
I guess I trust SJM in the end to make it how it should be. We were all Tamlin and Feyre and then Rhysand and Feyre so it might end up okay despite what we want now. Sigh…
It’s going to be okay. It will.
There is the possibility that after Azriel essentially rejects Elain she at least explores the bond with Lucien and Az does the same with Gwyn but they ultimately end up coming back to each other.
Unfortunately, another scenario is that Az’s bonus chapter is meant to put to rest Elriel…but I don’t think it would end so suddenly. It’s to her advantage that all the ship options are possible.
So 🤷♀️
#acotar#elain archeron#azriel#elain x azriel#nesta archeron#sjm books#sjm#sjmaas#lucien vanserra#gwynriel#elucien#a court of thorns and roses#acotar theory#nesta acotar#hofas#acotar 6
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There's a red-headed, priestess TRAITOR in the Night Court
That's right, I suspect a certain red-haired priestess as the Night Court traitor and her name is...ROSLIN.
Yes, Roslin the priestess in Valkyrie training. Very minor character in ACOSF. I have no idea if this has been theorized before, but this is my vote for Who is The Traitor?
Hear me out. We know Autumn Court sometimes/usually (in SJM's world) = bad guys. We all know what they look like, but SJM makes it a point to explain it again in detail. "the Autumn Court skewed toward hair of varying shades of red, brown or gold eyes - sometimes green and mostly pale skin." (ACOSF Chapter 37)
Then, barely two chapters later, SJM gives us a full physical description of Roslin, again. "Roslin had removed her hood, revealing a head of deep red hair and pale skin over delicate features. Her eyes were the color of caramel..." (ACOSF Chapter 39)
The way it fits so precisely, the proximity of those two passages. Methinks it's purposeful. Not to mention, in that second paragraph, Roslin was not the only priestess there. No one else got the full description - only her. In fact, there were 11 priestess "waiting like troops to be commanded on a battlefield." Only Roslin gets a callout.
And again, by Chapter 39, we already know what Roslin looks like. Earlier, SJM wrote: "Nesta had caught glimpses of wine red hair on Roslin and golden hair on Ananke, their skin as pale as cream." (ACOSF Chapter 29). So why repeat it, drill it in?
THEN, again, completely randomly in Chapter 59, we get yet another callback to Roslin and her red hair. "Nesta had begun to resent the sight of a ribbon anywhere - tying back Roslin's red hair, folded in the accessory drawer..."
To me, this one is what solidified that this is important information. Because Roslin is not even there, not physically present at this scene as Nesta is thinking. Why such a specific callback to Roslin's red hair? Definitely intentional.
Maybe Roslin just has ties to the Autumn Court. But why would that be important to know? Unless she is somehow involved in the seemingly endless genetic mysteries around. Is she related to Gwyn? Lucien?
But personally, she gets my vote for Night Court Traitor.
#acotar#acotar theories#sjm universe#sjmaas#sjm theory#acotar 6#the valkyries#the night court#Velaris#acosf
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I’m building an ACOTAR theory but I have to finish TOG, reread the ACOTAR series, and finally get around to ACOSF and HOSAB before I present my thoughts in full detail. It’s been on my mind since July 22nd. There’s a google doc filled with pictures and ramblings.
Just know it’s related to Amren, ACOTAR 6, and the portal that opened 15 thousand years ago.
#sjmaas#acotar series#a court of silver flames#sjm#acotar#crescent city#house of sky and breath#hosab#cc hosab#acosf#amren acotar#amren#acotar 6#thoughts are being thunk#potential crack theory#is this a theory or am I spiraling?#I know spoilers but I don’t know everything#anything could happen
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I love you all dearly but you are trying every day to assign Taylor Swift/CIA-level plotting to an author who writes solely on vibes and can’t even remember her own character’s backstories.
#sjmaas#acotar fandom#use your theories for fanfic bc she is just vibing somewhere#living her best life I hope#if I were her I would drop ACOTAR 6 and bounce to the Maldives
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Tell me your theories on who you think this is.
#acotar#acowar#theories#she speaks#vassa#golden queen#andromache#rhysands sister#azriels mother#theory#acotar 6
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wait — so the bone carver tells feyre that a fae warrior managed to confine koschei and stryga to the lake and the hut, and that a trace of the bloodline of that warrior still runs through a human line. maybe the key to defeat koschei is to find the descendants of that fae?
“No one remembers her name. But I do. She would have been my salvation, had I not made my choice long before she walked this earth.” 👀
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Elain stuns in this pink dress with a rose neckline by @: maries.artcreations!
Link
#elain archeron#pro elain archeron#elainsweekmarch2023#pro elain#acotar#acotar fanart#elain archeron fanart#day 6: hopes and theories
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