✨✨Friendly Reminder✨✨

We don’t ACTUALLY know what Azriel’s initial reaction was to the girls being taken in ACOSF.

Cassian wasn’t paying attention to any of them but Sarah elected to point out that AZRIEL was talking with urgency. I double very seriously that they went straight into talking about Eris when they walked into room and saw it trashed. This is why people say Cassian isn’t a reliable narrator, or Nesta or Feyre when it comes to other people’s inner THOUGHTS and FEELINGS.

They are GUESSING based on their own observations which could be wrong. And yes Sarah knows all and what’s going on but she can’t write her characters like that. It was be bad writing, she has to write from their perspective based off what she has THEM know. Stating that we know anyone’s thoughts and options and WHY they do anything as fact based off a third party opinion without actually hearing it from the person is spreading incorrect information based on a third party. Miscommunication troupe at its finest.

If you want to try to convince yourself that Az’s shadows skittering back and disappearing is good thing. Go for it.

BUT…

It’s kind of a big ask when those same shadows are capable of dancing, singing and peering curiously.

I am here to share a piece of my heart with my Gwynriel family ..... This art commission I got from artist @alexandraczerw_art has a really special place in my heart .... This fanart basically captures the spirit of Gwynriel 😍

Repost Not Allowed

Characters belong to @Sarah J Maas

Can we all just... sit here and appreciate this first kiss art by @/that_starborn_fae on Instagram?!?!

HAPPY GWYNRIEL WEEKS, INDEED!

Visit the art here!

Visit and follow the artist here!

Reblogs okay with artist credit.

Gwyn: Who's a good little shadow!? Are you ready? *throws ball*

Shadows racing against each other to try get the ball first.

Azriel: They used to kill people.

My Gwynriel headcanon is that Gwyn can tell what mood Azriel is in just by how he addresses her. Normally he just calls her "Gwyn" but sometimes we have

Azriel: Berdara. Gwyn: *smirks* Shadowsinger. Shadows: *swirling excitedly at the showdown*

Or

Azriel: Gwyneth. Gwyn: *whispering* Oo, he's using his serious voice. Shadows: *nodding equally seriously*

Or

Azriel: Gwynnie. Gwyn: *very sweetly* Yes, Azzie? Shadows: *cackling*

He uses "Berdara" when they're training or having a match, he uses "Gwyneth" when he's worried about her/wants to discuss something important and he uses "Gwynnie" when he wants to tease/annoy her but she always has a retort ready.

Sexy Gwynriel Headcanon

I figured I'd write this for you all enjoy ahead of Gwynriel Week. I hope you enjoy it! 😉

Azriel is on his knees before Gwyn (the only woman he will ever get on his knees for) as she's loosely tied up to the headboard with the ribbon and shadows.

He leans in to bring her pleasure with his mouth as his hands reach up to fondle her breasts.

She feels safe, despite being tied down, because with the scars on his hands it reminds her it's Azriel who is the one wringing the pleasure from her.

She also knows she can break free at anytime as the shadows move to softly caress her body and Azriel continue his exquisite, pleasurable torture.

He whispers "Good Girl" as she comes apart beneath him and moans with absolute pleasure at the taste of her.

He then slides up the bed to untie the ribbon and wrap her in his arms. She softly drifts to sleep as he sings a song to her. He looks down and smiles at the peaceful look on her face and drifts off to sleep himself with contentment and love settling inside of him with his arms wrapped around Gwyn. 💖

Artist: Hmmr.art over on IG!

Azriel had winnowed her and Cassian here after training, but hadn’t lingered. Apparently, Gwyn wanted him to go over dagger handling, so he’d left them with a promise to return in an hour.

I don't think we talk about this enough 🥹

I have so many questions.

How did she ask him to teach her? Was she shy? Were they completely alone? Did they talk about other things not related to dagger handling? What did she think and feel? What about him? I wanna know everything.

I don’t want to read about Azriel’s shadows vanishing around his love interest. 

I want them to seek her out, tease her, be playful with her, engage enthusiastically with her in the bedroom, and yes, sing and dance with her. Imagine how boring it would be for such an interesting power to vanish around someone you’re supposed to be with, when SJM has already emphasized how curious and willing to interact with Gwyn that power is.  

I want Azriel AND his shadows to feel safe enough to be seen by her, completely. Gwyn saw Azriel and those shadows in action when they first met, yet she never displayed any fear towards them. 

They danced when Gwyn challenged him. They danced with her breath. They calmed when they were watching her. They sang when Azriel left her.

The mating bond is called ‘silent music’. 

These interactions are so much more positive and soooo much more fun and interesting than vanishing. 

I understand people insist Gwyn and the shadows are evil out of jealousy. It really must suck to be deprived of those interactions for your favorite ship 😔

People are so boring for arguing against the 🎶 mate magic 🎶 instead of embracing it and getting excited for whatever else Sarah decides to do with it 🥵❤️‍🔥

I saw this in a comment on Reddit & loved it so much that I just had to share it (with a few minor tweaks of my own)

Here's my thoughts on the necklace:

While it was tacky of Azriel to regift something (particularly a necklace) that he got for another woman.... he did so anonymously and just as a nice gesture. He didn't want to keep the necklace (which is understandable given it was a clear rejection on Elain part) and it showed that there was no real feelings attached to it, and more than likely no real feelings towards Elain as well given it was so easily regiftable.

I feel like the necklace was more so a metaphor Sarah used to show us the transition from Elain to Gwyn for Azriel, especially with how the bonus scene ends. I think that part is really important given what goes on there. He leaves the encounter with something sparking in his chest and an image comes to mind of Gwyn teal eyes lighting up upon receiving it. He then has to consciously erase the smile it brings to his face and he tucks that thought deep down where to glows quietly. A thing of secret, lovely beauty (which is ironically in the necklace description itself). He leaves that Clotho encounter thinking of another woman's eyes lighting up and it's joy that thought brings him, not negative feelings like how he had with his interaction with Elain.

This is why I think Sarah is going to keep Elain with Lucien and Gwyn is a new character that was introduced for Azriel. Because there was no need to include Gwyn and the transfer of the necklace if Elain wasn't going to end up with her mate, Lucien.

Gwyn was there at the end because she is Azriel true endgame. That's the true purpose of the bonus chapter and the necklace. It was to show and point us to Azriel true endgame. Not to set up a "forbidden romance" that would be the detriment to two characters, but to show us who would truly bring Azriel joy in the long run.

✨✨Friendly Reminder✨✨

Tower of Dawn spoilers ahead. Scroll away…unless you’re a person that needs to hear this. 🤭

SJM doesn’t NEED 30 books of “build up” for her love stories to be great. The fact some people point this out as an argument for why Gwyn and Azriel can’t be a thing shows that you haven’t read ALL of Sarah’s book.

For those who haven’t read Throne of Glass allow me to introduce you to not just one but TWO couples featured in this book that had ZERO interaction prior to Tower of Dawn. Chaol Westfield and his WIFE Yrene Westfall (Towers) and Nesyrn Faliq and Prince Sartaq.

Neither of these couples were aware of each other prior to this book, two of these characters had very little to no pages time prior to this book too. So your excuse that Sarah can’t write Gwyn and Azriel and make it a good story because there was no previous build up doesn’t fly because Tower of Dawn was a good book and the amount of people that love both these couples prove you so very wrong.

Plus Sarah’s books are almost 1000 pages long sometimes. So you’re telling me that a romance novel with 200-300 pages, that y’all like to say we’ve NEVER read 🙄, will make yall swoon when strangers get together but not Azriel and Gwyn with more the double those pages. Give me a break 🤦🏻‍♀️🙄

Azriel and Elain have a laundry list of what I’ll call interactions. Rescuing her, giving her Truth Teller, listening to her gardening plans, wanting to taste her…

What they don’t have is chemistry.

Not even sexual chemistry imo. Nothing. It’s feels very forced.

Then we see just a small exchange between Azriel and Gwyn and the chemistry is off the charts and palpable in just that one little scene. And that was only a glimpse!

Four books of build up is meaningless if there is nothing under the surface.

Gwyn and Az are going to light the world on fire and I can’t wait to see it.

I just decided to post this close up from the commission @acourtdelaluna and I posted yesterday.... one because I haven't been able to stop staring at their beauty ... Two because I couldn't resist sharing it here 🤗... Artist @Indrakinn

Repost Not Allowed

Characters belong to @Sarah J Maas

Okay hear me out,

In the bonus chapter when gwyn said “happy solstice”

Azriel could have just said it back and left there BUT he didn’t.

He snorted. “Are you kicking me out?”

He was the one who continued the freaking interaction they were having. Like he is not someone’s who talks a lot and tries to avoid any interaction or convo with anyone and just brood most of time. He could have done the same thing BUT he didn’t.

He stayed there.

(P.s: reading the bonus chapter again and it’s giving me all the butterflies again)

I know that when Gwyn finally leaves the library, she is going to have a long line of males trying to court her. She is very beautiful but also smart and charismatic.

Imagine her going for the first time to Rita's or a party or a ball and having a lot of handsome males fighting for her attention. I can see the Shadowsinger acting very jealous.

If someone wants to write a fic like that, please send me the link in my dms.

"Keep reaching out your hand" was used seven times verbatim in ACOSF as a central theme between Nessian. And now, I present to you this juicy little tidbit:

And when Gwyn reached the finish line, bloody and panting and grinning so wildly her teal eyes glowed like a sunlit sea, she only extended her battered hand to Azriel. (ACOSF, Chapter 60)

(Also I'm crying because Azriel finally got to see for himself how "Gwyn's teal eyes might light up [...]" in this scene because he didn't see her reaction to the necklace 😭)