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#ing about what the story is trying to SAY & the POINT the author is trying to make instead of crying about someone PORTRAYING OPPRESSION

writingquestionsanswered · 6 months

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Every writing tip tells you to read a lot to write a lot, but I have been having a hard time reading after I started writing. Everything seems so predictable, you start a book and notice a hero's journey and boom you know exactly what the story is going to be, or after you learn how to foreshadow you get all the little references and know exactly what the thing is leading to. It just feels boring. Do you know any way to overcome this?

Trouble Reading After Writing

Honestly, that really is the one big drawback to being both a reader and a writer. Once you have a grasp on how to tell a story, flaws in others' stories are more apparent to you. And that's what's happening, unfortunately... if the hero's journey is that obvious, even to another writer, that's a flaw in the storytelling. If the foreshadowing references are that obvious to you, that's a flaw in the storytelling. Because top quality writing should generally pass muster even to other writers. And I say "generally" because it's all subjective anyway, so what seemed predictable to you may still not be predictable to another writer.

So, where you're at is where a lot of more experienced writers find themselves... the books you're going to enjoy will have to clear a higher bar, and sometimes it can take some time to find authors who meet your personal criteria... but you will. You may want to take advantage of e-book deals, library books, ARCs, and samples for a little while as you try to find books and authors that work for you. Because I'd say probably the number one key to this stage in your writing/reading relationship is to not be afraid to DNF. I used to really struggle with DNF-ing, so I would force myself to read the book and end up reading like a page a day if I was lucky. My personal rule is I give a book 3-5 chapters. If I absolutely hate it by the end of chapter three or so and it shows no promise or merit, I'll happily DNF. If it shows some promise or merit, I'll give it a couple more chapters to see how it goes. If I'm not invested enough to keep reading of my own volition, I'll DNF then.

But... keep at it, because you will find writers and books that work for you. Also: if you've read enough that you're to that point--where you understand storytelling so well that you can spot the flaws in others' stories--you're probably past the point where you need to be reading voraciously. Because the whole point of reading voraciously as a less experienced writer is to learn how stories work through firsthand experience. So, don't feel like you have to be inhaling books if you're past that point. Read what you want, when you want. A lot of writers don't read a lot while they're writing.

I hope that helps!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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set-in-eternity · 4 months

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I'm noticing something VERY interesting [maybe only to me] about SJ/M's latest release, both from an author/personal standpoint and a reader/book standpoint. [saying this as someone who has followed her, and her work, for at least a decade now]

the anticipation for CC/3 is huge. her fans are frothing at the bit now that the ACO/TAR world has collided with it. everyone wants THEIR ship to sail, everyone wants to see the culmination of their theories unfold.

BUT throughout all of this, in the space between the books, people have been getting upset at her, too. the latest issue has been about fans coming to notice how much money blooms/bury is asking people to pay to see sj/m for for each live event, in addition to the purchase of a book.

this is also riding on the coattails of a larger discussion, seen all over publishing, about how there are 5 [more?] special editions with separate bonus material across several stores, and fans are BIG MAD about that.

so people want the book, but they're upset at the way the publisher is handling the release, and sj/m has been DISTANT herself for years.

on a personal standpoint, which i'm tempted to connect to the reader standpoint: she's MUCH more visible now than she's been in years.

suddenly, within the last 2 months, she's been posting more. teasers, to be fair, for a new release, so not surprising, but that's [i think] her trying to calm the crowd a bit.

midnight release parties? interviews? willfully interacting with fans? yes and yes and yes.

early release material on her website? yes.

people are connecting her current career trajectory with that of smey/er and twi/light because sj/m is so big now and has so much attention and hype.

i agree, but i don't think they're right in how.

it's only been, what? two days? three? people WHO ACTUALLY LIKE HER are already not so happy about what she produced. it's early, but i'm tempted to think it's getting something like break/ing da/wn attention. people who genuinely love her are calling this book sloppy. rushed. they're saying that everything in it is too easy.

i don't think sj/m's going to ride this high forever. i think she's doing some PR for more than just the book.

i also don't think she's going to flop as quickly, and as badly, as smey-er did. smey/er hadn't faced much criticism before, which she'd admitted as much at the time. sj/m has, which is why she distanced herself. where smey/er shot pretty much straight up from where she started, and then totally fumbled once she reached such heights, sj/m has fumbled before, but despite distancing herself, she's still popular, it's not yet totally in vogue to tear her down, if only because her online fan base has given her so much clout [deserved or not].

I don't see this as being the mess that smey/er faced. i think sj/m will hang on for longer, but based on the reactions to the book itself that i'm seeing, i don't think people will let her get away with as much. if she doesn't address the glaring issues the antis have pointed out, she's facing a healthy decline going forward.

ETA: i think a lot of why she's doing the interviews - on daytime TV no less, this is highly unusual for her - is because her numbers [how much fans are buying from her] are down, which is reflected in how upset the fans were about the 5+ special editions across 5 stores with 5 separate but RELEVANT TO THE STORY bonus chapters that blooms/bury wanted them to fight over.

i think sj/m is being told to appeal harder to the adult/middle aged market. she was the "queen of YA" for years, but her books are being challenged in schools and libraries, people online were furious about the highly adult book box that went around with references and/or links back to sj/m's work [and the book box was supposed to be geared towards younger readers? i think? which again, upset a lot of people because sj/m's work has intimate scenes that not everyone agrees on YA readers reading].

so blooms/bury put a fresh set of "older fantasy" and discreet covers on sj/m's books to get some fresh, not-YA eyes on them, she's going on talk shows to say "hey, i write books for adults who like spice," and they're going to push harder for the crowd with slightly more money [not really, but they need to sell books] who won't be totally offended by the spice, and who may not know about her.

the one issue i see right up front is: they DON'T always know about her. their KIDS might, but middle aged/older readers aren't necessarily the same rabid fanbase making tiktoks online that she currently has. her readers are AGING, for sure, and she's having to keep up with that fact, but we know for sure that Millenials and Gen Z aren't exactly rolling in money right now. so she's relying on the Gen X+ crowds to be as hungry for spice and fantasy mixes as the younger ones were...back when they could afford them.

this might pan out in her favor, but i don't see gen x and the older people lining up for midnight book releases. they might watch the show, depending on how well it's done, or they might decide the books are too young for them as older readers who lean more heavily towards GRRM's work. again, this may well be the start of sj/m's decline, but we'll have to see how much traction she gets with the older crowd AND if that reflects in future print runs - does the publisher do more special editions? do they demand twice the price for live events? or do things start to look more reasonable?

ETA 2: the obvious similarity between sj/m's career and smey/er's [besides having a huge fanbase, made mostly of female-identifying people, who want and enjoy romance] is also that sj/m has been in talks for an adaptation of her work, like smey/er got, which could definitely bring in new readers, not sure how i missed that in the rest of the post.

#publishing #thoughts #anti sjm #anti sarah j maas #anti acotar #anti tog #anti cc #anti crescent city #anti throne of glass #anti smeyer

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cakebatteronabrickwall · 1 year

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I’m still at a loss as to what happened to roman, I’d like to hear your interpretation if you could

I’ve been trying to answer this for a bit now and I’m just going to cut to the most important part of my interpretation, so feel free to ask again if you want more.

Basically, I keep coming back to the No Real Person Involved narrative Succession introduced in season 2. When does the story apply NRPI and who to? The waiter and the cruise ship victims. What do they have in common? Abuse of power. The waiter’s death is swept under the rug, because Logan Roy can make it so; the cruise victims and their sexual abuse becomes meaningless in the face of a media empire.

But Roman also is told “you are not a real person”. He is told he remembers the dog cage, the defining thing of his childhood, wrong. He tends to make jokes refering to sexual abuse about himself (whereas the violent language of sex other characters use is reserved for business only), but nobody fully reacts to these comments with more than “wtf?”. The narrative essentially places Roman on the same level as the abused women on the ships; the violence from within the Roy family reaching outwards and coming back around.

The SA jokes, especially, are tricky territory, because at some point you have to make a decision whether they should be taken at face value or not. Here is the thing though, to me they all have an eerily similar theme- Telling the therapist about Connor SA-ing him? The comment about the camp counselor fucking him? The hostage situation ending in SA? The whole “if we agree on a wrong thing it’s not actually wrong” (which is seriously not something someone just comes up with, like, that thought has been there for a while)? The cut line of “trust me” “that’s what men say before they rape you”? Taking the leap from “well connected” to pedophilia? It becomes a pattern when you look at it like that.

Now, Roman says he was sent to military school after he “went weird” which might give us pause at this point, because wtf does that even mean. There is an empty space here. Yeah, maybe Logan sent Roman away because he was sent away as well and thought it might make him “stronger”. But maybe he just sent him away, because Logan always sensed something about his son that wasn’t right. And maybe, just maybe, the parallel of the cruise victims being silenced and a child being sent away to be silenced even starts here. Maybe Logan knew to sweep something under the rug before Kendall's accident.

Oh, and military schools- one can only guess what goes on behind closed doors. You essentially have authority (even paternal) figures that can do just about anything.

What happened to Roman? Probably nothing, right?

#try answering like a normal person difficulty level 1000 #sorry about that and i mean it i'm sure i forgot 50% of my actual thoughts so if anything is unclear keep asking me please #also obv not claiming any of this as objective in any way #i literally changed my initial point of view on the csa theory as you can tell #not even getting into the 'he made me breathe funny' of it all #succession #roman roy

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spicysix · 11 months

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「eddie munson X gn!reader • roadtrip!AU」

1.2k words | next | masterlist | ao3 warnings/author's note: everything is fine, vecna is dead, the upside down is no more, max had broken bones and is now blind but she's alright. eddie got real Chomped™ but also recovered. this is a fix-it folks! also: impulsive thinking might lead to adventures such as an impromptu roadtrip with someone you barely know. beware

Wednesday, July 23

You checked once again, making sure Max was alright. She just turned to look at you — well, not look at you — with that displeased face and you smirked even though she couldn’t see. But, hell, it was almost as if she could feel what you were doing.

“Quit stalling, Steve will be here in no time. I’ll survive,” she said before placing her headphones over her ears and pressing play on the Walkman, volume up high. Muffled, but still ever present, Kate Bush reached your own ears in no time.

Not like Max actually needed babysitters. She was adapting really well to both her lack of vision and her wheelchair, and you knew she’d be just fine, short-term and long-term alike. It was more that you — Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, even you and Robin who came by later — the older ones, the forever big siblings; you all needed to feel like you were helping her more than she actually needed the help.

You didn’t say goodbye, didn’t tell her to behave like you wanted to — she wouldn’t listen anyway. So you just picked up your keys from the counter before leaving the Mayfield trailer. Max could be left alone, you trusted her. She was probably the most mature out of all the kids — not entirely by choice, some of that strength she was just forced to build up by the roughness of life. You still worried. But she was right, though. Steve would be there in no time.

The door to the Mayfield’s trailer closing in a loud thud behind you and the July burning midday sun in its peak above you were no distractions from the scene a few feet away.

Eddie was stuffing his van with bags.

Eddie Munson. Now, that guy was something.

You never paid him much attention regardless of his trailer being right beside yours at the park. You just knew him as your occasional weed supplier, nothing else, even though you knew of his fame as ‘Eddie The Freak’. Until the Events of March, as you called them. Until he was — just like you had been not even a year prior — thrown full force at the shit going down in that little town of yours. Until he was at the very center of it.

Then, he was Eddie The Banished. Eddie The Hunted. Finally, Eddie The Brave.

In between this and that, you had come to know stuff about him that you really wish you hadn’t. You had come to know the color, smell, texture of his blood. You had come to know what Eddie sounded like choking on it. You had grown familiar with the way his screams pierced through your ears into your soul.

Those were like a blur in your head most days. You’d bury those pieces of knowledge deep within your memories, as deep as you could. They’d only come pry after the moon was high in the sky, your subconscious trying to mess with you after you worked so hard at counting imaginary sheep.

But, then, after all that. He was Eddie The Retreated.

Fighting the end of the world together usually brought people closer, or so you thought since that’s what had happened between you and Robin, you and Max, hell, even you and Steve.

But after being in the shady government hospital for almost a whole month, not allowed many visitors besides his own uncle and occasionally Dustin, maybe Eddie got lost somewhere in between. Even though he and Max had physical therapy together, and he was still DM-ing a few campaigns for the boys, and you saw him once or twice at Family Video chatting with Steve, Eddie slipped away at some point.

Sure, some angry townsfolk didn’t buy the whole ‘Eddie was actually kidnapped by the real serial killer, Victor Creel’s son, Henry’ story — the story those same shady government people had tried to sell — and that probably didn’t help. Cause you knew it wasn’t uncommon for Eddie to go grocery shopping and receive ugly stares. He got his diploma through the mail, not allowed to walk the stage and get it himself at the graduation ceremony, to ‘not cause any disturbance or safety breach, for both Mr. Munson’s and the townsfolk sakes’. His band now only played once a month instead of once a week at The Hideout — he couldn’t even tell his bandmates the whole truth. And you were sure none of that was easy on him.

But you all tried to reach for him — it was the basic run, no one could get through all that alone. You tried. Called him for your movie get-togethers with the kids, and for your Drinks & Drugs get-togethers where it was just you, Steve, Robin, Nancy and Jonathan — he never showed up. Tried to make him stay longer after DnD campaigns, but he would always leave right after, his smile never quite reaching his eyes. Always full of excuses, or filled with work — working over hours at that car shop near the edge of town, never available, never with free time.

You tried to reach for him, but he kept slipping — stepping — further away.

And as you saw him placing bags and a guitar case in the back of his van, right beside a mattress and some pillows, his hair up in a sloppy bun instead of the pretty wild waves you once saw before March, fingers naked of any metal, his skin paler, eyes reddened and with dark, deep bags under them — well, something stirred in your belly, and not in a good way. And you just knew, somehow.

You thought hard and fast as you went to your trailer as quickly as you could.

Max needed you.

Found a duffel bag under your bed.

But she had Steve, Robin, the Wheelers, Byers, Sinclairs and Hendersons looking after her as well.

Pulled random pieces of clothing from your drawers and threw them at your mattress behind you.

You had a job.

Stuffed the clothes with no care at all inside the duffel.

Well, it wasn’t a great job anyway.

Picked up from the floor your favorite Doc Martens, sneakers and sandals, and pushed all the clothes down so the shoes would also fit.

What would happen to your trailer?

A few accessories — your favorite rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces — inside a wooden box, closed, carefully placed in the outside pocket.

Maybe your friends could take care of it.

Ran to the bathroom, picked the most needed hygiene stuff and a first aid kit from under the sink.

Well, your friends would be worried.

Ran back to the bedroom and placed the bathroom stuff wherever there was still place left in the bag, careful to prevent any leaks.

That’s what letters were for — you could explain it to them later.

Threw the duffel over your shoulder, gathered your routine bag with all your usual belongings, ran to the trailer’s front door and past it, locked it behind you and ran again for the van. Threw in your duffel beside his bags just as Eddie was about to close the back doors. He looked at you, a glimpse of anger and a whole lot of confusion in his eyes.

“Where we’re headed to?”

taglist (is open!): @amira0303

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff #stranger things fanfic #stranger things fic #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #lui writes #ifligh

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friendsdontlieokay · 2 months

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Oh how funny is this, it's only recently that I figured out that no matter how hard I try, all my relationships are gonna get doomed someday anyway, and every time it does, it's always gonna hurt the same, so I started detaching myself from everyone and everything at all.

And as a coping mechanism from everything, I find my comfort and warmth in TV series or webtoons, and as a matter of fact I feel less lonely, because it's like I still have friends I can count on without having the fear that it's gonna get ruined too because of something or someone.

But guess what? The Guy Upstairs, which is one of my favorite webtoons ever, is also getting discontinued, oh wow. I know it might not be a big deal to many, but it is to me, these things are one of the only things in life that keep me going, fr. And it hurts on so many levels when they end, which is one of the big reasons why I backed off for a while from the Stranger Things fandom too, I guess I wasn't ready yet that they're filming the last season, but at least it's getting a closure so I'll have to accept it and I will, I just need a little bit more time, but The Guy Upstairs?

The story reaches it's season finale, hits the climax to the point that the protagonist's accomplice backstabs her and turns out to be the antagonist's accomplice instead, Adam and Rozy AKA the protagonist and antagonist finally will be able to get their genuine talk, Rozy gets f***ing kidnapped by Adam and Alex! And somehow Adam and Rozy are biological siblings as said by the author, worst part, I already guessed it and was excited for it but oh oops it's gonna get discontinued right? So what's the point at all?

Plus the ending just puts up so many questions all at once and the writer decides to just stop all at once? I get it, she's been getting harassed by Rozy x Adam shippers which is a literally sick ship I agree, but there are people who like it, plus she's the one who wrote the characters so the people shipping it is to be expected right? Still I get it, when the author did say that she's not gonna make this ship canon because it's absolutely horrible and psychopathic, and people wanted the ship to sail even after knowing they're biological siblings and kept bothering her and harassing her when she clearly said she doesn't like it, so I get it, taking a break is okay, but stopping it altogether? What about the people who actually enjoyed it? How is this fair? Idk dude, it seems like the universe is plotting to make my life miserable

#the guy upstairs #adam bahri #rozy #rozanna #nur hawani roslan #hawa roslan #hanza art

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saintmeghanmarkle · 8 months

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TW has a "brand" she just doesn't know it yet by u/Cat_Woman_238

TW has a "brand," she just doesn't know it yet CDAN ENTY attorney really pegs TW as ambitious to the max... driven... ready to try anything to achieve success... hungry for fame, money, and power! He pegs TOS or "this one" as fine smoking weed all day, every day, without achieving anything. Isn't that what the landed gentry are brought up expecting to do? Yes, many aristocrats have to roll up their sleeves and work hard to save the family estate, but that is not the issue in his case. TOS was brought up to the life of leisure. ENTY pegs him as a "star-****er," a man amazed to think he is sleeping with a person he has seen on tv. That's where TOS went wrong. TW oversold herself and TOS bought her story, and then felt very fortunate to stick his **** in a woman he had seen on tv.Sure, she has drive and she is good at networking. But imagine a person with her drive who is also a woman of good taste, good breeding, good manners. Imagine a woman with that drive who gets a law or medical degree, works hard, shows humility, extends gratitude to those who help her, uses her good fortune to advance a cause we can all support, and networks like crazy - imagine what THAT woman could do! That is the woman TOS thought he was getting.Instead he got a woman with no manners, no taste, no breeding, and without the savvy to understand the importance of showing her gratitude to those who have elevated her. Even if she networks, hob-knobs, and sashays, she offends everyone she meets. People are repulsed by her ambition to be "famous" at any cost, and to make "billions" by lending her name to things other people do. People want to follow a leader, like the kind of leader who leads men into battle. He does not stand on the sidelines and say, "You go over there." No, he's the one out ahead of the others, going to battle. Catherine is a leader. She says, "Let's find out about early child development," and people follow her on that journey and accept what she learns as they learn with her. The fact that she is beautiful and charming make the journey more pleasant, but the fact is that she is leading the charge to understand the topic and to support good measures for child development. TW, on the other hand, cannot seem to understand that people like Catherine's genuine interest in things other than herself. She is like a gorgeous, athletic signpost, pointing to something of greater importance than herself - the nation's children. If she started to point towards herself, interest would wane. Michelle Obama pointed to the importance of exercise and healthy weight. Laura Bush pointed to the importance of reading and literacy. Jackie Kennedy pointed to the importance of the interior decor of the White House. Jane Goodall pointed to the importance of protecting primates. What has TW pointed towards? The importance of plastic surgery and Ozempic for the D-list actress?Instead of a savvy, intelligent, attractive, ambitious, clued-in partner, TOS got himself an ambitious but clueless woman who believes in nothing but herself. That's why she offended the most powerful woman in the world, and her heirs. That's why she failed to take any interest in the culture that offered her the biggest platform and opportunity she will ever have had. That's how she got someone like Bill Simmons publicly branding her a "f***ing grifter." And that's her brand now. Catherine's brand is "Early childhood development proponent," and TW's brand is GRIFTING. Passing herself off as someone she is not, as knowing things she does not know, as doing things she does not do, as caring for things she does not even notice, in order to take your money and become more powerful doing it - THAT is her brand.And she's going to have a very hard time shaking it. post link: https://ift.tt/bDwVYAy author: Cat_Woman_238 submitted: October 25, 2023 at 05:50PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

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a-wolf-at-the-door · 8 months

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I've been thinking about the No-Thing. Obviously, in the process of unbecoming a No-Thing, it stopped being. Despite no longer being, it does still exist, otherwise it wouldn't be able to know that it is a No-Thing.

In that case, if one would be able to step into the Void and survive, how would they perceive the No-Thing? Would it be a visible No-Thing? Would it be a feeling? A sound? In what perceivable way does the No-Thing exist? Not necessarily for the human perception systems. We are quite limited in those.

OR is the No-Thing's perception of itself so skewed with suffering and change that it no longer perceives itself as a thing that IS? Could it be that the No-Thing still is, but can't conceive the notion of its being?

I miss Rose :( she was in far less pain than the No-Thing.

Hope your week is going well, and that your weekend gets you very well-rested.

First off thanks for your well wishes and I hope your week is going well too!

I’m so glad you’re thinking about this, I have spent many hours wondering about exactly this question. I have four answers for your one question. They take the form of bad news, good news, a twist, and a promise. The twist is an essay tbh, get ready for a long read!

The bad news: I don’t have a satisfying answer to what the No-Thing is and how the No-Thing would hypothetically be perceived. This is partly because it’s a counterfactual hypothetical: the No-Thing isn’t. Is. There isn’t anyone else doing the perceiving, and if anyone else were to enter the Void they’d be either killed or No-Thing-ified too, excepting those with a Void ship, but my understanding was that part of the way the Void ship worked was by preventing external perception anyway… The other reasons I don’t have a satisfying answer: answering might involve a little bit of spoiler-ing that I don’t want to do, and also, though I pretend otherwise, I can’t entirely wrap my head around the concept of unbeing either! I’m trying to convey not only that which cannot be conveyed but also that which cannot be comprehended, and to get across the truly incomprehensible I can’t cheat and comprehend it!

The good news: You get to decide how to imagine it! Each reader probably has a different understanding of what it must be like for the No-Thing in the Void. Our imagination of unbeing is informed by our individual experiences of being, of embodiment, of identity. I know I move through the world of being very differently than many in my circles, partly due to big Identity Labels™ (cis woman, queer, short, thin, young, white, Latina, neurodivergent, etc. and oops! Now you know a lot more about me!) and partly due to non-Identity Label™ experiences, traumatic and restorative and neutral alike.

The twist: I lied a little, or told a half-truth. Definitely true thing: I believe that stories are always collaborations between writer and reader. Writers provide the scaffolding and readers fill it in and make it particular. We can try all we like to evoke a certain experience, but everyone brings their own background and experiences and lens to the story, so no two people ever really read the same story. And so with that, I think it’s the author’s responsibility to let go. The words on the page are published and the rest of the work is up to the reader to determine and decipher however they may.

But.

I am feeling a little irresponsible.

So I’m gonna tell you more about what inspired the way I write the Void. This isn’t technically a direct answer, nor is it meant to be the sole interpretation of the Void. If you don’t like it, you can always ignore it! Anything I say about these fics is pretty much “fan interpretation” unless it’s in the body of the fic. Here, I’m not really the all-knowing author, I’m just someone who gets to read ahead before everyone else. (because I wrote it lol)

So. How and why do I write the Void (and the No-Thing) the way I do?

The easy answer would be to point to some literary influences. I drew on some elements from DW canon. I love The Magnus Archives podcast and The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater (who is just generally a huge influence on my writing style, I adore her and her work). I consume a lot of speculative fiction and poetry and interesting science writing.

But the real deep-rooted influence of my imagining of the Void is rooted in my mental health challenges. I want to first couch this by saying I’m in a really good place right now and have been for a while. I’ve done a LOT of therapy and I’m on the right medications and I’m making a ton of progress taking care of myself, but I have at points in my life suffered from intense depression, anxiety, and complex trauma. I also have ADHD (but I don’t like saying I “suffer from” that one because it’s so intrinsic to who I am). I’m about to talk about these mental health things in a bit more depth so if you’re not comfy reading about them skip ahead to the promise!

Ok.

I have always struggled with embodiment. Not so much with my specific body—I have a lot of privilege as a thin cis woman and I want to acknowledge that—but with the idea of being in a body to begin with. I blame some of that on the Catholic Church teaching me that the body and all its earthly desires are bad things, and some of it on growing up surrounded by people with a lot of internalized fatphobia, and some of it on growing up intellectually gifted in a society that has a bedrock belief in Cartesian dualism (mind and body are separate, mind is superior to body, mind is pure and godly and must be cultivated, body is impure and animalistic and must be controlled/repressed). My thoughts have always been so fast (thanks ADHD) that I often felt like my body was a limitation.

I have long been very antagonistic towards embodiment and am only recently (past few years) beginning to truly unpack and heal from that. For a very long time the narrative in my head was like this: I am a mind and my mind is clever and creative and quick and capable of so much. My body is an inconvenience. Taking care of it takes time away from the extraordinary things my mind can do. Why does my body betray me by needing sleep, needing food and water, needing bathroom breaks and tooth-brushing and medicine and moisturizer? Why can’t I write as fast as I think? Why can’t I just be a cloud of disembodied thought?

A lot of egotism, a lot of shame. The two often go hand in hand.

These thoughts go back as far as I can remember. I learned to type really fast because I have memories of being a toddler watching my mom typing away and being jealous because handwriting was too slow for me to get my stories out.

I was also a pretty morbid kid. Like seriously, I would read the obituaries in the newspaper and search specifically for young deaths. I don’t know where this came from—I have been very lucky and have still not lost many people close to me, and at that time I hadn’t really lost anyone close to me at all. But I thought a lot about death.

I wasn’t a very good Catholic. I scored highly in religion class because I scored highly in almost every class, and I could believe that Jesus had really existed and done all that stuff the Bible said, but my faith broke down when I thought about death. Hell was terrifying. Purgatory was still beyond my comprehension. My real issue was with Heaven. It sounded interminably boring.

Before anything else, I am and have always been a writer. And as a writer I know that plot relies on conflict. So a reality where everything is perfect all the time and everyone is happy and nothing bad ever happens? Couldn’t get behind it.

As I started losing my faith, my thoughts turned more towards oblivion. (Cue early-2010s TFiOS-era poetic depression). The idea of winking out into nothing terrified me, consumed my thoughts, kept me up at night. What would death be like? Nothing. And what would Nothing be like?

So you see, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about unbeing. And I’ve spent an awful lot of time ignoring the realities of my being, dissociating from my body because I felt limited by it, ashamed of it, detached from it, betrayed by it. (In reality, I was the one doing the betraying.)

Writing Rose/the No-Thing in the Void has been an exercise in paying attention to my being. Trying to capture absence means I have to better understand presence. And it’s made me a hell of a lot more aware of reality.

Because depression lies to you and tells you that you are nothing, that you know nothing, that you feel nothing. Anxiety lies to you and tells you that you are everything everywhere all at once, that you know and can predict every possible outcome, that you are hyperaware of all that’s happening. The No-Thing is both of these and more and less. Like depression, the Void robs Rose of identity, memory, connection, but also like depression, it does so imperfectly. She is not unsalvageable because no one is ever unsalvageable. Like anxiety, the Void gives her a hyperawareness and detachment, a series of images she can’t quite connect and comprehend, an inner monologue she cannot silence. But also like anxiety, it doesn’t actually bring anything into clear focus or control.

Rose’s journey back towards embodiment is coming, and I’m really excited to write it. Partly for her, and a lot for me. It’s going to mirror some of the lessons I’ve learned as I get more comfortable with the fact that being human means being embodied, that I am on the same team as my body, that it sends messages to me and I choose to listen or ignore them, that it never betrays me but that I can choose whether or not to betray it. Her return will also show more of Bad Wolf as a disability. (Disclaimer: I don’t generally disclose the specifics but I have a few conditions that can be classed as disabilities, though they are the sort that can be managed thanks to modern medicine, my parents’ health insurance [thanks Obama!], and a lot of luck and privilege, so with the exception of rogue flare-ups, they don’t usually have disabling effects on my day-to-day life.)

The promise: Rose will return. Can I promise she’ll be in less pain? No. But can I promise she’ll come back and grapple with her new challenges and do it all with characteristic aplomb? Yes.

Ok that’s all! Hope you enjoyed the essay that didn’t really answer your question lol, now go forth and imagine!

#ask lia #spoilers for my fic lol #tw mental health #tw mental illness #tw anxiety #tw depression #tw body issues #oops I wrote an essay #tw religious trauma

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hollytanaka · 11 months

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Long post about the non-con/rape fic author who harassed me by directly sending me a non-con fic. Scroll past if you are not interested.

Trigger Warning: mentions of rape, pedophilia, and stalking

I'm going to continue addressing the bullshit claims that @ns-imagines keeps on spewing after harassing me in my DMs for simply disliking their approach to romanticizing abusive behaviors and sexual assault in fanfiction. Because they continue to twist the story, and now they are @-ing tumblr users who simply said they were sorry this was happening to me. They're misinterpreting my blog and what happened two days ago when they first slid into my DMs and began this fiasco.

first, the post is totally still up on my blog. you probably cannot find it because either i blocked you or because you're an expert at lying and playing the victim. you can find it here: https://cssndra-cain.tumblr.com/post/723586418512920576/or-yall-could-just-be-fucking-normal-for-once.

Your @ was also never, ever once in the post. I did not even tag cod or Nikto. You are pulling this out of your ass to try to make me look bad and to justify sending me a non-con fic as harassment. It's not working. Even if I did name you, it does not justify doing what you did to me.

first, you're a dumbass if you think i wasn't going to see what the image you posted was about. i was confused what that picture was even pointing to, and went to your blog to see why you sent me that image. when i saw it was a non-con fic that you had directed me towards, that's when i got physically sick to my stomach and realized it was not just a funny little meme. it was you taunting me with something you know i clearly don't like and that most people would find triggering. it's why people warn each other when they see a movie or tv show that has rape, because most people—even if they haven't been raped—feel awful watching it.

i did not post my life-story on tumblr either or any of my experiences with sexual abuse because it's private. not that you would've cared anyway, because you clearly don't now. either way, sexual abuse and violence is so prevalent that most women have experienced it either way. to send a non-con fic to taunt someone, without it even crossing your mind that 'maybe a not so nice past is the reason why someone has said they don't like non-con & rape fics' shows you're not that intelligent. if i say, i don't like non-con, it's probably because i have a reason to. not just because i'm petty and dislike things for no reason.

either way, you had no reason to taunt me in my DMs either way. you could have messaged me saying, "hey, you used a screenshot of my introduction character post, and it hurt my feelings even if i wasn't your intention. do you mind taking it down? i'm still new on tumblr." and i would've been okay with doing that and apologized. hell, in this very response, i say that although i never once tagged you or included your username, i will admit that maybe using a screenshot was not the best idea. for that i will genuinely apologize. but your reaction thereafter was totally uncalled for and worse than just using a screenshot of one sentence of your post.

i did reblog a post about how people with violent kinks on tumblr need to be looked at closely because they're often proshippers who encourage rape and pedophilia. but i did not include your username. i just said something in the tags along the lines of 'last time i did this i had some freak come into my DMs' but i did not mention you by name.

I did post the screenshot of the conversation. You did not just send the meme. You sent me a whole pile of invalidating, insensitive, and idiotic nonsense.

I mentioned you in the post so people know exactly who I am talking about and what you did. You find joy privately harassing people in their DMs, but once your horrible actions see the public limelight, you feel shameful. That's your problem, not mine. I think it's fair that people in fandom spaces know when someone is engaging in harassment and using non-con/rape material as a way of taunting people, so that they can stay the fuck away from toxic folks.

Lastly, my blog does not complain about NSFW content. I do read smut, when it's consensual and well-written. What I don't like is when the smut portrays rape and abuse (like possessive behaviors and stalking, something you actually portrayed as positive in Nikto post), and other things that impressionable, young people in our fandom should not think is normal in a relationship. I do have the NSFW filter turned on, and i have non-con and dub-con in my filtered tags. But it's almost like this content is so pervasive in our fandom, that it escapes those filters anyway.

Again, genius, the problem was not that it was NSFW. You're such a master manipulator with words. Very common tactics in gaslighters. My problem was that 1) your character introduction post was glorifying stalking and possessive behavior in relationships and 2) you sent me a non-con fic in my DMs in order to further taunt me instead of simply asking me to not engage with your writing. I don't know how else to spell this out to you. You will continue believing in your own narrative, because it's very obvious you're the type of immature, narcissistic person to put down everyone around you instead of simply owning up to one flaw you committed.

Follow your own advice, babe. Read that bolded part again, slowly and to yourself, one more time. Slide into my DMs to harass me, and of course I'm gonna fight back.

Also, I never once sent you death threats. And I don't know of anybody you've listed sending you any. Post the screenshots, and I'll make sure to address that. As much as I find you disgusting and annoying, I don't condone death threats and threats of violence, even if you don't have any problem being an absolute pest in people's DMs.

#cod #you have the reading comprehension skills of a toddler #cod discourse

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deepspacedukat · 10 months

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hey there, i'm a 'long time listener, first time caller' just wanting to send some love and appreciation your way. i really enjoy reading your fics and look forward to all your updates! you sure know how to set a proper thirst trap <3

you actually gave me the kick i needed to binge babylon 5 because it was on my radar for some time. i had just finished ds9 a while back (not my first watch), and i was still jones-ing for some sci-fi. you made some posts about the show and the rest is history lol

after finishing the series a couple of weeks ago, my 'b5 blorbos' are bester, neroon, and g'kar. i have some very specific scenarios that currently play in my head that i'd love for someone as skilled as you to put out into the world. i can't wait until you open fic requests again! ;)

but in the meantime, i'm thoroughly enjoying all the other fics in your impressive catalogue. i came for the garak/reader stories (no pun intended!), but i stayed for the likes of koval, letant, vreenak, solok, vorik, and dukat.

again, kudos on continuing to post these fics, they're really well-written. some explicit material can be very tiresome and/or juvenile, but it's clear you have quality writing experience to back you up, and you have great instincts as to what works and what doesn't. keep up the fantastic work! <3

Aww, thank you so much!!! I'm so glad you like my stories! I'm just gonna come out and say it: I've been hoarding this ask in my inbox and re-reading it every time I needed a pick-me-up, so uh...I apologize for being so late to respond. This ask has just been giving me the very good brain chemicals. 😅

First off, thank you so so much for your kind words and for taking the time to jump into my ask box to say something about it! I really do appreciate your support! 💖

Second, omg you are (I think) the third person I have managed to convince that Babylon 5 is worth a watch! I'm so honored that I was able to give you the lil push you needed to finally try it out. (I'm still on Season 3, because I've been trying to savor new shows instead of unhealthily binging things to the point of sleep deprivation like I've done in the past lol.) I'm so glad you enjoyed the show and have new blorbos!! Bester is very intriguing to me. Neroon is Very Yes™. And G'Kar...OMG G'KAR. 😍 He's my main B5 blorbo, if I'm gonna be completely honest and truthful about the situation. (Hence the lorge, semi-elaborate fic that "Who Reads The Mind-Reader?" is about to become once the SoC challenge is over. 🙈) Andreas Katsulas did such an amazing job in that role that it's almost impossible not to like G'Kar.

As for my requests, when I do eventually re-open them, I will for sure be adding characters from B5 to my list of people I'm willing to write for, so I'm totally open to writing those for you! I'm so glad that you've been enjoying my other fics in the meantime! I've had a lot of fun writing all of them, so I'm always glad to hear that people are still enjoying them!

Thank you again for your super sweet words, my friend! 💖 I may not have any professional writing experience under my belt (yet), but I do have a couple of actual novels I'm working on, so at some point in the future when I've figured out the whole process of becoming a published author, that will hopefully change! Until then, I hope you continue to enjoy my humble little fanfics! 🙏💖 Happy reading!! Feel free to drop by any time!

#deepspacedukat asks #mugglebornprincess

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chemicalpink · 2 years

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You seem knowledgeable about it so 👀

What advice would you give to someone wanting to try BDSM?

You said previously the time you were sugaring was a niche bdsm thing,you don’t have to go in depth, but what was it like ?What are the dangers ?

Ohhhh dear, I don't know if you signed up for a lenghty answer but- I have one.

First off, thank you so much for considering me knowledgeable on the matter, I hope this can help shine some light on the question at hand.

You know how much I love DISCLAIMERS: This answer is by NO MEANS a definite answer to the question, I am simply answering from my very own experience and education in the matter.

OKAY so if someone were to come up to me and say Hey Marinette, I'm thinking about diving into BDSM, any advice?

I would probably tackle a few points.

How well do you consider you know yourself in every matter.

Independently of whether you're diving into the sexy parts of BDSM or not, you must understand yourself wholeheartedly, mentally, physically, emotionally and even spiritually. You must be aware of your limits when it comes to other people and yourself. I would also advise you know your contextual being and environment just to be safer, kinda test out the waters without involving yourself by asking around, how the bdsm community has developed in your area (sometimes you'll come to find that values and goals may differ from what you're looking for)

2. Be of age.

I believe it is a given, but looking back, I would truly advise for you to at least be 21 years old before you decide to venture in the scene. I was 18 when I first started out, and I can tell you it most definitely fucked up the way I relate with other people, as much as we think we are balanced within, being mature or what not, truth is, some things are organic and developmental according to your life experiences, there's no need to rush into things as you'll get to experience things as they're meant to be.

3. Develop a trusty circle of friends.

Unfortunately, bdsm is still regarded as something taboo in most parts, so it might sound a bit difficult to set yourself up with a few friends that know about your practices, just in case anything were to happen, they don't have to be part of the scene, just respect it as such.

Now, I'm probably not the best example out there when it comes to my bdsm experience but it is indeed a learning experience.

I never really dived into the sexy experience of bdsm outside of trusted partners with whom I had an emotional relationship status with, BUT I used to be a findom in the scene across the globe.

As much as I would love to go into much detail, I literally can't BUT hired professional findoms aren't that common so I was on top of my game up until covid hit and I lost most of my income.

I started when I was 18 as a sub with one of my ex-boyfriends, it was- excruciatingly horrible if I'm being honest, when he and I broke up, I started hooking up with men and looking back as to the reasons why they loved being with me, it is absolutely gross and it is one of the reasons as to why I am not that attracted to the smexy side of bdsm. ANYWAYS, when I turned 20 I started being openly queer, I often sub-ed for women and I started dom-ing for men. Things happened, word got around, I started dom-ing for much older men than me, up to the point where at 21 a person I usually sub-ed for suggested I tried out being a findom, so I did, at 22 I "retired" for mental health reasons as I found myself in the middle of a horrible breakup, stuck in a foreign country, potentially being a findom to 5 regular men (and the tax authorities on my ass for the dumbest reason–a story for another occasion)

As for the dangers... well, at the end of the day the scene is all about trust. There is always going to be some sort of power dynamic in between, and although we are aware of it, bdsm is meant to serve as a relief of sorts, we are only responsible for our own actions, so there is always going to be the doubt of will x person be as knowledgeable on the matter as I am? Are they understanding the same bdsm principles as I am? Are we both on the same page? Are our levels of involvement similar to each other? Some people dive into bdsm with their partners as something fun, spicy and whatnot, without really thinking about making the most of it, just as an addition to their already existing relationship and interaction, to some of us, it is more about the psychological aspects that bdsm comes with, to others it's a relief method, so as long as you make sure you're practising it responsibly in equal feet, it should be good.

Unfortunately, being queer is also a danger for the most part, I am not so sure about the differences when it comes to different practices but at least on my part, I was a queer female-presenting person, so there was a lot of forcing femininity from people that I didn't get involved with but knew of and had to interact with, some belittling and things of the sort.

All in all, it might be a bit easier to answer precise questions, but so far, this is all I can recall from my experience.

#get to know marinette #lovely anon

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spam-monster · 2 years

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Manga Continuity vs DC/Marvel Comics Continuity: Pros and Cons: Characterization

Manga: Only one person is in charge of creating the entire storyline. If the manga is popular it might have a spinoff written by someone else, but those are for the most part either focused on new characters or a gag manga/sequel that doesn’t affect the main storyline; the original author will usually oversee and give advice on writing the characters/world they originally created.

DC/Marvel Comics: Someone came up with this character, but since then they’ve been written by dozens of different people: sometimes they’re the main character, sometimes they’re in the background of someone else’s story, sometimes they’re in an alternate universe different from the main one where they’re in the past or the future or kid-friendly or super-grimdark...you need approval from the higher-ups to write them but it’s generally a free-for-all.

Comic Pros/Manga Cons: Having many people contribute to a character’s storyline means more chances to try something new and find a version of the character that resonates with people more, and it means that the characters will endure long after the original storyline is wrapped up and the original writers are gone. Most (non-gag and non-comedy) manga have only one overall connected storyline and are only ever written by one person; the characters live and die with the author.

Manga Pros/Comic Cons: Manga characters know who they are and what they’re doing, and are rarely written “out-of-character” unless they’re in a silly spinoff or the author is adjusting them to make a point. Meanwhile popular DC/Marvel characters could be included in like 4 or 5 different comics all written by different people with different characterizations in the same continuity at the same time, and the authors all disagree about the character’s personality or morals or who they should be dating or what their supporting cast is up to or where on the scale of hopeful-to-grimdark the overall setting is or any number of things...

Which is how we get shit like One More Day (kill perfectly good relationship!) or Identity Crisis (kill/ruin good side characters for The Angst!) or nobody knowing who’s side they’re supposed to be taking in (the original) Civil War (Iron Man’s valid Iron Man’s an asshole Cap’s valid Cap’s naïve) or

ANY COMIC WHERE BATMAN IS AN ASSHOLE TO HIS CHILDREN AND I DON’T MEAN LIKE THE NORMAL “ANGSTLY AND ALOOF BECAUSE HE HAS ISSUES EXPRESSING HIS FEELINGS” OR THE OCCASIONAL “SNAPS BECAUSE HE’S UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE AND REGRETS IT LATER” I MEAN LIKE THE ONES WHERE HE BERATES THEM AND BEATS THEM AND DISOWNS THEM AND IS A CONTROLLING BASTARD JUST FOR THE SAKE OF IT AND NOT BECAUSE HE’S TERRIFIED OF LOSING MORE PEOPLE HE CARES ABOUT

HI SUPRISE THIS ISN’T ACTUALLY A WELL THOUGHT OUT AND RESEARCHED POST ABOUT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PICTURES-WITH-WORDS STORIES THIS IS REALLY JUST ME RANTING ABOUT WESTERN COMICS LETTING ANYONE PLAY WITH THEIR TOYS SPECIFICALLY THE PEOPLE WHO CARE MORE ABOUT CREATING DRAMA THAN THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES BASICALLY ANY VERSION OF BRUCE WAYNE WHO WOULD GIVE UP ON ANY OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS EVEN THE ONES WHO DO THE SHOOTY SHOOTY AND THE STABBY STABBY IS F-ING INVALID F I G H T M E

...

in conclusion, this is why I read fanfiction, because the good authors will tag ahead of time if this is a “Bruce Wayne is a Good Dad” or a “Bruce Wayne is a Terrible Father” sort of fic. And also what pairings are involved. And if there’s violence or trigger warnings or character death or anything like that. I guess what I’m saying is comics (and heck it manga too) should start using the AO3 tagging system so we know ahead of time if this is a story we want to invest our time into or not.

#manga #comics #DC comics #marvel #dc #batman #batfamily #Jason Todd #bruce wayne #ao3 #fanfic #all western comics are officially sanctioned fanfictions

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arcadevalorie · 2 months

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Rating Books I’ve Read This Year So Far

(No one asked for this but hey, I bought and read the damn books, I GET TO BLAB ABOUT THEM. THAT WAS THE DEAL)

Of note is that these are all the horror genre because I wanna feel something ☺️

RING by Koji Suzuki

A hood classic of course. Loses some points because it starts at a crawl and doesn’t really improve from that pace for a good while, and the main character’s friend isn’t very likable (He’s not a token “annoying friend in a horror story” character, but I can’t explain him being unlikable without a slight spoiler)

6.5/10 A bit dated but I recognize that a lot of “tropes” hadn’t been done before and some of the parts about Sadako herself are just a product of the time and country from which the work originates. Solid and I completely understand how it laid the groundwork for a horror icon

—

Cows by Matthew Stokoe: I miss the person I was before I read this. I will not be taking the plunge into “extreme horror” ever again and “splatterpunk” books are off the table. A lot of this is gross in the intrusive thought way and I don’t mean the meme intrusive thoughts but ACTUAL intrusive thoughts. I have a strong stomach so I never gagged or anything but honestly? If I respected books a little less I would’ve burned this after I finished reading it. Instead it sits on my shelf as a monument to never having to read it again. 😌 I suppose I cannot rate it just one way because it wouldn’t be fair

Enjoyment: -100/10 As someone who has seen REAL GORE and worse, I was “what the fuck”-ing the entire way through and felt genuinely dirty. Not in a “whoa, good horror!” way. In a “is the author okay?” way. Also I think the author hates fat people or at least his portrayal of the main character’s mother (named only as “The Hagbeast” for the entire book) certainly makes it seem so.

Dead Dove Principle: 10/10 “Well, I dunno what I expected.”

—

The Vegetarian by Han Kang: classed as horror but it’s not scary, the horror is in how tragically sad everything is and makes really good use of Korean societal norms and taboos as a vehicle for it all. The arguments are genuinely infuriating due to both hypocrisy and an obsession with control because (spoiler) somehow your daughter scarcely eating due to gruesome nightmares is more shameful than trying to force feed her meat after she wouldn’t touch anything at the family dinner because everything on the table is animal products.

7/10 Starts slow but with the interest of taking place from the titular vegetarian’s husband’s point of view. The point of view of a man who hates his wife. Not that he would ever SAY he hates his wife, but whenever this man speaks about his wife it is only to talk about things he dislikes about her or things he’s ambivalent to but wishes she was more like other women about. By his own (internal monologue) admission this man is with a woman he finds so mediocre because he recognizes that he himself is MID. (If this is setting off red flags for you, the author is a woman.)

—

Currently reading: Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham.

Soft premise: We’ve all wished our favorite fictional characters were real, but usually only imagine that happening as the character being born from the work, not pre-dating the work they “appear” in. Said characters also may not be happy about the story written about them.

—

Next Read: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

#The Vegetarian by Han Kang #Cows by Matthew Stokoe #Ring by Koji Suzuki

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peonierose · 2 years

Text

Go blonder

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Luna Auclair

Rating: Fluff

Summary: When you try out something new and it looks even better then you thought 😍

Words: 3,000+

Author’s note: This takes part before Luna and Bryce moved back to Hawaii. Enjoy 😚

Music inspiration for this fic can be found here

Side note: Thank you so much for reading through and making suggestions @annieruok94 ❤️ It really helped me.

And a big thanks goes to the wonderful @ofmischiefandmedicine for our late brainstorm session. Ugh I loved it 😍😱 Because it gave me the push to actually realize how to put the story together. (Also I added a part that I actually wanted to exclude, but thought it’s actually nice so why not include it?) Again thanks a bunch ❤️

Three months ago….

It’s Sunday and we’re enjoying some alone time.

Keiki is off with friends. It feels much quieter without her here. As if a vital element is missing.

Bryce’s voice makes me come out of my thoughts.

”Do you think I would look hot as a blond?“ Bryce directs his question at me and I look up from my magazine in the bathtub. While he stands in front of the mirror admiring himself.

Turning this and that way.

”Did you loose a bet with Jackie again?“ I ask turning a page.

He gives me an indignant stare.

I snicker at his expression.

”What? It could be. You always seem to be on the losing end,“ I laugh at his sour expression.

”I’m not always losing,“ he says but then seems to think back and says

”Okay maybe I lost once or twice but so what?“ he says pouting. He looks really cute.

”You know you already look hot, but if you want to change it up a bit I‘m in. We’d be the blond duo. Get it?“

I say smiling up at him, which he acknowledges with a grin in return, his chocolate brown eyes lighting up.

He continues but the grin stays in place, making me wonder what he’s up to.

”I did hear the nurses whisper about some sort of bet. You know if I would actually go through with it,“ he replies.

I ponder over that for a second.

”Is the betting pool still open? I’d really like to place a bet,“ I say.

He raises an eyebrow.

”Are you that sure you’re going to win?“ he asks unperturbed.

I shrug and the water sloshes around me and I turn to look at B again.

”It’s all in the cards my good man,“ I wink at him.

”Really?“ he gives me a pointed stare and my eyes dart to his naked chest.

Well I’ll be honest he is pretty distracting with that towel hanging pretty low around his waist and my eyes do wander but I try and keep them up, because I know I’ll never hear the end of it.

I smile, because secretely I like it when he mocks me when I lose my focus while I was staring at him.

It’s not just his looks that drew me to him. Though they don’t hurt. It’s him. End of story.

I continue with my phrases, which I know annoy the hell out of him.

”All sings point to yes,“ I say.

”I’m out of here, before you start getting out the tarot cards and your crystal ball. Watching Harry Potter getting through class was enough,“ he says and just up and walks out of the bathroom, which makes me laugh so hard I almost create a little lake on the bathroom tiles.

“I have a portable one,“ I yell and laugh at my own joke. I can only hear his receding footsteps.

———————————————————

Ten minutes later I come out of the bathroom smelling like freshly plucked daisies. According to B. To tell you the truth I have no idea if that’s true. Or if daisies smell like this.

Bryce is on the phone with Keiki and smiles at me when I enter the living room. He scoots over and makes room for me on the couch.

“Hey Keiks,“ I say next to Bryce.

He laughs into the phone.

“What?“ I look at him and he just mouths nothing.

I shrug and get off the couch to make us something for lunch.

Opening the white cupboards and the fridge to find us some ingredients for omelettes. It’s nothing too complicated. I enjoy making any kind of dish. Though I love a challenge. I think an omelette is easy enough to make.

You can add any kind of ingredients your heart desires.

I take out everything that I need and put it on the counter.

Bryce walks in and says

“Need any help?“ he starts getting out a cutting board to chop some bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach and some jalapeños for himself, because I don’t like spicy food.

I’m beating the eggs and put some butter in the pan. When I see it has already melted I throw in the beaten eggs and add all the veggies Bryce chopped.

Meanwhile Bryce puts up plates and cutlery. We just sat down and started eating, when Bryces pager goes off. He swallows.

He pulls it out of his pajama bottoms and takes a quick look, while he’s reading he’s getting up.

“We just got a heart delivered for a patient who desperately needs it so we have to prep for surgery,“ he’s getting up and wants to put the plates away.

I cover his hands and say

“Go. I got it.“

He gives me a quick kiss and goes into our bedroom to get dressed.

Before he’s out the door I tell him “I’ll come by later,“ I say, he nods and the door clicks shut behind him.

Now that he left the apartment is empty. It’s a weird feeling. It’s too quiet.

Gosh I already miss him.

I put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and dry my hands with the lavender colored dish towel I bought a few weeks ago.

Feeling restless I try to think of something to do.

No better time than to go and distract myself with making some pottery.

As I’m working away time passes by quickly.

I love sitting down to create.

I turn on the pottery wheel and the soft whirring sound relaxes me. I loose myself in the feel of the soft clay beneath my hands.

The pottery wheel moves around in an almost dizzy motion. Almost lulling me to sleep.

This is why I love art and creating things. You’re in charge of what you create. You can make something beautiful out of anything. You can turn it into something incredible. Something you’ve made yourself.

As I feel my body getting tired from all the sitting I know it’s later than I thought.

I wipe my hands on a towel I use when I make pottery. I get my phone and when I look at the clock it’s already past six in the evening.

I put my phone down on the couch and stretch my body from all the sitting. Thank god for all the yoga I practice.

I wander into the bathroom, pour some liquid soap into my hands and wash them from the remaining clay stuck under my fingernails.

Moving into our bedroom I throw open the wardrobe and get dressed. As I leave our apartment I realize I haven’t really eaten that much, except for that omelette. And that was hours ago.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to get everyone some food? I’m sure they could use something warm in their bellies.

I turn around the corner and stop by this amazing Chinese place. They serve incredible food.

I order and get everyone take-out and some drinks while I’m at it. They must be starving after the long surgery.

I’m getting closer to Edenbrook and as I enter the hospital I see a familiar face coming my way.

It’s Sienna. She looks bone tired but her eyes are alight when she sees me with food and drinks.

“Please tell me you brought some for all of us?“ she says eying the boxes greedily and I just nod.

She closes her eyes in pure bliss.

“Let me help you bring it upstairs to where we usually eat,“ she takes some of the boxes out of my hands and together we go up to their lounge and put everything on the table.

As soon as we sit down and unpack some boxes we hear others coming in.

“Who ordered food?“ I hear a female voice and see Jackie walking in, followed by Elijah pushing his wheelchair along.

His eyes dart to me and he smiles warmly at me, his smile is contagious, then he takes a look at the food.

“Dig in guys. I thought you could use some fuel,“ I say gesturing to the spread of food.

Elijah just sighs.

“I would kiss you, but Bryce wouldn’t like that too much,“ Elijah says and laughs.

“I’m happily taken,“ I reply while I munch on an egg roll.

“Where’s the man of the hour by the way?“ I ask around and Sienna is the one who replies.

“He should be in any moment,“ she says her eyes closed and I just smile as I can relate. Food is amazing especially if you can share it with friends.

I chew down and ask around the table.

“So I hear there’s a betting pool going on,“ I say and everyone stops eating for a second, before they resume but at a much slower pace than before.

”I’d like to place a bet. That is if the betting pool is still open…“ I let the sentence hang in the air eying everyone seated around the table.

Jackie is the first to break the silence. Eying the door to see if Bryce is in ear shot.

When all is clear she turns to me and replies.

”You’re in luck it’s still open. So how much are you betting?“ she asks in a curious tone.

I take a bite of another egg roll.

”I don’t know. I mean B loves his hair too much to really dye it any color. You know what? I’ll place 50 bucks on the off-chance he actually goes through with it,“ I eye Jackie and see her lips twitch evidently but she remains quiet only nodding my way.

”You got it,“ she writes it down on her phone.

It’s probably hard to keep track of all the people who’ve already placed a bet.

Honestly? I can’t wait to see how this turns out.

Either way it’s going to be fun.

”What’s the loser got to do?“ I ask sounding interested.

Elijah answers before Jackie gets a chance.

”Strut around the hospital,“ he says his eyes twinkling.

I raise an eyebrow.

”That’s it? That doesn’t sound so bad,“ I say taking some noodles and biting down on some egg rolls.

”You haven’t heard the best part!“ Jackie says with a huge grin on her face.

I look at everyone and they all smile.

”Okay what’s the catch?“ I ask around.

”The loser has to strut around in their underwear,“ Jackie laughs.

”Okay I like this part,“ I say while smiling with a wicked glint in my eye.

We laugh and finish our meal in comfortable silence.

———————————————————

Later that day

I eye Bryce curiously as he’s sitting in one of the chairs at the hair salon.

”Please tell me you’ve changed your mind,“ I ask him and continue

”It’s just a bet Bryce. You don’t have to prove anything. Your friends won’t think differently if you don’t dye your hair,“ I say standing next to him.

He smirks his brown eyes staring back at me in the mirror.

”Admit it. I’d look hot as a blond,“ he wriggles his eyebrows.

”You’d be eye catching,“ I say while laughing.

A girl in her twenties joins us. Her blue and purple hair made up in two knots á la Princess Leia style. She looks really good. The style suits her. I definitely have to ask her for her number. I think she’d fit right into our little group of friends.

”Hi, I’m Stacey. So what can I do for you today,“ her voice sounding excited, her blue eyes dancing in delight.

Bryce is about to admit that he lost a bet, but I jump in before he can say anything.

”My beautiful fiancé wants to try out something new. Maybe go a little blonder,“ I say turning towards Bryce and winking at him. He just shakes his head smiling.

Stacey turns my way and smiles brightly.

”Sure. You can totally pull it off. With your eyes and your complexion? You’ll be so handsome. So what are you thinking? Do you want to go full blond, or maybe a balayage style. We can also just do some various shades of blond highlights?“ Stacey turns his head from left to right.

Bryce sighs unsure about which style to go with.

”Why don’t you do the highlights? They’re easily done and if you don’t like em, they’ll grow out right?“ I suggest and Stacey nods at that.

”Sure why not,“ Bryce shrugs in his chair.

Stacey gets to work to prepare everything.

I sit next to Bryce while Stacey started the process of doing the highlights.

He sits down in one of those chairs from the movies. You know the ones that’ll go around your head and you have to sit and wait.

I snicker and snap a picture of Bryce in the chair.

”All you need is a magazine, some coffee and your gossiping friends and you’re all set,“ I can’t stop laughing about that image.

He squints at me with a devilish smile.

”You’re going to pay for that,“ he says.

I smile in return.

”As long as I get an orgasm out of it I’m all good,“ I wink and he looks at me shocked and then he laughs out loud.

A half hour later we leave the salon, and as much as I hate to say it…he does look hot as a blond.

———————————————————

The next night

”How much did you bet?“ he asks me while we prepare dinner for tonight. We decided on some brown rice with chicken and some roasted vegetables. The perfect balance.

I eye him from the corner of my eye. Some blond strands of hair falling into his face. Which he pushes back.

”As if I would tell you that,“ I say cheekily.

He sneaks up behind me and says ”I’ll share my apple pie with you,“ he tries to lure me in with pie.

”Nice try Goldilocks. I have a whole pie in the fridge with my name on it,“ I mock him.

He sighs and leans his chin on my right shoulder, his warm breath making goosebumps break out over my skin.

”I can’t even bribe you with apple pie for you to tell me how much you bet? What has the world come to,“ he murmurs disappointed kissing my neck. He knows it’s my sensitive spot.

I shiver which he totally noticed as his lips curve up into a smile, but I shake my head vigorously at him.

”Awww my little drama queen. Also whining doesn’t look sexy on you,“ I say.

”As if. I can make anything look sexy, but seriously nothing works?“ the change of his tone tells me in which direction he’s going.

I turn my head sideways and just look at him.

”If you think luring me in with your seduction skills think again,“ I say.

He just leans back against the counter, a white and blue checkered kitchen cloth hanging from his right shoulder.

I had to toss the lavender one into the hamper. It got chocolate smeared all over it. Don’t ask.

Well Keiki did ask but when she saw us laughing she knew we got carried away with chocolate. Again.

And I’m not talking about dessert. Well it kinda started with dessert…and you know what they say. The rest is history.

An unreadable expression is etched onto his beautiful face.

”How did I find the one woman who is immune to my charms?“ he asks out loud.

I laugh at his serious question pointed at me. He just looks so adorable when he’s all serious. I give him a quick kiss.

”She put a ring on it. So I’d say you got extremely lucky to have found me,“ I say while putting out plates and cutlery.

Which Bryce takes off my hands and puts on the table.

”You’re right I am a lucky guy, that’s what I am,“ and gives me a soft kiss on the forehead.

”Let‘s eat. All this talk about apple pie has got me hungry,“ I sit and put some food on my plate.

”When are you not hungry?“ he eyes me amused.

I pause mid-fork.

”Eat your food babe,“ I smile at him and he just laughs at my expression and we dig in.

Me and Sienna won the bet, which we’re going to split between the two of us.

Looks like Jackie lost this time.

I look over at Bryce and just smile at him as we continue to enjoy our food and talk about our day.

———————————————————

A week later

When I get home to a pile of boxes greeting me at the front door. I see B coming out and putting more packed boxes ready for shipping. These are probably the last ones to go to Honolulu.

When Bryce sees me he greets me with a kiss. And I see him smiling.

”What? You look like a kid on Christmas morning,“ I ask him and he just smiles and shows me his phone and I see a video playing.

He laughs

”Since Jackie lost the bet she had to strut around the hospital in her underwear. Hayley recorded the whole thing and sent it to me,“ he says

I lean closer and look at the screen.

You can see Jackie in her green underwear walking across the hospital floor.

”Oh for fucks sake. Why in three hells are you only in your underwear Dr. Varma?“

Ethan’s voice. And he sounds super annoyed.

”I didn’t have any clean clothes,“ she says not wanting to admit she lost a bet.

He sighs

”You could’ve worn anything else. Please get something else to wear. This is just inappropriate,“ he says

”I can’t do that,“ she says.

He squints his eyes at her. Realizing there might be more to it.

”Clothes Varma. Now. And no that wasn’t a request,“ he says

Jackie laughs

”Aye aye sir,“ Jackie salutes and goes to get on some clothes.

You can see Ethan pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing.

”What kind of madhouse am I working at? I need a vacation,“ he mutters to himself. That’s when the video ends.

I look at Bryce

”How much trouble did she get into?“ I ask him

”Beats me. I wish I was there though. The look on Ethan’s face. That would’ve been priceless. I would’ve framed that,“ he says and together we pack the rest of our things.

Starting a new chapter in our lives.

Let me know if you want to be added or removed ❤️ As always thank you for reading, sharing, liking and leaving a comment.

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talkfantasytome · 3 years

Note

I would like to know an opinion from you, who is a reader and writer, without favoritism using more the logic and facts of the book.

What are the chances of G+A, E+A and E+L happening in ACOTAR and why do you think so?

By logic I think G+A has an 85% chance of happening, for several factors pointed out in the books and in interviews. E+L I have doubts because it depends on what will happen in the next book and E+A for me is dead

Hi there!

Interesting question! And a tough one to ask me to answer as a writer and a reader, but also just to use logic and facts. I'll do my best, but admittedly, on some points in may appear as more of an opinion as a writer, or my own interpretation being a writer and understanding how things can be done.

However, I did really love including that focus in my answer! I did try to keep out favoritism and stick to logic. Admittedly, when asking specifically about all three ships, I'm now including all in one post and I'm sure one will appear favored, so I apologize for that. However, I did stick to facts of the book and facts about SJM - since you asked about my thoughts as a reader and writer, I felt I had to bring in certain things we know about SJM, in particular her style and the stuff she's likely to do.

This is a very big question you're asking, though. So, a fair warning, this post is very long. I have provided the word count below so people will have fair warning. There is also a TL;DR section at the bottom (before the post divider above my disclaimers) with a paragraph on each pair, for those interested in my opinions but don't wish to go deep into facts and thoughts.

I only ask that if anyone is looking to discuss this with me further, for any reason, that you do read the full post first before coming back to me with questions or concerns. :)

WC: 8,821

If you're interested, please keep reading for the ramblings of a mad woman...

The first thing I want to talk about is:

Foreshadowing.

Foreshadowing is the technique of hinting at future events in a story using subtle parallels, usually to generate more suspense or engage the reader’s curiosity. (Grammarly)

Writers, publishers, and readers all f*ing love foreshadowing. Even if you're a fan of big surprises and plot twists, foreshadowing is such an amazing and wonderful thing to see. I think it's because, even as a reader, even if you want something to completely throw you off guard, when you go back and see the foreshadowing later on, you respect it. And it makes you appreciate that author's craft. And true readers - as well as writers, of course - love to do that. As a reader, I loooove when an author does something that foreshadows something to happen in two or three books. As a writer, I strive to be like that.

But an important note to make about foreshadowing - it's typically about using "subtle parallels", once that could generate suspense or engage our curiosity. That's just something to keep in mind throughout this piece.

If you don't take the time to think about foreshadowing, and to understand its importance to writers and readers alike, then you're not going to be able to think critically about questions like this. And you're going to write a lot off as just something to make the readers happy or something a little pretty or fun.

And you'll also forget how crucial foreshadowing is. It is important, but it's hard to do, and it's not going to be done on something minor. You're not going to foreshadow what someone is going to make for dinner that night - not unless the choice of meal, or that meal itself, will end up being a vital plot point.

Similarly, you're not going to foreshadow things like, say, future possible relationships just to make that relationship an "oh, look, they're just platonic friends with minimal importance in that relationship". No. If you're foreshadowing something that will become just a friendship, it's going to be a massive, live-or-die, most important, life-altering friendship. It's going to be a friendship that changes the course of the characters lives.

So, having given that small lesson, I'd also challenge all readers of this post to read everything I've said with foreshadowing in mind as well. In some places I bring it up and mention it more, but I feel like foreshadowing is the most important literary device in questions like this. So as you read, see if there are other parts I bring up that are also foreshadowing, but I didn't say were foreshadowing. I think you might be surprised at how much it is laced through everything, just as it is extremely predominant in these books.

With that in mind, I'm ready to move on to the main questions:

E\ain & Azriel

Quickly, for this section, basically my entire focus is on why I don't believe these two will share a book, which - based on SJM's explanation of the second set of three ACOTAR books - means they're not endgame. If you're interested in an argument more about why these two aren't endgame based more on what's in the books about the characters, how they interact, etc. and doesn't focus on which books we'll get, you can see a very long post here that I made on that. On top of that, you did ask me this question "as a reader and writer", and I found that in answering "as a writer", it lended more toward talking about which book we'll get a bit more than which endgame relationships we'll get (even though they're basically synonymous lol).

I think they have an incredibly small chance of being endgame, personally. I hate making blatant, all out, 100% positive statements without the facts to back it up, and right now, we don't have that. Because we don't yet know who Az will be paired up with for his book. We do know he'll be getting something, as SJM has said she's excited to write his journey, and that is too big a statement for it to be a side journey.

So, we know Az will get a book. And we know that SJM is planning two more full novels for the series. There will be at least one novella, I believe, potentially two, but I'm not considering those. Based on what we've seen from Az, as a writer (as you requested 😉), I cannot see him being a novella story. Especially not after Sarah has talked about how excited she is for his journey.

The other reason I believe he'll be a full novel - the novels are for those who are hitting true rock bottom. Look at Feyre in ACOMAF, and look at Nesta in ACOSF. The main character for the novels will hit rock bottom, to then go through their character arc.

And Az is hitting it now. You can see it coming. He's moved on from pining for one female to pining for another, and while yes, he could technically get E\ain, there's a reason they're not together, and I firmly believe it goes beyond Lucien.

Lucien is the excuse. I know you asked about these from the perspective of a reader and writer, but just quickly - as someone who also is PHENOMENAL at preferring the emotionally unavailable, I know exactly what's going on with Az.

I'm not exaggerating here, for the record. I'm 29 and have never had a boyfriend because I CANNOT like the right guys. If you actually show interest in me, or are someone who could, I will not like you. I also won't like you if you're married or in a relationship, no, that's a turn off, but if you're emotionally unavailable in a way that means we will never be together - that's my jam.

Sound familiar? 👀

So, yeah, I know Az. And I know what he's doing with E\ain. Unlike me, he might go for something physical - that kiss attempt - but even in that he was thinking it would only be that one time. Because he knows she's not emotionally available. And NOT because of Lucien. Lucien, as I said, is the excuse. He's the "reason they can't be together" in Az's mind. He's "the obstacle to my happiness". But he really isn't.

E\ain said herself, in ACOFAS, she doesn't want a male. And we have reason to believe she wants to become human again. She isn't actually happy as a Fae, and she doesn't want to be with a Fae. And, friendly reminder, Az is Fae. 👀

So, Elain is emotionally unavailable. She may be physically available to Az, but I do not believe she is emotionally available to him - or any Fae - at the moment. I'll get more to that in the Lucien section, too.

Despite the lack of development around this information in ACOSF, and the fact that we can't know this for certain since we've never seen her POV or the POV of someone who truly knows E\ain - no, I don't believe either sisters truly do - this did not change in a year. I know E\ain's own personal turmoil and issues won't get solved on the side, off-page. Despite her lack of development so far, I do agree with those that ship E\ain and Az on one thing - she IS a main character. Or, at least, she will be. Hands down, 100%, of course. She's an Archeron. Sarah has said she'll have a book. It's all a fact.

So no way in hell did E\ain's emotional journey happen off-page. E\ain's journey is not solely going to be her training, or finding her value in Prythian in terms of what she'll do during the day and how she can help against a villainous threat. There will be an emotional journey. It's called a character arc. One of the character development resources I have bookmarked includes this diagram:

Source

This is a standard character arc. And while it may appear that it can all be stuff that happens to the character, which it can, take a look at the end point: character is forever changed.

That, in and of itself, implies that this arc goes beyond what is happening to the character, and expresses how all of those things happening are also working the character internally. More importantly, no one wants to read a book about a character who has no emotional journey, only a physical one. As a reader, I can attest to this. As a writer, I understand this and...am working on it in my own writing. 👀

Lastly, we KNOW SJM likes a good emotional arc. Feyre - hit rock bottom. Nesta - hit rock bottom. Bryce (CC) - hit rock bottom, and lived there for two years. Aelin (ToG) - she hit rock bottom on some levels, in different ways, multiple times. That girl went through some serious emotional shit, on top of all the stuff happening to her and around her.

My point - E\ain's book will include an emotional journey. And even if she's not at a full, devastating rock bottom, it will be something close to it. I have thoughts on what could cause it, what her bottom could be, but that's not for this post.

So, both E\ain and Azriel will have a book. And some believe it will be together. Allow me to explain why I believe all that I just said, as a writer, tells me it won't be:

Their journeys are too big for one book.

That's it. That's the main kicker. And it sounds stupid to some, I'm sure. So allow me to explain.

Azriel is so close to rock bottom, he's passed Bikini Bottom. He's taken the wrong bus home, and he's passed the final stop before he gets to Rock Bottom. And he's gonna be there until someone else comes along and blows up his hand glove to help him fly out of there. (If you don't get the reference, you're probably too young to be reading ACOTAR. 👀)

He's on his second girl he's pining after who is emotionally unavailable. A girl he doesn't actually want, but is just an idolized representation of what he wants. (This post, the Share Life with Me section explains my thoughts on that.) He's also struggling with a ton of other things. I won't list them all, cause this post as become a beast, but we know he's dealing with a lot.

In fact, that Az isn't able to sleep is a big sign of where he's at emotionally. I mean, he's an active male. And he's got a lot on his plate. He's busy, he trains, he is definitely physically tired regularly. But he can't sleep, because he has so much shit going on in his mind. All the stuff he's struggling with, not to mention his own feelings of inadequacy. You cannot convince me Az is not close to rock bottom.

E\ain, on the other hand, is nowhere near it. If she was, we would have been given an inkling. In ACOFAS, we got some Cassian chapters, clearly meant to help prepare us for ACOSF, and give us all some Nessian angst because we were all shipping them by then. BUT. More importantly than that, we got a little snippet into Nesta's mind too, when she got home after Solstice. It's the only time, other than Wings and Embers, where we got Nesta's POV before ACOSF. Both of which were meant to tell us a lot about her. Wings and Embers offered a lot of character development, and a look into something that happened to help explain a bit better Nesta and Cassian later in ACOMAF. (Also, I'm convinced Sarah just loves them and writing them, so couldn't help herself in writing that scene. lol)

The ACOFAS piece, on the other hand, was specifically designed to tell us where the hell Nesta is at emotionally. ACOFAS offers a bridge between ACOWAR and ACOSF. It gives us answers to tell us what's going on in their lives, so we don't show up a year later and are like "so, what's all this?" And the biggest answers it gave us was about Nesta, because the end of ACOWAR did not give us enough to tell us that's where she'd be at a year later.

So ACOFAS came in to tell us where everyone's at, and those Nesta POV pages gave us a look into Nesta, to see her without the lens of another person's perspective. And what did we see? Nesta, drowning at rock bottom.

As a writer, that is how I read the purpose of all that happened in ACOFAS, and why we got that snippet, as well as the purpose fo the Wings and Embers little chapter.

We have gotten nothing like that on E\ain. We have crumbs in ACOFAS that tell us she's not happy as a Fae and doesn't want to remain as such. And then in ACOSF we get a few quick looks at her through others' eyes, none of which tell us much. Maybe some minor foreshadowing, but nothing to tell us what is actually happening with her.

And then, basically the last thing we are given about E\ain in ACOSF is a comparative vignette on E\ain and Nesta in black for Solstice - which, yes, has a huge purpose. Everyone who says it doesn't is, I'm sorry, very wrong.

As a writer, I feel I can confirm, you would not include such a comparative vignette like that for no reason. I may not be published, and I do love a good description, but look at the way it's worded - it's not just about the physical descriptions, but the feeling you get in seeing those two women in black. What black does to them. If it meant nothing, no editor would keep it in. So much can be read in those words that I'm sure SJM and her editors expect us to think they mean something more. For them to then have no purpose, mean nothing, it would actually be incredibly misleading writing in a way authors don't do in their books. Yes, in interviews they may say thins to mislead readers. Yes, they may try to make their foreshadowing super subtle and hard to catch. But they're not going to blatantly, obviously foreshadow the opposite of what will happen. They're not going to spend a few paragraphs describing a character in a way that implies the Night Court drains the life from her, and then end with her finding her true home in the Night Court with a person that embodies night. Because those two things don't align.

But I digress.

The point is, that's very little with E\ain. If you read the scenes very carefully, yes, you'll pick up on certain pieces that I do think will be used later. But none of it tells us E\ain is close to rock bottom. If anything, it tells us E\ain is trying to pretend or prove she's not going to hit rock bottom - which, admittedly, a bit of a death sentence for you E\ain longer-term.

What I'm getting at here is that Az is ready for his story, E\ain is not.

Now, one good argument against this would be - well, only one person will likely be at rock bottom. You, yourself, Kasey, said that E\ain and Az's journeys are too big to be one book. Clearly you're assuming both will hit rock bottom. But, if E\ain doesn't, then their stories aren't too big.

Fair point, except this:

We know E\ain is getting a book.

A book that will be hers the way ACOSF was Nesta's. Obviously, I hope the next two books will provide more development for the love interest than my bby Cassian got. That being said, the books will have a protagonist, and a love interest who is also the silver medal protagonist for that book. Both will have journeys, absolutely, and their journeys will align.

And E\ain Archeron will NOT be the "love interest" in the book she's in. In fact, that's a HUGE argument people make against gwynriel. That these books are about the Archeron sisters, so the next book must be E\ain's. Their argument is that these stories are all about the Archeron sisters.

Okay, first of all, that's wrong. We know it's wrong, because we know there are two more books, and there's one more sister. So you cannot say that it's solely about the Archeron sisters.

However, they're right in one regard - the Archeron sisters are f*ing important. On so many levels. And while, at the moment, E\ain only has enough development to maybe be a love interest in the next book, she WILL NOT be that. E\ain will be the main protagonist. E\ain will be the Nesta, and her love interest will be the Cassian. You cannot convince me otherwise. Not with E\ain's Seeing powers, being Cauldron-born, and the journey/conflict Sarah has started setting up for her. It's not enough for its own book yet, but she's laid the groundwork to allow a build in the next book or novella, so that when we get E\ain's we'll have a better idea where she's starting from.

To say the next book is an E\ain/Azriel book means you are expecting Az's story to take second place, and that's not happening.

Az has had a POV chapter - yes, it was an exclusive, so not everyone could see it. But, if you wanted to, you can no problem. So, we have an idea of where Az is at - both in terms of actions we saw and what's going on in his mind.

We've seen that, and we know he's hitting rock bottom. Which means his love interest likely will not hit rock bottom. She will have a journey of her own, for sure. Some form of character arc that helps her be who she needs to be for Az, and for the plot of the book. So, even without Sarah telling us how excited she is to write Az's journey, we've been given enough to know that in Az's book, he'll likely have the gold medal protagonist slot.

More so than that, we have not seen E\ain's point of view at all. And while we haven't seen any character's point of view who is a possible love interest for Az, we do know that, at least for the main character, SJM seems to like to give us that first, while also testing the waters a bit.

Again, ACOFAS, a couple Cassian POV chapters plus the Nesta section of that one chapter. We actually got a smaller POV for the main protagonist, interestingly enough, but it made sense with the novella considering she was not spending time with everyone else. But we still got the snippet. However, that's just one book. So we need to go to a different series to talk more about SJM's preferences.

Let's think about Throne of Glass. Written entirely different - entirely third person, and every book was technical multi-POV. However, book 1 was heavily Celaena. We had minimal Dorian and Chaol POV sections until book 2. Similarly, in book 3 we got a very small amount of Rowan POV and Aedion POV, but then in book 4 they came in and shared a lot more page time. Why? Because, I believe, when she can SJM does like to test the waters a bit, try it out. Learn the voice without it being so crucial and central whenever possible. I could be wrong, but I don't think it's a coincidence that we saw that. That she gave us sneak peeks into the minds of people who, in later books, we'd see more fully. She would build to them being a main POV.

Of course, Manon and Elide were exceptions. And maybe Lorcan? I honestly can't remember if we got a Lorcan POV snippet in QoS, or if we just started to get Lorcan in EoS right away.

However, Manon and Elide were different. We couldn't just get a teaser snippet of Manon's POV in book 2. That would have spoiled a lot and had no place for flow. Same with Elide. Those two women came in and from day one as characters in the series they were too important, and too separate from others, to be a smaller POV in their first book.

So, to me, as a writer, SJM has shown a bit of a trend in giving us the POV of characters before the become true main characters with their own POV. I believe we will see E\ain's POV before she is the main character of her book. Which we haven't yet seen. So I can't believe her book is next.

Which, considering all the things I've said that explain why Az's book is, is another reason why I don't believe they'll be one book and are endgame.

E\ain and Lucien

Now, we know Lucien has his own story, journey. SJM has confirmed we will see him heal and grow.

Of course, if I'm right about how Az and E\ain won't be in a book together, and Az is the next book, then it sort of confirms that the sixth will be E\ain-Lucien. But I'll go into a couple other reasons why I believe there will be an E\lain-Lucien book.

First of all, let's ask the question - if I'm wrong, and the next book is E\ain-Az, then who's the sixth book about?

Some people say it's Lucien and Vassa - because we know we're going to get a deeper look into Lucien's journey. And, I would agree, if we have it confirmed that book 6 is Lucien's and E\ain has had her book, then yes...I suppose Vassa is the only option.

However, as a reader and writer, I can not see that happening. For one, I definitely got Vassa/Jurian vibes in ACOSF. I mean - banter. We know how SJM feels about the banter. Plus, they're both mortal, and Sarah doesn't really like to have endgame ships that can't actually be together their full lives. And I agree with what some others have said that I don't see her doing with Lucien what she did with Lorcan. She's used that already, and while Sarah can get repetitive with certain things, she likes to repeat herself in ways that can feel different.

So, as a reader who has learned a bit about SJM's general style, what she enjoys, etc., going beyond "signs" in the book, I can't see her doing Vassa and Lucien as endgame.

Beyond SJM's style and everything, though - we also have to remember what mates are in ACOTAR. They are different than Throne of Glass, just as the Fae in ACOTAR are different. These are not the same exact being types - Sarah adjusted them.

So, what do we know about mates - all from ACOWAR, ch. 24:

The male feels the bond stronger - "there will always be a...tug. For the females, it is usually easier to ignore, but the males...It can drive them mad."

Bonds are allowed to be rejected - "It has been illegal in our territory for a long, long time for males to [kill whoever their mate chooses to be with. Same with the other courts]. On the continent, there are territories that would believe the females literally belong to their mate."

Rejecting the bond is not a magical rejection - "It is their burden to fight through, but some believe they are entitled to the female. Even after the bond is rejected, they see her as belonging to them."

These are all such incredibly important points, especially when considering Lucien's future.

He feels the bond stronger - but Elain still feels it. There will always be a tug. She's just better at ignoring it, because as a female, it's easier. But he feels it, badly. I do believe Lucien is strong enough to not be driven mad, but that's how powerfully he is feeling it. We should remember that. Because if that's the case, do you really expect him to find comfort with another woman?

Bonds are allowed to be rejected...in Prythian. That's a MASSIVE caveat. This isn't like an "oh, you can undo this". No, in Prythian, their laws allow females to make a choice on who they will be with, mating bond or no. But other territories don't always allow that. Which helps lead into the next point even more:

Rejecting the bond is not a magical, official process that will release the male from the bond, in any sense. Now, the quote I pulled, Rhys is explicitly speaking about those who feel entitled to their female mate. HOWEVER, what it signifies is that, when a female rejects the bond, it is not some magical process that will suddenly lessen the tug or anything. And it sure as hell doesn't dissolve the mating bond. That bond is there, for life, and nothing can destroy it.

Sorry, but I'm going to trust Amren's understanding over everyone else's, considering she is literally thousands and thousands of years old.

So, even if E\ain rejects the bond. Which, like, if she wants to do that, go for it. I'm not saying she has to accept it, it's her life, her choice. However, that's not going to suddenly change anything for Lucien. A lot of people seem to think once she rejects it, Lucien will be more free. But no, that's not the case.

He will be just as bonded as he always was. Just as desirous for her. And, my guess, he'll be waiting to see if she'll ever change her mind, because we have no reason to believe the females can't do that.

Because of this, we can conclude Lucien is still entirely focused on E\ain, especially since she hasn't yet rejected the bond. So no, I can't believe Lucien and Vassa will be a thing. Based on the text, it sounds like it would take years - decades or centuries, even - for a male to be able to ignore the tug to his mate enough to enter into a meaningful relationship with someone else. And we don't have that kind of time in these books.

Taking out Vassa as an option, Lucien is left with E\ain. The same way E\ain is left with Lucien as I've now explained why I don't believe the next book is E\ain-Az. It's not exactly the best reason, and I'm sure Elucien shippers would hate it, but by process of elimination considering who we know we're getting journeys for, and what seems to make the most sense, E\ain and Lucien end up together.

However, I also think there's more to it than that.

As I've mentioned, I believe a piece of E\ain's journey is likely going to be her struggle with being Fae. She's not happy as a Fae, she wants her old life back. And I don't judge her for it - she had no choice in the matter, and that f*ing sucks. I do believe there will be more to her journey as well, but I believe that's going to be a big pice of her emotional arc.

Lucien has become, to E\ain, the main representation of everything she doesn't want - poor bby boi. Similar to how Nesta struggled with the idea of having an actual mate because it's such a Fae thing, and in claiming Cassian as hers she would be letting go of a final piece of her humanity, I think E\ain is also projecting a lot onto the mating bond. It's become the representation to her that she is no longer human, and is the reason she lost the things/people she loved. It's not - Grayson may have said that, but I think we all know he would have dumped her for being Fae regardless of if she had a mate or not.

So, if E\ain's arc is going to be about accepting herself as a Fae, then it makes perfect sense that Lucien would be an incredibly important piece of that story. Because, to be able to accept herself as she now is, she will have to stop blaming him and projecting her hatred of being Fae onto him. Az has no part in that journey, that arc. He, at best, could make her feel something good that might be nice for a little while. But she will not learn to love herself, to accept being Fae, by sleeping with Az.

Now, I'm sorry to say, nonnie, but that doesn't mean E\ain and Lucien are definitely endgame. Because SJM could do something where E\ain still chooses to reject the bond at the end of the journey.

That being said, I find it highly unlikely that will happen. Considering SJM said that each book will be about a "couple". It's not just "love interests". It'll be about a couple, meaning each book's couple will end up together - or, at least, most likely they will. Plus, we know that SJM enjoys her happily ever afters.

I do agree that the fact that Rhys mentioned females being able to reject the bond is a possible form of foreshadowing. HOWEVER - I actually find it very unlikely it would be about E\ain.

Why?

Because he and Feyre were talking about E\ain. SJM prefers her crumbs to be a bit more subtle than that - except maybe everything to do with Nesta and Cassian, but to be fair, neither of them are subtle either. XD

It would be such blatant foreshadowing for a conversation about E\ain's mating bond to lead to a new piece of information that females are allowed to reject the bond, to be a segment foreshadowing E\ain rejecting that specific bond.

Remember, foreshadowing is subtle hints to tell us what will happen in the future/later in the story. So, I do believe that conversation is more likely hinting at other possible mating bonds that have had rejections in the past.

I don't really believe that E\ain will reject the bond.

However, even if she does, my belief is that it would be early on in the book, maybe while she's still really in whatever dark space she'll be in. And then, for other reasons, or maybe just because she herself feels a bit more free, she ends up spending time with Lucien, and then throughout the book falls in love and at the end decides to accept the bond. Because I do believe a rejection is reversible, seeing as the bond can't be broken.

As a writer, that last scenario is actually what I would probably go for. However, this is SJM's world, and it's up to her what the different laws about everything is. I just believe a rejection is reversible because so far everything we're told about a mating bond rejection is that it's basically just a woman saying no. It doesn't magically affect the bond.

There are my thoughts on E\ain and Lucien, separating them from Az as much as I could, to explain why I believe they're likely going to be in a book together.

Admittedly, I don't have as many thoughts on them as endgame, because I will say that I haven't seen a lot of foreshadowing in the books yet to confirm that. Which is why I, again, focused more on why it makes sense that they would share a book.

Az and Gwyn

Disclaimer: I will also be referencing E\ain here. I did this on purpose, and kept certain arguments out of the E\ain-Az section because, when I talk about those two, I like to talk first and foremost about reasons why I think they're not right together or won't be in a book together without bringing in Gwyn. I believe there are a ton of signs that have nothing to do with Gwyn, and don't need her for comparison, to provide that case. Plus, I do think that if you bring Gwyn into the argument that goes against E\ain and Az, some then just say I'm biased toward Gwynriel and my reading his clouded by that.

You said, nonnie, by logic, you are about 85% certain Gwynriel are endgame. That's a decent percentage. However, I'll admit, I think I'm higher, probably closer to being between 95%-99%. Like I said, I can't be 100%. But, I'm great at deductive logical reasoning. And, if you've read the rest of this post, I believe I've already deduced that Az and Gwyn would been a book together, because like how E\ain has one other option besides Az, I think Az only has one other option besides E\ain.

He's had almost no interaction with Emerie, definitely nothing stated or seen. And we know Mor isn't an option because she and Az will never be together, since she can't be emotionally involved with men.

So, logically, I may have already convinced you that Az's book will be with Gwyn, which means they're endgame. Yes, like I said, SJM could do something where the female rejects the bond, and I could see that being an ending to the fifth book more than the sixth - but, since they're also mean to be stand alone books, to an extent, SJM is gonna want her happily ever after in all three of them. Also, more than that, I don't see SJM putting Az in a mating bond relationship where he gets rejected - he needs literally the exact opposite. A rejected bond would not put Az on the journey toward healing. It would give him a drill and he'd tunnel far beyond rock bottom to a place he'll never come back from. So, to me, no matter who it is that ends up being with Az in his book, I believe they are definitely endgame.

However, let me give a few more reasons why I think they're endgame:

1. Not a Crack Ship

Firstly, I just want to remind everyone that Gwynriel isn't a crack ship. If I'm getting technical about it, I could just say it's because they're actually in the same world - same books, even - so it's plausible because they literally know each other and can know each other. The term crack ship initially came about to talk about ships that go across fandoms. Azriel and Legolas, for example, would be a crack ship, because they are in different universes and literally could never, ever end up together.

However, more than that, I wrote a long post about why they're not a crack ship here.

In that post, I discuss the bonus POV chapter, the structure of that chapter, and what all of it most likely means, from the mind of a writer. A quick recap:

The chapter is a comparison. It is half and half Azriel's focus on E\ain and Gwyn. Beyond that, you also get a moment between Az and each girl, and then a moment between Az and another who knows what's happening (Rhys knowing about him almost kissing E\ain, Clotho knowing about him giving Gwyn the necklace) - and that those conversations provide us reflections in Az's mind that are TELLING.

Basically, the two sections mirror each other. The only reason to write a chapter like this, in this way, is to provide a comparison. The only reason to provide a comparison, UNLESS we're actually getting confirmed endgame information (i.e. say it was a true love triangle, and Az was speaking with each girl separately to tell them his decision), would be to show us that these two females have something worth comparing. In this case, it's likely their relationship with Az, in particular their effects on him and his thoughts about them, and how it all makes him feel.

We see Az get shy about his hands around E\ain, but not Gwyn. We see his shadows skitter back from E\ain's breath, but they leap out and dance with Gwyn's. We see Az think of E\ain only in the physical sense - he wants to have sex with her, but that's all we see - vs. we see Az picture Gwyn's smile at opening the gift, and he tucks it away in his heart.

These are specific comparisons, mirrors. And I didn't bring up too many details on what happened in that post, because that post wasn't meant to go into which one is endgame. But here, I can bring those up, and express that in the mirroring chapter sections, in the comparison we were given, I believe the signs point to Gwynriel.

2. Foreshadowing

I spent a lot of time talking about foreshadowing at the beginning of this post, for a reason. And while it was relevant in the other two sections, I was saving a lot for this one because this relationship has received an insane amount of foreshadowing in the shortest amount of time.

And, a vast majority of it was definitely in the bonus POV chapter. If you have not read the chapter yet, I do encourage you to look for it. It's not difficult to find it online, but make sure you get one that has both the E\ain and Gwyn section, because without the Gwyn section you don't get much of the foreshadowing.

The bonus chapter, as I mentioned, really did provide a comparison of E\ain and Gwyn. And yes, you come out of it knowing Az wants to have sex with E\ain, and he's not thinking that about Gwyn. It seems damning, except for a very important factor:

Sex isn't all Az wants.

He wants a relationship like his brothers have. That means more than sex. And yet, all we see from Az with E\ain is physical thoughts about her, or later on an argument that she should have been given to him, since her sisters were given to his brothers. Bad argument, horribly misogynistic, and none of his other points had anything to do with his actual feelings for her. She has just become a representation of what he wants, and it's blinding him.

You do see some foreshadowing in the E\ain section, much of which I do believe is hinting that they are not endgame. The biggest one is when she breaths sharply and his shadows "skitter back". That's a subtle hint that tells us his shadows reaction to E\ain.

Others might argue that it was one time, but we have seen his shadows retreat around E\ain before. We just didn't fully understand how bad it was. However, the other truth is, we can't be sure back then it was "bad". Because SJM did it with Mor too, even when Az and Mor were, I believe, endgame in her mind. It's possible SJM had remained undecided on E\ain and Az until ACOFAS, maybe even ACOSF. For all we know, SJM got Gwyn and Az on a page together, and it was like Nessian all over again. And this chapter is meant to represent that and show us how certain things that we clearly didn't always interpret to be bad (and maybe she even hadn't and just got lucky with) are, in fact, a bad sign.

My point, let's not think too hard on Az's shadows in ACOMAF and ACOWAR, because we know that these books didn't start getting planned until they were working on ACOWAR, maybe even already promoting it and done writing (?). And authors can change their minds. We writers try to stay as consistent as possible, but sometimes you just don't know every single thing that's going to happen, and new information is going to come in, and you just have to make sure it doesn't actually conflict with what you've already provided.

In this case, the idea of Az's shadows knowing who is right for him, and skittering back from those who aren't, would actually be consistent and fitting, and SJM likely needed us to understand that Az's shadows retreating aren't good.

But how did we learn that?

Well, beyond the use of "skittered back", which definitely has a more negative connotation, we get more when we see Gwyn later in the chapter.

Azriel ends up in the training ring, and there Gwyn is. Surprise! Cause his shadows didn't warn him, so now he's stuck and has to at least greet her.

While talking, at one point Gwyn's breath exhales visibly, and you get a description of Azriel's shadows "darting out to dance with it before twirling back" to Az.

That's a very new interaction with shadows, one we've never seen before. We've already seen the shadows retreating with Mor, who we know is wrong for Az but whom he pined after. Now we see them retreating again - skittering back, even - with E\ain. Another one he is pining after, though pining might be a strong word here.

We clearly know that the two reactions mean two different things. By my own logic, I would already assume that we're being told E\ain, like Mor, is not endgame for Az. And that Gwyn, who receives such a different interaction, is. However, if you're not sold, there's another part of the conversation that I believe is an important clue.

Gwyn asks Az about his being called a "Shadowsinger", if it means he sings. This, obviously, amuses Az, but his explanation is:

"I am a shadowsinger--it's not a title that someone just made."

I AM a shadowsinger. It's who Az is. It's a part of him. For Az to accept himself fully, he has to accept this about himself as well. I'm not saying he hasn't, it's just a general notion.

The shadows aren't bad, they are a part of Az, of who he is. E\ain and Mor aren't chasing nasty shadows away to let us see Az better. They're scaring away a crucial piece of who Az is, so that they'll never fully know him. You can't know and truly see Az without his shadows.

Basically, E\ain and Mor both have Az hiding a part of who he is, but around Gwyn he is himself fully, his shadows on full view. And he's comfortable - he's not worrying about it during the chapter. No, instead, he finds "something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed."

These hints, in all honesty, don't feel super subtle. I'm not going to lie. However, they clearly must be a bit subtle, since not everyone is catching them or reading them the same way.

And that's fine. We all read things differently, interpret them differently. However, as a writer, and one who has read basically all of SJM's books, I do feel like I have a really good idea of her style and how to interpret what she does. It doesn't mean she can't or won't surprise me in the future, but in this, I do think my interpretation is right. Because I understand the importance of a comparison.

I believe she used the comparison as a form of foreshadowing. In fact, I believe she's done it a few times with comparisons, and that the bonus POV chapter was just the longest, most continuous comparison for foreshadowing we've seen.

3a. Banter!

I can't not bring this up. But it should be quick.

SJM has stated, out right, one of the endgame signs for her, or a sign that a couple should maybe be considered to be endgame, is banter. That is incredibly important to her. Yes, she likes wings and tattoos - but that's just what you need for the main male. But ALL her couples have some form of banter, and they're all different to suit them.

Aelin just drives Rowan nuts with innuendos and outright statements and little negliges. Manon and Dorian have that taunting type of banter going. Rhys and Feyre have a super flirty style. Nesta and Cassian just egg each other on and use sharp words that would make most people cry, but instead just makes them both hard. Even Aedion and Lysandra had their own style of banter. We didn't see as much spoken banter but, I'm sorry, Lysandra using her different animal forms to bother Aedion as they made their way to Terrasen, or her tackling him when in ghost leopard form, those are just a more physical style of banter and you cannot convince me otherwise.

It's a thing. E\ain and Az don't have banter. Sure, they talk to each other...sort of...once a year. But they don't banter.

Gwyn and Az have more of a banter-type relationship. We haven't seen too much of it yet, but just the taunting each other about the obstacle course - Az being all "no prize cause you won't do it" and Gwyn needing to prove him wrong - is a form of banter. Again, it may not be spoken, but if you broaden the concept, it is banter - a competitive banter.

3b. Relationship Trait

Similarly, all of her endgame ships have at least some trait that makes each relationship unique. It's often aligned to the banter, but it's there.

Again, with Feyre and Rhys they're just stupid flirty in an obvious way, except they do it mind to mind. Cassian and Nesta are more unique, again, in how they somehow manage to build each other up while sounding like they're tearing each other down. 👀 Elide and Lorcan have the "we're the last thing you'd expect" thing going for them - considering the insane height difference, and yet Lorcan is definitely more afraid of Elide.

Basically, there's something there that makes them unique. But, with Az and E\ain, there really isn't much other than "aw, the two prettiest got together". But that's not a trait for a relationship, just as being pretty is not exactly a personality trait - it's something that might affect your personality traits, for sure. But a person's face doesn't automatically mean any type of personality trait. But nothing would really set them apart, give them a unique aspect to their relationship and how they connect to each other.

Gwyn and Az, on the other hand, would be that ridiculously competitive couple. They'd likely connect and relate to each other through games and competitions. They'd probably use dares and challenges to push the other to be better, to go outside of their comfort zone, etc. I mean, I'm about 95% certain that the first time Gwyn flies with Az - assuming it's in a lighthearted scenario and Gwyn has had a certain amount of healing already - Az will literally be like, "You scared, Berdara?" and that's how he'll get her in the air, cause Mother-forbid she give in to that.

4. Nicknames

So, this isn't one that SJM has mentioned, but as a reader and writer I couldn't help but notice she does this for alllll her biggest ships. And typically, it's a slightly more taunting nickname, at least at first.

Rhys - Feyre darling. It's a term of endearment now, but it started out with a teasing tone.

Cassian - Nes. Yes, I'm also upset we lost sweetheart, but I think I know why - after ACOFAS SJM wrote Crescent City, and decided to give Hunt "sweetheart" for Bryce, and she doesn't like to repeat nicknames. But he also has "Nes", which also is more taunting, especially as she tells him not to call her that.

Hunt - Sweetheart. As mentioned earlier. And this most definitely started out in a taunting manner.

Aelin - Buzzard. Obvs, Aelin plays with the boys on this one. Rowan's nickname for Aelin has always been a term of endearment and soft, but "Buzzard" started off in a bit more of a taunt. It's also soft, but considering it's a reference to his hawk form and how he fusses, there's a taunting tone to it.

It's a big trend in her books that's definitely noticed, but I haven't seen it discussed as much.

And this is, to me, one of the clinchers. It is, arguably, a form of foreshadowing, but it deserved its own section.

Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. "See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger," she tossed over a shoulder.

This is really huge. He may be a shadowsinger, but people don't call him this.

At least, for ht most part. I can't remember if others ever call him just "Shadowsinger". If any do, it was definitely disgruntled Illyrians or something of that ilk, and it was meant derogatorily. Which means Gwyn is actually reclaiming that name for him, and even though it's used in a taunting way, Azriel knows it's not in a judgmental way. It's just an "I now know this is you" way.

In fact, by using that name in the way she does, it's a form of acceptance of who he is. And a reminder. Remember, he told her "I AM a shadowsinger - it's not a title..."

And here Gwyn is, turning it into a title, likely a direct reference to that conversation. And reminding him, this is who you are. I see that, I know that, and I am not afraid. I mean, she is taunting him, not to anger him or make him feel small. It's a taunt to say "Game on, I'm in, you won this round but I'll prevail" sort of thing. (Remember, competitive.)

As a writer, seeing Gwyn call Az a nickname, having noticed this trend in SJM's works, feels like a huge sign that they are endgame. Thinking about the meaning behind her using that term as the nickname does the same, because in doing so she's telling him the thing he's always wanted to hear from others - "I am not afraid".

Summary

Well, there you have it, nonnie. My own logic and facts - maybe not literally presented as perfect screenshots always, but I was doing a lot of writing - to explain my own personal opinion.

This is my own opinion, and I will not state that this is 100% a fact of what will happen, as only SJM knows what's to come completely. However, I did appreciate the question, because as someone who loves writing and does do a lot of writing, I do feel like I sometimes see things a bit differently, or look at them with a different eye - at least after the first read through.

That being said, there are other people on here that provide absolutely amazing analyses of stuff like this. Many better than mine, and far more succinct. Though, this was a big question to ask me to hit all three ships at once. lol

TL;DR

E\ain and Az are essentially both too big of characters to share a book, as they will both have big, emotional journeys to go on. The only way to get them both in a book is if one doesn't hit rock bottom, but we know Az is going to do just that and is on his way there. That would mean E\ain would be the one to not hit rock bottom, which would also mean she's not the main protagonist of the story, because that would be Az. That's not happening, E\ain will be the main protagonist of her book. But, as a writer, that rock bottom trend is obvious, and you can't have two people at their true rock bottoms as the main protagonists, because they'll never be able to pull themselves up. The love interest will have their own journey, but they'll also be the ones that are guiding the main protagonist out of the dark, as Cassian did with Nesta.

E\ain and Lucien are, kind of, logically deduced to have a book together. However, if I'm right that E\ain's journey will include her needing to accept now being Fae, and that she has been using Lucien and their mating bond as a representation of all things Fae that have ruined her life, then it would make perfect sense that Lucien would be the one to help her along her journey to acceptance. Because she will need to first stop putting it all on him.

Gwyn and Az have a lot of foreshadowing, and the main one I focused on was her shadows. It's not a new argument, but it is important to remember that comparisons can be used a multitude of ways and done differently. It's not always a blatantly obvious "well, girl a is like this and girl b is like this". It can be done throughout a whole chapter, in how you structure it. It can be done in a vignette. But what's important is to recognize the comparisons, and then analyze for foreshadowing, cause those are often a spot you'll find a wealth of it laying around. And the Az POV bonus chapter was just that - a chapter structured in a specific way to mirror the two sections and provide a comparison of the two females, and use it as a form of foreshadowing. They also hit a few important SJM endgame bingo spaces. In particular the banter, the fact that they have a trait unique to their relationship - even now, when they're just starting to be friends - and also Gwyn's nickname for him that has started out as a form of teasing, as all of the main character relationships have had in SJM's novels.

As always, these are my opinions. I have based them on my own experience in writing, as well as on my own interpretations of what I've read in ACOTAR and other SJM books to help me understand her as an author. I promise to respect your own opinions, all I ask is that you also respect mine. I have tagged this carefully, because I know not everyone wants to see this content, but if you do, please I just ask that you're respectful about it. And to read the full thing before coming back to me about it.

Many of these opinions are shared by other tumblr users, absolutely. As are the interpretations and analyses. So most likely they won't all seem new, but this is my own work. I typed it up entirely on my own over the last six or so hours - while procrastinating stuff I actually really need to do.... - without referencing others posts. If anything feels similar, I apologize for that, it's likely because you and I share the same opinions and interpretations.

#acotar #acotar thoughts #acotar theory #ask box #antielriel #anti elriel #gwynriel #elucien #gwyn #azriel #lucien #elain archeron

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nayarablueglasses · 3 years

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hello hello hello gay panic headcanonns for kirishima, bakugo, sero, shinsou, and iida is my request i saw your denki post and wanted to give you sumn attention miss ma'am

i was honestly not expecting this!! so sorry it took this long to respond, I don't know if you can tell but i wrote these in the span of a week because i got really really busy and was inturrupted everytime i sat down to start.

also... i do apologize deeply but my shinsou hc just wasn’t turning out right and in the end i decided it’s not worth posting. my apologies ;;

so glad you enjoyed my denki x male reader!!

here you go ♡♡

warnings:

kirishima’s reader really likes strawberry milk and that’s the theme of it, vv sorry if you don’like strawberry milk ;; personally it’my favourite thing ever along with coconut bread

bakugo’s has a brief mention of a kick to the chest and the following nosebleed, it doesn't go into detail but if that bothers you then please do skip ^-^

and just a little author’s note, please enjoy and let me know what you think and if there should be other warnings ♡♡

☞☆ Kirishima

oh he’s mad

i’ll tell you why

you came out of your dorm today looking sad

so of course, being a manly man, he asks you what’s wrong

you’re out of strawberry milk and didn’t realize, it seems

manly man that he is

he found some more for you

that’s not why he’s angry

your eyes lit up and you got so excited

strawberry milk is apparently one of your favourite things

so you thanked him with a hug

but no that’s not exactly why he’s angy

he’s angy because all he said was “THAKOME”

“thakome" wtfl (what the fairy lights)

he was trying to say thanks for the hug and “you're welcome” for the milk

he ran away

and then began pondering how deep in the shit called love he was

turns out he’s very deep in love shit

now what does he do

he’s not afraid to like guys especially cos you're super manly

but what if you don’t think it’s manly to like men

just his luck

you invited him to your room to play games and there’s an lgbtq+ flag on your wall

he saw an opportunity and was super casually like “heY where can i get one cos liKE i gotta represent too y’know"

your eyes lit up again, stop that

then you two got to talking about how you realized you were gay

you shared your story and asked for his

took some convincing but manly men don’t lie so he told you that you're pretty much his story

highkey you teared up a little and told him you really like him

bakugo rolled his eyes when he saw you two holding hands and was all like

“about time you two dumbasses”

you just ignored him while kiri turned red and started mumbling

☞☆ Bakugo

what is attraction

no like he really doesn’t like people

but you two were sparring, right

and you were sweaty

and you were grinning

and you kicked him in the chest ^-^ look at you i’m so proud you landed a hit on bakugo

the exact moment he fell in love

and then you rushed over and you made the saddest face he’s ever seen

you were honestly so afraid he was hurt from the face he made

...

“holy shit”

so maybe you must’ve kicked him in the nose, not chest

because he’s got a nosebleed

it didn’t help that you help your shirt to his nose and you were leaning all close

he may or may not have exploded a little bit of the floorboards

don’t blame him, he has no idea how to communicate with words

so when he goes to recovery girl (at your insistence) he’s pissed

why does he keep thinking about you

literally what is the point, you’re shit at fighting anyways

poor baby

he doesn’t understand this

next time he sees you he’ll literally scream, “GET OUT OF MY HEAD EXTRA, WHY AM I THINKING OF YOU ALL THE TIME”

you’re confused

kirishima will have to coach him, with plenty of quips from denki and sero

so the next time he’ll confess with kiri’s teachings in mind

☞☆ Sero

you’re trying to tell me he hasn’t done this gay panic shit before?

he knows how this goes

he’s fully content to just sit here and look at your handsome face

he was scatter rained enough

but he’s not even listening aizawa-sensei anymore

just

--staaaaare--

you know what i’m talking about

it’s not creepy or anything, just

“pay attention, cellophane”

oh shit

play it cool

just pretend to be actually listening for a few

it’ll be fine

he’s been through that situation so many times

at this point the whole class knows

everybody’s certain that’s aizawa’s way of wingman-ing

except you never look up on time

you catch him looking sometimes but he plays it cool and points at mineta with a grin

it works every time, mineta is always trying to perv someone >:(

he likes to imagine what would happen if he confessed

his favourite is where you butterfly kiss him

he has less nice scenarios in his head but that one always makes him smile

once in the dorm kitchens you asked him why he’s smiling

you said it super innocent and it sounded so neutral he didn’t stop himself from answering

“just because i like you”

aizawa stopped telling him to pay attention after thfe irst time he saw you holding hands in the hallways

sero will never stop smiling

what a goof but you love him

☞☆ Iida

oh boy why you gotta confuse sanic like this huh??

and when i say confused i mean he doesn’t understand this at ALL

don’t get it twisted, he knows what “gay” is

sanic just didn’t realize HE was gay

and boy is he

see, sanic is well put together

he knows exactly who he is

and then you

y o u

you gave him some art you did of him

he was like ??? thanks for the art??? when did you draw this???

he’s supportive of this new artistic talent but it’s n e w to say the least

so you went “oh i just look at you all the time”

you said it so casual

but you ran away after that as i would

not as fast as sanic but he wouldn’t have gone after you

because he was dumbstruck anD i MeAn he was struck dumb

you??? look at him?? aLL tHe tIME? like??

so being the responsible class rep that he is

he had an existential breakdown

came face to face with the fact that his friendly feelings towards you are’t as friendly as he’d been convincing himself

denied it

accepted it

and then ran after you in the five seconds after you ran off

oh boy words are awful because how do people confess? i don’t know but don’t ask him, because he butchered it BAD

but at least the words left his mouth

honestly this boy didn’t even stop to consider what would happen after he confessed

he just word vomited

which is why he’s extra happy when you hug him and tell him you feel the same

in more simple words of course

“i like you too, tenya!”

sonic’s in heaven please hug him some more

#bnha x male reader #bnha x reader #iida x male reader #iida x reader #sero x male reader #sero x reader #bakugo x male reader #bakugo x reader #kirishima x male reader #kirishima x reader

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