Bat Boys and Archeron Girls

SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY CLEAR HINT TO ME!! She could have picked any TTPD song and chose THIS ONE??? LFG

silverlinedeyes reblogged

tswaney17

Anonymous asked:

While we're waiting for the announcement, what's your guess for the title of the next acotar book?

tswaney17 answered:

Hi nonnie!

So I actually have two guesses at the title. Only problem, the acronyms are terrible. 😂

A Court of Gilded Shadows (ACOGS)

A Court of Shadowed Dreams (ACOSD)

Can’t wait for their book! 🦇🌸

I'm leaning towards A Court of Gilded Dreams, Blooms, Shadows or Vines. I hadn't thought of shadowed dreams before but I love that, too!

I love all of these guesses, but I’ve been wanting a court of golden shadows since ACOSF dropped!

Truly. Cannot. Wait.

silverlinedeyes reblogged

acourtoflight

I’m sorry, but it baffles me so much that the ACOTAR fandom does not want an Elriel story. It’s set up to be angsty (because of Elain’s un unwanted mating bond), a slow burn (because these two will keep dancing around each other), to have A LOT of tension (charged glances, brushing fingers yk the drill), and we’ll find out how a mate bond can be rejected, how anyone is free to choose their own fate, how just because a character is soft it doesn’t mean they can’t handle darkness, and we’ll get to see the healing journey of two SIMILAR (yes, similar, and i said what i said) characters. I’m so sorry for you if you don’t want that, but I’m going eat it tf upppp

silverlinedeyes reblogged

tswaney17

violetasteracademic

Both Males.

Both males went a bit still.

Just like * both males* couldn't keep away.

Just like *both males* were ready to beg on their knees for a taste.

Just like *both males* knew it was wrong, and didn't care.

Just like *both males* fumbled their first Solstice gift.

Both males, team. Idk what to tell you.

(Thought of this scene after peeping the poll on @pagemasters page asking when we thought Az's attraction started for Elain. This was it for me, tbh. Or at least when I figured out what was cooking here.)

silverlinedeyes reblogged

howmanysideblogscanihave

The bonus chapter was written to let readers know what they were picking up on between Elriel was real.

The moments between Eriel are romantically coded with or without the bonus chapter.

That’s it, that’s the take.

#elriel #anti gwynr*el #it seems pretty obvious to me

If Gwyn and Az are mates, why aren’t they together in HOFAS? Why would Az say he doesn’t have a mate or a partner in HOFAS if Gwyn is his mate? Az certainly would have felt the mating bond by now given the amount of time they’ve spent together and the traumatic events Gwyn has gone through that Az has been present for.

There is nothing keeping Gwyn and Az apart. There’s no reason they can’t get together immediately. They have no barriers to their relationship, internal or external.

But you know who does have things keeping them apart? Elain and Az.

Rhys is keeping them apart.

Az’s “rejection” of Elain is keeping them apart.

Az’s feelings of unworthiness are keeping them apart.

Elain’s mating bond with Lucien is keeping them apart.

I don’t know, maybe that’s why Az says he doesn’t have a mate or a partner yet in HOFAS—because he wants to be with Elain but he can’t be. Because elriel is next and we’ll see them overcome these barriers to get together in their book.

silverlinedeyes reblogged

kopfkino-o

“Elain isn’t developed enough for her own book. She can’t be the next main character because we don’t know enough about her yet”

maybe that’s sorta, you know, the whole point of a character getting their own book…

idk just a thought 😭

silverlinedeyes reblogged

lakewillowmerewraith

I have a hard time believing that Eluciens and Gwynriels truly think that this is how Elain's story will go:

Elain in WaR: *wants Grayson, despite her mating bond to Lucien*

Grayson: "You belong to him"

Elain: I belong to no one. But my heart belongs to you."

Feyre: "You couldn't say a single word to him? A pleasant greeting? He brought you a present."

Elain: "And that entitles him to my time, my affections?"

Elain in the bonus chapter: *Wants Azriel, gets him a gift, wants to kiss him, is aroused by him. Yes. Offer and permission.*

Rhys to Azriel: Anyone could've seen you, including her mate...You will leave Elain alone. Stay away from her."

Elain in Acotar 5: I guess all these people ordering me around and stripping away my agency were right all along. I should've just listened to them, they know better what is good and right for me. Guess I'll just get with Lucien! He did get me a gift after all. And he deserves me so he can be happy. :)

silverlinedeyes reblogged

acourtofquietdreamers

Love is more powerful than the Cauldron.

Nesta pulled away, whispering, "I love you," and it was all Cassian needed before kissing her again, the force of it more powerful and enduring than the Cauldron itself.

It’s more powerful than the dread trove.

Nesta had seemed at its mercy, brought back to herself only by Ariel's list of whoever those people were-clearly people Nesta cared about. Through love, all is possible. Even getting free of death-masks.

I think it’s very likely Elain will find a love more powerful than a mating bond as well.

Some sliver of hope that had shattered today. That Graysen would still love her, still marry her and that love would trump even a mating bond.

silverlinedeyes reblogged

cassianfanclub

emmitaaa4

These 2 interactions happening one chapter apart is destroying me.

Acowar, ch. 24:

But Elain did not balk from him, did not shy away as she nodded just once.

Azriel, graceful as any courtier, offered her an arm. I couldn't tell if she was looking at his blue Siphon or at his scarred skin beneath as she breathed, "Beautiful."

Color bloomed high on Azriel's golden-brown cheeks, but he inclined his head in thanks and led my sister toward the back doors into the garden, sunlight bathing them.

Acowar, ch. 26:

Mor opened her mouth, but Azriel laid a scarred hand atop hers.

She snatched her hand back as if she'd been burned —burned as he had been.

Azriel's mask of cold didn't so much as waver at the rejection. Though Eris chuckled softly.

I have so many thoughts and words swirling in my head, but honestly, in and of itself, this just all just says so much.

im not crying you’re crying

♥︎ ♥︎ ♥︎

(i will be writing an analysis but i have work to do rn ugh)

silverlinedeyes reblogged

cassianfanclub

athena-85

Imagine being a major publisher in charge of one of the most popular romance/fantasy novels currently on the market.

Now, imagine giving information to Major magazine and entertainment news outlets that contradicts the plot you are setting up in your book.

The casual reader is GOING to question your integrity and question the author and editors of the magazine you are supposed to be working with. (The author will look dumb)

The ACOTAR series are not books that are making profound cultural statements, they are for HAPPY ENTERTAINMENT , and you are supposed to be guaranteeing a happily ever after.

There is no way that Bloomsbury did not approve TIME magazine article, indicating that Azriel and Elain are going to have their book together. They also directly compared it to Nesta and Cassian. ( who are endgame and got their HEA)

This allows the consumer to know what they are buying. They feel safe and confident in spending their money.

Consumer confidence is so important when you have a business that employs a bunch of people, you make sure you secure your income you don’t get other people fired and you keep your job.

The Time magazine article confirmed that Elain and Azriel are endgame in my opinion.

Otherwise that is a huge blunder in the PR department at Bloomsbury.

The best way to deal with the negativity is to mute or block people that are talking about the other ships. I understand it puts you in an echo chamber, but its already over. After that article there is no point in suffering through their lack of evidence theories because it will just upset you and provide no discourse about what the book and plot will look like.

If you’re spoiling for a fight, then go ahead, but it’s just gonna make you upset and drain you.

Be around fountains not drains!

To be clear if it was a smaller magazine, I would understand the misdirection, but the magnitude of the statement in THAT entertainment magazine (TIME) was confirmation for me.the stakes are too high and the magazine would look so stupid if their authors did not know how to read and comprehend “young adult” books.

silverlinedeyes reblogged

devi1sange1

Let’s think about this quote for a sec:

Who is the next book about…

“I thought it was pretty obvious.”

Now keeping that in mind, let’s see what happens when you google “Who is the next ACOTAR book about?”

Time Magazine:

“Maas has already announced that the next book she will publish is the sixth installment in ACOTAR, a highly-anticipated release that many fans suspect will flesh out the stories of Feyre's sister Elain and Azriel, just as A Court of Silver Flames did for Nesta and Cassian.”

Business Insider:

“Although she didn't specify which characters from "ACOTAR" the novel she is writing will focus on, Maas previously said in a February 2021 conversation with Eva Chen that she planned to write a novel focused on Elain Archeron, Feyre's older sister, planting seeds for the book in the last installment in the series, "A Court of Silver Flames," which was about Nesta, the eldest Archeron sister.”

Today:

“There’s a third Archeron sister, Elain, as well as another in Rhysand’s trio of friends, Azriel, whose stories are left to tell. (And Maas did say she plans to explore Azriel more.)”

Screen Rant:

“As far as characters go, it's been repeatedly speculated that the sixth ACOTAR novel will follow Elain and Azriel, Elain and Lucien, or all three.”

Culturess:

“The most obvious choice for the character at the center of the next book would seem to be Elain. She’s the Archeron sister we know the least about, and who probably has the most unanswered questions around her story.”

Fandomwire:

“The story that is yet to be told is that of the youngest*, Elain. This is why it would make sense for Sarah J. Maas to tell her story in her new book.”

Books of Brilliance:

“It’s not official what this new book will be about, but Maas hinted in a previous interview that she was planning on writing a book from the perspective of Feyre’s older sister, Elain Acheron.”

The Every Girl:

“Namely, book five is Feyre’s sister Nesta’s story, and there are rumors (pretty strong ones) that the next book in the series will be Feyre’s other sister’s [Elain’s] story.”

The Mary Sue:

“As for what this next book might be about, Maas has mentioned previously she wanted to focus on Feyre’s older sister Elain in an ACOTAR book.”

These are all the articles, blogs, exclusives, or opinion pieces that talk about who the next book is about that I could find. Now, before anyone gets on me about this, I am aware that these articles have varying levels of credibility and accuracy! If you want to take this with a grain of salt, go ahead.

Some of these articles also mention Nesta, Mor, and Amren but they also always mention Elain. Yet, the apparent “super obvious” Azriel book is never mentioned? In fact, Azriel is only ever mentioned alongside Elain.

So idk, if the author of a book states that she thought something was obvious, and then multiple news sites, blogs, exclusive interviews, opinion pieces, etc. all draw the same or similar conclusions on the topic, I would say that maybe there is some validity to that conclusion.

GIF by merymoonbeam

silverlinedeyes reblogged

sapaul

I don’t understand how someone can read the bonus chapter and not DIE from the passion between Azriel and Elain.

I mean….

“Elain bit her lower lip, and it took every ounce of Azriel’s restraint to keep from putting his own teeth there.”

“”I should go” Elain said, but made no move to leave.”

“”Yes”, he said, his thumb sweeping in long strokes along the side of her throat.”

Are you freaking kidding me? How can anyone claim this isn’t end game material?

THIS IS CANON.

silverlinedeyes reblogged

Is an oily residue corrupting Azriel's hypothetical mating bond and making him feel off kilter? Is it related to Valg-type magic?

GIF by proshippersstimming

Disclaimer: this theory is a continuation of a few of my others that I've been too lazy to post until now - first I was going to post it for Elriel Month 2023, then Azriel Week 2023... it never happened - but like everyone else I'm having massive FOMO before HOFAS, so here we finally go, even though I know I've forgotten something lol. As usual, this makes no claims of being accurate, it's just theorising for fun.

A massive thank you goes out to @wingedblooms, @tswaney17, @silverlinedeyes, @psychologynerd, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and anyone else I've forgotten (sorry!) for all of our discussions that finally became this post. Love you guys. 💜

Spoilers: this is a Maasverse post, and draws from the ACOTAR series, CC 1 & 2/HOEAB & HOSAB, and the TOG series. It is CC 3/HOFAS spoiler free, as I'm waiting to read it in its "original English" 🤓 on the 30th of January. Please be respectful of that if engaging in the comments before it's published!

Plenty of people, including @silverlinedeyes, @icedflames and myself, have posted our thoughts on mating bonds in the Maasverse, and this theory builds on those previously established - though again, as yet hypothetical - ideas. Specifically, this post about the use of “oily” throughout the ACOTAR series is recommended reading.

What we do know is that:

Mating bonds contain threads, and so do spells.
Mates are the song/music of the soul, and their laughter is likened to music.
Different fae, and magics, contain different scents, be that personal or regional

First, let's go back to ACOWAR, when Feyre described the Ravens' entrance into the library as being like an off-kilter chord:

I felt it at the same moment she did. The ripple and tremor. Like … like some piece of the world shifted, like some off-kilter chord had been plucked. We turned toward the illuminated path that we’d just taken through the stacks, then to the dark far, far beyond. - ACOWAR, chapter 30

Hi @readingwritingwatching, thanks for stopping by. I hope you don't mind me responding by reblogging, it's much easier than commenting back.

In an old post of mine - "What if the Cauldron was wrong?" - I outlined why I don't think Lucien's actions at Hybern were undoubtedly those of a mate before Elain was Made. I could be wrong, of course, but to me it appears as if Lucien's actions followed Tamlin's until Elain had been poured out of the Cauldron. Lucien was not drawn to Elain in any particularly unique way when she was still human, so imo this scene doesn't actually pass muster as a parallel to Feysand and Nessian.

As for there being a bond between Elain and Lucien, I'm not denying that something exists; there's definitely some sort of thread between Elain and Lucien, but I think it's fair to question why it sounds so different to other mating bonds. That being said, I mostly lean toward it being a spelled bond* created by the Cauldron for plot-based reasons.

* As an aside, @silverlinedeyes has a great post on the possibility of the existence of different bond types, and @icedflames picked up on the fact that bonds and spells are described as threads, which is potentially very important! Personally, I wonder if carranam bonds - a concept from TOG, if anyone is unfamiliar - could actually be soul bonds.

The same post that I linked to above explains why I think that, and how I suspect it came to be:

It's right there in the quotes, though. Tamlin attacked the KING, the THRONE. Lucien surged for ELAIN. He also stumbled towards HER before that, which you conveniently left out. When they were dragging her towards it. This was 100% when she was human. So Tamlin attacking the King and Lucien going to try and protect Elain are two different actions for and against two different people. Tamlin never spurred Lucien into action, him feeling the mating bond did. Weird how you cut out the whole first half of this quote.

He felt the bond when she was human when they began to drag her, which is why he stumbled towards her. The EXACT same way that Rhysand stumbled with Feyre UTM, actually. And both Rhys and Lucien/Elain stared.

But again, it was to begin with, because Lucien 100% felt drawn to protect her and that tug as he stumbled when she was HUMAN.

And as for HOFAS, in that book, it is CONFIRMED that mate bonds are not created by the Cauldron but by a higher power (the Mother/Urd). So it is literally impossible for the Cauldron to have messed with it.

Theres also a bunch where they can FEEL it, strongly. Even up to the point where Lucien runs from the shores of battle bc he felt her distress at Papa A dying. And she recognizes that and smiles at him.

Unfortunately, Tumblr's photo limit is 10 but here's a few more--like when Rhys says the bond will be felt forever even if it is verbally rejected. Cassian says this in ACOSF too.

I just wanted to respond to this quickly to clear up a few things. We don’t know for sure that Lucien “felt the bond when she was human.” Yes, you’re correct that he clearly is trying to help Elain before she goes into the Cauldron, but it’s not clear if that’s just because he’s trying to stop something horrible from being done to one of Feyre’s sisters, who is an innocent human, or if it’s because he feels the bond. Indeed, Hybern leashes Lucien with his spell *before* Elain goes into the cauldron, and Lucien doesn’t do anything to break it then. But when she comes out of the cauldron:

Lucien uses his power here, only after Elain has been Made, to break the restraints of Hybern’s spell and free himself. To me, this suggests it’s certainly possible that he now, for the first time, is feeling those mate instincts, and that’s why he is able to break the spell then when he couldn’t *before* she went into the Cauldron. Which could mean that they weren’t mates before she went in—only after. We don’t know for sure, but I do think the timing of this could be important.

And re you point about HOFAS confirming that mating bonds are made by Urd/a higher power and not the Cauldron, HOFAS simply did not confirm that mating bonds can’t be Made by the Cauldron. The quote you shared just confirms that Hunt and Bryce’s mating bond was made by a “higher power.” That doesn’t mean that the cauldron can’t make *any* mating bonds, and also, the cauldron seems to be a type of “higher power” regardless. Anyways, there’s nothing in HOFAS that says that there can’t be different types of mating bonds, or that the Cauldron can’t make certain mating bonds, as I discuss in this post.

We just don’t know enough yet about the mating bond (or maybe mating bonds if there are different types as Rhys suggests and HOSAB suggests), and we don’t know enough about the bond between Lucien and Elain to be speaking in any type of certainty about it, or about what the effect of it potentially being broken will be on Lucien.

He staggered the exact same way as Rhys. You could also twist UTM to say Rhys was just "shocked" that Feyre was so beautiful as a fae, or make some other note about it, but it's clear that they were both a signal of the bond.

Lucien couldn't use his fire magic before because it would have been useless against the King. He had the Cauldron. He already saw the IC get shot/broken/stripped of power. (I'm sire you remember and dont need those quotes.)

Plus, he didn't KNOW he could spellcleave. It only happened after because he was desperate, and Helion's magic inside him came to the surface BECAUSE of the strength of the mate bond. BECAUSE Lucien was terrified for his mate.

If he knew he had that power previously, he would have tried to spellcleave the wards himself. But it's clear that he WAS going to use whatever magic he had to save Elain as a human when he lunged for her--but it only took seconds for the King to leash him.

Plus, we know it was spellcleaving since Tamlin could not get out of the King's magic.

And which I said previously, but I'll remind you guys, Elain was staring at LUCIEN first. She felt the bond first. Why wouldn't she have tried to calm down Nesta? Why wouldn't she have been crying and hugging her? It's because the mate bond intwnsity was hitting her, so she was only honed into Lucien in that moment. This is so at odds with the empty crying Elain we see later.

I wish I could speak about these things with the certainty you do, but I can’t because the text hasn’t confirmed any of this yet, no matter how much I wish we had these answers already.

We have not been in Lucien or Elain’s heads yet—we don’t actually know what they felt. You can keep arguing with us about it, but ultimately, while Lucien definitely staggered there, we don’t know *why* he staggered, or that he staggered for the same reason Rhys did at the end of ACOTAR. We only know why Rhys staggered there because he *told* Feyre that in ACOMAF. Your assumption is that Lucien staggered for the same reason Rhys did—because he felt the bond, and that Sarah intentionally reused that word to show the reader that (though that seems to be disproven by the text since Lucien appears to feel the bond for the first time when he makes eye contact with Elain after she’s Made, which is why he blurts it out then out of shock rather than keeping the revelation to himself, but I digress). I assume differently. But we won’t actually know *why* Lucien staggered until we’re in his head, or he tells us.

Just like we won’t know what Elain was thinking or feeling when she stared at Lucien “first” until we’re in her head. We simply *do not know* that she felt the bond first, no matter how many times you say it. That’s your guess based on the text; the text doesn’t tell us that with certainty. Indeed, the text in ACOWAR very very strongly suggests she absolutely did not feel the bond in ACOMAF, since she seems so shocked to feel the thread in ACOWAR in the scene where they’re drinking tea. If she had already felt the bond in ACOMAF, why would she have been so shocked to feel it in ACOWAR?

Regardless, you’re entitled to your opinion and assumptions about what happened in that scene in ACOMAF and about whether Elucien are actually mates or true mates or whatever, just like we are! And we’re all going to have to wait for ACOTAR 5 to get the answers to these questions and learn what is really going on with their bond, who or what made it and how, etc.

Thank you @silverlinedeyes, you've said everything I would have and then some!

@readingwritingwatching neither of us is saying that the Elucien bond is definitely a Cauldron spell. Most Elriels I know don't speak with certainty about our theories because they're just that - theories - and we acknowledge that, while SJM appears to have planted seeds for a variety of plot lines, not all of them will come to fruition. Some will be pruned.

As I've said many times before, I could very well be wrong! But I suspect that SJM had two different ships for Elain and Azriel set up in ACOMAF. Moriel/Elucien would have been the perfect ships to get together in the background of ACOWAR, with no real barriers to their romances. If she had stopped the series there, I think they would have been the endgame couples. On the other hand, Elriel and Vassien have more going for them in terms of plot and character growth; they need more time to be developed, and - as far as I can tell - seem to fit very well with where SJM's overarching plot seems to be headed in the ACOTAR sequels.

So if we look at the Hybern scene, and take it at face value with what we "know" about the Elucien bond (ie. that something exists between Elain and Lucien - we are not denying that there is a bond/thread of some sort), it is easy to assume that Lucien's actions were those of a mate. However, if we look at everything over the course of the entire series, with Azriel's shockingly mate-like behaviour towards Elain - from the time they met, when she was wearing a cobalt dress that "whispered" across the floor! - I think SJM has left herself room to wiggle out of Elucien being true/soul mates and throw an Azriel shaped spanner in the works. That's it.

I think it is fair to pose the question @silverlinedeyes did: if the Elucien bond is a true/soul bond that existed before the Cauldron, why didn't Lucien's spell-cleaving powers come to light before Elain was thrown into the Cauldron? When her life was actively being threatened? Instead they only appeared after she had been released, when she was being laughed at by Hybern's guards... which is decidedly less of a threat to her safety than the Bowl of Life and Death.

*HOFAS SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH*

Following on from that, if the Elucien bond was created in the Cauldron's swirling eddies, why was that, and who stands to gain? I am sure you disagree - which is fine, we all have our opinions, and we won't know the truth until ACOTAR 5 is out - but I suspect that Koschei was behind Hybern's use of the Cauldron in the OT, and that the Elucien bond serves some sort of purpose to him. Perhaps splitting up Elriel, and thereby preventing some sort of prophesied power triad of three brothers and three sisters? It seems plausible to me.

The thing is, I love Azriel. But he does not have mate-like behaviors. He has "I want her" behaviors. He acts toward Elain the same was Tamlin acted toward Feyre. Because they both believed them lvoed them and both wanted them. Both spoke for them. Both are overprotective.

Thats the behavior of "I love you and want you" not "We are soul-bound equals". Also Eris has worn cobalt, Vassa has worn cobaltn Nesta has worn cobalt. Elain wearing one color has no sway on who she ends up with. Elain also wears lilac and pink a lot which are Spring colors. But that doesnt mean she is ending up with Tamlin either.

Why would there be no bumps in the road. For the sake of the story there was going to be experimentation and bumps in the road and bait and switches.

The only thing that *is* currently canon is that Lucien and Elain *are* mates.

As you said, everything else is mere theory.

There are MANY posts that exist which show the significant parallels between Azriel and Elain's behaviours toward each other and those between other mated pairs. I linked one of mine earlier (here it is again, for your convenience), but I have a whole list pinned to the top of my blog if you're interested. It is fine that you disagree with the two/true mate theories, but many others think differently for good reason.

Of course Azriel wants Elain? Why wouldn't he want her, when he has had a (character appropriate) similar set up with her as Cassian did with Nesta?

There is one clarification I'd like to make, though: Azriel is no more protective of Elain than Cassian was of Nesta, yet the fandom holds his actions to a drastically different standard (which I discussed in this post here). And as for cobalt, sure others have worn it, but Elain's cobalt dress also whispered, which sounds a lot like a potential reference to either Azriel's shadows or his line of work.

And again, yes. We are in agreement that Elain and Lucien are currently known to be mates. That is not what @silverlinedeyes or I are arguing. What we disagree with is that it is 100% certain their bond, whatever it is, predated Elain's dip in the Cauldron. To us, there is room to doubt, as it is possible that SJM left herself wiggle room there. Whether she takes it remains to be seen, though from ACOFAS and ACOSF it appears likely (to me) that she will.

And let me just condense the reblog thread here:

... Sorry, the two threads were bugging me lol.

You previously said that Lucien's stagger towards Elain was the same as Rhys' towards Feyre, yet here you've already given us a key difference. Elain wasn't Fae yet, so it isn't a direct parallel. Besides that, we do not have anything in the way of confirmation from Lucien that he staggered at that point because he felt an attachment or tug towards Elain in particular. That is, so far, a headcanon that, if the Elucien bond is verified as a true bond by SJM, could very well pan out! But as it stands we do not know for sure that Lucien felt a tug to Elain before she was Made. Perhaps the Cauldron did it? Given Lucien was drawn to both Elain and the Cauldron? We don't know, and until we do, I think it's fair to question what SJM may have wanted us to notice in that scene, and theorise accordingly.

Just reblogging this to add one more post of Az’s mate behavior towards Elain. In the rescue scene Az exhibits clear mate behavior towards Elain @readingwritingwatching

silverlinedeyes reblogged

Is an oily residue corrupting Azriel's hypothetical mating bond and making him feel off kilter? Is it related to Valg-type magic?

GIF by proshippersstimming

Disclaimer: this theory is a continuation of a few of my others that I've been too lazy to post until now - first I was going to post it for Elriel Month 2023, then Azriel Week 2023... it never happened - but like everyone else I'm having massive FOMO before HOFAS, so here we finally go, even though I know I've forgotten something lol. As usual, this makes no claims of being accurate, it's just theorising for fun.

A massive thank you goes out to @wingedblooms, @tswaney17, @silverlinedeyes, @psychologynerd, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and anyone else I've forgotten (sorry!) for all of our discussions that finally became this post. Love you guys. 💜

Spoilers: this is a Maasverse post, and draws from the ACOTAR series, CC 1 & 2/HOEAB & HOSAB, and the TOG series. It is CC 3/HOFAS spoiler free, as I'm waiting to read it in its "original English" 🤓 on the 30th of January. Please be respectful of that if engaging in the comments before it's published!

Plenty of people, including @silverlinedeyes, @icedflames and myself, have posted our thoughts on mating bonds in the Maasverse, and this theory builds on those previously established - though again, as yet hypothetical - ideas. Specifically, this post about the use of “oily” throughout the ACOTAR series is recommended reading.

What we do know is that:

Mating bonds contain threads, and so do spells.
Mates are the song/music of the soul, and their laughter is likened to music.
Different fae, and magics, contain different scents, be that personal or regional

First, let's go back to ACOWAR, when Feyre described the Ravens' entrance into the library as being like an off-kilter chord:

I felt it at the same moment she did. The ripple and tremor. Like … like some piece of the world shifted, like some off-kilter chord had been plucked. We turned toward the illuminated path that we’d just taken through the stacks, then to the dark far, far beyond. - ACOWAR, chapter 30

Hi @readingwritingwatching, thanks for stopping by. I hope you don't mind me responding by reblogging, it's much easier than commenting back.

In an old post of mine - "What if the Cauldron was wrong?" - I outlined why I don't think Lucien's actions at Hybern were undoubtedly those of a mate before Elain was Made. I could be wrong, of course, but to me it appears as if Lucien's actions followed Tamlin's until Elain had been poured out of the Cauldron. Lucien was not drawn to Elain in any particularly unique way when she was still human, so imo this scene doesn't actually pass muster as a parallel to Feysand and Nessian.

As for there being a bond between Elain and Lucien, I'm not denying that something exists; there's definitely some sort of thread between Elain and Lucien, but I think it's fair to question why it sounds so different to other mating bonds. That being said, I mostly lean toward it being a spelled bond* created by the Cauldron for plot-based reasons.

* As an aside, @silverlinedeyes has a great post on the possibility of the existence of different bond types, and @icedflames picked up on the fact that bonds and spells are described as threads, which is potentially very important! Personally, I wonder if carranam bonds - a concept from TOG, if anyone is unfamiliar - could actually be soul bonds.

The same post that I linked to above explains why I think that, and how I suspect it came to be:

It's right there in the quotes, though. Tamlin attacked the KING, the THRONE. Lucien surged for ELAIN. He also stumbled towards HER before that, which you conveniently left out. When they were dragging her towards it. This was 100% when she was human. So Tamlin attacking the King and Lucien going to try and protect Elain are two different actions for and against two different people. Tamlin never spurred Lucien into action, him feeling the mating bond did. Weird how you cut out the whole first half of this quote.

He felt the bond when she was human when they began to drag her, which is why he stumbled towards her. The EXACT same way that Rhysand stumbled with Feyre UTM, actually. And both Rhys and Lucien/Elain stared.

But again, it was to begin with, because Lucien 100% felt drawn to protect her and that tug as he stumbled when she was HUMAN.

And as for HOFAS, in that book, it is CONFIRMED that mate bonds are not created by the Cauldron but by a higher power (the Mother/Urd). So it is literally impossible for the Cauldron to have messed with it.

Theres also a bunch where they can FEEL it, strongly. Even up to the point where Lucien runs from the shores of battle bc he felt her distress at Papa A dying. And she recognizes that and smiles at him.

Unfortunately, Tumblr's photo limit is 10 but here's a few more--like when Rhys says the bond will be felt forever even if it is verbally rejected. Cassian says this in ACOSF too.

I just wanted to respond to this quickly to clear up a few things. We don’t know for sure that Lucien “felt the bond when she was human.” Yes, you’re correct that he clearly is trying to help Elain before she goes into the Cauldron, but it’s not clear if that’s just because he’s trying to stop something horrible from being done to one of Feyre’s sisters, who is an innocent human, or if it’s because he feels the bond. Indeed, Hybern leashes Lucien with his spell *before* Elain goes into the cauldron, and Lucien doesn’t do anything to break it then. But when she comes out of the cauldron:

Lucien uses his power here, only after Elain has been Made, to break the restraints of Hybern’s spell and free himself. To me, this suggests it’s certainly possible that he now, for the first time, is feeling those mate instincts, and that’s why he is able to break the spell then when he couldn’t *before* she went into the Cauldron. Which could mean that they weren’t mates before she went in—only after. We don’t know for sure, but I do think the timing of this could be important.

And re you point about HOFAS confirming that mating bonds are made by Urd/a higher power and not the Cauldron, HOFAS simply did not confirm that mating bonds can’t be Made by the Cauldron. The quote you shared just confirms that Hunt and Bryce’s mating bond was made by a “higher power.” That doesn’t mean that the cauldron can’t make *any* mating bonds, and also, the cauldron seems to be a type of “higher power” regardless. Anyways, there’s nothing in HOFAS that says that there can’t be different types of mating bonds, or that the Cauldron can’t make certain mating bonds, as I discuss in this post.

We just don’t know enough yet about the mating bond (or maybe mating bonds if there are different types as Rhys suggests and HOSAB suggests), and we don’t know enough about the bond between Lucien and Elain to be speaking in any type of certainty about it, or about what the effect of it potentially being broken will be on Lucien.

He staggered the exact same way as Rhys. You could also twist UTM to say Rhys was just "shocked" that Feyre was so beautiful as a fae, or make some other note about it, but it's clear that they were both a signal of the bond.

Lucien couldn't use his fire magic before because it would have been useless against the King. He had the Cauldron. He already saw the IC get shot/broken/stripped of power. (I'm sire you remember and dont need those quotes.)

Plus, he didn't KNOW he could spellcleave. It only happened after because he was desperate, and Helion's magic inside him came to the surface BECAUSE of the strength of the mate bond. BECAUSE Lucien was terrified for his mate.

If he knew he had that power previously, he would have tried to spellcleave the wards himself. But it's clear that he WAS going to use whatever magic he had to save Elain as a human when he lunged for her--but it only took seconds for the King to leash him.

Plus, we know it was spellcleaving since Tamlin could not get out of the King's magic.

And which I said previously, but I'll remind you guys, Elain was staring at LUCIEN first. She felt the bond first. Why wouldn't she have tried to calm down Nesta? Why wouldn't she have been crying and hugging her? It's because the mate bond intwnsity was hitting her, so she was only honed into Lucien in that moment. This is so at odds with the empty crying Elain we see later.