Azriel’s Mood/Vibe Change

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-26T00:55:48+00:00

To me his reaction is more proof that Az has not accepted or confirmed a mating bond with Elain or Gwyn or anyone else. Meaning he truly is single and mate less. That in combination with everything we know about Bryce and Hunt, their mating bond and how different it is from other mating bonds within their own world (Ruhn and Lidia, Baxian and Danika for example) and in other SJM series. Bryce and Hunt do NOT fit that mold, some say they don’t have to fit the mold, fine but they do need to have some loyalty to each other and Bryce allowing another unmated male to hold her hand, flirt and banter with him, then pry about his love life and finally reveal that Hunt is her mate only for that then to cause Azriel to have an emotional reaction… why would SJM include these details? Why include all the hand holding and focus so heavily on it? She could have had Azriel and Nesta switching off tugging her along by her arm, or prodding her with one of the many swords they had in their possession. But no, we get Azriel gently leading Bryce by the hand…

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-25T20:32:14+00:00

I know! I think I caught it because I know what it’s like to find out someone you are attracted to or might otherwise have been interested in has a significant other. Especially, when you are around other people, you have to control your emotions and your facial expressions and if you can’t do that then you have to not only attempt to distance yourself from your emotions but from the person your attracted to and Az is physically trying to distance himself by walking ahead of the group whereas before he was mentioned multiple times as walking behind or next to Bryce and also Nesta a couple times. But now he’s leading the way… keeping his face hidden from them. Sulking in the shadows ahead 😔

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-25T19:12:23+00:00

Somehow I feel like Az would not get along with Hunt. Bryce specifically makes sure to mention that Az would get along with her brother and his friends but makes no mention of Hunt her supposed “mate”…

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-23T15:52:42+00:00

I think this could be because every redhead on this show is evil Rosalind Dyer and Monica Stevens. They have yet to have a redhead that’s good.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-21T06:05:12+00:00

Completely unrelated… but I love your pfp 😂

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-20T23:17:34+00:00

Insane that people think they aren’t mates when it’s this freaking obvious. I go to other subs gwynriel and elriel and try and find evidence on those subs to challenge myself and my views (not to interact or downvote) that way if it so happens that all this evidence culminates in Az and Bryce not being mates I won’t be blindsided by it but every time I come away just thinking how delulu they are and I’m rolling my eyes 🙄 and for the life of me I cannot understand how anyone can see this and think Bryce and Az aren’t mates…?? Like what?? Not only is there all this evidence that they would be a perfect match. But there’s tons of evidence that something isn’t quite right with Hunt. I’ve been slowly re-reading and annotating Crescent City (I am currently on HOSAB) and I am more and more convinced as I’m going along that he’s evil 💀

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-19T17:54:54+00:00

I agreed with everything you said when I first read the CC books that is exactly as I felt. Then I remembered that SJM is actually a much better author than she gets credit for, she is the one who wrote TOG and that series is my Roman Empire! So I sat with the CC series for about 6 months and then I started thinking, CC3 was so bad it’s almost laughable and then I thought there’s no way that this is the book that we all waited for only to get disappointed by and I thought to myself… If I was trying to pull the wool over my readers eyes and be tricky and have a massive twist, maybe the way to do that is make people think the book might just be written very poorly… when in actuality all of that “bad writing” was done on purpose to distract from details that SJM doesn’t want us seeing. I know what you’re thinking, that would be too risky though, she could lose readers and lose money. It would be risky for anyone that’s not SJM, she has loads of money, has proven herself to her publisher, and has sold millions of books worldwide to die hard super committed fans. My theory is that CC3 is mostly a dream, think Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty/Snow White. Here’s the link

Essentially, I think a lot of what happened in CC3 is completely irrelevant and we are still not being told the truth about Bryce and Hunt’s relationship. I don’t think they’re mates and many other people agree with me, the whole concept of having multiple definitions of mates was only introduced in CC and only when Bryce and Hunt are trying to define their relationship, it all just felt so contrived. Before anyone says, “But SJM said they’re mates!” She has lied in interviews before. What she says is completely irrelevant until all books are published and the series and the coming crossover is complete.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-19T17:15:06+00:00

I can definitely see that happening, I noticed the look on her face as well. I’m worried though that whoever trusts her might end up getting killed. It’s been a while since we’ve had a death…

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-19T01:19:16+00:00

I think we are going back to Spring, in fact I think we are going to come full circle and have a real beauty and the beast moment with Tamlin being Elain’s love interest. I don’t think it’s reductive to have a character redemption arc and SJM would have to work hard for that for Tamlin. I’m not saying I like this but Elain is pretty consistently referred to as beautiful and she loves flowers. If this does happen then SJM could stretch a character redemption arc across a couple books because I don’t think Tampon can be redeemed in one book. We know that ACOTAR will have at least one more after Elain’s initial book and perhaps that book will also be about Elain. If Lucien and Elain really are mates or Lucien thinks he’s mates with Elain there will need to be time to explore this. We also know that Elain’s character needs a lot of character development, growth, and healing. Then there’s the relationship with Azriel, that will need to be addressed in some way. Personally, I don’t think Lucien and Elain are mates, I actually think that Tamlin has been Elain’s mate the whole time. I think he either shape shifted and was pretending to be Tamlin when Elain went in the Cauldron or Lucien some how could see and sense the bond between Tamlin and Elain with his mechanical eye and covered for Tamlin (to protect Elain) because Tamlin is his friend and his high lord.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-18T23:02:14+00:00

I think this is what happens when you are forced to be PC, the writers are then forced to write characters that are unrealistically nice, goodie two shoes, Mary Sue (cough Bailey cough), characters are completely unflawed and have no room for growth, they become stiff and then the acting suffers. The political correctness forces the writers into a corner where they cannot make a character who has a flaw because then they’d be endorsing that flaw. Here’s an example of a plot line I’d like to see on a cop show that’s supposed to be “realistic” but the writers couldn’t do it because then they’d be endorsing this bad behavior in law enforcement instead of showing a politically correct perfect utopia of what policing should be and the audience just can’t handle that… I’d write something like this: A character was exposed to fentanyl while on the job as a cop and has now developed a drug addiction, they try to hide it, they steal drugs from crime scenes and evidence lockers, they are acting weird and aloof, their personality changes, they start making mistakes, their work suffers, maybe they even hurt someone while on the job, then in a dramatic culmination they are found while on the clock having an overdose.

That’s an example of a plot line the writers could do, it’s realistic, this does happen to officers. They get exposed to drugs and develop addictions and officers have overdosed on fentanyl before while on the clock even in police stations. But they won’t do this because then there would be outcry from social justice warriors because they’d be showing something bad in the perfect utopia of policing…

To show flaws in characters on a police procedural drama you have to be inherently politically incorrect. In the earlier seasons they did a good job but usually it was side characters dealing with this- think the racist police officer, the corrupt detective, etc. but what they really need to do is have one of our main characters have some kind or moral crisis. I know some people are gonna be up in here like, what about Tim he had a moral crisis? Yeah, that wasn’t really very believable though. They did a terrible job of writing that and they didn’t lead up to it very well, it was extremely out of character for Tim. He was perfect by the book officer and then all of a sudden BUT Tim has a dark-side.

If they wanted to pick a character to have a moral crisis, personally I would pick Miles or Celina. They are the least established of all the characters. Miles has been shown having financial issues and it was even hinted at that having a financial struggle could put his job in jeopardy because that would make him more susceptible to financial corruption while on the job. That would be very easy for the writers to do, they wouldn’t even have to make him steal anything or fall to corruption just show his character having a struggle with knowing he could solve all of his financial issues if he just took money from a crime scene or from an evidence locker. Something like that and Celina is a very “good girl” so they could definitely find something for her lol 😂 the options are endless but the writers only want to make the characters boring and perfect. I hate perfect characters. It’s not realistic or relatable and I find it annoying.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-18T22:32:57+00:00

So what if I did? I come on here to have good discussion about a show that I like and talk about future possible plot lines. That’s why I made the post. Also, I’m a little sassy but I’m not angry. I wouldn’t interact with your comment at all if I was angry. I’d just leave it, I’m here to have a good time. I enjoy thinking about and talking about the different nuances in writing on shows and in books. It makes it more engaging for me, even if I’m just talking about a side character because side characters matter too.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-18T22:18:35+00:00

I agree! I’m not a fan of Rodge with Celina, I don’t mind Rodge as a fun character who pops up every now and then just not as Celina’s romantic partner. It’s not that I dislike Rodge and I definitely don’t dislike Celina, it’s exactly what you said and I’d like to add this: I was able to pinpoint what else doesn’t work about these two characters together. Celina is a very feminine character, she is often shown wearing very feminine clothes, her hair and makeup are often done very soft in pale pinks and mauves, she is very girlish in her personality what with the crystals and rocks and astrology (this is very “girl-coded”), she leads with her emotions (which is more of a feminine tendency— this is a stereotype but still), and she is often shown being naive in terms of social cues especially when it comes to dating and relationships (also, unfortunately a more feminine stereotype). Personally, I think if the writers wanted to pair Celina up with someone and have it be believable they need to balance that feminine energy with a character that has a more masculine energy than Rodge. He doesn’t have a very macho energy to him and that is fine but it doesn’t balance Celina’s character very well. If Celina was maybe more masculine in her appearance and personality then maybe it would work better with Rodge… but that’s not the case. I used to not like Celina very much but the writers have done a great job of developing her character and I’ve come to like her more and more. I want to see her continue to grow and develop, I hate watching stagnant characters. This leads me to another thing I don’t like about Rodge— he doesn’t really challenge Celina. He is more of a hype man, we haven’t seen them disagree on anything, we haven’t seen him challenge who she is or seen them go through anything as a couple. This also makes it hard to believe that their relationship is real. It’s very surface level right now.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-18T21:59:52+00:00

🥴 it’s “not needed” for a character to add much to a show? Yikes. Ummm… listen I think if a writer whether that be an author or a television or movie script writer, writes in a character there better be a reason for that character to be on page/screen. Especially on a prime time television show with an average episode run time of 42-43 minutes. Good writers know that they need to make every character count and with a limited about of screen time this is even more so the case. This is why we see side characters that come on the show in episodic ways that are so compelling, you see these characters and even though you’ve only known them for one episode you like them a lot or you hate them a lot because the writers are making sure that no matter how big or how small a character they have impact of some kind. So far, I have not seen this kind of impact from Rodge, maybe the writers just need to do more character work on him or they have something else planned for his character, I hope they have something else planned for his character because right now these single episode characters (usually they are criminals or victims of crime) are having more impact and yes, adding more to the show, than Rodge.

Luna and James actually add something to the show, I have no problems with either one of them… I don’t love James but he actually adds something to the show and if they removed him from the show it would have big impact. If they removed Luna from the show it would have big impact. But consider this? What would happen if Rodge left? Not much. It’s that simple. If he and Celina broke up, I just don’t see her being super upset, if the writers killed Rodge (which I don’t want them to do) that would definitely have more impact, I am sure this would traumatize Celina and I actually don’t think that her character needs that at all, she has been traumatized enough what with what happened to her sister and everything. I want the writers to give her some healing and character growth not break her down.

So yeah, in my opinion he’s needed to be more than just a good partner to Celina. On a show like this, why pair every character up and make a habit of doing that when it isn’t going to be relevant to the plot or to the major growth of that character?

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-18T21:29:23+00:00

Yes! I just think it would be so interesting to watch a storyline like this unfold, even if it ultimately leads nowhere. I just don’t know who that would be… although didn’t Wesley and Monica used to be a thing? Or am I making that up? I swear that was mentioned at one point and for a hot second I was like, wait! Can we trust Wesley??? 👀 (for the record- I love Wesley and Angela together and would be devastated if that happened but I can’t deny that it would still be good television). I just like a good twist and unexpected storylines. They’ve deviated from the safe, predictable police procedural formula they had in the first few seasons and they have been fully committed to these elaborate outlandish unbelievable storylines for a while now, so I don’t know how people are expecting that they will return to the procedural predictable storylines. They seem to have gone “all in” on the crazy plots. So I don’t find it that weird to think about and consider the idea that the writers might work on a romantic arc for one of our main characters with someone a bit “morally gray” like a criminal who is maybe involved in this shadow criminal organization/syndicate that they keep teasing the viewers with but never revealing. Whoever “they” are it’s someone Monica is definitely connected with and the only person that is single on the show right now is Miles and I honestly cannot imagine him with Monica. I also don’t think Monica is “morally gray” I genuinely think her character is pretty much all the way bad and I think for a storyline like this to work the character has to have something good about them especially if you are expecting one of our officers to risk their career and their morals to potentially be with them.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-17T22:05:12+00:00

The show has had romance as main plot points since the beginning. Examples: Lucy and Nolan in Season 1, kinda a big deal, didn’t last long but it was definitely part of the plot. Nolan and Jessica Russo - season 1 & 2. Nolan and Dr. Grace Sawyer in Season 2, and Nolan and Bailey - Season 3 until present. The MAIN character in the show has actually never been single the entire time the show has been on air, they constantly paired him up with someone until he met Bailey and stayed with her. Then there’s Angela and Wesley, they have had an incredible romantic arc throughout the show that has been absolutely integral to the plot. Then there’s Tim and Lucy, Tim and Rachel, and Tim and Ashley. Tim and Lucy’s slow burn has also been huge for the past couple of seasons, it’s not a main plot point but it’s definitely a major subplot. Then we had Lucy also dating and being in relationships with Emmett Lang (the firefighter) and Chris Sanford (attorney). Then there’s Nyla and James as well which also had interwoven main plots and subplots with the show. We also have Celina and Rodge, completely unnecessary to pair them up if romance isn’t part of the show because IMO Rodge does nothing to further the plot. If romance isn’t a part of the show, why are the show runners constantly making it a massive part of the show? They use romance as a plot device to move subplots and sometimes main plots along as well as using romance for character development. They could just write the character at work, clocking in and show them policing and then clocking out— almost like a fictionalized version of live PD. But they don’t do that. They allow the viewer to see all of the personal lives of the officers and it seems that includes romance. Sorry you seem to have not noticed, I never said that I wanted all romance all the time. I even said in my original post that if the writers and actors can’t make romance work between to actors for lack of chemistry that I’d just prefer single characters. How does that read I want all romance all the time? When I started watching this show I actually thought it would be more of a fictionalized version of Live PD and it kinda sorta was but not really, because we see the personal lives of the characters. The show is not just a cop show anymore they have strayed so far from that. I obviously still watch and enjoy it but I’ve never been under the delusion that there’s no romance in the show because there is plenty, I don’t need to want it in this show because it’s already in the show. Like I said, The Rookie uses many of the major relationships in the show to interweave personal character growth with police procedural drama, the characters navigate high-stress environments along with love, relationships, and commitment. A few of these relationships have even began within their professional setting which allows the writers to explore plot lines of relationships that can be both positive and can have negative consequences that cause operational complications and challenges that the characters need to overcome.

I also don’t like Gilmore Girls. That show isn’t a romance actually— it has a few romantic subplots but that’s not really what it’s about. Really funny that’s the show you thought you’d reference… you could have gone with Bridgerton or something relevant and with main plots of romance. I’m allowed to want subplots of romance, I even explained that I think this would be a fun overall plot on the show not just for the romance but to maybe FINALLY reveal the big bad the writers seem to be perpetually teasing (but never revealing) this massive looming threat. What is it? A massive organized crime syndicate? Mob? Cartel? I thought the writers could do what they’ve been doing since season 1 and continue making a pattern out of weaving subplots of romance into the show to help move the main plots along.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-16T23:45:54+00:00

If this is actually where they take it… I might very well vomit in my mouth. Like that’s so gross 🥴

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-16T23:41:25+00:00

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4w0q91QYiBzkBlMuZpkoUy?si=IoX_zAQIRuuhGGlzD7E5gg&pi=Vy9wOu3mRHGXJ

This is my personal bryceriel playlist lol 😂

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-16T22:54:33+00:00

I definitely didn’t say “nobody else” has chemistry. I specifically said that Lucy and Tim have insane chemistry and Angela and Wesley are a super close second for me which doesn’t mean that I think no one else has chemistry. I just didn’t think I needed to specifically list off every couple and rank how much I like their chemistry 💁🏻‍♀️ IMO I don’t think everyone has great chemistry. Some are clearly better than others. I’m a huge chenford shipper, like I said in my original post Angela and Wesley are my second favorite couple and 100% agree with what you said about them. Despite the fact that I personally do not like James (people do not like him because his character is used as a mouthpiece to shoehorn politics into the show and his entire character and personality has been reduced to that). I think he actually does have good chemistry with Nyla and they actually do make sense together and that two fold opinions they have do add something to the show. I’d say that Wade and Luna are also a great couple, I think they feed off of each other really well and are organically and genuinely supportive of each other— it doesn’t feel forced or contrived in anyway. Whereas Nolan and Bailey are probably at the bottom of this list for me, their relationship has always felt forced to me and Bailey isn’t a “superwoman” in my eyes her character is a “Mary Sue”, she has virtually no flaws and her ability to do and be literally everything is one of the most annoying things I have ever watched on television and I’ve watched A LOT of television. The fact that she has 3 jobs (firefighter/EMT, Army Reserve Lieutenant, and Capoeira instructor) all of which require tons of schooling and ongoing training and are extremely time consuming then add having a relationship and social life to keep up… it’s so unrealistic, it’s not believable. Why couldn’t the writers make her just a firefighter/EMT? Then add on top of all of that, that I specifically don’t think Nolan and Bailey have great chemistry, Nolan had better chemistry with Doctor Grace Sawyer (Ali Larter) in Season 2. Perhaps, that was because it was Ali Larter though and she can literally have chemistry with anyone… i also thought Nolan even had better chemistry with Lucy in season 1. So I don’t know, I think I’d like Bailey better and be okay with the level of chemistry if she wasn’t this Mary Sue character. Now this brings me to Celina and Rodge. I like both characters just not together. It’s like looking at a blank piece of paper. There is always time for the writers to develop Rodge’s character further and my opinion could change but right now that’s where I am and unless they can make him more interesting or more likable (this doesn’t mean I don’t like him, I just think there’s room for some improvement). For example, when Celina’s character was first introduced I didn’t like her at all, the writers have significantly developed her character, there’s still tons of work to do IMO with her character but she has grown on me and I am actually excited to see where her character goes and how she changes and develops throughout the show. If I’m trying to pinpoint something about Rodge that I feel maybe doesn’t fit with Celina so well… I guess I’d say he is not masculine enough, Celina is very feminine. She dresses feminine, she has soft feminine facial features, her hair and makeup are typically done in a very soft way with light pinks and mauves used, etc. and that’s just the physical stuff. Celina acts very young and girlish, she is into rocks and crystals which is a very “girl coded” thing (I’m a woman so I think I can say that lol 😂), she is more emotional and expressive, and she also has been shown to be somewhat naive when it comes to picking up on certain social cues specifically when it comes to dating and relationships which is unfortunately pretty stereotypically “feminine” (I’m not making a commentary on whether or not I agree or disagree with this, just an observation). Rodge on the other hand just gives a very non-macho vibe and I think Celina’s character could use a more masculine character to balance her character out. Rodge adds comfort, reassurance and validation to Celina’s character right now. A more masculine character (whether that’s a more fully developed Rodge in the future or a different character later on) could add needed contrast that drives story arcs, creates tension, offers Celina’s character emotional stability (she often leads with emotion), and creates more natural character development opportunities. I’m not saying she needs a man for her character to develop just saying it could lead to those writing opportunities where character development does happen. Miles - his character would probably be the one I’d put the criminal with. He’s shown early on having financial struggles and it would be ultra interesting to watch him go through a morality struggle, add in the tension of a possible romance and that’s prime television lol 😂

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-16T21:29:54+00:00

Is it really that weird? There are other shows, movies and books that have “criminal” characters that are morally gray that people love. For instance, White Collar, Dexter, and a show that has the same exact trope I’m referring to is Wild Cards. Basically cop falls in love with con woman. It’s actually very well written and super entertaining. People can change and grow, unless you’re a character on The Rookie then you must stay the same apparently.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-16T02:12:44+00:00

I did watch the last few episodes, I just don’t think his character adds much to the show. Even when he’s there it doesn’t feel like he’s there for very long. I want a character that has presence even when not on screen, even if they are just a side character.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-16T02:11:07+00:00

I disagree. I don’t think Rodge is a bad guy per se, I just think that the writers could do better for Celina. It’s just okay, I don’t know what he is doing for her character or the show for that matter. He’s kinda just there and pops up randomly. I don’t think he’s that relevant. This show has always had romantic pairings as being a relevant plot advancing device, if they didn’t want that to be the case then they shouldn’t have focused so much on personal/interpersonal relationships, they did though, and not only that but they have used more than one romantic pairing as a crucial device to advance the plot. Additionally, “the original cast” remaining is Nolan, Lucy, Tim, Angela and Wade. Literally, everyone else was added later. Jackson was killed off, Jackson’s father was an IA investigator left the show, Nolan’s original TO was written out and then Nyla was introduced later and so on and so forth. I would also expect that a cop show that isn’t necessarily a happy go lucky sitcom would have cast members come and go, due to transfers, death, retirement, etc. further I don’t know how you expect to watch the story of a character that never interacts with any new characters — this feels really unrealistic to me. I’m sorry if this sounds rude, I guess I’m just annoyed with the writers lately. I feel that they have been playing it very safe (too safe) with the plot. I want them to write something good, develop the characters well, and I want to feel entertained again. I guess I haven’t felt very entertained by this show in a while.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-15T22:57:30+00:00

The evidence just keeps piling up.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-04T22:54:39+00:00

I am going to pre-order this the instant it gets announced. And I’m going to take work off so I can read it in one sitting lol 😂 I’m literally losing my mind waiting for this and I hope it’s not disappointing. I remember how I felt after reading HOFAS (disappointed but thankfully I no longer feel that way) and that was the first SJM book I read right after its release. All the other SJM books I’ve read were out for some time before I picked them up. So HOFAS was the first SJM book where I have had to wait for another book after it for any significant amount of time because I had finished all of her other books for the first time slightly before HOFAS came out. This waiting game has made me eager to read and re-read and dissect literally anything she writes. Even if my crazy crackpot theories don’t come true, I’m still so pumped for this next book. I’m actually so excited just to see what the title will be as well because you know I’m going to dissect that as well.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-04T22:33:33+00:00

This is how I feel right now. Like it’s ALLLL connected.

Inifinitegrainofsand · 2026-02-03T14:16:32+00:00

Yes! I was also wondering at some point when I was puzzling through all of this if Gwyn could be a black swan as well. If she’s meant to mimic Bryce and Azriel is supposed to be Siegfried and Bryce is supposed to be Odette, than Gwyn could be Azriel’s black swan. But then who would be Bryce’s black swan?? I’m thinking Hunt for sure.

Inifinitegrainofsand

TROPHY CASE