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I have a friend who is a casual reader, and by that I mean it has taken her almost 2 years to read the acotar series, and she literally told me to let her know when Elain and Az’s book comes out next.

I was like “omg you ship them 🥰” and she was like “wait, there’s people who think otherwise??”

So the other sides are wrong when they say that all the casual readers ship Elucien and gwynriel.

And yes, she read Az’s bonus chapter because I let her borrow my copies and that’s the one I have. She was literally flabbergasted that people think Gwyn and Az will ever be romantic with each other and disappointed that people want Elain to end up with Lucien.

Happened to bond over ACOTAR with another person I met at work recently. She finished the series a few weeks ago and we were discussing how excited we were that SJM was supposedly writing the next book.

And then, unprompted, this girl says how much she can't wait for Elain & Azriel's love story.

Isn't that crazy? How new readers automatically think Elriel is next?

And then - I got the dreaded question -

"Yeah, I fully expect Elriel to be next - but why are there TikTok's with Azriel & Gwyn together? Is there a book I missed?"

I informed my coworker that, no, actually. All those theories come from a bonus chapter.

She got excited there were bonus chapters and then she proceeded to read all of them that night.

The next day, I get the same question:

"I still don't get why Gwyn & Azriel would be a thing. Azriel was so down bad for Elain in that bonus chapter? Where did this other pairing come from?"

Idk girl. That's what we're all asking 🤷🏻‍♀️

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #anti gw*nriel #anti gw/nriel #azriel acotar #i thought it was obvious

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Why don’t the gwynriels and eluciens understand that Az didn’t care who that necklace went to and that gwyn more than likely does not have it??

He literally did not care who Clotho, CLOTHO NOT HIM, gave it to. He just wanted to get rid of it because now it reminded him of a bad night.

AND THERE’S NO PROOF THAT CLOTHO GAVE IT TO GWYN! Absolutely none. I can almost guarantee you that either we will never see that necklace again or Clotho still has it in a desk drawer waiting to give back to Az for Elain to finally have.

Like this is what a red herring is. A distraction from the real thing.

It drives me crazy when I see them say “what would Elain do when she finds out that her endgame gave her necklace to another woman and it made his chest spark”. 🙄 like stop assuming she has it or is ever going to get it. Until it’s written by Sarah, it’s not canon. Right now, it’s canonically with Clotho.

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #anti g*ynriel #anti gw/nriel #azriel and elain

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Ooohhh the other sides are panicking 😂

I mean, I would be too if articles and even SJM herself never mentioned the red heads at all.

But for real, out of all the songs that she could have posted, it had to be the one that all of us Elriels collectively agree relates to Elain and Az the most 🤔

It’s only a matter of time before it’s confirmed, you guys ♥️

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #anti g*ynriel #anti gw/nriel #elain x azriel

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I accidentally deleted an ask that someone just left me anonymously, but I think the next acotar book title could be A Court of Blooming Death or something like that. Sounds kinda catching and would relate to Elain, Az, or Koschei or all 3.

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #azriel acotar #next acotar book

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In My Opinion

If Elain chooses Lucien, then it will not be for herself and nothing will ever convince me otherwise.

Elain choosing Lucien would ruin absolutely everything about her character arc. Elucien would ruin whatever is left of the acotar series. Because why make Elain's big thing all about choices if she chooses the one that is easiest?

Why talk about wanting to write about rejecting a mate and exploring the consequences if it's not about Elain and Lucien? Why write Elain and Lucien the way they are and how uncomfortable they are around each other when they would end up with each other anyways? Why write about the growing friendship and attraction between Elain and Az if it leads to nowhere?

I will never understand how people can read about how much Elain avoids Lucien, shrinks into herself, and becomes quiet and reserved around him and still think that she would ever be happy with him. It's not just the mating bond, it's him, too. He is a constant reminder of her trauma and what she has lost.

At least with Az, she was finding herself and becoming comfortable with her new life. She became comfortable enough to try and begin something with him. That bonus chapter confirmed that they both have mutual attraction towards each other and it had taken months to get them to that point. It wasn't just some random thing that happened.

Yeah, we don't know what Elain is thinking or what her thoughts are about what all has happened. But I go off by her actions, and they scream that she wants nothing to do with Lucien.

I'm gonna have to reread HOFAS again and try to better understand what was all said about the cauldron and Truth Teller. Because I bet that Elain and Lucien got one of those mating bonds that is solely based on having powerful children and not true love. And I bet the connection that Elain has with Truth Teller will mean something, too. And I've heard that Truth Teller can break bonds? Is that the connection? Will Elain be able to break her own bond and nullify it so it doesn't affect her and Lucien anymore? If they both reject it, does it nullify the bond? Like there are so many things about mating bonds that I think would be great to explore other than another couple accepting it. Talk about boring, repetitive, and predictable.

And don't give me that "Sarah is a fated mates author and that means Elucien is endgame" or "that bonus chapter ended with Gwyn so that means the series is all about her and Az" bullshit. That is complete bullshit.

#elain archeron #acotar #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #anti g*ynriel #anti gw/nriel #i thought it was obvious #elriel supremacy #sarah j maas

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@rizzo.reads1988 on TikTok always makes me feel so much better about all of my elriel thoughts.

I completely agree with her about how Sarah could be talking about Elucien when she was talking about some couples are like "trying to stick two dolls together and forcing them to kiss."

I will admit and say that I could see how people thought Elucien would have been a great couple in acowar, but they just don't go good together at all. And Rizzo was right, you can see the moment in acowar where Sarah realized that elriel would be the better choice.

If you guys haven't, go check her out because I love all her theories and thoughts about the series, and she's really nice, too.

#elain archeron #pro elriel #acotar #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #elain x azriel

[acotar-taylorsversion]

Yet Another Rant

If Elucien happens, how am I supposed to forget what happened in the bonus chapter with Elain and Az? Or everything else that has happened between them?

I mean, the only thing that bonus chapter did for me was confirm what we all thought all along, and thats the fact that Elain and Az have canon feelings towards each other and Az has been pining over Elain for at least a year.

Like if Elucien happens, is Elain going to be like, "Oh silly me! I don't know what I was thinking! Lucien is everything I could ever want! 🥰." Is that what y'all think is going to happen?

There is so much unsaid and unfinished with Elriel. I like to believe that they are just getting started. No way would Sarah end them before that had a chance to begin in a bonus chapter that wasn't available to more than half her readers when it came out.

And don't even get me started on gwynriel 😫 Like if y'all think Az was such a creep about his feelings and thoughts for Elain, then why do y'all want him with your precious Gwyn? Makes no sense. A creep like that isn't good enough for Elain but he is for Gwyn? Y'all want Az to address his thing with Mor, get over his feelings for Elain, and then become friends with Gwyn and fall in love with her in one book? Y'all want to read more about how Az fantasizes about Elain in the same book he'll supposedly fall in love with Gwyn? Do y'all really think Az is going to listen to Rhys and stop whatever it is he feels for Elain just because he said so? Az is only going to do whatever Elain wants to do. They will have to talk about what happened and it's gonna be up to Elain what they do. Gwynriels don't understand Az sometimes. They don't even understand Gwyn sometimes. I hate when I see how much they over sexualize her. And don't come at me saying, "OMG, SA survivors can have sex, don't be so vile and cruel!" I know they can but I don't see how Gwyn could ever want to be tied up and held down by ANYONE. Like she hasn't even showed any interest in Az or anyone. I don't think she's truly healed herself, and I believe she has a long way to go before she could ever be with a man like that. Most Gwyn fans just want to push her to do things that I don't think she's ready for. She wasn't even sure if she was going to go to Nesta's mating ceremony and y'all want her to have sex with Az and go be a warrior on a dangerous mission? I don't get it.

Oh man, I told y'all not to get me started on gwynriel 😩

Anyways, so yeah. This is my weekly rant, I guess.

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #azriel #anti e/lucien #anti g*ynriel #anti gw/nriel #elriel endgame #i thought it was obvious

[acotar-taylorsversion]

Once Again

If you are going to tell people that the main trilogy ended with Elain returning Truth Teller and inviting Lucien to Velaris, then tell the whole thing.

Elain did return Truth Teller because it's not hers. It's Azriel's. Why she keep his beloved knife when he only gave it to her to protect herself in the war? It's not hers to keep.

And she only invited Lucien to Velaris because FEYRE TOLD HER TO. She literally nudged Elain's shoulder and made her. And what happened when he went to Velaris???? Absolutely nothing. Elain wanted nothing to do with him. Nothing. And it doesn't seem to bother him that much because he has no trouble coming and going.

But you know what did happen after the war, Elain grew closer to Azriel. He realized Mor would never love him and he started to move on. Elain is accepting her new life, and a big reason for that is because she has found her place in Velaris with her new friends, and that includes Azriel. NOT LUCIEN. She is doing just fine without him.

#anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #pro elriel #pro elain archeron #elain archeron #azriel and elain #azriel shadowsinger #tell the whole thing #don't just show what you believe works for you #canon #elriel is canon #i thought it was obvious #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf

[acotar-taylorsversion]

Elain & Azriel are EndGame

Azriel’s bonus chapter: semi-essay on my thoughts

This post will be a long one. The shipwar has been going on for far too long, and there's a possiblity that we'll be getting closure soon so I want to put my thoughts out there. For Obvious reasons, I could be very wrong, but this is what I think based on canon text: (Ignore any errors..I haven't edited this, and I'm sure there are many post like this that are way more articulate)

Elriel are endgame. If they’re not then Azriel is kinda pathetic and having him end-up with anyone else is bad writing and character assassination. (Which we sadly won’t put past sjm but I don’t think she would..at least I hope)

1- Elain has no other love interest. Yes, Lucien is her mate but we have hinted at a broken/rejected mating bond for the longest time when it comes to these two so having them accept it eventually is going to be quite underwhelming, repetitive and boring. Even Lucien seems to have given up/isn’t interested in bridging that gap between them, which we’re told in both acofas and acosf. To add on, there is no sexual tension between the two, and we know how important that is for sjm’s couple. You can't keep whining "but Elain isn't giving him a chance, if only she gave him a chance, then maybe this and maybe that" Elain is not a seprate entity, she is what SJM writes, Sjm could have written that but she did not yet and I'm not sure if she will. It feels too late at this point, she had already shown us thar Elain has feelings for someone else aka Azriel. The author doesn't have to spell everything out for us to understand to what's going on. Sarah usually makes it clear who's endgame. and she literally is. So, it would be very sudden and out of the blue if they Lucien and Elain were to end up together when she had never shown it before.

We also cannot compare them to Feysand or Nessian in the “enemies to lovers" department, because these two seem to hardly care about each other. For obvious reasons she wouldn’t accept or reject Lucien in a book that isn’t hers. But if they do end up together I’d feel robbed that she had more sexual tension with Azriel than she did with Lucien. And we know that Nessian and Feysand had sexual tension before getting together. Most of what we got from Elain and Lucien was awkwardness, and discomfort. Not a single spark. Furthermore, it would feel like Azriel was just leading Elain own. Plus their romance (Lucien and Elain)  would not feel organic, only getting with Lucien because she felt rejected by Azriel, which doesn’t give epic romance no matter how sjm tries to spin it. 

2- Azriel regifting the necklace was a dickhead move, and offensive to both girls. Anyone thinking the regifting of the necklace ended elriel or started gwynriel is delusional and clearly doesn’t know how the romance genre works. (should’ve thrown the gift in the Sidra like Cassain did) I can’t believe Rhys isn’t paying Azriel enough that he felt the need to return the necklace to the shop instead of throwing it. Senstive Illyrian baby indeed. 

3- Rhys saying stay away from Elain (can we take a moment to appreciate how sexy Rhys was for pulling rank, he really made the ship more interesting now) and Azriel actually listening to him?? shit would be underwhelming if Azriel actually stayed away? Hello? Secret relationship potential ? Hello? Forbidden romance potential  ??? The tropes would be epic. Sjm has never done that. And I’m not saying she will, but this is how I see it playing out. + Azriel saying it was a mistake to Elain, and Elain apologizing?? The fact she was confused/hurt and probably thought she misunderstood the whole situation? SHE IS BABYGIRL?? Regardless, Azriel saying it was a mistake and it being a mistake is NOT it, not how romance works most of the time. This is such a basic romantic trope, why are a lot of people misinterepting it? Elain deserves better, and sjm isn’t about to hurt Elain’s feelings without making it up to her. And she’s definitely not making Azriel end up with another girl before he fixes that shit. I will be needing a proper apology to Elain.  

4- Whenever people think of the bonus chapter they weigh in Azriel’s feelings far more than Elain’s. It’s clear that Elain and Azriel’s feelings are MUTUAL, ignore the bonus chapter and it’s right there in the actual book. I don’t think Elain got the memo that Azriel had  a conversation with another girl after he hurt her feelings which made him realize he’s in love all of a sudden. *sarcasm*  that would be very out of character for Azriel. 

5- His chest sparkling at the thought of Gwyn getting the necklace was so??? I have been saying he’s for the streets and yes this was out of pocket. So, I understand people shipping them. However it could mean anything really, you can't continue saying that Gwyn in the bonus has to mean something, and that that spark must mean somethig but continue to disreagrd every single Elriel interaction like they mean nothing. Because for it to be taken as romance we’d have to ignore the beginning of the bonus, the feysand’s bonus acosf/acomaf/acowar and acofas. + we could easily take this in a platonic way, which is how I viewed it when I read the bonus. Not everything has to be romantic. And sjm will NOT introduce a new guy to make him end up with Elain since we already established Elain doesn’t want Lucien and Lucien doesn’t want her either. 

6- I know that a lot of people have theories about Gwyn being a lightsinger and all of this happening because of her powers (While I do think this is very smart, it wasn’t something I thought of so I won’t talk about it). I do think it’s possible and all the theories I saw were really cool but idk where sjm is going with this, so to make it simple I do think it could be because she’s his student, she went through a lot it could simply be platonic happiness that a girl who went through so much is going to be happy about something. Even if it was a secondhand necklace specifically picked with ANOTHER girl in mind PLUS I do think sjm wanted drama, and for people to doubt elriel cuz now they have all these obstacles, so Gwyn would be the easy choice. The relationship would feel icky and I genuinely cannot see the potential gwynriels keep talking about. I would take the ship a lot more seriously if a) he didn’t regift her another girl’s necklace b) there was more to them in the actual book. c) he wasn’t still upset about it 3 days later… 

7- There’s a high possibility Gwyn never even got the necklace..

He gave it to Clotho not Gwyn, he didn’t want his name mentioned, and then said if any other girl would like it to give it to them: the aim was to get rid of Elain’s necklace. It’s sort of a parallel with Cassain throwing away Nesta’s present .

I think it’s possible that Azriel went there because he knows how much the girls in the library have suffered, especially since his mom did too, it's possible he thought "okay this is a pretty necklace, I don't want to hold onto the reminder of what could've been, so instead of throwing it let another girl be happy with it"

Clotho could tell there was something wrong, like maybe she sensed the energy and decided ayeee let me keep this aside for him, he might come back and ask for it. 

The bonus did not happen at the end of the book 

If Azriel was truly in love with Gwyn now /or he wanted her/ or more between them was going to happen/ or they were mates according to some theories we could have AT LEAST gotten more after the bonus. 

We know the bonus happened after solstice.

Nesta mentions that Azriel was stone-faced and more aloof than usual, he wouldn’t even give her a smile. That was 3 days after the necklace situation. I think it would’ve been a great opportunity to highlight any attraction between Azriel and Gwyn.

Maybe he sees the necklace around her neck, maybe Nesta and Emerie compliment Gwyn’s necklace, or Gwyn telling them she doesn’t know who it’s from, maybe they tease her that someone might have a crush on her. Nesta could’ve pointed out that Azriel was looking at Gwyn’s necklace.or looking at Gwyn in some sort of way. Literally anything. 

Anyone pointing out the way Azriel and Gwyn looked at each other. A charged glance perhaps. Literally ANYTHING. We only got him looking at her with admiration which is very teacher coded. 

But aside from that we got nothing romantic, but a part of the fandom still acts like we need to exile Elain because she’s coming between Gwyn and Azriel’s epic love story.

Not everyone has access to the bonus.  

The Azriel chapter was only in ONE store in the US, but Feysand’s bonus chapter was in 3 stores in the US and UK. I don't know but something tells me it’s more important.  Soooo if SJM would do a love interest switch she would not do it in a bonus chapter, and wouldn’t be highlighting the Az/Elain interactions in ACOSF as much as she did. 

Feyre’s chapter focuses on Elain, it literally tells us Elain is next once we’re done helping Nesta. EASY MATH. and the Azriel bonus also focuses on elriel/Azriel’s feelings. ENDGAME MATERIAL RIGHT HERE. 

But the girls swear up and down that Gwyn and Azriel’s book is next because of a secondhand necklace. 

Let’s assume elriels are the delusional ones (like so many of them say), how do we explain these. 

Casual readers who usually read books and aren’t on the internet and aren’t looking for bonus content (wish that was me)  (lord knows I skipped every bonus chapter in throne of glass and crescent city and I wasn’t confused about anything. Not even once) so they’d expect answers for 

The Charged glance between Azriel and Elain

Azriel following the sound of Elain’s laughter. 

Elain looking away when Azriel smiled at her during family dinner, Cassian god bless him that idiot could NOT piece all of that together. BUT it was still highlighted through his POV ???

His secret to tell never hers (and we do learn of that secret in the bonus but people who didn’t read it could only guess so they’d want a confirmation) and sjm did say in one of her lives that Nesta learns of one of Azriel’s secrets (she looked all giddy about it)... and that Azriel is going through some shit right now…and we learn why from the bonus chapter. 

Cassian being confused that it seems like Azriel moved on from Mor

Nesta pointing out that Elain moved on from Graysen

Cassian wondering why Elain is lying about where she’s going. (I viewed this as her avoiding Azriel but idk) 

Azriel’s protectiveness of Elain. He gives mate behavior without the mate part. (I will hit him on the head though omg let my girl do something)

Elain willing to look for the troves even when Nesta wasn’t, the girl wants to do something  (her journey is coming next) 

Nesta wondering if Elain is training with Azriel or the twins (who are spies that were trained by Azriel !!!) 

Feyre telling Azriel that Elain got him beat for secret keeping. Sure it might sound delusional but Elain keeps being compared to Az/being a spy and maybe this could be a thing. 

Elain speaking back to her sisters about them treating her like a child?? Hello finally 

The way Elain’s mother only treated her like a pretty doll which shaped up Elain’s whole life??? I want this from Elain’s POV sooo bad 

In conclusion, we’re not pausing Elain’s story so Azriel can end up with a side character in a spinoff about an og side character, we’re sticking to our og side characters for now.

Azriel being over Mor because of Elain, and Elain moving on from Graysen because of Azriel only for Elain to get over Azriel to be with Lucien (who we got nothing from aside a mating bond..) and for Az to get over Elain and questioning fate for her…only to end up with gwyn…like I don’t think anyone could take Azriel’s feelings seriously if this happens. Shit will be too goofy.  Because if he ends up with Gwyn who says he won’t move on to the next pretty girl he sees afterwards.

To add to that, what plot would we have for Azriel and Gwyn. We'll get more Valkyries training, more healing journey so the plot would have to be paused for this. Nesta’s book was mostly about her healing journey and friendship, while it was nice I don’t want a repeat for the next book. Especially since we know the Rite took a toll on Gwyn, she went back to the library, wasn’t even sure she would make it to Nessian’s mating ceremony. This doesn’t give the protagonist of the next book to me. Or "I thought it was pretty obvious"

Elain’s healing journey had started in ACOWAR, she got her friends in ACOWAR. Now is their TIME to do something!! She is next. 

Closing thoughts on what I think would happen based off each ship happening: 

If elriel happens = new sjm couple dynamic/interesting plot. Fresh sjm protagonist that is unlike sjm's others + we don’t ignore all the foreshadowing and hints. We follow the love triangle we set up in the og trilogy + finally get a rejected mating bond. And instead of warrior training we might get spy training and instead of physical power (as far as we know) we get something more mental. Again this is very new for sjm + there’s a lot to Elain’s power that we don’t know and since Azriel was the one who found out what she was, I think it would make more sense for him to know how to help her. Imagine the sexual tension during training..yes please. I hope sjm doesn’t rob me. Elain is really mysterious, we got Nesta’s inner thoughts before her book but we still haven't gotten a peep about Elain’s inner thoughts and I’m just dying to know more. AND THE STAKES!

1) Rhys forbidding Azriel from Elain, 2) Elain’s mating bond,3) Azriel’s self doubt and how he doesn’t think he’s good enough. 4) The blood duel and the political mess we could get into. (Lucien probs won't but what if Beron would, the breeding potential, A seer must be a powerful thing she can see things others can't and I think that’s valuable. If Eris thought Nesta was valuable as cauldron made and there was no potential there, so The Autumn court probably feels even more entitled to Elain) We have high inner and outer stakes. I have a feeling SJM will fumble all this potential but a girl can dream 

If elucien happens = another successful mating bond + “enemies”  to lovers sort of but they won’t ever be mean to each other so maybe not enemies, just dislike and awkwardness to friends to lovers?  We ignore the hints about a rejected bond and in mating bonds we trust. We also ignore all the elriel hints, and their mutual feelings. We follow the love triangle set up in the og trilogy. I don’t think Lucien could train her in anything? Maybe self defense, Idk Sarah could pull something, but I don’t see Elain leaving her circle of friends but neither do I see Lucien settling in the night court and leaving his own friends. There are no stakes but Elain’s and Lucien’s awkwardness around each other + Elain’s feelings for Azriel. Elain’s and Lucien’s plot connects though so at least there’s that, SJM could ship them off on a mission together and make them get closer. Forced proximity sort of thing. 

If gwynriel happens then = we lost the whole plot, ignored the foreshadowing and hints found in the actual book. Mentor to lovers, civil with each other. Azriel has to move on from Elain first though and that could be icky. Healing journey, more Valkyries training. So we pick up from where we left off in acosf, and we’d see Azriel trying to get her to come out of the Library, or he goes to visit her there until she agrees to come out again. Maybe if Gwyn is a lightsinger then idk more training with Azriel? Again, no stakes but Gwyn’s trauma and Azriel’s self doubt oh and also his feelings for Elain. But that’s it, Gwyn as of now does not connect to the overall plot with the troves (she’s not made therefore she can’t use them) or koschei. So I don’t see us making her go on a mission like that. I’ve seen a lot of gwynriles saying Gwyn has spy potential idk where, but she could barely keep a secret for Nesta so I highly doubt she’d be keeping secrets for the IC. 

Ps: the original koschei plot is 3 sisters marrying 3 very powerful wizards and like idk 3 sisters 3 brothers…we can have a retelling ya know 

[acotar-taylorsversion]

Another thing that bothers me is when people say Elain can't reject the bond without getting to know Lucien first. I don't think that's right.

This mating bond was forced onto her when she changed. She has every right to reject the bond without getting to know him or anything. You know how furious I'd be if I got thrown into the cauldron, turned into the very thing I was taught to fear and hate my entire life, and the first one that I see when I come to tells me that I'm his mate? And then to find out that he was a part of the group responsible for it? AND THEN he's the reason my fiancé, the first man I fell in love with, didn't want to be with me anymore and destroyed what ever hope I had left of coming home to him in front of everyone?? I can almost guarantee you that she avoids him not because of attraction or love or whatever, but because she's angry and hurt.

I honestly don't blame Elain for ignoring Lucien and avoiding him at all costs. He is a constant reminder of that night and what she lost.

And you can't say that Feyre and Nesta avoided Rhys and Cassian for the same reason. Feyre only avoided Rhys because she was pissed that he kept it from her. Nesta avoided Cassian because yes, she was scared of what it meant, but she also felt like she didn't deserve him. Avoiding him was her form of self-punishment for all that she felt she did wrong. She says this in Silver Flames.

Lucien is only tied to the two biggest heartbreaking things for Elain. Her being changed and her losing Grayson.

I relate to Elain a lot. I see myself in the little bits and pieces we've seen. I believe that she is a people pleaser and a peace maker and that's why she hasn't told anyone that Lucien's presence bothers her that much. She sees how a friendship and an alliance with him is needed and she doesn't want to ruin that for Feyre and Rhys. Someone like Elain does not know how to express hurt and anger without feeling like you're offending someone, so she does the one thing she knows how, which is to avoid and ignore (trust me, this is what I do as a people pleaser). That's also why I believe that she will never accept that bond for herself. The way Sarah has written all of those Elain and Lucien interactions is why I can't ever believe that Elain would ever be truly happy with him. If elucien is endgame, I honestly don't know how Sarah can pull that off.

#acotar #elain archeron #pro elain archeron #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien

[acotar-taylorsversion]

So for some reason I got lost in the Elucien side of tik tok and, of course, they are convinced they are endgame. They are the ones who think Elain avoids Lucien because she’s trying to suppress her attraction to him and what not, but I just think that’s silly. Even though I agree with them about how we don’t know what’s going on in her head, I just find that theory ridiculous, especially when you look at the overall text that surrounds Elain and Lucien.

I am an Elriel supporter and have been since 2017, but I always have that “what if” in the back of my mind because we all know Sarah can just completely forget about what she’s written and do something totally different. My biggest fear is that I won’t ever accept Lucien. Like, I only really support him when I read those tiny moments when he’s talking about or with Vassa, because I can see that. But I’m scared I won’t ever accept Lucien or Elucien because of what we know.

I’ve never truly connected with Lucien. I always saw him as the annoying one. I never could understand why everyone finds him attractive or charming. I moved on quickly when we learned about his history, it didn’t really affect me. He’s just annoying to me. And I know he’s not a bad guy, like I don’t hate him. I just don’t care for him. I literally forgot all about his character in acomaf until he showed up again to kidnap Feyre, and I was totally dumbfounded when he said Elain was his mate. It was the most random thing to me. I remember reading that part 3 times because I thought I was crazy. And I was so so happy when he volunteered to go search for Vassa because that meant he was going to be gone for a while in acowar, and then I forgot about him again unless he was brought up. He’s just a very forgettable character to me and it’s going to take a lot for my opinion to change. Like I honestly hate that someone like Elain got mated to someone like him. It’s the most random thing.

Like 3 brothers x 3 sisters just makes so much sense to me and it’s so perfectly even and symmetrical. 2 brothers x 2 sisters, 1 sister x random guy, 1 brother x random girl just doesn’t make sense at all.

I don’t think I could enjoy the series anymore if Sarah has planned for Elucien and gwynriel all this time because why spend all that time building up Elriel? And I’m sorry, but people who say that they didn’t see Elriel moments as romantic clearly didn’t read them. I know we interpret things differently, but y’all are just delusional if you can’t see that.

I’ll go ahead and say it. The main reason I support vassien is because it gives Lucien a happy ending while elain is free to love who she wants and not who she is told to by the cauldron or whatever. I hate that she is being forced to make a decision that she should never have to make. And it’s not like we don’t have a reason to support vassien, there are some cute little moments between Vassa and Lucien. But even, with a vassien pov, I don’t think I would enjoy Lucien’s part. Another thing, I could totally see him dying. I’ve always thought he would seeing how he was becoming feyre’s friend and what not. That usually happens to that type of character in fantasy stories.

Who knows, though 🤷🏻‍♀️. I’m just over all these things with the fandom here lately. From the doxx threats, forcing artists to quit creating art for us because of the hate they receive, the teasing from Bloomsbury, and this stupid ship war, I’m just mentally exhausted from it.

Sorry for the rant, guys. I’ll be more positive next time, hopefully lol 😆

Hope everyone is doing good after all that’s happened ♥️

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #sarah j maas #just some late night thoughts #i hope it gets better #i’m not gonna lie #I’ll be heartbroken if Elriel doesn’t happen #it’s hard for me to like Lucien #i just don’t see it #I’d rather read an entire novel about Eris before Lucien and I don’t like Eris #at least Eris is interesting though #I think he’s kinda like Rhys and hides his true self from everyone a lot

[acotar-taylorsversion]

So, about that IG post

It has got me thinking. While I believe the next book is Elain's, I can't help but wonder if Sarah would throw all of us off and make it Tamlin's book. You know, kinda like she did for Chaol in Tower of Dawn. Like what if a Tamlin book is necessary for the rest of the series just like how TOD was for Throne of Glass?

I'm in no way saying that Elain and Tamlin are endgame 💀 nor am I saying that Elain is destined to be in the Spring Court with or without Lucien. BUT I can't help but wonder about Tamlin.

Are we actually gonna get his POV, and dare I say it, actually like him by the end??

What do you guys think?

#acotar #elain archeron #tamlin #spring court #sarah j maas #elriel #I'm tagging elriel because that's where most of my people are #next acotar book

[acotar-taylorsversion]

I don't for one second believe that the reason Elain avoids Lucien is because she's so attracted to him and she is afraid she won't be able to control herself around him.

Like come on. If that were the case, why was she more than willing to kiss Az while Lucien slept upstairs from her?

Kind of sounds like she doesn't care for him or what he thinks at all. But I don't blame the eluciens for holding on to that mating bond. I mean, without it they would have nothing. Everyone knows that if it weren't for that bond, Elain and Lucien would never have any reason to speak to each other. Elain would not be forced to make a choice that she should have never had to make in the first place.

#acotar #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #i thought it was obvious #elriel supremacy

[acotar-taylorsversion]

HE FORCED HIMSELF TO SAY IT WAS A MISTAKE ONLY BECAUSE OF RHYS!!🗣️🗣️🗣️

#elain acotar #elain x azriel #elriel #elain archeron #elriel supremacy #azriel #azriel acotar #pro elriel #acotar #anti g*ynriel #anti gw/nriel

[acotar-taylorsversion]

Say it with me:

JUST BECAUSE TWO PEOPLE ARE MATES DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN THEY ARE ENDGAME

Elain and Lucien will have their tension (finally talking about it), growth (realizing it’s not a great match), and healing ( rejecting the bond and being happy with the ones they choose) together. Because rejecting the bond is something they’ll do together.

Sarah has NEVER confirmed that Elucien is endgame. Has never ever uttered those words.

Sarah has talked about exploring what happens when a mating bond is rejected and who’s the only couple in acotar that hasn’t accepted it?????? Hmmmmm???

Oh that’s right! ELAIN AND LUCIEN.

I don’t need Elain and Az pining over each other to know that there’s a huge possibility that Elain (or Lucien) will reject the bond.

Don’t talk shit about people on tik tok who can understand the fact that Sarah has never said who Elain will end up with.

And if she has, please send me the proof of her saying “I can’t wait for Elain and Lucien’s book. I can’t wait for everyone to see how they finally accept the bond between them.” I’ll wait.

#pro elain archeron #elain archeron #elriel #pro elriel #anti el*cien #anti e/lucien #anti elucien

[acotar-taylorsversion]

We treat Elain's rescue scene by Azriel and Feyre as romantic, because it was romantic. That's all.

Unlike the other two rescues--Mor's and Gwyn's. Which were never meant to be romantic. One of the major differences between the 3 is that Elain was not physically harmed, unlike Mor and Gwyn.

Rescuing Mor was Azriel's decision, supported by Rhys, but Mor was terribly harmed and the basis of the rescue was not inherently romantic. It was about saving her life, when she had actual nails nailed in her body, when she was shamed and discarded by both her family and the Vanserras, and left bleeding and wounded in Autumn.

Gwyn's rescue was an accident and she was violated. So much so, Azriel was only able to throw something on her to cover her and then immediately handed her off to Mor. (Of course the whole thing was retconned, but that's a different post). Nothing about that incident was remotely romantic. Or even planned. He happened to be there, he killed her attackers, he stopped the assault and then he handed her to Mor and left.

What's more, BOTH of these rescues are off page. Someone's memory. A 'bloody memory' in Gwyn's case. In Mor's, a violent and traumatic memory.

Elain's rescue was on page. And it was LONG. A long chapter. And it started with a declaration of 'I am getting her back'. Decisive and unwavering. What's more, it's just like Mor's rescue--Azriel's first love. He was getting her back as well.

However, the aftermath of the rescue is completely different. Mor --again, HARMED and wounded--walks away from Azriel. She isn't listening to his love confession. She closes the door on them, leaving him behind, never to reopen that door.

In Elain's case, what starts the same way, ends very very differently.

The entire verbal exchange between her and Azriel is romantically coded language.

"You came for me"

"Hold tight and don't make a sound"

Azriel was cradling Elain to his chest, unwilling to release her.

Elain is unharmed when he finds her, and therefore, she is an active participant in her own rescue. She helps him, she defends him, she clings to him, but she is determined to save him just as much as he is determined to save her and Feyre.

Unlike with Gwyn, Azriel is NOT handing Elain off to anyone. It's the opposite. He clutches her closer to him, and Rhys is basically forced to tear her out of his embrace, even though again, she isn't wounded, and Azriel is. But the only thing that matters to Azriel is Elain, and not his own injuries or his torn wings. Not even his High Lady. Elain is his concern. The first thing he says is that the chains should be removed from her, not that he needs a healer. The chains are annoying, but they are not hurting her. Yet, Azriel's only concern is for her and he needs her to be comfortable first.

And in the end, Elain--unlike Mor--doesn't walk away. She turns around and she kisses his cheek--in gratitude and with a silent promise.

And that is the difference between the three rescues.

And that's why it's been mentioned 14 times (as someone recently counted) throughout the books, as a reminder of what Azriel did for Elain and how it impacted him and her.

#elriel #elain x azriel #pro elriel #acotar #azriel shadowsinger #anti g*ynriel #anti gw*nriel #i thought it was obvious

[acotar-taylorsversion]

For whoever needs to hear it:

predictable endgames do not equal lazy writing

Rowaelin was predictable

Feysand was predictable

Nessian was predictable

Quinlar was predictable

You read them for their story of coming together after pages and pages and books of buildup, because a foundation has to be laid for the relationship to be believable. Dismissing Elriel because of “lazy writing” runs counterintuitive to how your author builds her endgames.

#pro elriel #anti e/lucien #anti g*ynriel #i thought it was obvious