#explicitly. togs

[sindirimba]

all the looking left gifsets in the world for TOG and still some people are shocked to learn booker packed clothes for nile when they were leaving the church

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

TOG NEW WORLD CAN YOU STOP DOING THIS

[emmitaaa4]

Previous anon- I forgot to mention that it appears that they have a close collaborative relationship with sjm and her merch agents. On the gadget4entertainment website they also mention that the acotar jewelry they sell is "is a brand new jewelry collection officially licensed by Sarah J. Mass. The whole collection was approved by the writer herself."

Thank you sm for the info Anon—you fully sent me on a deep dive... and I'm ngl, the playing cards might be a bigger deal than I first thought. So here's what I found, in case anyone else was curious too.

TL;DR. The cards do seem more “legitimate” than typical licensed prints or generic merch— as in, they're more than just “fanart that got licensed” (imo). They’re the only item on the seller’s site explicitly labeled as official, even though all merch—like author-approved jewelry collections—is officially licensed.

Disclaimer: I'm no marketing expert, this is just what I got from some digging, educated guesses, and context clues. And fueled by procrastination. (I have a final in 1 day. Its 4am. What am I doing lmao.)

OK so, some details:

All SJM/ACOTAR merch sold by the company has the same standard licensing statement: "Created with permission of Writers House LLC acting as agent for the author."

They sell a 65-piece jewelry collection for ACOTAR:

"Gadget4entertainment X A Court of Thorns and Roses is a brand new jewelry collection officially licensed by Sarah J. Mass. The whole collection was approved by the writer herself."

They also have similar collections for CC and ToG... => The fact that they have author-approved jewelry for all three of her major series suggests a consistent, direct relationship with SJM’s team—not just the more generic license deals you’d see with third-party print sellers.

And yet, none of the individual jewelry pieces are called “official” in their titles or descriptions...

... BUT the playing cards are literally titled the “Official ACOTAR Playing Cards Set” and marketed as “our new and official ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ playing cards set.”

The use of "official" is what got me wondering in the 1st place— it’s not a regulated term like “licensed,” but when used in product naming or marketing it can imply closer collaboration. And that wording is used nowhere else: if "official" and "officially licensed" were interchangeable, you'd expect the same phrasing across the board—but they're clearly making a distinction.

For ex., they market their calendar as “our officially licensed Velaris Advent Calender”. Peep that wording shift?

So to recap:

The site clearly distinguishes between standard licensing and direct author approval, so calling the cards 'official' feels like a deliberate choice—not just generic wording.

Only the playing cards get the "official" emphasis on both the title & product description.

Why does that matter at all? Well, the rest of the product line avoids ships altogether (aside from one Feysand ring), and yet the cards do have pretty clear ship-based symbolism...

I mean come on.

And while the K/Q/J pattern speaks for itself, imo it's the Ace that seals the deal. If someone were to argue that the other suits (Diamond & Spades) don't have as much ship symbolism (ergo point is null), the Club's Ace makes that hard to defend: Truthteller & roses speaks directly to Elriel, as Feyre's ring speaks to Feysand.

That combo is also one that comes back again and again in official artwork, whether it be in the borders of SJM's official ACOFAS interview, or the inclusion of the TT scene in the colouring book, or (arguably) the "new" ACOWAR cover design from 2020.

So basically, these could be just casual fandom cards, BUT! the fact that:

The cards are officially licensed and uniquely called “official” by a seller with known ties to SJM’s team;

The Elain/Azriel/Lucien trio mirrors the confirmed Feysand/Tamlin triangle;

The matching Aces (Feysand's ring VS Elriel's TT + roses) hammers the pattern in;

…makes it hard not to see this as at least a soft nod toward Elriel. Not canon confirmation, obviously, but probably definitely more than “just fanart.”

So yeah, I think this card set holds some weight. And honestly? I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being a bit of a soft-launch for where the narrative’s headed 👀

[lovemyromance]

Quite frankly, the only way I'd respect someone saying they're a Gwynriel is if they just admitted they want to ship them because they just like Azriel & Gwyn together. "I'll ship them because I want to" is literally the ONLY valid argument here.

Hauling out random lines from TOG, trying to tie back the music Cassian hears when he comes to the alleged Gwynriel mating bond, trying to say Gwyn is Azriel's mate because of the word "spark" - that's all bullshit. Trying to say SJM is writing a Gwynriel book next is crazy.

It's okay to ship a couple that isn't going to end up together. It's okay to dislike Elain and like Gwyn. It's okay to only want Azriel smut. It's okay to use Gwyn as a self-insert. Literally all that is fine, go nuts, idc.

But don't go around calling Elriels delusional for reading the books and following the basic setup SJM has laid out. Don't go around trying to claim any of your ship is canon when Azriel & Gwyn haven't so much as a had a conversation that didn't revolve around training or even shared a glance that hinted at romantic attraction.

If you like them together, that's fine. Nobody is stopping you from shipping them. The reason it's causing drama is because you're acting like what IS printed in the books and explicitly stated in the text is "WRONG" because "SJM is setting up for Gwynriel".

That's like if someone told me "The sky is blue" and I looked up and the sky was blue, but I decided "it looks green to me, so you're lying and crazy for thinking it's blue".

[kayla-2]

I personally think a lot of the fandom wouldn’t be begging for the next book if House of Flame and Shadow was good and the crossover lived up to the hype Sarah explicitly said throughout the years after HOSAB.

Sarah released a new book, it was barely talked about after the first week and she didn’t do any interviews or have a deep discussion of the book or answer questions and majority of the response to the book was immediately begging for the next one and that’s not a good thing

Going from acosf🥱🙄…….to the forgettable second book HOSAB, to the now forgettable HOFAS…she needs to get back to her tog/acomaf pen quickly

[elainsgirl]

Elriel fan here. There was a quote in Sandy’s IG about Suriel, ACOTAR 6, etc. it says ≈“ACOTAR 6 may break us all before it heals”

Theoretically speaking, what if it’s about Elain and Azriel getting together, happily living, but for some logically explained reason, they break up (readers are obviously sad) and Elain gets together with Lucien. Because millions of years ago SJM said that Lucien and Elain will heal together (on that screenshot)

What if Elriel is indeed a redherring? It would definitely turn me off the series. What the fuck? You’ve had all that built up and then you change it in one book? Disappointing. ACOTAR is the easiest to read out of all her other books and 101 fantasy recommendation for beginners. Elain and Az want each other, forbidden romance, the mating bond gets questioned, and 3/3

(literally read any romance book and it’s the same as fated mates — everywhere; the last series I read: MC ends up with her best brother’s friend, her brother ends up with her bestie #1, MC’s bestie #2 ends up with a new character that was introduced and had chemistry with her since 1st book, and MC’s bestie #3 ends up with the new character’s best friend 💀 or the fantasy one about Italy, devil, witches, etc, where MC ends up with the biggest villain (same concept as Feysand) and MC’s sister ends up with the villain’s brother + love triangle with some chick)

Other theory about the phrase, what if it might be more about Elain and Azriel can’t be together, arranged marriage but her chosen love is out there in the House of Wind, angst, longing, charged glances (as we’ve seen), and mating bond breaking??

I mean isn’t that every Mass book? Its not rlly a stretch to assume Acotar 5/6 will be angsty/break us. There are so many possible emotional aspect to the book.

Thing is the book is only focusing on one couple so we aren’t going to get side relationships meaning a couple such as elriel aren’t going to break up and then get with other people. Also for that theory to work you’d need to have 3 povs: Lucien, Azriel and Elain but the book, like acosf, will only have two povs of the characters that will enter a relationship plus I dont see any logical reason for elriel to break up. Imagine telling readers for books that these two characters work well together, having them go through so many obstacles only…to not make it? If this was a continuous duology with multi pov, I can then see this theory playing out but since this is a two pov romantasy - I dont think this theory works personally. I cant remember when exactly that interview was from but its interesting how there was nothing explicitly romantic about elucien said. Healing ≠ romance, two people can help each other to heal and grow without being in a romantic relationship. Elain and Lucien mutually rejecting the bond can help them grow with 1) Elain making a choice and allowing it to be heard even though its not what people expect from her and 2) Lucien realising he doesn’t have to subject himself to being miserable w elain just because she’s his mate. That he has the right to choose love for himself and not abide to what Society expects of him nd I think through this both of them will heal as well.

Nah, no author spends that much buildup, foreshadowing and iconic romantic scenes for a couple thats a red herring. And I think Mass isnt even going for shock factors w her couples like she did with Feylin -> feysand and tog. Her acotar couples are pretty obvious and straightforward which elriel is. Its also a waste of her time because both elucien and gwynriel are heavily undeveloped and not foreshadowed in Sjms usual style for acotar. If elriel were never the plan then by acosf at least, Mass would hve forgotten elriel and focused on Elucien/Gwynriel instead she confirms elriel are attracted to each other and leaves them on a charged glance letting readers know there is something between them as for elucien - Elain is literally uncomfortable around Lucien and for gwynriel, well. They aren’t a thing at all in the book.

acotar is a pretty easy fantasy series to start with. Most of the plottwists are obvious, most characters are likeable and you enough gut-wrenching scenes balanced out with heartwarming, funny ones. I think Acotars simplicity is partly the reason why antis exist - they cant believe a series is so simple and straightforward therefore try to find deeper meanings and connections in scenes where there is none. Most romantasy books follow the same formula and its very tight circle and filled w cliches which is part of the fun in the genre.

I lean towards this one slightly more because you get the angst and it follows the formula of the book. Elain and Az seperated and being upset and angsty that for elain, az rejected her and for Az, he was told to stay away from her all until some forced proximity plot brings them together 😏

[yennas-stuff]

Quite frankly, the only way I'd respect someone saying they're a Gwynriel is if they just admitted they want to ship them because they just like Azriel & Gwyn together. "I'll ship them because I want to" is literally the ONLY valid argument here.

Hauling out random lines from TOG, trying to tie back the music Cassian hears when he comes to the alleged Gwynriel mating bond, trying to say Gwyn is Azriel's mate because of the word "spark" - that's all bullshit. Trying to say SJM is writing a Gwynriel book next is crazy.

It's okay to ship a couple that isn't going to end up together. It's okay to dislike Elain and like Gwyn. It's okay to only want Azriel smut. It's okay to use Gwyn as a self-insert. Literally all that is fine, go nuts, idc.

But don't go around calling Elriels delusional for reading the books and following the basic setup SJM has laid out. Don't go around trying to claim any of your ship is canon when Azriel & Gwyn haven't so much as a had a conversation that didn't revolve around training or even shared a glance that hinted at romantic attraction.

If you like them together, that's fine. Nobody is stopping you from shipping them. The reason it's causing drama is because you're acting like what IS printed in the books and explicitly stated in the text is "WRONG" because "SJM is setting up for Gwynriel".

That's like if someone told me "The sky is blue" and I looked up and the sky was blue, but I decided "it looks green to me, so you're lying and crazy for thinking it's blue".

Quite frankly, the only way I'd respect someone saying they're a E/riel is if they just admitted they want to ship them because they just like Azriel & Elain together. "I'll ship them because I want to" is literally the ONLY valid argument here.

Hauling out random lines trying to tie back Gwyn to an evil lightsinger - that's all bullshit. Trying to say SJM is writing an E/riel book next is crazy.

It's okay to ship a couple that isn't going to end up together. It's okay to dislike Gwyn and like Elain. It's okay to only want Azriel smut. It's okay to use Elain as a self-insert. Literally all that is fine, go nuts, idc.

But don't go around calling Gwynriels delusional for reading the books and following the basic setup SJM has laid out. Don't go around trying to claim any of your ship is canon when Azriel & Elain haven't so much as a had a conversation that didn't revolve around Elain's garden plans or even shared a glance that hinted at something more than being horny.

If you like them together, that's fine. Nobody is stopping you from shipping them. The reason it's causing drama is because you're acting like what IS printed in the books and explicitly stated in the text is "WRONG" because "SJM is setting up for Elriel".

That's like if someone told me "The sky is blue" and I looked up and the sky was blue, but I decided "it looks green to me, so you're lying and crazy for thinking it's blue".

See how goofy you sound? Girl look at my blog. What prompted this?

Also, to be serious this time, I think you should respect everyone regardless of such stupid thing as ship wars. Just be nice and polite. It costs nothing. I have never sent an anon to an E/riel and I never will. So so silly. And the condescending tone is really unnecessary. I interact with yall sometimes and it usually ends in a nice way. Why go out of your way to send this? What does it accomplish?

Anywayyyyyy, have a good day!

[exinewine]

I've been thinking long and hard about why an Elriel book would bother me so much, and I've finally figured it out. It's the lack of development between Elain and Lucien. I refuse to accept that SJM is going to take a fated mates pair, the most sacred thing in her universe, and pair them up with others without explicitly showing why they aren't right for one another or that they would cause harm to each other. She's done it with Chaol, Celaena, Dorian, Feyre, and Tamlin. SJM has the potential to write it, and after reading ToG, I know for a fact she's not a lazy writer. Lucien having a half assed conversation while Elain is not in her right mind, while being chaperoned by a group of people who dislike and mistrust him is NOT enough. I will be the first one to accept an Elriel storyline if I can see that Elain and Lucien are just not right for each other, otherwise, I will be very disappointed.

[spicyrouletteburrito]

Okay so last post was abt Bam leaving FUG and how its kind of a really good example of leaving an abusive environment

This one uhhh

Lets talk about Bam’s relationships in FUG and to date

Lets do Hwaryun, I was gonna do Jinsung but the Hwaryun portion spiraled and this became also a Hwaryun analysis post

There is a HUGE spoiler that literally ruined Tog for me for like a month so anyone who hasnt finished Season 3 of the webtoon read at ur own risk.

Now Hwaryun I think is REALLY interesting

Hwaryun knows Bam’s paths right at the start, she’s almost never said no to him, she unlike Xia Xia doesnt seem to hold the whole thing about Bam hating FUG and refusing FUG over his head. She guides Bam down the path that he chooses and never takes him down a path that he does not ask for. She actually is the most honest in the group surprisingly cuz she never does anything that Bam did not choose. She’s never fucked this up, once. Even Khun has done things Bam doesn’t like and has acknowledged as things Bam doesnt approve of. The few times she does act without any say from Bam on his behalf are situations like escaping the Hell Train but note that is an emergency and not a choice that, explicitly at least, brought Bam closer to her own goals. She so far has never pushed Bam down a path that is obviously her own self interest, she is so known for this that Khun and other ppl in the cast have noted that she is extremely loyal to Bam. HELL we saw her literally use YURI HA JAHAD!!!!!!!! For her own interest and NOT BAM like she absolutely could have! Hwaryun is insanely good at knowing how to handle Bam’s paths alongside her own and how NOT TO RISK the Trust Bam places in her continuously. We know from her convo w Evan that the path Bam is going down is also not actually predestined, Bam finds choices and has Hwaryun take him down a path based on the choice he made. Now this makes me wonder if Bam this whole time is just somehow constantly choosing paths that Hwaryun wouldve picked to bring him closer to her own goals but I find that highly unlikely. Esp as many times Bam chooses paths she verbally says are awful but she goes along with it anyway.

The scene we just got of Hwaryun giving Bam the choice omg it might be one of my favorite scenes ever. Its the first time we get confirmation that this is a path Bam could truly regret, we get the reveal that Bam might be remembering his past, that Hwaryun KNOWS Bam’s past(does that mean we can get rid of Rachel then? Im jk love me a toxic girly) and that Hwaryun cares enough about Bam’s autonomy to know that the Bam turning into V might actually be smth Bam is not going to like lol. She gives him the choice to escape, that by the way kind of implies that she is willing to let Bam leave, leave even the fate that FUG wants for him in that moment. I know im reading into it but also like: the implications are there???

And also

ARE WE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS?

Hwaryun hates being a Guide??? HELLO? This is mentioned once and never again as far as I can remember. Hwaryun is so aware that she is a big reason for why Bam changed as much as he has and it makes me wonder if she wishes she could actually fulfil her own goals without needing to ‘corrupt’ Bam the way that FUG did thanks to her help. I wonder if because she has some ideas of Bam’s fate that she wishes she wasn’t a guide, remember on the Hell Train once she told Khun clearly that Bam is not meant to die there, it really makes me wonder how far ahead into the future she can see. The way she phrases being worthwhile as a guide makes me wonder if she feels helpless or hopeless since changing the future is pretty fking hard. Cuz why would u think the ability to see the future is useless unless you know how difficult/impossible it is to change it? Or theres another reason thatd be cool!!

And I’m sure Hwaryun continuing to call Bam ‘My God’ is def cause she has a good inkling about what his end is going to be and man I’m hyped.

Since this is now a Hwaryun analysis post, I just wanna also point out that she’s been aware of Bam’s trust in her since even the Hell Train as she says ‘its easier to control Bam’ during Rachel’s teams fight w a tester. I say trust cuz it to me felt heavily implied that the reason Rachels team didnt have as much success w her on the team is cuz they did not trust her the way Bam did. If Hwaryun said something is wrong or that something needs to be done, Bam listens and never doubts her, EVER. Hwaryun is often the first to tell Bam off and Bam respects it, every time she has told him off, Bam has taken her words seriously and never forgets them, that trust is so well based that when he doesnt know what to do he just EXPECTS her to be there (which is kinda hilarious and also Bam you’re such an asshole sometimes) but he also trusts her to take care of herself, which btw for Bam is huge especially as he’s had to rescue her before.

I really hope we get her backstory, SIU has given us so so so little of her backstory I dont get why? Shes an extremely popular character soo why??? But then again we dont have the full backstories of majority of the main cast so Ig its just his writing style.

[bluiela]

Quite frankly, the only way I'd respect someone saying they're a Gwynriel is if they just admitted they want to ship them because they just like Azriel & Gwyn together. "I'll ship them because I want to" is literally the ONLY valid argument here.

Hauling out random lines from TOG, trying to tie back the music Cassian hears when he comes to the alleged Gwynriel mating bond, trying to say Gwyn is Azriel's mate because of the word "spark" - that's all bullshit. Trying to say SJM is writing a Gwynriel book next is crazy.

It's okay to ship a couple that isn't going to end up together. It's okay to dislike Elain and like Gwyn. It's okay to only want Azriel smut. It's okay to use Gwyn as a self-insert. Literally all that is fine, go nuts, idc.

But don't go around calling Elriels delusional for reading the books and following the basic setup SJM has laid out. Don't go around trying to claim any of your ship is canon when Azriel & Gwyn haven't so much as a had a conversation that didn't revolve around training or even shared a glance that hinted at romantic attraction.

If you like them together, that's fine. Nobody is stopping you from shipping them. The reason it's causing drama is because you're acting like what IS printed in the books and explicitly stated in the text is "WRONG" because "SJM is setting up for Gwynriel".

That's like if someone told me "The sky is blue" and I looked up and the sky was blue, but I decided "it looks green to me, so you're lying and crazy for thinking it's blue".

Look.. Troll? I just came out of a 2 HOUR Molecular markers of disease class, please I'm not the right person for your agenda of turning gwynriels into e/riel? posting brain dead takes to anons? IDK, brother just go outside take a walk, get a hobby, personally I like making trinkets from clay it's fun give it a try, make TikToks (at least you can make some money there).

[starsreminisce]

Before HOFAS Elriels claimed Elain will play a major part. Plus SJM said this book will set the future ACOTAR book.

After HOFAS came out, it was obvious that Elain didn't make an appearance. Some Elriels continue to argue the book points out to Elain's book. . . However Az had A MAJOR part it the book. I believe he deserves HIS story to be told.

Az definitely deserves to have his story told, and I believe that Elain isn't the right person for him to share it with.

SJM tends to follow a formula that works well for her. She often pairs characters who have experienced trauma, allowing them to relate to each other and help each other heal.

To me, it seems that SJM isn't overly concerned with how one character feels about another, as the plot is the primary focus. Throughout her books, she has portrayed pairs that start at opposite ends of the spectrum and end up in completely different places. What matters to SJM is how well-matched and similar her planned couples are. She's not necessarily changing her formula; rather, she's now emphasizing why Gwyn is perfect for Az and why Lucien is perfect for Elain, something that was lacking in both ToG and CC

The main takeaway from the series for me is that both Cassian and Rhys have reached a level of self-assurance where they can accept their own flaws. It's simply a matter of finding someone who can accept them for who they are.

It's significant to note that both Cassian and Rhys have expressed their fears but haven't shied away from sharing them with their partners. Az explicitly states in his BC that he's afraid to open up to Elain, and I don't believe it's Elain's responsibility to reassure him. That's something Azriel needs to work through on his own.

The dynamics between Azriel and Gwyn are different. Azriel refrains from touching Gwyn not because he fears tainting her but because he's aware of her discomfort with physical contact. He finds solace in Gwyn's presence and is less focused on his insecurities when he's with her compared to when he's alone with Elain.

Azriel's behavior towards Gwyn aligns more with mate behavior. He constantly considers her comfort, abilities, strengths, goals, and reactions, which was lacking in his interactions with Elain.

HOFAS spoilers ahead

We have ample evidence that Az is refusing to embrace his Illyrian heritage, only to discover that the Illyrians rebelled against the Daglans, and he wields the weapon of the Illyrian who led that rebellion—a figure now idolized and memorialized. This revelation is a tremendous burden for Az to bear, especially considering his struggle to see any merit in being Illyrian.

This is a unique struggle that Elain doesn't share. Despite her transformation into a fae, she doesn't exhibit resentment towards her new identity, as evidenced by her active involvement in aiding fae readjustment post-war, similar to Lucien's efforts with humans. Both Elain and Lucien initially harbored prejudiced views towards each other, yet they've both made strides in overcoming these biases.

Elain's main challenge lies in grappling with her mating bond, a struggle Az can't fully comprehend given his intense desire for such a bond. Lucien, on the other hand, was willing to wed without a bond, highlighting another difference in experiences.

While Lucien also deserves to have his story told, it's evident that SJM is currently emphasizing Az's narrative. This suggests that Azriel's journey is distinct from Elain's.

Az deserves to have his story told alongside someone who truly understands him, someone who has decided to step out of the shadows despite the comfort they offer and who comprehends his struggles, particularly regarding his hands.

As for the timing of when to tell Azriel's story, that's a discussion for another time. As a strong supporter of Elucien, I believe Elain's absence in HOFAS indicates that their narrative is next in line to fill the gaps between Nesta's ability to remove the mask to save Feyre and Azriel's need for her to list those she loves.

Nesta's relationship with Elain has yet to fully mend, unlike the understanding reached between Nesta and Feyre by the end of ACOSF as demonstrated by Feyre's support in HOFAS.

Therefore, the question of whose story comes next remains uncertain for me, but fortunately, we won't have to wait long for the next announcement.

[shadowqueenjude]

Bryce being in Prythian is not going to be that interesting if you ask me. Because are you guys forgetting the serious language and culture barriers????? Only Amren and Rhysand understand Bryce and Bryce? She has no idea wtf is happening. It's a pretty stupid plotline if you ask me, and many people are mad about it...the people who aren't are the ones obsessed with ACOTAR who want more ACOTAR content, but SJM explicitly said the series will be independent. So, there can't be thaaaat much Prythian content. Yk what there probably will be tho? Since Rhysand is one of only two people who can speak to Bryce, I'm almost certain SJM will find a way to slip in even MORE Rhysand propaganda. At this point, Rhysand is the only character who has shown up in TOG, ACOTAR, and CC. She's doing fan service to herself guys. Why doesn't she just let us judge a character by their actions?

[feyreandhercourt]

My thoughts on HOFAS, ft. SPOILERS

Overall, I will say I think this was a very well "written" book craft-wise. Like better than HOSAB and ACOSF, imo.

Okay Bryce telling Hunt “thinking about you getting tortured was hard for me!!!” was a… choice. If fated mates could divorce, I’d be filing

Honestly all around. They are my least favorite but before I attributed it to just not being into Hunt. But honestly they just seemed to be on different pages.

Where was Fury?????????????????????

Okay the hand thing was brutal but well played

Lidia was great. Also I recognized the Brann thing when he was introduced and was very proud of myself because I never make the connections lol

But I did think he might be like OG Brannon… the fact he’s not still has me interested

The bonus chapters were decent generally. Az and Nesta were likeable in them which makes me hopeful because Az’s LAST bonus chapter was Not A Good Look (tm)

Tell me how Feyre beat the Midgardden wyrm or whatever with a bone and yet Az and Nesta couldn’t. Nothing but respect for MY high lady

Speaking of, Theia really went the tradwife route and said no more high ladies tee hee only men should rule, huh?

Did Sigfrid or whatever even matter?

Ariadne felt like the opposite of Chekov’s gun. You have a DRAGON and a lot of fire and girlie is MIA

Ithan becoming Prime when the boy has zero main character energy was… meh.

Getting their powers back was AWESOME though am I forgetting something or did that not happen to Bryce? It felt like a copout but maybe I missed it?

The Theia/Silene reveals were interesting but lmao Nesta and Bryce kept talking shit during them which was both funny and just… repetitive

Bryce seemed to CONSTANTLY making inappropriate wisecracks. Like I don’t mean with the king but like when Lydia’s sons were captured or whatever??? not necessarily that but similar. Like girl there are times to be serious.

Ruhb SHOOTING LYDIA IN THE LEG while they are in enemy territory was one of the DUMBEST things going. But ya know what I need a couple to root for and Juniper/Lydia had no page time so they get a pass

Um. So we’re just not gonna address the Rhys/Ruhn twinsie connection?????

Tharion really made the bold choice to just… exist.

Also not the book’s fault but the video thing lmao would SO be disbelieved with where AI is today and that was all I could think when they released it

The Urd/Wyrd thing was a facepalmer that I liked

Wehb ACOWARA came out, a blogger (who posts great takes) was annoyed Feyre reused the starfall dress because that was a major royalty faux pas. That’s how I felt when Bryce used the mask.

People said things felt “too easy” but I don’t think that was an issue. Like QOS was “easier” but it’s one of the most beloved SJM books. I think the real issue is people didn’t feel connected and SJM had a few too many instances of explicitly saying “they didn’t know what they were doing but they did it by instinct”

GIVE ME MY FIRE BREATHING BITCH QUEEN WITH HER POWERS BACK PLEASE

SJM is 100000% going to write another TOG book and I am so ready. Those do. Not. Miss.

As ever, (and I had the same issue with Marvel) the issue with these multiverse things for me personally is I read some really fantastic theories that make a TON of sense, get excited for them, and then when they’re either not present or not present but with no explanation or a worse one, I wind up disappointed.

I’d say this is my second favorite CC book. I did think it was well-written though. And I know some were upset not to have ACOTAR POVs (okay me too lol) but I do think it makes sense to keep it as Bryce’s book. Except it’s more “Bryce and Friends” than Bryce.

[freyjas-musings]

@yazthebookish posted on her Instagram story how she thinks ACOTAR5 will lead up to a new Throne of Glass book, and how Sarah planned to have Rhys bring up seeing Aelin in HOFAS, but since he didn't she probably changed her mind and is saving this for ACOTAR5. I strongly agree. I really think we’re going to get another TOG book (I need Manorian content). I wonder if one of the characters in ACOTAR will end up accidentally falling into/world-walk to Erilea. Probably not, but it makes me curious if any of the ACOTAR characters could world-walk, if so I would lean more towards Nesta or Azriel, or maybe Rhys, but I think it’ll be either Nesta or Azriel. I have a fun headcanon that Gwyn could accidentally fall into Erilea, but it probably won’t happen. Either way, I don’t think TOG is over with, and I’m interested to know what SJM has planned!

Hi Anon,

I do think the book after ACOTAR 5 will be TOG related . SJM explicitly says she likes playing with the three worlds. What excites me is how Vast and varied TOG world is .... she could pick any of it and its impossible to narrow down the possibilities. I don't think there will be any major overlap of the multiverse beyond brief world walking in any books moving forward but that's just my opinion.

Of the three series TOG has always been my favourite so I look forward to getting back to that series . For now we patiently or not so patiently wait for the announcement of Azriel's book.

[lovemyromance]

hi! happy holidays :) I've read ACOTAR last month & I was surprised to see this shipwar is so brutual. I don't get effected by spoilers when i read so I saw so many tiktoks, & just based on all the edits, I throught Gwyn & Azriel were a couple. Then I'm alsmost about to finish ACOSF, and there's still no Gwyn&Azriel? I commented on a tiktok of Gwynriel like did i miss something? And this lady (super condescending) was like yes! his BC. I say I read it. She asked me DID I READ THE 2ND HALF?

PT 2 of ask: hi same anon from gwynriel tiktoks! pt 2 - I tell this lady um yeah who stops halfway through a BC? then she tells me if i had read TOG and CC, it shows Gwyn & Azriel are mates. granted, i haven't read those yet. But I asked my bestie (sjm fanatic) if this happened in HOFAS? Bc i know ab the crossover. She looks at me like i'm crazy. I go back to this gwynriel on tiktok and explicitly ask like "where does it say Gwyn and Azriel are a couple or mates" and she tells me "oh it's foreshadowing" SmH

I'm sorry this Gwynriel literally asked you if you read the second half of the bonus chapter ?? LOOOOL that's so funny. They think anyone who doesn't understand where gwynriel comes from just steadfast is an elriel or hates gwyn. When most casual readers literally have no clue what they're talking about either.

Idk why they think SJM was only speaking to them when she was leaving these so called "Gwynriel crumbs and foreshadowing" like?? They are so condescending, acting like only they are capable of picking up on "subtle hints" like first of all....

SJM ain't subtle. She is cheesy and cliche and a firm believer in love and happily ever after. Nothing she has ever written has surprised me. Not once. She does have good plots and intricate world building, but when it comes to her couples, they are predictable because of how she sets the story up.

When I read TOG did I know Aelin was going to end up with Rowan? No. But I had a pretty good idea once Rowan was introduced that OH I see where she's going with this because SJM did plenty of buildup, she didn't just write Aelin skipping from Dorian to Chaol to Rowan in 3 pages in a bonus chapter.

When I read CC, I knew immediately that Bryce and Hunt were endgame. I did think Hypaxia and Ruhn were gonna be a thing, but by book 2 when they introduced Lydia, I knew Night/Day would prevail. Wasn't surprising to me in the slightest.

When I read ACOTAR, I thought Tamlin was the one - until we were introduced to Rhys. Immediately after their first meeting, I knew he would be endgame,

It's not hard to grasp. SJM is again, not subtle with it.

Gwynriels are always barking at people like they think they're prophets of SJM or something because they strung together 3 different "clues" from 16 different books. They always cite SJMs other romance switchups, forgetting the fact that we know endgames basically as soon as a character has been introduced.

Gwyn HAS already been introduced. And yet, nothing. No chemistry no conversations no interactions that are even borderline romantic with Azriel. This is while they ignore the straight up in your face Elriel scenes that are happening btw.

It's always "there is foreshadowing" while ignoring the black and white text stating a different thing on the page. Do they not understand elriel have tons of foreshadowing too? It's just why would we cite that when we have actual romantic moments?

Just another day,another reader led astray by the fandom lmao. You don't need to take a magnifying glass and go Sherlock Holmes on acotar to figure out the next couple. Unfortunately, that's the only way people claim Gwynriel exists, so they have developed this "I'm just a better reader" attitude when really it's like are you actually OUR LORD AND SAVIOR SJMS chosen one, or are you just dreaming?

[lady-of-the-spirit]

I am intrigued by the Arata “Violin” WIP! And also “I want everything you have pt 8” because it’s TOG. 👀🤲🏽🤲🏽

yayyyyy!

Violin:

It's a modern au! because there aren't any modern aus (not surprising) and I wanted to do one. the premise is bfs yataka and kannagi (because they are both brotp and otp to meeee I love them) are moving in together and cleaning out yataka's apartment. kannagi discovers an old violin hidden in yataka's closet and is very surprised because! yataka never said anything about playing an instrument and he wouldn't keep it around for no reason!! kannagi asks yataka about it and yataka mentions playing when he was younger but not anymore. kannagi suspects there's something else going on and (lovingly) pesters yataka into playing something for him!

(the something else is childhood trauma and perfection issues but idk if that's gonna be subtle or explicitly stated yet.) (also describing music is Hard!!!)

"i want everything you have pt 8"

So this fic is on ao3 already!! it's an au for a comic series I love, The Wicked + The Divine. the premise of that series is that every 90 years, 12 gods from various world mythologies reincarnate into the bodies of teens and young adults. they're meant to spread art and inspiration in the world. They gain fame, fortune, and supernatural powers, but at a price: they all die within two years after becoming gods. this all leads to bad decisions, and more often than not, disaster. the series follows the 2014 pantheon, which are all inspired by various pop stars and musicians. it's very fun.

so the premise of "i want everything you have" is exactly that, but it's the old guard! the fic doesn't cover nearly as much plot as the original comic, I just planned on focusing on their reincarnations until I got through all of them and that would be the end of it.

part 8 is an "interlude" between chapters. the story structure is one chapter focuses on the reincarnated character, the next is the interlude set from the perspective of the next character to reincarnate and their opinions on the gods, and then the chapter after that is their reincarnation, and so on. part 8 is the joenicky chapter basically, where Nicky is finding out Joe (his best friend and secret crush) is now a god with a 2 year lifespan...

this wip has been on the backburner since 2021 ngl but our rewatch the other week is making me wanna keep working on it!

here's the fic link btw if you have any questions about the series lmk because this comic is one of my favourites and I WILL ramble about it (also if you wonder who the "celeste" in the tags is, it's the checkout French girl who bandaged up Andy in the bathroom, bc I wanted to include her bc I liked her vibe)

wip tag game