acourtofthought

[acourtofthought]

Hiya! I haven't seen you around lately and I just wanted to make sure everything is alright! I hope you're having a great day!

Hi there!

Thank you for checking in ❤️.

I'm still around, I've just stepped back from the fandom after we were given no news in May. I felt tired of getting my hopes up after hearing "I hope to have more to share soon" only to be let down when half a year later, a year later, two years later, etc, we've still been given nothing.

I do respect an author taking whatever time they need to write a book but I don't really enjoy feeling tricked into expecting something if they've known they weren't close to sharing anything. Or maybe it's Bloomsbury pushing what she says in which case the blame goes to them.

So I've just moved on 😂. Recently I've been really hooked on the Karen Read trial even with the Not Guilty verdict. It's wild how shady everything seemed with the investigation.

I'm sure once we have news I'll be re-invigorated with the ACOTAR fandom but the break has been nice! At this point I feel like there's no point in arguing the same arguments over and over and I just look forward to the day we're simply told "this is how it's going to be".

But again, thanks so much for reaching out. I hope you're also well! 😊

[acourtofthought]

An Elucien spin off novel dealing with autumn court politics, titled “A Court of Gilded Leaves.”

🧼 💖

This is exactly what I need 😍

And that title is fire.

I hope you're well, how's the move been for you?

[acourtofthought]

"She's not interested in him"

"She wanted to kiss somebody else"

"He said she was thrown at him"

"He's chosen to live somewhere else"

It's funny how serious people are when saying things like this at an attempt to prove Elucien won't end up together as if books weren't written for the exact purpose of entertainment and drama. How all it takes is a few key strokes to completely rewrite the narrative.

Of course there's the chance Elucien won't happen, an authors imagination should not be boxed in. But the way they try so hard to convince themselves Elucien can't happen happen is quite the effort on their part. There is literally no argument in the world that will stop an Elucien endgame if that's what Sarah wants and I'm not sure why they're acting like there is. Their words are just words that hold no actual weight within the literary world because as the creator of these characters, Sarah is the one who holds the power. I think she'd laugh to hear all the "Elain and Lucien can't end up together arguments because of XYZ" since all it would take her, a NYT Bestselling author, is a few thousand words to prove them incredibly wrong.

Go enjoy your ship, hope the other won't happen, but don't be so naive as to think yours is the only possible outcome. This is Sarah J Mass we're talking about and whatever you think you've got to support your preferred pairing doesn't always mean as much to her as it does to you 🤷

All ships are still on the table.

[acourtofthought]

Hello! I just happened upon your account and spent hours reading your posts. I’ve recently tumbled back into my long time ACOTAR love head first while rereading the series a third time, but I’m constantly wanting to discuss things about the series 😂

Also not sure of the proper protocol since the third Crescent City book came out almost a year and a half ago but here’s a SPOILER WARNING to anyone concerned, not to read further.

I haven’t read through everything you’ve posted yet, but I’m curious if you’ve read any of Crescent City or the ACOTAR cross over? I have yet to read them, but I instantly bought the third when my friend, who knows I’m a die hard Azriel fan, was in it a decent amount and that I’d enjoy them. Well I’ve done some pretty decent skimming of parts he’s been in and have wondered has there been any discussion/have you discussed possible clues pointing to Az x Gwyn endgame?

So far the two I’ve noticed the most was when Azriel is trying to get Nesta to take the mask off and she’s still being held by its power. What he does is remind her of all her loved ones back home waiting for her. Obviously he mentions Cassian, her MATE, first. But what I found brow raising is the very next person he mentions is Gwyn, Gwyn and Emerie, her friends and found family before her own sisters. Then goes on and says Feyre, Elain and Nyx. Just found that very telling when the first person he mentions after her own mate is Gwyn. I don’t know if SJM was intentional with that, but it stuck out to me the first time I saw it.

The other instance I found interesting is in the bonus chapter with Bryce, Nesta and Azriel at the end when she’s playing more music from her world for them. At the end Bryce swears she hears Azriel humming along as they continue on their journey in the tunnels. Which I know that’s a call back to him telling Gwyn, yes he sings, but as does she.

Just curious about your thoughts! Totally okay if you haven’t read them or don’t want to add on anything/discuss. Just haven’t seen many people point that out and have been dying to discuss it with others lol

Hi there! I personally don't see anything in HOFAS that truly hints at Gwynriel being endgame. While I do think it was interesting that he mentioned Gwyn's name first after Cassian, like that was the first name in his mind, I don't know that it's a strong argument. More of a could be something but could be nothing moment. And with the singing, it could again be Sarah drawing parallels between Gwyn and Az but since we were already given that in his ACOSF bonus, it doesn't stand out as being a major clue. Overall, I do think Az and Gwyn are mates / endgame based off the language she used in his bonus and the way he was more focused on her happiness instead of his own emotions but I wouldn't say she's in so deep with what she's given us with Gwynriel that they are absolutely guaranteed to be mates or to end up together. I mean, I do think they're happening, I can't imagine she'd then add another love interest into the mix for Az but she has given us "more" for other pairings (i.e., Chaol / Aelin) yet they still were not endgame. So any evidence we currently have to support Gwynriel is still not enough for me to say with certainty that there's absolutely no chance she'd go a different direction for them.

[acourtofthought]

Lucien’s hands slackened at his sides. His voice broke as he whispered to Elain, “You’re my mate.”

I asked Lucien to escort me, and he’d been more than happy to do so, given that his own status as a mated male made him uninterested in any sort of female company these days.

She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen.

[acourtofthought]

“We need hope, or else we cannot endure. So let her keep this hope, Feyre. Let her imagine a better life. A better world.” - Papa Archeron

She had looked at that cottage with hope; I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger.

Elain nodded, smiling up at me, and it was tentative joy—and life that shone in her eyes. A promise of the future, gleaming and sweet.

“I would like to build a garden,” she declared. “After all of this … I think the world needs more gardens.” - Elain Archeron

Nesta held love in her own heart as she pulled the small, carved rose from her pocket and set it upon the gravestone. A permanent marker of the beauty and good he’d tried to bring into the world.

[acourtofthought]

"Break us before it heals us"

(Nesta was not mentioned as the one who healed Cassian so there's a chance it was Elain as she immediately rushed to his side after stabbing the King. Elain having healing powers would tie in with her character, how cruelty bothers her, how she made Feyre swear not to harm Graysen, how she thinks the world needs more gardens and we know there are areas around Prythian that are dying or have died).

"Not another Starfall"

(Elain would definitely celebrate Nynsar).

John Snow not knowing his true heritage only to end up becoming King sounds a lot like Lucien not knowing who his real father is which puts him directly in line as the first heir of the Day Court (compared to his being the unwanted 7th son of Autumn who was never expected to ascend).

[acourtofthought]

It’s 10 pm UK time. No announcement.

Heart broken.

Yet again! 😭😭😭

Not a question just sharing my annoyance !

While it is disappointing to have no news yet again, I do realize that neither Sarah or Bloomsbury hinted at anything happening on the 21st.

I think I feel more frustrated with the IG page that posted the book with the quote then seemed to suggest he had insider information and that we should be looking into the quote. Which maybe he does but at the same time I personally am getting a bit tired of the "teases" and trying to figure out whether these things are actual clues from someone who knows or if they just love getting the fandom riled up for the hell of it (which, if that's the case, it feels a bit cruel). The celebration of Spring and references to the Spring Court last year, all the buildup for the 10 year anniversary and the bracket competition only to never follow through with the actual winner, it's all meant to generate excitement but I think all it's doing is putting readers into this frustrating cycle "maybe this is leading to something!" only to get absolutely nothing. Even the Spotify interview where Sarah said she hopes to have more information soon, it's been what, 5 months?

I think I'd rather have radio silence over whatever we've gotten. They know fans are really eager and while yes, some are poorly behaved on their pages, there are many of us who are not being disrespectful and you'd think that at some point they'd stop the cycle that they know is leading to disappointment. It isn't "fun" at a certain point, you know?

This is a business and while Sarah herself does not owe anyone a specific product before she's ready, communication with the consumer goes a long way in keeping future buyers happy and knowing what to expect. Bloomsbury choosing to keep everyone in the dark, without even saying "hey this is the general timeline we're looking at" seems like a poor decision on their part.

[acourtofthought]

I am obsessed with the ACOTAR next generation so I would love to see some baby blobs 😭😭💕 or lil bean blobs. Elucien's baby specificallyyyyyyyy. No pressure tho

Oh you came to ask about my Elucien creepy twin parent agenda???

[acourtofthought]

If we do get a book announcement tomorrow, Congratulations 🎊📢🎉 to people who will be excited for the main pairing because it will have been a long time coming regardless of who it is.

There will be others who are disappointed and that's a valid emotion too. Every single person in this fandom spent a lot of time, effort, and money hoping their favorites story was going to be next and not everyone is going to be 100% happy with "well at least this ship confirms my ship" (I know I'll probably fall into this camp, where I'd have excitement over Elucien still being a possibility if Gwynriel is next but also feel sad at the thought of waiting longer for them. And if Elriel is next I'll be happy for Elain's story while still feeling sadness over the lost potential of Elucien).

In the end I don't think anyone was delusional for thinking it was going to be Gwynriel, Elucien or Elriel. When there are still so many opinions on whose book is next that means Sarah intended it to be a surprise, it means Sarah wanted there to be multiple possibilities and it means there were multiple interpretations possible for the text given. While I do think some interpretations held more weight, that still doesn't mean Sarah didn't provide supporting evidence for each and every pairing and nobody was in the wrong for arguing / debating why they believed their couple was endgame / next.

No matter the outcome, I do hope there are no attacks or threats against Sarah or others in this fandom. While we all got heated on many occasions and at times were guilty of less than favorable behaviors, these are still just books. We will still have our pets, our friends, our family to turn to and live our lives with. There are still delicious desserts to taste, beautiful hikes to take, good books to be read and for intense as things got, this was still an overall happy experience for me as I've never really had people to talk books with in my day to day life.

[acourtofthought]

Some fans: I'd love it if Elain rejected the bond but still fell in love and ended up with Lucien anyway!

Me: So, you want Elain to reject the sacred bond that's so rare and treasured that it makes marriage insignificant, and then end up with Lucien in what would essentially be a normal marriage? Not to mention that, once rejected, that's it. The bond isn't going to magically heal itself if they fall in love. So, both Elain and Lucien would be eternally haunted by and in pain from a rejected bond while also being together.

I can understand the lens they are using because some people look at mating bonds as being "forced" upon people and they dislike the trope in general. Even though Fated Mates authors typically view it as something special and scared (and write it as such), there are still readers who aren't fans of the idea. To them eliminating their bond takes away any thought of it having been something forced upon them and then all that is left is "choice". But within the confines / rules of this series I don't think it makes sense. Since bonds are supposed to be magical and pre-ordained (and cannot be broken), it doesn't make sense to make them something that the FMC / MMC can simply mold to what suits them best. I mean they can choose to be together or not be together of course but the effects of the bond can never be eliminated regardless of that decision. A rejected bond will still cause them to feel a tug to one another so even if they reject it but choose to be together, they'll still be feeling the bond in some capacity. Just like a rejected bond where they choose to be with other people will still cause them to feel a tug to each other (whether it be romantic or otherwise). I'm not saying I don't understand why some hate the Mating Bond trope (I personally love it) but if that's the case, there are plenty of authors who never use it. In this instance we are dealing with an author who doesn't look at the bond as a burden, she looks at it as something that makes marriage look insignificant so I just don't see her as trying to finagle a scenario where her previous "rules" regarding mating bonds can be undone - but just for one couple. That would go against the idea of the mating bonds that she herself believes in.

[acourtofthought]

This is Lucien around Elain. For someone who is typically so skilled with his words, he's completely hopeless with them around her.

[acourtofthought]

elain is the portrait of weaponized incompetence

Weaponized incompetence," often referred to as willful incompetence, is a strategy where someone intentionally feigns or performs poorly to avoid taking responsibility or to pass work onto others. It's a manipulative tactic that can manifest in various relationships, from work to personal ones

“And as for Feyre’s hunting during those years, it was not Nesta’s neglect alone that is to blame. We were scared, and had received no training, and everything had been taken, and we failed her. Both of us.”

“I’ll do it,” Elain said, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders. She didn’t wait for either of us before she strode out, graceful as a doe.

Elain considered. “I can speak to him.” “No,” I said—at the same moment Nesta did. But Elain cut us off. “If—if you and … they”—a glance at Rhys, my friends—“come with me, your Fae scents might distract the dogs.” “You’re Fae, too,” Nesta reminded her. “Glamour me,” Elain said—to Rhys. “Make me look human. Just long enough to convince him to open his gates to those seeking sanctuary. Perhaps even let you set those wards around the estate.” And with our scents to confuse the hounds … “This could end very badly, Elain.” She brushed her thumb over the iron-and-diamond engagement ring. “It’s already ended badly. Now it’s just a matter of deciding how we meet the consequences.”

Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, “Using me.”

Elain said, “Then I will find it. I might require some time to … reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.”

“Why?” Elain demanded. “Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” When Nesta flinched, Elain said, “You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

And he knew the cruelty of the Hewn City troubled her. But she hadn’t hesitated to come. When Feyre had offered to let her remain home, Elain had squared her shoulders and declared that she was a part of this court—and would do whatever was needed.

Do you need me to continue? I should think the above are enough to demonstrate just how wrong you are.

[acourtofthought]

This is incredible.

Here are the famous sexy thighs himself, the shining curse breaker and knowledge lover, the golden slutty man and secret baby daddy, Helion! His chest sash has a feather to symbolize his beast form, and the patterning has a sun and sunray motif! Hooray!

I was looking forward to drawing him, I wanted him to be glorious and powerful and absolutely glowing, and his glorious hair was the main concrete thing I knew I wanted!

[acourtofthought]

“bring back yearning!”

respectfully, some of y’all can’t even handle elucien

[acourtofthought]

"But it was Elain's fault too!"

How did Elain enter the Lucien vs Az drama? Can there not be a single post where someone doesn't feel the need bring her name into the conversation just to drag on her?

The initial argument was some accusing Lucien stans of "applauding" his rakish ways (nobody does that) while then claiming Az's behavior in the bonus was problematic (it was, hence why Rhys was pissed). But somehow, some also need to put Elain's name into the conversation because the fandom can never just discuss the male characters and leave it at that.

Between Elain and Az, which character is currently asking something of Lucien?

If memory serves, it is Azriel who personally asked Lucien to permanently station himself in the Spring Court to be their eyes and ears. Azriel who gathered information from Lucien on the Autumn Court.

Memory does not serve Elain asking Lucien for a single thing. Would it be nice if she talked to him about their bond? Absolutely! Is she required to talk to him about their bond? Nope, he hasn't talked to her about their bond either. Bond or not she is a free agent and if you're going to say she's in the wrong for deciding to kiss someone then you're basically saying she has no choice but to be with Lucien just because they were given a bond neither asked for.

Az is also a free agent but why, when he's the one who is asking Lucien for HIS help to provide information to HIS court would he decide to say "Fuck that guy, he doesn't deserve his mate and even though I don't want a real future with her, I'm going to hook up with her anyway." You can say Az can also do whatever he wants but this is where the gentlemen conversation comes into play because a true gentlemen would not do that to someone else, especially not someone he is asking something of. Azriel and Lucien have business dealings with one another whereas Elain is actively trying to have no dealings whatsoever with Lucien at this point.

And if Elain is asking nothing of Lucien, has zero expectations of Lucien then why should we blame HER for Azriel's actions on Solstice? She didn't force him to reject her. She did not force him to flippantly declare he'd kill an ally to the NC. She did not force him to say Lucien would never be good enough.

We don't love that both Elain and Az wanted to kiss (or more than that for him) but the kiss was not the problem. It doesn't surprise me though that some walk away thinking "sex" is the most important conversation to be had. It's the attitude that Az had about Lucien that is the issue and the way he handled (or did not handle) everything with Elain afterwards. The only thing Elain has ever said about Lucien is that she doesn't want a male or a mate, she has never said anything disrespectful about who he is as a person or his worth.

But Az being an ass to an ally, not showing respect to another males mating bond when he himself is so desperate for one then expecting Lucien to continue giving him the information the Inner Circle counts on? Yeah, it's ok to make this an "Az" thing and not try to absolve him by once again blaming a female instead. Yes Elain is an adult but there is a huge difference between 24 and 500 plus. There is a huge difference between someone who is VERY new to this world versus someone who has lived it for centuries. And there is also a very big difference between Elain trying actively not to engage with Lucien versus Az who is actively asking Lucien to rearrange his life in order to help the Night Court out while he then turns around and has no remorse for wanting to bang his mate while barely blinking at the thought of killing him.

[acourtofthought]

Just a few thoughts from yesterday and my own opinions:

It is not racist to prefer Lucien over Azriel. Azriel is "supposed" to be a POC but Sarah has left the Illyrian race as to be so vague that they all just end up looking tan. Which could suggest they'd be Greek in the real world or Italian. And Lucien, even being "white passing" as someone from yesterday claimed, is still a POC. He's not less a POC just because he's mixed and it's actually a messed up take to say that for real life mixed people. Race literally does not play a part in this discussion.

Also, Lucien and Az may have had similar backgrounds and traumas but they have responded in extremely different ways therefore it's ok to prefer the way one handles situations over the other. This series is full of morally grey characters and while it's absolutely fine to like / have them as your favorite, it does not make sense to then try to argue how the morally grey character is actually innocent and doesn't do anything wrong. Every character makes mistakes but some approach things with a much different lens and Azriel is definitely written to be more morally grey than Lucien, he would be Batman over Superman. It's unjustified to claim that "because all characters make mistakes" I have to like the way Az approaches certain scenarios.

Making an accusation about Lucien stans, that we "accept" Lucien for this that and the other while claiming it's wrong how we don't give Az the same courtesy in this scenario is an argument lacking in nuance. For example, Lucien being a rake in book 1 is nothing like what we saw with Az in SF. I had a mutual point this out to me yesterday and I will absolutely tag them if they'd like to be credited but Lucien's setup is similar to Cassian / Rhys. Where Lucien engaged in casual hookups with characters we'd never met, not expecting them to be anything more and only looking for fun but the second Elain came into his life there was nobody else (even if it appears she has no interest in him). That's exactly what we saw with Cassian and Rhys. Yes, these males had past lovers but from the moment Nesta and Feyre entered their lives those hookups become a thing of the past.

Azriel, in comparison, is acting a bit like Nesta did (and maybe Elain though we don't have her POV to confirm it). Where her hookups in the novella and SF were not a result of "just having fun" but a distraction from her pain. Her gambling, her drinking, that wasn't her having a good time, it was a vice being used to mask her struggles. Az didn't just want a hookup, he wanted Mor to love him despite also having lovers and when that seemed to be hopeless he turned to his fixation on "3 brothers / 3 sisters". His actions with Elain were mainly a result of jealousy and that's not remotely close to what we saw when Lucien had his liaisons. Lucien's one night stands also did not have possible political consequences nor did they hurt anyone on page. Compare that to Az and we did see the consequences of an attempted hookup gone wrong. Elain's hurt and confusion was a direct result of what happened. Az's unjustified opinion of Lucien ("he'll never be good enough") was a direct result of what happened.

It is not wrong to feel Az is being unfair to Lucien. It is not wrong to feel that he should have let Elain down in a different manner.

The bonus is a very complex scene with heavy emotions and hurt feelings and to boil it down to "well you thought it was great when Lucien was a rake in book 1 yet you won't let Az be one too!" is such an outlandish accusation against Lucien stans. It's not even apples to oranges, it's like...apples to paperclips and what seems like willful ignorance, to brush aside that Az hurting Elain and Az hating on Lucien for no good reason does reflect on his character in a way that Sarah did not write Lucien's past "rakish" ways as doing. Yes, we can also acknowledge that Az is struggling but in an effort to prove how good and special Az is some completely gloss over that other main characters were treated unfairly as a result of his behavior and while that's fine for them it doesn't need to be how people who actually like Elain and Lucien feel. Two things can be true at once, he can be hurting and we can also disagree / dislike how he handled that pain.

Has Az made any effort to explain to Elain why he hurt her?

Has Az shown respect or kindness towards Lucien?

Then why do I have to wash away his actions all because "he didn't mean it because he's a good guy deep down!"? I'm allowed to wait for him to actually show remorse for his behavior and to follow that up with actual action. "But he did feel bad for hurting Elain!" Yes, except he didn't bother explaining that to her in any way that helped her understand. I'm allowed to want to see an act of emotional maturity from Az before running to his defense and I'm allowed to look at the way he behaves in all scenarios, not just how he treats Gwyn and Nesta.

If Lucien had hurt Gwyn without proper explanation and if Lucien had said Az wasn't deserving of his mate then I KNOW the other side would be hating on Lucien something fierce.

I stay out of the Pro Az and Az tags but if you're going to reblog an accusation aimed at Lucien stans and include the Lucien tag you shouldn't act victimized when someone tries to counter that claim and to explain why it's unfair to compare our opinion of Lucien to our opinion to Az. No matter how many similarities they might share in their past they are still two very different characters who behave in very different ways as a result and right now only one of those characters has undeserved bitterness toward the other. Lucien has never done a single thing to Az, he has helped the IC, he's a good person who has done no worse than any of them yet Az is still spouting off on how Lucien isn't good enough.

Then on top of that, they added Elain into the reblog for no reason at all.

Az will get his HEA, I have no doubt, and I know he's written as one of the "good guys" but that doesn't mean I have to prefer the way he handles things to the way Lucien handles things because they are very different and that cannot be denied. These accusations are coming from the same people who insist it is their right to dislike Elain, who consistently call her boring, selfish, undeserving of Az, manipulative and so. The same people who FILLED the Elucien tag for YEARS saying how Elain and Lucien aren't developed enough for their own books while Gwynriel is definitely next yet for some reason they just can't seem to handle when anyone thinks less of their fan favorites.

The relationship between Gwynriel / Eluciens has turned into some Gwynriels insisting it is their right to dislike Elain and loudly declaring how it's obvious Gwynriel is next and you're delusional to think otherwise. But when some Eluciens express frustration with Az's character and discuss why Elucien could be next, we're ruining the friendship, creating unnecessary drama, and are bullies.