#Best SJM Ship

[acourtofquestions]

“ As it should be. They are ... If you ever meet them, you'll get it. She isn't an easy person to be with, to understand. Aelin frightens everyone." He snorted. "But not him. I think that's why she fell in love with him, against her best intentions. Rowan beheld all Aelin was and is, and he was not afraid." ”

[arson-09]

Im so tired of young protags (16-19) getting with or being shipped with technically older guys. Like withy rhys, tamlin, and feyre the fae technically age slower but its still a bit sus (maybe im biased but feylin is still my preferred ship if we gonna ship it) But with Alina and people shipping her with the darkling who is 500+ years old, like he aged normally, i get sooooo grossed out like. Alina is a girl! idgaf if you find mal annoying or boring (tasteless fools mal is great) but shipping a 18-19 year old girl with a man centuries older than her who ABUSES AND MANIPULATES HER is gross and i need yall to stop and think for five fucking seconds

[ae-neon]

Lucien is popular in every Archeron sister pairing. HE IS HIM. We all want a piece.

The secret MC of the series complete with a

secret super special birthright

lost royalty plot line

not like other boys (in a good way)

tragic past

underdog narrative

a unique aesthetic

and the potential to become High King.

Lucien Vanserra>>>>>

The only other man even in his league is Tarquin. I said what I said, sorry not sorry.

[gwyns]

Am I the only one who thinks Azriel's bonus chapter was about him being jealous of his brothers and whining about not having a mate and try to reason how Elain should've been his but when we get to the end of chapter we realise that he's been truly blind as a bat that he can't see that his mate has been under his nose all along...

Like I didn't even had to read about all the mating bond languages that sjm been copy pasting with her mated couple to know Gwynriel is a mated couple (even tho they're true but as a casual reader you might not notice at first)

It's srsly that easy I don't know what these idiots are talking about!! Making theories out of their a*ses and keep telling us to read between the lines... istg I see a new theory out of that bonus chapter and they also keep saying it doesn't mean anything bc it wasn't part of the book...

Honey it's not that hard lol this was sjm massage to us that Azriel and Gwyn are mates, like it or not!!

nope! you're not the only one, that was my first initial impression too. as soon as i finished acosf, i said to myself, "oh my god, e/riel is dead" and his chapter only solidified it for me

his chapter isn't romantic, like at all. it's moreso showing us how lonely az truly is and how he's let that fester and make him act out. yes, there's some cute moments with gwyn and his shadows, but ultimately it's about how far az has fallen mentally. kinda like nesta in acofas. no matter what that side claims, he's not happy and in love, he's not doing well in the slightest

it's so amusing to me how they flip flop on whether his bonus chapter counts or not lol i've seen them say that it both confirms e/riel and sets up their forbidden romance trope and that it's also not canon because it's a bonus. while yes it is a bonus, it's definitely still canon, it's just not necessary to understand the rest of the book/series

recently, i've ventured into other sides of the internet, sides also filled with "theories" and i've come to realize that if someone wants something enough, they'll see anything as a connection and confirmation of whatever it is that they want. it doesn't mean that it's actually true and will happen. i fully believe this is how e/riels' brains work too, and it's caused their fandom to adapt this hive mind where if you disagree even a little bit, you get bullied and kicked out (i've seen actual former e/riels say this happens)

at the end of the day sjm writes for herself first and foremost, whatever she wants, she gets. she also loves the mate trope, despite what some people want to believe, and happy endings and the way i see it is that e/riel can't happen for everyone to end up happy. see how i don't need to make up bread recipes or a secret baby to make my ships happen? as a sjm reader since 2013, being able to recognize what tropes she likes and her writing style is all the "proof" i need

[sharmerika]

To be honest, if you love Throne Of Glass the most, you’re one of the best, you’re that old and you’re part of the OG

I mean, Aelin is a god-killer so.

And one of the best lines in the series there is, in Kingdom Of Ash, when she’s almost dying and struggling fighting off the the other gods and one of them said, “There are no gods left to watch, I’m afraid. And there are no gods left to help you now, Aelin Galathynius.” Then Aelin replied, “I am a god.”

One thing you should know about me, is I liked ACOTAR. The first time I read acomaf I was in LOVE. But if you asked me to choose between ACOTAR and TOG?

I would push ACOTAR off the cliff so fast it was like they were never even there. TOG supremacy is my mantra.

[yourlittlebunnyy]

quick and honest opinion on some ships in ACOTAR

feylin only with first book feyre. if not, tamlin deserves better.

feysand no, no and no.

nessian NO. my beloved nesta deserves so much better than this immature man.

neris yes. see? someone like him. he would treat her like the queen she is.

elriel no. i think azriel is just attracted to elain cause she is an archeron.

elucien YES. they have the potential to be the best couple in the series let's hope sjm dont fuck this up.

gwynriel yeppy! they would be cute and silly:)

tamsand is canon im my head.

emorie NO. emerie deserves to be happy but i feel like mor would be a copy of cassian.

gonna make a part 2 !

[arcturustarlight]

I'm gonna be honest. I think (it's just a guess I'm not sure of myself) SJM wasn't actually quite sure who to pair Azriel with. He was obsessed with Mor for 500 years and during ACOMAF, the reader would get hints that Mor too, feels something anything for him despite everything.

Then we had Elain who their dynamic would be the pretty brother x pretty sister (some people need to wake up, Elain is NOT a quiet, shy, introverted damsel). She got some ideas, leading them out in ACOWAR but noticing how it didnt work and the mate that was wrong for Nesta was right for Elain.

When she plans a mate, she plans a HEA. Lucien was supposed to be Nesta's mate but given the fact that they would kill each other, she gave him to Elain.

I truly guess that after Gwyn entered the series and had interaction with Az, she was like let's gooooo. Like ACOSF was the best opportunity for the following book in the series and its love interest (aka, Az and his mate)

Morrigan was barely present in ACOSF, Elain and Az barely talked until the bonus chapter where the ship sank to the bottom of the ocean (where it belongs). Az has two bonus scenes and had hints with Gwyn (privet dagger handling, see you tomorrow, Shadowsinger, the shadow darted to dance with her breath, her smile glowing, a smile creeping to his lips. A thing of secret, lovely beauty.)

All the evidence leads to Az being the main character in the next book (thank fuck, he needs some development and therapy) with my beautiful, angelic Gwyn as his LI.

[chrystabelleblaumferge]

Imma say it

I hate Booktok and everything it represents (glorification of anti-intellectualism and overconsumption) so by extension I despise ACOTAR but the anti-SJM fandom, particularly the anti-Rhysand, anti-Feyre and anti-Feysand peeps are some of the most intelligent people who have come out of the fandom from a book series I genuinely loathe.

I find it ironic yet charming that the anti side of this fandom is actually filled with brilliant and bright minds as opposed to the "pro" side of that fandom who speak and act like they've been programmed by a cult to repeat the same type of opinions like a broken record. The people accused of being "vile and hateful" happened to be some of the best human beings I've ever interacted with and are willing to listen to dissenting opinions and debate in a civil manner.

In contrast, the "pro" side of the fandom who love everything these books represent are generally some of the most unpleasant and vile people I've had the displeasure of encountering. I was already uninterested in the series but was peer pressured by an insane fangirl of this series to read it expecting me to love "the twist" and the same characters she does (*cough* Feysand *coughs*). I cut her off for being a generally horrid person over a damn book all because I dared to speak my mind (she threatened physical violence over my honest critique).

I'm a general fantasy reader (think JRR Tolkien, George RR Martin, Brandon Sanderson et al.) and do not like romance books therefore dislike romantasy in general since I am not the target audience for these books. I only "read", by that I meant pirating these books to form my opinion on them, will never buy them since they're rubbish and not worth my money (plus I hate the author for being a shit human being and would never give her my money). It was bleh and I found it painful to read since I've read fanfiction that was written more eloquently than this SJM-produced slop. I always hated bad boys even as a teenage girl and that sentiment still remains as an adult. So imagine how I physically cringed when the love interests were switched.

Getting back on topic to the "pro-side", they were genuinely hateful despite their incessant preaching about "love conquers all" and on multiple occasions loved telling me I should die (classy...) for voicing my honest critique that I didn't like it. What's more, is that the common sentiment of the "pro-side" was to coerce and brainwash me into liking 'le main characters' and how I had 'internalised misogyny' for not liking something I only consider as fairy porn with no substance to keep me engaged lmao

The best part is that I'm not even a shipper of their rival ship Feylin, Tamlin, or Nesta. I am ambivalent towards them at best but I started sympathising with them given that the story made me hate the main characters and their 'Inner Circlejerk of Bougie Faerie Arseholes' that love wanking their 'Dear Dictator Leader: Ricespam' (I'll never spell his name correctly since I hate rapists like him). It also helps that the fans of these 'antagonist characters' are genuinely nice and pleasant people. I'm almost tempted to so say I love Tamlin/Nesta just to rustle the Feysand cultists' jimmies lol

It seems like they only use "feminism" when it's on their side. Not bothering to accept contrasting viewpoints from women such as myself who do not like a book and are within our rights to do so. What's even surprising is that the pro-fandom is overwhelmingly like this. They'd bully you into submission if you don't kowtow to their demands. Having been bullied in my childhood, I can absolutely recognise the same pattern of abuse that I've been inflicted on in the past. Therefore, this produced the inverse effect than the one they had anticipated. I started hating their self-insert Feyre and Ricespam even more. If they weren't so toxic, I would have just remained a general hater but them acting like Jehovah's Witnesses over a shitty book definitely made me spiteful.

All I can say is: I'll never be a fan of these books nor part of the fandom because I consider it mid. But I do enjoy the thoughtful criticism the antis of said fandom provide and will likely continue hating the pro-side of the fandom for being hateful bigots (especially the Feysand shippers, never met a nice one. Not even once).

[inkywhisp]

now that i'm almost through with acosf, i can finally give my opinion on the (non-canon) ships

elriel: could be cute, but is very boring at the moment. like, i can see the vision (aesthetically speaking) but nothing in canon would make me want to read that story (500 pages of rhys trying to keep them apart? no thank you)

elucien: so much potential for the story, and i can see an interesting dynamic between them. I also just hope Elain leaves the nightcourt and we finally get to see some other locations, its getting boring here.

gwynriel: probably the best one for Az and i really would like to see more of the them as a spy/fighting duo. And his shadows dance for her?? thats so cute

emorie: visually yes, but I don't like Mor. she is just a cardboard cutout and i didn't even realize she wasn't there for most of the time in the last book

azris: that would be the best story but sjm is too much of a coward to make them happen.

[acourtofquestions]

These Dorian & Rowan chapters are absolute GOLD:

THE BROMANCE (their bro based friendship is unmatched… maybe my fav thus far, I’m just enjoying this so much)

Dorian being Dorian (I needed this after the pain of QoS; like yes, he’s different now (how could he not be?) but in a way that is slowly healing & maybe a little “broken”; but still Dorian; beloved Dorian🥹)

Rowan being Rowan (in a way we have yet to see that honestly is just SUCH Celaena vibes; their sass is unmatched and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT.)

Dorian FINALLY having someone appreciate him for all he is worth & Rowan being the person to appreciate & respect him for all of his own genius/goodness/loveliness/skills BECAUSE HE HAS THEM (instead of underestimating & not communicating) like THIS MAN (not only has unmatched levels of magic) but he is a diplomat, a war planner, A PROPER KING. He has survived in the shadows a lifetime (living with A VALG PRINCE) and then ACTUALLY LIVING WITH ONE in his brain; yet he remains grounded in morality, fighting for goodness, for his people & all people. He reads people, his empathy & compassion is a power in itself, he knows how to play the game; use the phrases; make deals and wage alliances. He is level headed, he can plan a part, he keeps it together & has a dam good poker face. He is smart, he is quick on his feet. And he is JUST GOOD; he is a good man. A good king. A good… well… HE’S JUST DORIAN. & Rowan has a great ability to see peoples powers & skills, to teach & empower. And THEY needed this.

Because vice-versa Dorian REALLY appreciates Rowan the way he deserves; instead of fearing him, being angry & bringing up hundreds of years of “what if” & “why not”, instead of feeling the need to puff his chest & “prove” something, creating an environment of distrust & disrespect, or just disregarding annoyance; here he is, thanking him, asking to learn, listening & learning, understanding him, speaking of their lives in honesty, seeing what he’s doing & giving up, treating him as an equal not a lesser or a prejudice just a friend. It is refreshing after centuries to meet a good king, a good man.

The way they work together; they have a great natural ease & understanding. They speak & LISTEN. There isn’t a “captain” or wage for leadership, they just both respect & use the other & their own skill set. They are working both for the present, but also building of the future, while piecing together a lot of pain still aching in their past. They make great diplomats but also warriors. Good cop & bad cop. Hilarity of their youth and age. Just this great balance that’s wholesome & entertaining. You really get to see THE Princes. (Though let’s be honest they are THE KINGS).

The two of them managing to GET. SHIT. DONE. Save the king✔️ Escape Rifthold safely✔️ master their skills & magic (before something explosive happens)✔️ secure an army✔️ build alliances✔️ keep tabs on Maeve✔️ plan for Wyrdkeys✔️ finding Ilken Island (I think this is a check) ✔️

And even as the lovely @mysterylilycheeta mentioned they have a friendship based on more than a mutual pining, love, or heartbreak of a female character. They show emotion. And have a genuine friendship. Frankly it’s just refreshing!!

… so while I miss Aelin & Rowan, anxious to see how Aedion & Gabriel play out, needing Manorian’s ship to fly… etc. I also kinda just want the road trip of fun bromance to continue😂🫶

[nikethestatue]

The best indicator of Elriel being THE couple and endgame has always been very simple--whose if people would've just heeded it, we wouldn't have had this ridiculous shipwar for the past 4 years.

Elriel, as a couple, as a ship, isn't dependent on any other couples.

That's it.

It's that simple.

They are completely independent of any other pairings in the series.

What does it mean?

Elriel exists without external factors. No one needs to break up, or make up, in order for Elriel to happen. For example: in order for Gwynriel to happen, Azriel has to completely fall out of attraction towards Elain, and Elain has to fall out of attraction for Azriel. They have to be 'broken up'. Then Lucien has to leave Vassa and that whole storyline. Then Elain has to do a 180 completely and run to Lucien, and force herself to fall for him. So in order for Gwynriel to happen, SJM would have to negate everything that she wrote about Elriel, then rework Elain's whole claim to independence and autonomy, and then set her up with Lucien and make that work.

In order for Bryceriel to happen, for example, again, we start off with the same Azriel has to completely fall out of attraction towards Elain, and Elain has to fall out of attraction for Azriel. They have to be 'broken up'.

Then, SJM has to break up Bryce and Hunt, negate their mate bond, literally make them divorce, since they are married, OR kill Hunt.

In order for Elucien to happen, see above--point 1.

You know what Elriel is dependent on? Nothing. No one needs to break up and make up to actually have them fall for each other. They've already fallen for one another. SJM doesn't need to create wild subplots, character assassinations, she doesn't need to kill anyone or break anyone up.

Why? Because Elriel is an organic couple. She's been building them up quietly, but steadily since ACOMAF. Elriel also follows the logical progression of all other storylines that Elriel are involved in. She doesn't need to make up additional plots, she doesn't need the 'Illyrian plot' (whatever that is), in order to justify the characters to be together.

[elrielffs]

Why is Gwynriel so popular in the fandom? Why do people latch onto Gwynriel so much despite there being hardly any canon scenes or romantic interaction with the two?

Elriel's make no bones about it, it is the least popular ship in the fandom and 1v2 with Gwynriels and Eluciens. (I would argue that outside the fandom proper, in a more generalized book setting and people who don't participate in online fandom, Elriel is the more expected and liked ship.)

Thankfully, SJM doesn't care about any of that and will do what she wants, has planned and set up.

Of course, a part of it is because people don't like Elain. I get it, not every body is going to like every character and Elain hasn't really had time to shine. Some people can't get into a character unless they are in their head, like Nesta was universally hated before ACOSF.

People don't like the soft, quiet, non-sassy, non-warrior FMC. The genre has been dominated by Aelin archetype knock offs for ten years for a reason, though THANKFULLY we are starting to see people grow tired of that.

But why is Gwynriel so popular?

It's because the dynamic and characterization of Gwyn can be whatever they want it to be.

Gwyn has no "negative" traits so to speak. She's never done anything wrong or made a mistake within her power and has an easy personality to project onto. She's nice, she's bubbly, she's understanding, she's a good friend, etc.

That's why "fanon" Gwyn is all that and a bag of chips. She's Starborn, she's a missing Archeron, she's going to be Nyx favorite auntie and Rhysand's best friend, her father is from Autumn/Spring or someone very important, she's going to wield Gwydion, she's going to use the Trove, Gwyn is going to save Illyria and so on and so forth.

Same for the Gwynriel ship itself. Despite what anti's say, Gwyn and Az do not have enough scenes or chemistry together to know how their relationship would unfold or how they would be with each other.

That's why you see such contrasting/conflicting views on that side of how Gwyn will be and how the GA relationship will be--it's people projecting themselves and the relationship they would want onto the characters but Gwyn and the supposed relationship with Az is a blank slate for all their fantasies to come true.

Contrast with Elriel and Elain. Elain has made mistakes, Elain does have a personality that isn't super popular in the genre, Elriel does have an established dynamic that antis like to try to poke holes in or point out how it's wrong and how they don't like it.

[olenvasynyt]

Top 3 most controversial acotar takes/opinions, now☄️

Uh nooooo only my top three? Alrighty. These are going to be very harsh:

1. I have read the ACOTAR series at least 3 times since 2021 and I very often skim chapters every week for posts and videos. And I will be fully honest, I never want to reread the series ever again because of Feyre. I dislike her biases, her hypocrisy, her habit of ignoring other people’s POVs and the mistakes she’s made. I hate her excuses and her blindness and selfishness and how she treats everyone who is not in the IC. I hate how she treats Tamlin and Lucien. I physically cannot reread ACOWAR without flinching at all of the stuff she does, ESPECIALLY her taking down Spring out of revenge. I do not like her as an FMC and I’m glad we have moved past her story and onto other characters.

2. I think the fanbase’s hatred for Tamlin is so extreme and it is heavily influenced by Feyre’s own biases, as well as stupid memes on tiktok. If you take a second to look at the story from Tamlin’s perspective, you can easily understand his actions. With Hybern, EVERYONE FORGETS THAT 1. He was not part of the Archeron Sister’s kidnapping, that was Ianthe. It’s literally explained by Hybern in the book. And 2. He was playing as a double agent, which is hinted at many many times and it is something we later discover. I would go into it more but I feel like that’s its own post that many people have made before.

3. I don’t think SJM is the best writer. I know writers can retcon, especially in huge series like this, but she uses retconning as a crutch, and it’s very frustrating. She has so many inconsistencies and plot holes and inconveniences that personally bother me. I think her world building in ACOTAR is so flat and not thought out at all, and her magic system is even worse. Most of her villains, not just in ACOTAR but in her other series, are not that good idk. She also has a habit of the typical villain monologue that I am getting so sick of and I literally skip the part of the human queen during the Blood Rite because I think it’s so badly written 😭😂

And here’s some random ones just for fun with no to little explanation (I couldn’t do just 3 LMAO sorry)

4. ACOTAR would be better in 3rd POV limited and we can still get the mystery of the world, Feyre’s biases, etc. A lot of problems I have would be solved if we got the POVs of other characters

5. I would like Rhys so much more if he was revealed to be a villain

6. Lucien is one of the only characters I genuinely enjoy, and I’m holding out for him. If he did not exist, I would not be reading ACOTAR at all

7. The IC are awful for how they treat Nesta and I DESPISE THE “intervention” they put her through. It was not a real intervention and readers should not try to defend it in that way

8. This fanbase is filled with too many straight normies who have never experienced a fanbase before and refuse to broaden their minds and think beyond canon. Tamsand would be the most popular ship in any other fanbase. There would be more sexuality and gender headcanons. Trans headcanons, trans fanfics, m-preg fanfics, etc etc. But I guess this is a very popular fantasy romance so I get why those aren’t popular but I should not have to explain why it’s okay to ship ships that aren’t canon, and why people often insert their heteronormative fantasies in queer ships (looking at you Azris)

[gwyns]

it's fun to ship whatever you want, that's what it's for!!! however, if you honestly expected bryce and azriel to be endgame then idk what to tell you

[quietmonologues]

So. I hate shipping discourse and I try to keep it off my blog nowadays. I also don't consider myself a part of the fandom. But, I find discussions about this series particularly engaging and interesting, and Elucien do have me in a bit of a chokehold these days so I feel the need to get this off my chest and put this out into the world.

A common question I see is "why do people ship Elucien? They don't even like each other". And to that, I say this:

What about it? This is why shipping discourse in this fandom (and in general) is so ridiculous, because why is there confusion as to why people ship Elain and Lucien together? SJM literally wrote them as a potential pairing, that's why she made them mates. Pairing = shipping. It's not rocket science.

Two characters not liking each other is never gonna be a deterrent for them becoming canon or for people liking them as a ship. That's why enemies to lovers is such a popular trope. However way you define enemies (on opposite sides of a war like Zuko and Katara, or thinking ill of one another based on misunderstandings and assumptions like Darcy and Elizabeth), when it's done well, the story of two characters changing their opinion about each other, getting to know each other on a deeper level, and growing to love each other after their initial discomfort/hatred/loathing/indifference is a compelling story. It's about the journey, the development, and overcoming all the hurdles and bumps that are in their way.

Another reason for why the "they dislike each other" argument is so weak is because you literally have two other canon couples in this same series who had very rough starts. No matter how you feel about these two pairings, it's blatantly clear that Rhys and Cassian did put Feyre and Nesta in uncomfortable situations and have hurt them (physically/emotionally). But clearly, that was not a deterrent for them getting together in the end. So why the heck are Lucien and Elain different? Why is "Elain is so uncomfortable around Lucien" a continuous argument? It's so hypocritical given the fact that Lucien is the only guy that isn't forcing himself upon his mate.

Also, I'm sorry but some people (me...I'm some people) are tired of the "dark, battle-born, winged-warrior brother" and "previously human, traumatized archeron sister" pairing. Elain and Lucien are both associated with nature, they're both social and like interacting with people, they both experienced a deep love previously, they both abhor violence, they are both overlooked by others yet have the ability to see what others can't. They are a compatible pairing to me because they share many characteristics that are harmonious and complementary. They are the anti-thesis of Night Court aesthetics and thought, and if they ever have a book together then I can only hope it's the best one in the series.

And yes, the "Elain needs sunshine" and "Lucien is the heir to the Day Court" connection is important, my goodness. That's what symbolism is!

Sometimes it's that simple.

Okay, that's enough shipping discourse from me.

[milswrites]

SJM ask game

1) What’s your favourite SJM book?

2) Which is your favourite series (tog, acotar or cc)

3) Who is your favourite character? (And why?)

4) Do you have a favourite quote from one of the books?

5) Favourite ship?

6) Elriel or Gwynriel? Or neither?

7) Who’s the most underrated SJM character?

8) Which character do you wish to learn more about?

9) Are there any characters you don’t like?

10) Favourite bat boy?

11) Favourite court?/ Which one would you most like to live in?

12) Favourite SJM villain?

13) If you could change one thing in any of the books what would it be?

14) Favourite SJM theory?

15) Favourite Archeron sister?

16) A character you feel is over-hated/ underrated

17) Aelin, Bryce, or Feyre?

18) What’s your favourite character from each series?

19) If you wrote an acotar book what would you call it?

20) Who is your favourite acotar blogger?

21)What fics would you recommend to people who love the series?

Questions for writers

22) Easiest character to write for?

23) Hardest character to write for?

24) What’s a character you’d like to write for but haven’t yet?

25) What’s a court you’d like to write about more?

26) What’s a character you won’t write for and why?

27) If you could only write for one character ever again, who would you pick?

28) Whats your favourite trope to write about when it comes to Azriel?

29) What do you think is the best/favourite acotar fic you’ve written?

30) Who are your favourite friendships to write about?

31) For first time readers to your blog, which three fics would you recommend they read?