✨

The crossover was the biggest mistake Sarah has ever done and I stand by it.

I definitely think the fans are divided over the crossover. Some LOVE it, some hate it, and some are tentatively cautious, hoping that it all comes together in a good way.

I can't say I love it. The ACOTAR world and even TOG are extremely magical feeling to me. I love that primitive element that goes hand in a hand with a world untouched by technology. I'm not a huge fan of Urban Fantasy though I did enjoy the different feel of CC1 (rather than having a third serious that had the same vibe as the first two). CC2 definitely took things in a different direction though and with the crossover, the way the ACOTAR characters view things is going to be irrevocably changed.

I know SJM has stated she's a big Marvel fan (and I am too) but those movies definitely have a bit of a cartoonish feel to them. They're awesome and exciting but they're also colorful and a bit silly at times.

Now, the Lord of the Rings series, that's EPIC. It's a bit dark and gray (but also filled with hope) and a grand adventure.

To me, ACOTAR gives me that epic Lord of the Rings feel, not a Marvel movie feel. Whereas it doesn't seem odd for Thor, who comes from Asgard where there's not modern technology to land in Earth where there is, it would seem odd if Frodo and Co. suddenly wound up in Manhattan or had a New Yorker with their cell phone suddenly show up in the Shire. Something about those two doesn't mesh well. And that's what the crossover feels like. I would have been more comfortable with the TOG characters crossing over into Prythian than Bryce.

The thought of Rhys, Cassian, Feyre, etc. learning about guns and cell phones and so on? Something just feels very off about that and it's tough accepting that those characters will now always have the knowledge that there's some spacey technological world out there. Not to mention we've barely explored the ACOTAR world outside of Tamlin's manner, Tarquins home and the Night Court. Wouldn't it have been better to see more of Prythian and the continent before the introduction of other worlds?

Omg thank you so much, my lovely!! you have no idea how happy I am to have you read my stuff and support me this much and say all these wonderful things about me 🥹🤍🤍 I love you so much for that.

And omg don't even get me started on other wonderful or talented writers/bloggers that I've come across on here!! If you see this you guys are amazing 👏🏼 💗 and some of you don't even know I exist lol but yeah.

Other great bloggers I want to send the love to are @tuzna-pesma-snova @janesstay @lottendark @cosmiccthulhu

Your comments on my fic helped me get out of writer's block and I have Vacation outlined because of it. Also, don't mind me shopping around your fics and leaving reviews.

I want to tag and Send love to my bestie @bluengbhd and other favs like @autumndreaming7, @princesswiththeshotgun, @the-lonelybarricade, @kingofsummer93, @booknerd87, @headcanonheadcase, @separatist-apologist @iambutmortal

I would like to tag and send love to @fieldofdaisiies, @the-lonelybarricade, @velidewrites, @separatist-apologist, @reverie-tales and @thesistersarcheron

So many wonderful people that I so appreciate!!

Thank you @shadowsxgwynriel and @writtenonreceipts for tagging me!!

God there are so many wonderful pages

Tagging these other wonderful bloggers , who have let me bounce theories off on and commissions ideas, some of you maybe already tagged previously, so just showing you more love.

Lady Death 🖤

Nesta Archeron from A Court Of Thorns And Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Gwyn ➡️ 28

Nesta ➡️ 25

Elain ➡️ 23/24

Feyre ➡️ 22

The reason drunk driving is bad is you have inhibited judgment and a depressed nerve response.  If you are drunk driving, and there’s something you need to avoid or react to, you are more likely to make bad reactive decisions, and make them much slower than a sober person would.  (I do not recall offhand the name for the type of distraction this represents neurologically.)

Looking at your phone is something called a COGNITIVE distraction, which means your focus, in that moment, is entirely on a separate task, because contrary to popular belief, “multitasking” is not a thing that actually exists neurologically.  It is possible to switch between multiple tasks in such a way that you make progress towards both at nearly the same time, but within the same INSTANT, your brain CANNOT, by design, perform two cognitive tasks at the same time without greatly impairing your performance at both of them.  Even talking on the phone while driving, keeping your eyes fully on the road at all times, is a cognitive distraction that makes it much harder for you to pay attention to your driving and to the people around you, and even people who claimed to be proficient multitaskers, when tested, proved to be highly prone to accidents while talking on the phone AND far less effective at responding to the conversations they were having, because it is not possible for the human brain to do both things at the same time.  Talking on the phone while driving was found to be approximately as bad as drunk driving.

But it gets worse.  

If you are traveling at highway speeds, and you look down at your phone for just six seconds, you will have traveled roughly the distance of an American football field while your eyes were completely away from the road.

This, obviously, is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

A person under the influence of alcohol will have a DELAYED reaction.  A person whose eyes are not on the road because they are texting will have NO reaction.  In the event of an accident, this means full speed collision head on with no actions taken to mitigate the damage.

What every study ever done on the subject showed, unambiguously and by a CLEAR margin, was that TEXTING WHILE DRIVING IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DANGEROUS TO YOURSELF AND OTHER MOTORISTS THAN DRUNK DRIVING. You are both more likely to be INVOLVED in an accident and less likely to REACT to it in time to save your life and the lives of other people on the road.

Drunk driving is punished HEAVILY by law, and rightly so, because it is a reckless endangerment of public safety.

If you text while driving or check facebook while driving or do anything else on your phone instead of keeping your eyes on the road, YOU ARE MORE DANGEROUS TO YOURSELF AND OTHER DRIVERS THAN A PERSON WHO IS SEVERELY DRUNK, YOU ARE A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND YOU SHOULD BE STOPPED.  Other people on the road have every right to hate you for it and to hope someday the law catches up on this issue.

If you’re driving on the same road as me, YOU TEXTING IS MY FUCKING BUSINESS, because you are putting MY LIFE in danger.

DON’T BE DOING ANYTHING ELSE BESIDES DRIVING WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING.

You know... I once heard from an el/riel that El/riel would have an adult relationship and that's why it's superior.. girl wtf is an "adult relationship". If El/riel's book is only about secret sex, political bullsh*t and unnecessary drama then I certainly don't want it.

In their post they also mentioned how Sarah made it obvious that she's a child because she was described as cotlish. If they did prober research, they would know that Sarah also described Vassa as cotlish, but she's grown enough to be with Lucien? Or is she less of a threat enough to be allowed with Lucien? To distract Lucien from El/riel?

There wasn't much hate for Lucien when they realized that there was a available lady and they took the chance to throw her at Lucien so that they could do their thing in peace... until Gwyn came and they started to find nurmerous ways to destroy her character. "Gwyn is a child" "Gwyn is a lightsinger" "Gwyn lied about her SA" "Gwyn can't be with him because she's a SA victim" etc.... and when Elucien started to rise? Lucien got all the hate alongside Gwyn.

Sexy redheads for the win. They do nothing and yet piss off so many people who are in their adult age. That is power.

You are so right, sexy redheads DEFINITELY for the win! We don't need a golden haired sister with a black haired bat boy, another golden haired sister with a black haired bat with, and a third golden haired sister with a black haired bat boy. There should absolutely be some ginger added to the mix.

And you are right again. SJM does enjoy giving her characters a dose of their inner child when it comes to certain things but as you said, it's prevalent for many of her female MMC. I think it makes sense that Feyre never had a "thing" but that's in line with her character. She's always taken the Mother Hen role upon herself but now that she has Nyx, I think she'll get to experience all those moments through her son.

And I think people are misinterpreting SJM's use of coltish. Sure it can be used to describe someone young and playful but Nesta used this in reference to Gwyn while she was standing between two shelves. She wasn't doing anything to give the impression that she was playful at that time.

How the sentence actually reads is, "She was young" - (THEN) "almost coltish, with her slender, elegant limbs."

The only thing "coltish" that SJM is likening Gwyn to is her slender, elegant limbs (which you would find on a colt).

Yes, Coltish can also mean "energetic but awkward in one's movements of behaviors" but we know that doesn't describe Gwyn considering "As graceful as Gwyn had been."

E/riel, an adult relationship?! That is hysterical to me.

An adult relationship involves Trust, Communication, thinking in terms of "We" rather than "I".

"He knew she had no idea that he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars."

Azriel doesn't share his darkness with Elain because he does not trust she won't be horrified by him.

"Keeping away from Elain as much as possible." "He left the rest unspoken". "Azriel so rarely came to family dinners this days". "Lie, well the second part was a lie." "She extended the wrapped gift, her hand shaking."

Azriel and Elain are both characters who can sense things or easily observe things about others so they are picking up on obvious clues from the other one. That, however, is not the same thing as actually discussing something like two adults. Having an open conversation and being "real" with one another. Not to mention an adult relationship would not involve one persons hands shaking while in the others presence after knowing one another for nearly two years.

Also, a mature relationship would not be one where one person says they've never thought of the other person beyond their sexual fantasies. Mature relationships are ones where you do plan for your future together, the "we" instead of "I". There's no "our" future, it's only" his" fantasies. Az also speaks out against things Elain has specifically said she wanted (not to her face though, he's sure to wait until she's not around to hear him), and decides that he's entitled to speak on behalf of her Mating Bond.

Do people HONESTLY believe that Az and Elain's interactions emulate that of a mature and healthy couple? And that's where people say those two are at, in love with one another.

Az and Elain read like two 15 year olds having a high school crush. Both have experienced some very severe trauma in their lives and a real relationship would be one where that is addressed within the two years of knowing one another, where they have been given free reign to spend together and are both open to the interactions. A mature relationship would suggest that Az might have some insight as to Elain and how she feels about her relationship with the sisters. Where he acknowledges her friendships. I think the POV Bonus Chapter makes it pretty obvious that they still don't much about anything when it comes to the other.

El/riels and their double standards and hypocrisy. It gets old.

They are always going after Gwyn because she's a threat to their ship. If Gwyn had zero interaction with Az and didn't make his chest spark, I promise they wouldn't be going so hard after her character. It's like they went from hating Lucien to Gwyn. Like if y'all have such an issue, take it up with SJM. She wrote the bracelets because it's something she herself has done and wanted it incorporated in her book. Clearly she favored Gwyn enough to add somethinng personally to her character to portray something meaningful between her characters friendships that she does IRL.

She also already confirmed Gwyn is an adult, so my god put that to rest.

The point of that bonus was not the kiss or the necklace, two things people have completely fixated on . The points that are actually relevant to the bonus....

Azriels mental state:

He is lonely and desperate. He is jealous of his two brothers finding their mates .

He is obsessed with the mate bond

He has severe self esteem issues ... of feeling unworthy of love ❤️

His unresolved issues around Mor and the extremely loud silence when asked about her .

Azriels thoughts about Elain and the dynamic...

They had hardly spoken to each other beyond shy glances and brief touches so they basically don't know much about each other its very surface level.

The wrong math... he basically refers to her as the third sister ... so his obsession with the mate bond is his motivation... 3 brothers and 3 sisters( attention on how Rhys reacts to that) (the author wouldn't bring that up if she was going that route how do you miss that yikes!!)

He hasn't really planned for a future with her ... not beyond the fantasies he pleasures himself too ... this is a male who plans the snow ball fight for a year...

His shadows that are a source of his power and a major part of who is ... a shadowsinger .... hide and disappear around Elain.

While he feels attracted to her he also simultaneously feels he is unworthy ... which is sad and pathetic.

Now change of dynamic to Gwyn

While he initially hesitates he actually takes the initiative to stay and engage even though Gwyn gives him an easy way out( the whole Happy Solstice you may go now)

His shadows dance and approach Gwyn , for that to be deliberately added to the bonus while in the first half them disappearing around Elain is highlighted is important . They basically made sure he met Gwyn in the training ring ... the shadows perhaps know things ✨️

Gwyn surprises him , prods and pokes and asks him unexpected questions. She seems unaffected about him being a "shadowsinger" .

He feels calm after a brief interaction with her ... something in him settles ... very typical mate language

His shadows calm down and like her presence .... his shadows lounged on his wings as though content to watch them both interact.

He feels a spark in his chest when interacting about Gwyn with clotho... again very typical mate language

He can picture how Gwyns eyes would light up .... he has perhaps observed her more than he realises . He buries that image where it glows quietly in his chest... again typical mate language .

Gwyn and Az aren't in love ... That's ridiculous and it would be really shallow to have Gwyn blushing around Az ... they barely know each other ... isn't that the shallow problem with E*riel?

i could write a fucking essay about how bullshit this is when used by haters/ewriels but im just gonna say something yall should understand as quickly as possible:

You can be elucien and pro-Azriel.

You can be pro-Nesta and pro-Rhysand.

You can love Nessian and Feysand.

You can love Nesta and Mor.

You can love the inner circle and the Valkyries.

You can like/love Eris.

You can even don't hate/like Tamlin.

They all have different personalities. They all made mistakes. They all have made bad things and good things.

I'm curious to know what their argument will be when they find out that Hunt -Bryce's mate- didn't care about Bryce, was only doing his job and didn't bother to see her for 2 years while Bryce was going through hell. Note that he desperatly did NOT want to work with her when they met again.

But we've got receipts that something else was going on there:

- why introduce a character that was rescued by Az from there in ACOSF if she's not more important?

- why have her train with az and cass, and privately train with Az specifically?

- why change literal canon of the raid from acomaf to ACOSF to include three fact that Azriel, Mr. Always-leave-one-alive, to slaughter *every single soldier* in that room, which was such a big deal that Cassian told Nesta about it in ACOSF?

-Hunt didn't give feral mate vibes until the HOSAB when they were in danger (and actual mate behavior, not chosen; he has to be part fae).

-Ruhn and Lidia have mate language, but he's fighting it now because he's hurt and angry.

-Rhys knew Feyre was his mate, and still let her go to another man, sweet her up to face the Weaver and as bait for the Attor (the second so Az could interrogate).

-Cassian knew in his heart and still have Nesta time.

-I'm 99% sure Helion and LoA are or were, same when he rescued her before, he slaughtered everyone who hurt hurt with his bare hands. But he's not running into Autumn to steal her back.

Outright feral mate behavior isn't always obvious, and sometimes because of SJMs romantic coding (and the fact that she couldn't decide on a concrete ship for Az until ACOSF), seemed like something but means nothing. Just as, for example, the fact that Azriel decided to go rescue Elain from Hybern's Camp and let her borrow TT was nothing more than sparring his brother, who was injured and had actually volunteered for that first, and him offering her a weapon to protect herself after Cassian had already done so and she declined, but Az knew she was more comfortable with/around him than his brothers. 🤷

So, yeah, when you look at actual SJM mate examples, it's even clearer that, even if our shadowsinger did know (which with his obsession and his bonus chapter is unlikely because he didn't even register the spark in his chest, but SJM made sure we the readers know and saw the difference between his interactions), he actually acted as a mate would.

(Hold onto your schlong, this post is gonna be LONG)

Thank you, ACOTAR fans, for participating in the fandom demographics survey! There were a total of 351 participants who took the survey, and I am extremely grateful for everyone's contributions. I've spent quite a bit of time sifting through the data determining how best to share my findings. I've decided to break them up into several categories, and each section will have the methods, results, and discussion of that category all together.

I do want to remind everybody that this is meant to be in good fun. I don't want any ship wars or character hate in the notes of this post, nor do I want anybody to take these results as a personal attack. Without further ado, let's get into it!

Table of Contents

Overall results of the survey

Preferences of fans based on age and sexuality

Trends based on the characters/ships that people like/dislike

Conclusion and overall thoughts