Spending Too Much Time Thinking About Books

SJM and romance. Pro Elain. Pro Elriel. Pro Archeron sisters. Pro IC.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

As an Elriel who loves Lucien (just not for Elain), I have to say I am absolutely dying at the fish trolling. A+ shit posting.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

Some people really will do absolutely anything to ignore the fact that in ACOTAR, some mating bonds are just wrong. They are not good matches. They do not guarantee true love and matched souls. It is right there on the page. That's just how it works in this world. Those perfect bonds are so utterly rare that Cassian thought they were a myth until he saw Rhys with Feyre. Mating bonds like Feysand's and Nessian's are the exception, not the rule in this world.

It's great if you think EL would be a perfect fit. But "they're mates and therefore perfect for each other because fate says so" just doesn't fly in this world. We're explicitly told that's just incorrect. The author wanted us to know that for a reason.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

SJM really, really, really wants her readers to know this lol. She drove the point all the way home on CHD. Really trying to beat that fact into some brains there.

[lunaatthezoo]

𝕰𝖑𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖑 𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖍 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 | 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 & 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕸𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖓

Azriel as beautiful Death, waiting for his Maiden, Elain.

I love that Elain and Azriel bring out both the light and the darkness in each other, and cherish both. The first time I saw artwork by iinnevvitable I was enthralled and knew I had to commission her. I love how she has captured both the light and darkness in Azriel, and how soft he is for Elain.

For @elriel-month 2025

🌸🦇 Art by iinnevvitable

🌸🦇 Commissioned by me, @lunaatthezoo

🌸🦇 Characters belong to @sarahjmaasbooks

✨ Please do not repost. Likes, reblogs, and comments are appreciated. ✨

[lovemyromance]

"But literally SJM wrote a Chaol book-"

So ACOTAR & Throne of Glass are actually two different series. Hope that helps 🫶🫶

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

And Tower of Dawn isn't only Chaol's book. Yrene and Nesryn drive the plot. Chaol had the bigger emotional journey and character growth, but his role in the plot is getting Yrene to Aelin and getting Nesryn to Sartaq.

I think it's totally possible that Elain's book will be like Tower of Dawn, with Az having the bigger emotional journey and Elain carrying the actual plot of the book.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

The new ship debate subreddit (r/elgwynrielucien if you're into that) has quickly devolved into GAs claiming that everyone else just hates Gwyn, and everyone is so threatened by their ship that they have to use GAs as a punching bag.

No.

Your ship just isn't as concrete as you believe it is. You are not the overwhelming majority that you believe you are. The breadcrumbs don't lead where you think they do. Other people thinking your ship is unlikely to actually happen is not a personal attack.

[elainsvisions]

✨ A special gift to the Elriel fandom @elrielmonth for my birthday and the A Court of Silver Flames 4-Year Anniversary—a visual tribute to the unforgettable almost-kiss from Azriel's bonus chapter.

"Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them.

Azriel's hand slid up her neck, burying in her thick hair. Tilting her face the way he wanted it. Elain's mouth parted slightly, her eyes scanning his before fluttering shut.

Offer and permission."

This moment is one of the most breathtakingly intimate scenes, full of tension, longing, and heartache, and I can't think of a better way to honor it.

Their connection is undeniable, and this scene has stayed with me ever since I read it and I always wanted to immortalize the magic of that fleeting moment.

A huge thank you to @windbyfire for creating such a stunning illustration and bringing this moment to life with so much beauty and care. I’m beyond grateful to you for capturing their story with such care. 💕

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Art by @windbyfire and @windbyfire on IG

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Commissioned by me

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Please do not repost without permission

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Instagram

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

[leiaamidala]

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅.

༻𖤓༺

⁣⁣⁣⤞ art by celeste_donuts_art

⤞ commissioned by me

Happy Valentine’s Day!

༻𖤓༺

Instagram | Twitter | @elriel-month

please do not repost.

[emilyondemand]

𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓥𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮 ₊˚⊹♡

𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪...

𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙥.

𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨;

𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚.

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚;

𝙄 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣.

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨,

𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨,

𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡.

Happy Valentine’s Day from us to you 🫶🏼 Elain and Azriel’s love is warm and gentle—it’s like coming home. Their love is like the soft glow of the morning sun. It is a love that brings contentment, joy, and peace. @annluvazzel conveyed that feeling perfectly in this piece and we cannot be more appreciative of her work!

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥

𐙚 Art by @annluvazzel

𐙚 Commissioned by @duskcowboy & I

𐙚 Characters belong to @sarahjmaas

Find it on IG here!

Please do not repost 🚫

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥

[elainsvisions]

🌅💜This Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate the quiet yet profound beauty of love with this serene illustration of Elain and Azriel.

Elain and Azriel, sleeping peacefully together, cradled by nature. The soft glow of the early morning sun filters through the trees, casting golden light over their forms, as if the world itself is honoring their love.

This Valentine’s Day, may we all find a love like theirs: a balance of light and shadow, strength and vulnerability, held together by the quiet beauty of being completely known and safe in each other’s presence.

Thank you @evaroseart for sharing your gift and for creating a piece that speaks to the hearts of so many. This Valentine’s Day, your art has given us all a reminder of what love can look like—quiet, enduring, and beautifully imperfect. You’ve captured not just a moment, but the very essence of their bond.

You are truly a storyteller in every stroke! 🫶🏻❤️

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Art by @evaroseart

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Commissioned by me

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Please do not repost without permission

⁣⁣⁣⤞ Instagram

⊱❊⊰⁣⁣⁣

[duskwhisperer-deactivated202507]

If you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed?

♡ Art by @ellizsha

♡ Commissioned by me

Instagram | Twitter

@elriel-month

Please do not repost.

[elainem-art]

🌸 Elain || Written “Mine” on my Upper Thigh 🌸

Guys, you don’t understand. The minute I saw this dress I was obsessed! I had to draw Elain in it! It was a need! And then I saw the tweet and I was like, ok, I shall do this. And here it is, teehee.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

Name one SJM male who has ever even had sexual thoughts, let alone an entire sexually charged encounter, with another female after meeting his mate.

They really think Az will be the first? That he's just some horny dude, so blinded by his lust for Elain that he doesn't even recognize his own mate? Not the slightest inkling, even after seeing her at training every day?

They really think SJM is setting Az up to be her worst MMC ever?

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

I just can't see SJM writing a love story that amounts to "You can't fight fate. Divine forces always know best. You will come to love the person chosen for you. It does not matter how you feel about this person now, or that you've developed feelings and attraction for another since meeting your mate. All that matters is that this is what was chosen for you, and it was chosen for a reason. Stop avoiding it, this is forever, resistance is futile. Your only choice is to accept it."

How anticlimactic for an author who has already written about defying gods and godlike beings, and who weaves the importance of choice into every narrative.

SJM's mated couples are always able to fall in love before they realize they're mates. Even Rhys and Cassian, who had their suspicions, fell in love before their bonds snapped. They're always drawn to each other. They always have an early connection and chemistry. They're always prepared to die for each other, even before they're an established couple. They're never indifferent.

[purpleunicornc]

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

“𝙃𝙚’𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙩.”

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ art by @zolyna_

✮♱✮ commissioned by me

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

I think somebody ordered another Elriel! I think we did! Here, we have this stunning art by the lovely @zolyna_ who was a pleasure to work with! Azriel here is begging on his knees (something we KNOW he wants to do) for Elain. She even made him a cute lil flower crown in their private and intimate moment! I also wanted to emphasize how Elain makes Azriel’s shadows go away—showing how comfortable and at ease he is in her and her only presence! @zolyna_ did such a gorgeous job with my idea, I can’t thank her enough! What do yall think of this?

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ quote is from A Court of Silver Flames

✮♱✮ characters are Elain Archeron & Azriel

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ likes, saves, and shares are always appreciated!

✮♱✮ no reposts allowed.

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

I just saw a book request over on r/RomanceBooks for books with scenes where the male lead rescues the female lead, and he doesn't want to put her down even once they reach safety. The request got more specific, looking for books where this is at the beginning of their romance.

The fact that this is such a recognizable romance trope, and several books were suggested, had me giggling a little bit. Even early on in a relationship, this is a romance trope that readers know and love.

No one will ever convince me that every part of Azriel rescuing Elain wasn't meant to be romantic af.

[duskwhisperer-deactivated202507]

Walking in a winter wonderland with you ❄️💞

⟢ Art by @sunshinecovey

⟢ Commissioned by me

Instagram | Twitter

Please do not repost.

[thinkinthoughtsalot]

Interestingly, Elain and Elaine are actually two separate names with different etymologies. They are not cognates and they don't have the same meaning.

Elain is a Welsh name that means "fawn." It comes from a Proto-Indo-European root word that has evolved into the words for deer, doe, hind, and fawn in many languages.

Etymology

From Middle Welsh elain / elein, from Proto-Brythonic elẹn, from Proto-Celtic *elanī, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el-en-i-/h₁él-h₁n-ih₂, from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁el- (“yellow-brown”). For cognates see *h₁el-.

elain - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

elain - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Elaine/Helene

Etymology

Most likely from Proto-Hellenic *Ηwelénā, from a pre-Hellenic or late Proto-Indo-European *Swelénā (a solar deity), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to shine, warm, smoulder, burn”). In that case, related to εἵλη (heílē, “sunshine, sun's heat”) and unrelated to ἑλένη (helénē), σέλας (sélas) or σελήνη (selḗnē).[1]

Ἑλένη - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Elaine - Wiktionary, the free dictionary