Mazu

I’m obsessed with parallels so I wanted to make a masterlist post of all the parallels we have found so far and I will be adding other parallels we will find in the future to this post.

Azriel questions the Cauldron + he wants the mated Elain Archeron = Azriel only wants a mate and Elain is the one available

Azriel spends time with Elain, rescued her, and kept her gift on his nightstand while looking at it for one whole year + Elain giving Azriel the offer and permission, didn't balk from him and called his hands beautiful = Azriel is an incel who only lusts after Elain, after one fvck he'll end up with the redhead

Elain who tracks the Suriel, foreseen Vassa, helped on planning where to place humans during the war, kicked a beast, volunteered on tracking the Dead Trove, and killing the KoH + Elain gardening, baking, and having friends on the NC = Elain is useless plant, she plays no part on the series, only sulking.

Elain, a fae not a plant + Elain living in Night Court where sun also exists = Elain needs a sunlight!! She should live in the Spring/Autumn court! .

three mountains, three villains, three dead trove, three trials, and so and so forth + three brothers x three sisters = OMG so cliche, I hate it! I want them all to end up with their mate because it's not cliche.

Azriel desires Elain + Azriel cannot sleep properly thinking about her = oh he's sooooo toxic! He should end up with a redhead bcs she can fix him!

Azriel bought the necklace for Elain + Azriel just wanted to get rid of it, advise Clotho to even give it to other priestesses = he gave it to Gw*n! It is for her, he bought it for her♥

Elain minding her own life, gorgeous and growing. + Azriel being a total simp = He deserves someone better!! Someone I can self-insert with

Elain stabbed a king, kicked a beast that's harming them, and "I hope they all burn in hell", "she's better at secret keeping" + Azriel = He deserves better! A badass, someone who can weild a sword, we need another training lovestory!

Azriel in his full rage ready to die to save Elain + Azriel telling Cassian they trained the Valkyries so let's go save the enemy = MATES!! GW***** ENDGAME!!

Elain making Azriel laugh, Feyre never heard such deep and joyous sound, Elain calling his hand beautiful, Elain "put it on me" Archeron + Azriel always reaching for her, Azriel who made her comfortable, Azriel "this is wrong, I don't care" Archeron = They're incompatible! They don't make sense! I don't find them romantic.

Elain balked from her mate, tried to be nice but still visibly uncomfortable, Elain who's book is not out yet, Elain who was never given a choice. Elain, a woman. + Lulu, hundred year old fae, not a baby. = I hate Elain! He owes Lulu everything! She's so pick me! She should just accept the mating bond and make my Lulu so so happy, he deserves it.

Azriel who has a secret feelings for Elain + Az who doesn't consider G a friend = he's such a fvckboy! He's so toxic ugh, he needs to apologize to them and then end up with G♥

Acotar, a romantasy + Elain who has two love interest = Elain should end up alone! She needs it to grow.

Elain, existing, being gorgeous and minding her own business, Elain being a woman in this series + Azriel and Lucien simping = She doesn't deserve both of them! She should be with her sister's abuser!! Tampon needs a redemption so

Ianthe, Tamlin, Beron, KoH, all abusive and villains + Elain, the sister who owns up to her mistakes and tried to fix her relationship with her sisters. Elain who is hopeful and kind. Elain who is a quiet dreamer = Elain deserves to be the most hated character, she's so useless.

Acotar a fantasy book where the dead came back to life, so any magic can happen + SJM, who's adopted and loved her adaptive parents. Sjm who wrote books empowering women. = Elain doesn't have a pliant bone!! She cannot have Az baby so not endgame 😕

Elain and Azriel exchanging meaningful looks, brushing fingers, Azriel following the sound of her laugh, something charged between them, Elriel confirmed to desire each other + Az regifting a necklace because it reminds him of what happened between them, causing him pain = ACOSF ended Elriel

This is just one of the many arguments where a simple canon was twisted to fit on the wanted narrative. This is not how a story goes. A reader cannot control or forced the author on what they want to happen. Think of what the character can bring to the story, how they can make an impact and if they can move the plot forward. It will be very hard to enjoy a series if we keep on denying what's written on the books. Sjm has been clear. She could place other character on Azriel position or vice versa but she didn't. There's so many parallels between Elriel and sjm endgame couples. There's so many hints but the fandom twisted it because they simply hate Elain. They thought she's not deserving of love, of her own choice.

At the end of the day, Elriel is hated because some people cannot accept Elain is going to end up with Az and they thought she's less than for so many reasons they believed. It all rooted from internal misogyny.

So many lies/misinformation and total crap was spread in this fandom all because of Elain hate

in a nutshell with everyone:

Cassian: here is some beef jerky. Enjoy. You are the only one whose guts I am willing to hold in my hands.

Mor: ehhh

Feyre: sorry you hit that tree. You ought to be more careful.

Rhys: no

Amren: I have no problem murdering you at any point

Nesta: still unsure about you. Quit blowing my bro in the dining room. I eat there. And one more word against my babygirl...and we'll have some serious disagreements

Lucien: be glad I haven't murdered you yet. Accidentally of course.

Gwyn: Prize? Hahaha. What prize? You aren't gonna pass anyway. Now go and keep cutting that ribbon.

Emerie: You are in the Blood Rite? That's sad.

Eris: be glad I haven't murdered you yet.

Lustful priestesses: general avoidance

Has finally gotten over Mor, something he hasn’t done in 500 years, since meeting Elain. 

Stopped everyone from eating until Elain sat down.

Gave Elain truth-teller, something he has NEVER done with anyone before, much to the shock of the bat boys. 

Stayed up until the wee hours of the morning with Elain listening to her talk for hours about her plans for the garden. 

Went on a death mission to rescue Elain when everyone else figured all hope was lost. 

Refused to put her down after rescuing her from Hybern’s camp even though he was swaying on his feet, barely able to stand. 

Has kept a HEADACHE powder on his bedside table ever since Elain got it for him because he’s so obsessed with her. 

Okay. Then please answer this for me. Why did she:

Write a scene where Azriel is concerned about Elain (and only her) when he hears about Nesta & Elain's fight?

Give us, as readers, two additional reminders of Azriel saving Elain?

Write about shadows looking like snakes preparing to strike when Nesta insulted Elain?

Write a scene where Azriel is protective over Elain due to her potential involvement with the Dread Trove?

Show how Elain is more shy around Azriel in comparison to Cassian?

Write a scene where they're talking about protecting Elain and how eyes can be blinded, to which Azriel says"Not the ones under my command,"?

Write a scene where Azriel sought Elain to see what made her laugh?

Write about Nesta noticing the charged glance between Azriel and Elain?

Mention how Cassian is questioning himself why Azriel isn't interested in Mor anymore?

Have a scene where Feyre teases Azriel that Elain has got him beaten for secret-keeping?

Have a scene where Nesta wonders if Elain has taken lessons in stealth from Azriel or the twins?

Have Cassian mention that Azriel is avoiding the River House, the place where Elain is often present?

SJM could've easily made a regression on Elriel's build up from the past books and passed it off as platonic interactions (despite the fact that they were very obviously not platonic), but she didn't. She chose to include even more moments of chemistry between them, and even showed how more characters are starting to notice this tension to show the readers that no, you've not been imagining this.

The kingslayer, Elain Archeron ❤

Artist: itswibell_art

I’ve seen as few posts about this, so I’m just adding my own thoughts and a few examples of these similarities regarding powers, abilities, temperament/personality and SJM choice of words. They also share the same symbolism that you can see here.

Similarities between their powers:

It made sense, I supposed, that Azriel alone had listened to her. The male who heard things others could not … Perhaps he, too, had suffered as Elain had before he understood what gift he possessed.

Let me remind you that once Elain understood her gifts, she could free herself from that “murky realm”. She, too, can not only see, but also hear thing others can’t.

Azriel could not find it. And Elain … She could not see that mighty army, she’d said.

Again similarly between their powers: they can be used with the same purpose.

Similar abilities:

“Elain was the only one who guessed. She caught me vomiting two mornings in a row.” She nodded toward Azriel. “I think she’s got you beat for secret-keeping.“

She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends.

SJM literary uses Azriel in both cases as a reference for Elain’s abilities (it’s almost like she wants us to connect Elain to Azriel).

They are observant and know how to read people/ focus on wording:

Azriel watched her with that cool quiet, keeping utterly still. Like he saw everything in her head. Her bruised heart.

Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why.

SJM usually uses the same wording for both Azriel and Elain (cof cof formula).

Similar personalities (quiet, introversion)/ focus on wording:

Azriel ducked his head, focusing on his food.

Elain smiled again, ducking her head.

Same wording used in both cases again.

Both being pretty bc why not/ focus on wording:

Azriel was nothing short of beautiful. Even with those scarred hands and the shadows that flowed from him like smoke, she’d always found him to be the prettiest of the three males who called themselves brothers

When human, Elain had easily been the prettiest of the three of them, and when she’d been turned High Fae, that beauty had been amplified.

Same wording again.

Similar reactions when receiving compliments (similar situation):

“With that pretty face?” she crooned. “I have a hard time believing that.” Azriel ducked his head, focusing on his food.

“She was jealous of your beauty,” Amren said, an amused smile on her red lips. Elain blushed. “Perhaps.”

Dealing with social interactions in a similar way:

He glared at me, then the bottle, then Cassian … and finally stormed across the room, took the bottle from my hand, and chugged the rest.

Elain turned again to the liquor cabinet, she poured a finger of amber-colored liquor into a glass and knocked back the contents with a grimace before facing Nesta again.

Feyre noticing these similarities, too:

Elain said to Azriel, perhaps the only two civilized ones here, “Can you truly fly?”

And I think Elain—Elain would like it, too. Though she’d probably cling to Azriel, just to have some peace and quiet.

After the first meeting, Feyre can already tell how similar they are in terms of temperament, personality and again SJM compares the two of them.

Similar ways to see life/ hope:

“If I had not met a shadowsinger, I would not have known that it is the family you make, not the one you are born into, that matters. I would not have known what it is to truly hope, even when the world tells you to despair.”

If she beheld not a prison but a shelter—a shelter from a world that had possessed so little good, but she tried to find it anyway, even if it had seemed foolish and useless to me. She had looked at it that cottage with hope; I had looked at it with nothing but hatred. And I knew which one of us had been stronger.

I could go and on with this post. And while we are at it, and considering the true/second mate theory:

“But if they’re blessed, they’ll find their mate—their equal, their match in every way.”

And before someone still thinks Elain isn’t strong enough to match Azriel, let me remind you:

And do not forget that Nesta herself—and Elain, with whatever powers she has—is here. Feyre is here. All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers to match your own.

If Elain has powers (plural, which means we don’t know everything she can do) to match the most powerful High Lord in history, why wouldn’t she match one of the most powerful Illyrians? Especially when they both share similar powers, abilities and temperament?

This is the plot twist that I never knew I wanted until someone brought it up, and now I can’t unsee it. I know that there are many posts about this out there, so my post only adds more evidence to the Elriel = true mates theory. Please keep in mind that this is a pro-Elriel theory/post so if that’s not your cup of tea, this is where you should stop reading.

I will begin with the scene that inspired this post because it made me connect it to something that Feyre says in both, ACOMAF and ACOWAR:

We know that Feyre was influenced by the mating bond—the silence, the emptiness in her chest—was due to Rhys’s powers being contained, him being hurt, or (ACOWAR Spoiler) him being dead.

But how could Azriel know what that feeling in your chest—the one caused by your mate being restrained, hurt, or dead—means?

He couldn’t… unless he’s experienced it before.

“We—Rhys, Cass, and I—will occasionally remind each other that what we think to be our greatest weakness can sometimes be our biggest strength. And that the most unlikely person can alter the course of history.”