Shadows & Roses

meanwhile, SJM when she has to talk about el*cien:

“I don’t want a mate…”

“A mating bond can be rejected”

“That does not entitle him to my time nor affections”

“He does not know me”

“Lucien hadn’t bothered to bridge the gap between them”

See the thing is Elain is not ok... she just hides it better than anyone else. She smiles, gardens, bakes, and says she's fine. But throughout the books we're given hints that she isn't.

With Feyre, her suffering was visible from page 1... she starving, hungry, exhausted, hunting.

With Nesta, her spiral was unavoidable... she was self destructing loudly

Elain has been written differently... she hides her suffering. She's learned that if she smiles, people relax. That being agreeable keeps the peace.

I think its also interesting to note that because she’s so good at pretending, even the people around her start believing she’s okay or at least when they do notice that she's not actually ok they don't push for more cause she doesn’t make it look serious from the outside. She isn’t destructive. She isn’t loud or visibly falling apart. She doesn’t look “concerning” enough. So her pain gets dismissed. Elain survives by keeping herself composed, by making herself quiet and manageable and because of that, no one realizes just how much she’s actually carrying. I've even seen a number of readers who believe that she’s okay. That she doesn’t need a story. That her place is to be “left gardening and baking.” As if having a hobby is a bad thing...

Feyre likes to paint

Nesta likes to dance

Elain likes to garden and bake

What's so wrong about enjoying something that gives you joy and brings you peace?

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

“𝒟𝑜 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓇𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝑒 𝒻𝒾𝓇𝓈𝓉 𝓂𝑒𝓉?

“𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮.”

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ art by @thiaperezart

✮♱✮ commissioned by me

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

I’m back with more Elriel!!! This time, inspired by Arwen and Aragorn from Lord of the Rings (and let’s be real, Arwen has the most gorgeous fits), and I think this fits so perfect for Elriel! Here we have them sharing their happily ever after with each other in the Night Court, free to express themselves however they wish and not afraid of those around them condemning it. I want to give the biggest thank you to @thiaperezart and her delivering this absolutely BEAUTIFUL and breathtaking art, and bringing my ideas to life!

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

✮♱✮ quote is from Lord of the Rings

✮♱✮ characters are Elain Archeron and Azriel.

༉‧₊˚🕯️🖤❀༉‧₊˚.

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

✮♱✮ no reposts allowed.

“ᴇʟᴀɪɴ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜɴɴʏ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡꜱ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ, ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴅᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɪʀ. “ᴡɪʟʟ ɪ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜᴡᴏʀᴍꜱ ᴡʀɪᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏɪʟ? ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛʀᴇᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ʀᴏᴏᴛꜱ? ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʙɪʀᴅ ᴏꜰ ꜰɪʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱɪᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴍᴇ?”

A Court of Wings & Ruins by @sjmaas ✨

⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆ ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

⇢ Art by @/kanicandraw 💖

⇢ Comm. by me

⇢ Please don’t repost

“Because you’re the foundation, the one who lifts us. You always have been.”

Day 7: Growth 🌸✨

“I glanced toward my sister. ‘Did you . . .?’ A nod from Elain. ‘Nuala did the decorating though.’ It was then that I realized what the three different tiers had been painted to look like. . . The same design of the chest of drawers I’d once painted in that dilapidated cottage. One for each of us—each sister. . . ‘I asked Nuala to do it in that order,’ Elain said as the others gathered round. ‘Because you’re the foundation, the one who lifts us. You always have been.’”

While Elain takes accountability for her failure to help Feyre in ACOMAF, I love this moment in ACOFAS where Elain again makes amends to Feyre and acknowledges just how much Feyre did for her and Nesta. Elain’s willingness to uplift Feyre speaks volumes to just how much Elain has grown through the course of this series so far.

And I can’t wait to see Sarah continue to explore that growth in the next book!

Sweet @pinkykei.art did such a wonderful job capturing this scene! I love how she draws all the ACOTAR characters and knew that I had to have her for this piece 💕 She is such an amazing person and artist and it was so fun to work with her!

Art by: @pinkykei.art

Commissioned by: me

Characters belong to: @sarahjmaas

For: @elainarcheronweek

You can find it on IG here

Likes, comments, shares, and saves are welcomed and appreciated!

If you fell in love with Elain's character because you see some of yourself in her and connect with the middle Archeron sister the most, I am with you. I am one of you. I'm sorry there is so much hatred for this character and so many unkind things people say.

I've heard it said that many often hate the people who force them to look in a mirror. Many of those who hate Elain Archeron because they *are* Elain Archeron.

Tamlain shippers, I wish you the worst. Truly.

Eluciens - Elain is the one to blame and hate because she doesn't want her mate, be a lovely wife for Lucien and go away from the court she doesn't fit, poor him.

Gwynriels - Elain is just a temporary object of lust that Azriel craves and she doesn't deserves him because she already has a mate and her body is not suitable for illyrian babies, also the shadows hate her.

I love Elain so much because I am obsessed with the potential she has as an SJM FMC. I want to see her come in to her own, stop people pleasing & find the strength to stand up for herself whilst still holding on to her innate kindness.

I love her because she likes what she likes and she isn’t afraid to share that passion with her nearest and dearest.

I love her because she is soft and gentle in a world (much like our own in this respect) that doesn’t make it easy to be, and Elain (along with her sisters) has had more than her fair share of horrendous things happen to her - but she holds on to hope above all else. I love her because that hope brings to her a rare wisdom and perspective.

It was never directed at Cassian, for example. Or Rhys.

Lucien went so far as to be buddy buddy with Graysen--Elain's ex, and deflowerer. And Jurian, who made gang rape jokes about her. Somehow, those two didn't bother him.

In HOFAS, we learn the Cauldron, in fact, was corrupted by the Asteri.

And some readers really expect him to just accept that and move on...? Mr. "Chain me to a tree"? Mr. "You can't order me to do that?" Mr. "I don't care if I die, I'm getting her back?