I think when it comes to Elain’s character a lot of people only look at the Azriel Bonus Chapter, but she’s talked about heavily in the Feysand BC, and I believe that offers a lot of insight that most people overlook.
“Elain showed some teeth. I wasn’t expecting that.” Or what she’d said about her lingering trauma. I’d meant what I’d discussed with Nesta- how many times had I focused solely on my terror during Elain’s suffering.
I actually really love this moment of self reflection on Feyre’s part. No matter how much I love Feyre she’s not exactly the best at understanding others traumatic experiences and decentering herself when others are hurting/discussing what they endured. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the capability of doing so, but she’s only human (well fae but you get the point) even Feyre has acknowledged that she does this multiple times. Not just during this BC.
Elain and I had grown closer since the war with Hybern had ended. True. I may never go drinking with her the way I did with Mor, sometimes Amren. But, well, with a baby coming, I couldn’t drink anyway. And while I may never run to Elain first with problems or for advice, we had a peaceful, amicable understanding. I found her to be a pleasant companion. I wondered if she would resent that judgment, I certainly would.
Here’s the thing about the Archeron sisters. They’re great representation for estranged siblings. I see a lot of commentary about how SJM herself doesn’t write like she has siblings, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Because as someone who isn’t close with my sister either, I feel seen and represented here. Because I have best friends who I’m also closer to then my relative and while I may hang out with my sister every once and a blue moon, we don’t openly seek each other out for company and prefer out friends (and yes we’re estranged. And we prefer it that way it doesn’t mean we don’t still love each other, we’re just too different of people to truly get along or form a close connection. So I can relate to the Archeron siblings dynamic personally)
But this also displays that Feyre doesn’t truly know Elain. At least not in the ways she thinks she does. One thing I’ve learned from my experience as an estranged sibling is that we don’t always know our siblings like we think we do. Sure there’s a base line understanding, and core characteristics we see in our siblings. But we only see what they want us to see and that’s the case with Feyre here.
“Have you ever seen Elain act like that before?” “No. I mean she’s been brave when she’s had to be, but she’s never been confrontational.” “Maybe she was never given the chance to be that way.” “You think I stifle her?” “Not you alone. But ain’t wonder if everyone has spent so long Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt that she had to be that way or else she’d disappoint you all. With time and safety, perhaps we’ll see a different side of her emerge.”
I think this is a huge part of the conversation that the fandom tends to ignore about Elain. A lot of people think of Elain the same way her sisters do. I think like Nesta and Feyre, Elain struggles with fixing her sense of identity and a lot of characters before they go on their own journeys do this. Elain was thrust into a new world and a new body, the foundation she had crumbled and now she’s trying to navigate her way through that. But I don’t think that progress will be made with her sisters or with the IC. They coddle her and stifle any progress she could potentially have, and SJM is trying to tell us here that there is more to Elain than meets the eye and I’m excited to see if my assumptions about Elain are correct. Because until we get her POV. We only see the side of her that she choses to show her sisters. (Elain is a people pleaser. And I would love for her to see a new side of her emerge where she realizes that she can be herself around people, because nothing is more emotionally draining than trying to please everyone.)
“You think Elain is boring?” “I think she’s kind, and I’ll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven’t seen all she has to offer.”
I do love the word choice that SJM chose here for Rhys when he was describing Elain. A lot of people will tell you there’s a difference between being nice and being kind. And just because a person is kind doesn’t mean they also don’t have teeth and their own sharp edges. And I do think that is who Elain is as a person. She doesn’t like to be mean to people, but she’s also not a push over. And has the capability to get things done through that kindness. She does things because she wants to. Not because she has to. Which is why subsections of this fandom infantilizing her and reducing her down to the bare bones of her characterization or who she is according to her sister’s perceptions of her annoy me. For all we know. None of us are right about Elain and who she is. But it’s going to be fun to figure out.
“Don’t forget gardening often results in something pretty. But it involves getting one’s hands dirty along the way.” “And torn up by thorns.”
Again I do love this passage. Because it shows how people perceive Elain. They always remark on her beauty. Even her own mother underestimated her. But Elain is probably one of the most persuasive of her sisters. She’s good at getting things done when it comes down to it and sometimes that means not always doing things in the ways that others would perceive as nice. Elain has always had teeth. She just doesn’t like showing them unless she has to.
I mused recalling a morning this past summer when Elain had come into the house her right palm bleeding from several gashes thanks to a stubborn rose bush that had pierced her gloves. The thorns had broke off in her skin, leaving sharp splinters that I’d had to pull free. I didn’t dare mention that If she had been wearing the enchanted gloves Lucien had gotten her last solstice, nothing would have pierced them at all.
If you’ve read the other bonus chapter you would understand how cheeky SJM is being here through Feyre. I see you SJM, I see you 👀👀
vaporwave
kaledo-art
turnnoffyourmind
blakekathryn
kianamaiart
dailybridgerton
