Ria Falcone

Seong Huiju: *has a potentially fatal car accident*

First of all, Cardan isn’t weak. The man survived an absolutely hellish upbringing—abuse from his family, neglect, and being treated like he was nothing—and still came out on top. He may not be a sword-swinging warrior like Jude, but he’s got his own kind of strength. He’s clever, manipulative when he needs to be, and knows how to play the long game. Jude might be the strategist, but Cardan is the one who can pull people to his side with words alone.

And let’s talk about this ridiculous idea that “Cardan probably wouldn’t be able to pick up Jude.” I saw someone saying that under a fanart of Cardan carrying Jude. Like, have you read the books? He’s described as tall, lean, and fit. Just because he’s not a muscle-bound tank doesn’t mean he’s not strong. The man is Faerie, which means his physical abilities are likely leagues above a mortal anyway. Not to mention, we’ve seen him hold his own in fights when it comes down to it (he killed half an army)

Here are some paragraphs where he does in fact pick up Jude.

What bothers me the most is how some people ignore the layers to his character. He’s not dumb or helpless—he’s strategic and emotionally intelligent in ways that complement Jude’s tactical mind. He might not plan ambushes or train for battle, but he reads people better than almost anyone.

First of all, Cardan isn’t weak. The man survived an absolutely hellish upbringing—abuse from his family, neglect, and being treated like he was nothing—and still came out on top. He may not be a sword-swinging warrior like Jude, but he’s got his own kind of strength. He’s clever, manipulative when he needs to be, and knows how to play the long game. Jude might be the strategist, but Cardan is the one who can pull people to his side with words alone.

And let’s talk about this ridiculous idea that “Cardan probably wouldn’t be able to pick up Jude.” I saw someone saying that under a fanart of Cardan carrying Jude. Like, have you read the books? He’s described as tall, lean, and fit. Just because he’s not a muscle-bound tank doesn’t mean he’s not strong. The man is Faerie, which means his physical abilities are likely leagues above a mortal anyway. Not to mention, we’ve seen him hold his own in fights when it comes down to it (he killed half an army)

Here are some paragraphs where he does in fact pick up Jude.

What bothers me the most is how some people ignore the layers to his character. He’s not dumb or helpless—he’s strategic and emotionally intelligent in ways that complement Jude’s tactical mind. He might not plan ambushes or train for battle, but he reads people better than almost anyone.

This one, when he thinks that dains spies are about to beat Jude’s ass over who gets the pretty prince, so he cautions her away from picking a fight w them. And that’s AFTER she’s kidnapped him LOOLLL

And this. really cute and subtle way of saying “be careful babe!” but he makes it seem sorta like an insult. like she would be wasting his time if she went and died. he keeps himself so well guarded so as to not get himself hurt again PLS. guys i am normal about him.

him reaching for her after he learned that valerian tried to kill her AGAIN. 😐 i need him.

And then this one. imagine how he felt seeing her leave the tower covered in blood knowing that valerian was in there w her. and Hollys annotation here. yeah ok im so normal- this proves that he didn’t expect his cruelty to encourage valerians murdery lust for jude. to encourage Locke to take her as his prize, to encourage nicasia to humiliate the twins to get cardans and lockes favor.

AND DONT GET ME STARTED, on when he’s drunk and his families been murdered and he’s officially elfhames #1 most wanted and he’s telling Jude to be careful, that she shouldn’t be at balekins evil little revel 😭😭 he worried more for her than he did himself.

and i could just GO ON. and i shall:

when he sends her a dress made for royalty opposed to one that made her look more like servant/ would allow Taryn to outshine her (she could never tho)

When he told Locke to piss off and began dancing w her when Locke was abt to tell her that he’s been fuxking her sis the whole time.

When he saw her (canon according to Hollys annotations) after she stole Sophie (the human servant at hollow hall) and didn’t do or say anything AND PROBABLY EVEN TOOK THE FUCKING BLAMMMEEE IM SO SICK.

anyway I’m sure there’s more so feel free to add on 😭

But i just LOVE how cardan knows how jude is, the way that Taryn describes jude in her novella- as someone who doesn’t back down from a dare, who picks fights with anyone and everyone, who brings those that pick on her down to her level. he knows his wife so well, even in the first book, he knew her so much better than even her father. than ANYONE even Taryn. bc Taryn was all like “promise you’ll stop bothering them!” Like do you KNOW who you’re talking to lmao

Rhysand:

Has seen Azriel carry Elain bridal style after rescuing her from Hybern.

Has seen Elain kiss Azriel on the cheek.

Has seen Azriel give Elain Truth-Teller.

Has seen Elain gift Azriel a headache medication after she notes him rubbing his temples so often. Watches him laugh.

Caught them just a half second before their lips met into a kiss.

Has heard "What if the cauldron was wrong?" straight from Azriel's mouth.

Knows that Azriel is 100% ready and willing to fight a death duel for her.

Has to order and threaten him to stay away from her.

Feyre:

Notes how good of a pair they make together.

Questions why they aren’t mated.

Watches firsthand how Azriel notices that Elain is missing from the war camp and risks certain death to bring her back.

Notes Azriel still cradles Elain to his chest once they are safe and returned to the war camp.

Witnesses Elain kiss Azriel on the cheek.

Watches Azriel arm Elain with Truth-Teller.

"I think Elain—Elain would like it, too. Though she’d probably cling to Azriel, just to have some peace and quiet.” I smiled at the thought—at how handsome they would be together.

&

She's asks "Why not make them mates?" and "What if that is what she needs?" and "Is there no free will?"

Immediate set up for elriel by the main female character of the series.

Amren:

Clocks Azriel's protectiveness and feelings for Elain.

Notes how riled up he gets and talks directly to him when mentioning Elain looking for the trove.

She smirks into her wine glass when Azriel physically stops Cassian from getting into those steamy potatoes before Elain is able to make it back to the dinner table.

Mor:

Mor watches the space Azriel leaves from when he vanishes into the night after questioning what Elain Saw.

Azriel’s hazel eyes churned as he studied my sister, her too-thin body. And without a word, he winnowed away. Mor watched the space where he’d been standing long after he was gone.

Mor was in the vacinity when Madja said, "If anyone can sense if something is amiss, it’s a mate." HAD to have heard it. She then sits with Feyre when Lucien tries and fails to detect what's wrong with Elain.

Mor confirms the truth when Azriel determines what Elain is and why she's been acting so odd.

Elain turned to Mor, who was now gaping at my sister from her spot beside her on the couch. “Is that what this is?” And the words, the tone … they were so normal-sounding that my chest tightened. Mor’s gaze darted across my sister’s face, as if weighing the words, the question, the truth or lie within. Mor at last blinked, mouth parting. Like that magic of hers had at last solved some puzzle.

Here is where I think Mor senses something between Az and Elain. Does she realize they are mates?

Mor reminds Feyre that Azriel willingly gave up Truth-Teller.

“You honestly think he’d ever give up Truth-Teller?” “He gave it to Elain,” Mor said, admiring a moonstone necklace in the counter’s glass case. “She gave it back,” I amended, failing to block out the image of the black blade piercing through the King of Hybern’s throat. But Elain had given it back—had pressed it into Azriel’s hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And then walked away without looking back. Mor hummed to herself.

Mhmm...

Mor tensed when Azriel approaches Elain.

But I strode to my seat—nestled between Amren and Mor—in time to see Elain say to Azriel, “Hello.” Az said nothing. No, he just moved toward her. Mor tensed beside me. But Azriel only took Elain’s heavy dish of potatoes from her hands, his voice soft as night as he said, “Sit. I’ll take care of it.”

Did Mor tense up because she was wary of how he would react? She has to suspect something.

Azriel set the potatoes in the center of the table, Cassian diving right in. Or he tried to. One moment, his hand was spearing toward the serving spoon. The next, it was stopped, Azriel’s scarred fingers wrapped around his wrist. “Wait,” Azriel said, nothing but command in his voice.

Mor gaped wide enough that I was certain the half-chewed green beans in her mouth were going to tumble onto her plate. Amren just smirked over the rim of her wineglass.

Cassian gawked at him. “Wait for what? Gravy?”

Azriel didn’t let go. “Wait until everyone is seated before eating.”

Cassian:

Watches Azriel declare he will rescue Elain.

Witnessed Azriel gift Elain Truth-Teller.

Azriel, still limping, merely nudged aside Cassian and extended another option. “This is Truth-Teller,” he told her softly. “I won’t be using it today—so I want you to.”

Elain’s eyes widened at the obsidian-hilted blade in Azriel’s scarred hand. The runes on the dark scabbard. “It has never failed me once,” the shadowsinger said, the midday sun devoured by the dark blade. “Some people say it is magic and will always strike true.” He gently took her hand and pressed the hilt of the legendary blade into it. “It will serve you well.” “I—I don’t know how to use it—” “I’ll make sure you don’t have to,” I said, grass crunching as I stepped closer. Elain weighed my words … and slowly closed her fingers around the blade. Cassian gawked at Azriel, and I wondered how often Azriel had lent out that blade— Never, Rhys said from where he finished buckling on his own weapons against the side of the wagon. I have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife.

Is there when Elain saves his ass from Hybern with Truth-Teller.

Notes Azriel's mood darkens when he mentions something happened to Elain.

Notes that Azriel would rather have Nesta find the trove than Elain. Witnesses his temper rise.

Amren said, “We do not have the time to wait for Nesta to decide. I say we approach Elain tomorrow. Better to have both of them working on it.” Azriel stiffened, an outright sign of temper from him as he said quietly, “There is an innate darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to.” “But Nesta should?” Cassian growled. Everyone stared at him. He swallowed, offering an apologetic glance to Az, who shrugged it off. Amren drained her wine and said to Cassian, “Nesta has a week. One more week to find the Trove with her own methods. Then we seek out other routes.” She threw a nod toward Azriel. “Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don’t underestimate her.”

Nesta:

Watches Azriel walk away with Elain to the garden.

Has seen Azriel discover what was amiss with Elain.

Witnessed Azriel carrying Elain bridal style after the rescue.

Witnessed Elain kiss Azriel's cheek.

Witnessed Azriel gift Elain Truth-Teller.

Witnessed Elain use that dagger to stab the king of Hybern in the neck.

Notes Azriel's shadows seem ready to defend Elain when she hurls insults at her.

Notes how tormented he is by Lucien's bond to Elain.

Elain, the wretch, had taken the seat between Feyre and Varian, about as far from Lucien as she could get.

Azriel remained in the doorway.

“Why don’t you sit?” She leaned against the doorway beside the shadowsinger. “My shadows don’t like the flames so much.” A pretty lie. She’d seen Azriel before the fire plenty. But she looked at who sat close to it and knew the answer. “Why did you come if it torments you so much?” “Because Rhys wants me here. It’d hurt him if I didn’t come.” “Well, I think holidays are stupid.” “I don’t.” She arched a brow. He explained, “They pull people together. And bring them joy. They are a time to pause and reflect and gather, and those are never bad things.” Shadows darkened his eyes, full of enough pain that she couldn’t stop herself from touching his shoulder. Letting him see that she understood why he stood in the doorway, why he wouldn’t go near the fire. His secret to tell, never hers.

Every member of this court has watched Elain and Azriel interact together.

Every member, except perhaps dear Cassian, likely suspects there could be or knows there IS something more between them.

Yet some people are still gonna tell me they are not the next couple of ACOTAR6?

Even after we have confirmed that Azriel, who's so damn unreadable 99% of the time, HAS feelings for her?

Even after Elain, who's mated to another and shows no interest in him, gives Azriel the green light to kiss her?

Even after we are given CONFIRMATION that the CAULDRON HAS BEEN WRONG TO ITS VERY CORE in Hofas? That it has not been working and weilded as it properly should be?

Here's the thing, when all 5 other main characters take note of what's between the remaining 2 it gets alittle more than suspicious.

It's alarm bells. It's foreshadowing. It's written between the lines.

“I can’t believe he regifted the necklace to Gwyn, she deserves better”

“He’s terrible for going after someone else’s mate”

Also them:

I feel like people who hate Elain and ship Gwynriel are the ones who binged the entire series between 2020-2025. As someone who read the books as they were released, we were experiencing Elain and Az in real time, falling in love with them as they started to fall for one another. The big question at the time was not will Az pick Gwyn or literally anyone other than Elain, the question was will Az and Mor get together, which nobody considers a ship anymore. So when ACOSF came out, Gwyn wasn’t even a consideration for me because I spent 6 YEARS with Elriel build up. I was SHOCKED when people were pairing Az with other people because the answer was obviously Elain. People are able to ignore their connection when binging them at such a quick pace. I also don’t understand Elucien shippers at all. Their entire argument revolves around Lucien’s backstory and his feelings but ELAIN DOESNT WANT HIM. Is consent no longer important? They also fixate on them having unlimited years to heal and reconcile and “two years isn’t long enough for immortals” but Elain was human. She still has the mindset of someone with a human lifespan. Two years is plenty long for her to know she doesn’t want him.

It also frustrates me how much focus people put on the bonus chapter. It was a Bonus. Chapter. Not included in every copy. Only certain editions have it. Meaning it wasn’t an important piece of plot. It was just extra fluff to get us excited for the Elriel drama to happen in Elain’s book.

imo the best way to avoid engaging with antis is following the ship tag that you like and then follow all the ppl who creates blogs using the ship tag! just follow and scroll down the elriel and pro elriel tag and then you will discover so many incredible elriel bloggers on here. follow as many as u can! 😆 and if you encounter any antis blogs, just block them! these are few of the amazing elriel bloggers on here:

@elainsgirl @nikethestatue @psychologynerd @greenleaf777 @bloomriel @murkyrealms @merymoonbeam @protectionelainsquad @lunaatthezoo (her fanfics are amazing) @thesoftquietdreamerdiary @bright-side20