Tricky to Write

Elain and Lucien are mates? The first set of mates we learn about are not a love match. We are told time and time again that the mate bond can pick poorly. So unless the characters are also in love, that bond is nothing more than the cauldron's opinion.

Elain's half step towards Lucien? The motivation is left explicitly vague, with Feyre (the narrator) unsure of Elain's feelings in that moment. Mind you this is immediately after we find out Elain is a Seer. It is just as likely that she knew of or had seen something that related to Lucien/Vassa that she considered sharing and chose not to. Add to this Elain immediately turning around and walking away, which instantly undermines the action entirely.

Elain asking Lucien if he is ok after the war? Elain's entire character has been described as caring, and polite. Lucien asked her how she was, and she responded in a completely normal way. Replace Lucien with Mor or Rhys or literally anyone else and you would have had the exact same reaction from Elain. Everything between Elain and Lucien can be boiled down to Elain not being an asshole.

Azriel's reaction to Gwyn? Almost all of Azriel's association with Gwyn is the fact that they train together and her voice/breath drew his attention. That is literally it. A private dagger lesson? You realize that was at Gwyn's request right? If Emrie or any of the other Priestesses had asked for that training he would have done it for them too.

Hearing Gwyn's laugh, his shadows reacting to her breath and singing, him magically finding himself doing something kind for her at the exact time she is singing for evening mass? All explained by Lightsinger magic and mirrored in interactions Gwyn has had with Nesta. Two extremely plausible reasons, that is all you need.

For Elain and Azriel? Azriel carrying Elain, offering to show her the garden, taking her to the garden, always being the one to winnow her. Never showing Nesta any of that same care? Oh he is just being polite. It is his job to be nice to her.

Azriel being the one to discover Elain is a Seer after Madja said a mate would know what was wrong with Elain? Well that is just Azriel looking for a weapon for the Night Court, that is why he did that. Ignoring the fact that Azriel could have absolutely kept that information to himself and only shared it with Rhys rather than personally telling Elain. Didn't they hide information about Nesta's power from her? Shouldn't the Spymaster have done the same when it came to Elain if his only concern was her value as a weapon?

Azriel offering to help Elain, spending time listening to her talk about her garden, Elain buying Azriel a gift, Azriel being defensive of Elain again (just Elain never Nesta), Azriel rescuing Elain from certain death, Azriel giving Elain his most prized possession? Oh yeah he is just being polite again. Well all of these moments are stated as being exclusive and special to Azriel and Elain, so how is that just polite? They are like siblings! It's not romantic.

Azriel and Elain buying each other thoughtful gifts (again) and wanting to bone each other in graphic detail? Well that is just lust! In fact it is disgusting and has no place in a romance novel!

So it is just platonic until it is not, then it is just lust. It isn't anything special, until it is, then it is because they are like siblings. Effort isn't important, until it is stated as being so and then it is "just his job."

Got it, Elriel are platonic, siblings, that want to fuck because it is Azriel's job to be nice to Elain and also Elain is a just a Night Court weapon who buys Azriel beautiful gifts and they are both gross for being attracted to each other in a romance novel. Yep that's definitely what the author wanted you to take away from this series.

1) Elain didn't grow vegetables she only grew flowers:

- ACOTAR page 11 from Feyre's perspective "It still hadn't stopped me from buying her seeds for the flower garden."

- ACOTAR page 258 Feyre speaking about Elain "- about her plans to start another garden by the greenhouse, perhaps a vegetable garden, if she could learn enough about it over the next few months."

Literally book 1 we are told Feyre gifted Elain flower seeds, and Elain did not know how to grow a vegetable garden. Interestingly though, once Elain has the means she does plan to learn that valuable skill. She no longer needs to grow vegetables but she chooses to try and learn. That is growth.

2) Elain and Nesta are equally bad in ACOTAR.

- ACOTAR page 11 from Feyre's perspective "- it wasn't that Elain was cruel. She wasn't like Nesta-"

From the first chapter of the series we are told the sisters motivations. We can see that Elain is being set up as the Anastasia to Feyre's Cinderella, while Nesta is alluded to being the Driscilla. It's not even moderately subtle, one is stated as naive while the other is cruel. You can dislike that take but it is Feyre's perspective and this is her part of the story.

- ACOTAR page 11 from Feyre's perspective "And it hadn't stopped her from buying me three small tins of paint -"

The way so many readers glaze over the paints is honestly diabolical. Ignoring the fact that these paints are brought up multiple times throughout the series it is a clear indication in the first chapter of ACOTAR that Elain cared about Feyre. Elain did something for Feyre. Maybe not in the way she needed to, but she did more for Feyre than their father or Nesta did as far as we know.

3) Elain doesn’t do anything

- ACOTAR page 253 from Feyre's perspective "-Elain said, hooking elbows with me. "Come inside. We'll show you the house!"

- ACOTAR page 256 from Feyre's perspective "You should come with me ... but you and I ... Oh, we'd have fun wouldn't we?!"

- ACOTAR page 258 from Feyre's perspective "Instead I spent most of my time with Elain in her little garden."

- ACOTAR page 258 Feyre speaking about Elain "- a woman I found myself proud to know, to call sister."

- ACOTAR page 260 Feyre speaking about Elain "- Elain had said she missed it - a shelter from a world that possessed so little good, but she tried to find it anyway" ... "She had looked at that cottage with hope ... And I knew which one of us had been stronger."

- ACOTAR page 272 from Feyre's perspective "Elain, to my surprise, had a horse, a satchel of food, and supplies ready -" ... She nodded, tears in her eyes. "I would have liked to see the continent with you Feyre."

As far as supporting characters go, Elain is the only Archeron who really treats Feyre like family. Elain welcomed Feyre home, and when the glamor wore off helped Feyre leave. She displays joy at Ferye's return and gladly spends time with her sister. Elain even makes plans to travel with Feyre. Elain is the symbol of hope and light that Feyre fights to protect. Being kind and caring and inspiring is not nothing.

I know other Elriels have made posts on this so please link those in the comments or reposts, this is just my short list of overlapping themes I found:

- First off the Snow Queen begins with the description “A fairytale in seven stories” now doesn’t that sound familiar.

- Roses: flowers in general are a huge part of the Snow Queen but the story literally begins with the main characters (Gerta and Kai) enjoying roses. It’s giving staying up till 3:00am to talk about gardening plans.

- Kai is impacted by magic (mirror shards to his eyes and heart) and that ends up freezing him. Azriel has had frozen and freezing imagery associated with him for some time now.

- Speaking of the mirror, the shards impact Kai’s eyes and heart, influencing what he sees and how he feels. This is interesting because when Azriel leaves the necklace for Gwyn he specifically states that “he could see it, for whatever reason” before burying the “spark in his chest”. It’s almost like the Light Singers influence is taking the place of the mirror shards in this case. Influencing what Azriel sees and feels.

- Gerta, the main girl character, is not a fighter. She achieves everything through her persistence and her kindness. Basically everyone she meets falls in love with her. Isn’t Elain said to be “able to get anyone to do anything with a few smiles”.

- Tears are a common thematic element of the Snow Queen and Elain has been consistently associated with tears as a form of emotional expression.

- An elderly woman states that Gerta’s innocence, pure heart and kindness are greater than any magic that could be given to her. Maybe like Elain’s ability to look at the world with hope being stated as a quiet strength?

- Song plays a significant role in the beginning and ending to this fairytale. Kai and Gerta sing to the flowers they grow, then when Gerta saves Kai she sings that same song to him which helps unfreeze his heart.

- There are plenty more but the last I will highlight is Gerta prays for help and golden angels come down to defend her. In ACOSF Elain is the only one praying when Feyre is dying. And what is more Elain prays to the Mother. Who then shows up to save some of Nesta’s power? The Mother … was she summoned by prayer?

So considering this, what is to come? Well there are several plot points in this story that could be used or could be left out, but I strongly suspect Azriel will be captured and Elain will go to save him. And I think it is very likely she will learn or sing a song that breaks through Azriel’s entrapment, or potentially use the harps magic.

Poetry? ✔️

Song reference? ✔️

Beautiful? ✔️

And I am supposed to think Sing Me is literally about anyone else?

Not for nothing the BC also ensured that both Elain and Azriel have now been victimized by sirens calls. A struggle only they share (lest we forget Gwyn was exposed to pieces of the Cauldron in Sangravah - that is why Hybern attacked after all). Perhaps that is what the book of breathing really hints at, how specific connections can be either uplifting or damaging.

Love me Feyre being loved by Tamlin vs Feyre being loved by Rhys.

Touch me Nesta being touched by Cassian vs Nesta being touched by random males.

Sing Me Elain being called to by Azriel vs lured by the Cauldron (this could work for Azriel too, Elain calling to him vs the song of a LightSinger)

While some people have chosen to read this conversation as deeply romantic, I have always viewed it as more of a reminder of Azriel’s abilities. Gwyn asks Azriel if he sings as it relates to his power being a Shadowsinger. Azriel states that being a Shadowsinger is a title, but confirms he does sing. To me this goes back to the “sing me” portion of the book of breathing. A subtle nod to the reader that singing is a piece of Azriel’s character/power, one which up until this point we have not fully explored or explained. It’s that gentle reminder to “pay attention” sort of like how Feysands bonus chapter told us Elain is more than what we have seen so far.

For readers to interpret this conversation as deeply romantic instead of a character revelation, ignores that it never goes anywhere beyond Azriel’s abilities. Gwyn doesn’t get the chance to hear Azriel sing, she doesn’t express to him that singing is also a hobby of hers, they don’t talk about singing together (despite what some people have created in fanon). In fact Azriel makes sure the conversation never goes any further than “can you sing”. And as far as we know, Azriel has no idea Gwyn likes singing. If this conversation was meant to set up a deep connection it really missed the mark as there was ample opportunity to build on this “shared interest” and that did not happen in any capacity.

But it did focus the reader on what a Shadowsinger is and directly relates Azriel to singing 🎵. People can interpret the scene however they want (and they do unfortunately) but none of us should be surprised if nothing comes of it. The bonus chapter was never meant to alter the storyline, or reveal deep secrets that aren’t supported in the main story. It was just an opportunity to give the readers clues about what comes next for specific characters 🩷💙.

If you chose to make one half of the bonus chapter your entire personality that is called confirmation bias, and that is on you. But don’t come around and blame SJM if the whole interaction never comes up again. Your choice to rewrite the story to fit personal preference is not the authors fault.

🎵- Azriel

👁️- Elain

Sweet thing, trembling fawn, bloom, sing me

I was talking to one of my friends about the first book (she is a Lucien/Elain shipper 🙄) and I commented how I knew Feyre and Tamlin were doomed the moment Rhys fell away from Feyre. Don’t get me wrong there were plenty of hints before that, but that was the death blow in my mind. Her response was that she didn’t clock that at all. She did not realize Feyre and Tamlin were over until the wedding scene in book 2. Similarly I knew Feyre’s sisters would become Fae after Feyre spoke about them aging. My friend did notice that hint either.

Suffice it to say, after seeing so many posts from Elriels I have found that most if not all of us have recognized the foreshadowing and patterns in the text well before the “twist” happens. (The greatest surprise I personally have had during the entire series was being disappointed by how stale ACOSF was)

Probably the same reason Clotho was. The Priestesses as a group are being set up for a subplot. Rhys mentioned back in ACOMAF that the Priestesses are incredibly powerful and have been taken for granted by the High Lords for some time. Throw in an half a bonus chapter with Gwyn using magic that screams “I’m Light Singer” and now the potential of the Priestesses is higher than ever.

But what the bonus chapter ALSO did was take the introduction of that subplot and use it as a tool for comparison. The beginning and the ending of the bonus chapter are mirrors of each other. Both follow a similar trajectory and yet tell us completely opposing stories.

Each scene opens with Azriel running into Elain and Gwyn respectively. Azriel is happy to see Elain, while he considers avoiding Gwyn. The pairs engage in pleasant banter, but with Elain there is tension between them and deeper understanding. With Gwyn it is pretty standard small talk though the conversation doesn’t flow as naturally for Azriel. Elain and Azriel share intimate gifts with one another, a special experience unique to Solstice and a throw back to the their last Solstice together. Gwyn and Azriel train, nothing out of the ordinary as this is exclusively how these two interact. Elain and Azriel then crank up the heat on their relationship with blatant unrestricted touching. The climax here is an almost kiss that Rhys has to intervene (bastard) to stop. In the other case, Gwyn basically dismisses Azriel to continue her training alone. We get one last magical undertone and then the scene concludes. Azriel wanted to stay with Elain, he didn’t care to stay with Gwyn.

Then you have the foil, the break that interrupts the story, in the bonus chapter this is Rhys and Clotho. Rhys forces himself into Azriel’s interaction with Elain. He demands Azriel walk away from Elain and essentially threatens him. What follows is a passionate, angry, defiant argument that leaves both parties deeply unhappy. Azriel doesn’t want to stay away from Elain, he has to. In comparison Azriel chooses to insert Clotho as a mediator when it comes the Gwyn. He does not want to give the gift to Gwyn directly. He doesn’t even want Gwyn to know it came from him. He would even be fine if someone else received it. His tone is deliberately neutral, aloof. So much so that Clotho notices it. Azriel does not have to stay away from Gwyn. He chooses to. Even if the thought of her happiness made him happy, it was still not enough to warrant interaction.

Don’t get me wrong there are many flaws with the other ships in this fandom. But at the end of the day, SJM wrote Azriel and Elain to be together through scenes and imagery and that carries more weight than individual interpretations. SJM made Azriel the person to find out Elain’s power, she had Azriel lead Elain’s rescue. She had Azriel give Elain his prized possession. She had Azriel spend time with Elain on multiple occasions, had Azriel offer to help Elain, had Azriel constantly winnowing Elain. I don’t have to dismantle another ship, the canon text does by virtue of offering a clearly developed couple over the other theorized ones.

No other “ships” touch the interactions and associations Elain and Azriel have. And any time the constant slander spewed at Elriel starts to bother me I just remember that Azriel’s estate is called Rosehall. His PERSONAL residence where his mother very well lives is called ROSEhall.

Azriel was listening closely because finding out how Nesta is feeling about her immortality could shed light on how Elain is feeling. We all know Elain struggled more with becoming Fae, and I think this is one of the subtle examples of Azriel checking in on her without pushing her boundaries.

Ignoring the fact that Nesta got shoehorned into the crossover with Crescent City the smaller story for Nesta unfortunately makes a lot of sense. Prior to ACOSF, Nesta’s plot points were her personality, Cassian and a few mentions of her powers. All that to say the majority of Silver Flames was retconned and never mentioned in prior books.

- Nesta’s elite dancing skills? Never even hinted at. Apparently Elain was the only person to ever notice this insane talent and it just never came up.

- The Valkyrie? We got an entire page of dialogue about Nephelle and the Seraphim in ACOWAR but not one mention of this incredible female fighting squad? That makes absolutely no sense unless the Valkyrie was added by the author only for ACOSF.

- Making and unmaking objects? Well that would have been a very useful skill in ACOWAR, but nope not mentioned at all.

- The Dread Trove? Honestly this was probably the worst retcon in the story. This immensely important trove somehow made everyone forget it existed until it wanted to be found again? Ok …. Sure.

- Eris and Nesta? Fun fact these two met before. If a proper love triangle was to be set up, he should have shown interest in her at the High Lords meeting. Adding him to the mix seems like an attempt to give Nesta a choice in her partner, but there was not foundation for it (there easily could have been).

This lack of existing plot points is part of why Nesta’s journey is more focused on healing and self development. But there is only so much retconning that can be done. The only outstanding plot specifically for Nesta is the star sword, which if we’re being honest may not amount to much.

Elain in contrast has had multiple major plot lines since ACOWAR. Her love triangle is not only established (and questioned) it also has political ramifications. Elain’s visions have connected her to Koschei as she alone knows about the onyx box. She had multiple visions of Vassa and knows about the other girls Koschei keeps captive. Elain has wielded truth teller potentially unlocking unknown powers with it. She is also developing stealth skills in her free time and is best friends with spies. And none of that even touches on her healing arc and journey to self acceptance.

Elain has plot ties to Azriel, Vassa, Lucien, and Koschei right now, let alone what else could be added. And cherry on top - Elain is a seer, she is a walking spoiler. Getting her story will probably be information overload. Sorting through both what she is experiencing AND what she is seeing will take time. Hence the need for more page time.

All these biased fans claiming Nesta will get another book because she “deserves it” or is “SJMs favorite character” (where was that ever mentioned) are so out of touch with literature. The main plot lines have already been laid out and right now Nesta doesn’t fit in to any of them.

- Rhysand is the most powerful High Lord with daemati skills. His Mate Feyre is not only the first High Lady in existence, but also possess powers from every High Lord, including daemati skills. The unequivocal power couple of Pyrthian

- Cassian is an elite warrior with seven siphons of power, known as the Lord of Bloodshed. His mate is Lady Death, Nesta now an Illyrian trained Valkyrie whose literal power is death. Death, bloodshed, killing just normal couple things.

Then we have Elain and Lucien.

- Lucien whose gift is fire, is also the love child of the curse breaking High Lord of the Day Court. Lucien has never been a main player in the story, he has always been a “whole lot of nothing”(his words not mine) Lucien has never been the hero in someone’s story.

- Elain, the only known Seer in Pyrthian, who also happens to be developing spy like skills. Elain sees and hears things across space and time, and has used her powers for immense good. And yet even though she sees all, she has never felt truly seen by others. Still though she is a beacon of light to those around her, brightening the world with her kindness.

Not exactly complimentary. But then here are two other characters waiting in the wings.

- Vassa, a firebird Queen cursed by a Deathgod, robbed of her humanity every day and only allowed freedom at night. Imagine how much she would love to enjoy her days free of her fiery curse.

- Azriel, a Shadowsinger who literally talks to shadows. These shadows sneak across the world, finding and discovering things for him. Whispering to Azriel what they see and hear and find. He is also a spymaster, training other spies while being a spy himself. He is known for his heroic acts, including saving Elain. Azriel feels unworthy of love because he cannot see past his own darkness.

A cursed firebird Queen. A fire wielder who was sired by a curse breaker. A Seer who can see across the world and is developing spy like abilities. A Shadowsinger whose shadows stretch across the world and is also a Spy Master.

Gee I wonder which of these pairs fits better within the story.

I’m not even a huge Vassien shipper, they just narratively make sense. And the fact that Vassa is human actually makes their potential more compelling because Lucien started the series hating Humans.

And don’t get me started on Elain and Azriel, a man who spent his childhood robbed of sunlight and a woman who “glows like the sun at dawn.” Elain who no one listened to, Azriel heard her. Azriel couldn’t see past his own darkness but Elain always saw him and understood him. Light and dark. Sight and sound. Offer and permission.

And the current fan theories for who his mate might be in this genius fandom are *checks notes*:

- His best friend’s dead sister

- A female that lives in another universe

- A priestess who never leaves the library

But wait there is more! He has actually met and interacted with all of these females (unconfirmed for Rhys’s sister but highly likely). And despite knowing all these females and having nothing but time for the mate bond to snap … it never did.

And even better he has continued to have romantic feelings for two brown eyed beauties during the entire time he has known each of his alleged mates.

You know what is even crazier? Without any mating bond, Azriel has shown more care for the females his likes than any of his theorized mates. In the case of Elain he became so infatuated with her that he completely forgot his feelings for anyone else (including a 500 year crush).

So tell me again how Azriel not only has a mate (who he will leave Elain for) but he has also already met said mate and YET here we are with Azriel not mated to anyone.

And not for nothing, Azriel has only openly questioned the mating bond when it comes to Elain … almost like he doesn’t even consider anyone else as an option.

Elain’s imagery has consistently been associated with dawn.

“She glowed like the sun at dawn.”

“Soft and lovely like a summer dawn.”

I’m not making an insinuation that Elain will be apart of the Dawn Court, it is simply a motif exclusively associated with Elain. Not just in direct comparison like the quotes above, but also in the colors Elain wears.

It’s similar to color associations with other characters, Mor being red, Nesta in earth tones like grey, steel, silver. Reflections of their personalities and journeys through imagery.

And people are NOT SURE who these next books are about? One book is literally shadows and the other is pink gradient! This is not even slightly subtle. If you take those background designs out of the announcement context and just ask which ACOTAR characters fit each design, it would undoubtedly be Azriel and Elain.

And while these may not be “official” book covers they are also not nothing. Literally the publisher could have made the place holder images any color, any design, but they CHOSE those. Much like SJM choosing 🩷💙 to go along with her announcement. And for the music note in her announcement 🎵 the very last line from the Book of Breathing was SING ME. If we follow the theme of threes, that line belongs to Elain. And who is one of Elain’s love interests (really the only one) - a Shadowsinger.

So we have a shadow covered book, a blue heart (doesn’t someone have blue siphons), a music note, a bonus chapter POV, and a crossover appearance for a certain male lead. Then we have a pink book cover, really the gradient colors of dawn (now who is associated with dawn) a pink heart, and two bonus chapters discussing/centering a specific sister.