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extremely-judgemental · 6 months ago

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Long Post

One of the questions in the game was this.

Who is worse?

Azriel: For his “three sisters for three brothers” entitlement

Elain: For choosing to dally with a male while her mate was in the same house, whom she refuses to accept or reject even after a year of knowing of the bond

The result was obvious. Azriel won this round. But I’m gonna be a little controversial here.

Before proceeding, I want to emphasise that Azriel’s beliefs are disturbing, his entitlement is wrong, and the gifting of the discarded necklace (in addition to what it stood for) to Gwyneth is downright disrespectful. Also, Elain has the right to time and space to heal and pursue whoever and however she wants.

Fair warning: I am anti-elucien and anti-elriel. I hate both ships when I otherwise don’t give two fucks about romances. The following is purely a logical analysis based on the characters alone and the impact of their actions. I love analogies and hypotheticals, this will be full of it. And MANY sections because there’s too much going on for me to keep track of and I’m too tired to edit this. Good luck keeping up.

Azriel

Azriel has been in love with Morrigan all his life and only ever made a move once, after he found her close to death. Since her rejection, he leaves her alone. He has been living with this humiliation for five centuries.

When Morrigan flirts with Helion in Dawn Court, Azriel disappears for that night. He exhibits similar behaviour during the solstice party choosing to isolate himself around Lucien and Elain.

Given his low self-esteem, he wouldn’t actively seek another woman. He would repress his urges and desires like everything else. And so, he doesn’t pursue Elain openly.

It’s not to disregard his attitude towards Lucien but Azriel wouldn’t declare the Blood Duel only because of his belief. And if he did, that would be public humiliation if Elain rejected him and favoured her mate instead.

His confidence only comes to the surface after he is convinced Elain wants him, which is understandable—fighting for someone who loves him. Her interest in him reinforces the idea that she is wrongfully ‘given’ to another.

Also, this take by @goldenspringmornings explains his perspective very well.

#also imo it’s not even really that creepy of him #azriel is an abuse victim who’s likely not even aware of the toxic relationship he’s stuck in #he’s seen twice now that self worth and happiness with in the ic is dependent on having a mate #and more specifically an archeron sister through cassian and rhysand #he’s desperate for elain because the people closest to him are modeling/encouraging that sort of behavior #it’s not even really about elain herself it’s that he wants to fit in with the ic and have that sort of happiness he’s been searching for #for centuries that rhys/cass just had handed to them

Elain

After the solstice party, the two run into each other and exchange presents. Acceptable. But later, Elain is the one initiating intimacy by asking Azriel to help with the necklace.

Elain has the right to figure herself out and what she wants out of life, and if that life includes her mate. She deserves that chance and choice. But, did she have to do it the one night Lucien was in the court, let alone the same house? Why did she pick this exact moment when she and Azriel lived in the same city?

Let’s not dismiss Elain as naive. The first time she talks to Lucien, she says that she can hear his heartbeat through the walls. (And the worms in dirt and leaves and more which I don’t particularly remember) Someone with such awareness of fae abilities and her still almost kissing another man, or going beyond that, when Lucien is merely rooms away is quite brutal and heartless.

Elain, moreover, knows what she is doing. She has been living with Rhysand and Feyre since she turned fae. Even without understanding the bond, Elain saw the pain Feyre was in when Rhysand briefly died during the war and she witnesses their relationship every day in River House. She doesn’t have to fully accept the concept of it but she can’t be that blind to it unintentionally either. (Do not bring in ‘Rhysand is manipulative’ and ‘Elain is protecting herself’ here. The narrative is biased in favour of Feysand, this will never be acknowledged, and Rhysand is Elain’s future bestie. She’s not going to be scared of him. Let’s move on.)

Assuming, Elain is in the ‘I won’t yet accept I’m a fae’ mentality like Nesta was in Silver Flames, the only thing that comes close to a mating bond by human standards is a forced betrothal. If she didn’t want to learn about it, she should at least be curious about how to escape it, and instead, she is stringing her mate along while simultaneously pursuing another. Since the plot is set in medieval times, that’s scandalous for a proper lady.

‘Elain doesn’t owe Lucien’

I agree. She doesn’t owe a proper relationship because of the bond. But Lucien never pressured her. He gets her presents when he visits and checks on her, all out of courtesy. Not to forget, he isn’t over Jesminda and believes even after her death that she was meant to be his mate.

As of now, Elain has complete freedom over her life. In Frost and Starlight, Feyre barely tries to talk Elain into giving Lucien a chance and backs off immediately when Elain opposes. Morrigan too advises Feyre not to meddle.

The only pressure is the mating bond itself. And iirc the distance helps to tamper it and that’s why Lucien chooses mortal lands over Night and has his own home in Velaris.

So, there is no ‘owing’ in the narrative? Although, she does owe an answer or, at the least, an honest conversation.

‘Azriel should back off because of the bond’

This is a man who has been waiting for a woman to reciprocate his feelings for 500 years. Why would he throw away the little attention he is receiving from someone for the first time? If anything, it explains why Azriel is being aggressive and protective of it.

Also, Lucien is neither a friend nor a brother for him to be considerate as he is with Cassian and Morrigan. He has no reason to prioritise Lucien’s feelings over his own. That almost kiss, in his mind, is essentially Elain rejecting her mate.

Why would he care about Lucien when he is just a pawn for Night? Besides, Azriel doesn’t have as much loyalty to his court as he does to Rhysand.

If Elain picks Azriel, will he be expected to respect the bond and send her off with Lucien or will there be an outcry that Elain’s ‘choice’ is more important? Will he be expected to put Lucien’s sanity above Elain’s wants?

Is Elain ever responsible for anything?

If Elain chooses Azriel, Lucien will leave Night entirely and live with Band of Exiles untethered from the Inner Circle.

If Elain chooses Lucien, Azriel will continue to pine quietly, only for a different woman, until he finds his mate.

If Elain chooses literally any other person, the reactions of the two men will remain the same.

Aren’t her deeds so far dictating how these men act around her?

If matters had escalated on the solstice night, what then? None of the Inner Circle likes Lucien. Rhysand reprimands only Azriel because of the political stakes. He goes as far as to manipulate Azriel by bringing Morrigan into conversation after choosing to stay silent in that matter for so long. He had no issues interfering in Nesta’s life for his brother, but he let Elain alone when Lucien is integral to his court and he has witnessed Azriel’s suffering for centuries?

And let’s say, Lucien is aware of what transpired that night. Who would truly care about him? He is not the kind to confront Elain as he definitely hasn’t exuded any entitlement towards her. If he did, who would take his side? In fact, his emotional state will be exploited to further belittle him and remind him how he wronged another Archeron sister.

Honestly, whenever Elain is involved, none of the other characters can ever win because ‘Elain is Elain’.

She isn’t a fool to not know her actions will lead to conflict between the two men. Will she be blamed for hurting Lucien or going for Azriel while being mated?

If anything, this will be Morrigan 2.0. One is already labelled ‘entitled’ for merely bringing presents and the other is reduced to a horny man-child. But as long as they fight each other while Elain ends up scot-free and with a comfortable life, the consequences be damned.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate that she is exploring her options. With Azriel, she might feel ‘seen’ which is what she wants. She also gets that with Lucien (proven in their first meeting) although she is ignoring him in a way to resist the bond. My problem is that she goes for another man when Lucien could probably hear or sense what she is doing, and I believe, it is intentional on her part. She is running away from making a decision and indirectly pushing Lucien to do it for her.

So ultimately, for me, the deciding factor on the ‘three sisters analogy’ is: Would Azriel have still challenged Lucien if Elain showed no interest in him? This is very telling from the fact that he didn’t woo her even when they were alone. Elain makes the first move. Elain consents to the kiss without being asked.

IT STILL DOESN’T GIVE HIM THE RIGHT TO BE THAT ARROGANT BECAUSE OF SOME ATTENTION THOUGH. THAT WAS STILL GROSS. (Stating it again before someone twists my words against me.) He does need to do A LOT of healing before he approaches any woman romantically.

Azriel is twisted, I admit. His feelings aren’t entirely genuine or good-natured although it’s understandable given the circumstances. Also, he lacks certain awareness to grasp concepts regarding relationships and boundaries, which all go back to his past and the toxicity in Inner Circle. At the end of the day, his thoughts are just that and haven’t gone beyond threats so far.

The same can’t be said for Elain. This behaviour combined with everything we know of her comes off as selfishness (which I am not going to repeat). Knowing her actions will inevitably hurt someone, or solely intended to push Lucien away, is just manipulation.

In her book, this will be sympathised with as her rebellion, her passive-aggressive stance to resist the bond especially when its pull is stronger because of the proximity. IF THIS EVER IS ADDRESSED. All of her actions will be blamed on her lost love and trauma.

Everyone is fixating on Azriel which is overshadowing Elain’s cruelty. And the ones who notice it like to go with ‘women’s choice’, when in no way, Elain is choiceless in this specific scenario. She can choose to accept or reject the bond whenever she wants and live with whoever she wants. Inner Circle will stop or stand by Azriel depending on her choice. Inner Circle will continue to protect her from Lucien until she shows any feelings for him and then look for a way to ground him in Velaris (unless Feyre gives the okay to let her sister leave).

The plot until now revolved around her sisters and that’s why we know so little about what she’s doing in the background. But the prolonged timeframe and Elain’s inactivity don’t paint her as a simple, harmless woman dealing with her trauma, but as someone who is exploitative and prefers to hide behind someone on purpose. It’s not enough to throw in an ‘I’m sick of being invisible’ or ‘I’m not a toy to be won over’ dialogue around when her actions speak for themselves. No amount of blaming her chosen mask on others (Nesta) is going to undo all this.

If you’re still confused about whose side I’m on: Azriel is lame but I get him. Elain is bad. Lucien is an angel and everyone in Night should leave him tf alone.

#apparently brevity is not my suit #like AT ALL #if you read this to the end you are more invested in this drama than you should be #ignore that it's coming from someone who wrote this #praying that tumblr algorithm doesn't screw me over this time #azriel critical #pro lucien #anti elain #anti elriel #anti elucien #anti rhysand #anti feyre #anti cassian #anti morrigan #anti feysand #pro nesta #anti acotar #anti sjm

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