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Feysand

“But I couldn't ... I couldn't stop being around you, and loving you, and wanting you. I still can't stay away." - ACOMAF ch. 54

Nessian

"Why do you bother, Cassian?" “Because I can't stay away." - ACOWAR ch. 17

Elriel

“You are to stay away from her." "You can't order me to do that." - ACOSF BC

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Azriel hides behind silence. He always has. He made his pain into discipline, wrapped his shame in shadows and pressed his longing into the quiet, calling it control. He is the master of vanishing of pretending the pain doesn't exist if he doesn't look at it. But then there's Elain. Soft voiced, doe eyed Elain, who lived in silence too not because it protects her, but because no one ever thought to listen. She doesn't flinch from the quiet like others do. She makes it gentle, makes it safe. Because she knows silence can hold whole truths without ever needing a sound. And that's how she reads him. Not by asking ,not by demanding. Just by being... Present ,Warm like the sun.

She notices the way his hand flexes when it brushes hers. She hears the shift in his breath when he's holding back. She notices when his shadows vanish around her, how his voice softens when he talks to her. She knows when he's hiding pain behind a calm voice, and she doesn't need to hear the whole story to understand his heart.

She sees him ,not as the Spymaster but as a male aching to be known without having to explain himself, and for the first time, he lets himself be seen.

Because she doesn't try to pull the truth from him. She just offers a quiet place that makes him feel safe enough to want to share it. And he realizes, She is fluent in the language he's spent his whole life hiding in. And maybe without ever meaning to, she gave him what he didn't know he was longing for ;the permission to be just himself ,Azriel.

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So in regards to the quote Sarah signed on the giant ACOTAR book, here is some context for that quote;

A line that signifies a shift in personality, in particular the shedding of Feyre’s human persona in favor of her new stronger abilities as Fae.

Interestingly we also get a quote about Nesta that similarly relates her to a wolf:

Nesta never belonged among the humans, always too wild and destined for something greater.

It appears that the author is very fond of associating the Archeron sisters with wolf imagery. And then of course we have this:

Elain “growing claws” as she begins to shift away from her more passive personality traits. Almost like a wolf in sheep’s clothes.

And to top it all off.

Brave when she has to be, like a cornered wolf. Signifying the flouting of her human traits and persona, much like what Feyre experienced.

SJM associated both Nesta and Feyre with wolves, and there is no way she will not do the same with Elain. Elain is not what she seems, stifled and hidden by the boundaries of circumstance and society. But when she is called upon, the claws come out. Kicking off the cauldron, slamming her feet into Hybern hounds, stabbing the King of Hybern. She was never a sheep, people just were too consumed by the teeth and claws of her sisters to notice Elain had those same defenses too.

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Azriel never had a bad track. “Chain me to a tree, Rhys, go ahead. I'll rip it out of the ground and fly with it on my damned back. BANGER. “Be careful how you speak about my high lady” ICONIC. “I’m getting her back.” LIFE CHANGING. “Hold tight,” he ordered her, “and don’t make a sound.” UNMATCHED.

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This is just rambling not a full on theory post so...

You know how Im obsessed with void? I've always been bc cauldron had void in it..so YEARS AGO while I was scrolling through Sarah's pinterest board she had this image saved and now with all the cc books we have the actual void which makes me question how this play out.

"The Cauldron purred in Elain’s presence as the King of Hybern slumped to his knees, clawing at the knife jutting through his throat. Elain backed away a step."

and the photo is a hound?? and a girl....hmmm hmmm

You know....Im kinda into it.

My void theories are linked in my pinned post you can find them there 🫡🫡🫡

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Friendly reminder that Azriel has a rebellious nature. He’ll follow and respect Rhys’ orders, but only for a short period of time. To think that he’ll stay away from Elain forever is not understanding his character.

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We're born hearing the song of the wind

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How much does Mor actually know?

She has known Azriel for many years, so i truly believe if she would have told him she likes women or rejected him, Azriel would just understand and respect her decision.

I believe she is also aware that he would understand her, respect her decision and well move on and fall in love with someone else. But she lets him pin on her for years and years, i believe she knows something, or who might Azriel need to fall in love with, so she can't let him go and maybe fall for someone early before he can meet his actual promised love. Which only happens when Azriel is starting to move on first, after meeting Elain that starts and gains his attention.

...

Also hot take, but if a king will rise to rule all the highlords, we already know after SJM style, will be a queen, not a king, and Mor is the most fitted, having 3 brothers 3 sisters, and maybe 3 troves next to her.

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The timeline has always been pretty clear, so i don't know why that side is acting surprised right now.

Sjm has only addressed Elain and Lucien 3 times (2 in 2016) and one time in 2017.

The last one was during a Q&A during the Tower of Dawn Tour and giving how Acofas/Acosf turned out, i think we all have the answer for the question it was posed :

INTERVIEWER: So the next question is from Abigail, and says: Will Elain accept the mating bond with Lucien? And congrats on your announcement!

SJM: (people cheering) Aw, thank you! So if you guys don't know what we're talking about... I'm preggers. (Laughter and cheers) --talks about it some more before coming back to topic--

You... might get an answer to Elain's fate in the upcoming spin off books. I'm not gonna tell you when. Once you read ACOFAS, you may get a sense of the timeline and layout and things, but I've been planning and thinking... I know everyone's fate and (hesitates and laughs) romantic situation.

Interviewer: Not ominous, at all.

SJM: (literally cackles maniacally) Jusf - I have so many secrets I'm keeping from you guys!

Charlie Bowater: How do not let anything slip?

SJM: I live in constant terror of just accidentally being like, "oh and by the way these people are mates. Surprise!" I have no self-restraint in any regards except trying to keep secrets. (...)

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So what would be the other power Elain has?

Something just popped in my mind so i head to write it.

I am in the last book of ToG series so it's true i don't know yet how it's ending but i hope won't change much my current train of thought.

Now about Elain,

We know she is a seer but we also get hinted that she was gifted with powers so might be more.

What if her power is fire?

She is a good gardener and described as the sun. Sun helps the plants grow(even tho some bloom at night). Elain also is an anagram to Aelin. I am not saying they are related but what if that was a hint from the very beginning of her hidden power.

Nesta is like the moon and has the silver flames. Elain is a sun and will have the hot flames.

Also the stronger the light, the darker the shadow. She is matching complementary Azriel as well.

I need the book, my mind wilding with too many thoughts..

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“Why don’t you ship Elain with her mate? Don’t you know Sarah is a fated mates author?!”

Let’s take a look at Elain’s mate vs….

The person Feyre pictured with Elain and smiled.

“Autumn Court males have fire in their blood—and they fuck like it, too.”…Lucien caught me cringing at him when her words replayed for the tenth time an hour later…I shook my head, trying not to imagine Elain subject to that…fire.

“And 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.

The person willing to save her himself.

Lucien was shaking his head, panting, and whirled to us. “Get her back,” he snarled at Tamlin over the ranting of the king.

From the shadows near the entrance to the tent, Azriel said, as if in answer to some unspoken debate, “I’m getting her back.” Nesta slid her gaze to the shadowsinger. Azriel’s hazel eyes glowed golden in the shadows. Nesta said, “Then you will die.” Azriel only repeated, rage glazing that stare, “I’m getting her back.”

The person who made her feel at ease during their first meeting.

As Lucien took off his jacket, kneeling before Elain. She cringed away from the coat, from him

But Azriel’s attention was on my sister, a polite, bland smile on his face. Her shoulders loosened a bit.”

The person she can sit in comfortable silence with.

It was the most uncomfortable thirty minutes I could recall.

Elain sat silently at one of the wrought-iron tables, a cup of tea before her. Azriel was sprawled on the chaise longue across the gray stones, sunning his wings and reading what looked to be a stack of reports—likely information on the Autumn Court that he planned to present to Rhys once he’d sorted through it all. Already dressed for the Hewn City—the brutal, beautiful armor so at odds with the lovely garden. And my sister sitting within it.

The person who knew she didn’t need anything.

Lucien murmured to me, eye still fixed on Elain, “Should we—does she need …?”

“She doesn’t need anything,” Azriel answered without so much as looking at Lucien. Elain was staring at the spymaster now—unblinkingly. “We’re the ones who need …” Azriel trailed off. “A seer,” he said, more to himself than us. “The Cauldron made you a seer.”

The person who understood her and saw her when no one else did.

��Did you sense anything?” “No—I didn’t have time. I felt her, but …” A blush stained his cheek. Whatever he’d felt, it wasn’t what we were looking for.

Lucien just stared and stared at my sister, as if he’d never seen her before.

It made sense, I supposed, that Azriel alone had listened to her. The male who heard things others could not…Perhaps he, too, had suffered as Elain had before he understood what gift he possessed.

The person Elain enjoys spending time with.

Elain, at least, would be too polite to send Lucien away when he wanted to help. She was too polite to send him away on a normal day. She just ignored him or barely spoke to him until he got the hint and left.

Azriel and Elain remained in the sitting room, my sister showing him the plans she’d sketched to expand the garden in the back of the town house, using the seeds and tools my family had given her tonight. Whether he cared about such things, I had no idea.

The person she has palpable chemistry with.

Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing. Elain only shrank further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen.

Then his gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it. Between them. Elain’s breath caught slightly, and she gave him a shallow nod of greeting before brushing past, leading Nesta into the room.

The person who gives her a gift that she wants to wear right away.

He and Lucien did not exchange gifts, though the male had brought a gift for Feyre and one for his mate, who barely thanked him after opening the pearl earrings.

“It's beautiful," she whispered, lifting it from the box. The golden faelight shone through the little glass facets, setting the charm glowing with hues of red and pink and white. Azriel let his shadows whisk away the box as she said softly, "Put it on me?"

The person who looks at her and only thinks of her.

But there she was. His mate. She was nothing like Jesminda.

Soft steps padded from under the stair archway, and there she was. The faelights gilded Elain's unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn.

This supposed “fated mates author” has made it really difficult for me to ship Elain with her mate when a much more compatible option is right there. Four books with moments that solidify Azriel as the person for Elain, mate or not.

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What Elriels have no issue with:

Gw*nriels - “I just think Az and Gwyn might be cute together! I love Gwyn and her warrior/priestess plot, as well as her survivor storyline! Azriel and Gwyn had a fun moment and I want to read a “what if” scenario in fanfic. Plus, their intimate scenes would be hot.”

El*ciens - “I just like the idea of Elain and Lucien accepting the mating bond and growing together! I love a Fox and Fawn aesthetic for them. The “what if” scenario of them and the Day Court is really cool! They’re both great characters and I want them to be happy, and I believe they can find that in each other.”

What Elriels have an issue with:

Gw*nriels - “Gwyn and Azriel are 100% MATES! They are canon! Elriel died in the bonus chapter! In fact, Elain and Azriel never had any romantic chemistry or moments at all! Ever! Azriel only lusts for Elain! Elain can’t have Azriel’s babies, but Gwyn can because of her “pliant bones”, so they’re obviously endgame. Elain and is boring and useless so Azriel deserves better! Gwyn is going to save Illyria and solve the Koschei plot and her and Az are going to train and have kinky sex the whole time!”

El*ciens - “LUCIEN deserves happiness! Poor sweet Lulu deserves a mate, so Elain HAS to give him a chance! She needs to beg him first, though. Lots of groveling, and only THEN will they live happily ever after. AWAY from the Night Court, of course! Elain can’t be with her family or friends anymore, or enjoy the life she’s made, even if she has said she belongs in the Night Court. She doesn’t mean it! She needs SUNSHINE, because she likes(is??) a flower! So her and Lucien will somehow take over the Day Court (Helion won’t die though because he’s hot). Elain is too boring/useless/feminine to be anything besides some sort of court lady for Lucien. Seer powers? Koschei? Hints of spy work? Not important! She just needs to support Lucien as his story is told and he gets what he’s owed (Day Court? Spring Court? Autumn Court? Can’t keep up at this point…). Elain was always going to be with Lucien BECAUSE THEY ARE MATES AND SHE HAS TOO, and thinking she would ever be with Azriel is delusional!”

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It's a complete wild thought and far fetched but i would love to read how Elain controls the cauldron and changes the mating bond.

Making sure that Az will never see from now on that him falling in love for her as a mistake.

Setting it in stone by making the bond, just for him to learn that he is worthy to love and be loved, and in fact, he is not allowed to run away from her anymore.

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“Love would trump even a mating bond.”

“Love would trump even a mating bond.”

“Love would trump even a mating bond.”

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Feyre watching Lucien and Elain together : « It was the most uncomfortable thirty minutes I could recall »

Feyre watching Azriel and Elain together : « Why not make them mates? »

Feyre imagining Lucien and Elain together : « I shook my head, trying not to imagine Elain subject to that … fire. »

Feyre imagining Azriel and Elain together : « I smiled at the thought—at how handsome they would be together. »

Nesta to the idea of Lucien near to Elain : « If you bring that male anywhere near her, I’ll »

Nesta when Azriel is near to Elain : « Nesta monitored him like a hawk, but kept silent as Elain took his hand, and out they went »

Nesta noticing how Elain look at Azriel : « Then his gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it. Between them. Elain’s breath caught slightly »

Nesta noticing how Elain look at Lucien : « Her brown eyes were wary. Usually, that look was reserved for Lucien. The male was definitely in the family room, »

Bonus : Nesta trusting Azriel with Elain’s safety :

« Nesta met his stare, knowing he was the only one aside from Feyre who could truly understand her hesitation. We won’t make the same mistake twice. She believed him » (Also, I always find it funny when she says that Azriel was the only one aside Feyre to understand her hesitation. No mention of Lucien)

Conclusion : Nesta and Feyre are Elriels.

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Azriel & Morrigan vs. Azriel & Elain

Azriel around Morrigan:

Azriel around Elain:

*titters and explodes*

My man CANNOT keep it together.

I need this angst and pining.

There is a lot to unpack about Azriel and Morrigan. I think there is more to it than he's had a crush on her for 500 years but never made a move because he considers himself unworthy. It's important to note that is *Morrigans* interpretation of his actions, but these two obviously don't communicate and the inner circle is largely oblivious about Azriel's innter thoughts.

I also think the biggest possible plothole in all of the SJMverse would be for Azriel, the only person whom Nesta trusted to keep eyes on Elain while she scryed again, does not know our babygirl is queer. If Sarah comes out and says explicity: Azriel had no idea Morrigan was interested in women! I would say: Sarah, respectfully, you are lying. I have a theory on Mor and Az, but it is one I've heard has gotten other posters bullied off the internet. I'll see if I'm brave enough after a few more posts!

However, with all this supposed pining for Mor, it has never interrupted family dinners or his ability to be around Mor and work together. Less than two years around Elain Archeron and our little solstice and family dinner loving Bat Boy cannot even stand to show up at Solstice and stays by the door in case he has to leave.

Just rip my heart out and stomp on it, why don't you?

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Azriel needs someone who can handle his darkness.

"Elain had always seen every horrible part of her and decided to stick by her anyway."

Nesta, Chapter 17 in ACOSF

"She had been born wrong. Had been born with claws and fangs and had never been able to keep from using them, never been able to quell the part of her that roared at betrayal, that could hate and love more violently than anyone ever understood. Elain had been the only one who perhaps grasped it."

Nesta, Chapter 49 in ACOSF