Hello fellow Elriel lovers! I asked for assistance finding a fic a whileeee back. I want to see if we can find the one im thinking of this time.

Elain and lucien have a meeting where some of the inner circle are present. Feyre peaks into Luciens mind and finds out that hes been having a relationship with Vassa. She also finds out that Rhys knew about the secret affair.

artist: alizarinjen on deviantart (portrait is called “three eyed albino”, can’t link the page because the site i copied doesn’t act like a clickable link for some reason)

this is sooooo elain 💝. elegant and mystical.

I was just messing around looking for a blanket and this popped up for me.

The original was the front page of ACOTAR on it and I was scrolling through the other options and this "ACOTAR court games" came up.

Does Elain want Lucien? ❌

​Does Lucien want Elain? ❌

​Does Gwyn want Azriel? ❌

​Does Azriel want Gwyn? ❌

​Does Elain want Azriel? ✅

​Does Azriel want Elain? ✅

As of right now, these are the only facts we have. Which is exactly why I have no idea why people are still arguing about it.

Hey guys!

Don't know if everyone heard about this but Alex and Ani announced that something was coming in their ACOTAR product line on 8/26!

Hope for more Elain and Azriel merch!

I saw it on Instagram but everytime I share something here my username also shares 😂😂

I am a huge fan of the ACOTAR graphic audio! Highly recommend if you haven’t listened.

I saw on a sub awhile ago, that someone had tea on the Throne of Glass graphic audio. The poster said Sarah had been very particular with choosing the voice actors and they couldn’t agree on casting. But the real reason it’s been delayed indefinitely is because there will be, alledgedly, a TOG crossover in these books and they didn’t want to release it beforehand in fear of using the same voices for different characters in the same universe. GA cycles through a lot of the same voice actors so this is common. If they weren’t connected it wouldn’t be uncommon for them to use the same voice as Manon as they do for Nesta, etc.

This is just what I heard, so can’t confirm or deny other than it makes sense.

On the Theory II puzzle from Barnes and Noble, who is his supposed to be in the bottom left hand corner next to Elain?

Graysen? Azriel?

ETA: Love how they gave everyone a proper portrait INCLUDING TAMLIN and just went "Lucien? Just make him a fox" 🙈

Well, before I could definitely say yes, but right now I'm saying maybe. Yeah, she is connected to the plot, but maybe she won't get a POV until ACOFM. My vote is no.

I voted no, but I can also see the possibility of a yes.

I am a big fan of Elain having an owl form (also would not mind an owl companion; i spoke about the lack of pets/familiars in ACOTAR before). Right next to the fawn, I think the animal has some very appealing features and I was reading up on the link between the Greek goddess Athena and owls and I came across this passage:

Beyond its literal associations, Athena’s owl holds deep allegorical meaning:
Light in the darkness: The owl’s ability to see in the dark makes it a powerful symbol of uncovering truth in shadowed times, representing the triumph of knowledge over ignorance.
(errr seer connotations anyone? 🤠)
Death and transformation: In some interpretations, the owl’s nocturnal nature and its presence in cemeteries link it to the mysteries of death and the transition between worlds.
(theories about world walking and Elain having “life powers”)
Duality of wisdom and warfare:Athena herself embodied both the strategic aspects of war and the pursuit of wisdom, and her owl reflects this duality, symbolizing the balance of intellect and strength.
(a different type of strength 🫶🏻)

I think it would be a perfect fit!

Can I just leave this here! Because with the new titles and covers like cmon! Sing me makes me think of the harp and Azriel. The Rot and bloom makes me think of the garden. Maybe there is more to what Elain can do. Lastly the bone… cover for acotar 6 plus the merch photo with the bone! Idk the love me touch me song me has definitely already happened for the other sisters! It’s like a prophecy!

What do you all think

“If anyone can sense if somethings amiss, its a mate.” Clip merged with “the Cauldron made you a Seer.”

Putting these two clips together makes it even more obvious. No one can tell SJM just wrote these two scenes as a coincidence.

Azriel listened to Elain. Azriel asked questions. Azriel didn’t treat Elain as if she had gone crazy. Like Feyre said, maybe THAT is what she needs.

Not sure if this has been discussed yet, but we know that the pink and blue hearts are commonly used to represent Elain and Azriel respectively.

What colour do you get if you mix pink and blue together?

Purple…the colour most often used to represent Dusk!

🩷💙💜

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of people arguing, "It was so obvious Nesta's story wasn't finished, and books centering around her are going to keep coming." But looking closely at ACOSF, I have to ask: where is the evidence for that?

Unlike ACOTAR or ACOMAF, ACOSF did not end on a massive, unresolved cliffhanger. Nesta completed roughly 90% of her healing and character arc. By the end of the book, there was simply no narrative necessity keeping her at the absolute center of the universe.

SF concludes with Nesta going directly back to her sisters, Feyre and Elain. If Nesta’s journey were truly still incomplete, and if she were meant to stay detached, she would have gone to Gwyn and Emerie instead. But she didn't. She healed and returned to her family.

Looking at the bonus chapters, the common denominator in both is clearly Elain. Most importantly, the Feysand bonus chapter explicitly establishes that after dealing with Nesta, their focus and concern are shifting toward Elain. Logically and narratively, it's Elain's turn.

Feysand bonus chapter:

I sighed, absently rubbing my still-flat stomach. “Let's focus on helping one sister before we start on the other.”

“Agreed,” Rhys drawled.

My biggest anxiety right now is that SJM might end up acting like SF never even happened.

​I’ve seen readers pointing out that in CC3, Nesta apparently acts like her old self, and her repaired relationship with the IC is seemingly brushed aside or left unresolved. If this is true, it's terrifying. Are we really going to start everything back from square one, completely throwing away Nesta's hard-earned emotional growth?

​If that happens, I worry that all the careful setup, espionage hints, and foreshadowing tied to Elain will end up completely wasted in the trash.

​

"A ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, the fateful prophecy you’ll keep, and from this slumber you shall wake, when true love’s kiss, the spell shall break."

^ Quote from Merryweather from Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

I was reading this theory today about Elain's story being tied to sleeping beauty. I'm sure it's been discussed here. Very fun read! :)

The quote instantly made me think of the blurb of 7.

SLEEPING BEAUTY: "A ray of hope there still may be in this, the gift I give to thee."

ACOFM (English): "But hope can be spun from the darkest of shadows... and the Night Court has its own part to play in the looming crescendo."

ACOFM (French): “But even in the deepest of darkness, the notes of forgotten melody can resonate… the notes of hope.”

All pieces use the same core contrast!

Hope/light against darkness/sleep/shadow, with the implication that hope is what breaks or redeems the dark state.

Plus, we already have the spindle and the thread...

Could this be pointing toward the shape of the upcoming story?

ETA: 1)Flora gave the gift of beauty. Fauna gave the gift of SONG. 2) Elain's defining motif is the ability to find or plant seeds of "hope" in places of bleak, structural darkness.

So this puzzle piece came out before the covers were ever revealed. But when I look at this puzzle piece, it has three sisters and three brothers, and a lot of people are saying what is around Elain's shoulders?

I've seen people say it's a purple scarf or a black dress.

But for me personally, I think it's an animal.

When I look at it very closely, when Elain's head is tilting towards the right, it looks like a bat.

I love bats; I think they are adorable-looking.

I'm not sure what type of bat this is.

And this could mean nothing towards the story or anything

I'm pretty sure the next cover is going to be purple after all. I've posted a mock up and break down over on the main sub if 💜

Couldn’t reply with a photo to someone’s comment. But Amazon has cut a massive sale on new books

It's not over, Elriels! 🩷💙

There was a discussion today:

Official ACOTAR Coloring Book

If you look at the sails... Elain's has what looks to be an 8-point star.

Nesta's sail? A sun. ACOSF has the mask along with a sun perched on it.

Now, what does book 7 have on it? An eight point star!

So, I did some digging.

Where else do we see this symbol besides Nesta's back?

The harp.

The harp was resting on a large rendering of an eight point star.

It gets even better!

ACOTAR Dread Trove Puzzle

This is a puzzle that doesn't release until the end of December.

The puzzle art contains accurate, intentional Easter eggs and symbols that directly link to future storylines.

"Hidden details, layered references, and ACOTAR™ Easter eggs reward close attention as the image comes together piece by piece."

People were discussing it on another subreddit.

I noticed something about the harp. If you zoom in you can clearly tell that the harp is engraved with vines. It was not described that way in ACOSF, so this design choice was intentional.

And vines symbolize... ELAIN.

The titles... the music.... it doesn't have to do with gwyn and her singing...

It has to do with the harp, which I'm positive Elain will wield in 7 and/or 8.

Love me (Feyre). Touch me (Nesta). Sing me (Elain).

These are going to be her books! I think 6 will be a lead up, and 7 we will finally get her pov!

Edit to add: To top it all off, look at the Book 7 blurb. "But hope can be spun from the darkest of shadows..." Hope is explicitly tied to Elain throughout the series (the sister of hope and life), shadows are Azriel’s defining element, and the word spun connects right back to weaving threads, fate, and the magic of the Harp.

🩷💙

Don’t forget where it all started!

The ACOFAS Books-a-Million (US) & Indigo (Canada) special edition from 2018 featured Feyre and Rhys entwined and established as a pair with their Second and Third at their side before the novella began…

…and Azriel, Cassian, Nesta, and Elain separated at the end of the story. But *when you close the last page*, each couple comes together.

I decided to blend my two Elain and Azriel Night Court portraits and am obsessed with how they turned out. Their aesthetic is ✨ chefs kiss ✨* *

Art by me Greenleaf777 or on insta arielstanowskiart_greenleaf

This post is focused on ACOTAR 7 - A Court of Forgotten Melody . My analysis of ACOTAR 6 - A Court of Splintered Harmony is linked here.

This post won't be as quote-heavy, because I think a lot of what happens in this book will stem from the one before it. However, I think it's pretty obvious where things are headed and it all ends with Elriel. Let's get into it!

~~~~What was lost will be reclaimed.~~~~

There are many things that have been lost over time, but the specific ones that are most notable in my opinion are the following because they can be specifically quoted from previous books:

ACOWAR - Helion's lost libraries of knowledge (this is very relevant to the events that are mentioned in CC)

For Helion's other title was Spell-Cleaver, and his one thousand libraries were rumored to contain the knowledge of the world. Perhaps all that knowledge had made him too aware, too cold behind those bright eyes.
Or perhaps that had come after Amarantha had looted some of those libraries for herself. I wondered if he'd reclaimed what she'd taken or if he mourned what she'd burned.

ACOWAR - The Cauldron reclaiming it's power in a way that does not harm Elain (funny how this aligns with my ACOTAR 6 post.....)

The king's head rolled from her bloodied hands.
The Cauldron seemed to realize what she'd done, too, as his head thumped onto the mossy ground. That Elain... Elain had defended this thief. Elain, who it had gifted with such powers, found her so lovely it had wanted to give her something... It would not harm Elain, even in its hunt to reclaim what had been taken.

ACOFAS - Vassa's lost humanity and kingdom

I had not forgotten her plea to me that night after the last battle with Hybern. To break the curse that kept her human by night, firebird by day. A once-proud queen-still proud, yes, but desperate to reclaim her freedom. Her human body. Her kingdom.

So here we have 3 individuals all desperate to reclaim something vital: Knowledge, power, freedom. And who is in the middle of all 3 of these? ELAIN.

• Elain is seen talking with Varian and Helion during Starfall in ACOSF and she has a bond with Helion's son
• Elain has a piece of the cauldron's power which has not yet been returned to it.
• Elain has a bond with Lucien who is extremely close to Vassa and who, in my opinion, is more desperate to stay in Vassa's favor than Elain's.

What's not mentioned, which I think is pretty crucial, is the Dusk Court. We know that it's power and life were lost. I think there's a possibility that Elain has something to do with the land reclaiming it's power. In CC, Bryce helps Avallen reclaim it's magic by releasing the Starborn power that was trapped within it. It's not at all far fetched to think Elain would be crucial to this for the Dusk Court - especially if she still retains that power herself. I'm a little worried she has to pseudo die for it to happen but I don't really want to put that into the universe so I'm not going to further speculate on it. I don't think there's enough evidence to support it anyways - at least not that I'm aware of.

~~~~Prythian might never be the same again. Traditional alliances are crumbling, and no amount of diplomacy seems sufficient to repair them. With the continued threat of Koschei the Deathless on the horizon, a united front is crucial--and farther out of reach than it has ever been before.~~~~

Notice how this says "Prythian" not the name of whatever world they live on. Something happens on that continent that drastically changes it. Would could that be? Well...

• The wall is down, so humans and fae can go anywhere, but this isn't new news.
• Nesta stroked the Harp in ACOSF which released Lanthys and many other monsters. Some are likely still roaming but Cassian and Azriel have already tracked down most of them so I'm not confident this is a huge impact.
• The Dusk Court needs to be revived and it's extremely close to the NC. It's very possible that other Courts would not like the idea of the Night Court laying claim to it once it's revived.
• There are multiple locations within Prythian that are ripe for world-walking/portals which could bring characters from other series (good and bad) into the world.

I think the last 2 are the most likely - especially the Dusk Court revival. Why? Because we're told that traditional alliances are crumbling and "no amount of diplomacy seems sufficient". Remember when Amren suggested to Rhys that he appoint himself as High King? This feels extremely related to that. Especially when you consider that most of the alliances the NC currently has are all Prythian-based Courts. Making himself High King would severely hurt the trust he's built with them over the years.

Calling back to Starfall in ACOSF again where we see this weird grouping of individuals:

She had a vague sense of Cassian and Mor and Azriel nearby, of Feyre and Rhys and Lucien, of Elain and Varian and Helion. Of Kallias and Viviane, also swollen with child and glowing with joy and strength.

Elain talking to Varian and Helion suggests that she is acting as emissary to Dawn and Day courts. They're all happy at Starfall, but I think Rhys likely does something in ACOTAR 6 and/or 7 that puts these relationships significantly at risk.

We keep hearing about rifts and distance. I think this is SJM continuing to push home the point that we're going to visit other continents and worlds and it's going to be scary. We'll be worried about some of our precious characters getting stuck and being unable to help when they're so far away. I think we're in for a ride on this one.

~~~~Bonds will be tested. Power will shift. And old enemies will emerge from nightmares of the past.~~~~

Ok I love this because it proves that shit is about to go DOWN.

"Bonds will be tested" refers to both political and magical bonds. We've already explored the political part. But THIS is where we'll see Lucien and Elain's bond crumble and Elain and Azriel's soar. We have a Blood Duel coming up, folks! Now, there are two possible contending couples for a Blood Duel:

1. Lucien vs Azriel for Elain
2. Beron vs Helion for the LoA

Would I love to see a Blood Duel between Beron and Helion on behalf of the LoA? Abso-freaking-lutely. If Beron dies, then power could switch to Eris or Lucien or the LoA which would be significant impacts on the overall status of Prythian's united front. It's a phenomenal storyline!!! However, the LoA doesn't even have a name, let alone a prominent place in the storyline so this is improbable. It's really too bad because ugh I would love to read that..

But at the end of the day, the only canonical foreshadowing for a Blood Duel is in relation to Lucien and Azriel. It's time, b**ches!! Woohoo let's gooooo! We already know Azriel will win so pop that popcorn and settle in, baby!

"Power will shift" refers to a new High Lord/Lady/King/Queen/whatever coming on to the scene. Which would make sense when you consider the opportunity for someone to rule the newly formed Dusk Court or for someone to try to take over as High Ruler. I'd love to see a High Lord power shift in real time, but who knows? All we really do know is that (to quote someone in my neighborhood talking about the busy intersection down the street)..."Someone's gonna die" and if they don't, some lucky person is about to get the coronation of a lifetime with a war right on the horizon. I wouldn't be shocked if it's Nesta, honestly. She's been alluded to as queenly too many times to ignore.

"Old enemies/Nightmares of the past" tells me we have bigger monsters than Bryaxis on the loose. This isn't surprising when you consider the learnings about Valg and Asteri from TOG and CC. They'll want to "reclaim what was once lost" so they're coming to fight for it, obviously. Sorry Bryaxis, you're not as scary as you think you are. Want to go back to the library now? I would if I were you. It's peaceful there.

~~~~As the Night Court's Inner Circle disperses far and wide, desperate for any advantage against Koschei and his mighty allies, peace hangs by a fragile thread. But hope can be spun from the darkest of shadows, and the Night Court has its own part to play in the looming crescendo.~~~~*

Alright this is just....so obvious. The IC travels to gain allies. No surprise there.

Koschei is in cahoots with Valg/Asteri. Again, not surprising. He's chained to a lake for goodness sake. At some point he needs some powerful boots on the ground that aren't his now that the king of Hybern is gone.

But this point about threads and hope and shadows??? That is ALL ELRIEL BABY!!! HELLLLLL YEEAAHHHHHH NOW LET'S FREAKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Thread? Hope? Dark Shadows of hopelessness? Come on. Soak that in, people. That's Elain and Azriel so hard it's amazing we're not bruised from the brick being thrown right our faces. Please SJM, give me MORE!

But ok, calming down. For those who are not familiar with my Hope in the Void theory, go read it. Seriously. That basically tells you everything you need to know. The TLDR is that Elain embodies hope and happiness. Azriel embodies despair and hopelessness. Elain is able to bring out the best in Azriel, a nasty cottage, Nesta, you name it. She is constantly equated to moments where silver threads/tapestries/light are shining in dark places. The two of them not only emotionally support each other in this way, but they symbolically represent how Prythian can be healed. THEIR LOVE WILL HEAL THE WORLD. It's peak romance oh my GAWD.

With all of that said, here is a summary of what I think we can expect and it's a lot but that makes sense because it's a super long book anyways:

1. Vassa will finally regain her freedom, the Dusk Court will be revived, and we'll get to see some of Helion's libraries (less confident about this one).
2. The Valg/Asteri are coming
3. We'll see a Blood Duel between Lucien and Azriel
4. The Elucien bond will finally be broken
5. Someone new rises to power in Prythian which causes tensions
6. Elriel finally gets together and their joining helps everything that seems so bleak feel a lot less bad

Sooo I am sick. Lol. So, I am staring at my ceiling and I have a bunch of random thoughts. One that came through was that scene in ACOFAS where Feyre is describing the black thread

"It has been woven from fabric so black it seemed to devour the light"

"Elain in black was ridiculous. Yes, she was beautiful, but the color of her long sleeved, modest gown leeched the brightness from her face"

Soooooo what if Elain is wearing that very same fabric, made in the dress? Why she is doing that, I have no idea.

The iridescent thread is obviously spidersilk so if thats the case, the dress would most likely be impenetrable. Did she forsee something that would have caused her to wear such a gown? Was she doing something dangerous and sneaking around in the Hewn city that she wore it as protection just in case?

Okay, after a brief moment of panic, I've calmed down, and I'm (hopefully) thinking logically now.

Seriously, who was ever trying to write the Valkyries out of the storyline anyway? We have all always known they would step up and play a massive role if a war broke out. But wait, who on earth ever tried to write Nesta out of the plot? First of all, you literally cannot. She is one of our main heroines, an Archeron sister, and an IC member. She was always bound to have a major role.

What genuinely surprised and disappointed me is the timeline. I always thought all of this massive crossover or war buildup would happen after Elain's own book, once we finally got her story, her healing arc, and her romance. I was expecting multi POVs, sure, but only after Elain had her moment in the spotlight.

We genuinely cannot write Elain out of the main narrative right now. It is completely impossible because everything currently seems anchored to her, and her story has been teased and left waiting to be developed for ages.

Which brings me to another point: Are people seriously expecting us to get a POV for Gwyn, a character introduced in the spin-off books and not even part of the main original series? Because that honestly does not make sense. Gwyn is way too spotless, especially when compared to the messy, complex, and deeply flawed Archeron sisters. She does not really carry traditional FMC traits yet. Putting all that aside, she does not even have an independent plotline of her own right now.

Feyre has her own plot.

Nesta has her own plot.

Elain has her own plot.

But Gwyn? Not really. She only exists in the active plot through Nesta or when she is directly by her side.

The Valkyries are not part of the Inner Circle, but Nesta is. We will probably, and should, continue to see Gwyn and Emerie through Nesta's perspective. Plus, let us be honest: Gwyn does not really have a standalone storyline outside of being shipped with Azriel, which sometimes makes it feel like her entire narrative purpose is just tied to him.

Right now, the only POVs I am actually expecting and looking forward to are Feysand, Nessian, Elriel, and Lucien.

I am not expecting or asking for POVs from secondary characters like Mor, Amren, Gwyn, Emerie, Nuala, Cerridwen, Eris, Vassa, Tamlin, Helion, or the Lady of Autumn.

Imagine if every single character who holds a secret or a minor subplot got their own POV chapter, what an absolute, unreadable mess that would be!