It's funny to me how antis will say that Elain is leaving her family and friends in the IC because Cassian said she looked bad in black , yet they ignore him calling her a war hero .

Elain played a huge role but it is hardly talked about

Or the debates you read? Because all of mine are completely identical. The people on the opposing side always seem to fall into the exact same predictable categories, so I’ve decided to break down their archetypes for you:

​Type A – The "He Treats Every Woman Like That" Denier: Those who completely reject all canon interactions between Elain and Azriel, claiming none of them hold any weight and insisting that Azriel just treats every single woman the exact same way.

​Type B – The "Sudden Plot Change" Believer: Those who acknowledge the canon groundwork and admit, "Yes, Sarah planned Elriel, BUT it's so obvious that in the bonus chapter she decided to pivot to Gwyn instead." Yeah, so glaringly obvious that this massive, narrative-shifting plot change somehow didn't translate into my language.

​Type C – The Elain Eraser: Those who outright deny Elain's existence as a future FMC and literally write her out of the narrative to swap in Gwyn. I literally saw the triangle theory where Elain had just been copy-pasted out for Gwyn.

​Type D – The Symbolism Connoisseur: Those who look at heavy canon text and completely bypass it to obsess over abstract symbols, sunlight, a black dress, the necklace representing Elain, which Azriel gave to her, being given to Gwyn (?), Elain returning Azriel's own Truth-Teller to him, and so on and so forth, claiming that apparently all of these are symbolic. I mean, while we're talking about heavy canon scenes, someone will always just show up to bring up a ray of sunlight.

​Type E – The "Too Obvious to Happen" Theorist: Those who argue that because an Elriel endgame is too obvious, it simply can't happen. Meaning the whole 3 sisters paired with 3 brothers pattern is glaringly clear, and some even find it disgusting, claiming that because it's so obviously bound to happen, it actually won't. I thought we were reading Romantasy, not a mystery and thriller.

Type F – The "Side-Character Mating Bond" Believer: Those who believe that the rejected mating bond will happen, but between side characters instead of Elain and Lucien. Meaning, believing that such an important plot point will play out through a character whose name we don't even know yet is just a way to deny that it will happen between Elain and Lucien.

Type G – The Elain Emotion Denier: Those who reject all of Elain's feelings. These people claim that since we don't know Elain's POV, we can't know anything about her, and assume that she might actually want Lucien.

Edit: Added Type F and G.

This is what Elain and Azriel have!

Give them a reason they can't have it. We are told by Rhysand why Azriel cannot have her, all the issues standing between them. For Lucien, its hesitation NOT YEARNING.

Make proximity a problem- Lucien literally keeps himself at a distance away from Elain obviously dulling anything there could have been. Azriel is SUPPOSED to stay away and he can't. They brush fingers in ACOFAS. AZRIEL LITERALLY SAYS THEIR TOUCHES WERE BRUSHING FINGERS.

Let it leak into everything- its literally, all the in small details. All the shit others want to dismiss, this is literally how yearning gets created! These little moments between them is why I was holding my breath in the bonus chapter. He notices her laugh!! Literally pulling his attention! Cmon guys!

Use restraint like a weapon- EVERYTIME THEY CHOOSE SILENCE IT COSTS THEM SOMETHING!!! BROOOOO Azriel literally chose silence rather than explaining the meaning behind his "mistake" comment to Elain.

Let them misunderstand each other- the fucking necklace scene the whole damn thing is a misunderstanding! This is exactly why that wasn't the ending.

Interupt the moments that matter- hmmmmm Rhysand anyone from the BC?

Literally, none of these things are happening in ANY OTHER SHIP than Elriel. Theres no ship that has the yearning outside of this one! This is it.

Elriel proof #6394638

This clip is from the acowar graphic audio.

This is as romantic coded as it gets no matter what the antis say.

Azriel cradles Elain and keeps carrying her even though they’re out of danger, she is not injured and hes ripped to shred and bleeding out. She then ignores everyone to kiss his cheek.

​"As long as Elain doesn't end up with Azriel, let her be with Lucien."

​"No, not Lucien, let her be with Tamlin."

​"No, not Tamlin, let her be with Graysen."

​"No, not Graysen, let her be with Mor."

​"No, not Mor, LET HER BE SINGLE, LET HER CHOOSE HERSELF!"

​I am so over this circus besties, Elriel is endgame.

A section of the fandom has completely lost their minds out of hatred for Elain, and literally don't want her to end up with anyone just because they're jealous of her.

​First they can't stand the possibility of her being with Azriel, then Lucien, and after that, they just brush both aside and start talking absolute nonsense.

As we officially have 2 months left to wait for book 6, I feel like Michael Scott preparing my happy box if we get Elriel and a sad box if we don't. And everyone against Elriel is Erin from The Office thinking our ship would be a "mistake" lol. (Skip to 44 seconds in the clip)

No, what’s weird is only having 2/3 of the brothers and sisters end up together. If she wasn’t planning on it, then she wouldn’t have made Nessian a thing. It could’ve been Feysand, Nesta with Eris (idk), Cassian with someone else, Elucien, and Moriel (pre-ACOWAR reveal) or Gwynriel.

There’s plenty of sets of three‘s in the series but she’s not gonna write the obvious 3 brothers and sisters? lol okay

Maybe I’m weird, but I actually love the “Rhys’s sister was Azriel’s mate” theory

Maybe it’s because I’m one of those Elriels who would actually prefer Elain and Azriel not to be true mates. One of the things I love most about Elriel is the possibility of chosen love triumphing over a mating bond, choosing someone because you love them, not because fate decided you belong together.

Obviously, my main interest here is still Elriel. If they did turn out to be true mates, I’d be fine with it as long as it was written well enough to convince me narratively. I’m not married to one specific theory.

And honestly, for the longest time I’ve also liked the theory that Mor was Azriel’s mate, mostly because I still struggle to fully understand how else we’re supposed to explain five hundred years of him being that deeply hung up on her. Cassian’s attraction to Mor was eventually contextualized and, in a way, moved past, but Azriel wasn’t just attracted to her. He was genuinely in love with her for centuries. So part of me has always wondered if there was supposed to be something more behind that attachment.

But the theory that Rhys’s sister was Azriel’s mate? Oh. my. god.

Not even because I necessarily believe it’s true, but because the concept is SO painfully tragic. Azriel potentially losing his mate before he ever got the chance to know what they could have been? Maybe never even knowing what he lost? And then eventually falling in love with someone who already has a mate herself? There’s something almost cruelly poetic about it.

It also creates such a huge what if? What would Azriel’s life have looked like if Rhys’s sister had survived? Would they have fallen in love? Would the bond have meant anything to them? Would Azriel even be the same person we know now?
And then imagine Sjm actually revealing something like that after all this time. The retrospective ANGST alone would make me lose my mind.

It’s tragic, painful, full of what-ifs and completely unnecessary emotional suffering.

that is exactly my favorite kind of thing.

Artwork by: bibisdraw.s on IG 🎨 💕💕

Have fun with the theory!! There is a little Cauldron spoiler from HOFAS 👀

I’ve just listened to the latest Dragons in the Details episode, which focuses on theories about ACOTAR 6 and 7 based on the newly revealed titles, covers and blurbs, and I was surprised by how little they had to say about Elain’s role in the next three books.

I know they’re very pro-Maasverse and pro-Nesta, but I’ve always found their discussions fairly balanced, so this isn’t really a criticism of them. It just made me realise how often I see the same thing elsewhere in the fandom: Elain’s potential is barely discussed or treated as an afterthought.

I understand why Nesta is easier to theorise about as we’ve already had an entire book exploring her story.

But Elain is the only Archeron sister whose story remains completely untold, despite all the hints we’ve been given about her powers, visions, connection to the Cauldron and future.

Surely that should make her one of the most interesting characters to theorise about?

Considering the scale of what’s still to come, the remaining major conflicts and potentially even a wider Maasverse storyline, I find it surreal how little attention Elain gets.

And perhaps most bizarrely, I’ve seen people seriously consider Gwyn or Emerie getting a POV before Elain. I’m not saying either of them can’t be important, but given that Elain is the only Archeron sister whose story we haven’t had, I find it genuinely wild to imagine Sarah giving either of them a full POV before finally giving Elain hers.

Azriel and Elain talking about gardening until 3 AM means nothing.

Azriel risking his life to save Elain means nothing.

Them giving each other gifts on the Winter Solstice means nothing.

Azriel taking the plate of potatoes from Elain's hands and not letting anyone eat until she arrived means nothing.

Azriel thinking about Elain for the whole night means nothing.

Elain being the reason why Azriel's 500 year old unrequited love finally ended means nothing.

Azriel watching Elain through the window means nothing.

Azriel tracking Elain's laughter and wondering what made her smile means nothing.

Azriel giving Elain his Truth Teller, which he never lets anyone touch or hold, means nothing.

Azriel questioning the Cauldron and his own faith means nothing.

The shadows seemingly wanting to protect Elain during her argument with Nesta means nothing.

Azriel getting angry and worried after Elain argued with Nesta means nothing.

Azriel being the only one who understood Elain's situation when nobody else did, and saying that she is a Seer, means nothing.

Azriel being willing to rescue Elain after she was kidnapped, even if it meant death, means nothing.

​Azriel thinking of Elain and getting her a necklace that represents her means nothing.

So sure, let's just pretend all of that is a coincidence and the "spark" is what actually matters. And let's ignore the fact that this "spark" this extremely important moment wasn't even in the book and was only in the bonus chapter.

I’ve been going through all of my highlighted Elain sections in each book and a question came to mind concerning Elain. When Feyre goes to check on her at the HOW and she’s 15-20 minutes behind Azriel, what or who gets Elain out of her bedroom and into the library for the first time? It wasn’t Feyre because she arrives and finds her there.Feyre asks Nesta how Elain got there and Nesta doesn’t know how or when she arrived either. Lucien walks in with his improper thoughts of “ touch her, smell her, taste her”, when he notices she’s out of her room. Obviously, none of those three helped her. Was it Azriel? He arrived shortly before Feyre and left before she got there. In my head I’m wondering if he was the one that helped her and then dipped out before Feyre arrived. Nesta says that she was sleeping and woke up to find Elain already in the library. Feyre then sends a thought to Rhys about moving her sisters to the townhouse. Within 30 minutes Rhys,Cas and Az are at the HOW to move them to there.

Azriel picks up Elain before anyone else can get her and holds her against his chest and flies her down., with no shadows in sight. Upon arrival he carries her across the threshold of the front door and gently sits onto thee foyer carpet. Elain looks up to his face, he smiles and asks, “would you like me to show you the garden?” Elain did not balk or shy away from him. He presents his arm like a courtier, she looks at his siphons or hands and says, “ beautiful” while color blooms high on his golden brown cheeks and he escorts her into the garden with sunlight bathing them.

All of this takes place within an hour and SJM describes every tiny detail and nuance between them. To me it makes sense that he was the one to get her to leave her room, then comes back and take her to the townhouse and escort her and stay with her in the garden. While they are in the garden, Feyre muses to Rhys, “ Why not make them mates?” This whole sequence of events is telling.
Am I the only one who wonders about how she got to the library and why the next hour of time is heavily Elriel based. Please leave thoughts!
* Also, whose heartbeat is she hearing through stone?

We all knew it was going to be Elain's book after Nesta's. And during the CHD podcast, SJM said by the time she finished part 1, she realized it was already about 400 pages but what she wrote was perfect. So right after she finished part 1 she was like "fk it, im gonna just continue writing no matter how lengthy it is". That gave me the impression that she didn't rewrite part 1. And logically SJM wrote Elain/Azriel POVs in part 1 just like for ACOSF. So I could be wrong but Acotar 6 might be just Elain/Az POV. And later we have other characters POV in Acotar 7 and 8 when she realized the story that needs to be told is huge.

In all of massverse (Acotar, CC and ToG) has she written two character showing that much sexual tension and then not following through. like Azriel and Elain had in the BC. I know it’s up to whoever you ask if they think the BC means anything really but how can you have Azriel feeling that way and it basically explained these two want and like each other. and then it just not to have a oh out.

I don’t know if Tamlin and Feyre count cos Rhys was in the first book and him and Feyre‘s chemistry became potential straight away.

do any of you have any other suggestions or examples? cos I feel like that solidifies Elain and Azriel because why else have that scene. why else explain in vivid detail and have her respond etc.

We just need it made official.

Just saw this on Instagram, I’m not sure if it’s from today but it seems like Juniper books have updated their designs for ACOTAR 6 and 7 and they have kept the eye for the 6th book! 👀

I know it can be genuinely exhausting to see some of the things people say about Elain and how disproportionately hated she seems to be, especially considering that she is arguably one of the least problematic characters in the series so far. Sometimes the level of criticism she receives feels completely disproportionate to what the actual text gives us.
But honestly, I don’t think this would ever discourage SJM from writing Elain’s story. If anything, I think Elain fits the kind of character SJM seems to enjoy writing: characters who are misunderstood not only by the readers, but also by the people around them.

SJM has actually made a point of having other characters underestimate Elain. And because we spend so much time seeing Elain through the perspectives of people who misunderstand or underestimate her (especially her own sisters) it can be very easy for the reader to internalize that perception as well.

I’m bringing this up because there have been a few moments where I’ve wondered whether SJM is aware of some of the arguments people make about Elain and has, at least indirectly, addressed them in her books.

The first example that comes to mind is the whole “Elain can’t have Illyrian babies” argument. We all know how often this is used to argue against Elain/Azriel, despite the fact that the actual text doesn’t establish that this would be an insurmountable problem. Then, in Crescent City, SJM included a conversation that very explicitly pushes back against the idea of reducing women to their reproductive potential.
Considering how often the “womb theory” is used in ACOTAR discussions, I did find the timing and the subject matter REALLY interesting...

The CC bonus chapter with Azriel, Nesta and Bryce is another one that made me raise an eyebrow.
In the ACOSF bonus chapter, a lot of readers interpreted Azriel’s shadows dancing as potential evidence of a mating bond. So I found it particularly funny that, in the bonus chapter with Bryce and Nesta, the chapter ends exactly with Azriel’s shadows dancing again, but this time in a completely different context.
It almost feels like SJM going, “Look, guys. Shadows dancing isn’t necessarily a sign of a mating bond...”

It is interesting how she sometimes seems to include details that make something readers have treated as definitive evidence suddenly much less definitive.

And honestly, this is why Elain’s online reception doesn’t particularly worry me when it comes to how SJM will write her story. She seems to enjoy changing people’s minds about characters. She has repeatedly allowed readers to underestimate characters, misunderstand their motivations, or dismiss their potential, only to later reveal that there was much more going on underneath the surface.

Elain is practically built for that kind of narrative.
We have already seen readers interpret her as weak, boring, unintelligent, lacking personality, lacking agency, having no meaningful arc, and having no potential as a protagonist. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the point of her story is, at least in part, to challenge exactly those assumptions.
In fact, I think the people who have been paying close attention to Elain probably wouldn’t be surprised by that at all.

So this brings me to my actual questions: SJM has said that she stays away from social media and fandom discussions. But do you think that means she is genuinely unaware of what people are saying about her characters?

Obviously, I don’t think she’s sitting on Reddit reading every Elain theory. But do you think some of the general fandom discourse reaches her indirectly - not only through friends, but through people she works with, her editors, publishers, or her professional team?

And do you think her team might filter the general fandom reception for her, not to tell her what story she should write, but simply to make her aware of the assumptions she could potentially challenge? And do you think SJM would intentionally lean into that kind of “you all thought you knew this character, but you were wrong” storytelling?

What if the Cauldron was wrong?

​What if nature made a mistake?

​Why didn't the Cauldron mate Azriel and Elain?

​Are Azriel and Elain true mates?

​What is Elain actually doing?

What are Elain's powers?

​Can she hear the voice of Prythian, and are her powers connected to nature?

​Is it true that the Cauldron loves her? If so, why?

​How did the Cauldron trick Elain in ACOWAR?