#elriel thoughts

[moonfalles]

Sometimes, I recall that Azriel is the second tallest Bat Boy and Elain is the shortest Archeron sister, and I proceed to lose my mind over them. I am bedridden by how weak I become from the reminder of their height and size difference.

[pinkrasberryfish]

So…

The dynamics of ships… why is Elriel a good fit for the ACOTAR series? Why is it just as intriguing and beautiful as Feysand or Nessian? I’ve written hours and hours of Elriel fan fiction, exploring dynamics and tropes, and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of their potential.

It’s established that our High Lady is a fighter. Feyre can physically fight for herself. She beat the Weaver which showed her mate that she was worth of the engagement ring and fought the Wyrm while her mate watched. She defended the Rainbow. She even won the war with Hybern through fighting. There are countless times where Rhys has sat back and let his girl go out swinging.

Then we have Nesta. Nesta is feisty and learns to fight for herself. She wields the mask, becomes a Valkyrie, and even goes through the Blood Rite. Cassian didn’t swoop in and save her… he let her fight.

Now Elain. Our girl needed rescuing. She did not fight her way out of the Hybern camp through cunning and brute strength. Azriel swooped in and saved her. And you best believe if she had been plunked into the Rite, Azriel would have come and saved her immediately. She is never incited on physical fighting missions like the Battle of Adriata and the closest she has gotten to blood was stepping out of shadow to stab the King of Hybern.

Now.

Does that make you uncomfortable? Does Elain needing help make you think less of her? Is she weak because she’s not like her sisters? Is that why everyone is wanting another story with a Valkyrie falling in love with a bat boy?? Because our other heroine is too weak and needs to be shipped off to a controlling high lord in spring ??????

This is what frustrates me.

Physical protection and physical fighting is not the only way to show strength.

Nesta was WRECKED after the Cauldron. She was self-destructive and cruel. Elain seemed to struggle but eventually healed through her hobbies and natural processing of everything. Even the loss of her fiancé, she recovered from. She is mentally strong.

Feyre too, has had moments of weakness. She could have physically run out of that wedding, but her mental bondage kept her walking down the aisle. Rhys had to intervene and save her in her moment of desperation. Elain could be walking down an aisle to Lucien right now, but she’s not. She’s choosing her own path and showing mental strength.

The fact that Azriel has rescued Elain physically and the fact that she cannot fight does not make her a less powerful or valuable female. Measuring women by their ability to perform historically-masculine acts is misogyny. She does not need to conform to the masculine power standard of 90’s feminism to be worthy of her own bat boy.

The beautiful thing about Elriel is that they have both been cast aside, despite being loyal to their core, Azriel to Mor for centuries and Elain to a gross human loser who broke her heart. They love even when it hurts. Even when it’s not reciprocated.

This dynamic feeds into their bond beautifully because in each other, they find what they’ve always needed—someone who wants them and sees them and chooses them above everything else.

Azriel will always physically protect Elain and champion her mental and emotional needs, but I believe Elain has the power to save Azriel too; to open up a side of life for him where he is desired and love— where he is protected and listened to and nurtured. A place where someone chooses him above everything else.

This is why Elriel is just as beautiful as Feysand or Nessian. It’s not unequal and Azriel doesn’t need a Valkyrie to “match his strength.” Elain is already strong.

[shadowedpetals]

Thinking about Azriel's reaction when Elain finally calls his name. 🫠

[viridianevergarden]

The fleeting thought of Azriel, for some reason, breaking down in front of Elain in private. Pulling him into her embrace and holding his face in her hands. Her giving him constant affirmations of her wanting him and only him. That she deserves him just as he deserves her. That he is nothing short of beautiful and perfect in her eyes regardless of his scarred hands and the blood that taints them. That she doesn’t care about what he does because he’s always been so soft and gentle with her. And that he holds nothing more than the love he has for his found family. That all the good he does for those he cares for outweighs the bad that he commits in the name of sheer unyielding loyalty and love. That he is entitled to feeling his emotions fully with her and to be loved.

Imagine she says things like:

“I choose you.”

“No one but you.”

“You’re the one I want.”

“It’ll always be you.”

“You’re perfect for me.”

“Your scars don’t define you.”

“You’re so beautiful.”

“Allow me to love you as much as I do.”

And they take things to the next level (Elain initiating), especially so she can further show him that she truly does love him for him. And even as time passes, she continues to tell him those things to make sure he knows. To convince him to the best of her ability even if he still would never believe it.

Soft Elain and Az has me wanting to sob.

[offtorivendell]

Azriel never actually agreed to comply with Rhys' orders to stay away from Elain

Elriel Month, Week 5: Anything Your Heart Desires

Just a friendly reminder that, while Azriel may have been knocked from his rage by Rhys threatening punishment and pulling rank during their talk on Solstice Night, he never actually agreed to stop pursuing Elain Archeron.

Have a look:

Rhys growled, "Allow me to make one thing very clear. You are to stay away from her."

"You can't order me to do that."

“Oh, I can, and I will. If Lucien finds out you're pursuing her, he has every right to defend their bond as he sees fit. Including invoking the Blood Duel.”

"That's an Autumn Court tradition." The battle to the death was so brutal that it was only enacted in rare cases. Despite being an outsider, Azriel had wanted to invoke it when he’d found Mor all those years ago. Had been ready to challenge both Beron and Eris to Blood Duels and kill them both. Only Mor’s right to claim their heads in vengeance had kept him from doing so.

“Lucien, as Beron's son, has the right to demand it of you."

"I'll defeat him with little effort." Pure arrogance laced every word, but it was true.

“I know." Rhys's eyes flickered. "And your doing so will rip apart any fragile peace and alliances we have, not only with the Autumn Court but also with the Spring Court and Jurian and Vassa." Rhys bared his teeth. "So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck someone, go to a pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her."

Azriel snarled softly.

"Snarl all you want." Rhys leaned back in his chair. "But if I see you panting after her again, I'll make you regret it."

Rhys had rarely threatened punishment or pulled rank. It stunned Azriel enough that it knocked him from his rage.

Rhys jerked his chin toward the door. "Get out"

Azriel tucked in his wings and left without another word, stalking through the house and onto the front lawn to sit in the frigid starlight. To let the frost in his veins match the air around him.

Until he felt nothing. Was again nothing at all.

Let's disregard the fact that, assuming Rhys and Feyre's assumptions about Lucien's true paternity are accurate, it's questionable whether he would even have the right to invoke the Blood Duel against Azriel; if Helion ever acknowledges Lucien, does the Day Court still allow it? And would Rhys' lies about Lucien's right to challenge Azriel for Elain's love somehow invalidate a fundamental part of any hypothetical agreement that was made between himself and Az? I'm not sure whether the magic of bargain bonds - whatever it is - considers the spirit of the original agreement; at least, I wouldn't count on it, just in case. It's a big "if."

So, in a world where your word can be a magically enforced and bonded bargain - clever Spymaster.

@elriel-month

[nikethestatue]

Elriel - Who Pulls the Strings?

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. She halted, her breath catching in her throat.

...her breathing quickened as she again paused, now a scant foot away.

...He didn't need his shadows to read her tone, the slight tightening of her face.

Elain's large brown eyes flickered, well aware of all that. Just as he knew she was well aware of why Azriel so rarely came to family dinners these days. 

*

I think it’s worth noting how SJM decided to subtly emphasize how Azriel views and acts with Elain and in fact, how deeply their feelings actually run. 

Firstly he certainly sees her as something beautiful and desirable. We are in his head for the very first time, and when she approaches, he hears her, before he sees her and becomes poetic (again). Upon seeing her, he immediately notices her reactions to him (bobbing throat) and her quickening pulse. Both, of course, indicate interest and nervousness--we are, in fact, ‘told’ by SJM that Elain is attracted to Azriel before we even know that he desires her as well. 

But let’s examine this further. 

Even though we are in his head, she is the one who is driving the interaction. She is the one who came downstairs, she is the one who spoke first. She is the one who brought his present and the one who handed it to him first. She is the one who told him to put the necklace on her. The one who pivoted into his touch, and the one who gave him offer and permission.

This also aligns with her buying him a gift last Solstice, and even prior--her taking his hand, her standing up silently and going with him to the garden. Back then, he might have offered, but she was the one who took the action.

There is a sense of equality throughout the entire scene. And even though he becomes aroused, we know that she does too. 

I think it hints at an interesting dynamic between the two of them--he is perceived as very dominant and harsh at times, and she is viewed as soft and passive, but their interactions would actually imply something else. It seems like she might actually be pulling the strings in that relationship. For the lack of a better term--Azriel is a simp.

Secondly, in only a paragraph or two, we find out one very important thing--they can understand each other without words. Both are so acutely aware of the other’s emotions and ‘tells’ that the normally unreadable Azriel is an open book for Elain. What’s more--he knows it, and he doesn’t try to hide it. Both of his brothers, whom he’s known for over half a millennia, repeatedly point out how he is impossible to read and how his ‘mask’ covers all his inner thoughts and emotions. Here, we have Elain, who’s known him for less than two years and she’s been able to break through the shields just like that. 

This again hints at the depth of their attraction to each other, but also Azriel’s inability to keep her out. That, to me at least, is indicative of Elain’s powerful presence and actually somewhat dominant nature, which has always been hidden and underestimated. She’s been able to barrel through his barriers, without trying very hard, or at all. 

I am very curious how this dynamic will play out in the future. 

[moonfalles]

Iris by Goo Goo Dolls is so Azriel when he’s thinking about Elain. But also because no one really understands him, no one really sees him either. But Elain did. They saw each other.

[moonfalles]

In 2025, we celebrate Elriel’s height difference. Azriel, a large Illyrian warrior with the biggest wingspan out of the Bat Boys, towers over her. Elain, the shortest Archeron sister, disappears completely when standing close to him.