The "sunshine" Elain needs may not be the assumed heir to Day, after all
Please don't screenshot and share this post without credit.
Disclaimer: once again, this is just a parallel I've noticed, which may or may not be important.
In the ACOWAR quote below, Elain mentioned that she needed "sunshine."
After Lucien's paternity was called into question - Feyre and Rhys strongly suspect that Helion, High Lord of the Day Court, is his true father - this may appear to some to be foreshadowing Elain and Lucien becoming involved romantically, and even accepting their bond at some point. Respectfully, however, I'm not so sure I agree.
Not only was Lucien unable to tell what was going on with Elain's yet to be discovered Sight, which was causing her trouble at the time - Madja said a mate should be able to sense this, and he was unable to do so (please don't come at me as if I'm suggesting this was some sort of moral failing on his behalf, it's simply canon, and not his fault) - whereas Azriel could, whether by inclination or simply by taking the time to figure it out, but... if "sunshine" is code for "Lucien," why did Elain react the way she did to his presence, sidling away from him towards Nesta?
Should she not have been comforted by their bond, rather than describing it as "strange"? I agree that Elain being uncomfortable around Lucien at that point in time could have been due to his presence with Tamlin at Hybern, and maybe she will move past those events, but it seems telling that Elain's own words identified sunshine as a requirement, directly after which she moved away from Lucien, the person who is most likely to be described by such a metaphor (behind Mor and Elain, of course).
Conversely, Azriel - the Night Court's shadowsinger and spymaster - spent quiet time with Elain in the garden, during which she appeared to be at peace, and discovered that there was in fact nothing wrong with her, that she had been Made a Seer, thereby allowing Elain to drag herself up from the murky dream world in which she had been trapped. I think it's key to note here that Elain's confusion seemed to stem from a lack of understanding of her new and unknown magic, not that her mind needed to be healed (though obviously she had a lot of trauma to work through at that point, and it'll be interesting to see just how far she has come in the meantime, with the help of family and friends).
Setting aside the question of how Azriel knew that nothing was wrong with Elain's mind, he was the only one, apparently, who took the time to figure it out, and didn't write her off as her sisters and mate had done; and no shame to Feyre and Nesta for not registering this, because they're in the same boat as Elain and probably didn't realise that being a Seer was even an option, but Amren, who is 15,000 years old?! Surely she should have suspected something, if being a Seer was common. But instead it was Azriel, who gave Elain not only knowledge about her newfound power - and don't forget that knowledge is a form of power, which is essentially the function of a Seer to begin with - but he acknowledged that she would be useful - that she was needed! - which is something I doubt Elain has heard very much in her life, as it appears that she is frequently reduced to her good looks and marriageability, rather than any skills she may have. I would not be surprised to learn that it meant quite a bit to her.
But I digress... in a fun twist of events, Azriel's shadows have even been likened to sunshine...
I've spoken before about the text not describing Az's shadows as running from Elain - rather, they simply seem to disappear (the language described has no negative connotations) - and hypothesised that the shadows may actually become invisible, if they can transition, chameleon like, along a spectrum* from dark to light, with see-through being a true neutral in the middle, and used the passage below in that discussion, but it struck me that Feyre described Azriel's shadows as having lightened into "sunshine" specifically.
* As an aside, could "shadows" be affected by mood, similar to patronus charms, and could this be potentially relevant to any differences between shadowsingers and lightsingers?
Could this be a hint that Azriel - who both took Elain into the sun that he also values, and whose shadows (or whatever they truly may be) are capable of becoming sunlight - is who she really needs in the end? How poetic is it then, that a happy and smiling Elain can cause Azriel's shadows to brighten from all the way across the room? Very.
You guys know how Shadow was created to be the ultimate life form? Well, I have a theory about his biology. I’ve recently learned that some scorpions have something called “book lungs”, which helps them hold their breath for up to six days. Most can only hold it for two, but of course, there’s a few try hards. If Shadow was created to be the ultimate life form, then it’s extremely likely he was created to survive as many scenarios as possible, including drowning, so maybe he has these “book lungs” as well. I don’t know if this part is true, but I think these lungs also help the organism breathe through their skin. If this is true and Shadow can also do it, then suffocating him would likely be very difficult.
If my theory is true, it makes me feel a bit happier about my idea of Shadow taking naps in bodies of water.
Edit: I realized there’s a possibility he might’ve actually been created to hold his breath for longer…
--btw this was originally the yt comment i posted but i decided to post it here too
what I personally think the video is about:
suga has a dream of being a rapper, king etc... he wants to be rich and famous for his talent. but as the light shines brighter and he becomes more famous his shadow becomes darker (ex there can't be a shadow w/o a light). his shadow becomes a monster that is overtaking him. people tell him to enjoy the fame, you're supposed to enjoy fame, although it can be painful. suga starts to realize how this shadow monster is effecting him. he doesn't want it to overtake him. he doesn't want to shine. he realizes the down sides of being famous, rich, a king, sometimes being considered a god. he continues to become more of his dream/former ideals but he realizes he hates it. he doesn't want it anymore and he's afraid of going too high. he re-evaluates his dreams/ideals.... 2:06 is when the shadow over takes him. he becomes 'evil' in a way (having an ego???). the shadow makes him a monster. 2:22 he could be speaking to the audience (ex the lyrics explaining his thoughts) or talking to the shadow. they are each other. they will clash, they know each other. the shadow/ 'evil' suga says they can't break off, they are one now. the shadow says he'll be at ease if he just accept the downsides of fame (accepting the shadow n becoming one-- shadow +light). suga can't escape it. 2:48 they are more guarantied they'll clash (btw I think they have). suga has to accept the shadow has fully taken over. he is forced to accept being a rap star, a king, being rich with the downsides. he coming to the terms this has happened.
i know this is super rough and I also noticed a lot of o!rul8,2? imagery in the drawings.
also the song is an interlude,, I don't think its an intro but will be in the middle of the album.
Love when family get to see my work, as was the case last year for Spring 1883 in Melbourne with Kalli Rolfe Contemporary. Here I am with my borther and sisters, who hadn-t seen my work in a while, simply because I have been showing overseas for the last couple of years.
Azriel uses his shadows to hide his wings while spying; a crack-ish theory
Please don't screenshot this post without credit.
Disclaimer: this is a headcanon/crack-ish theory that makes no claims of accuracy, even if I'd love for it to be true. While this is a pro Elriel theory, it's mostly just making educated guesstimates about Azriel and his shadows.
Spoilers: Throne of Glass plots and couples.
TW: torture.
@mrspettyferr and I were talking the other day, mainly about the similarities between Elide Lochan x Lorcan, and Elain Archeron x Azriel - post by @nikethestatue - and how we would love for there to be a spy or heist adventure theme in an Elriel book, either in another Court, or on the Continent. Maybe Rhys will keep Az away on missions - conveniently giving Mor the opportunity to step into his temporary role with the now-Valkyries - while Elain gets progressively more frustrated with being stifled, her offers of help being refused, so she decides to act on her own. Az gets back, hears what's going on and goes after her to help. But, I digress.
Thinking about Elide and Lorcan's time travelling with the troup of performers got me thinking... one thing Feyre said has always stuck with me, and made me wonder how Azriel was able to use purely manners or courtly grace to get results, when his wings are so obviously Illyrian/Night Court in origin. His scars would be easy enough to hide with gloves and sleeves, his tattoos with a higher neckline, and his other features could be modified with cosmetics, at least, but his wings are too recognisable.
We know he can vanish his shadows at will but, given Illyrians tend to stick to their own communities, the non-Peregryn or -Seraphim type wings would stick out in public, even more than wings would to begin with. As far as we know, Illyrians are neither "high" nor "lesser" faeries - they're "just Illyrians" (ACOMAF, chapter 16) - and we are yet to see any other similarly-winged fae in this universe.
But, I digress... again.
Elain said, “It’s all very disorienting.” “I can imagine,” Azriel said. Cassian flashed him a glare. But Azriel’s attention was on my sister, a polite, bland smile on his face. Her shoulders loosened a bit. I wondered if Rhys’s spymaster often got his information through stone-cold manners as much as stealth and shadows. - ACOMAF, chapter 24
Now, we know that Azriel is the 'polite' brother; his manners helped to put Elain at ease, both when they first met and, if we read between the lines, again when she was newly Made. Azriel offering her his arm, to show her the garden, would have been behaviour that closely resembled what Elain knew from her human life, so it would make sense that it provided a sense of normalcy, and helped her to relax.
Given shadowsingers are able to read people, it wouldn't surprise me if Azriel used such polished manners when attempting to extract information through non-violent methods. However, if Azriel is the accomplished spy that we would assume he is after five centuries - both in the field, and as an intelligence gathering spymaster - then how does he get around to speak to targets he can't leave for anyone else to deal with, without being readily recognised outside Illyria?
After all, how could he be an adequate spymaster, without being adept at all aspects of information gathering? He could potentially use a glamour; it would be interesting to learn more about that sort of magic - though, it would be too risky to be reliant on others, so maybe he has a charm he can activate himself, or powers of which we're unaware - but what if it's something else, something intrinsically linked to him, that he can use at will?
What if Azriel uses his shadows to hide his wings?
Azriel’s bonus chapter, in ACOSF, demonstrated that the shadows can both physically manipulate objects, and vanish them at will.
But tonight, here in the dark and quiet, with no one to see… He pulled the small velvet box from the shadows around him. Opened it for her. [...] “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?" - ACOSF, Azriel’s bonus chapter
In ACOFAS, we learnt from Rhys that Azriel’s shadows can also hide his scent, and perhaps his emotions, from being expressed on his face. I wonder what else they could hide?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing on that face, on his scent. The shadows, whatever the hell they were, hid too well. Too much. - ACOFAS, chapter 7
Azriel used his shadows to walk, unseen, around Hybern’s army camp in ACOWAR. Feyre could only sense him through the link she was granted by the siphon of his that she wore on her head, in place of Ianthe’s invoking stone.
I couldn’t see Azriel, but I could feel him, as if the Siphon parading itself as Ianthe’s jewel was a tether. He dwelled in every pocket of shadow, darting ahead and behind. [...] A shadow gripped my shoulder, reminding me not to run. [...] Azriel’s shadow-hand grasped my own, tugging me closer. His rage rippled off his invisible form. [...] Azriel had made us invisible—shadow-bound. We sprinted between tents, feet flying over the grass and dirt. - ACOWAR, chapter 65
Could it be that, when required, he is either non-corporeal, or exists in or on a different plane? Perhaps like Nuala and Cerridwen as they walk through walls, "shadow-bound," with items or actual people going along for the ride?
If Azriel was able to fully immerse himself, or physical objects, in his shadows - or any shadows, it seems from the above passage - why not just one part of him? If he was to shadow-bind only his wings, I suspect that they would then be in the shadow realm in which he kept Elain’s necklace; hidden from both sight and touch, and allowing him to seem almost "human," perhaps?
I know that this is all just speculation, but if Azriel's magical abilities are anything like those of Nuala and Cerridwen, who fabricated a stone wall and a tapestry when they hid with Feyre in ACOTAR, perhaps Az could use his shadows to mimic a normal human back, and alter his other features a little, without cosmetics or the type of glamour that is more typical of High Fae magic?
Nails clicked on stone, and my escorts swapped glances before they swung me into an alcove, a tapestry that hadn’t been there a moment before falling over us, the shadows deepening, solidifying. I had a feeling that if someone pulled back that tapestry, they would see only darkness and stone. - ACOTAR, chapter 41
Both options - either completely invisible and non-corporeal within the shadows; or only his wings being "shadow-bound" and vanished, so as to blend into the local crowd as a wingless person - would allow Azriel to spy up close and personal, rather than letting his shadows or spy network do everything for him. This would also parallel Elain being glamoured to look human again, when she visited Graysen’s family estate to plead for sanctuary for other humans in ACOWAR, and - I suspect - when she dressed herself down, to blend into the background at the Hewn City, when they visited for solstice in ACOSF.
As useful as Azriel’s shadows are, I suspect, unfortunately, that they can't do all the necessary work; we know that they help him to "read" people, but to what extent? Can they read minds themselves, or just emotions, and does Azriel himself need to be present for this to occur? However those abilities manifest - and I can't wait to find out - we know they're not infallible, as there have been instances when they couldn't, or didn't, give him all the information he needed, so the ability to be a versatile spy would be very important to Azriel, especially going forward.
If Azriel's shadows can indeed be blinded, or lured, as SJM hinted in ACOSF, he may need to go undercover himself in the next book... enter - hopefully - the joint mission with Elain, Nuala and Cerridwen, of which many of us dream.
I aim to write a post discussing what Elain could bring to the proverbial spy-table at some point. 🙂
*
If you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging. 💜
I like how the entire Sonic fandom just accepted the fact that Shadow likes motorcycles because that adds so much more to his personality like yes, my three dimensional character king 👑 🦔 🏍
This is probably the best addition to his character SEGA has ever done and you can’t change my mind.
