if there’s one thing I love about both Elucien and Gwynriel, it’s knowing 100% that both Lucien will not coddle Elain and Gwyn will not coddle Azriel. It’s knowing that these two will be able to both heal and help their partner in healing while also not sweeping things under the rug. No one will be placed on a pedestal in those ships, or made to be something that they are not; they’ll know and see each other fully, and I just… really like that.
I’ve seen Emerie being used a prop, or reduced to her friendship with Nesta, or her potential ship with Morrigan and like… here we are, with a female woman of color that is CANONICALLY a WoC, and from an author that rarely gives us anything other than white muses, and she’s also LGBTQ representation, and a reminder that one is not defined by their trauma. She’s representation for people that haven’t been represented in books in a while, and she’s a character that deserves more. She’s intelligent. She’s tough. She’s driven as fuck and insanely strong. And she deserves to be seen as such.
concept: elain knows easily how to be manipulative and how beauty is disarming, and while nesta wields her beauty differently, and more openly, elain chooses to play the role of the damsel, the princess that is defenseless and dependent on men. she is not seductive but her smiles are to pretty, and paired with words that are overly saccharine, practically dripping with honey.
i just live for elain having a different arsenal at her service than her sisters. she’s disarmingly intelligent and it’s quite possible what we know of her is just what she wants us to know.
context: elain and lucien are in the human lands on the continent, and stumble upon a meadow of flowers that have been prized by the high fae for centuries. while disarming in their beauty, they are just as lethal, and have been known for killing multiple princes and kings within the human lands. for elucien week, with flower as the prompt.
I keep seeing a lot about the next ACOTAR book being centered around Elain and Azriel, but logically: how can that ship fit into one book? First, from an author’s perspective, the next MC won’t get next to no page time in the book before. Elain wasn’t set up to be a MC or LI or both in ACOSF, and I don’t say this to stir up a ship war, but her presence was merely to signify future plots for her but nothing significant. Second, she has no connection to the next book, and that’ll tackle: the Illyrian uprising, the aftermath of three women winning a blood rite in an extremely misogynistic territory (country? I don’t know what Illyria counts as), Azriel dealing with his past (we learned his mother is still alive and will likely play a role in him confronting his past), Azriel handling his mental health (grappling with self worth), more issues with the Autumn Court, and closure with Morrigan. I see this having more to do with Gwynriel (if you’re looking for a ship) because she’s tied into what’ll be one of the most important plots (aftermath of the blood rite).
you can be an elain stan while recognizing that she is in desperate need of growth and a healing arc and separation from the inner circle. her growth is hindered where she is and she lacks awareness and empathy. she needs to learn more and to grow. because right now, with the attitude that was displayed towards nesta in acosf (elain’s inability to understand her trauma), it’s clear that she would not be healthy for either lucien or azriel.
