r/ElrielFans

I keep seeing people arguing that Elriel isn’t forbidden romance because Rhys will fold like a cheap suit when Feyre puts him in his place. And I do agree with this, although I think there will be a lot of drama and misunderstandings before we get to that.

And that Lucien isn’t the type to demand a Blood Duel, or want to be mated to Elain against her will. And I agree with this also.

So where is the forbidden romance coming from?? Beron of course. Beron is being set up as a major villain in the next books, and it absolutely was not accidental that SJM had Rhys name drop Beron when discussing the Blood Duel. Beron will somehow discover the extent of Elain’s power. He will find out that she can wield the trove. He will become obsessed with gaining her power for HIS court, and demand the Blood Duel from Azriel. It is obvious he is going to be massively threatened by the existence of Nyx, and driven mad with anger and fear of his potential power. That will drive him to extreme lengths to obtain a wielder of the trove.

Also, through this plot, Lucien’s true parentage will be discovered.

Sooooo anyone wondering why Lucien wasn't on that list for the snog, marry or avoid but like, Tamlin was and Lucien was not? 😂😂😂

Azriel was also there but with Tamlin making an appearance and not Lucien....feel like theres something about that 😂😂

I'm writing a very long analysis post about Elriel and I don't want to miss any scene to back me up.

So, I wanted your help to find with me an Elriel scene or scenes (can be easily more than one, that would be better) where Elain and Azriel show comfort with one another. The more complete the scene and which book came the better.

Some details to help us identify them is that "their posture, facial expressions, and overall demeanor are calm, open, and welcoming when they're together. They don't feel the need to stay guarded and can simply be themselves."

It can be just a passing scene, but I'm trying to find the little clues SJM gave us about the Elriel romance building since they met.

Thank you!

I just want to take a moment to really reflect on the Rose necklace that was given to Elain from Azriel and the beauty of what this could be a metaphor for.

Interestingly, SJM could have had Az give any type of necklace. But, she chose a rose necklace that fractures white light (essentially a prism) to reflect multiple colors (typically a rainbow) so, I just want to take a moment to reflect on how beautiful it is that she chose a prism for Az to give Elain for his feelings for her. Rather than speaking, its giving.

Love is not uniform and thats exactly what the prism represents. That is why when a single white light shines through it, it fractures into different colors allowing true love to become a multicolored spectrum containing passion, vulnerability, tenderness and patience.

Prisms are a metaphor for seeing things in a whole different way, a change in perspective. Where Azriel lives in eternal darkness, Az and Elain together create the light allowing him to see in a spectrum of color where he once only saw darkness. He sees beauty, hope, joy, love and passion and I can't think of a better metaphor than that.

It also explains why he wants so badly to get the necklace away from him. He doesn't want to be reminded of the light of his life that he feels he is losing, though he never fully had.

For my 're-read' I decided to delve into the graphic audio versions. I'm at the start of MAF.

Given the map is a decent copy of the UK I did imagine the characters having various British accents. But what's given me pause is not just the accent itself, but the delivery of the lines. I imagined the characters being more refined and measured.

It's totally thrown me off and I wonder how much of the voice actors' interpretation of the characters might colour that of those who listened to the book vs read them. This would be an interesting study within the context of the ship wars.

Lucien for example, in my head his accent would have been one difficult to peg down because he'd be capable of code switching based on whatever court he was in. I also read his lines with dry wit rather than bitchy annoyed guy. He's not as alluring to me this way, which would have been one of the very few points in that ship's favour. Same with Nesta. I imagined her more deadpan and less catty Regina George.

What I'm getting from Feyre and Rhysand is Hilary Duff and Christopher Moltisanti 🙈

I haven't come across Az yet, almost scared to. But already I find it difficult on a surface level to match up Elain (combo of Gretchen and boobs predict the weather girl) and Lucien based on their character interpretations in the GA alone. Maybe I've gone into this biased and would have always felt this way. I did genuinely want to go into this re-read open minded but haven't been able to shake this take. It is early on, so maybe things will change as I progress through the stories.

Sorry that this is a random non specific ramble, just curious about everyone's experiences.

I don’t know if this question belongs here but I’m new in this reddit thing and I’ve been banned to a few acotar groups already mostly for shipping elriel. Shoudn’t that ship debate thing be fair to all ships? And I don’t mean the people - they are free to downvote - but moderators ban you if you comment too much supporting elriel. What will they do when elriel is endgame? Because it is endgame. They should change their name group to gwynriel and elucien.

I find it very interesting that Maas actually showed us what Eluciens bond felt like,

""Like you pulled on a thread tied to a rib."

And then Lucien's suprise that there was actually something between them,

"There's a bond-it's a real thread," he said, more to himself than us.

A single thread that ties them together.

For Nessian, it was multiple golden threads between their souls. For Feysand, an unbreakable chain between their souls. For elucien...a single thread tied to a bone...it feels so lackluster and so unromantic in comparison.

Then comes the question, why could Lucien, not only see, but actually tug on the bond? We also later find out he is a spellcleaver, and from Helion we know spells are made up of threads.

Now, Imagine being bonded to someone who you do not want. You're incompatible with them. There's no attraction. You do not want them yet you're forced together by a bond from nature that neither of you wanted...it sounds like a curse, right?

When trying to undo Vassa's curse, Feyre & Helion are looking for threads to unbind it:

I'd never seen such spell work. I'd sent my power over her, Helion too, hunting for any possible threads to unbind it.

I wonder if incompatible bonds are single threads tying two people together, not by their souls, but by bones therefore it's possible to unbind that thread especially by a spellcleaver who can see it.

On top of that: anything that comes from the cauldron is made therefore cauldron bonds are made…there’s a certain dagger that can potentially unmake elucien’s bond by cutting through their thread OR the way Nesta unmade Briallyn, I wonder if Elain can unmake the bond.

I fully believe Lucien and Elain will mutually reject their bond by finding a way to undo the thread tied to Elains rib, which would free them both. There’s multiple ways this can be achieved, idk why certain people act as though its so impossible to do. If Maas wants a bond to be broken, she will find a way for it to happen without elain or lucien having to constantly feel it.

One of the biggest reasons I am so laid-back and chilled with the shipwar and confident with elriel being endgame is because…nothings changed for me.

I read these books 6 years ago. I’ve been in this fandom for 5 years and absolutely nothing has changed

I ended acosf knowing Elains book is next and Azriel will be her love interest. A bonus chapter that wasn’t available to me, didn’t change my mind. Interviews, I had no idea even existed, didn’t change my mind. Promotional videos by a publishing house I dont even follow, didn’t change my mind. Merch, Which I would have been clueless about if not for tumblr, has not changed my mind. Acosf, a standalone spinoff, has not changed my mind especially when that last elriel interaction was a charged glance, doesn’t seem like a buried ship to me. Interacting in this fandon, has not changed my mind.

5 years ago, I believed Elriel was endgame and their book was next. 5 years later, that belief has held. Because nothings changed. Acosf ended with the 3 sisters. Acosf ended with Elain and Azriel holding Nyx, a symbol of the future. Acosf ended with elriels charged glance. Acosf is a standalone spinoff. Its not the start of a new triology. Elriel has been built up along with Nessian in acowar because that is the book Maas laid foreshadowing out for the future spinoffs. Gwynriel did not exist then. It didn’t exist in FAS even though Maas knew how acosf would unfold and what the next spinoff would be about, ask yourselves, does it make sense for Sjm to not foreshadow a main couple like Gwynriel in acowar/acofas where she foreshadowing Nessian and other spinoffs subplots? No , right? That speaks volumes.

Its so easy to get swept up but in the end what matters is what you believed the next story will be about after you read the last page of acosf. I can gurantee you, no one finished acosf thinking elucien or gwynriel or the valkryies or another Nesta or a brycerial or azriel book is next. These beliefs came AFTER limited edition bonuses were read. AFTER misrepresented interviews came out, AFTER a crossover. AFTER merch. AFTER interacting in echo chambers.

Not before.

💖