#I just think we're 2 dimensional-izing Elain's personality when we say she doesn't belong in the night court

[hacawijo]

Jasmine, the Night-Blooming Flower

So I just struggle with the idea that Elain doesn’t belong in the Night Court, and I’ll have more to say about it later, but I think the use of the Jasmine scent in this series is really telling. Scent, in general, is a huge part of SJM’s writing and characterization.

I also think that the denial of Elain’s multiple facets, the denial of her darkness, the denial of the fact that flowers bloom even IN darkness... It feels like a two-dimensional way to view her. I feel like often the point of the books in this series is that darkness is so much more than just the opposite of light. It can be something that soothes and something that scares and so many other things. 

Elain is a dreamer in the same way that the NC IC is. And I don’t think it’s even cut and dry that Lucien doesn’t belong in the NC, I’m not sure it’s easy to say that about ANYONE (short of High Lords <3), when the NC represents a safe place for healing regardless of someone’s life experience. 

The Hewn City is not representative of most of the NC. There’s Velaris, which is secluded, yes, but there are other cities and places in the NC that aren’t the Hewn City. There’s Mor’s estate, Azriel’s. The mountains, the woods. Illyria. To say that Elain’s relation to the Hewn City is representative of her relation to the Night Court is frankly diminutive of a vast court with many different parts. 

ALSO, I think it’s interesting that Elain is wearing PEARL combs in The Hewn City, that there were PEARLS on her engagement ring to Graysen, and that Lucien gifted her PEARL earrings for Solstice in ACOSF. Just another little thought I’ve been having that I wanted to throw in :)

Here’s the Night Court being associated with Jasmine:

Here’s a description of Elain’s scent, in the most recent book in the series: 

AND, this little tidbit about Nesta’s River House room smelling like Jasmine is interesting I think. She describes the scent of jasmine as ‘soothing,’ and she is the one who said above her her sister’s scent is of jasmine and honey, and so it would make sense if Elain’s scent is soothing to her.