#Only thing that makes me pause is why did Mass set some elriel clues in acomaf if elcuien were endgame

[elainsgirl]

what are your thoughts on how azriel and elain's relationship developed throughout the series?

It really gave slowburn.

Hey anon 🫶

I personally believe Elriels development throughout the books were healthy and organic. It felt natural and as readers, we saw how their relationship entered from one stage to the next- it wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t instant love. They didn’t just jump into a relationship with each other. Looking back, Mass has clearly put a lot of thought and effort into elriel and the lore that surronds them both.

Early on from ACOMAF - That dinner the boys shared with the girls- it clearly laid out the dynamic of Nessian and Elriel. The way a faint smile bloomed on Azriels face at seeing Elain clutch her fork, the way Elain looked to Azriel to assure herself everything was going well - a virtual stranger to her, Az managed to ease her tension. Elain asking questions and Azriel answering. We get told how charming Elain is and how this charm can convince people to do anything for her to match Feyre then wondering if Azriel used his own charm to get information he needed from his victims. Elain wearing cobalt to match Azriel’s syphons. I can’t remember if it was in acomaf or acowar but Feyre saying how Elain would cling to Azriel for some peace and quiet- showing us readers how they’re both alike. So from strangers they go to acquaintances.

Then we have ACOWAR which is filled to the brim with elriel moments- In this book, whilst Az is still very much into Mor and Elain mourning Grayson, Sjm spends this book showing us elriels dynamic & how well they suit each other as well as romantically coding their scenes. We get detailed scenes of Azriel going out of his way for elain, scenes that have Feyre wondering why not make them mates? What if the cauldron was wrong? - I love elriel in acowar bcs every single interaction is genuine. No one is forcing them together narratively. Each scene just flows & feels natural. Here I like to think that by the end, elain and az consider each other as friends. Then we have ACOFAS - which now is the very clear turning point for elriel- where Acowar focused on Azriel’s reactions and interactions with Elain - The novella focuses on telling us readers, Elain’s disinterest in Lucien and her interest in Azriel. It shows us that its mutual- BOTH of them have began to like each other, its not one sided. But again, just because they have began to like each other doesn’t mean Az is fully over Mor and Elain has moved on from Gray - and this too me is healthy. You can’t get over your crush of 500 years or healthily move on from a broken engagement all within the span of a few months. The fact Sjm included this in, shows us that elriel aren’t using each other as rebounds. They’re not using each other to fill a void. Then we have acosf which is basically confirming elriels romantic attraction noticed by both main characters setting them up for their book.

This is a long winded way of saying: Elriel developed naturally. Their interest in each other doesn’t begin after Nessian get together, disproving the claim Az is only interested in Elain bcs of his brothers being with her sisters. The bonus tells us that elriel have not started their relationship- disproving the claim they’re using each other as rebounds.

I think out of the all massiverse couples I’ve read - Elriel stand out the most. They’re just beautifully and poetically written. You can tell these two characters belong together and would have found their way to each other regardless of circumstances. And the foreshadowing for their plot and future action is insane - you can tell Mass has really put consideration into them.

fully agree with the slowburn - imo it adds to their charm- their tension & chemistry has just been continually growing from when they first appeared on page together - It’s going to feel so rewarding when they finally get together

preferably after an angry love confession in the rain.