#elain archeron coded

[highladyjane]

I don't want another warrior training like we've already had in the former books, but aside from training her Seer abilities, I can also see Elain having some basic and necessary training both for self-defence and to become a spy disguised as an emissary of the NC (because she can definitely be both at the same time). And I definitely see Nuala and Cerridwen + Az, and maybe even her sisters, teaching her a thing or two about how to properly wield a knife outside the kitchen - on her own terms and choice ofc.

Feyre was the bow and arrow, Nesta is the sword, and Elain is definitely the "knife in the dark" (just like Azriel).

I can totally see her carrying a knife/dagger as her weapon of choice under all her beautiful dresses like...

I don't think Elain, nor any other female character (especially in the Maasverse tbh) will lose her "soft femininity" just because she learns how to wield a blade. I think what they choose to do with that blade is what makes the difference.

None of them likes violence itself (except for probably mostly the Illyrians), but they sometimes have to resort to it because they need to. Knowing how to handle a blade doesn't necessarily mean it's for violence or to kill - but to defend, protect and save lives just like she did with Nessian vs Hybern.

She may have some lingering trauma from that incident to process, but I think Elain will see that having a dagger around at times is actually useful and easy enough to hide - and the perfect weapon of spies.

Maybe not even just for self-defence but for random pruning, carving, and slicing things in her garden and kitchen lol... It can be subtle and unexpected, but useful and sharp enough when needed - just like her.

No matter what happens to Truth-teller after HOFAS, I still think daggers and knives will come to play for both Az and Elain.

Maybe he'll even gift her a secret, lovely dagger of her own next Solstice... 😏

So that she can...

... in front of Az so he can momentarily forget the existence of air and have something new to fantasize and be tormented about at night 🤭 Like "Call me a mistake one more time, you jackAz" 😏 loljk

Yes, I'm getting carried away.

I can see so many possibilities and potentials for Elain.

She has repeatedly shown the will of becoming more useful and not like how she herself realised and admitted to being like in the first book (because character development, duh). And since she's starting to "show some claws" I think she'll also want to learn how to really fend for herself and not always have to rely on others, especially not Az (not after that Solstice incident) nor her sisters to always come and save her.

She likes domestic things and is the only one among her sisters who is actually good and useful at it, she's a Cauldron-blessed Seer (and now likely also Koschei's next target), but she also has hinted unexplored potential for something besides all that - the stealth, shadows, and secret-keeping = spywork.

She's the perfect housewife-spy like those in WW2 that SJM herself referred to.

Introverts like Elain are always underestimated observers and always so easily dismissed as boring just because their mouths aren't as open as their minds.

Elain knows how to surprise and I think she definitely will again in her book.

Especially with something sharp at your throat the next time you call her boring and useless.

She's the perfect knife in the dark. A beautiful rose with thorns. A thing of secret, lovely beauty. 🌹🗡✨😌

[azrielsfavoriteshadow]

Jane Austen would ship Elucien and that’s a fact.

[moonpatroclus]

🍂Elain🍃

𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘩𝘦

𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴

𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘵

𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦

𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘥, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴

𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥

𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴

𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵

𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴

𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵

𝘐 𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘮. 𝘉𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.

- 𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘖𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳

When I first saw efellana_illustrations beautiful, whimsical artwork, I knew I needed to see Elain in their style. They were so wonderful to work with, and I’m so happy with how this piece turned out💕 I think that this poem by Mary Oliver goes so well with this artwork, and Elain as a character in general, so I had to include it. Personally, I think Elain deserves to spend more time frolicking through the woods, getting up to all sorts of witchy business, talking with the birds, and gazing into mysterious golden orbs.

Art by efellana_illustrations on Instagram, commissioned by me 🫶🏻

Please do not repost

[queenlachimolala]

Fanart idea

Is it possible to recreate this scene but with Elucien? Please 🙏🏽

[highladyjane]

This screams

✨️Elain Archeron🌷✨️

[dippedinmelancholy]

Is it weird if I say I think I might have found Elain a bit more endearing if Feyre was right, and she really was just kind of . . . dim witted? Didn’t think enough to think she could actually help? Not cruel, not exactly stupid but just . . .an airhead from a life of being coddled by her entire family? Glenda (Wicked) is endearing, for this exact kind of reasoning.

It could have been interesting, see her thrust into the cauldron, into the war, into the world of the fae and suddenly gifted as a seer, struggling with what could come to pass, forcing her to actually think about her actions and their consequences, and everyone else’s. Air headed isn’t an insult imo, it’s a character flaw that could have led to some interesting things and character development.

Instead ACOSF makes it so clear she’s not an airhead, she sees a lot of things and always has, and just . . .hasn’t cared as long as it didn’t negatively affect her. It’s a special kind of cruelty, one that is really passive and honestly really common in the real world. Elain kind of has that southern american aura of, it’s fine if you’re miserable and falling apart and borderline suicidal behind closed doors . . .as long as you’re presentable, faking interactions with your family, and maintaining a respectable reputation, regardless of the truth. Don’t embarrass your family or upset the social balance, no matter the cost to your soul and mind.

Unfortunately that makes it really hard for me to care about her beyond “I don’t want to see this character expressly hurt, but she honestly sucks.”

[infinitefolklore]

Just a friendly reminder that LUCIEN VANSERRA sailed across the sea with Papa Archeron and a fleet of ships in order to get to the final battle in ACOWAR. And then he proceeded to slaughter his way across the battlefield to get to his MATE.

[harperbrynne]

“I claimed Lucien as my own—named him emissary, since he’d already made many friends across the courts and had always been good at talking to people…” (ACOTAR, pg161)

But I tried to smile, if only for Elain, who flitted about the room, personally greeting each guest and dancing with all their important sons.(ACOTAR, pg268)

What happens when good at talking to people meets dancing with all their important sons? It’s called flirting, banter, jealousy, and pining.

Lucien thought he was good at talking before every word began to taste like ash in his mouth at her tongue twisting beauty. Elain believed she had danced with many important men in her life until just grazing his skin lights her on fire unlike anyone she had ever touched before.

[lunaduskxo]

If long-suffering propriety is what they want from me

They don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly

I choose you and me religiously

-Guilty as Sin

[crazy-ache]

Jane Austen's most romantic letter, if it had been written by Lucien Vanserra (Persuasion x Elucien)

Or what would happen if Lucien overheard Elain have a conversation about the bond? And what if he wrote a gut-wrenching love confession in said letter? Inspired by literature's most infamously romantic letter ever written.

Some text is directly taken from Chapter 23 of Persuasion by Jane Austen.

"We will write the letter to Helion we were talking of, Rhysand, now, if you will give me materials."

Materials were at hand, on a separate table; Lucien went to it, and nearly turning his back to the rest of the Inner Circle, was engrossed by writing.

Elain eyed him carefully, studying the leather strap that held back his long, molten red hair. Clearing her throat, she found Nesta across the room by the open window of the parlor as they were both on the outskirts of the Inner Circle’s political discussions. It was a respectable distance from where Lucien was writing at the desk, although still somewhat nearby. 

“I have a question for you,” Nesta turned to her younger sister, face like stone. “One that I have been thinking about for some time. What do you think our parents would have thought about the mating bond?” 

With wide, brown eyes Elain sucked in her breath. It was an unexpected question, but also a familiar one. For her thoughts had circled the very same doubts and insecurities that plagued her sister. “Well,” Elain wrung her hands nervously. “Mother would have adored Feyre’s, being mated to a High Lord after all. But if she didn’t like the outcome, she would have demanded a way to break it or alter it for her own advantage.” 

Nesta’s wicked grin revealed an agreement, knowing full well their mother would have been furious at her marriage and bond with an Illyrian general, and her matching status as a Valkyrie now. 

“As for father, well, I suppose, based on what he discussed with me in the past—there is a small chance he would have been disappointed.” Her voice dropped in both volume and confidence, barely escaping as a whisper passed her lips. As if she was instinctually afraid someone would hear, perhaps someone sitting across the room. 

Elain felt compelled to explain further. “He always told me the most important thing to find in a husband was true love. That I should not settle for anyone less than a kind, loyal heart who loves every part of me, because that kind of love will never leave you.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, Nesta regarded her with furrowed eyebrows. “And you do not believe that a mating bond can also encompass those very same feelings? That same love?” 

She considered her question carefully, chewing on her bottom lip. “Perhaps it can, but how can you know it is true? That it is not just the manifestation of desire in its place?” It was always that doubt, that fear, that crept into the darkest crevices of her heart. For as long as those shadows existed, she could not bring herself closer to her own mate, afraid she would be unable to determine the answer. In return, she was afraid of what she could possibly want or feel for him.

“I wish I could make you comprehend, Elain.” Nesta frowned, “I wish I could properly convey the feeling of how your soul glows when your mate loves you—”

Before Nesta could continue, Elain found herself apologizing with a hand on her elbow. “Gods forbid that I should undervalue the love and bond you share with Cassian, or Feyre’s either for that matter. It is a reminder that bonds can be true and constant attachments.”

She could not immediately have uttered another sentence; her heart was too full, her breath too much oppressed.

“You’re a good sister,” Nesta replied affectionately and Elain wonder if her sister could see past her tenderness, if anyone could witness the mask of kindness that Elain could so easily put on for the sake of others to hide her own feelings. The conversation faded as Feyre now joined them with Nyx on her hip, a welcome distraction for Elain as the three of them turned to him. 

“Ready to go?” Cassian’s voice eventually broke through the hum of the room, an echo across the parlor. “We need to meet with Vassa and Jurian.” Lucien was folding up a letter in great haste, and either could not or would not answer fully.

“Yes,” he said. “I will winnow us. I will be ready in half a minute.” 

Cassian left to wait for him at the front door, and Lucien, having sealed his letter with great rapidity, was indeed ready, with a hurried and agitated air, as if he was greatly impatient to leave. Elain could not understand it. Cassian had given her a smile and shoulder a warm squeeze as he left the room, but from Lucien himself, not a single word. He had passed out of the room without a look.  

Elain moved closer to the table where he had been writing, when suddenly she heard footsteps returning; the door opened and it was Lucien. He gave her a polite nod and gestured to where he had forgotten his gloves, instantly crossing the room to the desk. He drew out a letter from under the scattered papers, placed it before Elain with eyes glowing in longing fixed on her, and hastily collected his gloves, once again out of the room before anyone could even be aware he had been in it at all. 

The interaction was almost beyond expression. The letter, with strokes of pen that were hardly legibly, as if rushed, read “Elain Archeron,” was evidently the one which he had been folding so hastily. While he had supposedly been writing to Helion, he had also been addressing her. On the contents of that letter depended all which this world could do for her. Anything was possible. Sinking into the chair which he had occupied, succeeding to the very spot where he had leaned and written, her eyes devoured the following words:

“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when this bond first snapped, two and a half years ago. Dare not say that a mate’s love cannot be true, that his love is influenced by our tether. I have loved another, but none like you. Unjust I may have been, distant and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Velaris. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these past few days after Solstice, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine, I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish your true thoughts through the bond when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent female! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among males. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating in your mate,  L.V. I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow the court, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter the Night Court this evening or never again.” 

Such a letter was not to be soon recovered from. 

[azrielaxtar]

Same energy…

Elucien or Gwynriel have nothing on Elriel

🦇🌸

[ater-love]

AZRIEL AZRIEL AZRIEL AZRIEL AZRIEL AZRIEL

The jasmines on the earbuds… Elain coded

[lunaatthezoo]

He'd beg on his knees for a chance to taste it.

Gustav Vigeland, 1908

[sad-scarred-sassy]

Can we please also talk about maybe one of the reasons Lucien isn’t more forward with Elain yet is literally because his life is so unstable, he doesn’t REALLY have a home, his family is super dangerous and STILL out to get him, his previous court hates him, he thinks hes a nobody…

He probably doesn’t think he has anything to offer to her, and it makes me so soft, because all she needs is his warmth 😭

[moonsofnara]

Elucien

sorry to the haters in the back 🫶🏻

[shitwillnotbegiven]

A visionary 🙂‍↕️

Francesca and Michael in When he was Wicked :

This was where she could stop, Francesca reminded herself. She could end it here. Michael wanted her—badly, she could see quite visibly. But he would stop if she just said the word.

But she couldn’t. No matter how hard her brain argued for reason and clarity, her lips could do nothing but sway toward his, leaning in for a kiss, desperate to prolong the contact.

She wanted this. She wanted him. And even though she knew it was wrong, she was too wicked to stop.

Azriel and Elain in Azriel's bonus chapter for Acosf :

He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her. Letting his scarred fingers touch her immaculate skin. Letting them brush the side of her throat, savoring the velvet-soft texture. Elain shivered, and he took a damn long time fastening the clasp.

Azriel's fingers lingered at her nape, atop the first knob of her spine. Slowly, Elain pivoted into his touch. Until his palm lay flat against her neck.

It had never gone this far. They'd exchanged looks, the occasional brush of their fingers, but never this. Never blatant, unrestricted touching.

Wrong -- it was so wrong.

He didn't care.