#elain archeron week 2022

[emilyondemand]

Why are there 2 Elain weeks? I'm not upset with celebrating more Elain! But I'm confused. Did the hosts lose the login info?

So the very first Elain Archeron week was hosted back in 2021, that torch was passed onto the current hosts who have been running the appreciation week since September of 2022. The current hosts were harassed by Eluciens and Gwynriels who were trying to claim their own Elain week in 2023 which they held in March or April (?) and it flopped, so they abandoned it. They have always been welcome to celebrate in our long running Elain week, but if they do, they typically only contribute to the Romance prompt.

When Elain week posted their rules this year (which have been exactly the same for the past 3 years), antis decided to use it as a chance to bash the event and create drama over… males. Thus elaingate was born by people who were never going to, nor had any intention of actually participating in Elain week to begin with.

Our current hosts are very familiar with harassment surrounding the week, unfortunately, and just held their boundaries. Antis didn’t like that the hosts didn’t give into their tantrums, so they took the more manipulative approach of playing victim, and acted as though they didn’t feel welcomed to participate because the week is hosted by Elriels. Despite the fact that Elriels were by far and large interacting with, liking, and sharing ALL of the content posted. (From what I saw anyway, I can’t speak for what may have been happening on Twitter and I apologize if any Eluciens were being unfairly attacked on that platform. From what I’ve heard it’s unhinged in those parts, so I avoid)

A lot of them pretended to be nice to our faces on IG, while coming onto Tumblr to whine and complain about how many Elriels were participating, any nods to Azriel in any form in any piece was criticized, they tried to start drama over an artist who theorized Elain having shapeshifting abilities and gave her wings, one of the captions on one of my own commissions was mocked and made fun of in the pro Elain tags, and many of us were blocked, unblocked, and reblocked- it was just bizarre tantrum throwing behavior and a poor show of trying to play the victim while simultaneously manufacturing all of the drama.

So now, someone has taken over the reins of the random one time elucien led elain week and has decided to host it again, I’m assuming they will be resuming in March of 2025. The sad thing though is that it isn’t being held because of actual love for Elain’s character, but because they want to be spiteful and ugly over not being the first ones to host and control the real Elain week. And that is what it really comes down to- pettiness, unfortunately.

[stargirlie25]

This is the first and hopefully the last time i talk about the Elainweek drama.

Ima just cut straight to the point

People who ship Tamlain are not evil people! If they want to participate in Elainweek that means they generally love Elain.

Considering Elain Archeron´s character was not even created by you guys but you still get to decide on whom she can or can´t be shipped with?

got this image from @positivelyruined

Tamlains are fans of Elain! If we all just worked together to be more open minded we would realise it! This characters are not real so it is really about whether the pro elain community enjoys it.

Of course you can still do an Elainweek i'm saying you can't just create an event about a character that isn't yours and not include everyone. That is just messed up! Some Elain fans believe that this topic is unnecessary drama which is false!

A lot of people were looking forward to Elainweek only to be cast away because someone said so.

Im sorry @elainarcheronweek but you guys are basically casting away multiple people who love Elain.

Elain week should be about people who love and appreciate Elain.

Also to me it does not seem like your account is inclusive to everybody. I mean obviously but you even seem to lean into elriel more anyways. They literally have 8 elriel submissions and 1 elucien submission from 2022. It makes me feel that your account was not very welcoming to other shippers including Elucien. Maybe people did want to participate but did you promote elriel more often than other ships?

Even feycien was aloud in Feyreweek! It is really all about us as a community and what we do to make this fandom a fun loving space.

Bottom line: Elain Archeron does not even belong to you and still you guys somehow get to choose who is aloud and not. If you want to make a week be inclusive and diverse so that we all can have a great time. Many people (including me) were so excited for Elainweek only to be turned down. Keep in mind i am an Elucien and i have actually expressed my distaste for tamlain like i have for elriel. That does not mean i want those shippers to feel unwelcome in this event. It upsets me that you claim all fans are aloud to join but still divide us into sections. Even Eluciens (including me) are opting out because we believe in community.

Note-This is not an attack on Elriels or Elriel whatsoever! This post is not anti any ship just that we should all be included! When it comes to a character's week i am open to see all ships as long as the main focus is the character!

ANYWAYS if anybody is trying to make a real Elain Archeron week i will definitely participate and i hope that all elain stans and all the shippers participate to celebrate our Lovely bright Quiet dreamer.

[aldbooks]

ACOTAR Masterlist

AO3 ALDBooks

ACOTAR 🥀

Like After Images - Valkyrie Week prompt 'Blood Rite' *TW*

Several weeks after the Blood Rite, once the excitement of Nesta's mating ceremony and the birth of Nyx subside, the Valkyrie wade through the aftermath of what they faced in the Blood Rite

The Temporary Roommate - T - 3/3 - 13,951words

ACOTAR Secret Santa 2022 gift Mor's meddling family sends her and Emerie away to her estate for two weeks. It's either the best, or the worst thing that ever happened. She hadn't yet decided.

A Strange Melody - M - 12/12 - 19,752

ACOTAR Secret Santa 2023 gift for @sunshinebingo - a Gwynriel Little Mermaid AU

ACOTAR Writing Circle 3

A Friendly Wager - M - 1/1 - 2,205 words

Gwynriel oneshot fluffy fun - Alternate storyline A Fresh Spark

“Because of you I didn’t sleep at all last night” prompt Gwynriel

“I’m guessing you stole them?” Prompt Gwynriel

Azriel and his mother headcanons

Gwynriel/Kanthony headcanon

The necklace - Angsty Gwynriel

Snap me baby one more time - Nessian 2,175 words

Inspired by all the gym bro thirst traps that keep crossing my FYP that remind me of Cassian. Here's a silly little Nessian one shot with a side Gwynriel and Emorie plot (naturally)

Bodyshop - E - 4/4 - 19,441 words

Inspired by the song Unholy by Sam Smith & Kim Petra Mor and Cassian drag Azriel to Rita's the strip club the partially own with their friend Rhysand to see a new troop of dancers. A trio of women who go by the name Valkyrie.

Don’t you wanna be more than friends? - M - 3,839 words

Azriel and Gwyn have been growing steadily closer thanks to their midnight meetings in the training ring but, tonight, something is different... TW: mentions of SA

“Who says I want to reject it?” - Elucien

Drunk confessions - Elucien

Elucien angsty Drabble & Part 2

More angsty Elucien 

The haircut - Lucien cuts his hair and Elain has feelings about it

Gwynriel/Elucien drabble

Should've Stayed Dead - M - 4,437 words

Nessian (sort of) Lucien receives a message requesting a meeting with the Night Court. Specifically, the Archeron sisters. Cassian's POV

Angsty prompts requests:

Elucien [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Gwynriel [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Lucien/Feyre [1]

Her tears like diamonds on the floor - 1,610words

Angsty Gwynriel Starfall drabble

Embrace - E - 14/? :

Collection of Smut prompt requests including the following ships:

Amren x Varian

Gwynriel

Helion x LoA

Feysand

Elucien

Viviane x Kallias

Jassa

Nessian

Gwynriel week prompts:

Solstice Night

“You’re the new ribbon Az”

To Win a Prince - Cinderella AU

Elucien story inspired by Persuasion - The Remembrance of Regret

Unchained Melody - angsty/smutty Gwynriel

Rosaline inspired Gwynriel scene

Gwynriel sparring

My Jolly Sailor Bold - Gwynriel mermay

I thought my demons were almost defeated but you took their side and you pulled them to freedom - Gwynriel based on @acourtdelaluna head canon

Moth to Flame - Gwynriel Summer Solstice

Frost and Flame - Pure angst from Lucien's POV, no happy ending

A Court of Light and Shadows series - Elucien/Gwynriel

This series consists of an Elucien prequel then a Gwynriel and Elucien story that run tandem to each other - the directions for the tandem read are in the notes of each respective chapter for those interested

A Breaking - M - 1/1 - 2,899 words

After witnessing the almost kiss on Winter Solstice, Lucien makes a decision.

A Court of Shadows - E - 37/37 - 94,718 words

Azriel has begun to notice that his thoughts regarding a certain priestess have begun to shift. Before he can fully set aside his more inappropriate musings, Gwyn makes a proposal he can't resist

A Court of Light - M - 31/31 - 88,258 words

A year after the events of A Breaking, Elain feels a tug on the bond and realizes her estranged mate is in danger. Lucien, now returned to the Night Court, wonders if he might have been too hasty in his decision to leave, and if there might still be a chance for him with his mate

[melting-houses-of-gold]

A and N for the ask game!

Hi friend, thanks for the ask!

A) Of the fanfic you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?

I always feel like the one I'm currently working on is my favorite because I get super immersed in whatever I'm hyperfixating on at that given moment (and then as soon as its done i never look at it again but that's another issue!).

So that would be something borrowed, something blue (an annoyances to lovers romcom vibe and my first Jujutsu Kaisen fic!) and immaterial (1800s ghost meets modern woman Rexsoka AU), which are both very different from each other but giving me the romcom vibes I've needed in the past few hellish weeks!

N) Any fic ideas brewing that you’d care to share?

So many, it's incurable. I have this ancient feyre oneshot that has languished in my drafts since 2022 and that I pick up every so often to play with, but it's a divergence from ACOWAR where Rhys dies and Feyre, Nesta, and Elain get revenge on Prythian. We support Archeron wrongs.

ask game here if anyone wants to play!

[offtorivendell]

She was … doing something, learning something.

Elain stood between Nuala and Cerridwen at the long worktable. All three of them covered in flour. Some sort of doughy mess on the surface before them.

The two handmaiden-spies instantly bowed to Rhys, and Elain—

There was a slight sparkle in her brown eyes.

As if she’d been enjoying herself with them.

Nuala swallowed hard. “The lady said she was hungry, so we went to make her something. But—she said she wanted to learn how, so …” Hands wreathed in shadows lifted in a helpless gesture, flour drifting off them like veils of snow. “We’re making bread.”

Elain was glancing between all of us, and as her eyes began to shutter, I gave her a broad smile and said, “I hope it’ll be done soon—I’m starved.”

Elain offered a faint smile in return and nodded.

She was hungry. She was … doing something. Learning something.

-🌸-

Working with theclever.crow was an absolute joy, and something I've been wanting to do for a while. Thank you, Katie, from the bottom of my heart; for taking my ideas, adding your own, and then bringing our vision of Elain and her (as yet hypothetical) powers to life in this gorgeous piece of art. Your passion for both Elain and your work is clear as Night. Please show Katie some love on IG! 🖤

Characters belong to @sjmaas ACOTAR series.

This piece is for Day 1 of @elainarcheronweek - Powers.

-🌸-

Throughout the ACOTAR series, Elain Archeron has demonstrated a love of learning. Beginning in book one, Feyre noted both her love of gardening - it made her come alive - and intention to learn how to grow vegetables, which continued in book three, where learning to cook and bake brought a sparkle to her eye, all the way through to book four, where - though she spent a lot of time in the background - Elain showed her desire to contribute to the search for the Dread Trove by dusting off the powers she hasn't used since ACOWAR (as far as we know).

I've always thought that Elain becoming either a potions mistress or apothecary would neatly marry her desire for knowledge with her love of gardening and baking/cooking. We already know Elain is a Seer - and Amren suggested the possibility of at least one other power in ACOSF - so, given her strong associations with life/rebirth and light, as well as her status as a Cauldron-Made faerie, I wouldn't be surprised if she could give her plants and potions a bit of a boost when required, and that her brews may be highly sought after from all around Prythian.

As a bonus, there are some Easter Eggs hidden in this art - as nods to both Elain's potential powers and future plot - and I'll reblog with all the details once people have had a chance to have a guess themselves. Katie outdid herself here, so please look carefully, and let us know what you can See!

-🌸-

This piece of art is dedicated to everyone who loves Elain, and who values her different sort of strength, whether you see yourself in her or not. 🖤

Please do not repost this art! If you want to find it on Instagram or Twitter, check out theclever.crow and the Elain Week accounts respectively.

-🌸-

Easter Egg Spoilers... coming soon.

-🌸-

Further reading on Elain and her possible future with potions or witchy powers if you're interested...

Elain has a secret garden full of useful plants that she uses for potions (a headcanon).

Can Elain Make plants/have powers of growth, or does she have a link to the Mother?

Could Elain be a witch?

[impossiblescissorspeachpaper]

The Heart of a Wanderer II

Guys, I wrote a part two to this little thing 🙂 (I’d recommend reading part one first- this picks up straight away)

Elain Week Day One: powers

Fluff. Innuendo. 2.2k words.

Elain plunged through darkness and starlight and wonder as she winnowed. Glimpses of lush rich lands, arid red deserts and snow-capped mountains, all flashed periodically in front of her eyes before being swallowed again into the void. Her eyes squeezed shut, unable to hold them open against the enormity of that vast galaxy of darkness between worlds.

She wasn’t sure if mere seconds or minutes had passed but as she winnowed swiftly throughout their world, towards home, she felt that irrefutable tug wind tighter and tighter around her. Guiding her gently. A distinct yank of that cord around her heart, and she knew her destination was close.

Elain thought of home. Where her family was, where her friends were. Where he was.

Azriel.

Home, where she truly belonged.

She hadn’t seen the City of Starlight in months, nor any of those who inhabited it. But she felt exhilarated with her decision to finally go back. To finally return to the piece of her heart she had left behind.

The pull that guided her through that fabric of the world finally peaked to a crescendo before she felt herself stilling, her feet landing on solid ground— and splashing into something wet. And warm?

She smelt something familiar, the floral scent lingering on the fringe of her mind. Finally prying her eyes open, she was momentarily blinded by the soft dawn light coming in from the large window. As her eyes adjusted and skated slowly over the scene, she realised to her absolute horror that Azriel was half-submerged in the tub she was currently standing in. His mouth hung open, hazel eyes wide with shock, and he sat there struck utterly dumb; clearly startled at her sudden appearance in his private quarters during his bath time.

Oh Gods! She had winnowed right to Azriel. While he had been taking a bath. Naked. 

She doubted anyone had ever been able to spring such an attack on the Shadowsinger and if she had been any more literal in her manifestation during winnowing, she would have landed right on top of him. Cauldron boil her!

Finally finding his voice, he shouted out in surprise, splashing water all over the tiles and knocking over bottles of soaps and oils as he clambered backwards toward the edge of the tub. “Elain?!?”

“Oh! Azriel, I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t think…” She stood uselessly in the centre of the large sunken tub, warm water sloshing up past her knees, frozen on the spot.

Azriel scrambled to cover himself, spilling even more water all over the stone floors in his haste to look for a washcloth, a loofah, anything, within arm’s reach to cover himself with.

“Elain! What are you— how did you? ELAIN?! What—” Azriel spluttered, truly lost for words at her sudden appearance.

Shock at her perhaps too precise winnowing rendered Elain utterly immobile in his warm bath, whisps of steam curling off the surface. She was sure she looked like a complete idiot; mouth agape and pants soaked up to her mid thighs as she stood uselessly before him still clutching her knapsack at her back.

And to add to her humiliation, no matter how modest her attempts at averting her eyes were, she found them betraying her demands and roaming over his broad, tattooed chest instead. The sight of his naked, glistening, bronze skin heated her cheeks. She desperately tried not to dip her vision below the surface of the water, but she couldn’t help it.

Azriel had grabbed a loofah and positioned it in front of himself. It did absolutely nothing to hide his manhood. She blushed harder, taking great precautions to drag her eyes back to his face.

She was just opening her mouth to apologise, or explain herself, or possibly beg the Mother to dig a hole for her to crawl into and die, when Cassian came barrelling in, haphazardly dressed and clutching his sword. His breathing was coming out in harsh puffs as if he’d sprinted the entire way to Azriel’s rooms, ready to smite whatever enemy had managed to sneak up on his brother.

Both Azriel and Elain’s heads snapped towards the door, the General of the Night Court armies coming to a sudden halt at the truly perplexing scene before him. Cassian stood completely motionless in the doorway for the beat of several anxious heartbeats before his face broke out into a toothy grin. Sheathing his sword down his spine, he rushed over to the sunken tub in the centre of the room in three massive strides.

“LAINY! You’re back!” His loud voice boomed across what she was certain was the entire floor of her sisters’ palatial estate.

The air whooshed out of Elain as Cassian wrapped his huge arms around her waist and hoisted her into a rib-crushing hug, her feet dangling out of the water and dripping everywhere.

“I missed you too, Cass,” Elain chuckled.

From a room away, Elain heard another familiar voice, exasperation lacing the tone.

“Cauldron spare me. What are you shouting about now?”

Nesta rounded the corner and like her mate before her, stood frozen in the doorway taking in the scene before reacting any further.

“ELAIN!” she yelped, running over to Cassian who still held her aloft above the bath water and hurtled into their arms, encasing Elain in an embrace between the two of them.

Elain forgot her mortification for a moment as she wrapped her arms around her sister’s strong frame. Clearly, she had continued her training with the Valkyries and Elain couldn’t be prouder. Nesta glowed with health and breathing in her familiar scent, she realised how much she had missed everyone whilst on her travels. Before she could voice her happiness at being home, however, Feyre’s melodic voice floated to them from the depths of the sprawling manor.

“What’s going on? Where the Hel is everyone? Who’s shouting?”

“We’re in here!” Cassian bellowed back, causing a groan to fall from Azriel’s lips. The back of his head thumped against the edge of the bath as he gazed to the heavens in irritation, praying for patience.

“Yes, please. We’d all love for you to join us,” Azriel sarcastically uttered under his breath.

Sinking down into the bath until only his head was above the surface, Azriel attempted to adjust his position in the water as more and more people intruded on his private time.

Feyre appeared in the doorway still in her pyjamas and her face immediately broke out in a beaming smile.

“Elain?! Oh my gods! When did you return?”

Running for her sister, Feyre tugged her out of Cassian’s embrace as she and Nesta descended on her. Pulling her into to bone-crushing hugs then holding her out at arm’s length to ensure she truly was with them. Tears threatened to spill over as they doted on her; kissing her cheeks, peppering her with questions about her travels, her health, how she had gotten here, when she had arrived.

“As delightful as this reunion is, do you all mind?” Azriel interrupted testily from his position in the rapidly cooling water.

All the chatter abruptly died from the room as four pairs of eyes snapped back to his. As if suddenly remembering there was a wet, naked male in their midst.

Nesta’s steely gaze flicked over the shadowsinger’s form before whispering conspiratorially, “Hmmm, it seems what they say about wingspans is true after all…” The corners of her lips curling into a devious grin.

She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at Elain, who was trying to fight the blush creeping up her cheeks as she grumbled, “Cad. You’ve been spending too much time with Cassian.”

Feyre shot her a smirk, her grey blue eyes aglow with mirth. Elain just blushed harder, trying and failing to hide the small tilt of her lips. Azriel just pinned Nesta with a flat stare, stubbornly adjusting his loofah.

“Give my poor spymaster a break,” Rhys chided from the entrance of the bathing chamber, leaning on the doorframe with a lazy hand in his pocket. No one had noticed his appearance.

He strode into the room, plucking a fluffy towel off a hook and handing it to his brother before smiling warmly at Elain. Stars flickered in his violet eyes as he uttered, “Welcome home, Elain. We missed you.”

He kissed her cheek as Elain smiled up at him.

“I’m glad to be back.” And she meant it. She hadn’t realised how much she’d truly missed them all until she was amongst their particular brand of chaos and shenanigans.

“Wait, how did you get here? And why are you wet?” Feyre asked, looking down at the puddle Elain stood in as if just noticing the half-wet pants she was wearing.

“She was standing in the tub when I came in,” Cassian interjected, jerking his thumb in Azriel’s direction. He gave Elain an assessing glance before continuing, “Come to think of it, what were you doing in Az’s bath?”

Cassian then glanced over a shoulder to his brother, one of his infuriating, shit-eating grins spreading slowly across his face. The ones that meant something stupid was about to come tumbling out of his mouth. “Got an itch you couldn’t scratch, brother?”

Azriel scowled at Cassian as he launched the loofah at his brother like it was one of their snowballs at Solstice. Having now discreetly emerged from the tub when everyone’s backs had been turned, a towel wrapped firmly around his waist.

It was still distracting, Elain couldn’t help but follow the beads of water trickle their way down his torso, making their path down the dips and swells of his abdomen and fade into the soft towel slung low on his hips. His massive wings dripped water all over the tiles and his hair hung limp over his forehead, the curls in his wet inky locks making him look younger.

She swallowed thickly before mentally shaking herself, remembering Feyre had asked her a question and distractedly answered, “Oh, I winnowed.”

Everyone stilled, and suddenly five pairs of eyes were zeroed in on her. She held herself still, trying not to shuffle under the weight of her family’s gaze, the looks they were pinning her with varying from assessing to impressed.

“You winnowed? Elain, I didn’t know you could,” Nesta uttered, her head tilted as if seeing her sister in a different light.

“That was the first time I’ve done it.”

“Where did you winnow from?”

“I was hiking on the continent when I decided to come back.”

Everyone’s eyes widened, as Cassian muttered, “Mother’s tits”.

“Elain that’s… very impressive! Many powerful fae cannot even winnow across Prythian in less than two jumps. It’s incredible you were able to go so far on your first attempt,” Feyre prompted gently, as if she couldn’t fully believe she had managed it. But a proud glimmer shone in Feyre’s eyes as she gazed upon her older sister, squeezing her hands in hers.

Rhys came to stand beside Feyre, wrapping an arm around his mate. “What did you think of, when you winnowed? Before you stepped into the realm between— what was it that was driving you home?”

Azriel, she thought, as a slight blush crept up her cheeks. Her eyes flickered to the male in question; a look of open fascination plastered across his handsome face. But she wouldn’t ever tell them that. Instead, she just simply answered, “Home, being home. Here in Velaris. With all of you.”

“Curious…” Rhys considered her with scrupulous eyes, his discerning gaze making her feel as if he could read her every thought. She supposed he could. She fortified her minds shields.

“It must have been a very powerful, moving thought for it to push you to winnow you all the way here from the Continent,” Rhys murmured warily, his eyes raking over Elain from top to toe, as if he could see the threads of magic that wove themselves around her.

Elain just shrugged nonchalantly, not wanting to delve into a discussion about her powers right now.

“But all the same, we’re glad to have you back, Elain. Nyx missed his favourite aunt.”

Before Nesta could open her mouth in indignation, the toddler in question came waddling in, his chubby little arms reaching up ecstatically as he screeched “LAIN!”. A laugh tumbled from Feyre’s lips at the scene and even Nesta became placated by the toddler’s appearance.

Elain’s heart cracked at the sight of her little nephew as she stooped down to scoop him up into her arms. His grabby little hands smacked at her face as he continued squealing Lain! Lain! Lain!

A laugh bubbled out of her, her eyes growing suddenly damp as she swathed her nephew in her embrace. Holding him tight to her chest, careful of his little wings, she breathed his delicate sea-salt and pear scent deep into her lungs. “You’ve grown too much, little batling,” she whispered into his soft hair.

With that, Rhys bent down and dropped a kiss on her hair before exiting the room, Cassian following suit. Feyre and Nesta flanked Elain and Nyx on either side and walked her out of the room, their chattering starting up again, filling her in on the happenings in their lives over the past months whilst she had been on her travels.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Azriel already looking back at her, a look of wonder and deep contemplation lining his face. She could see the cogs of his mind working at something, but she only gave him a small smile and carried her nephew out of the sodden bathroom, happy to be encased within her sisters’ warm embrace once more. Happy to be home.

*******

@elainarcheronweek​

tagging my general list: @offtorivendell​ @fawnandshadows​ @the-laughing-bubble​ @swankii-art-teacher​ @pagemasters​ @tswaney17​ @sakurakittypeach​

A/N: if anyone is familiar with FRIENDS, you might notice where the inspiration for this scene came from. It’s makes me laugh every single time and I wish I could have written the scene with Nesta going “mazel tov” to Elain but that would have made zero sense in canon 😂

[artinelysian]

It’s the final day of #elainarcheronweek2022 and I’m so happy to present this piece!

This piece was a challenge to make as it’s a different art style than what I’m used to and I’ve never drawn butterflies or flowers😅

Overall, super happy with the outcome and it’s probably my favourite piece to date💜

@elainarcheronweek

Total time: 5 hours and 51 minutes

[vanserrass]

@elainarcheronweek day 3: friends & family

elain stepped out a shadow behind him, and rammed truth-teller to the hilt through the back of the king's neck as she snarled in his ear "don't you touch my sister."

[fawnandshadows]

Elain Archeron Week Day 1 — Power

Green Witch Elain

Elain discovering her powers in secret…she’s been working with new herbs in her garden, herbs from everywhere. She walks around downtown Velaris — there is this one store that sells herbs and flowers from the different courts, and one that imports them from the continent — and this has become a ritual of sorts for her. Every Sunday morning.

She has always been curious, it was something that she was never able to fully delve into before. Something she always suppressed...but she finally has the freedom to explore her curiosity. So, she'll hide away in her garden and her gardening shed for hours. Taking excessive notes on all of the flowers and herbs, how they grow, how sensitive they are to the sunlight, which come alive at night, which has the intoxicating smell, and which tastes like strangely like vanilla.

It's in these moments that Elain starts to wonder...starts to think...about what other properties these herbs and flowers might have...So, she runs various experiments. Small ones at first, just to see their properties, how they interact with each other...eventually she started making tea.

She makes a brew for Azriel when he comes to her with a headache... She makes a brew for Cassian when his allergies are acting up... She makes a brew for Nesta when she is battered and aching after an intense training session... She makes a brew for Rhysand to quiet his mind when he's haunted by the past...and she makes a brew for Ferye when the morning sickness was so bad that she could barely keep her head up...

And she did all of this in secret...not wanting to draw any attention to herself...but wanting to help her family in any way she can

[wingedblooms]

i dream of seer Elain, eyes cloudy and lips budding with the secrets of the Cauldron.

a voice that was male and female, young and old, haunting and alluring

humming a silent melody as she wanders across the solar system, her garden. stars and wind and darkness in full bloom.

a song and an invitation, its siren song

promising hope and healing as vines twine tightly in death’s sweet embrace. her power a thing of secret, lovely beauty.

•

the seer’s song

i am super excited to see Elain’s sight [oracular, mystic, and more] at work. i suspect it functions like the Cauldron itself, especially the siren song it uses to find and influence others through dreams. in CC, the oracle lures Hunt and her voice slithers [like the Cauldron’s power] when she is using her sight. as i have said before, sight and song often twine together in Norse mythology. völva [witches, seers, wise women] used song to see and influence Wyrd [fate]. since we know Sarah draws from this mythology, it would be fitting for Elain’s gift to include both sight and song, which might also explain why she and Azriel are intertwined. it also doesn’t hurt that this floral dress, titled silent melody, used to be on Sarah’s ACOTAR Pinterest board. because we are mind twins, @offtorivendell has theorized about her sight as Singing. she also wondered if the first part of the scene below is from Elain’s dreams [Feyre’s mind drawn into her sister’s while she slept through her daemati powers], surfacing in brief flashes of light and color that include the mighty Cauldron’s illusion.

•

My dreams were a tangled garden, thorns snagging on me as I stumbled through them. I dreamed of the Suriel, bleeding out and smiling. I dreamed of the Weaver’s open mouth ripping into Ianthe while she still screamed. I dreamed of Lord Graysen—so mortal and young—standing at the edge of the camp, beckoning to Elain. Telling her he’d come for her. To come home with him. That he’d found a way to undo what had been done to her—to make her human again.

I dreamed of that Cauldron in the King of Hybern’s war-tent, so dark and slumbering … Awakening as Nesta and I stood there, invisible and unseen.

How it had watched back. Known us.

I could feel it watching me, even then. In my dreams. Feel it extend an ancient, black tendril toward me—

I jolted awake.

[…]

Amren’s bare feet were splattered in mud and grass. “It came here—its power. I can feel it—slithering around. Looking.”

“The Cauldron,” Varian said, brows narrowing. “But—it’s aware?”

“We pried too deep,” Amren said. “Battle aside, it knows where we are as much as we now know its location.”

Nesta raised a hand. “Listen.”

And I heard it then. It was a song and invitation, a cluster of notes sung by a voice that was male and female, young and old, haunting and alluring and—

“I can’t hear anything,” Rhys said.

“You were not Made,” Amren snapped. But we were. The three of us …

Again, the Cauldron sang its siren song.

My very bones recoiled. “What does it want?”

I felt it pulling away—felt it sliding off into the night.

Azriel stepped out of a shadow. “What is that,” he hissed.

My brows rose. “You hear it?”

A shake of the head. “No—but the shadows, the wind…They recoil.”

The Cauldron sang again. Distant—withdrawing.

“I think it’s leaving,” I whispered. Cassian stumbled and staggered for us a moment later, a hand braced on his chest, Mor on his heels. She did not so much as look at me, nor I her, as Rhys told them. Standing together in the dead of night—

The Cauldron sang one final note—then went silent.

The presence, the weight … vanished.

Amren loosed a sigh. “Hybern knows where we are by now. The Cauldron likely wanted to have a look for itself. After we taunted it.”

I rubbed at my face. “Let’s pray that’s the last we see of it.”

Varian angled his head. “So you three … because you were Made, you can hear it? Sense it?”

“It would appear so,” Amren said, looking inclined to tug him back to wherever they’d been, to finish what they’d no doubt still been in the middle of doing.

But Azriel asked softly, “What about Elain?”

•

what about Elain? can she find and influence others in her murky realm where dream and reality entwine? does she ensnare them with a promise of spring the future, sparkling with light and color amidst mist and shadow? a vision of hope shining in the tapestry of void.

seer, wise woman, weaver of fate.

[elainarcheronweek-main]

Dear ACOTAR fandom,

🌸 We have been discussing the details for Elain Archeron Appreciation Week - 2022 for a while now, and have decided to host it from the 4th to the 10th of September this year, followed shortly after by an Azriel Appreciation Week. September is the first month of spring in the Southern hemisphere, so it works just as well for Elain as April did last year.

🌸 Elain's week would have been in April again this year, however, out of respect for Gwyn's week already being announced for the week we were planning, we decided to hold off for a bit and use this opportunity to spread the fandom appreciation weeks throughout the year.

🌸 This isn't to say that anyone hosting their own Elain week cannot or should not do so, but this one, run by the group who held it in 2021, will exist in September if you wish to participate, and is open to all of her fans (the same will go for Azriel's week).

🌸 We hope to keep this blog, and the associated Instagram and Twitter accounts, a positive space for all of those who love our Flower Girl, and we ask that everyone interacts with the respect and kindness that Elain would expect of us. We do not want to start any drama either with or on this account.

🌸 We plan to use the tag #elainarcheronweek2022

🌸 More news is on the way.

[fuckmelifesucks]

The Seer and The Shadowsinger

ELAIN ARCHERON Week: ROMANCE

Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.

So i drew this a long while ago but wasn't sure if i should post it. Then decided to post it during elain's week. Hope y'all like it.

|Art by me|

|Pair: Elain and Azriel|

|Characters: Sarah J Mass|

@elainarcheronweek

[islandvelaris]

Sweet Elain in her beachside flower shop 🌿

Love the beautiful little gardener🌷

[shallyne]

Day 1 of Elain Week

So I posted this big post about what kind of witch the Archerons would be and I thought it would fit nicely into today's prompt for Elain Week! Especially because I have a theory that the Archeron sisters have witch blood.

Elain Archeron - Green Witch/Plant Witch/Kitchen Witch

Green Witch: "She relies on plants, flowers and herbs. She calls to nature for guidance and respects every living being."

Plant Witch: "They may study the history, traditions, and cultural associations of different plants and herbs, as well as use them in rituals, potions, and spells."

Kitchen Witch: "Kitchen Witch may infuse magic into his or her cooking. A Kitchen Witch may also use special chants while cooking, stirring and kneading in order to infuse his or her intention or energy into the final product."

I can totally see Elain being that kind of witch working with herbs and plants. I saw that and it was perfect! She also loves to cook and bake and everyone loves what she makes - I can see her kneading her powers into some nice bread.

[freepandahugs]

Elain Week Day 1: Power

so, i tried something! i had this idea a long long time ago and i decided to post it for elain's week because i can and because i love her.

fair warning, this is angsty. very angsty. think of it as angst with comfort at the end.

Warnings: Beron being sexist (what's new), major character death (i'm sorry about this one but i needed it to happen, hope this doesn't dissuade you from reading)

Word count: 1.7k (short one)

hope you like it, let me know what you think!

"ROSES"

This was not supposed to happen. It was never supposed to happen.

Elain held her breath as Beron stood in front of Azriel, sword pointed. "I call the Blood Duel, Shadowsinger, to defend my son's honor and mate, since he apparently can't do it by himself" 

She saw how Lucien shrinked in on himself, unable to step in. She didn't like the idea of hating anyone, but at that moment she hated him. So much. He had the power to stop this bloodbath, he need just say a word to stop the madness his father was trying to cause, but he just stood there. He just stood there, and stared, and did nothing. Like he always did when it came to her. He wasn't willing to release her from the bond, choosing to keep her tangled in it, but never coming near enough so as to not see that she didn't want him. He just kept her there, trapped, under the guise that it was what was best for the both of them. 

And now they were here, at the Autumn Court, and Beron was challenging her love to the Blood Duel. Blood would be spilled that day and she hated it. She hated it so much. The whole tradition was so savage, so animalistic, as if she couldn't choose for herself. As if she couldn't ever get out of her bond without consequences. And Azriel would have to kill and maim for her, once again, he would have to tear apart his soul again just to keep them protected. 

Gods, how had they gotten into this situation? 

"I accept, under one condition Beron." She heard Azriel's answer, and she made a noise in the back of her throat. Tears fell harder and faster. Her vision blurred. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"I don't think you have any right to ask for conditions, Shadowsinger, but I'll entertain you this once. After all, this may be your final request." There was some sort of sick satisfaction in the High Lord's voice, as if he were truly happy he was about to spill blood. The blood of her Azriel. 

"Tell your guards to not come after me when I kill you." With that, Azriel unsheathed Truth Teller from his thigh and took a fighting stance.

"Beron, stop this, it doesn't have to go this way" She heard Rhys say from behind her. When had he gotten here? Why was he here? 

"Oh, I think it does," Came the Autumn's Lord's answer "It was supposed to go this way the second your spy", he said the word with so much venom, so much disgust. She felt like shredding him to pieces, "decided it was a good idea to lay with my son's property, princeling."

Elain wasn't paying attention, she couldn't. It all sounded far away. All she could focus on was Azriel, ready to fight, ready to kill. She didn't think anyone else could notice, he was too good at hiding his emotions, but she could. She could read him like a book. And he was nervous. His hands flexed and held harder onto Truth Teller, his mouth was in an unusual scowl, his legs weren't as steady as they should be. He was nervous. And if he was nervous then she was as well. 

"My sister is no one's property but her own Beron. If you do this, any and all connections you had to the Night Court will vanish, we will not help you when Koschei or anyone else inevitably invades your territory," Feyre's voice also spoke up. "And if word is correct, no other court will come to aid you, you somehow managed to successfully destroy every tie you had to the other Courts, so I would think this through."

"Are you threatening me? Do you think yourself so special, woman? With a hand me down title and a pretty crown, do you think yourself at my level?" Beron had the gall to laugh, a thunderous laugh that shook Elain to her core, "Someone ought to teach you a lesson, I think. Maybe after I am done with your Shadowsinger I can't teach you some manners."

"Don't speak to my High Lady like that, you repugnant piece of shit. How about you quit stalling and fight me, huh? Are you that afraid of me?" Azriel made a quick jab at the High Lord, keeping his eyes locked onto the man. "If you think yourself a man, come and fight me."

"Azriel-"

"Stay out of this, Rhys. The fucker won't stop until he's dead, why not get rid of him now?" 

Everyone was so tense, so on edge, and Elain couldn't stand it. Why was this happening? What had they done to deserve this? Did the Cauldron really hate her decision so much, that it resolved to end her happiness this way?

The first clash of weapons took Elain out of her mental fog, and she saw black and red hair around, weapons resounding in the open space. A crowd had gathered, all of Beron's sons cheering the hateful man on, like a bunch of kids. Eris was to the side, assessing the situation, seeing what he could possibly get out of this. Wondering if maybe this was the he became High Lord of the Autumn Court.

Another clash of steel on steel, and Elain's vision started to cloud over, a vision trying to take space in her head. 

No no no no no, not right now, please no. 

But she was defenseless and the vision took over. And she found herself at the exact same place, only moments later. 

Both Azriel and Beron were sweating profusely,  both looking tired but not relenting. For some reason, Beron had a wicked smile on his face, even though he was clearly losing. 

And then she saw it, one of Beron's horrible sons sneaking near Azriel's back. His shadows here too preoccupied, everyone was looking at the two men fighting and no one noticed as Beron's son lifted a knife, covered in faebane, and stabbed it right in Azriel's back. Until it was too late, no one saw. 

…

She thought she heard herself screaming. Trashing, but she couldn't move. As she came into herself she found herself restricted by her sister, holding her back from moving near Azriel. Holding her back from saving him. 

Feyre and Rhys were too busy holding her back. She screamed and cried and tried to get out, she tried to get closer to Azriel, to prevent what was about to happen. But she saw Beron's wicked grin, and she saw the second the knife found its place in Azriel's back.

...

She fell to her knees.

Her head went silent, she couldn't think. 

She couldn't breathe. 

Not as she saw Azriel falling to his knees, as she saw his shocked face. As she saw the light leave his eyes. 

Her scream was deafening.

Rhysand and Feyre let her go, too shocked to react. So she ran to his side, knelt next to his body. She touched him everywhere, as if trying to stop the blood from pouring out. As if trying to keep him alive.

"Azriel, love. Azriel. Wake up. Please wake up. This can't be happening, oh gods, this shouldn't be happening. You're all right, you will be. Someone help him. Rhys? Feyre?" She was babbling, saying nonsense. Her tears covered her entire face, they fell onto his pale cheeks as she cradled his head to her chest. pulling him closer. Searching for any signs that he was still there. Thay her lover was still there.

She found none.

She lifted her face, her ears ringing, and looked at Feyre and Rhys, looking for their help. She found them with tears in their eyes, eyes wide in shock. She thought she saw Cassian behind them too, and was that Nesta? Mor? When had they all gotten here? They were all crying, no one dared to make a sound. 

And then she looked at Beron.

"You coward... YOU USELESS BASTARD, YOU ARE A COWARD! YOU UNFAIR PIECE OF SHIT! YOU GALLESS COWARD'' She heard herself screaming at the High Lord, all her rage and fear and heartbreak coming out in waves. She was raging, ready to take a knife and stab it in his neck herself. 

She wished he died.

With a final sob, she lowered her forehead onto Azriel's unmoving chest. His wings were down, they were limp and lying on the floor. He never let them do that. And oh, they were covered in blood. His blood. They were surrounded by a pool of blood. Oh, gods.

She let out her loudest scream yet.

...

Light emerged from within her as she screamed her heart out. Light went out in every direction in waves, surrounding everyone who stood near her. Her eyes were bright white, shining brighter than the northern star. She was light. She was light and dark, and life and death. Beginning and end. The power coming out of her pushed everyone onto their knees, forcing them to look up at the glowing woman. 

And all of a sudden, the world exploded into red. 

Roses covered every single inch of earth, roses the color of blood. They went far and wide, as far as the eye could go. Vines grew around, sharp thorns sprouting out of their stems. Trapping Autumn Court guards, trapping them all in a vicious grip. And then came two desperate cries. 

Beron and his backstabbing son, held in vines covered in thorns. The vines squeezed tighter and tighter, suffocating them, choking them, but not yet killing them. The process was slow, the screams agonizing. Blood trickled out of their sides, their faces, every place where the thorns touched their skins. Slowly but surely, the creeping plant held onto their necks, until no air could possibly go through.

But no one paid them mind. 

Because in the middle of the newly grown garden, where Elain was holding Azriel's body as if her life depended on it, light burst out again. A warm ligh, almost like sunshine, erupted from within Azriel's chest, covering his entire body with a light sheen of light. A light of love, a light of life.

And then a gasp.

A deep breath, taking in the air.

Filling his lungs.

Elain stopped shining.  Everyone stayed quiet. 

"Elain? Love, why are you crying?"

[offtorivendell]

A nurtured spark bears fruit

Firstly, this post is based on the theories and headcanons I've previously written about Elain's possible skills with plants and magic (here, here and here), combined with @wingedblooms brilliant witch post (where I was first reminded about the Blueblood witch zealots using pain to reach the divine). Secondly, I'm so sorry this is days late. I would say that life couldn't get any busier at the moment, but I don't want to jinx it. This is largely unedited and not my best work, so yeah... beware run-on sentences at minimum. 😅

Day 2 of @elainarcheronweek - Hobbies (ship free)

Elain swore under her breath as she tugged at the stubborn rosebush with all of her new fae might.

The problem? There was something different about this particular plant, and it wasn't giving up its prime location without a fight. Too bad she wanted to move the rose garden to a walk closer to the river and fill these patio beds with softer, fuller plants. Plants on which Nyx would catch his fragile little wings.

Elain had begun to suspect that she might have been giving a little extra oomph to her garden than she intended late the year before, but she'd ignored it. Things just grew better in Prythian, no? Of course, that must have been it. Velaris had a mild climate for most of the year, and rich, healthy soil; not to mention the magic of the land was like a fine wine to the flora that grew above the now defunct Wall. The moon and stars at night stood sentinel over the softly fragrant jasmine that bloomed each sunset, and the sun - a star in its own right, she'd learnt as she poured over an old tome in Rhys' library - called out to the roses, irises and violets, which thrived under its golden rays.

But this rosebush—Elain swore again as a thorn seemed to appear out of nowhere, piercing the skin of her left hand as she pulled once more.

She glared at the rosebush with baleful eyes.

"Rude."

It didn't matter that she was talking to the dratted plant if nobody heard her doing so, right? She sighed.

The rosebush didn't want to budge, and she had the eerie feeling that every time a thorn spiked her arms or hands, or a branch whipped painfully at her legs, she was teetering on the edge of something she was not yet ready to confront. So she turned from it once more, telling herself that one day soon she'd gather the courage to investigate what it all meant; what the iron gates around her mind were keeping in... and out.

So she left the bush alone, pruning it to keep it lush and healthy, yet careful not to pour too much of herself into the blooming green spark that glowed brightly within the heart of the fiesty plant, lest she created something she could not control.

***

An odd feeling, like a discordant musical note, set Elain's teeth on edge, the hair on her arms prickling her uncomfortably.

She didn't need her Sight to tell her that something was not right.

A frightened wail rose up from the patio garden at the River House of the High Lord and Lady of the Night Court, closely followed by a terrifyingly fierce snarling and thrashing sound, as if a beast had just been trapped against its will.

Silence followed.

Feyre's eyes widened with shock as Elain turned from their afternoon tea, realising that an Attor had slipped through some sort of tear in the fabric of the universe, and had attempted to make off with Nyx. The toddler had grown weary of sitting quietly while his mother and auntie caught up over strawberry tarts and tea, and had decided that exploring the edge of the patio was a grand idea. Still within toddling distance of his mother, he should have been safe.

He would have been taken—or been much closer to it, at any rate—if the stubborn rosebush had not reached out its suddenly much longer and thicker branches, with thorns now like talons piercing flesh, and snared the Attor in its grasp.

After Feyre had winnowed to Nyx and picked him up, carrying him to the far side of the courtyard to check him over while conversing with Rhys mind to mind, she disappeared with a much calmer Nyx in her arms, returning him to the safety of the house.

Alone for a moment, Elain had the chance to study the gruesome scene before her eyes. The once green and supple branches had thickened and browned, fashioning themselves into a fanged cage slowly studding with little blooms of the softest pink, making a mockery of the beast within.

As Rhys and Azriel stepped out from night-kissed shadows, flanking her on either side as they took in the sight for themselves, Elain was silently coming to appreciate the enormity of what had happened. Her plant had become both a sentinel and guardian, keeping their family's most precious member out of the clutches of their enemies - who, exactly, they could not yet be sure, but she had her suspicions.

Looking at the rosebush, perhaps truly seeing it for the first time, Elain smiled softly.

"Thank you," she whispered with all of her heart.