#elucien head canon

[crazy-ache]

There was a moment, after Lucien volunteered to find Vassa, where he is left alone with Elain. No one, not even Feyre, knows what was said. And I can’t help but wonder if he said something along these lines:

“I see you are betrothed. Do you love him?”

“I do.”

“I loved someone once. When your heart belongs to them, there is nothing that can keep you apart. I wish you happiness, Lady.”

And when Elain takes a half step at the top of the stairs, perhaps it’s because she wants to know one thing—what kept Lucien from his love?

As Lucien goes to the continent, Elain gathers the courage to face Graysen. But when he rejects her, claiming it would never be her, it’s Lucien’s words that ring over and over in her head. Her heart belonged to Graysen, but his did not belong to her. She’s devastated because nothing should be keeping them apart.

And still Elain can hear Lucien’s heart. Beating and beating and beating.

But he does not hear hers.

[bats2102]

Elain + Lucien headcanon:

Papa Archeron carved a wooden ring for Lucien to give to Elain.

[zenkindoflove]

I know everyone likes a good hate to love tension. It can be very satisfying and delicious dynamic.

But I just don't see it for Elain and Lucien.

Instead of "I hate you and I want you and that makes me hate you more" (Elain), I want more of a "I don't hate you. Not even a little bit, and that makes my confusion over what we are or could be worse. I'm so nervous around you because you make me feel things when I don't even know you" (Elain). I want Lucien to think "at least if she hated me, I would know she felt anything for me at all". I want nervous glances and polite words filled with tension and apprehension. I want there to be confusion, assuming how the other must feel about them, rather than heated jabs and deliberately pushing each other away. I want a slip in resolve and propriety where a comment teeters on too flirtatious and suddenly in an instant the atmosphere has shifted. I want questioning eyes and tight lips to morph into shy grins and coy glances. And all at once the strangers who are predestined soulmates are finding themselves unofficially courting each other. When the heck did that happen? But it feels so right and they can't stop now. I want their tension to be about whether the other will find them worthy of being their mate because there is now so much pressure knowing exactly what they are to each other. I want curiosity and missed moments, until finally one of them can't stand it and makes the first move, and the other is so relieved it's not just them.

Don't give me a watered down enemies to lovers with antagonistic fights and saying things they don't mean. That isn't Elain nor is it Lucien. Two characters who know how to carry themselves, restrain their instincts, and show the world what it wants to see about them. I want them stuck in a game of hiding how they really feel, thinking the other doesn't know, feeling hints of those emotions down the bond, until one day the silence is defeaning and the stiffness breaks with finally asking the question. Preferably in the rain.

[acourtofelriels]

As much as I love Azriel's shadows, I really love the idea of them slowly starting to fade when he finds happiness for the first time in his life. I think he hasn't truly felt joy in 500 years.

Imagine this: Azriel is finally happy, deep in his soul, and the old bruised parts of himself begin to heal and he can finally step out of the darkness. He is sad to see his shadowy friends go, but he finds that he no longer needs them, because he's found love and acceptance with Elain. His heart is full, so he says goodbye to the shadows one by one as they fade away, until the last one finally disappears. He turns, and sees Elain walking towards him, glowing like the sun. And not one shadow can be found on Azriel's smiling face.

[temperedink]

9, 13, 16 - how does Elain accepts the bond?

9. What’s your favorite Elucien aesthetic?

Day Court everything! Sun and heat and gold and lace-up sandals and Lucien in a slutty one-shoulder chiton and Elain in a gloriously elegant gauzy dress.

13. What initially drew you to Elucien?

I came into the fandom as a Feysand stan first, but I'm pretty sure it was @separatist-apologist's fics that got me hooked on Elucien. (I once shipped Elain/Tamlin (!!), but I am fully convinced that Elucien is EVERYTHING now.)

16. How does Elain accept the bond?

Let's go back to the Day Court. Thematically, Lucien's arc is going to be about home because he's not had one for so long, and Elain's arc is going to parallel that because it's clear she doesn't belong in the Night Court (the black washing her out). Once Lucien's parentage is out and his mother is out of Autumn (and Beron's dead, obviously), he can finally have a permanent home with Daddy Helion and his mom and Elain. So definitely Day Court, definitely outside, definitely in sunshine.

[crazy-ache]

Modern Elucien would be the hottest, most stylish couple at every social scene. But they would also be the couple that unironically wears matching Crocs.

[yourlittlebunnyy]

quick and honest opinion on some ships in ACOTAR

feylin only with first book feyre. if not, tamlin deserves better.

feysand no, no and no.

nessian NO. my beloved nesta deserves so much better than this immature man.

neris yes. see? someone like him. he would treat her like the queen she is.

elriel no. i think azriel is just attracted to elain cause she is an archeron.

elucien YES. they have the potential to be the best couple in the series let's hope sjm dont fuck this up.

gwynriel yeppy! they would be cute and silly:)

tamsand is canon im my head.

emorie NO. emerie deserves to be happy but i feel like mor would be a copy of cassian.

gonna make a part 2 !

[nickel156]

This was on SJM's Pinterest board!!!

She deleted the board in '21 but how do people flip this into anything but an Elucien endgame?? Does this look like a rejected mating bond? Does this look like he's not really her fated mate...

She recently said in an interview that her plans from the beginning haven't changed! There was no Elriel plans when she wrote acomaf. Which she finished before acotar was published.

Az was still planned to be with Mor! Before being bullied. So she added Gwyn a new character for him to still get his HEA.

"The cauldron was tampered with how can you not see that after HOFAS!"

Did you not think to consider that it was Sjm's way of explaining how the cauldron, that was created by the mother was used to destroy in general?

"Elain is clearly into Az"

Yes and Nesta was into all the males she kept sleeping with...

"So you'll what?" Rhys's voice was pure ice. "Seduce her away from him?”

Azriel said nothing. He hadn't gotten that far with his planning, certainly not beyond the fantasies he pleasured himself to.

^^^^^ IS CANON

All he thought of Elain was for pleasuring himself.. 🤢 He has no romantic plans! We are in Az's head. There's no romance here. Only lust for the third sister he thinks he is entitled to.

Xoxo 😘

[crazy-ache]

HAHAHA i die, i enjoy any headcanon that has Elain and Lucien giggling like idiots because I truly believe they were constantly be cracking each other up

Omfg-

Elain and Lucien doing pottery together

That’s the post, run with it

[zenkindoflove]

hello!!! for the ask game maybe 🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings?

Hi!!!!

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings?

I'm going to do Elucien, of course, and I really always clam up with these because I have so many head canons I can spit off in the moment when people are talking about things related, but I always am like.... what are my favorites??? when asked directly. So, I'm going to go into my head canon about Elain's reluctance about the mating bond.

I really envision Elain's reluctance towards getting to know Lucien right now as multifaceted. I think it goes beyond a simple interpretation of she just doesn't like him, which I know is often used to discredit their chemistry. I HC that Elain is a lot more introspective and in tuned with her feelings and thoughts than her sisters, which is why SJM says she is a "walking spoiler". I think if it was just that Elain hated Lucien and that's why she didn't want to get to know him, it would be fine for us to see her POV at the moment before she has had her mind changed.

Instead, I envision that Elain is grappling with a lot of conflicting pulls. I think she feels a pull to Lucien intensely. I imagine it feels a lot like a crush, all encompassing, whenever he visits. And for her, she thinks this has been foisted upon her against her will. That the bond is fae magic that is manipulating her feelings, rather than an inherent part of her soul. I also think that she knows that Lucien is a good male and she can recognize that if she gets to know him, she will fall fast, which is why she instead chooses to ignore him completely. It's a defense against a path she isn't ready to face yet. I think ultimately Elain wants to be chosen, especially after facing so much rejection. And the mating bond feels like fate has made it impossible for Lucien to choose her. This is where I think learning about Jesminda and his deep love for her will come into play. I think when Elain finds out that Lucien thought Jesminda was his mate and how devoted he was to her, it's going to kick up a lot of insecurities in her. And I imagine SJM will use this moment for Lucien to tell Elain that he still wouldn't change what happen if given a choice. He would still choose Elain to be his mate.

I also think that there is an inherent tension and weirdness to knowing who your soulmate is before getting to know them and falling in love. And it makes any interaction they have have SO MUCH PRESSURE. I'm sure it's overwhelming. Combined with her family constantly hovering and having opinions in multiple directions about what they think of her mating bond.

All of this is to say - I HC that these are things Elain is aware of in herself. Things she thinks about over and over again, turning over every stone, working herself up into a place of paralysis, rather than action. I think she has longing for Lucien that she hides. I think she yearns for a great love and the mating bond is a potential promise of that, but it's a scary leap to make. What if even her mate rejects her? What if there is something about getting to know her that turns people away? It's going to take something that has to kick the first snowball down the hill for them so then it's an unstoppable force to the inevitable. The fate she has been running away from both her magic and her mating bond.

[elrielffs]

Why is Gwynriel so popular in the fandom? Why do people latch onto Gwynriel so much despite there being hardly any canon scenes or romantic interaction with the two?

Elriel's make no bones about it, it is the least popular ship in the fandom and 1v2 with Gwynriels and Eluciens. (I would argue that outside the fandom proper, in a more generalized book setting and people who don't participate in online fandom, Elriel is the more expected and liked ship.)

Thankfully, SJM doesn't care about any of that and will do what she wants, has planned and set up.

Of course, a part of it is because people don't like Elain. I get it, not every body is going to like every character and Elain hasn't really had time to shine. Some people can't get into a character unless they are in their head, like Nesta was universally hated before ACOSF.

People don't like the soft, quiet, non-sassy, non-warrior FMC. The genre has been dominated by Aelin archetype knock offs for ten years for a reason, though THANKFULLY we are starting to see people grow tired of that.

But why is Gwynriel so popular?

It's because the dynamic and characterization of Gwyn can be whatever they want it to be.

Gwyn has no "negative" traits so to speak. She's never done anything wrong or made a mistake within her power and has an easy personality to project onto. She's nice, she's bubbly, she's understanding, she's a good friend, etc.

That's why "fanon" Gwyn is all that and a bag of chips. She's Starborn, she's a missing Archeron, she's going to be Nyx favorite auntie and Rhysand's best friend, her father is from Autumn/Spring or someone very important, she's going to wield Gwydion, she's going to use the Trove, Gwyn is going to save Illyria and so on and so forth.

Same for the Gwynriel ship itself. Despite what anti's say, Gwyn and Az do not have enough scenes or chemistry together to know how their relationship would unfold or how they would be with each other.

That's why you see such contrasting/conflicting views on that side of how Gwyn will be and how the GA relationship will be--it's people projecting themselves and the relationship they would want onto the characters but Gwyn and the supposed relationship with Az is a blank slate for all their fantasies to come true.

Contrast with Elriel and Elain. Elain has made mistakes, Elain does have a personality that isn't super popular in the genre, Elriel does have an established dynamic that antis like to try to poke holes in or point out how it's wrong and how they don't like it.

[theshadowsingersraven]

I feel like E|riels genuinely don't realize how much their reputation precedes them and that enough people in the rest of the fandom (not just relegated to the Ship Wars) have had so many negative interactions on multiple different platforms with them, as well as them flat out refusing accountability and saying people are making fake accounts despite ones (especially on Twitter) existing for years and proudly proclaiming themselves as E|riels matters more than the Elain Week account saying "Everyone (except people who want to include Tamlin and/or Beron in their portrayal) is welcome!"

Because I remember people getting harassed on their own Tiktok videos about Gwynriel/Elucien regularly from the same 8 or so E|riel accounts. I remember self-proclaimed E|riels harassing the cosplayer who was hired to play Gwyn at Gauntlets and Gowns' event, body shaming her to the point where she had to make a video about it. I remember E|riels on Twitter insulting real people and calling them empty-headed, insane asylum escapees, and saying that users should try and claim mental instability in order to get their money back via health insurance claims for buying commissions of the "wrong ship". I remember E|riels on Reddit claiming that NSFW Elucien art should be considered depictions of SA, since Elain is "saying a clear "no" in canon to Lucien" and completely undermining the entire basis of fandom creativity and shipping. I remember those same E|riels excusing the harassment Gwynriel-related accounts with large followings get because they "don't defend E|riels" or something along those lines, shortly followed by more E|riels saying that the harassment and threats people have been getting on multiple platforms are "carefully coordinated to make E|riels look bad" and fake. I remember E|riels refusing to adhere to tag courtesy and understanding when they are not the target audience for something.

That is just my memory as someone who has been in this fandom for about two years now. Let alone the people who have been here from when the series first came out, or even any time before ACOSF.

E|riels are not operating with the clean slate they seem to believe they are. Cosplayers have had bad experiences with E|riels (even ones who make E|riel content!), for example. As well as fanfic authors, fanartists, average Tiktok users who make videos, Twitter users, Tumblr users, Reddit users, etc. Hell, I've even had my Tumblr account for upwards of 10 years, and it's never been wrongly deactivated by Tumblr before. Not until I started posting anti-E|riel content did my Tumblr ever get reported and then reinstated because Tumblr staff admitted they wrongfully terminated my blog.

So...how are they surprised or offended that people didn't feel comfortable participating in their Elain Week when so many of them are on thin ice as it is? How are they upset when people don't conveniently wipe their memory and trust their week that's already banning certain submissions (as if that alone isn't enough for people to not want to submit their art there? I don't even ship Tamlain but still recognize selectively banning ships is wrong) enough to participate? Saying people are welcome isn't enough when you're based in a community that regularly thrives on shaming and mistreating others, claiming they're the only "true" Elain stans. It's further not enough when people felt like their concerns were validated by the overwhelming amount of E|riel bias in the week's submissions.

If they don't like the fact that they're on thin ice, maybe they should actually do something to remedy that instead of fumbling every single chance they have to improve their god-awful fandom impression. Elaingate was their chance to prove they aren't as bad as the worst of them, and instead of standing for fandom integrity, creativity, and the right for all Elain appreciation and art to celebrated, even if it isn't how they would personally celebrate or appreciate her they doubled down and insisted on excluding others. And now they're playing the victims because they weren't the priority of Elain Day after they already had their preferred Elain Week? They weren't excluded, they just weren't the main concern because they weren't excluded from the Elain Week held this month. The concern was uplifting the people who were shamed or told they didn't care about DV or DV survivors because they felt that censorship for an entire community event based on a mod's needs is wrong and does not cater to the community enough, or because they're triggered by characters that aren't Tamlin or Beron and yet Elain Week didn't deem them worthy of the same "protection" that they "offer" to survivors triggered by Tamlin

They are why a second Elain Week exists. And the more and more they prove it necessary, the more and more I'm glad it exists for the people who want that safe space they were denied. To anyone hurt by elaingate, know that you are seen and there's a safe space in this hostile fandom for you and your art.

[eudaimonia83]

Such a good vibe to hear flattering things about your boo from someone who has no idea they’re important to you. Meep.

HC no one asked for: I feel like Lucien WOULD be a clothes horse if he had a stable home, but since he’s bumped around for centuries he has a core wardrobe of super functional things that fit him really well with some killer accessories (and his clothes scent like him which one day will drive Elain a little feral 😏). Like…a really soft and well made pair of leather hunting boots. A jerkin with brass buttons and red stitching that he’s had since he lived in Autumn. Leather gloves and a wool tunic lined with fur from Winter. Ear cuffs and gold jewelry from Day.

Yea. He doesn’t need a massive closet to dress like he knows what he’s about. 🤭

I desperately want a scene where Elain expresses curiosity about another court and Lucien just casually starts listing facts without even really thinking about it because of course, he knows all these little details it's kind of his job.

But also I want it to be paired with a scene where she's talking to someone without him around and they express how personable and curious he was when he first arrived. How he can make friends so easily because he's genuine when he asks questions and backs off when someone tells him to. She needs to hear it from someone who isn't directly related to her.

Feyre standing up for him is great and all but if the only person who was sticking up for someone to me was my sibling then I'd probably question it too.

Side note: I really want to see this man's closet. He's always well-dressed so I can only assume it's a mishmash of every court he's visited.

[lovemyromance]

So yall are telling me the same people who dream of what Lucien and Elain talked about in the 30 seconds they were left alone in ACOWAR (after which - nothing changed about their relationship btw) ....

The same people who claim Elain getting WET for Azriel isn't a sign of her actually wanting him because "we don't have her POV yet"....

The same people who act like this alleged off page dagger lesson with Gwyn (which we don't even know actually happened or if it was just an excuse for Azriel to get out of there) was peak romance....

These people who hold head cannons of off-page scenes above actual canon text....

They are the same people who are suddenly claiming Azriel didn't check up on Elain in the HOW after she came out of the cauldron and he didn't give a shit about her??

Newsflash: He cared about her enough to sit with her in the garden. Alone. He clearly had done it before - because Elain TRUSTED him and went with him WILLINGLY.

What's more - Nesta trusted him. Not Lucien, to be alone with Elain.

Azriel obviously showed enough care to figure out her powers. To treat her kindly. To speak to her like a normal person when even her sisters - even her MATE - acted like she was batshit crazy.

Say whatever you want. But this wishful thinking of off page moments is not going to erase what actually happened on the page.

Also two can play at this game. If we don't have Elain's POV and can't tell her actions - then we don't know if he actually visited her or not during that time post-cauldron. The fact that Azriel didn't mention it in his 6 pages bonus chapter POV- doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Enough with the grasping at straws. It's genuinely alarming to see people going out of their way to disprove every damn elriel moment with THEORIES AND HEADCANNONS - instead of just shipping what they want in peace.

Like... why can't you just ship Elucien? Why do yall gotta act like Azriel is the worst male on the planet just to get Lucien back in the picture?

You shouldn't HAVE to do that, you know. Everything you need to understand these books is in the text. You don't have to go over analyzing what is NOT present to come to an accurate conclusion.

[ramim]

I'm no Elucien shipper.

Personally I much prefer crack ships to the canon ones! 😁 (Luzriel! I ship Luzriel)

But when Elucien's book comes out, one thing I'm waiting for the most is Elain describing Lucien's body until she see the whipping scars on his back... And then she freezes

I want to know what she thinks of Lucien's scars, I want to know how they make her feel! How angry or sad or desperate they make her

I need Elain to trace her fingers on his scars while Lucien is fidgeting because that is the part of him he doesn't want to burden Elain with, but oh Elain is so ready to be burdened with every tiny piece of Lucien's soul

Like if SJM just decides to forget about Lucien's pain and scars, I'm gonna pull at my hair until I'm bald and shiny on the head!

I want to see pain and then I want it to heal (not those redemption shit we saw in ACOSF, I want real actual healing!) Do you hear me Sarah? Pls heal my babies' souls...

[fieldofdaisiies]

In canon. During a shopping trip with Vassa in the Day Court, Elain happens to stumble upon a golden nightgown (or "lingerie to surprise her mate with" as Vassa calls it). Elain can't wait to find out what mate says about it. for @elucienweekofficial | elucienweek masterlist | read on ao3 | explicit | thank you so much @moonlightazriel for beta reading

“Elain!” Vassa calls over her shoulder, holding something in her fingers that has yet to be revealed to Elain.

“Coming,” the Archeron sister answers her friend who has come for a visit to the Day Court, alongside her husband. They are staying here for a few weeks, in a small hut provided to them by Helion. And while Lucien and Jurian are out in the forests of the court, hunting and catching up after not seeing each other for so long, Elain and Vassa are spending their day in a small village close to the palace which offers many little and wonderful shops.

When Elain eventually gets back to Vassa, fighting her way through the large piles of undergarments and lingerie, she almost stops dead in her tracks — what Vassa is holding up for her is a whisper of nothing. Golden lace and a few straps of satin of the same colour to hold the pieces together. Apart from that … nothing.

“Lucien will love it!” Vassa is beaming, wiggling the flimsy nightgown into Elain‘s face, her eyes alight with joyfulness.

And although Elain has never ever worn something like this, has never worn lingerie for her mate at all, she knows she wants to get it. Not only for Lucien. But also for herself. She has a feeling she will feel pretty and confident in it, or at least she hopes so. But one thing she knows is that Lucien loves it when she does so.

“It will render him more speechless than he already is when looking at you,” Vassa muses, pushing the nightgown into Elain‘s hands. “He will lose his mind when he sees you in it, I know this.”

With a scrunched nose, and a soft giggle, Elain turns to head for the fitting room. She is almost inside when she looks over her shoulder and says, “Thank you so much for being my friend, Vassa.”

And she means it. She had never had a friendship so pure and genuine. She loves her friend, more than most things, and knows how lucky she is to have found someone like the firebird.

continue on ao3

general elucien tag list: @rippahwrites @shadowhunter2003 @my-inner-crisis @ladyelain @acourtofthought @itwasalwaysaboutthetea @multifictional @moonlightazriel @brekkershadowsinger @sunshinebingo @gracie-rosee @a-frog-with-a-laptop @aayo-whatt @honeysuckle-daydreams13 @thelovelymadone @berryzxx @shadowqueenjude @areyoudreaminof