Prompt poll art for TyHil! Prompt won: Arm Wrestling.
Guess what? Someone developed flabby arms all of a sudden and is undergoing serious training to tone her arms 🤭 and her trainer is none other than her boyfriend. Gramps is probably cheering for Hiromi xD
As I promised earlier, a TyHil art for all the TyHil fans in the fandom, with a unique prompt! They are one of my ships too, so I felt nostalgia drawing them like this. I hope my art doesn’t suck xD
Elain and Azriel Will Challenge Each Other in a More Meaningful Way than Insults and Teasing
This is my personal prediction for how these characters will help each other grow based on their actions, words, and descriptions from the books. I’ve seen antis say Elriel wouldn’t challenge each other just because they’re a couple who will be more romantic rather than confrontational, and when you think about who these two characters are and the struggles they have, it’s easy to see they are prepared to give each other the types of challenges they actually need.
(And for those complaining they will be “boring” because they’re more serious and sweet, I can see them being very intense with each other but also having witty exchanges. Elain and Azriel share the same kind of humor, so that will come through in their dialogue — which will be more clever and flirtatious and filled with sexual tension rather than outright combative.)
Azriel doesn’t need a relationship where the other person will challenge him with snarky banter or with a sword. None of these will help his character to develop or grow — and worst case scenario, a love interest who regularly teases him and insults him, even playfully, may become harmful and triggering because of the abuse he endured as a child. A true challenge for Azriel would be learning to open up to another person — something that will only happen when he feels secure enough to trust someone else with his vulnerability. If he was the type to open up to someone who was more playful and competitive, it would’ve happened with Mor or Cassian centuries ago and it hasn’t. Rhys and Cassian have both mentioned that Azriel only talks when he’s ready.
“I gave him the silence, knowing that he’d speak only when he was damn well ready.” -Rhys POV ACOFAS
“Cassian knew it was a lie, but didn’t push it. Az would speak when he was ready, and Cassian would have better success convincing a mountain to move than getting Az to open up.” -Cassian POV ACOSF
His match in this regard is someone who is patient and perceptive to his feelings. Elain is calm and understanding and kind. She’s sensitive to the emotions of others and great at keeping secrets. Azriel will slowly learn he can trust Elain and will finally feel comfortable enough to allow himself to be open and vulnerable with her.
Azriel is constantly overstressed and overworked. In ACOMAF, it is said that his job takes a toll on him and the standards he holds himself to “bordered on sadistic” and “getting Azriel to take any time off … was nearly impossible.” This is not healthy. He needs to let himself relax and find peace and joy. That’s not going to happen with someone who is constantly trying to compete with him or “put him in his place.” He’s hard enough on himself and seems to question his self-worth as it is. Elain is shown multiple times delighting in the simple joys of living - gardening, baking, admiring snow falling through the night sky, and going into town in Velaris and sampling food and listening to the music. She is the only one who is shown making Azriel laugh joyously! Elain will appreciate Azriel for who he is and will metaphorically and literally remind him to ‘stop and smell the roses’ and take time for himself. She will support him in prioritizing his own happiness.
Azriel’s other big hang-up is that he harbors the deep-seated belief that he is undeserving of love. We saw how Elain loved Graysen (unworthy as he was) so relentlessly. Elain loves with all her heart and knows Azriel is worthy of her love. She is someone who will challenge the negative beliefs he holds about himself. Elain sees and believes in the good in everything and everyone. She saw it in the cottage when their family was poor and starving, in Nesta who lashed out at everyone she loved, and she absolutely sees it in Azriel who has shown her so much care and kindness. Elain is a positive force who will help him see his own goodness and value and will stick by him as he learns to believe in it himself.
With Azriel’s calm but firm way of supporting others, Elain will continue to develop her inner strength and find confidence in herself and her new abilities. This dynamic between them has been illustrated once already when he trusts her with Truth Teller and she uses it to stab the King of Hybern. Azriel’s strength will inspire Elain’s and his protection will help her feel safe enough to build upon the incredible abilities she has and become exceedingly more powerful and independent. Ever since their first meeting, Elain observes Azriel’s reactions to determine whether everything is okay or not. She trusts his assessments and he is a strong foundation and anchor for her.
Elain minimizes her needs and diminishes her accomplishments. She killed the King of Hybern but does not take any credit for it. She tells Feyre she’s okay when she’s not. Playing the peacekeeper in her home for so many years, she is not used to prioritizing her own emotions. Elain was conditioned by her mother to believe she has nothing to offer past her beauty. Someone who is confrontational or teases her a lot would likely worsen her insecurities and make her feel unappreciated and exhausted. Azriel shows Elain that she matters by listening to her talk about her interests, helping her, and believing in her. When everyone thought she was losing her mind, he identified that she was a seer with a rare ability that could help them all. He points out that she doesn’t need anything and they are the ones that need her. Azriel thinks Elain is captivating, interesting, and valuable and he will remind her of her worth.
One of Elain’s biggest struggles is that she feels unseen and has had to hide her true feelings in favor of meeting the expectations she’s been held to. Azriel has been the only one to consistently notice her and seek her out (when he isn’t shown seeking the company of any of the others). He was the one to risk his life to go after her when she was taken, and he was the one to see through the fog she was stuck in and discover that she was a seer having visions. Elain is used to being dismissed as just a pretty face, but Azriel will see all of her and embrace it. The books make it clear that he’s able to read her emotions with and without his shadows. He’ll be able to see everything that she tries to hide and will challenge her to accept the darker parts of herself instead of pushing down her anger and any negative emotions that she feels she has to suppress to be the perfect lady and peacekeeper. He will challenge her to be true to herself.
They have a lot they can work through together but they also enjoy each other’s company and make each other relax, smile, and laugh!
Being confrontational isn’t the only way to challenge someone. Elain and Azriel are able to meet each other’s deepest needs and will challenge each other to move past the limiting and harmful misconceptions they have about themselves. Their relationship has a strong foundation of understanding, acceptance, and support. They will help each other grow and will continue to bring out the best in one another. These two are set up as perfectly paired souls and will challenge each other in the best possible way.
Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade.
I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife.
🌸🗡️I am just so excited how this was depicted so beautifully, the contrast between Elain’s gentle, vibrant spring and Azriel’s brooding shadows is powerful, almost ethereal.
The imagery of light and dark blending in the space between them speaks volumes about their connection, delicate, tense, yet deeply meaningful. And at the center of it all is that knife.
The very blade Elain used to stab the King of Hybern, in an act of courage that changed everything. A blade that Azriel guarded and has never let another soul touch. Yet Elain not only took it, but returned it to him, despite the horrors she endured, despite the blood it spilled.
That small, silent exchange between them is more than a moment, it’s a symbol of trust, understanding, and a bond that neither fully speaks of, but both feel deeply.
Thank you to the incredible @hatchatwork who brought this poignant moment to life with such care and beauty. The emotion, the symbolism, it’s all captured perfectly. 🦇⚔️
you’re law’s neighbor. well you and your boyfriend. who is currently stuffing the clothes you’re throwing outside of your open door and into the lawn into his car. law pauses in his driveway. he’s tired after a long shift at the hospital. he’s been standing for the last twelve hours. he just wants to shower, stuff his face with whatever he has meal prepped in his fridge, and knock out in his bed for the next sixteen hours.
he’s exhausted. but it seems like the only person having a more tiresome day than him is you. now you’re throwing shoes out the door. expensive ones at that.
