Thinking about the proliferation of Shadow Daddies in fantasy in the past 5 years or so, with the OG Shadow daddy Azriel having been created by SJM, I think of the 'women who love them' as well. And it's all incredibly....predictable.

Thinking of most of the famed Shadow Princes/Spy masters/Lost Kings/Dragon Riders (and this is by no means a comprehensive list), I think of:

Xaden, Ruhn Danaan, Nyktos, Casteel and Hunt (not 100% but still fall under that general category), Kingfisher, Azriel, the 2 brothers from The Bonds That Tie, the Belladonna guy, the Phantasma guy, there are more, but you get the point.

What's annoyingly predictable is that they are ALL paired with a kick ass female character: Violet, Lidia, Poppy, Bryce, Saeris, Oleander, etc.

All of the FMCs are killing people, have amazing fighting skills even if they were raised as sheltered nuns, or doted-on girls, they are long-lost goddesses, princesses, lost queens, who are all not like the other girls (obviously), they are all under 25, but have the wisdom and the killing power of a 3000 year old Fae King.

There is ONE exception that I can think of right now where the FMCs doesn't fit the predictable mould--and that's Galantia, who, while discovering pretty formidable powers (of course) still remains kind of soft and wimpy and at least somewhat believable in that she gets hurt and traumatized because she CAN'T fight, because she grew up sheltered and docile. The duet is dark and disturbing and is outside the general romantasy scope, and that's Feather So Vicious. Prince Malyr is a shadow prince, but Galantia remains kind of the victim of her circumstances for most of the time.

Now imagine for a minute, just how interesting and refreshing it would be to have Elain, sweet, kind, and also mostly docile, be paired with the granddaddy of all shadow daddies Azriel, and NOT use any fighting or killing power, but her wits, powers of observation and persuasion, her smarts and even manipulation.

Because you know who was interesting in a similar situation--Elide Lochan, who didn't have any special unique powers, but only a bum ankle and observation abilities that got her through many adversities and got her another shadowy Fae strongman Lorcan.

I think that as a reader, this is why I am ultimately so pro-Elriel. It smells fresh. It's not stale. It's a breeze of jasmine blossoms. There is something unique and special about a dark and brooding man who is associated with Death, and a flower girl who like to bake cakes and Sees creepy things and can stab someone in the throat, but then turn around, give the knife back and go home to plant some gardens.

THIS is what I want to read. Not another kick ass heroine who's got it all figured out. No. Please no. Give me the awkward Elain who doesn't want to train, would rather eat a vanilla bun, isn't interested in wearing chafing Illyrian leathers, and retains her light and her softness while accomplishing incredible feats with her Death at her heels, pining for her.

Long Live Elriel.

Give me this energy in Elriel's book

This. Please give me a different FMC.

Ink & Arco - Chapter 2 (Elriel ff)

Hey everyone!

Chapter two is here! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts—what do you think so far? I honestly feel so badass for ending the chapter with THE phrase...

Content Warning:

This chapter contains references to stalking and unwanted attention. While the scenes are not graphic, reader discretion is advised. Please take care while reading!

Chapter 2

Elain lingered for a heartbeat longer. Maybe two. She fastened the delicate buttons of her coat with slow fingers, almost absently, as though by fastening them tightly enough she might hold herself together. Tonight, she'd worn something soft, a dress the muted shade of lavender twilight, cinched at the waist with a slim satin ribbon, its hem falling just past her knees in gentle pleats that shifted like whispered notes with each cautious step. Over it, a long cashmere coat the color of pale smoke, wrapping her slender frame as though spun from the fog curling between the lamplight. Her gloves were the softest cream leather, her ballet flats blush silk, and her hair was pinned into a low chignon, loose strands curling at her temples like delicate filigree.

It was the kind of outfit that felt like armor made of air and elegance, as if softness could deflect what teeth and steel could not. But even the prettiest armor couldn't protect her from this—not the gnawing, persistent feeling that had been quietly clawing at her edges.

She walked with her hands tucked deep into her pockets, the violin case slung carefully over one shoulder like an extension of herself, as natural and necessary as breath. The city's pulse thrummed around her: the low hiss of tires rolling over damp asphalt, the staccato click of heels on the sidewalk, the occasional sharp crack of laughter spilling from doorways. But beneath it all, underneath the rhythm of the city like the lingering pedal of a dissonant chord, there it was again.

The prickle at the nape of her neck. The invisible press of eyes, just out of sight.

It had been over a week now. Not every night. Not always. But often enough. Enough that she’d begun to recognize the shape of the fear curling low in her belly, like smoke winding through the hollow of her ribs. Enough that she noticed when footsteps matched her own. Enough that she’d perfected the casual glance over her shoulder, just subtle enough to pretend she wasn’t searching.

And the worst part—the part that gnawed at her most—was that she never saw anything. Never anyone.

Just a shadow where there shouldn't have been one. A figure lingering too long at a corner. A shape that disappeared the moment she looked back. It was nothing. It had to be nothing.

She repeated that to herself like a prayer as she turned onto the narrower side streets leading toward the subway. These old streets were always darker, the buildings leaning in a little too close, the lamplight struggling to pool in the cracks. The windows overhead were mostly dark now, save for the occasional flicker of television blue, and the wind chased litter along the gutters like something alive.

And yet.

She felt it. Every step. As if someone walked just behind her, always just out of reach.

She gripped the strap of her case harder, the corner digging into her shoulder, grounding her as much as it pained her.

Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. It’s late. You’re tired. This is what cities do—they breathe down your neck when no one else is near.

But her body didn’t believe the lie. Her body believed the shadows. And the shadows... they pressed closer tonight.

She crossed the street without meaning to, her shoes nearly silent against the slick pavement. There was no plan in it—only instinct. Only the ancient animal thing that whispered, move.

And as she reached the opposite curb, her heart stumbled.

A figure.

Far enough back not to be obvious. Close enough to be following. Head down. Hood drawn. Matching her pace. Elain’s breath hitched, clouding before her like ghosted lace. The violin case felt impossibly heavy now, as if she'd been carrying it for miles.

Don’t run, she thought. Running makes prey.

So she walked, each step deliberate and measured, even as her ears roared with the rush of her pulse. She could almost hear Nuala's low, steady voice in her mind, soothing, certain: If something feels wrong, it probably is.

At the mouth of the subway stairs, Elain paused. There was still time to change course. To turn toward the light and noise of a different street. To step into a shop and pretend to browse until her heart stopped galloping.

But fear was a weight, and she was so tired of carrying it.

You can read the full chapter on A03!

Immediately dropping everything and RUNNING to AO3 to read this update after being completely captivated by the first chapter. 🥹🏃‍♀️

writing is so fun

writing is impossible why does anyone do this

”helion and LOA are a way better example of forbidden love than elriel!”

you mean helion, who abandoned the supposed love of his life and his child to be abused for hundreds of years to avoid ruffling any feathers, is better than..

azriel, defying his family, court, fate and his entire religion to be with the woman that he loves, consequences be damned?

am i getting that right?

Like I always think of Asterin and her Hunter...forbidden love. lost baby. But he waited for her in that cabin until the rest of his days. Hoping that one day, she'd return to him.

That's love and devotion.

And yet people think that Helion and LOA are some epitome of love and longing. Give me a break. He bounced the moment things got a little hot, and both of them fucked up their kid's life up until...well, now.

what I think will happen if I message my mutuals

the image was making me really sad so i drew the little guy being taken care of

So everyone's been talking about Azriel's shadows and how they seem to dance around Gwyn, but disappear around Elain. People seem to think his shadows disappearing around Elain is a bad thing, but I don't think so. I know I'm a little late, but I figured I'd still join the club and add my own thoughts to this debate by creating yet another compilation.

Now, before we talk about what it means that Az's shadows disappear around Elain, we need to talk about what it means when Az's shadows are present, or when they are swarming around him, as they often do in the books.

This is the very first time we see Azriel's shadows "wreathing" him in the series. Amren makes a comment about how violent the Illyrians are, which we know is a major source of discomfort/hatred for Az. Her comment causes his shadows to flock to him. This indicates that Azriel's shadows appear when he is uncomfortable. And here are some more instances of this happening.

In all of these scenes, we can see Azriel's shadows coming out to swarm him when he is uncomfortable. In the first one, Cassian makes a comment about their younger days that embarrasses Az, but when Mor defends him, he relaxes and the shadows disappear. In the second scene, Azriel discusses his childhood and the fact that he learned to fly much later than his brothers, which is clearly also a source of pain and discomfort for him. The last scene happens in ACOWAR when the IC gets into that fight about Rhys working with Eris and them going to the prison to recruit the Bone Carver behind Amren's back. Azriel uses his shadows to try and hide and distance himself from the situation.

Now the fact that Az's shadows come out when he is uncomfortable demonstrates that his shadows also serve the purpose of protecting him from emotions that he does not want to feel. We can see this from the scenes where Azriel's shadows coil around him when he sees Mor and Cassian together.

Feyre specifically says that it seems like Azriel's shadows are shielding him. Shielding him from what he feels when he sees Mor and Cassian together, walking off without him. Then there's this scene with Helion.

Yet another instance of Az's shadows protecting him from how feels about the thought of Mor with someone else. In addition to protecting him from emotions that he doesn't want to deal with, Azriel's shadows also seem to offer some form of physical protection as well.

This is the scene in ACOWAR where Az pops off on Eris during the meeting with all of the high lords. Feyre says that Az's shadows are hiding him from "the wrath of the binding magic" that was supposed to prevent people from engaging in a physical fignt. This implies that his shadows can provide other forms of protection as well besides emotional protection. There are also various instances in the series where Az's shadows are referred to as shields / described as shielding him, but I can't add them all as I don't have the space, and it isn't really necessary.

The last scene with Az fighting Eris also specifically uses the word "hid," which brings up another important function of Az's shadows. Azriel uses them not only as protection from having to feel emotions he'd rather push away, but also to hide his emotions from other people. I'm pretty sure all Elriel shippers know that scene from ACOFAS where Rhys is questioning Az about why he doesn't keep track of Lucien's movements, and Rhys himself says that Azriel's shadows are wrapped too tighty around him, thus hiding his emotions far too well for Rhys to be able to get a read on him.

We all also know that Az's shadows tend to swarm around him when he's pissed off, like in that scene where he finds out that Elain has been kidnapped and his eyes glow golden.

The point here is that Azriel's shadows being present is pretty much never framed as a good thing in this series. Now, I'm not saying that his shadows dancing around Gwyn is necessarily a bad thing, but we have to keep in mind that Azriel's shadows suddenly appearing hardly, if ever, indicates anything good. On the flip side, Az's shadows brightening is usually framed as a positive thing. However, Gwynriel shippers are right about Az's shadows providing him comfort.

In these two scenes, Azriel is seen taking comfort in the shadows, and they are described as his sanctuary. But we have to ask, sanctuary from what? And from what I discussed above, it's clear they're a sanctuary from the emotions of the real world, which is not necessarily always a good thing. Azriel's shadows represent his safe space / comfort zone, but sometimes it's necessary that we step out of our comfort zones, which is something I think Az needs to do. He has A LOT of shit he needs to deal with (SJM said herself that he's going through some shit), and he's not gonna be able to deal with it while hiding safely within his shadows. There's nothing comfortable about facing your problems.

So, what does all of this say about the fact that his shadows disappear around Elain? Since his shadows appear when he is uncomfortable, this indicates that Elain makes him feel comfortable. Since his shadows appear to protect him, this indicates that he does not believe Elain is someone he needs to be protected from. Since his shadows appear when he wants to hide, this indicates that he does not feel the need to hide from Elain. When Elain is around, he does not need his shadows to be his companion because she is his companion. He doesn't need his shadows to act as a safe space because she is his safe space.

It is also important to note that Az is not doing this on purpose. Some people are saying that he's purposely hiding his shadows from her when he's actually not. And we know this is the case because Az is indeed capable of forcing his shadows to vanish, as when he first meets Elain and Nesta, Feyre comments on how both Rhys and Az had dimmed their shadows. But it's been established that Az's shadows sometimes act on their own. They are a part of him in a way, but they are also separate from him, which is also indicted by the fact he wasn't born with them. There is a clear difference in the books between Az's shadows lightening on their own and him purposely making them disappear. They are two different things, which I think is telling.

And now, I've saved what I think is the most important part for last.

I have never seen anyone talk about this, and maybe I'm reaching, but I think that this scene is important. This is when Az is teaching Feyre how to fly. Feyre implies that Az seems the most human when his shadows are gone, and she describes his face as stark and clear. I find it interesting that the world "clear" was used. Clear has many different definitions, including open, transparent, liberate, free from uncertainty, and cloudless/bright. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but I feel like this is important because Az definitely needs to be more clear/open about a lot of things in his life. I don't think he needs to be rid of his shadows or anything, but he definitely needs to stop using them as a crutch, as a way to hide, and as place to retreat to when he doesn't want to face his feelings.

Okay this ended up being longer than I anticipated, and if you managed to read this whole clusterfuck, thank you. I would love to hear what you guys think, or if there's anything you guys would like to add 💙🌺

Attention:

Not being able to have children doesn't make you incompatible with your significant other. Mor is into women, does that make her unworthy of her partner? Thesan is mated to another male and guess whaaaaat? He can't give him babies either. And they're Mated! Guess TRUE mating bonds are between souls, not between people's legs and their ability to produce children.

🌸 Elain's Characterization in ACOSF 🌸

*I'll be the first to admit I've definitely given Azriel a bit more attention than Elain. So, I felt like it was time to give Elain some love like I did in my Azriel HOFAS Characterization post*

delicate scent of jasmine and honey | promise of spring | sparkling river | wall of windows | lilac gown | softness | elegant curves | small breasts | glowing with health | smile as bright as the setting sun | warm brown eyes | prettiest of the three | beauty | lovely | devastatingly beautiful | never seemed to realize | slender fingers | nails kept short for work in the gardens | glowing | the bond Elain had chosen | focused calm | quiet steel voice | determined to root out the good | refused to balk | challenge | firm words | purple dress sweeping behind her | waved a hand in dismissal

-ACOSF ch. 17.

vs

Soft steps padded from under the stair archway, and there she was. 

The faelights gilded Elain's unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn.

So I found this interesting juxtaposition of how Cassian saw Nesta in the very beginning of ACOSF, and then how Azriel saw Elain during Solstice.

In both cases, SJM used 'there she was'.

Nesta is described as 'looking like hell' and Elain is described as 'glowing like the sun at dawn'.

It's interesting how prosaically Cassian sees Nesta and how poetically Azriel views Elain, but also, there is something to be said about the mental and physical state of both sisters. Nesta is angry and sickly, whereas Elain is healthy and content.

I feel like this is another hint at the fact that Elain managed to recover on her own, and worked through her issues, and that it would not be the concentration of the next book (thank G-d).

Elain is willing. Nesta is combative.

The conflict within ACOSF is Nesta herself.

The conflict in the next book will be external.

Cassian views Nesta as a challenge.

Azriel views Elain as a gift, as poetry.

I feel like this thread of how both brothers perceive their respective sisters extends all the way from their first meeting to every interaction after that.

Azriel is always gentle and awed by Elain. Elain is always gentle and complimentary of him (complimenting his hands, kissing his cheek, giving him gifts, taking his hand every time).

Nesta and Cassian are always primed for a confrontation, not necessarily negatively, but it's always challenging and bickering.

And it feels like this is SJM's way of differentiating between how both couples interact and view each other. And she's been consistent with it since the beginning, which gives us a glimpse of what Elriel's book would be like.

WIP Wednesday

I'm personally challenging myself to write at least 30 minutes every day until the end of this month and I'm currently on day 4 (I started early) of my challenge. I've done work on four different projects, and here is an unedited sneak peek at chapter three of Where Headlong Stars Have Gone, aka Az as a literal demon trying to seduce our sweet Elain.

Unedited snippet beneath the cut!

When Elain and Azriel are sitting too close, she finally lets the thought of touching his wings, of knowing how they would feel beneath her fingers, win before she can second guess it. She lightly brushes the membrane.

Azriel jerks

But not away. Toward her

She gasps, withdrawing her hand and apologizing, but he only exhales and asks her to do it again. So she does. This time, she drags her fingers along the delicate skin, feeling its texture, soft and smooth like a rose petal, yet beneath it, she can still sense the strength they hold.

Azriel inhales sharply. Then she feels his hands slide to her waist, pulling her closer until she’s settled on his lap. She doesn’t stop. She lets her fingers trace the membrane again, slower this time. Azriel shudders. His head tilts back slightly, his jaw tight. He looks almost pained, but he doesn’t tell her to stop. She hesitates, glancing up at him.

He opens his eyes.

And her breath catches at the way his pupils have blown wide, at the deep green hues she can see so clearly now, at the trust in his gaze, at the vulnerability he so rarely shows, at the shift in his scent...

And then...He unfurls his wings fully. Baring them for her.

Her lips part slightly at the silent invitation, at the sheer size of them as they stretch overwhelming in the dim light. So she reaches out, pressing a kiss just beneath the scarred ridge ,a quiet thank you for his trust. Azriel groans, his grip tightening further on her waist. His breath is warm against her neck as he breathes her name...

WE ARE FOOLS IN LOVE

Elain Archeron and Azriel from “A court of thrones and roses” by Sarah j. Maas🌹

Art by cally.draws on instagram

One Month To Go! 🦇🌸

There’s only one month to go until @elriel-month!! Who’s excited to celebrate our favorite pair? 💙🌸🦇

🎨: lynx_illustration (IG)

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Remember to tag us in your posts to be featured on this page (@elriel-month with the hyphen!) and use the hashtag #elrielmonth2025.

a scene can start wherever you want it to

writing isn't real life. You don't need to set up a character walking into a room or two characters greeting each other and talking about the weather or what-have-you in order to lead into the conversation you actually want them to have. just start at the conversation.

hell, start in the middle of the conversation. you could even start at the end and then have one of them leave and the other one left behind to reflect back on what just happened.

writing gets easier when you open yourself up to writing the parts that are interesting, to starting where it's easy instead of where you think you should start.

if it ends up not working? that's okay. you tried it, and sometimes just getting something out of your head is a necessary first step to getting the words right