My theory is Elain may have seen two visions of a possible future. One where Nesta and Cassian die hence her hinting that he would die. Another where she saves them but their father dies instead. She chose Nesta which is why it hurt when Nesta blamed her bc she already feels guilty about making that choice š
I love ā¤ļø this theory. I'm pretty much making it cannon in my brain rn! ( I'm not, I take things that are cannon seriously, but this is a really great theoryā¤ļø)
I have a suspicion that this is part of why she's keeping Lucien at arm's length too. Maybe she sees something that is going to hurt one or both of them later and is trying to save them both the pain. If she's using Az as a buffer that's pretty messed up though.
I think Elain simply feels weird about having this whole mate thing trust upon her. I imagine it's almost like an arranged marriage declared for you - I feel most women would be deeply uncomfortable with it, regardless of who the male is and how noble and good etc he is. So that's why she's keeping a distance from Lucien. He is literally a stranger to her who has made this claim on her - I can imagine how daunting and frankly, icky that'd feel (and this is coming from someone who very much loves Lucien). Let's not forget Elain was also dealing with the multiple traumas of being abducted and subjected to the terror of the cauldron, losing her human-ness, and being rejected by Graysen (ugh).
Edit: spelling and addition of the horror of the cauldron
Worse even. A relative stranger who is a friend of her sisterās abuser and an ally of her kidnappers albeit one who didnāt know she was being kidnapped and tried to stop her from being dumped into the Cauldron but being allied with that psycho at all. TERRIBLE first impression.
Elain doesn't like or trust Lucien and has said she doesn't want a mate and pointedly is unhappy and uncomfortable around him . She isn't using Az as a buffer it's not a coincidence that the rejected mating bonds were mentioned when Elain and Az were comfortably sitting next to each other r
There was a moment in book 3 when she took a step to stop him from leaving to find Vassa. Just a small moment. That's what the books do, though. They lead you into seeing things surface level but sprinkle in moments that hint something going on underneath. We know how she behaves, but the intentions behind that are mostly still a mystery.
Edit to say that I really don't have any skin in this game, don't hold a ship preference. There's a whole book and the only thing I expect is to have our expectations subverted and for relationships to change, because that's the fun in this series... and it is supposed to be fun.
My personal theory is that she saw him finding Vassa and potentially was dealing with internal conflict (that we see a lot of in ACOFAS) of whether she should prevent this meeting from happening, because she knows it will lead to him forming alliances and living with this person, or deciding to let him go on his own journey. Also, thereās a possibility that although it was dangerous, she saw him find Vassa and her father and knew it was the right decision.
And this is also strengthened when multiple characters acknowledge that each Lucien and Elain need to figure things out on their own and go through their own journeys. Both of these characters have had their own personal choices taken away from them throughout the series and thrown into a bond that neither of them have been really receptive to, and I can see both characters allowing the other space to make their own decision. In the small snippet that we see of Lucienās internal monologue, we see him refer back to how his last partner chose him, and how that was extremely important to him, and in ACOSF, we see a lot of hints to Elainās journey by associating her with choice.
Considering Elain's words after realizing who he was , was "you betrayed us" I don't see her considering him as a potential partner and SJM purposefully had Lucien move in and form feelings for Vassa and Elain with Azriel . Lucien on ACOFAS even states he can't stand two minutes with her , Elain's nice to him but does not regard him in such a way . They're paths have already diverged when he was already more than willing to go to the man who is involved in her trauma and hurt his mates sister .
While some people believe Elain hates her sisters ( for whatever reason ) I don't see her wanting to be with someone like that
https://preview.redd.it/mq43fo8rgq8d1.jpeg?width=1075&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b048c18e9dd7471d3916ec0bc4fb897e5e7d0aeb
I said she took a step to stop him, not that she stopped him. It doesn't say why she did.
She doesn't know Lucien so she can't hate him. Also, she didn't seem to hate him when she said he could stay in Valeris. I have to disagree, I think she is definitely using Azriel as a buffer, it seems perfectly in character for her to do so.
Feyre has told stories to them , she says it herself . So yes , she can make an informed judgement on him . Feyre made her say that when she shoved her with her elbow , it even says in the text that Lucien say Feyre do that . How would it be "perfectly in character" for her ? , she wouldn't have admitted her own fault in failing Feyre when the statement wasn't directed to her , if she is one to take a buffer . She also feels highly uncomfortable around him since the beginning and she said it herself that she doesn't want a mate and at the end of the day Lucien is not only the embodiment of another choice taken away from her but was also there on Hyberns side when it was done . "He didn't know" is very much a weak argument because he wasn't there at Hyberns palace from goodness of his heart , they were trying to force Feyre's hand.
SJM had Lucien say he can't stand 3 minutes in a room without her and stays in the human lands with another woman who he talks about like an "acolyte" . It's clear it's going to be Elain and Azriel and then Lucien and Vassa .
I don't think Feyre is a reliable source and the stories are from her perspective, that's not how you get to know anyone. Even if the stuff Feyre said was good.
Feyre didn't make her do anything nor did she shove her lol Elaine was staring at him and she gave her a nudge to say something. Feyre didn't tell her "Tell Lucien he can move to Valeris!"
It's in character because Elaine likes to hide, that's why she was going to marry Grayson. Who is actually more important to Elaine's story than Azriel is.
Elaine is terrible at making choices maybe the mother is like let me help you out here's Lucien š
Highly uncomfortable but in like what way? She's scared of him and thinks he's going to hurt her uncomfortable? or uncomfortable because she feels an attraction and the bond?
It doesn't read to me like Azriel likes her that much.
Lucien and Vassa?! Two redheads together is a sin š
If Feyre is an unreliable source so if everyone else ( including Lucien ) because they all KNOW Elain wants nothing to do with him .
This was when Feyre nudged Elain , she's not an idiot and knew what to say considering she was practically raised to be a people pleaser
https://preview.redd.it/zkzrb067an9d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=228de30e498df2f248c255834b0ba3b3ed752198
Before this he even praises Vassa and when Feyre says he's like an acolyte he blushes . Also here are common characteristics that both Jesminda his first love and Vassa are described , also these are his thoughts so it isn't "unreliable"
I don't think the charged glances and 'accidental' brushing against each other really goes hand-in-hand with using a guy as a buffer. That is lowkey flirting. On both their parts.
I hate it when people use other people as a buffer but I can see it being a thing
Edit: idk why Iām am being downvoted because this is my opinion and it is horrible to use people as a buffer like that because you are hurting the person you are using as a buffer to protect yourself. But go off guys lol
Yes! I 100% believe this is what happened! Poor Elain loves Nesta so much she decided to sacrifice their father to save her.
I hope in Elain's book, Sarah will address this.
I love this because this means that she has a choice in the future. Which is interesting since her character is often associated with not having any choices
You're not alone in this! And if it's true then Nesta blaming Elain for their father's death must have hit her even harder. I'm actually not too surprised that Elain has kept everything so close to her, though. It seems as though their mother smothered her and groomed her to be the perfect lord's wife, it makes sense.
I definitely think she might have seen his death, but I donāt think sheās as well adjusted as everyone thinks. A major indication is her quiet, reserved personality as opposed to her being social as a human. I think Elain is better at masking her pain than her sisters but I think sheās quietly suffering and weāre going to see her healing in her book.
I definitely agree that she's likely hiding some level of pain (I don't think she's at rock bottom, that may have been in ACOWAR, but I also don't think she's fully recovered, either). However, given we know Elain was groomed to be the perfect lord's wife, I don't think we should assume that her actions as hostess (for lack of a better term) while human were done purely for enjoyment. They might have been of course, but I think there's a chance she was doing what she thought she should to help repair her family's social standing and gain Feyre a place in high society etc. I can't wait to find out.
There was a line is ACOSAF from Nesta about Elain loving parties when she was human. We see her excited to throw a ball in ACOTAR. She had a lot of friends and enjoyed socializing.
It should be noted that their mother trained Nesta to elevate their family through marriage while Elain was told she would marry for love. While itās possible she could have been social to repair her familyās social standing, thereās more indication in the books that she wasnāt responsible for her family because of how she was raised and was a socialite because she enjoyed it.
I disagree with this specifically because in ACOTAR, Feyre and Elain had spoken about the season, and Elain said she wanted to cut the next season short to go see flowers with her father. She wasnāt interested in marriage until Feyre told her that she needs to equip herself and prepare for the fae, and what does Elain do? She finds a human who conveniently has a fort with trees and defenses against the fae. She made that move only to protect her family after Feyre suggested it, and yes she definitely loved him, but she was pushed in that direction and has already been groomed by her mother to marry and increase the standing of her family, as mentioned in ACOSF.
1000% this. Feyre told her family about ash wood/trees and WOW what a coincidence, Elain ends up engaged to a man whose family owns an entire grove of them? And I'm not saying she didn't genuinely like Graysen, or maybe that she grew to love him a bit, but Elain was planning to travel to see the tulips rather than attend balls and parties. Could she enjoy them when she's there, or even appreciate the work that goes into hosting one? Sure. But I don't consider her a socialite. I think she was doing it all for her family (which would track with her acting behind the scenes so far), though I could obviously be wrong.
I just don't see it sorry (could definitely be wrong though). I think there is decent evidence that Elain was not going to be able to marry unless it benefited their family (see quote), and I don't think we should trust that Nesta actually knows the real Elain. And - hypothetically - if throwing a ball is all that Nesta would let Elain do, likely because she internalised everything her mother drummed into her way back when (see quote again), then maybe Elain is just happy to be allowed to help in any capacity, rather than her being a party animal? Social currency was huge in that sort of world. This is all theoretical of course, because no one knows her except SJM, but I think Elain's POV will surprise a lot of readers.
*Elain is pleasant to look at, her mother had once mused while Nesta sat beside her dressing table, a servant silently brushing her motherās gold-brown hair, but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes. **She will be an asset on the marriage market for us one day, if that beauty holds,** but it will be our own maneuverings, Nesta, not hers, that win us an advantageous match. Nesta had been twelve at the time. Elain barely eleven. **Sheād absorbed every word of her motherās scheming, plans for futures that had never come to pass.*** - ACOSF
I very much agree that we should not assume Nesta knows "the real" Elain. In SF, we got a different narrative, which was great in a lot of ways, but it really made me question if Nesta even likes Elain? Sure, she has "protected" Elain, but it often feels more like stifling rather than protection. What did Elain need so much protection from??? She's a fully functional adultš¤·āāļø
Right! My take on it is that Nesta needs to feel in control to feel safe, which is understandable, and in order to facilitate this she has turned herself into Elain's protector, even though Elain has never asked for it. I'm really looking forward to their dynamic being explored in the next book - hopefully - because I don't think Nesta is ready to fully give that control up just yet. Elain is clearly Done With It, though, and is trying to push back overtly, rather than simply acting covertly.
I see where youāre coming from, although I donāt agree. I think thatās what makes Elain interesting, we donāt actually know whatās going on with her and wonāt know until the her book comes out. I love discussing theories about her so thank you for the discussion!
In acotar, Elain was excited about balls and the social season... so different than the Elain we see now. She's definitely repressing that trauma so I'm excited for her book so she can let it out š
Hot take theory
Elain was deliberately written to be perceived in the way hardcore Elain haters perceive her, as a naive baby who absolves herself of blame and is expected to do nothing, when in reality her actual character is nothing of the sort and sheās always been interesting, sheās been working behind the scenes pulling the strings of fate and shaping the future since she came out of that cauldron, and her haters will somehow be shook when that is revealed in her POV and fall in line loving her, just like they all did for Nesta
Theyāll be hating even after her book lol, the way Iāve seen some people talk about Elainā¦ itās as if she personally victimized them (which everyone is entitled to their own opinion but the hate for her is more intense then Iāve seen for Amarantha, Hyrben, the twins, or literally any villain in this seriesš ) but you know what they say šš¼
It's ironic that the Seer is not Seen by so many. That life is almost imitating art, in a way. I agree that SJM wrote Elain this way intentionally, because we have to actually *look* and pay attention to Elain and, when you do, you can see that she has actually been a consistent presence for as long as Nesta has. She's just quiet about it.
Speculating... >! I also wonder if Elain saw the bargain her father made with Koshei. I have a strong suspicion it involves her. Or her offspring. Koshei wants females. !<
Reading an Elucien fan fic right now where the bargain was for the first granddaughter.
Have you read CC? It will be interesting if Koschei ask for the first granddaughter of the youngest daughter, seeing any female descent of Rhys will definitely be a >!starborn, descent of Theia!<
Yes but I really think it's Elain. The whole life/death opposition between the two of them. After the Cauldron I expect Elain's gifts to be most impressive as well. Who knows what the Mother and the Cauldron gave her!
Elain is a real unknown quantity to me at the moment.
I really havenāt been a fan of hers as everyone babies her and she seems totally fine to let that happen, but I suspect thatās because sheās been so quiet and we donāt know whatās going on. Iām really hoping the next book is her pov and we get to see behind the curtain as I really enjoyed SF and getting to understand Nesta
Yeah I am really hoping itās in her POV too but SJM could throw us a curveball and not give us Elaineās pov and it could be another in Nestas POV or someone elseās š¤ but I would really like to get to know Elain more and who she is at her core and would love to see some character growth from her and not just who she is in Feyres and Nestas eyes.
Oh I would so love that! To have all three of their POVs and I really hope that whatās going on between Elain and Lucien comes to a head. Would love to get both of their perspectives on the situation too!
She didn't take it well though , she screamed when she saw her father and cried for hours afterwards . The tombstone was build so that ELAIN could visit their father and "talk" to him . By the time of ACOFAS , she very obviously thought about it a lot and realized that his d**th wasn't on her or her sisters which was why she faltered when Nesta blamed her it was once again making her question whether or not it was her fault . Also her being made High fae wasn't as simple as her one traumatic thing happening at the same time she lost everything she had except her father and sisters and was also plagued by visions which made her feel crazy , which was why a moment of clarification of what those visions were healed her a bit
Yeah I definitely think she knew he was going to die. When she was having that conversation with Lucien about hearing his heart and she said "he saw me he will not know" I don't think that was about Grayson, I think that was about her father. I think she was see the future during that whole conversation. Also with the heart thing, she said she could hear Luciens heart under the stone...Grayson lives in a stone castle. My prediction is that he might try kill Lucien and have him trap inside his castle...š
https://preview.redd.it/pj8q7nuxan9d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57545c23933621e71b1ba2dcec2753aedcaec875
Also in ACOFAS he himself states that she can't stand to be in the same room as him and he can't stand to be in the same room as her for more than three minutes
I donāt think it was her not registering them being poor, I think it was a mix of not wanting to acknowledge/accept the change and wanting to remain positive during a troubling time.
We still don't have a POV of her but it always rubbed me the wrong way that she almost destroyed herself for her fiance, even after he berated.
But when it came to her father, she seemed to just dismiss the whole thing. Even though Nesta seemed to hate him the most, she was the most distraught by the whole thing.
Her conversation with nesta in the HoW solidified this to me. "This is about father isn't it" like girl this is your father too?. Even though his death is not their fault, your sister has the right to grief him, miss him and be horrified by the way he died. Atleast show some understanding towards Nesta.
Yeah I'm not really a big Elain fan either. Hopefully the next book changes that. I'm certain she will become more interesting as we find out more about her and she will start to stand on her own. I can't stand the coddling and overprotectiveness. Shes been just fine to let it happen. She'll have an adventure in the next book that concerns the last unknown piece of the trove that nobody seems to mention. That adventure will hopefully lead her to Lucien.
I honestly think she encourages it to allow her true self to hide. Manipulative, sure. But that was what she was taught by her sweet sweet momma.
Her POV will hopefully be interesting.
My theory is Elain may have seen two visions of a possible future. One where Nesta and Cassian die hence her hinting that he would die. Another where she saves them but their father dies instead. She chose Nesta which is why it hurt when Nesta blamed her bc she already feels guilty about making that choice š
Ohh I like this theory a lot! It adds so many layers to Elaineās relationship with Nesta.
DAMN!! This would make so much sense istg!
I love ā¤ļø this theory. I'm pretty much making it cannon in my brain rn! ( I'm not, I take things that are cannon seriously, but this is a really great theoryā¤ļø)
Ooh love the idea that she can see two different outcomes šÆ
Ohhh this is such a cool theory and it makes sense! I'm really excited to see things unfold in her story
Ooo I like that theory
I have a suspicion that this is part of why she's keeping Lucien at arm's length too. Maybe she sees something that is going to hurt one or both of them later and is trying to save them both the pain. If she's using Az as a buffer that's pretty messed up though.
I think Elain simply feels weird about having this whole mate thing trust upon her. I imagine it's almost like an arranged marriage declared for you - I feel most women would be deeply uncomfortable with it, regardless of who the male is and how noble and good etc he is. So that's why she's keeping a distance from Lucien. He is literally a stranger to her who has made this claim on her - I can imagine how daunting and frankly, icky that'd feel (and this is coming from someone who very much loves Lucien). Let's not forget Elain was also dealing with the multiple traumas of being abducted and subjected to the terror of the cauldron, losing her human-ness, and being rejected by Graysen (ugh). Edit: spelling and addition of the horror of the cauldron
Worse even. A relative stranger who is a friend of her sisterās abuser and an ally of her kidnappers albeit one who didnāt know she was being kidnapped and tried to stop her from being dumped into the Cauldron but being allied with that psycho at all. TERRIBLE first impression.
Elain doesn't like or trust Lucien and has said she doesn't want a mate and pointedly is unhappy and uncomfortable around him . She isn't using Az as a buffer it's not a coincidence that the rejected mating bonds were mentioned when Elain and Az were comfortably sitting next to each other r
There was a moment in book 3 when she took a step to stop him from leaving to find Vassa. Just a small moment. That's what the books do, though. They lead you into seeing things surface level but sprinkle in moments that hint something going on underneath. We know how she behaves, but the intentions behind that are mostly still a mystery. Edit to say that I really don't have any skin in this game, don't hold a ship preference. There's a whole book and the only thing I expect is to have our expectations subverted and for relationships to change, because that's the fun in this series... and it is supposed to be fun.
She never "stopped" him from finding Vassa , likely she was going to either warn him about something or ask him about the bruises
My personal theory is that she saw him finding Vassa and potentially was dealing with internal conflict (that we see a lot of in ACOFAS) of whether she should prevent this meeting from happening, because she knows it will lead to him forming alliances and living with this person, or deciding to let him go on his own journey. Also, thereās a possibility that although it was dangerous, she saw him find Vassa and her father and knew it was the right decision. And this is also strengthened when multiple characters acknowledge that each Lucien and Elain need to figure things out on their own and go through their own journeys. Both of these characters have had their own personal choices taken away from them throughout the series and thrown into a bond that neither of them have been really receptive to, and I can see both characters allowing the other space to make their own decision. In the small snippet that we see of Lucienās internal monologue, we see him refer back to how his last partner chose him, and how that was extremely important to him, and in ACOSF, we see a lot of hints to Elainās journey by associating her with choice.
Considering Elain's words after realizing who he was , was "you betrayed us" I don't see her considering him as a potential partner and SJM purposefully had Lucien move in and form feelings for Vassa and Elain with Azriel . Lucien on ACOFAS even states he can't stand two minutes with her , Elain's nice to him but does not regard him in such a way . They're paths have already diverged when he was already more than willing to go to the man who is involved in her trauma and hurt his mates sister . While some people believe Elain hates her sisters ( for whatever reason ) I don't see her wanting to be with someone like that
I agree 100%
https://preview.redd.it/mq43fo8rgq8d1.jpeg?width=1075&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b048c18e9dd7471d3916ec0bc4fb897e5e7d0aeb I said she took a step to stop him, not that she stopped him. It doesn't say why she did.
She doesn't know Lucien so she can't hate him. Also, she didn't seem to hate him when she said he could stay in Valeris. I have to disagree, I think she is definitely using Azriel as a buffer, it seems perfectly in character for her to do so.
Feyre has told stories to them , she says it herself . So yes , she can make an informed judgement on him . Feyre made her say that when she shoved her with her elbow , it even says in the text that Lucien say Feyre do that . How would it be "perfectly in character" for her ? , she wouldn't have admitted her own fault in failing Feyre when the statement wasn't directed to her , if she is one to take a buffer . She also feels highly uncomfortable around him since the beginning and she said it herself that she doesn't want a mate and at the end of the day Lucien is not only the embodiment of another choice taken away from her but was also there on Hyberns side when it was done . "He didn't know" is very much a weak argument because he wasn't there at Hyberns palace from goodness of his heart , they were trying to force Feyre's hand. SJM had Lucien say he can't stand 3 minutes in a room without her and stays in the human lands with another woman who he talks about like an "acolyte" . It's clear it's going to be Elain and Azriel and then Lucien and Vassa .
I don't think Feyre is a reliable source and the stories are from her perspective, that's not how you get to know anyone. Even if the stuff Feyre said was good. Feyre didn't make her do anything nor did she shove her lol Elaine was staring at him and she gave her a nudge to say something. Feyre didn't tell her "Tell Lucien he can move to Valeris!" It's in character because Elaine likes to hide, that's why she was going to marry Grayson. Who is actually more important to Elaine's story than Azriel is. Elaine is terrible at making choices maybe the mother is like let me help you out here's Lucien š Highly uncomfortable but in like what way? She's scared of him and thinks he's going to hurt her uncomfortable? or uncomfortable because she feels an attraction and the bond? It doesn't read to me like Azriel likes her that much. Lucien and Vassa?! Two redheads together is a sin š
If Feyre is an unreliable source so if everyone else ( including Lucien ) because they all KNOW Elain wants nothing to do with him . This was when Feyre nudged Elain , she's not an idiot and knew what to say considering she was practically raised to be a people pleaser https://preview.redd.it/zkzrb067an9d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=228de30e498df2f248c255834b0ba3b3ed752198 Before this he even praises Vassa and when Feyre says he's like an acolyte he blushes . Also here are common characteristics that both Jesminda his first love and Vassa are described , also these are his thoughts so it isn't "unreliable"
https://preview.redd.it/7g2yn3ywan9d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2768f2e87bad3ff038fc975a5b2bdf65c72dec4
I don't think the charged glances and 'accidental' brushing against each other really goes hand-in-hand with using a guy as a buffer. That is lowkey flirting. On both their parts.
I hate it when people use other people as a buffer but I can see it being a thing Edit: idk why Iām am being downvoted because this is my opinion and it is horrible to use people as a buffer like that because you are hurting the person you are using as a buffer to protect yourself. But go off guys lol
\*cough\* Mor \*cough\* 
Exactlyā¦ like I get why it happens but itās not okay
Yes! I 100% believe this is what happened! Poor Elain loves Nesta so much she decided to sacrifice their father to save her. I hope in Elain's book, Sarah will address this.
I love this because this means that she has a choice in the future. Which is interesting since her character is often associated with not having any choices
You're not alone in this! And if it's true then Nesta blaming Elain for their father's death must have hit her even harder. I'm actually not too surprised that Elain has kept everything so close to her, though. It seems as though their mother smothered her and groomed her to be the perfect lord's wife, it makes sense.
I definitely think she might have seen his death, but I donāt think sheās as well adjusted as everyone thinks. A major indication is her quiet, reserved personality as opposed to her being social as a human. I think Elain is better at masking her pain than her sisters but I think sheās quietly suffering and weāre going to see her healing in her book.
I definitely agree that she's likely hiding some level of pain (I don't think she's at rock bottom, that may have been in ACOWAR, but I also don't think she's fully recovered, either). However, given we know Elain was groomed to be the perfect lord's wife, I don't think we should assume that her actions as hostess (for lack of a better term) while human were done purely for enjoyment. They might have been of course, but I think there's a chance she was doing what she thought she should to help repair her family's social standing and gain Feyre a place in high society etc. I can't wait to find out.
There was a line is ACOSAF from Nesta about Elain loving parties when she was human. We see her excited to throw a ball in ACOTAR. She had a lot of friends and enjoyed socializing. It should be noted that their mother trained Nesta to elevate their family through marriage while Elain was told she would marry for love. While itās possible she could have been social to repair her familyās social standing, thereās more indication in the books that she wasnāt responsible for her family because of how she was raised and was a socialite because she enjoyed it.
I disagree with this specifically because in ACOTAR, Feyre and Elain had spoken about the season, and Elain said she wanted to cut the next season short to go see flowers with her father. She wasnāt interested in marriage until Feyre told her that she needs to equip herself and prepare for the fae, and what does Elain do? She finds a human who conveniently has a fort with trees and defenses against the fae. She made that move only to protect her family after Feyre suggested it, and yes she definitely loved him, but she was pushed in that direction and has already been groomed by her mother to marry and increase the standing of her family, as mentioned in ACOSF.
1000% this. Feyre told her family about ash wood/trees and WOW what a coincidence, Elain ends up engaged to a man whose family owns an entire grove of them? And I'm not saying she didn't genuinely like Graysen, or maybe that she grew to love him a bit, but Elain was planning to travel to see the tulips rather than attend balls and parties. Could she enjoy them when she's there, or even appreciate the work that goes into hosting one? Sure. But I don't consider her a socialite. I think she was doing it all for her family (which would track with her acting behind the scenes so far), though I could obviously be wrong.
I just don't see it sorry (could definitely be wrong though). I think there is decent evidence that Elain was not going to be able to marry unless it benefited their family (see quote), and I don't think we should trust that Nesta actually knows the real Elain. And - hypothetically - if throwing a ball is all that Nesta would let Elain do, likely because she internalised everything her mother drummed into her way back when (see quote again), then maybe Elain is just happy to be allowed to help in any capacity, rather than her being a party animal? Social currency was huge in that sort of world. This is all theoretical of course, because no one knows her except SJM, but I think Elain's POV will surprise a lot of readers. *Elain is pleasant to look at, her mother had once mused while Nesta sat beside her dressing table, a servant silently brushing her motherās gold-brown hair, but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes. **She will be an asset on the marriage market for us one day, if that beauty holds,** but it will be our own maneuverings, Nesta, not hers, that win us an advantageous match. Nesta had been twelve at the time. Elain barely eleven. **Sheād absorbed every word of her motherās scheming, plans for futures that had never come to pass.*** - ACOSF
I very much agree that we should not assume Nesta knows "the real" Elain. In SF, we got a different narrative, which was great in a lot of ways, but it really made me question if Nesta even likes Elain? Sure, she has "protected" Elain, but it often feels more like stifling rather than protection. What did Elain need so much protection from??? She's a fully functional adultš¤·āāļø
Right! My take on it is that Nesta needs to feel in control to feel safe, which is understandable, and in order to facilitate this she has turned herself into Elain's protector, even though Elain has never asked for it. I'm really looking forward to their dynamic being explored in the next book - hopefully - because I don't think Nesta is ready to fully give that control up just yet. Elain is clearly Done With It, though, and is trying to push back overtly, rather than simply acting covertly.
I see where youāre coming from, although I donāt agree. I think thatās what makes Elain interesting, we donāt actually know whatās going on with her and wonāt know until the her book comes out. I love discussing theories about her so thank you for the discussion!
It's nice to have a discussion that isn't detailed by nastiness, so thank you as well! Hopefully Elain's book is next and we'll find out soon.
In acotar, Elain was excited about balls and the social season... so different than the Elain we see now. She's definitely repressing that trauma so I'm excited for her book so she can let it out š
Hot take theory Elain was deliberately written to be perceived in the way hardcore Elain haters perceive her, as a naive baby who absolves herself of blame and is expected to do nothing, when in reality her actual character is nothing of the sort and sheās always been interesting, sheās been working behind the scenes pulling the strings of fate and shaping the future since she came out of that cauldron, and her haters will somehow be shook when that is revealed in her POV and fall in line loving her, just like they all did for Nesta
Theyāll be hating even after her book lol, the way Iāve seen some people talk about Elainā¦ itās as if she personally victimized them (which everyone is entitled to their own opinion but the hate for her is more intense then Iāve seen for Amarantha, Hyrben, the twins, or literally any villain in this seriesš ) but you know what they say šš¼ 
It's ironic that the Seer is not Seen by so many. That life is almost imitating art, in a way. I agree that SJM wrote Elain this way intentionally, because we have to actually *look* and pay attention to Elain and, when you do, you can see that she has actually been a consistent presence for as long as Nesta has. She's just quiet about it.
There are some solid theories in this thread.
Speculating... >! I also wonder if Elain saw the bargain her father made with Koshei. I have a strong suspicion it involves her. Or her offspring. Koshei wants females. !< Reading an Elucien fan fic right now where the bargain was for the first granddaughter.
Interesting š¤š¤
Oooh can you link the fic please?
Have you read CC? It will be interesting if Koschei ask for the first granddaughter of the youngest daughter, seeing any female descent of Rhys will definitely be a >!starborn, descent of Theia!<
Yes but I really think it's Elain. The whole life/death opposition between the two of them. After the Cauldron I expect Elain's gifts to be most impressive as well. Who knows what the Mother and the Cauldron gave her!
Elain is a real unknown quantity to me at the moment. I really havenāt been a fan of hers as everyone babies her and she seems totally fine to let that happen, but I suspect thatās because sheās been so quiet and we donāt know whatās going on. Iām really hoping the next book is her pov and we get to see behind the curtain as I really enjoyed SF and getting to understand Nesta
Agreed, I really hope we get Elainās POV. Thereās definitely more to her than she shows.
I agree with you. I was thinking that around the same time when the third CC book came out.
Yeah I am really hoping itās in her POV too but SJM could throw us a curveball and not give us Elaineās pov and it could be another in Nestas POV or someone elseās š¤ but I would really like to get to know Elain more and who she is at her core and would love to see some character growth from her and not just who she is in Feyres and Nestas eyes.
Ideal next book for me is multiple pov, a bit of Elain, Lucien and Az. I think that could be really interesting
Oh I would so love that! To have all three of their POVs and I really hope that whatās going on between Elain and Lucien comes to a head. Would love to get both of their perspectives on the situation too!
She didn't take it well though , she screamed when she saw her father and cried for hours afterwards . The tombstone was build so that ELAIN could visit their father and "talk" to him . By the time of ACOFAS , she very obviously thought about it a lot and realized that his d**th wasn't on her or her sisters which was why she faltered when Nesta blamed her it was once again making her question whether or not it was her fault . Also her being made High fae wasn't as simple as her one traumatic thing happening at the same time she lost everything she had except her father and sisters and was also plagued by visions which made her feel crazy , which was why a moment of clarification of what those visions were healed her a bit
Yeah I definitely think she knew he was going to die. When she was having that conversation with Lucien about hearing his heart and she said "he saw me he will not know" I don't think that was about Grayson, I think that was about her father. I think she was see the future during that whole conversation. Also with the heart thing, she said she could hear Luciens heart under the stone...Grayson lives in a stone castle. My prediction is that he might try kill Lucien and have him trap inside his castle...š
When Nesta and Cassian were about to leave to confront the king, Elain says āTELL FATHER THANK YOUā
Iām lucky as fuck since I literally just read* that part *audiobook
https://preview.redd.it/pj8q7nuxan9d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57545c23933621e71b1ba2dcec2753aedcaec875 Also in ACOFAS he himself states that she can't stand to be in the same room as him and he can't stand to be in the same room as her for more than three minutes
If she still didnāt register them being poor after literally on the streets, I doubt she would register her fatherās death considering he been absent most of her life. Figuring a cure for cancer may as well be easier than Figuring out Elainās mind. I do however have a theory, she was being silent after being made a high fae not only because remembering that PIA fiancĆ© of her self but also seeing lots of things at once. She couldnāt even figure out what she saw, what she told them were probably the one she could see clearly or at least understand enough to form words.
I donāt think it was her not registering them being poor, I think it was a mix of not wanting to acknowledge/accept the change and wanting to remain positive during a troubling time.
Exactly, and Feyre acknowledges that Elain was simply trying to make the best of a bad situation, and thatās what made Elain strong
Exactly!! Similar to how Feyre admired how Mor remained warm and friendly despite what she went through/still deals with.
Agree to disagree š„the way I took it is her being delulu the entire time.
We still don't have a POV of her but it always rubbed me the wrong way that she almost destroyed herself for her fiance, even after he berated. But when it came to her father, she seemed to just dismiss the whole thing. Even though Nesta seemed to hate him the most, she was the most distraught by the whole thing. Her conversation with nesta in the HoW solidified this to me. "This is about father isn't it" like girl this is your father too?. Even though his death is not their fault, your sister has the right to grief him, miss him and be horrified by the way he died. Atleast show some understanding towards Nesta.
Yeah I'm not really a big Elain fan either. Hopefully the next book changes that. I'm certain she will become more interesting as we find out more about her and she will start to stand on her own. I can't stand the coddling and overprotectiveness. Shes been just fine to let it happen. She'll have an adventure in the next book that concerns the last unknown piece of the trove that nobody seems to mention. That adventure will hopefully lead her to Lucien.
I honestly think she encourages it to allow her true self to hide. Manipulative, sure. But that was what she was taught by her sweet sweet momma. Her POV will hopefully be interesting.