#elucien recommendation
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December 20th | @areyoudreaminof @thelovelymadone
Hover Corte - areyoudreaminof (BoE, elucien)
No one writes the Band of Exile and their dynamics like this author (I am crowning you High Lady of BoE). This story was so incredibly beautiful, I have truly no words for it. Thank you for this wonderful story.
Game Night - areyoudreaminof (elucien, BoE)
This is one of the best and funniest stories I have ever read about the band of exiles and I love it so very much. I've read it a few times, and want to read it again many times. I love it so very much, it is so wonderfully written and will definitely make you smile. It was one of the cutest stories I've ever read, so please everyone check it out, it is sooo worth it.
The God Who Cursed Me - thelovelymadone (elucien)
I loved this author's writing so much, they have a very special way with words and it immediately captivates you. The story was amazing and I loved the whole idea behind the story and how the author then brought it on paper (or the screen haha). It was really really good, just like all their other stories as well.
Empty True Promises - thelovelymadone (elucien)
Another story for Elucien week that was absolutely amazing. We love them bantering and I loved everything about this story. The author did an amazing job writing this and also perfectly described the characters and what they think and feel. Thank you for this wonderful story.
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Merry Christmas to @iambutmortal!! I got to make a gift for you this year for the @acotargiftexchange!
i had such a good time getting to know you for the past months 💕
when i tell you i had the biggest blast making this (even despite having to render hair 6 times) and i'm so excited i can finally show you!!
the biggest tragedy about making art was a ban on any teasers 😫
i hope you enjoy and i wish you the most glorious holiday time! 🎄
(as i am insane, the piece is huge and it needs some close-ups)
#for optimal viewing experience i recommend using the desktop 🫡#it's enormous and when i checked it on my phone it couldn't quite comprehend what was going on#oops#now i want you to know that in my sea of ideas i sketched 3 'throwaway' sketches of them dancing#and i went like 'nooooo i could never draw that'#but i loved this idea so SO much and i just couldn't let it go 😌#elucien#elain archeron#lucien vanserra#acotargiftexchange
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Just remembered when I read my first Elucien fic and my brain went like ✨✨✨✨✨ and my third eye opened completely
#Really recommended experience#10/10#I'm just being silly#elucien#pro Elucien#It was MB's politicians fic
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I definitely need more fluffy and smutty elucien fics in my life
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I'm in an Elucien mood. Anyone have any fic recommendations?
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Guys idk if this person is on tumblr but if you want a long slow burn of Elucien with Elain being high lady of spring please go read this. It’s so good. It’s completed. I attached screenshots of the info. It’s a beautiful story and just -slams my fist on a table- 10/10.
Springtide by CLARAFAE 32 chapters, 150k~
#fanfic recommendation#acotar#elucien#elain archeron#lucien acotar#lucien vanserra#pro elain#elain x lucien#elain acotar#FUCKIN QUEEN#so good#go read this rn I promise it’s good
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two month story wrap up and shout-out, canon + x-Reader stories
I haven't read many stories in the past months, but I managed to catch up with some. so here we go, a little shout out to amazing creators and my absolute favourite stories I have read lately.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Asking Prize - by @the-lonelybarricade (Azris)
Elucien Drabble - by @asnowfern
The Writings on the Wall - by @asnowfern (Nessian)
Effervescence - by @asnowfern (Elucien)
Prythian’s Fantasia - by @vulpes-fennec (Acotar AU)
Throne Room Shenanigans - by @vulpes-fennec (Jassa)
Until Your Last Breath - by @moonlightazriel (Azriel x Reader)
Run Away - by @moonlightazriel (Eris x Reader)
Leave Before You Love Me - by @velidewrites (Elucien)
I Was Never There - by @velidewrites (Bone Carver)
Sleep - by @velidewrites (Elucien)
One Hundred - by @velidewrites (Elucien)
Where Have the Bubbles Gone - by @kingofsummer93 (Elucien)
Into the Water - by @kingofsummer93 (Elucien)
Ex Luna Scientia - by @kingofsummer93 (Elucien)
All of the Girls You Loved Before - by @separatist-apologist (Elucien)
What a Time to Be Alive - by @separatist-apologist (Elucien)
New Beginnings (-part 4) - by @cosmic-whispers (Azriel x Reader)
On My Mind in My Heart - by @darling-archeron (Elucien)
The Sins that Blind Us - by @honeybeefae (Eris x Reader)
You’d Marry Me If I Asked, Right? -by @isterofimias (Nessian)
On the Line - by @moodymelanist (Nessian)
All You Knead Is Love - by @moodymelanist (Nessian)
The Hit - by @headcanonheadcase (Nessian)
Helion x LoA Drabble - by @ofduskanddreams
Game Night - by @areyoudreaminof (Elucien/Band of Exiles; sorry, I knew I forgot sth.)
the ACOTAR writing circle organised by @azrielshadowssing
and lastly an absolutely fantastic painting of Elucien - by @krem-does-stuff
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*me manifesting more dawn and day court exploration in the next ACOTAR book* - available here
#sarah j maas#sjm books#acotar#a court of thorns and roses#dawn court#day court#prythian#sjmaas#sjm#sjm universe#bookblr#book recommendations#acomaf#acowar#moonlightcoffee#elucien
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I’m new to the acotar fandom sooo… I just pulled an all-nighter to binge all of your fics and OMG I NEED MORE!!! I love these characters sm and your writing is amazzzinnnggg 😩 do you have any recommendations? I love these books sm and I can’t get enough of feysand
Hey nonny! Welcome to the fandom 🥳🥳 I hope this ends up being a great experience for you 💜
And thank you so much for reading! I'm so glad my fics were enjoyable for you!!
Okay, so here are some blogs and writers to follow.. these are the ones I interact with most. It is certainly not an extensive list. I haven't been reading as much acotar recently, I am terrible, we know this. But this is a great starting line up. Please reblog or comment other recs, or shoot me a message and I will add/reblog with other writers or fics.
@elentiyawhitethorn -- queen. We love abby and how she writes feysand
@live-the-fangirl-life -- fluff extraordinaire, glorious human, multiships, but plenty of feysand
@the-lonelybarricade --canon divergence and Canon compliant. A delight to follow.
@moononastring -- elucien needs can be met here and some fluffy feysand too!
@thegloweringcastle -- has some great fics, plus a western feysand au, need I say more?
@cloudywriter -- has some angst fics to enjoy
@hlizr50 -- mostly writes gwynriel and we love it!
@houseofhurricane -- canon fics, multiships
@c-e-d-dreamer mostly writes nessian with some gwynriel. But the nessian is awesome! I love her fics.
@darling-archeron --lots of fics with modern and conon fics, a delight as always
@talkfantasytome --extensive masterlist, mostly Nessian. and just an awesome person
@tealnymph24 --gwynriel Stan whom we love immensely and will die fighting for
@alifletcher2012 -- so many wonderful fics. Feysand mostly modern aus
@julemmaes -- extensive masterlist, wonderful human, wonderful writing
@perseusannabeth -- mostly Nessian ❤️
@dawninlatin --"how did we get here" will destroy you and you'll be grateful
@illyrianbeauty lots of feysand and is always great to follow because they reblog lots of fics too
@iambutmortal has some great elucien that I love
#feysand#acotar fics#acotar#a court of thorns and roses#fics#acotar fanfic recommendations#recomendation#writers#fanfiction nessian#nessian#elucien#gwynriel
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DO THIS IF YOU WANT A LAUGH .... but also to question everything.
So I got talking to the new Snapchat MyAI right? And was talking about FanFic and thought, fuck it. And asked about a few of my fics.
I asked about two OneShots, and Two Multi Chapter.
Here is what MyAI from SnapChat summarized my fics as vs what I have their summaries as.
♡♡♡♡♡
THE FAILED RESISTANCE :: Elain finds herself once again in the Human Lands.
♤♤♤♤♤
A SOLSTICE SURPRISE :: It is solstice time again, but things are different this year. Elain isn’t finding she is walking in on dinners already started, and gift exchanges taking place. Something doesn’t add up, and something hurts.
◇◇◇◇◇
FINDING PEACE :: Some say your heart will always be tied in some way to your first love. Jesminda had not immediately found the the promised eternity after passing.
♧♧♧♧♧
ITS ONLY TEMPORARY :: Elain gets a call, from the hospital, in the middle of the night, and learns that her fiancé has been in an accident.
#fanfic#fanfic authors#fanfic recommendation#my fanfiction#fanfiction#elucien#lucien vanserra#elain archeron#acotar#acosf#lucien x elain#elain/lucien#elucien fic#elain x lucien#elucien fanfiction
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December 18th | @lucienarcheron
Forget Me Not (elucien)
This is the first Elucien story I have ever read and I have no idea how many times I have re-read it since then. It is the story that got me to ship Elucien, the story that made me fall in love with this ship. I still love the story just as much as the first time reading it, it is simply amazing and so wonderfully written and will forever have a big place in my heart.
Tales of Fox and Fawn (elucien)
Just small Elucien snippets that will warm you heart. I love the series sooo incredibly much, it is absolutely amazing and I could re-read it 4 million times, just like basically every story of this amazing author. Thanks for all the amazing stories!
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Just wanted to share a quality of life hack for the gorgeous fanfic readers who like to keep fic tabs open: dowload the OneTab extension.
Are you going to go back to read those fics that have been open for months? Maybe not. But now you can save all your fics and keep them together in one lil tab that won't visually overwhelm you and will help your computer run a little bit faster. Honestly life changing.
#Maybe a lot of people know about this and I'm just behind on the times#anyway I love it#and i ardently recommend#feysand fic#acotar fic#elucien fic
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"Trying to find secret meanings in a dress colour (*the cobalt theories we have*) and in words like 'bread and roses' isn't a sign of endgame, reading between the lines is excessive"
First of all, very rich coming from someone believing the redheads have a chance with two people who don't give a fuck about them or had being interested to learn and have something personal with them at all
Second, I have to laugh, you're people have to made up elain liking yellow, pearls, sunflowers and she keeping the gloves as a "sign she would accept lulu" when yall know she didn't fucking liked them. The text told you that straight away in your dumb face and also? it had more parallels with az never using the daggers mor gave him that anything lucien related, is not hard math you dumbass
And let's get in the bread and roses thing because is hilarious that someone would call it "searching for something that isn't there" when it can't be more clear of who that line was referring to. Does feyre and nesta bake and spend time between roses? does mor? does emerie or the twins? does fucking gwyn? No, we all know no one does besides elain, that's one of her traits, is something she's related to time and time again in more than one book so why you acting so crazy talking about sjm don't being subtle on her writing, then turn around and spit about how two words who has always relate to one character for damn years now is "reaching"???
Your ass of a man hasn't even apologized not respected none of that girl boundaries until HE decided to give up on trying (and that's giving him too much he never really tried lol). The other carrot knows jack shit about azriel, she asking if he can sing is not trying to meet him is, quite frankly, an irrelevant question that even azriel found undeserving of depth when he proceeded of cutting her verbal vomit to come right away
But well, this is the same people thinking elain would fall and move out for a man she doesn't know at all and that gwyn didn't have lightsinger powers, that we can actually say affected azriel when he was returning the necklace (A + reading and gwynriel being called a conspiracy was out of SJM mouth this year go cry about it) and that also believe cassian opinions about fashion is way more important than elain's whole narrative and words.
So, oh, you want to play the stupid cunt? then so be it, but do it with actual receipts of canon romantic and sexually charged interactions between two characters. god damn
#this is tumblr fault btw why is a post of that ahrene whatever the name is. in my fucking timeline as recommended?#anyway seeing the shittiest 'takes' of the other side keeps giving me head trauma#absolute shit for brains that i haven't seen since the naruto fandom and THAT fandom was even more intelligent that..#whatever delulus and gleeriels have going on#elriel#booo elucien/lucien i hate your pusssyyyyy#booo gwynriel i hate your pussyyy
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Is an oily residue corrupting Azriel's hypothetical mating bond and making him feel off kilter? Is it related to Valg-type magic?
Disclaimer: this theory is a continuation of a few of my others that I've been too lazy to post until now - first I was going to post it for Elriel Month 2023, then Azriel Week 2023... it never happened - but like everyone else I'm having massive FOMO before HOFAS, so here we finally go, even though I know I've forgotten something lol. As usual, this makes no claims of being accurate, it's just theorising for fun.
A massive thank you goes out to @wingedblooms, @tswaney17, @silverlinedeyes, @psychologynerd, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and anyone else I've forgotten (sorry!) for all of our discussions that finally became this post. Love you guys. 💜
Spoilers: this is a Maasverse post, and draws from the ACOTAR series, CC 1 & 2/HOEAB & HOSAB, and the TOG series. It is CC 3/HOFAS spoiler free, as I'm waiting to read it in its "original English" 🤓 on the 30th of January. Please be respectful of that if engaging in the comments before it's published!
Plenty of people, including @silverlinedeyes, @icedflames and myself, have posted our thoughts on mating bonds in the Maasverse, and this theory builds on those previously established - though again, as yet hypothetical - ideas. Specifically, this post about the use of “oily” throughout the ACOTAR series is recommended reading.
What we do know is that:
Mating bonds contain threads, and so do spells.
Mates are the song/music of the soul, and their laughter is likened to music.
Different fae, and magics, contain different scents, be that personal or regional
First, let's go back to ACOWAR, when Feyre described the Ravens' entrance into the library as being like an off-kilter chord:
I felt it at the same moment she did. The ripple and tremor. Like … like some piece of the world shifted, like some off-kilter chord had been plucked. We turned toward the illuminated path that we’d just taken through the stacks, then to the dark far, far beyond. - ACOWAR, chapter 30
Initially, I had wondered if the King of Hybern had had Jurian use the Harp to infiltrate Velaris, but it was @merymoonbeam (I think) who theorised that the Cauldron might be mimicking the Harp, and maybe not doing the best job of it. Which made me wonder, could it do the same with mate bonds?
He left the rest unspoken. Because her mate was here, sleeping a level up. Because her mate had been in the family room and Azriel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving if it became too much. - ACOSF, Azriel's bonus chapter
Looking at her now … She was pale, yes. The vacancy still glazing her features. But he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Betrayal, queasy and oily, slid through his veins. He’d said the same to Jesminda once. But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. - ACOWAR, chapter 24
What if the Elucien bond, as either a spell or piss poor Cauldron-Made approximation of a bond, causes Azriel - and maybe Elain, possibly Lucien - nausea when Lucien is around because it's constantly changing, or reverberating over the top of, what remains of a hypothetical Elriel bond?
What if it's making the Elriel bond off-kilter, out of whack, imbalanced?
Does this make Azriel feel sick, nauseous, or simply overwhelmed/overstimulated?
When people are feeling off-balance, for whatever reason, they can feel sick or nauseous. It's one of the symptoms of vertigo, which can be triggered by severe headaches such as migraines. And guess who rubs their temples? Azriel!
Alternatively, certain chords played loudly enough on a string instrument can really mess with your chest - and where do mating bonds attach - if you're standing close enough for them to vibrate through you (at least, they do for me haha). It can be weirdly disconcerting, and I'd imagine that if Azriel or Elain feels something like this, no wonder he describes such severe discomfort that he needs to leave, and she shrinks away from Lucien, the unintentional cause of her pain.
Same with the smell; if the magic of the Cauldron, in whatever way, is messing with the smell that should be there? Contaminating it? Unbearable.
Is this too crack for you? Well, let's get even crazier.
I have previously suggested that the Cauldron's actions throughout the series could be tracked, in part, by SJM describing a feeling or quality as “oily,” and I've also wondered if the dark maker of the Cauldron - Koschei? - could have hijacked it in some way, as the Book of Breathings being made from leftover iron gave me “One Ring” vibes. I still stand by that, but with a clarification (and here is where the TOG and CC spoilers come in, FYI). I think it's only half of the magic belonging to the Cauldron that is "oily":
Throughout TOG, the Valg are heavily associated with “oiliness,” in terms of their blood and magic. The smell “reeks” and always results in the involved characters experiencing extreme revulsion, including headaches. Sound familiar?
Wyrdstone has an oily, hideous aftertaste.
Even in CC 1/HOEAB, Danika was described as oily when she came into Griffin Antiques.
Celaena looked at the sealed door, her stomach turning. A half-dried pool of blood lay at the base of the door, so dark it looked like oil. She crouched, swiping a finger through the puddle. She sniffed at it, almost gagged at the reek, and then rubbed her finger against the pad of her thumb. It felt as oily as it looked. - COM, chapter 45
“What the hell is that?” Rowan demanded, kneeling beside her, sniffing her outstretched hand. He jerked back, snarling. “That’s not dirt.” No, it wasn’t. It was blacker than night, and reeked just as badly as it had the first time she’d smelled it, in the catacombs beneath the library, an obsidian, oily pool of blood. Slightly different from that other, horrific smell that loitered around this place, but similar. So similar to— “This isn’t possible,” she said, jolting to her feet. “This—this—this—” She paced, if only to keep from shaking. “I’m wrong. I have to be wrong.” There had been so many cells in that forgotten dungeon beneath the library, beneath the king’s Wyrdstone clock tower. The creature she’d encountered there had possessed a human heart. It had been left, she’d suspected, because of some defect. What if … what if the perfected ones had been moved elsewhere? What if they were now … ready? - HOF, chapter 45
The overseer roared, thrashing as her magic swept into him, melded with him. But there was nothing inside to grab on to. No darkness to burn out, no remaining ember to breathe life into. Only— Aelin reeled back, magic vanishing and knees buckling as if struck. Her head gave a throb, and nausea roiled in her gut. She knew that feeling—that taste. Iron. As if the man’s core was made of it. And that oily, hideous aftertaste … Wyrdstone. The demon inside the overseer let out a choked laugh. “What are collars and rings compared to a solid heart? A heart of iron and Wyrdstone, to replace the coward’s heart beating within.” - EOS, chapter 15
* Side note, it's giving Tamlin and his stone heart.
Danika didn’t just look like she’d been rootling through the garbage. She smelled like it, too. Wisps of her silvery blond hair—normally a straight, silken sheet—curled from her tight, long braid, the streaks of amethyst, sapphire, and rose splattered with some dark, oily substance that reeked of metal and ammonia. - CC HOEAB, chapter 1
The Hind held Ruhn’s gaze as the game began. She was the spitting image of Luna, with her upswept chignon, the regal angle of her neck and jaw. As coldly serene as the moon. All she needed was a pack of hunting hounds at her side— And she had them, in her dreadwolves. How had someone so young risen in the ranks so swiftly, gained such notoriety and power? No wonder she left a trail of blood behind her. “Careful now,” the Harpy said with that oily smile. “The Hammer doesn’t share.” The Hind’s lips curved upward. “No, he doesn’t.” - CC HOSAB, chapter 33
I think the dark maker of the Cauldron could have been Valg, whether that's Koschei or someone else I don't know though Koschei currently makes the most sense. I also don't know when the dark maker would have had the chance to influence the Cauldron; was it always made from dark and light, or - as @fawnandshadows theorised a while back - did Koschei bastardise it after the fact? Where the Valg would fit in with the Daglan and the Asteri is also a mystery, though my current train of thought is that they could be family names or allegiances, like different clans of the same parasitical species, thanks to the description of Danika in HOEAB.
But, back to Azriel and his severe reaction to the Elucien bond.
I know I'm not the only one who wonders at the very Valg-ish themes with which Rhys and Azriel's powers have been described - maybe one day I'll post my thoughts about the possible link between lightsingers, shadowsingers, daemati and the Valg (but it is not this day lol) - and how that may have come about. For example, are the Valg interwoven, genetically, with the Avallen people, or is it because the Princes of Hel are also involved, and have similar magics? Are the Princes of Hel a similar species as the Valg, Asteri and Daglan, or completely different? Ugh, let's stop this spiral here.
Oily: the obvious train of thought being that oily things are slippery, which can lead to an imbalance… ie. becoming off-kilter.
Sounds like Azriel could be suffering from some sort of vertigo, of which symptoms can include nausea; severe headaches, such as migraines, may trigger an episode… and who rubs his temples enough that Elain noticed it?
Maybe Azriel can sense the corruption in the bond, either the current Elucien bond, or the hypothetical original bond between Elain and himself; if like calls to like, and his shadows are Valg-ish, maybe it is because his OG bond was fucked with. So, what if:
Azriel's shadows can slip away from spells and binding magic (Slippery > oily > Valg).
The guards at the prison know what he is.
Valg magic making Azriel nauseous and Elain sourcing/making a healer's powder for him? It's giving Chaol and Yrene. Especially since Elain (and Mor) make his shadows brighten.
So, we have in-text mentions of Azriel feeling overwhelmed due to the proximity of the Elucien bond, as well as Elain shrinking from Lucien - an action that parallels Azriel hanging out in the doorway, and even Lucien retreating to the human lands, if he feels any bond-related discomfort around Elain. But what about his initial response to seeing Elain, and thinking she was the most beautiful female he'd ever seen? The quote that sent me down the “oily” rabbit hole to begin with?
Looking at her now … She was pale, yes. The vacancy still glazing her features. But he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Betrayal, queasy and oily, slid through his veins. He’d said the same to Jesminda once. But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. - ACOWAR, chapter 24
Well, Aelin felt oily disgust at the thought of marrying someone who wasn't Rowan:
“There are no allies,” Darrow said. “Unless Her Highness decides to be useful and gain us men and arms through marriage”—a sharp glance at Rowan—“we are alone.” Aelin debated revealing what she knew, the money she’d schemed and killed to attain, but— Something cold and oily clanged through her. Marriage to a foreign king or prince or emperor. Would this be the cost? Not just in blood shed, but in dreams yielded? To be a princess eternal, but never a queen? To fight with not just magic, but the other power in her blood: royalty. She could not look at Rowan, could not face those pine-green eyes without being sick. - EOS, chapter 5
This example from Aelin could describe Azriel and Elain’s potential future if Elain accepted a theoretically Cauldron spelled bond to Lucien, but also for Lucien and Jesminda, if they were originally true or fated mates before she was murdered.
Some final thoughts:
We know from TOG that healing light is known as the Valg executioner. In a parallel to Yrene killing Erawan with her healing light in KOA, Elain killed the King of Hybern - who I suspect was possessed or assisted by a Valg, as Feyre described his magic as a “galaxy” in his palms - with Truth-Teller, which had recently devoured the (her?) sunlight; does this mean that Elain could heal or purify Valg possessed things, with or without the magical, Made dagger? Could this be extrapolated to Azriel's magic, the Dread Trove, or even the Cauldron (possibly with Feyre and Nesta for the bigger ticket items)?
If the Asteri are the same species as the Valg, and the Valg somehow had a hand in making or twisting the Cauldron, it could follow that they used the Cauldron to create offspring bonds for a more powerful food source. If this pans out then Elain, bright light, could hypothetically heal the Cauldron. Maybe that is why Azriel describes her with purity language? Not because SJM wants to display Azriel's apparently toxic thoughts about her (🙄), but because she, along with her sisters, will be his/their salvation? Rhys once said as much to Feyre!
@mrspettyferr has suggested that Azriel's shadows ability to hide him from binding magic - see: the High Lord's meeting in ACOWAR - could have prevented his true bond from snapping with Elain when she came out of the Cauldron. This could be supported by any Valg/shadow link.
Thank you for reading! Please don't mention any CC HOFAS spoilers in the comments or reblogs until after it has been officially published. 💜
#azriel shadowsinger#elain archeron#acotar#acotar theory#elriel theory#elriel#acotar cc tog crossover theory#maasverse#crescent city#crescent city spoilers#throne of glass#tog#tog spoilers#hosab spoilers#pro elain#the cauldron#the valg#the asteri#the daglan#crack theory#mating bond#anti el*cien#but NOT anti lucien#he'd be a victim in this as well#lucien vanserra x jesminda#i'm still on my crack that lucien and jesminda were reallymates
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This Time, I'm Ready [ Elucien ]
Inspired by Long Story Short by TS. I was listening to it randomly and a scene of Elain started playing out in my head. Recommend listening to it while reading :)
Shout out to @ruhnnlidias for always being my beta reader ♥️
Rating: SFW
Genre: Little angst/fluff
Tagging: @helion-ism | @zenkindoflove | @crazy-ache | @danaanruhn | @eudaimonia83 | @vanserrass | @elizascarlets | @climb-the-mountian
As she stood in the woods and took in her surroundings, Elain realized she had made a tragic mistake leaving the Spring Court alone.
Darkness was setting and she had no idea where she was or how she’d even be found.
All she knew was that she had needed out of the Night Court. She had needed to get away. Even at the risk of her own safety.
Because she was sick of it. Sick of doing nothing. Sick of being nothing.
Sick of the coddling. Coddling she had played a huge part in allowing.
Because comfort had always been more important than worrying. Comfort had been more important than facing everything that had been taken from her. But at what cost?
At what cost?
Elain whirled around at the sounds of twigs snapping behind her and that familiar sense of self-loathing she had developed in the last two years threatened to explode in her chest.
She was an idiot. An absolute imbecile for thinking she could do this on her own.
But it was too late to change courses now.
Elain’s bottom lip trembled as her eyes darted around her. The fae eyesight she’d resented for so long didn’t fail her now as she took in the details of the tall trees. Her vision — that stupid vision was what had spurred her to make this move. A vision that promised the sun and flowers blooming, coming from a manor she had once planned to call home before it was ripped away from her and her dreams became shrouded in darkness.
And Elain had been desperate for the sun for two years.
So she had fortified her mind, blocked it the way she knew how so they wouldn’t sense her lie, and had convinced Rhys that she needed to go to the Spring Court. She had nearly begged, demanding they respect her vision and though Feyre had been hesitant, her sister knew she couldn't stop her.
And Mor had winnowed her in, waiting patiently with her as she explored, as they avoided the beast that still roamed while she tried to piece things together. Her vision was important, they had to inspect what it meant…even if she hadn’t told them what her vision had been about.
Or rather, who.
But the person she had been looking for hadn’t been there as she had predicted. Mor had only given her a sympathetic look that had Elain clenching her jaw and said, “We’ll wait until morning to see if anything else can be found.”
Elain didn’t want to wait until morning and Mor hadn’t noticed the satchel she had hidden beneath her cloak. Though she wasn’t too surprised. No one really noticed anything about her. People only saw what they wanted to see when it came to her.
And maybe Elain should feel guilty about the panic she would likely cause Mor, even with the note she left behind, but she knew she needed to find him alone. Elain needed to make sure he was alright and for once, didn’t want an audience.
Because telling them what she saw meant they’d get involved. And for once, Elain needed them all to mind their business.
Her hand tightened around the hilt of the dagger she’d stolen from the ridiculous amount stashed in her sister’s home and Elain hated the feeling of it, hated having to hold it, and hated the idea of having to potentially use it.
Stabbing one person had been enough for her in this lifetime.
Turning her body, she tried to gauge where exactly she was. She had been careful to ask careless questions, to pretend to stare at the map of the location with as much boredom as she could muster all those times they'd bothered to include her in things. Which wasn’t often, but Elain had tried.
And now, she was trying to find… Lucien.
A shudder went through her body at the thought of his name. The mate she had been ignoring.
The sun she was seeking, that she had blatantly pretended wasn’t there. Because he could be hurt and the thought of not hearing his heartbeat made her sick.
She hadn’t been ready before.
This time, she was.
Ready to run certainly, at the sound of another twig snapping. If only there weren’t predators that were ecstatic at the opportunity to chase their prey — and Elain had forgotten just how many predators were out there. How easy prey she was at the moment.
Alone. Vulnerable. Breathing so loudly she was positive they could hear her back in Velaris.
Elain took a deep, shaky breath and exhaled it quietly. Licking her lips, she did the one thing she hadn’t expected herself to do. She called out to her mate.
Lucien?
She called out silently, licking her lips as she tested the waters of the mating bond she’d been shackled with. A mating bond that, try as she might, was never as dormant as she let the others believe. She heard his heartbeat all the time. Felt emotions flicker from him. Saw hazy memories.
Elain bit her lip, and slowly as she moved forward, the panic began tingling through her body. Why would he be listening? It wasn’t like she’d called out to him before. It wasn’t like she had ever been particularly kind to him.
Elain, who was kind to everyone. She was nice. Took out all her rage at the one person who didn’t really deserve it. But gods, being nice was exhausting when she hated everything about herself. He sensed how she felt. He saw too much. Just as she saw and felt too much of him.
In that stupid vision, she saw him coming for her. And he was whole and healthy. She had felt relieved at the sight of him.
She only left to find that relief.
But all she was finding was panic.
“Lucien?” she whispered and then shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She was so stupid. How would he even hear her out here? Elain had no idea where she was or if she was on the right path.
All she had ever been useful for was being beautiful and nice. Maybe her mother had been right all along; she didn’t need to know how to use her brain when she had that face. Thinking she’d be good enough to try and venture out on her own had been so foolish of her.
No wonder no one included her in anything. She wasn’t smart. She wasn’t brave. She wasn’t useful. Elain was just there, a mistake, a sad sight no one even saw or paid attention to.
Her hand flew to her mouth to hold in the sob threatening to escape. She had been so stupid to come out here.
Another branch cracked and she whirled again at the sound, scanning the area around her. She couldn’t have ventured too far from the Spring Court. She had to still be close, right?
But as she took a step, Elain felt a chill run down her spine that had her freezing in place.
She swallowed and then whispered into the trees, “Lucien?”
Elain was afraid to close her eyes to seek him out, to travel without moving as she had done once before. She bit her trembling lip and looked for that thread that he had tested out with her so long ago. She looked for that thread around her ribs and tugged.
He had to find her.
He had to be listening. Or at least she hoped.
Her face fell as the feeling of unease flooded her senses. Why would he be listening? He certainly wasn’t obligated to give her any of his time. Just like she hadn’t been obligated to give him anything.
Except for a conversation. Maybe they could’ve been friends. Maybe more. Maybe less.
Taking a shaky breath, Elain shook her head. She needed to focus. She needed to find him. Closing her eyes and letting her senses take over, letting that power she kept to herself surface as she looked for him. She traveled while standing, searching, rooting for him. She looked and tugged at that bond, she searched with a desperation she’d never, in all her years felt.
He needed to find her. He needed to be okay.
And she needed to get out of this quickly darkening forest.
There.
She saw him, seated at a desk alongside the Mad General she had only met once long ago, and felt herself tremble at the sight of him. She watched him suddenly straighten as if sensing her.
“Lucien.” she whispered and Elain wasn’t sure if she was saying it in her mind or out in the open air but he seemed to hear her.
For Lucien shot out of his seat and Elain watched his eyes widen, scanning the room. “Elain?”
“I’m in the forest outside of the Spring Court. I came looking for you but you weren’t there. I’m lost and I want you to find me.” she blurted quickly, fighting back a sob. “Please find me.”
“Elain —” was all she heard from him, his voice echoing the panic that was close to seizing her and before she could say anything else, she was ripped out of her connection.
Elain stumbled forward and whirled around quickly to find a creature of nightmares snarling a few feet away from her.
The creature stood alone, covered in dark scales with powerful arms that ended in claws she knew would slice anyone into ribbons.
Elain could only stand in horror, staring at the creature that gave her a bone-chilling smile.
She hadn’t seen this in her vision.
“Pretty, pretty pet.” it rasped, its claws clicking together as it stalked towards her. “You smell so divine. I’m going to eat you right up.”
“N-no, thank you,” she whispered and the creature blinked at her and then chuckled in a way that made the hair on her arms raise.
“Ah, well. That’s not what I want to hear.”
And the air between them stilled. The predator and prey as Elain stared down the creature. She had come seeking her mate and instead, found herself alone and vulnerable, about to be eaten alive.
Is this what she would amount to? She had stabbed the King of Hybern once long ago. She could not die here, without facing her demons. She had seen what her life could look like and Elain had finally decided to do something about it. Her grip tightened on her blade and she swallowed hard as the creature tilted its head mockingly at her.
Elain let herself take a deep calming breath then without warning, broke out into a run. Birds fluttered from the trees above her as she ran back, not away to – from – from the Spring Court? She wasn’t sure and the panic she had been trying to suppress bubbled back up to the surface as the sound of the creature stalking her followed.
“Find me. Find me. Find me.” she chanted desperately, a sob slipping from her lips as she rounded a corner, following a light that had to be the earlier path she had followed. The light had to lead back to safety.
But as she ran, her cloak caught on a branch and with a yelp, she fell. Quickly rolling over, she swallowed a scream as the creature hovered over her, closer than she had expected and nearly gagged at its foul breath. Grabbing her by the ankle, it dragged Elain closer and she could only stare in horror, frozen in place.
“I’m going to pick you apart piece by pretty piece.” it hissed.
With a desperate scream, she finally kicked it with her free leg and scrambled away but it grabbed her again and Elain fell once more, the dagger slipping from her hand.
“Let - go - of - me!” she shriek-sobbed, her hand desperately seeking the hilt of that dagger.
“Pretty pet has some claws.” The creature rasped once more as it yanked Elain forward, leaning over her and Elain tried not to gag again at its foul breath, her hand still seeking the dagger. “Lost little lamb with no one here to save her. Left to be gobbled up.”
Her hand faltered for a breath.
No one here to save her.
Would she always be this way? Always waiting to be saved? Always the victim? Never knowing how to defend herself?
She had no desire to be a warrior but Elain was sick of being the prey.
Anger she hadn’t felt in a long while flared in her chest as her fingers finally wrapped around the hilt of the dagger and with a cry, she forced himself forward and shoved the dagger into the creature’s throat and held. She let out a scream of rage, fighting the urge to vomit when it’s black blood sprayed across her face. But Elain held and held tight, even as her hands shook until the gurgling sounds stopped and the creature slumped over her.
Elain let herself lay there, breathing heavily as her body started to shake. She was okay. She was fine. She had been attacked by a horrible creature and had survived. She was alive.
She would be —
The sound of running had the breath choked out of her. She couldn’t do this again — she couldn’t take another one.
But Elain couldn’t move. Her body wouldn’t budge and as tears started to spill, she bit back another sob, trying with all her might to move the dead weight off her. Never mind, its blood was on her hands and dress and face – never mind that she was likely to be crushed beneath its weight if she didn’t move.
Panic seized her fully as she tried to scramble up, the footsteps coming closer. She could pretend to be dead. She could —
A violent snarl echoed through the forest as the dead creature was ripped off her and Elain nearly shrieked once more until she saw who stood above her.
“Elain.”
Elain’s eyes widened as Lucien fell to his knees next to her, breathing as hard as she was. He started at her and the sheer amount of relief that washed over her made her lips start to tremble.
“Lucien.”
She watched as a slight shudder went through him at the sound of his name from her lips and her body trembled as she stared and stared and stared. He had come.
“Elain. Thank fuck, you’re – you’re alright,” he asked and his hands hovered over her for a moment, as if forgetting that they hadn’t touched casually before – as if remembering then, it would be the first time in over two years. She watched as he swallowed hard, his chest rising and falling before slowly, Lucien held out a hand to help her sit up and Elain dropped her gaze to his open palm. “Are you hurt? Can you sit up?”
She blinked, hoping the tremors coursing through her body would stop as she stared back up at him.
“You — you came.” was all she could think to say, staring at him as she slid her shaky hands in his and slowly sat up, her eyes never leaving him, devouring the sight of him.
“Of course, I came,” he said quietly. “You – you called.”
Tears welled up in her eyes at the words but she blinked them back and swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to say. He had come. He had listened.
“You found me,” she whispered, squeezing his hands and Lucien’s gaze softened.
He swallowed before carefully answering, “As long as you want me to find you...the bond will remain a thread between us.” he said quietly and squeezed her hands in return. “I’ll always find you.”
Her raging heart seemed to beat faster and Elain finally took a moment to run her gaze over his body. He was still in the tunic and trousers she had seen him in except now a sword was strapped to his back – a sword he hadn’t even bothered to use when he pulled the creature off her.
Her mate had used his bare hands to save her. And he was safe and whole, not a scratch to be found on him.
Elain met his gaze, finding him patiently watching her, his brows furrowed in concern, and suddenly remembered how she was covered in filth and flushed deeply, pulling her hands back to her lap.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he glanced down at his now empty palms and let them fall to his sides. “You want to tell me how you got here?”
“I – I had a vision.”
“Ah.”
“It was about you,” she whispered and his expression turned curious. “Something bad happened to you.”
Lucien seemed to be fighting to keep his expression carefully clear. “And that…worried you?”
Elain’s flush deepened and she swallowed before whispering, “Yes.”
The air between them seemed to go taut but Elain refused to break his gaze as a slight color bloomed on Lucien’s face.
This energy between them wasn’t like what Feyre and Rhys had. Or even what Nesta and Cassian had. This…this felt different.
The bond between them seemed to hold its breath until Lucien cleared his throat and finally said, so softly, in the way he always seemed to speak to her, “I’m sorry to have caused you all this trouble.”
Elain blinked and couldn’t help the huff of a small laugh that slipped from her lips, fisting her hands in her lap. “If anything, I’m the one to apologize for causing you trouble,” she said and bit her lip. “I dragged you all the way out here.”
Lucien chuckled and Elain felt it skate across her filthy skin. “You did give me quite the heart attack,” he said and the corner of his mouth curled up at her flush. “I thought I was hallucinating for a minute.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and couldn’t look away from him, trying to blink back the embarrassed tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to – I just – “
Lucien shook his head then gently and so carefully, reached for her hand. “You have nothing to apologize for,” he said and offered her a small smile. “I’m thankful you did. I’m glad you did.”
And Elain felt her heart swell. This man – male who owed her nothing was glad she had called on him in her time of trouble.
“Even after all this time? We’ve barely spoken.”
“I know.” he only said and Elain felt her bottom lip tremble as she squeezed his hand in hers.
“Why?”
And Lucien couldn’t seem to help the tilt of his head as he gave her a look that was too knowing. “Because you never fully closed that door between us,” he said and Elain swallowed. “I know you’re well aware of how a mating bond works. You could reject it – reject me and no one would bat an eyelash.” He glanced at their hands and turned her palm over, his thumb daring to rub soothingly. “With the nature of the mating bond, a rejection would’ve been hard for me but I would’ve made peace with whatever decision was made.” Lucien met her gaze again. “I am not a male who forces himself to be where he is not wanted, especially with females. But…you kept the door open.”
“I’m not – I wasn’t —” Elain began then forced herself to swallow hard again. “I wasn’t ready.”
“I know,” he said again and gave her a small, slightly sad smile and Elain couldn’t stop herself from tightening the grip of her hand in his again.
She met his gaze and knew he could feel every jumbled emotion she felt, every complicated thought that flickered across her face. But he waited. Patiently. Kindly.
And it was like he sensed exactly how hard it was for her to say more, to express her desires.
The corner of his mouth curled up. “I will say…it has been very bold of you to assume I would be obsessed with you,” he added and Elain flushed. “If anything, this situation goes to show you’re the one who can’t stop thinking about me. Getting all worried and running around in the woods alone.” He ended the statement with a tsk and Elain blinked.
Before she could stop herself, a snort slipped from her at his statement and the snort turned into a raspy laugh and before Elain could stop herself, she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
She was sitting on the ground of an unknown forest, still covered in the blood of a creature she had killed and Elain couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed this hard.
And he sat with her as she laughed, watching her with amusement until the last giggle left her mouth, and Lucien couldn’t help but answer with a chuckle of his own.
She had found the sun. And it was smiling right back at her.
When she finally let out a sigh, marking the end of her slight loss of sanity a moment ago, Elain felt a sense of calm wash over her as he watched her and it took a few heartbeats of silence before Lucien broke the quiet.
“I take it you’re ready to move now?” he asked and Elain nodded as he looked around the woods. “How did you even manage to get here?”
He stood slowly and as Lucien pulled her up, Elain didn’t let go, staring up at him as she stood flush against his chest. She’d worry about how dirty she was later. “I sneaked away.”
Lucien’s brows lifted and the color on Elain’s cheeks deepened at his smirk. “Sneaked away, did you?”
“Oh yes,” she confirmed and Elain wondered if she’d ever realized how delicious he smelled. “Mor winnowed me in and I - um, waited until she was distracted and sneaked away.” Elain licked her lips. “But then I um, got lost.”
“Poor Elain, getting lost in the woods all alone,” he said in a tone with a teasing edge to it and Elain found her heart beating faster, forcing herself not to think about the tenor of his voice when he said her name, flushing lightly again.
But then color flushed on his cheeks and the silence between them seemed to soften; Elain couldn’t quite read the expression on his face but he seemed to struggle to say his next words.
“All this to find…me.” he said so very quietly and Elain seemed to hear the question without him asking it – that of all people, she had ventured out into the unknown for him? As if in disbelief that he would be worth the effort.
Then again, she hadn’t helped much in her avoidance of him.
“Y-yes.”
Once more, that thread at her ribcage went taut as they shared a glance and Elain wondered what it would be like if she just kissed him. Judging by the way his eyes watched her, she wouldn’t be too surprised if he could see it written all over her face, especially when he licked his lips.
“At least I’m not the only person you tried to give a heart attack to today,” he said with that teasing tone again and Elain’s lips twitched.
“Oh, Mor is definitely going to kill me.” she joked and her heart stuttered when his grip tightened on her slightly, watching him blink back a look of rage at the idea that someone might think to hurt her.
“Well, it’s a good thing I found you first then,” he said casually and cleared his throat. “Lest you get into any more trouble.”
“I think I’ve had enough trouble for one day,” Elain said and her eyes finally snagged on the creature, lying in a heap across the grounds. Her hands unintentionally tightened on Lucien as she eyed the dagger still stuck in the creature’s throat and once again, she couldn’t believe she had done it.
Lucien’s gaze followed hers and she felt his own hand tighten on her before he went back to scanning her face. “It seems a stab in the neck is to become your signature move.” he said lightly and Elain’s face heated.
“Twice is not enough to make it a signature move.”
“For someone who doesn’t fight often, twice is more than enough to become a signature move,” he said with a snort. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“Considering you saved me today, I think you’re safe for now,” she said softly and Lucien seemed unable to help his chuckle.
“I hardly did any saving, my lady,” he said with a small smile, his tone as soft as hers. “You did that all on your own.”
And as Elain flushed deeply, she realized how long they’d been standing there, chest to chest just holding each other. The last time she had been held by him was that wretched day in Hybern and despite all the time and distance that had been between them, Elain seemed to feel nothing but ease to be held by him.
They stood for a few more heartbeats of silence, content to be just like this and Elain wondered if this was what the mating bond was always supposed to feel like. If she had been denying herself of this feeling she had always been craving.
She could hear the steady beat of his heart and while she was used to it being the lullaby that usually put her to sleep, Elain knew that wouldn’t be enough anymore.
“Let’s get you out of here and get cleaned up.” Lucien finally said gently and Elain nodded, knowing she should pull away but found herself hesitating to do so. He seemed to feel the same way as his hand casually tightened. “We wouldn’t want anyone to worry about you.”
At this moment, Elain didn’t really care who worried about her. Goodness knows how long had passed before they noticed she’d gone missing anyway.
But he noticed her. He seemed to always notice her.
So she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Will you…stay with me?”
Lucien tried to mask the hope that flashed across his face by clearing his throat but Elain saw it – felt it and knew she asked the right question. “If that’s what you’d like me to do,” he said.
“It is,” she replied, her voice more sure than she’d ever been. “I would like that very much.”
His answering smile had warmth spread through her chest. “Then I am happy to oblige,” he said. “I am at your service, my lady.”
#elain archeron#lucien vanserra#elucien#elucien fanfiction#acotar fanfiction#gfics#I didn't tag anyone who liked the post because I didn't want to assume haha#I hope you all like it :)#fic: this time I'm ready
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I dont think I dont like Az just because I dont like Elriel. I dont particularly like Az as of now because of his behavior towards Elain AND Lucien, and overall I was never really interested in him as a character.
Nevertheless I am a Gwynriel because I like Az with Gwyn and I know he will have a lot of character development which will make me forgive his actions (which just annoyed me honestly). But some Gwynriels need to understand the struggle of being in a fandom where people (normally elriels) are mocking Lucien left and right, comparing him to Azriel. You have NO idea how much of these gets shoved down our throats. OF COURSE there will be Elucien clapbacks of that.
Even Azriel puts himself in a position where he is arrogant towards Lucien, he compares himself implicitly to him, this on its own will create a wave of people scratching their heads and going “Actually, now that I think about it, I dont think so” And its fine for me as a reader to have criticism over a character, why does that make me petty?
Elriels comparing Az with Lucien is uncalled for and blatantly one sided, Eluciens responding to this as “actually, think again” is the fucking normal response. And it’s obvious you’re not a Lucien stan if you think Lucien stans need to bring down Az to raise Lucien, gosh what an outrageous statement, the amount of Lucien love and praise I see daily with NO GLIMPSE of Azriel is beautiful, I highly recommend you embark on it.
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