aldbooks

[aldbooks]

Lucien Hates Elain

     “Lucien!  I heard you weren't coming!” Cassian clapped Lucien on the back.  

     Lucien's metal eye whirled and clicked, taking in Cassian, Nesta, and Azriel,  “I heard the same about the Night Court.”

     Nesta coolly assessed the freckled female sitting on the bench beside Lucien. He rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly, “Aibell, this is Nesta from the Night Court, her mate, Cassian, and Azriel.”

    Aibell rose, greeting them and turned back to Lucien, who stood, “I should go.  It was lovely to see you again, Vanserra.  I'll tell my mother you said hi.”

      “Lucien. And please do,” he kissed her cheek and she left, leaving the balcony to go back into the party.  Lucien waited until she was gone from the balcony before turning back to face the members of the Night Court.

     “Tamlin told the High Lords he wouldn't be sending any representation to the celebration this evening,” Azriel stated. 

     “I am not here to stand in for Spring Court,” Lucien replied witheringly.

     “Then why are you here?” Azriel asked.

     “I don't report to you, you know that?  I could ask you the same, Thesan told my mother Night Court had declined their invitation.”

     Only Cassian blinked, “You're here with Autumn?”

     “I'm here with my mother and was catching up with an old friend that you all managed to scare off.”

     Azriel's wings twitched ever so slightly, expanding with a cold menace before snapping back into a relaxed position, “Elain,” he greeted, staring over Lucien's shoulder.

     Nesta brushed past Lucien to squeeze her sister's hand.  

     “Oh,” Elain's face tightened seeing Lucien, “I didn't realize you were going to be here tonight.”

     Lucien picked up his glass and swallowed all of the remaining amber liquid smoothly, “Ever the disappointment, I'm afraid.”

     Elain frowned and stepped closer to Nesta.  Cassian reached over and took the glass from Lucien, “Let me get you another.  Azriel and I know where the really good stuff is.  Nesta, walk with me.  Elain, we'll be right back.”

     Cassian placed a hand on Nesta's lower back to push her to the balcony door, while Azriel stared Lucien down.  “Az, Nesta and I need you.  Too many glasses to carry if you don't come, let's go.  Be right back, Elain.” He tossed Elain a quick wink.  Azriel scowled, but followed.  

     “I was introduced to your mother,” Elain said. 

     Lucien ran a hand down his face, “I wish that you hadn't been.”

     Elain looked confused, “She was nice.”

     “I already know that.”

     “Then why?”

     “Why? Why would I want her to meet you?  We are nothing, are we not?”

     Elain shrank and Lucien took a step towards her.

     “Night Court said they weren't coming tonight.  I would not be here, my lady, had Night Court said they were attending.  The fact that you haven't noticed I have been avoiding meeting up with the Night Court only strengthens my new belief.”

     “You haven't been around as often, that's true.  I assumed you were busy.”

     He responded with a hot glare.

    “Very well, my lord,” she seemed to taunt, “What is your new belief?”

     “I believe I hate you, Elain Archeron,” he finally smiled at her.

     Her jaw dropped open, but she caught it quickly, closing her mouth and blinking angrily.

     “A rather interesting belief,” she shot back. 

     “Do you know why I would have refused to attend tonight, even for my mother, had I known you were coming?  Tonight, Elain,” he put an extra emphasis on the use of her name, “I won't be able to sleep.  I will lay in bed and only hear the softestness of your voice in the quiet of my thoughts.  For days, I will be haunted by the sound of you.  Even if I do manage to sleep, your voice will fill my dreams, telling me wonderful and terrible things, both of which are becoming too much to bear.  And I believe I am beginning to hate the sound of your voice.

     “I could stay right here, Elain,” he pointed to where he stood before crossing the balcony quickly, so close their chests almost touched and she gasped at the speed with which he'd come at her, “or I could stand right next to you all night and I will still smell you.  The torturous scent of you will cling to me and I will be unable to think about anything but you.  I could shower with scented oils, or fill the whole manner with the strongest smelling roses, and the only damned thing I'll be able to smell is you, and I now hate the smell of you following me for days and weeks.

     “When I close my eyes,” he pressed his own shut in demonstration, “your face, your hair, the shape of your hands not in mine will be the only things I will see,” he hissed leaning closer to her.

     “And I hate, I hate, how tightly I will hold on to all of these things, trying to make them last as long as they can, because I don't know the next time I might see you.  I hate how I can't turn away from looking at you right now, I hate how I am already memorizing every word you've actually said to me tonight, and I hate that I can't stop myself from doing this,” he dropped his head close to hers and began to breathe her in, his cheek close enough to hers they were almost touching.

     A small shiver ran down Elain's back and she shook slightly, tipping her head back ever so slightly, as if inviting him to come closer.  

     “I hate you, too,” she murmured. 

     He looked at her, his eyes wide, his mouth open.  

     “I hate you.  I hate the way-”

     “I told you we knew where the good stuff was,” Cassian declared loudly before stepping out onto the balcony, a drink in each hand.  Azriel and Nesta followed, both carrying drinks, as Mor, Feyre, and Rhysand appeared behind them.  

     Lucien ignored them as he watched Elain peer into his eyes.  As she wet her lips, staring at his own mouth for the briefest moment before she floated away towards Nesta without a backwards glance, disappearing back into the party as Feyre pulled him into a hug speaking words he couldn't hear.  

     He grinned, unable to help himself.   

[aldbooks]

@nestaarcheronweek Day 6 | Birthday 🎂💫

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[aldbooks]

@nestaarcheronweek | Day Five: Wolf

House of Flame and Shadow, Chapter 22

Bryce describing Nesta as “the apex predator in the room” has been living rent-free in my head since I read it.

Bella is one of my favorite artists and one I’ve always wanted to commission an illustration from because I love her artistic style and she was so kind illustrating this scene for me.

Art by: Bella Souto (otuosbella)

Commissioned by: @podemechamardek

🚫 Please do not repost.

[aldbooks]

[aldbooks]

Thinking again about ACOTAR as Pirates of the Caribbean. I wish Lucien had been at the High Lord’s meeting so when it started getting messy, you’d get this scene with him and Feyre:

If you thought the High Lord’s meeting was messy, I picture them voting on High King to go like the scene where the pirate lords need a pirate king:

Every high lord votes for himself except Helion who votes for his son because he don’t want that kind of responsibility 😂 and then Rhys comes in and backs that vote in a shock to everyone because he wasn’t kidding when he told Amren he didn’t want to be High King. He’s escaped death to many times now he just wants to live in peace lmao

#acotar #acotar x poc AU

[aldbooks]

“I’m out of practice,” Taryn says.

“I’m not.”

She swings. I block her blow, our swords slamming together. The metal rings out, echoing through the room like a bell.

Taryn and Jude - The Cruel Prince

Artist: @manaarts_

[aldbooks]

A very happy birthday to our Taurus queen, Nesta Archeron! 👑 I'm sure she'd spend it with her besties and chosen sisters, Emerie and Gwyn! And I just know that the House would give them all the smuttiest books to read and all the chocolate cake to eat.

A very big thank you to @/michi.illustrations for working with me on this gorgeous commission to celebrate! Do not repost without credit and do not feed into AI programs.

[aldbooks]

A bit Helion angst for you this morning…

Helion was not a fool. From the first moment he'd seen the boy across a crowded ballroom while they both played the charming courtier, he'd sensed the power hidden deep within him and the invisible chains which kept it there. It hadn't taken but a small effort in logical reasoning for him to understand what it meant, and only a small effort more to understand why it had remained a secret.

For centuries, he had kept that secret, doing his best to keep his distance lest anyone suspect while eagerly drinking down every bit of news or gossip that reached him about the boy who was rapidly growing into an almost universally loved and respected male. It killed him to be so separated from both his mate and his son, but for both of their safety, he would endure almost anything.

Then came Amarantha, and Under the Mountain.

He'd been present the day that started it all. When Lucien Vanserra, brash and confident, had almost gleefully informed the witch of his friend's refusal of her proposal. The way he'd insulted her so boldly to her face might have been amusing if not for what happened next. How he'd managed to hold himself back despite his near blinding rage, he couldn't say. Perhaps that small logical part of his brain had known that attempting to interfere with a female infinitely more powerful than him would not have ended well for anyone. He'd been nothing then really, a distant member of the royal family, always welcome to their table but of no true importance...

Of course, it wasn't long after that the accursed masquerade ball was held and they were all plunged into the witch's wretched curse. A few months later he suddenly found himself the unexpected High Lord of Day, brimming with power he was unable to use. He had wondered and worried then how Lucien was dealing with the increase in power he had surely received as the new heir. Wondered if he understood what it meant. Wondered if he could control it, or if it might yet give away the secret he and his mother had fought so long to keep hidden. Yet everytime the fox showed his face, not one hint of what he was appeared, and Helion prayed it would stay that way even as he was forced to watch his son suffer further indignities while his brothers sneered and laughed at his torment.

What came after Amarantha might have been worse.It wasn't just the battle with Hybern while his son was off on the continent Gods knew where, looking for a queen who might have been impossible to find, or the High Lord's meeting when he'd come face to face with his estranged mate, unable to speak to her. It wasn't even the knowledge that Lucien had found his mate and yet seemed doomed to the same fate of being forever separated from her.

It was knowing he now had the power to rival Beron's and still somehow being unable to do anything about it.

Another war came upon them in the form of a death god and Helion began to despair that his broken family might never be whole again as they all perished to a seemingly insurmountable threat. But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

Through a combination of efforts and luck on the parts of many, their world finally found themselves facing the possibility of true peace. And his son was at the center of it's heros. By another stroke of luck, Beron's own sons had solved the issue of freeing his mate from the hateful male's hold and he now found himself standing in front of the family he had been so afraid of losing, unsure how to claim them for his own.

#Helion Spellcleaver #helion acotar #lucien vanserra #helion x loa

[aldbooks]

a continuation of the Batboys Band AU from elenana.art on Instagram

[aldbooks]

“𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒍𝒚. “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅, “𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞.” 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓. “𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞?”

Fight me, but forehead kisses is their thing. Lucien loves it.

for @elucienweekofficial

find my art.

[aldbooks]

Azriel and Cassian: *sparring shirtless*

Gwyn, Emerie, & Nesta:

[aldbooks]

@nestaarcheronweek | Day 05: Wolf

I've tasted blood and it is sweet

I've had the rug pulled beneath my feet

I've trusted lies and trusted men

Broke down and put myself back together again

Stared in the mirror and punched it to shatters

Collected the pieces and picked out a dagger

I've pinched my skin in between my two fingers

And wished I could cut some parts off with some scissors

[...]

I'm no sweet dream, but I'm a hell of a night

That I'm no sweet dream, but I'm a hell of a night

No, I won't smile, but I'll show you my teeth

And I'ma let you speak if you just let me breathe

I've been polite, but won't be caught dead

Lettin' a man tell me what I should do in my bed

Keep my exes in check in my basement

'Cause kindness is weakness, or worse, you're complacent

I could play nice or I could be a bully

I'm tired and angry, but somebody should be

- Nightmare, by Halsey

In Silver Flames Cassian thinks Nesta was "a wolf who had never learned how to be a wolf, thanks to that cage humans called propriety and society. And like any maltreated animal, she bit anyone who came near", and I loved seeing Nesta finally getting out of that cage and becoming her true self in this book.

Thank you @/searland_art for bringing this stunning art to life! 

Art by: @/searland_art

Commissioned by: @melphss

Characters belongs to: Sarah J. Maas

[aldbooks]

It's a fucking fantasy romance series.

It's heavily focused on romance.

Thinking of characters within the context of romance is not problematic. Dismissing Gwyn as a viable love interest by weaponizing her trauma is. Because it reinforces a harmful stereotype about victims.

Shipping a SA victim with a character where fans hope and depict them in a consensual loving relationship is not problematic. What's problematic is shaming and gaslighting those shippers.

Gwyn and Azriel are fictional characters. Shipping them both have no real life consequences nor does it set a standard to how SA victim heals.

It's up to SJM to choose what kind of love story she would want to write for Gwyn and Azriel, but readers imagining different scenarios and dynamics for them as of now doesn't need the consent of said fictional character because they're not real and the ship has no implications on said fictional character nor on real life.

[aldbooks]

@nestaarcheronweek | Day Four: Lover

A swift shadow passed overhead, followed by a whisper of wings, and Nesta didn’t need to look to know who sailed high above, making sure all was safe. That she was safe.

Busybody. [...]

Her mate. Her love. Her friend. The light within her chest brightened to a radiant sun. – A Court of Silver Flames, Chapter 80

For today I wanted an illustration of Nesta and Cassian enjoying the tranquility of the House. This was, in fact, the first illustration that I commissioned with Pablo and when I saw how it turned out, I was unable to correctly order the words because of how impacted I was by the beauty of the illustration.

Art by: Pablo Souza (pablochmn)

Commissioned by: @podemechamardek

🚫 Please do not repost.

[aldbooks]

𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤: 𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧

I’ve been saving this baby for Nesta Week, so I’m really excited to share this heartwarming art of Nesta and Cassian!

@lyyzis_art did such a wonderful job! I love the way she drew Nesta and Cassian relaxing in the House of Wind library. Thank you @lyyzis_art

Link to Instagram post

@nestaarcheronweek

Characters belong to Sarah J Maas

[aldbooks]

𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓔𝓵𝓪𝓲𝓷,

𝓐𝓽𝓽𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓽𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓹, 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓶𝔂 𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓷𝓽, 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓭 𝓼𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓪 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮 𝓴𝓮𝓮𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰. 𝓘’𝓭 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓲𝓽.

𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓲𝓮𝓷,

𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓶𝓾𝓬𝓱 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝔂, 𝓪𝓼 𝓪 𝓵𝓪𝓭𝔂 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓶𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓼, 𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓽𝓾𝓵𝓲𝓹 𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓼 𝓲𝓷 𝓪 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓸𝓯 𝓹𝓸𝓮𝓶𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓮𝓭𝓼𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓽𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮, 𝓪𝓼 𝓲𝓽 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓰𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓪𝓰𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓪𝓬𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓽. 𝓘 𝓭𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓷 𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓵 𝓵𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝔂 𝓪𝓬𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓾𝓹𝓸𝓷 𝓲𝓽 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓘 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓭, 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓶𝓪𝔂 𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓪𝔂 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓸𝓯𝓽𝓮𝓷.

Inspired by Dear Lucien, Dear Elain: An Epistolary Fic by @crazy-ache and @zenkindoflove

[aldbooks]

Sometimes, when Nesta stays out too late at Rita's with the Valkyries, when she stays up too late reading in the library, Cassian carries her back to their bed all soft and sweet 😌

A very happy Day Four of @nestaarcheronweek! And a very very big thanks to @maybemacdc for working with me on this absolutely beautiful and tender commission 🥺 Please do not repost without credit and don't feed into AI programs.