#and now barring that all aside it’s just a ship dynamic even when fleshed out in fanon that im not intrigued by | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

emdythewriter · 7 years

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Surprise! (Elain x Azriel short story)

Word count: 5,972 (This is my first fic I'm posting on here so hopefully you guys like it and if you do I'll be posting more for the many different ships from the ACOTAR series.) *A few months after the war* Fall was coming to an end and that meant that Feyre’s birthday was right around the corner. Rhysand had said that he only planned on having dinner at Hallie’s, which had quickly become Elain’s favorite place to eat in Velaris. She knew that her younger sister had never been big on birthdays even before their father’s downfall. However it was the first birthday they would be spending in their new life and a party seemed like a good way to release some of that tension still lingering from the war. Feyre had lost her mate and was still healing from the loss of that bond in those five minutes, something their group of friends knew she wasn’t ever going to forget, just like Rhys hadn’t forgotten the snap of her neck after beating Amarantha. Plus the youngest of the Acheron sisters was turning 21, which if they were all still mortal would’ve been a big deal. So Elain decided it was time for some fun and a surprise party sounded like the best solution. Rhys would take his mate out for the day and keep her distracted while the rest of them prepared the town house for the evening events. Nesta and Mor would be in charge of getting the decorations while Amren keep the males, specifically Cassian, in line. The two Illyrians and Lucien were going to be arranging the house and putting things in place since they were both strong and tall enough to do all the heavy lifting. Elain was going to prepare the food with help from Hallie who she had asked to prepare dinner and teach her to make various desserts. Currently Elain was pouring over a cooking book that Hallie had given her yesterday, she was trying to find the perfect cake to make for Feyre, which was harder than it seemed. She didn't really know what her sister liked and when she asked Rhys he told her to go for anything made of chocolate. What he didn’t understand and she was partly at fault for not mentioning it was that the whole cookbook was full of chocolate desserts, all of which she thought Feyre would love. She groaned and decided to take a break, setting the book in her nightstand so Feyre wouldn’t see it she got up and headed downstairs where she heard her sister Nesta and Cassian entering the threshold. Since the end of the war her older sister and the general at set aside the usual coldness and replaced it with their competitive natures. Elain was happy to see her sister finally happy, something she had always wanted for her and she knew when she met Cassian he would be the male to fill that hole. Elain smiled at them as Cassian was laughing and trying to convince Nesta he was sorry for some remark he made before they entered the house, but she kept pushing him away though Elain saw that smirk that spread across her face, full of teasing. “He apparently said she too loose, in more than just fighting I’m guessing.” Azriel commented sneaking up on her like he always did not that she cared, she seemed to be the only one able to sense his presence even when he was covered by shadows. He said it probably was due to her seeing ability but she just shrugged it off and told him she didn’t mind, it would let her know she always had him to watch over her. “Seems odd to think of Nesta that way with how cold she always was.” Elain was still getting used to this new side of her sister just like the rest of the circle. She remembered how utterly speechless they all were when she agreed to testing out her powers with Rhys and Feyre but they were all baffled when she asked Cassian to train her in combat, the Illyrian even stumbled. Since that day the dynamic between Nesta and Cassian started to shift and Elain could see that not only was the general in love with her older sister, but Nesta was starting to return the feeling. She had a feeling from the moment Nesta shielded Cassian from the King of Hybern with her body that she was starting to feel more than hatred for him. Seeing that made Elain decide to get to know her own mate, Lucien though she still hadn’t accepted the bond and didn’t know if she would especially with the way she started to feel about the shadowsinger behind her. Elain had felt a drawn to Azriel before she was even Fae maybe it was the way he seemed so kind even with a hint of those shadows though he had tried to hide them that first meeting. She had always seen them and likely always would, just like Feyre had seen the real side of Rhysand before they were ever mated. Elain would sometimes wish that it was Azriel that was her mate maybe it would have made things easier for her in those months after turning. She could still see the image of him laying in the foyer of the town house unconscious and being healed, she wasn’t present but she saw it through the gifts the Cauldron had given her. “Have you chosen a cake yet?” Azriel asked pulling her away from her thoughts and away from the sight of Nesta running out the back to get away from Cassian, who was trying to kiss her. She laughed at the two acting like teenagers in love before she turned to face the shadows that felt warm to her and cold to everyone else. “Sadly no, and Rhys isn’t helping as everything I suggest he says Feyre would love.” She shrugged her slim shoulders as she headed for the kitchen and poured herself a glass of cider. “He does that because you haven’t found the perfect cake yet.” The shadowsinger responded as he leaned against the doorway, hiding his scarred hands under his crossed arms. Elain looked at the anyways like she could see the beautiful scarring through the leathers and flesh. “How do you know?” She curiously as she took a seat on a bar stool and began to sip from her glass. “I know Rhys,” he shrugged like it was the simplest explanation and moved to take the seat next to her. “And he knows Feyre, he’ll tell you when you’ve found the right cake and you’ll know it.” She was thankful that he hadn’t said the High Lord knew her younger sister better than anyone, though she knew it was true. In all her years she never knew her sister until she came over the wall and saw the warrior that was always hiding under the surface. Rhys, he was the one that had gotten Feyre to shed her skin, the one who let her be herself and she was grateful to him for that. “Maybe I’ll just let him look through the cookbooks instead.” Elain sighed as she set her half empty glass down on the wooden counter. “He would do it.” Azriel laughed and that small laugh caused her to smile at him and made even show a slight blush. Elain knew he wasn’t lying she had seen all Rhys had sacrificed not just for his people and friends but also his mate. He had died at the end of the war for Feyre and knew the High Lord would do it all over again if it meant they all got to live. Feyre would do it too, she had already once for another High Lord and knew that if she had to die for Rhys and the others to live she wouldn’t hesitate like she had Under the Mountain. Elain wondered if she would ever get that, that undying love and sacrifice her younger sister had found and her older sister was only now exploring. There was no doubt she would have that with Lucien if she gave into that tug she rarely felt, but she wanted it with Azriel yet he still seemed to be in love with the blonde beauty that was Mor, not she could blame him. Mor was everything she wasn’t, free and careless and infinitely beautiful. She was independent and a warrior, whereas Elain still relied on Nesta to protect her sometimes and though she had stabbed the king she doubt she would win in a fight. “What would Rhys do?” Cassian’s deep voice seeped in from the doorway catching both her and Azriel’s attention. The Illyrian general stood in the doorway with Nesta in his arms. He had traded his usual leather for casual wear that Elain only ever seemed to see Rhysand wear. The shadowsinger even surprised when he showed up early and his jacket was the only piece of leather he had on him. Nesta was still in a dress like always but it wasn’t as tight fitting and was more of a sundress than anything. She was smiling up at Cassian as her hands rested on the strong arms circled around her waist, utterly happy and content with herself. “If he would pick the cake for Feyre’s party rather than giving me a headache.” Elain responded to his question as rubbed her forehead as if she could feel a hint of that headache again. “You know it’s likely she already knows and the reason he keeps saying no is because Feyre is.” Cassian pointed out and Elain realized he was referring to that dreadful mating bond between them. Honestly she was happy that it was there so none of them had to hear what the two were actually saying, but she didn’t like it for her. Though she was able to keep Lucien from seeing her thoughts about Azriel due to the fact that Fayre had helped her build her shield until even Rhys could barely make it through. “If that’s the case than he might not have any heirs.” Elain said something she wouldn’t have said when she was mortal and fragile, but since the war she had loosened up as well, though not in the ways Nesta had. “Don’t worry my mate simply thinks I’m choosing the dessert for a dinner I’m taking her on for her birthday,” Rhys said as he entered the front and made his way to the open doorway. “I happen to want heirs.” He commented with a wink before disappearring, Elaim got up and followed after him just before he went up the stairs. He was probably on his way to the roof where he would then fly to the House of Wind to meet her sister and Mor. “Would at least look at the cookbook and tell me what to make?” She asked as she stood at the bottom of the staircase. “Sure, I look tomorrow while she’s training with Cassian.” He shrugged and sipped from a glass of water he had summoned. Elain thanked him and said she would give him the book after breakfast, then he was gone on a boom of wings told her he was on his way to meet his mate and cousin. She felt some pressure lift from her shoulders as she headed back into the kitchen, only to find Cassian and Nesta had taken her seat. “One of these days you guys are going to break a piece of furniture in this house.” She scolded them as she looked at her sister sitting in the lap of her lover. “Too late for that.” Cassian smirked causing Nesta to blush furiously and Elain knew what that meant. She rolled her eyes as he walked away, heading for her small garden out back and mumbled something about odd places or sex. It seemed Cassian and Nesta weren’t the only pair that didn’t like using a bed to fulfil their needs. She had once heard a brief story about a table in a cabin in the mountains and a wall from Feyre, granted Elain had asked about her mating with Rhysand. That was a month ago when she thought of accepting her bond with Lucien, mostly because she thought she would never have a chance with Azriel. Then he had help tend to her blisters after she forgot to wear gloves one day while working in her garden and she almost felt like her heart would burst out of her chest. Elain took a seat in one of the iron chairs that looked over the little market place of Velaris, it was one of her favorite views of the city. She loved watching the people move throughout the city, always looking so happy. The children playing with each other as they ran through the streets, their parents smiling and talking as they walked behind them. She hoped one day she would have that. One day she would be able to smile and laugh as she watched her children having fun and playing with other children, nothing but happiness. “You seem to be thinking a lot lately.” Azriel commented as he took the seat next to her once again, his spreading out to get some sun. She could’ve sworn she saw some of the red and gold intertwined with the gray and black shades, the little glimpses Feyre always managed to capture when she painted one of them. She managed to smile at him softly as she watched his movements, though her ached a bit at the thought of never being able to touch those wings the way Rhys and Feyre did to each other when they thought no one was looking. “Well I do have a surprise party to plan.” Elain excused mostly because she didn’t want to tell him what she was actually thinking of. Didn’t want him to know how she longed for him because she was afraid he would push her away and she would lose him forever. An eternity without the shadowsinger was what might very well kill her, she had always hated watching him go on missions and hated even more the hole it left behind. “That’s not what you’re thinking about though.” He said as he leaned back and folded his arms together once again, his arms hardly ever seemed to be uncrossed. She knew he had gone silent because he was waiting to see if she would tell him, or if she wanted to keep it to herself which he would of course respect as well. “It’s this whole mating thing,” Elain finally answered and she could’ve sworn he had sucked in a breath as if he was afraid what she would say. “Do you want to accept it?” Azriel asked very carefully as he was afraid he would strike a nerve. Her heart seemed to leap at the prospect he might wish her not to accept it. “I don’t know,” she said honestly as there had been a few times she came close to but then Azriel would do something and she would change her mind all over again. “I’ve considered it but there’s always something tugging at me harder than that bond, sometimes I can barely even feel it.” She knew he was listening to every word as she met his hazel and her beating heart caught speed as she saw a bit of a twinkle in his eyes almost like one of the stars above. “If I don’t accept it what will it do?” Azriel released a heavy breath before he settled on a suitable answer for her, “it’s always unclear what can happen. The female finds it easier to ignore the bond though there is always a little tug.” “And the male?” she decide to push as he paused. “It’s harder for them,” he answered. “That tug never goes away for them some go after the female even after she’s made her choice.” A shiver went down Elain’s spin at the words though she doubted Lucien would be that possessive, and if he was none of her friends would let him get close to her, especially Nesta. That still didn’t help lessen her fear as she didn’t want to hurt Lucien but if she rejected him, it could destroy him. Maybe she could accept it and just to avoid hurting him but then she may no longer be able to stay away like she could now, she would no longer want Azriel and she wasn’t ready for those feelings to fade. Elain turned her gaze out in front of her and watched the sun go down and Velaris come alive along with the moon and the billions of stars that sparkled like the eyes of the male sitting next to her. They sat there silently, watching the streets though it was more like he was monitoring them. Her eyes became heavy and she could’ve sworn she felt strong arms pick her up and carry back into the house and up to her bedroom on a phantom wind. There were soft sheets that met Elain’s soft skin as Azriel laid her down, careful not to wake her and covered her body that was chilled from the night air. The next part could’ve been her imagination but Elain thought she felt the heat of soft lips pressing against her forehead before the door closed on silent hinges. ___ A few days later it was Feyre’s birthday and Elain had made sure Rhysand had taken his mate out and into the city almost immediately after breakfast. Without realizing what their breakfast was exactly Elain had made the mistake on almost walking into their bedroom, before she heard the soft moans of her sister. She immediately walked away with a blush on her cheeks. When Rhys and Feyre did come down however, they were already dressed and heading out for the day, she kept her face hidden afraid of what they might say to her if they had indeed heard her at their door that morning. Once they were gone and she could no longer hear their voices with her Fae hearing she smiled and got to work. Nesta and Cassian had been sent to get the decorations from where Mor had hidden them while the blonde went to help Hallie bring the food over to the house, of course without being seen. Amren had come down later than the others but was soon sent out to follow Mor and help there. Lucien had arrived early this morning after he had been helping Vassa, the last of the mortal queens, settle back into her palace the curse on her finally broken. He had told her silently later that Vassa would send her present for Feyre later as she had some things that needed her attention since she had been gone so long. Mor was upset when she heard this but she said after helping Hallie she would go accept the gift personally from the queen. That left Lucien and Azriel with helping to rearrange the foyer and sitting room of the house and then to help Elain in the kitchen with the cake, Rhys finally having told her what one would be perfect for her sister and his mate. The first load of food arrived with Amren who mentioned something about Mor going to see Vassa an hour ago, and had still not return. Elain knew that was too. She was baking the cake when the blonde finally came back, a present in hand and a smile lighting up her face. She could smell the queen’s scent on the female the moment she had winnowed into the city. “Cassian you are to ruin that, and I worked hard on it!” “All you had to do was cut the dotted line I hardly call that working hard, Nes.” Elain laughed as she heard her older sister bickering with Illyrian lover, a warmth filling into her veins. “Anything you need help with?” Her blood warmed even more at the voice of the shadowsinger, and she looked over her shoulder to see him peering in the doorway. She sent him a smile and he walked the rest of the distance between them, looking over her shoulder as she began frosting the cake. “That looks really good Elain,” he commented causing her cheeks to turn pink with a light blush, a different shade from the red this morning but she knew he could cause an even deeper red if he knew the right words to say. “Thank you,” she said as she set the knife aside and began to work on the decorating of the cake, carefully she placed the strawberries on the edge and then the few candles in the middle. Looking satisfied with her work she turned to face Azriel who was still standing close behind her. “You could carry the cake out to where the rest of the food is,” she asked sweetly to which he only nodded and did just that. Elain followed him out just as Mor rushed down and said that Rhys and Feyre were on their way back now. Cassian tucked his wings around Nesta and used them to hide her as they stood behind a wall. Lucien crouched behind the chair the sitting room while Amren and Mor squatted behind the couch. Azriel grabbed Elain’s elbow and tugged into a corner where the shadows encompassed them, becoming their quiet hiding place. Then Elain felt that deeper shade of red rise onto her cheeks. She was reluctant to move away from him when she heard the soft steps of Rhysand and Feyre coming up the steps and through the front door of the house. Mor was the first to jump out and yell “surprise!” while the rest of them just stood and didn’t yell. Elain smiled at her sister as she hugged Mor, who had jumped over the couch to greet her friend. Rhys was smiling lovingly down at his mate like he always did even after a year. “I thought I said no parties,” Feyre said as soon as Mor let go of her but she wasn’t scolding any of them for ignoring her previous wish. “Blame Elain it was her idea,” Cassian replied which didn’t surprise Elain in the slightest she had expected him to be the one to out her. She faced her sister with a shrug as she finally brought herself to pull away from Azriel’s warmth. “You are 21 now and I figured we all needed a little fun after...everything,” she waved her hand around as if the gesture explained everything she wanted to get out. As if it explained that she wanted to make her new found family happy but also wanted an excuse to drown out her own problems. “21 is a small number for what we are you know,” Feyre said as she came over and hugged Elain tightly, she squeezed her sister’s arms as she pulled away. “But thank you anyways,” and the Feyre pressed a soft kiss to her still rosy cheek. “Hopefully you like your cake because I did make it,” Elain said once her younger sister noticed the food sitting on the tables behind her. “I think I did everything right though so it should be fine.” “I’m sure it’s great especially if my mate picked the flavor,” Feyre smiled as she looked over her shoulder at the High Lord leaning in the doorway. He was watching her with a grin like he always did, only further showing their small group exactly how proud of his mate he was. “Well can we stop talking and eat I’m starving,” Cassian groaned causing Nesta to elbow him in his ribs. “What was that for?” “For fun,” she shrugged though Elain could tell she had reason behind the action, especially when she noticed Cassian’s face change into one of annoyance. Soon enough however they were all done talking and digging into the wonderful food Hallie had provided for them, who had out done herself again. They had all decided to sit up on the roof as they watched the sun go down and the stars come out, the real fun about to begin. Feyre was leaning against Rhys in his lap, like always. Nesta was tucked in close to Cassian’s side, his wing only closing her in more. Mor and Amren sat on the ground around them and Lucien had taken up the chair next to Elain, Azriel stood behind her. She knew he wasn’t the type of person that liked sitting on his ass no matter the occasion so she didn’t bother to offer him a seat. She smiled at him even as she felt the searing eyes of Lucien on her she was almost afraid he could she how her heart raced for the shadowsinger rather than her mate. After they all finished eating and the stars had finally come out, Rhys started playing the music from the Rainbow of Velaris in their ears, the music that had once saved Feyre two years ago. She smiled as she watched the High Lord take the hand of his High Lady and spin her around until her back pressed against his chest. He spun out again causing a laugh to escape from Feyre’s lips. Even Cassian had managed to pull Nesta out into the open and started to playfully spin her around as she sent glare after glare to him, though it soon vanished to form a smile. “Would you like to dance too?” Elain was pulled from her trance of watching her sisters as Lucien’s voice seeped into her ears. Startled a little bit she looked at him shyly but managed to nod in answer. She ever so slowly took his hand before he pulled her from her chair just as the song changed. Elain noticed that Feyre was happily dancing with Mor, both girls trying to convince the small dark haired Fae to join them, Amren’s only response was a roll of her eyes. She smiled at them but it soon faded as she noticed Azriel had disappeared and she didn’t feel a linger of his shadows on the rooftop. “You okay?” Her mate asked, pulling her from her search. “Yeah, I’m fine,” It was a lie, the whole scene of her and Lucien dancing together was a lie. She didn’t want this and the male she truly desired had gone without a trace. Elain wouldn’t let her mate know this though, still fearing what her rejection would do to the red haired male. “I was thinking,” Lucien started but Elain didn’t let him get finish the sentence before she made a comment she never thought would fall from her lips. “Isn’t that dangerous, for a male to think,” he only saw it as a tease and Elain figured it was a good thing he didn’t hear the bite she had put into those words. Thankful he couldn’t tell why she was really burning at his touch, not because she wanted more of him but because it hurt for her to touch him in whatever small way. "Since its been awhile since we have talked I was wondering if maybe we could do lunch tomorrow, granted not what we usually go for but I thought maybe would try something new,” her blood had gone cold. He wanted to go out in public and if he wasn’t her mate she would be fine with it but under these circumstances going out in public seemed too, official. It made her feel like he already claimed her as if she wasn’t debating how to reject him and had accepted that ghost of a bond between them. Elain knew he was still talking but his words had downed out until she finally found herself pushing away from him. “I’m sorry, I can’t,” she said quietly Lucien staring at her confused by what she meant but she didn’t waste another second being the center of awkwardness that had fallen over them. “I have to go.” Elain had no idea where she was going to go, she still barely knew the city she now resided in. She was already running down the stairs though and could have sworn she heard one of her sisters call after her, most likely Nesta. Her feet raced down the wooden steps, almost jumping over them until she was on the front porch. “Elain,” that voice that she loved so much halted her before she could turn and blend in with the business of the city. Azriel was leaning against the walls of the house, encompassed in those familiar shadows the same ones she had been hidden in earlier. How she already felt the longing for those shadows and that darkness and bliss that came with it just by staring at the shadowsinger. Elain’s heart was pounding and not due to the running but rather the fact that he was looking at her so intently as if he longed for her in the same way she did. “I thought you were with Lucien.” She shivered at his name and she knew Azriel had seen it because he had taken a small step closer to her. “I was, but then he started saying things and I ran.” Elain didn’t realize how breathless she actually was until the words came out in almost gasps. “What kind of things?” Azriel asked, coldness laced in his voice as if he would tear the male apart if he truly hurt her. There wasn’t a part of her that didn’t believe he wouldn’t and maybe a part of her wish he would just so the pressure of the mating bond would be lifted from her shoulders. “He wanted to go out to lunch tomorrow and I know it sounds harmless but something about the suggestion of it seems so-” she trailed off but he seemed to see the words in her brown eyes, so different from those of her sisters. “You don’t want to go?” He said in the most careful way with the most kind voice she had ever heard him use. “I’m done trying Az,” Elain sighed and paused letting her shoulders relax just before everything she had been holding in so long flowed out and off her tongue. “There’s nothing there, I don’t feel that bond like he does and I don’t know why that is. Maybe the Cauldron or whoever decides these things made a mistake, maybe Lucien isn’t my true mate.” “The Cauldron nor the Mother have ever made a mistake like that, it’s never happened and isn’t likely. Do you want someone else as your mate?” He asked tenderly though she knew he already knew her answer, or half of it. “Yes. Yes, I want anyone but him because I don’t feel the same things I do for y-... someone else.” Elain caught herself barely in time but maybe Azriel already knew what she was about to say in the way he loosened his shoulders. “Who do you want Elain?” Such a dangerous question and he knew it too. The answer could damn them both and likely would, but something in her made her forget the consequences. If he accepted her they would figure out the rest along the way. “I want you Azriel,” she loosed a breath she didn’t know she had been holding and maybe the moment was so clique that’s what caused it, but she doubted that reason. “I want you and I know who probably don’t want me because of Mor and I don’t blame you. Mor is everything I’m not and everything you need and she-” Azriel cut her off, not wanting her to finish what she was about to say and her gaze finally met his. “Damnit Elain,” his fingers combed through that dark hair as he paced back and forth a few times before he stopped and looked at her, taking in every inch of her with those eyes she never wanted to forget. “Damnit.” He didn’t say anything else and wouldn’t let her either as his warm and scarred hands cupped her face and his lips met her soft ones. Elain had forgotten how good kissing someone felt she hadn’t kissed anyone since Graysen but even that was the different from the way the shadowsinger was currently kissing her. He was being gentle but not and wasn’t bothering with asking before entering his tongue into her mouth like Graysen had done that first time. There was a heat to the way he felt against her different from the fire that flowed in Lucien’s and Feyre’s veins. She almost whined when he broke the contact of their lips, was about to go back for more before he started speaking quietly to her. “You are enough, you will always be enough and anyone would be blind to not see that. You are kind and beautiful and strong characteristics no one ever seems to give you credit for Elain. If I could be your mate I would consider myself the luckiest male in all of Prythian.” Azriel said with a faint smile on his mouth, that mouth she wanted against hers once again. He brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen down behind her ear, a soft blush warmed her cheeks at the gesture. “I wish you were my mate,” Elain said in such a soft whisper that it was almost inaudible and would have been if they weren’t so close. “I wanted it to be you since I saw you at the House of Wind that first time. There was always something that made me feel...whole when I was around you.” “I claim you Elain, if you will let me,” he said almost as quietly as she had been speaking, moving her chin so he could look into her eyes better. “I thought only mates were allowed to say that?” It was what she believed from all that Amren had told her about mating bonds since she was too afraid to ask Feyre or Rhys for information. “The female and male alike can claim whoever they want to if they don’t return the feelings for their mate.” Elain savored the way those words had sounded on his lips, and how she wanted to hear the words again so badly. There was that soft smile on her face again as she looked deeply into the depths of the hazel pools called eyes and said, “I claim you too, Azriel.” With those words the shadowsinger pulled her closer, which she had already thought an impossible task, and kissed her once again more deeply than before. Her arms went around his neck as his on arms encircled her waist and his hands rested on the lower portion of her back. He entered her mouth once again and she made a small sound that was likely a moan as she felt the pleasurable contact. All those feelings she had felt in her heart for the past months she poured into that kiss, into the way she gently moved her hands on his chest. Those scarred hands entangled in her soft golden hair as he grazed his teeth along her bottom lip, she craved the feel of it and almost begged for him to do it again. Then he pulled away however reluctantly, pressing his forehead to hers before murmuring that they should head inside. They didn’t go back up to the roof though, instead they settled in a chair in the foyer, curled up to his broad chest Elain felt content. She felt everything falling into place however slowly she knew that the feel of him beneath her hand was real, knew the press of his chin against her head was real. All of it was real and she couldn’t have wished for anything better. A surprise party ending with a surprise kiss.

#acotar #acomaf #acowar #elain archeron #azriel #elriel #elain x azriel

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believerindaydreams · 7 years

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Yuletide letter

(Got enthusiastic and wrote this early. As this is where I’d be posting it anyway…)

Hallo!

Hurrah for shared tastes and all that. Hope you have as much fun writing the fic as I did putting this together.

General DNW list:

Non-con, dubcon, pregnancy, incest, children (any children, don’t want to see ‘em, don’t want to hear about ‘em), queerphobia, Alpha/Omega. No gun use by the heroes.

Dislike:

Feel free to include hanky-panky if that floats your boat, but honestly, I’m just not that interested in the finer details of plumbing. Fade to black is my preferred style.

MacGyver (1985)

(Availability: Amazon Prime)

Do not want: Nothing explicitly supernatural. Absolutely no Sam. Please don’t ship him with Pete; everybody else is fair game for romance.

I'm not looking for crossovers, having been burned on too many Stargate fics that lug in my beloved character just for a joke about duct tape. Not that I have anything against jokes about duct tape! Quite the contrary. But I’d like a MacGyver fic to be about Mac.

That being said, if you are that inexplicable person who agrees with me that the MacGyver characters would map amazingly onto John Le Carre's Karla trilogy, do feel free to write that. (No, really, I wrote up the idea here: https://thatdeepandlovelydark.tumblr.com/post/165773403880/had-a-brainwave-today-rewrite-of-john-le-carr%C3%A9s )

Things I’d like to see….Mac, of course. I’d prefer one other person he’s friends with from the show. There’s this idea that MacGyver’s a heroic loner, and I’ve never agreed with that; even in episodes without the other regulars, he’s always friendly and looking for someone to bond with.

That’s it. I’d hate to dissuade any possible MacGyver fanfiction on the grounds of being too specific.

Though if you want more by way of a prompt than that, I have lots of ideas!

I love writing Pete, but he’s probably a bit dry and bureaucratic for other people. Jack is hugely entertaining. Maybe have him do some piloting if you write him; it’s a good trade-off with Mac being the otherwise wholly more competent one. As for Murdoc…well, there’s already quite a lot of angsty Mac/Murdoc slash out there, I think the fandom’s good on that. Fluff, on the other hand? Fluff I would enjoy.

The girls on the show mostly strike me as poorly written, which I find harder to work with. I never had the time of day for Penny until I ended up needing her for a fic. She’s more fun if you assume she is genuinely blithering, instead of just dumb, and work from there. Nikki largely bores me, though I like the fellow spy dynamic they have going. I do enjoy Deborah, who struck me as having actual chemistry with Mac, and she has an interesting puzzle-box of motives to play with. Mike’s sort of a nonentity; I wouldn’t mind seeing her fleshed out a bit. And Lisa from “Nightmares”, with her macgyving and empathy and smarts, is easily my favourite female character.

I am enormously fond of our hero’s improvisations, but please don’t worry about it if you can’t think of a good one. Especially don’t write a bad one just for the sake of box-checking. A properly-handled domestic scene would be just as nice as an action-adventure. In particular, I have a mild fixation on hunger-related hurt/comfort (Seeking in Fallen London was made of catnip for me), so a two-hander with a famished troubleshooter, some kitchen chemistry and a friend to help out would be just about perfect. That being said, go ahead and write The Big Action Scene, or The Epic Reunion Teamup With Everybody In It, or whatever else if you’d prefer. I’m easy.

Other prompt ideas:

- If you want to write that hoary old chestnut about “oops we accidentally have to get married now for Improbable Reasons”: Jack and Mac all the way! One of the saddest things about small fandoms is the lack of ready crack.

- I have this theory that young Mac n’ Jack n’ Mike went to Swinging London in the 60s. Wot larks!

- Dr Zito is, hands down, the most disturbing villain on the show. He is your go-to if you want to write a deep dark angsty horror-and-suffering fic.

MacBeth has a nice short guide to writing MacGyver; http://bethinexile.livejournal.com/38533.html I concur with most of that, barring inexplicable shirtlessness.

Sunless Sea

(Availability: Steam, Gog)

Do not want: most AUs or crossovers. (Exceptions listed below.) A fic that regurgitates the text of the game proper; I’ve seen this more than once, and the practice annoys me no end. Dick Van Dyke attempts at writing Victorian accents.

Aside from that…will read your story avidly. The more obscure words you can fit in, the better. Feel free to work from a player captain’s perspective; don’t if you don’t want to. I would like one of two characters (you needn’t include both). The Tireless Mechanic utterly fascinates me, and one of the delightful things about Failbetter’s writing is the way in which they balance specific stories with ample room for readers to fill in their own canon. Maybe your version of the Mechanic was addicted to laudanum; maybe he had a lover in Parabola, before he took his engine design home. Maybe he actually likes fungal crackers. I don’t know! Surprise me!

Alternatively, I have an abiding fondness for the Wistful Deviless. She intrigues me, I feel her story isn’t complete (either past or present), and I’m unlikely to get to her in the massive fic-cycle I have going. It’d be nice to see more. Chuck in some romance if you want.

Other prompt ideas:

- I have written four different perspectives on Seeking/Going North already. I think there’s room for a lot more in this world. Feel free to go dark/cannibalistic/blackandveryverydarkgrey/etc.

- What is Whither like when strangers aren’t there? Do they still speak in riddles? How does this society function? How long has it been there? Can you write a whole fic entirely made of questions?

- Stupid crossovers: the Deviless is Missy, popped over from the DW universe to take a break and be a bee for a while. Twelfth Doctor cameo not unwelcome.

I also had this wacky idea about the Mechanic being a Surface spy with a mullet. But then, who’d be crazy enough to write that one…

So (Peter Gabriel)

(Availability: Amazon, Itunes, decent music shop)

DNW: Aside from the general list? Go hog wild.

For donkey’s years I’ve been saying to myself that “So” is a concept album in disguise and I ought to sit down and write out its chronicle. “Big Time” - that’s the young lad dreaming of going to the city, “Red Rain” is when he’s rethinking this decision after the ghastly events of “We Do What We’re Told”, “Don’t Give Up” is the lady in his life encouraging him, and so forth…. Sort the songs into proper chronological order, tell the bits of narrative that come in between, and bob’s your uncle!

Extra points if you agree with me that it’s set in some kind of Moorcock/Zardoz end-of-time kind of deal, because that’s the vibe I get from it.

Hope you didn’t mind wading through all that too much. Looking forward to the result.

Thanks for the fic!

#fic #yuletide #early bird #macgyver #fallen london #sunless sea

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