#atofaf

Temporarily back to our regularly scheduled programming.

ATOFAF Update!

Summary: Lord Hawthorne and his son travel to Luna'a Garden

Excerpt:

A curious little winged pixie, even smaller than Tristan’s tiny fire sprites, flew up to his foxglove, looking at it curiously before landing on one of the petals. Tristan watched as she explored the new plant, leaving behind a sprinkling of faerie dust with each step she took. Eventually, the pixie wandered into one of the blossoms.  She settled inside as if it was a cozy apartment, only to be disturbed a few moments later when one of her sisters came to check out her new home. The two squabbled until both pixies were red in the face and had resorted to pouting in separate blooms. Tristan crouched down so that his line of sight was directly in line with the first pixie’s apartment. “See, there’s plenty of space for both of you.” She glared up at him with an angry squeak. Tristan couldn’t help it any longer. He laughed, a deep, booming laugh that started in his belly and shook his body until he toppled over onto the mossy ground. The sudden movement startled a nearby chipmunk, causing it to scuttle away into a hole beneath a tree, nearly invisible under the ferns. It was all so whimsical.

Read Now on AO3: Chapter 1 | Chapter 27

I took these pictures at marble house when I was in Rhode Island a few weeks ago because it’s exactly how I pictured the Hawthorne Villa in Lunathion for ATOFAF. The stag on the ceiling in the dining room is straight out of the fic!

Chapter 26 - The High Lord of Autumn

In the first chapter of Part II, our heroes deal with the fallout from Beron’s death. There’s one thing on everyone’s mind: Where (and who) is the new High Lord of Autumn?

“Beron is dead.” Rufus’s brandy colored eyes stared into her. “I have not ascended to the throne, as you so blatantly pointed out earlier, and neither has Ren or Neriya. So obviously, finding Lucien and Eris is of the utmost importance.” Rufus smirked at her. “We can’t have a Court without a High Lord.”

This post is a little different than others because this chapter is a little different than the rest. Ten months ago, I went through a serious illness. This chapter was written during the most difficult period of my emotional recovery. The things Eris says and thinks are the things that I said and thought. Let this be a warning for possible triggers in this chapter including, serious injury, PTSD, depression, self-hatred, misplaced anger, and more. This is not meant to demonstrate healthy coping mechanisms, instead reflecting the responses of someone who desperately needs help.

I want to give a huge shout-out to @iftheshoef1tz and @poisonivy206 for sticking with me and weathering the storm as I was going through it. The two of you have no idea how much you've done to help me get to this point. I can share this chapter today, in a much better place than when I wrote it, because of the friendship you've shown me. I don't know what I did to deserve it.

Here we are, 13 months, 24 chapters, and 126,312 words after starting this fic and you still put up with me and all my crazy, unhinged ideas.

I know the best is yet to come.

Chapter 24: Eris Ascending

Summary: As Eris heals, he and Azriel struggle in the aftermath of Beron's dungeons. They deal with it in the only way they know how: harsh words, impulsive actions, and sex.

Excerpt:

Rhysand sat at the table and beckoned them both to join him. “Now, can you both please put some pants on?”

I'm not even going to pretend to be reliable anymore. I'll post when I want.

Chapter 23 A Flicker in the Dark

Summary: Things are starting to pick up for our heroes. The frat boys train with the bat boys one last time before Flynn returns to Midgard for training with the fates. Meanwhile, Lucien remains in the dark about Eris's whereabouts back home while Flynn chats with Honeycakes and Declan contemplates same-sex mates. Everything comes to a head when Azriel feels something through the mating bond.

Read ATOFAF on AO3: Chapter 1 | Chapter 23

Word Count: 118,231 | 6,051

Thanks to @iftheshoef1tz @poisonivy206 @korrinamoe and Crysania for beta reading. I love you more than you know. And thanks to all my readers for sticking with me while I try to get my shit together.

Excerpt:

convince

No, the letter had been worth a chiding. This was a real danger to Elise’s status and reputation, and Cordelia doubted snapping had convinced her of Cordelia’s willingness to keep it secret. She strives to soften her tone. Their relationship had been quarrelsome. She could only hope that it would not bar her now from Elise’s trust.

From ASAWT where Cordelia reconnects with a old school-rival who's committing a little light lèse-majesté <3

carry

It was barely a kiss, both of them exhausted and battle-worn, over too quick because he tried to carry her to the medical site and Esmé had viciously cursed him out for it, and that had sort of killed the mood. He hadn't spoken to her since.

A very much wip between my sidestep and ortega, which is currently titled "a challenge?? this warrants making out right now."

consider

Elenah had thought Carys bony and angular, but in light of all she had learned she revises it to gaunt. Muscle does little to pad what must be a hollow stomach, if Hatzirah’s suggestion of inconsistent food were to believed. Considering it had Elenah’s own stomach cramping in sympathy. She had never gone truly hungry; certainly she had never been anything but well fed at the Temple, although in earlier years, while her mother had moved her and Yéthin from place to place, there had been harder days then others.

ATOFAF, Elenah on her girl's roadtrip to pacify an angry god and getting hit in the face with resource disparity.

curious

“I suppose what I mean is that I do not think you would marry under false pretenses.” Marius says. His fingers drum thoughtfully on the slender silver ridge of machinery. “You would not lie to someone and say you loved them, or lead them in any way to think such. But—“ He shrugs minutely. “Marriages are often not about love. You are practical. You desire social and monetary advancement and will take steps to secure it. If someone came to you with a proposition of marriage, with the reasoning of it being a mutually beneficial business arrangement, I think that you would accept.” He gives her a curious look. “Would you say otherwise?”

Cordelia is Known but not Judged and that feels weird (good? still weird though)

@headcanonheadcase challenged me to find four words in my WIPs: Summer, Happy, Eat, and Party. I found these across two fics: A Tragedy of Fawns and Fate (my CC/ACOTAR Crossover fic) and PBTDL (my unpublished Tharion meatloaf AU).

ATOFAF

The hot summer sun beat down on them, just as it had throughout that morning’s training session. Declan Emmet hoped he didn’t burn. Apparently, sunscreen didn’t exist in Prythian. With his light complexion, that was going to be a problem. He should have asked Lucien and Bryce to bring some when they crossed the rift.

Tristan had never seen this look on the male’s face before. He hadn’t been sure his father had been capable of emotion like that. It was almost like he was young, and happy, and carefree.

“Now you,” Cassian said, pointing at Azriel, “are going to eat something, then take a shower. You smell like an overripe onion that’s been left in the hot sun all day. And I’m expecting you at training tomorrow.”

PBTDL:

The Pearl and Rose

Summary: Tristan and Renei make an important decision about the future of their relationship over dinner at the Pearl and Rose. Afterward, Tristan finds himself reeling from the consequences of their decisions.

Read ATOFAF on AO3: Chapter 1 | Chapter 21

Notes: Happy Birthday to my long-time editor @iftheshoef1tz.

Word Count: 105,247 | 5,602

Excerpt:

“I meant more like this.” He hoisted her up, dropped the flowers, and kissed her deeply. It didn’t matter. They were already crushed, and he could always grow more.

A cough sounded behind them. Jefferies. They broke apart. “If you keep this up, you’re going to be late.”

“If we keep this up,” Tristan whispered against Terenei’s ear, a smile on his swollen lips, “then I’ll have no choice but to throw you into the back of that limo and mess up all that beautiful hair of yours.”