Hi it’s Blob Ross! I'm a writer and (blob)artist in the Acotar fandom!
Find my art on Instagram | My writing on AO3
Multi-chapters and series:
The Scenic Route - Rating: M ~66k words
When Elain accidentally winnows to Lucien's doorstep, he agrees to take her back to Velaris on horseback.
House of Whispers - Rating: E (discontinued)
Elain and Lucien find themselves as prisoners guests in the Forest House and conspire with Eris to overthrow Beron.
ASMR Hot faerie takes care of u - 2 fics
Elucien — Inspired by my love of fantasy ASMR videos, this is a series of oneshots that explores sensory imagery and non-sexual intimacy/care
Journeys End in Lovers Meeting - Rating: T ~ 10k words
Lucien x Jesminda (WIP) Newly exiled and grief-stricken, Lucien visits a village where the dead walk among the living in hopes of seeing his lost lover once again.
You've Got Mail (Neris's Version) - Rating: T
Modern epistolary fic -- Nesta texts a mysterious number from the bathroom wall and finds that she and the mysterious stranger on the other end have more in common that she anticipated.
Co-written with @themadmorrigan
Snicky Snacks:
(fics and drabbles 1000 words or less)
Remedy for Haunting - Rating T <400 words
Elain writes a letter to Lucien that she cannot send, but find comfort in the fire as she burns it.
in dreams - Rating G 185 words
Lucien visits Elain in her garden after being assigned to guard her.
Reverie - Rating M <700 words
Elain daydreams about a night with Lucien while watching him get dressed.
Butterflies - Rating G <600 words
Elain cuts her hair on a whim and is met with mixed reactions.
An Ode to Spring - Rating G ~1000 words
An account of Tamlin's life told in the style of a children's fairytale.
Blueberries - Rating G 100 words
Elucien drabble
Just Beyond the Forest's Edge - Rating T ~2700 words
Semi-feral tea witch Elain patches Lucien up after he falls off his horse and conks his head.
Blob Comics:
It’s an art project
Elain makes a shrine to Lucien.
The Great Blobish Bakeoff
Elain, fed up with having to do all the cooking, proposes a Solstice cooking contest and is less than pleased when Lucien swoops in to save Feyre's failed baking. Will his buns be enough to butter Elain up?
What to do with your hands while flying:
An illustrated guide
Is that blob your mate?
An illustrated guide
The rest of the blobs can be found on my Instagram!
Elain x Lucien | Rated Explicit | 5/25(?) chapters | 21,819 words
Summary:
Plagued by mysterious visions and war on the horizon, Elain Archeron must challenge herself and her usefulness to the Night Court. So when Lucien is called back to his estranged home to stop Beron from gaining territory in Spring, the two mates find themselves confronted with similar paths, forced to address the mating bond they've been avoiding for two years.
Read chapter 5 || Start from the beginning
Snippet below cut:
The male with the braid rested a bruised hand on a tree trunk. “Are you lost, my love?” he crooned, tilting his head at Elain.
With her heart daring to leap out of her throat, she pressed closer to Kohana. “No, sir. We’re travelling.”
The male smiled, his genial air so in contrast with his cruel, amber-colored eyes. “Quite an unusual road for a Spring female to travel on.” He gazed leisurely down the empty path, then onto her green dress peeking from underneath Kohana’s borrowed coat. His smile grew wider. “So far away from home.”
Hoping she sounded calmer than she felt, she replied, “That is the circumstances of travel. One will be far from home before traversing closer.”
The cronies around them chuckled, their voices like crackling embers. In Elain’s periphery, one pushed aside his tattered cloak to reveal a knife—not the jeweled weapons she had seen on Lucien’s person, but the plain metal looked just as sharp.
The leader with the auburn braid chuckled at her retort. “Indeed, my lady. But I didn’t realize such esteemed High Fae associated with disfigured rabble such as this one.” He raised an eyebrow at Kohana.
Kohana squeezed her arm, as if to warn her to stop talking. All of the faerie’s teasing and confidence seemed to be buried in the presence of the High Fae males: the female kept her eyes down, though Elain couldn’t help but notice her other hand slipping beneath her cloak.
Two females—one unarmed and frankly useless in the foreign court—against three males with already bruised fists and weapons hanging at their belts. They would lose, surely, before Elain’s sisters or Lucien could even realize she was missing from Night.
Lucien. He would surely become aware of her absence in Night, if he hadn’t already. Amidst the fear weaving its way inside her, the bond tugged hard and heavy.
He had held you before the Cauldron, a small voice said. He had fought through the battle for you, blood staining his hair and skin. And he would do the same now.
A small twinge of hope. Despite the illogic of it, despite the miles between them, despite everything…her body screamed for him.
But he had not saved her then. It had been her to wield the knife. And he had certainly not saved her before, when her mortal life had ended and her immortal one forced upon her. If anything, it had been his fault it had happened, she thought, a bitter sadness and desperation fighting against the cursed bond. The Hybernian soldiers who had taken her and Nesta from the beds: their leering faces, their hands wrapping around their wrists and ankles—
Now, she was on some country road in the heart of Autumn, miles away from the border with Spring, and again forced to face males she would no doubt lose against.
The truth sat on her skin, crawling up her spine and digging into every pore and scar.
You will not see each other again.
But she refused it. She refused to believe it, to let it come into fruition.
Mor x Andromache moodboard and an old snippet from my abandoned backstory fic! Last minute submission for @sjmsapphic weekend 🥺😩
Mor x Andromache: for @sjmsapphic Day 3: Identity + Slice of Life
"During the War, I finally took my first female lover.
Her name was Andromache. And she was...so beautiful. And kind. And I loved her...so much. But she was human. And a queen---who needed to continue her royal line, especially during such a tumultuous time. So I left---went home after the last battle. And when I realized what a mistake it was, that I didn't care if I only had sixty more years with her...The Wall went up that day."
Made with procreate! Ramble and timelapse below cut
Dana likes her doomed lovers surprise surprise😩 but Mor and Andromache man...🥺 of course it makes my heart ache.
I included pansies as a queer symbol for their secret identities, Andromache's long golden hair and tiara for her royalty, the Night Court sigil on Mor's shield, and idk insert something about Mor holding on, shown in her eyes on Andromache, while Andromache has her eyes closed, maybe representing her dreaming of her freedom...I picture this scene sometime during the War when they meet in secret as a little slice of life. Battles have died down but tensions are of course there, and they find a place where they can have a safe moment, even if it’s just for a little while.
SJM is a Zutara Shipper? That sounds like Elucien....let me explain
It was recently brought to my attention that Sarah hinted in 2017 at being a Zuko/Katara shipper in the Avatar the Last Airbender series. This was exciting to hear as I was in the ATLA fandom over a decade ago and Zuko/Katara was my first OTP and introduction to fandom. I have loved them a long time and they will always hold a special place in my heart. I want to explore why Sarah shipping Zutara is really important when it comes to Elucien because there are a lot of great parallels.
Note: if you know anything about the ATLA shipping fandom/wars...you immediately know what she means by this. Zutara is a fanon ship that was often baited by the writers. Her disappointment is a shared, common reaction to the ship.
A very long, detailed analysis is below the cut. This NOT for ATLA discourse. This is intended to focus SOLELY on Elucien. Read below if you are a fan of Zutara/Elucien....
ATLA Characters vs ACOTAR Characters
Let's start with the characters themselves.
We have Prince Zuko, the exiled and scarred prince of the Fire Nation, who was banished after his evil, power-hungry father (the Fire Lord) horribly punished him for embarrassing him with his kindness (not wanting innocent soldiers to be used as bait in war), which he viewed as morally inferior and weak. It is implied his mother, a gentle-hearted woman, was abused in the marriage. She disappeared when he was young to maintain her husband's political power, only so that her children would live. The loss of his mother is his greatest trauma, along with his desire to go back home and gain his honor and father's acceptance.
Then we have Lucien Vanserra, exiled and scarred son of the Autumn Court, who had to flee after his evil, power-hungry father (the High Lord) horribly punished him for embarrassing him with his relationship with a lower-Fae female, which he viewed as repulsive and below their High Fae status. It is implied his mother, a gentle-hearted woman, was abused in the marriage. His lover was brutally murdered by the hands of his father/brothers and he had to flee, never having the chance to see his mother again. Losing Jesminda is his greatest trauma, likely along with losing his home, Court, and family.
Let's also not forget...they BOTH WEILD FIRE! I do think the Lucien/Zuko comparison is quite obvious and direct, where the Elain/Katara is a bit more symbolic.
For our ladies, we have Katara, master waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. She is the youngest daughter of the Chief. She begins the journey as someone untrained and incapable of bending her own element, in a small, impoverished village due to the effects of war and destruction on their nation/culture by the Fire Nation. Her mother was tragically murdered by the Fire Nation in order to save her daughter's life. This is singularly her greatest trauma. Throughout the show, we see Katara become a powerful and master bender.
Finally, we have Elain Archeron, who was once human and is the middle sister in her family. She was the daughter of a once-successful merchant. She also loses her mother and is very close to her father, who she also tragically loses in the war. She loses her humanity and her fiance, Graysen, in one fell swoop when they put her in the Cauldron. This is singularly her greatest trauma, one that we see she has trouble letting go, even becoming practically comatose when it first happens. We later learn Elain possesses magic and is a seer.
A little less here, but I am not surprised. Katara and Elain, personality-wise, are very different. However, I will add that both Elain/Katara are often associated as symbols of HOPE in the narrative. But this brings me to my next point which is where I believe SJM was influenced by Zutara when writing Elucien....
Shared Grief as the Catalyst
Every Zuko/Katara shipper knows the crux of their relationship is from their shared trauma. Despite being on opposite ends of the war, they both carry an immense grief in losing their mothers to the war. It is the first thing they realize they have in common, the first moment they share a genuine, sincere connection, enough for them to reach out and open up to each other.
Elain and Lucien also have a shared trauma. They both lost their first loves/fiances. Lucien lost her tragically. Elain lost him in a brutal rejection. It broke both of their hearts, and they both carry grief and complicated emotions around it.
The hurt and pain brought Zutara together. As a result, they understand each other in ways others can't. I have no doubt that Elucien will spark from a similar place of understanding.
Complimentary Symbolism
One of the most beautiful parts of Zuko/Katara is the use of opposite/complimentary symbolism. Two halves of a whole. Balance and unity.
Zuko= Fire and Sun and Blue Spirit
Katara= Water and Moon and Painted Lady
Lol can you believe we got the line below...I couldn't come up with a more romantic symbolic line if I tried and that's canon folks
Lucien = Day and Fox and Spring/Loss
Elain = Flowers and Fawns and Spring/Life
Elain, often associated with gardens and flowers and roses, was asked what she needed at her lowest point. She said "Sunshine." Enter Lucien, the secret heir to Day Court and Helion, whose name means Light. The Fox and the Fawn. Elain "Made for Spring" Archeron and Lucien "Spring Court Emissary and Courtier" Vanserra. I wrote Spring/Loss and Spring/Life because Lucien had to see Spring become ruined/flee the one place he called home. There is strong foreshadowing that Elain will help in some way to revive spring and possibly bring it back to life, hopefully with Lucien's help.
Let's also not forget that Elain was formerly human and now living as a High Fae in the Night Court. Lucien is a High Fae who looked down on humans and now lives in the mortal lands. It's an interesting dynamic!
Betrayal
Okay buckle up. This one is important. The feeling of betrayal is important to the development of both ships. Let me break this down.
Katara is a victim of the Fire Nation. Zuko is the prince of the Fire Nation who once hunted them down to retrieve the Avatar. She often conflated her feelings toward Zuko with her feelings regarding her mother's murder by the hands of the Fire Nation', as evidenced here.
Katara: I'm sorry I yelled at you before.
Zuko: It doesn't matter.
Katara: It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face.
We see these messy emotions come back when Zuko joins the team to teach Aang firebending.
Zuko: This isn't fair! Everyone else seems to trust me now! What is it with you?
Katara: Oh, everyone trusts you now?! I was the first person to trust you! [Places her left hand on her heart.] Remember, back in Ba Sing Se. And you turned around and betrayed me, betrayed all of us!
Zuko: What can I do to make it up to you?
Katara: You really want to know? Hmm, maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, I know! You could bring my mother back!
Now, at this point, we know she has not forgiven him for Ba Sing Se. Remember, this was the moment they shared their intimate connection over their shared Dead Mother trauma. (In an episode called The Crossroads of Destiny nonetheless). She offered to heal his scar, and later when given the chance to choose between what is right vs. what he wants....he chooses what he wants, which is to return home to his father for his acceptance. Katara took this as a personal betrayal and we see she still imagines his face as the enemy by demanding he bring her mother back (even though it isn't possible/he isn't responsible for it).
You know who else has mentioned betrayal?
For a long moment, Elain’s face did not shift, but those eyes seemed to focus a bit more. “Lucien,” she said at last, and he clenched his teacup to keep from shuddering at the sound of his name on her mouth. “From my sister’s stories. Her friend.” “Yes.”
But Elain blinked slowly. “You were in Hybern.” “Yes.” It was all he could say. “You betrayed us.” He wished she’d shoved him out the window behind her. “It—it was a mistake.” Her eyes went frank and cold. “I was to be married in a few days.” He fought against the bristling rage, the irrational urge to find the male who’d claimed her and shred him apart. The words were a rasp as he instead said, “I know. I’m sorry.”
Elain associates Lucien's involvement with Ianthe/Hybern/The Cauldron as a personal betrayal. Lucien, much like Zuko, is sorry for his actions that have hurt her.
Both Zuko and Lucien don't argue about the anger/accusations of betrayal. They own it. They just want to make it right.
In the same episode of the snippet above ("You could bring my mother back!") Zuko and Katara go on their infamous "field trip" or journey together, just the two of them. Despite Katara's anger, the two of them are in perfect sync. They are the perfect team and pair, moving fluid in their elements, sneaking around enemy ships. Zuko defends her desire for closure (however dark it may be) against her friends and family wishes. He never questions her. He supports her emotionally. He yells at an enemy solider- "Don't lie! You look her in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did." (OH COME ON, what is hotter than that!?) In the end, she forgives him. Not because of what he did. But because he understands her and gives her space and places no expectations of who she is or what she should do. He accepts her. All the dark and pain and light inside.
Don't mind the romantic sunset in the background
Going on an adventure? Likely against the wishes of friends and family due to it being dangerous? Doing whatever is necessary to help the girl forgive you/trust you? Giving her the necessary space and support to do what she has set her mind to? Helping her find closure and healing along the way? Falling love? Sure sounds like an Elucien book......wonder where SJM got the inspiration?
Azriel vs Aang
I cannot write this post without mentioning Aang and Azriel. This is NOT an ATLA shipping discourse so please no comments regarding the Kataang/Zutara ship war. I am using this as a comparison to Elucien/E/riel.
I have a feeling that SJM has written Azriel (specifically in the Bonus Chapter) to serve as a foil to Aang's dynamic to Katara. Which is that both characters feel entitled to their crush.
Aang, the young hero and savior of the world, has a long-standing crush on Katara that is not really reciprocated romantically throughout the series.
When the group goes to watch a play based on themselves, there is scene where the actors on stage go:
Actor Zuko: Wait, I thought you were the Avatar's girl! [Aang in the audience nods in agreement.]
Actress Katara: The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me! I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way. [Aang in the audience grows concerned.] Besides, how could he ever find out about ... this? [Actress Katara and Actor Zuko embrace and hold hands while Actress Katara pops up one leg. Aang gets up from his seat to leave.]
It can be interpreted that his nodding and getting upset is attributed to feeling possessive of his crush on Katara. That she belongs to him, as he is the Hero and the Avatar, and should get the girl. He is jealous of something that didn't actually happen between the actors on stage (he is only 12 to be fair).
Further evidence here:
Aang: But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we're not.
Katara: Aang, I don't know.
Aang: Why don't you know?
Katara: Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.
...and then he kisses her, and she doesn't want it/isn't expecting it, and runs away back to the theater. We won't get into that here.
Hm, this story sounds familiar....
Azriel ignored the question. "The Cauldron chose three sisters. Tell me how it's possible that my two brothers are with two of those sisters, yet the third was given to another."
There is a similar sense of entitlement, that also ended with Elain running away from the scene, upset. The difference being he rejected her at the urging (and convincing) of Rhysand because he knew it was a mistake.
Tension & Healing & Growth (What's Next)
"There is a great deal of tension, growth, and healing to be found for both of them (together)." - from Sarah J Maas herself. If she was a Zutara shipper, I can totally see her inspiration in elements of Elucien.
In the end, many Zuko/Katara shippers really believed these two brought out the best in each other in the best possible ways. (I know I did). And I think that's a big reason a lot of Eluciens ship Elain/Lucien...the potential of how they'll complement each other is so huge.
Just as Katara and Zuko were once extremely tense in their relationship, they underwent an incredible and beautiful journey of healing and growth. One that ended in....Zuko sacrificing his life for her. Animated in slow motion with romantic/epic musical scores. For the girl who lost her mother (who sacrificed herself to save her daughter). An epic friendship but no romance....which Sarah herself agreed she wasn't a fan of....
So I imagine she is going to rectify that narrative for Elucien. I for one cannot wait to read their story in their book.
Pixel post dividers for everyone! It's not much, but feel free to use them if you'd like.
I don't know the ideal size for these, so let me know if they're too tall. I can make them a bit shorter next time.
