IudexMortis

Author of A Court of Tempest and Twilight (ACOTAR AU) Updates & chaos from your local reaper 🖤 https://archiveofourown.org/works/63288157/chapters/162124381

[iudexmortis]

A Court of Tempest and Twilight

Prompt: Alternate Universe/Rewrite

Pairings: Bat Boys x OC (Arya)

Summary: Arya hides the truth of her blood, her power, and the crown that once belonged to her. But as magic unravels and the courts fall to chaos, she may be Prythian’s only chance at salvation.

Tags: Slow burn, Angst, Lots of plot then porn, Anti-Inner Circle, enemies to lovers, they fall first and harder (but first they suffer), Bat Boys POVs, reform of Illyria/CoN

Stats:

Teaser:

Azriel’s eyes had darkened completely. “Try them on.”

Arya arched a brow. “All of them?”

“Yes,” both males said at once.

She laughed again, full and rich.

And then Rhys was pulling out the second gift.

The infamous kink jar.

Now painted black and silver, sealed with a ribbon and brimming with folded parchment, each slip containing a request, a challenge, a fantasy. From both sides of the bond.

She stared at it, eyes glittering.

“This time,” Azriel said, voice low, “you get to pick.”

She dipped her hand into the jar, fingers fishing through the slips. Rhys watched the movement like it was sacred, tension thrumming through his body. Azriel shifted behind her, his hands hovering just shy of her hips, waiting.

Arya unfolded the slip.

And cackled.

Laughed like a woman who had just found a hoard of gold.

Both males blinked.

“What?” Rhys asked slowly.

Azriel leaned over her shoulder, squinting at the parchment. “What the hell is ‘DVP’?”

Arya pressed the slip to her heart, a wicked, gleeful grin on her face. “Oh, boys,” she purred, already walking backward toward the bedroom. “Happy birthday to me, indeed.”

Art Credit: Dominique Wesson (Bat Boys)

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63288157/chapters/162124381

[silverflameataraxia]

"Nesta's such a bitch!"

To war criminals, tyrants, sexual predators, and mass murderers. What of it?

"Nesta's so toxic and abusive!"

All the main characters of this series are toxic and abusive. If you stan Feyre, Rhysand, Cassian, Az, or Amren, you are stanning abusers. You can't stan Feyre or the IC and then turn around and hate Nesta for being abusive. That's hypocritical. This fandom wants to faun over Rhysand when he's the most abusive person in the entire series (and way worse than Nesta and Tamlin combined).

If you think Nesta's more problematic than Feyre, then you haven't been paying attention.

[iudexmortis]

“Do you want me to pop your cherry, Commander?” She purred, her voice low and wicked.

Cassian moaned. Loudly.

[iudexmortis]

Chapter 68 is LIVE!!

Teaser:

“Cassian—”

“You want the truth?” he said, chest heaving now. “Every time you look at me like I’m yours, I want to believe it. But then I hear them say it—‘ bastard. ’ And it doesn’t matter how many wars I fought or wings I broke or blood I spilled. It never goes away. I’m still the mistake that shouldn’t have survived.”

His voice dropped, low and bitter. “Do you know what they call me when your back is turned? What they’ve always called me? Nothing’s changed. I’m still the bastard who should’ve died in the mud, only now I’m the bastard who dared to touch the daughter of their war god.”

He paced, and couldn't seem to stop his body from moving. “They look at me like I’m just filth that got lucky. Like I tricked you. And maybe I did. Maybe you were just too blinded by the mate bond to see what a mistake I am.”

He laughed, but it cracked halfway through, no amusement in the sound. “I walk into meetings and they ignore me. I speak and they pretend I didn’t. But the second you show up, they fall over themselves to listen—to praise you. You say the exact same words I did, and suddenly it’s law. All I am is the mongrel standing next to you.”

He turned toward her then, breathing hard as he choked out. “And you—you don’t even notice. You walk into a room and the air bends around you. And I can’t breathe. Because I remember what I did to you in this cabin—what you let me do—and all I can think is how fucking stupid I was to believe I ever deserved it. Ever deserved you.”

His throat worked, but he didn’t stop.

“You’re everything I ever wanted,” he said, voice low and wrecked. “Everything I never even let myself dream of having. And I’m just a filthy bastard. That’s all I’ve ever been. That’s all I’ll ever be.”

He ripped the crimson cloak from his shoulder and held it out like it burned him, hands trembling as it dangled between them.

Cassian’s chest heaved. His wings flared halfway before slumping, as if all the energy had drained from him in one breath. His eyes shone, but he blinked the tears back with a hard, practiced edge. Swallowed against the lump in his throat.

[iudexmortis]

Chapter 66 is LIVE!!!

A Court of Tempest and Twilight

Teaser:

“Arya, I—” he started, voice breaking, his scarred hands reaching for her. “I’m sorry I tried to kill your brother. I didn’t know. I thought he was going to hurt you. I just wanted you safe.”

His shadows curled tighter, mirroring his desperation, his guilt for failing her trust.

Forgive us mate.

Yes, yes we are very sorry mate.

Please don’t take away our pussy privileges.

Arya laughed at their plea, able to hear them as their master’s mate, and leaned forward, kissing him fiercely, her lips salty with tears.

“I forgive you,” she whispered against his mouth, her voice raw but warm.

“I love you, Az and I’m sorry too. Please, will you help me save him?” Her eyes searched his, pleading, and he nodded, his throat tight, his heart aching with the need to make this right.

“Tell me how,” he said, voice low, resolute.

[iudexmortis]

Hey! It’s been a hot minute since you’ve posted. Are you doing okay?

I’m good! 🩵 I have a lot of work I need to get through and a really important conference coming up that I need to get ready for but I’m still working on future chapters :)

[silverflameataraxia]

When Gwyn was violated, she was taken to the safety of the library, surrounded by women, and offered therapy. No one - especially men - could enter the library without her permission.

When Elain was violated, she was taken to the HoW, guarded by Nesta, while Feyre and the entire IC made sure that Lucien kept his distance and gave her time to grieve and deal with her trauma.

When Nesta was violated, she was taken to the HoW, where her boundaries were repeatedly violated by Cassian, who came to visit every other day without her permission or consent. Her personal space was violated by Mor, who decided to get all handsy without Nesta's consent, even though she knew Nesta had just been abducted, tortured, and violated. Cassian joked about Mor ripping off Nesta's dress when Cassian knew Nesta had just been sexually assaulted mere months before being violated in the Cauldron.

First of all, why weren't Elain and Nesta taken to the refuge of the library or at least offered therapy? Secondly, why was Cassian allowed to violate Nesta's boundaries without her consent or permission, but Lucien had to respect Elain's? Why weren't both males held to the same standard? Why did Cassian respect the consent of the priestesses by not entering the library without their permission, but he repeatedly disrespected Nesta's boundaries? Could you imagine if Az had gone down to the library every other day to check on Gwyn or Lucien checked in with Elain every other day without their permission? The IC would have had a thing or two to say to them... but not Cassian. He could do whatever he wanted, with or without Nesta's consent.

Then there's Feyre's, "Why do you even bother, Cassian?" I'm sorry, but what? Who the hell is ready for a relationship right after being violated? He shouldn't be bothering. Feyre should have been telling Cassian to leave Nesta alone.

The IC taught Gwyn and Elain that their consent mattered, that their "No" meant "No" and that their boundaries would be respected. Simultaneously, the IC taught Nesta that her consent was the last thing they cared about. Her "No" really meant "Yes" if they asked her enough times and bullied her around to it, and her boundaries and autonomy would most certainly never be respected.

The IC have always been so incredibly toxic and cruel to Nesta, while demanding that she treat them with kindness and respect. Cassian and Mor have the audacity to say that Nesta would thrive in the CoN? Someone needs to hand them a mirror.

[rosy-opal-commander]

Not gonna lie. If the dude that I was attracted to came into my home told me I was a piece of shit because my feral sister decided to hunt after my ain't shit father was gonna let us starve. And I was bad at archery. Then him being there was a threat to my safety and he kept flirting with me. Would not leave me alone.

And because him and his friends where having political meetings at my house, I was kidnapped by the opposition turned Faye against my will.

And while I'm on my healing journey, I'm helping with the fucking war effort he again would not leave me alone, flirting with me the whole time and then one finally I'm like OK I can do this. I'm gonna show affection to this man back .... he drops my hand when his ex walks back in?

And then he decides to when he thinks we are about to die, declare his undying love and about how he will see me in the next lifetime. He disappears without a fucking word.

THEN the next time I see him at Christmas, he is literally exchanging lingerie while I am having the biggest existential crisis of my life. Then proceeds to not leave me alone. Yeah my crash out would have been worse.

I would have been so much worse.

She didn't even burn a building down. She didn't even lit the med tent he was in on fire. What do you mean she mean and abusive? lol she's not mean enough. What do you mean Cassain your sad about how mean she is have you ever tried not playing in her face first? All you had to do was hang out a dive bar BFFR.

Anyways this pic is a drawing I did of Nesta on Christmas 😂 just waiting for that winged mence to leave.

[ladymjay]

The only valid Cassian moment in ACOSF was when he saw Nesta raise an army of the dead and her carrying the kelpie's decapitated head with the mask he immediately bowed to Nesta in The Bog of Oorid. As he should. Nesta deserves men bowing at the sight of her.

[ladydeath-vanserra]

sjm has feyre and Nesta on their knees for the men who abused them repeatedly. girls get UP what are you doing they hurt you

[silverflameataraxia]

I really don't understand these people who say that Nesta is happy with Cassian and to say otherwise is fanon. No, it's definitely canon. If Nesta were happy with Cassian, she wouldn't have had a vacant face or a thin and brittle voice and she wouldn't have raised the wall of steel in her mind or given all those longing looks. We shouldn't need Nesta to actually say, "I'm not happy with Cassian."  We, the readers, should be able to deduce that from canon material. People may not read CC, but HOFAS is still canon.

Why do people even want Nesta to be happy with Cassian after HOFAS? What aspect of that radiates a HEA? Nesta clearly thinks Cassian will let Rhys kill her. Cassian is still not doing anything to stick up for his mate or protect her or comfort her. He failed spectacularly, and people need to stop covering for him by saying that Nesta's happy.

Canonically, Nessian's not in a good place right now. It's not obnoxious or childish or immature to call that out. People may want them to be happy, but they still have many issues that they need to work through first.

[merelyamateur]

I just remembered that when Feyre was exhausted and sore from overtraining, Cassian and Azriel practically set up camp outside her room. They brought her salve and gave her a day off. When Nesta fell down the stairs because of the IC itself that locked her in (and she decided to go down because she wasn't strapped in, mind you, so she should have been able to get down easily, but of course that's not what happened), Azriel held back his laughter and Cassian greeted her at the top of the stairs practically laughing and mocking her. She didn't get any salve, not even a "are you okay?", even though her injuries could have killed a human.

Cassian cared more about his adoptive brother's wife's back pain than about the partner who is bonded to him, who he spent his whole life waiting for, who he has a bond with that is supposedly a gift from the goddess.

Cassian never loved Nesta, the person. He doesn't even seem to care about the bond.

[iudexmortis]

Chapter 63 is LIVE!!!

This one is alllll Cassian 🤭

Teaser:

Cassian gasped—loud and desperate—his hips twitching at the contact.

“Gods,” he choked. “Arya— fuck. ”

Flushed and wild-eyed, his hair damp with sweat, jaw clenched so tight it looked like it hurt. He was holding himself still—barely.

Arya rolled her hips, letting the wet heat of her press against him, and Cassian whimpered.

“Do you want me to pop your cherry, Commander? ” she purred, her voice low and wicked.

Cassian moaned. Loudly.

His hands flew to her thighs, gripping just enough to ground himself. “Please,” he said, voice wrecked. “Arya— please . I want it to be you.”

A slow, satisfied smile curved her lips. “Then relax. Let me take care of you.”

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[silverflameataraxia]

Court of Nightmares

Ever since Mor and Cassian agreed that Nesta would thrive in the CoN, it made me question what the standards were for admittance there.

Nesta and Feyre are at each other's throats. Nesta's not interested in Cassian. She can occasionally be cruel. She sleeps a lot because she's depressed. She drinks and sleeps around as a coping mechanism. Are these the people who live in the CoN?

What about Feyre, who ruined the lives of thousands of people, who caused an innocent guard to be whipped, who tortured Ianthe, who burned the LoA? She's done far worse things than Nesta, but we're supposed to believe Feyre doesn't belong in the CoN?

What about Rhysand, who forced Feyre to wear clothes she wasn't comfortable in, who drugged and sexually assaulted Feyre, who twisted a bone in her arm, who locked Nesta up in the HoW, who was constantly threatening Nesta with violence or death, who withheld vital medical information from Feyre? He's done far worse things than Nesta, but we're supposed to believe Rhys doesn't belong in the CoN?

What about Cassian, who slaughtered an entire village, who displaced innocent women and children, who almost sexually assaulted Nesta, who routinely disrespected Nesta's boundaries and autonomy, who abused and neglected Nesta, who stalked and harassed Nesta, who took Nesta on a punishment hike? He's done far worse things than Nesta, but we're supposed to believe Cassian doesn't belong in the CoN?

What about Amren, who's verbally abusive and racist?

What about Az, who tortures people?

What about Mor, who has presided over the CoN for centuries yet has done nothing to protect innocent women and children from being raped and abused?

Cassian and Mor are ignorant and hypocritical if they think Nesta is the one who would thrive in the CoN.

[unhealthyfanobsession]

I really think everyone who has any feelings whatever way about any of the Archeron sisters could really help to be reminded that they are 22-26 and every other character in the series is like 500.

“Feyre committed war crimes” - Feyre was a 20 year old going through a bad breakup who girl bossed way too close to the sun. Take your Spring Court falling apart issues up with the 500 year old High Lords who watched and allowed it. If the man I thought I was going to marry at 19 had a Court I probably would’ve crashed that shit too. FRONTAL LOBE NOT YET DEVELOPED!!

“Nesta is a bitch/abusive/mean” Nesta is a teenage girl with a sister and they have all been put into horrible circumstances (reminder: Cassian physically beat Rhys up and no one calls him “abusive”) and then she is a traumatized S.A. survivor who literally died and is being constantly put in situations she is very uncomfortable with and has frankly incredibly tame reactions (I mean, it’s not like she goes around telling people they are unlovable and that everyone hates them).

“Elain is useless/boring/doesn’t do anything.” Oh so we hate Feyre for fucking shit up and we hate Nesta for being “mean” and now we also hate Elain for *checks notes* “nothing.” Elain is a girl whose entire life was turned upside down twice and she is quite literally navigating her mind no longer being entirely her own as well as a weird new bond she doesn’t understand. What do you want her to do, exactly? She picked up a knife when the situation call for it OK. Not to mention that we seriously have enough centuries old warriors taking up their swords we don’t need Elain and her rolling pin bonking the enemy now the war is over ok GOD FORBID A GIRL HAVE HOBBIES AND ENJOY THEM

Anyway thank you for coming to my ted talk on the infuriating state of misogyny in a series with a largely female fan base. Be mad at the men. They’re all insane frankly - and sometimes hot, and it’s fantasy, so it’s fine but GOOD LORD PEOPLE.

[iudexmortis]

Chapter 61 is LIVE!!!

ACOTAR AU | Bat Boys x OC (Arya)

Teaser:

Cassian stared for a long moment. “So wait. I’ve got a royal seal on my face no one but you can see?”

Arya bit her lip in dread. “Yes.”

A slow, wicked grin spread across his face. “Well then,” he drawled, voice low and far too pleased with himself, “seems only fair I get to mark you too.”

Arya choked on a breath. “Cassian— ”

“Oh, I’m serious,” he said, leaning back on his hands like he hadn’t just detonated a thought in her brain. “You can’t be the only one walking around with a hidden claim. I’m all for equal branding.”

Rhysand snorted into his cup.

Azriel, deadpan, murmured, “Please don’t call it branding.

Cassian only winked. “Fine. Let’s call it… decorative possessiveness.”

Arya groaned and threw a cushion at his face, but she was grinning—and they all saw it.

“They won’t become permanently visible until we’re all formally mated,” she added, more seriously this time. “And that probably won’t happen for quite some time.”

Rhys’s brows lifted. “But Az and I are already mated to you. Married, even. What does that mean for us?”

Cassian straightened, alarm flickering in his eyes. “Wait—does that mean you don’t accept the mating bond? Because I swear to the Mother, Arya, I’ll be good, I promise!”

Arya burst out laughing. “No, silly,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye. “A formal mating means a royal mating ceremony. A coronation. The whole court, the High Lords, the rituals—”

Rhysand and Azriel exchanged wide-eyed looks.

Cassian went pale. “You mean like… crowns and robes and public vows?”

Arya gave him a wicked smile. “Oh, absolutely. And matching ceremonial armor.”

Azriel muttered, “Gods help us.”

“But,” Arya continued, softening, “it wouldn’t be possible without my mother there to bless the union. That’s another reason we have to find her. I want her there. I want all of them there. My whole family.”

And for once, none of them had a sarcastic comment. Because they saw the quiet ache in her eyes—and knew, without question, they’d do anything to make it happen.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63288157/chapters/172059511#workskin

[extremely-judgemental]

I’m tired of explaining why a certain act is an abuse when it is clearly described word for word in these books. Why don’t you explain how these are romantic instead?

Why a man essentially stripping a woman naked and parading her in a room full of strangers is hot.

Why a woman in her drugged state forced to grind up against a man is hot.

Why a woman being dressed up in the same clothes she was traumatised in and kneeling to a man is hot.

Why a woman sitting on a man’s lap and getting off in front of people who have zero interest in such shows is hot.

Why a man keeping secrets about a baby growing in a woman’s body is romantic.

Why a man locking a woman in an inescapable tower is romantic.

Why a man controlling what and when she eats is romantic.

Why a man forcing her into clothes she isn’t comfortable in and taking her to a place she won’t be comfortable at is romantic.

Why a man training a woman in a skill she has no interest in is caring. Or to the point she is so physically exhausted she passes out later.

Why a man laughing at a woman with bruises is fun and flirty.

Why a man having sex with a woman, who is forcefully isolated from society and hurting, under his supervision is hot.

Why a man punishing a woman for her issues with her sister is caring.

Why a man dragging a suicidal woman up a hill, isolating her even more, without even checking on her once is romantic or healthy.

Why a man pushing a woman to be vulnerable when he never did so ever with anyone is romantic.

Without the names, looking at the actions objectively, if you still believe these are the ideal scenario in romance, you need to sit down and really need to reflect on why the concept of a woman being helpless with a man is appealing to you.