#Lucien backstory fanfic

[olenvasynyt]

I have no idea if people care about Jesminda on here but I do. I care. I think about her and Lucien 24/7. So here's my version of Jesminda I commissioned from j.sgrey on IG! Three Autumn Court style outfits and, most importantly, Jesminda's wings.

“Her sable hair covered the top portions, but past them, a pair of wings draped down her back and touched the backs of her ankles.  They reminded him of the wings of a cicada or a bumblebee: the edges were a solid, reddish brown, a slightly darker tone than her skin.  Transparent orange and gold cells were patterned organically in between, and even with the dying sun, he could see a shimmer pulse through them, like the glow of her blushing skin.  It was like stained glass blooming from her back.”

[northern-polaris]

Take Me Out

Managed to ground something out for @tamlinweek day 1 so please enjoy Alis getting her not-son to go outside to socialize instead of being cooped up all day. Tamlin somehow manages to fail successfully.

Word count: around 1.2k

Summary: after getting kicked out of Alis' tavern, Tamlin ventures off to a place people tell him he shouldn't go and saves someone people tell him he shouldn't have saved.

“Boy, get out of here.”

Tamlin looked up from wiping a wet rag over the bar and stared at Alis who had her hands on her hips and an exasperated look painted on her face. He would have thought she was actually cross with him if he didn’t spot the slight upward tug on the corner of her mouth. 

“What?”

“You heard me,” Alis gestured with a quick nod to the tavern doors that lead outside, “We’re all set for now, and I won’t need you till later when the night crowd rolls in. Get out of this stuffy, old cellar and go get some sunshine.” 

“It’s not stuffy, and I still have to finish up–” Alis marched over, plucked the dirty rag out of his hands, and began to swat him with it, herding him closer and closer to the doors. 

Every time Tamlin tried to open his mouth to object, he got a face full of the soggy, stained fabric.

“You ain’t ‘have to’ do nothing if I tell you to. Get going!” She accentuated her point by using her unoccupied hand to shoo him off. “Now, I don’t want to see you back here at least until sundown, you hear?” She finally quit her assault when he was over the threshold and onto the street.

“I–” Alis raised the rag, “...hear.” She lowered the rag.

“Good.” With that, she closed the doors loudly, and Tamlin was left standing uselessly in front of the tavern. 

He stood there for a while, not quite knowing what to do with himself, so he just chose to attentively watch the doors as if Alis was going to spontaneously open them and welcome him back inside again. Tamlin knew that wasn’t going to actually happen, but he let his mind hope. 

Eventually, he found the sense and drive to wander off somewhere else when the bewildered looks and judgemental eyes from passersbys felt too heavy on his skin. 

Starting down the road, Tamlin meandered along the path that led towards the village outskirts. While walking, he scanned the ground attentively in case there was an interesting rock on the ground he could bring back to show Alis’ nephews. Those two boys loved rocks, and Tamlin didn’t mind helping them scavenge treasures. Finding a few, he stashed them into one of his pockets and continued on his way. 

Slowly, the path died out, and Tamlin found himself facing the dense forest that surrounded the village. Only a select few actually went outside of the security of their settlement and into the uncharted woods. They were located not far from The Wall, the boundary that separated the Fae lands from theirs, so there was always a chance of encountering something… unsafe outside the guarded townlet. 

With all this in mind, Tamlin glanced around, noted that no one was watching him, and promptly ran into the woods with reckless abandon. 

____

Tamlin always loved being in the forest.

The rustling of leaves, the singing of birds, the smell of the earth. It was all encompassing, surrounding him like a welcoming blanket. It provided a much needed reprieve from rigid civilization.

Following the way he mapped out from countless times before, Tamlin ended up at a small clearing that was lined with a vast river. 

Near the edge stood a lone Weeping Willow; its vine-like branches swaying lazily in the gentle breeze. Moving them aside like a curtain, Tamlin walked underneath the tree’s canopy and made himself comfortable sitting with his back against the trunk. 

He then closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Calm.

Tamlin could feel his mind slowly begin to wander away somewhere else, losing himself in his surroundings in a way he never could anywhere else but here. 

It was quiet. Serene. Peaceful.

…At least it was until it suddenly wasn’t.

Until something violently disturbed the shrubs on the other side of the river, startling Tamlin out of his daze. Bolting to his feet, he staggered through the tree branches just in time to watch someone break through the undergrowth and tumble into the river with a loud splash. 

Tamlin was in the water too a second later, diving after the person with his heartbeat thundering in his ears and not a thought running through his mind. 

He barely registered the freezing water as he treaded through the river after the person. They were just floating along the current unmoving, and Tamlin felt his stomach drop further. Finally, Tamlin managed to catch an arm, pull the person over his shoulders, and began to drag them both towards his side of the shore. 

It was good that Tamlin already knew which rocks were slippery and which were not; he had learned the hard way from the other separate occasions of being in the river.

Underneath the willow, Tamlin laid down the person, rested his own head on their chest, and listened for a heartbeat. 

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. 

Tamlin let out a long sigh of relief, willing his own racing heart to slow. Lifting his head up, he got to work scanning over the person’s body for injuries: scrapes along both arms, a swollen ankle, multitudes of forming bruises. He also took in the appearance of the person as well, despite their rugged and worse-for-wear state, the clothes were fine and clearly belonging to someone who had enough riches to waste on stuff like jeweled encrusted knives, ruby cufflinks, and leaves made out of golden thread embroidered on their lapels. Was this person royalty? 

What was a noble doing in the forest this far away from the nearest big city? Badly wounded at that?

What in the ever living fuck happened to them? 

The person coughed lightly, and Tamlin raced upwards to regard their face. Despite it being utterly drenched, their hair was a bright, vibrant auburn. Tamlin moved it carefully aside from where it was previously draped over the person’s face. 

Oh. 

“Good face.” 

Tamlin realized he said his thoughts out loud and clamped his mouth shut, praying that the other wasn't awake to hear him. 

Ignoring his warming cheeks, he checked over the man’s(it definitely looked like a man, a gorgeous, gorgeous–Shut the fuck up!) face for wounds. There was a tiny trickle of blood coming down from the man’s temple, so Tamlin moved to tuck the man’s hair behind his ear—

Pointy ear. The man’s ear was pointed. Not a round ear. Pointy. 

Oh, well shit.  

Shit. Shit. Oh Shit. Fuck. Fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fucking Shit. SHIT FUCK SON OF A FUCKING BITCH OH SHIT HOLY FUCK WHAT IN THE SHITTING FUCK—

The man coughed again, stronger this time. The man who was not actually a man. The man who had pointy ears which meant it wasn’t a man but actually a fae, and what in the flipping flying fuck why hasn’t Tamlin bolted for the hills already– 

The not-man’s eyes fluttered open and revealed the clearest, prettiest eyes Tamlin had ever seen in his entire nineteen years of existence and Tamlin couldn’t help himself from opening his mouth and speaking his mind. 

“Your eyes look undamaged.” 

[lovemyromance]

People saying SJM will write Elucien because she's not going to make poor baby Lulu (PBL) suffer again because he's one of her favorites ....

My brother in Christ.

They're ALL her favorites. It's her fucking book. They're her fucking characters.

Now if we were going to RANK her favorite characters, I still don't even think Lucien would make top 5. He's not a part of the IC for a reason - and considering that SJM has chosen to write about them over him - tells us enough about the ranking of her faves. It's always going to be:

1. Rhys / Feyre

2. Nesta

3. Azriel

4. Cassian

5. Elain

6. Amren

7. Mor

8. Lucien

And honestly placing Lucien at 8 is still debatable. His storyline has been reduced more and more with every single book. I'd say he was definitely up there with Feyre in Book 1 - but since ACOMAF his character quality and page persona has declined steadily. Significantly.

Idk if y'all have ever read a book or written anything - but typically a writer who likes a certain character ... writes about that character. A lot more than she writes about her other characters. That character might've started as a minor one or even background character - but the writer likes them so much they find a way to put them in the page more, finds a way to work them into the story. See what SJM did with Ithan Holstrom in CC. With Fenrys. They were introduced as minor characters and then became a big part of the story.

The exact OPPOSITE is happening with Lucien. It's not a slow burn - it is erasure.

If he is such a favorite - where is he?

Also what makes you think SJM isn't going to make her favorites suffer? Y'all saw what Aelin went through. Saw what Rhys went through. I don't like to compare traumas - but Lucien's trauma pales in comparison to some of the other harrowing backstories we've seen in ACOTAR itself. Genuinely I think whatever Rhys, Elain, Nesta, Azriel, Emerie, Gwyn went through is far worse than what Lucien went through. Not saying he didn't suffer - but the argument that SJM wouldn't have him lose his mate because she likes him is so ridiculous.

Let's stick to the books. And I mean the actual text in the books - not farfetched headcanons and fanfics and theories and claims of extrapolation "foreshadowing".

SJM can change her mind and her opinions and her interviews and her Pinterest boards. What she can't change is the story she's laid out for 4 books now. What she can't change is the direction her characters are taking her in and the words she's already written.

[azrielsbxtch]

People saying SJM will write Elucien because she's not going to make poor baby Lulu (PBL) suffer again because he's one of her favorites ....

My brother in Christ.

They're ALL her favorites. It's her fucking book. They're her fucking characters.

Now if we were going to RANK her favorite characters, I still don't even think Lucien would make top 5. He's not a part of the IC for a reason - and considering that SJM has chosen to write about them over him - tells us enough about the ranking of her faves. It's always going to be:

1. Rhys / Feyre

2. Nesta

3. Azriel

4. Cassian

5. Elain

6. Amren

7. Mor

8. Lucien

And honestly placing Lucien at 8 is still debatable. His storyline has been reduced more and more with every single book. I'd say he was definitely up there with Feyre in Book 1 - but since ACOMAF his character quality and page persona has declined steadily. Significantly.

Idk if y'all have ever read a book or written anything - but typically a writer who likes a certain character ... writes about that character. A lot more than she writes about her other characters. That character might've started as a minor one or even background character - but the writer likes them so much they find a way to put them in the page more, finds a way to work them into the story. See what SJM did with Ithan Holstrom in CC. With Fenrys. They were introduced as minor characters and then became a big part of the story.

The exact OPPOSITE is happening with Lucien. It's not a slow burn - it is erasure.

If he is such a favorite - where is he?

Also what makes you think SJM isn't going to make her favorites suffer? Y'all saw what Aelin went through. Saw what Rhys went through. I don't like to compare traumas - but Lucien's trauma pales in comparison to some of the other harrowing backstories we've seen in ACOTAR itself. Genuinely I think whatever Rhys, Elain, Nesta, Azriel, Emerie, Gwyn went through is far worse than what Lucien went through. Not saying he didn't suffer - but the argument that SJM wouldn't have him lose his mate because she likes him is so ridiculous.

Let's stick to the books. And I mean the actual text in the books - not farfetched headcanons and fanfics and theories and claims of extrapolation "foreshadowing".

SJM can change her mind and her opinions and her interviews and her Pinterest boards. What she can't change is the story she's laid out for 4 books now. What she can't change is the direction her characters are taking her in and the words she's already written.

Why is this random person ranting about Lucien in my inbox I am so confused are you off your medication? Like did I ask?

[thevalkyriesshadow]

People saying SJM will write Elucien because she's not going to make poor baby Lulu (PBL) suffer again because he's one of her favorites ....

My brother in Christ.

They're ALL her favorites. It's her fucking book. They're her fucking characters.

Now if we were going to RANK her favorite characters, I still don't even think Lucien would make top 5. He's not a part of the IC for a reason - and considering that SJM has chosen to write about them over him - tells us enough about the ranking of her faves. It's always going to be:

1. Rhys / Feyre

2. Nesta

3. Azriel

4. Cassian

5. Elain

6. Amren

7. Mor

8. Lucien

And honestly placing Lucien at 8 is still debatable. His storyline has been reduced more and more with every single book. I'd say he was definitely up there with Feyre in Book 1 - but since ACOMAF his character quality and page persona has declined steadily. Significantly.

Idk if y'all have ever read a book or written anything - but typically a writer who likes a certain character ... writes about that character. A lot more than she writes about her other characters. That character might've started as a minor one or even background character - but the writer likes them so much they find a way to put them in the page more, finds a way to work them into the story. See what SJM did with Ithan Holstrom in CC. With Fenrys. They were introduced as minor characters and then became a big part of the story.

The exact OPPOSITE is happening with Lucien. It's not a slow burn - it is erasure.

If he is such a favorite - where is he?

Also what makes you think SJM isn't going to make her favorites suffer? Y'all saw what Aelin went through. Saw what Rhys went through. I don't like to compare traumas - but Lucien's trauma pales in comparison to some of the other harrowing backstories we've seen in ACOTAR itself. Genuinely I think whatever Rhys, Elain, Nesta, Azriel, Emerie, Gwyn went through is far worse than what Lucien went through. Not saying he didn't suffer - but the argument that SJM wouldn't have him lose his mate because she likes him is so ridiculous.

Let's stick to the books. And I mean the actual text in the books - not farfetched headcanons and fanfics and theories and claims of extrapolation "foreshadowing".

SJM can change her mind and her opinions and her interviews and her Pinterest boards. What she can't change is the story she's laid out for 4 books now. What she can't change is the direction her characters are taking her in and the words she's already written.

Hi anon

I hope you feel better after getting that off your chest... sometimes you just gotta rant

BUT

I would like to make a few points

1. I do write stories (beyond fanfics) and yes I have favorite characters I write but if I spent as much time writing about a character as SJM did with Lucien, that character has a story to be told. He's connected to many characters in the story and is mated to one of the Archeron sisters (who the stories being told in ACOTAR are ultimately about). To say he is being written off the page just because he wasn't as prevalent in ACOSF for example is a bold statement (he really had no ties to Nesta's storyline so it makes sense he wasn't in it as much) but a storyline he is connected to? Elain's - whose book we will inevitably get.

2. I don't like how you say his trauma is not as bad as the others. It's not okay to compare people's traumas. What might not seem like an emotional/psychological/physical traumatic event to one person doesn't mean it's not devastating to another.

3. SJM can absolutely change what she's already written... She is the god of ACOTAR afterall. She can do as she pleases. A perfect example of this is when she retconned that Azriel was present in Sangravah when it was attacked. Making him the first one there, the one to slaughter all the soldiers in one room, and save Gwyn from further harm. Previously, we were to believe he was just informed, but SJM changed that with what she wrote in ACOSF.

Hope you have a wonderful day anon!

[mirandasidefics]

Btw is there anything abt y/n's backstory in home is nowhere fanfic?

Hello!

Reader does have some set background information from her life in her world, but there are places where the fine details are still left up for the audience to picture themselves in her place. And while I do have a specific image of Reader in my head as I write, I try my best to not provide any details that are specific to physical features. As I've been writing more of her personality has also started to come out, so there is a much more detailed background in my mind, but I know that if I include that information or specifiy it she then turns into an OC and I'm not exactly wanting to do that. (Though once I finish I may go through with making her an OC and posting to FanFiction.net).

Now, get ready for a deep dive into what I do have specified for Reader's background (because I can't seem to control myself when it comes to talking about this story!)

Reader's specific background information is: She is afab and identifies with her birth assigned gender. She is plus size and will remain throughout the fic a bit fuller than all the females that make an appearance in this story. She is self-conscious about her body but will learn to accept that others find her attractive and worthy of love. This slowly allows her to start to accept herself. Not just in a physical way, but as a whole.

She has at least one sibling of each gender. (Her brother's age will be specified in the next chapter). She has only one nephew, who was about 7-8 years old when she left her world. She was close to her nephew, who looks very similar to Nyx (darker skin tone and black hair).

She had an office job where she traveled a lot. She was working on getting her PhD in Musicology (fancy term for Music Historian). She enjoys singing and we will see more of music's role/meaning in Reader's personal life in the next chapter. She enjoys learning about various mythologies. She has a stronger inclination to Greek, Norse, and Celtic pantheons (which will play a role in this fic), but she does have bits of knowledge from other major cultures (Hindu, Mesoamerican, and Egyptian). She identifies as pagan/polytheistic which is the spiritual practice of her maternal relatives (This has been hinted at in previous chapters and again will play a role in the fic).

Reader's age right now is unknown, but it will be specified later in the story (this is relevant to the plot otherwise I wouldn't specify it at all.)

She has some past trauma regarding past romantic/sexual relationships, which we will start to see more of in the next chapter. There were some hints already regarding this topic when she was in the Day Court with Lucien.

Reader's dreams are also not exactly what she believes them to be and this information will play a role and be revealed in later chapters (I don't want to spoil it as I think it's a pretty cool revelation to WHY she was brought to Prythian). Her relation to Rhys, Bryce, and Ruhn will also be revealed in later chapters.

Reader's favorite season is Autumn, her favorite holiday is Winter Solstice (though that will change with later events), and her favorite gemstone is Garnet.

Readers unspecified traits: Reader's physical features (apart from body type) are all left up to the audience as this is meant to be more of a self-insert. I do my best to be mindful of describing anything that could be interpreted as being specific to any one skin-tone (blush color when embarrassed, lip color, effects of sunburn, etc). I also try to refrain from adding any descriptors that could be traits typical of any one specific ethnic group. The order of her birth in comparison to her siblings (oldest, middle, youngest) will also be unspecified. Reader's other personal interests such as favorites (food, color, flower, etc) will not be mentioned (at least of yet). Her exact birthday will also not be mentioned, nor will it be set at any specific time of year.

I am slowly working on the requests that were submitted. I typically write them in the order they were received and the one I've been working on is highly emotional and taping into some personal stuff in my IRL life. So, it is taking a bit longer to complete as I have to write it in smaller bits.

Please continue to send in any asks or comments you have about either this story or any of the ones I have posted.

[grayintogreen]

Pinned Post II: Electric Boogaloo

Hi, I'm Chris! I'm updating my pinned post to be more streamlined so here we go.

I liveblog Critical Role every week and tag with "cr spoilers" up until Monday. This tag also gets used for Candela Obscura and any one-shots. Dimension 20 spoilers are labeled “d20 spoilers.”

This is primarily a Critical Role and Dimension 20 blog, but I contain multitudes. You will see a lot of random shit depending on my mood. I’m really into Hazbin Hotel right now, for example, so my blog is kinda inundated in that. Honestly I might as well admit I am also a Hazbin blog at this point. Sorry, women.

I write a lot of fic, which can be found on my AO3 here. I primarily write fic centered on minor/supporting characters. I'm also the author of the life in the margins of redemption and red roses and dead things series- more about these below.

I have a ko-fi if you'd like to give me a tip for any reason.

I am the assistant manager of a convenience store that is part of a large retail chain and if you tell me that you shop there because “Wal-Mart is crooked” I’ll kill you. Mine is worse.

My two big series are as follows:

red roses and dead things (or Roseverse), a canon divergent Hazbin Hotel (goes AU after 1x06) series that deals with working on continuing the story while I wait for new material. It is lore-heavy, Team as Family, and redemption-focused with focus on Huskerdust, Alastor and his deal, Lucifer and his relationship to Heaven and Hell and his family, and Charlie continuing to pursue her dreams. Also contains significant amounts of Helluva Boss because we’re not beholden to copyright here.

life in the margins of redemption (or LitMoR), a For Want of a Nail CR2 Canon Divergent series, is a duology (with additional side stories) that takes the alternate path outlined in the Harvest's Close session notes- Cree rescuing the Nein from the Gentleman's wrath should they betray him- and takes it a step further with Cree reviving Molly on the Glory Run Road and traveling with the Nein in the hopes of finding a way to bring Lucien back. It is extremely Canon Divergent, but does feature CR2 plots under radically different circumstances and with additional characters. It's worldbuilding heavy, character-driven, often dark, but has a guaranteed happy ending. You may heard of it as "that 1.5 million word fanfic series."

It is not canon compliant with TNEOL as I had finished OUADYA before TNEOL came out. While I use some elements from the novel, the backstory presented for Lucien and the Tombtakers in the series is entirely different.

More details, including links to the fics, beneath the cut.

THE MAIN STORIES.

Note that while the series features Fjorester, Beauyasha, and Widomauk as primary ships, it is above all a gen fic that focuses on the platonic relationships even more than the romantic ones. I cannot in good faith rec this fic to you if you HATE any of those ships, but I can say if you're indifferent/just want a plot and platonic relationship focus, this fic will appeal to you.

once upon a damn-you-all. Cree saves Molly on the Glory Run Road, sending the Nein's trajectory off the rails in a story about redemption, change, fate, and team-building. Also Molly having to contend with the Somnovem.

you can't deny high noon. The Nein continue their journey with an additional member- a reluctant, captive Lucien- as they continue to face numerous challenges while enemies lurk in the background. While OUADYA is mostly original plotlines, this fic follows the majority of the major plot beats of canon albeit a bit twisted around and out of order.

THE SIDE STORIES

While not necessary to read in order to understand the main duology, I feel like not reading them causes a loss of impact, as often events/characters from them are referenced in the main narrative and having more perspective on the events adds more oomph. This is an extremely detail-oriented series and barely anything goes in without some thought put into it. For the sake of not overwhelming my audience, I'm only listing the side stories I think are actually important to the overall narrative, but please do read the others if you have the time.

there's something divine in the way screams can sound. The events of OUADYA as seen through the eyes of someone trapped in the Astral Sea- or Lucien's utter breakdown, now with context. Introduces several backstory elements that become super relevant in YCDHN.

as in the painted parlor, ophelia dreams. The story of how Ophelia came to the Run, became a Mardoon, and gave up her son.

all of the dreamers defying convention. A fic that takes place in the two month gap between the two duology stories and bridges the two narratives.

OTHER LINKS

original character guide. A guide to the many original characters featured in the series.

[goforth-ladymidnight]

2023 Writing Goals

I started off 2022 with two works to my name on AO3, and now I have eight. This year, I’m not as interested in growing the number of works as I am in completing those works. In no particular order:

Finish “ACOFAE” ft. Feycien

My very first fanfic. As of this writing, I am 37 chapters in, and I’d like to finish it by the end of the year. I was averaging about a chapter a week, then got burned out and went to the hospital for pneumonia. (Correlation, not causation.) Anyway, back in 2021, I thought I could write a quick fic in 20 chapters, then thought surely 40 would do it. Welp. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take more than 60!

Finish “A Garden of Thorns” ft. Brilin

I wrote one chapter in a day based on an intriguing prompt, then basically dropped it because I didn’t know how to make it work with an original Beauty and the Beast story I had started writing a couple years ago. I have more experience now, though, and I think I can make it work. 

Finish an as-yet-unpublished fic “Worth Fighting For” ft. Elucien

I have really enjoyed writing Elucien this winter, and I promised a friend I would write an ACOWAR AU in which Lucien goes after Elain when she gets taken by the Cauldron. So that I don’t leave people hanging like I have so many times, I’m writing it before publishing it, and then it will be released on a regular schedule.

Expand on and finish “I Will See You Again” ft. Feylin

I had so many requests to expand on that one-shot, when I thought it was just that: a one-shot. But so many people want to see my unhinged version of Amarantha after Feyre actually breaks the original spell. Which leads me to...

Write an Amarantha backstory and/or a Tamlin backstory

Why did Amarantha become so obsessive over Tamlin? I have some ideas I want to explore, but time constraints have been a factor. I’d like to explore that idea this year. :)

I’m working on some original fiction that I’d like to self-publish in addition to working on fanfiction, but I don’t know if I’ll be promoting it here or not. It’s on the lighter, romantic, fairy tale side of fantasy instead of the darker stuff that attracted me to ACOTAR. I know ACOTAR doesn’t get that dark, but considering that characters bleed on the page, I’m counting it. If anyone is interested in learning more about my fairy tale retellings, feel free to visit my inbox. :) 

I have more ideas I’d like to visit eventually, but these are the big ones for this year. Thanks @isterofimias for the inspiration to write them down!

[mareastrorum]

TF&TS Meta: A "what if?" AU

Since I am posting another chapter on Friday, no WIP Wednesday excerpt today! However, I will try to throw out a meta post 2 days before each chapter to tide people over.

This post goes through the following questions:

What type of AU is this going to explore?

See the directory for other meta posts.

Alternate Universe (AU) fanfics can be all over the place. However, my favorite ones are usually those that deviate from canon at a very specific point and otherwise try to adhere to canon as closely as possible: what-ifs.

Along with the premise covered in my earlier post (Lucien as a body-hopping spirit), there is a more fundamental aspect of TF&TS:

What if Molly had not died on Glory Run Road?

Originally, that was going to be the only other change from canon. And it was going to be pretty boring.

Molly on his own wasn’t much of a catalyst in the Mighty Nein. In fact, he was obstinate about avoiding the call to destiny, outright telling the Nein that he wanted nothing to do with anything that happened before he woke up in Lucien’s grave. He was also quite clear that he didn’t care about anyone else’s past either—unless something drastic happened, he would have shown no interest in the Nein’s desires to handle issues from their own backstories.

As a result, absent some inciting incident, Molly would have had little affect on the campaign other than the Nein having another melee instead of another cleric. That would have definitely changed their fighting strategies and improvisations, but not so much about the development of their arcs.

The most dramatically affected member would have been Fjord, though that would have been due to Caduceus not joining the Nein rather than anything Molly did. Would Fjord have ever become a paladin of the Wildmother? How else would his arc have been resolved? Maybe he would have become a champion of Uk’otoa. Or maybe he changed his mind after Uk’otoa was released, and Fjord would have become a fighter, or found a different patron, and the snea snek would have been a boss within the campaign!

But if I did that, then that would drag the focus away from the recurring conflict between Molly and Lucien, which I wanted to be the centerpiece. So I kept Caduceus. Besides, I couldn’t pass up the chance to pit two smug Taliesin characters against each other, it’s too fun.

However, I was still left with the issue that Molly wouldn’t affect much. Maybe as a romantic interest, maybe prodding at people about how they should leave the past alone to create conflict, maybe not wanting to get involved with the big stuff (like going along with Avantika, meeting the Bright Queen, acting as negotiators, etc.). But, honestly, none of it was going to be because he wanted to. Everything would have been motivated by a sincere desire to not be anything other than a hedonist constantly searching for a new indulgence.

That’s not a criticism of anyone, especially not Taliesin. Matt was so happy to get an empty backstory that he could just fill in. CR is a collaborative story, and Taliesin basically said “come at me” with Molly. He wanted to see what Matt would toss at his silly, immature brat to ruin his day, and then they could play off that crisis to take Molly in a direction that he was going to get dragged kicking and screaming. Or, more likely, sassing and panicking.

Which means that Lucien and the Somnovem would have been the catalysts causing drastic change to the campaign, not Molly. It might have been because of Molly, but he wouldn’t have been the one actually stoking the fire. Poor little dude just wanted to live and have fun.

As a result, there will be a lot more action, intent, scheming, and drama among the antagonists that directly affects the plot of TF&TS than with Molly. Molly’s definitely going to be involved and stir some shit, but not on the scale of Fjord or Caduceus among the Nein, let alone on the scale of all the people trying to kill him.

That required a more complicated what-if than just Molly surviving. There’s already been several hints at it, and the complexity is going to come out piece by piece.

That also led to the decision to include scenes from the antagonists’ points of view. Originally, they were going to be very sparse, perhaps one every few chapters as a check in. However, as I got more comfortable with the drafted scenes, I realized that some of the themes I wanted to explore could only be fully fleshed out if I spent more time on the antagonist POVs. That also takes care of the pressure to change something from canon just to keep things interesting; if an arc plays out mostly the same because Molly wouldn’t do much, it’s no big deal because there’s all these other people to check in on.

Thus, the reader is going to see a lot more of the antagonists than what would have happened on the stream, and their stories will have a lot more meat on their bones than they would have had in any other medium. It would be boring to just check in on a villain going “damn those fools!” for the umpteenth time after losing and then a montage of the group going somewhere or gathering supplies or something. That requires characters that are actually interesting and additional drama to avoid filler chapters as we progress through the campaign.

A more simple what-if wouldn’t have been as fun to write. Hopefully, TF&TS will have a balance of plot, humor, romance, and horror to keep everyone engaged as the story unfolds. It’s a lot to get through, and I’ve never been a fan of time skips. Half the fun is seeing Molly react to the Nein’s bullshit, especially when he disapproves.

Conflict is so juicy.

[ice-and-starlight]

It's been a few days, but if you were still interested in that ask meme....

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

=D Yeay! An ask!

Hooooo, okay, so, I have a LOT of fanfic that I'm theoretically working on/daydreaming about that doesn't get shared, but, uh, lets see what's not too horrifying to share...

I spent a couple of weeks a few months ago binge-watching Criminal Minds, and got infected by a plotbunny of Dean Winchester/Aaron Hotchner(/Haley Brooks) as a sort of... fix it crossover where, because they're both protagonists from rather different genres, their different approach manages to fix things in the other 'verse.

As in, Dean kills Foyet in proper I'm-fresh-out-of-hell-and-you-did-WHAT-to-my-boyfriend?! style. With added bonus 'you think you're good with a knife? Boy, have I got some things to show you. Say hello to Alastair for me when you get down there'.

And Hotch (and the team) profile the fucking devil so well they manage to talk him down from trying to wipe out humanity. (He goes off to fuck up heaven instead.)

I've gotten bits and pieces of, well, backstory written up, plus some 'Dean meets the BAU' and 'Hotch meets hunters' scenes that I love, but I've gotten stuck on something really stupid and just haven't managed to get my brain to move past it, so I haven't actually written the parts I started writing the story for yet ^^" (this happens to me a lot).

What else?

I have been working, on and off, on a Critical Role Time Travel AU that's actually kind of a spin-off of my very first Critical Role fic which is 'Molly lives rent-free in Caleb's head for the entire rest of the campaign' because as I was watching it I was constantly thinking 'but how would Molly react to this?!' so I wrote it (some of it).

And then I thought 'okay, but what if, okay, I know time-travel is supposed to be semi-impossible, but what if it is technically POSSIBLE, it's just that going backwards through time essentially destroys the soul/spirit/whatever, EXCEPT, of course, that when Caleb does it, he has a BONUS SOUL coming along for the ride, and it's basically enough for Molly to get through more or less intact?'

And then the Moonweaver is like 'fuck, you are my Most Troublesome Worshipper, what am I going to do with you?' and Molly is, you know, themself, so the Moonweaver, also being a goddess of lovers trysts, nudges things until Lucien ends up with twin baby brothers (Molly and Kingsley are both Aspects of the same being, and thus inextricably linked, so bits and pieces of Kingsley got dragged along for the ride, only not enough for him to have more than Weird Instincts) and a bonus Moonweaver Cleric mum.

Was this an excuse to write canon!verse Tealeaf triplets? Yes. Yes it was.

Did it turn into a Ridiculous Epic Saga of the Tea Leaves (Molly, Kingsley, Caduceus, Keg, and Ophelia Mardun) treking across all of Wildmount trying to save people from the future and stumbling into messes along the way? Yes. Yes it did.

Did I actually manage to write any of the actual story? No. I wrote backstory instead, and ended up mostly writing about the adventures of two separate Parent Squads that are probably... 40-60% OCs? doing a tiny little Molly's bidding. It very much became a And You Get A Parent And You Get A Parent And You Get Three Parents story.

I have Such Plans for this AU (including, importantly, a Shadowidomauk endgame), but, alas, actually writing it is proving... difficult.

One more for luck?

Hmm... I have Ideas for a Peaky Blinders AU based on my Little Sallyanne fic? It's not very well fleshed out yet, but it definitely results in Sally murdering the shit out of her brother's terrible wife, adopting her nibling, and going on to severely fuck up nazis when WWII rolls around.

This one is Percolating, and I'm really not sure what I want to do with it, exactly. Just general Vibes of Tommy being the feral gremlin mentor to my beloved feral gremlin child. (Also, Sally getting semi-adopted by Alfie Solomons, maybe, because here's this child going around claiming to be Jewish when she's not, and Alfie's like 'no, either you fucking Stop That, or you commit to the fucking bit' and Sally's like '-starry eyes- Okay Dad'. I would have to do a lot of research to do this justice because I'm aware that I don't know enough to know how to write this properly ^^" Basically, I just want everyone adopting her like a starving feral cat who will absolutely bite the hand that feeds her)

Technically, I think you can say that things like Never Simple, Not All Who Wander, and the various other unfinished things on my writing blog are all on a backburner right now? As well as the next instalments in my Somewhere Just Beyond My Reach and Gramarye and Trapped In The Amber series also count. I am Thinking About Them a lot, but there's either not enough for me to get my teeth stuck into, or my teeth are stuck and I can't chew on them properly =P

[olenvasynyt]

Rules: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Thank you for tagging me, @zenkindoflove!

This is kind of hard because I have multiple WIPs but my Lucien backstory fic is literally enormous. So I'll split it into two sections:

Chapters from A Court of Embers and Sunlight:

The Cinnamon Lark (Lucien needs to find an inn to stay in. Jesminda gives him some suggestions)

Burning Skin (Eris gets drunk during his birthday party)

Crystal Sarongs (Lucien visits the Summer Court beaches)

Inventing New Colors (Jesminda invites Lucien over for dinner)

Sunlight In A Vase (Lucien gets a bouquet of sunflowers for LoA)

Splinters of Memory (Lucien witnesses an execution)

Fitting For Wings (Lucien and Jesminda visit a seamstress)

Smaller WIPs (though some are still about Lucien pre-ACOTAR lmao):

Remembering the Smell of Rotting Apples (Lucien and Feyre reconcile. Feyre actually feels guilty and apologizes for how she treats Lucien? Omg amazing. Also Lucien backstory angst)

Let Me See Her (Lucien is newly made an emissary to the Spring Court, and he has to sort out a trade dispute with Autumn. Oops, more backstory angst + mommy issues)

Ruhn Danaan Loves Shibari (two-shot Ruhn x Lidia fic. Smut with no plot. YES LIDIA DOES TIE HIM UP AND FLOG HIM BUT HE LIKES IT! I started this wayyyyy before CC3 came out, okay??? He also ties Lidia up so it evens out)

Mor's Bleeding (Mor gets her first bleeding and is desperate to get out of her betrothal with Eris Vanserra)

The Burning Oak Tree (also a chapter in my Lucien backstory fic. Eris as an Autumn Court general during the Human War)

No pressure tag: @works-of-heart, @starborn15 , @starsreminisce , @crazy-ache

[the-genesis-caveat]

Thanks for all the asks!! :D

Now it's my turn. Rant to me about your OCs. Do you have any favorites? Gimme some background info. I wanna know all the things. And definitely don't be afraid to make your answer post as ridiculously long as mine was lol

Ok so. Slight story context cause all my ocs end up in the same world one way or another. There is a place called Creaturae, a nexus of all worlds known as the End of all Stories. Every story ever conceived of ends up here when it's finished (or abandoned). That usually means locations, magic systems, artifacts, etc, but every so often people will show up as well. Creaturae also has Rifts that connect it to whatever other worlds are closest at any given time (this changes according to my whims).

The tag '#creaturae' has a shitton of content under it about the world and a fair number of the main characters but I'll run through some of them here for ya!

A few of my ocs were born in Creaturae, a few came from other worlds appearing there after their stories ended or they died, and some have unclear origins. Everyone listed here is an oc altho due to the nature of Creaturae the story I'm actually writing down atm is basically a somewhere else tma fanfic.

The main pov characters are known as the castle crew and live at the Castle, a hub for the universe spanning organization TAHVA who are tasked with Creaturae's protection.

Rev is a dragonling, a species that falls under the half dragon umbrella and evolved from interbreeding of many species such as dragonborns and actual half-dragons that ended up on Creaturae. They are the head of TAHVA and are skilled at almost every learnable magic that exists (which is a lot). They're also responsible for forming the main planet which is also called Creaturae.

Iden has been a friend of Rev's since they were children. He started out as an avian (humanoid with bird wings) but interaction with deep Creaturae magic and the creation power he gained from a magic pencil (its. A long story) resulting in a passive shapeshifting. He now has features of many animals including the legs of a goat, feline esqe ears and tail, and tusks like a boar's.

Jay is what's referred to as a ghost- that is, she appeared on Creaturae after dying as the end of her story. She's from a story I'm cowriting called the Coalition Files that exists in a multiverse called Deviantverse. Deviants are similar to mutants in superhero media, born with superpowers as part of their DNA. She has the wings of a great horned owl as well as ear feathers and hollow bones, but her main power is ice manipulation. Since her many adventures on Creaturae she's also become a death-god (complicated but I've explained them somewhere before).

Adrian and Lucien are Jay's husbands who also come from the same story. They're less important to Creaturae's story which is good for them because it means they mostly get to chill in New Coma City, the city that resides on the same island as the Castle.

Mixtape started out as a self insert, like a few other of my ocs, but like them has since gained a backstory tied to their world. They lose their memory to a wizard's curse and now live at the Castle. They started out looking human but now have a monkey tail and a few other animalistic features.

Synth is Mixtape's bodyguard, whose origins are as wacky as they are complicated. His appearance is that of a monkie demon and he was created from deep Creaturae magic.

McKenzie is a half enderman and a good friend of Mixtape. They travel the world collecting stories and ensuring that no story that ends up in Creaturae is ever forgotten. They're not the only story collector, but there aren't many, despite the importance of their job.

Rupee is... Complicated. His physical body was created for him by Iden and resembles an avian with a felines legs, tail, and ears. His... Species you could say... Don't have physical bodies of their own. They exist by possessing the ones who summoned them. They are called different things in different translations of the ancient texts that speak of them: red kings, blood kings, sometimes blood gods. They're an interdimensional species, and between summonings exist in a limbo like state between worlds. Rupee doesn't remember much from before Iden summoned him.

Verne is one of the few on Creaturae who looks fully human. He's an oc from a Scythe trilogy fanfic I abandoned, and as his story never really existed he arrived on Creaturae with few memories of his life before. He's driven by the desire to be important and remembered, and that drive got him jumping up the ranks in TAHVA until he became Rev's personal assistant after less than a year working at the Castle.

This isn't all of the castle crew and there's a loooot of Creaturae lore I didn't even touch in this post, but a lot of the intro stuff are things I've talked about on here before! If you have any specific questions I'd love to answer them, and if you're curious about the world and characters in general feel free to check out the #creaturae tag on my blog!!

[mama-ivy]

This little idea has been brewing for a bit. About a month ago, browsing through some fanfics I found this on the page of one of my faves, @reallyrallyauthor. I love Oscar Isaac, I do. But the whole idea of Gabriel fascinated me. How dare he be so adorably lethal.

So here (unbeta'd) is how I imagine his backstory to go.

And if you're in need of some good reads, check out Rally's masterlist.

Gabriel’s older brothers liked to hunt. They were good at it. All five of them.

Gabriel was good at hunting too, but he didn’t like it as much. It was boring.

Their father took them hunting quite a bit. Most of their grocery cabinet was wild game that he would clean for his mother to cook. Gabriel always brought a book with him on these trips. He would find his target early in the morning, kill it, and then settle down in the tent for the rest of the day to read. He like biographies. Of true crime.

His brothers liked to tease him about the books, but Gabriel didn’t care. Hunting was boring. Using a firearm to kill an innocent animal that couldn’t even defend itself was definitely not the challenge that he sought. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that the only reason he perfected his aim was so that he could make his kill early and impress his father enough that he could hide and read for the remainder of the day. Gabriel much preferred the cleaning part of the hunt. He liked the way the knife would slice cleanly and precisely. He liked the glint of the metal and the weight of the hilt in his palm. He liked the scritch noise he could make with the sharpening stone. He liked to try and skin the animal without tearing or slicing the pelt.

Gabriel imagined that if his father let him hunt with a blade, then he wouldn’t need the books. Or the shooting lessons.

When Gabriel was nine, his father died. Officially, it was called a “hunting accident”. Gabriel, being the youngest, and most expendable as far as the household was concerned, was shipped away to school where he was quickly reminded that as boring as he thought hunting was, school was far worse. He blew threw his lessons and spent all his free time at the nearby butchers where he pretended to apprentice. Really he was just honing his knife skills.

During his boss’ smoke breaks, Gabriel would go out back and throw knives at a makeshift target. That is where Lucien found him. Throwing knives at a painted pallet.

“You’re very good at that.”

Gabriel looked up momentarily at the fancy man. “Yeah.”

“What do you do for a living that you are so good at knives?”

Gabriel stopped and looked at the man. He was kidding, right? He had to be.  “I’m in between jobs right now.”

“Do you want to work for me?”

Gabriel stared blank faced for a moment trying to figure out his next move. Surely this man understood that he was a kid. This had to be a trap of some kind. “What would I be doing?”

“Throwing knives. At things that are not wooden.” The man waved his hand toward the pallet propped up against the fence. “And getting me things.”

“Things?”

“You know, things. People. Information. Weapons.”

If this conversation had started out as a joke, Gabriel no longer thought it was funny. “I’m supposed to be starting on the hog inside.”

“I mean, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, but you wouldn’t have to smell like old meat.”

“Where would I be staying?”

“I guess you could crash with me until you find a place of your own.” The man put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels a couple of times. “But not for long. My girlfriend gets loud.”

“Hm.” Gabriel nodded like he was completely aware of this strange man’s girlfriend and her sexual preferences. “How much?”

“Enough. We’ll talk about that later. Discussions of money make me agitated.”

Gabriel thought about his school that he hated, the butcher that he hated, the family that hated him. “Yeah, ok.”

[voidendron]

Our Little Captain

Star Wars: The Old Republic Words: 1′285

(( this is Soft and i’m gonna cry I love them so much k thx bye ))

Warnings: None Characters: Jendrush Sept (Voidhound), Milthe & Forah Sept (Cathar, Jen’s siblings), Tetriza & Lucien Sept (Cathar, Jen’s parents), K’hedif (Smuggler - Sith Pureblood), Jeva Toklar (Smuggler - Human/Zabrak)

The pitter-pattering of tiny, bare feet ran through the Star Hopper, circling and circling and circling the ship while the triplets laughed and hollered and got underfoot of the crew. When one of them fell, the other two weren’t long to trip over the body under their feet so they became a tangle of limbs and thrashing tails and giggles.

They startled the Nikto engineer and left the Twi’lek medic cursing when she tripped over them to drop her supplies; bottles and wraps scattered on the floor around her feet. The siblings only glanced at each other, then at her, then bolted for the opposite side of the ship while she muttered profanities in Ryl.

“Whoa, there! C’mere.”

Jen’s feet left the ground as he was scooped up from behind, along with his siblings. Forah, his brother, was being held by their mother and his eyes were wide with surprise as his tail lashed and feet kicked out in a poor attempt to reach the floor.

“We’re just playing,” Milthe pouted from where she was held in their father’s arm; Jen was in the other.

Their mother laughed. It was a rich, purring, happy sound that made Jen smile wide. “Yes, yes. But you are also a tripping hazard.”

Forah stuck his tongue out and swished his tail to the side. “We weren’t hurting nothin’. Hes’entia’s just grumpy.”

“Hes’entia also makes sure we all stay healthy.”

“Riza?” their mother’s name was Tetriza, but their father—Lucien—always called her Riza. It was a pretty name, Jen thought. “Did you want to do the thing?”

The children all giggled when Riza bopped them each on the nose.

“Da!” Milthe craned her neck to look up at him. “What thing?”

The three were set back on the floor, and Lucien pointed toward the cockpit. “Piloting lessons!” He always scowled—he couldn’t help it!—but with those words came a wide smile that bared his metal fang that glinted under the Star Hopper’s dim lighting.

Jen grinned as he and his siblings exchanged a look, then they took off. It turned into a race—first one there got the captain’s chair!—and they tugged at each other’s shirts and tails and were left tripping over one another. Their mother’s “Careful!” went practically unheard, and Jen whooped when he was the first to climb into what was usually Riza’s seat.

“Jen! Not fair!” Milthe pouted. “You pushed me!”

“Yeah, and you pulled my tail! We’re even.” He put his hands on his hips and stood proudly in the chair that was way too big for him while his sister glared at him; Forah was too busy laughing to care that he hadn’t won.

If Jen was to sit down, he wouldn’t even be able to see over the console. Not that he cared—he’d won! When their parents made it into the cockpit at their far more relaxed pace, they were both laughing as Jen tried to look over the controls to see the space beyond their ship.

Lucien took the other two to show them how to run the controls he usually took charge of, while Riza leaned over the back of Jen’s chair. With one clawed finger, she tapped at one of the screens in front of him. “This is your fuel gauge. Always make sure to watch it.”

“’Cause I wouldn’t wanna be stranded in space!”

“Mhm. And here’s where you program the navicomputer.” When she activated it, it came to life with a map of the galaxy. The planets the Star Hopper had visited in her lifetime glowed slightly; there were so many! “It’s a little complicated for you, yet.”

“It’s for your…uh, des…desi…”

“Destinations, yes,” she chuckled, ruffling his hair to bring a giggle out of him. “Here’s where your light and sublight engines are controlled. You have to be very careful with them. Hopper’s old, so she doesn’t like when inputs are done wrong.”

Jen grinned and shuffled his feet on the chair. “Can I steer? Please, Ma?”

Riza took his hands—his tiny hands that fit so easily within hers—and guided them to the steering mechanism. There were grooves worn into it that fit her hands, but it would be a long time before they’d fit Jen’s. “She’s touchy, so be—” The ship jolted before Riza could steady it again. “Be gentle. Like with Itty’s tools.”

“Oh. Oops.”

But she was still smiling. Smiling, all the way up to her eyes, as she helped Jen guide the ship around empty space.

“Look at our little captain!” Lucien purred when he glanced over. Milthe was standing on his lap, studying the console in front of her, while Forah kept trying to flip random switches.

Riza ran her hand through Milthe’s, then Forah’s, wild hair, then leaned down to kiss the top of Jen’s head. “Our little captains.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

His fingers fit almost perfectly into the grooves that had worn themselves into the Star Hopper’s steering mechanism. His ears twitched to the sound of footsteps throughout the ship, to the squeaking of the chair Corso often claimed, to the clicking of switches as they jumped to hyperspace. The murmur of voices drifted from the kitchen; there was laughter, exasperated sighs, Bowdaar growling something he couldn’t quite make out.

“Where we headed, Captain?”

“Nar Shaddaa. Crew deserves some fun for a while, eh?”

“Not gonna blow up a Hutt this time, are ya?”

Jen snorted at that. “Eh. No promises.”

There was a horrified “No! What did you do?!” from somewhere in the ship, followed by cackling and the tromping of boots as the perpetrator (Jeva. it was totally Jeva) fled the scene of an upset Bothan whose hair was probably some crazy color, now. Oh, he wasn’t gonna let them touch his hair for weeks now.

Jen could only snort and shake his head. Well, Jeva had said they were gonna do it. He should’ve believed them; now he owed Risha some credits.

Heavy footsteps came up behind them, and both Jen and Corso swiveled their chairs to be met by K’hedif standing in the doorway. “Corso? Guss is looking for you.”

“Why? What’s he want?”

The Pureblood only shrugged before pointing a thumb over his shoulder. “In the kitchen with the others.”

When the Human left, Kitty grinned as he leaned down to kiss Jen on the nose; he only got a curious look in return. “Guss doesn’t actually need him, does he?”

“Nope.”

Jen grinned. “So you just wanted me alone?”

“Actually—”

“Jen? Jen! Jen, Jen!” Jeva came sprinting into the room, apparently breathless after running away from their little prank on Baesk. Their horns had been repainted again—yellow, with little flowers this time. They were practically bouncing on their toes! “Dad said you could teach me to pilot! Please?”

He gave Kitty a look with that, but then grinned the sort of grin that bared his fangs and had the other two laughing. “Sure, kid. C’mon.”

They were in the seat almost before Jen had even stood up all the way. He moved behind the chair, leaning on it with one hand while the other reached over Jeva’s shoulder to start pointing out all the important controls. Behind him, he could hear K’hedif recording and threw a flashy grin over his shoulder at his boyfriend.

Jeva wasn’t little—not anymore, not like they were when Jen first met them and their sister when Kitty first joined the crew—but when Jen took their hands to guide them into properly steering the Star Hopper, they fit easily within his own.

“She’s touchy, so be gentle.”

“Got it!”

“Hey, good job! We’ll make a captain outta you, yet! Okay, now…”

[mrlove-loveme]

Coming soon...

MLQC: KPOP AU!

Group name: Evol

Origin: Seoul, South Korea

Genres: Kpop, Ballets

Lables: B.S. Entertainment

Members: Lucien, Gavin, Kiro, Victor

Manager: MC

Fandom Name: Evolvers

Offical Fan Color: Purple

Introduction chant: "Let us be your choice, queen's choice!! Hello, we are Evol!"

[flowerflamestars]

I'm a extremly casual fan of Acotar and never even read any book of SJM before, but I really love your fanfic AU's, they're fantastic and even the little snippets are really interesting. I didn't think I would warm up to Eris but your version of him as a complex character is compelling :)

Also, IC trashing? Gwyn Backstory!? Emerie's wings getting healed?? more Neris??? i'm so excited omg

Thank you for reading!! My version of Eris is definitely, definitely not canon Eris- which makes most of the fun!

tbh I am SO excited also! The story really picks up once the Valkyries come into play for several reasons- Gwyn backstory!! Eris and Jurian teaming up to heal Emeries wings! Nesta...finding it much, much more difficult to straight up ignore her Very Obviously Happening feelings when they are a) happening in front of her friends who Know Her and b) one of said friends is at any given point roasting her for them

Also just like, Gywn being SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS a Vanserra (we all saw it coming) causes very important emotional interplay for Neris.

Eris is such a nightmare who is actively going So Hard for both the shreds of family he has who aren't evil and for his wife. The reveal hurts him on a level that doesn't reach Lucien- but Nesta gets it. Nesta, the sense of failure and responsiblity, the burning desire to stop more harm- Nesta sees it.

Him.

And then we slam straight from romance and plotting to beginning the Bad Man Death toll!