@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialLu's gone from having his clothes made by royal tailors, to buying second hand, to affording court-level clothes on his own, to wearing whatever Sol would allow him to, to bare-minimum needs in the army.
He misses having comfortable shoes more than anything. ⬇️
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialThis is part of Sid's backstory and I doubt it will make it into the main series, though I'd like to put it online somewhere at least. It was too damn fun to write to not have *somewhere* to share it.
CW: murder mentioned, dead body
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialI have something more sinister than spooky.
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialThe scene where Lu explains the meaning of his family's names to Sorrel and they talk about the future 🥰
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialBefore the story begins and at several points in the past storyline, Stella is having the most fun. She's untouchable as the Queen's mistress and is getting away with *a lot* that should have had her publicly executed.
In the present she's actually one of the ⬇️
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialEven though he's the youngest of the group, Lu's siblings and his boyfriend Sorrel often compare themselves to him. He's been through hell but is still warm and kind and wants to see the best in people.
Lu sees all the positive traits of his siblings and feels ⬇️
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialJohn and Briar!! I'm working on eventually getting them a story!
Briar is a shapeshifter, but she is always solid black with only her eyes and mouth/teeth showing as white.
John is just a normal human lol
Briar is Chaotic Neutral to Johns Lawful Good
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialA quick scene where Stella makes a short, but very unwelcome appearance.
CW: Body shaming, transphobia
Lu's convinced his sister Nebula to switch clothes with him at a ball so he can secretly dance with Sorrel. (They look very similar, it's a good plan.)
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialFor "coming out day" the only real "coming out" scenario I have in #VeilOfStarlight At least so far
Lu's gender-fluid, but early in their relationship Sorrel doesn't know that yet. Not from Lu hiding it, Sorrel just hasn't seen him be feminine yet
It goes better than Lu expected.
(context in alt)
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialAmong the MC's (Lu, Sorrel, and Lu's siblings) they would break just about any promise or oath to protect or save each other.
Nebula and Lu are the most level-headed of the group and have talked the others down from doing something with ⬇️
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialI was surprised I had this one, I thought I'd have to go with "family"
Lu asked Sorrel if he liked being around him for more than just sneaking around.
"If I didn't like you, I wouldn't want to do any of this with you."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialLu gave Sorrel a matching necklace that has a pendant with the symbol for the goddess of love, family, and fertility. Lu left his behind when he ran away, but Sorrel kept them both. He wears the one Lu gave him all the time.
It's something like this, more in alt
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialNSFW inferred here, but nothing remotely explicit.
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialMost accurate aim goes to Lux(one of Lu's sisters)she doesn't miss in spite of being mostly blind in her right eye
Most accurate with any blade would be Sol
Most accurate insults/comebacks is Lu. He rarely gets upset enough to hurt with words, but when he does😬
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialI have *ZERO* uses of "helper" so I went with "assistant"
Very mildly NSFW joke? If you squint.
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialTorn between something cute and something sad. So I did both
1.) Lu made a deal with Nebula to switch clothes at a ball so he can sneak a dance with Sorrel and Lu's showing her his handiwork with her makeup
2.) Sid sees his reflection after a *long* time
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialOh jeeze I haven't really *mapped* constellations yet but Lu and his siblings (and Stella) are all named after stars/constellations that match their flame colors
There's a really soft scene where Lu and Sorrel are stargazing and he points out two of his sisters stars. ⬇️
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialLu's scariest moments are ones he doesn't really remember. Considering what he's gone through as a young adult and what he feels from flashbacks is so much worse, he never wants to truly know what made him so scared.
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialSid gets a view outside of the prison he's been in for an unknown amount of time. Winters in Atoria are longer and colder than he's used to, and if you go far enough north the winter never ends. At least if what Lu said about the isolated, war-mongering country is correct
@rhysackhurst.bsky.socialWith the main antagonists Stella, Sol, and Gabriel, they struggle with how isolated they feel from everyone else.
They have different reasons for ending up so distant from any real connections. It didn't start intentionally, but they did nothing to fix it either