Bay Alexison's findings

Marianne in neo-rococo style for FEArtScuffle <3

she was hoping for a normal beach day

in case the target wasn't obvious:

Complications and smaller problems are a natural consequence of your characters being characters and not just plot-executing automatons. If your characters feel too married to the plot to have non-plot wants and needs, it might be worth going into your mind-palace and asking them a few questions:

What do you do when nothing needs doing? How do you relax? CAN you relax?

How do you handle peace? Do you enjoy it? Do you trust it? Do you look for distractions, or for threats?

What would you be doing if the plot wasn't in the way? Have you ever really thought about it?

Now that things have slowed down a little, how do you feel about the stuff that just happened? Do you need to talk about it?

I'm the writer, so I know what's coming next, but you don't. What uncertainties are currently preying on your mind? Do you want to do anything to resolve them? How do you handle it if you can't?

What goals do you personally have that aren't shared with the rest of your crew? Do you have an opportunity to pursue that right now? Do you think anyone else in the crew might want to help you with that?

The camera mostly focuses on the important plot beats, but what do you do when the camera's off? What's your morning routine? What do you do for dinner? What does a Normal Day look like when the plot's not intruding?

After years of playing with the outline for this, I'm finally posting Chapter 1 of my Wyllstarion Regency AU!

Summary: Wyll Ravengard, the Blade of Frontiers, has returned to Baldur's Gate and his tales of adventure have taken the ton by storm. It's not a moment too soon, for the social climber Enver Gortash seems determined to persuade the city to turn over its defenses to his mysterious Steel Watch. Duke Ulder Ravengard needs his son's heroic reputation to make certain Gortash falls short of his goal.

Astarion Ancunin is the man hired to ruin that reputation.

Wyll can sense that Mr. Ancunin's motivations for seeking his company are not pure, but he cannot help being drawn to the handsome elf with the haunted eyes. And against every brutal lesson that the past two hundred years have taught him, the more time they spend together, the more Astarion finds himself believing that Mr. Ravengard might be that rarest of things: a good man. But does it matter, when Astarion's own future hangs in the balance?

tl;dr -- Regency fluff with secret plots, possible social scandal, at least one swordfight, and lots of magic. A vastly expanded version of a one-shot I wrote a few years back.