A final piece that was planned for Nesta Week -- This was originally planned for Free Day.
Sorry not sorry about the angst.
---
"I've turned it over in my mind again and again," Nesta said, and looking at her now he saw the glassiness of her eyes. The faraway look that indicated some sort of shock. "It must have been about equality, right? I'm your mate, I'm expected to be equal to you."
Cassian's mouth fell open, and he looked helplessly at Azriel who, despite all his efforts at constant stoicism, appeared nothing short of stricken.
"I know it must be a disappointment that I did not make Carynthian."
"Nesta," His brother began, his voice strained. "Do you think we put you in that Rite?"
His mate finally lifted her gaze, settling her unfocused eyes on the shadowsinger without any real heat in them.
"Didn't you?"
---
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For sapphic drabbles, Random number gave me 19: beneath.
For the pairing, let's go Nesta/Clare.
Yes, love this! Fair warning, it turns sad by the end... I hope you enjoy! Written for @sjmsapphic Day Two: maiden, mother, crone | touch | red string of fate
āāāāā
The willow keeps their secrets.
Thatās what Clare always says, ducking beneath the trailing curtain of green leaves, pulling Nesta after her by the hand. No one will find us here. She's right. The branches are thick, falling down and brushing the grass, sealing them into a green-hued, quiet world that belongs only to them. The river babbles somewhere beyond the green curtain, signaling life continuing without them. Nesta has stopped caring about the outside world. This, right here, is all she needs.
Theyāve been coming here for two summers now, ever since Clare first pulled her through the branches and they sat in the green, sun-dappled grass, talking for so long they lost track of the afternoon. Since then theyāve claimed this space. They keep a blanket folded in the crook of the roots, together with a small stack of books and little notes they write each other.
They come here as often as they can. After lessons during which Nestaās mother has been extra cruel. After market days. After Nestaās father says something that sits wrong and she needs to get it off her chest. Clare always comes.
Today, theyāre lying in the grass, their shoulders touching, watching the light move through the branches. Itās peaceful. Thereās nowhere else they need to be.
Clare turns onto her side. She watches Nesta for a second, and she can feel the gaze like a brand. Nesta turns towards Clare at the same time she touches Nestaās face, her fingertips tracing the sweep of her cheekbone, unhurried, like sheās confirming something by touch that she already knows by sight. Nesta freezes, holding her breath. Clare tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, letting her fingers trail down the curve of it. Nesta feels that small touch everywhere.
āClareāā
āShh.ā Her thumb moves to Nestaās jaw, tilting her face up slightly toward the light as if to study her. Then her fingers drift down to the soft skin of her throat and rest there, feeling her pulse. Nesta wonders if Clare can tell itās speeding up in anticipation.
She probably can.
Her hand moves lower, to the center of her sternum, and she presses her palm there, warm skin against flushed skin, like sheās steadying her.
She can definitely tell.
Nesta exhales slowly, trying to steady her racing heart. Clareās fingers come back up, tracing her bottom lip in a feather-light touch. Nesta parts her lips, a soft sound escaping them.
Something pulls in Nesta's chest, something enormous and frightening and entirely inevitable. She closes the distance herself, surging up into Clareās arms.
Clare makes a soft sound when their mouths meet, her hand sliding into Nestaās hair. She kisses her back deeply, slowly, with a tenderness so sincere that Nesta doesn't know what to do with it. She has never been kissed like this. Like sheās something deserving of love. Itās nothing like she thought it would be. She used to think sheād know what to do, but she doesnāt. She only knows she doesnāt want this feeling to stop, ever.
When they finally pull apart, gasping for air, Clare is smiling, her eyes still closed.
"Finally," she whispers.
*****
Nesta wakes to the grey morning light, greeted by her own, cracked ceiling, lying in her own cold bed.
The dream dissolves quickly, like water slipping through her fingers. Clare's face goes blurry, then her voice goes distant. The phantom warmth leaves her last. Nesta lies still and tries to hold on as long as she can, sighing deeply, feeling tears trickling down her cheeks when the feeling inevitably leaves her.
Clare Beddor has been dead for two years.
The willow is probably still there, its branches long and thick with green leaves, their blanket tucked between the roots, their notes probably falling apart from the effects of time and the weather. Itāll still be there, their private little world, keeping secrets for all eternity.
i wish there was a way to say "you're right, but this is really ineffective and even counterproductive messaging to anyone who doesn't already agree with you" without sounding like an asshole
As everyone may or may not know, @theladyofbloodshed sadly took a step back this year after having run Neris Week for several years. We've got some huge shoes to fill, but this year's team has already been hard at work to transition this event week into something really special across not just Tumblr, but also Instagram and Reddit!
Without further ado, and in alphabetical order, please welcome this year's mod team! behind the cut!
Hi hiii, I'm ebbie (or briar). Iāve been in the fandom just under two years now but it quickly took root in my life.
I shipped Neris in SF, but you bet I was side-eying that scene in WAR when Nesta stands up to Beron and the other High Lords. Their dance scene was the first time I felt like I saw Nesta. She felt more at ease in that scene than in any other to me. Neris just gives me the vibe that Eris would marvel in her destruction, and truly embrace her for who (and what) she is.
I just recently started writing fanfic so I donāt have anything to show for Neris myself (yet), but A Court of Tangled Flames (classic) & No One Likes a Mad Woman(!!!) are the first two Neris fics that I read and only fueled my love for them more. There are so many different ways their story could play out and all are as equally beautiful and delicious (yes, I want max drama and angst, otherwise whatāre we doing here, y'all?).
Iām super excited to be part of this yearās appreciation week and I canāt wait for all the wonderful art and stories to come! ā¤ļøāš„
You may know me as Hope Iochi on Tumblr or Zealousideal-Can-403 on Reddit. I've been in this fandom for more than a year, though I read the books during the pandemic.
I don't remember how I came to read my first Neris fic, but it converted me. I do remember, for sure, that I devoured one fic after another: "A Court of Flames and Forgiveness" by mytearsricochet89, "A Court of Tangled Flames" by Theladyofbloodshed and "A Court of Unforged Hearts" by limeandorange (with whom I now have the pleasure to work) & MissMandy. My obsession with this ship only grew, and I discovered many more talented writers and artists. Every Neris fic I've read has fixed something I didn't even know was broken by the canon, every art piece I've seen brightened my day and filled my heart with warmth. I want to say thank you to everyone who has materialised their love for Neris into something beautiful.
This is what inspired me to help the community by being a mod for #nerisweek2026. Even if it is my first involvement in such a big fandom event, I hope that together with this year's team, we'll do a good job.
I have been somewhat in fandom 2 years now, and let me just say I was basically lost to Neris before Nesta and Eris had even properly interacted. Every single Eris scene in SF had me sitting there like: āThis HAS to be leading somewhere, right?ā
The flames, the sharp attitudes, the eldest child issues, the emotional repression, the fact they would absolutely combust if trapped in the same room togetherā¦ and then the dance scene happened and I was gone, fully claimed by Neris Nation, no recovery possible. Naturally, the second I finished the books, I immediately started writing my fanfic "A Court of Unforged Hearts", and that story is still my baby to this day!
Some fun facts about me:
Limes are rich in vitamin C and honestly deserve more appreciation for their immune system contributions.
Oranges are great for hydration and potassium, which means together lime and orange are basically the power couple of citrus.
Citrus fruits can help with iron absorption which feels useful for surviving both life and Neris angst.
I have spent an unreasonable amount of time thinking about fictional faeries and also citrus fruits.
I joined the ACOTAR fandom in December of 2024 after mainlining the first book over the course of 3 days. I initially fell head-over-heels for Elucien (and am still a still a huge fan of that ship); Neris was a complete accident! I fell down the rabbithole by reading through @separatist-apologist's entire fic library, and No One Likes A Mad Woman grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and never let go. My love for Neris has only grown from there.
I've since written a few fics of my own featuring those two: "You've Got Mail (Neris' version)" (the first half is co-written; in progress) and "We Both Go Down Together" (complete, though the series it's part of is ongoing). I cannot fully express how thrilled I was to jump into Neris Week this year, and this year's team is seriously one of the most motivated and easy to work with groups I've worked with!
Outside of the internet, I'm a west coast working mom with too many hobbies that range from collecting plants, knitting, D&D, foraging, reading, writing, and both digital and traditional art. Fun fact: I've also written a fair amount of Forgotten Realms fanfic over the years, and have co-written several little 5e supplement books one can find on DMsGuild!
I just know we're all gonna have a great time this year. Let's go Neris nation! š
Hi, Iām PinkFuneral!
I joined the fandom in 2023 and shipped Neris when I read Silver Flames. I was so disappointed Nesta didnāt accept Erisā proposal, because they had so much chemistry and heat during the dance scene. It wasnāt until I started talking to other fans on Reddit that I realized I wasnāt the only one with this opinion.
I like to explore various ships when writing to see what I can come up with. Iāve written Morlain, Gwynlain, Jassa, Azris, and Tamris, as well as several Elucien fics. Iām currently working on my first Neris fic.
In real life, Iām a mom in the Midwestern US that likes to read, write, and garden. I have a no-lawn yard full of native flowers and plants, and I love to document whatās growing every week through pictures and drawings. š¼
Hi, Iām teethmissing, or you can just call me teeth!
Iāve been in the fandom since 2021, but wasnāt super active until 2025. Iāve loved Nesta from the very beginning, and after Silver Flames, I just felt myself wanting more to her story. Thatās how I stumbled upon Neris fanfiction, and my addiction started there. Iāve probably devoured every fanfic thatās been publicly shared, which inspired me to start writing my own.
Iām extremely excited to be a part of the team for this yearās Neris week! I hope youāll join us in celebrating what would be Prythianās Hottest Power Couple.
I hope you've enjoyed getting to meet us - come say hi in the comments! Finally, we'll see you next week, when we announce this year's prompts!
I don't know if any of y'all have seen the unofficial acotar musical that pixelplayhouse has been developing over the last 6 months or so, but they released a Rhysand song from his bargain with Feyre under the mountain a couple weeks ago and it just goes to show that any adaptation these books get are going to completely miss what sjm actually wrote and later swept under the rug.
First: The artwork accompanying the songs do lot trying to make the whole situation better than it was.
This is supposed to be when Rhysand makes a bargain with Feyre. They've portrayed him standing a respectable distance away, noticeably NOT twisting the bone sticking out of her arm.
Next the dress. So much for 2 panels of sheer fabric and a belt. I get that YT won't allow nudity, but this is just a dress.
Furthermore, some lyrics and the picture fails to take into account the fact that Rhys forcibly drugged her with faerie wine. One line says something like, "don't keep your goblet full" but the fact that he forced her to drink is essentially nonexistent.
And then this is how they decide to portray the dancing. I guess if this is how everyone in the pro crowd sees it, i get why they'd want to excuse Rhys for everything, but when Lucien comes to see Feyre after Rhysand trots her out the first time, we get on page confirmation that the dancing was not wholesome:
Again: I get that some stuff can't be shown on sites like YT, but to utterly take the teeth out of these scenes is a disservice to what was written
Overall, the lyrics are pretty close to the book, but they threw in this line to absolve Rhysand of forcing Feyre to do anything and making it look like she just played along for...no reason? I guess?
I guess I figured they'd do something like this, but it was still disappointing to see
Honestly itās kind of disgusting to downplay what really happened. Feyre was basically naked in front of that crowd each night and was sexualized against her will while drunk to the point that there are gaps in memory.
Even if you want to look at it as SJMās attempt at a degradation kink or some kind of slave kink, pretending she was in a modest dress dancing normally is just deceitful.
If people have to hide what happened to make Rhysand look good and absolve him of guilt even in fanwork, it just makes it seem like people are in denial. If what he did wasnāt as bad like people love to say, why not portray it exactly like the book, word for word following the descriptions? Why not show the dress is sheer even if you canāt show her privates fully? Why not show that sheās dancing between his legs in what is implied to be a lap dance? Why not show him holding her arm with the bone sticking out? How he twisted it before nearly walking away, putting her in more pain to coerce her into accepting the bargain? If itās not that bad, show it for what it is.
Even if people like Rhysand, accept what he did in canon. Accept his actions were twisted and fucked up. Especially in this particular moment.
While I prefer acotar book one Rhys Iām also not saying I condone SA, more like letās not try to act like itās something else which is exemplified here and all over acomaf treating him as some poor sacrificial lamb do gooder ugh anyways Iām convinced the adaption didnāt see the light of day because they were like ummm we kinda gotta admit some stuff here or we can change it and Sara was like omg no huge clash in ārepā and like whatās hot in her eyes
I thought I was over my Elain hating era but itās really only gotten worse. A vague scan over the books andā this post-cauldron scene pretty much exemplifies why I detest her.
āElain remained shuddering on the ground, Lucien's coat draped around her. She did not look at the Cauldron behind her, not as Nesta's thrashing feet slammed into the water.ā
Vs
ā,but she [Nesta] didn't pause, didn't halt. She was free-she was loose. She was on her feet, tripping over her slightly longer, leaner limbs, ripping the gag from her mouthāā
āElain's feet slipped against the floor, but Nesta gripped her upright, running her hands over Elain's face, her shoulders, her hairā "Elain, Elain, Elain," she sobbed.ā
Idgaf if she was fresh out the cauldron, both were yet only one gaf about the other and itās how itās always been. Soft wee baby or bad writing idc no one can make me like her. Everyone credits her for being pleasant when she fails both sisters constantly. Nesta coddles her my ass, sheās complacent in her role. Iāll say it once, Nestaās true penance is giving her all to such a crappy person.
nestaās role and how she was written from bryceās pov shows how powerful and good of a character she is. she is a main player and she is everything to me
snowghoul
jbbartram-illu
titsay
annaxmalina
vaporwave
pixelskylines
