Yeah, I also missed Stef a bunch in this section! He is one of my favorites to write (maybe second only to Jisa). I need to sit down and put some thought into a subplot for him in the second half, so that he can get some more screentime. (I might be able to shoehorn another scene with him into this section, but he doesn't have that much to do with the current drama). Unfortunately it's still way too early for Van & Stef to end up together.

I do feel bad about how irksome I made Tantras ;P I think everyone who's a fan of him in canon is annoyed with me. I do hope to have him be less annoying going forward, as he reconciles with Van and works through some of his own issues.

Re: Van – somewhat to my surprise, I think this section was wildly positive for him overall? It's eased a lot of the strain between him and other characters, and he isn't going to be alone in figuring out what to do about Leareth. Things aren't going to be easy for Van & Yfandes, in terms of rebuilding their closeness, but I think maybe they can get back to a better place than before this happened.