Dear Yuletide... (2014 requests)
Thanks for signing up for yuletide! This year I'm asking for fics for books I loved and obsessed about, and I can honestly say I will be thrilled with whatever series you matched with me on since there's less than 20 fics for each of these. Any additional fic for any of these series would make my day.
For these book series, I would like fics that play within the canon settings/within the world rather than alternate universes. I haven't been reading much in the way of smut lately, so either gen or light romance (please nothing overly descriptive, no pwp, etc.). I love world-exploration (all of these books have really distinct settings), character expansion, and twists in perspective/unreliable narrators. I prefer first and third person POV, but if you have an idea that needs second person POV to work, I'm open to it. I'd like something that doesn't get too depressing and avoids character deaths (with certain series-specific exceptions described in optional details below).
If you have a good idea and want to tell me a story that isn't tailored to my requests, go for it because I'm desperate for more in all these worlds. That said, I know some people like a lot of detail from their prompts, so... optional details below.
Blossom Culp Series – Richard Peck
Characters: Alexander Armsworth and Blossom Culp
The Ghost Belonged to Me, Ghosts I Have Been, and Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death were all big influences on my reading tastes growing up. I remember not liking The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp, but I had the other three memorized.
I love Blossom's quirk and confidence, and I love her and Alexander together (friends are fine if you don't want to go a romantic route – what I love is their dynamic anyway I can get it). I'd like something with a twist of supernatural that fits into the time period they're in.
I have been on a nonfiction reading kick for a while, especially history, and I'd love to see some historical detail/ambiance thrown in. I would like something rooted in the time period - something with a sense of history that includes the little details. I'd like something set during Blossom's earlier life prior to the 1940s, because WWII just depresses the heck out of me. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if Alexander isn't send into the trenches of WWI, since that's nightmare fodder to me. I would like to see Alexander have grown up and come to some kind of mixed acceptance/resignation with his Sight, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get to be grumpy about it.
If you're looking for specific ideas:
*Blossom's mother dies (of something ridiculous because that's the way Blossom's life works). Just because she's dead and buried doesn't mean she's gone... this could be really humorous. Up to you if the Second Sight lets Alexander, Blossom or both have ongoing encounters with her. I imagine Madame Culp would make for a very different (and unwelcome) haunt.
*Same gist as above, but it's Old Man Leverette's ghost seeking revenge for the outhouse stunt.
*Blossom is “not sweet” on Alexander. Alexander becomes sweet first, resulting in a mishmash of courting disasters (most likely stemming from miscommunication and Blossom's misunderstanding of the situations). Bonus if Alexander has to ask Madame Culp for Blossom's hand (so, so many way things can go wrong).
*Epistolary fic tracing Blossom's career through different forms of communication (newspapers, letters, diaries, interview transcripts, magazines, telegraphs, posters, ads, etc.).
*Blossom vs. Harry Houdini, the famous skeptic. The time period is right for him to try to debunk her, especially after the press she received from the Titanic incident.
*Alexander and Blossom end up road-tripping in the 1920s and keep hitting haunted sites in America. Hijinks ensue. I can see Alexander being thrilled about driving since he loves cars, and they could be traveling for several good reasons (Prohibition springs to mind...).
Darkangel Trilogy – Meredith Ann Pierce
Characters: Irrylath and Aeriel
This trilogy is one of the most perfect fantasy series, and I wouldn't change a thing about the canon, although the ending of the series was majorly depressing and upset me terribly the first time I read it. The fact that Aeriel didn't get her prince bothered my teenage self, especially after everything she went through. However, the series was striking for that choice and I've never forgotten it and as an adult I've come to appreciate it more.
That said, I believe there is plenty of space in the world of fanfic for a “fix it” fic. If you're looking for specific prompts:
*I always want a happily-ever-after for Aeriel and Irrylath. This is what I would consider a “fix it” since what needed to be fixed for my shipper soul was their ending.
*There's a somewhat legendary interview with Pierce about how she would have liked to do a second trilogy with Irrylath. This Amazon review claims to have a transcript. While I can't verify the transcript validity, I would love to see anything this transcript mentions as Irrylath undergoes a hero's journey (preferably with a happy Aeriel/Irrylath ending spin on it).
*I am fond of Sabr, and while I don't ship Irrylath/Sabr, I would like to see her as an outsider perspective on Irrylath, Aeriel or Irrylath/Aeriel. I would like to see her as a character in her own right, but as part of Irrylath and Aeriel's world.
*There's some beautiful, very mythic images that create the world. I think of Aeriel spinning thread of her emotions for the brides to wear immediately, but the series is filled with this kind of thing (swapping hearts, the silver pin in Aeriel's head, the Pearl, the lons). Exploration of any of these (or creation of anything else that would fit into the world) would be welcome.
*I would be interested in seeing Aeriel/Irrylath become Aeriel/Irrylath/Erin. I've been thinking about it, and Erin is Aeriel's shadow and provides some perspective for Aeriel's unreasonable love (her reasons for falling so in love with Irrylath never really resonated with me because Irrylath was not kind to her, and the vampire was worse). I think that Irrylath winning Erin's love as well (a much more challenging prospect) could speak all kind of levels of balance for this relationship and maybe even make Aeriel/Irrylath functional.
*As Aeriel's gathering Ravenna's wisdom, how about her discovering how to bring others over into her form of immortality? I know Aeriel felt she had become a doll, but I would like to see Irrylath (and maybe Erin) offer to let her do this so she isn't alone forever. I think Irrylath making this choice could be very powerful, since he didn't choose to be a vampire, but choosing to give up his mortality and be altered for Aeriel's sake (since Aeriel doesn't have any choice now), would be fabulous.
*I'm fascinated by the creation of myth and legend, and the lines between truth and propaganda. I'd love an outsider piece about how Aeriel and Irrylath's story is passed down through the ages (since Aeriel was a singer, it would be interesting to see this worked in). Aeriel had some really bad rumors about her in the third book, so it could be interesting to see her image rehabilitated or further altered. Since Ravenna is gone, Aeriel should take that place in the culture, but it might not work out that way. Aeriel is going to be around for a long, long time, so she may eventually not even be able to recognize what happened in the stories that are told.
Talents Series – Anne McCaffrey
Character: Peter Reidinger
Telepathy, telekinesis, precognition... what's not to love? I love the whole idea of ESP becoming a recognized reality. My favorite book was Pegasus in Flight, although I liked most of the Tower and the Hive series until Lyon's Pride. I was not a fan of the Hivers, Mrdini culture, etc. since it took away from the ESP angles I liked so much.
I selected Peter because he's the obvious linking character between the Tower and the Hive and the Talents series. I'd like to see something that occurs in the bridge between the series, bringing the Pegasus books' world closer to what is seen in The Rowan. I did the math once, and it's a couple of centuries of time to account for (and all of the Reidinger Earth Primes must have had kids late and worked forever for the timeline to work).
Specific prompts:
*We know there's four Peter Reidingers. How about introducing them all and show the evolution of the Talent universe through them? For Peter IV to be the way he is, there has to have been a lot of modesty lost from the original. The Reidinger dynasty is fascinating since it would have lasted for centuries, and they're the default royalty of the Talents.
*Along those same lines, how about creating ties between Pegasus characters and the personnel of The Tower? Who was Afra Lyon related to? I'm pretty convinced the Rowan is somehow related to Daffyd op Owen and Rhyssa (that silver hair). How about a lost line of the Reidingers eventually founding the bird-clans of Deneb? Jeff Raven and Reidinger IV are very, very similar, and I would appreciate the irony of the Reidinger dynasty being “replaced” by one of their own.
*The Talent rating system and how it was developed could be interesting reading. We know that Peter was the first Prime, but how did they measure this? The Pegasus books mentions featherweights and hints at the internal divisions occurring, and the ratings seem to be taking shape by the end of Pegasus in Space. We know these divisions are really bad by the end of the Tower books, so I'd like to see its roots taking shape. Any of the canon Pegasus characters being involved would be great.
*I was a bit disappointed in Peter's having his spinal cord fixed and overcoming his quadriplegic status. I get what McCaffrey was trying to do, but I found his circumstances much more interesting when he was using his Talent to cope. An AU where he never regains use of his body could be interesting.
*One line that always struck with me was that the “Talents became incorruptible.” The Talents are such a monolith and spoken of as a singularity, when it's clear there's elements of dissent and there's many Talented people out there. These elements of dissent are dismissed as “evil” and “wrong” and there's some clear signs of manipulation of the weaker Talents by the stronger Talents. The idea of mind-burning offenders or shutting off their abilities strikes me as totalitarian. There's no place for dissent and no room for discussion on what is right. Earth Prime has all the power, and it's pretty much hereditary. Seeing the Talent verse with this perspective in mind could be intriguing.
*As I reread The Rowan and Damia, a part of me was horrified by the parenting techniques on a Talented child to make sure they turned out acceptably (and it was clear that “acceptably” was ready to work for FT&T only). Rowan's upbringing was a thing of horror. The idea of molding a child through telepathic prompts and constant evaluation for stability could be made very chilling. The part when Afra triggers an adult Damia's lullaby sleep command isn't cute when viewed from that perspective (and I loved Afra so much!). Again, this is one of the undertones of the series that could be exploited in fic.
*The idea of FT&T creeps me out a bit, too. At some point, this business took over the rule of the Talented. The Earth Prime appears to control everything, and has the power to imprison people without trial, mindburn offenders, and take control of people's lives. While some Talents work outside of the FT&T system, all Talents seem bound by the FT&T code. This is really interesting, especially since one of the stories in To Ride Pegasus was about winning the Talents legal protections to exercise their skills. There's a line or two about Jeff Raven dismissing the elected government's concerns (I think in Damia's Children, but could be wrong) by pointing out that they would have to breed their own Talents to replace the control his family has over FT&T which is surprisingly scary when you think on the fact that there doesn't seem to be any effective check and balance for FT&T.
Troubled Waters – Sharon Shinn
Characters: Zoe Ardelay and Darien Serlast
Sharon Shinn is an author I love, love, love. I've requested two of her series since I love her worlds so much.
What I like about Shinn's writing is the storytelling. There's always an undercurrent of romance in her work, but the worlds are so vividly created with such interesting detail that the romance doesn't overwhelm the story. She's my current favorite producer of “modern” fantasy (you'll note all the other canons are currently closed since the writer isn't active in those worlds).
Troubled Waters is probably my favorite book by her. I did enjoy Royal Airs as well, but I wasn't as fascinated (maybe because I was worn out on steampunk from her by reading the entire Archangel series). I would like something set around the protagonists of Troubled Waters since I liked the book better.
Specific prompts:
*The most awesome part of the world was the blessings (and the really awesome thing is all the blessings are listed and pictured at Troubled Waters site). I love the construction of the world with its elemental blessings, building into the personality traits of individuals and “types” of people fascinating. There does seem to be something guiding the blessings (especially when they're pulled), and I like this element of faith. Anything about how Zoe and/or Darien interact with the Blessings would be great. I really enjoyed Zoe helping pull blessings for the twin girls, and I'd like to see other ways blessings might be incorporated into the rituals of life. I can't see a marriage taking place without them being involved in some way, for example.
*I do love Zoe/Darien. More on their making the relationship work would be great. They are two very headstrong people, and making it work could be hard.
*Of all my requests, Zoe/Darien would be the only one I would like smut of, since that's gotta be hella hot and help define the relationship. I wouldn't want straight PWP, but as part of a larger relationship story, that would work for me.
*Darien running Welce, since we know that's what he's doing.
*More development of Zoe as the Lalindar and her interactions with the other Prime leaders, or interactions with her family as she takes control of them as Prime.
*Darien POV of his first impressions of Zoe. Troubled Waters is told from her POV, and I'd like to see the other side, especially when he picks her up from the village.
*Outsider perspective of Darien/Zoe and the events during and/or after Troubled Waters. I would be really interested in the Blind Sisters gathering information and the way they put bits and pieces of the story together, maybe gaining a fuller picture than any of the main participants. I'd love to know more about how they work, and maybe how they interact off (if you tell one, you tell all three, so how does that work?).
*Darien trying to calm the population and keep things running after Zoe floods the city, and the public's reaction to the truth about the heirs.
*Darien collecting the blessings, according to custom, for Celia following her birth.
Twelve Houses – Sharon Shinn
Character: Cammon
Everything I said about Shinn's general writing applies above. Twelve Houses is another masterful work of worldbuilding, and I love the characters.
Cammon's my favorite character - I enjoy his sweet wisdom. I like how he interacted with all his initial companions (I can't help but think of them as an RPG-style campaign companions for some reason, even though it's clear they're not that).
I have fewer specific prompts because I haven't really been able to come up with a ton of scenarios to explore for Twelve Houses. All I know is I want more. If you have any ideas, please run with them!
Specific prompts:
*I would love fic set with him as king, perhaps something post Fortune and Fate, or perhaps something about his first days as Amalie's official Consort. I could see people viewing him as a “commoner king” with some pride since he was raised as one of them.
*I would be interested in Cammon's relationship with Rappengrass (Ariane is awesome!), since this is one of the sections I reread a couple of times. I think the insertion of Cammon into the House has all kinds of interesting quirks, but the way he genuinely becomes part of the Rappengrass family is remarkable and worthy to explore.
For these book series, I would like fics that play within the canon settings/within the world rather than alternate universes. I haven't been reading much in the way of smut lately, so either gen or light romance (please nothing overly descriptive, no pwp, etc.). I love world-exploration (all of these books have really distinct settings), character expansion, and twists in perspective/unreliable narrators. I prefer first and third person POV, but if you have an idea that needs second person POV to work, I'm open to it. I'd like something that doesn't get too depressing and avoids character deaths (with certain series-specific exceptions described in optional details below).
If you have a good idea and want to tell me a story that isn't tailored to my requests, go for it because I'm desperate for more in all these worlds. That said, I know some people like a lot of detail from their prompts, so... optional details below.
Blossom Culp Series – Richard Peck
Characters: Alexander Armsworth and Blossom Culp
The Ghost Belonged to Me, Ghosts I Have Been, and Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death were all big influences on my reading tastes growing up. I remember not liking The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp, but I had the other three memorized.
I love Blossom's quirk and confidence, and I love her and Alexander together (friends are fine if you don't want to go a romantic route – what I love is their dynamic anyway I can get it). I'd like something with a twist of supernatural that fits into the time period they're in.
I have been on a nonfiction reading kick for a while, especially history, and I'd love to see some historical detail/ambiance thrown in. I would like something rooted in the time period - something with a sense of history that includes the little details. I'd like something set during Blossom's earlier life prior to the 1940s, because WWII just depresses the heck out of me. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if Alexander isn't send into the trenches of WWI, since that's nightmare fodder to me. I would like to see Alexander have grown up and come to some kind of mixed acceptance/resignation with his Sight, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get to be grumpy about it.
If you're looking for specific ideas:
*Blossom's mother dies (of something ridiculous because that's the way Blossom's life works). Just because she's dead and buried doesn't mean she's gone... this could be really humorous. Up to you if the Second Sight lets Alexander, Blossom or both have ongoing encounters with her. I imagine Madame Culp would make for a very different (and unwelcome) haunt.
*Same gist as above, but it's Old Man Leverette's ghost seeking revenge for the outhouse stunt.
*Blossom is “not sweet” on Alexander. Alexander becomes sweet first, resulting in a mishmash of courting disasters (most likely stemming from miscommunication and Blossom's misunderstanding of the situations). Bonus if Alexander has to ask Madame Culp for Blossom's hand (so, so many way things can go wrong).
*Epistolary fic tracing Blossom's career through different forms of communication (newspapers, letters, diaries, interview transcripts, magazines, telegraphs, posters, ads, etc.).
*Blossom vs. Harry Houdini, the famous skeptic. The time period is right for him to try to debunk her, especially after the press she received from the Titanic incident.
*Alexander and Blossom end up road-tripping in the 1920s and keep hitting haunted sites in America. Hijinks ensue. I can see Alexander being thrilled about driving since he loves cars, and they could be traveling for several good reasons (Prohibition springs to mind...).
Darkangel Trilogy – Meredith Ann Pierce
Characters: Irrylath and Aeriel
This trilogy is one of the most perfect fantasy series, and I wouldn't change a thing about the canon, although the ending of the series was majorly depressing and upset me terribly the first time I read it. The fact that Aeriel didn't get her prince bothered my teenage self, especially after everything she went through. However, the series was striking for that choice and I've never forgotten it and as an adult I've come to appreciate it more.
That said, I believe there is plenty of space in the world of fanfic for a “fix it” fic. If you're looking for specific prompts:
*I always want a happily-ever-after for Aeriel and Irrylath. This is what I would consider a “fix it” since what needed to be fixed for my shipper soul was their ending.
*There's a somewhat legendary interview with Pierce about how she would have liked to do a second trilogy with Irrylath. This Amazon review claims to have a transcript. While I can't verify the transcript validity, I would love to see anything this transcript mentions as Irrylath undergoes a hero's journey (preferably with a happy Aeriel/Irrylath ending spin on it).
*I am fond of Sabr, and while I don't ship Irrylath/Sabr, I would like to see her as an outsider perspective on Irrylath, Aeriel or Irrylath/Aeriel. I would like to see her as a character in her own right, but as part of Irrylath and Aeriel's world.
*There's some beautiful, very mythic images that create the world. I think of Aeriel spinning thread of her emotions for the brides to wear immediately, but the series is filled with this kind of thing (swapping hearts, the silver pin in Aeriel's head, the Pearl, the lons). Exploration of any of these (or creation of anything else that would fit into the world) would be welcome.
*I would be interested in seeing Aeriel/Irrylath become Aeriel/Irrylath/Erin. I've been thinking about it, and Erin is Aeriel's shadow and provides some perspective for Aeriel's unreasonable love (her reasons for falling so in love with Irrylath never really resonated with me because Irrylath was not kind to her, and the vampire was worse). I think that Irrylath winning Erin's love as well (a much more challenging prospect) could speak all kind of levels of balance for this relationship and maybe even make Aeriel/Irrylath functional.
*As Aeriel's gathering Ravenna's wisdom, how about her discovering how to bring others over into her form of immortality? I know Aeriel felt she had become a doll, but I would like to see Irrylath (and maybe Erin) offer to let her do this so she isn't alone forever. I think Irrylath making this choice could be very powerful, since he didn't choose to be a vampire, but choosing to give up his mortality and be altered for Aeriel's sake (since Aeriel doesn't have any choice now), would be fabulous.
*I'm fascinated by the creation of myth and legend, and the lines between truth and propaganda. I'd love an outsider piece about how Aeriel and Irrylath's story is passed down through the ages (since Aeriel was a singer, it would be interesting to see this worked in). Aeriel had some really bad rumors about her in the third book, so it could be interesting to see her image rehabilitated or further altered. Since Ravenna is gone, Aeriel should take that place in the culture, but it might not work out that way. Aeriel is going to be around for a long, long time, so she may eventually not even be able to recognize what happened in the stories that are told.
Talents Series – Anne McCaffrey
Character: Peter Reidinger
Telepathy, telekinesis, precognition... what's not to love? I love the whole idea of ESP becoming a recognized reality. My favorite book was Pegasus in Flight, although I liked most of the Tower and the Hive series until Lyon's Pride. I was not a fan of the Hivers, Mrdini culture, etc. since it took away from the ESP angles I liked so much.
I selected Peter because he's the obvious linking character between the Tower and the Hive and the Talents series. I'd like to see something that occurs in the bridge between the series, bringing the Pegasus books' world closer to what is seen in The Rowan. I did the math once, and it's a couple of centuries of time to account for (and all of the Reidinger Earth Primes must have had kids late and worked forever for the timeline to work).
Specific prompts:
*We know there's four Peter Reidingers. How about introducing them all and show the evolution of the Talent universe through them? For Peter IV to be the way he is, there has to have been a lot of modesty lost from the original. The Reidinger dynasty is fascinating since it would have lasted for centuries, and they're the default royalty of the Talents.
*Along those same lines, how about creating ties between Pegasus characters and the personnel of The Tower? Who was Afra Lyon related to? I'm pretty convinced the Rowan is somehow related to Daffyd op Owen and Rhyssa (that silver hair). How about a lost line of the Reidingers eventually founding the bird-clans of Deneb? Jeff Raven and Reidinger IV are very, very similar, and I would appreciate the irony of the Reidinger dynasty being “replaced” by one of their own.
*The Talent rating system and how it was developed could be interesting reading. We know that Peter was the first Prime, but how did they measure this? The Pegasus books mentions featherweights and hints at the internal divisions occurring, and the ratings seem to be taking shape by the end of Pegasus in Space. We know these divisions are really bad by the end of the Tower books, so I'd like to see its roots taking shape. Any of the canon Pegasus characters being involved would be great.
*I was a bit disappointed in Peter's having his spinal cord fixed and overcoming his quadriplegic status. I get what McCaffrey was trying to do, but I found his circumstances much more interesting when he was using his Talent to cope. An AU where he never regains use of his body could be interesting.
*One line that always struck with me was that the “Talents became incorruptible.” The Talents are such a monolith and spoken of as a singularity, when it's clear there's elements of dissent and there's many Talented people out there. These elements of dissent are dismissed as “evil” and “wrong” and there's some clear signs of manipulation of the weaker Talents by the stronger Talents. The idea of mind-burning offenders or shutting off their abilities strikes me as totalitarian. There's no place for dissent and no room for discussion on what is right. Earth Prime has all the power, and it's pretty much hereditary. Seeing the Talent verse with this perspective in mind could be intriguing.
*As I reread The Rowan and Damia, a part of me was horrified by the parenting techniques on a Talented child to make sure they turned out acceptably (and it was clear that “acceptably” was ready to work for FT&T only). Rowan's upbringing was a thing of horror. The idea of molding a child through telepathic prompts and constant evaluation for stability could be made very chilling. The part when Afra triggers an adult Damia's lullaby sleep command isn't cute when viewed from that perspective (and I loved Afra so much!). Again, this is one of the undertones of the series that could be exploited in fic.
*The idea of FT&T creeps me out a bit, too. At some point, this business took over the rule of the Talented. The Earth Prime appears to control everything, and has the power to imprison people without trial, mindburn offenders, and take control of people's lives. While some Talents work outside of the FT&T system, all Talents seem bound by the FT&T code. This is really interesting, especially since one of the stories in To Ride Pegasus was about winning the Talents legal protections to exercise their skills. There's a line or two about Jeff Raven dismissing the elected government's concerns (I think in Damia's Children, but could be wrong) by pointing out that they would have to breed their own Talents to replace the control his family has over FT&T which is surprisingly scary when you think on the fact that there doesn't seem to be any effective check and balance for FT&T.
Troubled Waters – Sharon Shinn
Characters: Zoe Ardelay and Darien Serlast
Sharon Shinn is an author I love, love, love. I've requested two of her series since I love her worlds so much.
What I like about Shinn's writing is the storytelling. There's always an undercurrent of romance in her work, but the worlds are so vividly created with such interesting detail that the romance doesn't overwhelm the story. She's my current favorite producer of “modern” fantasy (you'll note all the other canons are currently closed since the writer isn't active in those worlds).
Troubled Waters is probably my favorite book by her. I did enjoy Royal Airs as well, but I wasn't as fascinated (maybe because I was worn out on steampunk from her by reading the entire Archangel series). I would like something set around the protagonists of Troubled Waters since I liked the book better.
Specific prompts:
*The most awesome part of the world was the blessings (and the really awesome thing is all the blessings are listed and pictured at Troubled Waters site). I love the construction of the world with its elemental blessings, building into the personality traits of individuals and “types” of people fascinating. There does seem to be something guiding the blessings (especially when they're pulled), and I like this element of faith. Anything about how Zoe and/or Darien interact with the Blessings would be great. I really enjoyed Zoe helping pull blessings for the twin girls, and I'd like to see other ways blessings might be incorporated into the rituals of life. I can't see a marriage taking place without them being involved in some way, for example.
*I do love Zoe/Darien. More on their making the relationship work would be great. They are two very headstrong people, and making it work could be hard.
*Of all my requests, Zoe/Darien would be the only one I would like smut of, since that's gotta be hella hot and help define the relationship. I wouldn't want straight PWP, but as part of a larger relationship story, that would work for me.
*Darien running Welce, since we know that's what he's doing.
*More development of Zoe as the Lalindar and her interactions with the other Prime leaders, or interactions with her family as she takes control of them as Prime.
*Darien POV of his first impressions of Zoe. Troubled Waters is told from her POV, and I'd like to see the other side, especially when he picks her up from the village.
*Outsider perspective of Darien/Zoe and the events during and/or after Troubled Waters. I would be really interested in the Blind Sisters gathering information and the way they put bits and pieces of the story together, maybe gaining a fuller picture than any of the main participants. I'd love to know more about how they work, and maybe how they interact off (if you tell one, you tell all three, so how does that work?).
*Darien trying to calm the population and keep things running after Zoe floods the city, and the public's reaction to the truth about the heirs.
*Darien collecting the blessings, according to custom, for Celia following her birth.
Twelve Houses – Sharon Shinn
Character: Cammon
Everything I said about Shinn's general writing applies above. Twelve Houses is another masterful work of worldbuilding, and I love the characters.
Cammon's my favorite character - I enjoy his sweet wisdom. I like how he interacted with all his initial companions (I can't help but think of them as an RPG-style campaign companions for some reason, even though it's clear they're not that).
I have fewer specific prompts because I haven't really been able to come up with a ton of scenarios to explore for Twelve Houses. All I know is I want more. If you have any ideas, please run with them!
Specific prompts:
*I would love fic set with him as king, perhaps something post Fortune and Fate, or perhaps something about his first days as Amalie's official Consort. I could see people viewing him as a “commoner king” with some pride since he was raised as one of them.
*I would be interested in Cammon's relationship with Rappengrass (Ariane is awesome!), since this is one of the sections I reread a couple of times. I think the insertion of Cammon into the House has all kinds of interesting quirks, but the way he genuinely becomes part of the Rappengrass family is remarkable and worthy to explore.