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damnslippyplanet · 2 months

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@leupagus requested, and her wish is my command. At least on a Monday morning when I'd rather be thinking about fic than my weekend email backlog. So:

List five of your least-popular fics, as well as when/why you wrote them.

the green place, Word of Honor modern AU, YeXie, 2021

This was a little string of YeXie Week ficlets based on word prompts. Friend Ritualist* and I had been batting around some ideas for a Plant Witch Xie'er fic in the DMs and I thought I'd use YeXie week to play around with the character voices/world a little and see how I liked writing those two. I had a lovely time writing it, but semi-connected short ficlets where the rimming is (just barely) off-screen are a hard sell. Also I left it marked incomplete for a long time thinking I might go back and finish out the week's prompts, so I'm sure it got passed over by the very wise people who don't read WIPs. No regrets, I like knowing Plant Witch Xier'er is out there even if he'll probably never really get written.

*babe, I'm blanking out and can only think of your pro author tumblr name and not your fandom one, if you're seeing this and wanna be linked, drop your fandom url in the comments and I'll link you up

The Desert Dreams of a River, Darkangel Trilogy, Aeriel/Irrylath, Erin/OFC, 2019.

Yuletide fic! With the hit count you expect for a Yuletide genfic based on one of your formative pieces of circa-1982 fiction about a girl trying to reform a vampire while they live on the terraformed moon. Written in a frantic haze just short of deadline, if I recall, as I'd started a different angle on it that didn't quite work. I'm not saying this story was just an excuse to get Erin a wife, but it was sort of that, since the prompt didn't really allow for Erin to wife Aeriel. (But she SHOULD HAVE. Let Aeriel Have A Husband And A Wife.) I loved these books so much. Unfortunately something must be really fucked with the licensing because only the third of the trilogy was available as an ebook at the time and that doesn't seem to have changed? Pick up a hard copy of the first book if you ever see one, though.

every word is nonsense, Only Friends, Ray&Sand, 2023

Another little tidbit of a fic as an exercise in character voice again and also how much I liked how much the show likes their smoking scenes. Look. I'm a person of a certain age who smoked like a chimney as a teenager and into my early twenties, and I can't help the programming that got into my bones about the inherent eroticism of sharing a cigarette. (lolsob, high five to my fellow Thai BL nerds, how are we all doing this week with the one-two- punch of the DFF shotgunning scene and the new 4 minutes teaser? it's fine, i'm fine.) I wrote this thinking that next I would write some RaySand smut and then didn't because the whirl of Thai BL fandom pulled me on to something else, but at some point I want to rewatch this show and may still write it then because it fed my FirstKhao shipper heart so well.

dizzy in your wake, Nirvana in Fire, Changsu/Jingyan, 2020?

I'm not the one who said "what if Mei Changsu were a were-octopus," that was a series of amazing twitter threads by @astronicht. But people just KEPT sending it to me because I am known to think octopus content is very cool and also to be a Mei Changsu Girlie, and eventually a couple of friends shook me until 600 words of ridiculousness came out. What surprises me is not that this one has few kudos, but that it has >10 kudos at all. I would say this is the most niche and silly thing I've written except I've also written MDZS/Jupiter Ascending fusion fic, so let's not pretend I have any dignity left. Written in 2020 but it didn't get posted until later because I don't usually post things this short. At some point I was in one of those "it's an ARCHIVE, we should put ALL THE THINGS THERE" moods and slapped a few NiF ficlets written for the group chat up there.

A Second Dose, Hannibal, Bev/Freddie, 2016

This was the thing where you write an odd little rarepair and it's so much fun you come back and do a sequel you hadn't meant to write. I'd written Bev/Freddie before and then when a Hannibal rarepair fest came around I was like, hey, what if I did that again. Possibly I just wanted to revisit the cat named after Rosalind Franklin that I'd made up for Bev.

#slippy writes things

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caladhel-iarian · 3 years

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Concept sketch for the Harlequin. An ancient Atlantean with an affinity for memory- and mind-shaping, now cursed to forget everything he knew and loved. Including the mistress he now serves. Work in progress.

This is how he looks beneath his robes and masks.

#art #concept art #sketch #the Harlequin #Irrylath

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yarrowseed · 3 years

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a darkangel's feather

#its a 'lets make fanart for obscure books no one's heard of' type of day #for real though this series is full of so much interesting imagery i really want to do a lot of illustrations for them #books in question:#the darkangel trilogy #meredith ann pierce #science fiction #science fantasy #aeriel #irrylath #horror #feather #blood tw #artists on tumblr #illustrators of tumblr #art #illustration

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my-chemical-mermaid · 4 years

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hey, we don't follow each other but i'm rereading the darkangel series by meredith ann pierce and i saw your lovely photoset... and i just wanted to know WHO DID YOU USE FOR IRRYLATH

Hi @leradny! I'm always glad to talk to a fellow fan of the Darkangel series! For one, I used a picture of a Russian model named Valery Kovtun and the other I used a picture of Avan Jogia from Tut. 😊

#the darkangel #the darkangel series #irrylath #the darkangel trilogy

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laughytaffythegrape · 7 years

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super fabulous YA lit meme

5/8 otps: Aerial/Irrylath (The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce)

“Two years were all we had, love, and we squandered them.”

#ya lit meme #the darkangel trilogy #meredith ann pierce #aerial #irrylath

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edenfalling · 4 years

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[Fic] “A Generational Story” - The Darkangel Trilogy

72. Written 2/28/20 for scytale, in response to the prompt: Any, any, would you love me more if I killed someone for you?

A Generational Story (120 words)

"Ah, my darling, but deaths are not what I wish you to take; I sculpt with souls, not lives, and you have witnessed full well that a body and mind can continue without such unearned splendor as a soul," the white lady said.

"Yes, mother," Irrylath agreed, and shifted in her lap to give her stroking fingers, dry and cold as the winterock of her castle, better access under his tunic.

"You will be great and grand and bring all Avaric to its knees soon enough, my darling," the white lady said, "and then, when you have brought me twice seven souls from twice seven brides -- why, then, I shall love you as well as my own mother loved me."

-----

...because Oriencor is canonically creepy as fuck, okay.

#liz writes stuff #three sentence ficathon #three sentence fic #darkangel trilogy #irrylath (darkangel trilogy)#oriencor (darkangel trilogy)#generalized content warning

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4ever-the-nme · 6 years

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So… this year I decided to re-read a lot of my books on my bookshelf, which have been sadly neglected since I started reading books on my ipad and phone. It’s something that I’ve been meaning to do for some time and is actually helping me with my reading goal, since I have to read at least 10 books a month to reach my book goal for this year. (I forgot how much I enjoyed actually holding a book in my hands and actually turning pages. It’s kinda nice.) I’ve already made my way through all of my Robin Mckinley books (Sunshine and Blue Sword will always be favorites of mine) while reading a few new books, which has me currently at 9 books read with 10 days left, and now I’m currently reading The Darkangel Trilogy, hoping to finish them before the end of the month, which will give me a little leeway for next month, which is shorter, but it will also give me a little time to squeeze in a bit of writing, which I’ve also been neglecting.

Sidenote: I kinda forgot how weird the Darkangel books are. I find myself kinda tuning out sometimes when I’m reading them, but it kinda helps that I remember how awesome the ending is, which gives me a little boost when I find myself being annoyed or bored.

#random #robin mckinley #the darkangel trilogy #i always loved the ending because irrylath always pissed me off #and i always thought that aerial deserved a more loyal and loving companion #which she always had with erin #so screw irrylath #reading goals #books

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porchwood · 7 years

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Sometimes my book habit reminds me a bit of that Are You Being Served? episode where Mrs. Slocombe is suddenly and inexplicably obsessed with Mr. Humphries and copes with his lack of response by turning to the bottle and, inevitably, hiding her gin stash in suspicious places throughout the ladies’ department. (Incidentally, it’s one of the funniest episodes in the series with a hysterically unexpected ending to boot, so do check it out.) My habit is books, of course, not booze, but I’m still surprised (and a little mortified) by the secret stashes that result.

This pile is secreted in the tiny cupboard/closet behind my bedroom door and I’m not 100% sure it’s not indicative of a different sort of problem. :/ A good chunk of these were for my prenatal massage and doula classes but the rest have I’ve slowly amassed over the past few months, in theory because they’re relevant to birth work, but quite possibly also because I’m having a very difficult time accepting the fact that I can never have children. :( I found the twins books around the time that I was finishing Embracing the Season and justified the purchase (I think they were 59 cents each) as fic research, but to be honest, there were twins on both sides of my family (my mother’s mother and father’s brother both had twin siblings who died shortly after birth and my father had twin aunts). The next ones were supposed to be mine. :(

#irrylath and irulan #the twins i'll never have #:(#personal #grief #hysterectomy #pregnancy #prenatal #books #personal library

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theroseandthebeast · 4 years

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Yuletide Recs, Batch Two

Batch One

19 Recs for the Darkangel Trilogy, Dead Poets Society, Derry Girls, Die Hard, Doom, Dreamboy, Dredd, The Eagle, Edge of Tomorrow, and The Expanse

The Desert Dreams of a River - Aeriel/Irrylath

The story changes over the years as Erin tells it to her daughter. It changes with the passage of time and the blurring of memory, and it changes with the teller’s mood, and with Raven’s age.

The beginning of the tale, though? That never wavers.

“A long time ago,” Erin always begins, “Aeriel and I had an adventure.”

and yet the notes recur - Charlie Dalton/Neil PerryTodd Anderson/Neil Perry

It’s easy to watch Todd, he realizes, because they’re both watching Neil.

fish out of water - gen, James Maguire

When he thinks of home, he thinks of England. He thinks of his mother and his mates and the life he’d left behind. Or rather: he does. And then he doesn’t.

It’s not hard to pinpoint why.

Meanwhile, in the other Derry…. - gen, IT Crossover

There’s so much that no one ever talks about here, like the creepy clown who is suddenly everywhere, and James will never understand it.

Did you actually want me to do a dramatic pause? - gen, Sister Michael

Five things that never happened to Sister Michael, plus one that did.

When Trouble Comes - Matt Farrell/John McClane

John’s path intersects with trouble on holidays, weekends, and workdays ending in y - and Matt’s still coming to terms with it.

Your Answers, Please - Matt Farrell/John McClane

“Come on, kid,” McClane said gruffly. “This place is fucking depressing. You’re coming to stay with me.”

The Code - John Grimm/Samantha Grimm

Sarge’s squad runs into Dr. Samantha Grimm under different circumstances and Duke is, of course, immediately smitten.

cold hearts, thawing - John Grimm/Samantha Grimm

The first words out of Sam’s mouth when she woke up were, “We have to get you out of here.”

eternal flames, Luke/Dane

Like every time lately, the dream is different.

Dane’s not dreaming about floating at the bottom of a lake anymore. He’s not wandering through a forest in this one. Or crawling on the ground, either.

This time, he’s in a pitch black dark cave.

Partnership - gen, Cassandra Anderson & Joseph Dredd

She doesn’t always see into people’s heads. Nineteen days ago, he invited her into his.

On The Intentional Use of the First Personal Plural - Marcus Flavius Aquila/Esca Mac Cunoval

Post-movie, pre-slash. Esca takes Marcus to the market. Marcus untangles his feelings.

My Best Friend Went to Rome and All I Got Was This Lousy Pencil - Marcus Flavius Aquila/Esca Mac Cunoval

Marcus has been away for six months, but he’s got a gift for Esca to show him how much he missed him.

all this darkness past - William Cage/Rita Vrataski

The first vision starts as Cage walks towards her—I know him, Rita thinks, and sees fire, the bright heat of battle, a mimic running towards her. She sees Cage in a battle suit, flying through the air. Rita blinks. She focuses on Cage’s face, this Cage’s face, his teeth, his major insignia, glinting in the strange fluorescent light.

Counting Stars - William Cage/Rita Vrataski

The first time she sees him.

Alea Eacta Est - Chrisjen Avasarala/Bobbie Draper

Aboard her flagship, the Empress of Earth receives a guest, and a prisoner. Her bodyguard has a bad feeling about this.

I used to run at first sight of the sun - Amos Burton & Praxidike Meng

Amos gets a letter and some seeds

The Last Rites of Juliette Andromeda Mao - gen. Julie Mao

Let’s talk, you and I. Let’s talk about a stupid girl who thought she could fight a monster and live.

Thigmotropism - Amos Burton/Praxidike Meng

Prax rebuilds on Ganymede.

#yuletide #yuletide 2019 #dark angel trilogy #dead poets society #derry girls #die hard #doom #dreamboy #dredd #the eagle of understanding #edge of tomorrow #the expanse

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discordias-apple · 4 years

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I’ll Fly Away

“Sometimes, I wish I had wings to fly from this place.”

Pearly fingernails drummed against the window pane, beating in time with the rain. Ji stared out at the wet, gloomy forest, her eyes distant and her voice softer than eiderdown.

Who sayest thou hast not?

The Harlequin folded his arms over his chest, his body lost in the voluminous cloak that covered his tall frame. Crossing his legs at the ankles, he leaned his hip against her desk and watched his mistress with all the expression of a granite slab.

“You.”

Oh? And how dost thou suppose this one hampers thine ability to fly?

“You are both jail and jailer, opening the door to lure me out and then slamming it shut before I can escape,” Ji murmured, and she spoke in the distant way of someone talking in her sleep. “You are the scissors that clip my wings and keep me groundbound. You are the fickle wind that taunts me when I am too tired to leave the nest again.”

Ah, how thou woundest this one. He pressed a hand to his heart and closed his eyes, his face contorted as though he suffered a heart attack.

“You have nothing to wound,” she snorted. She didn’t bother to look at him. Didn’t need to see him to know his theatrics.

Dost thou truly believe the wind feels nothing?

“Hah.” That one actually turned her around to face him; slowly, but she turned nonetheless. Steepling her fingers over her belly, she offered him a grin filled with far too many teeth. “He who allows himself to be insulted deserves to be.”

Too true. And the bird who agrees to be caged deserves to have her wings broken when she tries to flee. Planting one hand on the desk, the Harlequin leaned forward and stroked her arm with a single claw. His nail dug deeper with every inch it traveled and the blood welled up in fine beads that trickled down to stain her linen bandages. Ji hissed and snatched her arm away from him, her free hand clutching the thin gash his caress left behind.

“I am not saying I hate you, but... if you were drowning, I would throw you no lifeline, Irrylath.” Baleful eyes glared up at him above a mouth that curdled faster than milk left out in the sun.

The Harlequin only smiled and straightened up... but not before tapping the tip of her nose with his bloody claw.

And if thou wert flying, this one wouldst cease to gust, Renavain.

#stories #story #the Harlequin #Ji

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idle-flower · 3 years

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Dear Yuletide Author - 2021

Thank you for your time and attention, and I hope your wishes are granted this holiday season!

Likes:

I prefer plot and angst and adventure to fluff, though a nice warm fluffy scene can make a good dessert at the end of the pain and suffering. I lean more to f/f and m/f than m/m. I enjoy forbidden relationships. I love exploring the 'what if' spinoffs of a small change in a canon. I swoon for lovers who take dramatic risks to protect their loved ones.

I also enjoy detailed description of clothing/furniture/jewelry/pretty things in general. Not just heaping up brand names, but sensory detail.

Dislikes:

Please avoid sweeping tropey AUs like 'what if noir' or 'what if everyone was in high school'. I'm REALLY picky about comedy so it's probably not a good idea to go for wacky funny stuff. No excited rambling about pregnancy or babies. (Older kids are okay.) While I am okay with pretty dark stuff, please don't gorily torture characters to death on screen. If people gotta die, limit the details! I am generally not keen on crossovers. I dislike PWP unless it is exceedingly hot smut (see below).

Smut:

I don't require it, but I do read a good bit of filthy porn.

Kinks I find interesting: mild bdsm, pain mixed with pleasure, dubcon, sibling or cousin incest, strap-ons, futanari and other magical appendages, teasing, teenagers, drugs/magic with interesting effects, people making terrible decisions due to being emotionally overwrought or really really horny

SMUTTY DO NOT WANTS:

rape or painful sex that one party is not enjoying at all, inserting anything edible (licking off boobs is okay), aggressive face-fucking, choking, degradation, scat/watersports, bukkake, parental incest, anyone younger than teen, emphasis on 'virgin blood' (some writers make it a huge deal with tearing pain and fountains of blood, please don't).

Darkangel Trilogy - Meredith Ann Pierce

Erin/Aeriel

OTP territory here.

I read the first book when I was fairly young and was, like many, drawn into the dangerous romance between Aeriel and Irrylath (though surely even then I must have felt it was slightly unfair that the text 'okayed' it by saying he wouldn't be beautiful if he wasn't still good inside?). I didn't find the other two books until much later, when I was older and more dubious about the 'romance' of a beautiful but abusive vampire whose true character she knew nothing about. Imagine my amazement as rivals and uncertain feelings began to cast doubt on that original romance... and maybe, just maybe, ended with the girl getting the girl. (And beyond that, letting me eat my cake and have it too, by building up Irrylath a little and giving the lovers of my childhood a brief beautiful moment together.)

So, okay, I have a lot of feelings about this canon. In my personal version of what-happens-next, Erin and Aeriel totally become lovers, Irrylath goes on a quest to try and win her back and in the process of his journey of personal discovery finds that he's actually happier elsewhere, and he and Aeriel at last meet again and then part as friends, content... but that's a whole novel in itself, at least.

Possible prompts:

A love scene between them in the series's poetic style (no need to be kinky here! just romantic)

One of them telling the tale of how they fell in love to their daughter? (These two can totally have science babies together.)

Some of Erin's adventures on her own in the time that they're separated during the books, and how she discovers and deals with her feelings about Aeriel?

Or the love epiphany on Aeriel's part, after the books - how does she realise her feelings are more than friendly, how does she reconcile them with her feelings for Irrylath? Perhaps while Erin goes on a trip alone to visit the Sea-of-Dust and Aeriel is alone with her thoughts?

World-building, figuratively and literally! What is life like in NuRavenna? How do they go about the process of restoring the world? What tools do they use and what do they look like? Spin me a picture!

While I dislike pregnancy fluff, pregnancy angst/drama might be possible here. What if that one night with Irrylath had a very unexpected result? Given Aeriel's new position and the history of the water witch, would she be panicked at the prospect? Would she be pleased to have a part of Irrylath with her always, or tormented by the reminder? How would Erin feel? Would Aeriel feel compelled to give the child away because of her responsibilities? Given her own history how would she feel about that? Will it even be possible for her to carry a child to term without more intervention, given her new body and all its changes? What if she ends up needing Erin's input somehow to stabilise the baby, resulting in a child born from all three of them?

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SMUT: try to keep it in tone, more romantic and poetic and elaborate prose.

DNW: Major character death. Irrylath-bashing - I don't want him to end up with Aeriel but I don't want him to suddenly turn into a villain and get written off either.

Poison Ivy (1992 film)

Sylvie Cooper, Ivy

I was struggling through the confusions of puberty, Ivy was hot, this film left an impression on me. In a way it's perfect as it is, and trying to build any sort of happy ending for Ivy feels out of place, but on the other hand there's a lot of loose ends left after the story.

Throughout the film, there's a lot the audience never knows about Ivy, including her legal name. Did Coop know it? (Maybe, probably.) Did her father? (Quite possibly not). How do they handle all the legal responsibilities of her death? Were Ivy's stories about the aunt she was staying with true? How do they break the news? How does her funeral go?

What do Sylvie and her father have to say to each other about Ivy after the truth comes out? Does he admit everything that he did? How does he handle the guilt? How do they rebuild their relationship?

What is school like, afterwards? What rumors escape? How does Coop handle them?

Or - what if Ivy survives the fall? Seriously injured, possibly paralysed, but alive? How do they deal with her, once the truth comes out? Do they cover up her crimes? Do they keep her in their home? What happens to their relationships?

For AUs, what would have happened if Ivy had met Coop when they were several years younger, so she couldn't get her hooks into Darryl as easily? What if they met at summer camp and Ivy was just as messed-up and needy but the situations were different? What if the movie plot is actually a fantasy younger-Ivy spins about her future to her fascinated-and-appalled friend, who then has a chance to react to it?

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SMUT: I'm fine with Sylvie/Ivy, I'm okay with Darryl/Ivy but I would rather he not be the focus of the story (Sylvie catching them having sex has possibilities, or Ivy thinking about Sylvie while seducing Darryl)

DNW: Anyone other than Ivy to die, Ivy to marry Darryl

Picnic at Hanging Rock

Hester Appleyard, Sara Waybourne

Note: I have not read the book or seen the 1975 movie, I've only seen the miniseries. You can draw ideas from other versions if you want but you'll have to explain what you're talking about or I may not get the reference.

First off, TV Sara is the cutest thing and I want to protect her (and, well, THAT obviously didn't work out). Second, I feel like the relationship between Hester and Sara is interestingly ambiguous (what isn't, in this show?). Hester seems both antagonistic and friendly to Sara in different ways, and it seems clearly suggested that she's reminded of her own orphan past. She sometimes wants to bond with her and othertimes wants to furiously reject her. She fears that Sara knows far too much, and she's tempted to tell her more.

The circumstances of Sara's death are very unclear, though we see that Hester knows something and is covering it up. What happened between them on that final night? Did Hester push Sara out in a rage? Did they struggle, up in the tower on a windy night, and a careless shove let Sara fall? Did Hester try to save her? Did Sara leap from the tower in despair? Did Sara try to climb out to escape and fall? How did Hester find out that Sara was dead, and why did she choose to deal with it in the way she did (pretending Sara had left but not disposing of the body)? What was she thinking? Or did she truly convince herself Sara had just 'disappeared' like the other girls?

So things that I'd be particularly interested in, storywise:

A depiction of the details and the drama of that final, fatal night Any scene in which they really open up to each other and share secrets we didn't see in the series (which might or might not end with Hester threatening Sara to shut her up) AU in which Hester adopts Sara herself and trains her to follow in her footsteps? Possibly where she uses Sara as a bridge to marry Mr Cosgrove? (Dark and mysterious things should still happen, just DIFFERENT ones) AU in which it's Hester who falls to her death after their last confrontation in the tower. Sara lives! But she might be suspected of murder, especially if for some reason Hester named her in the will and left her the school. What happens to the school and Sara now?

Angst and drama are likely. Killing either or both characters is fine. Depictions of self-harm and child abuse consistent with the series are fine, but tag it. No sexual abuse please.

Smutwise: Not with each other! In keeping with the style of the show, some light sexual scenes might work well for filling in character info (what IS hester's sexuality anyway? If Sara Lives, how does she eventually move on from Miranda?) but this is not a kink request.

DNW: Hester/Sara slash. A super-happy fix-it fic. This is a dark canon, so I'm okay with the threat of someone being pruriently interested in Sara or young Hester, but I absolutely don't want anyone to do anything sexual to Sara while she's underage. It's okay to imply that young Hester might have been molested or prostituted but I don't want to see it happen in detail.

Kushiel's Legacy

Phedre's Younger Sibling

Ever since someone mentioned it I've been intrigued by the idea of what happened to Phedre's little sister or brother, the one her mother was pregnant with when Phedre was sold to the Night Court. We know her parents probably died during the Bitterest Winter, of fever or of war, because they never tried to meet with Phedre once she was famous. But her sibling might never have even known Phedre's name or that she even existed, so they might have lived past that point without ever having a reason to contact her. What sort of life did that second child, four years younger than Phedre, have?

Phedre's coloring and defiant nature might read quite differently on a beautiful young man, a clever one with a knack for getting into trouble. Did he grow up bouncing along on slightly more successful caravans, learning scraps of Skaldi and Caerdicci as they traveled? Did he develop the business sense his father lacked? Did he beg caravan guards to teach him swordplay? Did a young love of travel combined with his parents tendency to bad fortune lead to him signing on as a sailor while he was still basically a child?

A boy might also be less likely to hear even a whisper of rumor of the lost older daughter. A boy might have been embraced as Firstborn and Heir by his father and never doubt.

A second daughter, however, one with a passing resemblance to Phedre but without Kushiel's dart and its mixed blessings, her existence might be more complicated. Looking at her might be a constant reminder of the shame of what happened with their first daughter. She might qualify for the canon of one of the Houses, but her parents might have felt themselves unable to return to the city of Elua to trade her, for fear of incurring the wrath of Cereus House. Might they have sold her somewhere else, even on the open market as a slave, as Phedre feared her fate might have been if her parents had been desperate enough? Or perhaps she was less pretty, less useful, and found herself abandoned at a temple of Naamah or Elua by her family? (We meet a Liliane at the temple where Imriel grew up and Phedre notes that was her mother's name. She seems a little bit young to be Phedre's sister but it's not impossible, and there's certainly a story in what happened to her if she is.)

But if a sister grew up looking a great deal like Phedre but without that divine spark, might she have been seized by someone precisely because of that resemblance? Someone who longed for the heroine but could not afford or entice the Comtesse de Montreve, so instead acquired their own little discount version? Or someone with a grudge against Phedre that they dared not act on, so kept a girl to punish in her place, never knowing it was actually her sister?

Or perhaps Phedre's wayward parents settled down a bit and matured and lived a respectable middle-class life outside the City of Elua, and this younger sister or brother lived a very ordinary d'Angeline life, until the Bitterest Winter. If they were sixteen and suddenly orphaned by fever, what did they do then? Take up arms to fight the Skaldi invasion? Go in search of more distant relatives? Philippe Cantrel had at least a father and two older brothers - we can assume Grandfather died and the inheriting elder brothers didn't remember Phedre's name or weren't paying enough attention to know she existed. But the child might have returned to the city seeking these uncles out of desperation. Or they might have been killed or enslaved by the Skaldi. Or all sorts of things.

I guess what I'm looking for here is a viewpoint on events within Terre d'Ange from a character who isn't important, isn't divinely touched, doesn't know exactly what all the great houses are up to, and never has any idea how closely connected they are to great events. Some dramatic irony and angst welcome. Possibly they live a short, unremarkable life and die alone. Possibly they make something of themselves, but without ever becoming rich and famous and royally connected. Whoever they are, Phedre never knows.

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE SMUT: go for it, just see my general smut-DNWs at the top.

DNW: Accidental incest between Phedre and her sibling. The sibling turning out to be a secret behind-the-scenes savior who was responsible for some major event in the plot. Either sibling ever figuring out that they're related.

#yuletide letter #yuletide 2021

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