As I re-read A Practical Guide to Sorcery from the beginning, I’m going to keep a list of ideas for bonus content set during each book. Mainly side stories from other characters’ perspectives–both from the standard main cast, and from the extended cast, like Titus, Liza, Ana, Jimmy the student who believes Sebastien is his arch-nemesis, etc.
If you have ideas for bonus content, especially set during the earlier books, please share them with me!
I hope to take some time this year to write 1 or 2 pieces of bonus content.
I’m going to do a reread too. The first thing that jumped to my mind was the substitute exhibition chapter. That’s not really an earlier book chapter though.
I did always like the idea of a side story from one of the childrens perspective. Miles, Theo, one of the children from the abused home. More perspectives from people that have a positive view of Siobhan rather than Sebastian. I feel like we’ve seen negative or weary thoughts on her, but I feel like more of the view that would make us understand why someone would worship her would work pretty well. Maybrme Theo’s birthday party from someone else’s perspective, or the day the kids decided to build a shrine to the Raven Queen for help.
Also, as someone who has read through the entire series multiple times, I hope you enjoy another glance at your work! It’s certainly grown from It’s humble beginnings.
I think a short mini book about the high crown’s reactions to events would be neat. Also a generic low born student’s or less stellar royal student’s perspective of Sebastian and friends antics at the school. Or who ever the high crown has tailing ennis naught after his escape in case he leads them to the raven queen. But a life story of Eliza would be awesome
Although i would enjoy some side chapters from our supporting cast, i feel like it’s not the way to go. Based off the underlying key points i feel like maybe a new character of an up and coming red guard maybe? Easy to tie it in to previous plot points and for future confrontations.
I would be into a Katerin slice of life side-story around the time of Theo’s birthday tbh.
Katarin in the first book was such a strong female character, she’s privy to Oliver’s secrets, is responsible for day-to-day operations of his criminal empire, has some manner of magical training, is the public face of the Stags (since the mask doesn’t count), etc.
But she hasn’t come up much recently, and seems unlikely to feature all that much in the near future either, and it seems like there are still so many unanswered questions about her that her PoV could answer. What is the deal with pretending Theo is her Nephew? Is she, in fact, part vampire? How does she feel about Gera, or about Theo’s friendship to Miles?
Gera is in the same ultra-unique position as her, being the formidable single mother second-in-command of a major gang who has a son of the same approximate age, but the only scene I can recall where they interact is the big post-kidnapping debrief, where I’m pretty sure both of them came off as arrogant, gullible, and dismissive to the other. Is that lack of potential to connect with someone who might have had the potential to understand her in a way that few could frustrating? Or do they bridge that gap?
What does she believe about Siobhan and the Raven Queen after receiving those first-hand testimonials that day?
What does the day-to-day for the Stags at street level look like at that point in the story?
It doesn’t have the humor of The Honeymoon Suite, but I’m craving a rich character study.
Thaddeus PoV of this fight if we don’t get it naturally, or reading through Myrddin’s books - why does this man think she’s a creature instead of a human sorceress? Something had to have cropped up to convince him.
Oliver miserably telling Katerin about his fight with Siobhan and getting told off
Sharon’s sneaking suspicions about Oliver and Sebastien (this was a poll option a while ago and it still makes me chuckle)
Liza. Just give me some Liza PoV because that woman has got to have some Thoughts about all these shenanigans.
I was very curious what Thaddeus was thinking when she successfully transmuted the leaf (well, her exhibition as well, but the darkness descending leaf) when she said that she felt she could do better and that she was lacking clarity. That was just a really interesting interaction and something about Lacer’s reaction made me really want to pick his brains.
Now that I think about it, I’m quite interested to see what Oliver was thinking at certain points as well - like when she was brewing as Siobhan in his study and he dropped that sly comment about her being welcome to stay the night any time. Or right after the Newton incident when she was sleeping 16 hours a day and he was by her bedside.
Another thought that occurs - I’m totally fascinated by the People. I’d love to know more about them - what was Grandfather’s version of the story Lacer told Sebastien? Does Siobhan speak the language? How much does she know about her heritage? I’d love to see her having a conversation about it - possibly with Oliver, since he knows her best and would probably draw out the most from her. Also, he did buy her those feathers, which could possibly be an opening, or if he got her another present in a similar vein - maybe as an apology. Two birds, one stone - getting to hear about her heritage and repairing the relationship between them a bit. Or it could be a conversation had in the past before they fell out. Or just a memory Siobhan has of sitting with her grandfather as he tells her the story.
POV of red guard operative that has to process Thaddeus’ after action report, record his failure, resources usage, and requisition of replacement supplies from their quartermaster equivalent. May I also request gossiping that ruins Thaddeus’ reputation reaching the RG members he had been looking down on?
Any POV that will give us hints as to: why the knowledge is so dangerous? Why is Thaddeus either so incompetent and unable to resist orders, or a willing follower of the orders at all costs?
A day in the life of Siobhan’s passenger. What is it like to be sealed? How much of “itself” does it still control? How does it get over the mental torture of observing teenage-level flirting attempts aimed at its host?
This one might not count but I kinda want to see Percy meet David Gnorrish. Like, I sort of feel like Percy wouldn’t know how to react to this giant ball of affability, and Gnorrish probably has the knowledge, skill, and power to create custom lenses on a whim, which would come in handy.
I almost don’t want to answer, because I’ve been having so much fun filling up those little spaces in my fanfic.
There are all sorts of interesting perspectives you could do before and after the prison break, but I love the little bit that we only heard the sketch of the story about how her Dad almost manages to escape; there seems like a story there.
Ana POV would be great as she observes Sebastien during the heist for the evidence and theft of the ring and after.
What’s the deal with the attempt to break into the Archmage’s office to see the magical creatures? That sounded very cool, and we’d get to see another little side story that felt interesting.
I kind of wish we got more Tanya Canelo. Feel like we haven’t seen her in awhile. Also feel like she should be a more active character. Since the chapter where the raven queen sort of claimed her to Kiernan.
There are so many good characters who had some screentime, but have basically been dropped, that I really don’t want to see a POV from anyone new. I would much rather we check in on characters you already made us care about, then we didn’t see for books.
Oliver, he was a huge part at beginning, maybe even a love interest. He even already had a side story start on his mission, then we never saw a follow up, what is going on with him?
Liza, she disappeared too. Where is she, what is she doing?
Sebastian’s school friends, we saw a good bit of them and now nothing for a while.
Damien, he was a huge part of story, then he got given his research task and has just been relegated to this side gig where he was slaving away, health going down even, mental health changes as he discovers secrets that Thaddeus is about to kill to keep… but we never see him. How is it he has dedicated his whole life and health and future to this bogus secret club, prioritizing it over his life goal schoolwork, yet he is just gone from the picture now.
The whole wolf pack needs more screentime.
The whole Raven Queen worship club and their buildup and activities needs some actual screentime.
The one thing I absolutely dont need more of, is Siobhan running away from Lacer but getting almost caught again, for a 4th time… this endless chase isn’t moving the story. I love the story so far, just my inputs for what “side story” I want more of.
It would be nice to see a Liza PoV and her thoughts on Siobhan and Sebastian.
In one of the chapters it was mentioned by the Undreaming Order that both of them are protectet in the same way, but Liza knows that she made just one ward, so she must have made a connection between the both of them. The question is just at what point in time?
I asked my mother (who introduced me to PGTS, as it happens) what bonus scenes she’d like to see and she promptly said “Lacer”.
She wants to know:
What’s his research?
What’s his background? Was he one of those specially bred children from those programmes he lamented?
“Who are his people? Who are his friends? Why does he have no friends? His education? What made him?” - direct quote
(This one is from me sparked by the above - how did he end up friends with Damien’s mother?)
Is his position at the university really a punishment?
Did he get kicked out of the Red Guard because of his antics? What were those antics?
She wants to know how he ended up with several thousand thaums at a time when Sebastien was a prodigy with 600? (She felt this was not adequately covered under “his education” and needed to be a separate point)
I would love to know what he makes of this pitiful overthinking student of his who does crazy well in actual combat situations and got into a fight with a seasoned adult member of a crown family and managed to take him down, faced off with an Aberrant and survived, and can cast without a conduit in his hand.
Another niche one that came to mind: I’d love to read a story written from the perspective of a member of the committee to craft the yearly written exam for the University.
Like, magically, the exam actually somehow seems to be more complicated than almost any other bit of magic we see in the story, with complex interactive elements (like the unicorn wishing to advance) and the seemingly endless questions, all produced in great quantity, presumably under some secrecy.
Maybe Professor Ilma or someone is on the committee and we could get a bit of a peak at how that magic works, along with some of a radically different view on University politics from that of Kiernan and Lacer, along with some intrigue around someone trying to steal copies of the test so they can either know the answers in advance or develop a magical means to subvert the scoring system?
Maybe a young member of the Rouse family, or whoever works as the intelligence network for the Crowns seeks to prove themself to their family by placing highest on the exam through nefarious means? Maybe some foreign power wants to send a crop of agents through Lenore’s University so they can develop networks? Maybe both?