Thanks, H.! At some point, I feel like maybe I should move this to a new post. These threads are getting hard to follow! But, I think we're nearing the end, and I'm chugging on the NFE right now. I'm SO GLAD it worked for you three!
The name came to me, out of the blue, either when I was talking to myself in the car or walking the dog. I liked the name Rolf or Raffe and then wondered about some name tied with wealth and then saw that the names mean Wise Wolf in Nordic languages, so HA!
Clio in an email to me also drew the comparison to Tebbitt, pointing out how it is against her type -- he is white and the age is a bit screwy, but in years lived, she is older. It did not occur to me to compare her seeking out of mentors, but this Susan does do that. Despite some pressure from a few readers, I am incapable of shipping Asim with anyone -- the jokes about dark chocolate notwithstanding. But yes, he stands as another potential mentor. I very carefully wrote those chapters with Sallowpad to cast it in terms of a mentor relationship. I didn't want any shippiness in it at all.
The Rabadash relationship in my head canon is a Game of Thrones situation that she misjudges and loses and by backing into this relationship with Linch, I'm actually more comfortable with that. She thinks she's found something in Rabadash -- the men are similar in some superficial respects, though Rabadash is more politically appropriate, and she's probably not as cautious as she would otherwise be.
Despite, again, some reader enthusiasm to the contrary, I'd not seen Susan's relationship with Tebbitt as a "one true pairing" for her -- and I don't tend write OTPs regardless. It develops over time. It is enjoyable. She comes to respect him a great deal. But, I'm just not sure that the characters I've written would have Tebbitt as a great love of hers. I see him as being weak, in some ways, which frustrates her. I've not thought about that relationship in a while, so this bears some more consideration.
LOVE the idea of the wagers. And Jalur. He'll trust Lambert to do the eating if necessary, I suppose.
Re: All aboard the Susan/Director ship
The name came to me, out of the blue, either when I was talking to myself in the car or walking the dog. I liked the name Rolf or Raffe and then wondered about some name tied with wealth and then saw that the names mean Wise Wolf in Nordic languages, so HA!
Clio in an email to me also drew the comparison to Tebbitt, pointing out how it is against her type -- he is white and the age is a bit screwy, but in years lived, she is older. It did not occur to me to compare her seeking out of mentors, but this Susan does do that. Despite some pressure from a few readers, I am incapable of shipping Asim with anyone -- the jokes about dark chocolate notwithstanding. But yes, he stands as another potential mentor. I very carefully wrote those chapters with Sallowpad to cast it in terms of a mentor relationship. I didn't want any shippiness in it at all.
The Rabadash relationship in my head canon is a Game of Thrones situation that she misjudges and loses and by backing into this relationship with Linch, I'm actually more comfortable with that. She thinks she's found something in Rabadash -- the men are similar in some superficial respects, though Rabadash is more politically appropriate, and she's probably not as cautious as she would otherwise be.
Despite, again, some reader enthusiasm to the contrary, I'd not seen Susan's relationship with Tebbitt as a "one true pairing" for her -- and I don't tend write OTPs regardless. It develops over time. It is enjoyable. She comes to respect him a great deal. But, I'm just not sure that the characters I've written would have Tebbitt as a great love of hers. I see him as being weak, in some ways, which frustrates her. I've not thought about that relationship in a while, so this bears some more consideration.
LOVE the idea of the wagers. And Jalur. He'll trust Lambert to do the eating if necessary, I suppose.