The Arkham Round Table

Penna and I often compare working on the Caffrey Conversation AU to the team experience of screenwriters on a TV series. Many times we feel as if the characters are participating in our conversations. With the Arkham Round Table, I've extended the concept to the story itself.

Warning for minor spoilers for the Caffrey Conversation AU.

Diana volunteered to write Lovecraft fanfiction as part of a strategy to take down a cybercriminal nicknamed Azathoth. Initially she only had Tricia's assistance. Once Neal realized June was reading Lovecraft, he encouraged Diana to ask her to be her beta reader. He knew that June would provide valuable assistance, but he also believed it would help June cope with the loss of Byron who had died a year earlier. June was excited to participate in a team effort. June offered the use of her home and agreed to help tamp down any fires that might flare up from Mozzie and Diana working so closely together.

When Neal made the suggestion, he wasn't only thinking of June. He learned in The Dreamer that Diana's mother passed away when she was a child. She rarely sees her father who works overseas with the State Department. Neal suspected June could help fill a void in Diana's life, and she has. Diana and June have now become close friends.

In Raphael's Dragon, The Arkham Round Table consists of Diana, Tricia, June, Elizabeth, and Mozzie. Neal is reassured by the thought that June has his back and will tone down any ideas for his character that are beyond the pale. Similarly, Peter has El to watch over his character.

The members of the Round Table have all carved out niches for themselves. Diana provides the overall vision for the stories. El and Tricia focus on the dynamic between Neal and Peter. In the beginning, June and Mozzie primarily provided guidance for their counterparts in the stories. But once those characters were established, Mozzie and June decided it was time for them to engage in a little shapeshifting of their own.

June now acts as lead developer for Lavinia Armitage, the head librarian at Miskatonic University. Diana created the character based on her aunt, but has let June assume the reins. June has forged a strong bond with Lavinia. She enjoys guiding a character who is so different from her day-to-day persona. As for Mozzie, you'll have to wait a little while longer to find out which new character he has adopted. That person will be introduced in the next story, The Locked Room. Also on the drawing board is an addition to the Round Table. Diana has begun campaigning for an additional member to be inducted, and she usually gets her way. This will likely occur in the story after Raphael's Dragon, Echoes of a Violin.

Diana is one lucky novice writer. Not only does she have Penna acting as beta reader for her stories, she also has June and the entire Arkham Round Table to call on.

You can read about other ways June's role has been expanded in Penna's post June Ellington: Sometimes Magic Happens.

Raphael's Dragon on Archive of Our Own
Raphael's Dragon on FanFiction