I would like it if some children were born with preferences for shells, coral, feathers &/or rocks/slate, and then those children would automatically pick up the collectibles that correspond to their likes.
Lurkily, it's too bad you don't enjoy FanFic; you write so well!
It's already been suggested for VV4 that things like butterfly nets and bug-cages and such be a researchable or unlock-able category in VV4; I like the idea.
My way with words is not matched by a knack for building a plot, unfortunately. I can work with existing material, but I'm terrible at story-crafting without a starting point.