Last week Penna wrote about some of our experiences in
sharing original characters for our series. Readers frequently write Penna to praise her original characters. It's such a compliment and richly deserved. Most readers of fanfiction already have strong feelings about canon characters. Creating equally strong emotions for new characters is quite a challenge. But Penna succeeds in crafting such complex and vivid personalities that they've been readily embraced. She recently received a high tribute when a reader wrote that Henry seemed so real, she had a hard time believing he hadn't been part of the canon episodes.
When I began to write stories for our AU, the thought of including Penna's original characters in my stories was scary. They were speaking to her all the time, but they tended to ignore me. After all, who was I? Some upstart? How dare I try to capture their imaginative and unflaggingly witty personalities?
(Caution: Mild spoilers for the Caffrey Conversation AU and The Mirror)
Henry was particularly obstinate in his reluctance to have me describe his awesomeness. In fact, he was so intimidating that I had no choice but to banish him to India during The Woman in Blue and let him sulk there until he had a change of heart. After studying meditation in Puducherry, Henry used his new skill to calm my frazzled nerves and let him be included in a Thanksgiving celebration at the end of The Queen's Jewels. Henry deserves many posts of his own, but for now I'm going to let him sit on the sidelines, where he will no doubt rail at me for ignoring him.
Tricia wasn't nearly as intimidating. She was a mom with kids. She was understanding of the issues Neal grappled with as he integrated himself into the White Collar team. Penna made her a birder and that gave us something in common. As we started exchanging anecdotes, Tricia confessed that she felt the need to stretch her wings. Up to The Dreamer, she'd served as Peter's second-in-command. Her opportunities for advancement in White Collar were not high. At the same time, she'd been inspired by the profiling skills displayed by Neal's aunt Noelle at the end of Caffrey Flashback. Moving Tricia into the role of profiler has opened new doors for her and also for us as storytellers.
With a maniacal cybercriminal to deal with, Peter and his team badly need a profiler to assist them. Tricia has become Peter's confidante and advisor at work, a role that she is much better able to fulfill since she no longer works directly for him. She provides wise counsel for those lone wolves Neal and Henry. In The Mirror she and Mozzie develop a close working relationship as they bond over birds and student protests. In Chapter 15 of The Mirror, Mozzie will discover they have something else in common. Tricia's skills will be even more in demand in future stories.
In reading what Penna wrote about her initial concept for Tricia, I realized they were similar to my feeling about Travis. I'd initially created him to play a minor role, but he quickly demonstrated he was destined for greater things. Travis has his own sense of justice and what is fair. Most of the time that puts him on the same side as the Bureau, but not always. In The Queen's Jewels when he felt Neal was being handled unfairly, Travis didn't hesitate to jump into a decidedly gray area. Travis is a self-professed geek and sci-fi fan like me. He and Mozzie speak the same language on many fronts.
When Penna asked if she could include him in Caffrey Disclosure, Travis and I both felt deeply honored. Penna's scenes with Travis are some of the most moving in the series.
The Mirror on Archive of Our Own The Mirror on FanFiction
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