Dear Yuletide 2023 Writer
Oct. 20th, 2023 11:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybird97Dear Yuletide 2023 Writer,
Thank you! I can't wait to see what you create. All of my Yuletide requests and recs are public under my Yuletide tag so that you can see what kinds of things I like.
More specifics, including DNWs and canon chattering, can be found under the cut.
Things I Love
Gen. Strong friendship. Found family. Romance. Femslash. Bechdel-passing. Inclusivity. Genderflipping. Extreme competence. Teamwork. Stories that replicate the tone and style of the original. Smart people getting to show their intelligence; competent people getting to do what they're best at; powerful characters showing their vulnerability. Plot. Well-researched history. Snappy dialogue. Hurt/comfort. Casefic. (if you write me casefic, I will be your friend forever!) Gift-giving. Epistolary. Time-travel and just-add-magic AUs.
And, most of all, I love crossovers! If you find inspiration for one, it would be an amazing Yuletide present! It can be a crossover or fusion between two of the fandoms I've requested, or with an outside one. Time travel and ‘just add magic’ are two of my fandom catnips, and also some of my favorite excuses for crossovers. (Doctor Who and Timeless would be awesome time-travel crossovers. Please, no Harry Potter for the 'just add magic' crossover, not anymore; but just generally having magic would be cool.) So, maybe a weird Wheel of Time / For All Mankind fusion where the space race is actually a struggle to reach some some pre-Breaking tech and NASA is the White Tower. Or time-travel shenanigans, with The Doctor landing in 1930s Yorkshire or 1920s Toronto or…anywhere, pretty much. Or just a mundane crossover: a young Frankie Drake meets an even younger Siegfried Farnon or Audrey Hall in WWI; or Phoebe and Maisie go to Toronto and team up with Frankie and co. to solve a mystery while wearing extremely fabulous clothes. Silly, serious, I'll take it all.
Absolute Do Not Want
Explicit sex or violence. Rape, non-con, dubcon. Incest. Humiliation or cringe humor. Sexual relationships between adults and teens. Violence against children, child abuse, or other children-in-peril. Physical or psychological torture. Misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and other bigotry. COVID or other epidemics. (One person being sick is fine, just not epidemics.) And please, no 'they act like they hate each other but that's actually because they're in love,' unless that's already been established in canon. I want "no" to mean "no."
Would Rather Not Have
The Five Things / 5+1 structure. Angst. Major character death. Plotless character studies. Modern or sci-fi AUs. Non-canonical pairings that I haven't specified in my request. Character or pairing hate - if you don’t like a character or pairing, just leave them out!
And now, on to the canons!
All Creatures Great And Small, any character
I read the books so many times when I was a kid that the covers nearly fell off, and this adaptation makes me enormously happy. It's sustained me through the dark winters of the past few years.
I love the show’s gentleness and kindness. I love that it’s about people trying to do their best, and even when they mess up, they keep on trying - and, even better, they let each other keep on trying. I love the quiet way the characters show how much they care for each other, and the subtle ways they help each other out. I love the sense of community in the village, and the found family at Skeldale House. I appreciate the honest depiction of struggles to communicate, especially between the Farnon brothers.
I’d be happy with a story about any or all of the nominated characters; the ensemble dynamic is one of the things I love best about the show. Hugh is the only one I don't really want, but the rest, definitely.
Here are some ideas:
- I’d love to see a story centering Mrs. Hall. Maybe something when she was younger and less worn down by the world, but still as super-competent as she is in the present day. Maybe about her time in the Wrens? Or a story focused on her among the Skeldale House ensemble, showing all the little ways she holds everyone together: mediating one of the misunderstandings that always seem to happen, dealing with villagers, etc. I love her growing friendship with Helen, and I'd like to see more of that: all the complications of Mrs. Hall's estrangement from her own son and Helen's loss of her own mother/sense of responsibility for her own sister. I also love Mrs. Hall's mentorship of Jenny and would be really happy to see more of that. And most of all, I love the friendship between Siegfried and Mrs. Hall: the way they both support each other, the way they understand each other without needing to talk about it. (But please don't turn that into a romance; I really like it as a friendship.)
- Something supernatural - a ghost, an isolated farmer who is totally a fae or a witch, etc. How would everyone react? Probably Siegfried would be skeptical; Tristan would totally believe and want to be dramatic about it; James would be cautious; Helen would just accept it as something that happens around the village.
- A pre-canon story about the Farnon brothers, filling in some of the details about how their relationship deteriorated - but also upholding the love they have for each other. Maybe Tristan does something to help Siegfried and tries to hide it from him, but Siegfried finds out and tries to hide that he knows?
And, as I said, I’d be super happy with a general ensemble story too - a veterinary case, a day in the life of the practice, etc. Descriptions of adorable animals would be a huge plus! Please steer away from descriptions of blood and gore, though, if your story is about a veterinary case.
For All Mankind. Molly, Margo
This one is a little weird because S4 will drop in the middle of the writing period! But most of my requests are canon-divergence or set during earlier seasons.
I discovered this show earlier this year and binged it all in about a month. It is fabulous and ridiculous and I love it. I love the careful attention to the paths of alternate history, the ridiculously ambitious storylines, the way everyone persists in striving for great achievements in space even when everything goes completely wrong. I love the way it shows the characters' growth over time; that it leaves open the possibility of self-discovery and redemption even as it acknowledges that some people just can't overcome their own flaws.
For these characters, I love Margo's intelligence, ambition, pragmatism. I appreciate that she learns to take accountability for her mistakes, trying to repair the harm she did in her relationship with Aleida. (And also trying to repair the harm she did in giving away secrets to Sergei, even if she ultimately discovers that that harm is past repairing.) I love the way she grows into her leadership.
On the other end of the emotional spectrum, I love Molly's brash, reckless, badass courage. I love that she is just utterly herself, no matter where she is and who she's with. She doesn't fit? Too bad. It's up to the world to change, not her. That's her biggest flaw, though, too: when she feels like the world is passing her by, she digs in and lashes out rather than trying to adapt to something new.
A romance or a friendship between Margo and Molly would be the most opposites-attract of opposites attracting. They'd squabble and challenge each other - but they'd also perfectly complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and they'd have absolute respect for each other's abilities. I wish that both of them would take some responsibility for the dysfunction in the space program that they both helped to build, and that they would do something to fix it.
I would absolutely love a post-S3-fix-it. JUSTICE FOR MOLLY! Molly survived, faking her own death for some reason, and ran away with Margo. Maybe they have a pre-existing relationship; maybe they come together while they're fleeing. How do they support each other? How does Molly deal with having to be low-key?
Or, maybe a story about them working together while Molly is on the moon and Margo is on earth: teaming up in a crisis to do something awesome that calls on both their strengths, or an epistolary where they slowly gain respect for each other.
I'm fine with some ensemble scenes, too - I love the NASA control room scenes with everyone cooperating and rushing to fix things in a crisis. And if you'd like to do a solo story about either Margo or Molly, that's OK too. Also, if you have Molly and Margo in a romance, I'm fine with Molly still being married to Wayne; if that's the case, just please make it clear that they've got a consensually open marriage rather than having Molly cheat on Wayne.
Frankie Drake Mysteries, any character.
This show is so much fun! I love its snappy pacing; I love the way it’s juuuuust a bit over the top (especially in S4!); I love when it digs into real history; I like that it shows some of the historical diversity of Toronto and wish it would do that more. And of course, I love the friendship among the four main characters that anchors it.
I love that Frankie is badass, quick thinking, outrageously daring, unashamedly sexy (and that the show doesn’t punish her for it!), a good leader. (If you want to include one of her current or past boyfriends, I’m fine with that; I like the growing relationship with Smoldering Carpenter at the end of S4 and would be happy to see more of him, but I’m also OK without.)
I love Trudy’s resourcefulness, ambition, fabulous fashion sense, creativity, and strong work ethic. I love her dedication to her family and community; and I love how naturally she weaves that in with her friendship with the others.
I love Mary’s dedication to her job, and her growth over the course of the show. I love that she’s really starting to think seriously about ethics and grapple with questions of justice (and glad that the writers are talking about police corruption/misconduct/brutality!). I love that she’s braver than she thinks she is.
I love that Flo is confident, competent, flirty, smart. I love that she’s good at her job and owns it. I love that she’s a good dancer; I love that she’s ambitious; I love that she’s moving on after losing her husband but also carries his presence with her - she refers to her life and love with him very naturally.
I’d love an ensemble story, of course - the teamwork among the four main women is one of the things I like best about the show. Something that lets each of them showcase their strengths; something that shows how each of them is growing; something that shows how they all work together and help each other shine.
If you want to do a solo story, my first choice would be one focusing on Flo. Maybe an adventure in her new job singing at the club (starting a relationship with a nice woman?); maybe navigating the challenges of medical school and her job at the coroner; maybe solving a medical mystery by herself, using knowledge that only she could have. Or maybe a story about her bonding with her niece - I really loved that storyline in S4, and it was wonderful to see Flo step up to be a supportive ally even as she clearly felt the magnitude of the task of becoming a surrogate parent.
Wheel of Time. Lan Mandragoran, Moiraine Damodred, Nynaeve al'Meara, Siuan Sanche
Oh, I have so much nostalgia for these books! The Wheel of Time series was my first Fandom way back in the early days of the internet, and I have a huge warm fondness for it still.
I loved this adaptation of the story: its focus onto Moiraine and her inner struggle, its deeper view of Two Rivers culture (the whole opening speech about the cultural significance of braids!), its depiction of tenderness among the Warders, its inclusive casting, its honoring of the book canon (the story of Manetheren! Lan's speech to Nynaeve! Oh my heart!) while tracing out new stories when it needs to (Moiraine's S2 arc!).
When I was 18 and read the books for the first time, Nynaeve was my favorite; now that I'm 40something, Moiraine is my favorite. So I'd love to see a story focusing on either or both.
I especially love the way Moiraine is depicted in the show. I love her depth of conviction, her political intelligence, her fierce love for Siuan and Lan and for the young people under her protection. The show isn't afraid to depict the more complicated and unpleasant sides of her personality, either, like her ruthlessness and her single-mindedness. It was fascinating to see her relationship with her family in S2: how her obsessive focus on the Dragon destroyed those relationships, how she hated that it did, and how she still couldn't stop herself.
Moiraine/Siuan is always wonderful. I would love to see them as the White Tower power couple, being terrifyingly competent and doing their politics and working for what they believe is right. What other causes have they advocated for together in the past? How have they used their power for good? Or, give me the YA romance of them getting together, full of delicious tropeyness: the two overconfident Accepted facing down some huge threat and then falling into each other's arms while one takes care of the other's injuries. (Wherever they are, there is probably Only One Bed.) Or a solo story about Moiraine: politicking in Cairhien, dealing with the vulnerability of being blocked from channeling (and thinking that she might be stilled forever!), dealing with her relationship with Lan. (I'd rather not have any romance between Moiraine and Lan; one of the things I love most about that relationship is that it is deeply intimate without being romantic or sexual.)
Or maybe a genderflipping/role-reversal with Moiraine and Lan: Lan is an upright principled Aes Sedai, Moiraine is the ruthless pragmatic Warder who Gets Things Done when Lan won't or can't, and Lan falling in love with Nynaeve produces a whole different set of complications.
Or, any story about Nynaeve would make me really happy. Something earlier in her life in the Two Rivers, as she grew and learned and stepped into her role as Wisdom; mentoring the younger villagers or using her astounding channeling strength or struggling to deal with her family history. Or a story about her being super-awesome with Lan somewhere along the journey together in S1, each admiring the other's competence and skill. Or, please please please give her something useful to do at the end of S2 in Falme! Even if she can't channel she can absolutely use all of her Wisdom knowledge of herbs and healing.
And/or, Nynaeve and Moiraine together at some point - on the journey to Tar Valon, at the Tower, or on the journey north - butting heads and learning from each other, while both respecting the depth of the other one's ties with Lan.
Will Darling Adventures, Maisie and Phoebe
I love these two and want only good things for them!
I love Maisie's pride in her work, ambition, humor, extreme intelligence and sensibility, and fabulous fashion. I love how deeply protective she is of her friends, and even more how protective she is of Phoebe. She sees the vulnerability that Phoebe tries not to show the world.
I love Phoebe's wit, emotional intelligence, and resilience. She's so much stronger than she thinks she is! She's so completely self-aware otherwise: she knows how people see her (for better or worse) and how to take advantage of that. And I hate that she felt that she had to hide herself for so long. Which is why I love it when other characters see her for who she is.
I'd love to see some scenes from when they were in Paris together in Book 2. (When I hit that moment in the books, I hoped they were off getting into a romance with each other, and was SO HAPPY that I was right!) Casefic would be especially awesome - it would be great to see the two of them using their specific skills and talents to solve a mystery in a way that nobody else could. Or for something more serious, maybe Maisie helping Phoebe get through her trauma in Book 3 and find her place as Lady Waring.
Thank you! I can't wait to see what you create. All of my Yuletide requests and recs are public under my Yuletide tag so that you can see what kinds of things I like.
More specifics, including DNWs and canon chattering, can be found under the cut.
Things I Love
Gen. Strong friendship. Found family. Romance. Femslash. Bechdel-passing. Inclusivity. Genderflipping. Extreme competence. Teamwork. Stories that replicate the tone and style of the original. Smart people getting to show their intelligence; competent people getting to do what they're best at; powerful characters showing their vulnerability. Plot. Well-researched history. Snappy dialogue. Hurt/comfort. Casefic. (if you write me casefic, I will be your friend forever!) Gift-giving. Epistolary. Time-travel and just-add-magic AUs.
And, most of all, I love crossovers! If you find inspiration for one, it would be an amazing Yuletide present! It can be a crossover or fusion between two of the fandoms I've requested, or with an outside one. Time travel and ‘just add magic’ are two of my fandom catnips, and also some of my favorite excuses for crossovers. (Doctor Who and Timeless would be awesome time-travel crossovers. Please, no Harry Potter for the 'just add magic' crossover, not anymore; but just generally having magic would be cool.) So, maybe a weird Wheel of Time / For All Mankind fusion where the space race is actually a struggle to reach some some pre-Breaking tech and NASA is the White Tower. Or time-travel shenanigans, with The Doctor landing in 1930s Yorkshire or 1920s Toronto or…anywhere, pretty much. Or just a mundane crossover: a young Frankie Drake meets an even younger Siegfried Farnon or Audrey Hall in WWI; or Phoebe and Maisie go to Toronto and team up with Frankie and co. to solve a mystery while wearing extremely fabulous clothes. Silly, serious, I'll take it all.
Absolute Do Not Want
Explicit sex or violence. Rape, non-con, dubcon. Incest. Humiliation or cringe humor. Sexual relationships between adults and teens. Violence against children, child abuse, or other children-in-peril. Physical or psychological torture. Misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and other bigotry. COVID or other epidemics. (One person being sick is fine, just not epidemics.) And please, no 'they act like they hate each other but that's actually because they're in love,' unless that's already been established in canon. I want "no" to mean "no."
Would Rather Not Have
The Five Things / 5+1 structure. Angst. Major character death. Plotless character studies. Modern or sci-fi AUs. Non-canonical pairings that I haven't specified in my request. Character or pairing hate - if you don’t like a character or pairing, just leave them out!
And now, on to the canons!
All Creatures Great And Small, any character
I read the books so many times when I was a kid that the covers nearly fell off, and this adaptation makes me enormously happy. It's sustained me through the dark winters of the past few years.
I love the show’s gentleness and kindness. I love that it’s about people trying to do their best, and even when they mess up, they keep on trying - and, even better, they let each other keep on trying. I love the quiet way the characters show how much they care for each other, and the subtle ways they help each other out. I love the sense of community in the village, and the found family at Skeldale House. I appreciate the honest depiction of struggles to communicate, especially between the Farnon brothers.
I’d be happy with a story about any or all of the nominated characters; the ensemble dynamic is one of the things I love best about the show. Hugh is the only one I don't really want, but the rest, definitely.
Here are some ideas:
- I’d love to see a story centering Mrs. Hall. Maybe something when she was younger and less worn down by the world, but still as super-competent as she is in the present day. Maybe about her time in the Wrens? Or a story focused on her among the Skeldale House ensemble, showing all the little ways she holds everyone together: mediating one of the misunderstandings that always seem to happen, dealing with villagers, etc. I love her growing friendship with Helen, and I'd like to see more of that: all the complications of Mrs. Hall's estrangement from her own son and Helen's loss of her own mother/sense of responsibility for her own sister. I also love Mrs. Hall's mentorship of Jenny and would be really happy to see more of that. And most of all, I love the friendship between Siegfried and Mrs. Hall: the way they both support each other, the way they understand each other without needing to talk about it. (But please don't turn that into a romance; I really like it as a friendship.)
- Something supernatural - a ghost, an isolated farmer who is totally a fae or a witch, etc. How would everyone react? Probably Siegfried would be skeptical; Tristan would totally believe and want to be dramatic about it; James would be cautious; Helen would just accept it as something that happens around the village.
- A pre-canon story about the Farnon brothers, filling in some of the details about how their relationship deteriorated - but also upholding the love they have for each other. Maybe Tristan does something to help Siegfried and tries to hide it from him, but Siegfried finds out and tries to hide that he knows?
And, as I said, I’d be super happy with a general ensemble story too - a veterinary case, a day in the life of the practice, etc. Descriptions of adorable animals would be a huge plus! Please steer away from descriptions of blood and gore, though, if your story is about a veterinary case.
For All Mankind. Molly, Margo
This one is a little weird because S4 will drop in the middle of the writing period! But most of my requests are canon-divergence or set during earlier seasons.
I discovered this show earlier this year and binged it all in about a month. It is fabulous and ridiculous and I love it. I love the careful attention to the paths of alternate history, the ridiculously ambitious storylines, the way everyone persists in striving for great achievements in space even when everything goes completely wrong. I love the way it shows the characters' growth over time; that it leaves open the possibility of self-discovery and redemption even as it acknowledges that some people just can't overcome their own flaws.
For these characters, I love Margo's intelligence, ambition, pragmatism. I appreciate that she learns to take accountability for her mistakes, trying to repair the harm she did in her relationship with Aleida. (And also trying to repair the harm she did in giving away secrets to Sergei, even if she ultimately discovers that that harm is past repairing.) I love the way she grows into her leadership.
On the other end of the emotional spectrum, I love Molly's brash, reckless, badass courage. I love that she is just utterly herself, no matter where she is and who she's with. She doesn't fit? Too bad. It's up to the world to change, not her. That's her biggest flaw, though, too: when she feels like the world is passing her by, she digs in and lashes out rather than trying to adapt to something new.
A romance or a friendship between Margo and Molly would be the most opposites-attract of opposites attracting. They'd squabble and challenge each other - but they'd also perfectly complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and they'd have absolute respect for each other's abilities. I wish that both of them would take some responsibility for the dysfunction in the space program that they both helped to build, and that they would do something to fix it.
I would absolutely love a post-S3-fix-it. JUSTICE FOR MOLLY! Molly survived, faking her own death for some reason, and ran away with Margo. Maybe they have a pre-existing relationship; maybe they come together while they're fleeing. How do they support each other? How does Molly deal with having to be low-key?
Or, maybe a story about them working together while Molly is on the moon and Margo is on earth: teaming up in a crisis to do something awesome that calls on both their strengths, or an epistolary where they slowly gain respect for each other.
I'm fine with some ensemble scenes, too - I love the NASA control room scenes with everyone cooperating and rushing to fix things in a crisis. And if you'd like to do a solo story about either Margo or Molly, that's OK too. Also, if you have Molly and Margo in a romance, I'm fine with Molly still being married to Wayne; if that's the case, just please make it clear that they've got a consensually open marriage rather than having Molly cheat on Wayne.
Frankie Drake Mysteries, any character.
This show is so much fun! I love its snappy pacing; I love the way it’s juuuuust a bit over the top (especially in S4!); I love when it digs into real history; I like that it shows some of the historical diversity of Toronto and wish it would do that more. And of course, I love the friendship among the four main characters that anchors it.
I love that Frankie is badass, quick thinking, outrageously daring, unashamedly sexy (and that the show doesn’t punish her for it!), a good leader. (If you want to include one of her current or past boyfriends, I’m fine with that; I like the growing relationship with Smoldering Carpenter at the end of S4 and would be happy to see more of him, but I’m also OK without.)
I love Trudy’s resourcefulness, ambition, fabulous fashion sense, creativity, and strong work ethic. I love her dedication to her family and community; and I love how naturally she weaves that in with her friendship with the others.
I love Mary’s dedication to her job, and her growth over the course of the show. I love that she’s really starting to think seriously about ethics and grapple with questions of justice (and glad that the writers are talking about police corruption/misconduct/brutality!). I love that she’s braver than she thinks she is.
I love that Flo is confident, competent, flirty, smart. I love that she’s good at her job and owns it. I love that she’s a good dancer; I love that she’s ambitious; I love that she’s moving on after losing her husband but also carries his presence with her - she refers to her life and love with him very naturally.
I’d love an ensemble story, of course - the teamwork among the four main women is one of the things I like best about the show. Something that lets each of them showcase their strengths; something that shows how each of them is growing; something that shows how they all work together and help each other shine.
If you want to do a solo story, my first choice would be one focusing on Flo. Maybe an adventure in her new job singing at the club (starting a relationship with a nice woman?); maybe navigating the challenges of medical school and her job at the coroner; maybe solving a medical mystery by herself, using knowledge that only she could have. Or maybe a story about her bonding with her niece - I really loved that storyline in S4, and it was wonderful to see Flo step up to be a supportive ally even as she clearly felt the magnitude of the task of becoming a surrogate parent.
Wheel of Time. Lan Mandragoran, Moiraine Damodred, Nynaeve al'Meara, Siuan Sanche
Oh, I have so much nostalgia for these books! The Wheel of Time series was my first Fandom
I loved this adaptation of the story: its focus onto Moiraine and her inner struggle, its deeper view of Two Rivers culture (the whole opening speech about the cultural significance of braids!), its depiction of tenderness among the Warders, its inclusive casting, its honoring of the book canon (the story of Manetheren! Lan's speech to Nynaeve! Oh my heart!) while tracing out new stories when it needs to (Moiraine's S2 arc!).
When I was 18 and read the books for the first time, Nynaeve was my favorite; now that I'm 40something, Moiraine is my favorite. So I'd love to see a story focusing on either or both.
I especially love the way Moiraine is depicted in the show. I love her depth of conviction, her political intelligence, her fierce love for Siuan and Lan and for the young people under her protection. The show isn't afraid to depict the more complicated and unpleasant sides of her personality, either, like her ruthlessness and her single-mindedness. It was fascinating to see her relationship with her family in S2: how her obsessive focus on the Dragon destroyed those relationships, how she hated that it did, and how she still couldn't stop herself.
Moiraine/Siuan is always wonderful. I would love to see them as the White Tower power couple, being terrifyingly competent and doing their politics and working for what they believe is right. What other causes have they advocated for together in the past? How have they used their power for good? Or, give me the YA romance of them getting together, full of delicious tropeyness: the two overconfident Accepted facing down some huge threat and then falling into each other's arms while one takes care of the other's injuries. (Wherever they are, there is probably Only One Bed.) Or a solo story about Moiraine: politicking in Cairhien, dealing with the vulnerability of being blocked from channeling (and thinking that she might be stilled forever!), dealing with her relationship with Lan. (I'd rather not have any romance between Moiraine and Lan; one of the things I love most about that relationship is that it is deeply intimate without being romantic or sexual.)
Or maybe a genderflipping/role-reversal with Moiraine and Lan: Lan is an upright principled Aes Sedai, Moiraine is the ruthless pragmatic Warder who Gets Things Done when Lan won't or can't, and Lan falling in love with Nynaeve produces a whole different set of complications.
Or, any story about Nynaeve would make me really happy. Something earlier in her life in the Two Rivers, as she grew and learned and stepped into her role as Wisdom; mentoring the younger villagers or using her astounding channeling strength or struggling to deal with her family history. Or a story about her being super-awesome with Lan somewhere along the journey together in S1, each admiring the other's competence and skill. Or, please please please give her something useful to do at the end of S2 in Falme! Even if she can't channel she can absolutely use all of her Wisdom knowledge of herbs and healing.
And/or, Nynaeve and Moiraine together at some point - on the journey to Tar Valon, at the Tower, or on the journey north - butting heads and learning from each other, while both respecting the depth of the other one's ties with Lan.
Will Darling Adventures, Maisie and Phoebe
I love these two and want only good things for them!
I love Maisie's pride in her work, ambition, humor, extreme intelligence and sensibility, and fabulous fashion. I love how deeply protective she is of her friends, and even more how protective she is of Phoebe. She sees the vulnerability that Phoebe tries not to show the world.
I love Phoebe's wit, emotional intelligence, and resilience. She's so much stronger than she thinks she is! She's so completely self-aware otherwise: she knows how people see her (for better or worse) and how to take advantage of that. And I hate that she felt that she had to hide herself for so long. Which is why I love it when other characters see her for who she is.
I'd love to see some scenes from when they were in Paris together in Book 2. (When I hit that moment in the books, I hoped they were off getting into a romance with each other, and was SO HAPPY that I was right!) Casefic would be especially awesome - it would be great to see the two of them using their specific skills and talents to solve a mystery in a way that nobody else could. Or for something more serious, maybe Maisie helping Phoebe get through her trauma in Book 3 and find her place as Lady Waring.
