fan fiction

My First Lucific – Plus Some Recs!

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So, by now anyone who reads this blog probably knows that my heart currently belongs to the TV show Lucifer. And when my heart belongs to a show, I get inspired. And when I get REALLY inspired…dun, dun, dun…I write fanfic! 🙂

I am super-excited to be in the process of posting my very first Lucifer fanfic (Chapter Five went up on Wednesday). I’d forgotten just how daunting it is to put my words out there in the open for anyone and everyone to judge. I’d also forgotten how wonderful it is to interact with readers as the chapters unfold! It’s like we get to go on a journey together, and so far – thanks to the support and encouragement of some fantastic reviewers – the ride has been a complete joy. I am incredibly grateful to all of the people who’ve taken the time to read and review my work – you guys make it worth the effort of staying up extra late to post a new chapter.

I wrote this story as a “Thank You” to all of the fans who fought to save the show (#luciferonnetflix, baby!), and as a way to hopefully give back to the authors and artists whose works have brought me so much joy over the past year (see the recs below for some examples).

Here’s the summary of my first-ever Lucific, entitled The Innocence Project:

Trapped in a warehouse and cut off from celestial help, Chloe must care for a seriously ill Lucifer while the two of them fight to exonerate a death row inmate before the inmate’s time – and Lucifer’s – runs out. Post Season Three. Established Deckerstar.

If you love Lucifer fanfic, please go check it out:

FFN:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13183278/1/The-Innocence-Project

AO3:  https://archiveofourown.org/works/17478380/chapters/41163341

While you’re at it, don’t forget to read these incredible stories, too:

Summary: “That star just died.” When Lucifer tells her this, Chloe feels like they’re talking about something way more important than a mere astronomical event. Everything is the same except for the way that Lucifer looks at Trixie, just like he looked the night he talked about stars. Things happen, Lucifer visits Linda, nothing changes, but then again, everything’s different now.

Cass says: Utterly gorgeous and 100% gut-wrenching.

Summary: Once upon a time, there was a fallen angel who hated his wings and loved a human detective. After that, things got complicated. Fairy tales never get it right. (For the “Who the hell is Cupid?” Valentine’s Fic Exchange)

Cass says: One of the most wonderfully-written, romantic, and creative Lucifer fics I’ve ever read!

Summary: Recently resurrected, Lucifer stumbles back to Chloe’s hospital room with the antidote formula. Amenadiel stands his ground. Trixie somehow sees matters more clearly than the grown-ups-even the celestial ones. A missing moment from the winter finale, “A Good Day to Die.”

Cass says: Best tag/missing scene for this episode I have read to date!

Summary: Maybe Lucifer had always planned to tell her, but she doubted it was like this. Part of the “They’re Back; Aren’t They” fic exchange. I still manage to beat up Lucifer. Post 3×24.

Cass says: Awesome follow-up to the finale by one of my favorite authors. 🙂

  • And watch this excellent video, “Unsteady” by knightvision1228:

Summary: An emotional music video featuring some of the most powerful moments in the series with heavy emphasis on the people most important in Lucifer’s life.

Cass says: The Lucifer fanvid I’ve watched more than any other (read: a LOT). Great match-up between the music and the images, and it really tugs on the heartstrings, too!

Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to leave some comments for the creators if you enjoy their work! Can’t wait for Season Four! 🙂

~Cass

A-Maze-ing Lucifer Reviews

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For me, being a fan of a TV show, or a book series, or even a movie franchise, has never been just about the source material. That’s where it starts, of course. But when I’m really obsessed with something, I always want more. Not spoilers, mind you. I’m allergic to those. (Seriously, I just got up and left the room to avoid a scene from an episode of Stranger Things that I haven’t watched yet).

By “more,” I mean that I want to know the characters better. I want to dive deeper into the storylines than the original material allows. I want to imagine what happened right before the episode started, or after the book ended, or analyze what a character was really thinking when he said a particular line.

For many years, this was a solitary pursuit on my part. Me, making up my own little stories about the characters. Filling in history where there wasn’t any yet, coming up with explanations when there seemed to be plot holes.

I was in college when I first discovered fan fiction, and what a revelation it was. Other people wanted more, too! They wanted to write missing scenes and dissect dialogue every bit as much as I did.

Another thing that quenches my thirst for “more” is reading rich, in-depth reviews written by someone who obviously knows and loves the source material just as much as I do. For me, finding reviews like these is actually rarer than finding excellent fan fiction.

I had two favorite reviewers for Supernatural: GaelicSpirit (https://gaelicspirit.livejournal.com/) and Kroki_Refur, both over on LiveJournal. Sadly, I don’t think either of them still writes regular reviews, but even their old ones (or sporadic new ones) are worth reading if you’re a fan of the show. Gaelic is a more of a Dean fan and Refur is definitely a Sam enthusiast, so it’s always fun to read both perspectives and get a fully rounded view of each episode. (Bonus: Both authors also write fanfic for the show, and it’s reeeeally good.)

There was a great reviewer on the official message boards for The Mentalist, but I could never find her again after CBS abandoned the traditional fan boards for a Facebook system. 😦

When it came to Forever, the place to be was AfterBuzz TV on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCcVQKtF8zHVQoTJt8NNMJA). They always had a great discussion of the current episode, and sometimes interviewed the cast and showrunners. They even helped create a subplot that later appeared on the show!

And now we come to Lucifer, one of my newest obsessions. I’ve been reading fanfic for this one for a while now (I even recommended some on here), but only recently did I come across some cool episode reviews via a link on Twitter. The author, LaToya Ferguson, really delves into the characters and plotlines, sometimes pointing out small elements I didn’t notice, or bringing up possibilities I never considered. Which is exactly what I’m looking for in a review.

So, if you’re hungry for more Lucifer, and you just can’t handle the three-week wait for the next new episode, why not check out these a-Maze-ing bits of post-ep analysis:

https://www.avclub.com/c/tv-review/lucifer

You may not always agree with the author, but that’s part of the fun, too. Intelligent debates between true fans are always worth reading.

Happy New Year, my fellow LuciFans! 🙂

 

The Race: Midseason Musings

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(Okay, when I wrote this post, it was actually a lot closer to midseason than it is now. Nonetheless, the scores still stand!)

So, time’s been winging its way along like a carrier pigeon, and here we are, over halfway through the TV season. Well, the network TV season, at any rate. This is the time when I’m starting to ask myself some important questions, like:

“Which shows am I looking forward to the most?”

“Is there a breakout star in the pack?”

And the real biggie:

“Which shows do I want to start reading fanfiction about?”

Right now, the shows fall into three categories:

Old Favorites – the ones I already read (and even write) fanfiction about

The Mentalist and Supernatural both land firmly in this category. They’re both having strong seasons this year, although The Mentalist has been hurt recently by a super-long hiatus. Thankfully, the drought finally ended with the first new eps in what feels like months. We got to see a playful Jane, fulfilling the secret childhood wishes of his coworkers (it bothered me at first that he didn’t get anything for Lisbon, then I realized he already fulfilled her secret childhood wish when he got her the pony – no way he could ever top that!). We also got to see Jane’s new, er…vehicle. Yeah, I guess you can call it that. Personally I was a fan of the Citroen. This silver thing will take some getting used to. What’ll take more getting used to, however, is the show minus one of its most interesting and unique characters. Why did they have to kill JJ off? WHY? I so was not in the mood for the cheerful preview that aired moments after his death scene. Couldn’t we have had more than a commercial break to mourn him?

Midseason Score: 8

Fortunately, Supernatural only had a short hiatus before kicking out brand new content for us to snuggle with. There was just one bad egg in the new batch of eps – the ep with Crowley and Dean hunting together and Sam and Castiel working to remove Gadreel’s grace from Sam’s body. I liked that Dean got the Mark of Cain (Dean-girls always get a thrill when he’s part of the mythology) and I love the actor who played Cain, but there was just something missing in this ep. Maybe it was the disappointing PB&J storyline with Cass (He may have recently experienced being human for the first time, but he’s had humanity – and morality – for years. Even back in Season Five, Cass refused to kill Sam to stop the apocalypse).

Anyhoo, I’ll forgive one dud ep, seeing as most of this season has been above, beyond, and just plain better than the last three combined. The Garth-as-a-werewolf ep was entertaining (who doesn’t love Garth?) but I DID mind that they messed with the werewolf “rules” on the show. Apparently, now werewolves can change at will – not just when the full moon beckons – and can control their behavior if they “try hard enough.” This means Madison in the episode “Heart” could have been saved. Which detracts from the episode “Heart.” Nothing should detract from that ep, dang it!!

Other than that, though, the Garth ep was cool. The first really AWESOME ep of the new batch was the one where Sam and Dean went undercover at a health spa to hunt a Peruvian (?) Fat Sucker. Really cool storyline that went back to basics, but also had some cool new twists. The episode with Kevin’s ghost and Tiger Mommy (YESSSSSSSSS!!!!) was just plain sublime, and revisiting the Ghostfacers was fun and sad at the same time. Also of note: “#Thinman” was probably the scariest episode we’ve had to date this season. So, kudos. All in all, this season is a bulging container of awesome, ready to explode all over the place.

Oh, and for those people who might be worried about the strife between the bros? For me, it’s only adding to the pleasure. Because I’m hoping – really, really hoping – that Sam’s going to eventually prove himself wrong. That he really would go to the same lengths to keep Dean as Dean went to in order to keep Sam. And seriously, for a guy who “doesn’t want to be brothers,” Sam sure does run fast whenever Dean calls for him. 🙂

Midseason Score: 8.5

Rising Stars – the ones I don’t read fanfiction about, but am starting to get tempted

These two were a bit of a surprise. But when I asked myself which shows I look forward to watching the most, which ones I think about when they’re not on, which ones are really starting to get my fire going the answer was pretty simple: Castle and Grimm.

For some reason, these two are just working. Grimm has never been more entertaining. The cast is just overflowing with great characters, and the writers seem to be on the literary equivalent of a runner’s high, churning out great story after great story. Getting to meet Monroe’s parents for the first time was cool and painful at the same time. The parallels to real-life racism are all too real as the show continues to explore “mixed” marriages and friendships. We all knew Wesen weren’t supposed to hang out with Grimms, but who knew a Blutbad couldn’t get engaged to a Fuchsbau without severing family ties? The writers have also unleashed a slew of new baddies for Nick and Co. to fight, resulting in high-octane action and super-creepy monster moments. Those hair-wearing warriors were the ultimate Big Bads, while that Aswang thing that attacked the pregnant lady was just plain EW. And Adalind’s Hexenbiest baby, though perhaps not technically a villain, might be the scariest of all with those freaky, glowing eyes.

Midseason Score: 8

Equally on fire is Castle, which continues to find new and interesting ways to explore Castle and Beckett’s relationship without allowing it to grow stale. From intense episodes like Beckett undercover as an assassin, to more lighthearted installments like the ones featuring Carrie-like telekinetic powers or a Miley Cyrus-ish pop star gone dark, I am always Velcroed to my seat when this one is on. It makes me laugh, it keeps me guessing, and it makes me awful happy Caskett are a couple right now. Only the best shows have elements of comedy, drama, mystery and romance. This one has it all.

Midseason Score: 8

Dark Horses – the ones I love to watch, but I don’t see the relationship developing into full-on fangirl obsession anytime soon (though there can always be surprises – that’s why they’re called dark horses 🙂 )

The majority of my shows fall here, including Elementary, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Beauty and the Beast, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, and even some I watch but don’t review, like Tomorrow People, The Good Wife, and Blue Bloods.

Make no mistake – these all are Must-See TV with a capital M. Chicago Fire has been just as amazing this season as it was last year. Katie’s attack, Benny’s revenge, Matt’s memory problems, Gabby’s struggle to become a firefighter, and Jones’ floundering as she tries to fit in at the firehouse are just a few little morsels in a non-stop chocolate chip conveyer belt of great stories. You just love the characters – even as they add more and more, it never feels too crowded. I was bummed when Rafferty and Katie left the show – I hope they will be back, because even after a short time, I had already grown attached.

Midseason Score: 7.5

Same goes for Chicago PD. A big pile of likeable, loveable, and even just plain interesting characters. Couple that with wonderful acting and stellar writing, and this show is a big, fat WIN, just like its big brother, CF. From drug mules to street justice to covering up a family member’s involvement in a murder, the storylines just get stronger and stronger. The crossovers between the two shows are a bonus treat for people who watch both – which, hopefully, is everyone.

The only crossover disappointment was the “2-hour SVU/Chicago PD Crossover Event.” Once again, we have NBC doing the false advertising thing. In no way was that a “2-hour crossover event.” I watched an entire episode of SVU, thinking that the storyline was going to in some way relate to the Chicago PD episode that was airing next. I spent almost fifty-five minutes waiting for CPD characters to show up at any moment, only to have a brief cameo by Erin in the final five minutes of SVU. I can’t believe I missed Tomorrow People to watch the first hour of something that couldn’t even loosely be construed as a “2-hour event.” The sad thing is, NBC has a great line-up right now – they don’t need to lie about their programming. Hopefully, they haven’t hurt themselves too much with this crying wolf business.

CPD Midseason Score: 7

Over on Elementary, the writers have continued adding emotional depth to this season by having Sherlock serve as a sponsor to a recovering young addict, and by revisiting old Scotland Yard friend/foe Lestrade for a two-episode arc. Throw in a couple of reformed roosters and a couple of ears grown on the back of a lady who faked her own kidnapping, and you’ve got a pretty darn entertaining show.

Midseason Score: 6.5

Speaking of entertaining, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is a total powerhouse, delivering action, emotion, great characters and butt-kickingly awesome special effects. I am super-glued to the screen for the duration of this super show. Even a healthy splash of nailpolish remover couldn’t unstick me from the couch while SHIELD is on. When Skye got shot, I felt like I was the one who couldn’t breathe. I liked how they went back and showed the different timelines for each character, showing how each ended up where they finally ended up when Skye was wounded. The battle to find the Guest House and the miracle drug needed to save her life was riveting. Who wants to see these characters in the next Avengers movie? **Raises hand and waves it exuberantly** Me! Me! Me!

Midseason Score: 7.8

One show that has upped its game – and its entertainment value – this season is Beauty and the Beast. I am loving the humor this season, from Vincent and Cat stuck in a crashed car together, to Vincent appearing on an episode of The View, I have laughed out loud so many times while watching this show, and that is a good thing. All great dramas need to be able to pull off the comedy, too. Another good thing: really cool beast mythology episodes. Beast skeletons? Shackles? Dungeons? A mysterious gemstone? Count me intrigued! But, of course, it wouldn’t be B&B without the love triangles, and Gabe/Cat/Vincent has me hooked like a small-mouth bass. Wish they hadn’t killed off Tori so soon, but maybe they’ll have another she-beast in the near future. Why should guys get to have all the fang-snapping fun? Only major quibble this season: did they have to make the gemstone green? Between that and Kristen, I’m having Smallville flashbacks here…

Midseason Score: 6.8

 

 

New Fan Fiction for Supernatural and The Mentalist

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As promised at the beginning of the year, I have posted two new stories, one for each fandom.

For Supernatural fans, I pulled up a golden oldie from my archives: the very first Supernatural story I ever wrote. Set in the good old days of season three, “Stop the World” is an emotional tale of angst and brotherly love told from Dean’s POV. It is a one-shot story that can be read in its entirety at either of the links below:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9181729/1/Stop-the-World

http://archiveofourown.org/works/752786

For fans of The Mentalist, I give you “Red-Nosed,” my first-ever attempt at an AU. I had tons of fun playing around with the differences and similarities between my AU versions of the characters and the ones we know and love. It may be another world, but Jane still manages to get in trouble! 🙂 With three chapters posted and five to go, you can go check out that story in the following places:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9109949/1/Red-Nosed

http://archiveofourown.org/works/725057/chapters/1345310

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy them!

Writing Challenge: Day Six (Plus Twenty-Five Reasons You Might Get Rejected)

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Before rewinding back to Day Six of the challenge, I thought I’d share a nifty article I came across on the Writer’s Digest website, which discusses how optimism, insanity, and yes, even a little arrogance can be good things when tackling the difficult task of getting published. Also, there’s a hilariously accurate pie chart detailing the road to publication, and both of those can be found here:

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/the-importance-of-being-slightly-arrogant-as-a-writer?et_mid=596701&rid=233787571

In addition, I found a helpful link on the Flash Fiction Chronicles site, which contains a list of twenty-five reasons an agent might reject your manuscript – often after only reading the first paragraph. The list has some really interesting items that you might not think of, so definitely go check it out:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2010/09/sept-2-top-25-reasons-your-submissions.html

Also, coming up in the New Year on as the HERO flies:

For Writers:

-The very best websites for beginning screenwriters
-Awesome flash fiction market resources
-My favorite fiction e-zines

For Fans:

-New Mentalist fan fiction
-New Supernatural fan fiction
-New episode reviews

Moving on to the writing challenge, I give you Day 6: Select a book on your shelf and pick two chapters at random. Take the first line of one chapter and the last line of the other chapter and write a short story (no more than 1000 words) using those as bookends to your story.

The book I selected was Ghosts Caught on Film by Dr. Melvyn Willin. I used the first line of Chapter Two, and the last line of Chapter Five (which, although I didn’t realize it at the time, turned out to be the very last line of the book).

Notes and Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters Sherlock Holmes or John Watson, and I make absolutely no profit from writing fan fiction. This story was written in December of 2011, before there was a totally and completely fabulous show called Elementary, and this fic does not take place in that universe (i.e. Watson is not a girl in this story).

Elementary
by castiello

“Can we photograph thoughts, the very pictures in our minds?”

Watson looked up from the bit of fiber he was studying. Holmes was over by the wall, gazing at a dreary oil painting of a cobble-stone street.

Watson sighed. “Not likely. ‘Thoughtography’ has no basis in science, Holmes. Scholars have disproven nearly every claim. We’ve even disproven a few ourselves, over the years. Remember?”

“Ah, yes,” Holmes murmured absently. “Of course.”

Watson went back to examining the fiber, which appeared to be silk. “What brought it to your mind, anyhow?”

“Oh, it just fluttered in, like a small bird…perhaps through that window—” Holmes pointed a withered finger at the painting “—Or maybe through…another…” His voice trailed off, cataract-dull eyes wandering vaguely.

“Maybe we should focus on the case at hand,” Watson suggested gently.

Holmes’ eyes fogged over completely. “The case…?”

Watson winced. He’d been trying to persuade his old friend to retire for years. “The one we’re helping Inspector Cartwright with. The Niesen murder.”

Holmes stared blankly.

Watson’s heart twinged. His voice softened. “Why don’t you sit down, old fellow? Have a smoke and ponder things, while I finish looking over the crime scene.”

“What crime scene?” Holmes asked, frowning. His eyes were still foggier than a London morning.

“This room,” Watson replied patiently. “The one we’re standing in.”

More fog.

Watson sighed. “This is the room where the girl was murdered,” he explained, gesturing at the clothing-strewn bedchamber, which bore obvious evidence of a struggle.

The fog evaporated in an instant. “Oh, she wasn’t murdered in here,” Holmes announced confidently.

Watson raised his eyebrows, cautiously hopeful. “How do you know that?”

“There’s not a drop of blood in sight.”

“She was strangled, Holmes.”

“Ah, yes…Just as I suspected…” Holmes nodded knowingly, making his grey mane bounce.

Watson gritted the few teeth he had left. “Why don’t you—” he started to say, but Holmes cut him off with a sudden shout:

“Look here, Watson! A clue!” Holmes began to bend down, presumably to pick something up off the floor, but he froze in mid-stoop. “Oh, dear,” he said faintly.

“What’s wrong?” Watson asked.

“My back – it seems to be locked in this position…”

“You can’t move?”

“Neither up nor down,” Holmes confirmed. “How is it that I could be stuck in such a state?”

“I don’t know,” Watson murmured, hobbling over to help his friend. “It’s a mystery we may never solve.”