Fanfics - author and reader's POV

Fanfiction, love it. Love to read it and love to write it. But on both sides of this fanfic-y fence I encounter problems...

As an author: My biggest problem is keeping the characters IC - in-character - in h/c and/or angsty fics. The hurt!part is easy, even their reaction to said hurt. But what about the comfort? What's too little, what's too much? What's still IC and what's already OOC - out-of-character? How far can you go and still keep the characters recognizable?

I mean, take for example Supernatural - that one is quite easy. Basically, everything goes XP We've seen both Sam and Dean hurt, we've seen them cry and hug and take care each other - so, as long as the author avoids stupid pet names, everything else goes.

But what about White Collar? Several times we've seen Neal go all teary-eyed and/or scared, but so far, there hasn't been any serious h/c on the show. I mean, Neal is the resident damsel in distress and Peter's usual reaction to "Neal in peril" is anger - at Rice, at Fowler... But I'm not sure how Peter would react if he had to actually comfort someone - his "cowboy up" speech suggests that he would not go all mushy, so... We need more data!

As a reader: My pet-peeve? OOC behavior. Cringe-worthy pet names - that one hurts. I just can't imagine Peter calling Neal "my boy" or whatnot, yowza! /o\ I mean, Peter barely calls Elizabeth "honey"!

Another thing - when I read a fic and the description just doesn't fit. How did character A and character B get from the kitchen into the living room? Or when they are in a certain position together - like sitting on a couch and hugging - and I just can't imagine it, no matter how many times I read the description. Is he leaning against her with his back? If so, then how can she be hugging him like that?

A short while ago, I read a fic that many people had raved about - and I could barely get through it. In it, El was standing at the foot of the stairs, Neal and Peter were upstairs, but suddenly, El was leading Neal towards the couch. How did he get downstairs? When? While he and Peter were arguing? I need the author to tell me that, to walk me through it, even if in just a few short words!

So, what's your problems and/or pet-peeves?

Drabble: Scent

Title: Scent
Author: katikat
Rating: R
Genre and/or Pairing: Peter/El, Neal/Kate implied
Spoilers: 114 like whoa!
Warnings: Not for the squeamish!
Word Count: 100
Summary: There's a strange scent...
Notes: This is a bit obscure, to be honest. Just something that popped up in my mind when I saw the last scene. And a big thanks to yami_tai for her beta!


( Drabble )

Fic rec: Supernatural

"Asunder" by rageprufrock. Dean/Castiel, Sam/Ruby. Summary: AU. Dean has to attend his brother's wedding, but he hasn't seen Sam in years - since he left because Sam refused to go to rehab for drug addiction - and so he takes his friend Castiel with him as a moral support. Stuff happens. Words: ~23.000.

Dean glances at him out of the corner of his eyes and wants to admit all of it, babble the whole ugly history of it. Cas isn't exactly Dean's friend (except where he is, and where Dean thinks Castiel might be his best friend), but Dean finds himself telling Castiel things — like his flight and seat number and where he likes to go for lunch and his allergies and that he's going to be more fucked up than any of the hospital's little cancer kids when Bunny has to go to that big kennel in the sky. If Dean were to say, "My brother was a drug addict, for years and years," and "He might still be, for all I know," and "I'm too afraid to find out, I can't do that anymore, Cas," he thinks that Cas might nod at him like he understands and let it be — the way no one else who's known the truth of the thing has ever been able to do before.

My favorite Dean/Castiel story, hands down. I think this is the fic that made me actually fall in love with this pairing \o/

Attack of the random drabble: WhiCo

This just popped up in my head and I had to write it down. But it's so silly and fluffy and basically a PWP, so really, there's no point to post it anywhere else or even beta it - which means, all mistakes are mine!

Fluffy Peter/El/Neal stuff ahead!

Cold Toes

It's a strange thing to notice but... Neal's toes get cold easily.

They sit on the couch, the three of them, and Neal's on the one side and Peter on the other and El's all snuggled in the middle, when suddenly, Neal turns sideways on his cushion and throws his legs over El's and worms his toes under Peter's thigh. And Peter doesn't understand how Neal's toes can get cold in July or how he can twist and turn that way on a couch as small as theirs, but somehow, Neal manages both.

And so, Peter warms up Neal's toes.

*giggles and points*

Fic rec: White Collar

"Kate, Short for Kevin" by moonythestrals. Peter/El/Neal. Summary: Neal Caffrey being his partner amuses him probably much more than it actually should. Hopefully no one notices. Words: 2.100.

It's hilarious to Neal how Peter always assumes that Neal sleeps with every single person he flirts with. Other than the fact that Peter should remember how they both have this terrible habit of loving the chase more than the follow-through, he should also realize that if his theory were true, Neal would have to be sleeping with Peter for more consecutive hours than there are in the day.

Neal tried to explain this to Peter once, but he just answered, "Yeah, but I'm a guy," which made Neal want to slap him in the head with the 21st century.

Okay, I'm smitten with this fic. No, really. It's so feel!good that you want to bounce off the walls!