Neal Caffrey's Unusual Job Interview

Like the pilot episode of White Collar, the first story in our AU is about an extraordinary job interview. In canon, Neal is offered the chance to get out of prison and to consult for the FBI if he helps them catch a notorious criminal. In the story Caffrey Conversation, Neal’s help in catching a criminal inspires Peter to offer immunity and a job.

Crossing Lines

The worlds of White Collar and Supernatural are a universe apart. With rare exceptions, Neal and Peter's work for the FBI is centered around the five boroughs of New York City. Their investigations seldom deal with violent crimes. Neal may chafe at the restrictions but he's well aware that he must abide by the rules and regulations imposed by a massive bureaucracy. In contrast, violence and bloodshed are routine for Dean and Sam Winchester. They're road warriors in the literal sense of the word and cruise the country in their '67 Impala as they hunt supernatural foes. Dean and Sam act outside the law, adhering to their own sense of justice. They're suspected felons and generally have hostile relations with law enforcement agencies. Is there a way to mash these two worlds together?

Playfulness and Puppies amidst the Angst

There’s a moment in the pilot of White Collar where Peter grumbles that he should send Neal back to prison, but Neal, Elizabeth and Peter’s dog all look up at him with puppy-dog eyes and you know he wouldn’t really do something so mean.

Well, there’s also some fast talking from Neal involved, but it’s a turning point. Up to then we’ve seen the characters being serious and angsty and witty, but in this scene with Satchmo we witness a vibe that’s more sweet and playful. In writing about these characters, I’ve found it helpful – even necessary – to bring in that element to balance out the angst.

June Ellington: Sometimes Magic Happens

I fell in love with White Collar as soon as I saw the pilot. Not only was I thrilled to find a mystery series that didn’t revolve around murders, but the characters were also fascinating. Episodes featuring June Ellington were a special treat. She brings something magical to the stories.

Magic. Really? Let’s back up a few hours. I was drawing a blank on what topic to blog about today, and Silbrith mentioned that we hadn’t written about June yet. An hour later, Matt Bomer tweeted a birthday greeting to Diahann Carroll, the actress who portrays June. See? Magic.

The Plateau of Leng

Toward the end of Visions from Beyond, Neal visits the infamous Plateau of Leng, a creation of H.P. Lovecraft. The location appeared in many of his stories. In the novella At the Mountains of Madness, it was a region of Antarctica. Other stories placed it in Central Asia or in the Dreamlands, a region accessible only in sleep.

Secrets and Lies

In White Collar, the secrets and lies were sometimes fascinating, and sometimes frustrating. How many times did we want to yell at the screen that Peter and Neal should just talk to each other? How many times did Peter admonish Neal that keeping secrets hurt rather than helped, and then went home and kept secrets from El to protect her?

That’s what was in the back of my mind when I created a version of Neal who couldn’t lie to Peter.

The Church on Prospect Hill

In Chapter 5 of Arkham Files: Visions from Beyond, Diana uses an incident that occurred in The Mirror to provoke a response from Azathoth.

Fireworks and Romantic Sparks in Caffrey Conversation

The Fourth of July is around the corner, and many people will watch fireworks to celebrate. It brings to mind how we’ve used fireworks in our AU. They’ve appeared in their literal form as our characters attend fireworks shows, but have also appeared metaphorically to indicate sparks of romance.

Our younger version of Neal has many amazing skills, but doesn’t have a lot of romantic experience. After much fretting about where we wanted to take the romantic subplot – or if we even had the courage to attempt a romantic subplot – we kicked things off with a fireworks bang in Caffrey Disclosure.