I just finished season 4 of my White Collar rewatch. Before that finale, I had a deep hate for James, but I had forgotten how bad of a person he actually is. Guess my subconscious never forgot.
James never loved his son. If he did, he would never have taken that money 30 years ago. If he did, he wouldn't have conned him and everyone else. If he did, he would turn himself in. He threatened to physically harm Neal, and that fear and pain in Neal's eyes tells you all you need to know.
I’m glad Neal has a chosen family, no matter where he is.
As Neal puts it: “Family doesn’t show up on your doorstep after 30 years. They’re the ones who’ve been there when you need them.”
for the reverse writing trope how about academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class (maybe with neal x sara to keep the white collar theme going cause i’m loving these wc drabbles and i adore how you write them together in your fics😭🫶)
This prompt was so fun I didn't want to stop writing. One of these days I may add more scenes. Here you go:
You Stole My Raphael
FBI Agent Peter Burke is sitting in the office of Ivan Sherkov, dean of the Art History department at Columbia. It’s late on a Monday afternoon, so there aren’t many students around.
“You stole my Raphael!” It sounds like a woman, her voice echoing down the corridor.
“I borrowed it.” The response comes from a deeper voice. “I was going to return it this evening. If you hadn’t come back early, you’d never have known it was gone.”
“There they are,” says the dean. He walks to the door of his office. “Professors, do not keep our guest waiting.”
The squabbling professors look young, in Peter’s opinion. They couldn’t be more than two or three years beyond finishing their PhDs. Ivan introduces them as Sara Ellis and Neal Caffrey, the newest members of the department.
Peter explains his goal. He’d started his career in the FBI’s Art Crimes division in D.C., where he’d received a decent overview of art. However, his new White Collar Crimes division doesn’t have that kind of background. He’s looking for a seminar to help his team learn the basics they need when dealing with suspected art theft.
Sara and Neal both look rapt.
“Yes,” Neal says. “The methods of identifying a forgery are fascinating. I can definitely teach them the leading techniques.”
“What they need is an overview of provenance,” Sara says. “I can teach them how to research the history of an artwork and to identify the signs that the provenance is questionable.”
Ivan looks at Peter. “Which seminar do you want?” he asks.
“Both,” Peter says.
Neal and Sara exchange a surprised glance.
“This will be interesting,” Ivan predicts.
“What were you saying about a stolen Raphael?” Peter asks as he and the two professors leave Ivan’s office.
“I have a print of Raphael’s St. George and the Dragon in my office,” Sara says. “Or I did before I left on vacation.”
“You’ll have it back before the day is over,” Neal grumbles. “I was just using it as an example for one of my classes. The level of detail is fantastic. It’s the latest in reproduction technology, based on the newest digital technology. You can see so much detail of the brush strokes… Honestly, you should be flattered that I took it.”
Peter smiles as they walk away. They aren’t so much squabbling as bantering. It’s so fun to watch that maybe he’ll sit in on the seminar with the rest of his team. In fact, maybe he should invite this duo of professors to consult the next time there’s a high-profile art theft.
hi everybody! i’m sae and as you may have gathered, i like to write. i also go by birdy, so in certain projects you may see me using that name as well.
i am on ao3!
fandoms & ships i write for include:
agent carter (peggysous, jackdaniels, ot3, cartinelli, carterwood, gen)
nbc hannibal (hannigram, gen)
leverage (gen, would try ot3)
white collar (ot3, peter/el, peter/neal, neal/sara)
avengers/MCU (ironstrange, stevebucky, gen)
agents of shield (skimmons, bus kids ot3)
bbc sherlock (johnlock, adlock)
carry on (snowbaz)
shadowhunters series by cassandra clare (jace x alec, clary x izzy, magnus x luke)
i also write original stuff & will post about my own characters sometimes
i love to discuss my fics and i will take prompts for any of the above media/ships ! if you aren’t sure if i’ll write something, send it in and i’ll see. my asks and messages are pretty much always open because i want to make more friends who like the same stuff i do :)
Rules: Choose a few fics you wrote that were inspired by a song - not just with song lyrics in title - and share the tune and the link to the fics. If anyone wants to guess which goes with which go for it in comments or tags!
Like Kate, I've always loved the classics. I include both popular and classic music in my stories. Whittling down the list to a few favorites is a daunting task, but here goes —
The Woman in Blue (Caffrey Conversation). Klaus Mansfeld, a friend/enemy is linked to Franz Schubert, contrasting with Neal's love for rock music. In later stories, the opposites theme is expanded to include Klaus's evil brother Rolf who is tied to Rachmaninoff.
In The Queen's Jewels (Caffrey Conversation), Neal is framed for a crime he didn't commit. Bound for Botany Bay (John Doyle) and The Chain (Fleetwood Mac) play in his head. They're later replaced by The Rising (Bruce Springsteen). The White Collar team celebrates his name being cleared with a CD of songs, including Footloose, Born to Run, Unchained Melodies, and Born Free.
Nocturne in Black and Gold (Caffrey Conversation): Neal's theme songs are Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel) and Nara (E.S. Posthumus). Neal associates heist planning with Rachmaninoff's Folia Variations. Peter uses Bridge over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel) to pull Neal out of a dark place and then scores a double-play by having it featured in Cinereous Skies in the meta series Arkham Files. At the Zoo (Simon & Garfunkel) provides a lighthearted moment. Neal and Sara make a game out of Mockingbird (Carly Simon & James Taylor). Both songs are also included in Cinereous Skies.
Arkham Files (set in the 1970s): A Little Help from My Friends, Long Time Gone, and Woodstock with its line about stardust, are plot elements in The Locked Room.
Crossed Lines (Caffrey Conversation x Supernatural): In Whispers in the Night, Peter reveals that Dean Winchester isn’t the only one into classic rock. Songs include Hot Blooded (Foreigner), Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood & The Destroyers), and Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves (Eurythmics). When Dean, Mozzie, and Peter are afflicted with a dork curse, they belt out Rawhide and Happy Trails at a diner.
Dark Rabbit (Crossed Lines): Angela Caffrey is mesmerized by a dulcimer-playing vampire. Inspiration: The Kiss, played on the dulcimer by Scott Williams.
Six-Crossed Knot (All Souls Trilogy fandom): a series about Jack Blackfriars—an Elizabethan musician and artist turned vampire. Inspiration for Jack: Cymbeline (Loreena McKennitt). Jack's theme song, Touch Me Lightly (Tobias Hume), was featured in Walking Shadows. Leonard Shoreditch's customized theme song It Was a Lover and His Lad is in Fretwork. Nothing Else Matters (Apocalyptica) inspired Tangled Knots.
Can I squeeze in one more series? Reflections (The Supremes) is the inspiration for Sedlow Chronicles (original sci-fi fantasy). That song and People Are Strange (The Doors) are featured in the second story Shadows of Crellos.