9 Books to Read If You Like "Supernatural"

October is upon us, and for me, that means a few things:

1. NaNoWriMo planning (*screams quietly while staring at a mess of a Word document filled with manic notes*)
2. Halloween costume planning (Wait until you see what I did this year)
3. A new season of "Supernatural!!!!!!!!"

I've already watched the first episode and WOW are we "Supernatural" fans in for a wild ride. But while we're bemoaning various cliffhangers and realizing we have to wait a week or longer for much needed answers, here are some books you can read with a touch of something "Supernatural" to it to tide you over.

Warning: Mild "Supernatural" spoilers ahead!

1. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

I'm only 25 pages in, but I know what the story is, and I can already tell it's going to be great. There's literally a character named Crowley. How much more do you need?

All right, but besides that, it's also super funny and deals with the apocalypse. What happens when the anti-christ named Adam . . .

. . . grows up with the wrong family and thus isn't properly prepared to bring about the end of the world?

2. Contaminated by Em Garner

Zombies! Family drama! The oh-so-complicated question of what to do when your family member has literally turned into a monster!

3. Misery by Stephen King

It'd be kind of impossible to leave a Stephen King novel off this list, so here we are. Annie is like the ultimate "Supernatural" big bad: off-putting, deceptive, and surprisingly strong. Imagine Lucifer torturing Sam in the cage. Now imagine Sam is a writer and Stephen King wrote the story.

4. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Aliens aren't exactly on the same level as paranormal creatures, but they still make for an awesome story. Especially when possession is involved! (She said, with entirely too much glee.) I love the conflict that comes from various characters trying to figure out whether or not Wanda (the alien possessing Melanie) is a villain simply because she's an alien. Just like all those times in "Supernatural" when Sam and Dean argued over whether monsters are just monsters, period, or if some monsters can be good guys, too.

5. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

In case any of you miss Charlie as much as I do.

6. The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Gotta love shapeshifters. And an addictive plot with plenty of twists and turns. I devoured the whole trilogy in less than a week, so this should definitely keep you busy until the next episode.

7. Fairest by Marissa Meyer

If there's one thing "Supernatural" does well (and they do so many things well), they know how to create fresh and interesting villains. Some villains are straight up evil (*cough* Metatron *cough*) and some are a little more complicated than that. Crowley, for instance, as even the Winchesters had to team up with him a few times. Fairest is able to show just how easily a good person can go down the wrong path.

8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Now there's nothing paranormal about this, but, it deals with someone who's lingering perilously between life and death and it's guaranteed to make you bawl like a baby. In other words, every season finale of "Supernatural" ever.

9. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Werewolves!

What book would you recommend to a "Supernatural" fan? Who's your favorite "Supernatural" villain? Leave a comment!

30 Day SuperWhoLock Challenge - Day 3

 

Day 3 = "Favorite 'Supernatural' ship?" 

Again . . . I'm in the minority here, but I'm not a Destiel shipper. I don't have anything against the ship itself or anyone who does ship it (and there are times I can totally see valid points to the ship. And who didn't ship them in Twist and Shout?), but I have another ship on my mind.

Yes, Dean. Megstiel.

An angel and a demon? In a ship? In love? Bear with me here.

This is not your typical angel. Cas is as much the duty-bound angel as Dean is an exercise freak. That is to say, Cas isn't another soldier from Heaven. He's broken free from their constructs and twisted principles.

And Meg still has heavy traces of demon in her, yes, but she evolved just like Cas did. She believes in free will and gray area and doing what's best for the people on your team. She happens to be against most of Hell.

The crazy thing is I never would've expected to ship an angel and a demon in this show. And towards the beginning, I despised Meg. But because of the amazing writing and storytelling and character development, I ended up squealing and writing Megstiel fan-fiction.

Cas and Meg have the possibility to be opposite in every way, but their differences compliment each other. The things they have in common are the most important ones, giving this ship everything it needs to be sea-worthy.

 

 

Are you a SuperWhoLockian? Feel free to steal these prompts for yourself! Which "Supernatural" ship is your favorite?

30 Day SuperWhoLock Challenge - Day 2

Day 2 = "Favorite 'Sherlock' ship?"

I'm definitely in the minority here (I make up part of 3% of the fandom*), but here it is:

Sheeeerrrrrrlllllooooolllllyyyyyyyyy!!!

Sure, it's not canon, but that doesn't stop it from being awesome. The unrequited frustration Molly has to be feeling is about the level of agonizing torture us Sherlolly shippers go through every time we watch the show. What makes it even worse is that it's been three seasons and SIX YEARS of waiting. And still nothing, save for the numerous sparks and chemistry that neither of them act upon. GAH.

I'd just like to say, for someone who can correctly identify every other single aspect of someone just by giving them a glance, Sherlock Holmes sure is oblivious to Molly's feelings. EVEN JOHN SEES IT. Everyone knows Molly would do anything, anything, for Sherlock. Hell, she even pretended he was dead for two years in order to keep him safe.

I always like to describe Sherlock and Molly's relationship as Sheldon and Amy's from "The Big Bang Theory." They're two extremely different people when it comes to more social aspects, but they share a lot of the same interests and help each other out in their weaker areas. Sherlock helps Molly become a stronger and more assertive person throughout the seasons while Molly tries her best to educate Sherlock in empathy. It's a perfect match.

Now if only we could get Season 4 . . .

*a random percentage I pulled out of thin air totally professional and accurate statistic

Are you a SuperWhoLockian? Feel free to steal these prompts for yourself! Which "Sherlock" ship is your favorite?

30 Day SuperWhoLock Challenge - Day 1

So I found this challenge forever ago and hadn't gotten around to it until now. I won't be doing 30 days in a row necessarily, but I'll be going through each prompt until I finish it up. Any time I'm given a chance to fangirl about my fandoms is a good time for me!

Day 1 = "What fandom did you first join?"

That fandom would be the classic gateway fandom of the three:

The best fandoms are the ones that you have entirely low expectations going into and end up adoring more than baby elephants and a pound of Reese's cups. That was "Doctor Who," for me. A sci-fi alien show featuring creatures that looked like a second grader's robot science fair experiment? I was expecting to hate it. If three people hadn't independently of each other recommended it to me, I wouldn't have even tried. And considering my first experience with the show was "Rose" (the first episode of the 2005 reboot where the main bad guys were animated mannequins), it's a wonder I even continued watching. Thank goodness I have a "don't judge any show by the first episode" rule for myself.

"Father's Day" is eventually what sold me on the show. I wasn't expecting tears. I wasn't expecting anything more than fluffy, silly, goofball, time travel adventures when I started watching. I didn't think I'd end up with an obsession or with crumpled tissues surrounding my bed as I sniffled and hit "next episode." But that's what I got, and thanks to "Doctor Who," nearly every other fandom followed.

Are you a SuperWhoLockian? Feel free to steal these prompts for yourself! What fandom did you first join?

My Favorite "Platoniships" and Why it Should Be a Word

Shipping is the best. It's one of my favorite things to do while fangirling over my favorite fandoms. But all too often we focus on the romantic ships and forget the other, just as important relationships. Don't get me wrong, I love my adorable OTPs as much as the next fangirl, but what about the friendships? I've been calling these "platoniships," and I have just as many of these ships as I do my romantic ones, if not more. A few examples . . .

Harry, Ron, and Hermione from the Harry Potter series

I so wish I could find an illustration of these three by Jim Kay, because his drawings are GORGEOUS.

This trio was the perfect balance of mischief and heroism. Sure they broke the rules sometimes, but you always, always rooted for them. And no matter how often any combination of the three fought, they stuck together when it mattered most. Harry wouldn't have been able to do 90% of the things he did without help from the other two. Teamwork at its finest!

The Marauders from the Harry Potter series

OKAY BUT LOOK AT HOW CUTE LUPIN IS WITH HIS CHOCOLATE

I. Love. These. Guys. So many fan-fiction possibilities with these four. And before, you know, Peter betrayed everyone, they were the best friends any of them could've asked for. James, Sirius, and Peter all broke the law and became unregistered animagi just so Remus wouldn't have to be alone! If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Calvin and Hobbes from the Calvin and Hobbes series

These two may be at the top of my list. Even looking for a picture was difficult because there were so many different ways to portray them! I could've gone for sweet, silly, fun, etc. Ultimately I decided on this one, because I think at the heart of it, Calvin and Hobbes were about laughter. They wanted to goof off and smile and imagine whole new worlds they could have a blast in. This is my favorite comic strip series ever for that reason.

The Doctor and Donna from "Doctor Who"

How awesome are Ten and Donna?! The answer is SO AWESOME. They're hysterical, fun, sassy, gutsy, and make a fabulous team. Not to mention a couple of the kindest hearts to ever walk the Whovian earth. The Doctor showed Donna wonders and Donna made the Doctor more human in the best way. They had some of the best chemistry any two people have had on TV ever. I'm still so sad they only lasted a season.

Sherlock and John from "Sherlock"

THESE TWO. However you ship it, you can't deny that they're brilliant together. Solving murders and giggling at the crime scenes while they do it? It's the perfect blend of drama and humor. And can we talk about how much Sherlock has grown over the seasons thanks to John's friendship? (And John because of Sherlock's, for that matter!) Yay for character development!

Sam and Dean from "Supernatural"

Who says siblings can't be friends? And these brothers have one of the BEST sibling relationships I have ever seen in fiction ever. EVER, I TELL YOU. Sam and Dean behave just like normal siblings would (teasing each other, pulling pranks, getting into heated debates about music and other pop culture stuff, etc.), and they would literally sacrifice themselves for the other in a heartbeat. Eleven seasons of this show and it's still going strong, all because of them.

Charlie and Dean from "Supernatural"

Dean once described Charlie as "the little sister he never wanted," and I think that's the perfect way to sum up their friendship. He's definitely an older brother figure to her, and that's exactly what Charlie needed in her life. After all the pain and loneliness she went through, Dean became her rock. And not only have they shared some sweet moments, but plenty of fun ones, too. (Who can forget the famous "Walking On Sunshine" montage?)

Lorelai and Rory from "Gilmore Girls"

I totally think kids can be friends with their parents, and Lorelai and Rory are proof of that. They're supportive of the dreams of the other, they encourage and inspire each other, and they're so close they can practically finish each other's sentences. And when they do talk, it's hard to get a word in edgewise. The dialogue is constantly fast-paced. The wit is unreal. Watching them interact on screen is addictive. It's like opening a package of M&M's and just eating one. Which is absurd, because you never eat just one. You have to eat the entire thing, clearly. Watching a few minutes isn't enough to get your Gilmore fix. You need to watch an entire episode (or three).

Chandler and Joey from "Friends"

And for those of you who haven't watched "Friends," yes, yes they are riding on a statue of a dog.

Ah, Chandler and Joey. Once of the best TV bromances. Watching them crack each other up and go through life together is a joy. Most of my favorite scenes involve the two of them getting into all kinds of mayhem. ("What kind of scary ass clowns came to your birthday?") Could they BE anymore awesome?

Scott and Stiles from "Teen Wolf"

Out of all the possible ships, romantic or otherwise, in this show, Scott and Stiles are my favorite. They remind me a lot of Chandler and Joey in some ways, Stiles being the sarcastic one, although Scott is wayyy smarter than Joey. The unconditional support and friendship they have for each other gives me all the feels. I can never have too much of them in a single episode.

Cinder and Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles

Ermahgerd, I can't even with these two!!! Thorne is a fabulous Han Solo/Captain Jack Harkness/Dean Winchester type, the perfect blend of cockiness and sarcastic humor (even though everybody knows he's a total teddy bear on the inside). Cinder is smart and impatient and can totally kick butt in any situation. Watching the two of them collide and go from bickering to . . . well, more bickering has been one of the best parts of the entire series. I love them. I need more. Now.

Rey and Finn from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

This is the best picture I could find considering how new the movie is.

Can I get a round of applause for brother-sister type friendships? Because that's exactly what this one is, in my mind. Banter and teamwork and protectiveness, FTW! I'm sooo freaking excited to see more of them in future movies. (And BB-8, of course, who's just a little ball of adorable sunshine.)

Parker and Hardison from "Leverage"

Parker and Hardison are a tentative addition since I'm only in the middle of season one and Cait has suggested I might end up "shippy shipping" them (her awesome words). But for now, how sweet are they together?! Apparently I'm a sucker for brother-sister friendships. Parker deserves all the hugs, and Hardison has the best ridiculous scenes. I love it so much.

Your turn! What are you favorite platoniships? Leave a comment! :)

The Importance of Fan-Fiction

About a year ago when I joined Tumblr I discovered something magical . . . fan-fiction. I'd known about its existence for a long time (thank you Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell) and I'd written some before I even knew what it was called (I have Harry Potter 8, 9, 10, and 11 written by my seven-year-old self tucked away underneath my mattress as we speak). But I didn't realize just how huge it was until I started following a few fandom blogs.

Me upon discovering how much there was to read.

Fan-fiction is magical! I know it gets a lot of flak for not being "real writing" (whatever the hell "real writing" means, seeing as anything that's been written is by its very definition "real" . . .) or being a waste of time, but I strongly disagree. Sure, there are some pretty poorly written stories out there, but there are poorly written stories for every genre.

Still not convinced? Let me list out a few of my reasons of why fan-fiction is so important.

1. It makes you feel like a part of the fandom

And I'm not just talking about being a part of the fandom as a fan (though it certainly does that, too). I'm talking about becoming an actual character in the story. Ever heard of reader inserts? I didn't either until last year, but I absolutely love them.

The basics are it's a normal fan-fiction story, but it's told in the second person. "Y/N" is the main character, which stands for "your name." So "Y/N" becomes "Kate" (in my case), and suddenly I'm the protagonist in the story. I'm a student at Hogwarts, or one of the Doctor's companions, or riding shotgun with Dean Winchester on the way to hunt down a demon. And I can do all of these things just by reading a story in the safety of my own bedroom under the covers. Here's an example of a reader insert:

“I so owned those guys!” Charlie squealed happily. She held up her hand for a high-five, which you accepted with your own grin. Leave it to Charlie to look like she'd been dropped in the middle of Disneyland when in reality you were covered in blood outside an abandoned bar.

“Yeah you did,” you said, beaming at her. “Are you sure this was your first vampire hunt?”

She rolled her eyes. “Totally sure. Couldn't you tell after that first one?”

You giggled, remembering how Charlie had had to swing three times before she could get the head completely off. It was funnier now that you weren't in life-threatening danger.

2. It's great for exercise

There are all kinds of fan-fic stories, but some of the most popular kinds are definitely ones that involve the impossibly cute couples from all of your favorite fandoms. I've read some pretty adorable Tenrose fics that have made me flail and squeal, and all of that helps to burn a few hundred calories. Reading and exercise, all in one. ;)

Me after reading about Rose and the Meta-Crisis Doctor going to the park with their daughter and being so freaking cute and aoidjgoasdl;liaje.

But since we're also talking about fandoms and ships here, I've also read some extremely sad ones . . . I've gross sobbed over fan-fic series before. It wasn't pretty. But I did get a good workout.

Me after reading the Stolen Dance Supernatural Sam/reader fan-fiction series. Go look it up immediately. Or just click HERE for part 1. It's fabulous. Clearly, considering it's shipworthy and heartbreaking all at the same time.

3. It's easier to write

I'm not saying that it's always going to be easier to write, or that it's somehow this magical genre that flows effortlessly from your fingertips at all times, but the already developed characters and storyworld certainly help. You don't have to come up with the complicated backstories of your main characters or figure out all of the rooms and secret passageways in Hogwarts. It's already been written for you! Now all you have to do is plop those characters somewhere and make them move. Easy as pie.

4. It's a fantastic warm up

Me writing fan-fiction. Apparently I have a thing for gifs of people--or animals--typing like their lives depend on it.

Fan-fiction is amazing for creativity! This past year I've struggled with varying kinds of writer's block, all of which frustrated me to no end, but fan-fiction was always the thing I just had no trouble writing. When my original characters refused to do anything, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were right there and ready to solve a mystery.

And even just staying in the habit of writing was great for me, because eventually the writer's block vanished and I was able to pick right back up where I left off. Even now I'll write a page or two of my fan-fiction series before diving into my NaNoWriMo novel. It's my favorite kind of warm up.

5. It can be adapted for publication

Though you should never try to make money off of your fan-fiction without the express permission from the original creator, you can take those fan-fiction pieces and rework them so they read as regular short stories. Just take out the unique elements and characters that make it fan-fiction and replace it with characters and elements of your own design.

One of my fan-fiction series that's still in the works has hit 20,000 words and is still going strong. I'm loving it! And when it's finished I'm planning to edit it so it reads like a novella. I just have to change a few things, replace Dean Winchester with a character of my own, and voila. Instant story with the possibility for publication.

6. You can make new friends

This is definitely my top reason to promote fan-fiction. I've bonded with so many people over a shared love for different fandoms. (And as bloggers, you should know just how important online connections are, too!)

In about January of this year, I discovered a fan-fiction writer by the name of Kazzy. She has thousands of faithful followers who read every story she posts (and I'm one of them! She's an awesome writer and the author of the aforementioned Stolen Dance series.). One day, she had the idea to host an online "sleepover." So she set up a Chatzy room so all of us who wanted to could join and talk about "Supernatural" and get to know each other as fellow fangirls/boys.

That night, a girl under the pseudonym Sam Winchester invited me to a private chat so I could participate in a Supernatural roleplay with her and nine other girls. We connected instantly. These girls were so welcoming to me and when I say we've spoken every day since, I'm not exaggerating. We roleplay on nearly a daily basis, text each other all the time, and Skype frequently. I've even met one of roleplayers offline because she only lives a couple hours from me! Even though we've known each other for maybe ten months now, I feel like I know these girls like sisters. We're one big family, and I love it.

My friend Charlie and me being nerdy dorks, as usual, after she surprised me by showing up at my house when I had no idea she was coming!! (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for helping to set that up. :) )

Charlie and me at a book festival.

So not only does fan-fiction provide entertainment, but it gives you the opportunity to form new friendships. If that isn't a selling point, I'm not sure what is.

What are some of the best fan-fiction stories you've read? Any personal stories of your own having to do with fan-fic you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about your experiences with it! Leave a comment!

Spinoff Series

In the fandom world, there's nothing I like more than fangirling over one of my favorite books or TV shows. But there's nothing worse than seeing that series take a hiatus or, *gasp*, end completely.

I'll pause here for dramatic effect. Feel free to join me in sniffling and staring longingly into the distance.

All right.

But there's a brilliant invention that helps to soothe that pain: the spinoff series.

"Doctor Who" in particular is fantastic at this. I've watched all of "Torchwood" and loved it, and now both "The Sarah Jane Adventures" and the upcoming "Class" series (*squees*) are on my to-be-watched list. I'm also over-the-moon excited for "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

But if I were supreme ruler of the fandom world, so many more shows and book series would exist. For example . . .

Harry Potter - ANY STORY EVER

 
I will always take more Harry Potter. Whether it's a book about Luna's life with her father hunting down Crumple-Horned Snorkacks or entire series dedicated to James and Lily's years at Hogwarts, I'll read it all. Every single bit of it.

"Supernatural" - "Wayward Daughters"

 
There's been buzz around the Twitter and Tumblr community about the possibility of a spinoff featuring sheriffs Jody Mills and Donna Hanscum. It would be the usual "saving people, hunting things," but involving more of the awesome female characters in the "Supernatural" series that don't get as much screen time. You can find more information about it HERE and sign the petition to get the people in charge of making it happen to consider it HERE. It looks a-maz-ing.

"Sherlock" - "Moriarty"

 
Moriarty is one of the best villains I've seen in a long time. He's not only evil, he's hysterical, too. I'd love to see an entire show dedicated to him carrying out his elaborate plans with Sebastian Moran by his side. It'd be funny as well as action-packed, and maybe the seasons could even be staggered so we could get new episodes in between new "Sherlock" episodes.

Throne of Glass - Chaol's story

Beautiful fanart of Chaol and Dorian

I'm almost done reading Crown of Midnight, and I've got to say I freaking love that I'm getting to see this much of Chaol, even though this whole book is breaking my heart. Wouldn't it be great to see a prequel series with Chaol getting his position as Captain of the Guard and carrying out royal duties while befriending Dorian? I'd snatch it up right away.

"Gilmore Girls" - Luke's childhood, Lorelai's childhood, Jess, Kirk

Basically there are tons of options for spinoff series featuring "Gilmore Girls" characters. We could have entire shows about Luke's childhood in Stars Hollow and the transition from the hardware store to the diner, or Lorelai's childhood and life living with the rich crowd, or Jess and his adventures pre- and post-"Gilmore Girls," or even Kirk! I'm sure there are so many things about Kirk we don't know that could merit a miniseries. Come on Amy Sherman-Palladino, we all want to see them!

"Once Upon a Time" - Regina, Mulan and Aurora

I'm so happy we're getting to see more of Regina this season, and I always love the flashbacks featuring her character, but I want to see more! Her backstory is probably the most intricate one, she'd be the perfect anti-hero for a new show. And how about Mulan and Aurora? I feel like we were just starting to get to know them before that storyline was dropped. (Plus I totally ship them, so that series is just a set-up for major feels.)

How about you? What spinoff series would you like to see? Leave a comment!