Criminal Minds Fanfiction

[mstaken]

Do you have some amazing fanfics to recommend? Are you hoping that someone familiar with the CM fanfic that's out there can help you find the type of story you're searching for? Do you have ideas for fanfics you'd like to like to write---or are hoping someone else will write---that you'd love to bounce off fellow fans? If you answered yes to any of the above, this is the place for you! 

I tend not to read much fanfic in general, but I'm kind of excited to check out more fanfic for this show. As compared to non-crime dramas, not too much about the characters and their relationships with one another is explicitly spelled out, which leaves a lot of intriguing, imagination-stimulating possibilities and tons of subjective interpretation. 

If anyone stumbles across fanfics where where Gideon and/or Elle return, please pass them along! Fanfics where the Reid/Hotch dynamic is better developed (and I don't mean that in a sexual way!) would also be welcome. And I love Reid's complex, conflicted relationship with his mom---um, that sounds a little creepier than I'd intended!---so if you guys discover any Reid fics in which Diana makes a cameo, please keep me in mind.

Edited April 1, 2014 by mstaken

[Wilowy]

Ha! Be careful where you put that slash (/)! 

Here's one that has both a Diana cameo and a surprise return you might be interested in. It was written a couple of years ago. Mind the rating, though, it's steamy. ;) 

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7810294/1/There-For-Him-Her

[Danielg342]

As discussed in the "Small Talk" thread, here's the links to my various CM fics, which go under the series of "Cases of the BAU". There's no "slash" going on, and, while I do my best to stick with canon (mostly just up to Episode 6.1, "The Longest Night"), sometimes I play around with it if it makes creative sense. The team started out as the team we all knew and loved from "About Face" to "The Longest Night" (Episodes 3.6-6.1), but as the stories developed, eventually The Mentalist's Patrick Jane joined the BAU.

 

The stories don't take place in our world but an alternate world I've created, which is *very* similar to our world only that it has a different history (the central theme of which is that the Roman Empire survived to today, with Canada and the US replaced by a "European Union"-like entity called the "North American Union"). You can read more of that here: http://vicendum.wikia.com.

 

Oh, and be forewarned: the stories *can* get graphic at times (though no more graphic than CM gets)...so reader discretion advised.

 

Here's the links to the first batch of stories I did (all of which have the label "Cases of the BAU"):

 

http://eastcup.blogspot.ca/search/label/Cases%20of%20the%20BAU

 

...and this part one of a "mega fic" I'm working on, where The Blacklist's Raymond "Red" Reddington and White Collar's Neal Caffrey join forces with Jane and the BAU to take down a human trafficking ring:

 

http://vicendum.blogspot.ca/2014/04/the-price-of-love-part-1.html

 

Other than that, I'm working on another web series that's completely original called "The Virus", where the central enemy is not a person but a website- a wiki that's all about how to commit crimes and get away with them. I'm hoping to get that up by the end of the summer.

 

Happy reading.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Danielg342

[Wilowy]

I read "What Goes Around", and it did surprise me. I'll pm you my other thoughts. Thanks for sharing! 

[Danielg342]

Glad you were entertained. :) I based that case on two real life cases- the story of the “Slane Girl” in Ireland and the story of Rehateh Parsons in my native Canada.

Hope you check out the rest of them, though I understand I have a lot. I'm proud of all of them but I'd say the ones I go back to quite a bit (aside from “What Goes Around...”) are “Zoe's Redux” (a reimagining of “Zoe's Reprise”), “The Chessmaster” (a reimagining of “Zugzwang”) and “Reopening Old Wounds”.

[mstaken]

So what type of fanfics do you guys generally love to read and/or write? Do you look for a certain "ship" or general character/team exploration? Stories that focus on criminal cases or ones that show the team in a different type of setting? Alt-universe fics or ones that strictly follow canon? 

[Wilowy]

Hmm...

 

;)

[mstaken]

Can I beg for a more detailed response?! ;) 

[Wilowy]

Hee! I just figured this one time you could reid my mind.

[Old Dog]

I will read any fanfic featuring Reid - except character death, bringing back the drugs or letting him develop schizophrenia. Any ship will do - although over the last 3 seasons I am no longer so keen on Reid/JJ stories because of my growing hatred of the way they show her on screen . I also read good team case stories that don't feature anyone in particular.

[mstaken]

It's funny, because CM is the only one of my many beloved shows that I've ever really read (and halfheartedly attempted to write!) fanfic for. Ironically, the vague onscreen characterization that I've sometimes complained about as a viewer leaves us with tons of room for imagination-stimulating, varied but equally valid interpretations of these characters in the world of fanfic. 

 

A certain unnamed crack dealer---er, I mean, fic writer----recently got me into the Rossi/Emily 'ship. I'd never seen it before, and now I can't NOT see it. It's not like I'm merrily delusional enough to think the show was ever trying to imply they were or should be together, but something about their personalities, backgrounds and the way the two of them interact just strikes me as so wow-they-would-really-WORK compatible. Stop laughing at me. :) 

 

I'm a total oddity among fanfic fandom in that I don't really enjoy reading about explicit, detailed sex regardless of who's having it. (I'm not at all judging those who like reading and writing that stuff, of course---it's just not my personal cup of literary tea!) I won't skip those stories if they're well-written, but I do find myself skimming them with Reid-esque speed. And I have a total weakness for any sort of subtly sweet team bonding and spirit-boosting fluff----we see so much darkness onscreen that I love the idea of our characters finding joy elsewhere!

 

Personal preferences aside, I'll try pretty much anything if I like the author's writing style. Though I found myself nodding along in enthusiastic agreement with...

 

I will read any fanfic featuring Reid - except character death, bringing back the drugs or letting him develop schizophrenia. Any ship will do - although over the last 3 seasons I am no longer so keen on Reid/JJ stories because of my growing hatred of the way they show her on screen . I also read good team case stories that don't feature anyone in particular.

 

 

 

I dislike addiction stories in general, so, yeah, I'm SO with you about not seeking out more of it in fanfic. (And I'd be more than happy if it never popped up again on our screens, but that's for another thread!) 

Edited June 5, 2014 by mstaken

[JMO]

I've read fanfic sporadically on and off for years, but never felt moved to write anything until CM.  I think mstaken is on to something.  The characters are well-formed enough that I care about them and find them intriguing, but there is so much untold story onscreen that I'm driven to work through all the 'what-ifs'. 

 

I am also a 'Reid-reader', but am picky about what Reid stories I will look at, and even pickier about those I will stay with.  Bad spelling, grammar, punctuation or OOC behavior, and I'm gone.  I also share the same oddity as mstaken (so maybe we're not so odd). I fast forward through any explicit sex (which, no matter how well-written, always comes across as 'filler material' to me) to get to the actual storyline.  Not a fan of unrelenting whump either.  I love the relationships, and the human emotions behind them. And fluff, tempered with realistic angst, is fine with me. 

 

CM offers us the opportunity to read and write action, angst, friendship, family, romance (even if only in the various shipdoms), mystery and even humor. There are a number of very talented authors whose work makes me thankful to have so much to hold me over until the new season begins!

[Old Dog]

I don't mind a bit of explicit sex as long as it's well written - probably as a result of being an Old Dog and distinctly lacking in that area myself lately! I find the badly written stories amusing and try to guess the age of the writer - surprisingly easy to tell by the language used! I also hate unremitting whump. My absolute pet hate is for those stories where the whole team get paired up! Reid/JJ, Hotch/Emily. Morgan/Garcia and Rossi with whoever is left. You just know the writer is very young! I also hate stories where the authors launch into them with no real thought and after 2 chapters start asking readers for ideas!

But sadly I am such a Reid fan I will read pretty much everything - sometimes I get pleasantly surprised over stories that on the face of it don't look promising. And I do love stories with a bit of length to them or with sequels - if I really enjoy them I just want more and more.

[missmycat]

What I find really sad and pathetic about this so called fanfic,is that some of it is actually better written, more interesting and compelling, that includes both the characters and the story line in general, than a lot of what we get from these so called professional writers.

 

 

It is just a pity though when it came to CM's milestone episode of "200" that it seemed like they took from the worst of the fanfic in order to come up with a story line for the episode.

[Old Dog]

Not to offend anyone at all but had I read "200" as a story I would have put it down as written by a 14 year old from the Mid West!

[mstaken]

I've read fanfic sporadically on and off for years, but never felt moved to write anything until CM.

 

Please link your work if you ever feel inclined to do so!  I can tell even by how much I love your posts that I would adore your fiction :) 

 

 

 

I also share the same oddity as mstaken (so maybe we're not so odd). I fast forward through any explicit sex (which, no matter how well-written, always comes across as 'filler material' to me) to get to the actual storyline.  Not a fan of unrelenting whump either.  I love the relationships, and the human emotions behind them.

 

This is exactly how I feel as well. And I'm certainly not averse to angst---some of my favorite fics have been unashamedly drenched in it----but since angst is one thing we get a lot of on the actual show, I find it really interesting and heartening to see the characters experience a little fun and joy. Plus, I'm a bit of a sap...

 

 

 

CM offers us the opportunity to read and write action, angst, friendship, family, romance (even if only in the various shipdoms), mystery and even humor. There are a number of very talented authors whose work makes me thankful to have so much to hold me over until the new season begins!

 

...so much of a sap that this had me "awww"-ing out loud while also nodding in vigorous agreement. We have so many talented and insightful writers right here in our little cyber-corner of the world. I don't want to single them out by name for fear of embarrassing them, but, seriously, you guys really do put many published authors to shame!

 

 

 

And I do love stories with a bit of length to them or with sequels - if I really enjoy them I just want more and more.

 

I'm always torn on this one. On one hand, I love many multi-chapter fics and deeply admire those with the discipline and organizational abilities to write them. On the other hand, I've been happily surprised to see that sometimes the briefest fics have been the most memorable and poignant for me. Creating something so sharply insightful and emotionally evocative in relatively few words is a skill that a long-winded rambler like I am really envies! 

 

Do you guys find yourselves preferring to read and/or write about a certain time period---before the series begins, far into the future, fics that are set during a certain season, etc.? 

 

 

Not to offend anyone at all but had I read "200" as a story I would have put it down as written by a 14 year old from the Mid West!

 

I'm not sure what hailing from the midwest would have to do with it, but, yeah, 200 really did feel like a lot of fanfic's worst tropes and contrivances thrown messily on screen. 

Edited June 5, 2014 by mstaken

[Wilowy]

JustMyOpinion, ugh, the bad spelling, grammar, and usage kill an author/story for me too. Another peeve is weird or childish names for body parts. 

 

I enjoy the fun stories, too. Darker than the show already? No thanks. Our babies get enough misery in canon. I'll make things difficult for them sometimes, and usually someone gets hurt, but it serves the story and creates realization and tighter bonds afterwards. 

 

I've only ever killed off one person! *coughWILLcough*, and even that happy action, though sad for some, was a catalyst for forward movement.

 

I love reading a story where I can easily hear their voices in my head. Great dialogue is a joy, and I'll always leave a review for those (admittedly few) really good ones (fully admitting that I've written some stinkers, too!). 

 

I've yet to see "BAU in Space", which I'd like to read, and also a crossover with BtVS. I read one, but didn't care for it. What crossover fics with our BAU would you all like to see?

[Danielg342]

I got inspired to write fanfiction from watching CM through and realizing the show wasn't telling the stories it should be telling. I'm with MsTaken that show always hints at depth and never delivers, which is prime fodder for the fic writer to expand upon in greater detail.

 

Thus, in my writing, it's all about writing the episodes that I feel CM should be making- nothing more and really nothing less. I know I put the team in an "alternate world" but I will say most of my stuff could still be used on the real show without much alteration, and that's the vibe I look for- I want my stories to fit "naturally" as episodes. So I don't purposely "ship" people unless it makes sense, nor do I use violence or sex unless the story would call for it. What I do try to do is, first and foremost, is come up with interesting cases and many different crimes that I feel the BAU should be tackling- the regular show does serial killing way too many times so I try to avoid it when I can. When I can't, I make sure I get into the "why's" and avoid a "grossfest". I also don't set any cases in any time period other than the present day, unless the story has flashbacks (which I think the real show itself is bad at using).

 

As far as crossovers go, I've done several in my fics, mostly out of a desire to mix my other favourite shows with CM, though they tend to be just "one offs".

 

As for what I'd like to read...well, I'm pretty open minded when it comes to the fics I will read, so as long as it's a well-written story, I'd accept any scenario the writer puts our team in. There's really not much more to it than that.

[Sharpie66]

I really like madlori's Reid/Emily fics. Normally, I cannot stand non-canon fic pairings, but she really makes their relationship believable. Her story How To Fight Loneliness is really long, but has a really interesting case with flashbacks to how their relationship developed. (Also? I just loooove the way she describes their house--it is SO Reid!) she stopped writing for CM four years ago, though, so there is a limited number of stories.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5638450/1/How-to-Fight-Loneliness

[mstaken]

I'm shamelessly stealing this one from another show thread :) Just fill in the answers to these questions along with any explanations you want to add, post new questions if you feel like it, and enjoy indulging your CM-related fantasy life! Oh, yeah, and no ties allowed :) 

 

If I were part of the BAU:

 

My very closest friend would be...

 

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be... 

 

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be.... 

 

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be... 

 

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be... 

 

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be... 

 

My ideal vacation would be traveling to ____ with _________ 

Edited June 25, 2014 by mstaken

[zannej]

I'm shamelessly stealing this one from another show thread :) Just fill in the answers to these questions along with any explanations you want to add, post new questions if you feel like it, and enjoy indulging your CM-related fantasy life! Oh, yeah, and no ties allowed :) 

 

If I were part of the BAU:

 

My very closest friend would be...

 

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be... 

 

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be.... 

 

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be... 

 

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be... 

 

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be... 

 

My ideal vacation would be traveling to ____ with _________ 

Hmm.. closest friend: Reid. I don't have many female friends in person and I tend to get along better with guys-- unless they are drama queens.

Romantic relationship... Not sure.. Prentiss maybe. Physically she's the most appealing to me.

would not get along with the new JJ. She rolls her eyes at people, is not interested in comic con, has a kid in tow, and we wouldn't have common interests.

niche... Hmm... maybe knowledge of the psychology of people from different cultures. I find that fascinating. Although I also really enjoy random facts.

social activity - hanging out and eating and maybe some online gaming with Garcia.

family to meet- Rossi's. Italian families usually like to feed people and I like to eat.

vacation- SD Comic Con with Reid or E3 (whatever the big gaming thing is) with Garcia.

Edited June 26, 2014 by zannej

[mstaken]

I'll attempt to answer my own questions :)

 

If I were part of the BAU:

My very closest friend would be...Prentiss. (Let's pretend she's still, like, actually on the show, okay?! She's smart, snarky, loyal, caring, insightful, interesting (to me) and knows how to shoot anyone who gives me trouble ;) We can bond over reading Vonnegut and having parents who had alarmingly high expectations of us :) Runnerup: Reid (I was tempted to rank him first, but I tend to have stronger and less complicated friendships with women as a general rule, so Prentiss gets this dubious 'honor' :)

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be...drum roll...Rossi. I adore Reid but have trouble seeing him in a romantic/sexual light for some reason; Hotch is too grim, rigid, repressed and stoic for my personal taste; Morgan always giving unsolicited advice and he-always-know-best condescension would drive me nuts; and Gideon and I would both be locked up in the nearest mental hospital within a week of getting together. :)  Rossi's a passionate, smart, witty, life loving, fundamentally decent guy who I find really interesting and engaging, especially now that his arrogance has mellowed into a more mild, amusing vanity. I just find him really appealing. These things can't be explained :) 

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be....You guys probably expect me to say JJ, but while I'd probably find her really boring and hard to connect with past a very superficial level, I don't see having any actual conflicts with her. Morgan, though, is someone I'd likely clash with for the reasons I mentioned above. Oh, and Garcia would elicit more than a few eye rolls from me and some muttered snarky comments about getting over herself. 

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be...Psycholinguistics, please! Oh, and maybe profiling kids and teens. 

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be...movie nights, accompanied by plenty of junk food and snarky commentary. Yes, I'm kind of boring :) 

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be...Rossi's, if only because I feel like we know the least about them. And, as zannej so aptly noted, they're the most likely to feed me huge quantities of Italian food! 

Feel free to add any other questions you guys think of, by the way :) 

[SSAHotchner]

My only CM fantasy is to be Hotch's wife. :)

[idiotwaltz]

If I were part of the BAU:

My very closest friend would be ... Elle! I would love to hang out with Elle, she is so awesome and non-judgmental and always have your back. I'd be BFF with Prentiss, except I'm already in a relationship with her, so. 

 

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be ... Prentiss because she's hot. And, y'know, loyal and kind and has an amazing snarky sense of humor. Plus she sits like a lesbian and totally wants kids, so I'd be into that. 

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be ... none of them, really. Maybe JJ, because I just watched Gabby and she was kind of condescending in that one. 

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be ... sex crimes, because I've totally watched every single episode of SVU up until Stabler left the show. 

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be ... none, because I wouldn't want to hang out with my co-workers. I'd want to go home and have sex with Prentiss and then we'd go to Ikea together and make flowerbeds out of railroad ties. [/random 30 Rock reference] 

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be ... Rossi's. They seem like they would be the most fun. I'd actually love to meet his other ex-wives and it would be awesome if at least one of them was totally batshit insane. 

My ideal vacation would be traveling to bed with Prentiss. See above.  

Edited June 26, 2014 by idiotwaltz

[ForeverAlone]

If I were part of the BAU:

My very closest friend would be Reid.

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be Reid.

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be Penelope if she was being exceptionally tiresome and over the top. I had originally had JJ, but after some thought, I realized the person I would least like to work around is Penelope, because she has evolved into someone deeply unprofessional in her work demeanor and over the top in her "quirkiness." 

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be sex crimes/ritualistic killings.

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be nothing- I don't want to hang out with most of them outside of work.

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be...eh, I guess Diana Reid. It would be interesting to talk to her.

My ideal vacation would be traveling to Italy with Reid and discussing the history, the art, the architecture, the religion, the food of Italy. You know he is filled with many interesting facts about stuff like the Renaissance and everything. The conversations over great Italian food and wine would be awesome. 

Edited June 28, 2014 by ForeverAlone

[Enigma X]

If I were part of the BAU:

My very closest friend would be...JJ (mainly because not many people want to be her friend, LOL)

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be...Hotch!

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be....Morgan

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be...mental and psychotic disorders

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be...a guitarist in a rock band

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be...Garcia only because she does not seem to be from anyone or anywhere

My ideal vacation would be traveling to ____ with _________ The Aran islands with Hotch, of course

[mstaken]

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be...Garcia only because she does not seem to be from anyone or anywhere

 

Hee! This cracked me up, and I'm now picturing her as some sort of alien from another universe and...(um, can you tell I've been devouring Fringe?) Well, that might explain a lot about her fashion sense, no?! ;)

 

 

 

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be....Morgan

 

Same here. He's so condescending and thinks-he-knows-what's-best-ish sometimes. And I'm not sure I could suppress my eye rolling when he and Garcia started in with their "Baby Girl" stuff. 

Edited June 28, 2014 by mstaken

[ForeverAlone]

I think if I worked around people acting like Morgan and Penelope and their increasingly unprofessional conversations, I would have to file the anonymous sexual harassment complaint about them. It's just ooky to listen to, and it got even worse when she started doing it to Hotch on occasion (woman, you don't sexually harass your boss!!)

[zannej]

LOL. Didn't Hotch once say "Don't call me sweety" to her? Although another time he did say "Garcia, I love you", but the phone had gone dead so she didn't hear it. 

[Wilowy]

If I were part of the BAU:

My very closest friend would be... Spencer

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be... Spencer

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be.... Kevin

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be... Communications

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be... Charades night at Reid's

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be... Garcia's

My ideal vacation would be traveling to _Comic-Con_ with __Spencer__

[zannej]

Kevin is not a team member. :P

[Wilowy]

He's a tertiary team member! ;)

 

But in the interest of maintaining core team purity, I'd have to say either Seaver or Blake. I like Blake well enough but she's mostly humorless which I find hard to take. Also Seaver... mehhhhhh. It wouldn't be hard to pretend she wasn't in the room at all. Vanilla, milquetoast, bland, transparent. Like an old sheet. 

[Wilowy]

Adding additional chapters today to Meeting Her for the readers invested in Jaye, Truan, Spence, JJ, and little Willow and Henry, too.

How are they faring in Spain? How is Willow dealing with her mother being half a world away? How does Henry's paternity come into play? And will Rossi fire off any zingers? ;)

I'll post a link when it's up for those caring to click. :)

 

ETA: Forgot to post this one earlier for those that don't like the smexy; it's a shorty that won Best One-Shot in the Profilers Choice Awards last year. Ever wonder what the BAU team get up to thirty years from now?

 

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9171448/1/Forget-Me-Not 

[QASteph]

I quadruple rec Madlori's series.   And there is a cameo or two in there.  I do find it easier to read on AO3 (HTFL) than fanfiction.net because of the display options.  Her "Marked" is also just lovely (not related to HTFL series but still Reid/Prentiss).

 

This show has been around long enough that the fanfic community is sort of petering out; there hasn't been an annual award for a couple years, and no holiday exchange for even longer.  But!  That means there is a lot of back-log to catch up on.  Those two links are a good starting point. 

 

I enjoy fics where relationships are developed, romantic or not - though it is easier to find fanfic w/ romantic relationships, more than PWP or straight case-fic with vaguely friendly co-workers. 

Some personal faves:

Fathers are not born series - http://geekystudmuffin.livejournal.com/4841.html (Hotch/Reid with lots of Jack)

Myrna1-2-3's Reid/Rossi series - http://myrna1-2-3.livejournal.com/tag/rossi%2Freid (I normally wouldn't enjoy this pairing because of the age difference but the author really makes it work.  Also I *love* the OC that is paired with Hotch. )

Landlocked Blues - http://cm-exchange.livejournal.com/37012.html (Also Rossi/Reid and hilarious.  Seriously writers, why must you keep writing this pairing so well?  Rossi's old enough to be Reid's father.  He's older than Reid's father.)

Miles to Go Before We Sleep - http://cm-slash.livejournal.com/68865.html (Morgan/Reid and this always messes with my rememberance of how Lo-Fi was resolved because it was integrated so well into the storyline)

Edited July 9, 2014 by QASteph

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I've been a little hesitant to 'out' myself as a fanfic author, although there are a couple of you who know I write the stuff. But since I've pretty much revealed that I'm a big weirdo already, I might as well take the next step.

 

 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1768066/chapters/3783037

It's called The Broken Hallelujah, and its set sometime after this past season's finale. Alex's resignation causes Reid to seek out Elle, and things proceed from there. Don't be afraid, click the link. :-)

[Dionysa]

Not a Seaver fan, either. Here are my answers:

 

My very closest friend would be Penelope.

If I had to have a romantic relationship with one CM character, it would be Reid.

The one person I wouldn't get along with on the team would be Gideon.

My professional niche/specialty on the team would be Research.

My favorite out-of-work social activity to do with the whole team would be world travel with Reid. 

The team member whose family I'd most like to meet would be Garcia's. 

My ideal vacation would be traveling to Japan with Reid (no chopsticks, though!).

[mstaken]

Here's another one:

 

If you could bring back just one core team member, who would it be and why?! (Gideon, Elle, Emily, Seaver, Blake...?) 

[zannej]

Its between Elle and Emily. I think Paget pulled it off better so she gets a nose ahead. Before CBS dicked around with things, she had great chemistry with everyone and she brought something interesting to the role. Paget pretty much admitted that she wasn't as in to it in season 7 and I think it showed a little.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Elle again just because I loved her dynamic with Reid.

 

It would also be funny if someone overheard her mentioning the time Reid went to her hotel room and drank with her and someone might misinterpret things...

[Wilowy]

Easy, Elle.

 

Because Elle.

[mstaken]

I find Gideon compelling and really like what he added to the show (because of his myriad flaws, not despite them!), but I'd pick Elle by a surprisingly wide margin. If Emily had been gone after just one or two seasons, I might have felt differently, but she got several seasons to shine---and to be written in ways that felt inconsistent and/or generally disappointing to me :) Elle, though, was on just long enough to make me fall in platonic love with her and to leave me wanting more. I'd also love to see how she's recovered from the issues that plagued her in S2 while still retaining her quintessential Elle-ness.  

Edited August 24, 2014 by mstaken

[normasm]

I would act like Blake never left, personally, and have a whole raft of new writers who knew how to write good scripts for women who are over 35 and not bothered by it in the least. I would have JLH come on as a guest star, not as a core cast member. Maybe she would recur in an arc, but not any more than Cruz, whom I've come to like.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I'm torn, because watching the early episodes has rekindled my Elle-love (thanks, Netflix!) but my stubborn side wants Alex back, with the caveat that she'd get better writing this time. Ideally, I could have Elle, Emily and Alex on the show while JJ and Garcia are hugely scaled back if not sent away altogether, and since this is a fantasy I'm going to be contrary and vote for that. ;-)

Edited August 24, 2014 by Cobalt Stargazer

[mstaken]

Hee---as long as we're indulging our CM fantasies, I'll take S2 Emily (a little more adorkable, cerebral, just a touch 'nerdy', etc.), S1 Elle (a little more...sane ;) Plus, I can't deal with her S2 haircut!), and fanfic Blake (because I liked her well enough, but she had so much potential that I think was sadly ignored on the actual show and explored far better in fanfics I've read). S1 Hotch was my very favorite as well...and, on a shallow note, when TG was IMO at his most gorgeous :)  

 

Who are some of your fantasy guest stars, and what roles would you ideally have them play?! (Old friends or family members of the team, Unsubs, suspects who turns out to be innocent, members of a different branch of law enforcement...etc.) 

[zannej]

I'd like to see David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and Nicholas Lea as guest stars. Maybe not all in the same episode... Although it would be cool to see Duchovny and Lea together in an episode. They always had good chemistry on X-Files. I wouldn't mind seeing Michael Shanks from Stargate: SG1.

 

Oh, yeah, Tyne Daly. I want to see her play someone's grandmother. 

[idiotwaltz]

Since we've had quite a few Joan of Arcadia alums on the show already, including God himself (as a cannibal!), why not round things out with Amber Tamblyn guest-starring as a suspect/victim/busybody with schizophrenic delusions that she speaks to God?  

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I did not write this, but I kind of wish I had. Even though it hurts me a little. No Whump!, but there is angst.

 

 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/445889

 

[Wilowy]

**FIC RECS**

 

Wanted to give a shoutout to aMUSEment345 over on ff.net for her inventive and spot-on characterization in a fic I recently read called "Posse". It's set during Demons and fills in a lot of the emotional holes in what we ended up seeing. Highly recommended. 

 

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10351705/1/Posse

 

Also, I hope our Cobalt Stargazer doesn't mind that I also rec this terrific Elle/Reid one shot called "Falling Apart Together". This is a very well-written piece chock full of lemony goodness! 

 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2262951

[Wilowy]

Also ToyBoxBoy over on tumblr makes some of the most gorgeous pic and gifsets in our entire fandom. Here's one she recently put up and it perfectly captures the way I always picture both Spencer and JJ in every single story I write for them. Love their look here. 

 

 

Our conversation on this board about JJ shoulda/woulda/coulda telling Spence the truth about Emily sparked a plot bunny, and now I'm four chapters in on a story re: that. Hope you like: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10685949/1/Forgiveness-Comes-Later

[Wilowy]

Later today I'll be working on my outline for NaNo, but right now it's...

 

 

W00t!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

In light of the spoilers about Garcia, I made you guys a present. I'll just leave it here for ya'll.

 

 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2370806