So I'm still blocked on What Fates Impose, but if I go for even a couple of days without writing, I feel out of sorts, which means I've turned to basically what I call "doodle writing." It's writing that's not good enough to edit into something worth really publishing, and I don't really devote all that much to making it really shine and come together like Fates or any of my other projects. It's one of those things where if I feel like adding a few paragraphs, I will. If not, no skin off of my nose.
I've been sharing it on our Tumblr account, which is linked to Twitter, but I know a lot of people don't follow Twitter, so I figured I'd also put it on my archive blog. You can read the first chapter of That Which is Greater here and then maybe someday, if the story gathers enough mass and momentum, I'll post it on ff.net. It's an AU that sprang from a discussion on ChuckThis the other day about whether or not Bryce is a hero (I'm firmly in the, "Hell no he's not" camp).
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Frea
Wow... that was awesome. If everyone had your opinion of what is good enough to publish on ff.net, we wouldn't have all that much to read on that site.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, I'd love to see this continue. I'm already attached to "Megabyte".
First, I agree. This chapter of this AU is awesome and I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteSecond, hell no, Bryce is not a hero. I've never even considered Bryce to be a friend to Chuck. What kind of friend would do all of the things that he has done to Chuck?
And third...still blocked on "Fates"? Well, that's scary. The possibility of "Fates" being one of those unfinished stories makes me sad. I think it's one of the best (if not THE best) Chuck fan fiction out there and have enjoyed every bit of it. But writing is hard work and doing an epic story like "Fates" can certainly wear down a person.
This is brilliant, Frea. It's cute as cute can be. Don't undersell yourself by calling it unfit to post on FF.
ReplyDelete“I’ve got a four-year-old wingman,” jajaja
ReplyDeletebest line ever XD
Chuck Bartowski, divorcé? Oh my. I've also got to wonder how he got targeted for the Intersect email if he never knew Bryce. INTRIGUING.
ReplyDelete(Sorry for sticking the comment here. The other blog doesn't allow Name/URL commenting or accept my OpenID credentials for whatever reason.)
bc79, it's probably something I'll continue for awhile, whenever the mood strikes. But thank you. :) "Megabyte" is one of my favorite things about it, too.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, always nice when people agree with me. And don't worry, I'm not giving up on Fates. It took me four years to finish a story once, but I never gave up on it. And no, I'm hoping it won't take me four years to finish Fates. That would just be awful. It's one of those stories where, unfortunately, every chapter gets a little bit harder because I have a little bit more to juggle, and I don't want it to burn me out, which is why I'm turning to this story. :)
Anonymous the Second, thanks! I'm blushing now. I figure I might post it on ff.net after I post the next chapter of Fates. Don't want people think I'm slacking. ;)
cristian, glad you liked that one! I giggled as I wrote it.
Ayefah, Divorcé, really? Did I say that? So much to reveal, so much to conceal... :)
This was a really good first chapter. Chuck already having a child is a type of story that has not been done well yet. While the chapter was enjoyeable to read the most interesting parts are the unanswered questions.
ReplyDeleteDid Chuck get kicked out of Stanford?
How did he make his own software company?
Did Jill still break his heart?
Who is Violet's mom considering that she has blue eyes.
Is Chuck Violet's biological father?
Did Chuck actually download the Intersect? If so how?
I look forward to these and more questions being answered in upcoming chapters.
Wow...I first stumbled upon Fates because of an article on ChuckTV.net a couple of weeks ago (hadn't ever read any fanfic before). Since then I've read everything you and the other Castle Inanity writers have posted. Having now read the first chapters of That Which is Greater, I have to say I'm hooked by one of your stories yet again. I can not see this as not being good enough to publish, especially considering a lot of the stories on ff.net. Now that it's a waiting game for the next Fates and Double Agent updates, I'm hoping you feel inspired to write a couple more chapters of this story. Last thing: Thank you for writing these stories and sharing them with us. You're a great writer.
ReplyDeleteThe whole "Sophie's weekend" thing sounded like a custody agreement, but what do I know. The fact that there was no mention of a kid or marriage in Chuck's file is definitely odd - marriages and divorces involve government records and Sophie would be on record too if she was born in a hospital. On the other hand, you mention that Violet has the "Bartowski grin", which points to genetics being at work - same goes for the hair.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm going to say that either Chuck's a divorcé or he had a kid out of wedlock with Sophie and took custody of the child when he and Sophie broke up. Beyond that, I can only think of more outlandish possibilities, like Violet being Chuck and Ellie's much younger half-sibling who they're passing off as Chuck's daughter or something.
Wait, I do know one thing: You enjoy tormenting me, Frea, every time I dare make a prediction. *shakes tiny fist of rage* Curses!
That's it. You should totally just give up on Fates and concentrate on this one. Or maybe not, lol. Honestly, I can take or leave Fates, but this story promises to be a lot of fun and I definitely look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteUncle Awesome. Snort. Morgan teaching his godchild how to pick up the ladies for her dad. Tee hee. Love it!
Uh, Dana...you probably don't want to say that too loud around here. Some of the fans have pitchforks.
ReplyDeleteThat was a very fun chapter Frea. Thank's for "doodling". You're doodling would take me years to refine if I actually had the time!
ReplyDeleteLike Edwin above I stumbled upon "Fates..." a couple of weeks ago because of Chucktv. I never knew something like fan fiction existed. That being said, I love everything that you have written, Frea, including this story, and as a librarian and book lover, I do a lot of reading. I hope you keep it up because it make my life a little brighter!
ReplyDeletewell, i guess if by doodle writing you mean that you haven't already scoped out a multi-page backstory for jerry the analyst then perhaps this fits. (although i'm guessing you could come up with something pretty compelling about jerry in short order, if necessary). but this is extremely entertaining and fun...and a great distraction from our longing for another helping of fates. it will be fun to see how this chuck and sarah are different, personality-wise, from your Fatesverse -- or is it just the circumstances that have changed in this world. thanks for a great read...looking forward to more of it -- and the appearance of non-hero bryce. (oh -- and if you need to do any research on a 4-yr-old girl for megabyte, i've got plenty of current, hands-on info for you).
ReplyDelete-- seaboji
:D Don't worry, Frea. Even if I had a death wish, I would never ever *seriously* recommend that you not finish Fates. I like the story a lot and want you to continue and finish it, too.
ReplyDeleteI loved this story. It's a fun retelling of the beginning of Chuck. I really liked Sarah and Chucks meeting and Chuck's daughter is so awesome it should be illegal.
ReplyDeleteI would love to read more of this story.
That was excellent as per your usual. I am hooked again and the withdrawal pains will be excruciating. Having to wait an even more indeterminate time till we see an update to this wonderful new AU that you have dreamed up. At least this AU Chuck doesn't have a predilection for brunettes. Thank you for once again providing a wonderful story with which I could so easily fall in love. Even though I love Fates and selfishly which we could simply tie you to a keyboard and hook up an IV of Dr. Pepper and have you write nothing but Fates....this new AU would be a very close second. Thanks again.
ReplyDelete-JS Fan
Some fans * cough * me *cough* would envoke WW3 if Fates was discontinued... jk.. but Id get out something worse than my pitchfork ;) But in all honesty I loved the new story too..hoping you get your mojo back!
ReplyDeleteI knew reading the story again would pay off. And what an awesome new chapter it was!
ReplyDeleteYes! Thank you for the new chapter. It was a good read.
ReplyDeleteBecause the other blog still hates me: Wouldn't an encryption software programmer have more protection on his work computer than you described? At the very least, he'd have a salted logon password, but there was no mention of that. Fingerprint scanners are pretty common equipment on professional laptops, too.
ReplyDeleteOr you could say that he has separate work and personal computers, received the Intersect email on the latter, and only protected that computer's logon with a password that was vulnerable to a brute force dictionary attack. Or something. I just find it hard to believe that a hard core techie wouldn't do a better job securing his data when even a schmoe like me has a logon password.
Okay, nit-picking time over. Yay new chapter! I can't wait to see how Chuck and Sarah's date goes horrible awry. :)
So who knew you could write the domestic family oriented stories so well?...& topping it off w/ a kid? I'll tell ya-I did :) Violet is so freakin adorable, its killing me like making my ovaries hurt-wow did I just say that? lol kidding but seriously this is a really sweet story. I mean you really hit us hard w/ the sweetness coming from all sides w/ this one between the interactions w/ Chuck & his daughter and as usual Chuck and Sarah. I'm really enjoying the departure from some of the usual high octane spy story for this quieter yet really focused in dialogue sorta story. Don't get me wrong, I love all that you write, & would never want you to give up Fates, but this story is a great change of pace for you and I find myself really sucked into this world too. I can't wait to see the interaction you set up between Sarah & Violet, I know it's going to break my heart like you always enjoy doing to me :) Good job Frea, & thanks for this little gem!
ReplyDelete@Ayefah - See, Ayefah, I had the same thought about Chuck's computer. This is what happens when Frea doesn't consult me first before posting. :P
ReplyDeletewell, it's not his laptop computer that she's getting into, it's his desktop computer, the one that never leaves the house. I can see his laptop computer having more encryption on it since he takes that one to meetings with clients, but since it was just his gaming desktop, I didn't figure there was much of an issue.
ReplyDelete:)
I guess I'm mostly talking from my narrow personal experience - I'm a paranoid person who's always had logon passwords, even for stationary desktops at home, because I didn't want family members or roommates getting into my account even for non-nefarious reasons. My dad the software engineer is the one with a fingerprint scanner on his computer. So it was just something that stood out to me.
ReplyDeleteI could believe that the "tools" Sarah was given included some kind of brute force attack software that eventually discovered Chuck's password and got Sarah into his less-secure home computer. And if the computer was sleeping rather than off, he could still be logged into his email, eliminating the need for his email password. But...it still niggles at me that someone who writes encryption software wouldn't at least keep his work as far away from his four-year-old as possible. :P
*sigh* You're going to make me actually have to put thought into this story?
ReplyDeleteEven someone as technologically challenged as myself found it odd that Chuck wouldn't have better security on his computer. Sarah would have had a lot more trouble getting into MY desktop computer.
ReplyDeleteBut this was an instance where suspension of disbelief really worked for me.
Frea, I wouldn't dream of it. But if I didn't nitpick, where would I be? Doing my homework, that's where. Would you really wish that on me? :(
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, it was just a momentary snag in my reading, not really enough to detract from the story. Don't pay attention to me; just write as the mood strikes you. :)
Oh, sure, you say that now after I've gone and fixed it. Uh-huh. I see what your game is. :-P
ReplyDelete(It was an easy fix because that's the glory of writing Chuck fic. You can make up a magic security-cracking device and people won't blink twice)
I should also be doing homework. Instead, I just reread chapter 38 of my own story. True fact: it's impossible to read the last scene without smiling.
Aw, you sap. :)
ReplyDeleteFrea, how did you find out about our pitchforks? Who told you? Wait, how much do you know about them?
ReplyDelete*Goes to lock closet's door*
Hmm, never mind. See, when I heard you were having a case of writer's block, I must admit I looked for my old Mr Pointy, just in case you chose to discontinue Fates. Now, don't get angry or scared. You, of all people, must appreciate the artistic irony of a Buffyverse death for discontinuing a story which had a Buffy theme Halloween Special chapter. See how poetic it would be?
Now, my plans have been put on hold because that new story is simply fantastic. Squeel! I finally had time to read it and I am so intrigued. Where did that kid come from? Where is her mother? How are the missions going to work when a four year old is waiting for her bed time story at home? How are Chuck and Sarah ever going to get together when Sarah can leave at any minute? Chuck could not let her get close to his daughter and therefore himself if he thinks she is going to leave them. I can't wait to find out how it will all play out. Plus, there's a four year old kid and as a child psychologist in the making, I am loving every minute of it.
For some reason, something about this story reminds me of Malamoo and that's obviously a compliment. I love both of your work.
Lily