was in the shower and had the literal thought "fix-it fic is literally playing with barbies until you shape the narrative into something coherent" and tbh, that's kinda true for just fic writing and even original writing in general.

play with those barbies. make them kiss. make them kill each other. hurt them. comfort them.

smash those barbies together until you have a story you think is worth telling.

In Honor of Pride

In order to kick off Pride Month, I'm posting links to what I feel are my best fics featuring bisexual characters (both canon and non). I'm starting with THIS ONE featuring Queliot from The Magicians. In series canon this is truly a mastework of queerbaiting. They got together in an alternate reality, Quentin wanted to give it a go with Eliot in this reality, but Eliot shuts him down and Quentin gets back together with his ex girlfriend and then dies. So I wrote Protected. It covers their entire lives together in both realities. There are numerous graphic smut scenes, but I've been told that as a whole it's an emotional roller coaster--which is exactly what I was going for. So here it is:

his only hope now was to call for help the only way he knew how.

Bring Him Home by ConeyIslandBlitz

i’ve been stuck in season one au land for... well over two years at this point??? and i really thought i’d gotten all of the post-season 4 queliot fix-it fics out of my system in 2019 and 2020 but... lol. it’s 2023 and i’m working on the first chapter of a novel-length fix-it because i’ve had this idea eating my brain for months now and it refuses to let me go until i set it loose on the world like the terrible/wonderful hurt/comfort monster that it is so i guess it’s really true what they say...

Happy Valentine's Day, Queliot!

Chapter 3 of you want it darker? || dark king eliot is now live! As a Queliot gift for Valentine's Day!

This chapter does still focus on Eliot's grief, and Quentin's still technically dead (but not really/permanently?). But, as dark and angsty as this story can be, there's a strong emphasis on the Queliot love story. It feels essential to me. Hopefully you’ll agree! Big 🍑❤️ to all of you today (Happy Valentine’s Day, no matter when you read this!) (Yes, today this fic finally earns its E-rating!)

A big thank you to my collaborator @juliawickers❤️who in addition to all the support and inspiration, and creating the original concept, graphic, and fanmix❤️has made an edit for Ch. 2 and now a queliot au: you want it darker? || dark king eliot pin board with Ch. 3❤️

Summary for Chapter 3 specifically:

Eliot sees glimpses of Quentin everywhere. Hears his voice. Feels his phantom touch.

He knows it's really Q. And that no one will believe him. Telling Margo or Julia will only make them worry more.

Meanwhile, attempts to bring Quentin back continue to fail. Will a visit with an old friend help turn things around?

================

Thank you @queliotbingo! ❤️ This WIP as a whole will be marking my Resurrection/Reincarnation, Time Travel, Underworld squares

Thank you @ficwip for Hey, Sweetheart 2024! In addition to meeting the "sweetheart" challenge (several times!), Chapter 3 fits today's themes of 🗺️ Forest and 💕 mutual pining.

you want it darker? || dark king eliot (34561 words) by victoriaandalbert, EliotQueliot Chapters: 3/12 Fandom: The Magicians (TV), The Magicians - Lev Grossman Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh, Margo Hanson & Eliot Waugh, Margo Hanson/Julia Wicker, Eliot Waugh & Julia Wicker, Quentin Coldwater & Julia Wicker, Quentin Coldwater & Margo Hanson, Quentin Coldwater & Theodore "Ted" Rupert Coldwater-Waugh & Eliot Waugh, Quentin Coldwater & Theodore "Ted" Coldwater Characters: Eliot Waugh, Margo Hanson, Julia Wicker, Quentin Coldwater, Alice Quinn (The Magicians), Josh Hoberman, Fen (The Magicians), Rupert Chatwin | Dark King Sebastian, Jane Chatwin, 23rd Timeline William "Penny" Adiyodi, 40th Timeline William "Penny"Adiyodi, William "Penny" Adiyodi, Henry Fogg, 24th Timeline Alice Quinn (The Magicians), Kady Orloff-Diaz, Todd (The Magicians), Ted Coldwater, Hades (The Magicians), Theodore "Ted" Rupert Coldwater-Waugh, The Great Cock of the Darkling Wood, The Great Cock (The Magicians) Additional Tags: Grief/Mourning, Canonical Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, Violence, Blood and Violence, Soulmates, queliot, endgame queliot, Underworld, Resurrection, Dark Fantasy, Margo Hanson is a Good Friend, Julia Wicker is a Good Friend, Quentin Coldwater Lives, Depression, References to Depression, References to Shadeless Julia Wicker, Shadeless Eliot Waugh, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Hand Jobs, Castle Whitespire, Mountain of Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fillory (The Magicians), Goddess Julia Wicker, Crying, Fix-It, Alternate Universe, Suicidal Thoughts, Afterlife, Ghosts, Souls, True Love, royal husbands, Magic, Fairies, High King Eliot Waugh, High king Margo Hanson, King Quentin Coldwater, Queen Julia Wicker, Suicide Attempt, Lucid Dreaming Series: Part 2 of You Want It Darker? Series Summary:

Eliot finds among Jane Chatwin’s things perhaps a way to bring back Quentin—but it comes at an enormous personal cost: during the ritual, Eliot is stripped of his Shade completely. Violently ripping the reigning Dark King from the throne, Eliot assumes the mantle of Dark High King—a truly malevolent force who will do anything to get Quentin back. Even if it means he becomes somebody the man he loves won’t recognize when Eliot rescues Quentin from the Underworld. By any means necessary.

—summary from you want it darker? || dark king eliot [graphic + fanmix] by victoriaandalbert

If I were to commit to posting fic again after almost a decade, which of these should I commit to?

I included everything in my wips folder I can for sure finish, including some ... pretty dusty ones. (I started that Star Wars fic in January 2016 as a post-TFA story. Last update: December 2019.)

Whichever one I start with will probably be posted as a wip, except for the Queliot story, which I think tops out around 25k. The one closest to being finished is probably the Stranger Things AU; the one that will wind up going the longest is probably the Star Wars AU.

All of that said:

Yesterday a chat between me and my roommate about something completely different devolved into me ranting about The Magicians...

It's been a couple of years since i last was angry and sad about the fact that that show happened and I was there to witness it since day 1!!! only for the writers to kill of Quentin and the entire show in season 4!!! I've never dropped a series so hard like I did the magicians after season 4!!!

Anyways can't believe there was no final episode to season 4 and I need to live the finale through queliot fix-it fics only huh so weird.

When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers, if you can. Let’s spread the self-love. ♥️

oooh god, nat. okay, let's see.

the broken radio is playing suicide // sterek werewolves are known au

only fools rush in // sterek fake dating au

how rare and beautiful it is to even exist // queliot post-s4 fix-it

such selfish prayers (and i can't get enough) // obikin obi-wan character study

and isn't it fine losing your mind? // obikin new girl au

meeeh. yeah.

💘💝🎈?

Hiiii friend.

Okay -

💘Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

Not really, because even the fics I'm not super proud of now, I just feel so disconnected to them and like I wouldn't have the motivation/passion to go back and work on them more. But there are a couple of one-shots I've written for The Magicians that I think about doing like... a redux on, where I re-write a story that has very similar/identical premise but start from scratch and see how differently it comes out, what my new priorities and strengths are as a writer since I wrote them originally. Mostly I think of maybe doing that for Promises, my most popular Queliot one-shot.

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Hmmm. I think I expected even less engagement than I got on my most "gen" fic for The Magicians, A Comet Pulled From Orbit. It's got a main character that's not part of the popular pairing, the romance is the subplot, it's more of an action/found family story. So I was really gratified that the people who did bother to read it even though it's got a gen premise, seemed to really like and and find it special. It's maybe my favorite thing I've ever written, to be honest.

🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

It changes a TON. Sometimes I'm just accidentally doing partial imitations of an author I've been reading a lot of lately. Sometimes I'm changing it on purpose. I guess I have two main "modes" that I shift between. One is an intentionally loose/rambling style that I would use for one-shots or shorter fics that are meant to get at the messy thoughts of a specific character. And the other is tighter, more sparse "conventional" prose, for the fics I was trying to structure a bit more like a novel.

something something tragedies based on stretching out the tension-filled would-die-for-you-and-then-I-did devastatingly genuine human connection is the absolute best and most fertile breeding grounds for fanfic due to the forever unresolved (and thus fixable) nature of the ending, thanks to the one-two-punch combo of The Human Desire For Resolution and the Human Desire To Spite Writers By Fighting Them In A Denny's Parking Lot. In this essay I will-

I know I'm being super extra about promoting this Good Omens fic, but I'M JUST SO FUCKING PROUD OF IT! I mean, I don't dislike any of my published fic otherwise I wouldn't have published it--but it's like I have a more sentimental attachment to this one. It reminds me of back in the day when I was writing Protected (queliot/the magicians fix-it fic). I have so many feelings about that one. Anyhow, here's yet another sample from All Roads Lead Back because apparently I've turned into that obnoxious mama who needs to show everyone A MILLION PICTURES of their new baby. I apologize. But also, no I don't.

*************************************

Crowley had spent the entire drive back to London swearing to himself (and the Bentley) that he would just find a decent flat, settle in, and get on with the unavoidable task of getting over Aziraphale. But now here he is. Stood on a street corner glaring at the signage above the bookshop door, resenting every letter as if they also betrayed him. Vicious vowels and conniving consonants.

“Come onnnnnn you git,” he mutters to himself. “Just get back in the car and drive away.”

After a few moments’ waffling he does take his own advice, but no matter which street he turns down they all land him back at the bookshop. Like that whole magic-y business with the Buddy Holly records. 

Is this seriously happening?

Over and over again he tries. On the final effort he drives a full hundred miles out of London before making any full turns. Finally, he attempts a sharp left.

“And HERE WE ARE AGAIN!” He screams, furious as the Bentley emerges onto the street outside the bookshop. “WHY WON’T YOU LET ME LEAVE?!?” He parallel parks and sits motionless, grumbling various complaints and obscenities under his breath. A well and truly pissed off Demon. 

Is it the Bentley not letting me leave or is it the shop pulling me back? He wonders. And either way, WHY? It takes a full forty three minutes for him to calm down and accept the situation, but as soon as he does something strange happens. A feeling of optimism creeps in on tiptoe. He tries to swat it away, but it’s a stubborn bugger. Gets all the way under his skin and clings tight.  

“Six thousand years. Hell of a long time.” he muses. “And he and I always . . . we’ve always . . .”

While Crowley sits blathering away to an entirely disinterested vehicle, Muriel is sat in the shop just finishing a book about a boy who never wants to grow up. He only wants to remain happy and innocent forever. They find it a charming tale. Now, no one would claim Muriel to be among sharpest of tools in Heaven’s shed, but they are the nicest. A darling little thing with good intention, but very little grasp on the ins and outs of, well . . . anything. 

“Were you meant to return?” They yelp, startled when Crowley comes bursting through the door easy as you please. “I thought I was meant to mind the shop alone, was I supposed to have a room prepared in case you came back?” 

“No and no.” Crowley grunts, shuffling and struggling to see around the large potted plant he’s carrying. He hefts it up on the nearest available counter space, then spins on his heel to face Muriel. “Been driving all over this stupid little island for weeks, intended to use the time to get my head right, but d’y’know what I did instead? Went round visiting all the spots where Aziraphalel and I spent time together and making myself incredibly sad. But then-” he exits the shop to fetch another plant from the car and upon return continues the narration exactly where he left off. “-I realised that in six thousand years no matter how bad our falling out-and we’ve had our share-neither of us has ever abandoned the other for terribly long, even when we absolutely intended to. Which means,” he plunks himself down in a chair and swings his feet up on the nearby desk with a confident grin, “this whole quasi-divorce situation isn’t nearly as bad as it seems, is it? A waiting game, that’s all it is. Plain and simple. Aziraphale may be an idealist but he’s not stupid. At some point he will have to admit Heaven was never intended to function the way he wants to believe it was, all holy and righteous.”

“It-it wasn’t?”

“Nope.” Crowley shakes his head. “Anyhow, next step is he tries to deny it, then fails, then gets upset, then comes to his senses and comes back to me-to earth.” He quickly tacks on in a vain effort to disguise how badly he longs for the Angel’s return. “And he’ll come dashing right back here to this bookshop straight away.”

“Will he?” Muriel finds Crowley's certainty fascinating. 

“Of course. And I fully intend to be here to make him do the ‘I Was Wrong’ dance the instant he does. Actually, I think I might make him do it over and over again for several days.” He gazes into the middle distance, visualising the absurd scene. “Yes. Decision made. He gives me several days of the dance on a loop or else I’ll ignore him completely.”

“I suppose that is one way to go about getting an apology. But, um, is there a particular reason you think Aziraphale will return to this bookshop? ” They cast their eyes around the room. “With all the lovely places on earth, what makes you so sure he wants to be here?

A cheeky grin slides onto the Demon’s lips. “I have . . . faith.” 

Muriel’s eyebrows furrow. “Faith?”  

“Yes, faith.” Crowley hops out of the chair and goes in search of a nice bottle of wine with which to toast his evolving outlook on things. “Blind faith for the first time ever, because in the long run he and I are incapable of letting eachother down. Always have been. Ha! Yes, here we are!” He exclaims upon finding a bottle of Old Vine Mourvedre stashed on a shelf beneath a dusty countertop. “You ever had wine, Muriel? Care to join me for a glass?” 

Muriel squirms and shifts on their feet, the very image of timidity. “Oh, well I, I suppose so,” they giggle, stepping forward to accept a glass. “I like trying new things.” 

“Good on you!” Crowley cheers. “Anyhow, even if it takes a century or five, or twelve, my ridiculous Angel-and he’s being especially ridiculous right now-will come back. And as for how I know it’s here he’ll return to? Simple. Emotional attachment. He likes ease, cosiness, and familiar things. Loves every book in this place, loves me whether he wants to admit it or not, and not only does this place have all the books, it’s the last place he and I were together.” 

“Ah.” Muriel nods. “I see.” 

Crowley grins and draws a deep, soothing breath. “All I have to do is be patient, stay put, and wait for the inevitable.” He takes a generous swig of wine straight from the bottle before pouring himself a proper glass. “I might need to keep a gentle buzz going in the meantime so all the waiting around doesn’t annoy me too much.” He downs the glass and pours another. “But it is a price I am willing to pay.” This second glass he holds aloft to clink against Muriel’s. “You, you clink it Muriel, it’s called toast. Clink the glass. Clink-here, like this.” He gently taps his glass against the befuddled Angel’s.

“Oh yes, I see,” they smile, then smash their glass against Crowley’s, shattering both to bits.

“We’ll work on it.” Crowley assures, carefully brushing wine and shards of glass off his hands. This is going to be like training a puppy, isn’t it? Never particularly wanted a puppy, but here we are.  

Our Happy Little Fantasy

A mood board for the series I’m writing. Quentin, instead of dying, decides he wants to live, so Penny brings him back and we get the Queliot reunion we deserved. He and Eliot give up the world-saving business to spend the rest of their lives together. They move into a home in the middle of the woods in upstate New York and adopt a cat. Eliot works at a shelter for LGBT youth and Quentin is currently writing a fantasy book series centered around queer characters. They love spending quiet nights curled up by the fire pit and spending their days out experiencing the world together. They even get married. They work through their trauma together and most importantly: they’re happy. 

Part One. Part Two. Part 2.5. Part Three. More to come. 

Happy Wednesday! Who wants a lil sneak peek of the first chapter of my new Queliot fic? I want this one to remain as ~mysterious as possible until I post so for now all I’m going to say is this is the post-season 4 fix-it I’ve been talking about and I can’t wait to release it into the world... hopefully soon lol. 😘

—

And then there’s—

Something. A vague awareness of the edges of reality. Floating in a blackness limned in glints of silvery blue. Sounds that might be voices, muffled and distant. Droning, tinny rhythm like from the speakers of an old TV. Quentin has no body, no breath, no brain. Quentin isn’t sure if he’s even Quentin. And then, all at once—

Quentin gasps. Filling his lungs with air until they burn. And for the longest time, that’s the only sensation. No sight, no hearing. Quentin Coldwater’s entire world is just the burning, just the breathing, breathing. Then—

His head begins to ring like a bell. Jesus fuck, it hurts. But the hurt means that his head exists at least, so he figures that’s probably something. And after he feels the hurt in his head, he feels it in the rest of his body. And the moment he feels his body, he feels the floor there underneath him, the floor he’s lying on, real and solid and true. Curling on his side like a broken thing, sweat prickling in fat, warm droplets all along the nape of his neck. And then— Quentin’s eyes fly open. He blinks. The whole world around him an indecipherable blur of flickering bluish light. Somewhere close, someone is speaking. Only—no. They aren’t speaking. It’s more like shouting, really. The buzzing sound of it filling Quentin’s head to the brim as he tries to pick out the shapes of the words. And then and then—

“What the fuck.”

Painting for Ch. 5 of Queliot fic First Duty now posted

I enjoyed giving Eliot a kitchen. And some rings. Margo saves the day, as usual.

Chapter 5: The Conversation

Summary:

Margo takes Eliot to the kitchen to recruit him for Operation Bang Quentin. Surprisingly (or perhaps not), it's not as easy as it sounds.

The First Duty of All Magicians Is to Save Their Friends (with Art) (27098 words) by EliotQueliot Chapters: 6/10 Fandom: The Magicians (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh, Quentin Coldwater & Margo Hanson & Eliot Waugh Characters: Eliot Waugh, Quentin Coldwater, Jane Chatwin, Margo Hanson Additional Tags: queliot, horomancy, Post-Mosaic Timeline (The Magicians: A Life in the Day), Fix-It, POV Eliot Waugh, Character Death Fix, Canonical Character Death, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Time Shenanigans, Grief/Mourning, Eventual Smut, Getting Together, Endgame Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh, Episode: s03e05 A Life in the Day, Clock Barrens (The Magicians), Physical Kids Cottage (The Magicians), Did I say horomancy?, Rescues, Eliot Waugh Is Smart, Margo Hanson is a Good Friend, Secrets, Happy Ending, endgame queliot, You know how I roll, POV Margo Hanson Series: Part 2 of Horomancy, Bitches! (series) Summary: After averting the apocalypse--again!--Eliot realizes that Jane Chatwin lied about the dire consequences to saving Quentin. By now, he's had a lot of time to think about what went wrong, and how to fix it. So he returns to confront the Watcherwoman and demand a second chance.

AMAZING MAGICIANS FIX-IT FIC IDEA

So do you remember that weird witch in season 2? That took Q's blood as payment? And they said that it will play a role later but IT NEVER DID?

Well I was thinking - fic, where they remember this, get the blood, preform some complicated blood ritual and bring Quentin back. Make some sacrifices along the way, you know, as you do.

AND If you want to make it longer and more dramatic - Q only remembers stuff to the point of the extraction of his blood. It's like a time stamp and basically the blood only "knows" as much as Q knew back then, therefore when he comes back, he comes back as he was at the beginning of season 2.

I think this is really cool and would actually write it myself but I am currently swamped in school work and also am UNABLE to finish a single thing. I have like five (5) unfinished writing projects. So I am putting this up for grabs! If someone writes this, send me a link!

Minor mending my ass, this is some major fucking shit.

i’ll put your poison in my veins by Rubick @rubickk7