Fic Writer Questions!
tagged by @palamedessextus !!! thank u i love to procrastinate on writing by writing about writing
1) How many works do you have on AO3?
110 on my main account (+ 4 on my sneaky sock for Crimes™ lol)
2) What’s your total AO3 word count?
614,551 on my main account which is. hm. a lot
3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?
obvi the main ones are the terror (50 fics) and good omens (35 fics). beyond that: TMA, the OA, doctor who, LOST, red dwarf, what we do in the shadows, the aubreyad, legends of tomorrow, banished, MCU, bbc ghosts, jeeves & wooster, russian doll, true detective, twin peaks, fleabag, & it's always sunny.
so technically 19, but wow a LOT of those are because i am a fiend for crossovers. (true detective x red dwarf... twin peaks x hannibal... the OA x lost.... russian doll x doctor who...) and many of the others were one-offs for yuletide. i'm pretty monofannish when it comes to writing!
4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
lol they're all going to be for good omens... let's see
1. "it's a new craze" - the podcast fic. imho this fic is the definition of "The Claw," a.k.a. the phenomenon that sees some fics plucked out from the fray to become super popular. i'm not denying that it's good! i still think it's pretty clever! but its popularity was probably as much a function of timing as of quality
2. "what a way to make a living" - the uber driver fic. honestly still pretty proud of this one, it flows well and is structurally interesting and genuinely very funny and the perfect length. i had a blast in good omens fandom writing comedic fic, this one
3. "dearly departed" - another one i'm still very happy with. my first ever finished multi-chapter fic & the story that proved to me i could sustain a plot and original characters and also that people would actually enjoy it. so a pretty big deal!
4. "blame it on my juice, baby!" - the fake love potion one. i wrote this fic while delirious with horrible fever cooped up in a tiny council flat airbnb bedroom in london. i think it's still pretty strong although since writing it i've developed a severe aversion to the "meddling friend engineers a get-together" trope in fic & so cringe a bit when i read it back, lmao
5. "greatest hits" - the one with the original songs! the songs are still good.... the fic is ehhhhhhh i guess.
5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?
i don't respond to comments on most of my gomens fic anymore because 🤷♀️ but i do try to reply to everything i get on my terror fic/smaller fandom stories! my replies are usually very lame but i do like to take the time to thank people for reading.
6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?
i usually don't write angsty endings because i'm a weenie BUT the one exception is probably my terror/TMA crossover which cannot be said to end well by any means lol
7) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?
dearly departed has a very lovely ending... i will also plug my OA fic heat rises which is GREAT and has a GREAT ending and nobody read it because nobody watched the OA. i'm fine it's fine
8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?
as mentioned above, yes, compulsively... award for craziest simply has to go to It's Always Sunny In Another Dimension which is, yes, an IASIP x OA crossover. i apologize for nothing
9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?
not that i can recall, [bubbe voice] tenks gad!!!
10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?
i do i do.... when i first picked up fic writing again after college i thought smut would forever totally beyond me but after some very kind encouragement from friends i tried my hand at it & was off to the races.
i would not say i am an expert at it by any means but i have a lot of fun with it, & people seem to generally appreciate it, so i will keep going!
11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?
also no, phew
12) Have you ever had a fic translated?
yes, a bunch of my gomens fics have been translated into chinese and russian, which is so so super cool!
13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?
yuh, i had a few legendary cowrites in GO! the slow show metafic with cherry @fremulon and the shitscript crossover extravaganza with hallie @kalelraejepsen !!! both tremendously fun experiences
14) What’s your all time favorite ship?
that is a very tough one. if you go by my ao3 bookmarks it's aziraphale/crowley, which might be true still tbh... but i dunno. maybe ten/rose because that shit never leaves you.
15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?
in terms of fic i already started posting, there's my one terror WIP with amnesiac tozer that i swear i WILL finish one day... and same goes for my good omens music & lyrics AU, which i fully expect to pick back up and finish off when i inevitably return to the fandom for series 2.
as far as stuff that never made it out of drafts, i started a hodgson-centric fic a few weeks ago that i got like 4k into before realizing i need to seriously refine my approach. so hopefully after exe fest i will get around to that!
16) What are your writing strengths?
well i am funny. so i've got that going for me. other than that ummmm i don't know. i don't think of myself as a particularly good or strong writer bc i really am just here for a laff. i think i can turn a phrase well and get the most out of imagery; i'm good at coming up with compelling story concepts and weird gimmicks, i guess?
17) What are your writing weaknesses?
i fundamentally don't know or understand how People Actually Act And Feel so i have a hard time getting realistic or interesting reactions and conflicts out of characters. my plots (when my stories have them at all) are very powered by external events, i wouldn't call myself a character-driven writer by any means. for the same reasons i struggle with voice and dialogue beyond superficial signposting via vocabulary/syntax. also, sustaining a long story/finding enough Stuff To Happen to fill it up/having the patience to keep writing... is something i need to work on for sure.
18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
i'm a lame american who only speaks english so honestly i don't really have thoughts!
19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?
i distinctly remember hand-writing in my notebook two or three pages worth of a story about what happened to the main precog in "minority report" after watching the movie when i was like seven. the first fandom i actually wrote fic for and posted it online was probably doctor who circa 2010 ish? but my warrior cats RP career predates that by a few years and i did a LOT of writing there. oh warriorsforest39 dot proboards dot com you are missed....
20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?
SEX GHOST AU! SEX GHOST AU!
tagging folks :))) @laissezferre @titleleaf @theburialofstrawberries @girdedheraround @flanneryoconnorfanfiction @wreathedwith if u want!!
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House/Wilson brainworm #253
It's metafic time -- Hilson fanfic idea:
Wilson decides to start writing fanfiction. He dives in with enthusiasm and completes his first story, and it includes all kinds of typical silly tropes -- there was only one bed; friends to lovers; mistaken identity; snowed in; hypothermia/saving with body heat; short-term amnesia, OMG they were roommates.
House reads it and ridicules him mercilessly for it. "Wilson, you ridiculous bastard. What a bunch of cliche-ridden crap -- really? there was only one bed? amnesia?" He looks up from behind his magazine. "I have an idea -- stick to what you're good at. Buying me lunch, and marrying completely unsuitable women."
And then they travel to an out-of-state medical conference together and all the ridiculous trope shit in Wilson's fanfic actually happens to them --
* they get to the hotel to check in and their room only has one bed, no other rooms are available
*there's a blizzard that night and they're snowed in at the hotel and can't get to the conference because the roads are all shut down
*Wilson gets stir-crazy and goes out for a walk in the snow and steps on the ice covering the hotel's decorative pond and falls in, immediately becoming hypothermic; House has to pull him out and re-warm him with body heat
*When Wilson wakes up he doesn't remember what happened, or who House is
*House thinks, "well, what the hell" and takes advantage of the situation, telling Wilson they've been boyfriends for ages
*Resulting in friends becoming lovers
And at some point after all of this House has a momentary epiphany and goes "Oh my god! We WERE roommates!"
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What's a meta? You've used it a couple times and I'm not sure I 100% get it. I'm not really someone in The Know about this stuff.
Happy to explain! It’s a fandom term that, at its broadest, really just means any non-fiction discussion of the canon, its authors, and/or the rest of the fandom. So if you post an analysis of your favorite character, that’s a meta. If you post a theory about what’s going to happen on the show next week, that’s a meta. If you write a fic where the characters are self-aware and commenting on things like the tropes they adhere to, that might be a metafic. My recaps are metas because rather than simply summarizing what happened in the episode, I attempt to offer insight into its meaning. Not just “Then Vine puts his hand on Elm’s shoulder and she pulls away” but also “Elm rejecting his comfort ties into this ongoing theme of the Ace Ops not being friends.”
Years ago it was actually a pretty loaded term. Basically, during the mailing list days when “meta” first started cropping up, many people wanted to know why general fandom discussion suddenly needed this new, academic sounding term. But the problem was that casually chatting about a canon with friends online isn’t quite the same thing as crafting an essay with a more pointed goal like exploring a theme, positing a theory, arguing that a ship is endgame, or just offering up a particular interpretation of the text. “Meta” came about because it’s more formal than slinging thoughts around on a discord server, but it’s not necessarily a rant either. It’s a more measured, analytical look at the text that’s working to make a point and (usually) convince others in the fandom of this idea/interpretation.
Nowadays it’s a common enough term that its definition is pretty loose. A headcanon could simultaneously be a meta, a joke post might have a meta-quality if it makes a good point about the canon (the humor aside), or, as said, even fic can come across as very meta-y if the author is trying to say something about the text through more fiction. So each individual will have thoughts about whether they are or are not creating meta, but “non-fiction examination of the canon and/or fandom” is a decent place to start.
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I still think that s4 is fake. I don't even care about Moftiss or the lies they like to tell or if they are bad writers or not. First of all, I don't think they are. Second I only trust what I see and I see a s4 that is as true as my fake eyelashes and the only proof I need is the t6t blog post from years ago like COME ON. That wasn't bad writing that was clearly a plan for something bigger. It wasn't the end. I'm 100% sure. I still hope that someone else is still 'on fire' like me :)
Hey Nonny!
Not sure how familiar you are with my blog, but the tinhat part of me is with you 100% on the fakeness of S4. It’s RIDICULOUSLY full of errors and inconsistencies, and I’m STILL HAUNTED by the fake blog entry and the fact that everyone suddenly forgot John wrote T6T already.
And yeah, tinhat me truly believes that there’s something more, that S4 is a combination of John’s Alibi/Blog Theory/Unreliable Narrator, TD-12, and John’s TAB ALL TOGETHER, not just one theory because that’s what makes sense to me, with TFP being Their [John and Sherlock’s] Plan going ALL wrong and John ending up getting shot in the head by Mary. I haven’t really thought of it beyond those meta, but I plan to someday because I want to write my own metafic for S4, LOL.
And here’s the thing: you can still tinhat and agree that S4 was a clusterfuck, and without an S5 to explain it, S4 ruins the entire series as a whole and creates all new plotholes. The problem is that Sherlock is meant for mainstream audiences – it always has been – and has easter eggs thrown in for the fans, and the general audience doesn’t read the show like we do. To the general audience, S4 jumped the shark – quite literally in fact – and on the surface just appeared to not be a cohesive narrative. It did its damnedest to no-homo the series, destroy the only things that most people enjoyed the show for (the friendship of John and Sherlock, and the non-existent cases), and just… made the plot into a spectacle, and THEN Mofftiss became indignant that no one liked S4. I mean… what did they expect?! BAH.
And it’s fine to think they’re good writers, but even good writers write shit once in awhile, and egos sometimes take over. I personally think they’re better at single episodes (like TAB, for instance), or when writing with a third writer, because the writing of S4 was vastly inferior to previous seasons when they’re forced to make an arc, but their arc is completely off kilter to the other season. Yes, it could be “some sort of plan” but then why are all the actors avoiding Sherlock like the plague and why were Mofftiss Pikachu-faced when the general audience AND fans disliked S4? AND it’s kind of proven with even Moffat’s era of Dr. Who, which I can’t confirm because I haven’t seen it all yet (because I genuinely do NOT like the whole Clara arc and I just couldn’t get through the first couple episodes), but from what I understand, it just gets lazy and relies on a lot of tropes. I dunno, my opinion, it’s meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
That said, and this is a “royal you” sense, not YOU individually: it’s okay to be “on fire”, just understand that a lot of people who aren’t have been called “haters” and “ex-fans”, both of which are ridiculous terms that belittle the emotional intelligence of everyone who invested a lot of their heart and time into a show that THEY STILL LOVE and then shat on and mocked by bigger “true believer” blogs who bullied them and sent their fans after the smaller people. So yeah, I have no problem with people who believe in more, and I have no problem with people who were disappointed. Just don’t go around shitting on people that have different opinions. I actually like reading “both sides” and fellow fence-sitters’ views, because it helps me build my own belief system. That’s what being a part of a community and fandom is all about.
ANYWAY, sorry for that tangent. I think my “in fireness” has died down in later months / years because of the length of time that has passed AND because of doing my own research into the actors’ upcoming careers and watching past interviews in an unbiased way. Little things like that. I do hope for an S5, but only if it clears up S4 and goes back to the narrative that S3/TAB was hinting at. But in my heart I’m worried about WHAT S5 would be, and part of me just says “let it be, the fandom has us covered”. But what do I know, LOL. I’m just a schmuck behind a computer screen that wants to please everyone but pleases no one, LOL.
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Author Spotlight @echomoon
Every week we are going to be interviewing a writer from The Magicians fandom. If you would like to be interviewed or you want to nominate a writer, get in touch via our ask box.
First things first, tell us a little about yourself.
what up im jared, im 19 and i never learned how to fuckign read. JK my name is Theo and I super know how to read. Most of the time. Also I’m 22. Anyway I’m one of the more OG members of the Magicians fandom, having been here since back in the early days of early s1. Uhhh I’m nonbinary and hella queer. Metafic is my most favorite thing in the world other than puppies. I cry at least once a day. I have adhd and depression and chronic pain and hella other issues. I’m an anthropology major, in my third year. I’m a slytherin, an illusions discipline, and a pisces.
How long have you been writing for?
Since I learned how, basically, but I only really started posting things online because of the Magicians and also because of Twilight?
What inspired you to start writing for The Magicians?
It’s the BEST and I find it very easy to write from Quentin’s pov which means I actually finish things sometimes lol.
Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write? What it is about them that makes them your favourite?
Quentin, because he is essentially me if I was born as a cisdude except more repressed in terms of sexuality and also more wealthy, which makes him super easy to write and super easy to get ideas about. I also like Penny, because for some reason people think I’m good at writing him?
Do you have a preference for a particular season/point in time to write about?
I write a lot set in the Brakebills years because I like the whole magic school thing and the exploration of magic and interpersonal relationships without having to deal with the Beast or other threats trying to destroy everything they know and love? Like I like that slow burn, spread out, things are happening but they’re happening slowly and also heres some meta about magic kind of exploration that that time gives me the opportunity to do. I think this is partially influenced by that the first book has them in that setting so much longer, and partially because I’m still doing the whole college thing myself and find that easiest to relate to (because no one really wants to read ‘Quentin working two part time jobs and struggling to survive and nothing else happens’ unless it’s just a tiny segment of the fic lmao).
Are you working on anything right now? Care to give us an idea about it?
Well, in regards to Magicians fic, I’m still trudging along on chapter two of Magician’s Path - I’m trying to introduce more of Julia’s side of the story as well as working on how to warp the two canons into each other while also making the storyline unique - and also on the next part of crazy/classic/life, my paradise kiss and magicians crossover au. I’m also trying to find the time to record more podfic of my fics, because I think its important to have audiofic available. But nothing new, just continuations.
As for other fandoms, I’m working on a HELLA long reworking of the Descendants universe (hi i love disney channel movies dont judge), and that’s my primary focus right now in terms of fic.
How long is your “to do list”?
Very
What is your favourite fic that you’ve written for The Magicians? Why?
Oh heck, um… probably either all tied up or The Magician’s Path. all tied up was my first time writing PiV smut and also writing shadeless!Julia and I’m just really proud of it? And TMP is like, my baby, my huge multichapter canon reworking that I’m putting so much planning into and I’m always so excited to talk about it. I know it doesn’t seem like much yet but y’all I have so many plans for it and I hope you end up loving it as much as I do.
Many writers have a fic that they are passionate about that doesn’t get the reception from the fandom that they hoped for. Do you have a fic you would like more people to read and appreciate?
TMP for sure - I hope that when I’m done more people give it a try.
What is your writing process like? Do you have any traditions or superstitions that you like to stick to when you’re writing?
Ha my writing process is either ‘has no ideas for months straight and then suddenly idea when I’m supposed to be doing something else but I gotta write this down!!!’ or ‘one sentence every month at most’. Now that the FTB server has gotten bigger, I’ve found some people who will proofread for me, so there’s that editing process afterwards (thanks @oneeyeddestroyer for being the best beta).
I guess my only superstition is that if I’m doing a multichapter or big work I try not to give too much detail out when I talk about it because I get worried that saying about the plot too much will make me lose interest in it.
Do you write while the seasons are airing or do you prefer to wait for hiatus? How does the ongoing development of the canon influence and inspire your writing process?
I do tend to write more when the show is airing, because more people are engaged and it’s something to fill the void between episodes - during hiatus I tend to drift away a bit and focus on other fandoms. This is the first show thats been so all consuming for me, I don’t usually watch things while they air because I tend to forget about remembering to watch them after a week or so? But Magicians keeps pulling me back and keeping me in.
As for ongoing canon developments, it really depends on the thing. If it fits into my plot of it’s a detail I want to put in, I might, but otherwise I’m comfortable lifting what I want from canon and throwing the rest out for a fic - we follow a show with canon multiverses, we can do what we want lmao.
What has been the most challenging fic for you to write?
Honestly, most of my fics? Because I try to improve every time I write and like, explore new things. So whatever I’m working on at the time is the most challenging.
Are there any themes or tropes that you particularly like to explore in your writing?
EVERYONE BEING HAPPY AND NOTHING BAD HAPPENING EVER cough cough I mean, um. I like meta, I like worldbuilding and exploring meta and seeing what I can change. I keep accidentally writing soulmate fics? So that’s a trend I guess.
Are there any writers that inspire your work? Fanfiction or otherwise?
Oh heck, so many dude, I don’t even know, I’m gonna just link you to my bookmarks because that’s the fic I love and probably unconsciously imitate on the often
As for nonfic, like I def want to write like Marisha Pessl or Tamora Pierce or Donna Tartt or Lev Grossman or Mark Z Danielewski but more in his house of leaves phase than his current stuff tbh or Neil Gaiman and also like. Everything that you read or watch or experience makes up how you see the world and how you create what you create and I consume so much stuff I can’t even begin to guess my influences beyond the little tidbits that I keep in my bookmarks or on my shelves.
What are you currently reading? Fanfiction or otherwise?
Currently I’m reading a lot of harry potter fic - the mood is the department of mysteries or other exploration of magic, so things related to that. HP fic is my go to when I’m not revving for any fandom in particular. Nonfic, I’m working my way through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which is hella fucking good, as well as a bajillion textbooks.
What is the most valuable piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?
Fuck canon do what you want
Cringe time:
Are there any words or phrases you worry about over using in your work?
Yes but now that you ask can I remember any? Nope.
What was the first fanfic that you wrote? Do you still have access to it?
Oh shit dude I don’t even know. The earliest one I can remember was this like, post twilight self insert fic where the cullens came to my middle school for some reason? I barely finished the intro of it iirc but it might still be in my stack of papers in my old room somewhere.
Rapid Fire Round:
Self-edit or Beta? Beta (always get a beta kids! They’re worth their weight in gold)
Comments or Kudos/Reblogs or Likes? Comments!! (please, leave me comments, i live for them)
Smut, Fluff or Angst? fluff
Quick & Dirty or Slow Burn? Slow burn
Favourite season? All?????? Dont make me choose
Favourite episode? Im stuck between life in a day or all that josh
Favourite book(The Magicians books)? Probably book 2, i love seeing julia’s side of things and exploring hedge magic
Three favourite words? BUTTS, lore, hearth
Want to be interviewed for our author spotlight? Get in touch here.
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7, 13, 14 for fanfic asks!
7. What’s your favourite fic genre to read?
…romance? lmao that barely counts when we’re talking fanfic, does it. it tends to be highly highly dependent on the fandom but one thing i go nuts for in any fandom is unconventionally told stories like epistolaries or ones that are written and/or formatted like articles OR metafiction god metafic is good.
13. What is your favourite fanfic trope?
again, highly dependent on the fandom! but i tend to be a huge sucker for seemingly unrequited pining. you’re both in love with each other you fucking morons, just kiss!!! hurt/comfort is so good too. i am wildly emotionally horny for h/c.
14. What kind of plotline are you always here for?
fake dating + seemingly unrequited pining is. oh my god. is there anything better. i seriously don’t think there’s anything better.
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9, 12, 20, 31, 41. I am greedy.
and I am thrilled to be asked!
9. What are the best things about your current fandom?I don't know! - honestly I still feel a bit frustrated, trying to get into it, like I'm knocking at the door. Most popular ships, including the biggest, don't interest me all that much; I'm only moderately a fan of the canon itself. (well then, mults, why are you in this fandom?) (i fell wildly madly in love with one tiny sliver of canon, don't talk to me, okay). But there is definitely quite a bit of fic and art that I love so much - don't get me wrong! - (and I still haven't managed to comment on so much of it, gah).
Some best things are: @littlestpersimmon’s art, and @yoursummerfrost’s stories… and @camilliar’s and @tomato-greens' wonderfully correct Opinons ;).
But I think the VERY BEST things are the it's-always-a-hiatus random shared creativity shitposts that every so often take over my dash. Things like @des-zimbits' bittypoots au, and @shitty-check-please-aus’ 'what if your soulmate turned into an oven.' … and those posts are very much not just them, they are group creations! But I can't follow everyone, so that's what I see, and that sort of shared madness is the best thing in this fandom, to me, and I wish my brain worked faster so I could join in more.
12. Who is your current OT3?Pimbits/PB&J, OF COURSE. I think they might actually be the ot3-est ot3 I've had ever? Because I always polyship, and I always multiship, too, so usually when I love ot3's I also love all the component otp's, and quite a few ot4s/ot5s/other polycules that include but don't end with the ot3.
But, here - zimbits is great and I do believe that they're happy and set up well for the long haul 1. Actually, a lot, maybe most, of the fic projects I have going are Jack/Parse set during the Q? But that's never gonna end happily. And sometimes even I want a happy ending, damnit!2. Kent/OC is another Very Excellent Option and in fact quite a lot of what I read, and makes for a great sort of story with regards to healing wounds and moving on. Which is. Yes. Kind of what I'm in this fandom for.3. But Jack and Bitty are Real Live Actual characters that Exist, and I can't ship Kent with either of them in a happy ending way *without* the other… and if I ship all three of them together, it's less close to canon, yeah, it doesn't feel likely to happen, but it could! And there's just SO MUCH potential drama and complicated dynamics there, like, that's at least a large part of what I'm #here for in a ship.
I need to make a post about it. (And I don't need to wait for an excuse! But now that I do have an excuse… ~scalene ot3 post coming up Next.)
20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking?Ha, I don't know! On the one hand, ALL of them, cause I typically never know I'll tip over into caring about something till I do. On the other hand, that makes it more or less impossible for me to pick specific ones to answer this question with. I never thought I’d care about SPORTS, wtf, till I fell into omgcp; I never thought I’d care about the FOUNDING FATHERS, again wtf, till I fell into Hamilton; or a HIGH SCHOOL DRAMEDY, until I fell into Glee...
Most recently I've gotten into the idea of Jack/Shitty. And Jack/Lardo! Not as, y'know, ongoing Real Ships, but as 'hooked up in the past and now we're friends' things. (why is this dynamic so appealing, @me.)
31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?Many people have said many very nice things and it's always hard to think of 'the nicest' off the top of my head! When my friends who are among my favorite writers say that I'm one of theirs; when people whose skill and taste I respect tell me that they trust me to handle difficult stories; those are the VERY BEST, generally. I count myself thrilled that these things have happened more than once or twice!
(I'm still not sure anything has thrilled me yet more than the last time I answered this question, which is that time I wrote a fic that might've been about Blaine being manic and @misqueue said it was a good depiction thereof which was just. Amazing. Cause I don't know what that's like, but she does…!)
41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:
I'm not currently reading any WIPs, so I will make this '5 fanfics I have read and loved recently.' WITH RECS/DESCRIPTIONS cause I remember you said that’s a thing you like!
Ain't a Rule (That Ain't Worth Breaking) by @yoursummerfrost. bittyparse: Kent is tired of being in the closet; Bitty helps him cause a scandal.There's a zimbits-hopeful ending, but I mostly just love the way that Bitty and Parse connect in this. Parse's mix of vulnerability and bravado - and hey, come to think of that, Bitty's too. No wonder they could have some sympathy for each other. And yoursummerfrost's details, from imagery to dialogue to sudden too-sharp inner observations, are always on point. ("Bitty doesn’t even like Kent Parson. Or, if someone asked, that’d be what he said. But right now, on this sticky dance floor with the music too loud and the taste of overpriced liquor still on his tongue, he’d probably kill for him.")
i don't see your name on it by @heyfightme. zimbits soulate au: Eric is eighteen when he meets the eleventh Jack of his life. I love what this does with the soulmates trope, of course: at this level of fandom saturation, I don't think I could love a soulmate au that didn't put some sort of specific spin on it. But in this case the unusual part isn't the mechanics, per se: it's how Bitty reacts to his name, and how Jack reacts to his, and just how much it, for the most part, doesn't change between them at all, even as it illuminates something about them in the story.
No Crystal Stair by @vampireisabitstrong. gen Jack Zimmermann fic, about his Issues and his recovery. ("Alicia just wants Jack to find happiness, whatever it takes.") Lyrical, perceptive, and just really sad enough to feel really hopeful about it after all. (If that makes sense.)
Stuck Inside the Silence by @omgpbandj. pimbits: Kent lies in bed, listening to his two best friends fuck and wondering what the hell he'd done to deserve this. It's… porn, a lot of it, and it's hot, and it's a pretty simple oneshot, but still, I just LIKE it, the character notes, the simple tension of liking someone (someones) maybe too much, and thinking they don't want it until they do. I think part of why I love this particular fic is imagining the comfortable friendship between all three of Kent, Jack, and Bitty that's the background of it: and then part of it's the little things, Bitty's insecurity (“I wasn’t sure you’d be attracted to me"), Jack chirping Kent ("Probably Jack would have laughed at him a little fondly, like he did the first time Kent said that he wanted to buy his mom a house with his first paycheck"), I just! Love these characters! Okay! And I love watching them be themselves.
100px To The Right by @jedusaur. weird metafic: Bitty comes out to Johnson in the Haus kitchen after baking four pies in a row. What can I say? A short little WEIRD fic, but… it has tags like "the sociocultural context of this webcomic" and "the illogic of caring about sports", and it earns them, cause Johnson the Metaphysical Goalie comes by all his outside-the-box thoughts quite legitimately.
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