#author spotlight: lazarov

[themagiciansreccenter]

Five @ Five @shmazarov

As a part of our author spotlight, we’ve asked each writer to highlight 5 fics and tell us a little about their experience writing (or reading) them.

If It Makes You Feel Better by lazarov

"Jesus Christ," Quentin moaned. "I am such a fucking asshole! All I remember is that Margo started kissing me, and I was all emotionally jumbled up and she was crying and you were there, passed out -- and this was a huge, horrible mistake.” He paused. “Uh, no offense.”

“Mhmm.” Eliot rolled his eyes and pulled out a bottle of Cuervo, pouring two sloppy fingers into a tumbler and topping it up with what could generously be called a splash of OJ. He slid it towards Quentin. “Tequila sunrise pour vous? ”

“Please no.”

“Suit yourself.” He slid the glass back towards himself and took a sip, before furrowing his brow and examining Quentin’s face. “Did you say Margo was crying?”

Twitchily, Quentin shifted under his gaze and shrugged. “It was just leftover bottled-up emotion brain-junk. No biggie.”

“Alright,” he said slowly, and Quentin suspected he wasn’t quite off the hook. But Eliot’s forehead relaxed and he changed the subject, pacing in a circle and waving his drink around, explaining: "Look, you were extremely drunk and hopped up on bootleg magic. The cheap, street stuff is like bottom-shelf tequila: nobody can be blamed for their actions after a few shots, worm and all." Eliot paused, quirking an eyebrow and leaning his elbows on the counter. His robe slid an down his shoulders, revealing a fucking bite mark under his left clavicle, and Quentin dragged his eyes away, doing his best to convince himself that the reddish-bruised imprint was way too small to have come from him. "To be honest, boo, I didn't think you had it in you."

This was my very first fic for the Magicians fandom, and my first attempt at developing an ear for Quentin and Eliot's voices. I didn't quite hit the mark, but I think it was a decent early start. It's satisfying to see how much further I've come in developing a feel for these characters.

Caught You by lazarov

"I thought that after all this turned out to be real, that I wouldn't..." Quentin sighs and thumps his head backwards against the wall, frustrated. "I shouldn't still be doing this. I shouldn't want to..." He trails off.

"Why?" Eliot says. "Because of magic?" He spits the word out like it's vinegar in his mouth, then sighs. "The fact that magic didn't fix all your problems doesn't make you ungrateful. And you're not stupid."

Quentin quirks the corner of his mouth, a doubtful sort of 'maybe.'

Eliot's hand have finally stopped shaking enough that he can let go of Quentin's arm ("You take over," he murmurs) and start to form a spell. There are probably better ones, stronger ones, but his brain feels scrambled and it's the only one he can bring forth with reasonable certainty.

His hands work methodically but cautiously as he moves through the procession: slow, carefully-drawn arcs and deliberate patterns. He nearly stumbles on the third movement, a transition from bhramara to Flamel's Interlock, but he manages to keep going, the energy building in his hands like glowing coals. Quentin watches him with tired eyes, tracking the movements with clear interest; it's not a spell he'd've learned yet, second-year Fundamentals of Wellness spellcasting stuff, and something twits in his stomach as he realizes Quentin is committing it to memory.

I love Caught You, the whole series is so important to me. Not just because I feel it was vital to explore what could've-been with Quentin's depression after Dean Fogg suggested he go off his meds, but also because I think this fic is the one where I found my voices for Eliot and Q as well as my personal style for writing hand-spellcasting.

Stories We Tell by lazarov

They stayed wrapped in each others arms for a long while: warm, slippery skin pressed together in cold water, the immediacy of their thoughts drowned out by the constant, soothing white noise of the falls, only occasionally pierced by the sound of songbirds sweetly singing to each other across the clearing.

"Will you tell me what you thought when you first saw me?" Quentin asked, his breath hot on Eliot's shoulder. He dragged his teeth against Eliot's trapezius, eliciting a shiver.

"At Brakebills?"

Eliot felt Quentin nod. He nosed against Quentin's temple: "I thought you were beautiful" - he pressed a kiss to Quentin's cool skin, over his eyebrow - "and intriguing" - another kiss, between Quentin's eyes - "and I immediately began plotting an intricate plan to make you fall head-over-hells in lust with me."

"You're supposed to tell the truth," Quentin said quietly, giving Eliot a gentle, admonishing bite.

"I know," said Eliot. "I am."

He was.

I generally have an extremely hard time writing romance but this? I was proud of this. There's something about setting a mood and teasing out exactly the moment you want from the setting you've created that is satisfying as fuck. This fic is an off-shoot of Caught You, but stands on its own as well: Quentin and Eliot trying to figure out how to be alone with each other - and take care of each other, despite their respective hang-ups about feeling loved - in Fillory.

One and the Same by lazarov

“Well, I hope that jackrabbit got eaten! Mashed up and squished right between a killer turtle’s teeth so he can’t call me names ever again.” Still draped over Quentin’s shoulder, Rupert did his turtle impression again. He poked Quentin in the back. “Turn me so I can look at dad.” Dutifully, Quentin spun so that Rupert was level with Eliot’s eyes. “What do you think? About him getting eaten?”

“Well.” Eliot tapped his chin with one finger. “First of all, I don’t think turtles have teeth. Second, I guess whether or not I wish a horrible death upon him depends on exactly what name that rabbit called you, buddy.”

“He called me a…” Rupert frowned, reconsidering, and waved Eliot closer. Eliot dutifully leaned forward so that Rupert could whisper with one hand cupped around his ear: “A two-legged idiot.”

“Well,” Eliot said gravely, rocking back on his heels. Quentin’s shoulders were bobbing with silent laughter and Rupert bounced gently along with them. “That is particularly rude. And I’m glad you chose not to repeat it in front of your dad. We both know he’s very sensitive”—

“Hey!” Quentin protested.

“But, if we’re talking eaten-by-turtles bad? I think I could find it in my heart to let that rabbit go. Mercy is a virtue, no?”

Rupert nodded, pleased with the answer, and Eliot stepped towards them. He pressed his lips against the sun-warmed top of Rupert’s head, before nosing at the soft, stubbled spot below Quentin’s ear. Gently, Quentin leaned into his touch

—

“Jesus fuck.” Eliot slammed one angry fist on the table and then buried his face in his hands. The sharp pain in his wrist helped to draw him out of the memory, but he was still stuck half-in and half-out: he could still smell Quentin’s hair and the damp of his skin after working on the mosaic in the afternoon heat. He could still feel a tiny hand tugging at his linen shirt. Eliot suppressed the urge to throw his chair backwards and rip himself away from it. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he said again, wounded, his lips muffled against his palms.

“Hey,” Quentin said quickly, shooting one hand out to gently grab Eliot’s wrist. “El? You okay?”

He couldn’t answer – paralyzed by the memory, he opened his eyes and slowly blinked before taking stock of himself: they were in a shitty diner in midtown. In front of him, there was a scuffed white plate with a bagel on it. There was lox on the bagel. Quentin was sitting across from him. Quentin was wearing a grey sweater. He could feel Quentin’s foot touching his foot. Quentin’s warm hand was on his wrist.

This is an in-progress series about Eliot and Quentin dealing with their memories of the mosaic timeline. I tend to write what I want to read and, if I could read nothing except fic about Quentin and Eliot emotionally processing flashbacks of that timeline for the rest of my days in this fandom? I would be very lucky indeed.

spring sooner than the lark by greywash

"I love you," Eliot says, very quietly; and Quentin says, "I know."

"I'm in love with you," Eliot says; and Quentin says, "I know," and then lifts up his head.

Straightens. Quentin reaches up. Rubbing a thumb against Eliot's burning cheek: Eliot can't stop looking at him. His lovely serious sweet face.

"I think I've always been in love with you," Eliot says, barely breathing; and Quentin nods, cupping his cheek.

"I know, sweetheart," he says, really gently. "But that's not what I asked."

His big dark, sad eyes.

Eliot swallows. There is an odd, unstable sort of a wobble, buried somewhere under his sternum. "If I said no," he says; and then takes a breath, and corrects: "if. If it doesn't work out."

Quentin closes his eyes, and then touches their foreheads together.

"Then we'll figure it out," he says, very quietly, "that's not what I'm asking."

Eliot closes his eyes; and Quentin takes a breath.

"This is your home," Quentin says, very quietly. "I'm—yours, whatever happens, we're yours, I'm not going to leave, and I'm not going to—to take Teddy away from you, or something"; and Eliot—Eliot can't— "Oh, Christ, El": Quentin slides his arm around Eliot's middle.

Pulling him. Close.

Eliot curls up. Tucking his face into Quentin's throat.

"You know you gave him to me, right?" Quentin says, very quietly. "You're as much his father as I am"; and Eliot presses his eyes to Quentin's warm rough sweat-smelling skin.

Get the FUCK out of here with that intensely gorgeous prose. Talk about setting a mood. Ever since I read it, this gorgeous fic has spurred on my desire to write for the Magicians and my desire to WRITE BETTER.

[themagiciansreccenter]

Author Spotlight: @shmazarov/ lazarov

Every week we interview 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.

I'm in my late 20s, Canadian. I've spent more of my life writing fic than not, and tend to flit around from fandom to fandom.

How long have you been writing for? 

The oldest fic on my semi-defunct ff.net account dates back to 2006 - so at least 13 years, although I posted plenty of misguided LiveJournal fanfiction long before that.

What inspired you to start writing for The Magicians?

I was originally a book fan, although when the books were coming out there wasn't much of an online fandom. Truth be told, it took me a long time to warm up to the show - but once I did, I found that the TV versions of the characters inspired a lot of fic ideas.

Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write? What it is about them that makes them your favourite? 

Quentin! Always. I really enjoy the way his jumbled, speedy thought patterns and self-consciousness translate into the way he speaks, and I think it's fascinating to explore the ways in which he subverts the White Male Hero trope by never quite managing to be the hero in his (or anyone's) story. Quentin Coldwater is deeply misunderstood and I would fight a bear for him.

Do you have a preference for a particular season/point in time to write about? 

Not really, except for being fond of the Mosaic timeline (because I am human). Otherwise, I usually write as if canon is an inconvenience.

Are you working on anything right now? Care to give us an idea about it? 

For the Magicians fandom, I am slowly picking away at a multi-part Queliot angst fic that is dear to my heart as well as something new, current-season oriented and (surprisingly) canon-compliant. Who knew I had it in me? For other fandoms, I am perpetually working on a Daredevil fic that is well over 60,000 words and has been ongoing since 2015. It is my white whale. I also, naturally, have not even gotten around to watching the newest season of Daredevil in keeping with my tradition of treating canon as more of a suggestion than an imperative.

How long is your “to do list”? 

Not that long! My to do list is limited strictly to the stuff I'm actively working on right now. I have dozens of little prompts-to-self saved in my Google Docs drive, but I tend to write them and tuck them away, forgetting them until I can rediscover them with fresh eyes. I never think of them as "to dos" so much as "maybe somedays."

What is your favourite fic that you’ve written for The Magicians? Why? 

I love Other People very much.

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?

It never surprises me when things I write don't get much traction, because I have a tendency to write niche tropes or stuff that I personally want to read! However - I do think One and the Same is good and affecting and has kind of snuck under the radar. I like that one, and I'm going to keep adding to it (because I like it so much and because, as above, I am a sucker for the Mosaic timeline).

What is your writing process like? Do you have any traditions or superstitions that you like to stick to when you’re writing?

My writing process is GARBAGE! It's garbage. I am needy, and lazy, and terrible at self-motivating. I'm disorganized and hard on myself. I almost never have the help of betas, because I feel a silly but overwhelming sense of guilt asking people for help. With that said, I am always extremely proud of myself for Doing the Damn Thing when I do write.

My personal weird thing is writing on my computer, then always doing my edit read-throughs on my phone. Something about the smaller screen and different font focuses my brain and helps me read my own writing more objectively. I also tend to pick a song, or an album, to listen to on repeat every time I work on a fic or a chapter of. It focuses my scattered brain and helps me write toward a specific mood.

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 love writing during seasons because it means people are READING. The spike in feedback that happens during seasons is incredible and so gratifying. Plus, I'm desperate for attention at all times and want those comments and kudos like Mardi Gras beads, obviously. Canon, as always, is optional. Especially in this fandom! Who needs fandom when you have timelines?

What has been the most challenging fic for you to write?

In the Magicians fandom, the most recent chapter of Stories We Tell kicked my ass. I am always trying to improve my visualization and descriptive imagery, and that was a real test for me. I'm not great at it yet, but I'm glad I challenged myself with that one and look forward to doing it even more.

Are there any themes or tropes that you like particularly like to explore in your writing?

So much angst. Sorry guys, it's free therapy? I can get self-conscious about the fact that I barely ever write fluff, but I have a really hard time getting inspired by anything other than misery. 

 Somebody's gotta do it.

Are there any writers that inspire your work? Fanfiction or otherwise?

Fanfiction : @greywash, obviously @sashayed and Lady Jaida are like, the pinnacle??? of fic writing, @longnationalnightmare, @afterism, @refusals... there are so many.

What are you currently reading? Fanfiction or otherwise?

I haven't had time to read or keep up with much fic lately, but semi-recent greats include colour all the squares by @afterism and spring sooner than the lark by @greywash!

What is the most valuable piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?

"Your writing is incomprehensible." - a TA who gave me an extremely sub-par mark and made me realize that sometimes people are just going to hate your writing, and that's ok. 

"When you write a story, you're telling yourself the story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are not the story." - that one is Stephen King, but I would like to pretend it was advice given to me, because I cherish it.

Are there any words or phrases you worry about overusing in your work?

I can't think of any offhand, but I would pay someone to hit me with a rigid stick every time I use a cliche in my writing.

What was the first fanfic that you wrote? Do you still have access to it?

I have vague memories of terrible The 10th Kingdom fanfiction. It doesn't exist anymore, sadly/thankfully - but now I am feeling nostalgic and digging through the old 10th Kingdom Angelfire archive, right this second. Be still my heart.

Rapidfire Round! 

Self-edit or Beta?

Self-edit, because I am too shy and full of shame to ask for help. It's not a virtue.

Comments or Kudos/Reblogs or Likes?

COMMENTS. Comments are the thing that bring me more joy than, well, many other things that probably should give me a lot of joy. Comments keep my heart full.

Smut, Fluff or Angst?

As if it's even a competition -- ANGST. Always angst. Angst always.

Quick & Dirty or Slow Burn?

Slow burn. Particularly involving difficult and meandering conversations and shrouded looks.

Favourite Season? 

Season One

Favourite Epiosde? 

I truly cannot decide.

Favourite Book?

The Magicians Land

Three favourite words?

softly / petrichor / idyllic

Want to be interviewed for our author spotlight? Get in touch here.

[themagiciansreccenter]

Five @ Five: @echomoon

As a part of our author spotlight, we’ve asked each writer to highlight 5 fics and tell us a little about their experience writing (or reading) them.

1. Divine Rituals by gwendolynflight:

““You don’t have to do this,” Julia said as soon as they were out of earshot (though what exactly would a god’s hearing range be? For all they knew he could hear every syllable. Quentin broke into a light sweat.) “We can find another way, you can just say no,” she continued, both hands on his shoulders as if to pin him down.

“No, I can’t,” Quentin said earnestly, placing his hands over hers. “You know I can’t.” He glanced to the far side of the temple/cave, where a god waited impatiently to fuck him. “We need that knife, and if this is the price …” He shrugged, his eyebrows creasing. “I have to pay it.””

Ember decides on a different way to bestow his divine… power… upon Quentin, which sets a whole different way of saving Fillory into action. Gwendolynflight manages to write a squicky subject as something weirdly sexy, and the whole fic is hilarious and riveting. The way canon is played with is lovely, the god-on-human action stuff is minimal for those not into it, there is HELLA marqueliot and lots of feels and so much goodness all around. A very fun despite the seriousness fic.

2. All Some Children do is Work by EdgarAllanCat:

“For a full five seconds Penny had a plan. He was going to get these kids full of snacks, get them down for a nap, and the hopefully get the Dean to make everything normal again. Of course, that plan was immediately thwarted when he had to drop everything he was holding (Eliot included) and extinguish a small fire that was starting to spread up the curtains and wouldn’t be small for much longer.”

Be prepared to cry your fucking eyes out if you read this, my dudes. Penny taking care of the accidently de-aged physical kids is my LIFE, it’s the DREAM, its beautiful and amazing and you will laugh and cry and laugh--with-salad etc etc. Listen, if you haven’t read this already you need to, it’s a beautiful example of what will become a hashtag classic fic for this fandom. I will sell my firstborn child for a sequel.

3. Seeing the Pain (Seeing the Pleasure) by orphan_account:

“His hand reaches up towards Quentin's head and there's enough time to stop him, but Quentin doesn't. Instead, he traces the path of Penny's hand through the air and closes his eyes when he finally feels the hand in his hair. This time is different from the others, because this time he could have stopped him but didn't. He wanted Penny to do it.”

I’m sad to notice that the author of this fic deleted their account, but i’m glad they didn’t delete the fic because LITCHERALLY this has got to be one of my fave fics in all of fandom. It’s the first Penntin fic I ever read, and what convinced me to ship them. It’s short and not necessarily the best written, but it’s hot, sweet, hair-kink smut with perfect characterization and listen sometimes you just need that sort of thing in your life.

4. What It's For by itshysterekal:

““It doesn’t hurt,” he said, but he had no strength to stop whoever was taking Eliot from him and lowering him to the ground. Alice was furiously working magic over him and Margo joined in. They seemed incredibly concerned, but Quentin wasn’t sure why. He blinked weakly as his vision tunneled and hoped he wouldn’t die in this reality- not when he had just gotten his first solid clue to a plan.

It all went dark anyway.”

Listen. Listen, if you only read one fic on this list, make it this one. This is still a work in progress and I know a lot of people don’t like reading those, but this is absolutely completely THE number one fave fic for the whole fandom. My poor sweet baby Quentin universe hops into multiple futures and has to figure out how to stop it as well as how to stop the beast, while suffering through some scary future lifes and living through some mediocre future lifes and getting the love he deserves in other future lifes. My favorite future life is the (spoiler i guess?) big poly cuddle pile. Every time this updates I scream.

5. Other People by lazarov:

“Then again they’re Margo and Eliot, pleasure-seeker extraordinaires, and catching feelings is for other people.”

Another fandom classic, this fic explores the lovely, feelings allergic marqueliot with a focus on Margo and Eliot ruminating on how this is just casual sex, they don’t have feelings for Quentin, this is just a fun game right? Except, they aren’t as allergic to feelings as they pretend to be. The Most Beautiful Margo and Eliot characterization. Also, sub!Q is canon and I will literally fight you.