#author spotlight: sadlittlenerdking

[themagiciansreccenter]

The Great Blank Spot: @sadlittlenerdking

So much goes into creating fanfiction even before the first words hit the paper. And in-depth spotlight on our writers and the process behind their work.

Tell us about your current project.

I have so many, but the Big Dog I'm working on is my 39 Graves fic. I've got timeline 22, so no pressure lol

Do you try to write daily? Do you have a word count or other goals you try to hit for each writing session?

I try, but I work 14 hour days usually, so I've got limited writing time. I made a new years resolution to at least write a poem a day, so I've been doing that. To at least have something written.

What was the inspiration for this fic?

Man, I just really, really love killing my favorite characters.

How do you stay motivated between chapters/stories?

i rewatch the magicians? That and when people randomly comment on old fic I wasn't too proud of. That's like a +10 on motivation, just because it's like heroine for the soul.

Did this fic require any research? How much research do you typically do for your fics?

Not really? I mean, I rewatched the show just to look for hints into past timelines, but I'm completely flipping the script and going hogwild on how i can hurt everyone.

Do you typically write ahead or post as you go?

I post as I go, because I like pressing F5 nonstop for six hours for some reason lol

How much planning and outlining did you do before you started putting words on paper?

I'm HUGE on planning. In my old apartment i had a whole wall dedicated to planning. Write now, my outline for this fic is about 5k words, and i'm still tweaking as I get further into the plot outline.

Has it been pretty smooth sailing or rough waters? When things get rocky, how do you handle needing to rewrite sections or scrap scenes entirely?

Rough. I started writing, but I've rewritten the opener eight times, because i'm just not happy with my starting point. I get really frustrated when I can't get something write, so I just end up in this cycle of madness and rewriting. I do tend to rewrite sections over scraping entirely, though.

Anything else you want to add/think we should cover?

Should I mention that Mayakovsky raises Eliot in this? Maybe.

Excerpt

The man in the vest quirks an unenthused eyebrow, almost like he can’t believe he’s wasting his time on him. “Todd?” He asks, before reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a small white card. He flips it using his index and middle fingers. It just says Todd in all caps, like the card is yelling demands. “No last name? What are you? Beyonce?”

“No—“ Todd shakes his head, “I have a last name.”

The man tilts his head, a wayward curl falling in his face. “It’s—wait, hold on—where are we?”

The man rolls his eyes, before looking over his shoulder at the school behind him. “Brakebills University,” He says, turning his gaze back on Todd. “Elite school of Elite Magicians. Apparently you’re up for the part.” He holds the card out for Todd to take, waving it when it takes him a moment too long. Once Todd’s fingers wrap around the edges, the man lets go and turns to stalk off to the left. “Come along, Mr. Knowles.”

The Great Blank Spot is an in-depth spotlight focusing on the writing process and previewing in-progress fics for our fandom. It is meant to be an organic, ever-evolving feature. Previously interviewed fic writers can reach out to us here, to have a specific work featured. If you’d like to have a work featured but haven’t done the author spotlight, reach out to us to get started. If you have suggestions for questions you’d like to see answered, shoot us an ask!

[themagiciansreccenter]

Author Spotlight: @sadlittlenerdking

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.

Hi! I’m Riz, I’m 24, live in one of the Portlands, and my favorite character is indecipherable because I love them all. (Todd. It’s Todd.) I’ve been writing Magicians fanfic for about a year and a half :)

How long have you been writing for?

I started writing in 7th grade, eleven or twelve years? I started writing fanfic in 2008, though.

What inspired you to start writing for The Magicians?

I was pretty much obsessed with the show, and season 2 had just ended, so I didn’t want to leave the universe, so I just started writing fic for it. I think that first month i wrote almost 80k of fanfic, before finally calming down lol

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

Quentin, Eliot, Margo, and Todd are my favorite to write. Quentin, Eliot and Margo’s relationship, characteristics and personalities are so fun to write. And Queliot is my favorite ship to write because they’re my favorite on the show. Todd’s my favorite to write because there’s so little about him out there, and he’s probably my favorite on the show. We need more Todd haha

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

I like to write potential futures, mostly. And going back to season one, because they were happ(ier).

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

I had a thing where i was trying to write 50 fic in 30 hours, but I ran out of time, so I’m finishing up those prompts. And I have a couple other ideas in mind right now.

How long is your “to do list”?

I have 38 on the prompt list left, and about eighteen other projects I’m working on.

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

Lifeboat. It’s the first long fic I’ve ever finished, and I’m really proud of it (Even though there were a few things i wish I’d done a little differently.) It was also the first major project I’ve had that focused almost entirely on Todd.

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?

I have a oneshot called Self Sacrifice (Is Bullshit) that’s about Quentin trying to sacrifice himself, and Margo admitting that she cares about him. It’s one of my friendship-focus fics that doesn’t feature Queliot as a couple, so it’s gone mostly unnoticed.

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

For big projects, I go all in. I’m huge on planning big projects. For one shots or smaller things, I kind of just. Barf words and hope it makes sense. For small projects i know if i try to think about it, I’ll never do it, so I just start writing. I do have to be listening to music I don’t know the words to, to be able to write. Music I can sing to is a distraction, as is no music at all. If i don’t have music, I can’t focus at all.

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?

Both! It’s really funny with the stuff I write while the season airs, because I go back and I look over some of them and I’m like, i could not have been further off from what actually happened. It’s fun, though. And it helps to decompress after those stressful episodes. I also like writing during the hiatus just because it helps the time go by faster. And it’s a good way to keep writing. As canon changes things up, it’s a lot of fun to have an entirely new direction to go in that I hadn’t considered before!

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

Project Seduce Quentin Coldwater is probably the most challenging. Or The Mad Royal Family of Fillory. Because i know exactly where i want the plot to go, but I keep losing the tone when i go back to write it, so it has the wrong feel. So they’re just in limbo. In terms of something I’ve finished, Lifeboat was a real challenge. Just because I was so attached to it, and I didn’t want to fuck it up.

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

I really like approaching the friendship aspects of the relationship. Especially with Margo & Quentin. Margo who is reluctant to make friends, and Quentin who doesn’t think he has any friends. They’ve both found themselves with more friends than they know what to do with, so it’s a lot of fun to get into that. I really, really like writing Angst. I think I’ve killed Quentin and Eliot more times than I can count.

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

Cory Doctorow inspires me a lot, as he’s very technical but in a way that makes it fun? I don’t know how to explain it, but god, he’s good. And Brandon Sanderson is also a big inspiration. He writes so much, and he’s so good at building worlds and characters.

What are you currently reading? Fanfiction or otherwise?

I just finished Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, and am currently reading Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. I’m also skimping out on sleep to catch up on the Magicians fic on ao3.

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

Don’t edit until it’s done. I’m really bad about going “no,no,no that words not right.” or “fuck I should have used a comma,” or something equally ridiculous. Or like with my other attempts at long fc, instead on writing I focus on everything that’s wrong. Not editing until it’s done is the best advice I’ve gotten. I actually downloaded a program that hides everything but the most recent thing i’ve written so you can’t go and edit.

Cringe time:

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

So and so Looked At The Thing. Or So and So furrowed their eyebrows. I’m so bad about repeating those two things. It’s just unending.

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

Oh, boy. When I was 12, I wrote a fanfic for my faovrite band on a website called Quizilla. Quizilla was taken offline, so that fic, and a few others that joined it are gone forever.

Rapid Fire Round:

Self-edit or Beta?

Both. It depends on the project.

Comments or Kudos/Reblogs or Likes?

Comments give me a little fuzzy feeling inside.

Smut, Fluff or Angst?

Angst! But, Fluff is a very close second.

Quick & Dirty or Slow Burn?

Slow burn, all the way.

Favourite season? Favourite episode?

Season 3 is my favorite because it’s got some of the best episodes of the series. But i’ve still got a soft spot for The World in the Walls, as it was the episode that got me obsessed with the show.

Favourite book(The Magicians books)?

I haven’t read the books . . . (I own the first one but i haven’t had a chance to read it yet!)

Three favourite words?

Idiosyncratic, cacophony, and serendipity.

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

[themagiciansreccenter]

Five@Five: @quellthefire

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.

So It May As Well Be Me, by achray

“Whereas Quentin, like now, found it virtually impossible to shut off his brain. Eliot was inches away from him, curled on his side, facing the wall. Quentin could feel the heat from his body. If he reached out even a little he would be touching Eliot’s naked back. If he turned on his side, slung an arm over Eliot, what would Eliot do? Would he shift to tug Quentin closer, sleepily? Would he turn towards Quentin, pulling their mouths together, their legs tangling? Eliot was bigger than Quentin, and for all that he was thin, he was strong; if he wanted to, he could roll on top of Quentin, brace himself there, holding Quentin trapped, as Quentin tried to rise up to meet him.”

This story absolutely blew my mind because it was so meta about fanfic tropes and was truly a celebration of the weird culture we all share. It was smutty and fun and just opened my mind to the fun to be had with leaning into tropes.

Modified Aspect Ratio, by @sabrinachill

“Days blur and grow hazy like a book dropped into a bathtub, the ink running and the pages dissolving into an indistinguishable pulpy mass. Quentin tries to hold it together, he really does. But the reality jumps stay unpredictably random - they’ll spend weeks in one place and only hours in others - so there’s no way to develop a routine or become comfortable. And it Just. Never. Stops. The world swirls around them like an ever-turning kaleidoscope, and the only constant, the only thing they can cling to, is one another.”

This is one of the first 75k+ fics I ever read fully, and completely changed my viewpoint on what a long fic can be. The way they utilized different genres to explore Quentin and Eliot’s relationship, as well as the role the Monster plays in this is just gorgeous and everyone needs to read it.

oh my god they were roommates, by @sadlittlenerdking

“Margo nods, tilting her head to the side, “You might just be right.” She clicks her tongue, “Come on, Q. Let’s eat, then you and Eliot can go on with pretending to be roommmates that aren’t in love with each other–”

“I thought we agreed not to bring that up?” Penny asks, though it’s all bluster, and Quentin’s going to jail, because it’s a crime of passion and he can’t even think of how to dispose of the evidence. They’re all going to die and he’s going to prison.

“Mmm,” Margo hums, pointing a finger at him, “Damn, you’re right. Sorry, Q. You and Eliot are definitely not secretly in love with each other, and aren’t going to cuddle up on this couch the second we leave and watch crappy romance movies!”

I’m a sucker for a roommates AU, and I loved how sweet Eliot and Q are together. Plus the fact that everyone else knows is just perfection.

Happy Together by @quellthefire

“At first, it had taken Quentin weeks to convince Eliot to let them get a dog. He’d gotten the idea one night when they were over at Julia and Penny’s for dinner, and Julia introduced their new beagle, Molly. Quentin had immediately fallen in love with her, nuzzling into her short, soft fur. He’d spent all night with his legs crossed on the floor, petting her and sending very pointed looks to Eliot, who pretended to be way more interested in his wine and the stories Julia recounted about her 1st-year grad students than he’d ever been before.”

This started as a Tumblr prompt ask and was supposed to be a drabble. It ended up as a 1700+ word fluff piece that was so much fun to write. I started it before 4x05 happened, as a way to console myself with the pain I was certain would come this season.

Open Secrets by @quellthefire

“He was about to round the corner into the living room when he heard Quentin’s voice. 

"I like him. That’s the answer. I like Eliot. A lot. And I want to kiss him."

Eliot’s breath caught and he froze in place. He knew he shouldn’t be listening in, but how could he not? He’d never been very good at not prying when things involved him. And this was a motherfucking revelation.”

I really had a fun time writing the two perspectives of this same scene. Eliot and Quentin are so often experiencing the same things from such different viewpoints, that I wanted to make that a major plot point. Plus the idea of Eliot getting himself off to Quentin’s love confession was ridiculously hot to me.

[themagiciansreccenter]

Author Spotlight: @quellthefire​

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 a 26 year old queer woman who probably obsesses over fandoms more than is healthy. I went to school to study bones and infectious diseases, but ended up working as a barista and really love it most days. At some point I hope to go to mortuary school. I’m hopelessly obsessed with Marvel as well, and have been writing a lot of Steve/Tony fic lately, in addition to my usual Queliot.

How long have you been writing for?

I started writing fanfic about 12 years ago, but only recently got back into it after a years-long hiatus.

What inspired you to start writing for The Magicians?

I was so captivated by the friendship and sexual relationship between Quentin and Eliot in Season 1. At the time I never imagined the writers would develop it to the extent they have, so writing fanfic seemed like the only way to explore that relationship in the way I wanted to.

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

I absolutely love writing Eliot. He’s my go-to point of view. There’s such an opportunity to explore feelings of lust and inadequacy, and I love writing about Eliot being awed that Quentin wants him. I also love writing banter between El and Margo. It gives me a chance to be snarky and crude and write lines of dialogue that make me laugh. And recently, I’ve been trying to challenge myself to write from Quentin’s perspective more, because I really love his awkward/excited stream of consciousness style of talking.

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

I tend to veer towards a non-defined point in the middle of season 1. I absolutely love writers who dig deep into show plot points, but I always end up writing scenes where the point in time doesn’t matter nearly as much as the conversation and emotions that are happening.

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

I actually don’t have any Magicians stories in progress at the moment, because I need to fulfill some obligations for fic challenges in the Marvel fandom, but I’ve got some ideas for exploring post 4x05 Queliot. Much of my writing has had an angsty bent to it, so it’s been fun thinking about fluffier concepts.

How long is your “to do list”?

Ehh let’s not think too hard about that. It’s kinda daunting, but I’m slowly working my way through it. I tend to be very spontaneous in my writing method, and I’m trying to challenge myself to write things that are longer than a single evening’s worth of work.

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

“Feelings are for Pussies and the Aesthetically Challenged” is probably my favorite right now, and also has had the biggest response from readers. It was originally intended as a one-shot, but basically every comment asked me to keep going, and that was such a cool experience to get ideas from readers and use them as inspiration to write two more chapters. I’m really proud of how many people seemed to enjoy it.

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?

“Eliot and the Art of Sharing” for sure. It’s one of the first Magicians fics I ever wrote, and it’s kind of an odd one, but it holds a special place in my heart because it’s when I started developing the way I write Eliot and Margo’s friendship.

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

I tend to be very in the moment. I’ll get an idea and sit down on my couch or in bed to write for a couple hours, which can be quite difficult since I use my phone. I’m bad about writing at night before an opening shift. I’ve spent a lot of late nights I should be sleeping working on a story in the hopes of getting it posted. Waking up at 5 am for work sucks the next morning, but it seems to be how I write my best stuff.

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 joined the fandom in November of 2018, so I don’t have a lot of experience with the show airing, but I definitely wrote more on hiatus. A lot of my work exists outside of current canon, so I think the emotional aspect of whatever is currently happening with each new episode affects my writing much more than the actual plot.

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

I struggled to complete “Dancing on My Own” partly because it was such an introspective look at Eliot’s inner thoughts. I found myself channeling a lot of my own anxieties and intrusive thoughts, and that was difficult to write, but I think it really paid off to take a step back from writing it to give myself space to decide what I was comfortable with sharing about my own mental health struggles. I’m so proud of how it turned out.

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

I’m a slut for writing any fic where the two people in the ship are pining for each other, but are too scared to make a move. Add in the cast of background characters who start to realize what’s happening, and that’s my jam.

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

Fanfiction-wise, @ohmarqueliot, @sadlittlenerdking, and @adjovi are the people whose writing I first fell in love with in this fandom, and I keep coming back to their work. Outside of fanfiction, I’ve learned a lot through playing Dungeons and Dragons with a group of friends about character and world-building, and while it’s not traditional writing, there’s such a collaborative storytelling aspect to it that has massively influenced how I approach things.

What are you currently reading? Fanfiction or otherwise?

Right now I’m reading a lot of post 4x05 Queliot fic, (especially anything fluffy or smutty), as well as a lot of Steve/Tony MCU smut.

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

I saw Neil Gaiman give a lecture a few months back, and he told the audience that when he’s struggling to write that he makes himself sit at his computer and he tells himself he can either write or do nothing, but those are his only options. He said that usually he’ll get bored of staring at the wall pretty quickly, and start writing to save himself from the tedium of nothingness. As silly as it might sound, it totally works for me. It’s like a little hack for my brain that overrides the anxiety of starting a new story.

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

I definitely describe characters blushing far too much, and find myself using the same phrases a couple paragraphs in a row in most stories. Reading outloud as I edit helps a lot with that.

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

The one that immediately comes to mind was based off of Tamora Pierce’s “Protector of the Small” series. As a middle/high schooler I really loved her books and identified most with Keladry, the protagonist of that series. It was a post-series fixit fic resolving all the stuff I wish had happened. I tried finding it a couple years ago but couldn’t. I also wrote a lot of awful James/Lily Harry Potter fic back in the day, so that was probably the first stuff I ever wrote.

Self-edit or Beta?

Self-edit. I’m far too impatient to not post stuff the same night, and I get very stressed about other people editing my work. I’d like to eventually be able to handle having a beta, but I’m not sure if it’ll happen.

Comments or Kudos/Reblogs or Likes?

Yes please! I’m definitely the kind of person who closely monitors that stuff, as much as I hate to admit it. Comments are my favorite though. I absolutely love hearing from people who’ve read my work

Smut, Fluff or Angst?

I mostly read smut, write angst, and fluff is the sweet spot in that venn diagram.

Quick & Dirty or Slow Burn?

I’m impatient and usually go for Quick & Dirty, both in my writing and reading preferences, but I’ve been getting more into the delicious tension that is Slow Burns.

Favourite season?

Season two

Favourite Episode?

This is probably super cliche, but either 3x05 or 4x05.

Favourite book?

The Magician King

Three favourite words?

What the fuck

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

[themagiciansreccenter]

Five @ Five: @sadlittlenerdking

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. Shoulder to Shoulder with You by coldfiredragon

“There was no plan, Q. It's just usually me, here alone, for the breaks and holidays.”

“That – that, sounds really horrible, honestly.”

“It's not so bad.” Eliot defended his actions blindly because admitting the breaks were lonely as fuck was absolutely out of the question. “I do most of the reading for the next year, learn the handwork, and cruise through the first semester.” He shrugged like it really was just that easy. He'd learned a thing or two during his time with Mayakovsky, like how silence and isolation were really the best circumstances to learn magic.

“So I am messing up your plans.” Quentin offered, he looked flustered, and Eliot buzzed around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients for waffle batter and a cinnamon whiskey syrup.

“Tell you what. I'll tutor you. I already know the material.” Eliot brought a knife and a carton of strawberries to the table and whisked Quentin's book to the side with a wave of his hand. “Cut those, into quarters. Once you know what you're doing, you can just spend the semester drinking with me.”

This fic is easily in my top five fic ever written. Honestly, it’s so, so, so good, and every time i start re-reading it I get all happy. The relationship and the gradual growth of it and everything is so, so well done. I just really, really love it so much.

2. You’re Crashing but you’re no wave by oximore

Brakebills Center was nothing like the regular American Center. They didn’t grade the sentinels and guides as obsessively as their mundane counterpart did. Just like with magic, even if there were general rules with both sentinels and guides, they were almost as many exceptions. Prime sentinels and guides were in a class of their own, both because of their rarity and the major gap between them and others.

For the rest they had three zones, plainly named A, B and C in which sentinels and guides were classed. It was a rather general classification, two sentinels from B level could have reasonably different abilities, but Brakebills thought it better than to put each of them in smaller boxes.

“It’s not as fixed as some would like to believe you see.” Professor Lipson explained. “Some guides will react to some sentinels and vice versa without any clear pattern, just like you and mister Adiyodi. It can make their abilities vary, so why bother compartmentalizing too much?”

He saw her point considering he ended up as a B level guide, when he was pretty sure he was supposed to be somewhere down the C level zone. It could have been because he and Penny had brought each other online – Penny was in the A level zone after all – or it could have been well over sixteen other noted occurrences for sudden changes in a guide classification level as professor Lipson told him with a shrug. It was a nice way of saying they had no idea.

Just, fuck. This is so fucking good. God, damn. I didn’t know anything about Sentinels and Guides when I went into it, but it didn’t matter, because I was hooked from the very start. It’s so well done, and so beautiful. I love the way they write the relationships between the characters, and how in character everyone is. It’s just a really beautifully written fic.

3. Later, Later, Later by echomoon

He was only a few chapters in when the air of his room shifted like it was full of pressure and suddenly a hooded man was standing at the end of the bed. Shocked, he scrambles backwards and propels himself off the bed with a thump. And maybe a high pitched yelp, not that he would like to admit that to anyone. Laughter rings out. Terrified, he peers over the edge of the bed to assess the danger to find that the intruder is Penny, laughing his ass off.

“Shit, man, chill out.” Penny says between laughs.

Quentin scowls at him.“Fuck off, you can't just show up and expect me to be fine. I haven't exactly had the best of luck with people suddenly showing up out of the blue.”

Penny looks a bit chagrined - everyone who had been there that day still remembered the Beast’s appearance - as his laughter trailed off, but not for long.

“Anyway, its - why are you in my room?”

“I was… looking for something. Don’t know why I ended up here. I’ll get out of your hair, loser.” Penny turns to the door and Quentin’s truthied and still partially drunk mind started supplying images of things he’d rather have Penny do to his hair.

Shit. Don't think about that. Don't think about Penny's hands in your hair. Or him pulling it as you go down on him. DON'T THINK ABOUT PENNY’S DICK. QUENTIN STOP. Fuck. Shit he's looking at me.

Ahhhh, this is my favorite Penntin fic ever written. They’re both so dumb I love them so much. God, the gradual revelation is so expertly crafted, too. Fuck, I’m gonna go re-read this real quick. It’s so fucking good.

4. Head to Head by OneEyedDestroyer

“What can I do for you, other than offer you the best fellatio experience on campus?” Eliot asks playfully.

“Wha-uh-do you mi—” the book slips out of his grasp as he stutters through the words, clearly thrown by Eliot’s brazen offer. He frowns at Margo’s small chuckle.

“Wait,” Margo says, putting a hand up to Quentin to cut him off. Quentin’s lips tense in frustration. She drops Eliot’s tie and turns to face him. “The best, Eliot?” Voice dripping with playful disbelief. She folds her arms and waits for a response, curious as to where he’s going to take it from here.

“Yes, Margo,” he says, making sure to make eye contact as he says, “the best.” Quentin runs both hands through his hair, resting them at the top of his head as he lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Oh please, I can blow circles around you and you know it,” Margo says, disentangling her legs from Eliot’s.

Ah, shit. I don’t read a lot of smut, but this is crafted so well. And good fucking l o r d. It’s so fucking good. And i absolutely believe Margo and Eliot are exactly this fucking competitive.

5. Because I Am Not Myself, You See by Lexalicious70

“Our emotion bottles came off.” He said. The two containers were laying a few feet from other. Eliot scooped them up and flicked mud from them.

“This was closest to you. It must be yours.” He handed Quentin one of the vials and they uncapped and quaffed them. As the liquid slid down Eliot’s throat, he realized that it wasn’t bitter; it was hot, like liquefied cinnamon hearts mixed with a strong shot of bourbon. It bloomed boiling in his belly and then Quentin was gasping and groaning next to him. He staggered away a few feet, and then emotion, raw and painful and not his own, flooded Eliot’s consciousness: shame, anger, fear, and such a sense of loneliness that he took a ragged breath and burst into tears. He doubled over, his hands on his knees, knowing the mistake they’d made, and then Quentin was hitting his knees almost directly in front of him.

“Oh God, oh God . . .” The younger magician whimpered, all his personal wards blasted away by the strong magic and the flood of Eliot’s emotions: agony over Mike, fear of the Beast, fear of himself, love for Margo, powerful in itself, and love for—

Quentin lifted his head, his dark eyes wide and teary.

I’m so fucking weak for angst, and this is so fucking cathartic. It’s fucking beautiful, and written so well. I go back to every now and then, because it’s one or my favorite points of season 1, when they’re both dealing with so much. Fic that focuses on them resolving those issues is one of my favorite things, and this fic does it so fucking well.