#fedal in a nutshell

[tennis-kittens]

Laver Cup Fedal in a nutshell:

[surreality51]

Hellooo 😊

When/why did you get into fedal?

And what's the next fic about plz 👀👀?

Have a lovely evening (?) (i don't know your time zone) 🥰

"When" is easy: when I saw the headlines that Roger was retiring and then I watched the sobfest that was Laver Cup and it Changed me.

"Why" is a much harder question, but the short answer is, "because I love my husband."

"Wait, wtf is this girl inhaling" you might say. Okay, that one might need some unpacking, so strap in, folks: like most people, I have a Type that I find insanely attractive. Apparently mine is "tall but not John Isner tall, slender build, long limbs, high level of coordination, feather light on their feet, movements so smooth who needs fucking butter, strong hands, laid back and relaxed vibe, self-assured and confident without being arrogant, comfortable with who they are and unapologetic about it, talented, creative, competent in everything they do, has a soft/wooby side that they're not afraid to show, emotionally intelligent, knows what they want and is not afraid to go after it, thinks strategically but lives in the moment, knows when to push through and when to relax, has a clear vision of where they're going and how to get there, calm and composed exterior but has a silly streak a mile wide, king of nicknames, high empathy, classic personal style but with a modern twist, looks good in a suit, nice hair."

That's how I like my men, that's who my real-life husband is in a nutshell, and that's probably why I like Roger so much.

As for why I like Rafa, well it's because I have eyes. Even though Rafa doesn't exactly fit my type, I do appreciate it when someone has that much booty and tanned skin on display. And I also have a soft spot for the introvert who is honest, sincere, hardworking, maybe not as naturally talented as others but knows how to use their strengths to achieve their goals, is extremely driven, makes up for any shortcomings through dedication and perseverance, understands their own abilities clearly but maybe doesn't always understand their real worth, can be a ridiculous ball of anxiety and has to employ various methods to get that shit under control, cannot be on time to save their life, super focused on the outside but a hopeless mess on the inside, always gives it their all.

(Spoiler alert: it me)

So there are really two reasons why I like Fedal:

On the conscious level, it's because I'm a sucker for poetry, symmetry, and contrast. (Can you tell that I was an English Literature major?) I think @zingaplanet summarized the lyrical appeal of the Fedal rivalry/dynamic the best in her biblical post here. I can't explain it better than Z did in that post, so I'll just point out that the intimacy and uniqueness of Roger and Rafa's relationship is so beautiful--and obvious--that I just want to roll in it like a cat in a warm blanket. Seeing a relationship like they have is gonna get me every time; I'm an absolute sucker for it.

But on the subconscious level, I think Fedal appeals to me because Roger and Rafa in some ways remind me of me and my husband as individuals. So obviously I want them to be married and share jokes together and hug and kiss each other and smack each other on the ass and hold hands and basically live happily together forever. The end.

**EDITED TO ADD: I got so carried away that I forgot your second question: I don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll just say that the fic I’m working on is the next installment in the “Carlos Moya Is Tired of This Shit” series, so you can expect Roger and Rafa being completely ridiculous and Carlos standing on the sidelines watching the disaster unfold.

[flirty-froggy]

Hi please talk more about the enemies to lovers tennis au thanks.

This seems more like encouraging me than stopping me, but I did also say feel free to ask me about fic so I suppose I only have myself to blame.

Sooooo, 'What if Fedal but they hate each other' is basically the thought behind this. I know there are rivalries where the participants actually hated each other, but I want to draw on a modern rivalry in a modern media landscape with the particular position that those two occupy within The Narrative in tennis. At the start of the fic they've been rivals for 13 years and argued A Lot in the early years, both privately and especially publicly, egged on by the media. In recent years they've cooled to ignoring each other as much as possible, being Deliberately Civil when they can't avoid each other, and making mostly polite noises about 'respecting each other as players' when people ask about The Rivalry. Then Nicky does Something Stupid (of course) and it all kicks off again, but very differently from before.

This has been percolating at the back of my brain since January-ish and I have no idea if I'll actually write it. I think it will be a long fic and writing a 40k road trip fic took me 8 months and nearly broke my brain. (Also, some of the things I was planning to write about - mental health, intrusive press, and not liking the limelight, though not necessarily linking those things - seem more relevant in light of the situation at RG that's currently blowing up, but writing it also feels... opportunistic?? Or something?? Idk.)

So I might not write it, though I've been writing a few snippets here and there and it seems a shame to waste them, plus my brain keeps coming back to it, whether I want it to or not.

And that's my potential Joe/Nicky enemies to lovers tennis au fic in a somewhat rambly nutshell.

[surreality51]

Fedal in a nutshell

@alreeeetchavvy those tags are amazing, they describe the situation so admirably