#i've been thinking about this for a whole week now so here's a shitty gifset to make you sad about charlie

[togansweep]

2, 3 & 12 <3

2: favourite pairing (cringe fail edition):

tomgreg (what a surprise). tbh I think they could also work if they get their shit together but they will definitely still remain cringe fail if that happens. they make each other worse and they are such losers I love them. every scene with them makes me scream, the chemistry is insane and they're so cringe it's amazing. who does it like them.

3: favourite rarepair:

shivwilla!!! I saw this gifset of them and I went like oh. OH. great shit. overall just shiv with any woman, I'm definitely a shiv=bi/lesbian truther (it's basically canon tbh & she definitely had a thing with lisa at some point) and I'm very kindly asking jesse armstrong to let her have a thing with a woman next season pleaseeee. I'm also a tomroman enjoyer.

12: favourite succ fanfiction/fanart/fanvid/uquiz:

honestly EVERYTHING is SO GOOD. I've never been in a fandom that had so much good shit, like for example I think I've read about 200 succ fanfics now and they were all amazing??? not one shitty one. so choosing one thing for each category was really hard, but here we go:

fanfic: loser in the sky with diamonds by scrunyuns basically tom & greg go on a trip to the bahamas and tom accidentally takes acid that greg took with him, and then the rest of the fic is them having an acid trip. I'm telling you, this is the funniest thing I've ever read in my whole fucking life. it's from tom's pov (which I'm a big fan of overall) and because of the drugs he's even more unhinged & cringe than usual, I was constantly crying of laughter (I was reading this in the middle of the night and I really had to do my best to stay quiet and not wake my family). and it's SO IN CHARACTER it's crazy, I 100% recommend it if you want to have a good time (all of scrunyuns' fics are amazing, don't know if they're on tumblr but if they're reading this I'm your biggest fan) (thinking about making a tomgreg fic recommendations list based on mood btw, like the best sad fics, the best funny fics, the best aus etc.)

fanart: god there are so many good ones but this one made me laugh out loud, always love to see succession gone girl discourse.

fanvid: @mirunalives' feel like like a woman tom fanvid is one I need to watch at least once a week to keep my sanity, it's so funny

and if I had to choose one I made myself it's my spiralling tom fanvid, because I feel like it really captures tom's entire character and his relationship with both greg & shiv and it makes me scream and tear at walls.

uquiz: @romanroydinnerparty's succession bathroom quiz is pure gold, no clue what exactly my result means yet it makes perfect sense. galaxy brain.

[guerrasfrias]

“He's always had a tendency to believe him just existing is annoying for other people.”

+

[themagiciansreccenter]

The Great Blank Spot: @hoteldestiel

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.

Peaches and Plums is my take at a canon-divergent run through of the second half of Season 3 as well as an exploration of all the pieces of the mosaic timeline we didn't get to see. Really, it's my super self-indulgent excuse to dive deep into Eliot's insecurities and darknesses and how they align with/interact with Quentin's. And write these two falling deeply, madly in love with each other as they deserve.

The fics are finally posted from The Trials. Did you participate?

I didn't! I wasn't in deep enough with this fandom until after that challenge was over but I would love to participate in the future!

What is your current word count?

With the draft of Chapter 5 I need edited before I post, I'm at 15,389

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

I do! Not always on this project, I've got a lot of things rolling, but I have been very serious this year about making writing fiction a daily habit for me. Right now my word count goal is 750 words for my 39 Graves timeline and then whatever else I feel like rocking on top of that. Lately I've been averaging around 2k per day.

What was the inspiration for this fic?

A Life in the Day is basically a fanfic writer's dream, really, with all the blank spots waiting to be filled. One of the first things that pulled me into this show was Quentin and Eliot's relationship, and getting to see that in such a powerful way in 3x05 inspired the heck out of me. I also just really wanted a chance to dive into Eliot's head more. I love that chaotic good trauma baby ok??

How do you stay motivated between chapters/stories?

I read (novels, other fanfic, you name it), I work on other projects, I consume other art (music, tv, movies, gifsets lbr those are ART) and I bounce ideas off of people in the fandom, geek out on headcanons, rewatch episodes and meta the heck out of whatever comes my way. Having the daily writing habit helps a lot, it's hard to lose all motivation when you know you have a standing date with your keyboard.

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

So far my only research has been referring back to the second half of season 3 and consulting the Magicians Wiki when I get stuck. If a fic requires me to do some googling (like this idea I have brewing in the back of my mind probably will) I will gladly google whatever I need to to make sure it's right. Usually, though, I don't research until I run up against the thing that needs clarification. If I get too in my head about the details, the prose doesn't come as easily.

Do you typically write ahead or post as you go?

I post as I go! Write a chapter, get it edited/betaed, and out into the ether it goes! I usually sit with it for a couple of days after it's drafted and edited before I publish it, but that's about as close to writing ahead as I get.

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

For Peaches and Plums, almost none. I had the idea, and I was driving home from work when the first sentence of it came into my head clear as day. I repeated it to myself the rest of the drive home so I wouldn't lose it by the time I got there, walked through the door and immediately sat down to start writing. I jot down notes for future chapters as they come to me but it's been pretty go-with-the-flow so far.

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?

It was smooth sailing (punt intended, thanks Muntjac) until Chapter 5. The plot had a pretty clear direction and I knew where I wanted it to go, but Chapter 5 is an all-mosaic chapter and I struggled with that. It stalled me out for a couple of weeks, and the first version of that chapter straight up doesn't exist anymore. I've been writing for a long time so I'm less precious with my writing, I'll cut huge chunks out if I feel they don't really serve the story, and I'm totally okay with rewriting. The biggest thing I try to keep in mind when I'm rewriting is that it can't happen in a vacuum. When I'm done with the rewrite, I make sure to read the whole chapter/piece over again because sometimes it gets messy and confusing, or repetitive without trying. Rocky, for me, is running out of plot steam or being unsure of where to go next, but I think I've got a pretty clear direction of the next few chapters so I'm excited to have some momentum again!

Teaser

“That’s bullshit!” Q said, stepping closer again, reaching Eliot’s side before he had time to do anything drastic.

“You’re right,” Not-Eliot growled. “You can end this, don’t let him talk you out of it.”

“No, Q. It’s not bullshit. It’s smart. The rest of you can figure this out without me,” Eliot said, his foot still perched on the rung.

“Not like you were really much help anyway,” Not-Eliot added, “Quentin didn’t even figure out the mosaic until after you died.”

Eliot shook his head. God, he hadn’t thought of it like that. It made sense. He gripped the rung tighter, willing himself to shift his weight upward.

“No!” Quentin shouted, placing his hand over one of Eliot’s. Eliot stopped.

“Why not, huh? Can you give me one good, legitimate reason? Not some shitty reason about how the quest needs me or how I’m some great magician if I can just stick it out until we get magic back, or how Fillory needs me. That’s all so fucking flimsy, and we both know it. Give me a real reason, Q.”

Quentin was quiet. Eliot took it as an answer. He brought his other foot to the rung, hoisting himself up once more.

“I already lost you once, El, don’t make me lose you again.”

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!