#author spotlight: highestkingbambi

[themagiciansreccenter]

The Great Blank Spot: @highestkingbambi

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’m currently working on a multi-chapter hardboiled style fic that I have called The Lamb in the Wolfskin Coat. Set in late 1940s Los Angeles, it follows Margo Hanson, a PI, and her assistant Eliot Waugh as they look into the disappearance of Quentin Coldwater. It’s one great big Alternate Universe that features many characters from the shows and books in a hopefully suspenseful and interesting story.

We’re well into the creation period for The Trials. Are you participating? If so, is this your submission? What Tier did you select?

This is my fic for The Trials, though I did start conceptualizing and wrote the first couple of chapters prior to the official start. I decided to keep it for The Trials as I’m not the most consistent writer and needed a hard deadline to finish the whole thing.

I selected Tier 2 for this story. As soon as I started putting it together I knew it would need more than 25,000 words to tell the story.

What is your current word count?

As of posting, I’m at 29,004 words and I still have a few chapters to go.

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 try to write daily, but it doesn’t always work out that way. When I first started, I had a goal to write 1,500 words per week but I haven’t stuck to that. Some days I’ll write 2-3k other days all I can do is open the document.

What was the inspiration for this fic?

The entirety of the blame for this fic lies with @gwendolynflight. Just kidding, but for real, she started talking about a fic of hers in a similar genre and all of a sudden the seed was planted in my brain and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’ve also taken a few cues from some classic and modern hard-boiled/noir books and movies including but not limited to The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Notorious, and The Black Dahlia.

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

So much research! As V can attest, I have gone on long-winded research journeys into elements as varied as 1940s dry cleaning processes to the cost of a ballpoint pen. I know for a fact that I’m not going to get everything right, but I have tried to be as accurate as I can to make the story feel authentic.

How do you stay motivated between chapters/stories?

A large amount of my motivation for this fic, in particular, has been the support and encouragement of other writers in The Magicians fandom. Without that, I probably would have given up a long time ago. Another huge motivation has been the WIP of some of the artwork my Trials partner has shared with me so far. It’s stunning and I’m so excited for us to share it with everyone once we’re done.

Outside of fandom, I try to stay motivated by surrounding myself with inspiration material, cosplaying as some of my characters. (Yes, I do own a fedora and a trench coat--no shame.) My husband is also a great motivator and by great motivator I mean he’s constantly nagging me about how much I’ve written and gets me off my ass to write some more.

[Outside of the Trials] Do you typically write ahead or post as you go?

I am not great at multi-chapter fics. In the past, I have gone out guns blazing, posting as I finish each chapter and it has not gone well, to say the least. I’m trying to write ahead now, as I still have one WIP sitting unfinished on AO3 because I ran out of steam and after a tea related accident, I no longer have my outline or any idea what I was supposed to be writing.

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

I’m not a planner. I get a rough idea of what I want, maybe write a handful of notes and then go full steam ahead on the first draft. With this fic, I did write a more in-depth outline after I had written about 10,000 words, but since then I have changed so much that the outline is basically a different story altogether. As a visual person, I mostly conceive of the work in images, which doesn’t always translate well to a rough written 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?

A mix of both. Some chapters have been super easy to write, with the words I put down matching exactly what I have in my mind, others have...not been so easy. One of my biggest challenges has been maintaining Margo’s voice in a wholly different universe to canon and essentially whenever I lose that, my writing stalls.

I can be pretty ruthless with writing that I don’t like and if it’s not working, I’ll cut it and leave a copy in my outline in case I need it later on. I’m leaving a lot of that to the very end though, I’m trying not to be too nitpicky with my edits while I’m still working on the draft so that I don’t end up too sidetracked--I already have enough of that with the research.

Teaser

Finding a reporter in Los Angeles was almost as easy as finding an aspiring actor. In a city where films were made and gangsters ruled, there was never a shortage of stories, or someone to write them down. The problem was finding someone objective. Freedom of the press only went so far as their freedom to take bribes from Jack Warner to Mickey Cohen and every asshole in between. With her gut telling her that the Quinn case had something to do with Quentin Coldwater’s disappearance, Margo didn’t need information from someone with a mysterious backer. She needed someone she could trust. Unfortunately for her, the most objective reporter in Los Angeles didn’t like private detectives.

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!

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[themagiciansreccenter]

Author Spotlight: highestkingbambi

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 Rae aka @highestkingbambi or sullyandlulu. I’m in my late twenties and  a small business owner. I live on the underside of the world—for now—with my husband and dog.

How long have you been writing for?

I’ve been writing on and off for about 15 years now, though I only started writing for fandom in about 2010.

What inspired you to start writing for The Magicians?

I started developing some plot points after watching Life in a Day, but it was the Quentin vs the depression key and the aftermath of that which had me pull out my notebook and start writing fiction for the first time in a number of years.

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

Margo is by far my favourite character to write, though the POV for my fics tends to be pretty evenly mixed between her and Quentin. What I love about writing Margo is just how multifaceted she is, and yet there is so little we know about her. She rarely lets her true feelings show, but when she does, you never forget them and I love delving into that part of her.

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

I tend to write canon divergent fics based around the first few months at Brakebills, however I also love filling in missing scenes, particularly from season three. Honestly, I just write whatever my muse leads me to.

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

My big project at the moment is a Hardboiled/Noir Alternate Universe story that I am writing from Margo’s POV set in Los Angeles, 1948. There is a teaser you can find here.

How long is your “to do list”?

My official “to do list” has approximately 18 ideas listed, however the list in my head is significantly longer. I’m never going to get through them, so if anyone wants one, hmu.

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

Hands down this is still ‘Talk Therapy’. It’s a little rough, but I loved delving into Margo’s thoughts and feelings pre ‘The Fillorian Candidate’. I am also incredibly passionate about showing the relationship between Margo and Quentin and it was a real treat to be inspired to write such an intimate, platonic moment between them.

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?

My paintball fic, ‘Cacophony of Color’ I totally get why it doesn’t get a lot of traction as its a gen fic with minimal shipping, but I just had so much fun writing it. It’s rare for me to write something so silly (smut and angst are my defaults) and the pure joy I felt while putting it together has me wish that more people read it.

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 disastrous. I get an idea, start writing and see how far I get. When I inevitably hit a brick wall, that’s when I’ll put together an outline and see how I can steer it to a preferred end goal. I don’t really have any traditions or superstitions, though I do find it easier to be creative when I am sitting in a strange position. E.g. Lying on the floor with my feet on the couch and my dog on my feet.

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 only started writing during season three and it’s been interesting to compare the stories I was inspired to write while the season was airing and what I have been writing during the hiatus. There was an urgency in my mind to write as quickly as possible to get a fic up before canon proved any of my theories or ideas wrong, whereas now I am more focused on getting the details right.

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

All of the unfinished fics in my google drive? :) As for published fics, the hardest was probably ‘The People We Were’. I wrote that one pretty quickly and when I look back the tense is all over the place. I had to break that one up into chunks and write it out of order (not my usual style) because I just kept getting choked up about how devastating the characters losing their memories is.

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

I dunno. For someone known for writing ‘that orgy fic’ I am a big fan of writing platonic and semi-platonic relationships.

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

It probably doesn’t show, but I’ve always been inspired by the writing styles of Jeanette Winterson, Kurt Vonnegut and Jack Kerouac (I was that hipster asshole who backpacked from San Francisco to New York City via New Orleans with a worn out copy of ‘On the Road’. Please don’t judge me. I was young.) As for fanfiction writers, there are so many writers in this fandom that inspire me, I couldn’t narrow it down.

What are you currently reading? Fanfiction or otherwise?

I am currently drowning in crime fiction novels from Dashiel Hammett to P.D James as research for my WIP. Fanfiction wise I am overly invested in OneEyedDestroyer’s ‘Head to Head’, BrightWhiteLights’ ‘Modified Aspect Ratio, Gwendolynflight’s ‘Divine Rituals’ and Coldfiredragon’s ‘Shoulder to Shoulder With You’.

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

“Just fucking do it, who gives a shit if the markers get freaked out about a little sinew?” - My 12th grade writing teacher. This was in relation to a mobster fiction short story I wrote for my high school major work.

Cringe time:

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

I use so many double negatives when I write that half the time I cannot believe that anyone can even understand what I’m trying to say. I probably over use ‘definitely’ and ‘actually’ in my writing as well but that’s less obvious to me.

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

I do have access to it. It’s a short drabble that I wrote to supplement my original character’s backstory in an old x-men tumblr rp. No, I will not share it.

Rapid Fire Round:

Self-edit or Beta? Beta

Comments or Kudos/Reblogs or Likes? Comments are always appreciated.

Smut, Fluff or Angst? All of the above.

Quick & Dirty or Slow Burn? Quick and Dirty

Favourite season? Season Three

Favourite episode? The Fillorian Candidate

Favourite book(The Magicians books)? Don’t hate me, I haven’t read them.

Three favourite words? Novelty, moron, shit-tonne.

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

[themagiciansreccenter]

Five@Five: @highestkingbambi

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. In the future this will be posted 5pm EST the day before the interview comes out.

1. Talk Therapy

“I’m pretty sure having a purpose is the only thing holding me together.” Margo wanted to eat the words back as soon as they came out. She’d meant to think it, not admit it. Fuck, now he would want to talk about it and if it made her cry, she might just have to knock him out and gaslight him into thinking it was a dream.

—

My favourite stories tend to be written in stream of consciousness or their third person cousin, free indirect discourse. Talk Therapy was my first attempt at this in a really long time and I am so immensely proud of how it turned out. Yeah, it’s a little rough, but that’s the style.

Of all the characters I write from the point of view of, Margo seems best suited to this style and it was really illuminating to delve into her headspace in this way. She has such a colourful way with language, and I can’t see her being any less crass and over the top in her mind, even when she’s trying to be soft.

Her connection with Quentin is one of my favourite elements of the show. I see them as two sides of the same coin. They’re so similar so many ways and yet they couldn’t be more opposite, which is how they work so well together in their many capacities.

2. How Many Ways Does A Heart Break?

Alice would always be his first love. Wrapped in gauze, painstakingly stitched together, a piece of his heart always would belong to her. Quentin wasn’t lying when he said he would remember for the both of them. You never forget your first love. He will never forget her, what they had. What she meant to him.

—

I pride myself on being a pretty stoic person. I don’t show a lot of my emotion in person, to the point where I have been described as both a robot and an ice-queen. Watching the facial expressions during the scene between Quentin and Alice on the Muntjac during the season three finale reminded me how wrong those descriptions were.

I was so moved by it, from Alice’s confessions to Quentin’s silent acceptance. I couldn’t help but write something based on it.

Writing this was a hugely cathartic exercise for me, and I hope that reading it is cathartic for others. We’re allowed to not get over someone, just as much as we are allowed to get over them. Love changes, it develops into something new that isn’t always positive but just because it isn’t exactly what we want doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with it.

Someone remind me I planned to write a version of this from Alice’s point of view.

3. Cacophony of Color

“Wait, so you're telling me, two Professors got drunk and started this game? It's not like part of a secret Trials or anything?” Todd tried to get up to speed after being filled in with everything his new teammates knew about the game.

“Pretty much, no one has any idea why, but hey, who are we to question it?” Josh shrugged.

—

The Magicians + Community = Magical Paintball Shenanigans. How could anyone not write this?

I honestly loved writing this so much, especially as it gave me the opportunity to write a few scenes from Todd’s perspective. It’s always interesting to write from the outside in, particularly with such a tight knit (if abundantly disfunctional) group such as our main questers.

It was so much fun working out teams and how they would cooperate (or not) with each other.

My only regret with this fic is that the deadline for Welters meant that I didn’t have time to go into more detail about the antagonists team. I would have loved to give them a back story for this AU rather than leaving much of it up to interpretation.

4. See You Next Tuesday

“Quentin, this isn’t something you do only when you know you’re going to shove your fingers up a cunt...or asshole,” Margo winks at him, but she has a stern look on her face, as if she’s giving him the most important advice of the night. “This is a long term commitment to all your future partners.”

—

Intentionally writing bad sex is quite possibly harder than writing good sex. But I wanted to try.

This was inspired by another fic, Saliva Makes For Shitty Lube, where during a ludicrously contrived threesome with Margo and Eliot, Quentin gives Margo oral, but doesn’t know if he was successful in getting her off. The basis for this fic was born out of that panic you get out of the suggestion of failure, even if everything turned out well.

Writing the playful, almost mean, but only teasing banter between the three of them, and then switching that up to the gentle teachings of Margo when Quentin gets up the courage to ask her for a chance to do better, was a great challenge, but ultimately rewarding.

5. Cigarettes & Alcohol

“You’re a gossipy bitch when you drink,” she says, accidentally nudging him into the doorway as they both try to enter at the same time.

“Not just when I drink,” Quentin tries a smirk as he rubs the arm that Kady seems determined to injure. Picking up his speed he gets in front of her before they reach the large staircase, stopping her in her tracks. He’s thinking of an offer that he isn’t sure he should make, but she doesn’t seem to have any other option and he’s not sure he’s ready to be alone. “You can crash in my room if you want.”

—

One of the things I love about The Magicians is that with a little AU magic, just about any combination of characters can work in a sexual and/or romantic context.

In a world where height difference is so overly coveted in romantic pairings, I personally love the idea of people who are able to comfortably swap clothes, and in The Magicians, what better option than these two.

Inspired by a conversation on FTB, this fic didn’t quite get to the clothes swapping stage, but it was so intriguing to delve into what a semi-platonic relationship between Quentin and Kady could be like if just a few things had changed in episode one. It’s also one of my best smut peices, if I don’t say so myself.

[themagiciansreccenter]

Five @ Five @numinousnumbat

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.

Paper Moon by @adjovi

“Challenge, huh?” Margo’s eyes were scanning a group of tourists, and by the way they were glinting, he knew mischief was afoot. This was going to be fun. “Ok. Here’s the challenge: we pick some rando and whomever gets $100,000 out of him first, wins.”

“Him?” Eliot twisted around in his chair and immediately saw him. Poor kid stuck out like a sore thumb, twisting his phone around to hide the glare, probably trying to use the map function. Who the fuck wore all black to the beach? “He the mark?”

“He’s the one.” Margo smirked at him triumphantly.

A fun AU where Eliot and Margo are con artists who decide to scam Quentin. This story shows that Eliot/Margo dynamic perfectly. I was reading this one on my phone at an appointment and was momentarily upset when I got called back because I wanted to know what would happen next.

The Lamb in the Wolfskin Coat by @highestkingbambi

It had been a long day, tailing hapless philanderers chasing pussy they couldn’t afford. Infidelity was the bread and butter for her line of work, but it didn’t make it any less depressing. After lighting the end of her cigarette with a stray matchstick, she took a long, well-deserved drag. Margo pursed her lips and released the smoke into the air above her, throwing her hands behind her neck. Her fingers searched for the handful of pins keeping her hair in a chignon and pulled them out one by one. Released from their hold, her hair fell down in cascading chestnut waves and she felt the pressure in her head disappear while the nicotine worked its way through her system to relax the tension in her body. Thank fuck the day was over.

Another AU, this one is Margo as a private investigator in 1940s LA. I love the story and how the writing sounds like it’s from a 1940s pulp novel. (Ok, I haven’t read any 1940s pulp novels, but it did feel like L.A. Confidential, which I watched, like, three times.) Every character is cast perfectly, and you can imagine how this story would look and feel watching it in a movie theater.

Be Kind by @longnationalnightmare

Quentin looked torn. His hands were tucked inside his hoodie sleeves. It was, unfortunately, delectable. Eliot wanted to kiss each of his knuckles in turn. People shouldn’t really, in Eliot’s opinion, be allowed to walk around looking like Quentin did, not knowing it, the way Quentin really and genuinely didn’t. It was very tiring for everybody else.

Eliot/Quentin first time. I love this one so much, it’s so … real. It’s not about perfect people, it’s about people figuring out if they’re perfect for each other? Every time I read, I find more little details that make it even better.

Quentin vs. The Sober Light of Day by @sabrinachill

Quentin realizes that it's absurd to be weird about lying in bed with a man he’s had sex with more times than he can count, but he self-consciously tugs at the blankets pooled across his otherwise naked body before he retrieves the letter from the floor.

“Uh, it says, ‘If you ever want to get fucked up again, you’re going to have to work for it. Complete my errands three, bitches! Bring unto me mushrooms from the fairy fields, ice from the lagoon, and a ham sandwich on rye from the Two Moons. I’ve cursed you so you will remain sober until the quest is complete. No magic allowed! No shortcuts! No loopholes! Talk to each other. Face. Your. Shit!’ And then there’s Josh’s signature. And a drawing of a hand flipping us off. And then an anatomically improbable sketch of an enormous cock and balls.”

This is 100% funny and 100% in character and 100% makes my heart happy.

Head to Head by @oneeyeddestroyer

“So how are we going to settle this, El?” The sweater has burned to ash, filling the room with smoke and the distinct smell of burnt wool.

“Is it not settled already?” he asks casually. He wraps his arm around her and pulls her close, nuzzling her hair.

“He said he couldn’t choose, that’s far from settled,” she wraps her leg around his waist. “I think we need a system. Criteria. Rules.” She drums her fingers on his chest as she thinks.

“Perhaps an audience that is less apathetic?”

They sit in silence for a moment, considering their options.

“Coldwater.”

This one has been recced many times before, and for good reason. It’s one that I’ve reread both as a reader and a writer. As a writer, I’m trying to figure out how the same sex act can be written for 13 chapters and yet it’s never boring, each time feels completely different, and also advances the plot. Conclusion: might be magic?