#reylo historical au

[be-my-daisy]

Reylo married

The artist name is in the picture.

[everren]

To Search the Ends of Time

A Vampire Reylo AU by @everren & @ev3rmichelle

Rated E | Alternating POV | Ch 5/14

The history books remember the papacy of Snoke - the so-called Occult Pope - as a reign of terror. Kylo Ren is only interested in what came before.

For four hundred years, he has stalked the world, searching for the ancient alchemy once wielded by Snoke to defy death and bind him to the earth in an eternity of bloodshed. With it, he will take back what was stolen from him.

But when a new lead takes him to the most unexpected of places, he is forced to confront the possibility that not all is as it seems.

Perhaps the past is not as cold and dead as he thought. Perhaps no one is ever really gone.

A Dracula-inspired Reylo AU, set in an alternate version of our world, in which love can span centuries and blood can conquer death.

POV GUIDE

'Still Falls the Night' - Kylo - Odd chapters

'Still Falls the Rain' - Rey - Even chapters

CHAPTER INDEX

The Professor

The Scholar

The Museum

The Past

The Palazzo - 🩸 NEW CHAPTER! 🩸

The End - Coming soon!

The Climax - Coming soon!

The Beginning - Coming soon!

The Hunt - Coming soon!

The Thrill - Coming soon!

The Kill - Coming soon!

The Darkness - Coming soon!

The Light - Coming soon!

The One - Coming soon!

[msuolo]

[namarabia]

[writingwife-83]

Special thank you to @reescrever-as-estrelas for letting me use the collage she put together as inspiration for this fic! It works so perfectly that I wanted it to be featured on the link posts. ☺️ enjoy a little snippet below and I hope you follow the link to read more!

From the Shallows to the Deepest End- chapter 2

That was her husband.

The reality of that both intimidated and shocked her.

Marriage and all that it entailed was an enigma to Rey, having grown up seeing nothing of it with her own eyes. Men were almost as much of a mystery, seeing as she’d had no personal relationships with them up till now. And as for this man in particular, she wasn’t sure what to make of him.

It was difficult to reconcile the obvious love for her son that Leia Organa had made clear, along with the gut wrenching pain he also put her through. She couldn’t fathom the things Ben had been the cause of in the past, which made her naturally question how much she could trust him now, and even how safe she could feel with him.

But it was too late now. The deed was done, and very soon she’d be very much alone with him, for better or worse.

[underrated-fic-recs]

Fic Rec: Property Lines by Violetwilson

Property Lines (4,018 words) by Violetwilson Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: Teen Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply  Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Additional Tags: poor little rich girl rey, recluse duke ben solo, the bridgerton school of historical accuracy, grumpy meets sunshine, big empty house, ben "please just leave me alone to make eggs and read books" solo, rey "i can fix him" palpatine, references to guns and shooting injuries, Fluff

Summary: It was getting late now, the setting sun sharpening the chill in the air. Her teeth began to chatter, and just as she reached the point where she felt it might be prudent to burst into tears, the door finally opened.

A face emerged in the gap between the door and the frame. The estate’s groundskeeper, no doubt.

Inhaling, she said, “My name is Lady Rey Palpatine, daughter of the Earl of Exegol. I am lost, and also extremely cold, and I would be much obliged if you would—” 

The door slammed in her face. 

———

A delightful historical AU with forthright Rey, gruff-but-caring Ben, and discussions of fussy little biscuits. I would love a sequel to this in which “polite society” is shocked and appalled by their eventual marriage, but meanwhile Ben and Rey are just cooking breakfast for each other in their nightclothes.

[pandoraspocksao3]

Reylo Fic Rec: The War Bride Queen by Narcissus_Rose

I can’t find a Tumblr post for this story or a blog by this author, but I really wanted to share a fic I’m currently reading that I think my fellow Reylos would enjoy. I love a good arranged marriage AU, and this one has Philippa Gregory vibes!

Check out The War Bride Queen here:

SUMMARY: Princess Rey Palpatine has never faced such an uncertain future. the death of her father and the disappearance of her brother sent her into hiding while her uncle Snoke reigns as king of England. To end his bloody reign, a deal is made without Rey's knowledge that she and a fellow claimant to the throne will marry, uniting the long warring houses of Sith and Jedi. unfortunately for the newly crowned king and queen, there are new troubles on the horizon, both personal and political. 

It's the war of the roses, but Reylo!

[korerosemarinus]

ch. 12: in the time of cherries

Read Chapter 11 here!

in the time of cherries

a reylo (multi-ship) Italian World War I/1920s AU

Summary

In the summer of 1915, Rey and Ben are sweethearts in the small Italian island village of Chandrila. In the days of drinks at the Hotel Nymeve, village festivals, and the wine harvests, the lovers and their group of friends live the idyllic life. As World War I comes around, and Poe, Finn, and Ben are asked to fight, Rey’s future changes dramatically, and the love in her heart changes as the years go on. The group of friends find themselves changing with the Jazz Age and the Rise of Fascism on the horizon, and Rey finds herself asking her heart the impossible: to take a chance once more.

OR

The Italian 20s fic you may or may not have asked for with queer romance, copious amounts of wine knowledge, leftist propaganda, seaplanes, mafiosos, seaside hotels that are DEFINITELY not modeled after Varykino, and lovers torn apart by fate and war.

BG ships: Stormpilot, Gingerrose

Chapters: 12/25

Read Chapter 1 here!

Taglist:

@benwaitingforsolo

@reyofsunlights

[emeraldspiral]

Reylo already has some of the best artists I've ever seen in a fandom who still regularly draw beautifully rendered art for free, with no prompting, in every flavor from canonverse to historical AU to steamy, steamy smut. What do you even need AI generated crap for?

[okapi-jones]

😈 what is dark within me, illumine 😈

🔥RELAUNCHED FIC ALERT🔥

what is dark within me, illumine

A #Reylo divine rom-comedy.

OR: funny until it’s emotionally devastating (feels on brand)

🜘 Demon-Summoning Modern AU 🜛 Also an Office / Historical AU (yes, really. you’ll see.) 🜁 Multi-chapter / Long Fic WIP 🜂 Demon Ben with a mysterious past 🜃 Disillusioned human tech-worker Rey 🜄 Forced Proximity 🜘 Failed Soul Contracts 🜁 Bibliomancy 🜂 Humor and Romance and Angst and Fluff 🜃 Fish Out of Water / Man Out of Time 🜄 Existential Crises 🜁 Weird forays into surrealist imagery 🜂 Literary references. SO MANY LITERARY REFERENCES 🜾 Eventual Smut 🜡 Eventual HEA (Always. Promise. 🤍)

Art by the incredible @cndcrd!

———🜘———

I finally did it! After 9 months of hiatus, WE’RE BACK with demon!Ben and grumpy!Rey.

All six existing chapters on AO3 have been completely revised - and I���ve just posted the seventh, my first update since October.

I expect I’ll be working on this one for the rest of the year, if not longer. She’s CHONKY. She’s THICC. She’s going places I don’t think most people will expect. And I’m so excited to be working on her again.

I sincerely hope you’ll join me and keep me company along the way.

Revised summary below!

———🜘———

Five years after Rey graduated from college, she’s living the millennial dream: stressed, depressed, in debt, and working for a soulless social media tech giant. When she finally decides to throw away her dreams for good, a treasure from her past accidentally summons something she never expected: a monstrous demon straight from Hell.

A demon who might just be her salvation.

———🜘———

A Reylo divine rom-comedy, a.k.a: the modern/demon/office/literary/historical AU slow burn epic mishmash fic of my dreams - with a twist.

Come for the genre-bending and humor, stay for the philosophizing, non-standard demon lore, and eventual [ready-or-knot] monsterfucking. I don’t know, I don’t make the rules of demon anatomy.

(Except when I do.)

Read it here on AO3!

[readingreylo]

The best Reylo Fanfics I read in 2022

(Not necessarily written in 2022)

My 2021 wrap up was such a hit I thought I would do another one! While I didn't read nearly as many fanfics this year, I did discover a few new authors whose bodies of work are just *chef kiss*.

(Don't forget to check out my All Time Favourite Fic list and my pinned post with all my rec lists!)

And in no particular order...

Dog Day Open Hydrant by LinearA | @linearao3 | Explicit | 4k | One Shot | PWP | Modern AU | Summertime | Strangers to Lovers | Antagonism | Fireman!Ben Solo | It's too hot for this shit | One Night stand ??? | Ben POV | "Ben's come to close an open hydrant. The kids playing in it don't want him to, and a pretty girl on the street is backing them up."

Get Close by iffyluv | Explicit | 4k | Oneshot | PWP | Modern AU | Snowed-in | Cuddling for warmth | Co-workers | Multi POV | Stranded on the side of the road during a blizzard, Ben and Rey share a blanket to stay warm *wiggles eyebrows*

Take Your Shot by Anonymous | Explicit | 4k | Oneshot | Modern AU | Hook-up | Strangers | "secret" identity | Missed Connections | Soccer/football | Multi POV | Rey hooks up with a guy at a sport bar not realizing he might be a famous player. Ben solo aka Kylo Ren of First Order Premier League is visiting his parents in his home town and stops by a pub for a drink...

A for... by crossingwinter | @shmisolo | Explicit | 5k | Oneshot | Modern AU | Maturbation | Anal Sex | Co-workers | Jewish!Ben Solo | Falling in love | Rey POV | A fantastically written oneshot about Rey's affinity for anal sex and how she ends up having it with Ben Solo.

tell me you recognize defeat by emphemeron | @emphemeron | Explicit | 10k | Oneshot | Modern AU | Office setting | Co-workers | Friends to Lovers but Rey's too stupid to see it coming | Zero discussions of boundaries | mildly dubious consent | ANGST because Rey is an idiot | Shy!Ben Solo | Rey POV | "Rey just wants to be friends with the tall, quiet IT specialist who sits by himself at the company all-hands meetings."

Yes, and... by slipgoingunder | @slipgoingunder | Explicit | 10k | Complete | PWP | Modern AU | Actors | Christmas | behind the scenes of making a Hallmark movie | Mistaken Identity | Actress!Rey | Acting coach!Ben Solo | Rey POV | "Newbie actress Rey lands the starring role in a Hallmark Christmas Movie...but she finds it's not so easy to become a wholesome Hallmark heroine. Enter a mysterious stranger who just might turn out to be her Christmas angel."

Ben Solo Is Not His Brother's Keeper by LyricalRiot | @lyricalriot | Explicit | 13k | Complete | Historical AU | Unspecific Setting | Strangers to Lovers | MISUNDERSTANDINGS | Arranged Marriage | Prima Noctis vibes | Infidelity | Ben and Poe are brothers | Hunting/trapping | Han Solo is an idiot | Poe and Rey are engaged | Loss of Virginity | Deflowering Ritual | HEA | Multi POV | It is expected that the great honor of deflowering his bride will fall to Poe's younger brother Ben. Ben who is secretly in love with Poe's bride wishes he was dead.

Orion by ianixela | @ianixela | Explicit | 14k | Complete | Modern AU | Strangers to lovers | Slowish burn | Photojournalist!Rey | Guide!Ben Solo | Ex-military!Ben Solo | Amputee!Ben Solo | PTSD | Implied/referenced abortion | Past Adultry | Desert | Oasis | Stranded togther | HEA | Reylo Baby | Rey POV | "Rey Niima finds herself in the Saharan desert trying to heal wounds from her life, and Ben Solo is there too, fixing himself along the way."

The Single Father by xtenn | @xavtenn | Explicit | 15k | Complete | Modern AU | College/University | Professor/Student dynamic | Single father!Ben Solo | Professor!Solo | Single mom!Rey | Student!Rey | Post Partum Depression | ANGST | Baby OCs | Breastfeeding | Roommates | Pining | Past Sexual Trauma | HEA | Ben POV | Returning to work after becoming a single father, Professor Solo is struggling to keep his head above water when he receives an unexpected offer from one of his student's.

For the Record by canox | Explicit | 16k | Complete | Modern AU | Office setting | Co-workers | Mistaken Indentity | One-night-stand | Drama at work | Snoke is a toxic boss | Rey POV | "Rey is a sharp-eyed editor at a top magazine. After a frustrating day at work, she has a one-night stand with a musician, never thinking he might be someone she knows. But she’s about to discover that, between sleeping with a stranger and missing what's happening at work, maybe she's not as sharp-eyed as she thought."

Avant Gardenerby bobaheadshark & kalx58 | @bobaheadshark | Explicit | 21k | Complete | Modern AU | Pandemic/Quarantine/covid-19 | Texting | Plant Nerds | Strangers to friends to hook up to friends to lovers | Rey wants casual | Ben wants Rey | NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED sure jan | Bisexual!Rey | Character study | Rey POV | "The ideal person to break Rey’s quarantine dry spell? The guy she’s been talking online with about plants for months. A harmless one night stand. She’ll never see him again. But the universe might have other plans."

hive. by indiecisivepsych | @indiecisivepsych | Explicit | 33k | Complete | Modern AU | Idiots to lovers | Casual no-strings-attached relationship | Honey Porn | Rey loves Bees | Ben loves Rey | Angst | Pining | HEA | "Rey Niima loves bees. And she doesn't want to admit that she also loves Ben Solo, the man who keeps giving her honey."

Similar Creatures by quamquam20 | @quamquam20 | Explicit | 36k | Complete | Historical AU | 1700s | Venice | Pretty Woman retelling | Sex worker!Rey | Mafioso/enforcer!Ben | "no kissing on the mouth" | Angst | HEA | Multi POV | "As the Hammer of the Medici, Benjamin Solatti has a lot of practice crushing dreams and wringing every coin from nearly empty pockets. Sent to Venice to collect on a debt, he doesn’t have time for pleasure. Nobody knows the winding alleys and canals of Venice quite like someone who works them. So when street-smart Rey notices a lost Florentine noble, she’s more than happy to offer her services. Worlds apart, they lead very different lives. Brought together by chance and an irresistible proposition, those same differences might be what tear them apart when their time runs out."

You Can Have Manhattan by reylo_addict | @thereyloaddict | Explicit | 41k | Complete | Modern AU | Manhattan | Established Reylo | Break ups | Flashbacks | Falling in love | Devoted Reylo | Angst | Break up sex | HEA | Rey POV | In the past: Rey falls in love with New York at the same time she falls in love with Ben Solo. In the present: Rey is angrily (and drunkenly) phoning her Ex from the otherside of the country.

what if the storm ends by SecretReyloTrash | @lyresandlasers | Explicit | 61k | Complete | Historic AU | 1950's | WW2 flashbacks | England/Yorkshire | Growing up together | Estrangement | ANGST. SO MUCH BLOODY ANGST | Author!Rey | Widower!Ben | Ben was happily married to another | Farmer!Ben | Rey has PTSD | HEA | Rey POV | "As a child, Rey is evacuated from London to the Yorkshire Dales during the Blitz. She spends the war in the care of the Solos on their farm, wandering the moors with their son looking for a legendary family artifact long lost. When the war is over, she returns to a city she no longer recognizes, and she writes a popular series of children's fantasy books based on her childhood in the Dales. After amassing fame and fortune with her stories, tragedy brings her back to the farm to see Ben Solo, once her greatest inspiration and now a widower."

Pressed by mzladybird | @mzladybird | Explicit | 4k | Oneshot | PWP | Modern AU | Strangers-to-lovers | Employee/customer | Rough sex | Rey POV | Rey works at a drycleaners and takes some *ahem* liberties with Ben's shirts.

A Scent Like Peony by mzladybird | @mzladybird | Explicit | 6k | Oneshot | Arranged Marriage | Strangers | Jealousy | Hate sex? | Rey!Palpatine | Steamy AF | Rey POV | As heiress to the Palpatine Empire Rey always knew she was going to marry Ben Solo.

a good woman by AnonPenguin | @penthescoundrel | Explicit | 9k | Oneshot | Historical AU | Victorian? | American West | Small Town | Widow!Rey | Teacher!Ben Solo | Eniemes to lovers | Misunderstandings | Spanking | Feral!Rey | HEA | Rey POV | "Upstanding citizen and businesswoman, Rey Johnson, has an indelible sense of the way forward. But, that all changes when the new school teacher, Mister Solo, comes to town."

little sir by AnonPenguin | @penthescoundrel | Explicit | 14k | Complete | Historic AU | Medieval | Robin Hood vibes | Injury Recovery | Strangers to lovers | Turbo-virgin!Rey | Ben Solo is a tits guy | Rey POV | Rey is a vigilante who is caught by Lord Solo but instead of turning her in he wants to worship her tits marry her.

Heirloom by AnonPenguin | @penthescoundrel | Explicit | 24k | Complete | Historic AU | Regency/Victorian | Arranged Marriage | Wedding Night | Curses/Magic | Sex Pollen Vibes | Age Difference | Dirty talk | Brat!Rey | Idiots In love | Ben POV | "Ben is encouraged to give an heirloom ring with "hopes" for the marriage to his new bride written inside. Showing a general disdain for the arrangement, he inscribes it, "May we fuck like bunnies, and never have enough", not realizing that magic binds the wish to come true."

Let's Eat by PurpleSugarQuills | @purplesugarquills | Explicit | 4k | Oneshot | Modern AU | Strangers to lovers | Food Porn | Bathroom sex | Rey POV | "The restaurant serves a tasting menu for two, and Rey wants to try it. So does the man sitting beside her at the bar. The solution? She shares a meal with a stranger. And if they end up sharing so much more than just food, well, Rey’s okay with that. Ben Solo isn’t so bad. Not really. And it’s nice, not eating alone."

Happenchance by PurpleSugarQuills | @purplesugarquills | Explicit | 5k | Oneshot | Modern AU | Office Party | Mistaken Indentity | Mention of sex work | Rey POV | "When Rose hires an escort to be Rey’s date for their company’s fundraising event, Rey’s livid. Until… Well, until she spots him in the hotel’s lobby. Tall and gorgeous, with dark hair nearly brushing the collar of the suit he fills out sinfully well. Maybe Rey doesn’t hate Rose. Maybe she should write Rose a thank you note. Or, Rey thinks Ben is an escort. Ben is not an escort."

Differential Equation by PurpleSugarQuills | @purplesugarquills | Explicit | 8.6k | Oneshot with a sequel | Modern AU | College/University | Enemies-to-lovers | Rivalry | Rey POV | After overhearing some comments about herself at a party Rey hates privileged frat boy Ben Solo.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by PurpleSugarQuills | @purplesugarquills | Explicit | 16k | Complete | Modern AU | Blind Date | Christmas/holidays/ Hanukkah | Fake Dating | Dating | Falling in love | Christmas parties | Skating | Multi POV | "After a disastrous blind date, Ben and Rey can at least agree on one thing—between fancy work galas, ugly sweater parties, Hanukkah with the Solos, and Christmas Eve with Rey’s rowdy group of friends… facing December alone is tiring. Being chronically single with friends trying to pair you off is worse. But fake-dating their way through the holidays? What could go wrong."

Thin Ice by PurpleSugarQuills | @purplesugarquills | Explicit | 14k | Complete | Modern AU | Fake Dating | Hockey | Multi POV | To get revenge on her Ex Rey asks His favourite hockey player to be her date to said Ex's wedding.

Rental Girlfriend by PurpleSugarQuills | @purplesugarquills | Explicit | 18k | Complete | Modern AU | College/University | Enemies-to-lovers | Friend group dynamic | Escort!Rey | jealous/posessive/idiot!Ben Solo | Misunderstandings | ANGST | Rey POV | "Being a rental girlfriend was the best thing that ever happened to Rey. Until she met Ben Solo." or Rey can't stand the new guy at pub trivia. And the new guy cannot figure out Rey.

Trial and Error by Celia_and | @whatceliawrites | Explicit | 7k | Complete | Modern AU | Enemies-to-lovers | Rivals-to-lovers | Scientists | Angst | HEA | Rey POV | "When rival scientists Rey and Kylo keep meeting at out-of-town conferences, the growing tension isn’t strictly professional."

To Heal by Celia_and | @whatceliawrites | Explicit | 8k | Complete | Modern AU | Flashbacks | Big Buisness | Acquisitions/mergers | Enemies with History | College/University | Falling in Love | Marriage | PTSD | Night Terrors | ANGST | Break-ups | Reconciliation | Rey POV | "When CEO Rey Palpatine faces down her rival Ben Solo across a boardroom table, it’s been ten years since she’s seen him. Ten years since they belonged to each other."

How to Save a Life by Celia_and | @whatceliawrites | Explicit | 8k | Complete | Modern AU | Co-workers | Blizzard | Snowed-in | Scorned lover | Misunderstandings | Bickering as sexual tension | Steamy AF | Rey POV | "Ben rescues his coworker Rey from her cabin in a blizzard, and she can’t forgive him for it."

underworld by elle_p (need ao3 account to read) | Explicit | 2k | Oneshot | PWP | Modern AU | College/University | Rave | Strangers | Hookup | Outdoor sex | Rey POV | "Rey goes to a rave. This tall guy won’t stop staring at her."

 I hold it towards you by elle_p (need ao3 account to read) | Mature | 2k | Oneshot | Modern AU | Pandemic/Quarantine/covid-19 | Loneliness | Anxiety/Depression | Neighbours | Strangers | Age gap | Angst | Happy/Hopeful ending | Rey POV | "After spending time alone in quarantine, Rey meets her next door neighbor, a poetry professor by the name of Benjamin Solo."

melatonin by sevenofreylo | @sevenofreylo | Explicit | 3k | One shot | Modern AU | Summertime | School vacation | Enemies-to-lovers | Bullying | Teenagers(?) | Awkward virgins | Masturbation | No p-in-v | Bunkbeds | Rey POV | "Rey can’t sleep, not with Luke’s nephew in the same room."

Feet Cute by sevenofreylo | @sevenofreylo | Explicit | 3.6k | Oneshot | Modern AU | Meet-cute | Ben has a foot fetish | Adorable then steamy AF | Rey POV | "Rey buys new trainers from Ben’s store."

Making Emends by alantieislander | Explicit | 3k | Oneshot | Modern AU | A/B/O | Alpha x Beta | Ben POV | "In which Alpha Ben meets Beta Rey, and has a biological crisis."

Snowmates by alantieislander | Explicit | 5k | Complete (One shot in two parts with a small epilogue) | Modern AU | Roomates | Rey/Finn | Ben&Finn friendship | No Infidelity | Friends to lovers | Multi POV | When they met Rey was dating Finn. Then Finn and Ben became roommates. Then Rey and Finn Broke up. Then Rey moved away. Now she's back for a visit.

Holdings by alantieislander | Explicit | 5k | Complete | Modern AU | Rich!Ben Solo | Assistant!Rey | Wrokplace relationship | Romantic | Multi POV | "In which Rey is a congresswoman's assistant's assistant and Ben is one of the richest men in the world, and they really like each other."

Leave It All, Lock to the Tide by alantieislander | Explicit | 11k | Complete | Historic AU | 1860s | Maine Coast | Shipwrecked | Magical Abilities | Injury recovery | Depression | HEA | Rey POV | Rey has the ability to take away other's pain, but unlike her mother or grandmother before her she cannot get rid of the pain, only magnify it. Rey exiles herself to a small coastal island to live out her lonely days in peace. Until Ben Solo washes up on the shore.

full fathom five (little lies) by lachesisgrimm | @lachesisgrimm | Mature | 45k | Complete | Modern AU | ANGST | Unplanned Pregnancy | Hurt/comfort | injury!recovery | Broken friend group dynamic | Villian!Luke | Rey needs a hug | Devoted Reylo | HEA | Rey POV | Ben ghosts Rey. He wont even answer her texts when she tells him she's pregnant. Then one day a phone call revealing that Ben has been in a coma for 5 months and he wants to see Rey. Slowly the truth comes out that a master manipulator has been pulling strings in the shadows.

mouth, stomach, heart by lachesisgrimm | @lachesisgrimm | Mature | 80k | Complete | Modern AU | Strangers to lovers | Rey needs a hug | Sick!fic | Food | Angst | Feral!Rey | Utter simp!Ben Solo | "i licked it and its mine" | Stalking/harassment | OC Antagonist | Falling in love | Loss of Virginity | Marriage proposals | Friend group dynamic | Rey POV | Rey works at Han's garage and his son starts hanging around. Rey's shitty childhood has left her with issues surrounding food and Ben wins her over with his cooking.

Here's to more amazing fics in 2023!🥂

[mermaidsirennikita]

i think we need to start judging adults who only read fanfiction

I mean, I can't really argue with this... especially when I see people saying that they don't read "real books" because they're "not as good as fic". Like—I kinda doubt that you've read widely enough to have an informed opinion if you're saying that.

The thing about fic is that there are gorgeously written, well-edited fics available. For sure. But that being said, I will always have a different level of respect for people who put the work of writing and editing (whether you're working with an editor in a tradpub or an editor you're paying for your self pub'd book) an original piece of fiction on the market.

Because, and this is something I just don't think gets discussed enough in the fic vs. books convo—fic authors have a ready-made audience. Even when you're writing with a small fandom, you work is going to people who are there to find the fics and are open to the world or characters (or both) in which you are writing. If you're not writing an AU fic, you don't even need to worldbuild.

(And this is also why I do still have respect for people who actually do the work of adapting their fics. Some do this more than others, and they still have their built-in audience carryover, but they still do need to convince new readers. Not every reylo book is a hit, people!)

Additionally, I feel like fic readers often applaud the wrong things. You'll often see people talking about how great it is that a fic is 500K words... If you weren't set in for this saga of fic writing, which is often responsive and changed on the fly, and something you WILL be reading as it's written... Would that really work as a book?

I mean, for context, the average tradpub historical romance novel is between 80K to 100K words. That will come out somewhere between 350-400 pages in a mass market paperback. You're telling me that 5x that isn't going to be flabby as hell?

And maybe, in a book world, that would be like... a trilogy. But I would bet that most long-running fics need a fuckton of fat trimmed. And I suspect that many good fic writers would agree with me. Because fic, for so many writers, is not supposed to be your best work. It's supposed to be experimentation. That's why the expectation is that fic writers don't even get constructive criticism unless they ask for it!

I would also bet that the truly high quality fic writers are not only reading fic. Or at least, didn't always. But that's me!

[reachexceedinggrasp]

Yeah I enjoyed boarding school-genre (St. Mallory's etc.) books when I was little--- my grandma used to get them for me. I wasn't big on HP because it was boarding school genre minus a female protagonist, and not nearly as fun or as silly. Overall my issue with HP's reception is that it's very intentionally a riff on that genre, not fantasy (and you can see this with the historic aversion to categorising it as fantasy at all, like rejecting the Hugo award). Even right down to what you describe with Snape in that linked post is that his archetype is very common in the boarding school genre (mean teacher who is secretly nice) that I knew immediately he was going to be a Good Guy the Whole Time, though the way it's done is with more emotional gravitas and probably more moral condemnation than those teachers ever warrant, since the nature of HP evolved. Imo the silliness/whimsy never sat right with its serious war narrative and that's not for the better, because the former is what the setting is really all about. But regarding Snape, I think the reason his reception wasn't anticipated is because he's probably one of the archetypes most directly translated; when figuring him into the more serious narrative, much more resonance slipped through.

Anyway! I really wanted to know whether it was DHr or SHr that you were into because I find which of those people ship to be interesting lol. It makes much more sense that SHr fits into your BatB paradigm, though I have definitely read plenty of renderings of DHr which play into that idea--- those tend to lean into inventing more complexity for Draco than there are in the books, though, and yeah I would say on average DHr leans much more rivalshipping. I know what you mean about being picky with fic and slipping into something more casual since that's basically the majority of my fandom experience. If I'm genuinely serious about something (e.g. most of my OTP's) I have to write the fic myself lmao. Reylo is probably the one exception to that where I never ended up writing very much just because canon was So Good screams and there were a rare few handful of fics which leant more into that characterisation we both seem to prefer--- I generally just enjoyed daydreaming with Reylo and theorising than anything else lol.

Anyway, good tidings on your fandom adventures and thank you for indulging my nosiness ✨

Yeah, pretty much. People seem to want to group HP with high fantasy and it has no business there, but you can see where the impulse comes from. It's structurally unsound because of the war plot and heavier themes clearly not fitting into the whacky boarding school setting. The genre conventions do not get along with what she's trying to do with the war and it leads to bigger and bigger problems as the plot progresses.

I think them being classmates who have known each other as peers since childhood fundamentally changes the stakes and makes your job pretty difficult as far as trying to set up a B&tB dynamic. They're much more suited to doing a play on Romeo and Juliet. Where with SSHG, half the work is already done for you, the set up is built in, all you need is a reason to force them to spend time together.

I did end up needing to write my own reylo fic for exactly this reason lol. That, and the fandom refusing to provide Ben resolution with Luke. But the reylo AU machine is fantastic, a nigh-endless font of stories to read.

[namarabia]

[ao3feed--reylo]

Oh, Knight at Arms

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/nh3ju0q

by pickledokra

For the first ten years of their friendship, Benjamina and Rey were an inseparable pair. Bonded from a young age, they grew up to love each other more and more as they matured into young women.

But when Benjamina is married off to a Duke at 19, Rey is left behind with a broken heart.

Ten years pass before the two are united once more, and a mutually beneficial deal is struck between them; Rey will help Benjamina restore her late husband's squandered wealth, and Benjamina will assist Rey in charming the richest of high society into investing in her business.

Their deal was foolproof...

But can the two women focus on business and ignore the love they shared?

...And can they resist the attraction that stirs between them?

 ~A Femslash Sapphic Reylo Victorian AU~

Words: 1129, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F

Characters: Rey (Star Wars), Ben Solo | Kylo Ren

Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren

Additional Tags: FEMSLASH REYLO!!!!, Childhood Friends, Tagging as I go, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Victorian, Femslash, Slow Burn, Rey is a year younger than Ben, Rey is a Palpatine (Star Wars), Leia is a little overbearing, Benjamina has severe anxiety

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/nh3ju0q