#wfc author spotlight

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Ashlynn's writing!

Socials: @oneofthewednesdays (Tumblr) | oneofthewednesdays (AO3)

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Part One: Author Interview

Q: What’s something you haven’t written yet, but want to write in the future?

A:  So, one of my favorite series when I was in high school was The Mediator series by Meg Cabot. I was absolutely obsessed with the budding romance between Jesse and Suze. In fact, I used to write for the fandom back in my fanfiction.net days. Those early fics have been purged from the Internet as far as I can tell. Anyway, I want to write a Mediator AU for the Six of Crows fandom. Instead of zowa powers, Jesper can see dead people. These dead people may or may not include the ghost of his mother. In his first year at university, he ends up moving into a room in a building that used to be an inn back in the 1800s. Wylan is haunting his bedroom. (He was murdered en route to a music conservatory back in the day). Jesper decides to solve the mystery of Wylan’s murder, at first because he is annoyed by his ghostly roommate. He wants to force Wylan to move on so he can have his room to himself. But later Jesper begins to care about Wylan, even falling in love with him. If you have read The Mediator series, you already know how it is going to end…. Also, Paul Slater will be played by Kuwei Yul-Bo. If you know, you know.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the Grishaverse, where would you go?

A: I would travel to Ketterdam to study at the university. I absolutely fell in love with the description in the book, with its crooked little alleyways filled with bookbinders and apothecaries. It reminds me so much of Oxford University in real life. I had the opportunity to conduct archival research at Oxford as a visiting scholar when I was in graduate school. During my two summers in England, I spent hours nestled in the Bodleian Library, surrounded by stacks of books. The design of the Boeksplein is basically the same, but with more interesting gargoyles. I am also about to begin my career as a university professor, so the University of Ketterdam just seems like a good fit… as long as gunfights don’t break out in the reading room.

Q: Apart from sight, what is your favourite of the senses to describe when writing?

A: I absolutely love writing with sound, especially words with subtle onomatopoeia. I love the rustle of leaves on a crisp autumn morning, and the murmur of the wind through the branches of a willow tree. I draw quite a bit of inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe here. When I was young, I fell in love with his description of a heartbeat in “The Tell-Tale Heart.” His poem “The Bells” is absolutely mesmerizing to me, and I borrow sounds from it all the time. Indeed, Poe talks quite a bit about the importance of sound in creating mood in one of his essays—“The Philosophy of Composition”—and it is something I think about quite a bit when I write. I love to use the ticking of clocks and the dripping of water to stretch silences. Finally, I absolutely love movies like the Quiet Place franchise because they are a study in soundscapes. In another life, I think it would have been really cool to become a foley artist in the film industry.

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Part Two: Selected Works

Sleep No More

Teen | 51.1K | Wesper Modern AU, NYC, Homelessness, Angst with a Happy Ending

Sleep No More is my love letter to New York City. In the opening scene, Wylan wakes up on the 7-train as it leaves the tunnel at Hunters Point Avenue. The glare flickers beneath his eyelids, making it impossible to sleep.  I took the same commute on the 7-train for several years when I was working out at a school in Queens. I would spend over an hour on the train, listening to Crooked Kingdom and other audiobooks on my commute. On one of those commutes, I started to consider the challenges Wylan would face as an unhoused teenager in the city. The story evolved from there to include alternating point-of-view chapters between Wylan and Jesper, and of course, some guest appearances from other crows, as they work together to outwit Jan Van Eck.

Musée des Beaux Arts

Teen | 24.6K | Gen with background Wesper, Kanej Friendship, Pre-Canon, Post-Canon, Ableism, Happy Ending

I wrote Musée des Beaux Arts during the Six of Crows Big Bang event back in 2022. I wanted to explore how Wylan and Kaz complement each other as character foils throughout the series. Therefore, the story includes alternating point-of-view chapters, starting with the Queen’s Lady Plague. The title comes from a poem of the same name by W.H. Auden, and I tried to incorporate themes from that poem throughout the story. The poem, in particular, discusses a Pieter Bruegel painting called Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. Therefore, artwork plays a central role throughout the narrative. Each chapter shares a title with a famous painting from the Dutch Golden Age. My favorite chapter is probably the third because I had so much fun writing Jesper. 

Sankta Margaretha and Other Tales Of Sorrow

Teen | 18.4K | Kanej  Hurt/Comfort, Family, Angst, Implied/Referenced Non-con

This was the first story that I ever wrote for the Six of Crows fandom, and it is easily my most popular fic. It follows Mama and Papa Ghafa on their journey to Ketterdam to reunite with their daughter. I had so much fun developing the unique narrative voices for both Mama Ghafa and Papa Ghafa. The Lives of the Saints features heavily in this fic as well. I fell in love with the story of Sankta Margaretha when I first read it, and I wanted to infuse as much of that mythos into the story as possible. It is, at its core, a story about faith and forgiveness. Plus, I got to write one of my favorite interactions between Papa Ghafa and Kaz Brekker. 

Escapology

Teen | 2.2K | Gen  Modern AU, Escape Rooms, Friendship, Humor

Escapology is such a self-indulgent little fic. I am an escape room enthusiast in real life. I have traveled to multiple cities with my friends to complete escape rooms. We have, to date, done thirty-nine rooms together as a team. I wanted to explore the chaotic energy of a Modern AU where the Crows work together to escape an Ice Court-themed escape room. Kuwei is their poor, exhausted gamemaster.  If we ever get our Six of Crows spin-off, I need Netflix to create an exclusive Ice Court escape room in real life. Can you imagine how fun it would be? 

Pas De Deaux 

Teen | 9.7K | Wesper Holidays, Healing, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Post-Canon

I am so fond of this little fic, and not very many people have read it compared to some of the others, but I am not surprised because it was a winter fic that was published well after the winter holidays. It is heavily inspired by the Soldier Prince story in The Language of Thorns, which was in turn heavily inspired by The Nutcracker Suite. Wylan is struggling with less-than-happy memories during Nachtspel, and Jesper helps him make new memories. I started this story writing the kiss at the end, and then had to write nine thousand words to actually get to the kiss.

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Part Three: Author's Recs

Bright Morning Stars by endoftheworld 

Mature | 163.5K | Wesper Hunger Games Crossover, Canon Typical Violence, Rebellion

This is the second story in Now We Are All Chosen Ones. While I would encourage you to read the opening story in the series first, it can absolutely stand on its own as a self-contained story. Jesper has always known that he would be reaped for the Hunger Games. It was only a matter of time. Meanwhile, Wylan is the son of the president, and he begins to realize that he is being watched. Bright Morning Stars keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, and I absolutely love how the author wove together Six of Crows and the Hunger Games. 

hybrid signal by pyrrhlc

Mature | 110K | Kanej with background Wesper, Helnik  Fairy Tale Curses, Haunted House, Monster Kaz, Hurt/Comfort

Written through the lens of a Beauty and the Beast AU, this is an absolutely gorgeous exploration of not only the love between Kaz and Inej, but also the meaning of forgiveness in all its forms. The worldbuilding is stunning, and I loved how the enchantment transformed each of the crows. There are tragic notes to it, of course, there is an eventual happy ending. 

crystal cut by twosoulsinonehome

Mature | 107K | Wesper Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Figure Skating, Hurt/Comfort

I have reread this fic at least three times since the final chapter was posted in February. It is a figure skating AU. I know nothing about figure skating. However, I was absolutely entranced by the annoyances-to-lovers dynamic throughout the fic. Wylan is a figure skater. Jesper is his coach. Will they kill each other before the end of the season? Or will they kiss each other senseless instead? (Who am I kidding? You already know the answer to that question.)

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Please support our authors by commenting and leaving kudos on any stories of theirs you read and enjoy! Don't forget to also reblog this post and check back soon for our next author spotlight to come.

Interested in joining our server and getting to know our community? Feel free to request an invite via the @i-can-read-to-him ask box.

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Caterellie's writing!

Socials: @hotpinkmurex (Tumblr) | HotPinkMurex (AO3)

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Part One: Author Interview

Q: When did you first start writing? What keeps you going today?

A: I started writing last year, precisely when Shadow and Bone season 2 was released. Jesper falling for Wylan while he played Alby Rollin's piano was too inspiring to ignore. I had been in the habit of daydreaming little "fix-it" or "future" scenarios for my favourite books and TV shows for some time, I just finally decided to write them down. I continue to write so that I will get better. And I have got addicted to the buzz that comes from the story on the page being even 50% like the one in your head.

Q: What is one of your favourite scenes from the source material (book or show)?

A: My favourite scene in the TV show is Wylan saying "hello" to the cyan morphos in the garden in Shu Han, while his friends are quietly dying on the other side of the wall. Seems pretty representative of the competing vibes of the show, the books and the character. And has there ever been a more apt metaphor for why Jesper and Wylan work so well together, than pretty little butterflies processing poisonous nectar to get at the sugar and help the flowers grow? Probably actually. Leigh Bardugo is an excellent writer. As for the books, it's got to be Jesper's "But that's not all that I want" line while holding Wylan by the satchel. Och! My heart!

Q: If you could change anything about (book or show) canon, what would it be?

A: I know it fits the story... and the traumatic histories of the characters... and Inej's self-worth and all that... But I wanted some Kanej babies.

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Part Two: Selected Works

A Little More Light Role Play

Teen | 33.7K+ (WIP) | Wesper Historical Fantasy, Romance, Slowburn

Historical Royalty AU remix of stormkpr's fic. Jesper is the Prince, Wylan is the evil Duke's forgotten son, and the Crows and Wylan's half-brother get to hang out in a fairytale inspired world for the summer while falling in love.  More 'Ever After' than 'Cinderella'.

What's truth but what we with say it is?

Explicit | 93.8K | Wesper Modern AU, Romance, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort

Pretty Woman AU remix of tinyarmedtrex's fic. Jesper is a rich playboy lost in life, Wylan is a street hustler with a traumatic past. They meet, fall in love, and then claw their way through everything else to find their happy end.

A Summer Of (Not Quite) Love

Explicit | 31.8K | Kylan, Wesper Smut, PWP, Seduction, Drinking, POV Wylan

Jesper and Wylan are living a happy mercher life together after the events of Crooked Kingdom.  Kaz and Inej are slowly working through their issues (with the help of Nina). When Jesper and Wylan decide to explore an open relationship while Jesper is in Noyvi Zem for the summer, and Inej is busy sailing the high seas, Wylan picks Kaz as his target. Complications ensue.

Words are not the only things that matter

Mature | 11.3K | Wesper Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Happy Ending

After the events of season 2 (and deleted scenes) Kaz reveals Wylan's true identity and Jesper's reaction is... not good. Things are said, truths come out, strength of character is shown.

Still Small Hours

Mature | 26.3K | Wesper Falling in Love, Angst, Slow Burn, Happy Ending

Jesper and Wylan's love story from season 2 of Shadow and Bone. My first fan fic and it is rough. But it gets better towards the end.

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Part Three: Author's Recs

Caterellie says: I have lots of fic recommendations for stories with trigger warnings and darker material, but these fics are the kind I would like to be able to write one day.

Tea for Two by RoyalAsstronaut

Explicit | 9.7K | Wesper Domestic Fluff, Smut, Canon Backstory, Teasing

Jesper and Wylan have some sweet, smutty adventures after Crooked Kingdom ends and the medik fixes Wylan's ribs. Great characters and great dialogue.

A roll of the dice by @tinyarmedtrex

Mature | 1.8K | Wesper First Meeting, Strangers to Lovers, One Night Stand

Jesper and Wylan's meeting before the events of season 2. Sweet and bittersweet. With stroopwafels and efficient storytelling.

When Crows Blush by talking-crow (this-treasure-hunter)

Explicit | 9.2K | Wesper Modern AU, Coworkers, Office Romance, Smut

Modern Universe AU where Jesper and Wylan are office workers flirting shamelessly with each other. And dyslexic Wylan gets to make use of text-to-speech software (heart eyes).

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Please support our authors by commenting and leaving kudos on any stories of theirs you read and enjoy! Don't forget to also reblog this post and check back soon for our next author spotlight to come.

Interested in joining our server and getting to know our community? Feel free to request an invite via the @i-can-read-to-him ask box.

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Stormkpr's writing!

Socials: @stormkpr (Tumblr) | Stormkpr (AO3)

❀

Part One: Author Interview

Q: When did you first start writing? What keeps you going today?

A: I’ve been doing this a long time. Got into reading and writing fanfic after one of the X-men movies, and I felt  a huge rush when I posted my first fic – and realized I don’t have to keep pestering my real life friends to read them! As for motivation, that is a strength for me and it just seems to come from within.

Q: Have you had a chance to interact with the SAB cast? Tell us about your experience(s).

A: I was very, very lucky to get to go to Into the Fold in March of this year! I could spend 3,000 words on a recap, but I’ll just try to give the highlights. I loved that on the first day, all the attendees were sitting at round tables in a large hotel room. Then the cast comes in. They rotate each member of the cast to each table. It was so well-organized and I felt like we got a decent amount of time with everybody. I also loved some of the tidbits we got later on in the conference, such as Jack telling us about the deleted Wesper scene and how there was more to it. Wylan had made tea, and Jesper commented that it’s great to have a chemist make your tea. And I love that Jack said how good of a scene partner Kit was, and the way he made him comfortable during the scene where Jack is actually driving a real carriage.

Q: Tell us about something in your fics that you’re proud of and wish would get more notice.

A: I love that many of my fics have plots. Nothing wrong with a fic that is more about ‘all the feels’ and I have written my share of fics that contain mostly smut. But I love creating storylines and thinking of a few twists.

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Part Two: Selected Works

How to Train Your Gladiator

Explicit | 72.8K | Wesper, Kanej, Helnik Historical Fiction (Ancient Rome), Romance

This is my highest kudo-ed Crows fic so I am starting with this one. We have a world of gladiators and arena battles, and each Crow must find a way to survive and to love. I had a blast thinking up storylines and how each ship would ultimately get together, stay together, and triumph.

A Feral Yearning

Teen | 3.4K | Wesper Oneshot, Modern AU, Vampire AU

From my highest to my lowest kudo-ed Wesper fic. It didn’t get much traction but I loved wrapping up this vampire AU in a one-shot. I liked that it kind of kept you guessing, and writing Vampire Jesper was a blast!

I Am He That Aches With Love

Explicit | 15K | Wesper Canon compliant, Revealing Your Truth, Light Smut

Things are getting serious between Wylan and Jesper. They’ve just taken part in Kaz’s successful revenge scheme against Pekka Rollins and are ready to relax – perhaps going together to Poppy’s show. Or perhaps something more intimate, just the two of them. But before anything more intimate can happen, Wylan has something important that he has to tell Jesper – and he’s scared to do so.

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Part Three: Author's Recs

To Live In Color by @sixofcrowdaydreams

Explicit | 39K+ (WIP) | Wesper Cinderella AU, Child Abuse, Wylan-centric, Angst w/ Happy Ending

Perfect mix of plot and writing and all the Wesper feels! I could go on and on. Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

What's truth but what we with say it is? by @hotpinkmurex

Explicit | 93.8K | Wesper Modern AU, Romance, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort

The Pretty Woman Wesper AU you’ve always needed

Hot and Heavy by @magicandpizza

Explicit | 3,400 (Complete) | Wesper PWP, Shameless Smut, Sassy Wylan, Bottom!Wylan, Top!Jesper

Really, really good smut. It's hot, Jesper is a tease and Wylan is horny. That's it, that's the plot. (And what more do we need?)

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Please support our authors by commenting and leaving kudos on any stories of theirs you read and enjoy! Don't forget to also reblog this post and check back soon for our next author spotlight to come.

Interested in joining our server and getting to know our community? Feel free to request an invite via the @i-can-read-to-him ask box.

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Lou's writing!

Socials: @waterloou (Tumblr) | hugharekillianmelou (AO3)

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Part One: Author Interview

Q: What do you consider your strengths as a writer?

A: I’m using these quotes from sparrow bc I’m gonna be honest and say I really don’t know how to perceive myself: “Off the top of my head, I would say you are very good at lyrical prose, imagery and atmosphere, thoughtful characterization, anddd I don’t know how to articulate this as cleanly, but like… the way you handle dark subject matter (like MCD) in a way that makes it feel... like something that should be dangerous to handle, but it is safely contained. Like one of those poisonous Victorian era books with the striking green colour [Scheele's Green] displayed in a glass case. Also, you maintain canon characterization even in AU settings, which is honestly a skill not everyone has. I love AUs, but some people lose sight of canon so quick and it ends up feeling very OOC.”

Q: What’s your favourite fic you’ve written for this fandom?

A: It’s called Lay Me Gently in the Cold Dark Earth and it’s from Wylan’s perspective when he’s 6 feet under and how he interacts with the earth around him and Jesper. Idk how else to describe it. 

Q: What advice do you have for those facing writer’s block?

A: My only suggestion is just to switch to notebooks and use prompt lists. I struggle with writers block far too much it’s hard for me to sit down and write something most of the time. 

Q: When did you first start writing? What keeps you going today?

A: Jonas Brothers YouTube imagines. I had a little flip notebook on a family vacation and lots of time to kill so I wrote my own imagines/fanfiction. It was also like not a self insert but like I’d insert someone age appropriate and live vicariously through them.  I have so so many ideas and only I can execute them correctly so obviously I need to keep writing. It’s a tough job but if I want the content I need to make it 

Q: Who is your favourite character? What do you love about them?

A: JESPER LLEWELLYN FAHEY!!!! He’s just so complex and loving and I also relate to him most bc of his sadness and feelings of inadequacy and using humor as a cover up. I saw the trailers before I read the books and then I read the books before I watched the show but that one clip of Jesper in those first trailers had me hooked ever since.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the Grishaverse, where would you go?

A: Shu Han because it looks like I’d have the most fun there. 

Q: If you could be friends with any character in the Grishaverse, who would it be?

A: Tolya!!! He’s got a lovely disposition and it’s nice to have someone with similar interests.

Q: Have you had a chance to interact with the SAB cast? Tell us about your experience(s).

A: The only interaction I’ve had is Jack liking my drawing of him. Honestly tho even tho this cast is amazing I think I’d be fine never meeting any of them. There’s already all my questions answered and I’d probably make a fool out of myself if I met them. 

Q: What are some recurring themes you’ve noticed in your writing?

A: I am using more sparrow quotes bc my only answer was “Hozier coded” and idk if that answer was enough: “I think grief/death/mourning is definitely something that comes up a lot. Related to that... I want to say 'transcendent love,' if that makes sense. Definitely also strong platonic bonds, so friendship... Oh, balance and opposites (how the latter interacts and achieves balance)... sometimes with concepts like life and death, but also with people like Wylan and Jesper.” Ty sparrow ur iconic 

Q: What kind of music do you like to listen to while writing?

A: Hozier, lots of like folk or floaty type of genres. 

Q: Are there any songs you strongly associate with a favourite character or ship?

A: "half return" by Adrianne Lenker could be associated with either Wylan or Jesper and their childhoods. I do think it’s odd that this is the first fandom where music is not the driving force of my writing or associating with characters.

Q: What is one of your favourite scenes from the source material (book or show)?

A: Jesper’s introduction in the show is a classic and he’s just SO COOL.

Q: If could change anything about (book or show) canon, what would it be?

A: 😭 besides it being cancelled? Matthias’ fate. 

Q: What are some headcanons you have that you consider your personal canon?

A: MODERN AU: Jesper is an engineering major. Wylan is a chemistry major (hates it), switches to biology and music double major. Jesper makes and sells jewelry on the side.  REGULAR SETTING: Jesper lives for a long long time and Wylan reincarnates many times and they are together until they both pass. 

Q: Tell us about something in your fics that you’re proud of and wish would get more notice.

A: I do like the poetic flow they have from time to time! It’s nice reading something I wrote and being invested. This is a cop out answer but I think they’ve been appreciated an adequate amount! Everyone is so sweet reading and commenting!

Q: What’s something you haven’t written yet, but want to write in the future?

A: OH BOY I have a list: - This is written but mouse wylan  - sci fi au  - Hozier song wesper series  - human meat business crows serial killers  - Hellraiser au wesper  - whump wesper jesper shot  - Halloween series  - vampire crows au 

Q: What’s something you wish you could write, but don’t think you ever will?

A: Most of the ideas listed above. My brain just doesn’t want to write the ideas. Also Smut. Did it once idk if I could write it again

Q: How do you feel about your fics being translated into other languages?

A: Go ham. As long as it’s credited to me idc

Q: Apart from sight, what is your favourite of the senses to describe when writing?

A: Touch I love touch descriptions because you can get an insight into how the characters experience the world.

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Part Two: Selected Works

Two corpses we were, two corpses I saw

Not Rated | 275 words | Wesper Hozier coded, Decay, Burial, Happy Ending

Short diddy about knight/pianist wesper

Golden slumbers

Teen | 460 words | Wesper Grief/Mourning, Pre-Grief, Aging, Jesper-centric

Jesper would always be a mourner

Lay me gently in the cold dark earth

Not Rated | 388 words | Wesper Hozier coded, POV Wylan, Character Death, Happy Ending

Wylan needs Jesper, even after life

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Part Three: Author's Recs

without pity by demigodbeautiies

Mature | 21.9K | Wesper Non-Con Drug Use, Whump, Mild Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending

It’s 10 am on a Wednesday when Wylan Van Eck’s life crumbles around him. Which feels ridiculous, honestly, but that’s life, isn’t it?  - Jesper gets drugged with jurda parem. Wylan tries his best to deal with it. That, apparently, is hard to do when his life is falling apart.

A Lack Of Air Supply by Milkfrog

Mature | 106.7K | Wesper Past Child Abuse, Agoraphobia, Hurt/Comfort, Hurt Wylan Van Eck

"Wylan Van Eck, until the age of 8, felt like royalty. Like the world was made for him, and him alone. He could do anything he wanted to. He could dream of a future so expansive he'd have to live multiple lives in order to fit everything he wanted to do. But Wylan Van Eck, at 22 years old, cannot even leave his apartment." (aka. Wylan has agoraphobia n Jesper moves into the apartment next to him <3)

only love can hurt like this by leehab23

Explicit | 82.2K | Wesper, Kanej Jesper-centric, Second Chance Romance, Pining, Angst, Happy Ending

“I need a drink,” Kaz said. With that, Jesper could agree. “Lead the way.” Kaz took one step and froze, swearing under his breath. Jesper followed his eyeline, his blood turning to ice when he saw what—or rather who—Kaz had noticed across the room. OR: After running away three years ago to Novyi Zem, Jesper finds himself back in Ketterdam. He agrees to pose as Kaz’s date for a job and has an unfortunate run-in with a certain red-headed ex.

Before Sunrise by @aphroditestummyrolls

General | 2.1K | Colm & Jesper, Colm/Aditi Good Parent Colm Fahey, Colm-centric, Baby Jesper

He’d like to say he expected it— it’s a well known fact that babies cry. The first months of parenthood are a tiring business. That was what everyone said, and the ones who didn’t say it were certainly thinking it. But, not all babies cried like Jesper Fahey cried. Just like every night for the past 2 and a half months, the second Addy stopped her gentle rocking and pacing, it started up again— first, as disgruntled fussing, huffing and puffing like a grumpy little bear cub. His downy fluff of curls pressed against his mama’s palm as he scrubbed his nose into her collarbone, tiny fist clenching in her night dress. Colm sighed. OR Jesper is a colicky little baby, and Colm just wants his poor wife to be able to sleep.

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Please support our authors by commenting and leaving kudos on any stories of theirs you read and enjoy! Don't forget to also reblog this post and check back soon for our next author spotlight to come.

Interested in joining our server and getting to know our community? Feel free to request an invite via the @i-can-read-to-him ask box.

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Elias's writing!

Socials: @starwritebrekker (Tumblr) | starlightwrite (AO3) | starwritecos (TikTok) | wellelwrites (Instagram)

❀

Part One: Author Interview

Q: What’s your favourite fic you’ve written for this fandom?

A: Do Us Part! It’s my first time writing a modern AU and I’m loving the challenge of finding modern day equivalents to the Crows world.

Q: When did you first start writing? What keeps you going today?

A: I’ve been writing stories since elementary school, earliest I can remember is second grade (seven years old). What keeps me writing is how much writing feels like a release. I’m not very good at speaking what’s going on in my head (see: neurodivergent), and writing it out helps me comprehend my own thoughts more and it helps me communicate my thoughts much better. It is my favorite form of expression.

Q: Who is your favourite character? What do you love about them?

A: Kaz Brekker. This boy is the embodiment of a person in survival mode for most of their life and not truly understanding what it is to come out of it. The world has hardened him but inside him, despite his best efforts, there is still that hope. That heart.

Q: Have you had a chance to interact with the SAB cast? Tell us about your experience(s).

A: Amita liked the photo of my Dregs tattoo on instagram! I love her so much and I’m so glad she interacts with the fandom so much as well.

Q: If you could be friends with any character in the Grishaverse, who would it be?

A: Matthias and I both grew up with organized religion being the backbone of our perspective of the world, so I feel like he and I could get along well. I want to give all the crows a hug (an air hug for Kaz).

Q: What are some headcanons you have that you consider your personal canon?

A: Kaz Rietveld-Brekker is transmasc. Argue with the wall XD. (I am nonbinary transmasc I hold this headcanon so close to my heart).

Q: Are there any songs you strongly associate with a favourite character or ship?

A: Francesca by Hozier is Kanej coded.

Q: How do you feel about your fics being translated into other languages?

A: Go forth and translate (just give me credit please and thank youuuuu)!

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Part Two: Selected Works

Do Us Part

Teen | 4.1K | Kanej, Wesper, Helnik Modern AU, Mentioned Character Death, The dog lives In Progress

Part of the Wesper Fic Club Big Bang 2024! The Crows run a funeral home in the suburbs of a modern day Ketterdam. There’s death. There’s a dog. There’s healing. There’s still a dog.

No Funerals

Teen | 10.1K | Kanej, mentioned Wesper, mentioned Helnik Vampire AU, slowburn, Wesper Child, Alby Rollins is there In Progress

There’s a figure that haunts the Barrel at night since time immemorial, he exists in the shadows and watery reflections of the canals of Ketterdam. He was once the undisputed king of the city, and now? He runs a gang of misfits and swindles the merchant council, not even death can escape his cheating. 

Forever Not to Disappear

Teen | 20.5K | Kanej, Wesper Sickfic, slowburn, healing from trauma In Progress

Kaz Brekker is stuck in bed (it’s a bad illness day) and is forced to reflect and process his emotions.

Clouded Judgement

Teen | 441 words | Kanej, Wesper Stream of Consciousness, Wishful thinking, Reflective Kaz Brekker Completed

Post-Season Two finale of Shadow and Bone, Kaz is hoveled up in his room, and his mind never stops moving. Nor does his pen.

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Part Three: Author's Recs

I’m The Perfect Stranger Who Knows You Too Well by @remadora-black / actressforever14 (my sister Cassie!)

Teen | 54.9K | Kanej, Wesper, Helnik Jordie Rietveld Lives, Childhood Trauma, Major Illness In Progress

Cassie’s description: What if Jordie did not die of Firepox? What if, instead, when Kaz returned from the Barge, his brother was waiting for him. Firepox would leave them both forever changed, but how will the course of the rest of their lives go? What will happen to Jordie when he realizes his little brother is no longer the boy he knew before, and that he has been left with a shell of a boy with only one thing on his mind: vengeance?

What the Water Gave Me by 19burstraat (astardanced)

Teen | 23.9K | Kanej, Crows friendship Post Canon, Canon Divergence, Angst With A Happy Ending Completed

Kaz as a Tidemaker. Get into it. Kaz as a grisha is extremely my sh*t. 

You’re A Dog And I’m Your Man by limelacroix

Not Rated | 27.8K | Kanej, Wesper Kaz Brekker gets a dog, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Kaz Brekker gets a dog. That’s the whole thing.Also extremely my sh*t

The Unexpected Visitor by insignificant457

Mature 90.9K | Kanej Post-canon, Implied/referenced SA, Implied/referenced sex In Progress

Inej brings one Bastard of the Barrel to the caravans for a family wedding. Hijinks ensue.

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Please support our authors by commenting and leaving kudos on any stories of theirs you read and enjoy! Don't forget to also reblog this post and check back soon for our next author spotlight to come.

Interested in joining our server and getting to know our community? Feel free to request an invite via the @i-can-read-to-him ask box.

[i-can-read-to-him]

The Wesper Fic Club's Author Spotlight is a post series that aims to feature two to three fic authors a month, randomly selected from a pool of names put forth on our server. The authors are then asked to answer three interview questions, select up to five of their fics for us to feature, and finally, recommend three fics by others in the fandom.

(Note: Our spotlighted fics are not limited to Wesper, though they tend to be a central pairing in most of our authors' featured works.)

This week, we are putting a spotlight on Daydreams' writing!

Socials: @sixofcrowdaydreams (Tumblr) | Pen_n_Notebook (AO3)

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Part One: Author Interview

Q: What’s something you haven’t written yet, but want to write in the future?

A: Lol. My Wesper Big Bang story!  So I have a handful of fic ideas saved in a google doc folder, but one particular AU fic that tickles my interest is a Firefly AU. I’d love to write about the Crows in Space! Crows in the Wild West with a Cowboy aesthetic, sign me up!! Please say that someone sees the potential of this vision too. Thief and Information broker Kaz who captains a smuggling ship outside the reach of the government in the lawlessness of the border planets at the edge of space. First mate Inej who prefers a knife over a gun as she searches each planet to reunite with her family. Gun for hire Jesper outrunning his debts. And their three new passengers: companion turned spy Nina, former Alliance and current convict Matthias, and runaway Wylan with a talent for mechanical repair. Everyone on the ship has a reason for running. When their ship catches the attention of the Alliance, it’s anyone’s guess who the government is really chasing. It’s going to take all six of their skill sets to outmaneuver the most powerful organization in the universe.  There’s half a plot in my head already.

Q: What is one of your favorite scenes from the source material (book or show)?)

A: My favorite scene from the book is Jesper and Wylan’s trip to Saint Hilde. Everything about it it wonderful, from their hilarious, flirty wagon ride, to Wylan’s discovering his mother is alive and playing music for her, MVP Jesper keeping their disguises up and helping Wylan hold himself together long enough to meet Marya and get out, Jesper snatching a portrait of Wylan, and most of all, Wylan’s emotional breakdown on the dusty road as they leave. And Wylan’s backstory, his arrival in the Barrel and meeting Jesper at the tannery… that chapter owns my heart. It highlights Wylan and Jesper and is extremely angsty and emotional. Just everything I could want.  As for the show, my favorite is the Wesper deleted scene. Soft, domestic Wesper half undressed. Jesper soothing Wylan’s sad memories by giving him a place to belong and making him feel wanted. Complete devotion without any hesitation. Speed running a relationship just because it’s what they want so they’re going to pursue it. *sobs* They’re so beautiful.

Q: Tell us about something in your fics that you’re proud of and wish would get more notice. [Admin Note: Major spoilers below for Daydreams' Cinderella AU, To Live in Color!]

A: I am very proud of the foreshadowing and set up of plot points in To Live in Color. Multiple times the groundwork was laid several chapters in advance. And maybe this is just what writing is supposed to do, but I’m still quite proud of it. For example, In chapter 2 Wylan thinks about how absurd it would be to meet and fall in love with the prince. This was to prepare the reader by telling them there will be no prince in this Cinderella AU because that’s not Jesper’s role in this story. When the letters from Wylan’s mother were introduced in chapter 3, there is a line that says that Wylan will never know what the letters say. This isn’t because he can’t read them, it’s because the letters would be destroyed before he could ever find out. The vinegar Wylan uses to escape Prior and Miggson in chapter 7 was first introduced in chapter 3 to clean up after Alys’ morning sickness. Wylan also mentions getting it out after dinner in chapter 6 because Alys looks sick again. (She’s not, she’s just sad about Marlies leaving). Wylan never had the chance to put it away because he was beaten later that night. Therefore, it was laying out in his sight right before he uses it to escape in Chapter 7. There’s a few smaller moments too, but I’m very proud of building all of these events so that they didn’t feel rushed or unexpected.

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Part Two: Selected Works

To Live in Color

Explicit | 52K | Wesper Angst, Romance, Drama, Smut, Happy Ending

CW for abuse.

Wesper Cinderella AU Unable to become the merchant heir his father wants, Wylan grew up as a servant in his own house. Everything changes when Wylan sneaks into the masquerade ball and meets a handsome sharpshooter and the criminal crew he runs with carrying out a heist at the palace.

Reading WIP (Tumblr)

General | 550 | General Angst, Medical Trauma, Wylan’s Childhood

CW for nausea and (non-graphic) vomiting.

A snippet from a WIP about Wylan’s relationship with reading over the years.  Wylan should feel grateful, he supposes, that the physician’s latest attempt to cure his deficiency also dulls his appetite.

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Part Three: Author's Recs

Daydreams says: Because I only have one fic and a short snippet, I’ll share a longer recommendation list.

Of Bronze and Blaze by amagicbeyond

Mature | 166K | Wesper Drama, Romance, Book/Show Canon, Angst with a Happy Ending

CW for smut and addiction.

The Wesper-centric Shadow and Bone, Six of Crows spin off of the Ice Court Heist we deserve. Action. Adventure. Perfect melding of canons with some new twists. Tender Wesper and a whole lot of plot!

Deal with the Devil by LoneswaggingRanger

Mature | 8K | Wesper Hurt/Comfort, Past Trauma, Past Sexual Abuse, Whump

CW for implied/referenced rape/non-con, implied/referenced dubious consent, past sexual abuse, and past trauma.

Wylan assumes the Bastard of the Barrel wants more from him than just his skill with a chemistry set. After all, that’s what everyone else in the Barrel wants from him.  Wylan has a complicated relationship with sex. He still wants Jesper but… it’s complicated. An amazing gritty depiction referencing what Wylan’s survival in the Barrel entailed before meeting Kaz and how deeply it affects his new relationship with Jesper. 

And Sonatas in my Head by osco_blue_fairy

Explicit | 40K | Wesper Angst, Character Study, Canon Compliant, Eventual Romance

CW for smut.

Moments and missing scenes of Shadow and Bone told through Wylan’s perspective. My absolute favorite interpretation of the time between Wylan crawling out of the canal and meeting Kaz. And Wylan and Jesper’s steamy stroopwafel date. Excellent character and relationship study. 20/10 go read it now. 

you talk of the pain (like it's all alright) by The_Lady_King 

Teen | 5K | Wesper Angst, Character Study, Abuse, Ableism, 5+1 Fic

CW for child abuse and bad parent Jan Van Eck.

Author Summary: 5 times Wylan doesn’t feel safe, and 1 time he does.  Such a realistic portrayal of abuse and the fear it creates. Wylan slowly realizes his father’s behavior was never his fault, and it’s equally heart warming as it is heart wrenching.

Show Me Yours by poorlittlegreenie

Mature | 19K | Wesper Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, Relationship Study

CW for child abuse, addiction, and mild sexual content.

Jesper and Wylan both entered the Barrel with their own secrets and shames. Slowly, they can work through what those mean for themselves and each other while being in a relationship. A fabulous character study not only individually, but together as a couple and how their own anxieties and concerns for the other affect their relationship as they get to know each other better. Excellent characterization, world building, and a deeply satisfying ending. 

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Please support our authors by commenting and leaving kudos on any stories of theirs you read and enjoy! Don't forget to also reblog this post and check back soon for our next author spotlight to come.

Interested in joining our server and getting to know our community? Feel free to request an invite via the @i-can-read-to-him ask box.