#harri writes

Thank you so much for sticking with my neglected baby!! I’m actually about 1/3rd through editing the next chapter, finally, though it’s slow-going. Life, etc. I appreciate hearing from you as I get back in the groove. 💗

So, the subject of Eliot’s book covers is something I’m [tentatively] planning on addressing in the third[ish] chapter, but the quick lowdown is his backlog historicals are done in oil-style, but not his significantly more popular contemporaries. Those are tied to a Netflix series, Bridgerton-style, and are therefore subject to a lot more control by a lot more higher-ups, so he doesn’t get much of a say. 

At the same time, the more popular he gets, the more his imprint at HarperCollins also wants to reissue the historical backlog with block-cartoon covers, since they’ll give the work more mainstream appeal, thus improving sales and The Brand. But Eliot refuses to budge, since he feels like he’s already compromised too much to get to where he is. [This is basically his non-romance internal struggle in the fic, though more to do with his queerness, which is in connection with Quentin’s internal struggle re: his autism.] Eliot takes the few remaining bodice-ripper covers as a symbol of resistance, and he’s pretty “cold dead hands” about them.

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Anchor Escapement

Written by: HMGfanfic Art by: Sirenia / @canonicallyhugedick Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply; Infidelity (not between Queliot), recreational drug use, alcohol abuse/alcoholism, mental health issues, references to suicidal ideation, references to cancer Word count: ~115K Relationships: Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh Summary:

Quentin is, of course, still curled in a ball when Eliot glides down beside him. He moves slowly, so as not to spook the poor thing, and it takes three gentle coughs from his throat before Quentin finally lifts his head from his hands, blinking at Eliot with a blank expression. Eliot gives him a small, hopefully genial smile. “Mind if I join you?” “Oh, Jesus Christ.” Quentin rolls his eyes back and slams his head into the wall.

Eliot Waugh has been captivated by Quentin Coldwater since the moment their eyes first met. Unfortunately, their eyes first met while Eliot was hooking up with Quentin’s boyfriend.

Thank you so much, anon!!!! I’ve had a rough few weeks, so this really brightened my day. 😭😭😭

Hm, good question. Low? Ish? Though I guess it depends on your threshold and definition. I’m often pretty bad at gauging, since half the time I think I’m writing fluff and people tell me I’ve written angst. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Mileage clearly varies.

What I can say is the vast majority of the conflict in Lesser Known Cliches originates and germinates from an internal/introspective place for Q, rather than any major push-pull between him and Eliot—and the internal turbulence in this one is fairly strong, as he’s coming out of an active depressive state and dealing with things he’s been pushing down for a long time [in-universe].

But if you’re specifically asking about romantic angst, well, at the risk of being cryptic, part of what I’m having fun doing in this fic is playing around with the traditional romance writing structure; all the parts will be there, but they’ll be presented differently and a major one—The Dark Night of the Soul—will play out very differently. I.e., I’ve written many Big Fights between Quentin and Eliot in my day, but this is a story where they’ll deal with [REDACTED] through an unusual framework and approach. It helps that they’re a little older here than I usually write, though that’s definitely not a catchall for, like, perfectly having their shit together, haha.

Hey anon :)

So, to be totally honest, the short answer is… no, I haven’t considered writing a resurrection fic and I likely never will.

The long answer is while I completely understand the desire for resurrection stories and I especially understand the desire for dealing with the trauma the show provided, my fanfiction "project" (if you will) has to do more with an interest in who the characters are outside of the established canon events/the machinations of Jane Chatwin, while using the information provided to puzzle out how they may or may not behave in different and often less acutely traumatic circumstances. I’m especially interested in the myriad lenses of Quentin and Eliot, who I do believe accidentally gave us one of the greatest love stories of all time. Their dynamic is endlessly fascinating and inspiring to me — but these days, in a way that exists almost exclusively outside canon. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And while their preexisting trauma certainly informs my stories and my versions of the characters in some major ways, I would never, ever describe myself as a Trauma Writer. Not my strength! I'm far more interested in Quentin's "proof of concept," or my theory that—if given the time and opportunity—Quentin and Eliot will find long-lasting romantic love in one another, both in ideal and not-so-ideal circumstances, based on who they are and how much they are drawn to, understand, and LIKE one another, despite their external differences, seemingly free of any outside influence. That’s the core of my writing… which can be applied to resurrection/the events of S4, of course, but I’m not sure I’d have the right knack for it.

(Also, the reality is, I couldn't read ANY resurrection fics for well over a year because the S4 finale fucked me up so badly. I’m genuinely not sure I would ever have the mental fortitude to seriously grapple with Quentin’s death, even if it was something I wanted to tackle. :-/)

Sorry if this is disappointing! But hey, if it helps, here are three of my favorite resurrection stories. The first of is immensely clever and the latter two just… always make me giddy (and cry!) with the core of romantic love between Quentin and Eliot that I center my own work around (which I assume interests you if you were hoping I’d write one!): Into the Woods Somewhere by pineapplecrushface baby, please come home by @ameliajessica  Unwish by waveleafcloud

ANON! You are so kind! This is something I work hard to achieve, especially with regard to Eliot, so I can’t tell you how much it means to me to have it work for someone and then recognized. Thank you. 😭

I guess when I say I’m not a Trauma Writer, I more meant that I don’t write stories wherein the processing of trauma is the primary theme, rather than a driving undercurrent. Maybe that’s splitting hairs, though. Either way, it’s all about the Hope, right?

Yeah, sorry 😞

…In seriousness, thank you!!!!! These kinds of messages make me all: