#textbytiff

For Femslash February we're spotlighting ‘This Is How You Lose The Time War.’ The award-winning novella by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone captured fandom’s imagination with its poetic prose, time-traveling intrigue, and enemies-to-lovers sapphic romance between agents Red and Blue.

From its initial release in 2019 to its viral resurgence in 2023, the novella has inspired everything from lyrical fanfiction and stunning fanart to countless memes and emotional meta. Fans quote its lines like scripture, analyze every letter exchanged between its main characters, and use “this is how you lose the time war” as shorthand for beautiful heartbreak.

Want to learn more about the fandom’s devotion to Red and Blue? Check out its Fanlore page: This Is How You Lose the Time War - Fanlore

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