Ao3 author spotlight: ev09 (@a-contentious-ev-scenario)!
i'm back again. this wasn't the next one i had planned but it's ev09 appreciation day so i shuffled things around.
i've recommended ev's series before, but i can recommend it harder and with more detail and that's what i'm gonna do! but first, i cannot express enough how lovely she is as a person and how grateful i am to be able to call her my friend. not only is she an extremely talented author, she's also something of a genius who's been helping me out immensely with one of my fics (even if she keeps playing down her involvement) for no reason other than because i asked very nicely.
so, the fics. i could be lazy and rec the whole series, changed for worse maybe for better (but i love changing together) in bulk but i'll actually break it down into its individual fics because each one is so, so good
just a girl in a jigsaw puzzle (trying hard not to fall apart) [M] [Polytrix] [Complete]
a pre-huntr/x meeting fic
the series comes out swinging with this one. it hits hard with the angst of Rumi not knowing if she even has her fellow hunters and then gently hands you the comfort of knowing that she does and she will.
i absolutely love ev's interpretation of the honmoon here. there's just something about it that feels a little different to other versions i've seen, in the best way.
and yawn and stretch and try to come to life [M] [Polytrix] [Complete]
a teeny-tiny exploration into the celine-rumi dynamic and rumi's training (spoiler alert: she's kinda miserable)
and boy is she kinda miserable. Rumi and Celine have a fascinating dynamic here, something raw and difficult and damaged even while Rumi is so young.
even with the relationship being so harsh, don't be fooled into thinking this is a 'Celine is a villain' fic. there's love there, too, it's just a little faded and hard to see at the moment.
pale white skin (with strawberry gashes) [E] [Polytrix] [Complete]
where rumi's thoughts wandered in the shower in yawn and stretch.
ev has this talent of making things hurt in subtle ways, and this fic is an incredible example of that. it's on the shorter side, but jesus christ is so much packed into it. every word carries a weight and you can feel how it's weighing Rumi down
do mind the tags on this one, though. these punches are not being pulled.
can see it in your eyes (a spirit i recognize) [M] [Polytrix] [Complete]
they meet. for real this time.
Mira and Zoey's perspectives are so perfectly characterised. their sections establish who they are, their lives, their priorities, without giving too much away too quickly or feeling like we're being told what we already know.
and we get a little bit more of Celine, too. a look into her complexities and how she can hurt Rumi the way she does while still loving her. it perfectly sets up for the next fic in the series:
if you feel it (could you let me know) [M] [Polytrix] [Ongoing]
the awkwardness of becoming something together before you really understand what together means.
i could talk about this fic for hours. this is THE pre-canon fic to me. if we ever see what the girls were like pre-debut and it isn't this i'm gonna file a complaint.
the love between them is so clear and palpable but they're just all so hurt and they can't help but cut each other with their sharp edges because at the end of the day they're teenagers who are deeply hurt in one way or another. it doesn't feel like the conflict is forced, it feels completely natural for them to have these sorts of disagreements.
and holy shit the descriptions. i won't spoil it, but there's a section that's so visceral, so evocative, that i think about it constantly. every so often it just pops back into my head and i have to sit there and acknowledge that i get to read this for free.
the sun lights up your eyes (when you look at me) [T] [Polytrix, Rumira focus] [Complete]
Rumi’s still wearing that dumb grin, this time paired with a grey activewear set Mira had bought for her a few weeks back. As Mira watches, she shrugs off her cropped zip-up, revealing the matching form-fitting tank underneath, and. Well. Rumi’s all lean muscle and smooth skin, patterns arcing delicate and nacreous along her body, which is. Distracting, to be sure.
But not quite distracting enough to draw attention away from the very loud red paddle she’s now holding up like a particularly athletic, overenthusiastic bidder. Or distracting enough to make Mira forget about this god-awful situation her girlfriend had dragged her into.
“Pickleball!” Rumi announces happily, and Mira briefly contemplates death and the sweet, quiet relief it would bring.
and now for something completely different. this isn't part of the series, it's a delightfully fluffy post-canon oneshot that i finally made time to read tonight.
i'm gonna steal a bit of my own comment here, but the narration for this fic just oozes adoration. no matter what Mira is saying, it's so clear from how she's thinking and how the narration describes things how absolutely head-over-heels in love she is with both Rumi and Zoey.
and Rumi gets to be goofy and silly! she's happy and safe enough to do dumb shit, and it's so heartwarming to see.
this is a perfect palette cleanser from all the angst in the fandom. it's a little ray of sunshine, all warm and cozy. i can't recommend this enough. i'm so mad that it took me so long to read it.
please, please read ev's work. you won't be disappointed. i am not kidding when i say her series is the pre-canon series for me. she is such an immensely talented author.
