Happy 10 Year Anniversary, @lqtraintracks!
I have waxed poetic about my admiration for @lqtraintracks on Tumblr, on Discord, in AO3 comments, and in their DMs. It is no secret that I’m a massive fan of their work, and I’ll get into one of those fics in particular later.
I’ve said this before, but I posted my first fic on AO3 in April and I finally caved and made a Tumblr in June. I remember making my profile and my intro post, and following the authors I knew of at the time and could find. Lqt was one of the first, if not the first person I followed.
Soon after, I got a notification. “lqtraintracks started following phoebe-delia”
The person who had written some of my all-time favorite fics, and who was a big reason why I had decided to start writing Drarry in the first place, was my very first follower on Tumblr.
I lost my fucking marbles. And when I found them, I lost them again.
Once the shock finally settled, it occurred to me that this person had 1. Never knowingly interacted with me before (I’d commented on Right Hand Red under another username) and 2. Had probably seen my bio and intro post about being a new Drarry writer and then just…followed me back.
It was then that lqt became a role model for me for more than just writing.
I have made a conscious effort to be as generous, heartfelt, and open as lqt was and continues to be. Since then, they have been kind and patient with my constant fangirling, and they have even taken the time to read a few bits of my work on Tumblr and reblog them with lovely feedback. I’ve gotten asks in the past about which comments mean the most to me, and while a few heartfelt ones on AO3 come to mind, so does even the simplest praise from this writer and person I admire so much.
While I will always and forever be a fan of their work, I am extremely grateful for the chance to get to know them a little better as a person. One of the highlights of my birthday was talking with them over DM, and there have been other chances for us to connect. When I first started reading fanfic a couple years ago, their writing (and fic in general) was a big escape for me during a hard time. Now, this year has been incredibly difficult for reasons that I won’t share here, but lqt’s words—both in fic and in conversation—have made this time more bearable for me.
I am by no means the first or the last person to have been forever changed by Lqt’s work and their kindness, but I feel remarkably lucky to have befriended the person whose work I read late into the night, tucked into bed and wondering if I’d ever be as free as Harry and Draco speeding down the highway.
I’d say I can’t believe you’ve been writing fic for 10 years, but it’s obvious from your skill, your insight and your generosity. I think we all discover fic and fandom at the right time—much like how a certain Wailing Warner knows when it’s needed most and when it’s not. For me, I found your fics and RHR at the time I needed them. I joined the fandom and made a tumblr at the time you happened to be on to return my follow. Your WOD gift fic came at the lowest point in my life so far—when I’ve needed it most.
That being said, I now get to ramble on about the only fic to rival RHR for my favorite by lqt: 28 Minutes in Heaven, the one they wrote me for the WOD gift exchange. It is 11k of party games and falling in love and banter and humor and not knowing what you’re doing but allowing that to be okay. It has been pulling me through the moments I’ve needed it and I cannot rec it enough.
Thank you, lqt, for being there for the last ten years, making the work for us to find at the exact right time.
