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just my style by thoughtsickles
15,443 words - Complete
“Harry is sick, and the only thing that might help him is the pheromones from his mate--problem is, he hasn't got a mate.
Louis' just been disowned, and taking part in a medical study where he has to cuddle with some strange alpha seems to be his only option for earning a bit of cash.
The hippies and Omega Rights campaigners are busy changing the world--but all Harry wants is a chance to live.”
Author Spotlight : thoughtsickles
just my style
Words: 15k
Harry is sick, and the only thing that might help him is the pheromones from his mate--problem is, he hasn't got a mate.
Louis' just been disowned, and taking part in a medical study where he has to cuddle with some strange alpha seems to be his only option for earning a bit of cash.
The hippies and Omega Rights campaigners are busy changing the world--but all Harry wants is a chance to live.
Maybe, Baby
Words: 16k
It all feels too easy, too good to be true. It all feels like a scene from Louis' daydreams, the kind of life he'd always imagined he'd have when he was younger and bored at his momma's work, sneaking around the hallways of the maternity ward until the nurses let him in to hold the babies. He'd felt so important being allowed to touch them. He'd told them stories of the lives they were going to have, houses with nice wallpaper that wasn't peeling, yards filled with sunshine and flowers and grass that never went yellow. A hammock to nap in, cuddled up with his husband.
You can't stay here, he tells himself, but Baby doesn't want to listen.
****
Louis runs away. Harry finds him.
you slow it down
Words: 4k
Harry just wants to be what Louis needs
♡ credit to the owner of the manip
♡ past author recs here
the interesting thing to me about louis desire is that it seems to manifest in fandom as the desire to be desired--louis is the one you identify with, as a young woman, the one who's often the pov character in fics written by younger fans--and the desire expressed is the desire to be desired by harry. so whereas the harry thirst is 'i want harry to fuck me', the louis thirst is 'i want harry to fuck louis'. so what do you do with that in terms of solo!louis? i don't know but it'll be interesting
That’s a really interesting point. I don’t think I’d quite put it together that way, but I agree that Louis is often the viewpoint character for authors in fic. And it totally makes sense that fans would process the fact that their sexuality is so often constructed around desireability through the person they are a fan of.
I think it also works together with the way people view Louis’ success. I just left snark tags on a post about fans complaining that there are no updates while the world cup was on - that some fans seems to want success from Louis and not for Louis. And one of the main things fans want in the context of 1D, does seem to be validation of their love by various external forces. But I think that makes much more sense if you see that a large part of what is going on with fandom seeing themselves as 1D members. And I think that dynamic is particularly strong with Louis. And I can see why it leads to fandom focusing not being about enjoying music and other content, but about wanting him to be loved.
In terms of solo!louis - I don’t think the thirst identification is a problem exactly. I think the strategies of the last year and a half - no thirst traps, baggy clothes, and then occasionally a glimpse of something more in ways that give a sense of intimacy - are working. I think it’s even clearer why they’re working if you think of girls and women identifying with Louis. Protecting his body will make fans feels safe.
But the rest - it’s not going to be easy. I think as I kind of implied in my other post - part of the key is to treat fans with respect and fan service in ways you can, but have clear boundaries. But intense identification with an object of fandom, means that people will have a very different version of them in their head (because we’re so different) and have a lot personally invested. I think knowing what people have invested underscores how important it is to let people fandom in a range of ways. As I suggested in another post - I think the key is figuring out what sort of fan service is compatible with Louis’ overall strategy, and consistently delivering there.
Some recent HL fic faves
Fics I’ve enjoyed this year, even though its only August, because why not? I’ve just gone for those with <500 kudos to spread some fics that maybe you won’t have read yet! I’ve linked Tumblr’s where I can!
You’re A Universe by Jiksa | Tumblr
Quite heavy, angst-fest but happy ending.
Ever Fixed by Anonymous
Very heavy, proceed with caution and read the tags but would HIGHLY recommend
Eyes Turned Skyward by elizamackenzie
Cutest little fic EVER, i didn’t know i needed Italian!Louis until now.
enter exit (enter) by louisandthealien | Tumblr
1980′s heartbreak with a happy ending.
High and Dry by whathappenedinwellington
Giggle fest (featuring a sex toy stuck in a bum!)
Maybe, Baby by thoughtsickles | Tumblr
Small town Mpreg fluff
Take Me To A Dream by dinosaursmate | Tumblr
Supermarket workers falling in love! A must read!
On the Go by phdmama | Tumblr
SUCH a giggle!
wait were there not condoms in the 1970s? i was really glad they had them in that fic, if only bc i wouldn't have to think about the inevitable future timestamp where they both died of aids
Sorry I’m posting this publicly - I saved it as a draft and now I don’t know how to answer privately. There were condoms in the 1970s, but gay men largely didn’t use them, why would they? Sexually transmitted disease that had been very dangerous (such as syphilis) could now be treated with anti-biotics.
It’s not that no-one in the 1970s used condoms, but you have to have a specific reason that a character uses condoms in that time. In the 1970s fic (which is brilliant and everyone should read it), Harry spent time in the Castro District and Greenwich village. They were both centres of gay culture and at that time condom usage was not part of the sexual culture in either place. Meanwhile Louis is in the middle of nowhere and has no access to information so he wouldn’t have known anything about anything.
I totally understand the author’s decision to not stress out the reader and therefore show them using condoms. The readers, unlike the characters, know what is coming.
I think any timestamp on that fic would always be deeply tragic. It’s very unlikely that Harry’s HIV positive though. The fic starts in 1977 - and in 1978 only something like 1 in 100 San Francisco gay men were HIV positive (I'm re-reading And the Band Played On and read the paragraph about testing blood from 1978 just after getting your ask). The rate of infection was higher in New York, but Harry would have to be pretty unlucky to be HIV positive at that point. Sending a fictional gay couple to San Francisco in 1978 is always going to be both a hugely affirming act and something that has an undertow of tragedy and devastation.
thoughtsickles replied to your post:
i'm so mad the mailman folded mine to cram it in my mailbox :(((
are you serious???? did it not come in a packaged envelope or box??
thoughtsickles replied to your post “So I’ve been thinking of the lyrics of ‘Love You Goodbye’ and I’m...”
i always interpret it as a zouis breakup anthem! but in a real sense, it's interesting how louis was very vocal about it being "his" song. reminds of when he was promo-ing steal my girl. feels a bit inauthentic content-wise for what we know about him, but for whatever reason (image?) he's on board with claiming it
It was sold as an Elounor break up song - and I suspect written as one. It’s possible that Louis tapped into feelings about Zayn when writing the song. I don’t think what Louis has said about honest songwriting is a reason to believe that everything that he writes comes from his own experience (although that explanation will always be tempting).
agree with your thoughts about back to you-- there are many unconventional choices made with how the song is performed. even just the way the verses are split up--as one of my non-fandom friends remarked, "it's a bold choice to come out with a first time solo single where you don't even sing for the first minute and a half" (not technically his first but JHO was sort of an outlier). why have bebe sing that much on it? most male artists who "feature" a female artist just have her sing a very sma>
>ll part in the middle or something. i'm very curious about the choice of the lyrics, why that song in particular was seen as a good choice to establish his brand, when the other glimpses of LT1 that we've gotten have been pretty different stylistically? as usual i'm sure i won't get any answers, bc when do i ever when it comes to louis. but i wonder
I totally agree about the unconventional choices - and I will be really interested in how this sits within the album. I think it’s worked quite well as a single - it didn’t peak in it’s first week, which suggests it’s got some traction outside the fandom. So I can see why it was considered a good choice, but I’m interested in seeing the wider context.
I hope you don’t mind me using this as a starting point to discuss the lyrics some more. After the lyrics were leaked but before the song came out I got an ask from someone who really didn’t like the lyrics: “i wanted it to be a cute song, but its describing what seems like an abusive relationship and making it seem cool or something. it's so clearly a terrible and unhealthy relationship, but then it's set to a catchy beat and all about staying with them.“ I didn’t really have an opinion then, because I wanted to know how the song was going to be performed.
I don’t think the song was quite the song my anon was imagining. I think the first verse is the best part of the song - and the fact that Bebe has it really sets the tone. It’s describing someone who is struggling with her life and is in a messed up relationship - but also makes it clear that the relationship has some upsides. For me, having the women’s voice introduce the relationship like that, makes later parts where there is violent imagery seem metaphorical - and particularly from the man’s voice - exaggerated. It doesn’t come across to me as an abusive relationship - nothing in the lyrics or the performance suggest power and control.
The question then becomes what are the implications of using violent metaphors in a song about a relationship? And I’m against it on both a cultural and artistic level. On a cultural level I do think that using violence that people experience as a metaphor often ends up minimising and normalising that violence. On an artistic level - it’s a cliche - and the first verse is much more interesting and specific than the rest of the song.
I really like Back to You, but partly I think that’s because there’s an ambiguity in the song that I don’t understand. For me Louis’ performance doesn’t quite match the lyrics of the song, but in a way that gives it layers. Again it’s hard to know how much of this is intentional - the different ways that Louis and Bebe perform the song seem to me to be a result of different performing styles and not knowing each other. But it does end up affecting the video in interesting ways.
