Meet the Author: tied.knots
Hi, tied.knots!
Stories can be found here.
Twitter.
__________
When did you start writing Olitz? 2018, after the show ended.
Tell us about yourself! What do you want readers to know about you? I'm from the Philippines, the capital which is Manila specifically. I feel like there's not that many scandal and olitz shippers from where I'm from and I haven't interacted with a local scandal fan haha. Greys and HTGWM are very much more popular here so I guess there's that. I'm basically your regular Millenial girl - balancing work, bills, finances, shopping, the pros and cons of single life hahaha. That's it. I live a boring life!
What drew you to Olivia and Fitz? Firstly, a lot is really credited to Kerry and Tony's chemistry. They seriously have the most potent chemistry that I have ever seen when it comes to tv couples and it's very hard to forget combined with their great acting. I feel like they were really born to play Olivia and Fitz. Next would be the very raw, deeply flawed, and realistic portrayal of their epic love story but dysfunctional relationship. Olitz is a very controversial couple. I would even argue that it is Shonda's most controversial couple in Shondaland. When you go outside of the fandom, they are deeply hated to this day and people have a lot of energy (and apparently are willing to spend their time) to criticize them. But all that hatred and negativity towards them shows how very spot on their story was. There's a lot that could have been improved on but the issues that stemmed out of their relationship and their flaws I think resonated with many people which is why a lot hated them. For a ship to get so much hate even years after show ended, it goes to show that a lot really payed attention to them and were moved by their story. ps. you don't get that much attention with olake haha. that pairing appears to be only relevant when it involves fitz/olitz.
What made you want to write about them? I was really hoping that someone would write a long-form post-canon fic about them. I really thought their ending would spark a slew of fanfic! So with its absence and after back-and-forth consultation with my writer friend, Nina, I decided to just go on and write (my very first attempt ever!) what I would want to read. Canon olitz doesn't have a good rep understandably but there's really a lot of room to unpack in it and at the same time get a deeper insight on why Liv and Fitz acted that way during the show. There's still a lot of story to tell because as cheesy as this sounds Liv and Fitz storyline as seen in scandal will never be over.
How would you describe your writing? Angsty, problematic, realistic, raw, hopeful even when it feels not (I hope I do convey these!)
What inspires you to write / create? Olivia and Fitz characterization and their relationship in the show.
Favorite movies, shows, music?
Films - In the mood for love, Fight Club, Parasite, Clueless, Bridget Jones Diary lol. Any films really by Wong Kar Wai, Davin Fincher, and Nancy Meyer
Shows - Sex and the City, The OC, Succession, Skins UK 1st and 2nd Gen
Music - Too many but mainly The Strokes, Daft Punk, The XX, Phoenix, Britney, Kylie Minoque, etc.
How long does it take you to write a chapter? It really varies! The shortest was like 2 weeks-ish and the longest was like 8 or 9 months. Aside from how my life is going, it really highly depends on my mood towards the subject-Olivia and Fitz. Admittedly I'm an on-and-off shipper, sometimes I enjoy them or get in my feels and then there are times that I highly dislike and regret shipping them to the point that I wish they never got back together or argue that Fitz should have been written off the show. Writing for me is very mood based.
Did the show's themes and plots encourage you or discourage you from writing? Encourage.
Writing AU or Canon? Canon.
Reading AU or Canon: Canon.
________
A favorite line, scene, or paragraph you’ve written.
"Fitz back then always thought that once he has fulfilled his father’s predetermined life for him at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave that he’ll be back home to this cozy beach town. That was of course before that one fateful day on February in New Hampshire when a tornado stormed into his life that was ornamented by the California sun." (Chapter 3)
To me, it sounds nice when you read it haha Their fight scene in chapter 10. Even before finishing chapter 1, I knew that I was going to write a big fight scene and one that is similar to 509. It's a very very important scene to me.
________
Fave Olitz moments? The 'I hate you. I hate you too' phone call, 'I would cross that line again', those small moments when you could see how deeply and conflicted in love Olivia was (eg. watching him and Mellie dance during the first inauguration ball) - Liv is known to be not "accepting" of their love and whether she love him or not was always questioned, but a lot her actions and expressions when you look back showed how deeply she fell in love with him.
Fave Olitz fanfic moments? I forgot the title and the author but there was this one shot back then about Olivia who decided to end her engagement to Jake because she had unresolved feelings for Fitz. This fic took place a year I think after Fitz presidency. So she went all the way to Vermont regardless if it's years since her and Fitz last encounter and how bad their relationship ended - they fought about him going to war for her I think. So yeah she went all the way to Vermont not knowing what to expect and the writer did a good job of piecing them back together.
________
Do you like it when readers engage with you via comments / social media? Yes.
Story Reviews: Love them, hate them? BOTH! The reviews reminds of me of the live tweets when the show was on and the energy back then so I like that aspect. I appreciate readers that are grateful to authors and those that show how curious they are with the stories. I hate the intentional and consistent badmouthing to the point of bullying and creating competition among authors which made some quit or removed their stories. The nonstop attacks by some these "guest" reviewers really says a lot about their character. My friend Nina would always say that the writers don't owe themselves to anyone and that is highly true. We do it because we want to write and we make time for it without expecting anything in return really. Don't like it, then don't read it. Read and review the story you want to read then.
What advice would you give to a new Olitz writer? Just write! Don't care if you don't have experience at all or if you're too conscious about how not perfect your grammar is. The olitz fanfic community I think has a consistently growing audience so there will always be readers. Also most importantly, write the story that you want to tell. It is your work and only you will know how to go about it. Don't focus too much on the reviews/criticisms and don't let it solely dictate you on how to write your story.
Outside of your fics, do you have any fave Olitz stories or authors? PurplePineapple, torri.oats, Only You by anonolitz, that one shot I mentioned above.
Do you talk to other Olitz authors? If so, do you like the camaraderie? I've only interacted with like 2 I think hahaha. It's a very supporting and encouraging group! I think we're just excited to read each other's stories which is a nice feeling.
Have you made friends (people you talk to outside of fanfic) because of Olitz / Scandal fanfic? Yes and we've been friends for almost three years! She knows so much of my life honestly compared to my irl friends.
Before you go, anything else you'd like to share? Thank you for always supporting and encouraging olitz authors! You guys have a really good and organized system which is very helpful :))
ps. Beyond Whiskey is an olitz fanfic :))
________
Thank you, tied.knots, for allowing us to feature you!