New Author of the Month: December 2021
Our featured breakthrough author for December is not necessarily new to the fandom, but is new to writing her own fics. It’s peachthorns ( @wherethepeacheshavethorns )!
peachthorns can be found on AO3.
When asked what got her into the Bethyl fandom and what it means to her, she said:
I may be a new author, but I’m not new to the fandom!
I watched the series premiere back in 2010, but I couldn’t stop crying over the horse being eaten. I took a break for a few years, then gave it another chance in season 4. (Just in time for my delicate sensibilities to see Hershel’s head get chopped off.) Beth’s character is actually what made me stick with the show. I was also in my early twenties at this time, also sensitive, and quietly strong in the way no one claps for. I never thought I would see someone like me in an apocalyptic show live longer than a few episodes, much less multiple seasons. My instant connection with Beth, and her growing connection with Daryl, caused me to dive headfirst into watching the seasons I had missed, where I was shocked to see how far both of their characters had evolved. When Beth was killed, I ran to fanfiction to look for some AUs that told Beth’s story in the way she deserved. After five years of reading Bethyl fics, I finally tried writing them as well.
Beth Greene means to me that women can be soft and gentle, but still be strong. We don’t have to hide or erase the parts of ourselves that make us feminine, that make us vulnerable, and that make us who we are, in order to be strong.
For her personal fic rec list, she recommends:
not everything has passed away by lindentree is one of my oldest favorites.
I enjoyed SO many fix-it stories in 2015, but I wasn’t great about bookmarking back then, and unfortunately I can’t find them anymore.
I really enjoyed a lot of stories by burningupasun, too. Since coming back during covid, a recent favorite is Marlboro Man by gutsforgarters.
peachthorns’s Works & Personal Thoughts:
Christmas Makes Me Cry
Summary: Beth’s smile cracks open her face like the rays of the sun finally forcing through the clouds near the end of a rainy day. His rainy day just happened to be thirty-two rainy years. (Beth sends Daryl out on a Secret Santa Mission for the Grimes kids. Of course, the world ended in damn July so he can’t find any candy canes.)
Thoughts: This was my first Bethyl fic, written on a whim during a break from grad school. I didn’t expect anyone to read it, but to my shock, it won a Moonshine Award. I think that gave me the confidence boost I needed, since I hadn’t written any fiction in nearly ten years. When COVID started, I began writing some ideas that I had bouncing around. I haven’t kept up with them as well as I’d like to due to health problems and personal stress, but they are still close to my heart and slow progress is being made behind the scenes.
The Weight of These Wings
Summary: Daryl was fine with waiting on his brother to get out of jail so they can move on to the next town, but his life just keeps getting more and more crowded. When an accident brings in a whole new group of folks who seem determined to stay put, he tries to come to terms with the fact that he might as well suck it up and try to make room for them. Especially for this blonde girl, who ends up taking up a hell of a lot more room than he thought she would.
But can he keep his demons from his past at bay, or will the weight of these wings wear him down?
Thoughts: This is my baby. It’s the first time I’ve not given up on a longer project, even though it may seem like I have. It’s an AU where Daryl finds himself and his family without walkers involved. Despite not being set in the ZA, I weave in elements of the plot of the show with a twist. I absolutely love where I’m going to go with it.
a different kind of ‘oh’
Summary: He just looks at her, and he thinks of a million different scenarios where this would maybe be okay. If he was younger. If she was older. If he was nicer. If she was rougher. But deep down he knows that if any of that was true, it wouldn’t matter, because they wouldn’t be Beth and Daryl.
Thoughts: This was my own personal Bethyl fix-it fic, where Beth is never abducted. It was also my first time even writing a kiss, much less smut. I was super nervous to publish it, and thrilled with the response it got! It’s almost done, but on hiatus for now. The final chapter will be written eventually.
peachthorns would also like everyone to know that she will be updating very soon, so go give her fics a revisit to prepare yourselves, and keep an eye out for more!
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