Meet San! Known as ‘lemonoclefox,’ she is a 29-year-old writer and fandom member from Sweden!
What is your favorite thing you have written?
In terms of fic (and I’ve written for a few fandoms, both one-shots and multi-chapter), I’d probably say ‘What’s It Gonna Be,’ mostly because I just had so much fun writing it – and it was also a lot of work, so it was satisfying to see it come together. Just like ‘Beyond the Sea,’ it’s a fusion, and both were a really fun challenge that I’m proud of myself for pulling off. ‘Set Me in Motion’ was a joy to write because it got me back into writing, and it’s just warm, so it has a special place in my heart. But I’d probably rank “WIGB” as my favorite if I had to choose.
What was the one thing that inspired you to write fic?
The one thing? Honestly, I was writing original stuff long before I got into writing fic. I really only started writing fic in the past five years or so. Fic is like playing, to me. It lets me try out the most random ideas and scenarios through the lens of something familiar – and the feedback is a huge bonus, as is the community. My fics are often different from my original stuff, but it’s a great way to grow as a writer, and I really enjoy it.
If you could write any couple you have never written about, who would it be?
Specifically, a Shadowhunters pairing? Maybe Maryse/Luke? I think it might be interesting to explore that since there seems to be a lot there to draw from. Also, maybe Izzy/Maia; they’re a side-pairing of mine in ‘BTS,’ and I just think they’d be a cool pairing to explore more, as well. As for pairings that aren’t Shadowhunters-related, I could think of a few (like Steve/Bucky).
What is your favorite fic to read more than once?
I’m going to give a rather boring answer and admit that I haven’t actually read a lot of Shadowhunters fic in a very long time, and while I know I have some that I’ve particularly enjoyed and have re-read in the past, one that comes to mind right now is actually a Steve/Bucky one, ‘To Be Vulnerable Is Needed Most of All,’ by perfect_plan. It’s lovely and makes me feel happy inside.
If someone learned something from reading any one of your stories, what would you hope they learned?
Story-wise, that things don’t have to suck to be interesting if that makes sense. You don’t need massive amounts of angst, or for terrible things to happen to make a relationship compelling, and it’s perfectly fine to just want a story to make you feel happy and content. Message-wise, I just want people to read my stuff and feel warm inside, in some way or other. I want it to be kind of a safe space, even stuff I write that isn’t strictly fluff and fuzziness – light can be found in the darkest of places, and all that.
What is it about Malec that inspires you the most?
Communication, which might sound underwhelming. But both in terms of fiction and IRL pairings, communication is something we generally don’t get a lot of. Magnus and Alec have every reason not to get along at all, or even respect each other, and they probably wouldn’t have bothered if they hadn’t fallen in love (LBR). To see two (rather proud) people put aside all these things, as well as others’ opinions, in favor of getting closer and exploring something new and scary is pretty inspiring. And they’re mature about things; they know the stakes and how they feel, and they always put honesty before pride in their relationship. It makes them solid and strong, and it’s something everyone can learn from TBH.
When you sit down to write a new story, do you plan it all out in advance, with an ending in mind? Or do you go with the flow and let the story lead you?
Depends on the story. Some stories start as something small. That’s what happened with ‘Set Me in Motion’; the first chapter was a one-shot and I just kind of ended up winging it most of the time after that. I just wanted to see where it would go and it was a lot of fun. Shorter stories in 3-4 parts (like ‘WIGB’ and ‘BTS’) are planned from start to finish because I already intend for them to be a certain length and only include certain events. With my original stuff, the scale tends to get pretty big, so there are certain important, fixed points that I then just improvise around.
As a writer, do you have a special trick for balancing the integrity and details of the original characters with your own plot?
I tend to take quite a few liberties when it comes to story, setting, etc. (because that’s what fic is to me, just playing around), but it’s important to me that the characters remain as true as possible to their canon counterparts, no matter what (it’s also a fun challenge I love about fic). My way of doing that is that when I write a piece of dialogue or describe facial expressions and body language, I visualize the character (a.k.a. on the show) saying/doing it. If it fits – if I can easily imagine seeing them naturally do it onscreen – I keep it. If it doesn’t fit, I change it.
Like what you see? You can read all of San’s works on Archive of Our Own, or follow her on Twitter.
