New Details Emerge About the Origin of 'Heated Rivalry's Romance
Fans of Rachel Reid's "Game Changers" series may have been surprised to learn that Scott Hunter and Kip Grady's romance originated from a gay Marvel fanfic, with some speculating that it was based on Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky Barnes' iconic pairing. However, the show's author has set the record straight.
Reid began drafting Scott and Kip's story in 2016 as an alternate-universe "Stucky" fanfic on Archive of Our Own, a platform for user-generated content. She shared her novel one chapter at a time and made changes to the original romance, but never intended it to be a part of her published series.
The author admits that she was nervous about sharing her work with others, especially since fanfics are often seen as less polished. However, she found the anonymity and instant feedback from AO3 users helpful in building her confidence as a writer.
Reid's manuscript underwent significant revisions after she removed the "Stucky" elements and submitted it to publishers. Her editor suggested that the story had a "little fanfic-y" tone, which Reid acknowledges was true at the time.
The author now wishes she had never posted the original fanfic, citing its poor quality and embarrassment about being associated with it. Despite this, Reid acknowledges that her experience on AO3 helped launch her writing career and led to the creation of the "Game Changers" series.
While the controversy surrounding Scott and Kip's romance may be over, fans can look forward to new episodes of "Heated Rivalry," which continues to air Thursdays on HBO Max.
Fans of Rachel Reid's "Game Changers" series may have been surprised to learn that Scott Hunter and Kip Grady's romance originated from a gay Marvel fanfic, with some speculating that it was based on Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky Barnes' iconic pairing. However, the show's author has set the record straight.
Reid began drafting Scott and Kip's story in 2016 as an alternate-universe "Stucky" fanfic on Archive of Our Own, a platform for user-generated content. She shared her novel one chapter at a time and made changes to the original romance, but never intended it to be a part of her published series.
The author admits that she was nervous about sharing her work with others, especially since fanfics are often seen as less polished. However, she found the anonymity and instant feedback from AO3 users helpful in building her confidence as a writer.
Reid's manuscript underwent significant revisions after she removed the "Stucky" elements and submitted it to publishers. Her editor suggested that the story had a "little fanfic-y" tone, which Reid acknowledges was true at the time.
The author now wishes she had never posted the original fanfic, citing its poor quality and embarrassment about being associated with it. Despite this, Reid acknowledges that her experience on AO3 helped launch her writing career and led to the creation of the "Game Changers" series.
While the controversy surrounding Scott and Kip's romance may be over, fans can look forward to new episodes of "Heated Rivalry," which continues to air Thursdays on HBO Max.
. The fact that she initially published her work under a pseudonym highlights the tension between authenticity and artistic expression – I think it's telling that Reid now regrets sharing the original "Stucky" version, despite its role in launching her career 
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. The fact that Reid is now looking back on her fanfic days with some embarrassment suggests that she's come to terms with the origins of her success – and who can blame her? 
The author seems pretty open about it now, but can you imagine being nervous about sharing your work online and having people think less of it just because it started out as a fanfic? 
It's actually kinda cool that she used AO3 to get feedback and build her confidence as a writer. But yeah, the original manuscript was probably not the best quality... I mean, who posts their first draft on the internet? 
Anyway, at least it helped launch her career into something bigger! 
And yeah, maybe the origins of Scott and Kip's romance are a little weird, but let's be real, who hasn't been obsessed with a fictional ship at some point? 
It just goes to show that even writers can have a little "fanfic-y" tone in their work, and sometimes it's okay to not take yourself too seriously! 
like what? I get it now why some fans were suspicious about the "Stucky" vibes 
but at the same time, isn't it awesome that her fanfic experience actually helped launch her writing career? I mean, who wouldn't want to know that their favorite books or shows have a personal story behind them? 
I'm like literally SHOOK that Rachel Reid's Scott & Kip romance originated from a gay Marvel fanfic!!! 
anyway Reid is like so humble about it all and I love her for that 
it's crazy to think how far she's come from just sharing her writing with strangers on Archive of Our Own. Those early days must've been super nerve-wracking but omg the end result is what matters right? 
can't wait for new eps of Heated Rivalry tho! 
like, who cares? the show's still good, and it's not like they're profiting off some crappy gay fanfic or anything 
. I mean, I can understand why she'd want to keep it under wraps but at the same time I'm kinda grateful she shared her work on AO3 because it's clear that's where she got that confidence boost 
. But ugh the shame factor is real rn... poor girl had to deal with people judging her "less polished" fanfic 
It just goes to show that our most vulnerable creations can also be the ones that help us grow as writers.
And who knows, maybe the fact that Scott and Kip's romance was rooted in a fanfic will actually end up being a selling point for "Heated Rivalry"! 
People are born naked, and the rest is drag. ~ RuPaul 
but at the same time, it's kinda cool that her writing career took off because of it