She by thefooliam is the ultimate AU Clexa college enemies to lovers story that brings the author’s A game in reducing the reader to a complete crying mess. Clearly the author is very successful in this endeavor, even this reader’s rather jaded heart was deeply touched by the plight of the characters I this story.
Clarke Griffin is the classic misunderstood “woe is me, my life isn’t worth it” self-absorbed college student going through her school years in a haze of booze and bad relationship decisions. Her family life is indeed rather crappy, so in her mind that totally justifies her self-destructive tendencies. And so Clarke proceeds to make one bad decision after another. She isn’t even sure she wants to be back for her sophomore year. And she completely forgets to submit her dorm room application, thus ensuring that she is placed with a random student and not one of her actual choice.
Enter Lexa Woods, Clarke’s freshman year nemesis extraordinaire. The haughty, aloof, “I’m much too good for you, peasants” goody-two-shoes Lexa does not have friends and does not need friends. She’s not here to make friends anyway. Lexa is here to study, be the best and graduate so she can finally be what she always wanted to be – free. Rooming with Clarke clearly isn’t her first or second or even third choice.
Except absolutely nothing is what the reader initially is lead to believe. The quiet waters of Lexa are deep and hide secrets that are both painful and devastating and underneath Clarke’s rather cliche party girl exterior is a heart of gold.
Will Clarke and Lexa find their own truths and be happy together or will they allow their ugly surroundings and their toxic relationships drag them down and pull them apart?
Pros
Thefooliam’s writing style is beautiful in its simplicity of conveying strong and deep emotional ups and owns with little words but devastating effect. The story has a wonderfully smooth progression and the reader doesn’t want to put it down. The overall experience is enhanced by the depth the author brings to their characters, both the main and the secondary ones. Nobody is one-dimensional, everyone has a backstory and a very strong motivation for their actions despite what the initial impression may be.
Cons
There is a lot of bad drunken decision-making including some of the sexual nature on Clarke’s behalf. She starts the story by having an on-again off-again toxic relationship with Finn, something that both makes her exceptionally miserable and spurs her self-hatred. Their relationship however is not given too much space on the page and is not overtly graphic.
There is also a lot of drinking and even more swearing, since this is a college AU after all.
Conclusion
I’m a reader that is perpetually and irrevocably mad at The 100 show. “Mad” actually does not do any justice to my feelings about what they did to their most fascinating character and how they reverted to employing the despicable “bury your gays” trope. That is why I refuse to read canon Clexa. I refuse. There is no saving grace where that canon is concerned, the show made sure that Lexa would never come back and wrote her off in the most definitive manner possible. All the Clexa fanfic set in the actual The 100 world, just make me remember how the show did Lexa and all of us Clexa shippers dirty.
Since I cannot read stories of Lexa dying, I only read AU Clexa and the wonderful fanfic writers more than made up for the devastation of canon with a treasure trove of wonderful stories transposing the pair into other worlds and other realities. “She” happens to be my favorite Clexa AU of them all, and that is saying something, since I probably read over 50 of them.
It’s a true tearjerker. The slow, painfully angsty and tentative way the leads come closer and fall for each other is so touching and wonderfully written, you reach for the Kleenex several times over during this read.
Oh and while it’s rather obvious, it bears repeating: OUAT’s Snow White would’ve been absolutely horrifyingly annoying if she was part of this fandom. We dodged a bullet there, folks.
Excerpt from She: The AU Clexa College Enemies to Lovers Tears-Fest
“Lexa Woods is your roommate?” Raven repeats before promptly lapsing into loud belly laughs. She rolls around on her bed as Clarke and Octavia sit on the bed opposite her.
Octavia pats her knee. “We did warn you…” she starts before Clarke gives her a look. Octavia winces sympathetically. “What did the residency people say?”
Clarke huffs and falls backwards onto her bed. She lets her hands cover her forehead and shakes her head. “That I was lucky enough to get a bed at all.”
Octavia’s brow raises at her words and Raven’s laughter just gets louder.
“Bummer,” Octavia mutters.
It doesn’t make Clarke feel any better and she’s glad when Octavia reaches for the emergency flask she keeps nearby at all times. It’s full of vodka and Clarke grimaces happily as she takes a long chug out of it.
“Please tell me there’s a party,” Clarke gripes as she feels the burn the whole way down.
Both of her best friends grin. They’re pretty buzzed by the time that they make it down to the school welcome bonfire later that night. Everyone is there and they all greet Clarke happily. She spends most of her time hugging everyone and asking them how their summers were and Octavia rolls her eyes when she finally takes a seat beside her on the wall.
They’re only here because it’s tradition. Everyone is here. Everyone always comes to the first bonfire of the semester because it’s pretty much a requirement. Even Lexa is here and Clarke is pretty sure it’s only because she has to be. It’s not like she’s talking to anyone. She’s sitting on a wall on the edge of the festivities, wrapped in a huge cardigan with a book in her lap.
Clarke wishes she could be surprised but Lexa’s pretty hardcore about this studying stuff. Everyone knows her mantra is that she’s only here to study. She’s always first to class. She’s never been to a real party. She’s never made her way over to one of the bigger, nearby colleges to go to the frat parties. A lot of the girls go because it’s the only way to hook up with guys when you go to an all girls’ college, but not Lexa. Clarke’s heard rumors that Lexa’s into girls but those sorts of rumors go around here about a lot of people.
Find the full story here (link)
Bits And Bobs
- Fandom: The 100
- Length: 65,983
- Author: thefooliam
- Rating: M
- Rating Guide: G= General, T = Teen and up, M=Mature, E = explicit
- Photo: Owner of copyright The CW
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