Le End O' Year Fic Roundup Meme

[thalialunacy2]

A little early, I suppose, but I HIGHLY doubt I'll get anything more written in the next three days, lol, considering I'll be housesitting and still (fucking still) have the flu.

This year I wrote and posted (in chronological order):
01.04.12 an eyelid-related drabble (Star Trek RPF, Chris/Karl)
01.04.12 a Truth or Dare-related drabble (Star Trek RPF, Chris/Zach)
01.05.12 Questionnaire (Sports Night, Dan/Casey)
01.05.12 a volume-related drabble (Supernatural RPF, Jared/Jensen)
02.14.12 Like Rain on Your Wedding Day (Merlin RPF, Bradley/Colin)
06.14.12 Dealer Takes All (Merlin, Merlin/Arthur AU)
06.23.12 Weak Spots (Merlin, Merlin/Arthur)
06.29.12 ROMANCE IS MAGIC (Merlin, Merlin/Arthur crack)
07.14.12 a hopped-up fanmix (Merlin Merlin/Arthur)
07.15.12 Mad Merlin and the Bartender of his (Slightly Crazy) Dreams (Merlin, Merlin/Arthur AU)
07.17.12 The Longest Distance Between Two Places (Star Trek RPF, Chris/Karl)
07.21.12 Quitters Never Win (Merlin, Merlin/Arthur AU)
07.21.12 Untitled (Merlin AU, pairing-as-plot, het)
07.28.12 Those Stories Plus (Merlin, Merlin/Arthur AU)
08.03.12 a bigger on the inside drabble (Star Trek RPF, Chris/Karl)
08.04.12 Try, Try Again (Merlin, Gwen/Arthur AU)
09.04.12 a location-related drabble (Merlin, Merlin/Gwaine)
09.05.12 a hand-holding related drabble (Harry Potter, Ron/Hermione)
09.05.12 a Thanksgiving-related drabble (Star Trek RPF, Zach/Zoe)
10.17.12 You're the Deuce I Don't Wanna Drop (Supernatural cast RPF, Jared/Jensen)
10.30.12 Let's Investigate Our Distance (Star Trek RPF, Chris/Karl)
12.15.12 a cello drabble (Star Trek RPF, Chris/Karl AU)

As you can see, I've included the drabbles. Because they're honestly some of my best work, and some of them really do tell a story in 500 words.

Overall Thoughts:
It's more than I thought I'd written. So that's good? And I'm quite pleased by the multi-fandom and multi-pairing...ness...nicity of it.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
Probably about what I'd predicted, seeing as I predicted I'd do my best. I didn't predict Pornathon, though, so the Merlin is more copious than expected. Which is awesome.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Pinto again. I pretty much swore I wouldn't, because I suck at it, but one can't improve unless one practices, right? The rest was pretty expected.

What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
Ummmm going by the one I've reread the most often (which is probably pretty telling) it's Those Stories Plus, my lil Merlin/Arthur Sports Night smishmash... what's it called... FUSION. Yes. SO I took the Merlin people and made them the Sports Night people. AND IT WORKED. Man. I just love it. Gaius cracks me up. Arthur cracks me up. I can imagine all the actors pulling it off, too, in that whipcrack Sorkin fashion. UNF UNF.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
This may sound weird, but doing PThon was my big risk. A COMMUNITY with COMPETITIONS and DEADLINES. I've... not done that, not properly, for a very, very long time. But I participated like a fiend (as RL allowed), made some new friends, and wrote some of my honest-to-God best work ever. I should've known Merlin would be where I would kill it. I mean, come on. Armor and anachronism are SORT OF MY THING. lol.

My best story of this year:
Um wow. This is actually very difficult to answer this year? For dialogue, Those Stories Plus. For characterization, Weak Spots.

My most popular story of this year:
It's not really quantifiable, with multiple fandoms being represented on multiple platforms. Quitters Never Win certainly got the most hits on AO3, which... is pretty okay with me. I'm more proud of that story than I will admit.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
You're the Deuce I Don't Wanna Drop BY FAR. OH MY GOD I FUCKING LOVE THIS STORY AND I DON'T UNDERSTAAAAAAAAAAND.

Most fun story to write:
Mad Merlin, actually. Because I bloody love Wonderfalls, and getting to search out quotes and relive that series while I distilled it into a short story with Merlin characters? was fucking awesome. Although I also have to say Quitters Never Win, as well, because writing for Emily was a pleasure.

Story with the single sexiest moment:
...I may have weird definitions of sexy? But: Weak Spots, the ending. The skin is the largest organ, after all.

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
Oh totally Untitled, only I don't think 'wrong' is the correct word... but definitely it was out there, and I am so pleased I took the risk.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
This is gonna seem weird, but You're the Deuce I Don't Wanna Drop -- I usually don't write or think of either of them as closeted w/ beards, but... it wrote itself that way.

Hardest story to write:
Oh, the Pinto was of course a struggle. And it was like, three words long. Woe. Also, and this may sound strange considering a previous answer, but Quitters Never Win was also a struggle -- I wanted to make it perfect. Which meant I wrote safer sex than I've ever written, amongst other things.

Biggest Disappointment:
That I feel like the only person ever that ships Zach/Zoe. That I didn't even come close to winning anything at Pthon. That I still feel disappointed by either of these things at this point in my life.

Biggest Surprise:
That Merlin/Gwaine came so easily to me (pun... intended?).

Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
I'm um actually going to admit to the 'un' this year: Weak Spots.

Favorite OC:
Chris Pine.

Favorite Opening Line(s):

“I find it incredibly ironic,” Bradley says, brushing crisp crumbs off his chin, “that you’re the poofter, yet they’re the ones on the cover of Gay Times.”

(from Like Rain On Your Wedding Day)

Favorite Closing Line(s):

Chris took a deep breath, cracked his knuckles, and picked up his bow.

(from a cello drabble)

Favorite 6 Line(s) from Anywhere:

Slumber party, Zach had said. It'll be great, Zach had said. Girls in lingerie throwing pillows at each other, Zach had said.

Then, Just kidding, he'd added. I just wanted to see your eyes light up like that. Chris had thrown his cigarette butt at him.

(from a truth-or-dare related drabble)

"Totally Jared. You can tell by the stupid drawl," Kendell in hair would explain over a cup of coffee. "They both think they're being quiet, but they're totally not, and most of it's stupid shit you'd hear on Dallas." She'd think for a minute. "You know, if Dallas had had gay porn."

(from a volume-related drabble)

“Oh, Merlin,” Arthur said almost quietly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Have you never had someone pull on your pigtails?” His hand moved up to trace the shell of Merlin’s right ear.

(from Dealer Takes All)

He grunted his assent; he was lying. Her thighs pressed against his neck. Her cunt tasted of mangos.

He didn’t even like mangos.

(from Untitled)

MERLIN: Oh, good, yes, this really is a game. (standing) I have an idea for another game, yeah? It’s called the ‘we have a show on the air in fifteen seconds’ game. Now, can we all act like adults for, oh, I dunno, the two minutes until the c-break? Best start small. (leans down to type something on the laptop in front of him) Who made my wallpaper Neopets?

FREYA: You did.

(from Those Stories Plus)

He feels it as Jared lets his legs fall back down onto the bed, thighs still slightly spread, and looks down at their uglies. “Ugh, so fucking messy,” Jared says. “One drawback to this buttsex thing.” And he looks up at Jensen with the puppy eyes.

“Oh, no,” Jensen says quickly. “No fucking way. You think I’m gonna go get you a washcloth or something? It’s your fucking house!”

But Jared just keeps giving him that face.

Jensen sighs. Then heaves himself out of bed. Because he’s that kind of whupped asshole, and it’s only been about twenty minutes.

Fifteen years and twenty minutes.

(from You're the Deuce I Don't Wanna Drop)

Top 5 Scenes from Anywhere You Would Choose to Have Illustrated:
Zoe sitting on the counter in a Thanksgiving-related drabble
the gang with the MLP, duh, in ROMANCE IS MAGIC
Merlin gawping at Arthur and the baby at the end of Dealer Takes All
the diamond of knees around the cello in the cello drabble
Merlin in one of his amazing hipster outfits in Quitters Never Win

Story I haven't yet written, but intend to:
Oh, IDK, all of them?

Fic-writing goals for 2012:
To never stop challenging myself.

Comments

[xfortytwo.livejournal.com]

I love things like these, it's so interesting to see meta about people's writing. We never get that with the fic, so it's interesting to see it here.

Your Sports Night fusion is still one of the tings I remember really well from pthon. I loved it and I don't even watch Sports Night. You're right, it really works and it's hilarious :3

Allsooo your smoking fic was awesome!

[thalialunacy.livejournal.com]

Eee thanks! I am very pleased to hear that somebody enjoyed it besides me. XB And I read yours, and think it's fascinating that this was your first slashy years! Congrats! ;)

You SHOULD watch Sports Night. lol I'm like a recruiter for that show I swear to God. But it's all on netflix and if you can get over it being pretty late-90s feeling, lol, you'd love it. Smart people do, and I'm not saying that facetiously or ironically or snarkily or snobbily, it's just the damn truth. :D