2021 fic roundup
Time for the end of year writing roundup! I've missed these, it's nice to feel like I've created enough new fanworks in 2021 to be worth the meme.
This year I wrote and posted: 12 fics and 1 vid, all for The Old Guard.
In order of posting:
lessons exquisitely crafted (Joe/Nicky, Crusades-era)
[vid] Never Look Away (ensemble vid)
Gravitational Pull (Joe/Nicky, future!fic)
The Pride Pact (Joe/Nicky, modern AU)
you know my name (Andy/Quynh, 007 AU)
you may have my number (Joe/Nicky, 007 AU)
writing's on the wall (Andy/Quynh, 007 AU)
the space where things have been (Joe & Nile, post-canon)
a day like today (Joe/Nicky, pre-canon)
face it all together (Joe/Nicky, 007 AU)
Awakenings (Nile + team, various historical AU)
the purpose of art (Joe/Nicky, modern AU)
what we let fall (Copley + team, post-canon)
Total wordcount: 152,227 words.
Overall Thoughts:
For the past couple of years, I've set myself the loose goal of writing 100k words. And I definitely achieved that! Even if you subtract the 43k fic I posted on Jan 3, which had been entirely written in 2020, I still managed it. And I don't mind that I've settled into just one fandom for the moment, it's nice to feel like I have a fannish home again instead of waffling aimlessly about as I have been for years.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
About what I would have predicted, yes! I've averaged one complete fic per month, which feels solid to me (and is the most productive I've been in many years).
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Uh. Well, clearly the fandom was predictable. I suppose I hadn't anticipated writing a gen fic about Copley.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
I kinda feel like the purpose of art was my thesis statement on fandom in general, and how making things and sharing them brings us together and feeds our souls even when outside circumstances kinda suck.
What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
I'm quite fond of several, but I suppose The Pride Pact was the purest form of id-fic for me, and it still makes me very happy.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
...not particularly? I mean, I've got a decent amount of variety amongst the fics I posted, from Ye Olde Crusades-Era Joe/Nicky Origin Story to modern AUs to fusions to a five things historical fic about Nile, but nothing that I'd consider risky.
My best story of this year:
Probably lessons exquisitely crafted, though again, that was mostly written in 2020 (apart from the final editing pass).
My most popular story of this year:
DEFINITELY lessons exquisitely crafted, by every possible stat.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
Shockingly enough, fandom gave very few fucks about Awakenings, the Nile-centric historical fic. Which I genuinely think is one of my better fics overall, but yeah. There's no misogynoir in the TOG fandom, nope, not at all.
My least favorite story this year:
a day like today sure is a fic I wrote. Me and fandom challenges are SUPER hit or miss, as evidenced by...this one. I don't hate it! But writing it felt like pulling teeth, and it shows.
Most fun story to write:
The modern AUs in general were fun, but I'll give this to The Pride Pact, again. Lots of fun little personal nuggets made it into that one.
Story with the sweetest moment:
I try to sprinkle these into all my fics, really, but on a rare platonic note, let's go with Joe comforting Nile in the space where things have been.
Story with the single sexiest moment:
It's not explicitly smutty, but Joe kissing Nicky's scar in face it all together is pretty sexy by my standards.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
Eh, I got nothing, I'm very vanilla.
Most overdue:
Fandom desperately needs more Copley fic, so, sure, what we let fall.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
Hush, you.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Awakenings made me look at Nile in several new ways, and also helped me nail down Lykon as a character in my head.
Hardest story to write:
There are a few in contention, including my aforementioned least favorite fic, but I'll go with writing's on the wall for this one. Andy's POV is by far the hardest for me to wrap my head around, and while I'd been coasting through the earlier parts of the 007 AU series mostly on vibes, this was the one where I had to actually knuckle down and figure out the overarching plot. And action scenes, my beloathed.
Biggest Disappointment:
Hmm, not sure what to go with here, "disappointed" is not really my default emotion. I'm disappointed that my female-centric fics got noticeably lower stats than any of the boys did, but not, you know, surprised by it.
Biggest Surprise:
lessons exquisitely crafted hit much hotter than I was expecting! I'm thrilled that it did, given the time and effort I poured into that one, but fandom had been pretty solidly shifting away from Joe/Nicky origin stories by then and I was really worried I'd come too late to that particular party. But apparently not!
Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
The Pride Pact, for obvious reasons. Nothing unintentional about that, I'm afraid.
Favorite opening line:
Later, Joe will say it all started when he shot Nicky in Istanbul. (you may have my number - concise, straightforward, and yet some commenters were genuinely surprised at the end when Joe did, in fact, shoot Nicky in Istanbul. This pleases me enormously.)
Favorite closing line:
Wait for me, Nile thinks. I'll find you. (Awakenings - look it just brings everything full circle in a way that deeply satisfies me, okay.)
In conclusion:
Oh god I have two more exchange fics and a festivid to create in the next few weeks, send help.
Fic-writing goals for 2022:
Aiming for around 100k of fic again! And maybe to actually finish the Finn/Poe WIP I totally failed to update in 2021, oops. This entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth. Comment wherever you'd like.
This year I wrote and posted: 12 fics and 1 vid, all for The Old Guard.
In order of posting:
lessons exquisitely crafted (Joe/Nicky, Crusades-era)
[vid] Never Look Away (ensemble vid)
Gravitational Pull (Joe/Nicky, future!fic)
The Pride Pact (Joe/Nicky, modern AU)
you know my name (Andy/Quynh, 007 AU)
you may have my number (Joe/Nicky, 007 AU)
writing's on the wall (Andy/Quynh, 007 AU)
the space where things have been (Joe & Nile, post-canon)
a day like today (Joe/Nicky, pre-canon)
face it all together (Joe/Nicky, 007 AU)
Awakenings (Nile + team, various historical AU)
the purpose of art (Joe/Nicky, modern AU)
what we let fall (Copley + team, post-canon)
Total wordcount: 152,227 words.
Overall Thoughts:
For the past couple of years, I've set myself the loose goal of writing 100k words. And I definitely achieved that! Even if you subtract the 43k fic I posted on Jan 3, which had been entirely written in 2020, I still managed it. And I don't mind that I've settled into just one fandom for the moment, it's nice to feel like I have a fannish home again instead of waffling aimlessly about as I have been for years.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
About what I would have predicted, yes! I've averaged one complete fic per month, which feels solid to me (and is the most productive I've been in many years).
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Uh. Well, clearly the fandom was predictable. I suppose I hadn't anticipated writing a gen fic about Copley.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
I kinda feel like the purpose of art was my thesis statement on fandom in general, and how making things and sharing them brings us together and feeds our souls even when outside circumstances kinda suck.
What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
I'm quite fond of several, but I suppose The Pride Pact was the purest form of id-fic for me, and it still makes me very happy.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
...not particularly? I mean, I've got a decent amount of variety amongst the fics I posted, from Ye Olde Crusades-Era Joe/Nicky Origin Story to modern AUs to fusions to a five things historical fic about Nile, but nothing that I'd consider risky.
My best story of this year:
Probably lessons exquisitely crafted, though again, that was mostly written in 2020 (apart from the final editing pass).
My most popular story of this year:
DEFINITELY lessons exquisitely crafted, by every possible stat.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
Shockingly enough, fandom gave very few fucks about Awakenings, the Nile-centric historical fic. Which I genuinely think is one of my better fics overall, but yeah. There's no misogynoir in the TOG fandom, nope, not at all.
My least favorite story this year:
a day like today sure is a fic I wrote. Me and fandom challenges are SUPER hit or miss, as evidenced by...this one. I don't hate it! But writing it felt like pulling teeth, and it shows.
Most fun story to write:
The modern AUs in general were fun, but I'll give this to The Pride Pact, again. Lots of fun little personal nuggets made it into that one.
Story with the sweetest moment:
I try to sprinkle these into all my fics, really, but on a rare platonic note, let's go with Joe comforting Nile in the space where things have been.
Story with the single sexiest moment:
It's not explicitly smutty, but Joe kissing Nicky's scar in face it all together is pretty sexy by my standards.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
Eh, I got nothing, I'm very vanilla.
Most overdue:
Fandom desperately needs more Copley fic, so, sure, what we let fall.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
Hush, you.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Awakenings made me look at Nile in several new ways, and also helped me nail down Lykon as a character in my head.
Hardest story to write:
There are a few in contention, including my aforementioned least favorite fic, but I'll go with writing's on the wall for this one. Andy's POV is by far the hardest for me to wrap my head around, and while I'd been coasting through the earlier parts of the 007 AU series mostly on vibes, this was the one where I had to actually knuckle down and figure out the overarching plot. And action scenes, my beloathed.
Biggest Disappointment:
Hmm, not sure what to go with here, "disappointed" is not really my default emotion. I'm disappointed that my female-centric fics got noticeably lower stats than any of the boys did, but not, you know, surprised by it.
Biggest Surprise:
lessons exquisitely crafted hit much hotter than I was expecting! I'm thrilled that it did, given the time and effort I poured into that one, but fandom had been pretty solidly shifting away from Joe/Nicky origin stories by then and I was really worried I'd come too late to that particular party. But apparently not!
Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
The Pride Pact, for obvious reasons. Nothing unintentional about that, I'm afraid.
Favorite opening line:
Later, Joe will say it all started when he shot Nicky in Istanbul. (you may have my number - concise, straightforward, and yet some commenters were genuinely surprised at the end when Joe did, in fact, shoot Nicky in Istanbul. This pleases me enormously.)
Favorite closing line:
Wait for me, Nile thinks. I'll find you. (Awakenings - look it just brings everything full circle in a way that deeply satisfies me, okay.)
In conclusion:
Oh god I have two more exchange fics and a festivid to create in the next few weeks, send help.
Fic-writing goals for 2022:
Aiming for around 100k of fic again! And maybe to actually finish the Finn/Poe WIP I totally failed to update in 2021, oops. This entry was originally posted on Dreamwidth. Comment wherever you'd like.