that really cares about the effort here
Hey so 2016 didn't end with a fiery apocalypse, which I was kind of afraid it might after everything else. Let's say goodbye to that dumpster fire of a year and hope we can all pull together to ameliorate the damage that's coming.
On that note, heads up, friends: HBO is showing "Wishful Drinking" tonight at 9 pm ET, if you want to start 2017 with Carrie Fisher.
In other news, I've answered my Yuletide comments, so now I feel like I'm allowed to post the 2016 writing year-in-review:
January
The War at Home (at AO3)
Star Wars; Leia, Anakin; g; 1,485 words
He's been there for all her other losses, so it feels right for him to be here for this one, too.
Old Soldiers (at AO3)
Star Wars; Finn, Rex; g; 820 words
"I heard about the stormtrooper who defected, and I had to see for myself."
And All Along You Knew My Story (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Ahsoka, Leia, Luke; g; 2,575 words
In which Ahsoka meets the pilot who destroyed the Death Star.
we are here and it is now (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Rey, Anakin, Luke; g; 3,595 words
"So either you're not here or you're not living," she says.
"I'm definitely here," he replies, and there's amusement in his voice.
trade your heroes for ghosts
Star Wars; Ahsoka, Darth Vader; g; 1,515 words
Vader presents Ahsoka with an ultimatum.
February
it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive (at AO3)
Captain America; Steve/Bucky; adult; 2,005 words
Steve wants to make sure Bucky knows how he feels about him, especially after all those years they kept silent, and then all those years they'd lost.
New Territory (at AO3)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Ahsoka, Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan (Anakin/Padmé); adult; 8,660
In order to complete a mission, Anakin and Ahsoka are forced to have sex with each other, and then they have to deal with the awkwardness afterward.
learn to live with what you can't rise above (at AO3)
Star Wars; Leia, Anakin; g; 1,990 words
Leia doesn't have time for the ghost of her dead father, except when she does.
March
Circle into Motion (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Rey, Luke, Ahsoka, Leia; g; 5,245 words
"A Jedi doesn't dwell on the past or fret about the future. A Jedi is present in the moment, in each moment, as it happens. But there's nothing wrong with occasionally reminding ourselves where we come from, and keeping our eyes open to where we're going."
Like stars burning holes through the dark (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Luke, Leia, Ahsoka, Darth Vader; AU; g; 8,875 words
Luke considers this family reunion far more successful than the one in Cloud City. At least this time, no one loses a hand.
April
your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes (@ AO3)
Daredevil; Karen/Frank; adult; 1,900 words
Karen wants the truth more than she wants the fantasy.
May
A Mournful Rustling in the Dark (at AO3)
Harry Potter; Sirius (Sirius/Remus); g; 785 words
Sirius's memories are a feast for the Dementors.
A Thousand Words for Water (at AO3)
Star Wars; Rey, Finn, Poe, Luke, Leia, Jessika, Chewbacca, Artoo; g; 2,925 words
Chewie howls something that translates to, "Just throw her in and hope she floats," and Artoo trills in disapproval of that strategy. "She's a Jedi," Chewie replies. "She'll be fine."
June
we are turning in revolution (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Luke/Leia (Han/Leia); pg; 1,325 words
Leia isn't surprised when she wakes up hungover and with Luke in her bunk the morning after the Death Star is destroyed.
July
The reoccurring kind (@ AO3)
Captain America; Steve/Bucky; adult; 1,101 words
Steve loves it when Bucky's rough with him, when the finger-shaped bruises on his hips don't fade in minutes and he can still feel every inch of Bucky inside him for hours.
The Black Knight (on AO3)
HP; Sirius/Remus; AU; g; 8,025 words
In which Sirius Black becomes the scourge of criminals and Death Eaters, the vigilante known only as The Grim. ("It's The Black Knight, you tossers!")
The Wild Chance of Living (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Ahsoka/Aphra, Vader, Rex; adult; 4,045 words
"Not like you to use a honey trap, though."
"That was not my intention."
August
The Only Way Through (at AO3)
Star Wars; Ahsoka & Obi-Wan; g; 1,465 words
The past isn't done with Ahsoka yet.
There's Still Time to Change the Road You're On (at AO3)
Star Wars; Anakin, Leia, Luke; AU; 3,690 words
"Time travel? Are you kriffing kidding me?"
September
The Rumor of Rain (at AO3)
Star Wars; Shmi, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luke, Rey; g; 2,285 words
If he reaches out, he can feel each drop of rain as it falls, and the movements of the plants and animals in response, the greedy slurp of tree roots, the unthinking satiation of tiny frogs, and a million other points of life flickering beyond his normal senses.
Just a Little Bit of History Repeating (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Darth Vader & Princess Leia; AU; g; 3,735 words
"I'm in charge of security, Your Highness," Vader said, haughty and automatic, and had to shove away a sudden onslaught of memories. It was this building, he thought, and the presence of a small brunette senator with a smart mouth. That was all.
October
I'm crawling on your shore (@ AO3)
Six of Crows; Kaz/Inej; pg; 1,765 words
It's a good thing they're playing a long game.
the dream of flight persists (on AO3)
Star Wars/Firefly; Anakin/Kaylee, ensemble; AU; pg; 16,740 words
Anakin's never found much serenity himself, despite all the meditation he's been subjected to over the years; maybe working on this ship will do it.
November
what spring does with the cherry trees (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Anakin/Ahsoka; adult; 3510 words
When Ahsoka's heat suppressant wears off while they're on a long trip through hyperspace, Anakin lends a helping hand. Among other things.
December
Celestial Navigation (at AO3)
Star Wars; Finn/Rey, Anakin; pg; 23,315 words
Finn and Rey's epic space road trip adventure, featuring pirates, kittens, and the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker.
with our way lit only by stars
Earthsea; Ged/Tenar, Vetch, Yarrow; g; AU; 4,580 words
There would be no great deeds on this trip, no wicked wizards or dark shadows to fight, only the balm of old friends long unmet, and the sea, as timeless and unchanging as it ever was.
belief undoes your disbelief
Star Wars; Baze/Chirrut; g; 349 words
Baze believes in Chirrut and that's enough.
Bait and Switch
Batgirl; Steph/Jason; pg; 4,024 words
His smile is warm, friendly, and she tries to fit it into what she knows of him--street kid, Robin, dead Robin, thug. Hero? Maybe.
The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency
The Middleman; The Middleman & Wendy Watson; g; 3090 words
"According to the HEYDAR, there's a disturbance of the peace at the Candy Cane Palace."
If You Wear That Velvet Dress
Push (2009); Nick/Cassie; adult; 3610 words
Nick and Cassie occasionally pretend to be a couple. Nick tries not to think about wanting it to be real.
By the numbers:
stories: 30
fandoms: (including crossover fandoms): 9
het: 9
boyslash: 4
girlslash: 1
gen: 15
threesomes/moresomes: 0!!!
crossovers: 1
remixes: 0 *sadhair*
word count: 129,168 (according to AO3)
number of West Wing episode titles used: 2
the breakdown by fandom:
Marvel (including related TV shows): 3
DCU: 1 (technically The Black Knight is a DCU crossover or fusion, but I'm not sure most people know that so I'm not counting it here, especially since the only evidence is the existence of Nanda Parbat and Richard Dragon)
Star Wars: 20 (including 1 Firefly crossover)
Harry Potter: 2
Six of Crows: 1
Earthsea: 1
The Middleman: 1
Push: 1
Firefly: 1 (crossover with Star Wars)
And, the various navel-gazey questions:
Leitmotif of the year:
The Skywalker family tragedy! Also, found family and blood family and making a home for yourself wherever you wind up.
What's the story that makes you happiest?
Maybe The Black Knight because ZOMG IT'S FINISHED. I mean, ten years past its sell-by date, but still. It makes me happy that it exists in the world now.
I've also been rereading parts of both Celestial Navigation and the dream of flight persists a lot because they please me so. Yeah.
My favorite stories this year:
in no particular order:
The Black Knight
we are here and it is now
The War at Home
Like stars burning holes through the dark
Just a Little Bit of History Repeating
Celestial Navigation
the dream of flight persists
with our way lit only by stars
My best stories this year:
in no particular order:
with our way lit only by stars
we are here and it is now
The War at Home
Like stars burning holes through the dark
Celestial Navigation
the dream of flight persists
Circle into Motion
Just a Little Bit of History Repeating
Clearly I have trouble choosing. *wry* I'm my own biggest fan, no lie.
Most popular story:
we are here and it is now, by far, and when I say that, I mean it has, like, literally twice as many hits and 400 more kudos than the next nearest story! Who knew? I remember starting it and going, "I have 750 words of Rey meditating with Force ghost!Anakin, what the hell am I doing?" but clearly I did something right.
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I don't really have one, though I do remain kind of surprised at how little interest there appears to be in Anakin/Ahsoka - there's hardly any fic for it and what spring does with the cherry trees did not get much of a response considering how many hits it has. I guess the story doesn't work for people? I like it though - it's as much about Anakin wanting to have Ahsoka's back as it is about them having sex and I thought the sex was pretty hot.
I was also sad that The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency went mostly unread during yuletide. Oh well, the recipient liked it and I will always be able to reread it. It is very much about my love for Christmas specials. I'm sad I didn't get any Heat Miser/Snow Miser references in. Or have MM and Wendy use Jingle and Jangle as pseudonyms.
Most fun story:
For me to write? Probably Like stars burning holes through the dark. I cackled with glee at a lot of the dialogue. Really, any time someone scores points off Vader, imagine me making toddler fists of glee. Making him deal with Aphra and Ahsoka's hookup in The Wild Chance of Living was hilarious to me. And Leia getting to yell at him in There's Still Time to Change the Road You're On was also fun for me. I feel like everyone in the Star Wars universe should get to yell at Anakin for his terrible choices.
Also Just a Little Bit of History Repeating. I think it's a pretty funny story underneath the surface. At least, I intended it to be.
Also, The Black Knight! Sirius is Batman now! All of the name stuff was a lot of fun to make up.
Sexiest story:
Apparently I only wrote two Steve/Bucky stories this year and they were both porny, so probably those? It was a very gen year for me.
Story with single sexiest moment:
I dunno, I think the moment where Kaylee climbs Anakin like a tree in the dream of flight persists is pretty sexy, probably because it took so long to get there. Or Kaz's impromptu striptease in I'm crawling on your shore.
Story with single sweetest moment:
Maybe The War at Home when Anakin says "Good night, Princess." It's like he finally has one moment of grace where he can be a parent to her instead of her worst nightmare?
Or maybe Ged teaching Tenar the names of the stars in with our way lit only by stars so she can have something interesting to say if she ever gets to talk to a dragon? Really, this whole story is sweet.
Hardest story to write:
Well, of things that I actually finished, there's The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency, which had five false starts before I finally figured it out on the sixth attempt. And of course, there's The Black Knight, which languished undone for TEN YEARS before I finished it. *hands*
Easiest story to write:
Both the dream of flight persists and with our way lit only by stars practically wrote themselves. I mean, I wrote the first 500 words of the latter on my phone on the bus! It just wanted to be written. And I'm not sure I ever wrote a 16K word story in a month before, but it just never bogged down, even when I wasn't sure where it was going or why it was taking so long.
Truest story of the year:
While I'm sure I have the backstory wrong, I think the point of belief undoes your disbelief is very true - in the end, Baze believes in Chirrut and that's enough to get him through the day.
I'd also say that in the unlikely event an "aliens make them do it/sex pollen" situation ever arose for Anakin and Ahsoka, New Territory is probably how it would play out - these are not two characters who secretly want to have sex (even if I do ship them), and it would be awkward and awful even as they try to make the best of it, and that's what the story sets out to show and I think it works. I mean, I was aiming for an uncomfortableness that I think translates to the reader.
Story that made you cry/saddest story:
The War at Home, which should be subtitled "Leia deserved better than this." *sob*
"Holy crap, that's wrong even for you" story:
Well, by the secret incest baby metric, I don't really have one, but putting that aside, probably New Territory? I feel like most people don't want a sex pollen story between two characters who don't already want to bang, and then having it deal with the awkward aftermath makes it an uncomfortable story, much more so than what spring does with the cherry trees, which is a similar set up with the same characters, except they both want it (even if they'd never have otherwise acted on it), and therefore it's a lot less uncomfortable. I guess what I'm saying is that it's not wrong so much as it's not what readers usually want from that trope.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Probably your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes, since I had never given Karen Page much thought before, and I felt like this was an attempt to understand her.
Biggest disappointment:
All the unfinished Steve/Bucky and Steve/Natasha wsip littering my hard drive. I wanted something new and different but CACW sort of put everything back to status quo pre-CATWS. I liked CACW a lot more than a lot of Steve/Bucky fans I know (despite the many issues I have with it), but I found it really stifling in terms of where to go with fic afterwards. Or maybe it was just that five years is a long time to write mostly one pairing and I was running out of steam anyway.
Biggest surprise:
That I finished The Black Knight after having abandoned it ten years ago. TEN YEARS AGO. DON'T GIVE UP. YOU CAN ALWAYS FINISH A THING LATER.
Also, how many people were into we are here and it is now. I'm baffled every time I look at those numbers.
Most telling story:
learn to live with what you can't rise above, probably, in that Leia's complicated feelings about parental recognition play out in somewhat similar ways to some of my own neuroses.
Favorite opening line:
Having established that i'm pretty lousy at opening sentences, I think this is a pretty good one:
"Go, go, go, go," shouts flight control and the next wave of ships launches, the roar of their engines momentarily drowning out the whine and screech of the TIEs and the X-Wings wheeling above and the staccato bursts of blaster and anti-aircraft fire.
--from Celestial Navigation
It sets the scene pretty well, I think.
Favorite closing line:
There would be other friends to visit, and other journeys to take, but that night both Ged and Tenar slept soundly, knowing that together, they would always find home.
--from with our way lit only by stars
or
Baze doesn’t believe in much, but he believes in Chirrut, and that’s enough.
--from belief undoes your disbelief
Favorite line from anywhere:
Basically any of the dialogue in Like stars burning holes through the dark, but especially this bit:
“Come on, Leia.” Ahsoka puts her arm around Leia’s shoulders. “I can show you some meditation techniques that will help.”
“Do you really think this is a good time to meditate?” Leia says incredulously.
“Should you become a Sith, no one will expect you to meditate your anger away,” Vader says. They all look at him in surprise. “It is one of many advantages the Sith have over the Jedi.”
There's also this:
“You might have contacted me sooner.”
“I thought you were dead!”
“When has that ever stopped you?” Obi-Wan asks, and then turns green as Anakin accelerates out into traffic. The Force is still pinging with warning, and there’s still an Inquisitor on the loose, after all.
“If you’re going to boot, do it over the side. This is a rental and I don’t have the credits to clean it,” Anakin says.
“Drive like a civilized being and I won’t,” his mouth pinches, as if he’s not the one reeking of cheap alcohol, “boot, as you so charmingly put it, all over the speeder.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
--from the dream of flight persists
I'd had the basics of this exchange in my head for a long time, but no story to put them into until this. I also just like Obi-Wan being prissy about Anakin's driving while he's disguised as a disgusting drunk dude.
Also a lot of stuff in Just a Little Bit of History Repeating pleases me - Vader's passive-aggressive speeding! (Can you imagine the poor Coruscanti traffic cops dealing with him?) His incredulity that Leia thinks he'd let her drive pilot! Basically whenever Leia and Vader interact in my stories, it's probably my favorite part. Especially if she gets a shot in and he's left fuming and without a response.
"Hey, Burgermeister Meisterburger, kiss this!" from The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency is pretty great, too. I mean, it's no "You let them get a fin in, and you might as well be chum, chum." but I'm not sure I'll ever top that line for hilarity.
The fact that I worked the secret plan to fight inflation into Celestial Navigation also pleases me tremendously. As does the "You know the Queen of Naboo?" "Not personally" exchange in that story.
As always, now is the point when I realize it's not "funniest line" but "favorite line" so have the most romantic thing I wrote this year:
"I love you," she said when they were done, sweat drying on bare skin suddenly cool without the heat of his body above hers. "I love you in this life and if my soul should be reborn, I will love you in the next."
He gathered her close and pressed a kiss to her ear. "I thought wicked unbelievers from the Inner Lands didn't have souls and weren't reborn."
"For you, even the God-Brothers of Awabath would make an exception."
He kissed her again. "And I, you," he murmured against her cheek. "As the shore loves the sea, or the sky, the stars."
--from with our way lit only by stars
Favorite title:
what spring does with the cherry trees, 'cause you can't beat Neruda and it is also very apt to the situation!
Actually, I like all my titles this year except The Only Way Through. Bah.
Looking back, did you write more stories than you thought you would this year, fewer than you thought, or about what you predicted?
More, surprisingly. As I did last year, I made it a goal to finish and post one thing every month, and I managed that plus more. And a few of them are lengthy for me! I did not expect a 16k word SW/Firefly crossover, all of which was written in one month, or for "Celestial Navigation" to be 21k words long! I'm not used to things being more than 2500 words most of the time.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2016?
Still stunned at how much Star Wars output I've had. Also surprised to have written Karen Page/Frank Castle. I mean what.
Story that could have been better?
All of them. But if that's a copout, I'll say If You Wear That Velvet Dress. I was so determined to give it as a treat but I'm not sure it's really a story anyone should have had gifted to them. It's not necessarily bad? But it is kind of a weird little number. It didn't end up the way I expected it to. It was originally going to be a 5 times they pretended to be a couple thing that then got truncated, and then the case file aspect of it got lopped off. Like I said, I don't think it's a bad story? But it's definitely oddly shaped and kind of melancholy for what was supposed to be a fake dating turns real story. It probably needed some more time devoted to it, but it was a last minute treat and I think that shows.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Not really. I wrote the things I wanted to write, which is pretty much my M.O. all of the time. The only thing I can think of is writing a Christmas-themed Yuletide treat for someone who didn't explicitly say they liked holiday-themed stuff? I was nervous about that and it turned out okay.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
Fathers and children, maybe? Forgiveness? So probably either we are here and it is now or The War at Home, which is hilarious because they were two of the first things I wrote in 2016! Begin as you mean to go on, I guess.
What story do you want to have written?
Thing 1 and Thing 2! Ahsoka unfrozen in the future! The Han/Leia PWP titled "Drive It Like You Stole It." The Obi-Wan/Ventress frenemies with benefits. Probably some more Baze/Chirrut and there's definitely something about Bodhi Rook percolating in the back of my head, as well as a Cassian & Ahsoka Fulcrum thing. Maybe I'll actually write some Finn/Rey/Poe! Maybe more with Rex and Finn, or something with Kix and Finn? And maybe the bad wrong Vader/Ahsoka post-Malachor thing. Or the sequel to "the dream of flight persists," if I can figure out what Ahsoka's been up to. Or the post-RotS Anakin/Obi-Wan, Anakin/Ahsoka AU that I've had in my head for almost a year now.
Story I want remembered:
we are here and it is now or The War at Home or Celestial Navigation. I feel like those best represent both my interests and my abilities as a writer.
What's next for 2017:
Thing 1 and Thing 2 first, and then we'll see, I guess.
Last, but never least, thank you to all the people who listen to me whine and moan about writing, who beta and try to make my stories better, and who leave such lovely feedback. <3
And now onward to 2017.
***
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/898747.html.
people have commented there.
On that note, heads up, friends: HBO is showing "Wishful Drinking" tonight at 9 pm ET, if you want to start 2017 with Carrie Fisher.
In other news, I've answered my Yuletide comments, so now I feel like I'm allowed to post the 2016 writing year-in-review:
January
The War at Home (at AO3)
Star Wars; Leia, Anakin; g; 1,485 words
He's been there for all her other losses, so it feels right for him to be here for this one, too.
Old Soldiers (at AO3)
Star Wars; Finn, Rex; g; 820 words
"I heard about the stormtrooper who defected, and I had to see for myself."
And All Along You Knew My Story (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Ahsoka, Leia, Luke; g; 2,575 words
In which Ahsoka meets the pilot who destroyed the Death Star.
we are here and it is now (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Rey, Anakin, Luke; g; 3,595 words
"So either you're not here or you're not living," she says.
"I'm definitely here," he replies, and there's amusement in his voice.
trade your heroes for ghosts
Star Wars; Ahsoka, Darth Vader; g; 1,515 words
Vader presents Ahsoka with an ultimatum.
February
it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive (at AO3)
Captain America; Steve/Bucky; adult; 2,005 words
Steve wants to make sure Bucky knows how he feels about him, especially after all those years they kept silent, and then all those years they'd lost.
New Territory (at AO3)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Ahsoka, Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan (Anakin/Padmé); adult; 8,660
In order to complete a mission, Anakin and Ahsoka are forced to have sex with each other, and then they have to deal with the awkwardness afterward.
learn to live with what you can't rise above (at AO3)
Star Wars; Leia, Anakin; g; 1,990 words
Leia doesn't have time for the ghost of her dead father, except when she does.
March
Circle into Motion (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Rey, Luke, Ahsoka, Leia; g; 5,245 words
"A Jedi doesn't dwell on the past or fret about the future. A Jedi is present in the moment, in each moment, as it happens. But there's nothing wrong with occasionally reminding ourselves where we come from, and keeping our eyes open to where we're going."
Like stars burning holes through the dark (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Luke, Leia, Ahsoka, Darth Vader; AU; g; 8,875 words
Luke considers this family reunion far more successful than the one in Cloud City. At least this time, no one loses a hand.
April
your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes (@ AO3)
Daredevil; Karen/Frank; adult; 1,900 words
Karen wants the truth more than she wants the fantasy.
May
A Mournful Rustling in the Dark (at AO3)
Harry Potter; Sirius (Sirius/Remus); g; 785 words
Sirius's memories are a feast for the Dementors.
A Thousand Words for Water (at AO3)
Star Wars; Rey, Finn, Poe, Luke, Leia, Jessika, Chewbacca, Artoo; g; 2,925 words
Chewie howls something that translates to, "Just throw her in and hope she floats," and Artoo trills in disapproval of that strategy. "She's a Jedi," Chewie replies. "She'll be fine."
June
we are turning in revolution (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Luke/Leia (Han/Leia); pg; 1,325 words
Leia isn't surprised when she wakes up hungover and with Luke in her bunk the morning after the Death Star is destroyed.
July
The reoccurring kind (@ AO3)
Captain America; Steve/Bucky; adult; 1,101 words
Steve loves it when Bucky's rough with him, when the finger-shaped bruises on his hips don't fade in minutes and he can still feel every inch of Bucky inside him for hours.
The Black Knight (on AO3)
HP; Sirius/Remus; AU; g; 8,025 words
In which Sirius Black becomes the scourge of criminals and Death Eaters, the vigilante known only as The Grim. ("It's The Black Knight, you tossers!")
The Wild Chance of Living (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Ahsoka/Aphra, Vader, Rex; adult; 4,045 words
"Not like you to use a honey trap, though."
"That was not my intention."
August
The Only Way Through (at AO3)
Star Wars; Ahsoka & Obi-Wan; g; 1,465 words
The past isn't done with Ahsoka yet.
There's Still Time to Change the Road You're On (at AO3)
Star Wars; Anakin, Leia, Luke; AU; 3,690 words
"Time travel? Are you kriffing kidding me?"
September
The Rumor of Rain (at AO3)
Star Wars; Shmi, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luke, Rey; g; 2,285 words
If he reaches out, he can feel each drop of rain as it falls, and the movements of the plants and animals in response, the greedy slurp of tree roots, the unthinking satiation of tiny frogs, and a million other points of life flickering beyond his normal senses.
Just a Little Bit of History Repeating (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Darth Vader & Princess Leia; AU; g; 3,735 words
"I'm in charge of security, Your Highness," Vader said, haughty and automatic, and had to shove away a sudden onslaught of memories. It was this building, he thought, and the presence of a small brunette senator with a smart mouth. That was all.
October
I'm crawling on your shore (@ AO3)
Six of Crows; Kaz/Inej; pg; 1,765 words
It's a good thing they're playing a long game.
the dream of flight persists (on AO3)
Star Wars/Firefly; Anakin/Kaylee, ensemble; AU; pg; 16,740 words
Anakin's never found much serenity himself, despite all the meditation he's been subjected to over the years; maybe working on this ship will do it.
November
what spring does with the cherry trees (@ AO3)
Star Wars; Anakin/Ahsoka; adult; 3510 words
When Ahsoka's heat suppressant wears off while they're on a long trip through hyperspace, Anakin lends a helping hand. Among other things.
December
Celestial Navigation (at AO3)
Star Wars; Finn/Rey, Anakin; pg; 23,315 words
Finn and Rey's epic space road trip adventure, featuring pirates, kittens, and the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker.
with our way lit only by stars
Earthsea; Ged/Tenar, Vetch, Yarrow; g; AU; 4,580 words
There would be no great deeds on this trip, no wicked wizards or dark shadows to fight, only the balm of old friends long unmet, and the sea, as timeless and unchanging as it ever was.
belief undoes your disbelief
Star Wars; Baze/Chirrut; g; 349 words
Baze believes in Chirrut and that's enough.
Bait and Switch
Batgirl; Steph/Jason; pg; 4,024 words
His smile is warm, friendly, and she tries to fit it into what she knows of him--street kid, Robin, dead Robin, thug. Hero? Maybe.
The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency
The Middleman; The Middleman & Wendy Watson; g; 3090 words
"According to the HEYDAR, there's a disturbance of the peace at the Candy Cane Palace."
If You Wear That Velvet Dress
Push (2009); Nick/Cassie; adult; 3610 words
Nick and Cassie occasionally pretend to be a couple. Nick tries not to think about wanting it to be real.
By the numbers:
stories: 30
fandoms: (including crossover fandoms): 9
het: 9
boyslash: 4
girlslash: 1
gen: 15
threesomes/moresomes: 0!!!
crossovers: 1
remixes: 0 *sadhair*
word count: 129,168 (according to AO3)
number of West Wing episode titles used: 2
the breakdown by fandom:
Marvel (including related TV shows): 3
DCU: 1 (technically The Black Knight is a DCU crossover or fusion, but I'm not sure most people know that so I'm not counting it here, especially since the only evidence is the existence of Nanda Parbat and Richard Dragon)
Star Wars: 20 (including 1 Firefly crossover)
Harry Potter: 2
Six of Crows: 1
Earthsea: 1
The Middleman: 1
Push: 1
Firefly: 1 (crossover with Star Wars)
And, the various navel-gazey questions:
Leitmotif of the year:
The Skywalker family tragedy! Also, found family and blood family and making a home for yourself wherever you wind up.
What's the story that makes you happiest?
Maybe The Black Knight because ZOMG IT'S FINISHED. I mean, ten years past its sell-by date, but still. It makes me happy that it exists in the world now.
I've also been rereading parts of both Celestial Navigation and the dream of flight persists a lot because they please me so. Yeah.
My favorite stories this year:
in no particular order:
The Black Knight
we are here and it is now
The War at Home
Like stars burning holes through the dark
Just a Little Bit of History Repeating
Celestial Navigation
the dream of flight persists
with our way lit only by stars
My best stories this year:
in no particular order:
with our way lit only by stars
we are here and it is now
The War at Home
Like stars burning holes through the dark
Celestial Navigation
the dream of flight persists
Circle into Motion
Just a Little Bit of History Repeating
Clearly I have trouble choosing. *wry* I'm my own biggest fan, no lie.
Most popular story:
we are here and it is now, by far, and when I say that, I mean it has, like, literally twice as many hits and 400 more kudos than the next nearest story! Who knew? I remember starting it and going, "I have 750 words of Rey meditating with Force ghost!Anakin, what the hell am I doing?" but clearly I did something right.
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I don't really have one, though I do remain kind of surprised at how little interest there appears to be in Anakin/Ahsoka - there's hardly any fic for it and what spring does with the cherry trees did not get much of a response considering how many hits it has. I guess the story doesn't work for people? I like it though - it's as much about Anakin wanting to have Ahsoka's back as it is about them having sex and I thought the sex was pretty hot.
I was also sad that The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency went mostly unread during yuletide. Oh well, the recipient liked it and I will always be able to reread it. It is very much about my love for Christmas specials. I'm sad I didn't get any Heat Miser/Snow Miser references in. Or have MM and Wendy use Jingle and Jangle as pseudonyms.
Most fun story:
For me to write? Probably Like stars burning holes through the dark. I cackled with glee at a lot of the dialogue. Really, any time someone scores points off Vader, imagine me making toddler fists of glee. Making him deal with Aphra and Ahsoka's hookup in The Wild Chance of Living was hilarious to me. And Leia getting to yell at him in There's Still Time to Change the Road You're On was also fun for me. I feel like everyone in the Star Wars universe should get to yell at Anakin for his terrible choices.
Also Just a Little Bit of History Repeating. I think it's a pretty funny story underneath the surface. At least, I intended it to be.
Also, The Black Knight! Sirius is Batman now! All of the name stuff was a lot of fun to make up.
Sexiest story:
Apparently I only wrote two Steve/Bucky stories this year and they were both porny, so probably those? It was a very gen year for me.
Story with single sexiest moment:
I dunno, I think the moment where Kaylee climbs Anakin like a tree in the dream of flight persists is pretty sexy, probably because it took so long to get there. Or Kaz's impromptu striptease in I'm crawling on your shore.
Story with single sweetest moment:
Maybe The War at Home when Anakin says "Good night, Princess." It's like he finally has one moment of grace where he can be a parent to her instead of her worst nightmare?
Or maybe Ged teaching Tenar the names of the stars in with our way lit only by stars so she can have something interesting to say if she ever gets to talk to a dragon? Really, this whole story is sweet.
Hardest story to write:
Well, of things that I actually finished, there's The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency, which had five false starts before I finally figured it out on the sixth attempt. And of course, there's The Black Knight, which languished undone for TEN YEARS before I finished it. *hands*
Easiest story to write:
Both the dream of flight persists and with our way lit only by stars practically wrote themselves. I mean, I wrote the first 500 words of the latter on my phone on the bus! It just wanted to be written. And I'm not sure I ever wrote a 16K word story in a month before, but it just never bogged down, even when I wasn't sure where it was going or why it was taking so long.
Truest story of the year:
While I'm sure I have the backstory wrong, I think the point of belief undoes your disbelief is very true - in the end, Baze believes in Chirrut and that's enough to get him through the day.
I'd also say that in the unlikely event an "aliens make them do it/sex pollen" situation ever arose for Anakin and Ahsoka, New Territory is probably how it would play out - these are not two characters who secretly want to have sex (even if I do ship them), and it would be awkward and awful even as they try to make the best of it, and that's what the story sets out to show and I think it works. I mean, I was aiming for an uncomfortableness that I think translates to the reader.
Story that made you cry/saddest story:
The War at Home, which should be subtitled "Leia deserved better than this." *sob*
"Holy crap, that's wrong even for you" story:
Well, by the secret incest baby metric, I don't really have one, but putting that aside, probably New Territory? I feel like most people don't want a sex pollen story between two characters who don't already want to bang, and then having it deal with the awkward aftermath makes it an uncomfortable story, much more so than what spring does with the cherry trees, which is a similar set up with the same characters, except they both want it (even if they'd never have otherwise acted on it), and therefore it's a lot less uncomfortable. I guess what I'm saying is that it's not wrong so much as it's not what readers usually want from that trope.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Probably your long shadows and your gunpowder eyes, since I had never given Karen Page much thought before, and I felt like this was an attempt to understand her.
Biggest disappointment:
All the unfinished Steve/Bucky and Steve/Natasha wsip littering my hard drive. I wanted something new and different but CACW sort of put everything back to status quo pre-CATWS. I liked CACW a lot more than a lot of Steve/Bucky fans I know (despite the many issues I have with it), but I found it really stifling in terms of where to go with fic afterwards. Or maybe it was just that five years is a long time to write mostly one pairing and I was running out of steam anyway.
Biggest surprise:
That I finished The Black Knight after having abandoned it ten years ago. TEN YEARS AGO. DON'T GIVE UP. YOU CAN ALWAYS FINISH A THING LATER.
Also, how many people were into we are here and it is now. I'm baffled every time I look at those numbers.
Most telling story:
learn to live with what you can't rise above, probably, in that Leia's complicated feelings about parental recognition play out in somewhat similar ways to some of my own neuroses.
Favorite opening line:
Having established that i'm pretty lousy at opening sentences, I think this is a pretty good one:
"Go, go, go, go," shouts flight control and the next wave of ships launches, the roar of their engines momentarily drowning out the whine and screech of the TIEs and the X-Wings wheeling above and the staccato bursts of blaster and anti-aircraft fire.
--from Celestial Navigation
It sets the scene pretty well, I think.
Favorite closing line:
There would be other friends to visit, and other journeys to take, but that night both Ged and Tenar slept soundly, knowing that together, they would always find home.
--from with our way lit only by stars
or
Baze doesn’t believe in much, but he believes in Chirrut, and that’s enough.
--from belief undoes your disbelief
Favorite line from anywhere:
Basically any of the dialogue in Like stars burning holes through the dark, but especially this bit:
“Come on, Leia.” Ahsoka puts her arm around Leia’s shoulders. “I can show you some meditation techniques that will help.”
“Do you really think this is a good time to meditate?” Leia says incredulously.
“Should you become a Sith, no one will expect you to meditate your anger away,” Vader says. They all look at him in surprise. “It is one of many advantages the Sith have over the Jedi.”
There's also this:
“You might have contacted me sooner.”
“I thought you were dead!”
“When has that ever stopped you?” Obi-Wan asks, and then turns green as Anakin accelerates out into traffic. The Force is still pinging with warning, and there’s still an Inquisitor on the loose, after all.
“If you’re going to boot, do it over the side. This is a rental and I don’t have the credits to clean it,” Anakin says.
“Drive like a civilized being and I won’t,” his mouth pinches, as if he’s not the one reeking of cheap alcohol, “boot, as you so charmingly put it, all over the speeder.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
--from the dream of flight persists
I'd had the basics of this exchange in my head for a long time, but no story to put them into until this. I also just like Obi-Wan being prissy about Anakin's driving while he's disguised as a disgusting drunk dude.
Also a lot of stuff in Just a Little Bit of History Repeating pleases me - Vader's passive-aggressive speeding! (Can you imagine the poor Coruscanti traffic cops dealing with him?) His incredulity that Leia thinks he'd let her drive pilot! Basically whenever Leia and Vader interact in my stories, it's probably my favorite part. Especially if she gets a shot in and he's left fuming and without a response.
"Hey, Burgermeister Meisterburger, kiss this!" from The Extraterrestrial Elf Emergency is pretty great, too. I mean, it's no "You let them get a fin in, and you might as well be chum, chum." but I'm not sure I'll ever top that line for hilarity.
The fact that I worked the secret plan to fight inflation into Celestial Navigation also pleases me tremendously. As does the "You know the Queen of Naboo?" "Not personally" exchange in that story.
As always, now is the point when I realize it's not "funniest line" but "favorite line" so have the most romantic thing I wrote this year:
"I love you," she said when they were done, sweat drying on bare skin suddenly cool without the heat of his body above hers. "I love you in this life and if my soul should be reborn, I will love you in the next."
He gathered her close and pressed a kiss to her ear. "I thought wicked unbelievers from the Inner Lands didn't have souls and weren't reborn."
"For you, even the God-Brothers of Awabath would make an exception."
He kissed her again. "And I, you," he murmured against her cheek. "As the shore loves the sea, or the sky, the stars."
--from with our way lit only by stars
Favorite title:
what spring does with the cherry trees, 'cause you can't beat Neruda and it is also very apt to the situation!
Actually, I like all my titles this year except The Only Way Through. Bah.
Looking back, did you write more stories than you thought you would this year, fewer than you thought, or about what you predicted?
More, surprisingly. As I did last year, I made it a goal to finish and post one thing every month, and I managed that plus more. And a few of them are lengthy for me! I did not expect a 16k word SW/Firefly crossover, all of which was written in one month, or for "Celestial Navigation" to be 21k words long! I'm not used to things being more than 2500 words most of the time.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2016?
Still stunned at how much Star Wars output I've had. Also surprised to have written Karen Page/Frank Castle. I mean what.
Story that could have been better?
All of them. But if that's a copout, I'll say If You Wear That Velvet Dress. I was so determined to give it as a treat but I'm not sure it's really a story anyone should have had gifted to them. It's not necessarily bad? But it is kind of a weird little number. It didn't end up the way I expected it to. It was originally going to be a 5 times they pretended to be a couple thing that then got truncated, and then the case file aspect of it got lopped off. Like I said, I don't think it's a bad story? But it's definitely oddly shaped and kind of melancholy for what was supposed to be a fake dating turns real story. It probably needed some more time devoted to it, but it was a last minute treat and I think that shows.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Not really. I wrote the things I wanted to write, which is pretty much my M.O. all of the time. The only thing I can think of is writing a Christmas-themed Yuletide treat for someone who didn't explicitly say they liked holiday-themed stuff? I was nervous about that and it turned out okay.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
Fathers and children, maybe? Forgiveness? So probably either we are here and it is now or The War at Home, which is hilarious because they were two of the first things I wrote in 2016! Begin as you mean to go on, I guess.
What story do you want to have written?
Thing 1 and Thing 2! Ahsoka unfrozen in the future! The Han/Leia PWP titled "Drive It Like You Stole It." The Obi-Wan/Ventress frenemies with benefits. Probably some more Baze/Chirrut and there's definitely something about Bodhi Rook percolating in the back of my head, as well as a Cassian & Ahsoka Fulcrum thing. Maybe I'll actually write some Finn/Rey/Poe! Maybe more with Rex and Finn, or something with Kix and Finn? And maybe the bad wrong Vader/Ahsoka post-Malachor thing. Or the sequel to "the dream of flight persists," if I can figure out what Ahsoka's been up to. Or the post-RotS Anakin/Obi-Wan, Anakin/Ahsoka AU that I've had in my head for almost a year now.
Story I want remembered:
we are here and it is now or The War at Home or Celestial Navigation. I feel like those best represent both my interests and my abilities as a writer.
What's next for 2017:
Thing 1 and Thing 2 first, and then we'll see, I guess.
Last, but never least, thank you to all the people who listen to me whine and moan about writing, who beta and try to make my stories better, and who leave such lovely feedback. <3
And now onward to 2017.
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