State of Sekrit’s fanfic life, summer 2015
This post follows up those written in 2013 and 2014 concerning the current state of my SP fic projects and works in progress. Generally summer is when I have a lot of time to do things, and that’s sort of true, but also this summer involves the very very very end of some awful real-life work so yes, it’s like basically July, but I really haven’t cut loose yet and am therefore farther behind that I’d like to be. That said, I am making progress, and it helps to this every year around the same time, so behold, the status of my South Park fanfic life:
Near-term projects:
RIAT 9. This is very near done and will be posted as this year’s mathom. It does really take me a long time to crank these chapters out, in part due to the research but also because any time I wander over to another project I get derailed. I’m chipping away at them all the time, and that usually gets them up to a respectable length, maybe somewhere between 5,000-10,000 words in length. Then when I narrow in on something for publication I write them out more fully etc. I’d love to get someone to beta this? Unfortunately I have to spend the vast majority of my time over the next couple of weeks concentrating on work stuff, so like. Well, we see. RIAT 9, coming soon.
1970s AU. Having worked on this since like 2011, I think it’s going to have to be my next project after I get the RIAT chapter up. The problem is that I’ll become anxious about not having something longer to post and my mind will wander to one of these other list items or I’ll try to invent a new story that’ll be shorter and quicker to finish and it won’t be! and just like - the deal with this fic is, I’ve got it up to 100,000 words, it’ll be somewhat longer than that, it’s going to be stupid, and I’m not going to post any until after I finish writing and editing the whole thing.
If you’re just tuning in and/or have a life that’s prevented you from staying on top of all of my unposted WIPs, this is literally just an AU about Stan and Kyle meeting and falling in love in 1970s America. Which isn’t to say the whole thing takes place in the 1970s, though; they meet in 1973. If you’re curious. Anyway, coming soon.
RIAT missing scene, 70s installment. Confusing, right, given the above. This is a RIAT prequel set in that AU during the 1970s. I do feel bad about writing so many RIAT timestamps, but I wanted to write this for two reasons. One, it deals with Stan/Gary, which is something I’ve never done before, and I think it’ll be fun to write. Two, I realized that after the S/K zine comes out (see below), I’ll have published something RIAT in the 1960s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s - so, you know, why not fill in the gap? Because it’s indulgent bullshit, that’s why. Well, I’m still writing it.
Single dads, aka “casa bonita.” Blame @hellomorningzoo for this. Somehow I wrote 16K of this over the winter before stopping to work on RIAT or real life or who even knows. Anyway, it’s about Stan and Kyle meeting up again as single fathers when their kids are attending the same birthday party at Casa Bonita. I’ll be honest, I hate this fic, but 16K is quite a lot for a oneshot, so I wonder whether I shouldn’t finish this? … Okay, I just reread this and it’s pretty good. That’s always the most damning, right, when you’re ready to scrap something and you reread it and you’re like “this could be something”? Ugh. If you’d asked me one year ago if I’d finish my Craig/Clyde I’d have been like “probably not” but I did, so. It’s difficult to characterize this kind of project.
Rehab fic. I’ve wanted to write this story for like two years, okay, stick with me on this. Kyle and Stan meet up again as adults in rehab. Clearly they want to bone, but hooking up/starting relationships is generally discouraged when you’re in recovery. It’s really important to Stan to follow through on the program and get sober, so he’s inclined to just let it go, but Kyle is like “you’re an adult, you could fuck me if you wanted to,” and that’s the impasse they’re at. I started this and was super pleased with it, but it’s down enough on this list that I’m not sure if I’ll come back to it or when, though I really want to.
Elf AU. OKAY, this is like the next big thing I want to do, like maybe a big fic kind of follow-up to RIAT? And yet so totally different. I’m so so so excited to write this, you don’t even know. Okay. It’s set in the pretend LARP world the kids made up in TSOT, but real; Kyle is the king of the Elves and they are in a years-on war with the Humans and their king, Wizard Cartman, etc. Elf society is a matriarchy and as Kyle is clearly not a woman his hold on power is tenuous, especially since the Elves are sick of being involved in this conflict forever, and Kyle is worried about things working out since he can’t produce an heir and the Elves sort of need that continuity or their society might just collapse. Stan (who’s his lover, obv.) suggests he try to court Wendy, who could not only produce an heir, but would bring enough amazon warriors under Kyle’s control to win the war against the Humans. Little does Kyle know that Cartman is in the same exact position, since his consort, Princess Kenny, isn’t any more capable of producing an heir than Kyle is, though no one knows this. (Well, except for Butters, who is sleeping with both Kenny and Cartman.) But Cartman has also realized that Wendy’s on the market for a political alliance, and will presumably have to choose between these two idiots. I wrote a fucking outline for this and everything, people, okay, I am SO EXCITED and also mpreg. !!!! !!!! !!!!
Witch fic. If you’ve enjoyed any of negniahn’s witch Kyle/raven Stan pictures, well, this is that. I don’t know if I’ll make this into an actual story I post?
Looking ahead:
RIAT 10. The final chapter! I won’t come back to this until I’ve cleared out something on the above list, I’m sure.
FTM Kyle 3. I’m seriously on the fence about this. I feel awful for posting this fic, seriously. Writing it was personally helpful, as I think I’ve said before. Then again, I’m really not sure that I should finish writing, and subsequently post, the last part of this, a discussion I’ve had with myself and some other people over and over again but which I don’t want to rehash here. At the same time I recently reread that “An Unwillingness” fic and it’s really good and I’m super pleased with it, and also, I have ridiculously conflicted feelings about leaving this unfinished. Maybe I shouldn’t even bring this fic up any more?
MTF Stan. For some reason I think this has a lot of potential, and maybe because it’s handled with some detachment instead of being like a repository for my feelings I should just write the last 750 words and post it? Some bits on my Tumblr somewhere.
Vikings. This is the best fic, okay, like, I wish I had nothing but time to work on this fic. It’s just like, well, when you have nothing but WIPs, what are you gonna do? Maybe I should just make this my next priority. I dunno. It’s truly amazing, though I highly doubt anyone would be into it.
Kenny/Cartman. It’s my dream to one day finish this fic. I really, really believe in Kenny/Cartman fic, especially with a weird side of Butters, but unfortunately I just keep not completing and posting this.
Kyle develops psychopathy. Nhaingen gave me this idea and I started writing it, but? I dunno, it’s a good idea and could be a cool fic, but it’s down on this list.
Cartman/Kyle kink fill. I don’t even know why I began writing this but I think the fact that I’ve had an unfinished Cartman/Kyle kink fill on my computer for five years is indicative of how I feel about the pairing in general, like, it’s not that it offends me, like, I see the potential, but I just honestly don’t give enough of a shit about this to even write “then they came, the end” and the bottom of this and post it anonymously on a kink meme no one’s watching.
Five times Kyle was a witch etc. I think I should just post the “Bewitched” portion of this and call it a day. Maybe the “Bewitched” and Hogwarts parts. You know @wargelf started a Hogwarts AU and it was so much better I just went “fuck” and quit on this. ETA: Posted it here.
In the bag:
RIAT missing scene for S/K zine. Well, okay, “in the bag” might be slightly too optimistic; though this fic is finished I would love to get another set of eyes on it and do some revising before it did end up in the zine. But it’s written and ready to go, complete to the point where if I never did any further work to it, it would still be finished. In that sense it might be a case of being self-critical rather than a case of the fic truly needing much work? Anyway, this is done and will be published in the S/K zine, the submission deadline for which is July 24 I think. So if you want to write or draw for that, you’re encouraged to do so.
Progress from last year’s list:
Craig/Clyde fic. Posted here.
RIAT prequel. Posted here. This is probably the best thing I ever wrote, honestly.
Purim fic. Scrapped it here.
Near-term projects:
RIAT 9. This is very near done and will be posted as this year’s mathom. It does really take me a long time to crank these chapters out, in part due to the research but also because any time I wander over to another project I get derailed. I’m chipping away at them all the time, and that usually gets them up to a respectable length, maybe somewhere between 5,000-10,000 words in length. Then when I narrow in on something for publication I write them out more fully etc. I’d love to get someone to beta this? Unfortunately I have to spend the vast majority of my time over the next couple of weeks concentrating on work stuff, so like. Well, we see. RIAT 9, coming soon.
1970s AU. Having worked on this since like 2011, I think it’s going to have to be my next project after I get the RIAT chapter up. The problem is that I’ll become anxious about not having something longer to post and my mind will wander to one of these other list items or I’ll try to invent a new story that’ll be shorter and quicker to finish and it won’t be! and just like - the deal with this fic is, I’ve got it up to 100,000 words, it’ll be somewhat longer than that, it’s going to be stupid, and I’m not going to post any until after I finish writing and editing the whole thing.
If you’re just tuning in and/or have a life that’s prevented you from staying on top of all of my unposted WIPs, this is literally just an AU about Stan and Kyle meeting and falling in love in 1970s America. Which isn’t to say the whole thing takes place in the 1970s, though; they meet in 1973. If you’re curious. Anyway, coming soon.
RIAT missing scene, 70s installment. Confusing, right, given the above. This is a RIAT prequel set in that AU during the 1970s. I do feel bad about writing so many RIAT timestamps, but I wanted to write this for two reasons. One, it deals with Stan/Gary, which is something I’ve never done before, and I think it’ll be fun to write. Two, I realized that after the S/K zine comes out (see below), I’ll have published something RIAT in the 1960s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s - so, you know, why not fill in the gap? Because it’s indulgent bullshit, that’s why. Well, I’m still writing it.
Single dads, aka “casa bonita.” Blame @hellomorningzoo for this. Somehow I wrote 16K of this over the winter before stopping to work on RIAT or real life or who even knows. Anyway, it’s about Stan and Kyle meeting up again as single fathers when their kids are attending the same birthday party at Casa Bonita. I’ll be honest, I hate this fic, but 16K is quite a lot for a oneshot, so I wonder whether I shouldn’t finish this? … Okay, I just reread this and it’s pretty good. That’s always the most damning, right, when you’re ready to scrap something and you reread it and you’re like “this could be something”? Ugh. If you’d asked me one year ago if I’d finish my Craig/Clyde I’d have been like “probably not” but I did, so. It’s difficult to characterize this kind of project.
Rehab fic. I’ve wanted to write this story for like two years, okay, stick with me on this. Kyle and Stan meet up again as adults in rehab. Clearly they want to bone, but hooking up/starting relationships is generally discouraged when you’re in recovery. It’s really important to Stan to follow through on the program and get sober, so he’s inclined to just let it go, but Kyle is like “you’re an adult, you could fuck me if you wanted to,” and that’s the impasse they’re at. I started this and was super pleased with it, but it’s down enough on this list that I’m not sure if I’ll come back to it or when, though I really want to.
Elf AU. OKAY, this is like the next big thing I want to do, like maybe a big fic kind of follow-up to RIAT? And yet so totally different. I’m so so so excited to write this, you don’t even know. Okay. It’s set in the pretend LARP world the kids made up in TSOT, but real; Kyle is the king of the Elves and they are in a years-on war with the Humans and their king, Wizard Cartman, etc. Elf society is a matriarchy and as Kyle is clearly not a woman his hold on power is tenuous, especially since the Elves are sick of being involved in this conflict forever, and Kyle is worried about things working out since he can’t produce an heir and the Elves sort of need that continuity or their society might just collapse. Stan (who’s his lover, obv.) suggests he try to court Wendy, who could not only produce an heir, but would bring enough amazon warriors under Kyle’s control to win the war against the Humans. Little does Kyle know that Cartman is in the same exact position, since his consort, Princess Kenny, isn’t any more capable of producing an heir than Kyle is, though no one knows this. (Well, except for Butters, who is sleeping with both Kenny and Cartman.) But Cartman has also realized that Wendy’s on the market for a political alliance, and will presumably have to choose between these two idiots. I wrote a fucking outline for this and everything, people, okay, I am SO EXCITED and also mpreg. !!!! !!!! !!!!
Witch fic. If you’ve enjoyed any of negniahn’s witch Kyle/raven Stan pictures, well, this is that. I don’t know if I’ll make this into an actual story I post?
Looking ahead:
RIAT 10. The final chapter! I won’t come back to this until I’ve cleared out something on the above list, I’m sure.
FTM Kyle 3. I’m seriously on the fence about this. I feel awful for posting this fic, seriously. Writing it was personally helpful, as I think I’ve said before. Then again, I’m really not sure that I should finish writing, and subsequently post, the last part of this, a discussion I’ve had with myself and some other people over and over again but which I don’t want to rehash here. At the same time I recently reread that “An Unwillingness” fic and it’s really good and I’m super pleased with it, and also, I have ridiculously conflicted feelings about leaving this unfinished. Maybe I shouldn’t even bring this fic up any more?
MTF Stan. For some reason I think this has a lot of potential, and maybe because it’s handled with some detachment instead of being like a repository for my feelings I should just write the last 750 words and post it? Some bits on my Tumblr somewhere.
Vikings. This is the best fic, okay, like, I wish I had nothing but time to work on this fic. It’s just like, well, when you have nothing but WIPs, what are you gonna do? Maybe I should just make this my next priority. I dunno. It’s truly amazing, though I highly doubt anyone would be into it.
Kenny/Cartman. It’s my dream to one day finish this fic. I really, really believe in Kenny/Cartman fic, especially with a weird side of Butters, but unfortunately I just keep not completing and posting this.
Kyle develops psychopathy. Nhaingen gave me this idea and I started writing it, but? I dunno, it’s a good idea and could be a cool fic, but it’s down on this list.
Cartman/Kyle kink fill. I don’t even know why I began writing this but I think the fact that I’ve had an unfinished Cartman/Kyle kink fill on my computer for five years is indicative of how I feel about the pairing in general, like, it’s not that it offends me, like, I see the potential, but I just honestly don’t give enough of a shit about this to even write “then they came, the end” and the bottom of this and post it anonymously on a kink meme no one’s watching.
Five times Kyle was a witch etc. I think I should just post the “Bewitched” portion of this and call it a day. Maybe the “Bewitched” and Hogwarts parts. You know @wargelf started a Hogwarts AU and it was so much better I just went “fuck” and quit on this. ETA: Posted it here.
In the bag:
RIAT missing scene for S/K zine. Well, okay, “in the bag” might be slightly too optimistic; though this fic is finished I would love to get another set of eyes on it and do some revising before it did end up in the zine. But it’s written and ready to go, complete to the point where if I never did any further work to it, it would still be finished. In that sense it might be a case of being self-critical rather than a case of the fic truly needing much work? Anyway, this is done and will be published in the S/K zine, the submission deadline for which is July 24 I think. So if you want to write or draw for that, you’re encouraged to do so.
Progress from last year’s list:
Craig/Clyde fic. Posted here.
RIAT prequel. Posted here. This is probably the best thing I ever wrote, honestly.
Purim fic. Scrapped it here.