thedeadparrot (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thedeadparrot) wrote2009-01-02 12:28 pm
thedeadparrot) wrote2009-01-02 12:28 pm
Entry tags:
End of Year Fic Wrapup
So, another year, another set of fics.
Total number of stories: 21
Total word count: 45,551 words
Not quite the 50,000 words I try for every year, but it's not bad. Here's the list, now with extra commentary!
Stargate Atlantis:
Penis Envy, And Other Things Meredith McKay Doesn't Actually Have - This was my "Why are all the genderswap AUs about marriage and babies?" fic. I just really wanted to write a genderswap AU where not everything is straightforward because one of them is a guy and one of them is a girl. It was a bit shaky there, trying to balance so many elements, but I think it works out okay, in the end.
Happy When It Rains - My Nancy fic. I usually write about people coming together, about new relationships forming or old ones being patched up, but this one was about a relationship falling apart. I liked that it challenged me to try something different.
And I Say, It's Alright - Yeah, "self-indulgent weatherfic" describes this perfectly. Atlantis is very, very pretty.
slip the surly bonds of earth - self-indulgent space exploration fic. I do think it captures that feeling of unbridled potential, that yearning for knowledge. I really enjoyed playing with the parallels between the two parts.
Heroes/SGA:
Interpreted Languages -![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hannahrorlove gave me this bunny, and I still love it. The whole thing is like a nerd's wet dream. You get to talk to machines, and the machines talk back. I also adore Micah, and I loved having a chance to write him here.
House/SGA:
Corporate Conspiracies For Dummies, Or A Mathletes Valentine's Day Special - I blitzed this in one day, and it kind of shows, but it does contain my favoritest Star Wars metaphor ever, so there is that.
House:
The Old Path - FOREMAN'S A NINJA. IN SPACE. WITH CUDDY. I struggled with this for a long time, and I can still see where I was floundering when I reread, but I still enjoy the world (even if it is a total ripoff of Star Wars) and I still love ninjas. OMGNINJAS.
When He Was A Girl (You'll Be A Woman Soon Remix) - "So," I said toqueenzulu as I was plotting this out, "I want to make people cry." I do think it's a story with a killer emotional sucker punch.
Beautiful (It's The Inside That Counts) - the sequel. I like that Wilson gets her happy ending. I'm not so sure about everything else.
Politician RPF:
Electioneering
Optimistic
I guess I'll do these together, the two sides of Obama/Clinton. The pairing just got stuck in my head and wouldn't get out, so I wrote these. I tried to make sure that they were both as likable and sympathetic as possible, mostly because I really did like and sympathize with both of them. I dunno how well it worked for other people, but I like to think I pulled it off.
Queer As Folk (UK):
Snapshots - I kind of fell in love with Queer As Folk again over the summer, and then I read every fic that didn't immediately make me want to break things, and then this sort of dribbled out of my brain in pieces. Then I stuck the pieces together into something that vaguely made sense, and this was the result.
Doctor Who:
In This World - Getting into the swing of a new fandom is tough. You need to practice it a bit before you get good. This was my Doctor Who practice fic, because that dude's voice is tough. Weirdly enough, I never really did have to write much of it again.
Sew It Up, But You Still See The Tear - This was probably one of the more emotionally grueling things I've ever written, even more so than some of the other things on this list. I'm incredibly proud of how it came out. I still think it's one of the best things I've ever written.
What We've Become - I wanted to write something post-Journey's End, and this was what came out of it. I remember feeling distinctly dissatisfied with it when I finished the first draft, and it wasn't untilqueenzulu and I hashed some things out that it got better.
Top Gear/Doctor Who:
You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Work Here, But It Helps - A one note joke that hopefully doesn't overstay its welcome. I did have lots of fun trying to make the Stig incredibly ridiculous, though.
Smallville:
Falling Slowly - Ah, yes. This was my Smallville training wheels fic, and while I still like it, it still reads as on the verge of being overly sweet. I definitely tried to reign that in later.
All That You Can't Leave Behind - Post-Bride. Man, Lois had a lot of emotional crap to deal with after that ep, and I really wanted to reach into her brain and make everything okay for her. I like to think that the Lois here could take on Clark's Lana issues without batting an eye.
peace comes dropping slow - I like outside POVs, and it was a nice challenge to try to tell a story from outside the action. It definitely was a good change of pace for me, and I still like the result.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Better - A short tidbit of a story. I loved Shu Lien in the movie, and I wanted to see things from her eyes for a bit.
Merlin:
Four Kisses - I wanted OT4 fic in this fandom, so I wrote it myself. I really enjoyed weaving in Arthurian mythology, though I am sad that I didn't get more of Arthur as king, because man, I really want to see what that's like, myself.
Paradise Kiss:
Tears Dry On Their Own - I ripped this title from an Amy Winehouse song, and it's very much a story of recovery, of finding a place for oneself. I think I may have overextended myself in a lot of places, but I still like the Yukari/Hiro in this.
My favorite story this year (of my own): Interpreted Languages, definitely. It's about technology and communication and finding a place where you fit. It's basically my nerdiness put into words.
Story most tragically underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: The Old Path, if only because the world desperately needs more space ninja AUs. Lots, lots more.
Most fun story: Corporate Conspiracies For Dummies, Or A Mathletes Valentine's Day Special. It was fun to write, and I still find the thought of House and Rodney celebrating Valentine's Day in any sort of way HILARIOUS.
Most unintentionally *telling* story: All That You Can't Leave Behind - I frequently write things to come to terms with canon I don't entirely agree with, and I think how I write those stories says a lot about me.
"Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: I feel like some people may judge me for writing politician RPF of my current Senator and my future President, but I laugh in their general direction.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: Happy When It Rains. I really liked Nancy when she showed up, and this was my chance to really get into her head. It definitely let me see John from a very different angle than I'm used to.
Hardest story to write: The Old Path - I started this around April 2007, and it wasn't finished until February 2008. I had so much trouble figuring out the central conflict of the story, but once I did, everything became a lot smoother.
Worst story: Beautiful (It's The Inside That Counts) - I just still feel incredibly dissatisfied with it, and I'm not entirely sure why. The emotion is definitely a lot less subtle, which might be it.
Easiest story to write: Interpreted Languages possibly tying with Corporate Conspiracies For Dummies, Or A Mathletes Valentine's Day Special. They both flowed out of my brain really easily.
Story I didn’t write but will at some point, I swear: Sheppard's 11, maybe? It's still kicking around, and I keep looking back at it and hoping that I'll get a good kick in the pants to work on it more. I also have vague ideas for a post-apocalyptic Merlin AU, because the thought of Arthur and Merlin running around the ruins of London carrying rifles and AK-47s sounds BADASS.
And another meme to kick off the new year:
If you could force me to write anything, what would it be?
I also have to respond to my yuletide feedback, but that will probably happen tomorrow. Probably.
Total number of stories: 21
Total word count: 45,551 words
Not quite the 50,000 words I try for every year, but it's not bad. Here's the list, now with extra commentary!
Stargate Atlantis:
Penis Envy, And Other Things Meredith McKay Doesn't Actually Have - This was my "Why are all the genderswap AUs about marriage and babies?" fic. I just really wanted to write a genderswap AU where not everything is straightforward because one of them is a guy and one of them is a girl. It was a bit shaky there, trying to balance so many elements, but I think it works out okay, in the end.
Happy When It Rains - My Nancy fic. I usually write about people coming together, about new relationships forming or old ones being patched up, but this one was about a relationship falling apart. I liked that it challenged me to try something different.
And I Say, It's Alright - Yeah, "self-indulgent weatherfic" describes this perfectly. Atlantis is very, very pretty.
slip the surly bonds of earth - self-indulgent space exploration fic. I do think it captures that feeling of unbridled potential, that yearning for knowledge. I really enjoyed playing with the parallels between the two parts.
Heroes/SGA:
Interpreted Languages -
hannahrorlove gave me this bunny, and I still love it. The whole thing is like a nerd's wet dream. You get to talk to machines, and the machines talk back. I also adore Micah, and I loved having a chance to write him here.House/SGA:
Corporate Conspiracies For Dummies, Or A Mathletes Valentine's Day Special - I blitzed this in one day, and it kind of shows, but it does contain my favoritest Star Wars metaphor ever, so there is that.
House:
The Old Path - FOREMAN'S A NINJA. IN SPACE. WITH CUDDY. I struggled with this for a long time, and I can still see where I was floundering when I reread, but I still enjoy the world (even if it is a total ripoff of Star Wars) and I still love ninjas. OMGNINJAS.
When He Was A Girl (You'll Be A Woman Soon Remix) - "So," I said to
queenzulu as I was plotting this out, "I want to make people cry." I do think it's a story with a killer emotional sucker punch.Beautiful (It's The Inside That Counts) - the sequel. I like that Wilson gets her happy ending. I'm not so sure about everything else.
Politician RPF:
Electioneering
Optimistic
I guess I'll do these together, the two sides of Obama/Clinton. The pairing just got stuck in my head and wouldn't get out, so I wrote these. I tried to make sure that they were both as likable and sympathetic as possible, mostly because I really did like and sympathize with both of them. I dunno how well it worked for other people, but I like to think I pulled it off.
Queer As Folk (UK):
Snapshots - I kind of fell in love with Queer As Folk again over the summer, and then I read every fic that didn't immediately make me want to break things, and then this sort of dribbled out of my brain in pieces. Then I stuck the pieces together into something that vaguely made sense, and this was the result.
Doctor Who:
In This World - Getting into the swing of a new fandom is tough. You need to practice it a bit before you get good. This was my Doctor Who practice fic, because that dude's voice is tough. Weirdly enough, I never really did have to write much of it again.
Sew It Up, But You Still See The Tear - This was probably one of the more emotionally grueling things I've ever written, even more so than some of the other things on this list. I'm incredibly proud of how it came out. I still think it's one of the best things I've ever written.
What We've Become - I wanted to write something post-Journey's End, and this was what came out of it. I remember feeling distinctly dissatisfied with it when I finished the first draft, and it wasn't until
queenzulu and I hashed some things out that it got better.Top Gear/Doctor Who:
You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Work Here, But It Helps - A one note joke that hopefully doesn't overstay its welcome. I did have lots of fun trying to make the Stig incredibly ridiculous, though.
Smallville:
Falling Slowly - Ah, yes. This was my Smallville training wheels fic, and while I still like it, it still reads as on the verge of being overly sweet. I definitely tried to reign that in later.
All That You Can't Leave Behind - Post-Bride. Man, Lois had a lot of emotional crap to deal with after that ep, and I really wanted to reach into her brain and make everything okay for her. I like to think that the Lois here could take on Clark's Lana issues without batting an eye.
peace comes dropping slow - I like outside POVs, and it was a nice challenge to try to tell a story from outside the action. It definitely was a good change of pace for me, and I still like the result.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Better - A short tidbit of a story. I loved Shu Lien in the movie, and I wanted to see things from her eyes for a bit.
Merlin:
Four Kisses - I wanted OT4 fic in this fandom, so I wrote it myself. I really enjoyed weaving in Arthurian mythology, though I am sad that I didn't get more of Arthur as king, because man, I really want to see what that's like, myself.
Paradise Kiss:
Tears Dry On Their Own - I ripped this title from an Amy Winehouse song, and it's very much a story of recovery, of finding a place for oneself. I think I may have overextended myself in a lot of places, but I still like the Yukari/Hiro in this.
My favorite story this year (of my own): Interpreted Languages, definitely. It's about technology and communication and finding a place where you fit. It's basically my nerdiness put into words.
Story most tragically underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: The Old Path, if only because the world desperately needs more space ninja AUs. Lots, lots more.
Most fun story: Corporate Conspiracies For Dummies, Or A Mathletes Valentine's Day Special. It was fun to write, and I still find the thought of House and Rodney celebrating Valentine's Day in any sort of way HILARIOUS.
Most unintentionally *telling* story: All That You Can't Leave Behind - I frequently write things to come to terms with canon I don't entirely agree with, and I think how I write those stories says a lot about me.
"Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: I feel like some people may judge me for writing politician RPF of my current Senator and my future President, but I laugh in their general direction.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: Happy When It Rains. I really liked Nancy when she showed up, and this was my chance to really get into her head. It definitely let me see John from a very different angle than I'm used to.
Hardest story to write: The Old Path - I started this around April 2007, and it wasn't finished until February 2008. I had so much trouble figuring out the central conflict of the story, but once I did, everything became a lot smoother.
Worst story: Beautiful (It's The Inside That Counts) - I just still feel incredibly dissatisfied with it, and I'm not entirely sure why. The emotion is definitely a lot less subtle, which might be it.
Easiest story to write: Interpreted Languages possibly tying with Corporate Conspiracies For Dummies, Or A Mathletes Valentine's Day Special. They both flowed out of my brain really easily.
Story I didn’t write but will at some point, I swear: Sheppard's 11, maybe? It's still kicking around, and I keep looking back at it and hoping that I'll get a good kick in the pants to work on it more. I also have vague ideas for a post-apocalyptic Merlin AU, because the thought of Arthur and Merlin running around the ruins of London carrying rifles and AK-47s sounds BADASS.
And another meme to kick off the new year:
If you could force me to write anything, what would it be?
I also have to respond to my yuletide feedback, but that will probably happen tomorrow. Probably.