thedeadparrot (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thedeadparrot) wrote2013-01-07 07:49 pm
thedeadparrot) wrote2013-01-07 07:49 pm
Entry tags:
End of year fic wrap up!
Woohoo. This is so late, but I've had a busy New Year, and this is possibly even longer and ramblier than usual.
First off, my Yuletide fic!
Songs for the Unsung (1607 words) by thedeadparrot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Bastion
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zia (Bastion), The Kid (Bastion), Rucks (Bastion), Zulf (Bastion)
Summary: This story I'm about to tell you ain't much like the Kid's stories of the Calamity. No windbags, no peckers, no anklegators. No fightin' at all, when you get right down to it. But it still got meaning all the same.
This was super fun to write. The distinctiveness of Rucks's narration has such a big impact on the game, and trying to imitate that in writing can be really difficult. I'm not particularly well-versed in first person, so this was a great challenge for me.
The Social Network
pieces form the whole (2592 words) - The HDM AU, and the last gasp of my TSN fannishness, really. I mostly wanted to write this because I was enamored with the idea of Mark wandering around with his spider daemon, who also builds beautiful things while being poisonous.
Sherlock
Good Morning Good Morning (1334 words) - This is fic I owed someone for a charity auction, and I'm still ashamed of how long it took to finish. I love slice-of-life fic, the mundanity of everyday things and how much meaning they have even if they don't have a whole lot of meaning on the surface.
SGA
Sheppard's Eleven (23251 words) - More old fandoms! Dear god, I sometimes still can't believe I managed to finish this. Four years, man. I am still a little sad that I only managed to finish it after SGA fandom died down, but I am happier that I managed to finish it at all. Juggling a large ensemble and constructing a twisty heist plotline is really difficult, but I'm proud that I tried it. I think I'll have to try reading it all the way through again in a few years to see how it holds up.
Mass Effect
An End, Once and for All (1094 words) - Like many other people, I had a strong emotional reaction to the end of Mass Effect 3, and this is a fic about it. I'm still not sure it means anything to people who are not me, but I think it's a story about capturing how I felt at a certain place at a certain time.
Life Among the Ruins (2509 words) - This was a far less personal fic, but it was also a far more accessible fic. I loved the prompt on the kinkmeme, because I really like having some bitter with my sweet. I liked imagining an ending that was moderately better, but where all the events of the game still weighed heavy on people's minds.
X-Men
and admit that the waters around you have grown (10827 words) - I have always loved reconciliation fic. As fun as first time stories are, about the heady, giddy first rush of love, I think my heart will always belong to difficult relationships, to the risk and hesitation of learning how to open yourself up again, of finding it in yourself to try again. I don't know if this fic does everything I wanted it to do, but I loved writing every bit of Charles's and Erik's interactions, the push and pull of their competing philosophies. The first image of this fic that I had in my head was of Erik planting his trees, and like to think it lingers throughout the fic.
Fragile Things (4180 words) - This fic was a reaction to a lot of things that I didn't like in XMFC fandom. I think it came out strange because of it, a little uncomfortable and a little grotesque. I like it, though. It still speaks to me.
Or from that Sea of Time (3673 words) - I think what I loved most about writing this fic was getting to indulge in the imagery of the beach. I love all post-breakup fic that is about how much they love each other and how it can't ever save them in the end. It is the greatest. I just wanted to add this little contribution.
Like A Rolling Stone (5333 words) -merisunshine36 was like, "You should write old!Erik working at a bike shop!" and I was like, "Okay!" and this happened. I still have a problem with hoarding fics because I'm convinced they're terrible and shouldn't see the light of day. This was one of them, but people told me it was worth posting, and so I did.
Elementary
The City & the City (2508 words) - I really enjoyed the Elementary pilot, especially the bro-ship of Holmes and Watson, and I wanted to write some gen for the two of them. It was a lot of fun to imagine the ways for their relationship to unfold, for their friendship to mature. That scene with the rain is one I'm still super proud of.
Actor RPF
A Sort of Homecoming (4450 words) - This was another fic that I wanted to hoard because it felt so pointless and indulgent. I love cities a lot, and I think that's a theme that underlines the last few fics I wrote, how cities shape us and nurture us and give us a place to plant our roots, of both the emotional and the physical varieties. I've been a fan of Matt and Ben for a while, and it was fun to get to try to pretend to know anything about their relationship. I am actualfax super excited for Whitey to start filming, and I'm also super excited to see it theaters. It's sad but true.
Leitmotif(s) of the year: Cities! Citiescitiescitiescities. I'm not sure why they played such a prominent role this year (though they did play a decently large part of last year, what with mafia and all). I think I just find them comforting for some reason.
My best story of this year: Sheppard's Eleven. To some degree, I'm going to say this out of sheer stubbornness, but seriously, four years. It was a labor of love all the way through, and it was so ambitious in a lot of ways, I'm amazed I ever managed to finish it. I'm proud of it.
My favorite story of this year: This one's tough. I think I was all over the place this year in terms of fandoms and moods and general feelings towards things. I liked a whole lot that I wrote, but it's hard for me to pin down one fic that I really loved.
Most popular story: and admit that the waters around you have grown, hands down. I'm really glad that people liked it that much. It was a lot of my X-Men feelings in the same place at the same time, and I'm glad people reacted positively to that.
Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Nothing, really. Even my not-even-cross-posted self-indulgent RPF gen fic got kudos and comments I wasn't expecting. (Seriously, gen fic.)
Most fun story to write: pieces form the whole, because I got to spend a lot of time getting into arguments on IM on what sort of daemons people in TSN would have. And then I got to write whatever I wanted, because clearly I am right about everything, so there.
Sexiest story: pieces form the whole, I think. All the other sex I ended up writing this year was so depressing. Seriously.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: and admit that the waters around you have grown was very much a chance to really reach into these characters and explore them, to open them up and see what makes them tick.
Hardest story to write: Sheppard's Eleven. Do I really need to go over this again? Large ensemble, twisty plots, a very particular sort of setting, and a kinda reconciliation romance somewhere in the middle. It was a lot to keep juggling, and I got too frustrated with it more than once. But I finished it! It is done!
Biggest Disappointment: Eh.
Biggest Surprise: Life Among the Ruins. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started writing it, but then there was this whole world that sprung up out of it in my head. I do love it when that happens.
Most Personally Revealing Story: A Sort of Homecoming. For a lot of reasons, none of which I'll get into right here. I'm sure they're obvious to anyone who knows me.
Story I haven't yet written, but intend to: Sheppard's Ele-- okay, I am still not over celebrating the fact that I never have to write that in this section again! \o/merisunshine36 is also making me write her a Glee/White Collar crossover, because I am the easiest ever. So, yeah. That's going to happen.
Who knows what else I'm going to do? I think I want to try write more this year. I forget how much I miss it when I'm not writing.
First off, my Yuletide fic!
Songs for the Unsung (1607 words) by thedeadparrot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Bastion
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Zia (Bastion), The Kid (Bastion), Rucks (Bastion), Zulf (Bastion)
Summary: This story I'm about to tell you ain't much like the Kid's stories of the Calamity. No windbags, no peckers, no anklegators. No fightin' at all, when you get right down to it. But it still got meaning all the same.
This was super fun to write. The distinctiveness of Rucks's narration has such a big impact on the game, and trying to imitate that in writing can be really difficult. I'm not particularly well-versed in first person, so this was a great challenge for me.
The Social Network
pieces form the whole (2592 words) - The HDM AU, and the last gasp of my TSN fannishness, really. I mostly wanted to write this because I was enamored with the idea of Mark wandering around with his spider daemon, who also builds beautiful things while being poisonous.
Sherlock
Good Morning Good Morning (1334 words) - This is fic I owed someone for a charity auction, and I'm still ashamed of how long it took to finish. I love slice-of-life fic, the mundanity of everyday things and how much meaning they have even if they don't have a whole lot of meaning on the surface.
SGA
Sheppard's Eleven (23251 words) - More old fandoms! Dear god, I sometimes still can't believe I managed to finish this. Four years, man. I am still a little sad that I only managed to finish it after SGA fandom died down, but I am happier that I managed to finish it at all. Juggling a large ensemble and constructing a twisty heist plotline is really difficult, but I'm proud that I tried it. I think I'll have to try reading it all the way through again in a few years to see how it holds up.
Mass Effect
An End, Once and for All (1094 words) - Like many other people, I had a strong emotional reaction to the end of Mass Effect 3, and this is a fic about it. I'm still not sure it means anything to people who are not me, but I think it's a story about capturing how I felt at a certain place at a certain time.
Life Among the Ruins (2509 words) - This was a far less personal fic, but it was also a far more accessible fic. I loved the prompt on the kinkmeme, because I really like having some bitter with my sweet. I liked imagining an ending that was moderately better, but where all the events of the game still weighed heavy on people's minds.
X-Men
and admit that the waters around you have grown (10827 words) - I have always loved reconciliation fic. As fun as first time stories are, about the heady, giddy first rush of love, I think my heart will always belong to difficult relationships, to the risk and hesitation of learning how to open yourself up again, of finding it in yourself to try again. I don't know if this fic does everything I wanted it to do, but I loved writing every bit of Charles's and Erik's interactions, the push and pull of their competing philosophies. The first image of this fic that I had in my head was of Erik planting his trees, and like to think it lingers throughout the fic.
Fragile Things (4180 words) - This fic was a reaction to a lot of things that I didn't like in XMFC fandom. I think it came out strange because of it, a little uncomfortable and a little grotesque. I like it, though. It still speaks to me.
Or from that Sea of Time (3673 words) - I think what I loved most about writing this fic was getting to indulge in the imagery of the beach. I love all post-breakup fic that is about how much they love each other and how it can't ever save them in the end. It is the greatest. I just wanted to add this little contribution.
Like A Rolling Stone (5333 words) -
merisunshine36 was like, "You should write old!Erik working at a bike shop!" and I was like, "Okay!" and this happened. I still have a problem with hoarding fics because I'm convinced they're terrible and shouldn't see the light of day. This was one of them, but people told me it was worth posting, and so I did.Elementary
The City & the City (2508 words) - I really enjoyed the Elementary pilot, especially the bro-ship of Holmes and Watson, and I wanted to write some gen for the two of them. It was a lot of fun to imagine the ways for their relationship to unfold, for their friendship to mature. That scene with the rain is one I'm still super proud of.
Actor RPF
A Sort of Homecoming (4450 words) - This was another fic that I wanted to hoard because it felt so pointless and indulgent. I love cities a lot, and I think that's a theme that underlines the last few fics I wrote, how cities shape us and nurture us and give us a place to plant our roots, of both the emotional and the physical varieties. I've been a fan of Matt and Ben for a while, and it was fun to get to try to pretend to know anything about their relationship. I am actualfax super excited for Whitey to start filming, and I'm also super excited to see it theaters. It's sad but true.
Leitmotif(s) of the year: Cities! Citiescitiescitiescities. I'm not sure why they played such a prominent role this year (though they did play a decently large part of last year, what with mafia and all). I think I just find them comforting for some reason.
My best story of this year: Sheppard's Eleven. To some degree, I'm going to say this out of sheer stubbornness, but seriously, four years. It was a labor of love all the way through, and it was so ambitious in a lot of ways, I'm amazed I ever managed to finish it. I'm proud of it.
My favorite story of this year: This one's tough. I think I was all over the place this year in terms of fandoms and moods and general feelings towards things. I liked a whole lot that I wrote, but it's hard for me to pin down one fic that I really loved.
Most popular story: and admit that the waters around you have grown, hands down. I'm really glad that people liked it that much. It was a lot of my X-Men feelings in the same place at the same time, and I'm glad people reacted positively to that.
Story of mine most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Nothing, really. Even my not-even-cross-posted self-indulgent RPF gen fic got kudos and comments I wasn't expecting. (Seriously, gen fic.)
Most fun story to write: pieces form the whole, because I got to spend a lot of time getting into arguments on IM on what sort of daemons people in TSN would have. And then I got to write whatever I wanted, because clearly I am right about everything, so there.
Sexiest story: pieces form the whole, I think. All the other sex I ended up writing this year was so depressing. Seriously.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: and admit that the waters around you have grown was very much a chance to really reach into these characters and explore them, to open them up and see what makes them tick.
Hardest story to write: Sheppard's Eleven. Do I really need to go over this again? Large ensemble, twisty plots, a very particular sort of setting, and a kinda reconciliation romance somewhere in the middle. It was a lot to keep juggling, and I got too frustrated with it more than once. But I finished it! It is done!
Biggest Disappointment: Eh.
Biggest Surprise: Life Among the Ruins. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started writing it, but then there was this whole world that sprung up out of it in my head. I do love it when that happens.
Most Personally Revealing Story: A Sort of Homecoming. For a lot of reasons, none of which I'll get into right here. I'm sure they're obvious to anyone who knows me.
Story I haven't yet written, but intend to: Sheppard's Ele-- okay, I am still not over celebrating the fact that I never have to write that in this section again! \o/
merisunshine36 is also making me write her a Glee/White Collar crossover, because I am the easiest ever. So, yeah. That's going to happen. Who knows what else I'm going to do? I think I want to try write more this year. I forget how much I miss it when I'm not writing.