![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Very Belated End-of-Year (2018) Memes
Feb. 27th, 2019 02:10 amIt's almost March 2019, aka the perfect time to post an end-of-2018 writing retrospective meme! In my defense, I really want to. I stumbled across it on sineala and kiyaar's journals sometime mid-january/early february, and I just haven't had the time until now. ANYWAY.
Fiction posted this year
January
Lot's Wife - MCU, Steve/Tony - complete - post-CACW smutty character study focusing on Steve's trauma, isolation, and feelings towards Tony
The Time of the Season - 616, Steve/Tony - ongoing - early canon mating cycle identity porn with oodles of smut and pining
February
The Ruins of Babel - MCU, Steve/Tony - complete - sequel to the Lot's Wife; the story of three phone calls
March
Nor An Evil Tongue Bewitch - complete as of July 2018 - MCU, Steve/Tony - Steve's trauma and slow recovery, as told through the medium of smoochies
April
like history erasing itself - 616, Steve/Tony - complete as of September - make it worse remix of All Time Low
From What I've Tasted of Desire - MCU, Loki/Tony - complete - a double what if: what if Tony's self-destructive behavior never stopped when he stopped dying, and what if Loki came to him rather than Erik Selvig
Loverman - Labyrinth, Sarah/Jareth (one-sided) - unfinished - Jareth returns and pledges love eternal, a horror story
May
Kingdom of Iron, Kingdom of Clay - MCU, Steve/Tony - ongoing - third in Ruins of Babel series, Tony's POV
October
All of Your Lonely Sieges - Ults, Steve/Tony - complete - Steve and Tony get lost in the wilderness. the story of 36 hours
I feel your taste all the time we're apart - MCU, Steve/Tony - complete - Captain America visits a chocolate shop in Bruges
This year I wrote and posted:
111,147 words and that's just what I posted, jfc. And 10 stories, which is practically one story a month.
Overall Thoughts:
Looking back, it doesn't seem like this all can fit within a single year. I wrote so much, and have gone on such journeys--from a nervous newbie in MCU to someone who is friendly with all my fandom idols and confidently writes 616 deleted scenes/canon divergence fic? And honestly, I think I've improved so much as a writer just over the course of a year, it just doesn't seem possible that it WAS just a year.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More, wow more, so much more than I've ever ever before. What a year.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Would never have expected to write domestic fluff (I'm looking at you, I feel your taste).
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
Deeply psychological/character-heavy smut. And, uh, I guess Lot's Wife really set the tone?
What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
The one that's given me the most joy is definitely The Time of the Season.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Oh, definitely. Writing in this fandom for the first time was a risk. Writing explicit sex between dudes, as a cis-woman, was a risk. Taking on a whole multi-part series was a risk. Taking on various major tropes was a risk. Writing fluff/comedy was a risk. Writing dark fic was a risk. Writing non-linear narrative... I do try and push myself. What's the fun in standing still? I don't know if I can extract a simple lesson, except maybe that pushing myself makes me a better and more confident writer and I need to keep it up.
My best story of this year:
All of Your Lonely Sieges. I'm so fucking proud, I can't even express. Of the writing and characterization, but particularly of the structuring/pacing, since I tend to be pretty decent at the former and not so hot at the latter.
My most popular story of this year:
The Time of the Season. Such a pleasant surprise to discover that the story which was just me self-indulgently writing all my favourite tropes actually resonated the most with people.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I kinda want to say All of Your Lonely Sieges, but I get why that one hasn't gotten more traffic -- Ults, plus very vague descriptions and refusal to use archive warnings make it a big risk. And it has a really good hits to kudos and kudos to comments ratio. So maybe like history erasing itself, although I also understand that the subject matter is not for everyone (and judging by the hits to comments/kudos ratio, I wonder if it's the sort of story that people don't want to admit to being into).
My least favorite story this year:
I feel your taste, because wow is it ever not me.
Most fun story to write:
The Time of the Season. God, I love writing porn. And the whole identity porn twistiness... I was/am so fucking pleased with myself over that, and it was such a delight to write and post and read people's reactions.
Story with the sweetest moment:
The Time of the Season. Basically every moment of Iron Man reassuring Steve ever.
Story with the single sexiest moment:
Also definitely The Time of the Season. Don't ask me which moment, though, cuz I definitely cannot pick.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
like history erasing itself. If you've read it, you don't need me to explain why.
Most overdue:
My RBB *sobs.* Or, if we're just talking about the ones I actually managed to post, Nor an Evil Tongue Bewitch was a prompt gift for chibisquirt, and even though it only ended up being around 4k total, it took me four months after posting the first half to finish and post the second.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
Oh god. All of them? Every title in The Ruins of Babel rates pretty high on the pretension scale, but I think Lot's Wife, or The Splinter Inside is probably the most egregious, since it combines classical references with song lyrics, and not just song lyrics but song lyrics which require an epigraph to explain. Past me, ffs.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Lot's Wife is basically the story of me writing myself into a deep and abiding love for Steve Rogers. I didn't know his comics characterization very well at all, and his movie characterization never quite... clicked for me, and even irritated me in a lot of ways. So I wrote my way into his head and I don't think I've really come out since. ilu, Steve. So much.
Hardest story to write:
Kingdom of Iron. I'm still fucking struggling with it.
Biggest Disappointment:
Not only not finishing RBB, but then having large parts of RBB jossed by tumblr deciding to implode itself (there were a lot of fandom-meta tumblr jokes). I still wanna finish it, but it's gonna be a relic now.
Biggest Surprise:
All of Your Lonely Sieges, going from vague outline to fully written 13k fic in 5 days, and also turning out to be the most technically accomplished thing I wrote all year.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
hands down, like history erasing itself. Partly for the fact that I went public with some of my least socially-acceptable kinks, but mostly for the way it was deeply autobiographical in a way I don't think anyone realized. Not that I've ever, you know, been a prostitute, or homeless, but I was very much in a position to identify with someone having destroyed and cut ties with their old (successful) life due to mental health issues, and a lot of Tony's feelings/experiences/mindsets were... if not projected, then at least directly cribbed from my own feelings/experiences/mindsets. 2018 was... a better year than 2017, and fandom had a lot to do with that, but tbh, that's a pretty low bar. 2017 was... yeah.
Favorite opening line:
All my opening lines are pretty formulaic hooks... I guess, for lack of a better answer, "Tony's hands aren't shaking," from Kingdom of Iron.
Favorite closing line:
"He pulls Tony closer to him, buries his face in the crook of Tony’s shoulder—skin too hot, rank with sweat, alive, alive, alive—and prays that they’ll both make it through the night," from All of Your Lonely Sieges, with "He's not as strong as people think and winter has never been kind" (Lot's Wife) as a close second.
In conclusion:
2018 took me from "lurker who knew MCU and little else" to "prolific comics fangirl with lots of fandom friends," and I find it very satisfying to look back on that journey. Thanks fandom. I love you.
Fic-writing goals for the coming year:
A lot less time for writing now I've got a full time job, but I'm aiming to finish Kingdom of Iron, The Time of the Season, my long-overdue RBB, two MTHs, and the Ults not-really-sex-pollen fic I've had half-completed for ages. Clap your hands if you believe in me, guys--I'mma need all the help I can get.
Fiction posted this year
January
Lot's Wife - MCU, Steve/Tony - complete - post-CACW smutty character study focusing on Steve's trauma, isolation, and feelings towards Tony
The Time of the Season - 616, Steve/Tony - ongoing - early canon mating cycle identity porn with oodles of smut and pining
February
The Ruins of Babel - MCU, Steve/Tony - complete - sequel to the Lot's Wife; the story of three phone calls
March
Nor An Evil Tongue Bewitch - complete as of July 2018 - MCU, Steve/Tony - Steve's trauma and slow recovery, as told through the medium of smoochies
April
like history erasing itself - 616, Steve/Tony - complete as of September - make it worse remix of All Time Low
From What I've Tasted of Desire - MCU, Loki/Tony - complete - a double what if: what if Tony's self-destructive behavior never stopped when he stopped dying, and what if Loki came to him rather than Erik Selvig
Loverman - Labyrinth, Sarah/Jareth (one-sided) - unfinished - Jareth returns and pledges love eternal, a horror story
May
Kingdom of Iron, Kingdom of Clay - MCU, Steve/Tony - ongoing - third in Ruins of Babel series, Tony's POV
October
All of Your Lonely Sieges - Ults, Steve/Tony - complete - Steve and Tony get lost in the wilderness. the story of 36 hours
I feel your taste all the time we're apart - MCU, Steve/Tony - complete - Captain America visits a chocolate shop in Bruges
This year I wrote and posted:
111,147 words and that's just what I posted, jfc. And 10 stories, which is practically one story a month.
Overall Thoughts:
Looking back, it doesn't seem like this all can fit within a single year. I wrote so much, and have gone on such journeys--from a nervous newbie in MCU to someone who is friendly with all my fandom idols and confidently writes 616 deleted scenes/canon divergence fic? And honestly, I think I've improved so much as a writer just over the course of a year, it just doesn't seem possible that it WAS just a year.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More, wow more, so much more than I've ever ever before. What a year.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Would never have expected to write domestic fluff (I'm looking at you, I feel your taste).
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
Deeply psychological/character-heavy smut. And, uh, I guess Lot's Wife really set the tone?
What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
The one that's given me the most joy is definitely The Time of the Season.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Oh, definitely. Writing in this fandom for the first time was a risk. Writing explicit sex between dudes, as a cis-woman, was a risk. Taking on a whole multi-part series was a risk. Taking on various major tropes was a risk. Writing fluff/comedy was a risk. Writing dark fic was a risk. Writing non-linear narrative... I do try and push myself. What's the fun in standing still? I don't know if I can extract a simple lesson, except maybe that pushing myself makes me a better and more confident writer and I need to keep it up.
My best story of this year:
All of Your Lonely Sieges. I'm so fucking proud, I can't even express. Of the writing and characterization, but particularly of the structuring/pacing, since I tend to be pretty decent at the former and not so hot at the latter.
My most popular story of this year:
The Time of the Season. Such a pleasant surprise to discover that the story which was just me self-indulgently writing all my favourite tropes actually resonated the most with people.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
I kinda want to say All of Your Lonely Sieges, but I get why that one hasn't gotten more traffic -- Ults, plus very vague descriptions and refusal to use archive warnings make it a big risk. And it has a really good hits to kudos and kudos to comments ratio. So maybe like history erasing itself, although I also understand that the subject matter is not for everyone (and judging by the hits to comments/kudos ratio, I wonder if it's the sort of story that people don't want to admit to being into).
My least favorite story this year:
I feel your taste, because wow is it ever not me.
Most fun story to write:
The Time of the Season. God, I love writing porn. And the whole identity porn twistiness... I was/am so fucking pleased with myself over that, and it was such a delight to write and post and read people's reactions.
Story with the sweetest moment:
The Time of the Season. Basically every moment of Iron Man reassuring Steve ever.
Story with the single sexiest moment:
Also definitely The Time of the Season. Don't ask me which moment, though, cuz I definitely cannot pick.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
like history erasing itself. If you've read it, you don't need me to explain why.
Most overdue:
My RBB *sobs.* Or, if we're just talking about the ones I actually managed to post, Nor an Evil Tongue Bewitch was a prompt gift for chibisquirt, and even though it only ended up being around 4k total, it took me four months after posting the first half to finish and post the second.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
Oh god. All of them? Every title in The Ruins of Babel rates pretty high on the pretension scale, but I think Lot's Wife, or The Splinter Inside is probably the most egregious, since it combines classical references with song lyrics, and not just song lyrics but song lyrics which require an epigraph to explain. Past me, ffs.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Lot's Wife is basically the story of me writing myself into a deep and abiding love for Steve Rogers. I didn't know his comics characterization very well at all, and his movie characterization never quite... clicked for me, and even irritated me in a lot of ways. So I wrote my way into his head and I don't think I've really come out since. ilu, Steve. So much.
Hardest story to write:
Kingdom of Iron. I'm still fucking struggling with it.
Biggest Disappointment:
Not only not finishing RBB, but then having large parts of RBB jossed by tumblr deciding to implode itself (there were a lot of fandom-meta tumblr jokes). I still wanna finish it, but it's gonna be a relic now.
Biggest Surprise:
All of Your Lonely Sieges, going from vague outline to fully written 13k fic in 5 days, and also turning out to be the most technically accomplished thing I wrote all year.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
hands down, like history erasing itself. Partly for the fact that I went public with some of my least socially-acceptable kinks, but mostly for the way it was deeply autobiographical in a way I don't think anyone realized. Not that I've ever, you know, been a prostitute, or homeless, but I was very much in a position to identify with someone having destroyed and cut ties with their old (successful) life due to mental health issues, and a lot of Tony's feelings/experiences/mindsets were... if not projected, then at least directly cribbed from my own feelings/experiences/mindsets. 2018 was... a better year than 2017, and fandom had a lot to do with that, but tbh, that's a pretty low bar. 2017 was... yeah.
Favorite opening line:
All my opening lines are pretty formulaic hooks... I guess, for lack of a better answer, "Tony's hands aren't shaking," from Kingdom of Iron.
Favorite closing line:
"He pulls Tony closer to him, buries his face in the crook of Tony’s shoulder—skin too hot, rank with sweat, alive, alive, alive—and prays that they’ll both make it through the night," from All of Your Lonely Sieges, with "He's not as strong as people think and winter has never been kind" (Lot's Wife) as a close second.
In conclusion:
2018 took me from "lurker who knew MCU and little else" to "prolific comics fangirl with lots of fandom friends," and I find it very satisfying to look back on that journey. Thanks fandom. I love you.
Fic-writing goals for the coming year:
A lot less time for writing now I've got a full time job, but I'm aiming to finish Kingdom of Iron, The Time of the Season, my long-overdue RBB, two MTHs, and the Ults not-really-sex-pollen fic I've had half-completed for ages. Clap your hands if you believe in me, guys--I'mma need all the help I can get.
