Fandom Year in Review
Jan. 1st, 2020 03:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impala_chickThis year I celebrated my 10th year on AO3! And I wrote and posted:
52 stories in 15 fandoms.
Total wordcount: 168,716
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More, but I was all over the place in terms of fandoms.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
I did not plan on getting back into Band of Brothers writing, so that was a neat surprise. Also, I didn't know how taken I was going to be with Merlin.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
This year was all about fix-its and adding on to canon in self-serving ways. A good example is No One that Charlie Can See, a Peaky Blinders Tommy & Charlie fic that features an interaction I really wanted Charlie and Tommy to have in canon.
What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
How to Picnic with a First Love and a Changed Heart that I wrote for Iddy Bang.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
The summer kink meme for Merlin fandom encouraged me to "jump to the point" with fic writing. I also took some kink writing risks and I was glad to find that once I write the sex scene, the surrounding fic becomes much easier to write. I also wrote two original fics for exchanges, and I'm still not sure how I feel about them.
My best story of this year:
like the trembling heart of a captive bird, a Liam/Theo 1970s boarding school AU for the Teen Wolf Thiam Reverse BB. I did a lot of research for this fic and spent a lot of time trying to weave in bits from canon and I like how it turned out.
My most popular story of this year:
Waiting is Such Misery: A Merlin/Arthur touch-starved fic.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
Partial to the Night Sky, Part II of my Merlin/Arthur AU. It's getting a fair amount of readers, but it builds on all of the themes I wrote in Part I and Part I has way better reviews/more kudos, etc. Also, like the trembling heart of a captive bird.
My least favourite story this year:
My original fic about a child visiting the Tower of London and meeting a ghost. I had a hard time coming up with a plot for the requested tags and I should have spent more time on research. Also, kidfic is hard.
Most fun story to write:
There Aren't Any Fun Demons, a Buzzfeed Unsolved fic that I kept to exactly 666 words for trick or treat exchange. I got to re-listen to some choice Shane quotes and be as silly as I wanted.
Story with the single sexiest moment:
Brad telling Nate how to give a blow job in Faster Learner.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
The one where Arthur asks King of the Druids Merlin to put him under a mind control spell and have sex with him, You've Made an Addict of Me.
Most overdue:
Home Can Be a Person, Too - I've had the idea for this kind of fic ever since Civil War, but the auction gave me a chance to write it. Or maybe the conclusion to my Stony series.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
Too Hard to Forget, the end of my Stony series. I was just about over that series by the time I got around to write this.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Home Can be a Person, Too. I learned a lot about Sam, Nat, and their relationships with Steve.
Hardest story to write:
The Stony horror fic, Once the Brain Fog Clears. It was hard to get the horror tone right but also have a coherent plot. I had a lot of beta help and I'm proud of how that one turned out.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
How to Picnic with a First Love and a Changed Heart drew on some personal experiences.
Favorite opening line:
"When Gwen, Arthur, and Merlin ride out of Camelot to enjoy a picnic on a bright spring day, Gwen doesn’t think it odd that the trip requires three instead of two." — How to Picnic with a First Love and a Changed Heart
Favorite closing line:
"Namely because he could think of at least one son of a Lord who was going to be added to the list." — Into the Light of the Dark Black Night
Fic-writing goals for 2020:
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
chocolateboxcomm and treats. (7 Feb)
heavyartillery rarepair event.
Shyan Valentine's Day Event.
cap_ironman Reverse BB. (Claims Feb)
fandom5k
merthur_glompfest (Claims 19 Jan)
More longfic over 10k.
seasonofkink bingo.
trope_bingo
Write Part III of my Merlin AU.
Finish my NaNoWriMo story.
1. Your main fandom of the year?
Merlin, mostly because I fell in love with the show this year and then jumped into fandom events and longfic reading.
2. Your favourite film you watched this year?
God's Own Country. The Conjuring 2.
3. Your favourite book read this year?
I only finished 12 books this year, but the Dark is the Night mlm series was the most memorable.
4. Your favourite album or song to listen to this year?
Easier by 5 Seconds of Summer
5. Your favourite TV show of the year?
Merlin ♥
6. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
So many amazing Merlin writers like astolat, marguerite_26, malu_3, skitz_phenom, and schweet_heart. Also, The Change Trilogy changed my life. Best longfic I've ever read.
7. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
Band of Brothers fandom was angsty this year, and it was hard to watch the demise of the easyco comm. But like a phoenix, the fandom is back in a big way.
8. Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
Bradley James. I even listened to a European football podcast & learned about a sport I used to despise for this man.
9. Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
Natasha Romanoff (as in the character, not the actress). Maybe because Endgame really wrecked my heart, but I've been super into reading and writing her POV.
10. Your biggest squee moment of the year?
JONAS BROTHERS ARE BACK, BABY.
11. The most missed of your old fandoms?
Generation Kill. I know that there is space for GK in new HBO war fandoms, but this year I've been missing the big Generation Kill holiday exchange and the old GK kink meme.
12. The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Lucifer fandom is probably a fun place to be, so maybe I'll get caught up and then dip my toes in.
13. Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
Mulan. Wonder Woman 1984. Black Widow.
52 stories in 15 fandoms.
Total wordcount: 168,716
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
More, but I was all over the place in terms of fandoms.
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
I did not plan on getting back into Band of Brothers writing, so that was a neat surprise. Also, I didn't know how taken I was going to be with Merlin.
This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most:
This year was all about fix-its and adding on to canon in self-serving ways. A good example is No One that Charlie Can See, a Peaky Blinders Tommy & Charlie fic that features an interaction I really wanted Charlie and Tommy to have in canon.
What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
How to Picnic with a First Love and a Changed Heart that I wrote for Iddy Bang.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
The summer kink meme for Merlin fandom encouraged me to "jump to the point" with fic writing. I also took some kink writing risks and I was glad to find that once I write the sex scene, the surrounding fic becomes much easier to write. I also wrote two original fics for exchanges, and I'm still not sure how I feel about them.
My best story of this year:
like the trembling heart of a captive bird, a Liam/Theo 1970s boarding school AU for the Teen Wolf Thiam Reverse BB. I did a lot of research for this fic and spent a lot of time trying to weave in bits from canon and I like how it turned out.
My most popular story of this year:
Waiting is Such Misery: A Merlin/Arthur touch-starved fic.
Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
Partial to the Night Sky, Part II of my Merlin/Arthur AU. It's getting a fair amount of readers, but it builds on all of the themes I wrote in Part I and Part I has way better reviews/more kudos, etc. Also, like the trembling heart of a captive bird.
My least favourite story this year:
My original fic about a child visiting the Tower of London and meeting a ghost. I had a hard time coming up with a plot for the requested tags and I should have spent more time on research. Also, kidfic is hard.
Most fun story to write:
There Aren't Any Fun Demons, a Buzzfeed Unsolved fic that I kept to exactly 666 words for trick or treat exchange. I got to re-listen to some choice Shane quotes and be as silly as I wanted.
Story with the single sexiest moment:
Brad telling Nate how to give a blow job in Faster Learner.
Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
The one where Arthur asks King of the Druids Merlin to put him under a mind control spell and have sex with him, You've Made an Addict of Me.
Most overdue:
Home Can Be a Person, Too - I've had the idea for this kind of fic ever since Civil War, but the auction gave me a chance to write it. Or maybe the conclusion to my Stony series.
Most eye roll-worthy title:
Too Hard to Forget, the end of my Stony series. I was just about over that series by the time I got around to write this.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Home Can be a Person, Too. I learned a lot about Sam, Nat, and their relationships with Steve.
Hardest story to write:
The Stony horror fic, Once the Brain Fog Clears. It was hard to get the horror tone right but also have a coherent plot. I had a lot of beta help and I'm proud of how that one turned out.
Most Unintentionally Telling Story:
How to Picnic with a First Love and a Changed Heart drew on some personal experiences.
Favorite opening line:
"When Gwen, Arthur, and Merlin ride out of Camelot to enjoy a picnic on a bright spring day, Gwen doesn’t think it odd that the trip requires three instead of two." — How to Picnic with a First Love and a Changed Heart
Favorite closing line:
"Namely because he could think of at least one son of a Lord who was going to be added to the list." — Into the Light of the Dark Black Night
Fic-writing goals for 2020:
chocolateboxcomm and treats. (7 Feb)heavyartillery rarepair event.Shyan Valentine's Day Event.
cap_ironman Reverse BB. (Claims Feb)fandom5kmerthur_glompfest (Claims 19 Jan)More longfic over 10k.
seasonofkink bingo.trope_bingoWrite Part III of my Merlin AU.
Finish my NaNoWriMo story.
1. Your main fandom of the year?
Merlin, mostly because I fell in love with the show this year and then jumped into fandom events and longfic reading.
2. Your favourite film you watched this year?
God's Own Country. The Conjuring 2.
3. Your favourite book read this year?
I only finished 12 books this year, but the Dark is the Night mlm series was the most memorable.
4. Your favourite album or song to listen to this year?
Easier by 5 Seconds of Summer
5. Your favourite TV show of the year?
Merlin ♥
6. Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
So many amazing Merlin writers like astolat, marguerite_26, malu_3, skitz_phenom, and schweet_heart. Also, The Change Trilogy changed my life. Best longfic I've ever read.
7. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
Band of Brothers fandom was angsty this year, and it was hard to watch the demise of the easyco comm. But like a phoenix, the fandom is back in a big way.
8. Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
Bradley James. I even listened to a European football podcast & learned about a sport I used to despise for this man.
9. Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
Natasha Romanoff (as in the character, not the actress). Maybe because Endgame really wrecked my heart, but I've been super into reading and writing her POV.
10. Your biggest squee moment of the year?
JONAS BROTHERS ARE BACK, BABY.
11. The most missed of your old fandoms?
Generation Kill. I know that there is space for GK in new HBO war fandoms, but this year I've been missing the big Generation Kill holiday exchange and the old GK kink meme.
12. The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Lucifer fandom is probably a fun place to be, so maybe I'll get caught up and then dip my toes in.
13. Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
Mulan. Wonder Woman 1984. Black Widow.