2009 fic roundup

[amathela]

Fandoms written in 2009

Andromeda, Arrested Development, Battlestar Galactica, Brothers & Sisters, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, CW RPF, Dark Angel, Dead Like Me, Disney RPF, Dollhouse, Doom, Farscape RPF, Firefly, Glee, Gossip Girl, Greek, Heroes, Legend Of The Seeker, Merlin, One Tree Hill, One Tree Hill RPF, Psych, Star Trek, Veronica Mars, Wizards Of Waverly Place, plus a couple of crossover fandoms.


Stats, etc.

This year, I wrote 62 fics in 29 fandoms (including RPF and crossovers), for a total of 160,000 words. I only wrote two-thirds of the number of fics I wrote last year, but my word count was over twice what it was last year, taking my average fic length from around 750 words to over 2500 words.

I wrote mostly het (49 fics), plus some gen (7 fics) and femslash (6 fics). As usual, most of my fics were written from a female POV (44 female, 16 male, 2 mixed). More than half my fics included a character of colour as a main or POV character (for which I credit my involvement in Wizards of Waverly Place and Disney RPF fandoms, since every fic I wrote was about Selena Gomez and the character she plays on TV).

My most written fandom, unsurprisingly, was Wizards of Waverly Place, followed by Battlestar Galactica, Disney RPF, and Veronica Mars. My most written pairing was Justin/Alex, followed by David/Selena and Lamb/Veronica, and my most written characters were Alex Russo, Justin Russo, Selena Gomez, Sharon Valerii, and Veronica Mars.


Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

This year I wanted to write longer fics, even if I ended up writing fewer fics, and that's exactly what happened. So, um, I guess it's what I predicted, even if I thought I was being optimistic at the time. I've definitely been writing longer fics this year; not only did I finally write Down Again, which was just under 30,000 words, but once I hit Wizards of Waverly Place, my average fic length became something like 4000 words, so. I definitely feel like I've broken through some kind of block regarding longer fic, or whatever.


What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?

Wizards of Waverly Place. Disney RPF. I wasn't even going to watch the WOWP movie, but ~somebody~ on my friends list posted fic I wanted to read, and that's pretty much how that happened. And now Disney fandom is, like, my Currently Main Fandom, and I have no idea how I even got to this point, but it turns out it's ridiculously awesome fun, so I don't even care.


What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?

I actually wrote a lot of stuff I loved this year. Down Again definitely deserves a mention, because it's something I'd been meaning to write for ages, and because I really love writing in that universe. Otherwise, I think most of my favourite stuff was probably from Wizards of Waverly Place; if I had to pick just one fic I really love, it would probably be Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered, because, IDK. It has most of what I'm looking for in WOWP fic, really; wacky magical hijinks, secondary ensemble characters, Max being ridiculous, and Justin and Alex bickering and being weird about each other and then making out.


Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I don't know if it's a risk, but I concentrated a lot more on writing longer fics, and that definitely paid off; I learned to sit down and plan stuff and not rush through stories, and that it's okay to take a few days, or weeks, or months to write something instead of sitting down and banging out an entire fic all at once. And, I mean - that can be fun, too? But this year I signed up for apocabigbang in a way where I'm actually dedicated to seeing that through, and I'm sort of at the stage, now, where I can look at plot bunnies that require more than a couple thousand words to make them work without being super intimidated and/or automatically discarding them as something I'll probably never get around to writing.


Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?

I put together a list of stuff I want to get done in 2010 - mostly stuff I've been meaning to write for a while, whether they're WIPs or outlines or just vague ideas - and I'd really like to get through that. More specifically: I really want to finish my apocabigbang fic, and To Wish Impossible Things, and As You Like It, and the third installments of the What Goes Down and Further Adventures At WizTech 'verses. (Not necessarily because there are people who want to read them, but because I love them.) I also made a 200k pledge for getyourwordsout, so I want to fulfill that, whether it's fanfic or original fic or both.


From my past year of writing, what was ...

My best story

Um, I'm not really sure how to answer this question this year; like, I wrote a lot of stuff I love, but nothing that really stands out to me in terms of quality. I do really like And She Was, but that could just be because it's exactly the story I wanted/needed to write in that fandom; if you're not me, and you don't have a burning desire to see Rebecca bond with the entire Walker clan, then I don't know how great it is. Still, it did come out pretty much exactly the way I wanted it to, so I suppose it deserves props for that.


My most popular story

In terms of number of comments, definitely Paparazzi. Which - it's a 500 word ficlet that I wrote on a whim, so I don't even know what to make of that. Maybe Demi/Selena fandom is just that awesome?


Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion

I think most of my fics were probably appreciated a regular amount? But, okay, if you want to see me get neurotic for a second - most of my Wizards of Waverly Place fics have roughly the same amount of feedback (with discretion for sequels, remixes, word count, etc.), except for In Plain Sight. And, like, I'm not entirely sure what went wrong there, but I figure it must have been something. (And yes, it drove me crazy for a couple of days, but I'm over it now.)


Most fun story to write

Dragon Wars: D-War (Realistic Projection Remix). It was pretty much the most fun ever, no contest. I was delighted by the premise when I first thought of it, and then I put it off for a while because I thought it might be too ridiculous, but, whatever, eventually I caved. But, I mean - it's an imaginary dragon on a spaceship. How is that not awesome?


Sexiest story

Probably Elevator Love Letter, or Destroy Everything You Touch, I don't know. Writing sex scenes is hard, so it's difficult for me to judge them, too. But I like how Blair is completely in charge in Elevator Love Letter, because that's how I like Blair best, and Destroy Everything You Touch shamelessly capitalises on the whole Richard/Kahlan forbidden love, pent-up sexual frustration, NO TOUCHING thing, so that kind of makes it easy.


Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story

The Night Moves was my first foray into explicit Justin/Alex porn, so, I guess maybe that? Also the fact that it's set during season one, which. I really wish there were a way around that.


Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters

I'm not really sure if it shifted my perception of anything, but Don't Be Afraid, You're Already Dead (Resurrection Remix) helped me get a handle on Racetrack's season four arc; specifically, her participation in the mutiny vs her acceptance of Athena in season three, which always kind of bugged me.


Hardest story to write

Not-So-Good Titles For Murder Mysteries took me forever, and I have no idea why, but I blame Joe Jonas. Also, If You Can't Stand The Heat, Don't Set Yourself On Fire was easy to write once I had a plot, but it was really hard to come up with one (mostly because I don't ship Shawn/Juliet, but it was for Sweet Charity, so.)


Biggest disappointment

My thelittlebang fic that never was. I still really, really want to write that story (maybe I'll try again next year), but I think I was a little overambitious in my April/May commitments, which meant I ended up writing nothing at all for nearly three months.


Most unintentionally telling story

Okay, so, going over my fics, I realised I wrote a lot of people having sex up against a wall. (Or a tree, or a bench, or an elevator.) And fingering up against a wall. Which, IDEK. Was totally unintentional, I swear, but I feel like it's kind of like, here, let me show you my kink. Oops.

In terms of a single story - I don't really know that I'd call it unintentional, but Evidence Of Things Not Seen was fairly telling. In a "let me show you why Paul is a giant douche" kind of way. Like, I'm not exactly sure that I've written someone as being so unsympathetic from their own POV before, but that fic touched on a lot of the reasons why I hate Paul, even though I still love the pairing.



January

Summer In The City (Merlin - Arthur/Morgana - PG - 3173 words) In which there is a summer festival, Morgana indulges in a spot of matchmaking, and she and Arthur fight. A lot. Spoilers up to episode 1:8 - The Beginning Of The End.

This Cat Is A Landmine (One Tree Hill - Whitey - PG - 1513 words) Whitey gets a kitten. The Ravens find out. Hijinks ensue.

Nice To Meet You Anyway (Veronica Mars - Casey/Veronica - PG-13 - 2462 words) Trust doesn't come that easily. Spoilers up to episode 1:9 - Drinking The Kool-Aid.

Picking Winners (Veronica Mars - Lamb/Veronica - NC-17 - 2576 words) Who wanted to be indoors studying when the alternative was spending an hour or two watching the fine men of the Balboa County Fire Department? Spoilers up to episode 2:13 - Ain't No Magic Mountain High Enough.

Try This Trick And Spin It (Veronica Mars - Lamb/Veronica - NC-17 - 3077 words) "Veronica Mars is smarter than me." Spoilers up to episode 3:12 - There's Got To Be A Morning After Pill.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Farscape RPF - Ben Browder/Claudia Black - R - 3500 words) It's a good thing, he thinks, that John is supposed to be in love with Aeryn, or people might start asking questions. (aka. Five outfits Ben and Claudia wear, in varying degrees of ridiculousness.)

Method Acting (Decipher Reflections From Reality) (One Tree Hill RPF - James Lafferty/Bethany Joy Galeotti - PG - 2694 words) Her life is measured out in almosts. (She almost took a risk, once, but it was only fiction.) Five times fiction and reality were almost the same thing.


February

Mutiny, I Promise You (Battlestar Galactica - Lee/Racetrack - R - 1653 words) Galactica's lack of privacy wasn't exactly news to Maggie. Spoilers up to episode 2:4 - Resistance.

Elevator Love Letter (Gossip Girl - Jack/Blair - NC-17 - 1335 words) She's well bred, cultured, and she has a good education. It's not that hard. Spoilers up to episode 2:15 - Gone With The Will.

Destroy Everything You Touch (Legend Of The Seeker - Richard/Kahlan - R - 1522 words) This isn't just dangerous, it's potentially catastrophic. Spoilers up to episode 1:8 - Denna.

Down Again (Veronica Mars - Lamb/Veronica - PG-13 - 29,290 words) When one of her sorority sisters is killed, Veronica's second year at Hearst promises (threatens?) to be just as exciting as her first. Sequel to What Goes Down. AU from episode 3:2 - My Big Fat Greek Rush Week; potential spoilers up to the end of season three.


March

I Enjoy Being (Insert Here) (Arrested Development - Michael/Lindsay - PG-13 - 1169 words) Two things Lindsay tried to be, and one she didn't have to (but did anyway).

Electric Feel (Heroes - Nathan/Claire - R - 1252 words) The wallpaper is too loud, the water pressure sucks, and she already misses her own bed. Spoilers up to episode 3:19 - Shades Of Gray.


April May June

Love's Not A Competition (But I'm Winning) (Dark Angel - Alec/Max - R - 1487 words) A little friendly competition never hurt anybody, right?

Homecoming (Doom - John/Samantha - R - 2216 words) He doesn't sleep.

Should Fall Apart (The End Is The Beginning Is The End Remix) (Firefly - Mal/Inara - PG-13 - 100 words) It isn't at all the way she imagined it. Spoilers for the entire series, including Serenity. A remix of Should Fall Apart by trialia.

Is There A Box For "I'm Totally Gay?" (The Cover Girl Remix) (Gossip Girl - Blair/Jenny - PG - 100 words) She thinks about kissing the gloss right off Blair's lips. A remix of Not Your Girl by sionnain.

Confessor (The Intergalactic Communication Remix) (Stargate SG-1/Farscape - Cameron, Aeryn - PG - 100 words) She is only a soldier. A remix of untitled by kernezelda.

Boredom Fades, But Infidelity's For Keeps (CW RPF - Alona Tal/Danneel Harris - PG-13 - 1348 words) She fucking hates these things, she really does.


July

Don't Be Afraid, You're Already Dead (Resurrection Remix) (Battlestar Galactica - Racetrack - PG-13 - 1135 words) First thing they tell you is to assume you're already dead. A remix of Into The Underworld by rose_griffes. Spoilers up to episode 4:13 - The Oath.

Dragon Wars: D-War (Realistic Projection Remix) (Battlestar Galactica - Ensemble - PG-13 - 3833 words) There's a dragon on board Galactica. A remix of The Stories We Tell by lls_mutant. Set during season one. Spoilers up to episode 4:15 - No Exit.

Restless (Battlestar Galactica - Lee/Boomer - NC-17 - 1289 words) A few days after the Cylons attack, everything starts to blur a little at the edges. Spoilers up to episode 1:1 - 33, plus a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to episode 4:20 - Daybreak.

Sleeper (Anywhere But Here Remix) (Battlestar Galactica - Anders, Boomer - PG-13 - 1246 words) I'm a frakking Cylon. A remix of Empty. Vulnerable. Missing Something. by aprilleigh24. Spoilers up to episode 4:20 - Daybreak.

Evidence Of Things Not Seen (Dollhouse - Paul/Mellie - PG-13 - 1628 words) There's an apocalypse, a deal with the devil, and a girl. In the end, it always comes down to a choice. Spoilers up to episode 1:12 - Omega.

If You Can't Stand The Heat, Don't Set Yourself On Fire (Psych - Shawn/Juliet - PG - 2515 words) A heat wave hits Santa Barbara. A crime wave isn't far behind.

What I'm Trying To Say (Star Trek - Kirk/Gaila - PG-13 - 885 words) Gaila only wanted to do something nice.



August

Kinda Gay (One Tree Hill - Brooke/Peyton - PG-13 - 1103 words) How Brooke Davis learns that gay isn't a four-letter word (unless Bevin is spelling it).


September

Never Happened (Andromeda - Harper/Andromeda - PG-13 - 100 words) There's one way to take Harper's mind off the Magog. Spoilers up to episode 2:2 - Exit Strategies.

Buy Now Pay Later (Battlestar Galactica - Sharon, Kara - PG - 350 words) Sharon, Kara, and drinking games. Set pre-series.

And Our Future's Looking Bright (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - NC-17 - 8116 words) There are, like, three thousand colleges in the country, and Justin still picks one right in New York City.

Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG-13 - 8884 words) All Alex wanted was to get her parents back together. Nobody told her the spell she used would have consequences for her, too. (Okay, they did, but seriously, who reads the fine print?)

Blackmail Is Such An Ugly Word; How About Fishpaste? (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG-13 - 10,234 words) Justin uses magic without permission. Alex catches him. (And then they fight robots.)

Do Over (And Over) (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG - 500 words) This is how it doesn't happen. Spoilers up to episode 1:2 - First Kiss.

Falling Through Your Clothes (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG - 1204 words) Alex paints in one of Justin's shirts. Justin isn't amused.

Guitar Hero (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - NC-17 - 1982 words) They're totally rock stars. Spoilers up to episode 2:11 - Make It Happen.

Spin Spin Sugar (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - R - 1847 words) Turnabout is fair play (and they're only playing). Spoilers up to episode 1:12 - Justin's Little Sister.

The Night Moves (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - NC-17 - 4270 words) Justin and Alex find themselves trapped in a closet, with no way out and nothing to do. (Well, okay, maybe not with nothing to do.) Spoilers up to episode 1:14 - Wizard School (Part Two).


October

And She Was (Brothers & Sisters - Rebecca - PG-13 - 5275 words) Justin discovers a time capsule video Rebecca made in high school. Set during early season two.

The Trick Is To Keep Breathing (Battlestar Galactica - Crashdown/Boomer - NC-17 - 950 words) "I'm not a Cylon." She says it the way she might have said I'm flying CAP tomorrow, like it's nothing of great importance. Spoilers up to episode 1:8 - Flesh And Bone, including deleted scenes.

Depth Perception (The Pursuit Of Happiness Remix) (Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Xander/Buffy - PG - 330 words) Even if it's not the Bronze, she can close her eyes, and pretend. A remix of Misery And Happiness by allfireburns.

Half Life (The Death Or Something Like It Remix) (Dead Like Me - Mason/George - PG - 200 words) It's a little bit broken. A remix of What It All Comes Down To by ineffort.

Starches And Other Inappropriate Temptations (The Slightly More British Remix) (Dollhouse - Dominic/Adelle - PG-13 - 250 words) She learned to read him long ago. A remix of Tangerines by duh_i_read. Spoilers up to episode 1:7 - Echoes; vague allusions to the rest of season one.

They Sold You On Their Way (Bridezilla Remix) (Heroes - D.L./Niki - PG - 250 words) It's an old superstition, but good luck can't possibly hurt. A remix of Part Of The Job by lotus0kid.

Bad Medicine Is What I Need (Star Trek - McCoy/Uhura - PG-13 - 2278 words) Uhura is absolutely brilliant ... at xenolinguistics. Her mandatory medical coursework, on the other hand, could use some help. Thankfully, McCoy has gallantly volunteered to tutor her.

À Ma Soeur (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - NC-17 - 3562 words) Justin and Alex watch a movie. (That he doesn't enjoy. At all.)

Are Written On The Subway Walls (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - NC-17 - 1952 words) Justin and Alex sneak out. Or at least, they try to.

Burn Your Life Down (Cities In Dust Remix) (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG-13 - 500 words) She's always been good at ignoring danger signs. A remix of In Fire, In Ice by moirariordan.

Don't Confess (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - NC-17 - 5132 words) Alex and Justin are forced to tutor Max. It doesn't exactly go smoothly. Spoilers up to episode 2:22 - My Tutor, Tutor.

In Plain Sight (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG-13 - 3889 words) Justin's favourite things from his room are sometimes more interesting than Alex expects. Spoilers up to episode 2:23 - Paint By Committee.

Springs Eternal (The Redux Remix) (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG-13 - 500 words) A (very) fractured fairy tale. A remix of Fragmented by applepips16. Spoilers up to the movie.

The Shake Up (Wizards Of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - R - 6064 words) There's still something going on with Professor Dinklemeyer, and Alex is determined to get to the bottom of it. Justin still isn't sure he's on board. Spoilers up to episode 1:14 - Wizard School (Part Two). Sequel to The Night Moves.

Exactly Not Like A Fairytale (Ever After Remix) (Supernatural/The O.C. - Dean/Taylor - PG-13 - 500 words) Taylor's always had a habit of falling for boys who are nice to her. A remix of Exactly Not Like A Fairytale by ineffort.

(Nobody Ever Made Me) Crazy Like This (Disney RPF - David Henrie/Selena Gomez - PG-13 - 756 words) She's still finding it a little difficult to concentrate. Or to speak. Thinking is mostly out of the question, too.

Hey, This Bottle Has Poison In It (Reading Can Save Lives) (Disney RPF - David Henrie/Selena Gomez - PG-13 - 658 words) Their first day back on set, everything is different, and nothing is.

Meet Me In Puerto Rico (Disney RPF - David Henrie/Selena Gomez - PG-13 - 1334 words) She has no idea where the line even is any more.


November

Burn, Don't Freeze (Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Buffy/Faith - PG-13 - 100 words) It's easy to keep warm, at first.

All The Better To See You With (Glee - Puck/Quinn - PG - 100 words) It's not like he watches her. Spoilers up to episode 1:8 - Mash-Up.

If I Could Talk I'd Tell You (Glee - Artie/Tina - PG - 100 words) There's a lot she wants to tell him. Spoilers for episode 1:9 - Wheels.

I Want To Hold Your Hand (Greek - Ashleigh/Rebecca - PG - 150 words) It's pretty much the same thing they do every night.

Don't You Forget About Me (Wizards of Waverly Place - Justin/Alex - PG-13 - 7005 words) All Alex wanted to do was to make Justin forget. (In which case, the spell could be called a success, but ... maybe not so much.) In which magic is used without permission, Justin gets amnesia, and Alex is definitely not his girlfriend.

Not-So-Good Titles For Murder Mysteries (Disney RPF - David Henrie/Selena Gomez - PG - 5335 words) In which David Henrie kills Joe Jonas (but not for real, probably).

Paparazzi (Disney RPF - Demi Lovato/Selena Gomez - PG - 467 words) Sometimes, when they're in public, Demi walks in front of her.