2021
CHRONOLOGICAL BREAKDOWN
What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in january? I don't get too wild, and I'm open to anything, within reason. 👍
What's your own favorite story of the year? My favorite story is "I won't feel a thing." "Thanks." Chanyeol very much portrays my anxieties about vaccines/blood draws, although I don't faint. It's a bit of a fantasy, with a handsome and strong nurse actually not letting him fall, but it was just a really fun and quick story to write. No fuss, no muss sort of thing.
Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the new year? I'm going to try to write and/or finish at least one story each month. Maybe I'll actually try committing to another daily or weekly prompt. I enjoyed the one I did a few summers ago. I'd like to write at least one fic a month, but I may not join any fests at all for the first time since getting into K-pop.
It'd be nice to write for myself and branch out of Kpop again. I used to write a fair bit for anime I enjoyed, and I've really fallen into Scooby-Doo again.
Maybe I'll make a more solid attempt to revamp some old fics. The ideas are good, but the execution could be better.
From my past year of writing, what was ... ?
My best story of this year: Because unhappy endings are not my ideal to read or write, I think my best (or at least most successful) story is A Will to Live. It's a lot of heavy emotion in a relatively small amount of words, but the pacing never got too rushed or dragged on.
My most popular story of this year: I don't need to hear you say you love me. It was even translated into Vietnamese!
The story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Death Came to a Small town is a mild horror, and horror isn't very represented in fanfiction, but it also has an intentional cyclical format and tense changes. Kibum's tense is past tense, because he's actively dying. (The fest didn't allow character death, so I got a little creative to still submit my story.) Everyone else is in the present tense. The story starts in the present then goes a few hours back into the day, working back to the present and where the story opens.
The most fun story to write: My Top Secretary was really awkward for me to write, so I just ended up writing it how my brain worded it and stopped trying to find a more eloquent or artsy way to phrase things. There are some bad euphemisms in it...
Green Light was fun, too. I love idiots in love, and idiots in love pining hard is even better, especially when both perspectives are presented. Jongin was just being as obvious as he thought he could be, and Chanyeol's just too jealous and scared of the family but has intense wants.
The only fic I wrote outside a fest, "I won't feel a thing." "Thanks.", was outright fun. I still smile when I reread it, but it may be more because I relate to Chanyeol's character so much. It's just a good read, and I liked writing it. Few fics I've read have had such a simple nurse/patient interaction.
The story with the single iest moment: My Top Secretary or Green Light
The most "holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: I guess using a sauna and vulture bees as a murder method in A Sweet Corpse in Sour Honey was kinda weird.
The story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: Writing A Will to Live kinda sorta had me thinking about my perception of Baekhyun's personality differently. There were a lot of things at work in this fictional storyline, but when people don't please a people-pleaser, or when people let them down, how hurtful can it be? There have been too many fights and deaths for it not to be something to think about, but I also just like forensic psychology and morbid "what if"s.
The hardest story to write: Just because of the content, My Top Secretary, but I was also just struggling a lot this year, more in the latter half of the year. I've been in a funk, and not even writing, which is something I really enjoy, could lift my mood any. Maybe it was just because they were for fests and had deadlines, but even after dropping out of like half of the fests, I still feel the same way.
The biggest disappointment: There don't seem to be many Star Wars fans also into Kpop, so Distant Stars didn't attract much readership. (But let's be real: If there's no , it's probably not going to attract much attention. Fic readers are a filthy bunch, and I hope they stay that way and stay healthy. More power to them.) And while I see posts about people interested in detective/crime AUs, reception of Killer Cop Instinct was pretty quiet, too.
The biggest surprise: The biggest surprises while writing this year were the length of My Top Secretary and its content. I'm not into or , and it's very mild compared to others' fics, but it's a lot more than I typically go for as a writer or reader. There was also some anonymous user who specifically mentioned my username as one they were hoping to join the UltTopKJI fest. Like, have you even read my fics? That's really not my area of expertise or interest. I was still flattered, though, and did almost join, but my funky mood got the better of me.
The most unintentionally telling story: A Proposal for Peace really reads like my pacifist ideology. Selfish, greedy people continuing to be selfish and greedy really for no good reason. Sloth and Zeal also kind of matches my bad habit of ruminating and overthinking and doing something else to avoid that thing or to simply avoid thinking about it.
Favorite opening lines:
Dark clouds hang over students as they mill about the halls and grounds, most leaning so far into their textbooks they’re likely to be bitten by annoyed page sprites.→ Hocus Porcus
“I want a pond.” Jongin, balancing on one foot as he removes his shoe, looks up in confusion. “Excuse me?” Did he hear correctly?→ Turtle-y in Love
It’s a special sort of torture, pining after one’s boss.→ My Top Secretary
Potions class is not Baekhyun's favorite. It's a lot of sitting around and stirring magic soup.→ Means to Change
After taking his Poodle for his annual vaccines, Chanyeol supposes he owes it to them both to update his own.→ "I won't feel a thing." "Thanks."
Sometimes Chanyeol forgets Baekhyun can’t hear him. It’s always in the back of his mind, but it’s so casual and everyday normal that he’ll catch himself calling out and remember, “Oh, yeah. He can’t hear me.”→ I don't need to hear you say you love me. 5 favorite lines from anywhere:
He'll slide down in his seat—showcasing absolutely atrocious posture—and open his legs like a coffee table book for Chanyeol to read.→ Green Light
To make matters worse, this particular orange tabby and white mouse seem to embody and embrace the most classic of rivalries and cannot be in the same room together without thoughts of chaos. Minseok did not know that, when he introduced Baekhyun the mouse to Jongdae the cat.→ Good Mousekeeping
There’s no rule about ‘no in the car,’ but Yixing has been ticketed for reckless driving.→ A Sweet Corpse in Sour Honey
There is no ‘no in the elevator’ rule, but it is considered a courtesy.→ A Sweet Corpse in Sour Honey
He’s been compared to a dog most of his life, which he accepts. He’s a people-person and likes making people happy. Sometimes he pees outside. He likes having his hair pet and being given treats.→ Hocus Porcus fic writing goals for 2022
- write one fic a month
- follow a daily/weekly prompt
- revamp/rewrite five fics
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