It's time to reflect on last year, which was my second calendar year for writing but my first full year.

Fic Meme 2018

Total stories published: *This depends on whether you're looking on AFF or ao3. It's 9 on AFF (where Orbiting Bodies is all together), 14 on ao3. And then I did 5 drabbles that were just on Twitter/Tumblr if those count?

Total Word Count: ~125k

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
Definitely more. I had embraced the idea of continuing to write for 2017, but I thought it'd be here and there, not so continuously?

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
All Kaisoo still, but I did write Xiuchen almost as equally in Sometimes, Legends Lie. I actually almost listed them as the primary pairing, haha, just to throw people off my trail in the fest, but the heart of the story is more Kaisoo (even if Xiuchen got equal 'screen' time). I've written Chanbaek as a side pairing, but that's not new.

New genre: I'm out here writing mythology with world building requirements? Soulmate au? Action/Adventure? Basically anything that's not slice of life, I'm still surprised I did it.

What's your own favorite story of the year?
I think... I have to give the nod to Signal Lost (& Found). But I'm really proud of how I ventured out with Campaigning for Your Heart at the start of 2017, so I'll mention that one, too.

Did you take any writing risks this year?
Lots? I hadn't written much humor (a little near the end of Waxing & Waning), so Campaigning was a risk. Uhhhh also all the . Which I hadn't tried wholeheartedly until Campaigning.

Oh, and co-authoring a fic with Indi! Collaborating on a fic was a goal of mine last year, and yay, I'm Into You is a reality.

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the new year?
To relax. I'm very proud of what I've been putting out, but I don't want to lose the fun in writing. Which I'm worried could happen if I don't breathe more, deadline less aggressively. I worked on 6 different fest fics during 2017. I don't plan to write in more than 3, tops, for 2018, I think.

From my past year of writing what was...

My best story of this year:
What the Nightingale Spies, according to the Twitter poll. I do love that it's a combination of my genres.

My most popular story of this year:
Signal Lost (& Found) has way more kudos on ao3, where it was originally posted in Kaisoommer.

The story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:
(First, I feel like everything's been well-appreciated and am so grateful to all of you!!!) Sometimes, Legends Lie. I understand why it hasn't been read as much as my others (smaller fest, unclear from the summary where the Kaisoo is), but in the end, I'm really proud of what I did in that fic. It was a growth opportunity. I'm really gratified, though, bc a handful of readers and my senpai adtoyks went crazy for it :D It seems like it's one of those fics that if it clicks with you, you'll really love it.

Runner up: Of Keepsakes and Kisses, but it got a lot of love during the Best Days of Our Lives fest on LJ.

The most fun story to write:
What the Nightingale Spies. It ended up being longer in the middle chapters than I'd planned bc I was having fun writing the flirting and the missions. And the reception has been great - I love laughing with you guys in the comments.

The story with the single iest moment:
Ch 12 of Orbiting Bodies (Jongin's New Favorite Song) - the bathroom scene OR Campaigning for Your Heart - Soo using his fancy tie on Nini

The most "holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
Uh... the epilogue of For Me, You'll Always Be 18 was written right after New Year's last year, so... yeah, that.

The story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:
Signal Lost (& Found). I didn't know Kyungsoo's character super well when I first outlined the story, since I was focused on Jongin's POV and his journey. I kinda kept Nini's mindset a lot in the beginning of writing that story, to try and capture his fears and doubts faithfully before letting myself 'learn/see' Kyungsoo more clearly once they were ready to meet.

The hardest story to write:
What the Nightingale Spies. It was supposed to be my easy going, no stress writing project amid the fests. Ha. HA. But I'm very proud of what I've managed to do with it.

The biggest disappointment:
I don't know that I have one? Maybe not spending as much time on my Orbiting Bodies chs as I 'should' sometimes. I prioritize speed to churn those out in the moment when something Kaisoo happens, so I know the quality often isn't there in the same way as much of my other writing. (But it's really fun to fangirl with you all right as stuff happens!)

The biggest surprise:
That I'm even closer with my squad (that I met here on AFF thru reading/writing) than I was last year. That Indi is my fic wife and I get to beta just about everything of hers and she's there for me, too, whenever I need her? How did I get so LUCKY?!?

The most unintentionally telling story:
Uh... What the Nightingale Spies is a pretty big ode to Kyungsoo's voice, which I love.

Favorite Opening Line(s):
“Ayyyy, who left a sock in the fridge?” Chen whines.

“LEFT a sock in the fridge? Don’t you mean who put a sock in the fridge? Don’t normalize it. Since when is the office refrigerator an appropriate place to store hosiery?” Wendy asks between bites of her muffin. - What the Nightingale Spies

Favorite Closing Line(s):
I'm gonna be insufferable here and say I love just about all my closing lines. It's something I actually spend a fair amount of time on.

Top favorites: Signal Lost (& Found), Sometimes Legends Lie, and Ch 8 of Orb Bodies (The Space Between Right & Wrong). The first two are major spoilers to the fics, so here's the ending of the OB chapter (Soo's sad poem in the shape of a broken heart)-

Unhealthy, maybe
But I can’t help believe.

In another place,
In another time,
You’d still
Be
Mine.

Favorite 5 Lines from Anywhere:

I can't do this properly bc I hate potentially spoiling anything; here's a half-assed attempt:

"“Why on earth would I miss having my eyes assaulted by routinely bad dye jobs and socialist propaganda?” Kyungsoo retorts while calmly packing up all his things into his Fendi bag, taking longer than normal to gather up his myriad of note-taking materials. Is he lingering? He’s not lingering. Why would he linger." - Campaigning for Your Heart

"Long ago they might have tried brushing off each other’s compliments with a self-effacing, ‘No I’m not,’ but they’ve grown comfortable over the years in accepting those sincere endearments. The beauty of a love fully bloomed, where fear of seeming immodest or worrying the other is only pandering has long since faded away." - Of Keepsakes and Kisses

"“Settle down, drama llama. Maybe you’re just taking my advice to calm your too seriously, and while you would’ve bent over for any yesterday, you’re limp for even Gong Yoo today.” - Signal Lost (& Found) [my real fave lines from this fic are in the final scene]

"A thrill runs through Kai’s body. “Oh. Well that’s, um, that’s good,” he says tentatively, not wanting the eagerness to burst out like a ing Bat-Signal in the night sky." - What the Nightingale Spies

"I’ve choked guys out with my thighs before.” Great, that’s an image Jongin will never get out of his head. Might as well chisel it on his bedroom ceiling - it’s all he’s going to see when he tries to sleep tonight, he just knows it. - What the Nightingale Spies

Top 5 Scenes from Anywhere You Would Choose to Have Illustrated:

1. Jongin standing in the art gallery in Signal Lost (& Found)

2. The moment Kaisoo meet in What the Nightingale Spies

3. Kyungsoo and Jongdae's conversation in Tartarus in Sometimes, Legends Lie

4. The pamphlets falling around Kaisoo when they kiss in Campaigning for Your Heart

5. Kaisoo standing together, holding hands and watching the sunset on the back of Soo's yacht in Sail Away With Me

Fic-writing goals for 2018:

Hmmm, trying a new genre like either fantasy/mama AU or wolf AU. Finishing the epilogues I promised for my fest fics.

Thank yous: