2018 Fanfic Year in Review
Dec. 30th, 2018 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
heavenly_pearl1. List of fics completed this year:
Sailor Moon
High School Memory (Spirit of Fire side story)
The Longest Night (Spirit of Fire side story)
Fruits Basket
The Next Step
And though the question asks for completed fics, I’m going to add my WIPs: Friends With Benefits (Kaleido Star), Metamorphosis (Sailor Moon), Stolen Dreams (Sailor Moon).
2. Number of words written: Just counting the completed stories…about 9,700, but that’s kind of cheating because I wrote half of The Next Step years ago.
3. Your most popular fic: That I’ve written this year? None of them were popular. Or rather, they were equally unpopular with just one or two reviews.
4. Your personal fav: Can I pick from my WIPs? Because I really love what I’ve written of Metamorphosis so far. But from the completed fics, probably High School Memory?
5. Your fav scene: Again, my favorite scenes are from my WIPs, but if I had to choose from the completed stories, I would probably pick either the discussion between Saburo and Keitaro at the hospital in The Longest Night or Hiro freaking out over Hatsuharu’s “gift” in The Next Step.
6. A fic or scene that challenged you: The last scene of The Longest Night. I’m still not entirely happy with it, but writing argumentative scenes is not really my strong suit… Honestly, part of the reason I originally skipped this part in Spirit of Fire was because I didn’t want to write the scene where Saburo disowns Takara!
7. A line of writing you’re proud of: I wouldn’t necessarily say I'm proud of this line, but it just really amuses me because Keitaro rarely gets the chance to be snarky. I’m going to post a few lines to give it some context with the line in question bolded.
“I am. Hey, maybe I’ll get a job at one of those host clubs.” Minoru tossed aside his marker and rolled over on his back, hands folded behind his head as he considered the idea. Being able to drink and flirt with women while working seemed like a great way to make a living, and he wouldn’t even need to go to college. “I think I’d make a pretty good host. Or maybe I’ll just become a high-class gigolo.”
“You’re going to have to last a lot longer than you did the first time if you want to make any money doing that,” Keitaro said in a rare moment of snark.
Reaching up, Minoru grabbed a pillow from off his bed and threw it at his so-called best friend, missing by a good margin. “Oh, shut up. I’m going to get better at it.” He’d like to see how long Keitaro would last the first time he saw a naked woman in the flesh.
Now, this part from “The Longest Night” would probably be my choice for the writing I’m most proud of from this year’s completed stories. I just really like the image of the cup floating in front of Keitaro’s face because he can’t really see well without his glasses.
Giving up on trying to rest, Keitaro grabbed a random out-of-date magazine from the stack on a nearby end table and started to read an interview from some up-and-coming idol singer he knew nothing about, although he vaguely remembered Takara mentioning her before. His eyes scanned the page, but the characters were like a jumbled mess, his vision going blurry from a lack of sleep. After attempting to read the first page several times with little success, he tossed the magazine aside and took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"Here.“
Keitaro glanced up. A white Styrofoam cup floated in front of his face.
"It’s coffee,” Saburo said. “Well, at least it’s supposed to be.” The priest took a drink from an identical cup in his other hand and made a face. “Tastes terrible, but you look like you could use some caffeine.”
And, as a bonus, here’s an excerpt from Metamorphosis that I really like:
The prince thought too highly of him. He was only a child. He hadn’t even been able to save his mother; how did Endymion expect him to protect an entire planet? There had to be some mistake.
“What would happen if I were to decline?”
“If Apollo should die before a successor could be named, without the priest’s prayers, Elysion would die as well. And as Elysion is bound to Earth…”
“…the planet would be destroyed.”
“Yes.”
Elios stared down at his shaking hands. “Then I have no choice at all,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
8. A comment that touched you: Like I mentioned before, I haven’t received many reviews for my new stories, but BlueLion and The Time Traveler have been long time fans of my stories, so I was really happy to see their reviews!
9. Something that inspired your writing: I can’t think of anything in particular that inspired the actual stories, but I credit @floraone’s stories for reminding me how good fanfiction can be and inspiring me to start writing again.
10. Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc): Honestly, the fact that I’m just writing again is my proudest accomplishment! I was really burned out when I decided to quit a couple of years ago and didn’t think I would ever write again, so I’m really happy I feel inspired again, even if sometimes it feels like I’ve lost all my talent…
And, what the heck, let's just do the other meme, too!
