#2024 writing recap

[vixstarria]

2024 Writing Retrospect

I was tagged by @marlowethebard, thank you so much!

What's been your biggest learning point this past year?

I think the main thing I've come to realise is that discipline and simply sitting down to write something is more important than and will often surpass a lack of inspiration or writer's block - the ideas will often start flowing once you just get started.

...Whether or not I've learned how to actually be consistently disciplined is an entirely different question.

How has your writing developed this past year?

It's difficult to measure it. One thing that I can say is that re-reading the fics I published in 2023 now makes me cringe, which I suppose is a sign that I've (hopefully) improved.

I will add that I am currently actively working on learning and improving (i.e. reading / watching lectures on the more theoretical aspects of writing, story building, etc) - and it's been interesting. There are some things that I've already been doing intuitively, and others that I only realise now that they've been explained to me. Hopefully it will show in my writing soon.

Good writing habits?

Just sitting down to write even when I don't feel like it. Chances are, I will start feeling like it soon after I start, and even if I don't - at least I will know that I have accomplished something that day.

Bad writing habits?

I feel I've gotten so used to and spoiled by my writing software (scrivener) that I can no longer just open a google doc on my phone or work computer and jot down a few lines whenever an idea hits me - I leave it for later, and when the later comes it's all washed out. I need to stop being so damn picky.

Favorite thing you wrote?

Bloodbang Chronicles my beloved longfic.

Favorite reads?

This is a very tricky question, because I have a lot of very talented friends in the fandom, whose works I love and always look forward to seeing updated, and 1) I don't want to offend anyone by omission, and 2) I don't want to make the list a mile long.

I will only list the fics that are completely unlike anything else that I've read:

Direct from Hell Logistics by @ineadhyn - modern AU Raphael/Haarlep - Raphael is killed by Tav and is sent to our world as a DHL delivery man as punishment. Hilarity ensues. But also, the slow burn romance? (well, the romantic aspect of it, anyway) And the angst? And the action? Mwah. This is the fic that made me love Raphael.

Thy People Shall Be My People by @leomonae - postgame Astarion/Tav. What makes it so different from other Tavstarion fics? Well, Tav is an illithid. Also, this is a fic where every single word and sentence is full of meaning, nothing is irrelevant, and I read with bated breath to make sure I don't miss anything.

Ruins by @marlowethebard - modern AU but not really, the setting is Faerun 1,000 years in the future, and it is close to the modern world, but not quite. Astarion is in the centre of it all, with some 'friends' from BG3 increasingly making appearances. The mystery, the drama, the amazing characterisation, the unique setting, the absolute love with which it is written. I squeal happily every time I get an email about a new chapter.

Biggest win?

"The real treasure was the friends we made along the way", lol.

But quite seriously, it's being part of the community here and on Discord - having the opportunity to bounce ideas and inspire each another, as well as the general support (relating to writing and otherwise) I've had throughout the year - it's been amazing and I doubt I'd still be writing or creating if I hadn't met so many lovely people here. ❤

Goals for the new year?

Publish winter big bang fic in February

Continue writing Bloodbang Chronicles (I'm not going to commit to actually wrapping it up - I've got way too many ideas to fit inside it before the end)

Publish some original works and try to actually make some money with it - that would be nice

Your favorite words of the year, aka the words you check each chapter for, making sure you didn't repeat them 788 times?

I should probably come up with a way to depict that a character was surprised or momentarily caught off guard, other than having them "blink". They tend to "sigh" entirely too often as well.

What are you excited for in the new year?

Accomplishing the above goals and reading more of the fics I love.

tagging @tragedybunny @spacebarbarianweird @snowfolly @wilteddreamsofbaldursgate @mj-bites

@leomonae @ineadhyn @bardic-inspo and whoever else wants to share their thoughts

[thisfrailheart]

2024 writing recap

In 2024 I finally started writing again. I also removed stats from ao3 so I'd be able to focus on words instead of numbers and it was the best decision I could have made for myself. But because I'm forever convinced that I didn't do enough, write enough, achieve enough, I did some math to try and see if I really wrote as little as I thought. Turns out: my brain is a fucking liar.

Last year...

...I wrote over 14000 words worth of microfics on tumblr and...

...over 37000 words on ao3.

I...

...participated in my first ever fest (and immediately signed up for the next one) and...

...began writing for new ships.

This year I want to...

...really make an effort to worry less about being creative and write when inspiration strikes.

...read, kudos, comment and bookmark even more fics.

...engage with the community a lot more.

Let's see how it goes, shall we?

[girlwithakiwi]

so looking back for 2024, I definitely had a decline in posting from 2023:

• 230k words in 2024 vs 260k words in 2023

• 8 chapters of ATG in 2024 vs 12 chapters in 2023

• 9 chapters of lighthouse in 2024 vs 11 chapters in 2023

• 2 one-shots in 2024 vs 6 one-shots in 2023

The first quarter of the year was rough, not gonna lie. There was a lot of gaslighting drama at work that basically sucked away all of my creative energy. I never was able to get back to the “one update per week” schedule I had in 2023. I honestly doubt I’ll ever have as a productive year as 2023 again.

But the muses are still alive and well as we go into 2025. ATG will likely conclude next year, followed soon after by lighthouse. I’m not sure where I’m at for one-shot inspiration, but if all else fails, I’ll do one of those meme games again.

After all, that’s how lighthouse was born. 💀

[writingwithfolklore]

Happy New Year 2025!

In 2024 I finished my manuscript of the last 7-ish years, was published in several places, helped you guys edit your pieces, wrote and posted more og posts than last year, and made some good friends on here! I hope you all had a good 2024, and are looking forward to what's to come in 2025 <3

Here's a recap of the WWF posts of 2024, see you next year!

Your Readers Don't Know

Backstory is Revealed When You Need It, Not Before

Your Hook

Fortunately, Unfortunately

Your Prologue is for Stuff You Can't Put in the Book

All New Information Belongs in the First Three Chapters

Describing Foods - A Masterlist

How To Nail Your School Essays

A Note for New Writers

It's Okay Your Writing Isn't Like So-and-So's

Specificity, Voice and Backstory

10 Tips for New Writers

Pop Culture References in Fiction

Creating Paragraphs

3 Important Things about Trad Publishing

Taking Notes from Editors

When to Reject Feedback

5 Tips for Creating Intimidating Antagonists

When Your Antagonist is Not a Person

When Your Antagonist is Also Your Protagonist

Failing with Momentum

Kill Your Darlings

When to Cut a Character

Do Well By Your Female Characters

Character Agency

Writing Fictional News

How to Hold Yourself Accountable as a Professional Author

Making the Most Out of Your First Draft

Tips for Moving Out for the First Time

Sequels and Series

5 Things About Working in a (small) Publishing House that Surprised Me

5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success as an Aspiring Author

How Conflict Causes Character Change

Character Deaths

Monsters and Creatures

Ways to Reveal Backstory

Show Don't Tell: Symptoms Versus the Affliction

Descriptions: Seeing Versus Feeling

Momentum

Writing With Folklore Discord

You Don't Need Thick Skin to be a Writer

6 Ways to Develop Your Writing Intuition

Writing Prompt: Stress

The Yadda-Yadda

Description is for the Character, Not the Reader

The Characters Serve the Reader

Relationships and Closeness

The Rest of the World Continues on Without your MC

Writing Prompt

20 Questions to Ask your Beta Readers

3 Most Common Notes I Give While Editing

How to Translate Feedback

How to Incorporate a Ticking Clock

Every Line Adds Something New

Subplots are your Side Character Arcs

The Exposition Dump is a Myth

Questions from Beta Readers are Rhetorical

If It Doesn't Impact the Rest of the Story, You Didn't Raise the Stakes

Line Transitions

Why Don't Edit As You Go Is Actually Maybe Good Advice

About My Manuscript

There's Only One Reason I Didn't Give Up on My Manuscript

Your Beta Readers are Always Right

How to Get the Most out of (professional) Editing

How to Ask for Stuff

Who Holds the Power in Your Scene?

Getting Characters from A to B

Emotional Exhaustion

[do-androids-dream-ao3acc]

2024 creativity recap

I've seen a couple of people do things like this, and I'd love to join in and also tag all of my mutuals (of which I'll only name some because you know me, I love you but I forget your names): tell us of your fics, gifsets and whatnots in 2024! So, here's my recap:

I published 147,786 words in 26 works on AO3; 2,680 words on Tumblr only, and I think I deleted one or two works. 21 of the 26 are BuckTommy – the s7 kiss broke my writer's block :)

In chronological order:

3 Times Buck's Date With Tommy Went Awry – And The One Time It Didn't  // Fluff, Crack Desert Dreams // Hurt/Comfort (Tommy) Set It Off Tonight, Baby, Just Like Fire And Gasoline // Fluff, Smut And How My Heart Sang True That Day // Character Study (Buck) I'll Be Your Hero  // Fluff, Shovel Talk Watch Me Burn // Fluff, Smut In The Dark // Angst, Hurt/Comfort Lass uns n Wunder sein (Let's Be a Miracle) // First Time, Ficlet Whisper Your Desires, And I'll Teach You How To Feel // Smut Has Anybody Noticed That The Sky Is Falling? // Hurt/Comfort (Buck has Anosmia in this one) Am Tag als Conny Kramer starb (The Day Conny Kramer Died) // Crack, Murder Mystery Come and Let the Storm Bring Us to Life // Smut, Helicopter Sex I Am The Broken, I Am The Wound // Emotional Hurt/Comfort (Tommy) Wann? (When?) // Fluff All the Pain // Angst, Hurt/Comfort Simply the Best, Reprise (Simply the Beast) // Smut "We're doomed." // Season opening disaster Remember Everything // Hurt/Comfort (Tommy) It Hurts to Feel, to Think, to Know I May Be Nothing // Fix-it Starts With a Spark, Then It's a Wildfire // Angst, Hurt/Comfort Love Can Only Heal [BuckTommy Tumblr Prompts] // 15 individual fics and ficlets I also did 2 fics for 911 Lone Star: My Melancholy Angel // Addiction, Sex (TK/Buck) Scars That I'm Hiding // Carlos's Murder Mystery AU Also, I did 3 Witcher fics: Lass es Liebe sein (Let It Be Love) // Fluff, Humor (Emhyr/Geralt) At Night // Smut (Emhyr/Impera) Center of the Universe // Smut (Emhyr/Impera)

From the Tumblr-only-fics, 4 are also BuckTommy: Before The Ashes Hit The Ground // Episode speculations BuckTommy Drabbles // 100 word mini fics Blue Hoodie Lightsabers And I filled 2 whump meme prompts:

"Stop crying and listen to me" with Omega (The Bad Batch) "That's not supposed to bend like that" with Gale/Astarion (Baldur's Gate 3)

I also did this very stupid video edit:

What a year, huh? It definitely was the BuckTommy year!

Tagging everybody to show off their creations, naming only a few, meaning everybody who wants to! @nine-one-wanton, @sunnywithachanceofbi, @cull3nblaze, @judymarch15, @typicalopposite, @cappuccinoandglitter

[ofmdrecaps]

12/01-02/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Vico Ortiz; Kristian Nairn; Samba Schutte; Rachel House; Dominic Burgess; Adopt Our Crew; Letting Writing Campaign for OFMD S3!; Fan Spotlight: Our Flag Means Fanfiction; Citizen Dame Pod; 2024 Podfuckery; OFMD Big Bang; Love Notes;

Hey crew, as you can see I'm slowly catching up. I've been sick and my dads back at the hospital so things are a bit cray cray at the moment. Thank you for all your patience <3

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys was out in Atlanta doing comedy with Steve Wriggles, and lots of our crewmates got to get out and see him!

Source: Rhys and Steves Instagram Stories

- More Darby Daily Doodles -

Source: Rhys' Free Substack

= Taika Waititi =

Lots of BTS is coming out with Taika on Interior Chinatown!

Source: Instagram

There's also been more BTS for the KokoFoundation event that he and Minnie did a few weeks back!

Source: Letters Live Instagram

This article features Taika AND Anapela! Thank you to Jess aka @summerlinenss.bsky.social‬ for the share!

Source: Summerlinens Bsky

= Vico Ortiz =

Vico recently received  the “Courage Award” during the 29 Palms Film Festival! Check out their acceptance speech below!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vico Ortiz (@puertoricaninja)

Source: Vico's Instagram

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian was out with friends doing some winter celebrations!

Source: Ryzymackay Instagram

And he had a wee update for everyone before heading off to Columbus OH!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

Source: Kristian's Instagram

= Samba Schutte =

Fantastic news! Best Life, staring Samba was nominated for a third award! This time New York Shorts Award!

Source: Samba's Instagram

And yet another trailer for Parallel! (It sounds like its working on amazon prime again incase you ran into trouble).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Seasick Studios (@seasickstudios_)

Source: Instagram

- Advanced Chemistry BTS -

Our friend Alec Moore, writer of Advanced Chemistry and big OFMD advocate was kind enough to give us some BTS for the movie with Samba! Check some of it out below-- if you've seen the movie and have yet to review it on amazon, please take a moment to send them some love! Amazon Reviews

Source: Alec Moore's Bsky

A lot of the background pictures of samba's character Allen show Samba doing Air Guitar! Here are some closer looks!

Source: Alec moore

= Rachel House =

Rachel attended the @asiapacificscreenawards_ celebration and her film Te Maunga was nominated for "Best Youth film”. She sends out her "Massive congrats to the beautiful film Boong @lp_devi who deservedly won."!

Source: Rachel's Instagram

= Dominic Burgess =

Dominic always knows how to bring a smile to our face with cat content <3

Source: Dominic's Bsky

In addition, in case you haven't already checked it out-- Skeleton Crew is out on Disney Plus, and our favorite Jeffrey Fettering is in the show! Congrats Dominic!

Source: Dominic's Bsky

== Adopt Our Crew ==

Thank you @adoptourcrew for sharing this article on OFMD from Screenrant! Check it out here.

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Instagram

== Letter Writing Campaign! ==

Our friend Molly aka @aproperpirate.bsky.social has started up a letter writing campaign to try and convince Netflix to adopt #OurFlagMeansdeath!  Check out more info below! (If you don't have bluesky, Molly has agreed to let me post the instructions on the repo as well.)

What?

Letters and/or postcards explaining why you want Netflix to adopt OFMD. Highlight its accolades, reviews, representation, or simply what it means to you. Be honest and authentic! Send as many as you want!

Where?

Mail to:

Netflix Corporate Headquarters

121 Albright Way

Los Gatos, California 95032

When?

Plan for your letter(s) to arrive anywhere during the week of January 5-12, 2025 to coincide with the one year anniversary of cancelation on January 9.

Source: AProperPirate Bsky

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

New episode of Our Flag Means Fanfiction is out! Check them out on spotify! "Today we’re talking with Molly, Dahlia and Tessa about crime, criminals and outsiders; and how nefarious law-breakers actually have a positive impact on society — especially when they’re sabotaging authoritarian regimes"

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Spotify

= Citizen Dame =

For those of you subscribed to the citizen dame podcast, the last two episode of OFMD S2 are up! This OFMD Series is for subscribers and it's a been a blast to go over all the wonderful things in the last couple episodes. Wanna learn more? Check them out on Patreon!

Source: Citizen Dame Patreon

= OFMD Podfuckery =

Some fun news! There's a new ofmd podfuckery going on! Several of the resident podficcers of the OFMD community are recording fics in their own style! Wanna follow along with the fun? Check out their bluesky!

First on the list is The Hunt - by our dear @petrichorca and read by @kninjaknitter.bsky.social! Are you a podficcer and wanna get in on the fun? Jump on in and keep an eye out for the #podfuckery tag on bsky!

Source: OFMDPodFuckery Bsky

= 2024 OFMD Big Bang =

The 2024 OFMD Big Bang, hosted by @ofmdbigbang is officially over! You can check out the completed works list here. If you haven't already checked out their tumblr, they've posted all the amazing works people have put together for it! Check them out over on @ofmdbigbang!

Source: OFMDBigBang Tumblr

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. It's almost 2025! Holy moly! I can't even believe it honestly, where has this year gone? I have been so blessed to be able to spent a lot of it with so many of you, and getting to share in your laughter and your tears, and I am so very grateful for that. Tonight I just wanted to send you a quick reminder that if you need to get something off your chest -- please ,oh please, do. I know a lot of us worry about whether or not there are "worse things" going on for other people, and you know what, something is going bonkers for every person everywhere, and if we all just didn't talk to one another every time someone else was struggling with their own issues, no one would ever talk. Of course, be sure to ask if people have spoons, or find a group you know is cool with chatting (and obviously if they're laying in a hospital bed, maybe dont bug that person unless they say its okay)-- but please find someone to talk to. It's easy to fall into the pattern of "I don't want to bother people" or "My problems seem like so much less". You'd be surprised how much of your crew really cares and wants to help. I myself, when things get really tough, feel better when I get to talk to other people about their own issues, because I can put some love out into the world that I'm not feeling as strongly at the moment from elsewhere.

You never know until you ask, so please ask <3 Love you crew, take care of yourselves, ya hear?

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A post shared by Women Who Run With The Moon (@womenwhorunwiththemoon)

Img Source: WomenWhoRunWithTheMoon Instagram

[thelonelybrilliance]

thelonelybrilliance/TolkienGirl: My Year in Fanfic

In addition to posting a nice even number of unique fics for AO3 scrolling purposes (60), I also launched some ambitious projects, finally wrote a few one-shots for my favorite small fandoms, and completed some megafics. The Silmarillion Gold Rush AU (cc: @abadpoetwithdreams and @wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey) is steadily progressing. @mapleymood and I are bringing The Summer I Turned Pretty into the realm of literature 😉. And my endless analysis of Friday Night Lights with @itspileofgoodthings has produced yet more fictional musings.

Without further ado:

COMPLETED MULTI-CHAPS:

Pharmakós - An epic, entirely original saga that took several years to complete (started in 2021). In our Gold Rush retelling of The Silmarillion, the Finwean cousins (Maedhros, Fingon, Finrod) lead a diplomatic delegation to Doriath, only to encounter unexpected friends and foes under Elu Thingol's roof

The Figurehead - My take on Stranger Things Season 5, with Steve/Nancy as the heart and soul. Picks up right where Season 4 left off (started in 2022)

with unbroken rhythm - Estrela waits in Mithrim. But Mithrim itself is not unchanging, and unlikely news has a way of finding its mark (Gold Rush AU)

here is my hand, my heart, my throat, my wrist - Maedhros, finding his voice (Gold Rush AU)

WIP MULTI-CHAPS:

crooked love (in a straight line down) - Broken promises, distant memories... Taylor Jewel and Jeremiah Fisher should have nothing in common but mutual resentment. Why do they share a growing understanding instead? (The Summer I Turned Pretty crack-treated-seriously sequel, with @mapleymood)

nativity scenes - An ongoing look at the first memories around each Finwean grandchild's birth (with @abadpoetwithdreams and @wearetakingthehobbitstogallifrey, Gold Rush AU)

To the Young Who Want to Die - Sequel to Pharmakós; a not-entirely-triumphant return to Mithrim (Gold Rush AU)

Penetralium - A different sequel to Pharmakós; Melkor Bauglir moves house, licks his wounds, and regroups (Gold Rush AU)

ONE-SHOTS (by fandom):

The Silmarillion

Gold Rush AU 2024 Installments

Red Rising

born to raise the sons of earth - She’s proven Eo right. And it wasn’t because of me. It wasn’t because of love. It was because it was the right thing to do, and because mighty Kavax was more a father to her than her own ever was. (Mustang, pre-series & Morning Star)

Lights that do mislead the Morn - If she didn’t love him, why learn him? (Mustang/Cassius, Morning Star)

Swan Song - It’s only now, loitering at the threshold of the med-bay, that Mustang can admit she’s been avoiding this moment. She’s afraid of her brother. She’s afraid of losing Darrow—and the future she’s trying to safeguard for them both. For Pax, her deepest thoughts whisper, half-haunted that even the voices in her head can be heard by listening ears intent on betrayal. She’s afraid of the war turning inward, ally against ally. She shouldn’t be afraid of the man in the bed. (Mustang/Cassius, Morning Star)

looking for an easier world - How I miss them—the friends whose lives have marched on without me. (Cassius, Dark Age)

worth no less than a brother - Today, instead of Aurae’s ministrations and musical voice, I have a bloodydamn Bellona with coffee-breath aiming hits at every part of my body that hasn’t already sustained major trauma. (Darrow & Cassius, Light Bringer)

Wasteland - He is not a man on a journey. He is not a man who can afford to fail. (Diomedes, Dark Age)

Imperative - “I wonder how he shall bear death,” Roque muses. He selects a grape to pluck. How he can eat them after Fitchner—“Even after everything, I wonder that.” (Cassius & Roque, Morning Star)

we can still hear the sound of the surf (though we shall land no more) - Kalindora told me to trust this man, who holds a wicked, serrated blade over my chest and purses his lips as if deep in thought. (Lysander & Atlas (& Cassius), Light Bringer)

A Deep-Sworn Vow - “You think I’m a man?” “I think you’re a pissant little boy possessed by a demon.” (Victra/Sevro, Morning Star)

forgetting is a kind of mercy - Even with her heart carefully armored by layers of fierce temper and her tongue as sharp as one of her blades, it is her turn to be compassionate, because it is my mother who is dead. (Pax & Electra, Dark Age)

the dead do not suffer the living to pass  - Three lives, three passages. (Julian, Pax, Cassius, Red Rising)

Friday Night Lights

Clear Eyes - Season 2 Codas (ongoing - 11/15 completed)

in what distant deeps or skies - Smash and Tim go on an adventure (s1)

I lie to myself all the time (but I never believe me) - Like a bruise, is hope. You have to come around to its existence, its tenderness. (Tim, Jackie, Bo, s1)

you know it might be worth it for once - Come into my life, she was saying, like he’d never left it. (Tim/Tyra, s5)

The Queen's Thief

had chosen thus to fling his soul - “This will be the last journey, I promise,” she murmured, after a moment. “Another mark beside my name,” he said lightly. (Gen & Helen, pre-Queen of Attolia)

we insist on love (when all we want is mercy) - Every power that Eugenides knew—and some, maybe, that he didn’t—had brought him here, alone at the foot of a secret stairwell, waiting for a queen who wasn’t his. (Gen/Irene, Queen of Attolia)

a swing in prime - The truth of his loneliness was the only thing he could never tell her. Honesty stopped short when checked by love. (Gen/Irene, King of Attolia)

neutral islands - Helen did not know whether she ought to take note of her own enjoyment of Sophos’ company… yet enjoy it she did. (Helen/Sophos, A Conspiracy of Kings)

a kind of contentment - Eugenides, Kamet, and promises kept. (Gen & Kamet, flashback connected to Thick as Thieves)

A Shop for Killers

Dragonfly - Amidst all her learning—their learning—about how to be people who shared a roof and pretended not to share a history, Jian was the only witness to the slow development of her uncle’s real self. (Jeong Jinman & Jeong Jian)

Gethsemane - One does not walk into hell and expect a favorable outcome. (Jeong Jinman & Jeong Jian)

Pride and Prejudice

just as they used to be then - “I have commissioned a Mr. Plimer to come and take your portraits while you are at home,” Mr. Darcy said, seeming satisfied with the explanation he had received. “He is an accomplished miniaturist, and I believe the small table in my room will be amply improved by the addition of your three faces, if you will oblige me.” It was a compliment that could not but bear a sting. (Darcy & Wickham, pre-canon)

Mara, Daughter of the Nile

behold thou my heart (which grieveth for thee) - Sheftu had plucked hope like a flower, even while he should have heeded its thorn. (Mara/Sheftu, missing scene post-canon)

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

like rain carrying the memory of lightning - Confound the girl, but she’s in every sky and storm, in every wave and calm. (Kit/Nat, Nat POV missing scene)

White Collar

Patchwork Man - Back in the world, new anklet and old digs—it doesn’t have to be perfect to be too good to be true. Because that’s the heart of the matter, isn’t it? When you slip the noose, the world doesn’t become a kinder place, and it certainly doesn’t stop turning. (Neal & Peter, s2)

Once Upon a Time

parallels - It’s a bad day to be Emma Swan, sure. But it’s also a bad day to be an overly self-assured, literally underhanded pirate. (Captain Swan, s2)

The Office/Friday Night Lights

the drop-dead dream (the chosen one) - In which Michael Scott does not mourn his stepdad (unless he does), and has his life changed at a Dillon Panthers game (unless he doesn't).

[ginnyw-potter]

2024 Writing Recap

I started tracking my word count exactly during 2023 nanowrimo and have been tracking it since, which made that I knew exactly how much I was writing. While it was interesting to see, I also noticed I was putting pressure on myself to achieve a certain word count each month

I have never started as many AUs as I did this year. I just love a good AU and I think I managed to nail the 30K ones which were fairly quick to write but then some got away from me like certain Regency AUs

Dipped my toes in some Jily, which was fun! I feel like their dynamic is so different from Hinny's, you can write other things with it.

I also connected with some amazing people this year and I just love all of them (also join my hinny discord) and the way they cheer me on and I get to cheer them on. You're all lovely!

I don't think I'll set goals for next year other than don't start so many damn WIPs? (I will fail at this).

Fics I posted/updated on AO3 this year: (under the cut because damn it was a lot?)

Multichap Wreck My Plans Experimentally in love Spilt Blood That has a ring to it Love, I like a challenge The Silver Lining of Dirty Dancing Knight of Mine Peverell's Progeny 7 Scandals and a Baby The Potter Pointe Shop Ginny Weasley and the Secret Potter Pas de Deux

One or twoshots A hungover Harry in her bed Completely and utterly in love In the arms of the boy she loved Blissfully euphoric The Tram Stop: A Tale of Date Accidents and Incidents Hinny drabbles - Ginniversary bingo Not a Done Deal I can fix him (No really I can) Fuck, my enemy Ginny's sleeping spot Everything you lose is a step you take His steed beside hers Because that would be incredibly lame Human Harry A Tip-sy Wedding Cam The Chocolate Draught of Halloween A distracting scheme There's The Silver Lining I've Been Looking For - Drabbles Two picnics two decades apart Lost & Found Precariously hoping

[cappuccinoandglitter]

2024 Creativity Recap

I was tagged by @do-androids-dream-ao3acc to do this. I think it sounds fun so here goes.

I've been writing for my entire life but 2024 was the year I came back to fanfiction (for context, the last time I wrote fanfiction was before AO3 was even a thing--or I was not aware of it in the early days--and I think it was mostly self-insert Xena or Highlander stuff, so yeah, way back then).

It was Buck and Tommy who brought me back in. I just couldn't resist them. So on AO3 I have 117,674 words about them, spread across 5 fandoms (if you count Lone Star as separate from 9-1-1).

2 series, 7 works.

Practically Everything | Part 1 of Who Wants to Live Forever, because we never truly left the Highlander fandom. There's a lot Buck doesn't know about Tommy, including that he's an immortal born in the 1800s.

Flags | A little one-shot about Buck and Tommy attending their first Pride festival together.

Lightning Strikes Twice | Sequel to Practically Everything, where we learn more about immortals, what the fuck happened between Buck and Lucy in part one, and we meet Andromache of Scythia.

It's not what you think | When Tevan fandom was dealing with the breakup by jumping on the SWAT bus, and all the Rocker fics started popping up, I contributed.

Let's Try Being In Love | My most popularest boy. Born of the idea 'what if Tommy was a dispatcher and he took the home invasion call instead of Abby in the pilot episode?' and it just spiraled from there.

Step Into The Light | Sequel to Let's Try Being In Love, because I really grew to love this Dispatcher Tommy AU and a lot of people seemed to also enjoy it.

Hero Worship | I always thought Connor and Buck had an unrequited or mutual but secret crush. Then I saw the same actor play a firefighter on SWAT and since we've all decided that SWAT and 9-1-1 share a universe, and since the latter has already established identical cousins are a thing that exists, I decided Connor joined the LAFD and started fucking Tommy's cousin Rocker. WIP.

[42donotpanic]

FIC WRITING REVIEW 2024

Thank you @loki-is-my-kink-awakening for coming up with this!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some qualitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either. Artists and gif makers, please also join in with any quantitative or qualitative stats or facts you want to share about your year.

(I just did mostly the same thing as last year. Thank you @evenfallreads for tagging me again)

Since I hit 100 posted works on New Year's Eve 2024, I hit 200 works on June 30th and (with two works that will still go up later today) 300 works on New Year's Eve 2024. That number includes 50 podfics that I posted since starting with Voiceteam in May.

Words and Fics

578,447 words published in 2024

675,494 words written in 2024

206 works worked on

189 completed works

most productive month: July with 78,528 words written

monthly words average: 56,329 words written

Top 5 Pairings

James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton - 42 (I didn't plan this to happen, but I am very happy about it)

Clint Barton/Matt Murdock - 24

Matt Murdock/Franklin "Foggy" Nelson - 23

Clint Barton/Original Character - 10

Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier - 7

Top 5 by Comments

Learning to Live again -58

Feel my Signs and Watch my Words (AUgust Writing Challenge 2024) - 42

Flowers on Your Skin (HawkTober 2024) - 28

Building a Relationship - 15

Springtime Fluff - 14

Top 5 by Kudos

The Sound and Color of Flowers - 210

Every last Piece - 202

Of Pain and Paper Bracelets - 195

I've Meant it all - 192

Accidental Striptease - 169

Top 5 by Hits

Learning to Live again - 2988

Building a Relationship - 2900

Now I wear my scars just like Tattoos - 2153

Of Pain and Paper Bracelets - 2098

Accidental Striptease - 1780

Fandom Events in 2024

For this part, I'm only adding in Bingos and Events with a hard deadline that I was able to get a bingo/blackout for, because otherwise this list would never end.

Bingos

[11/25] Bucky Barnes Bingo Round 5 - Bingo

[10/25] WinterHawk Bingo Round 5 - Bingo

July Break Bingo(s) - DNF

[9/9] Any Fandom LGBTQ Bingo - Black out

[8/25] WinterIron Bingo - Bingo

[9/9] Writers Pride Month Bingo - Black out

[4/25] both Kill-A-Character Bingos - DNF (will probably continue writing for this anyway)

Writing Challenge's

[14/14] Flufftober Spring Edition 2024

[14/14] April Showers bring M-AU Flowers

[31/31] AU-gust Writing Challenge 2024

[16/30] Tropetember 2024

[31/31] HawkTober 2024

[2/7] Trick-AU-Treat 2024

[7/30] Comfy-Vember 2024

[31/31] Whumpcember 2024

Writing Reflection

After getting into writing last year I went mildly to totally insane this year. I wrote more than I even thought possible, already upped my writing goal in January after writing like 30k on WIPs alone in two weeks, only to then end up hitting my yearly writing goal in September anyway.

I got into Podfic this year and it has brought me a lot of joy to work on recording and editing, as well as to participate in even more challenges and exchanges than I did last year.

Once again, I met a lot of lovely people and had a great time writing and simply enjoying fandom with people I like to consider friends by now.

There were many ups and downs, but I'm glad to say that, over all, this year was a good one for me.

I hope you had a good year as well and wish everyone a good start into the New Year. 💜

Tagging: @stripedscribe @ravenmold @cnwolf-brainrot @mutuallyprime @flowerparrish and everyone else who sees this and would like to participate!

[aesthetictarlos]

2024 Creativity Recap

tagged by @cull3nblaze

I'm incredibly grateful to Buck and Tommy because they did wonders to my creativity and inspiration. I challenged myself, writing stories with tags I never considered writing before, and I took part - for the first time in my life - in fandom events and a bingo. It's been a blast and it wouldn't have been the same without your support so thank you to anyone who has read my fics, encouraging me to keep going.

I wrote a total of 44 fics (which is a personal record!) and I'm struggling to choose which one of them was my favorite to write but I'll say this one because it was challenging and fun (and my first FWB fic!)

I had a blast writing for these great fandom events:

BuckTommy Kink Week

BuckTommy Week

BuckTommy Positivity Week

Getting To Know You: A BuckTommy Event

BuckTommy Weekend

BuckTommy Winter Fest

I've also started to fill my bingo card so fingers crossed for next year, I'll try to tick as many squares as possible!

np tags (sorry if you've already been tagged and if this bothers you I'll remove the tag): @louvemeanyway @littlepaws9 @quintessenceofdust88 @wikiangela @dark-alice-lilith

Happy New Year!

[gerec]

2024 Fic Year in Review

Total Number Of Works:

5 new + updates to 3 WIPs (and I finished a WIP!!!)

Total Word Count:

32,719 (59,680 in 2023)

Fandoms I’ve Written In: X-Men

Pairings I've Written: Cherik, Charles/Other, Erik/Other, Charles/Shaw, Erik/Kurt Marko

Overall: I wrote less this year than what I had hoped, and made only a tiny bit of progress on WIPs but I did finish one I started in 2022! This year continues to be mostly about Erik + rare pairings, and a verse/story out of left field for Erik + Kurt Marko. Finally, I think I'm in a good place to finish Your Rightful Place next, and that's going to be my goal for 1H 2025! (Along with writing more Xavierine/Cherigan/Starles).

List of Fics Under the Cut:

NEW IN 2024

Kinktober 2024

X-Men (Alt Timeline Movies)/Cherik Prompt fills for Kinktober:

1. Charles is captured by orcs and forced to become the Chieftain's mate. 2. The King sends his young ward to become House Xavier's new concubine. 3. Kurt's relationship with his stepson Charles is an open secret.

A Welcome Seduction (Lust and diamonds remix) 

Erik is a husband and soon to be father of twins, with a bright future at the legal firm of Shaw, Frost & Associates. He's also a closeted gay man living a guilt-ridden double life. His mentor Sebastian Shaw shows him how to navigate between the family he cherishes and his own hidden desires.

Tumblr Ficlets 2024 

A collection of ficlets and snippets from Tumblr.

1: Cherik, Charles/Moira - There's nothing Charles wants more than to be Erik's mate. Erik doesn't feel the same way. 2: Cherik - Erik invites Charles to do something he considers to be deeply romantic. 3: Cherik - Erik makes a Valentine's Day card for someone special. 4: Cherik - Charles and Erik on an accidental blind date on Valentine's Day. 5: Brian Xavier/Erik Lehnsherr, Cherik - Erik has an encounter with Charles' father just after the war. 6: *NEW* Cherik, Charles/Reed Richards, Erik/Shaw - University AU; Erik and Charles have a confrontation post break-up.

WIP COMPLETED IN 2024

Bad Love 

Out celebrating with his colleagues, Erik finds himself enthralled by a sinfully gorgeous omega named Francis.

a.k.a. Married business man Erik cheats on his wife with a hot stripper.

WIP UPDATED IN 2024

My Future & Yours (WIP)

The island of Genosha offers sanctuary to mutants from all over the world; the chance to live amongst their own kind in a beautiful paradise. With no family left, Erik decides to travel half-way around the world to start a new life.

He does not expect to catch the eye of one Sebastian Shaw - handsome, charismatic, and leader of the mutant nation - and end up forcibly taken as his mate.

Your Rightful Place (WIP)

Sebastian Shaw attacks the kingdom of Genosha while its monarch Erik Lehnsherr is away at war, capturing omega Consort Charles Xavier as he flees with his subjects towards Westchester.

Shaw is determined to right a perceived wrong by taking an unwilling Charles as his mate.

NEW ADDITIONS IN 2024

FOR MY SERIES The Innocence We Lose

Vipers In Our Midst 

Pregnant and newly married to the much older Kurt Marko, Erik finds himself adjusting to life as a rich man's spouse. A wedding reception with Kurt's society friends gives Erik a glimpse of what's to come.

High Society Life (WIP)

Erik gives birth to baby Nina, and has a hard time adjusting to his new role as both husband and parent.

[lovova]

2024 Writing Recape

The year is just about over, so time to do a recap of what I've written this year!

In truth, this was a really slow year for me. My original work slowed down to a crawl and it was tough to find the time or energy to really work on the writings I wanted to. But! I still did do some, and I wanted to give myself credit for that, so here we go!

January: Wrote 'Rescuing Dumb Trailblazing Heroes', an Oumota oneshot that I rushed out to try to qualify for a zine. For being a rush job though, I still enjoy re-reading it, which is my main criteria for my own writing~

February: 'Pomegranate Kiss and' and 'A Universal Constant', two Oumota Oneshots that I believe I did for Ouumota weekend? Fun fact, Universal Constant actually got a Podfic version put out by the talented ArashiPodfics, which I'll link to at the end if this entry. It was so cool, still very honored they put in the time to do something like that: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58555561

March: I think this was when I managed to finish a VERY rushed first draft of Hanahaki Original Story, and honestly? That might be the start of me burning out this particular year with my original work. I think I just pushed myself too hard.

April: Nothing.

May: 'What Comes Next', an Oumota oneshot. I don't remember if I made this fic for an event or not or just felt like it. I like this one though, it ends with a fun premise.

June: June was Oumota Week and I always try to participate as much as I can with those, so here's the list of pieces I put out for it: 'Amore e' Caffe', 'Reset' (a personal favorite, I've reread it so many times), an update to 'I don't Gotta Worry About What's Impossible', 'The Hero, The Trickster & The Demon Prince' (This one was a monster to write, it's more of a novella than a oneshot), 'Courting Through Murder' and another update to 'How to Survive to the End of the World'.

July: Nothing.

August: Some VGCP updates. In truth I don't really know when I update VGCP, I might have done a chapter in July too, but August was my last update and I think I only managed three updates this year. I'm not sure about that, it might have been more, but VGCP is that endless story I use as a writing warm-up for my Original Works, and because my Original Works took such a huge hit this year, VGCP suffered along with them.

September: Nothing.

October: Nothing

November: Nope.

December: Doesn't look like it. Though, this month I have started copyediting VGCP in order to get back into the story and refamiliarize myself with everything that's happened so far. But for new content put out to be read by anyone? Nah.

So, that's my 2024! Yeah, it's been a pretty intense writers block for six months now and for my originals writers block for most of the year, but you know what? Seeing what I did manage to get done written out like that does make me realize I wrote more than I was giving myself credit for. And honestly, even if it hadn't done that? I was busy this year, and writing is my hobby, not a job, and sometimes you're just doing other things, and that's okay.

I hope everyone else had a good 2024, and I hope 2025 is better! See you guys in the New Year!

[vulcan-bourbon]

day 2 - Ringing in the ears

Zloy sat down tiredly on the ground with an extremely tired and heavy sigh. Pulling off the gloves from his hands, he only felt an insane fatigue on himself, as if he were Antlant, who holds the sky every second throughout his entire life. A terrible and disgusting ringing in the ears settled in his head. And the closer he was to death, the louder this ringing in the ears became. He was always wondering, and if he misses the situation, then.. what? Will he be a zombie with this disgusting sound in his head for the rest of his life?

Life? Hah. If only Xp had his own life. Well, more precisely, like...

He was half-dead with the ability to break or destroy everything he touched. About like Midas, who could turn anything into gold with his touch. However, the Zloy had his own special kind of such "ability". Any living thing he touched was killed a moment later. Starting with plants and ending with enemies. Convenient and dangerous at the same time.

Now the Zloy, with greenish-pale skin and deep bruises under his eyes, literally touched the grass. He ran his palm over the greenish summer grass, which after his touch became yellow, withered and completely lifeless. His skin became a flesh-colored, living tint, the bruises dissolved, as if after a good rest, and his eyes stopped looking so glassy. Fortunately, the ringing in his ears also went away along with the remnants of death from his veins. Of course, it was not possible to completely remove it from his body.

"You can remain a living dead person." - Pix, who helped him become "Schrödinger's Zloy", once told him. - "However. "Everything you touch directly will become like you."

- Zloy. - Pix's voice came from behind the guy's shoulder, and a warm touch to his shoulder made Xp turn around and see a necromancer on a minimum and just a close person. If Zloy could see himself from the outside, he would know that a fleeting warm smile appeared on his lips. - It's time for us to go.

- Hey, are you there for much longer?! - Ly voice was also heard from behind Pix, who looked like a dissatisfied fox and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to show all her dissatisfaction. Only her tail, which happily wagged from side to side, betrayed her good mood.

- Yes, yes. Let's go. - Zloy giggled, pulling gloves on his hands and clinging to Pix's hand to get up in one jerk. How nice it was not to feel that nasty ringing in my ears and to feel alive, even if only for a short moment.

[juneiper-art]

2024 Writing Round-up

Tagged by @rookinthecrownest~! I've never done this before so yeet

words posted: 126,335

additional words written: uh who knows tbh, probably around 20k when I was editing my nanowrimo from 2023

grand total of words: 150,000 aprox

fandoms: Dragon Age, BG3, original fic

highest kudos: Broken Leash this year, durgetash stays winning

highest hit oneshot: Degredation, my toxic Solrook oneshot (I regret nothing)

new things I tried: writing two fics at the same time from diff perspectives of the same event

fic I spent the most time on: probably Broken Leash? I worked on that a lot this year

fic I spent the least time on: Degredation, I blacked out and wrote it in like 2 hours or something

favorite thing I wrote: "And what if Lucanis told her what she already knew? You don’t deserve another chance, Mika. You don’t deserve it. A pitiful fear. A child-like fear. But...I can be better than I was. I can choose to be better than I’ve been. The future has to matter, the past can’t be all. The abyss that is my fear, that says I am nothing and will always be nothing, it has claimed my past and it has claimed my present and it still hungers. It would claim my future. But I’m scared of giving up. Doesn’t that mean something, that I’m scared I’ll give up? Because the truth is, I don’t want to lose this war with my fear. I don’t want to lose myself. I don’t want to stand on the scaffold. I want to live. I want to live. Even if I don’t deserve it. Even if I can never deserve it."

favorite thing(s) I read:

uh tbh I don't read a lot of fanfic while writing fanfic. But I guess p. much everything in Lone wanderer/charon. I read some Sole survivor/danse stuff, probably Never Again Unto the Breach inspired me the most bc of how the triangle relationship was written, I'd never done something like that before but I do with Solas/Rook/Lucanis now. I'll probably read some Emmrich fic soon

writing goals for 2025: not get possessed by brain rot and write 70k in 3 weeks like I did in 2024 and 2023 and instead work on original stuff (rip)

new works:

Conversations in Exile - toxic Solrook from Mika's perspective, covers the same events as The Deepest Cuts Heal Slow - which is the same story but from Lucanis' perspective and is slow burn Rookanis work (they're both standalone in case you don't want one or the other ship wise)

Broken Leash - slightly lore divergent Durgetash (it turns out I posted this in January!) featuring Resinaria, the same durge from No Mercy (I don't plug my writing a lot but No Mercy is finished and I'm super proud of it!)

tagging @lykegenia bc I know you write fic I'm not sure who else does tho bc I have a terrible memory!! I'm sorry.

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

April Monthly Recap

(So it turns out I wrote this and completely forgot to post it...whoops!) April was pretty successful - I read a lot of books I enjoyed, and I completed my calling in the Magical Readathon. My favorites this month were all sequels, in either the Kushiel's Dart universe or in the Toby Daye universe. (My month was 63% sequels!) My least favorite was Air Awakens, which I DNF'd pretty early on.

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters: 4.75/5

Emergent Properties by Aimee Ogden: 4.5/5

The Marquis Who Mustn't by Courtney Milan: 4.5/5

Read It and Weep by Jenn McKinlay: 3.75/5

Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey: 5/5

Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey: 5/5

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss: 2/5, dnf

Air Awakens by Elise Kova: 1.5/5, dnf

Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair: 3/5

Chimes at Midnight by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

The Winter Long by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

A Red-Rose Chain by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

Once Broken Faith by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

The Brightest Fell by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany: 2.5/5, book club

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire: 4.25/5

Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

The Unkindest Tide by Seanan McGuire: 4.75/5

A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire: 4.75/5

The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles by Malka Older: 4/5

When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

Sleep No More by Seanan McGuire: 5/5

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen: 4/5

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella: 3/5

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming: 2.5/5

Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola: 4.25/5

Goals below the cut:

Complete series: +1 for the year! (started 2, caught up on 3)

Catch up on backlists: 22 (+1, although if I added Seanan McGuire to the list which I very well might do then it'll be +11 more lol)

Read FIYAH/Nebula/Hugo finalists & awards: 3 book (+2)

Read down TBR: (hard to tell what it was at the beginning of the year, but in August it was 1332) at end of April it's 1460 (still getting bigger...)

Read old top-of-TBR list: 1 (+1)