#fandom appreciation posit⁉️

[indigo-greer-collins]

so much fandom slander on my feed

“redacted fans are so this” “omg i hate redacted fans they’re so that” “redacted fans are always—“

sit downnnn, you guys have never been in the fandom trenches before, these dog and mosquito kissers are nothing new fr/j/lh/affec

besides i don’t think all the fandom should be defined by the people who have done weird shit, have you seen the bomb ass fics and fanart??? the headcanons, ocs, even the analysis of some of the characters — it’s sick as fuck

we’re all a bunch of gay losers let’s be real /lh/affec

never me though you guys stay safe /j

[howtosingit]

2020 Fanfic Retrospective

I was tagged by the truly wonderful @firefighterstrand @reyesstrand and @officerrxyes 💙💙💙

How many stories did you complete?

48 😳

What is your total word count for the year?

152,364 ⁉️⁉️⁉️

What fandoms did you write in this year?

911: Lone Star - I’m a monogamous shipper and in a committed relationship with Tarlos 😅

Did you write more, less, or roughly around what you expected you would?

So much more! Before this year, I had only written 3 other fics for 2 different fandoms. I never, NEVER expected to write so many fics for one pairing in such a short amount of time. 

What’s your own favorite story of the year?

It really changes depending on what mood I’m in, but I think Come Back, I Need You to Hold Me always sits pretty close to the top. Also, I gotta give love to the Lifeguard AU. And also It’s A Million Things About You because when I dream of being in love, that’s what I see.

I know I was only supposed to pick one, but my fics are my children and I love them all.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

I started my first multi-chapter, which I am still working on. Before I published chapter one, I had NEVER shared something that wasn’t completely written. I am a major procrastinator, and unless I feel like people are really counting on me to update, I lose the motivation to do so. So, that’s been scary and risky and challenging, but I love what I’ve written so far, and I love the ideas that are coming in later chapters.

Do you have any fanfiction goals for 2021?

Finish the multi-chapter, definitely. Write 7 fics for Carlos Reyes Week because he is my boy and I love him and I want to give him all of the attention that he deserves. Write 7 fics for Tarlos Week, if there is another one this year. Also, would love to write 250K+ words this year; I think it’s doable, since I really only wrote for about 7 months of 2020.

What is your most under-appreciated story?

I honestly don’t even know. Just by AO3 numbers, i’ll be there for you, ‘cause you’re there for me too has the least amount of hits and kudos (by a wide margin, too), but it’s also a fairly recent fic so I don’t know how telling that is. I love all of my stories, so I want them all to be equally loved.

Now, I will say the one fic that I do not appreciate enough is I’ll Build My Life Around You - I struggled so much with writing it and I posted it before I actually liked it. It’s the only fic that I’ve posted where I was like “I really don’t like this, but I want to post something for Day 3 of Tarlos Week and this is all I have.” I’ve made my peace with it now, but I should give that fic a little more love, I think.

Biggest fanfiction related disappointment of 2020?

I mean, I still haven’t been able to establish a schedule for writing and posting the multi-chapter, and I’m way behind where I wanted to be on it; but I’m still getting a chapter out every 2-3 weeks, so I don’t feel too guilty. I was also pretty sad that I didn’t do all of Tarlos Week. That’s partly why I’m so determined to do all of Carlos Reyes Week, even if it kills me (also, see above to know more about my love for my boy).

And just as a final, recent thing: I didn’t get to write a fluffy holiday fic for the boys, and I love Christmastime fluff, so that breaks my heart a bit. I am determined to deliver next Christmas, though!

Biggest fanfiction related surprise of 2020?

Honestly? Just that people have read and enjoyed my work. I never in a million years thought I would become a regular fanfic writer, but so many people have shared kudos, comments, asks, and messages telling me how much they love to read what I write, and that kind of positive affirmation is truly the best motivator in the world. I wrote one Tarlos fic in February, read a ton in April, got so inspired that I wrote a second one in May, thought that would be it, and now we’re here. It’s been crazy and wonderful, and writing and reading fic has truly been my salvation through this terrible year.

I’m getting to this a day or two late, so I’m sure everyone has been tagged already, but I invite any writer to look back on their year of amazing work and share their responses! I always say that I’m my own biggest fan (as we all should be), and things like this really give me a moment to appreciate just how much I’ve been able to achieve.

(Actually, let me tag @emisfritish - we might not be in the same fandoms anymore, but I know she’s had a stellar writing year, and I want to hear all about it!)