I went ahead and answered all of them! Thank you @ficwip for the wonderful list 💙 I've been in a creative slump lately, and this was just what I needed to remind myself that I do actually like my writing. It's easy to forget sometimes ^^;
1. Including WIPs, how many fics have you worked on since January 1st? Original fiction counts too!
My laptop that I usually write on is in the shop right now, so I don’t have access, but I think about 10 or 11? I tend to flit between ideas.
2. How many did you post for other people to read?
Five! A productive year, considering how busy I’ve been with work! I’ve really been on a Code: Realize kick this year :3c
3. What's something NEW that you tried in a fic?
Using multiple POVs in Down for the Count (though it still ended up being 99% Van Helsing POV). I also tried my hand at unreliable narration a bit in that fic, in that Van Helsing does not understand Impey all that well and misinterprets his feelings in Ch. 2 (interpreting his fear during their conversation as Impey being afraid that Van Helsing is going to harm him). It was REALLY hard to just let him be wrong without clearly telegraphing Impey’s real feelings (he’s actually afraid of rejection/abandonment) ^^; but I felt like it was the most fitting choice for that scene.
4. What piece of media inspired you the most?
Considering I exclusively posted C:R fics this year… ^^; Other than that, I’ve been drawing a lot of inspiration from The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess these past couple of months. It feels like a love letter to juvenile writing and the unrestrained, unrepentant joy therein. I’ve also been rereading Frankenstein to try and analyze the unreliable narration, I’d like to try writing something with that too.
Also an honorable mention to my beloved friends RedBumpty and @randomhatthief :3c I find their writing and the techniques they use to be very inspiring!! I love the way RHT does imagery, it’s SO rich and vivid!! The sublime way she paces her emotional arcs is delicious too. As for Bumpty, the way she juggles multiple POVs and delicately weaves subtle misunderstandings/communication disconnects into many of them is just chef’s kiss. And the foreshadowing!! The sense of dread looming on the horizon is aughhh. It’s just present enough to keep me in suspense without overwhelming the narrative, utterly delicious. Their writing + the delightful conversations we have about writing fill me with so much joy!!
5. How many fandoms did you write for?
Three! I only posted Code: Realize fics this year, but I worked on Kamigami no Asobi and Bustafellows WIPs too.
6. What ship(s) captured your heart?
Honestly, I don’t really care much about writing romantic ships ^^; I’ll do it if the plot/setting calls for it, or if it makes the emotional narrative stronger, but it isn’t something I seek out. That said, I did have fun with the shippy elements in Down for the Count (because they twisted the angst knife SO deliciously) and Lean On Me (because it was a fun challenge).
If platonic relationships count, then absolutely Impey & The old man! I ADORED writing them and their dynamic!!! Augh, the old man was such a key figure in Impey’s life who unquestionably shaped him into the person he is as an adult, but we see so little of them in canon 😭 I NEEDED more!!! I don’t even have the words to articulate how much I love them right now, but hfjksdhafuidsufiwehuifhusidfhiufhodsagyfgdsfghkdsafghfsdkgyudsfa I literally made myself CRY writing about them.
7. What character(s) captured your heart?
Honestly, the C:R cast as a whole. I wrote most about Van Helsing & Fran of course, but I got to explore the POVs of Impey (Emergency Maintenance), Cardia (Lean On Me), and Saint-Germain as well (unnamed WIP).
8. Did you write for any new fandoms or ships?
Cardia/Fran in Lean On Me, and ofc Impey & the old man in Emergency Maintenance. I also wrote a LOT about the ensemble dynamics of Lupin’s gang as a whole.
9. What fic meant the most to you to write?
I think Down for the Count is the fic that meant the most to me over all, I learned so much while writing it and I’m thrilled with how it came out. Emergency Maintenance and Maybe This Time both deserve honorable mentions too, I did a lot of emotional processing while writing them. Impey and Fran’s emotional states strongly resonated with me, writing them was cathartic.
10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?
I’m genuinely not sure, I was really happy to work on all of them. I follow my whims when writing, only working on whatever is most exciting at the time. It’s a hobby, you know?
If I had to pick, I’d say Down for the Count brought me the most joy when it FINALLY came together.
11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish?
DOWN FOR THE COUNT. Oh my GOD that one took me more than a year of concentrated effort, it’s easily the longest & most complicated thing I’ve EVER written. I’m SO happy I finally saw it to completion!!!
12. What fic was the most challenging to work on?
Technically speaking, Down for the Count & the yet untitled Saint-Germain POV fic, because they both open with intricate combat scenes. Choreography is very difficult for me ^^;
Emotionally speaking, I think Maybe This Time & the untitled Saint-Germain POV fic, since they feature extreme subject matter that I intrinsically want to flinch away from. I was/am scared to mishandle heavy topics like genocide, self-harm, and suicide, but I feel like they’re important to these stories. Emergency Maintenance is an honorable mention too, as depicting child abuse/neglect elicited a similar (albeit less extreme) flinch response.
13. What's the most interesting topic you researched for a fic?
Victorian era medicine, I did a lot of reading on what kinds of medical interventions were available at the time. I also read a lot about the history & mechanics of gas lighting. Which is great and cool, except I realized a few days ago that I’m off by about 20 years ^^; I swear I thought that C:R was the 1830s, not the 1850s…. oh well.
14. What were your shortest and longest fics?
I’m only counting completed fics for this one. The longest was Down for the Count (15,328 words) and the shortest was Lean On Me (3,584 words).
15. What was on your writing playlist?
I can’t listen to anything with lyrics while actually writing, so it was mostly OSTs from anime & games (including C:R). I think the one I listened to most was The Legend of Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke?
That said, I did a lot of brainstorming/daydreaming to A Broken Jar by La Dispute (Van Helsing), I Deserve To Bleed by Sushi Soucy (Fran), Headlock by Imogen Heap (the C:R cast as a whole), Shiva by The Antlers (the Norse trio), and Atrophy by The Antlers (Loki/Balder).
16. Where did you write? Was there a favorite spot?
At my kitchen island (which is basically my table). That’s kind of it ^^;
17. What’s your favorite title of the year?
Down for the Count! I love a good pun title hehe.
18. Share your favorite opening line
Cheating a little in that it’s more than one line, but my favorite opening segment is from Emergency Maintenance:
The worst thing about being sick is the boredom.
Okay, maybe not the worst thing. Maybe the second worst thing. Third?
The third worst thing about being sick is the boredom.
19. Share your favorite ending line
God, I really struggle with ending lines. Going through my opening lines was a ranking of which one was best, going through ending lines is a ranking of which one is the least bad 😅 I’m going to give it to Down for the Count:
Lupin offers her a handkerchief with a theatrical flourish, then turns to face the rest of the group.
“Alright, everyone. Let’s get to work. We have a prodigal nobleman to save.”
20. Share your favorite piece of dialogue
This was a really, really, REALLY hard choice. I was EXTREMELY torn between like, 5 options ^^; Which is, ultimately, a nice problem to have. In the end I couldn’t pick a favorite favorite, so I just picked a representative scene from Down for the Count:
Whoever she is, she’s not happy about being summoned— she comes in loud enough to hear all the way from the sitting room, snarking Lupin about how she’s told him at least three times that she does not do house-calls.
Yet, she still came.
“I’m well aware, mademoiselle, and I promise that I will make it worth your while,” Lupin says, oozing velvet-voiced charm, “I apologize for troubling you yet again, but you see, for this job we need someone of no less than the highest caliber.”
The doctor scoffs. “You need someone who will keep their damn mouth shut.”
“Talented and perceptive! This, my dear, is why it had to be you.”
21. Share the funniest line(s) you wrote this year
This was also a really hard choice ^^; I’m particularly fond of this bit from Emergency Maintenance, where child Impey talks about a romance novel he got his hands on:
Though, if he’s completely honest… he doesn’t really like it much. The protagonist keeps thinking about her boyfriend pounding her, and it makes Impey’s blood boil. Doesn’t he know it’s wrong to hit girls?
22. Did you get frustrated with a fic at some point? What happened and how did you get past it?
I think I got frustrated with every fic at one point or another, but one notable example was Emergency Maintenance. The final scene of that one KILLED me, I rewrote it from scratch 3 or 4 times until I deemed it acceptable enough. I’m honestly still not happy with it, but oh well. The fic is better off with an okay-ish version of that scene than none at all. I really didn’t want to leave it on a depressing note, and I wanted to explore Impey’s dynamic with the old man. Sometimes good enough just has to be good enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
23. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?
Finally finishing Down for the Count! I was reading it and rereading it and rereading it again. Both because I wanted to make sure I was completely satisfied with it and because I love how it came out!
24. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing something?
My author’s notes in Down for the Count were VERY long haha, I YAPPED. Other than that, not really.
25. Did you create fanworks other than fic? Show one off!
I doodle a lot while brainstorming ideas. I don’t usually publish them, but here’s a lil Fran I drew while writing Lean On Me! I was trying to decide between giving him a nosebleed and having him cough blood. I ended up going with the latter because it fit the flow better, but man, Fran looks good with a nosebleed too 👀👀👀
26. How many fannish events did you take part in? Things like bangs, exchanges, ship weeks, zines, prompt memes, etc. They all count!
I participated in Whumptober this year! :D
27. Think back on everything you've worked on since January and give yourself a compliment. A real one! Be nice to yourself.
I really like the cadence of my work. I don’t know how it comes across to others, but the rhythm of it in my head is very satisfying. It’s something that I prioritize in my writing.
28. If this were an awards show, who would you thank?
First, I’d like to thank my beloved friends Bumpty and Krista 💙 Talking about writing with them is one of the highlights of my life, it brings me immeasurable joy. I feel like we’re on the same wavelength in the ways we approach writing and literary analysis, not to mention our similar tastes. Not only are they delights to talk to, but engaging with their writing has also unquestionably improved my skills. A toast to the power of friendship! May we have many more wonderful years of writing together!
Second, I’d like to thank all of the people who read my fics! I write for myself first and foremost, but there’s a real joy to sharing stories. It means a lot to me that there are people who read my writing, it feels like being seen. To everyone who has left kudos on my fics, thank you SO much, I’m so glad to share stories with you! To everyone who has talked with me about these stories & characters, be it by comments or DMs, I don’t even know how to articulate how much it means to me. It’s exhilarating, and I appreciate it so so so so so very much. Your words inspire me to keep going when I’m stuck in the brain mud 💙
Finally, I’d like to thank my cat Ruby, who puts up with me getting the writing zoomies lmao. I do SO much pacing and squealing and kicking my feet. She’s a real trooper.
29. What’s left on your to-do list for 2025?
Everything and nothing. There’s a LOT that I wanted to finish this year and didn’t get around to, but I won’t beat myself up about it. I’m happy I finished as much as I did.
30. What would you like to write next year?
My doctoral dissertation… 💀
But also SO many WIPs!! Too many to name!! If I had to pick ONE, I’d like to finish the Saint-Germain POV fic. Other than that, I’d really like to try out some different techniques like unreliable narration and writing in iambic pentameter.
All in all, this has been a good year for me 🌞 I anticipate I won't have as much time to write fic in 2026 (my dissertation... 💀💀💀 wdym I'm a 5th year...), but I hope that I continue to have ample inspiration nonetheless! And I hope that the fics I DO find time to write continue to improve! :) Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you so much for reading if you made it this far!
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