Snagged from starterpack... If anyone has any other end-of-the-year memes, let me know. I love filling those things out.

End of year fic meme (plus a bonus question)

Fics Posted This Year: 35 (1 is currently hidden at AO3 for fandomtrees) Here's my 2025 tag at harpiewriting Which is actually funny because I turned 35 in 2025.

Total word count: 10,357

Fandoms written in: Charmed Reboot, Doc, MCU, SkyMed, Wednesday, X-Men '97, X-Men Movieverse, X-Men Comics, X-Men: Evolution

Fandoms I wouldn't have expected to write this year: Pretty much all of it since it's been a few years since I've written anything but I would say especially the Charmed Reboot, Doc, SkyMed and Wednesday.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?: Since I haven't written this much fic since 2011 (which was my last "high" year with only 29 works, 2016 only had 9 and I haven't actually written a fic in five years back in 2020), yeah I'd say I'd written more fic than I thought I would.

What's your own favourite story of the year?: I think it's a tie between Alpine (MCU, Bucky/Wanda & Billy & Tommy), Kissed by Flames (X-Men: Evolution, Amara/Jean), and Gloves Off (X-Men: Evolution, Rogue/Scott). Alpine because I love writing domestic fluff for Bucky & Wanda, and it was unexpected (as was how much I fell for the ship, although maybe I shouldn't have been surprised since I do love both characters). Kissed by Flames is because I've been wanting to either write a Amara/Jean fic, or read one since one of the last times I rewatched Evolution so to finally make one was amazing. Gloves Off because one my favorite things about Falling Slowly (my Rogue/Scott fic) was the idea that I had that she and Scott would have solo Danger Room sessions and it felt AMAZING writing Rogue/Scott again for the first time in years.

My best story of this year: I have no idea.... maybe one of the above under favorites?

Most popular story of this year: Believe it or not my Wednesday/Tyler drabble I love you has the most kudos (29), my Doc Amy/Jake drabbles Love Token (14 kudos) & Coffee (13 kudos) have the second and third highest kudos.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: I have no idea, honestly, I wrote a lot of rare pairings this year and most of my stuff is drabbles so it's kinda understandable for people to pass them by. Plus for my MCU & X-Men related stuff, those are huge fandoms, so they probably just got lost in the shuffle of AO3.

Most fun story to write: Definitely a tie between Alpine (MCU, Bucky/Wanda & Billy & Tommy) and Baking Cookies (MCU, Wanda & Billy & Tommy), I think I enjoyed them because it was just mostly domestic fluff & humor.

Sexiest story/story with the single sexiest moment: I wouldn't say sexist story, but it's what I meant for His Lighter (XMM, Pyro/Jean) and also for Blizzards & Christmas (MCU, Betty/Darcy), both just kinda hint of what was to come.

Hardest story to write: I would say Coffee (Doc, Jake/Amy) mainly because I struggled with trying to find a song of Chappell Roan that I could use for the fic challenge, where I needed to write fic inspired by a song and I wanted to do one by her because at the time I was kinda obsessed-ly playing/listening to her album and didn't want to use another artist - I already knew I wanted to try my hand at Amy/Jake so that part was easy. I just took tiny lines out her "Coffee" songs to influence the drabble. Technically Amy drinks some sort of ice coffee type thing but it's actually important clue for her early in the show for their relationship so I'm actually proud of tying the story to the song.

Did you take any writing risks this year?: Uh, no? Other than actually trying & sitting down to write something? Or I guess I wrote several rare pairings (MCU: Darcy/Jessica, Darcy/Betty, Matt/Jessica, Bucky/Wanda, Bucky/Mel, Bucky/Yelena, Bob/John, Kate/Yelena | X-Men: Kitty/Wanda, Emma/Madelyne, Madelyne/Scott, Jean/Wanda, Jean/Pyro, Tabitha/Scott, Ororo/Scott, Scott/Rogue | Doc: Amy/Jake | SkyMed: Hayley/Wheezer). I think technically my Abigael/Mel (Charmed Reboot) wouldn't be considered a rare pairing, since it's in the top five of the Charmed Reboot fandom, but apparently that ship only has less than 200 works on AO3, and that fandom is fucking small geez. Only my Wednesday/Tyler (Wednesday) drabble would probably be the only non-rare pairing I did this year.

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?: Write more. Write more than just drabbles hopefully. Complete a few tables at least. I want to try my hand at more rare pairings that I like and hope people like them too. Maybe join a "Big Bang". I also like to work on the stories listed in the next question.

Stories I haven't yet written, but intend to:

I want to write the next part of my first words spoken (can open a heart), my Supergirl (TV series) Kara Danvers/Maxwell Lord Season 1 Soulmates rewrite AU fic series. I keep putting it off and it's apparently already been five years since the last one. I don't know what it is about the next few episodes/back half of Season 1 to write about.

I also want to work on the sequel to Falling Slowly. It's only been 15 years (oh god that makes me weird and utterly sad). I don't what it is about Seasons 3 & 4 of XME that just kinda stops me from writing for it. Same thing seems to be happening with me for my Kara/Maxwell Season 1 Soulmates rewrite AU.

Like I said above, I'd love to work on more rarer pairings in my fandoms but I also want to work in a few fandoms I haven't touched yet (besides reading fics or reblogging gifs on tumblr).

Stories I have started writing, but never finished:

I would love to work on my WIP Hearts and Souls fic (only the cover art was ever posted). I think I might just need Heart and Souls (1993 film) refresh watch and I could probably finish it. I have over 16k words written for it so far.

My Big Wolf on Campus fic "Wolf Pups" which is a Becky/Tommy fic no one asked for but me. It has over 6k words so far and probably about halfway done? Maybe? I don't know, haven't read it in awhile.

I might have a few other WIP fics that are on my computer that I'd like to finish or that I completely forgot about. I think I just always gets stuck at the re-reading & editing stage for those.

Books I've Read in 2026. ( Read more... )

Watched Episode 5 of Heated Rivalry last night after work, and I think this one might be my favorite episode after Episode 3 (which I know people dislike/hate but I found it charming and heartbreaking).

Also this is the SECOND time I'm trying to type this out since I apparently shut down my computer without making sure post actually posted? Did that make sense? Whatever. I remember clicking Post but it was also like 4am and I was tired AF. I am so angry at myself for fucking that up. I had tons of links to gifs (now you have to go to Tumblr to find them) and fanvids (shockingly very little? at Youtube).... UGH. I suck.

No actual spoilers unless you don't want to know my reactions to certain episodes.

You know how book-to-screen adaptions usually suck? I don't think Heated Rivalry has that problem. If anything, I think the show enhances the books for me. Like you get more in-depth with the characters thoughts in the books obviously since they aren't doing any voice-overs for any of the episodes for the characters which I'm actually kinda happy about? But I don't normally mind that in shows/movies. But I have what happened in the books in the back of my head filling the missing moments/scenes in the show (namely the end of Episode 4). And if you go back and read the books, you can see faces behind the characters. The actors are doing pretty good with acting through the quiet moments, that I almost dismissed them in Episode 1 since I was so awkward with it. Honestly they haven't changed that much from book-to-screen adaptation, only smallish stuff that I probably wouldn't even notice if they aren't brought up. I'm really enjoying the gifs on Tumblr that show snippets of the book.

Anyway, I have since read the audiobooks for all the books (minus Game Changer aka Scott/Kip's story - man that accent is really tripping me, see previous post for more details). And let me just say I WANT ALL THE CHARACTERS STORIES to appear in Season 2 (or beyond if we get more than 2 seasons but if they only mainly focus on Heated Rivalry & The Long Game books, it would probably only be 2 seasons). I know people hated Episode 3 mainly because it switched main characters to Scott & Kip and made Ilya & Shane the background characters, but I don't care or maybe it's because I've read the books that I'm actually want to see Scott/Kip, Eric/Kyle, Ryan/Fabian, and Troy/Harris stories. That or I'm used to a larger "main cast" which would contain multiple couples so adding other couples doesn't scare me? Well that and the other couples stories are also SO connected within the universe and hell Ilya and/or Shane makes an appearance in their stories that I feel like they could tie them in.

Ilya might be my favorite character in the series though, and Season 2 will probably gut me.

Episode 1 was a lot like watching fanfic(I was reading the comments at tv_talk and they described it as such which fair honestly)/smut book (which yeah definitely) & I experienced a lot of second-hand embarrassment throughout it (I would be like Shane, but like worse? I can't flirt for shit and I don't even know how I would handle someone flirting with me - honestly, I'd probably wouldn't notice unless someone like Ilya does what he did & even then I might just laugh it off as a joke). I didn't watch it with anyone but myself & my cats (when they actually cuddled with me) so I shouldn't have felt embarrassed but I felt like this even with other rom-coms & other shows before (even non-sexual moments). I can't quite explain it, like I get embarrassed for the characters?

I don't think it was until Episode 2 & 3 that I actually fell for the show though. And maybe it helps that I was sorta already familiar with the characters (through Role Model aka Troy/Harris's story) and began listening to the books before Episode 4 premiered so I was prepared for what's happened and what's going to happen. Episode 5 made me so happy despite nearly making me cry during certain scenes (oh god THOSE scenes) and had me exploding with fucking happiness by the end of it (I scared the shit out of my cat with how much exited clapping I was doing). The fact that I didn't cry is a shock to me (usually I'm a mess anymore and I cry very easily).

I cannot WAIT for Episode 6.

BUT the worse part of Episode 6 is that it'll be released while I'm at my sister's house, so I have to go find a spot hidden away from her family and my parents and watch it. It's not even the sex scenes that I'm worried about. No it's more like the fact that is a "gay show". My sister knows I'm bi but she's more of a "love the sinner, hate the sin" person (even though I think if it was pre-Grad school & pre-marriage I think she would've been more open, or maybe I just imagined that) which I love her but I find is such a bullshit response and I don't even know what my parents would react like (I would say they would've been supportive a few years ago {again maybe I just imagined that}, but ever since my mom got more religious {she would literally start praying during High Potential show during the gay storylines that appeared in Season 1 and my dad said something along the lines it's against the church/pope/God} within the last few years I don't think they are exactly supportive if you know what I mean. They'd probably still love me {especially since I have no love life to speak of}, but I've been told by my sister and my aunt to not tell them... so yeah.) I don't even know if my brother would think/react (I mean he's from a younger generation; we're thirteen years apart after all, but I don't know - that doesn't always mean anything). It sucks. I can only really be me with a few select people and even than I don't even get to talk about it or hang out with those people much to actually be me.

Sorry, anyway - I haven't read any fics really for the show, so I don't have any recs it yet since I figured I'd wait until after Episode 6 to start reading, although if have any recs, please feel free to direct me to them.

Ok I'm posting this before I lose it again.

Edit: Adding some fanvids recs:

( links to fanvids... )