2025 in review
December 11th, 2025 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
museaway posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
musewritesThis is ficwip's 2025 in review & I wrote the questions, so here we go:
Including WIPs, how many fics have you worked on since January 1st? Original fiction counts too!
At least 20. I probably poked at some other WIPs.
How many did you post for other people to read?
Nine, apparently. Another two are about to post. And my anthology entry is published in the 2025 volume!
What's something NEW that you tried in a fic?
I wrote from a few new POVs this year, including Shen Jiu and Mobei Jun.
What piece of media inspired you the most?
Nu:Carnival, again.
How many fandoms did you write for?
10 + original: Nu: Carnival, Scum Villain, Peach Blossom Debt, Uramichi Oniisan, MDZS + Ashes of Love, Smallville, SnK (unfinished), Jurassic Park (unfinished), VLD (beta stage)
What ship(s) captured your heart?
Aster/Dante continues to be THE OTP, to the point of rivaling Clex (Smallville). I'm not sure if I have another year's worth of fics in me, but I just gave them a little shelf of their own in the cabinet, so we'll see.
What character(s) captured your heart?
Aster. Again. I've never had a strong connection like this to anyone but an OC before, so it's a really interesting experience.
Did you write for any new fandoms or ships?
Bingjiu & Moshang were both brand new for me! Had an absolute BLAST writing bingjiu (it was an AU, not canonverse)
What fic meant the most to you to write?
monster, I think, my bingjiu entry for Once Upon a Bang. It has my entire heart in it, and I spent so many hours workshopping it with B, who was so so kind.
What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?
on the far east island, a little Peach Blossom Debt fic. And Cathedrals, a Quincy/Olivine fic that will be posting very soon! I felt like STARLIGHT writing that!
What fic was the most satisfying to finish?
monster for SURE. I spend months and months on that, and Luke was extremely ill the day I posted. To be honest, I'm surprised I finished the event.
What fic was the most challenging to work on?
monster. The main character is a villain in the original novel, and I had to get into his head, figure him out, write a romance that worked for me so I could attempt to convince anyone else of it, and somehow pull off a happy ending.
What's the most interesting topic you researched for a fic?
Nikko, Japan! I've watched several hours of walkthrough footage for a bang fic. It looks like such a beautiful place.
What were your shortest and longest fics?
Shortest: unscarred at 1,068
Longest: monster at 31,882 words
What was on your writing playlist?
EXO dominated the first half of the year because of Monster. Tear in My Heart by Twenty-One Pilots was my top song by far, thanks to a Moshang animatic. The later part of the year had some Rufus Wainwright and Bangles, thanks to Daster and PBD fics, and the Quinoli playlist has taken over for the last month with Band of Horses & others.
Where did you write? Was there a favorite spot?
This year, really just at home! Mostly the kitchen, a little in the writing room, a few times dictated from a bubble bath.
What’s your favorite title of the year?
Probably "monster." The fic was inspired by Beauty and the Beast, but they both had horrible aspects to them, and Shen Jiu is so self loathing, I adored it as the term for him in place of Beauty.
Share your favorite opening line
From monster:
Share your favorite ending line
I can't choose, so here are my top 3:
unscarred
monster
on the far east island
Share your favorite piece of dialogue
- monster. This also gets the award of my favorite confession of all time. Shen Jiu, I loved spending the year with you.
Share the funniest line(s) you wrote this year
It won't make sense out of context, but it's Dante covering his eyes and saying "Mother" during a scene where Aster is talking to Dante's mom about sex toys.
Did you get frustrated with a fic at some point? What happened and how did you get past it?
Deeply deeply frustrated by an exchange fic that I finished last night, but it turned out just fine. I couldn't quite see where it was headed, and it changed on me a couple of times, so I stumbled a bit until I figured it out.
If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?
Being able to look at AO3 comments again.
Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing something?
I vaguely remember a nice dessert from finishing monster's first draft.
Did you create fanworks other than fic? Show one off!
I illustrated Taylor's fic for the fairytale bang! And I made art for Daster Week, which I stashed on AO3.
How many fannish events did you take part in? Things like bangs, exchanges, ship weeks, zines, prompt memes, etc. They all count!
As a writer/artist:
Think back on everything you've worked on since January and give yourself a compliment. A real one! Be nice to yourself.
Girl, you got through the absolute worst year you've had in a decade. Every single word after June was a triumph.
If this were an awards show, who would you thank?
This was a hard year. Su got me through a lot of it. Jilly. Ahria. B. My sister. My dad. I'm forgetting people, I'm sorry.
What’s left on your to-do list for 2025?
Quinya divorce fic, Quinoli gift fic, Daster love triangle, Yakumo/Eiden gift fic. And Eli just got me thinking about Edmond/Morvay as a joke that my brain has taken seriously, and I've got a fic forming.
Also, I hope to finish the first draft of mysmallfandombang fic, since it's due at the end of January!
What would you like to write next year?
I have a hanahkai fic planned for my beloved Peach Blossom Debt, and I'm so excited since I'll get to work with an unreliable narrator.
I hope to finish more original works next year too, but I say that every year and then don't. Maybe I'll post some of it here.
ficwip's 2025 in review & I wrote the questions, so here we go:Including WIPs, how many fics have you worked on since January 1st? Original fiction counts too!
At least 20. I probably poked at some other WIPs.
How many did you post for other people to read?
Nine, apparently. Another two are about to post. And my anthology entry is published in the 2025 volume!
What's something NEW that you tried in a fic?
I wrote from a few new POVs this year, including Shen Jiu and Mobei Jun.
What piece of media inspired you the most?
Nu:Carnival, again.
How many fandoms did you write for?
10 + original: Nu: Carnival, Scum Villain, Peach Blossom Debt, Uramichi Oniisan, MDZS + Ashes of Love, Smallville, SnK (unfinished), Jurassic Park (unfinished), VLD (beta stage)
What ship(s) captured your heart?
Aster/Dante continues to be THE OTP, to the point of rivaling Clex (Smallville). I'm not sure if I have another year's worth of fics in me, but I just gave them a little shelf of their own in the cabinet, so we'll see.
What character(s) captured your heart?
Aster. Again. I've never had a strong connection like this to anyone but an OC before, so it's a really interesting experience.
Did you write for any new fandoms or ships?
Bingjiu & Moshang were both brand new for me! Had an absolute BLAST writing bingjiu (it was an AU, not canonverse)
What fic meant the most to you to write?
monster, I think, my bingjiu entry for Once Upon a Bang. It has my entire heart in it, and I spent so many hours workshopping it with B, who was so so kind.
What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?
on the far east island, a little Peach Blossom Debt fic. And Cathedrals, a Quincy/Olivine fic that will be posting very soon! I felt like STARLIGHT writing that!
What fic was the most satisfying to finish?
monster for SURE. I spend months and months on that, and Luke was extremely ill the day I posted. To be honest, I'm surprised I finished the event.
What fic was the most challenging to work on?
monster. The main character is a villain in the original novel, and I had to get into his head, figure him out, write a romance that worked for me so I could attempt to convince anyone else of it, and somehow pull off a happy ending.
What's the most interesting topic you researched for a fic?
Nikko, Japan! I've watched several hours of walkthrough footage for a bang fic. It looks like such a beautiful place.
What were your shortest and longest fics?
Shortest: unscarred at 1,068
Longest: monster at 31,882 words
What was on your writing playlist?
EXO dominated the first half of the year because of Monster. Tear in My Heart by Twenty-One Pilots was my top song by far, thanks to a Moshang animatic. The later part of the year had some Rufus Wainwright and Bangles, thanks to Daster and PBD fics, and the Quinoli playlist has taken over for the last month with Band of Horses & others.
Where did you write? Was there a favorite spot?
This year, really just at home! Mostly the kitchen, a little in the writing room, a few times dictated from a bubble bath.
What’s your favorite title of the year?
Probably "monster." The fic was inspired by Beauty and the Beast, but they both had horrible aspects to them, and Shen Jiu is so self loathing, I adored it as the term for him in place of Beauty.
Share your favorite opening line
From monster:
Morning had dawned, brilliant, over Qing Jing Peak, fingers of sunlight reaching around the mountain tops to carve shadows into the facing rock and illuminate the verdant forests that softened the valleys. His favorite sight in the world. Shen Qingqiu, on his knees before a towering set of iron doors, locked that vision in his heart.
Share your favorite ending line
I can't choose, so here are my top 3:
unscarred
But he could feel Aster in his arms, willingly, the heat between them, smell the tang of his own blood, and thought he imagined, on the shimmering, distant horizon, a second figure.
monster
The feeling was not one he could describe, but from the way his heart soared from being kissed in broad daylight by the demon lord who had made him breakfast, the very demon lord determined to spend the rest of his life with him, it might be happiness.
on the far east island
Turning his face into Song Yao’s palm, Hengwen kissed it, then drew the little finger between his lips and bit down at the base, firmly enough to leave a ring of teeth marks where a thread was no longer tied.
Share your favorite piece of dialogue
“So that’s it? You’ll just go and die now?” His voice audibly wavered and he cleared his throat as the flavor of blood intensified. “Well, you’d better get on with it! Should I crush this pendant to speed it up? I’m already bored from waiting.”
Despite the anguish on his face, Luo Binghe’s smile widened. “Qingqiu, don’t be sad.”
“Shut up!” Shen Qingqiu’s voice broke. “Just shut up! Who said you were allowed to leave me?”
“Saying something like that, I might misunderstand and think you love me.”
Tears stinging his vision, Shen Qingqiu steadied a hand against Luo Binghe’s cheek and looked into his eyes.
“I hate you,” he whispered.
- monster. This also gets the award of my favorite confession of all time. Shen Jiu, I loved spending the year with you.
Share the funniest line(s) you wrote this year
It won't make sense out of context, but it's Dante covering his eyes and saying "Mother" during a scene where Aster is talking to Dante's mom about sex toys.
Did you get frustrated with a fic at some point? What happened and how did you get past it?
Deeply deeply frustrated by an exchange fic that I finished last night, but it turned out just fine. I couldn't quite see where it was headed, and it changed on me a couple of times, so I stumbled a bit until I figured it out.
If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?
Being able to look at AO3 comments again.
Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing something?
I vaguely remember a nice dessert from finishing monster's first draft.
Did you create fanworks other than fic? Show one off!
I illustrated Taylor's fic for the fairytale bang! And I made art for Daster Week, which I stashed on AO3.
How many fannish events did you take part in? Things like bangs, exchanges, ship weeks, zines, prompt memes, etc. They all count!
As a writer/artist:
- Daster Week
- Fairytale Bang
- Small Fandom Bang
- Fandom Smash-up (but didn't finish)
- Hanahaki for Hanami
- Nu:C Flash Holiday Exchange
- Hey, Sweetheart
- LORE: A Huey Zine
- Quinya zine (coming out next year)
Think back on everything you've worked on since January and give yourself a compliment. A real one! Be nice to yourself.
Girl, you got through the absolute worst year you've had in a decade. Every single word after June was a triumph.
If this were an awards show, who would you thank?
This was a hard year. Su got me through a lot of it. Jilly. Ahria. B. My sister. My dad. I'm forgetting people, I'm sorry.
What’s left on your to-do list for 2025?
Quinya divorce fic, Quinoli gift fic, Daster love triangle, Yakumo/Eiden gift fic. And Eli just got me thinking about Edmond/Morvay as a joke that my brain has taken seriously, and I've got a fic forming.
Also, I hope to finish the first draft of my
smallfandombang fic, since it's due at the end of January!What would you like to write next year?
I have a hanahkai fic planned for my beloved Peach Blossom Debt, and I'm so excited since I'll get to work with an unreliable narrator.
I hope to finish more original works next year too, but I say that every year and then don't. Maybe I'll post some of it here.