2021 Fanfic Retrospection

[skyclectic]

 

THE FICS
 

all this (and love, too)
twice / 3mix / 6.3k / january 8

us against the sunrise
loona / yvesoul / 9.6k / march 2

the anatomy of you and me
chap 9: every fractured piece of you
twice / sanayeon + jeongmi & mohyo / 14.4k / april 7

sail on, silver girl
twice / minayeon / 4.3k / april 17

imaginary orbits
twice / sanayeon / 7.2k / may 13

you're my favourite constellation
twice / sanayeon / 4.5k / may 25

our hearts on lockdown
twice / nahyomi / 10.9k / july 13

the melody of water
twice / sanayeon / 8.4k / august 26

nothing else but you
twice / misana / 2.5k / august 30

my love, in world number one
twice / minayeon / 7.6k / october 9

you run in my mind
twice / nahyo / 2.7k / october 24

blooming in the light (eclipse)
loona / hyelip / 12.9k / november 6

 

 
 

OPENING QUESTIONS

Looking back, did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?
Definitely more than I expected. The start of the year was rough because of some irl things that happened but somehow writing gave me much comfort/kept me sane and there were months where I wrote more than one fic. In the same vein, the end of the year was super busy work-wise so my productivity took a hit in those months.

Still, it's a nice surprise to realise that I've written 11 one-shots (some of which crossed the 10k mark) and also managed to write a chapter of #TwiceAnatomy. 92k words is A LOT when you take into account how crazy this year has been.


What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
This is easy. Definitely the two Loona fics. I never expected or thought that I would ever write for any other fandom other than Twice but Loona proved me wrong. Even though I'm still struggling to grasp the Loona dynamics, I am pleasantly surprised that I've written two Loona fics this year and have more ideas/WIPs in the works for the fandom.


Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Definitely writing for Loona, a fandom I was just getting into. Unlike when I first discovered Twice and had a lot more free time to consume all kinds of content and grasp the dynamics and characterisations of each member, my descend into Loona is more slow and steady so I consider it a risk to write while not fully sure of characterisations and dynamics.

Another risk I took was to open Comms back in September 2020 when I needed some extra $$ to help fund my late cat's cancer bills at the vet. I had no idea what kind of prompts I would get and it wasn't an easy adjustment period as I figured out how to outline and write a fic based on a prompt. It's definitely a whole other ball game versus writing a fic that's solely your own ideas.

Also, despite telling myself no more fic fests, I still somehow got sucked into still writing for 2 fic fests; emo fic fest and the annual TFG fest. A risk because I always, ALWAYS write so close to the deadline and then suffer in the process.

BEST & WORST

What’s your own favourite story of the year?
It's a close tie between the melody of water and us against the sunrise. Both fics turned out exactly how I intended them to when I imagined them in my head. I'm very happy and proud of the vibe, mood and overall outcome of both fics.


Best and most popular story of the year?
If we go by hits, the honour goes to imaginary orbits, a nice surprise because I wasn't expecting this fic to be as well-received as it was.

If we go by my own opinion, it's the melody of water. I love this fic and how it turned out so much. It has everything I love and enjoy writing about: sanayeon, exes to lovers again trope with a healthy dose of history, heavy with water themes and water metaphors.


Most fun story to write?
us against the sunrise was a crazy, fun ride. 9k bursting out of me in just 3 days.

parts of our hearts on lockdown was also fun to write, especially the lockdown-induced frenzy and also nahyo bickering.


Story with the single sexiest moment?
I don't generally write smut/sexy moments into my fics but us against the sunrise has plenty of those because of the nature of Sooyoung as a feeder in a bloodhouse.


Hardest story to write:
my love, in world number one. For many reasons that I won't get into, it was hard for me to get into the feels of writing minayeon and while I didn't take super long to write this fic in comparison to some other fics, the process of writing the fic itself felt unbearably difficult to get through.


Favourite characters to write about this year?
Hyejoo in blooming in the light (eclipse). It was fun to write bassist Hyejoo who has so much of the rockstar in her and is so tsundere/aloof but also shows her care/concern through actions that make Jungeun (and me) swoon.


What's a phrase, word, or descriptor that you're guilty of overusing?
I think, to the surprise of no one, water metaphors still feature very strongly in all my fics. Don't think I can ever run away from them to be honest.
I also tend to use a lot of sunshine/sunlight imagery too, especially to describe certain characters (mostly Sana).


Favourite writing song/artist/album of this year?
I have different playlists depending on the mood/vibe of the fic I happen to be working on. Sometimes, I curate playlists for each fic. Often, because I spend hours writing, my playlists can be at least 20 songs and at most... 200 songs LOL
 

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Favourite opening line(s):

Nayeon follows the winding thread of one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world. She normally gets anxious driving to new places, but it's hard to feel apprehensive when she's greeted with magnificent acres of blue waves everywhere she looks.

-- the melody of water

Nayeon falls asleep in the middle of Jeongyeon and Jihyo's argument about who won the water gun fight they had earlier. Normally, she would chime in with a spirited yell or two, but spending the day running up and down the JYPE building avoiding zombies and solving clues has exhausted her. Nayeon's also far too comfortable, getting soothed to sleep by the gentle drumming of Jihyo's fingers against her stomach and the way Jeongyeon has one foot hooked around Nayeon's ankle.

-- all this (and love, too)

She wakes up to the soft, warm flare of Nayeon's breath feathering over the back of her neck. Nayeon has an arm draped over Sana's waist. She doesn't stir when Sana slips out of the loose embrace, rolling onto her back so that she can gaze quietly at her sleeping girlfriend.

-- you're my favourite constellation

Favourite closing line(s):

Slowly, she gets to her feet, dusting the sand off the back of her jeans. She walks towards the water, towards a horizon illuminated by warm daylight and Sana patiently waiting.

And Nayeon knows for sure, now.

Home has never been a place.

Home has always been Sana.

-- the melody of water

There's nowhere else I'd rather be, Jihyo thinks later when the three of them are snug beneath the covers, Jihyo laying on Jeongyeon's chest with Nayeon curled around her other side. She falls asleep to the lullaby Nayeon's fingers soothe over the crest of her hip, a tune that's somehow in harmony with the steady rhythm of Jeongyeon's heartbeat beneath her ear.

-- all this (and love, too)

There's nothing else for Nayeon to do but to close the distance between them: kissing Sana properly this time.

It's extraordinary, kissing Sana like this. And Nayeon knows that after this, her world will be forever shaped by Sana's light in inexplicable ways.

And nothing will ever quite be the same again.

-- imaginary orbits

 

"Baby," Jinsol breathes and Sooyoung's heart quivers at the nickname. She pulls away just enough to meet Sooyoung's eyes. "Sooyoung. You understand what this means, right? You understand what you're agreeing to?"

"Yes," Sooyoung repeats. She cups Jinsol's cheek and uses her thumb to brush away the bloody tear at the corner of Jinsol's eye.

So, vampires cry blood. That's only the first of many, many things Sooyoung will have to learn quickly in the near future.

But it's a small price to pay in exchange for forever, for a whole eternity with Jinsol. "Yes, I do."

-- us against the sunrise

Hyeju laughs, bright and beautiful, the sun that has eclipsed Jungeun's entire world.

"Just shut up and kiss me." Jungeun curls a hand around Hyeju's nape.

"I thought you'd never ask," Hyeju says, just before she leans in and kisses Jungeun, soft and sweet.

-- blooming in the light (eclipse)

Favourite line(s) from anywhere:

Sana loves moments like this, when she gets to soak in the mid-morning glow seeping through their bedroom window and take in the quiet sounds of Nayeon's steady, even breaths. She reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind Nayeon's ear, touch feather-light and almost reverent. Because Nayeon is ethereal. She feels like something out of a dream; like that faint sensation that lingers when you wake up and you can barely remember anything except for blurred flashes and a sweet ache beneath your ribs. Nayeon is that feeling -- she's love and happiness and home all at once.

 -- you're my favourite constellation

They fall into a comfortable silence. There's always something about quiet moments like this that makes Sana dream of impossible things, of futures that have yet come to pass. She lets her mind drift farther away, colliding head-first into an imagined reality: both of them weathered with age and sharing the warmth of each other's company.

-- you're my favourite constellation

She's rearranging the bookshelf at the corner of the living room when it happens. The news anchor mentions an update on the Minatozaki Sana scandal and Nayeon's heart jolts unpleasantly. She looks at the television just in time to see Sana staring back at her.

It's an old photo, something that they shot for one of their albums. Sana's gaze is all tempered steel, eyes the colour of the sky just before a storm, mouth drawn tight into the barest hint of a smile.

Nayeon is seized with sudden longing. It's been almost two weeks since she last saw that face. She wants to reach out and sweep her fingers over Sana's sharp cheekbones, just to see if she would cut herself or if Sana will soften under her touch like a flower blooming. But the Sana on screen just stares at her, unmoving and lightyears out of Nayeon's reach.

I miss you, Nayeon thinks, hating herself for not having the courage to say the words out loud.

She fumbles for the remote and presses a random button. Sana disappears, dissolving away into a sea of static.

-- the melody of water

Jinsol looks so soft, so young, as she meticulously puts the pieces together, singing to herself. Sooyoung doesn't recognise the song but her voice is sweet and rich, like honey, and it echoes softly around the room. Something in Sooyoung's chest aches at the sight, at the thought of a time when Jinsol had a beating heart, of a time when she was still brimming full of life. Sooyoung can see it clearly in her mind; Jinsol as a human, playing the piano by the window, sunlight streaming through the open windows and sinking into her long black hair like a halo.

It's a beautiful image, and Jinsol is beautiful and Sooyoung finds herself suddenly unable to breathe. I'm in love with her, Sooyoung thinks wretchedly, desperately, and it clicks into place like a dislocated shoulder that had been out of its joint.

-- us against the sunrise

It's unbearable, this silence made heavy by the weight of Nayeon's confession. There's a terrible kind of blind panic racing through her veins, and all Nayeon can hear is the rapid staccato of her own heartbeat ringing in her ears.

Then, Sana shifts, pressing closer and stealing Nayeon's breath away. She tips her forehead against Nayeon's own.

There's another beat, wrought with inexplicable tension fraught with years of impossible longing before Sana whispers fiercely, "You won't."

In a span of a heartbeat, Sana closes the distance between them. Nayeon's eyes flutter closed and she lets out a surprised squeak.

But Sana doesn't pull away, just kisses her harder. Nayeon tastes sunshine in the curve of Sana's lips and there's nothing else she can do but fall, letting herself drown in the gravity of Sana's warmth.

Nayeon's lungs aren't quite working properly by the time they finally break apart. Sana's thumb resumes its gentle caress over Nayeon's cheekbone. Sana is looking at her in a way that makes Nayeon feel too much. Like Sana wants to offer her an entire universe. Without realising that she is Nayeon;s entire universe and more.

"You won't lose me," Sana murmurs, voice shaped around a tenderness that cracks Nayeon's heart wide open.

And Nayeon drowns all over again.

-- the anatomy of you and me, chapter 9: every fractured piece of you

Nayeon hums, then reaches over to lace their fingers together. Sana doesn't look surprised when Nayeon's thumb brushes over the inked span of skin on her wrist, tracing the contours of a heartbeat that mirrors the one thundering in Nayeon's own ears.

There are a million things yearning to break free from Nayeon's chest. An ocean of feelings that she can never quite fold into words. Of all the things she wishes she can find words to say, what escapes is the barest, most simplest of truths.

"I want to spend the rest of my Sundays like this with you. Forever."

"That's an incredibly long time. And you, baby, get bored too easily." Sana's smile is a little teasing smirk, but the way she squeezes Nayeon's hand like she never wants to let go speaks volumes about the forever they're building together.

"Not if it's you," Nayeon counters. Then just because she can, leans in and kisses Sana fiercely.

For a suspended moment in time, there's only the two of them set against a brilliant afternoon horizon; the rest of the world falls into insignificance and simply melts away.

-- the anatomy of you and me, chapter 9: every fractured piece of you

Top 5 scenes from anywhere you would choose to have illustrated:
1. Sooyoung and Jisol in the snow-covered field from us against the sunrise
2. Nayeon and Sana sitting side by side with their legs in the pool under the moonlight from imaginary orbits
3. Nayeon and Mina kissing while afloat in the middle of a storm from sail on, silver girl
4. Jungeun applying bandages to Hyeju's fingers from blooming in the light (eclipse)
5. Sana and Nayeon on the beach while waiting for the sun to rise from the melody of water

FOR 2022

WIPs/Ideas
1. yveseul / post-disbandment / almost lovers to lovers again.
This is admittedly my favourite trope to write and I'm super excited to start on this properly, especially because I'm also doing another favourite thing of mine and structuring the story in reverse chronology.

2. sanayeon / pizza girl AU!
Nayeon is dared by her best friends to flirt with the pizza girl. Unfortunately for her, the pizza girl is pretty (and hot) and it quickly turns into an awkward mess. This sounds fun to write on paper but I think what I'm struggling with is how to make this... even remotely funny.

3. 3mix / friends to lovers
After her divorce, Jihyo moves into 2yeon's guest room and sparks starts flying. It's inevitable really when it's always been the three of them. This has been in my WIPs for... 2 years. I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to finishing it but I already have 7k written and well... let's hope the stars align this year.

4. Natzu / HP AU
I do intend to get around to finishing the second chapter of this HP AU where fifth-year Tzuyu tutors seventh-year Nayeon who is hopeless at potions.

5. the anatomy of you and me
I have at least another 5-6 chapters (60-70k? LOL) to go and I really do want to focus more on writing this, this year and hopefully finish it soon.

6. Sanayeon / co-workers / tension and awkward flirting
I have this fic already lined out but I'm not sure if it'll ever see the light of day. I guess we'll just have to see.


Goals
I think my main goal is to try to write as much of #TwiceAnatomy as I can. I've been working on this fic since 2018 and I really do want to get around to finishing it. It's undeniably my magnum opus which makes it all the more important for me to finish it.

While I will still try to write birthday fics for my friends when I can, I think I'll probably take a break from fic fests, as tempting as they are.

I'm also not going to work on Comms again after I'm done with the Sanayeon pizza girl AU! because I really think I need to focus on writing my own WIPs and ideas.