The Winter Court of the Insane, Philosophical Ladybug

Happy 1st Meteorological day of Fall! It will always be the real first day of autumn to me.

I got inspired by ThickerThanLove starting a 30 Day Dragonball Challenge to look for YGO ones. I found a neat one, and as usual, I answered everything more or less at once. I've been tinkering with it and revamping it a bit for the last several days and debating whether or not to post it all together as I prefer to do. I decided I'll post the whole thing here, but I don't know how I'll post it on Tumblr (or if I will at all).


( YGO 30 Day Challenge )

I'm rather ecstatic that I finally got my kiddie Team Rocket book, heh. Barnes and Noble sent an email with 25% off an item, plus free shipping. I didn't realize they meant both things were included even with one little item, though, instead of having to pay $25 to get the free shipping. But I looked at the email again, realized it looked like it meant both even for one item, and I tried buying the Team Rocket book and adding the coupon code just to see what would happen. And it really happened. That is one amazing coupon! Must be something that could only happen at Christmastime. Normally Barnes and Noble doesn't have deals that good! Hopefully the book will be worth getting. Anything with Team Rocket getting to come to the rescue sounds promising.

My Meowth figure arrived safely on Wednesday. The bubble was all yellowed and stapled back together at the edges (as I already knew it was), but Meowth was still cozy inside. Seems to be perfectly mint! At first I thought some places had faded, but when I looked at the paper that came with him, it looks like that was just a design of the figure. And adorably, James can hold him! That's how I'm displaying them right now. I like this original Meowth figure better than the one Tomy did more recently, because the recent one is battle stance and expression and the old one is docile and cute. And I chose this particular one because he was the only one still in a package for the lowest price. Would've cost about the same to get the recent one in a store.

I finally got my shirt, too. Mom and I figured out stuff to get for Dad for Christmas, so we had him put some money from his and Mom's account into mine (without saying why, of course, though I'm sure he knows the routine by now) and I bought the stuff for him and added the shirt to the order. I kept waffling on whether to really get it, but after going over and over the options I concluded there really wasn't anything I wanted more than the shirt, despite the raised price. I hope everything will get here in time. The most important part of the order has shipped, but the other half is shipping with my shirt, for some reason, and that part of the order hasn't shipped yet.

Then I got sidetracked with this writing quiz FidgetFidgets did. I recognized some questions but not others, so I decided to take it:

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

LuckyLadybug is the name of a silly, cute, old song that was covered by Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons. I was in a Yahoo Group for them and everybody was choosing a song of theirs to be like a signature song to describe them. For some reason, I picked that one and it's stuck ever since.

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos).

On AO3, I believe it's one of my West Side Story fics (the one where Schrank is shot, I think). Yeah. The Worth of Souls.

On FF.net, it's Frantic in Frisco (apologies to any San Franciscans who hate that name), an old Yu-Gi-Oh! mystery.

Of course, on AO3 the kind of feedback I get is rarely ever in comments.

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

Carl Kolchak holding a cross. I probably chose it because I was on a Kolchak the Night Stalker kick when I made my account and I wanted an icon with one of my actor darlings. And because it just looks cool seeing him try to ward off evil with a religious object. :)

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

Heh, anybody who comments (and is nice) is my favorite! I do have some regular commenters, but they only tend to show up when I write for something they like. Understandable, of course. I'm usually the same. I might love someone's writing so much I'd like to read everything of theirs, but I just don't have the time, so I stick with fandoms I love.

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

I can’t think of one specific one. I will re-read multiple oneshot stories by friends, especially if they were gifts to me.

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

Not very many. I don’t think there are any subscriptions and only a handful of Bookmarks. That’s the same on FF.net, basically, except I am actively Following a SYOC (Send Your Own Character) fic, because the author wanted to include a character of mine and I agreed and created one for him to use.

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

I used to consider it an insult to be told I wrote AU, especially if my stories simply picked up where canon left off! But I can’t deny that what I’ve been writing for over a year is indeed AU. My 87 Ninja Turtles AU breaks off after the second to last episode of season 7 and goes off in a different direction more in keeping with the spirit of the early seasons rather than the dark stuff canon gave us starting in season 8. And now I have my Pokemon AU verse too, which breaks off some time in season 2, incorporates some events of later seasons, but mostly goes off in its own direction too. And for the Pokemon AU, I have an explanation within the stories as to why. LOL. The creator time-traveled to the present day, spoke to the real people, then went 20 years in the past to create the games and anime. He then had to come up with stuff of his own to keep things going once the series took off, so most of the stuff in Johto and beyond to Sun and Moon is his own creation instead of what he learned from the real people. Heh. I’ve only revealed that in the crossover fics, but I may or may not have it in the solo Pokemon stories at some point.

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

Ehhhh … on AO3? I’m not sure anybody is. But what the heck, I’ll look…. Hey, wow, 28 bookmarks and 5 subscriptions. I don’t think I get emails for those things. There is also 1 user subscription. I guess that’s like Following me instead of a story?

Now, on FF.net, on the other hand, I have … 846 people who list me as a Favorite Author and 391 who have me on Author Alerts. **blushes.** I am … rather established there. Of course, a lot of those stats are probably for now-defunct accounts and such, but still, it’s kind of nice that at least at some point, every one of those people wanted to see what I was writing next.

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

I don’t think so…. If I want to write something, I probably will. Now whether I’ll post it is another story, but if I like the way it came out, I probably will.

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

Descriptions. I used to be way better at descriptions than I am now. I slipped into an Ernest Hemingway way of writing that’s more dialogue-heavy, and while that usually works fine, sometimes I miss my descriptions. Occasionally I can still do them, depending on the scene, but in general it’s not like it once was.

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

I write … very few pairings of any kind! Man, even this quiz is romance-obsessed, automatically assuming I write romance. I’d rather write friendships. Now with them, I often write established friendships but also a lot of friendships that have somehow developed over the course of the stories, since they’re often connected.

The few times I do dip into romance, I think it’s usually well-loved pairings but not always.

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

135, it says.

582 on FF.net. And then there’s stuff I’ve only posted to Livejournal….

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

Everything! Blurbs, too.

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

I try to write them down or I’ll forget them.

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Yes, but I don’t think any collaboration attempt ever got finished.

16. How did you discover AO3?

Can’t remember. I think a friend found it and told me? Maybe? I liked the tagging system and felt like, Well, what the heck, I’ll try it out, especially since they have some categories FF.net doesn’t. I’ve submitted some stuff to other fic sites, like Fic Wad and Media Miner, but it looked cooler than those. I found it aggravating when I realized people didn’t like to comment much there. Of course, these days it’s often the same thing at FF.net too.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

Heh, nope. Maybe I am in the Ninja Turtles category by now. Who knows.

This version of the quiz sure likes AO3. I’ve seen a lot of these questions before, just not the AO3 ones (and a few others).

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

No. Although I think I used to jokingly call them my Lovelies. Now that’s a name I gave to my Tumblr account that has pictures of my favorite actors.

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

Mom and Dad, I suppose. I started writing fanfics at age 3 or 4. Of course, I didn’t know that’s what it was called then, but it seemed perfectly natural to want to tell new stories about characters I loved. It still does.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

Write about what you love. Don’t try to force something that’s not coming. People will be able to tell if what you’re writing about is something you truly love. But also try to write about what you know. Put the characters into situations that you'll be able to actually write, instead of stumbling your way through it because you don't know what you're doing.

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Half and half. I try to have a basic outline, but I don’t plot out every detail.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

Oh, the stories I could tell. (And some I have told.) Honestly, what I did depended on what the comment was. Anonymous jerks get deleted. Signed in jerks usually get ignored … unless I’m in a particularly bad mood.

Of course, if there’s genuine criticism that’s valuable, that’s something else again. One of my most valuable comments told me I wrote like a script. I resolved to change that from then on, and I did.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

Scenes requiring a lot of descriptions, like fight scenes. Unless I’m really into it and happily detail it out, which is rare for fight scenes. I’d rather write character interaction.

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

Several Pokemon:

- Human Meowth vignettes (which may become a regular oneshot or multi-chapter after all)

- Downfall of Team Rocket as an organization

- Control Freak redo

- Movie 2 missing scene

- Christmas fic for Crystal

- Ash is angry at a Pokemon (follow-up to A Hero Lies in You)

- Wax fic

- Team Rocket watches and comments on the anime (silly crack and might not get posted)

One Turtles:

- Christmas fic

Annnd a bunch of other assorted fics that I stopped work on long ago but may still finish someday (I hope).

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

Sometimes. It all depends on the plunnies! Many times a new idea comes and then it’s torture not being able to start it until I’ve finished what I’m already doing.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

No, but I hope to write something every day.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

Heck yes.

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

Just one? Gosh, I don’t know. I love Lead Me Through the Fire and Close Your Eyes, Clear Your Heart for YGO. I love A Hero Lies in You and my Dead and Alive Redux for Pokemon. My Turtles series….

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

Family Ties and Family Secrets, both YGO. Urgh, I’d take them both down if people didn’t like them so much….

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

I’d like to say I’ll have finished my novel, but who knows. I find it so much more fulfilling to write about other people’s characters than my own. That ain’t gonna pay money, but I guess I’m also worried about using fiction writing for work. Maybe it won’t be as fun then. Having a publisher or an editor breathing down my neck for updates would get very stressful.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

Telling stories about characters I already love.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

When the descriptions don’t work or a scene drags or a fic just doesn’t seem about to let me know what it needs.

33. Why do you write?

It’s my passion. I can’t not write. It would be easier not to breathe.

Apparently I had intended to take this quiz last May, but never got around to it.

Say Hello to Steve Drumm as our icon host today. I think I'm one of his only fans. Poor Steve. He's really an interesting character in his own right.

5 Favorite recurrent characters you love to write about and why in no particular order:
1. Hamilton Burger (Perry Mason). He’s my favorite character from the show. It was his friendship with Perry that made me sit up and take notice to begin with, and this past year I started paying a great deal of attention to him and realized what a wonderful, kind, honest person he is. He deserves more attention in the fandom, which I am more than happy to lavish on him.
2. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII and/or Kingdom Hearts). Sephiroth, when he’s sane, is intriguing, aloof, serious, and a good friend. I’ve picked up writing for him again in To Blossom As the Rose and found that I still have the touch.
3. Duke Devlin (Yu-Gi-Oh!). Duke is a character whose potential is rarely explored by fanfic writers. I detest how the anime murdered his introduction story; it’s so serious and dark in the manga and gives him so much depth. (And there are no cheerleaders!) I like writing for him with his manga backstory inserted in the anime events. It’s kind of sad; the manga-ka gave him such an awesome intro and then kind of forgot about him. He didn’t even develop an interesting sub-plot with Duke and his cynical views in Battle City. The anime, on the other hand, involved Duke in that and other adventures.
4. Lieutenant Schrank (West Side Story). Played by the incomparable Simon Oakland, Schrank is a world-weary policeman who has to put up with and try to stop the local teen gangs. Unlike the characters I generally write, Schrank uses slang and bad grammar, and probably realizes but doesn’t care. He’s another generally overlooked character, one I find fascinating to explore.
5. Yami Bakura/Thief King Bakura (Yu-Gi-Oh!). My first favorite character (not my favorite overall, but literally the first character who became a favorite). It’s a puzzle trying to separate his personality from that of Zorc’s, but I like to try. Things were simpler before we had Zorc to worry about. But Yami Bakura as I wrote him recently is a much darker character because of the Zorc mess. I still like putting him in humorous situations too, as I did years ago.

5 Recurrent characters you hate/don’t care to write about and why in no particular order:
1. Noa Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!). Like Crystal, he’s just never appealed to me. Worse, I’m not sure exactly why. It might go back to my dislike of child villains. Noa’s behavior seems ten times more disturbing because of his age. I’ve heard that the English dub mashed up at least some of the reasons behind what he did, though. I was told that in the original he wanted the others there in his virtual world so he wouldn’t be alone. Although even if it started that way, it seems his goals must have changed later. The way he treated everyone during his duel with Seto was just sadistic.
2. Vivian Wong (Yu-Gi-Oh!). I know she was supposed to be a parody of rabid fangirls, and hence annoying, and boy does she succeed. She is a stalking nightmare. I seethe when she abducts Solomon and deliberately injures his bad back to force Yugi to duel her, and insists on him being her love slave should she win. I shudder every time I see someone who wants her and Duke to pair up. Gosh, what a horrible fate for Duke!
3. Lilie (Princess Tutu). Now she is a sadistic little prick. She is always hoping for Ahiru to be miserable because she looks so cute when she’s miserable and Lilie wants to comfort her. She only showed genuine concern once, in episode 7. It says right on her official profile that what she loves is Ahiru’s failure and what she doesn’t like is Ahiru’s success. She is one messed-up nutcase.
4. Everyone on Gensomaden Saiyuki. Now, let me make it clear, I love them, but I don’t like writing for them. I can get their personalities alright, I think, but I can’t come up with anything decent to write about them. The one thing I tried to write, I didn’t like, and I’m not sure the recipient did either. I never have posted it anywhere.
5. … I can’t really think of anyone, unless I list another cast for a show I just haven’t been able to write for. Or unless I list Mr. Ishtar from Yu-Gi-Oh! He was vicious and cruel to Rishid, and I don’t know if he cared about Marik so much as he cared about just having a son to be an heir.

5 one-shot characters that I enjoyed writing about and why in no particular order.
1. Mignon Germaine (Perry Mason). From season 8’s The Fatal Fetish, she is a good friend of Hamilton’s. Her son works in his office as an assistant D.A. She is an aloof woman who cares deeply about her son and doesn’t want harm to come to him. Her bond with Hamilton is deep and strong and I just adore expanding on it.
2. Tony Ferano (The Monkees). From episode 25, Alias Micky Dolenz, he is the right-hand man of Baby Face Morales, the gangster lookalike of Micky’s. He has a wide range of hilarious expressions as he reacts to various nonsensical situations around him. Usually he is serious and cold, in fact, downright icy. He was a former policeman with Detroit, where he ran various illegal operations.
3. Baby Face Morales (The Monkees). Also from Alias Micky Dolenz. He has a hair-trigger temper and is very dangerous. Alternately, he can actually be oddly philosophical (in my stories). He and Tony have a bond of sorts, but it’s on-again off-again in between warring with each other.
4. Ruby (The Monkees). Yet still from Alias Micky Dolenz, Ruby is Baby Face’s girlfriend. Although seemingly ditzy in the episode, I generally write her as being smarter and more serious. She always worries about Baby Face and the chances he takes. She wishes he would leave crime behind and take her away somewhere to settle down.
5. Captain Caldwell (Perry Mason). From season 4’s The Misguided Missile, Captain Caldwell was an investigator from the inspector general’s office. He was killed by a nut while trying to solve a mystery surrounding the titular object. It was a very unnecessary and tragic death.

And a bonus, “David Tanaka” (Yu-Gi-Oh!). I put his name in quotations because it’s my invention. He doesn’t even have a canonical name. But he talks with Duke in his first episode and seems to be a close friend. In the English dub he’s the manager of Duke’s store.

5 characters I want to write about for future fics:
Would this refer to characters I haven’t ever written for? If so, I’m honestly not sure how to answer that. I think everyone I want to write for I’ve tried at least once.

Your favorite penned fiction and why (there can be two if there is a tie): Probably Lead Me Through the Fire for Yu-Gi-Oh! It developed Duke’s character a great deal, as well as that of the afore-mentioned David. It was very dark, included no magic or supernatural goings-on (well, except for something brief at the very end), and included a death that, try as I might, I haven’t been able to reverse in other fics and fully feel good about. I didn’t want the character dead, but it feels like it was so important that I can’t really change it. That doesn’t mean my sequel will remain unfinished, but it does mean I’m having trouble with it.

Also, The Case of the Broken Ties for Perry Mason. It is Hamilton’s and Paul’s story, as they work in desperation to reverse a spell that has caused everyone else to forget all or part of their memories. It develops Hamilton and Mignon’s friendship as well as the interaction between Hamilton and Paul. It’s amusing; while my favorite YGO fic has nothing supernatural for a generally supernatural series, this story is full of the supernatural for a series that always relied instead on logic.

Your least favorite penned fiction and why (there can be two if there is a tie): Probably Family Ties and Family Secrets, both Yu-Gi-Oh!. My mind was seriously messed up when I wrote those things. I don’t even agree with my portrayal of Mr. Ishtar anymore. I wish I could just remove them both. I only leave them there because people like them and I know how frustrating it is when something disappears that you like.

People’s favorite fiction of yours (by review count and positive postings): Probably still Frantic in Frisco, one of my old Yu-Gi-Oh! mysteries. 288 reviews. Good Heaven. I wish I could duplicate that feat someday.

People’s least favorite fiction of yours (by review count and negative postings): I have no idea.

If you are a member of Fanfiction.Net, how many people have you on their favorites’ list: … 660 (okay, my jaw is dropping now)

If you are a member of Fanfiction.Net, how many people have you on Author Alert: 283

I looked through some of my old quizzes just for the purpose of finding one I'd like to do. And I decided to take this one using Hamilton Burger.

1) What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her. Likewise if you dislike the character. I love him! I really find it unfair that so many people don't appreciate him or have misconceptions about him. But instead of going on and on about why he's wonderful, I'll just link to this: http://hated-character.livejournal.com/438282.html
2) Is he/she important to the general plot? Yes, he is. He's Perry's main rival/sparring partner. When he's not around, there's a terrible sense of something missing.
3) Can you relate to this character at all? Do they grip you emotionally? I can relate to him, actually. He's honest and has a great deal of integrity, but he's not perfect. He gets frustrated. He yells. He blurts out things he shouldn't. Heaven knows I've made a fool of myself as he's done on occasion.
4) How much do you like the fandom that this character comes from? Very much. It has its flaws, but the positive trumps the negative.
5) Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by their relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic) I do not ship him with anyone. If I were to do so, however, it would be with Mignon Germaine from season 8's The Fatal Fetish. I love their friendship so much, and I've loved expanding on it in my stories.

I also love his interaction with Perry. It was what really intrigued me about the show in the first place. In spite of their clashes in court, and Hamilton's frustration, they keep getting together as friends.

I wish he had interacted more with Della and Paul. I try to explore their interaction with him in my stories.
6) Is there anything about the character you would change? I would change that Erle Stanley Gardner never let him win. The show's writers tried to write scripts where he won sometimes, but Gardner rejected them.
7) If you were in the fandom with this character or knew this character in real life, how do you see yourself interacting with him/her? (Would you get along well? Fall in love with? Dislike? Friendly rivalry? etc etc) I think I would be very shy, but I would approach him anyway. He would be polite and kind, and I would go away squeeing to myself.
8) Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or least favorites? He is my favorite character.
9) Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about (if you dislike) to someone whose new to the fandom? I would hype up his fascinating friendship with Perry. I would also hype him up where I could, recommending his best episodes and such. But I would warn about the formula and that one has to look beyond that for the meat of the show.
10) Is this character popular with the fanbase? No, he is not. I believe he's one of the most unpopular characters. Or at least, his fans don't seem to be very vocal online. I know he's well-loved; CBS was deluged with letters from fans who wanted him back during that scandal with William Talman. I do not know, however, if any of them saw him the same way I do.

I'm probably going to cross-post this entry to LJ, at least. But I decided I wanted to try out using this journal for something. And play with my icons. This is Andy. (Well, actually, it's not; it's a doctor character Wesley Lau played on The Mod Squad, but I list him as Andy anyway. I can feel like I have a color picture of him.)

Year-End Fanfic Meme

Favorite:
It might be the one I’m working on now: The Case of the Broken Ties, for Perry Mason. It’s a plot concept I’ve been fascinated by for years. I’ve tried variations on it two previous times, for other fandoms. Ironically, both of those fics are unfinished. I don’t intend to let this fic suffer the same fate, however. I have the basic plot mapped out in my mind and some details on the computer. I've very excited to tell the whole story.

Best:
I really have no idea. Maybe the longest fic I’ve written to date, It’s Probably Me, for the Princess Tutu fandom. I worked so hard on it from last November through this past February. There’s still a couple of kinks I need to iron out and haven’t dragged myself to do so yet, but overall I think it’s a well-done piece.

Most underappreciated by the universe:
Everything I’ve written for West Side Story other than Language Barrier.

Most fun to write:
Gosh, I don’t know. Every fic should be fun to write or it isn’t worth it. And I’ve enjoyed each and every one.

Most intense fic:
I don’t know. Maybe It’s Probably Me and The Case of the Memento Mori Murderer. But The Case of the Macabre Mansion turned out very intense too. Those latter two are both Perry Mason.

Saddest fic:
Running on Empty, for West Side Story. Or it would have been, had I not suddenly changed gears two-thirds in and not been able to stop myself.

Perhaps I should list I've Been Standing Too Near, for The Monkees (more or less). It was a fic involving Baby Face Morales and his gang from episode 25, and it had character death. As it stands alone, I don't plan to write any kind of sequel or follow-up to it.

Funniest fic:
… Gosh, did I write any humor fics in the past year? I rarely write humor at all, albeit I can when I feel like it. You know, I think the closest I came was Ross, The Good Samaritan for The Patty Duke Show. And that was more just gentle family-friendly goodness, like the show. There’s nothing that funny.

Fic that shifted my own perception of the characters:
I think every fic I write helps my perception of the characters change at least somewhat. But perhaps especially my West Side Story fics for Schrank and Krupke. The Worth of Souls and Ripples in the Water have been the most effective to that end, I believe.

Hardest to do:
Probably those two fics, as well as maybe Game of Darkness for Kolchak: The Night Stalker and Yu-Gi-Oh!. (Now there's an odd crossover for you.)

Biggest disappointment:
That I changed Running on Empty from its intended bittersweet path. I still wonder if I shouldn’t write the original ending and put it up too.

Biggest surprise:
The immense positive response I got when I tested the plot idea for The Case of the Broken Ties in the Della-Perry Yahoo group. I didn’t think anyone would be that interested, considering the supernatural slant.

Most telling:
… Telling about what? My love for the characters? What certain characters are like? I hope my love for them comes through in every story. And I try to show their true personalities every time, often focusing on aspects people don’t know or think about much.

Now I believe The House of the Setting Sun, for The Monkees, is the most telling that I have a strange mind.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
I don’t think I ever try to predict how much I’m going to write.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?
Just about everything I did this year was something new. I would never have thought I’d be writing fics for Monk, West Side Story, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, or Perry Mason. Or that I would be writing an FF7 Western story crossed over with two rare Western movies. And since I had no idea about any of that, I didn’t have any idea about the specific characters I’d be writing for, either.

… You know, Simon Oakland is directly responsible for most of the new things I tried. Because of Kolchak, and realizing how much I liked Simon, I got story ideas for West Side Story and got back into Perry Mason. And without getting back into Perry Mason, that FF7 fic would not be happening.

Did you take any writing risks this year? (See above for unexpected pairings, etc.):
I wonder if that FF7 fic would be considered my biggest writing risk. It’s both a genre most people would never think of using with those characters and has characters from two Western movies most people probably don’t know exist (Smoke Signal and Two-Gun Lady).

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?
Finish everything I’m currently working on, but especially The Case of the Broken Ties and To Blossom As the Rose (the FF7 fic).