rocky41_7

Total Words Published at end of year: 103,361, which is definitely a drop from last year, although still a number I'm satisfied with. Inspiration was a bit hard to come by this year, so I'm not surprised I wrote less.

Fandoms: Tolkien with a bit of a DA flicker. Remains to be seen now that I have Veilguard in my possession if DA will experience a true resurgence.

Highest Everything (raw kudos, hits, comments):

Hits: Ransom of the Fairy Twins (1,300)
Kudos: Something Sleepless in Mirkwood (83)
Comments: Fruit of the Family Tree (43)

New Things I Tried: Not really anything I think?

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: Fruit of the Family Tree, just because it is definitely the longest and most detailed thing I wrote.

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: Probably Asphodel

Favorite Thing I Wrote: I was honestly very surprised with how much I liked Where She Wanders None Can Tell. Nimrodel and Mithrellas were not characters I ever really thought about before, but I had fun exploring them there.

Favorite Thing(s) I Read:

No Sacrifice Without Blood by everythingnumbs - While imprisoned in Nargothrond, Luthien encounters Thuringwethil.
Cousin, Sister, Lover, Queen by broken_pencils - Eowyn's relationship with her sister-in-law Lothiriel is complicated.
Wan Little Husks of Autofiction by clovis_unleashed - Daeron and Maglor argue about music, but not really.
Calma, Lambe, Lambe, Ore by sallysavestheday - Daeron and Maglor argue about music for real.
The Chain that Snaps by am_fae - Marvelous conclusion to this Finrod/Sauron epic.
Who Did I Suborn to Do This Piece by birrdieEdwards - The Havens at Sirion.
The Redemption of Daeron by Runedhel - Truly a masterpiece.

Writing Goals for 2023: Just keep going!

No one tagged me, I just love doing this to reflect on the year :3 Mostly Silm fic to no one's surprise.

Total Words Published at end of year: 162,562, which is a huge jump up from 47k last year, something I attribute wholly to having graduated in the spring (not that life hasn't kept me busy since then). This is actually even higher than 2021, when I started doing an end-of-the-year reflection!

Fandoms: Tolkien with a one-off Arcane in there (might have been more if there were more Ambessa requests on the kink meme)

Highest Everything (raw kudos, hits, comments):

Hits: As Little as Might be Thought (555)
Kudos: As Little as Might be Thought (59)
Comments: What the Water Gave Me (64)

New Things I Tried: Not totally new, but I think this was the first year I wrote chaptered Silm fic? I don't usually write fic that long but I got two this year so I'm pleased with that. Also, finally wrote and published Maglor/Thranduil and Maedhros/Thingol after ranting about them in DMs for literal years XD

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: What the Water Gave Me just because it's by far the longest thing I wrote.

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: Let Me Lie on Grasses so Green, but that was probably comparable with the other two fics in that "trio" of parent&child fics I wrote in February

Favorite Thing I Wrote: Honestly I was very happy with how Sandbox Love turned out! It really captured the energy I was going for with Galadriel's possibly-not-totally-sure unrequited (?) crush on Luthien and the realization that Luthien has sort of grown out of their friendship while Galadriel has not.

However I'm also quite pleased with both my Maglor/Thranduil pieces, which were both spawned as brainchildren of me and @meadowlarkx so they have a special place in my heart <3

Favorite Thing(s) I Read: I deserve an award for limiting this to 15 fics ~~shhh no it wasn't originally supposed to be 10~~

Less Wise by @meadowlarkx - I know I've flailed about this one multiple times this year already, but here we go again. Our brainchild pairing may be unusual, but I would implore you to give it a chance, particularly if you're a fan of either Maglor or Thranduil. Lark's characterizations here are so fantastic and the dynamic between them is so juicy! Maglor trying to redeem herself through service to Thranduil is so compelling!
Berrypicking Time by swampdiamonds - This fic captures the best part of Finduilas/Nienor which is their healing and moving forward together. Both of them are trying so hard to process their own trauma, but they also want to help each other!
It's the Secret That We Keep by Loriand_Lost - Beautiful fic exploring Galadriel’s relationships with both Celeborn and Luthien in Doriath. Absolutely fantastic characterization! And great smut scenes.
The Pleasure of the King by Anonymous - Ahhh this is such a great fic. Azaghal and his wife Khoreti are quite eager to show Felagund the depths of hospitality in Belegost. Absolutely fantastic characterizations and such a fun time for everyone here. Also, origins of Finrod’s nipple piercings ;D
Beware of Women with Beards and Men Without by TheLionInMyBed - Azaghal and Maedhros’ alliance was full of cultural misunderstandings, but they push their way through it. Delightful characterizations here, particularly of Azaghal who gets basically none in canon, and a funny but also touching relationship between them.
Nesting by LiveOakWithMoss - It has great characterizations and a fascinatingly toxic Kidnap Fam dynamic, both between the twins and the Feanorians and between Maedhros and Maglor themselves. The whole thing is delightfully fucked up.
A Poetry Lesson by HewerOfCaves - Gorgeous characterization for Ingwion and I love seeing cocky prince Maedhros in Tirion who’s hot and smart and he knows it. Also, hitting on someone in a library feels like such an incredibly Maedhros move.
You are Coming Down with Me by TheLionInMyBed - Dark comedy look at the Kidnap Fam which takes, imo, a much more realistic look at how unhealthy the situation was for everyone involved, particularly the twins. Excellent characterizations!
Daeron Nails It by Tallulah - I am in LOVE with this little fic, it incorporates so many delightful details about the court in Menegroth. I am so pleased to see I am not the only one picturing Thingol and Melian with the cringiest pet names for each other.
A Fish Hook, an Open Eye by simaethae - Delicious. Maglor goes to the Havens at Sirion to try to wheedle cooperation out of Elwing, but she is not having it. Their argument takes a interesting turn in private. Love how desperate and pathetic Maglor is here.
A House of Nettles by Ias - Amazing delicious sexy fic where Eowyn becomes haunted by the Witch King–former queen of Numenor Tar-Miriel. It is SO good.
Strength Like a Tower by potatoesanddreams - This fic almost made me cry over a building. Fantastic look at how Elves connect to their environment.
Bite Thy Wings and Let Thee Crawl by @meadowlarkx - I shit you not this fetish porn fic has one of the best theses on Morgoth I've seen in this fandom. Lark displays a particularly deft talent in being able to take what could easily be considered a comical fetish and imbue it with such terror.
And by their blazing signify that a great princess falls, but doth not die by TheLionInMyBed - Absolutely obsessed, some of the best Elwing characterization I’ve ever seen. Gorgeous look at Elwing’s relationship with the other refugees of the Havens and at the Feanorians’ dynamic with them. One of the best Elwing fics I’ve ever read.
Shadow of the Evening by RussetFiredrake - Captures that lady knight/noblewoman thing with Arwyn SO well…both characters are so loveable here.

Writing Goals for 2023: Nothing specific. Life is a bit in flux right now so I can't say what I'll have time or energy for.

Please note you are by no means required to follow my template or include individual fic stats at all! You can just answer the questions if you prefer (❁´◡`❁)

Current Mood: bored

Tagged by @illusivesoul! Fics are listed in the order they were written

Total Words Published at end of year: 47, 826. It’s a huge drop from last year which was over 100k, but I also discovered kink meme writing last January (2021) and went absolutely nuts, including writing a single fic that was almost half my entire wordcount for this year, so that’s not surprising.

Additional Words Written: I’m not counting those

Fandoms: Tolkien with a sprinkling of Mass Effect

Highest Everything (raw kudos, hits, comments):

Hits: A Difference of Interpretation, A Similarity of Intent (429)
Kudos: A Difference of Interpretation, A Similarity of Intent (63)
Comments: Secrets of a Princess’ Boudoir (9)

New Things I Tried:

Not really much this year; school kept me very busy. I wrote a few “flash fiction” pieces although I usually avoid pieces shorter than 1k just because I decided I’d rather write something short than nothing. These ones are difficult because you have to be so economical with the words you do use. I’m not sure I pulled them off as well as I’d like, but it’s something to work on.

Fic I Spent the Most Time On:

It was probably An Endless Tide on Endless Shores, just because that’s far and away the longest thing I wrote this year.

Fic I Spent the Least Time On:

A Promise.

Favorite Thing I Wrote:

I’m still fairly pleased with United We Stand. I really enjoyed poking at those character dynamics although I do still pick over it and wonder if I could’ve gone deeper.

Favorite Thing(s) I Read:

A King, Uncrowned (A King, Enthroned) by HewerOfCaves is an absolutely fantastic look at Maedhros and Fingolfin’s relationship.
A loss of something ever felt I by arriviste is an excellent Finarfin-centric piece.
Wintering in Thargelion by Lady_Gavroche is a delightful look at Celebrimbor’s relationship with his uncle Caranthir.
Greensleeves by bravelittlescrib is a heartbreaking exploration of Nerdanel’s personal relationships.
loving them for their uselessness, not wanting to be saved by Dialux - Maedhros assigns lands to his brothers after his rescue. They do not make it easy.
The Other Things We Never Knew About Frodo's Soulmate by Tozette is an insanely good exploration of a prompt where Sauron is Frodo’s soulmate. It’s unfinished, but still so worth reading.
Little Tenderness by batshape is a deliciously angsty instance of frustrated long-distance fea sex between Feanor and Nerdanel during Feanor’s exile in Formenos.
You throw away your sadness, but you are still left with your hands by mornen is a wonderful wonderful look at the end of Maglor’s life before the end of the First Age.
But Daeron in his heart's delight/Now lived and played by starlit night by am_fae was written for me <3 <3 <3 We need more Daeron/Thingol in this fandom!!!
Better a Holy Discord by clothono is the Valar perspective on the First Age.
The One With All the Birds by clothono is a fantastic “Elwing in Valinor” fic with some of the best reflection by Elrond on his time with Maedhros and Maglor that I’ve seen.
You Are Coming Down with Me by TheLionInMyBed is a wonderful and imo more realistic look at the “kidnap family” where Maedhros is dysfunctional and Maglor wants to play pretend.
A King is He That Can Hold His Own by iddump is a steamy Maedhros/Thingol fic with lots of political machinations and lots of handjobs.

Writing Goals for 2023:

As usual the last couple years, being able to write anything is all I can hope for, with how busy school keeps me ORZ

Current Mood: accomplished

Nobody tagged me but I like this meme as a way to reflect on what I’ve worked on over the year (it’s usually more than I thought it was!). So here we go, in order of date written, fics written in 2021:

Published Word Count for 2021: 142,838

There were some fics I published or re-published on AO3 that weren’t written this year, and I left those out of the count.

New things I tried this year:

I started writing for the Tolkien fandom this year! I got back into The Hobbit over the summer, which led me to reading The Silmarillion for the first time, and you can see a definite trend change at that point 😂

Fic I spent the most time on:

Probably In the Glittering Halls of King Felagund ? Surprise Developments is a squidge longer, but I pumped that fic out in a few days and didn’t do much editing on, whereas I spent a lot more time combing over Glittering Halls because I was more concerned about the overall quality. Possibly The Jewel Out of Reach is Ever the Fairest though, because I did also spend a lot of time re-reading that one before publishing.

Fic I spent the least time on:

Respite. It was just a short little scene I couldn’t get out of my head.

Favorite thing(s) I wrote:

Travelers on the Long Road (Hawke & Merrill & Solas, G, 2k)
First Ruins of the Noldor (Anaire & House of Finwe, T, 9k)
In the Glittering Halls of King Felagund (Finrod/Thranduil, M, 16k)
Transcript of Divorce Proceedings: Mairon v. Melkor (Angbang, T, 6k)
Of Nerdanel (Nerdanel, G, 3.5k)

Favorite thing(s) I read:

I’m actually putting a list together of recent recs, but for fics read so far here’s are a few favs in order of fandom (Tolkien –> Mass Effect –> Dragon Age):
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