Dee Moyza

Nicked from Bluesky. Here's the original post.

It's supposed to work like an advent calendar, but 1) I didn't even see it until the 2nd, 2) time got away from me, 3) I'm still not too comfortable with using Bluesky, and 4) I never followed the rules of advent calendars, anyway. So, I think I'll go ahead and tackle these prompts in batches; three a day, starting tomorrow, should take me right up into the 24th.

( The list of prompts )

Did this meme over on Tumblr, and thought it would be nice to share here, too. Finally, something positive on this blog! XD

1. Chocolate. I just love the stuff! While I can definitely appreciate finer chocolates, I'm also just as happy with a Hershey's bar or some M&Ms. I especially love Lindt truffles, Ritter Sport bars, and Terry's chocolate oranges (I can only find the oranges around Christmastime, so I made sure to stock up!).

2. Stationery supplies. I wish I could explain why things like notebooks and pens make me so happy, but it's always just been that way, even when I was little. I would go to the supermarket with my mom and immediately make a beeline for the stationery aisle, rather than the toy aisle, and to this day, I can while away an hour (or more!) just wandering around Office Depot. Maybe it's the sense of latent creativity in these objects; they are the tools through which I can express myself, and bring my ideas into the world. And sometimes, they just look really cool. I do have the unfortunate tendency to hoard my prettier notebooks for some unspecified higher purpose, though, and I need to get over that—I'm running out of room for new ones!

3. Revisiting favorite stories. There's comfort in the familiar, and I eat that up! Whether a book, a movie/show, or a video game, reliving a favorite story with characters I like is like reminiscing with an old friend: "Remember when I did that?" or "I can't believe I was so worried for nothing!" My favorite stories become a part of me, and remembering why they made me happy or inspired or awestruck helps me reconnect with myself.

4. Long drives with the music blaring. And singing along until my voice gives out! There's a certain sense of freedom in being able to crank up the volume and just go. I love to sing, but I can't carry a tune to save my life, so long drives are an opportunity to indulge the part of me that, apparently, has always secretly wanted to be a pop star. ;)

5. Playing around with fashion and makeup. I am by no means a fashionista, and I know very, very little about the industry's history and trends, but that doesn't stop me from putting together fun outfits, and finding a makeup look to match. I've always had a tendency toward the dramatic, and I love playing out different personas with different styles. In fact, sometimes that can be incredibly helpful—say, acting more professional when I dress so, or feeling more fun and friendly when I wear something silly—in managing my social anxiety and navigating different social situations.

6. Live entertainment. Concerts are at the top of this list, but I also enjoy catching the occasional touring Broadway production, variety show, or anything by Cirque du Soleil and its ilk. Last month, I was able to attend two of the three current Vegas shows produced by Spiegelworld, and I had a blast! While those shows definitely aren't for everyone—they run entirely on raunchy humor—the acts were amazing and the atmosphere was electric.

7. Unusual museums/galleries. I enjoy a straightforward museum very well, but there's something to be said for museums dedicated to niche subjects. Not only do I get to learn about things I don't have much info on already (and maybe hadn't even really considered before), but these museums and galleries are often also an extra peek at the communities they serve. They can be sobering or fun or just plain weird, but I always leave them with some interesting new trivia, and new avenues of curiosity and research to explore.

8. Quiet spaces. The library, a nearly-empty café, or even the laundromat early in the morning. Places where I have the space to breathe, and to think. The world is so fast-paced, and so many concerns come at all of us so quickly, it's nice to just sit with myself and let my mind wander, or find the space I need to concentrate on a project. And sometimes, just to let my ears remember what silence feels like.

9. The outdoors. This is pretty closely related to the one above, but differs in that the quiet found in places outside of the city isn't total silence, but a lovely combination of life carrying on all around me. I love hiking along a trail and listening to my boots on the gravel, or keeping an ear out for bird calls and searching the trees for the little songsters. Or watching small animals scurry and eat and just enjoy the sunshine. It's restorative, and really makes me feel glad to be alive and part of this bustling world.

10. Animals! While I am definitely a Cat Person, I really love most animals out there. And even those I don't exactly love (sorry reptiles, I have an irrational fear of you!), I do respect and admire, albeit from afar. Whether in the wild or as pets doing silly things, or just being warm companions, animals are heartwarming. And there's something special when I catch them going about their lives in ways that often go unnoticed—watching a hummingbird build her nest and raise her young, for example—that makes me feel lucky to have seen it, and honored to share this space with them.

Note: For this meme, I'm going to count the fic, "Bracken and Fir," even though it was published on Jan. 1, because I wrote it a few days prior and had to wait for the New Year's Resolution collection to open to posting, so it is very much a product of 2021.

Number of fics written
30 (but I removed some from AO3, so it’s probably 31 or 32)

Fandoms
Transistor, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Parasite Eve, Neko Atsume, Oglaf, 2021 Chevy Silverado Cat Commercial (Walter), Original Work, Vicious Lips (1986 film), and The Blue Castle (L.M. Montgomery).

Categories
Gen, F/M, F/F, and Other

Best title
A Common Domestic Animal of Earth, NW Quadrant (2021 Chevy Silverado Cat Commercial)

Worst title
To Last Voyages and New Experiences (FF8, Selphie/Nida)

Best first line
She'd always had a weakness for overconfident men with no discernable reason to be, so when the slim-hipped, silver-haired stranger approached her in the tavern and promised her a night to remember, she accepted immediately. - Famous Red Overcoat (FF6, Daryl/Setzer))

Best last line
And she would kiss her shoulder, or the back of her neck, and on the best nights, Terra would roll over and take her into her arms, and they would carry each other to dizzying heights of pleasure before falling asleep in each other's arms, their hearts beating against one another's, cinders of a fire they no longer missed, a fire that burned out not that long ago. - We Are Cinders From a Fire Burning Long Ago (FF6, Celes/Terra)

Worst first/last line
I don't really dislike any of them that much.

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?
I really try not to make predictions in terms of individual fics, but I wrote nearly as many this year as last year, so it's nice to know I stayed consistent. :)

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?
Rinoa/Quistis from FF8. I really had never considered it before, and then I tried out a prompt from the FF Kiss Battle early in the year, and fell in love.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.
Bracken and Fir (The Blue Castle, Valancy/Barney)

Okay, NOW your most popular story
In terms of hits, it's Take Me Where the Streetlights Glow (FF8, Rinoa/Quistis). In terms of kudos and comments, it's We Are Cinders From a Fire Burning Long Ago (FF6, Celes/Terra).

Story most under-appreciated by the universe?
I don't know. I feel like all my stories have gotten about the amount of attention I thought they would. I'm happy that people like them. Maybe A Common Domestic Animal of Earth, NW Quadrant? It's a strange little fic, and I like it. :)

Story that could have been better?
I don't know. Every story has room for improvement, but you've got to eventually stop editing and put it out there. Of the ones I have on AO3 at the moment, I'm pretty dang satisfied with all of them.

Sexiest story?
In terms of smut, it's Shake the Stars from the Sky (FF6, Daryl/Setzer). In terms of intimacy, I think it's Bracken and Fir (The Blue Castle, Valancy/Barney).

Saddest story?
Seconds March into Silence (Transistor, Red/Blue)

Most fun?
Drown My Soul in Sensory Pleasure (Original F/F, Pirate/Mermaid). Everything about this was a blast to work with, from the prompt to the draft to the climactic love scene. I love my grumpy pirate and sassy mermaid! :) Also, A Common Domestic Animal of Earth, NW Quadrant (2021 Chevy Silverado Cat Commercial). I had so much fun with the prompt for it, and you've just got to love Walter!

Story with single sweetest moment?
Oh wow, I can't decide. Depends on one's definition of sweetness. From an orphaned girl recognizing her friends as a found family (Family Portrait (FF6, Relm)), to a man realizing he's truly in love with the woman beside him (Bracken and Fir (The Blue Castle, Valancy/Barney)), to a couple falling asleep reading to each other in a cozy chair inside a closed bookshop (Like Sunlight on a Day-blooming Flower (Original F/F, Bookshop Owner/Florist)), I think several of my fics had some pretty sweet moments. :)

Most fucked-up story?
I didn't write anything all that twisted in 2021. But I suppose you could count Caught Up in a Chain Reaction of a World Gone Wild (Vicious Lips, Judy/Bree) – it's got aphrodisiacs, a foursome, and a pair of mummified penises.

Hardest story to write?
Like Sunlight on a Day-blooming Flower (Original F/F, Bookshop Owner/Florist). I discovered just how much I rely on fantastical settings when I dove into this little romance between two everyday women.

Easiest/most fun story to write?
Bracken and Fir came together in about an hour. Famous Red Overcoat also flowed pretty easily from my keyboard, if I recall.

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?
Not really. But they allowed me to get a bit deeper into these characters' heads and see what makes them tick.

Most overdue story?
I'm still not sure exactly what this means. But I'm going to say Reawakening (Parasite Eve, Aya & Daniel); I've loved the first two PE games for years, but only got around to writing fic for them in 2021.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Umm...I wrote a lot more smut! XD But aside from that, I kept my fics pretty much close and comfy throughout 2021. (It was not a year for risks.)

What are your fic writing goals for next year?
To just enjoy myself! To write the stories that won't leave me alone, to finish up those multi-chapters that are languishing in WIP hell, and to keep my mind open to fic ideas in fandoms I've never written for before. The past two years have been rough; let's have some fun in 2022! :)

Swiped this meme frompict.

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line.

( First Lines )

( Pattern and fave(s) )

Lurking on blogs/reading pages poking my nose around DW, I've seen this meme floating about, and it looked like fun. So, here goes:

The first line of the first fic I published each month this year.

January
Red wriggled out of her dress and sighed deeply, grateful to feel her lungs working properly again.
(Summer Rain | Transistor | Red/Blue)

February
How long had it been?
(Walk in Shadow | Final Fantasy X | Lulu & Lady Ginnem)

March
Her smile was genuine, a moment of levity in a disappearing world.
(Break | Transistor | Red/Blue)

April
The Empty Set, by virtue of its design, made Auden's job easy.
(Noise | Transistor | Blue)

May
The heat from the small thermos in Rinoa's coat pocket seeped through the layers she wore and radiated through her body, inducing a cozy drowsiness despite the chill morning air.
(Snapshots | Final Fantasy VIII | Rinoa, Laguna)

June
(None.)

July
She'd painted the sunsets, once.
(Waking Up in the Country | Transistor | Farrah Yon-Dale)

August
(None.)

September
Lulu had not been able to sleep in Macalania Woods on either of her previous visits, and tonight proved no different.
(Easy Silence | Final Fantasy X | Lulu/Auron)

October
Selphie hated flying as a passenger, especially in an unfamiliar airship.
(Where I Belong (Ch. 2) | Final Fantasy VIII | Selphie)

November
Auden stood, as usual, in the shadows, arms crossed, leaning against the wall.
(In Your Blood | Transistor | Red/Blue)

December
"You save the world, and it's still in shambles," Selphie muttered, shouldering her duffel bag and stepping off the train in Deling City.
(The Good Bed | Final Fantasy VIII | Selphie, Nida)

Well, there you have it. Feel free to swipe this meme! :D

Swiped from runicmagitek because it seems like fun! Anyone else reading this, feel free to swipe, as well! :D

Look at the most recent 20 fanwork titles on your AO3 account.

1. How many are you happy with?
2. How many are... not great?
3. How many did you scramble for at the last minute?
4. How many did you know before you started writing/creating, or near the beginning?
5. How many are quotes from songs or poems?
6. How many are other quotes?
7. Which best reflects the plot of the story/content of the fanwork?
8. Which best reflects the theme of the story/fanwork?
9. Which best reflects the character voice of the story/POV of the fanwork?
10. Which is your favorite?

( Titles and answers )