Fanfiction: A Year in Review (2021)
Jan. 4th, 2022 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
abby82So I haven't consistently written fic since 2009. I wrote Forever Knight fic for about 3 years. I wrote a Hunger Games fic in 2012 and I posted a Forever Knight fic in 2019 and in 2020 that had been sitting on my hard drive for years.
I only done this meme back in 2008. However, I fell down the La Femme Nikita rabbit hole last year during COVID lockdowns and the need to write stories for this fandom was incredibly overwhelming. I spent the back half of 2020 and early 2021 working on these stories and being very excited for them. I enjoyed my fic writing endeavors in the past, but writing in this fandom has been extra fun. Perhaps because I didn't feel any pressure other than to please myself. The impression that I had was that the fandom was pretty much dead. Even Forever Knight when I first started to write there had some active fan chatter. I didn't expect any sort of hits on my stories. Boy was I wrong. There are still LFN fans out there. It is very quiet out there but they do poke their heads out.
Fanfiction I wrote this year (2021)
My favourite story this year: “your love is growing cold”. This story came out of nowhere for me. I’d made a post pondering which one of the three LFN stories that I’d been playing with since I fell down the LFN rabbit hole in 2020 during lockdowns might see completion first. Then out of nowhere, while watching “Sympathy for the Devil” I really started contemplating the Michael and Nikita dynamic and Nikita finally giving voice to the distance that had been following her around since the conclusion of the Gelman arc. After meticulously working my way through the other three stories over several months, this story materialized in just a handful of days. I was so pleased with how raw it came out that I didn’t feel it needed any massaging. It definitely has the Michael and Nikita relationship at one of its darkest moments.
My best story this year: “i am made of longing". I’m just really happy how this story turned out. I’m so shocked by the level of smut that I’m writing, but I’m especially pleased with how well that element turned out. I really like how it captured Michael’s almost obsessive desire to ensure that he and Nikita can have a relationship free of Section’s meddling. I also like that Michael is slowly coming to realize that Nikita is experiencing something after going through her detox from the Gelman process. And because I love angst, I needed Michael to be forced to man surveillance while Nikita has to sleep with her new Section mandated husband Helmut Volker.
My most popular story: ”I am made of longing” has the most hits and bookmarks. However, “jouer pour moi” and “Meet Me, R.M. 305F” have the most kudos.
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Absolutely none! I am beyond floored at the attention my stories have received from the small LFN community. I wrote the stories for me, not expecting anyone to read them and instead I found myself surrounded by beautiful and appreciative comments. They were people excited to engage with a new story and I was more than happy to engage in conversation too. Although, if we’re going by AO3 stats, “your love is growing cold” is running a tad behind the other three stories as far as kudos, hits, and bookmarks despite being the oldest LFN story I have. I suspect that the darker edge to Nikita and Michael’s relationship might play a role in that. The others are much more romantic and optimistic stories.
Most fun story to write: “jouer pour moi". Trying to figure out how a striptease between Michael and Nikita could be incorporated into their relationship organically and in a way that doesn’t involve Section. I wanted it to be a playful expression of their relationship. One doesn’t really think of Michael and Nikita having a playful relationship and I enjoyed trying to find room for it, especially in the early days of their relationship before Section really does make its presence known.
Most sexy story: Yes, I’m cheating but all of them. I am very pleased with how all of them turned out.
Saddest story? “your love is growing cold” This is a tough time for Michael and Nikita even though theoretically it shouldn’t be. After all the hardships of the Gelman Process and Nikita’s Section mandated marriage to Helmut Volker, Section is pretty much leaving them alone. They're undercover together and not under surveillance. The perfect time to reconnect, right? Nope, all of their hardships have taken their toll on Nikita and she is very disconnected from everything, including Michael. She aggressively pursues Michael in hopes that she’ll feel something, but it’s not working. It’s sex rather than making love and they both know it. It even reaches the point that she turns down Michael’s gentle advances. And then to top it all off, they decide to put off the days off together that they had been promised by Operations if they succeeded in the mission for him.
Story with single sexiest moment: This is a tough one. I think all of them have moments I’m really pleased with. I think it’s a toss up between “i am made of longing” and “jouer pour moi”. In the former I love the moment where Michael reiterates his invitation from the episode for Nikita to move in with him while he’s pleasuring her with his fingers and kissing her neck. Early season four Michael is my favorite version of him. He is grabbing the possibility of a relationship with Nikita by the horns and running with it. In the later, I’m tempted to say the strip tease because the episode “Love” confirms that they’re so hot together in this scenario. However, my choice will be the moment that they’re in Michael’s bed and Nikita is playing hard to get. She pushes Michael back with her foot when he tries to get into bed with her. He turns the table on her and starts to slowly kiss his way up the leg she’d used to hold him back.
Story with single sweetest moment?: The brief domesticity in “I am made of longing” Michael and Nikita have returned to his place after a mission and he encourages Nikita to take a shower while he puts together a quick dinner. She’s wearing his sweat pants, they’re eating dinner and then cleaning up together. Michael is so aware of how precious these moments with Nikita are, especially after nearly losing her to the Gelman Process’ modification procedure.
Hardest story to write: “Meet Me, RM. 305F” For the silly reason that I needed them to have a love scene in a cinderblock room with nothing to protect their bodies from the cold floor. The room is very unsexy but I wanted Michael and Nikita’s strong desire to steal some time together to completely disregard the unpleasantness of the only place they could be together.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: "I am made of longing" I'd say Michael's really intense desire to have Nikita in every way that he possibly can. This story really drove home to me all of his actions towards Nikita ever since they became romantically involved in late season 3. After that, he became very single minded and at certain times almost reckless with desire. It further cemented for me that Michael, as remote as he comes across, is a very passionate character. It's been there the entire time, but he'd repressed it all to survive in Section. He was a student activist. He believed in causes and was willing to fight for them. When he loves, he loves passionately. He married Simone while in Section. That's absolutely forbidden in Section and yet he did it. He felt the loss of Simone and Adam so acutely that it altered his behavior for years in Simone's case. Now, with Nikita he's reached peak obsessiveness. It's both thrilling and dangerous to watch.
Biggest disappointment: Nothing. La Femme Nikita has been such a wonderful return to fic writing.
Story I don't like: No candidates here. I love how all of them turned out.
Biggest surprise: Apparently I’m turning into a smut writer. Say wut?
Things to work on in 2022: I’ve got a lot of LFN stories that I’ve got in the works. I'm super excited. I hope I can keep this momentum going. I’m having so much fun writing in this fandom.
Fic projects I definitely want to get finished this year: I’ve got several AU stories in the works. I’m also already mourning the possibility I won’t be able to consistently post a story every month.
Best/worst title?
"your love is growing cold"
I do think it crossed Michael's mind. Is he losing Nikita's love.
"Jouer pour moi" because I would love confirmation that it’s the correct French translation of Perform for me.
Best /worst summary?
They were all pretty much lines from episodes.
Michael: "You can stay with me.”
Nikita: "Are you asking me to move in with you?”
Probably because even though I knew it was NEVER gonna happen, the fact that Michael was the one proposing that Nikita move in with him made me so intensely happy. I love early season 4 Michael. He is 100% focused on Nikita and is so, so smitten with her.
“Whenever your last meeting with Michael was, I hope you made the most of it.”
From "Meet Me, RM. 305F. It's not bad per se. It's just there. It's Madeline telling Nikita that things are going to get very, very bad.
Best first line?
“Take me back to your place, Michael.” From jouer pour moi. Hell yes.
Best last line?
“We’ll get through this,” Michael pressed his promise to her lips before they lost each other in another kiss.”
From "Meet Me, RM. 305F" I like this because things are about to go horribly wrong the minute Nikita leaves the sanctuary of the room they’re in.
I only done this meme back in 2008. However, I fell down the La Femme Nikita rabbit hole last year during COVID lockdowns and the need to write stories for this fandom was incredibly overwhelming. I spent the back half of 2020 and early 2021 working on these stories and being very excited for them. I enjoyed my fic writing endeavors in the past, but writing in this fandom has been extra fun. Perhaps because I didn't feel any pressure other than to please myself. The impression that I had was that the fandom was pretty much dead. Even Forever Knight when I first started to write there had some active fan chatter. I didn't expect any sort of hits on my stories. Boy was I wrong. There are still LFN fans out there. It is very quiet out there but they do poke their heads out.
Fanfiction I wrote this year (2021)
September
your love is growing cold [La Femme Nikita, Michael/Nikita] - 3420 words
October
i am made of longing [La Femme Nikita, Michael/Nikita] -6280 words
November
jouer pour moi [La Femme Nikita, Michael/Nikita] -6970 words
December
Meet Me, RM. 305F [La Femme Nikita, Michael/Nikita] - 6925 words
Total stories: 4 stories in one fandoms, 23,595 words written
My favourite story this year: “your love is growing cold”. This story came out of nowhere for me. I’d made a post pondering which one of the three LFN stories that I’d been playing with since I fell down the LFN rabbit hole in 2020 during lockdowns might see completion first. Then out of nowhere, while watching “Sympathy for the Devil” I really started contemplating the Michael and Nikita dynamic and Nikita finally giving voice to the distance that had been following her around since the conclusion of the Gelman arc. After meticulously working my way through the other three stories over several months, this story materialized in just a handful of days. I was so pleased with how raw it came out that I didn’t feel it needed any massaging. It definitely has the Michael and Nikita relationship at one of its darkest moments.
My best story this year: “i am made of longing". I’m just really happy how this story turned out. I’m so shocked by the level of smut that I’m writing, but I’m especially pleased with how well that element turned out. I really like how it captured Michael’s almost obsessive desire to ensure that he and Nikita can have a relationship free of Section’s meddling. I also like that Michael is slowly coming to realize that Nikita is experiencing something after going through her detox from the Gelman process. And because I love angst, I needed Michael to be forced to man surveillance while Nikita has to sleep with her new Section mandated husband Helmut Volker.
My most popular story: ”I am made of longing” has the most hits and bookmarks. However, “jouer pour moi” and “Meet Me, R.M. 305F” have the most kudos.
Story most underappreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Absolutely none! I am beyond floored at the attention my stories have received from the small LFN community. I wrote the stories for me, not expecting anyone to read them and instead I found myself surrounded by beautiful and appreciative comments. They were people excited to engage with a new story and I was more than happy to engage in conversation too. Although, if we’re going by AO3 stats, “your love is growing cold” is running a tad behind the other three stories as far as kudos, hits, and bookmarks despite being the oldest LFN story I have. I suspect that the darker edge to Nikita and Michael’s relationship might play a role in that. The others are much more romantic and optimistic stories.
Most fun story to write: “jouer pour moi". Trying to figure out how a striptease between Michael and Nikita could be incorporated into their relationship organically and in a way that doesn’t involve Section. I wanted it to be a playful expression of their relationship. One doesn’t really think of Michael and Nikita having a playful relationship and I enjoyed trying to find room for it, especially in the early days of their relationship before Section really does make its presence known.
Most sexy story: Yes, I’m cheating but all of them. I am very pleased with how all of them turned out.
Saddest story? “your love is growing cold” This is a tough time for Michael and Nikita even though theoretically it shouldn’t be. After all the hardships of the Gelman Process and Nikita’s Section mandated marriage to Helmut Volker, Section is pretty much leaving them alone. They're undercover together and not under surveillance. The perfect time to reconnect, right? Nope, all of their hardships have taken their toll on Nikita and she is very disconnected from everything, including Michael. She aggressively pursues Michael in hopes that she’ll feel something, but it’s not working. It’s sex rather than making love and they both know it. It even reaches the point that she turns down Michael’s gentle advances. And then to top it all off, they decide to put off the days off together that they had been promised by Operations if they succeeded in the mission for him.
Story with single sexiest moment: This is a tough one. I think all of them have moments I’m really pleased with. I think it’s a toss up between “i am made of longing” and “jouer pour moi”. In the former I love the moment where Michael reiterates his invitation from the episode for Nikita to move in with him while he’s pleasuring her with his fingers and kissing her neck. Early season four Michael is my favorite version of him. He is grabbing the possibility of a relationship with Nikita by the horns and running with it. In the later, I’m tempted to say the strip tease because the episode “Love” confirms that they’re so hot together in this scenario. However, my choice will be the moment that they’re in Michael’s bed and Nikita is playing hard to get. She pushes Michael back with her foot when he tries to get into bed with her. He turns the table on her and starts to slowly kiss his way up the leg she’d used to hold him back.
Story with single sweetest moment?: The brief domesticity in “I am made of longing” Michael and Nikita have returned to his place after a mission and he encourages Nikita to take a shower while he puts together a quick dinner. She’s wearing his sweat pants, they’re eating dinner and then cleaning up together. Michael is so aware of how precious these moments with Nikita are, especially after nearly losing her to the Gelman Process’ modification procedure.
Hardest story to write: “Meet Me, RM. 305F” For the silly reason that I needed them to have a love scene in a cinderblock room with nothing to protect their bodies from the cold floor. The room is very unsexy but I wanted Michael and Nikita’s strong desire to steal some time together to completely disregard the unpleasantness of the only place they could be together.
Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters: "I am made of longing" I'd say Michael's really intense desire to have Nikita in every way that he possibly can. This story really drove home to me all of his actions towards Nikita ever since they became romantically involved in late season 3. After that, he became very single minded and at certain times almost reckless with desire. It further cemented for me that Michael, as remote as he comes across, is a very passionate character. It's been there the entire time, but he'd repressed it all to survive in Section. He was a student activist. He believed in causes and was willing to fight for them. When he loves, he loves passionately. He married Simone while in Section. That's absolutely forbidden in Section and yet he did it. He felt the loss of Simone and Adam so acutely that it altered his behavior for years in Simone's case. Now, with Nikita he's reached peak obsessiveness. It's both thrilling and dangerous to watch.
Biggest disappointment: Nothing. La Femme Nikita has been such a wonderful return to fic writing.
Story I don't like: No candidates here. I love how all of them turned out.
Biggest surprise: Apparently I’m turning into a smut writer. Say wut?
Things to work on in 2022: I’ve got a lot of LFN stories that I’ve got in the works. I'm super excited. I hope I can keep this momentum going. I’m having so much fun writing in this fandom.
Fic projects I definitely want to get finished this year: I’ve got several AU stories in the works. I’m also already mourning the possibility I won’t be able to consistently post a story every month.
Best/worst title?
"your love is growing cold"
I do think it crossed Michael's mind. Is he losing Nikita's love.
"Jouer pour moi" because I would love confirmation that it’s the correct French translation of Perform for me.
Best /worst summary?
They were all pretty much lines from episodes.
Michael: "You can stay with me.”
Nikita: "Are you asking me to move in with you?”
Probably because even though I knew it was NEVER gonna happen, the fact that Michael was the one proposing that Nikita move in with him made me so intensely happy. I love early season 4 Michael. He is 100% focused on Nikita and is so, so smitten with her.
“Whenever your last meeting with Michael was, I hope you made the most of it.”
From "Meet Me, RM. 305F. It's not bad per se. It's just there. It's Madeline telling Nikita that things are going to get very, very bad.
Best first line?
“Take me back to your place, Michael.” From jouer pour moi. Hell yes.
Best last line?
“We’ll get through this,” Michael pressed his promise to her lips before they lost each other in another kiss.”
From "Meet Me, RM. 305F" I like this because things are about to go horribly wrong the minute Nikita leaves the sanctuary of the room they’re in.