The Year in Fic: What I've Written

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Now for the self-indulgent year-end review: the year in my fic: what I've written and, in an entry to follow, what I hope to write.

My fic website is Aelfgyfu's Mead Hall; I started writing in the summer of 2005, two years after I started watching Stargate SG-1. Feel free to browse around there! My two most recent stories are currently on LJ only, but I will fix that eventually.



I've done some experimenting in style and point-of-view; I'm pretty pleased with what I've written, although I thought I'd have more done. Special thanks to redbyrd_sgfic, my beta reader for all but "Tin Pot" and "Truth and Consequences," and aurora_novarum, who did a fast and thorough reading of "Truth and Consequences" so that I could post it before the next episode of SGA aired! My Brilliant Husband read everything but "Tin Pot" and offered much assistance as well, particularly in proofreading (mechanics and typos).

My paragraphs include spoilers for the listed seasons, so if you haven't seen a certain season, take note of the season at the start of the paragraph, and skip that paragraph if you don't want spoilers.

Stargate SG-1
Season 3: In January I posted a story that I must have started work on last year: a "Shades of Grey" story with missing scenes and epilogue, all from Teal'c's point of view, "Better Than Revenge". This story was my first attempt at Teal'c's viewpoint, and I found it wasn't easy; he doesn't talk a lot, but he's clearly thinking all the time. Most fun: making macros to produce __DanielJackson and other names as Teal'c uses them. (I've still got the macros but don't use them much, so occasionally I hit the wrong keys, and "DanielJackson" or "GeneralHammond" suddenly appears in the middle of my Serious Academic Work.)

Season 10: To be honest, I enjoyed season 10 considerably less than the previous seasons (excepting s6, which I'm still watching, so I'm not passing judgment there). That probably influenced how little SG-1 fic I wrote this year. I loved "The Shroud," but everyone seemed to have written for that; I really enjoyed "The Road Not Taken" also, and that gave me some room to play. Thus I wrote "Acquainted with the Night". In my head, it was a short scene between Sam and Vala after Sam gets back, where Sam talks just a little about her frustrations. But before I could write that, I had to address a few questions the episode hadn't answered. Thirty thousand words later, I got to my little Sam and Vala scene, which is not even close to being central to the story I finally wrote. Rodney McKay elbowed his way more and more into the story, so I'll insert my LOLRodney here:

It's my first AU fic, but it's a canon AU. I had great fun thinking through what would be the same and what would be different in this universe. I didn't keep every draft, but I have enough to know that I started "Acquainted" no later than early July, and I didn't post it until the end of September.

Season 1: Inspired by discussion of "Tin Man" on redial_the_gate, and egged on by sg_fignewton's response to an offhand comment I made on the episode, I wrote a short fic (without any betas, so blame no one but me), "Tin Pot", a little epilogue that shows the real SG-1's return to the SGC--and a little encounter with Maybourne. Next time I see Brilliant Husband casting about for something to do, I'll add it to my main Mead Hall page as well. It's fluffy, but I'm fairly pleased. I posted that less than a month ago.


Stargate: Atlantis

Season 3: I resisted the pull of SGA fanfic because I didn't have enough time for SG-1, let alone SGA. However, the declining output on SG-1 (don't tell me you haven't noticed it too!) had me starting to read a little bit last fall (I think)--and the horrible news of what was coming in s3 pushed me further. I avoid spoilers. There is only one kind of spoiler I want: if they're killing off a regular or semi-regular, I want to know, so that I'm braced for it. Yes, I'm pathetic: I know they aren't real people, but I often feel as if they are. I started watching SGA (stop me if you've heard this before!) because of Jack and Daniel, but Rodney and Carson gave me a reason to keep watching. I love seeing those two together. They're annoying, sweet, and funny; what more could one want? When I first heard rumors about "Sunday," I said, "No; that would be stupid! Why make a semi-regular a regular, to the fans' delight, and then kill him?" Well, after it aired abroad, I could not stay in denial. I read fics set before "Sunday," so that I could get more of my favorite duo in action before Everything Went Horribly Wrong.

s3 continued: It wasn't Carson's death that made me cry. It was Rodney after Carson's death. Thus I felt the impetus to write "Every Day". I like Kate Heightmeyer. Most stories I read, however, make Kate incompetent or worse (much like Mackenzie on SG-1; why do fanfic writers seem so hostile to psychiatrists?). I was struck by the fact that in season 1, Rodney was already paying visits to Kate; I figured she must be good. So I gave Rodney and Kate a scene. I posted this story in July.

end of season 2/start of season 3: I thought the episode "Allies" was a travesty; in fact, I have an extended rant on LJ about what's wrong with this episode. Yet "Allies," "No Man's Land," and "Misbegotten," a trilogy of sorts, are crucial to canon; I can't pretend they didn't happen without giving up the show from that point on. I can't fully resolve what went wrong with "Allies," given the episode they wrote, and I see no percentage in rewriting the episode. I also could not believe that Carson virtually disappears from the end of "Misbegotten": after all he's been through, and the mistakes that he's made, the camera quite simply doesn't even focus on him for most of the end of the episode. I started drafting "Haar" at the start of September and finally posted it in mid-November, after much help from redbyrd_sgfic, BH, and some assistance with Scots English dialogue from loriel_eris, whose response to my last questions I got too late, so don't blame her for the off bits; I'd been reworking the story for two and a half months and just had to post it.

s2/s3 continued: I worked hard on "Haar." It's darker than my usual fare, but I think it's not without hope. I also did a lot of stylistic experimentation; I'm happy to discuss my techniques in the LJ item for the story, LJ header and discussion for "Haar". I'ts the story I've posted this year of which I am proudest, but it's also a departure from my usual stories. Yet I've received very few comments--fewer than on any other story I've ever written! I will accept criticisms (despite a joke to the contrary on someone else's blog; I didn't mean it! I'll take any feedback!). I know I sound a little desperate here. That's because I am desperate.

S4: I can't believe the amount of guilt heaped on Rodney at the beginning of season 4; I don't think he deserves it! In "Miller's Crossing," John tells Wallace that they both know it's not Rodney's fault, but John never tells Rodney that, and of course Jeanie and Kaleb tell him it's his fault! I've also been hoping for more interaction between Sam and Rodney than we've gotten, so I wrote "Truth and Consequences" to feature mainly Sam and Rodney, and deal with Rodney's guilt. I also snuck in some Radek, because Radek's a hoopy frood who really knows where his towel is a great friend to Rodney and a fun character to write. This story is only on LJ right now, but again, I'll put BH to work and get a copy on my main fic site when I have a chance.

That's my year in review.

A Look Ahead: Stories in Progress

My SG-1 stories have gotten a little stalled, but there will be more at some point! You can see from my recap above that I spend quite a while on most of my stories.

Season 5/7: I want to follow up "Beast of Burden." I have some plot outline in my head, but it's vague. Very vague. I'm not sure I should even list this story here.

Season 6: I have a brief epilogue to "Unnatural Selection" in mind. Sam talks. Jack doesn't want to. (A very brief epilogue.)

Season 9: I have a season 9 story involving a possible rogue Tok'ra that has three scenes written; I'm still casting about for parts of the plot (little things, such as an ending). It's primarily a Daniel story, with some involvement from Jack, and of course support from the season 9 team, minus Vala, who is off in the Ori galaxy at the time; the stall happened when I waffled about whether to leave her there or try to move the story to s10, and I suddenly lost power to the engines. I think I need to return to the original plan and actually finish this story. It could be months, however.

SGA:

s3: I am currently working on a story in grave need of a title, but I have a completed draft--that I just realized needs a little more reworking in a few scenes. Oops. I keep promising redbyrd_sgfic she will get it sometime. The story is set after "Phantoms" and focuses on Carson and John, alternating points of view. There are penguins involved. And mosquitoes. Lots of mosquitoes. And Rodney probably has more dialogue than either of my two main characters; see LOLRodney, above.

later s3: tipper_green offered a tidbit, "Better Things to Do", to anyone who wanted to develop it into a story. I took it. Mine, mine, all mine! Now I just have to come up with a story. I have glimmerings. This will be a Rodney story, if I can pull it off. I've been hesitating to use Rodney's point of view because there's just so much verbiage! He talks so much--imagine what's going on in his head! My hands hurt just thinking about typing anything resembling his internal monologue. But Rodney's my favorite, so it's time to take the plunge. (Yes, Carson is a very close second, and I've already done his point of view, so it's Rodney's turn.)

So that's the year that was . . . and the year that might be, if I get these things written.

All feedback appreciated: good, bad, meh--please feed the writer!