jacie_writes | Entries tagged with challenges

To rec or not to rec, that is the question. As long as I'm quite rambley this morning, LOL

Not sure if I'm going to do a MTYG rec list this year. I dunno, 2 reasons I suppose. Or more. Perhaps a note of thoughts on what I've read. Not sure. Jan 1-3 are set aside for sending FB and any lists to be made.

Still feeling the tug of NCIS slash fic. Actually read a couple last night. Gibbs/DiNozzo, of course. ;)

Hmmm, don't think I've ever done one of these before (mostly because I tend to do my own year-end writing thing over at

syncalot), but why not?

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?
You know, I never even *think* about how much I'll write. I usually figure on Pen's Dragon Challenge, Pop!Tober Challenge & MTYG, plus a few scattered things, but I never *think* how many stories/words/pages or whatever. What happens happens. Seems that 8-12 stories is typical for me though...

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2008?
NCIS, Gibbs/DiNozzo. Considering I never even watched the show until October 2009, who knew?

What's your favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?
Breaking Through

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
I suppose leaping into writing in a new genre is a risk. I learned that Gibbs + DiNozzo = happy me!

From my past year of writing, what was...

Best story
Caught In The Moment

Story Most Underappreciated by the Universe
Eh, I'll go with Breaking Through & Caught In The Moment as I don't think anyone has read them, other than me of course. ;)

Most fun
Breaking Through was fun to write because it's my only story including Abby. She's always fun! And of course she's the first one to see the Gibbs/DiNozzo love & point it out to Tony.

Most disappointing
Last year (2008), I wrote so many stories that were amongst my very best (IMHO), by comparison I think this year's entire PopSlash field was a bit disappointing. In 2008 I wrote 11 stories & 5 of those are on my Author's Favorites list. In 2009, I'm now at 8 PopSlash stories & none have made that list. Specifically I think maybe Lottso Balls is the most disappointing. It was tough to write, missing the deadline for the Pop!Tober Challenge. It has some good bits, but doesn't seem to really *work* as well as I would have liked it to.

Most sexy
Probably Something About JC*, wherein, JC's singing of TIPY makes Lance's cock take notice.

Story With a Single Sexy Moment
A single sexy moment, or a single sexy scene? I'll have to go with Caught In The Moment , wherein Team Gibbs/DiNozzo have sex together for the first time (at least in my fic).

Hardest to Write
Again, Lottso Balls was tough to pull together.

"Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:
Hahahahaha, I did one of those last year. Not so much this year.

Most Unintentionally Telling
Umm, okay I confess. My venture into NCIS Slash must be telling. Yes, Gibbs & DiNozzo are a couple of very sexy guys who only become sexier when they're together. LOL

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year?
Once again, I say, I would love to finish up the epic Slave Fic thing I've been working on now for years & years. Hard to believe it's been about 18 months since I've written anything on that. But yeah, that's about when my computer crashed & I lost whatever I had written that hadn't yet been posted along with a couple other things. But yeah, for PopSlash, I'd like to get that wrapped up.
For NCIS SlashFic, I'd like to delve into the Gibbs/DiNozzo thing a little bit more. I'm toying with the idea of making it 26 parts, each begining with a different letter of the alphabet, which would make the next one "D".

This year's Stories (for reference):

NCIS:
1) 11/22/2009 A Thin Line
2) 11/29/2009 Breaking Through
3) 12/05/2009 Caught In The Moment

PopSlash:
110) 04/19/09 Something About JC* [fic_requests]
111) 04/19/09 Quiet Room Coming* [fic_requests]
112) 05/20/09 Kissing 101* [fic_requests]
113) 06/05/09 JC In The Sky With Diamonds [2009 Dragon Challenge]
114) 08/31/09 Dirty Denim [Awesome August]
115) 11/07/09 Lottso Balls
116) 11/15/2009 SeSa #1 (To be posted after authors are revealed)
117) 12/20/2009 SeSa #2 (To be posted after authors are revealed)

I know, months late. I enjoyed each of the stories and very pleased with the amount of Chris making an appearance. Anyway, here are my thoughts:

Galatea by Chalcopyrite
Delightful story. First off, I love the photos. I don't think photos always enhance a story, but these, I enjoyed. The guys stop off for a photo shoot, then are turned loose on the property. Lance goes off in search of Chris, who is of course getting into trouble. I liked the banter between Lance and Chris, with Chris being curious and hunting for treasure, while Lance tends to be the more practical one. It's also rather interesting that the dragon wanted his matchbox car and didn't care about the diamonds. Most dragons have diamonds, but how many have a matchbox car!

Grounded by Raven
A love not realized. Melancholy story with Joey trying to apologize to AJ for how he *ended* their relationship and for hurting AJ. Nice interaction between Joey and AJ. I like how AJ keeps pinching Nick at the end, refusing to let him sleep until he answers AJ's question.

JC in the Sky with Diamonds by Jacie
I know it says *Solariana*, but that's my journal name, whereas *Jacie* is my penname. Not meaning to confuse here *G*.
Basically, a love that is realized. Justin is on a quest for riches, but finds himself trapped when the mine collapses. Meanwhile, JC is on the beach reflecting on his thoughts as he realizes he is searching for true happiness. After investigating a noise he hears, he comes across Justin trapped in the mine and sets out to free him. Once Justin is freed, JC takes him back to the beach, where they both make some discoveries about each other.

Lights All Faded by Musicboxgirl
Lance is back from Russia and feeling like a failure since they're on hiatus and his schedule is blank. Then Chris comes over. I adore the Chris and Lance in this and their interactions. Chris getting a Dragon-Lance tattoo is simply adorable. Well written and a lot of fun to read!

Snufflekisses by Pen
So adorable! Chris shows up with a baby dragon named Busta that he takes on tour with them. Lance later gets his own dragon which he says can keep Busta company. Chris realizes that Lou is screwing them over and lets the other guys know about it. Well written and fun to read. The dragons are very different, but both well described and interesting.

Tabula Rasa, Lacuna Caeruleus by Ninjetti
A brilliant piece of world building! Ninjetti has developed the world of the Phelk on an island in the sea. Lance and Justin, human survivors of a ship lost to a violent storm, are brought to the isle by the Phelk. Their memories are gone, so they make new ones as they live and come to know the Phelk. Lance becomes rather close to the Phelk that has saved him, while Justin becomes close to a special Phelk called The Dragon.
The story is beautifully written and well-paced, filled with sweetness, near heart-breaking moments and fun light-hearted moments, as well. It's interesting to watch Lance and Justin learn the ways of the Phelk and try to fit in (and in Lance's case, fall in love) as they develop a friendship together. Awesome story!

Us of Lesser Gods by Sami B
Chris as a retiring hitman, with Justin as his upcoming replacement. The pair stop at a rundown motel, where Lance is also staying and JC is the manager. Justin is restless, Chris tries to stay low. Being about hitmen, it is a bit dark and gritty. Nice dialogue throughout, well paced and a clever twist at the end.

I got through all 28 NSync stories before the reveal! YAY!

I don't know if I'm worthy to be reccing, so I'm just going to call this my list of favorites. I may have quirky tastes at times and also have aversions to certain things like MPregs, gender-switching, etc. I also tend to prefer AUs over non-AUs and longer fics over shorter.

I also didn't list anything I wrote, beta'd or anything where I already know who the author is.

So with that said, here are my favorites:

The Virgin Maiden and the Unicorn Chris/JC
Chris + Quest + Unicorn = awesome! Ah yes, three things I totally love wrapped up into a single story. And written for me no less! I adore this one a lot. I love the frustrated Chris and trying-to-be-helpful JC. And Chris not wanting to admit JC's ideas are actually helpful. Loved the Lance & Joey cameos as well. An all around wonderful story!

Papa Was A Rodeo Chris/JC
This story is so fantastic! I love all of the characters, from the guys to the kids and the parents. They all have such a lovely feel to them. And of course, JC’s qualms throughout, his feelings about his relationship, friendships, reuniting, it’s all so perfect and well written. Absolutely wonderful from start to finish!

All The Best Washerwomen Drink Mountain Dew Chris/Lance
They all work together in an office, but have a truly fun & close relationship/friendship with each other. And yeah, I kind of like the thought of Chris & Lance being in tight, dark places together *G*

God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You Justin/Lance
This is fantastic! They make adorable angels *G*. I love how Lance is always the new guy, trying so hard to do things the right way, or at least trying to follow Justin’s lead.

A Tale of Festive Mugs and Christmas Hugs. Chris/JC
Snowman porn! XXX-rated cookies! It all just screams *Terri* LOL
So many fabulous moments in this, the snuggling under the blanket, cooking together, the crazy poodle wig on the mannequin. Wonderfully written & fun to read!

How JC Escaped from Planet Sequin and Got His Groove Back Chris/JC
If anyone was to start glittering everywhere, it would be JC! I adored all the guys in this and of course Chris & JC getting together and resolving JC’s *issue*. *G*

Unrequited Chris/JC
Tour bus fun! I love how Lance steps forward to help JC out and how JC comes to realize he truly loves Chris in the end.

I could keep going as there were many enjoyable stories this year!
I'll just say (since I'm a bit heavy on the Chris/JC stories) the next couple would be:
Dance Dance Lance/Joey
Bellows Falls Chris/Joey

Friday Dec 26: 1/52
The Virgin Maiden and the Unicorn

Saturday Dec 27: 6/52
All The Best Washerwomen Drink Mountain Dew
Ripples
Snapping Bass
...And Some Parts to a Mustang GT
The Virgin Maiden and the Unicorn
Bellows Falls

Sunday Dec 28: 23/52
Papa Was A Rodeo
When You're Up To Your Ass In Alligators
The Greatest of...
Unrequited
Right After This Commercial Break
Pizza is Overrated
Lust, Love and Everything in Between
Jail House Rock
The Dating Game
Dance Dance
Plus One
The Blood That Moves the Body
Kiss Me At Midnight
Cupcakes and fairies and glitter. Oh my!
B-A-N-A-N-A-S
Trash Day
Back to the Front

Monday Dec 29: 26/52
A Centaur’s Journey
A Tale of Festive Mugs and Christmas Hugs.
How JC Escaped from Planet Sequin and Got His Groove Back

Tuesday Dec 30: 28/52
God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You
The Other Side of the Street

( Read more... )

OMG! YAY! Story was submitted today!

I didn't think I would ever get it done!

Now, to count down the days until MTYG goes LIVE!

Current Mood: bouncy

I started my MTYG just after I got the assignment, then stalled BIG TIME.
I really need to get back on track & working on it ASAP, because it's due, I think, in about three weeks.
I haven't yet achieved minimum word count! *GASP*

THREE WEEKS! YIKES! LET THE PANIC BEGIN!

I have lots of visuals, but I'm having the same problem I had with